Election Thoughts

I have been trying to figure out ways to put down in words how I feel about this past election, both good and bad. And so I have just decided to write and see how it flows.

First of all, that Barack Obama has been elected the next president is amazing. I think that he has a chance to become one of those presidents that inspires and changes a generation. I am talking about presidents like FDR and JFK, and on the other side of the political spectrum, Ronald Reagan.

I was a supporter of Obama from early on in the primaries, after it was clear that my original candidate, Bill Richardson was going nowhere. I found his message of change refreshing, and even more so the pragmatism that went with it. The idea that doing the same thing was not working so we had to try new approaches to the problems the we faced. And as the election cycle went on the problems we faced became more and more formidable, and the current administration became more and more castrated in their ability to handle the problems.

Barack Obama put together a formidable political strategy, eschewing some very bright strategists, like James Carville, who mocked the 50-state strategy that Barack Obama embraced from the DNC's Howard Dean. They competed in every state, and spoke to every section of the country. Even if they did not win a state, they diminished the GOP standing in almost every area of the electorate.

I do not know if Obama, when he started his campaign really thought he could get this far. I have to think he must have thought to make a larger name for himself...maybe be on a short list for VP. But as he went on, I think there was a transformation in him too. He really became an advocate for the middle class people that have been left behind for so long. He saw clearly that this country survives not just on how well the well-to-do are doing, but on how well the middle class are doing, and we are not doing so damn well right now after 8 years of Bush.

His nimbleness in the primaries set him up well for the general election, and honed his transformation even more. He seemed to embody the yearnings of young people. You could see his energy in the debates, as opposed to the oldness of McCain---it was clear to many. He spoke across races and genders and spoke of optimism and hard work...and he spoke seriously. He spoke as if he took the job, and his mission seriously. He spoke as if he took the concerns of the middle class and the people without health care and the people losing their jobs seriously. He spoke of uniting the country again.

I don't know. Maybe he will turn into just another politician. If he does, I am OK with that, at least he is on my side of the political agenda. Maybe he will be buried under the nihilism that seems to be Washington DC. I hope he can transcend that.

But I think we may have a chance for something extraordinary here. A president who is a leader not just with his convictions, but with his mind and his heart. A man who listens to others, even those who disagree with him. A man with pride in his country, but without the hubris that makes our current leader arrogant. We may have a chance to be less divided.

A couple of things that worry me, that show this country still has a long way to go:

Rush Limbaugh---When Obama a couple of days off to visit his grandmother on her deathbed, Limbaugh publicly questioned his intentions going to Hawaii, wondering whether he was really going to visit his grandmother who Limbaugh heard was not that bad off, or whether he was going to doctor his birth certificate. Limbaugh is lower than rat shit!
I read the story of the Vietnam vet, who was so upset about McCain losing that he turned his flag upside down on his front porch, the sign for distress. He could not believe America turned its back on a war hero. I wonder if he was that upset when America did not elect John Kerry?
I have read with amusement those McCain supporters who are worried about Obama and do not trust him. First off, welcome to my world for the past 8 years! Some have even said he is not their president. Excuse me? When I said that, I was called a traitor, I was told if I don't like it, I should leave America...and not just by media, by people I know.

So, to those who do not support Obama...I say...stay...you are part of this country too. But do not try to destroy us. Do not try to smear us with gossip and innuendo. We will not play that anymore. We are America too, and we have said we can change this. We can make it better. We can heal the divides but we will not allow you to keep hurting us and making hate and bitterness. We will confront you and say no! We will not say it is politically expedient to use racism and sexism to keep us apart, we will not allow the hatred of others to form policy. We are changing and we can change more.

One more point about the changes we are already seeing. I was at Trader Joes today, getting only three items. It was crowded, and I got in a long line. The woman in front of me had a very full basket, but I did not mind waiting at all. However, she turned to me and said, "You are going ahead of me." I said, "No, I don't mind waiting." She said, "My mother taught me to this courtesy, and I have to carry it out. And I am trying to be better, letting people in in traffic, thing like that. Maybe since this election, we will see some more of that."

If we see more of people taking care of each other, of community, of courtesy to one another...maybe that in itself will be a huge tribute to Barack Obama.

Let us hope it lasts and spreads. Yes it can. Yes we can.