Today I wore my “Obama ‘08” button, even though it’s too late to campaign for Barack or stir a conversation with an undecided voter. The button, if it ever had any impact on the people around me, is now rendered useless. Last night, Barack Obama was named the new President-Elect of the United States of America.
As an individual, my vote did not affect the outcome of the election. Presidential elections will never come down to one vote as long as the Electoral College remains firmly in place. But as a member of a large group of citizens who mobilized and turned out in droves to cast their votes for Obama, I am one of many people who chose to see themselves as a collective rather than individuals. I am one of many who stepped into the voting booth or mailed their ballot in the hopes that they could help to turn the tide. One vote doesn’t mean much, but if so many Obama supporters hadn’t exercised their right to vote, the election would have had entirely different results.
I believe it was this camaraderie, this awareness of the danger of apathy and the significance of standing up for what you believe in, that led people into the streets to celebrate Obama’s victory in Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. There were celebratory gatherings in England, Kenya, Costa Rica, China and many other nations around the world. And individuals and families across the nation and overseas sat joyfully in their homes as Obama gave his televised victory speech – a speech that weighed heavily with the difficult tasks ahead of him, a speech that called on Americans to think of the greater good and to serve their communities, a speech that recalled the painful moments of our history and painted a cleaner, brighter future, a speech that brought many in the diverse crowd in Chicago to tears.
The election of Obama has renewed my belief that our individual actions matter. We are each one small piece of a vast union and each of us must be willing to take responsibility for his or her choices, whether we disconnect from what lies outside our comfort zones, or whether we jump into the fray and try to make positive changes wherever we view a need. Young voters and African-American voters turned out in record numbers, but they alone did not create the wave of support that turned key states from red to blue. Individuals all over the nation, many who had not voted in previous elections, understood the importance of their individual votes. Because so many individuals didn’t allow themselves to become apathetic, they were able to form a collective that brought about a significant milestone in our nation’s history.
My Obama vote had little to do with race, gender, age or any other physical trait. Quite simply, Obama demonstrated to me and many others through his voting record and his many speeches, appearances, and writings that he has compassion for people in need, for working-class and middle-class singles and families, for immigrants, for people who experience discrimination, and for segments of the population that have been ignored for the past 8 years. He always appeared poised, thoughtful, logical and ready to lead. He admitted his imperfections and the areas in which he lacked specific knowledge, but he never seemed weak or unable to handle new information. Listening to Obama speak, for once I didn’t feel like I was being swindled or that someone was attempting to sell me a leader who was the lesser of two evils. I felt inspiration, hope and genuine excitement about the election, and I realized how great a privilege it really was to be able to vote for someone I believed in.
For those who were so busy booing Obama that you failed to hear his speech last night or turned off the T.V. before he finished, you missed an opportunity to be a part of something big, something bigger than yourselves, your immediate surroundings and you political party. Just as John McCain gave a gracious, humble concession speech, Obama spoke with equal grace and humility. If you missed his speech because you were angry about McCain’s loss, you missed the opportunity to witness a new sense of hope and responsibility in America, a fresh perspective that is not based on fear, but on educated optimism. You missed an opportunity to witness millions of Americans all over the country coming together in the streets to celebrate and revel in the power of democracy.
And now the work begins. Obama will be tested. His administration will be tested. The American people will be tested. We don’t know what crises we will face in the next four years or what actions we will have to take to overcome them. We don’t know who will rise to the occasion and who will fall. We must remain cautious with our government and learn to recognize when our leaders are taking steps toward a healthier and more unified nation, or when they are acting out of fear, greed or self-interest. The collective truly has the power to make a positive impact on the world stage, and thus each one of us as individuals, and we must remember this fact before cynicism rears its head once again.
With the election of Barack Obama I believe, for the first time in my life, that the government will be taking steps toward truly protecting and supporting the American people – male or female, poor or wealthy, young or old, healthy or sick, Republican or Democrat. The people of my country are inspiring me to become a better person. For the first time since childhood, I almost believe in the American Dream.
As an individual, my vote did not affect the outcome of the election. Presidential elections will never come down to one vote as long as the Electoral College remains firmly in place. But as a member of a large group of citizens who mobilized and turned out in droves to cast their votes for Obama, I am one of many people who chose to see themselves as a collective rather than individuals. I am one of many who stepped into the voting booth or mailed their ballot in the hopes that they could help to turn the tide. One vote doesn’t mean much, but if so many Obama supporters hadn’t exercised their right to vote, the election would have had entirely different results.
I believe it was this camaraderie, this awareness of the danger of apathy and the significance of standing up for what you believe in, that led people into the streets to celebrate Obama’s victory in Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. There were celebratory gatherings in England, Kenya, Costa Rica, China and many other nations around the world. And individuals and families across the nation and overseas sat joyfully in their homes as Obama gave his televised victory speech – a speech that weighed heavily with the difficult tasks ahead of him, a speech that called on Americans to think of the greater good and to serve their communities, a speech that recalled the painful moments of our history and painted a cleaner, brighter future, a speech that brought many in the diverse crowd in Chicago to tears.
The election of Obama has renewed my belief that our individual actions matter. We are each one small piece of a vast union and each of us must be willing to take responsibility for his or her choices, whether we disconnect from what lies outside our comfort zones, or whether we jump into the fray and try to make positive changes wherever we view a need. Young voters and African-American voters turned out in record numbers, but they alone did not create the wave of support that turned key states from red to blue. Individuals all over the nation, many who had not voted in previous elections, understood the importance of their individual votes. Because so many individuals didn’t allow themselves to become apathetic, they were able to form a collective that brought about a significant milestone in our nation’s history.
My Obama vote had little to do with race, gender, age or any other physical trait. Quite simply, Obama demonstrated to me and many others through his voting record and his many speeches, appearances, and writings that he has compassion for people in need, for working-class and middle-class singles and families, for immigrants, for people who experience discrimination, and for segments of the population that have been ignored for the past 8 years. He always appeared poised, thoughtful, logical and ready to lead. He admitted his imperfections and the areas in which he lacked specific knowledge, but he never seemed weak or unable to handle new information. Listening to Obama speak, for once I didn’t feel like I was being swindled or that someone was attempting to sell me a leader who was the lesser of two evils. I felt inspiration, hope and genuine excitement about the election, and I realized how great a privilege it really was to be able to vote for someone I believed in.
For those who were so busy booing Obama that you failed to hear his speech last night or turned off the T.V. before he finished, you missed an opportunity to be a part of something big, something bigger than yourselves, your immediate surroundings and you political party. Just as John McCain gave a gracious, humble concession speech, Obama spoke with equal grace and humility. If you missed his speech because you were angry about McCain’s loss, you missed the opportunity to witness a new sense of hope and responsibility in America, a fresh perspective that is not based on fear, but on educated optimism. You missed an opportunity to witness millions of Americans all over the country coming together in the streets to celebrate and revel in the power of democracy.
And now the work begins. Obama will be tested. His administration will be tested. The American people will be tested. We don’t know what crises we will face in the next four years or what actions we will have to take to overcome them. We don’t know who will rise to the occasion and who will fall. We must remain cautious with our government and learn to recognize when our leaders are taking steps toward a healthier and more unified nation, or when they are acting out of fear, greed or self-interest. The collective truly has the power to make a positive impact on the world stage, and thus each one of us as individuals, and we must remember this fact before cynicism rears its head once again.
With the election of Barack Obama I believe, for the first time in my life, that the government will be taking steps toward truly protecting and supporting the American people – male or female, poor or wealthy, young or old, healthy or sick, Republican or Democrat. The people of my country are inspiring me to become a better person. For the first time since childhood, I almost believe in the American Dream.
1 comment:
Fantastic. I totally agree.
Post a Comment