A reflection on the 2008 presidential election
So Obama won. McCain lost. Can we kindly continue on with our lives?
The result of the election neither disappoints me, nor does it make me leap for joy. I'm actually quite mixed about the whole thing; more mixed than I thought I would be.
It really does make me happy that America found it in itself to vote for a black president. No, really; it does. In all honesty, I didn't think I'd see it happen in my lifetime -- or at least, not until I was really, really old. It's not because I believe in racism, of anything, but because of where I grew up: South of the Mason-Dixon, and essentially in the heart of the Confederacy. People here just don't like to do innovative and new things like that. That's just the way it is, thank you very much. So to see Virginia go blue for the first time since the seventies -- for a black president, no less -- really blew my mind; I never would have expected it. And truthfully, it was a pleasant surprise.
So it's definitely not the fact that he's black that gets me.
It's the fact that according to statistics 92% of the black people in Virginia who voted in the Fairfax-Manassas area -- an area that plays a major role in Virginia's electoral vote -- voted in favor of Obama. Any number that high tells the reason why they voted for him was because of the color of his skin, and not because of his policies. Likewise, only 52-ish% of the white people here voted. This makes me believe that there was a higher majority of white people voting for him based on his policies, versus the black people voting for him based on the color of his skin. With numbers this skewed, it's hard for me to belive that there were a lot of people who were making a very uneducated decision. And, for the record, I'd like to make it clear that that uneducated decision was not voting for Obama, but voting for a candidate based on his skin color. As a white person who has studied the history of some really lame white presidents, I'm rather sure that I can conclude that voting for a president based on the color of his skin is never a good idea.
Do I think McCain would have made a better president? The truth is, I don't think he was the right republican candidate, so in a way I don't think so. Even if he had gotten in office, I don't believe he would have gotten much done. Not because he's old, or he's republican, or even because Palin is his VP. Just because of the amount of control the democrats have over the House and Senate right now; even if McCain won, I think the House and Senate would have toyed with him like we've seen in past presidencies of some unsuccessful presidents.
Before anyone comes at me calling me a racist GOP kid, I'd like to point out that I have never really affiliated with any one party. Personally, I feel like gays and lesbians should be able to get married and have the same rights as hetero-couples. I'm pro-choice, and feel that no man in a suit should tell me what I can and cannot do with my body. And I think there should be more gun-control laws, because it just seems to make more sense to me.
But, I was never against the war. In fact, I could never quite understand why the bleeding-heart liberals couldn't understand why we were going in the first place. It wasn't oil. And while it wasn't for WOMD, it was for the hundreds of thousands -- maybe millions? -- of people who were persecuted because the government couldn't just grow the hell out of the 1500's. If the liberals want our hard-earned money to go to the less fortunate, shouldn't they want us to help those people out there who couldn't help themselves?
That argument, like I've said before, is neither here nor there. The point is, I fall right in the middle of Republicans and the Democrats, and this election was tiring for me. In the end, I respect the country's decision, and respect Obama -- both as a man and a leader. While I may not agree with a lot of his policies, that's the only thing I can do now.
Congratulations, Obama, here's to hoping your term goes well.
The result of the election neither disappoints me, nor does it make me leap for joy. I'm actually quite mixed about the whole thing; more mixed than I thought I would be.
It really does make me happy that America found it in itself to vote for a black president. No, really; it does. In all honesty, I didn't think I'd see it happen in my lifetime -- or at least, not until I was really, really old. It's not because I believe in racism, of anything, but because of where I grew up: South of the Mason-Dixon, and essentially in the heart of the Confederacy. People here just don't like to do innovative and new things like that. That's just the way it is, thank you very much. So to see Virginia go blue for the first time since the seventies -- for a black president, no less -- really blew my mind; I never would have expected it. And truthfully, it was a pleasant surprise.
So it's definitely not the fact that he's black that gets me.
It's the fact that according to statistics 92% of the black people in Virginia who voted in the Fairfax-Manassas area -- an area that plays a major role in Virginia's electoral vote -- voted in favor of Obama. Any number that high tells the reason why they voted for him was because of the color of his skin, and not because of his policies. Likewise, only 52-ish% of the white people here voted. This makes me believe that there was a higher majority of white people voting for him based on his policies, versus the black people voting for him based on the color of his skin. With numbers this skewed, it's hard for me to belive that there were a lot of people who were making a very uneducated decision. And, for the record, I'd like to make it clear that that uneducated decision was not voting for Obama, but voting for a candidate based on his skin color. As a white person who has studied the history of some really lame white presidents, I'm rather sure that I can conclude that voting for a president based on the color of his skin is never a good idea.
Do I think McCain would have made a better president? The truth is, I don't think he was the right republican candidate, so in a way I don't think so. Even if he had gotten in office, I don't believe he would have gotten much done. Not because he's old, or he's republican, or even because Palin is his VP. Just because of the amount of control the democrats have over the House and Senate right now; even if McCain won, I think the House and Senate would have toyed with him like we've seen in past presidencies of some unsuccessful presidents.
Before anyone comes at me calling me a racist GOP kid, I'd like to point out that I have never really affiliated with any one party. Personally, I feel like gays and lesbians should be able to get married and have the same rights as hetero-couples. I'm pro-choice, and feel that no man in a suit should tell me what I can and cannot do with my body. And I think there should be more gun-control laws, because it just seems to make more sense to me.
But, I was never against the war. In fact, I could never quite understand why the bleeding-heart liberals couldn't understand why we were going in the first place. It wasn't oil. And while it wasn't for WOMD, it was for the hundreds of thousands -- maybe millions? -- of people who were persecuted because the government couldn't just grow the hell out of the 1500's. If the liberals want our hard-earned money to go to the less fortunate, shouldn't they want us to help those people out there who couldn't help themselves?
That argument, like I've said before, is neither here nor there. The point is, I fall right in the middle of Republicans and the Democrats, and this election was tiring for me. In the end, I respect the country's decision, and respect Obama -- both as a man and a leader. While I may not agree with a lot of his policies, that's the only thing I can do now.
Congratulations, Obama, here's to hoping your term goes well.