Dominick Chilcott

Election night in Washington

Where were you at 11pm Eastern time when the networks announced that Senator Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States? Will you always remember the circumstances of the moment when America choose its first African-American head of state? I shall.
 
I was watching the BBC covering the election, at their headquarters in downtown Washington DC. The main newsroom was a hive of activity - banks of journalists, producers and directors hovering about flat screens, communications devices and computers, sucking up the nectar of the early results from the states. It looked a fantastically complex operation, with the BBC broadcasting simultaneously on, at least, two TV and three radio stations. Amazingly, everyone seemed to know what they were doing and, despite the appearance of chaos, all this activity had to be following a disciplined and meticulously planned system.
 
And then, after Ohio (the rock on which Kerry's ship had foundered in 2004), as the world collectively did the maths of the electoral map and concluded that Senator McCain could not possibly win without a stunning upset in the Western seaboard states, the realisation grew that Senator Obama had really done it. At eleven o'clock, the polls closed in California, Oregon and Washington state and the networks called his victory. It was an emotional moment. Hard bitten journalists around me stopped for a few seconds to savour it. There were tears of joy, punches in the air and hugs. 
 
McCain's graceful concession speech struck an affirmative tone that commentators suggested his campaign had missed. Americans I spoke to seemed to be relieved to be reconnecting with the John McCain they knew and admired. It was followed by Obama's wonderfully lyrical and moving acceptance speech, renewing the promise of America to the vast crowd gathered in the middle of the night in Chicago to hear him. "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said. I have been replaying that speech on my i-pod ever since.
 
Just as gracious and almost as moving were President Bush's and Secretary of State Rice's statements the next day. The election was rightly being interpreted as a victory for the whole country, even by the defeated party. As Rice said, "One of the great things about representing this country is that it continues to surprise. It continues to renew itself. It continues to beat all odds and expectations." 
 
Senator Obama wasn't elected, of course, because he was African-American. But the fact that the colour of his skin and his unusual name didn't put the American people off shows how far this country has travelled since the civil rights activists challenged segregation and racially-based laws in the 1960s. The original sin of slavery, inherited from the colonial era, feels more and more like ancient history. Obama's election has proved that, in America, it's your qualities as a leader and a human being, not your ethnicity, that determine whether you can get to the top. I wonder when we'll be able to say the same about Europe.
 
There are, of course, huge challenges ahead for President-elect Obama. But the contemplation of these difficult times must not be allowed to tarnish the glory of the wonderful thing the American people have done in this election, once again becoming a shining example to the rest of the world. What a night to remember.

Posted at 09:40 07 November 2008 by Dominick Chilcott  |  Comments[5]