Feeling the need to clarify my vision and yours.
First of all, my previous post was really two seperate thoughts. First, like it or not, Obama is trendy. Liking "Obama," the name, "Obama" and voting "Obama" are all very popular. That said, I'm feeling unfassionable not because I think the world is going to end, nor because I think Obama is a bad guy. I watched the debates-- yes I was impressed. I think he'll do a fine job and I have every reason to support him. I do and I'm proud of our nation.
The only nervousness I may feel has to do with the imbalance in Congress (Democratic majority/Democratic President). Obama has the most liberal track record of ANY senator, but he proved during his campaign that he can be moderate and that I like. I feel some trepedation at what will happen in a few of the sleeper issues (like the probablity of electing three Supreme Court judges this next term for example).
I do want to recognize the victory that this election is for African Americans (and really any minority that has been marginalized) and for the world. I feel greater global unity. I can FEEL it. It's remarkable. I also feel tremendous optimism and hope for the future. I struggled with whom to vote for and the decision wasn't easy for me. I'm happy he did won. I am praying for him. He has a big job to accomplish; not only do the hopes of American citizens rest on his shoulders, but also the hopes of citizens in other countries.
In regards to the latter half of my previous post, I really do feel "unfassionable" in my beliefs. My co-workers constantly make remarks about what I believe and why I believe it. In even playing devils advocate for the sake of an alternate view. I feel alone up here in regards to moral and social issues. While I regard Prop 8 as a victory (and the props that passed in AZ and FL), the LDS church is going to have to battle against those who percieve our involvment as a sign of intolerance, religious "dictatorship" or fanaticisim. My boss told me I wear a Pink dot (and not the "obama as the new pink" dot). I feel like I do for more than just the reasons she specified.
As long as the president will say, "God bless America," I have no doubt he will.
7 comments:
Sometimes I get so hyped up on something things just start spewing out of my mouth. I guess I should clarify as well. My comments had much more to do with the second part of your post that the first, I do believe, however, that they're linked, although most people probably don't. I think that good values going out of style led in some degree to Obama being elected, not because he doesn't (or does) espouse good values, and I'm not trying to say that he's not capable of being president, but I think that people didn't look closly at what CHANGE he is planning on bringing to America because this abandonment of basic old fasioned values has blinded us in some regards. This is probably making no sense. I know I'm jumping from A-C without explaining B. I have a whole chain of thoughts in my head that I don't feel like writing in a blog comment, but for the first time during an election I feel like I started to see all the issues as a web. I, like you, plan to support the President and pray that he will make wise choices. I would feel a little more comfortable if our checks and balances were a little more checked and balanced between democrats and republicans (of which I am neither), but I have a lot of faith in this good old country and our desire to do what's right. Thanks for writing. You're a gifted writer and I love reading what you have to say.
I hear exactly what you are saying. A lot of my co-workers voted for Obama and love Obama and a lot of my co-workers voted no on prop 102, the proposition about marriage. So, since I'm conservative and old-fashioned and Mormon, I feel out of place. I suppose I'll never stop feeling out of place, unless I move to a heavily LDS populated place, maybe.
Cool blog!
Hi Angela. Sometimes & after I see Jo & Brian's blog, I go to yours. Your blog is interesting & I love your pictures. You are bright, creative & I hope you do not feel alone in your opinions. Be strong in your beliefs, because there are many that feel the same, but do not speak up as much. By the way, in the election it was nearly 50% evenly split in the states & the electorate votes were more for B.O. You are not the only one who is concerned as to what "change" will be brought about. In the news, some other countries of the world refer to him as the new "world President." Wish we could talk via email, but I don't have your address. Hugs,Marilyn (Jo & Brian's Mom).
Old school picture of you on my blog. You're going to love it.
I personally don't understand Obama euphoria. He will enact national health care, creating a huge tax burden that will weigh down a nation already spinning from economic collapse, lowering standards of care and weakening medical research and development. He does not trust the markets, weakening the principles of capitalism in favor of socialism. For example, he wants to eliminate tax shelters for 401ks, creating instead a mere 3% entitlement and undercutting retirement benefits. He wants social equality for errant behaviors (note I said behaviors, not states of being). He wants to cut defense, including star wars and missile defense, making it impossible to defend against rogue nuclear missile attacks from Iran and North Korea (both of which have such weapons and will eventually use them). In short, he wants short-lived peace at the price of our freedom from the captivity of other nations. He wants social equality at the price of our religious freedom. And he wants medical and economic equality at the price of quality heath care and freedom to invest and innovate as we choose.
Yes, he represents change. Yes, Bush made some dumb mistakes. But not all change is good, and let's not forget what he stands for.
I enjoyed your views, Angela, but I have to agree with Sarah: not all change is good. I, for one, could never support any man, no matter how smooth-talking he is, who supported partial-birth abortion. It is a heinous act and there is NO reason to ever support such action. It speaks to what is inside of the man. I also think that saying "God bless America" is a pretty easy thing (and fairly PC with politicians) to say, but given the church pew Barack Obama was sitting in for 20 years and the hatred sprewing out of his pastor's (a close personal friend) mouth I can hardly think that saying the words "God Bless America" is going to bring down the blessings of heaven on a nation that is headed for moral corruption. I, too, will pray for our new president to have wisdom and guidance in the decisions he makes and I sincerely hope that the "move to the center" he displayed in the way-too-long campaign was more than a ploy to get elected and that he really IS going to change from the public record of his past deeds.
I can understand your uneasiness regarding President-elect Barack Obama, especially given the coming "congressional imbalance"--that is, you are concerned that the coming administration will be controlled by the same party that will be ascendant in the House and Senate. The system of checks and balances wisely implemented by the Founding Fathers among the three branches of our government works so well that it seems that further balance, by dividing Congress and the White House between two parties, might work even better.
With sincere respect, I'd like to ask: Were you equally uneasy during the first six years of the George W. Bush presidency, during which Congress and the White House were likewise controlled by a single party? Or, when you honestly examine your feelings, did you consider those six years to represent a time when the government was finally getting on the right track, setting about correcting the errors of the past?
I only ask this because intellectual honesty demands consistency. A person who welcomes the ascendancy of one party may not rationally claim that his/her fear of the opposing party's ascendancy is merely the fear of a "lack of balance." To mask your opposition to a party's perceived agenda by cloaking it in the guise of a belief in abstract, general principles of good governance is to deny your unique voice and to deprive our democracy of your honest participation.
Even worse, the conflation of agendas with general principles leads you to the dangerous assumption that the opposing party doesn't just support ''policies'' you disagree with--but that it is actually opposed to the democratic principles upon which our system of government was founded.
It's a scary thought. And demagogues in both parties have used this fear very effectively to "energize" and manipulate voters. The problem with this strategy is that it has resulted in a nation so sharply divided that both halves consider the other to be positively sinister--our country is no longer "one nation, indivisible," but one in which 100% of citizens believe that 50% of their countrymen are actively working to overthrow our cherished way of life.
What once was an honest disagreement now becomes treason. Who once were fellow Americans now become threats. Neither side can talk to the other, no compromise can be reached, and none of us can learn from the other.
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