A filmmaker friend living over in London e-mailed me on Monday and asked if Florida was going to screw this one up too. Well, the Obama landslide was so convincing that not even us or Ohio could mess it up–hell, he even won both, when most thought he really only needed one or the other to seal the deal. Watching that electoral vote total jump from 207 to 284 around 11:00 was an incredible feeling and an overwhelmingly emotional one. You’d have to be made of stone (or perhaps just be a bitter Republican) to not get choked up seeing the cathartic outbursts of so many whose hopes and dreams rested on this election– the shots of the sobbing students at the black college in Georgia, the recollections of veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, and the tens of thousands celebrating in Grant Park in Chicago had me reaching for the Kleenex time and time again.
It may sound like a country song, but the resounding endorsement of this African-American man’s abilities, convictions, and potential to be a great leader made me feel proud to be an American. And what an amazing feeling to be on the winning side of an election for a change–let’s all hope that saner, smarter, and better days lay ahead.
–Matthew
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
