So today, I felt like it was Christmas morning. I actually wanted to wake up early. I wanted the kids to call my name and get me out of bed. I was so anxious for this day and it was finally here. So of course, after doing our morning routine as quickly as possible, I get the kids in the car and off we go to the Library in our village where we go to vote. I couldn’t wait to show my 4 year-old the excitement of doing something so inspiring and powerful. In the 2 minute drive to the library, I could not help but let out a few tears. The pride in my heart that I feel today for myself, for Barack Obama, for his family and for Americans across this country is immense. Still thinking about it now, I try and fight the tears. It is a great day for America.
The history that is made today is unmatched. To be here on the first day that America breaks its chain of tradition, and votes for a black man for president, whether he is elected or not, is just beautiful. Now in no way did I vote for Barack Obama because he is black. In fact, I am a proud Hillary Clinton voter in my state’s primary, so if it was a matter of race, then I would have voted for Barack from the beginning. I truly believe in his policies and the policies of the Democratic party and I strongly believe in him as a man. However, I always knew that if Barack Obama was to become the next President of the United States that America would be in for an uprising. A beautiful, healthy uprising. America has desperately been in need of something positive for so long and finally it is here. Although we are managing our lives through a very depressed economic time, we are continuing to lose our brothers and sisters overseas to people who hate us, and $47 million people in this country are without health care, I feel that hope is still alive. That hope, as we all know is thanks to Barack Obama and the strength of his campaign, his words, and his ideas. Now, we know that he is not the savior, and if anyone expects him to be, then they will be disappointed. But he does provide a sense of everything being okay, no matter what our troubles. He provides the sense that someone is there that cares. Someone who understands what we are going through in this country, and someone who doesn’t live in a fantasy land of his own making. He also provides an amazing level of interest that has brought millions of new voters into the political process. Hopefully these people will continue to be inspired by this man and will continue to fight for a better future for themselves and for their children. I know I will.
For 8 years now, America has been embarrassed. First, and maybe most superficially, we have endured a president who walks into doors, chokes on pretzels, and can’t pronounce the word nuclear. I don’t care what anyone says. That is embarrassing for foreigners to look at our country and wonder why we don’t value intelligence. That is not to say that George W. Bush it not intelligent, it just shows that he doesn’t appear intelligent. The weight of those images around the world is powerful and I can’t help to think about what support America has lost from many countries around the world who have severe dislike for the man himself.
Second, for 8 years we have also endured an administration that has not provided the information necessary for Americans to take part in their own democracy. Things have been covered up under the phrase "national security", as if we were just expected to trust that they would do the right thing for us. There was also a level of McCarthyism that discouraged Americans from speaking out against the administration and its policies for fear that they would be told that they were not supporting our troops. The fear of being labeled a traitor. The trust that some once had was broken, and the scandals, and horrors of an administration that works so intensely at being so secret has broken this country in a way that has rarely been seen in this country’s history. Whether it be wiretapping, scandals of war, the so-called WMD, or the firing of US attorneys, this country has been betrayed. It has been betrayed way beyond a President lying about his sexual encounters. The Clinton scandal had no effect on the lives of the American people, yet it was felt that it was something worth the time and money that are involved in the impeachment process. Yet here we are. No impeachment for the "mistakes" that are in office until inauguration day 2009. Because the Democrats, after getting into power with such a short time left with the Bush administration, realized that the time and money could be better spent, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s butts are saved.
Throughout the race, people on the right have complained about the "elite" and those that aren’t
"real". I am proud to vote for a President that has not only supreme intelligence, but a thought process that allows him to listen, and to learn and to not have to rely on just his "gut" when making a decision. I am proud to vote for a President who can govern a nation for all of its citizens, not just the "real" ones. I am proud to vote for a President that will once again elevate the office of the Presidency to the status at which is should be held. I am once again proud to be an American in a country that can realize it’s mistakes and make them right again. And lastly, I am proud to live in a country in which I can teach my children that anything is possible.
Political Mamma
PoliticalMamma.com