As an outsider to your electoral process, there have been many things that have mystified me. The fact that the process is 2 years long, the reliance on notoriously mischievous technology to tally votes, and that the political process is even more vitriolic and divided than it is up here. This blog entry is more of a chance for me to express a random collection of thoughts, so please forgive me if it appears sloppy.
When Bill Clinton became president, I was about 6 or 7 years old. I do not remember much about his first term. What I do remember is a trip to the states my family took with relatives of mine that came from both the UK and India. We visited New York City, Orlando, and Miami. I remember visiting the Empire State Building and the United Nations. Despite feeling that I had left the familiarity of home, this was another place I could see as home. It was America: faithful neighbour and envy of the world and leader to all those who aspired to be free. It was special.
We Canadians have frequently suffered from an inferiority complex to our neighbours, undoubtedly due to the tenets of "manifest destiny." But like any self-esteem problem, there is always a lingering need to emulate those you apparently despise. So while we ate your food, listened to your music, and became increasingly saturated in the American way of life, we have always recognized there was so much we liked about you that went beyond that. It is a recognition that comes with an understanding of your history, the richness of its characters and the promise of liberty and happiness for all. It is the America we read about, and it is the same America I visited as a child.
It is the America that I desperately missed.
Often, whenever I hear Americans talk about reclaiming the American Dream or as the greatest nation on Earth, I understand just how much it has been tarnished. It has been wrongfully taken away from so many. I watched silently, knowing that the country I had admired was being dismantled from within. No longer did we view America with envy and admiration, but with pity, frustration, and hopelessness. We worried it would never change.
Now I realize how wrong we were. When Obama becomes president, he will do what it is necessary. Many Canadians are completely enamoured with him and eagerly await the day he visits Parliament. I expect to be one the first people in line. Now, the rest of the world is watching carefully and with an unyielding anxiousness to see Obama elected.
I can't wait to witness history unfold. We are impatient to see America reclaim its greatness. We've begun to hope again.
I can't wait to see what rides they've added in Disneyworld since my last visit. We wish you the best, neighbour.