Did You See What I Saw Last Night?
I must admit that Senator McCain's concession speech was perhaps the best speech I've ever heard a loser make. His eloquence, grace and humility showed his character. I have nothing but praise for the man.
I want to speak on the crowd of bigots and racists he stood in front of and spoke. The reaction of that crowd was truly appalling and Senator McCain's face showed genuine disgust. As he realized that those people who supported him were racists, you could see him cringe as the boos echoed through the room when he mentioned President-elect Obama's name and congratulated him on his victory. He immediately realized that he was the face of racism in America, and he was visibly uncomfortable with the notion. When you look at the poll numbers, you see that 90% of his base was white. In this multi-ethnic nation, those numbers are frightening. Notice that in his speech that he distanced himself from them when he said that it was "his failure, not yours". I believe that he was truly proud to see that, while losing the election, he saw the true greatness of this country and hearing her say that although racism still exists, it is no longer as strong as it was.
I want to speak on the crowd of bigots and racists he stood in front of and spoke. The reaction of that crowd was truly appalling and Senator McCain's face showed genuine disgust. As he realized that those people who supported him were racists, you could see him cringe as the boos echoed through the room when he mentioned President-elect Obama's name and congratulated him on his victory. He immediately realized that he was the face of racism in America, and he was visibly uncomfortable with the notion. When you look at the poll numbers, you see that 90% of his base was white. In this multi-ethnic nation, those numbers are frightening. Notice that in his speech that he distanced himself from them when he said that it was "his failure, not yours". I believe that he was truly proud to see that, while losing the election, he saw the true greatness of this country and hearing her say that although racism still exists, it is no longer as strong as it was.
Although I supported Obama in this election, I have a great deal of respect for John McCain and his personal character. There were several times throughout his campaign where he stood up to his own constituents and staffers for doing things that were flatly unethical. It's voices of reason like his that may eventually open up a serious dialogue between the GOP and African Americans at large.
I believe that John McCain realized that he, like everyone else, is a witness to American history in the making, and that the forces bringing an Obama presidency to fruition are larger than himself.
McCain had an uphill battle to begin with - a disastrous Bush administration, two losing wars, an energy crisis, economic troubles, and a very strong competitor. Although this was a divisive election, I saw a lot of differences from McCain's campaign and GOP campaigns from years past. Maybe this is a step in the right direction.