It’s been tough, my fellow travelers, and while we haven’t reached our destination just yet, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Before you roll your eyes in disgust, let me tell you what I mean. It’s not a Democratic victory in November. It’s not having 75,000 people attend a political convention. It’s not even getting the Clintons to support the Obama candidacy.

No, our glorious destination is one where our leaders stand up and tell us that we cannot afford to question each other’s patriotism simply because we disagree. It’s a place in which “Liberal” doesn’t mean weak, callow or snobbish. It’s where we can openly discuss ideas without the fear of being called “Un-American.”

The Speech

Since you can go to just about any news site and read a glowing review of Obama’s acceptance speech from last night, I’ll assume that already have. While the speech was very good, and I do indulge in a little gushing at the end of this article, I want to take the opportunity to talk about some of the stuff that bothered me about the speech.

Something that just didn’t sit right with me was the “attack ad” section of the speech, in which Obama reads a laundry list of votes that McCain has been on the wrong side of; healthcare, tax cuts, the war in Iraq. I’m bothered by it because voting in the Senate and the House isn’t as cut and dry and politicians would have you believe. Bills are changed in committee, riders are tacked on, votes are delayed when too many members of a particular party are present, and on and on.

That said, McCain having agreed with President Bush on 90% of his votes is a pretty damning figure. And whoever wrote “I won’t take a 10% chance on change” deserves a medal.

Also, every time that Republicans and Democrats are mentioned, the term Independents was snuck in. It’s as if the Independents are now a recognized political party, which must be courted and pandered to like the Left or the Right. The only problem is that the Indies are the ones likely to be moved by arguments like “He doesn’t wear a flag-pin” or “his middle name is Hussein” or “I really wanted to vote for Hillary.”

Leaving aside for a moment the notion that anyone who would have voted for Hillary Clinton could actually be called Independent, how does merely mentioning their name inspire them to vote for you? If someone believes that Obama isn’t really American because he doesn’t put his hand over his heart for the National Anthem, then I don’t know what kind of reason and logic can be used to reach them.

This Strange Feeling

The best part of last night’s speech was the line Obama used to describe the Right-wing ideology:

“You’re on your own.”

And that’s the core of the free market/privatize everything argument – Help yourself if you can. If you can’t, sorry, I’ve got me and mine to look after. You’re on your own.

Having a Democrat stand up and say that that line of thinking is indefensible has me feeling this strange sensation. It starts in the center of my stomach and radiates out to my clawed fingers…

I would have to call it pride.

It’s been a long time, alone in the cold of liberal Democratic politics. We’ve been harangued by the Right, labeled as unpatriotic, weak and cowardly.

But now we can feel pride again. We have a leader who will stand up and say “We are the moral ones in this discussion. We are right. We will help keep everyone safe, healthy, fed and educated.”

All we have to do now is make sure that we don’t screw it up.