I struggle right now to put how I feel about this election into words. I have supported Obama from the start, prayed for him and contributed to his campaign. But it never entered into my imagination the impact that this victory has had on us collectively and for me individually. There is certainly a danger in over emphasizing the impact, but I think it is just as dangerous to under-estimate it as well. It feels to me as if we were a nation slowly and painfully suffocating in a darkened room, and at the last moment when our lungs were nearly ready to burst the door slammed open and the sunlight and air poured in.
At the same time, while I have been deeply disappointed by George Bush over the past eight years, I'm not taking any pleasure in the way he is being disparaged at present. He is still the president, and we elected him - if not by our vote, then by our indifference. ( Okay - so the 2000 election results are debatable. But that is another argument.) I can't imagine what he must feel like right now. And turning on him now is kind of like a man who marries a woman who doesn't cook and then spends the rest of his life complaining that she doesn't know how.
We elected him.
2 comments:
Well, after all was said and done, I too voted for Senator Obama, now President-Elect Obama, and this in spite of some misgivings I had, and still have, frankly, about some of his positions. Of course, many, if not most of his positions I felt inclined toward, hence my ultimate vote for him. Although, I must say that my vote for him went beyond "positions" as I gave serious consideration to what electing him would mean given the historic nature of his run. He seems like a good and decent man, and, when I remember, I'll say a prayer of blessing and protection for him and his family. His speech at Grant Park was very moving, touching and inspiring. I think there is great potential for a special kind of healing to come about as a result of his election. He seems unusually prepared for such a time as this. I wish him God's speed.
I agree with everything you wrote, C. Although I'm sure to be thought of as blind and naive for my support of him, nothing could be further from the truth, which is WHY I pray for him.
But I especially agree with your statement that he seemed unusually prepared. I feel that way about Dr.King. One of the reasons that King was so successful, I have often said, was that he out classed everyone around him.
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