Post-Election

Everyone can take a deep breath if you haven't done so already. The election is over. Has been over for over a week.

I had a few ideas I'd wanted to post leading up to election night, but I held my tongue typing back until the circus was over. Now all the lights are turned down, most of the chairs are folded up and the elephants and donkeys are asleep in their pens. Now we just fold up the tent until next time. I try very hard to not write about politics all that much, but there were some thoughts I'd wanted to publish even if my intent is not to convince someone of my point of view.

I went in to this election season pretty conflicted. I voted for Obama in 2008, and I'll probably always lean a little more Liberal Democrat. But I just wasn't feeling really excited about the election this time around. As I've mentioned previously, I'm unemployed. I wasn't one of the folks in 2008 who thought Obama had a magic wand and could immediately fix tons of problems on day one. He has been doing a good job and for that at least, I'd be sorta willing to re-elect him. The loudest voices speaking out against him seemed to be saying that he is only making the economic situation in this country worse.

However, the problems we are facing as a nation are big, complex and involve global economics in a way that makes it clear that the President alone cannot effect them in the timely fashion many people might expect. It's not that simple anymore and perhaps never was.

Several months ago, I didn't see any big difference between the two candidates and thought carelessly about staying home on election day. Or at least choosing a third-party candidate or write-in instead of the lesser of two-evils. And let me break here to go on a tangent...

There's another thing! I don't really like that phrase; the lesser of two evils. I've thought about this for a long time. I believe strongly that there aren't a lot of people who get very far in politics with actual evil intentions. Perhaps there are a few selfish warts out there, but I'd bet that all-in-all most of those folks who seek public office have good intentions at heart. None are actually out to commit evil-with-a-capital-E. They may be misguided, misinformed or surrounded by dolts and yes-men. I'm repeating myself a bit, but this topic bears repeating.

But back to my narrative. Several months ago, neither candidate shined out to me as someone who would solve important problems for me or anyone else, so I wasn't real excited. Perhaps I'd understandably lost faith in the system.

Invariably, a few details came out that helped in my decision to vote for Obama again, even if I was perhaps voting AGAINST Romney. Here I go picking that decision apart clumsily in the next post or two or three...

Barack Obama Winner

I woke up this morning with a pretty twisted stomach flu and for a little while I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the polls. But ultimately I did and there was no line at around 2pm when I got there.

NBC news just called the election for Obama. So I can go to bed now. I'll probably stay up a little later just to see more of the final picture.

Something that may just possibly have been missed in the news details leading up to this day is the fact that Barack Obama's elderly grandmother --the woman who raised him-- passed away this last weekend. It makes you fight tears to know she didn't live to congratulate him personally. However, he has to know that she can see him from where she is and is so very very proud.

Something separate that I meant to say in my last post is that there are issues to fix in this country. And electing the right president will help, but... That is not going to be the only step necessary. One elected official cannot solve problems on their own. For instance, just because we now have an African-American president that racism is dead and gone. One thought that illustrates the same point is someone who is pro-life voting for a pro-life candidate and assuming that is the end of their obligation to ending abortion. My friend Nik stated this clearly.

Why do millions of people ask one man to make a difference? There are 159 million Christians in America. There are 1.3 million abortions performed every year. That means there are 12,000% more Christians than abortions!! Imagine what could happen if Christians decided to get involved in the girls life instead of just electing a politician to change a law! Too many people only vote, and never do.

That is a powerful statement and I felt like it need to be quoted/restated. And the full point I wanted to make is that we cannot rely on one person to solve all of our problems by himself. He's not the Messiah and he's not Santa Claus. He is the President of the United States of America.

Well, that's over. So we can all get back to our regular lives now, right? Wrong!

Update (11:30pm): I just watched his acceptance speech. Which was great, but was my wife the first person to notice that he looked a little sad?

Today is Election Day

If it was entirely possible that someone was not aware, it will be election day in the United States by the time we all wake up in the morning. I've been reading a lot about the election for the last several months, but I haven't really written about it. I can count on one finger the number of times that I've ever written about politics and I'm certainly not going to start writing about it a bunch now. It's a little late in the game, if that phrase is proper. However, I did want to express myself about my choice in case anyone was curious. One formality first:

Barack Obama '08

I don't think that's going to surprise anyone, at least not anyone that knows me well at all. But how did I --how does anyone-- really make a decision to support one candidate over another? I wouldn't set out to change anyone's mind who has already made a decision, especially between now and when the sun comes up. But if you find yourself a member of the one in seven registered voters who are still undecided at this late hour, perhaps if I document my process it will help you vote with more confidence. It's the least I can do.

As background, my parents --my mother most specifically-- were Democrats and my upbringing has perhaps leaned me in that direction. But I find myself sometimes thinking more conservatively as I grow older. As one illustrative point, I find myself sometimes leaning more pro-life than pro-choice. I'd never dream of restricting a woman's rights. I've just grown to understand the preciousness of life a bit better. This leads to an inner conflict I didn't have as a teenager when I thought pro-lifers were insane and throwbacks to the Dark Ages.

But that's just one issue. And I'd never want to be a one-issue voter. Except lately, I've come to understand that these dedicated individuals are just that; dedicated. They've drawn a line in the sand and said that the people who represent them shall never cross it. Ever. There's a certain heroism to that. There is a certain valor to looking at an issue as black and white blue and red and not allowing shades of gray purple to convince you to compromise when you really don't want to. I may not feel that strongly about many issues, but I want to say that I'd fight to the death for someone else's right to feel that strongly about one. And they shall not be denied that right by me, even if I disagree with them wholeheartedly. It's a truism that makes America great.

I don't recall how I first heard about Obama. Perhaps it was this video:

What made this special to me is not the celebrity endorsements or the interesting video cuts. Barack's voice and speech cadence is easy to listen to and so easily lends itself to music that I imagine this song incorporating his speech wrote itself. The next president is someone who we will hear speak many times over the next several years. How about choosing a candidate because they are easy on the ears? If they speak plain english, but eloquently and with subtle style... Perhaps that may seem superficial but it's important that leaders be charismatic in order to be taken seriously.

About a month ago, there was a special on 20/20 or 60 minutes that profiled both candidates and their wives quite deeply. I really liked the fact that it was very fair and bipartisan and showed the human side of both men and their families. I really enjoyed the interviews. Contrary to what you might hear, neither of them is actually evil! When the show was over, I felt that no matter what our country will be led by a good person that I could get behind. It's really too bad that only one of them can be the president and the other will likely fade into obscurity. I was left wishing for a way to vote them both into office.

I'll mention the war briefly because someone would say that I have to. I think that we as a nation have failed in this and every other conflict for the past dozen+ years because we have lost the stomach for protracted wars. Where is Bin Laden? What happened to the search for him? Can we just forgive our enemies without conceding defeat to them? I don't even know the difference between the need for justice and the need for revenge anymore. Neither candidate has a magic wand for this issue. I don't really want to talk about this and so I'll just stop there.

The issue that really clinched the deal for us --and by "us" I mean Lisa & I-- was the fact that back in June of this year, Barack Obama very publically proposed legislation to better track SIDS and stillbirths, bringing attention to an issue I care deeply about. If you can look me in the face and tell me that you can't at least consider the guy for that reason alone, I don't want to hear anything more from you.

Beyond this, I listened carefully to what some of my friends, ministers and other people I looked up to had to say. For instance, check out these blogs:

• Nikomas Perez's Posts About Politics
• Derek Brink's Posts About Politics
• ...and a lot of other sites I bookmarked: My Bookmarks on Delicious Tagged Politics

No matter what, it's time to vote. If you need one more strong push to do so, understand that 48 months is a very long time. Want to feel that down to the marrow? Listen to 48 Months by Sinister Dane [mp3] or download the mp3. Once you're done head-banging, pick yourself up off the floor and go vote!