As a very bitter and divisive 2008 Presidential Election came to a close last night, after a record setting voter turnout, I was moved by the acceptance speech of our new President Elect. In particular the words below that speak of healing and the invocation of the memory of a time more troubled and an even greater division that was mode whole:
“Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends … though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.” – Barack Obama
Click here for the entire transcript of the Barack Obama Election Night Acceptance Speech – November 4, 2008
Words of Freedom 