Congratulations America

Congratulations America

Regardless of you voted for, America was the winner last night.

By David Kuo,  November 5, 2008 Last night America won, our culture was changed, and conservatism faced its future.

My mother worked on an interracial Christian commune in southwestern Georgia in the 1950s. A white woman living in Christian fellowship with African-American men and women, she was subjected to the worst parts of America. There were cross burnings and shotgun blasts in the middle of the night. There were crops destroyed and people beaten. Habitat for Humanity was born out of this commune but I am sure that the notion of an African-American president never crossed anyone's mind.

Last night she saw the best of America. Forty-five years after King stood on Lincoln's steps and described his dreams, we have achieved a dream he didn't dare enunciate – the dream of an African-American president within his children's lifetimes.

No matter who you voted for, no matter how you feel about Barack Obama, this is a day to celebrate our country's soul.

America makes great mistakes. It stumbles and bumbles and fumbles but then it rights itself and recognizes its mistakes and overcomes. That is something unique in human history and something Americas detractors too frequently forget. It is something everyone frequently forgets.

Our culture will never be the same. What, exactly, that means we do not yet know. Thomas Chatterton Williams' piece in this space a few weeks ago began that exploration. We look forward to far more from him, from others, and from you.

We at Culture11 congratulate President-elect Obama. We congratulate him on a brilliantly run campaign and congratulate him on capturing the imagination of an electorate. We congratulate him for mobilizing the young and giving voice to men and women who have been outside of the political process. He has changed America and we are excited to be part of the journey to figure out what that means.

And we congratulate Senator John McCain. He was and is an American hero. He attracted the votes of more than 50 million Americans. He brought a relatively unknown governor onto the national scene. Both matters are hugely important and deserve exploration. We will do that.

There are a lot of people who will tell you they know what all of this means. They’ll say it means the end of conservatism and the ascendancy of the left. Others will say it means nothing like that, it means nothing at all, it is just a fluke. Some will say racism is dead and others that it was just suspended due to economic insanity. The reality is that no one knows. The event is too close and too intense.

But we hope you will join us for the conversation… and the journey.

David Kuo is CEO of Culture11.