Wasn't last night fabulous?

After nearly two years wondering if it could really come true - and panicking that some Kennedy calamity would stop him if McCain didn't - Obama is finally home and dry.
Thank you America - we were starting to doubt if you had it in you. The US was starting to feel like the land of the rich and the religious nut, rather than the land of opportunity and freedom.
The country we grew up grudgingly admiring had become paranoid, aggressive, small-minded - and yet the Americans we knew were so decent, so eager to make a difference. And when America lacks direction, lacks hope, we all get gloomy.

Watching his victory speech this morning, I must admit the tears welled up.
Growing up as a poor black American, it would have been easy for Obama to get angry. Angry at the lack of opportunity, bitter at the rich/poor divide, resigned to being treated, subconsciously perhaps, as a second-class citizen (I have a black American friend who calls America "the most racist country on Earth", and feels sick whenever he goes back there).
But Obama proves that hope can out-gun anger. This calm, considered, intelligent man doesn't fight back when attacked - he finds the common ground. He doesn't bewail his disadvantages - he shows us how much we're all capable of. He makes us want to stop taking sides and seek the common good.

There's a theme that always brings tears to my eyes. Jonathan Sacks' "Thought for the day" the day after the Madrid bombings... Martin Luther King's dream... Bobby Kennedy's words the day after King's assassination (tears every time)... Jefferson's declaration of independence...
It's the message that what unites us is greater than what divides us; that people are essentially decent - we all seek the same things - to find happiness and fulfilment and purpose in our short time here on earth; and that if we remember this, and work together, and love each other, we can make the world a better place.
It sounds a bit trite when cobbled together by amateur me.
But Obama rekindled the same feelings this morning:

Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

After years of Rovian paranoid politics, it's a joy and a relief. (As, to be fair, was McCain's incredibly gracious and touching concession speech.)

OK, if you're wondering what on earth these ramblings have to do with Firefly...

Well, we've been avid Obama fans at Firefly HQ since we put that bad joke on our Redbush drink (changing Redbush to Redobama - "now there's a drink you can vote for") a year ago. Back then, no-one got it. Now it would be a cliche.

Because if we didn't believe that mankind was essentially decent, and that tomorrow could be better than today, we wouldn't bother making drinks to "get the most out of life".

But today isn't really about Firefly.
Barack Obama, you've restored a little hope today.
Thank you.