KNOW HOPE

I have been following this campaign for nearly a year now (and quite intensely in the past 2 months) and today I am feeling quite hung over physically, emotionally and intellectually. The all-nighter and the alcohol galore by way of celebrations did not help. I have been trying to find something worth posting for some time now, but somehow nothing captures the moment quite accurately. It is as if opinion pieces, quirky videos, interesting exit polls and vivid photographs were worthless compared to the simple fact that yesterday the American community as a whole overwhelmingly voted for decency, intelligence, tolerance and HOPE.

I am not American by birth. I lived, studied, worked and travelled there for four years and I have quite strong feelings of affection for the country, its ideals and the fundamental decency of its people. Yet I also feel quite European in the sense that I have developed a certain amount of cynicism towards "the American Dream" and its overstretch as the backbone of American life. I could never reconcile these conflicting attitudes, or at least not any more than one can reconcile one's idealism with the complexity of real life.

Last night, however, as the exit polls and vote tallies were coming in, I felt that my personal ambivalence about America evaporated as the reality of a man who personifies the American Dream started sinking in. In his own words: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

While America's economy is losing its global edge, America's politics are leading the way redefining campaigning, rhetoric and message. In the years to come I look forward to seeing whether bad economics will trump good politics or vice versa. Last night and today, however, I am celebrating America's comeback as the great nation.