Why Obama's Victory Moved Me

Obama's victory in the USA truly moved me. It stirred deep passions in my heart and renewed my belief in America that this was a place of ideals. I celebrate and bask in his victory, and hope sincerely that he can succeed as the president.

First, I'm fully aware that there's a sense of misplacement when an election that I cannot be part of moves me like this. So I'll start with explaining where this comes from.

America, for me, has always been a special place. When I was a child, some of my most beloved relatives moved to the US to start their lives anew. They didn't have much, but what did was have a desire to begin a new chapter in their lives or enjoy a healthier retirement. As a child, this has a profound impact on you because it gives you the notion that this was a place where dreams can be pursued and where hope is worked to fruition.

Then there's the fact that I was born and raised in the Philippines, a place where the American ideals and everything American is lionized and given a premium. The Philippines is unique in America's place because this is a country that Americans ruled and occupied, not as aggressors, but as saviors (particularly after WWII). Now Philippine-American history is quite complicated and was even mired in a war early on, but what is unmistakable is that the Americans were responsible for establishing and founding the very basis of our modern society. Our political, judicial, educational, legal and military systems are all based on the American model. Even our social norms and to some extent, our tastes are heavily influenced by America. There's a long and deep-seated cultural slant in the Filipino's identity towards America. And the causes and implications of that is a whole other story. But let it suffice as a background of why American affairs matters so much to our country.

I grew up watching Sesame Street, reading Dr. Seuss and basically being disproportionately exposed to all things American, compared to other foreign influences. I still remember my first trip to the USA as a child, and how magical it all seemed to me. It was a place of ideals, of aspirations of the best we can bring out of humanity.

9/11 changed the world, and the whole world cried with Americans on that tragic day. But what it also ushered in was a kind of America that I have not seen before. An arrogant, imperialistic America that viewed others as either being "with us or against us." George W. Bush appealed to the worst in Americans and they voted him in for 4 more years. With that narrow 'mandate', he continued to alienate allies, ignore science, compromise human rights, and now has made a complete fiasco of the financial system. The idea that America was a place that can bring out the best in people was violated fundamentally.

But deep inside, I and many others I suspect, still wanted the America we idealize. The America that truly embodied the dream, that one can work his or her way to success with equal opportunities.

That's why Barack Obama's victory today is more than just an observation of history. It renews America's promise in my eyes and reminds of what I find so ideal about that place. It gives me hope that the US can find its bearings and once again take leadership and act as a beacon on the things all of humanity holds dear. I look forward to an America that understands its power and influence does not spring from the barrel of a gun or the volume of her bellicosity, but rather in the brightness of her ideals and conviction in principles of equality, freedom and opportunity.

I wish the new president success and have high hopes for his tenure. I congratulate him, and most of all America, for once again, finding the best in yourselves.