In my view, what Obama accomplished with his speech in Philadelphia yesterday, in addition to winning my vote, was to transform himself from politician into statesman, something I have seen far too little of in my 56 years. Among the countless abominations the Bush administration and its enablers have inflicted on the world, one of the worst is their imperviousness to any appeal to reason, nobility, or even common sense or common decency. Indeed, even more than turning a deaf ear to any appeal to our better natures, they have actively sought to cultivate the worst in all of us in terms of division, hate, selfishness, greed, righteousness, and indifference to the suffering of others.

What I heard Obama say was that the time for this short-term, zero-sum destruction is coming to an end. I heard him say that our greatest strength as a democracy lies in the very messiness of this crazy, patchwork system, in our ability and willingness to look beyond the shadows that now engulf us and face together with honesty and courage our countless challenges. Surely, if there is any lesson we have learned these past 30 years and generally throughout history it is that no divisive, demonizing, hate-filled, autocratic group can ever long prevail or accomplish what is possible when free people choose to work together with honesty and conviction toward sensible solutions to bedeviling problems.

And then I spoke this morning with my father. My father is a Christian fundamentalist conservative who has lived most of his life in the deep south. After speaking with my Dad about Obama's speech, I confess I was as shocked at the viciousness of his views as I was surprised with the honesty and dignity of Obama's. My father, who has a very "high school football team" view of patriotism, said that he could never support anyone who would sit and listen for 20 years to that hate-spewing preacher at Obama's church who hates this country. I asked my father if he'd read Obama's speech, which he admitted he had not. He said that nothing I could say would get him to read the speech or change his mind. I asked him how Wright's comments were different than so many conservatives preachers and members of the religious right. His response was that conservative clergyman aren't unpatriotic.

I recognize that this story is anecdotal but having grown up in the south, I know that the pervasiveness of this "my country right or wrong" and "us against them" view of patriotism. I love my family and I respect our right to disagree with each other, though I admit that I have a hard time respecting these views about blind patriotism, to say nothing about race and all forms of bigotry and irrational discrimination, which I consider simply downright evil. But this encounter with my Dad made me face yet again exactly how deeply ingrained, even primitive, these attitudes are.

I realize yet again that all I can do is continue to make my best case as effectively as I'm able to with my family, friends, and even strangers. As inspired as I was yesterday after hearing Obama's speech, I realize today that his work, my work, our work, has only just begun and, even more importantly, that it will never end.