Oh What a Night
I cried this morning listening to Obama's acceptance speech. I cried again listening to McCain's concession speech.
Gauging from my interactions with Mark, Burgundy, Babydaddy, and even my co-workers, one safely may infer that I'm in an emotional state anyway; however, that not one but both of our presidential candidates moved me to tears within seconds of each other tells the essence of this election story for me.
For the first time in my memory (I'm only 33), both parties fielded a viable presidential candidate.
Obama inspired me; he honestly moved me just as he did the rest of the country. I heard a man taking a stand, being the possibility of hope and movement for a country that believed itself doomed to stagnancy. He stands as the possibility of movement for the middle class. He stands as an example of a man who, given every reason to cry victim, chose integrity to the power of himself as a creation.
Meanwhile, I have deep, heartfelt respect for McCain. I honor him. He spent decades doing what he believed was the right thing at great cost to himself. I believe he could have had the Republican nomination in 2004 instead of Bush if he had not bucked the party line so often before. He knows the ugly truth of war and its costs in a way that Obama never will. McCain would have been a better military leader.
I disagreed with both of them, too, on some pretty key issues. I now stand in opposition to deregulation as we've known it. I cheered along with fellow conservatives during the deregulation of the 90s - passed by the Republican Congress and signed by the Democrat President - and those activities have landed us here in this gory recession. Mark and I are blessed; the recession hasn't touched us. We both have very good, very stable jobs, and we're nearly out of debt. We have short-range and long-term goals we fully intend to meet. All the same, there's no denying that the bulk of the trouble we're in right now is due to the deregulation of the banking industry in the 90s. Deregulation that McCain still supports.
Meanwhile, I believe all people should pay taxes. Wealthy people should pay their share without loopholes. Very poor people should pay their share without loopholes. Obama disagrees and plans to add taxation to the very wealthy and use that money to increase the Earned Income Credit for the very poor. I believe this is morally wrong. Having been the very poor, I used every resource at my disposal to climb out of that pit. I still am paying off the debt from college, but it is my debt, and the money I spent was my money.
At one point, I had decided that their bailout behavior - flip sides of the same coin - exhibited such flagrant disregard for economics and capitalist ideals that I planned to vote for Bob Barr. My resolution wore thin through last week as I understood more and more that in this election, my vote more than ever counted. My one vote.
I went to the polling booth yesterday with solid convictions on the Congressional, State, and local elections. I went completely in the dark about the presidential election. I felt that McCain deserved it and would lead better militarily. I felt that Obama had a better sense of the needs of the middle class. I prayed driving up to the school where I vote. Fervently. And was answered with an abiding conviction that both were good choices. I walked to the booth, now computerized, and of course, I had to make the hardest choice first. I chose Bob Barr. I then selected the rest of the candidates for whom I planned to vote. I flipped back to the beginning and changed my presidential vote to McCain. I flipped through to check that I had selected correctly on the State and local elections once more. I came to the cast ballot button, and scrolled back to the beginning. I looked at my choices, and I considered what would be best. In the end, I voted for intangibles: inspiration and hope. I voted for Obama.
I didn't go home light-hearted, and I've been anxious and restless. I did not sleep well. I am proud, even thrilled, to be a part of a country and to have been a part of elections that touched so many people so deeply. What a deep and profound honor to be able to make such a difficult choice.
Gauging from my interactions with Mark, Burgundy, Babydaddy, and even my co-workers, one safely may infer that I'm in an emotional state anyway; however, that not one but both of our presidential candidates moved me to tears within seconds of each other tells the essence of this election story for me.
For the first time in my memory (I'm only 33), both parties fielded a viable presidential candidate.
Obama inspired me; he honestly moved me just as he did the rest of the country. I heard a man taking a stand, being the possibility of hope and movement for a country that believed itself doomed to stagnancy. He stands as the possibility of movement for the middle class. He stands as an example of a man who, given every reason to cry victim, chose integrity to the power of himself as a creation.
Meanwhile, I have deep, heartfelt respect for McCain. I honor him. He spent decades doing what he believed was the right thing at great cost to himself. I believe he could have had the Republican nomination in 2004 instead of Bush if he had not bucked the party line so often before. He knows the ugly truth of war and its costs in a way that Obama never will. McCain would have been a better military leader.
I disagreed with both of them, too, on some pretty key issues. I now stand in opposition to deregulation as we've known it. I cheered along with fellow conservatives during the deregulation of the 90s - passed by the Republican Congress and signed by the Democrat President - and those activities have landed us here in this gory recession. Mark and I are blessed; the recession hasn't touched us. We both have very good, very stable jobs, and we're nearly out of debt. We have short-range and long-term goals we fully intend to meet. All the same, there's no denying that the bulk of the trouble we're in right now is due to the deregulation of the banking industry in the 90s. Deregulation that McCain still supports.
Meanwhile, I believe all people should pay taxes. Wealthy people should pay their share without loopholes. Very poor people should pay their share without loopholes. Obama disagrees and plans to add taxation to the very wealthy and use that money to increase the Earned Income Credit for the very poor. I believe this is morally wrong. Having been the very poor, I used every resource at my disposal to climb out of that pit. I still am paying off the debt from college, but it is my debt, and the money I spent was my money.
At one point, I had decided that their bailout behavior - flip sides of the same coin - exhibited such flagrant disregard for economics and capitalist ideals that I planned to vote for Bob Barr. My resolution wore thin through last week as I understood more and more that in this election, my vote more than ever counted. My one vote.
I went to the polling booth yesterday with solid convictions on the Congressional, State, and local elections. I went completely in the dark about the presidential election. I felt that McCain deserved it and would lead better militarily. I felt that Obama had a better sense of the needs of the middle class. I prayed driving up to the school where I vote. Fervently. And was answered with an abiding conviction that both were good choices. I walked to the booth, now computerized, and of course, I had to make the hardest choice first. I chose Bob Barr. I then selected the rest of the candidates for whom I planned to vote. I flipped back to the beginning and changed my presidential vote to McCain. I flipped through to check that I had selected correctly on the State and local elections once more. I came to the cast ballot button, and scrolled back to the beginning. I looked at my choices, and I considered what would be best. In the end, I voted for intangibles: inspiration and hope. I voted for Obama.
I didn't go home light-hearted, and I've been anxious and restless. I did not sleep well. I am proud, even thrilled, to be a part of a country and to have been a part of elections that touched so many people so deeply. What a deep and profound honor to be able to make such a difficult choice.