Day 5 Happiness
Let's see...what might I be happy about today...?
Oh right, OBAMA IS PRESIDENT NOW. And it seems that a lot of people in the world share my view that this is a good thing and a thing to be happy about. Catch the Obamania people, we sure need it.
The 2000 election is the first one I really remember (I have memories going back as far as the 1992 one but I much younger then), I was 17 then, a senior in high school, I still couldn't vote and didn't know many people who could. Of the people I knew like me who at least somewhat paid attention to politics (whether it was for speech class or just cause) a lot of us wished we could vote for Nader to make a point about a three party system so it's not like we would have made much difference then.
But most of my "adult" (semi adult though it may be) George W. Bush has been president and I can only say that in those years my view of what American politics is has fallen. I'm still idealistic enough to think about what politics ought to be, but I know it isn't that now. And I'm jaded enough to know that's not going to change quickly if ever.
But Obama reminds me that there is hope that it could be that, that there are reasons why we are taught that we "can be* a good country. Not talking about our greatness on the world stage, but our goodness. For the first time in my caring about politics (which I grant you has not been hugely long), I feel that there is someone holding the Office of the President whose vision of what we could be is not horribly at odds with my own.
We're sure as hell not there now. And am I sure about Obama? Not 100%. Do I think we will ever reach that hope? I don't know, but it's good to think we can try again.
Oh right, OBAMA IS PRESIDENT NOW. And it seems that a lot of people in the world share my view that this is a good thing and a thing to be happy about. Catch the Obamania people, we sure need it.
The 2000 election is the first one I really remember (I have memories going back as far as the 1992 one but I much younger then), I was 17 then, a senior in high school, I still couldn't vote and didn't know many people who could. Of the people I knew like me who at least somewhat paid attention to politics (whether it was for speech class or just cause) a lot of us wished we could vote for Nader to make a point about a three party system so it's not like we would have made much difference then.
But most of my "adult" (semi adult though it may be) George W. Bush has been president and I can only say that in those years my view of what American politics is has fallen. I'm still idealistic enough to think about what politics ought to be, but I know it isn't that now. And I'm jaded enough to know that's not going to change quickly if ever.
But Obama reminds me that there is hope that it could be that, that there are reasons why we are taught that we "can be* a good country. Not talking about our greatness on the world stage, but our goodness. For the first time in my caring about politics (which I grant you has not been hugely long), I feel that there is someone holding the Office of the President whose vision of what we could be is not horribly at odds with my own.
We're sure as hell not there now. And am I sure about Obama? Not 100%. Do I think we will ever reach that hope? I don't know, but it's good to think we can try again.