A moment in time

I was talking to my wife about something she heard a politician say on TV last night. I interrupted her to ask, “Was this before?”

Before. That is the significance of Tuesday’s election. It’s a line on the calendar, there forever. It divides history into two parts—before, and all the nows to come.

There are many things that never could have happened in America—before.

There were two generations of Americans who were choked by cynicism, who never knew pure, joyous, pride in their country, who were too “hip” for patriotism—before.

There were millions of minority kids who had a ready excuse for terrible, self-destructive behavior—before.

There were nations in every continent where a demagogue could get a rousing cheer by sneering and smearing the name of America’s president, even as he oppressed his own people—before.

Racism plagues the whole wide world, but you could call America a racist nation, and many did—before.

Lots of people, friends and foes, were sure that America’s best days were behind it—before.

It was easy to laugh at the idea that America was still, still, the last best hope of humanity—before.

You could blame the Republicans—before. You could say they’re all the same and the hell with them—before.

Elections were always the choice between two evils—before.

I could sit here and complain and not do a goddamn thing about it—before. It was all on someone else’s shoulders—before.

And democracy was just a word we fooled kindergartners with—before. It wasn’t a job—before. It wasn’t on us—before.

It is not before anymore. We have crossed that line. The bonds of history don’t bind us so tightly as they did yesterday. We have lost an excuse and gained an opportunity. What we make of that opportunity no one can know—but everyone can see.

John McCain saw it last night. The old warrior made a concession speech that did him proud, that will illuminate his legacy and make history forget the sad, tawdry campaign he ran.

The campaign doesn’t matter anymore—it was before.

After starts—Now.

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