I opened my eyes this morning, and although the sun was still a couple hours away from rising, the feeling that had washed over me was still flowing strong. Our country had made one of the biggest decisions in its lifetime; a decision that spoke volumes to the world. The right man for the job was a black man, and there was no denying it.
As the election drew to a close, Barack Obama finished with a +7,000,000 lead in the popular vote, and a 364-173 advantage in the Electoral College (something the GOP leaned on, as it gives the not-as-popular guy a chance to come out on top). By the numbers, it was sheer domination...a few analogies (fictional, of course): Wile E. Coyote finally catching the Road Runner; Tom catching Jerry; Charlie Brown not only kicking the football, but kicking Lucy square in the face afterwards. A closer race would have left people crying foul, wanting recounts everywhere. There hasn't been this sound of an ass-kicking in a presidential race in 44 years, not since Lyndon Johnson ushered in the last big change in our country's way of life.
Not only did Obama win classic Democratic strongholds, he turned traditionally red states, such as Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. There was a decided shift in views, due largely in part to minority voters (including, but not limited to, blacks, latinos, asians, and women), as well as first-time voters. Add in the effectiveness of the internet, Facebook, and Myspace, and you get a group of people who may not know absolutely everything there is to know about the political process (and who does, really?), but they know what hasn't worked. And you know what most folks usually do when something doesn't work, and for years at that? Try something different.
Here's the thing...John McCain (a.k.a. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot - check the red guy out and tell me he didn't spend the entire campaign with his arms like that! Never mind the irony of the robots being red and blue...) was actually a decent dude back in 2000, before he decided to jump ship. He had good ideas, and had much more charisma; it seems like time just really got the best of him, and he started to look like a bitter old man more than anything else.
As the son of a military man, I always have respect for anyone who serves our country (even if you get caught up...check-minus for that, John). But the ability to fight is an innate characteristic of every human being; the extent to which you do so shouldn't be a measure of your ability to lead. I mean, you can't beat up on everyone. And if you do, what does it make you? The bully. And you can't go hopping into others' fights, either (which the good ol' US of A has a propensity to do), regardless of what the areas involved may have for our personal gain (!). Who's to say that McCain would have been apt to do that as President? I'm not accusing him of wanting to do anything of the sort, nor saying that Obama wouldn't do something similar. But watching us run into a country five years ago, with no reason other than the possibility of them being a threat (Saddam is a bad excuse...yeah, he was a choch, but he wasn't the target), and having to hear about thousands of people dying in an attempt to establish what we think is right for them, is just beyond me. Let them work their business out...they're big boys and girls!
And then there's Sarah Palin. I don't care if you're a devout Christian or a holiday-servicer, a stay-at-home mom or a company executive, it's a little disturbing for me to think that she's an accurate depiction of the American woman, and disturbing to think that there were plenty of women that were willing to let her be their representative on a global stage. Whether she was being coached at first or not, the bigger problem was that it was an issue in the first place. Was she really that clueless? Possibly. Maybe there was someone or someones in the McCain camp (read: men) that felt like she just needed to stick to what they brought her in for, and look pretty the rest of the time? Also a possibility. Okay, so she's much hotter than Hillary Clinton on her best day, I'll give her that. But as a male in a family full of women, and with a very diverse group of female friends, there's not one that I would even begin to describe with any similarity to Palin. There will be a female President in my lifetime, but she's not it.
The world tuned in, too, and we didn't disappoint. There appears to be a global acceptance of Obama as a symbol of, if nothing else, a possibility of change in the way everyone lives. He's touched people on every continent...people who look up to us as the hope of society as we know it. They were all given the cold shoulder by the Bush administration for the last eight years, and while no one thinks that it'll be like night and day, I've never seen this much of an outpour of emotion at the final days of a head of state. Let's think about it this way: citizens of other countries may not be able to directly influence who leads our country, but the person we choose will affect their countries from day one. We might have only gone 52-47, but globally, numbers were falling at 60-40, 65-35, even as high as 75-25. A couple billion people can't be wrong, right?
Moving on...what are the the conservatives concerned about with the shift of political power? Let's see...
- A supposed socialist agenda. People are taking the concept of "spreading the wealth" and running a country mile with it. They think that the government's going to take their hard-earned money, and give it to "lazy ne'er-do-wells who want to sit on their butts and never work for what they want." Two points on this one...first, are you doing what you want to do in your life? If the answer's yes, then keep doing what you do. Second...a good deal of the money you do give to the government goes toward all those little nuances that help you do what you want to do, i.e., streets to drive on (as terrible as Chicago's may be in some places), police to keep our President-Elect and his family from catching a bullet from a radical with a loss of hope, and schools to (try to) educate your kids. If you're that concerned about your money going to waste, then do something about it...everyone talks about how we have all these freedoms...well, this is one of the them. You have the freedom to change your world from the inside out.
- Taxes. Taxes, taxes, taxes. The Democrats are going to raise everyone's taxes to fund programs for who? You guessed it: The lazies. The (tentative) plan is to increase taxes for anyone making somewhere in the range of $150-$250K per year. Unfortunately, a lot of people stopped listening after "increase taxes." Either that, or there are a lot more people that are well-off than I thought!
The argument is that it would put a strain on small businesses...which leads me to my next question: what exactly qualifies as a "small business" to these people? I could be wrong, but if you're pushing triple digits on your business, you're doing pretty damn decent for yourself. That, and it would probably only apply to a percentage of the 20% of small businesses that happen to survive longer than five years.
And let's not forget Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe The Plumber. The poor guy gets put into the national spotlight after a conversation between he and Obama, where he believes that Obama's tax plan will have a negative effect on him. Well, once he buys out his employer's plumbing business, which apparently rakes in something to the effect of $280K per. Well, there's three things wrong with Joe's concerns...first, the company in question only pulled in $100K in annual revenue, which is always higher than taxable income. Second...our good friend Joe is only pulling in $40K. How do we know? Divorce papers...proof that nothing is safe from the media. And most importantly...he's not a licensed plumber. Not in his city, his town, or anywhere in the state. He started his apprenticeship five years ago, which is just about right for him to be finishing up soon...in theory. The bigger lesson here, though: baby steps, Joe, baby steps! If you want a bit more insight, feel free to check him out on Wikipedia.
- Experience. Does Obama have enough experience for the task at hand? I don't think he does, but only because I honestly have to ask myself if there has ever been any one American who does have said experience (that didn't end up serving two terms). I mean, unless you've been a president of another country, no other position can prepare you for the trials and tribulations that the leader of a nation will encounter in their time. I don't care how old you are, many years you've served in the military, or what political seats you've held, it will never add up.
Let's see...what may have been different if he had stuck around in the Senate for another four years, picking up on the ins and outs of our government, "paying his dues," so to speak? Would Hillary or John Edwards have beaten out McCain? I doubt it. Hell, would Obama even be in the picture if Howard Dean didn't have that "byaaaaaahhhhh!!!" moment a few years back? And there's a good chance that there would be a generation...my generation...lost to the political process. Our votes still wouldn't matter.
Think about it...how often have you gone to apply for a job, knowing that you could excel at the position, only to be told that they're looking for someone with more experience? (Speaking of experience...watch this. It's a quick break from all the seriousness.) Of course, being a stock boy at Walmart is light years away from President, the sentiment is the same: you don't want someone else telling that you can't do something because someone hasn't paid you to do it before. Besides...if you have years of experience in a "job," and you're applying for the same type of "job," it might be time to think about changing some things around. Note that a "job" is different from a career, but you already know that.
- Religious/Moral Issues. Well...I normally wouldn't touch this subject with a ten-foot pole, only because we as a country have never been able to discuss it without someone getting heated. But with a few good friends in mind, I'll make it quick. California...I think you guys screwed up. No matter which demographic you want to blame, the fact that you even thought to re-up the issue of same-sex marriage is ridiculous. It's like reneging in spades...you just don't do it! This is exactly why church and state shouldn't mix...your church will always be different from someone else's. We all live and love in the same state. I know a couple people that were directly affected by this, and it sucks.
As far as abortion goes...do I think it's wrong? Yes...I think the creation of two people into one deserves a chance at life, considering how many people got that chance, and are completely wasting it. But...there are situations where you have to make some pretty hard decisions. I presented a scenario to a friend of mine...if you or your SO was expecting, and your doctor informed you that if you choose to continue your pregnancy, there was a very good chance that either you, your child, or both of you would not survive, what would you do? I would never wish that type of situation on anyone, but I think it's just something that makes you think about more than just the black and white.
All these things are just bound to fall under the political scope, whether we like it or not. It's where party lines divide, and allegiances lie. You may not agree with everything that's going on, but you should respect the other side's point of view. If you were on the winning side, you'd want the same thing. Now then...on to the more civilian issues.
- Is Barack Obama really American? Let's think about this one...the man's been to three private US post-secondary institutions (including Harvard Law), and was a Senator. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I knew, you have to verify your place of birth for all of these things. Sure, you don't have to be a natural US citizen for positions outside of the Presidency (although, nothing's really mentioned as far as being VP...implied, or possible loophole? Looking your way, Ahhnold!), but if something didn't add up before he decided to run for office, you better believe it would have been exposed. Remember...these are the same folks who find you after you move twice and change phone numbers three times, trying to get away from bill collectors!
- His name makes him a Muslim/terrorist/foreigner/whatever else you want to plug in here. Oh, so there's an issue because he isn't George, or Thomas, or William, or John, or Jack, or...well, you get my point. The most common name in the world isn't even English...it's Muhammad (and variations of it). Want to take a guess as to it's origin? Drum roll, please...Muslim! And he just happens to share a name with this guy...if he was a stand-up guy, no one would say a word about it. He just happens to be an asshole, and America thinks it's alright to condemn anyone who even sounds like they're related to him. He's lived on both sides of the world, and experienced many different cultures. How many people have never been outside of the town they've lived in all their lives? Come on, kids!
- He wants to take my guns away! Does he, really? Aww, that's too bad! Personally, you can have a military surplus in your tool shed for all I care, so long as it's all legal. If you use them for purposes outside of law enforcement (such as providing for one's family, or personal security), just state your case, and be on your way. I think gun control is geared more towards people who feel the need to own a rifle that could put a hole in someone's head from five miles away, yet others tend to suffer under some of the laws created. But then again...when your country's Vice President shoots another man in the face...and the guy he shot apologizes, you're not exactly making a strong case.
- Well, I just don't want no (insert racial epithet here) in the White House. Well...too bad. Note that this completely leaves out the fact that Obama is Kenyan-Arab and White, a more precise definition of African-American. For purposes of the argument, let's say that you couldn't tell he was mixed if you saw him on the street. I could take the easy way out, and say that this is the pain of oppression coming full circle, but it's deeper than that. I'm not going to blame anyone walking around today for something that was brought to an end (legally, at least) almost 150 years ago. I guess I see it this way...there were people that were oppressed before it became the flavor of the century in America, and there are still people who don't enjoy the freedoms that we do. The point is that if we consider ourselves to be an advanced society, then we should be past the superiority complex our ancestors were stuck on. News flash: it doesn't work! The oppressed will rebel, and the rules will change.
Oddly enough, during this entire process, some people managed to put their personal feelings aside, for the sake of their livelihood (a couple interesting reads here and here). Of course, if this is an indication of anything, it's that racism isn't as clear-cut as it's been made out to be. Will it ever end? I doubt it. There's always going to be someone to teach someone how to hate...the best we can do is teach everything but.
Moving on...anyone who's been pretty close to me knows what this event means to me...for my personal dreams. A day like November 4th was a day that had been brewing in my mind for years now...more like a pipe dream at first, then picked up a little with Bill (come on, you had to believe that he was as close to black as we were going to get for a while! haha...), and now, Barack. A Chicagoan, a South Sider who lives five minutes from my back door, a White Sox fan, who hoops on a regular basis. Sound familiar to anyone?
He has a beautiful wife, Michelle, who happens to be an alumnae of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. Just crazy...we always talk about how you can go almost anywhere in the world, and you might run into a Dolphin. Now we can add 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to the list! Two gorgeous little girls, Malia and Sasha, and they're, as the Chicago Sun-Times put it, "the Huxtables come to life." Proof that not all Black families are broken...Momma doesn't have to do it all on her own...Daddy comes home every night...and Big Mama will still be there. If you can't put your differences aside, and realize how amazing THAT is, you might as well just phone it in now. There are so many broken homes in general...so many kids that don't have an example of a cohesive family unit to look up to...and the White House tradition continues.
Think about it...he got young adults who could have cared less about voting to come out in droves...to learn about the process, study the issues, and make a decision based on what they felt was best for them, even if it wasn't in agreement with his platform. Like he says, "he'll be your President, too." The foundation of it all was to believe in something. Believe that little ol' you can change the world, if you want to. Believe that someone that looks like you can reach the mountaintop...and believe that someone who doesn't look like you can reach that same mountaintop. And not only can you get there, you can lead millions of people to that point.
For all those who think that the next four years are going to be the worst the United States has ever faced...and even those who think that they will be the best four years...find your own way to make your country better. If you want to be like Joe the Plumber, go for it...work hard, get your business, and live well. If you want to help the environment, get involved...go green, clean up your neighborhood, work with your local aldermen and congressmen. Just find something that drives you...something that not only makes the world outside your door a little brighter, but the soul that lives inside smile. We might elect the people who make the laws of the land, but we're still by the people, for the people.
So, this is my question to you, the people...are you ready for what's to come? We know where we've come from, but we can never go back. The goal is, and will always be, the same...the promised land. But we all have to walk in together. Don't let your fellow man become (or continue to be) one of the "lazies"...pick them up, and if nothing else, show them a way to prosper. No money necessary; just a good heart. A few encouraging words may be the difference between a PhD and living on the street.
I have a hoodie in my closet with the words, "Impossible Is Nothing." printed across the front. It's getting a little old, a little worn...but it makes it through the last laundry cycle, and it's still worn on the regular. It has always had a special meaning to me...but last Tuesday night, those three words meant more to me than anything else. It meant that my dreams can be a reality. All I ask is this, America...show me that you're better than what you've been. Show me what you're made of.
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