We're all Americans

As I sat last night, lamenting McCain's loss and being concerned for our future, a coworker who is a Democrat pointed out to me that "We're all Americans" and said that we need to come together and unite behind our new President.

I was struck by this statement as I listened to President-elect Obama deliver his victory speech, talking about reaching across the aisle and working together and saying that he wants to unite everyone. What struck me was that I had heard those themes in a victory speech before, but it was different this time.

It was four years ago. Not long after Peter Jennings, with tears welling up in his eyes, announced that George W. Bush had been reelected, and Bush was making a victory speech with very much those same themes of reaching across the aisle and the people uniting.

The difference was that nobody was calling anyone a crook, nobody was talking about how if he hadn't stolen the election four years ago, he wouldn't have even been running this year. There was no demonization of the VP and other staffers. There was none of that, save a couple of people running by across the street from us yelling "Go Obama! F--k McCain!"

There were discussions of tax and various other policies and how much would Obama actually be able to get done once in the White House. There were discussions of the possiblity of different outcomes had the Republicans put up a different candidate, but there were no cries for investigations. There was nobody saying that he's not the President that he shouldn't be allowed to take office. There was no talk of him being a Nazi. There was none of that.

There was, however, repeated talk of the fact that it's been a long election, it's over now, it's official, he's won, and that we're all Americans and, because of that, we need to put aside our differences and unite behind our new President.

I wonder how things would have gone had there been more talk like that from Democrats in 2000 and 2004.