A new chapter

Regardless of who won last night, our country was turning a page and starting anew. But with Obama's win, we're also starting a new chapter. I'm excited to see what this new president will bring (God knows I wouldn't want his job right now) and how he will guide us through all our current troubles. And I'm also excited to see how the election of an African-American to the presidency will speed up the elimination (or, at least, the suppression) of racism in our country.

I thought McCain had a very eloquent concession speech and did a great job of bringing closure to the campaign while encouraging his supporters to support the new president:

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited...

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

And Obama did his fair share, trying to unite the country. Both speeches moved me to tears.

The one reservation I have is that our government-elect is now made up of the majority Democrats. As a moderate, I like to see balance, and I'm nervous that the pendulum is going to swing the other way without temperance or hesitation. This isn't just for four years - this new government will make several Supreme Court Justice decisions, whose rulings will affect us for decades to come. I just hope that Obama and the Congress keep some moderation in their decision-making and remember that while the Democrats have won in the elections, the make-up of the country is much more evenly split.

So here's to a new president, a new chapter in our nation's history. May our leaders be guided by faith and temperance and may the next four years bring success and happiness to America.

The confederacy is dead

If Chris Matthews makes one more comment about the South in reference to the Confederacy and how that affects how southern voters vote, I'm going to scream.

While there are, no doubt, some Southerners who still fly the Confederate flag and secretly wish for succession, I would hazard a guess that the vast majority have bookmarked that part of the South's past to the history books.

Mr. Matthews, let's get a better grip on your southern viewership. Enough with the Confederate references.

I voted!

I hope everything has had a chance today to go out and vote. Fortunately, the there was no line at my polling place; I walked in and walked out.

I'm not particularly a big Carrie Underwood fan (country music isn't quite my thing), but I did love this quote from her in TV Guide. I've ranted about the media doing this before, but I also feel the same way about celebrities. In my opinion, celebrities aren't qualified to tell American voters how to vote and I think it's a little arrogant of them to think that their opinion should matter to the average American. Get over yourselves.

Carrie put it a bit more eloquently:

There is someone I do support, but I don't support publicly. I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate. It's saying that the American public isn't smart enough to make their own decisions.

So today, don't listen to the media. Don't listen to well-paid celebrities. Don't listen to your friends or family. Make up your own mind. Decide for yourself and what you think is best for this country. And vote.

Go Vote!

Tomorrow is the big day. I don't think I've been this excited since 2000, when my college roommate and I tried to stay up all night to watch the election results, only to fall asleep at 2:00 am and wak up the next morning just as confused.

Just about everyone I know has early voted, but I'm waiting until tomorrow. There's something about voting on the actual day that is special and emotional. Yes, I'll probably have a long line, but isn't that part of the experience? Isn't it about sharing that energy with other voters, all waiting to exercise their moral obligation to vote? After all, not everyone in this world has that freedom, and I think it's special to be among our countrymen who are fortunate enough to have been born into a nation that values that freedom.

Plus, it'll be fun to get a free cup of coffee.

Oh, to be wooed

I'm registered as an Independent. Sometimes that means I'm conflicted - I like the policies from one candidate and the policies from another. I tend to think that there are good and bad ideas from both parties and, ideally, would love to wed the two of them together to form the perfect party. And, this political season, I've been hearing personally from both sides - my husband is a staunch Democrat and my parents are staunch Republicans. They all use me as their sounding board. Being the first child, it's hard to balance my own views with the need to not disappoint my parents. So, sometimes, being an Independent has its trying moments.

But sometimes it means you're seen as a little more special than those who are registered to just one party. I've received polictical mailings from both sides. I get special home visits from volunteers in the neighborhood, asking if I want to talk about it. I'll get personal phone calls from campaigns. Everyone wants to woo the Independent.

In a way, it's nice. Not just because I'm loved. But also because I get to hear both sides and become a little more educated than, perhaps, the average one-party voter. Sure, a lot of the information is propaganda and needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, at the very least, they have incited questions which have prompted me to dig in a little deeper into the local and national issues and better understand who I agree with and who I'd like to vote into office. Despite some of the heartache, I think being an Independent has its advantages.

Plus, it's nice to be loved.

Quote of the Day

Mark Twain has always been a favorite of mine. Saw this quote from him today and I thought it was perfect, given the impending debates and elections.

"Politicians and diapers need to be changed often and for the same reasons."

--Mark Twain

Shattered Ceilings

As we Americans prepare to enter a political sprint until the November 2008 elections, I can't help but look forward to the 2012 elections. This year, we have seen some historic events, with the first African-American presidential nominee and second female vice-presidential nominee. Either way, come November 2008, our country will have made a historic decision - either the first African-American will become president or the first female will become vice-president.

What will this mean for 2012? Will the political scene change forever because of this race? Will we see fewer white faces, fewer men take charge? I wonder if that glass ceiling will be shattered forever and future elections will ever be the same.

While part of me is excited about the potential change in mindset when it comes to the leaders of our country, part of me is also indifferent. And maybe this is the greatest testament to where we, as Americans, are today. It doesn't seem that odd or strange that an African-American or woman is running for president. And while I know that our country - like most countries in this world - still has a lot of ground to cover to forever bash the prejudice and discrimination that continues to live in this country, I think it says a lot that our generation barely seemed to notice that something historic was in the making. That our generation doesn't see what the big deal is that an African-American may be president; that a female may be vice-president.

And if that's the case, then anyone, truly, can be president of this country. I wonder if 2008 will have forever changed the old-school mindset and if 2012 will be more representative of who and what this country was founded for.

A picture says it better

I came across this editorial cartoon in the paper this weekend, and thought it nicely summed up my previous post.

The collective media - a soapbox rant

Can I just step on my soapbox for a moment?

Let me preface this rant by saying that I don't like to be told what to do. Ever. Just ask my parents.

I am sick and tired of the collective media making the election decision for the American public. Obama is on the cover of Time Magazine this week, with the caption "And the Winner is...". Fortune's cover has a picture of Obama with a headline about the two candidate's positions on the economy (where's the picture of the second candidate?). CNN seems to only report positive stories about Obama and negative storis about McCain. What happened to telling both sides of the story and letting the people make the decision?

Answer: the media is tired of Republicans in office and have decided not to trust Americans to make the decision at the ballot box again. After all, the American public had been given a second chance and blew it, electing GW into office a second time.

But that shouldn't matter. How is what the media doing any different than when developing countries/dictatorships stuff the ballot box? Or intimidate people when they go vote? Or just having a dictator make the decision himself, without the hassle of an election?

News Flash: we haven't had one debate yet between the candidates nor do we really, truly know what these candidates stand for. All of it is rhetoric at this point, on both sides. How can the winner already be determined if we don't even know where they stand on the issues?

I'm not suggesting that we should swing the other way and glorify McCain. But I am suggesting that we give the relevant information to Americans and let them vote based on the facts and figures. It makes me so angry - physically angry - that the media is essentially making the decision for us. Yeah, our freedom gives the media the right to say whatever they want. But now they are just being irresponsible and a bully.

It's almost enough to vote a certain way, just out of spite.