Post Election Redux
I took a few days off work after the election – a little year-end vacation. I’ve had time to think about the election and the great things and the not-so-great things that took place.
If politics and religion aren’t your thing, just move right along.
First off, I’m extremely happy that Obama and Biden won. I had tears. It was a very decisive, large victory. It’s historic, of course, in that finally a non-white person was elected to the highest office in our nation. I know that happening on its own will have positive impact. It has renewed my belief that Americans can come together and pick the much better person to be our leader. America has a real chance to make some big steps forward for ourselves and the world.
He won by a large margin, 53% to 46% and 364 electoral votes! Another cool thing is that Ohio’s state house is now majority Democrat for the first time in quite a while.
My vote for Obama was equally about my confidence in his policies and about my hope that an intelligent, respectful President can help lead a renewal of America, the renewing of the bond that we as Americans share even when we disagree who should be our President. The right has pushed my country to be ever-more cynical and nasty to each other and in part have done this by trying to make politics out of a few, divisive issues. Hopefully neo-conservatism is in its dying throws.
On the subject of race and the Presidency, I wonder how long it will take before Americans would elect an Asian American President. It seems that Asian Americans often bare the burden of being thought of as eternally foreign, even if they are citizens or were born in this country. It would be nice if my son could also believe he could be President of our great nation.
So, where did McCain go wrong? First off, he had an uphill climb – almost no one in America likes Bush or the GOP right now. Second, he showed zero understanding of the economy and even worse showed no understanding of the economic crisis that his own policies helped create. Thirdly, Sarah Palin – the woman is just a complete idiot – no one could ever choose her and still purport to put their country first. What an insult to women to put someone like her on the ticket. Fourth, he turned so mean and negative – and untruthful. That turned a lot of people off. Fifth, he’s old and America is a country that if nothing is young-at-heart. Sixth, his tax policy and health care policy do not in any way address actual issues that your average American is facing. People saw right through that. Seventh, the false cries about socialism and communism – one, they’re untrue; two, they are completely out of reality – not a single policy that Obama talked about during the campaign is remotely what socialism or communism is – if you think the policies are, then you are simply ignorant of what socialism and communism are. Eighth, he, Palin and much of the “right” tried to paint Obama as non-Christian or foreign. Again, just not true – but, more importantly IT SHOULDN’T MATTER! A Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, an Atheist…whatever, they should each have equal chance being elected to the Presidency – that’s what the constitution says.
I think the Republican party has a lot to learn, or they will fall further into disdain. They have to back down from their racism, from their homophobia, their religious intolerance, their warmongering…or they will become the party of nothing but a very few extremist, radical Christians. The party needs to stop supporting people like Sarah Palin, who have nothing but rocks in their heads and no merit. It’s become even more obvious after the election that she is supremely unqualified to hold high elected office.
Almost no one in the US has a problem with people practicing their own religion as they see fit (except of course for many on the radical right who think everyone should convert to their religion). However, problems arise when a group of religious persons attempt to have their religion enshrined in law. That is unacceptable, period. The political movement of this radical interpretation of Christianity MUST be stopped. Go on practicing your religion in your home and your church, with friends and family, but do not attempt to make others live by your take on Christianity – it’s wrong and clearly un-American.
Some will call my take on all this “anti-Christian”, and they would be very wrong. I respect Christianity as a religion just as much as I respect Islam or Judaism – it’s not the religion itself, it’s what the followers of that religion do with it. I am perfectly happy to live side-by-side with religious people from all over the political spectrum. Indeed, there are many, many churches/synagogues/mosques that truly try to spread the best of their respective religion and refuse to join in the politicization of their beloved faith. It’s just that right now, in the USA, the radical right wing of Christianity is the snake rearing its head – at other times in our history or in the future it may be another religious group.
Again, it is only when a certain segment decide they need to turn their religion into a political tool that I cry foul. That is no different than what the Taliban in Afghanistan did and what Al Qaeda tries to do, turn Islam into a political tool to achieve their goals – it’s wrong no matter which religion is being perverted to that end. I want to make sure I am clear that it is not the religion itself or the majority of the followers of any religion, but a small group that try to take over the religion.
It also encourages me to think that just as over the last 232 years American culture has become more and more culturally liberal/progressive/open, the same will continue. Just as my parents’ and grandparents’ generations generally vote against things like same-sex marriage, my generation doesn’t, and the next generation which just began voting in this election doesn’t even think it’s an issue – it’s perfectly ok with them. So, even if it takes a little while, we know for sure that once my and the next generation take the reigns of power, these barriers will likely fall and our society will once again take steps forward toward social justice and real equality.
I am dedicating myself to work against this politicization and the people trying to write laws to make others live by their interpretation of their religion. Just as I would work against those who resisted racial or gender equality in the past. I want my son to live in a country where he is truly free, not hemmed in by religious bigots. Here are some of the laws they tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) to force upon Americans this past election.
Various states:
Electing school board members that will push the teaching of creationism (sometimes called Intelligent Design) in our public schools. We don’t teach religion in school – period – GET OVER IT! Keep your religion OFF MY KID!
California:
Proposition 8 – Amending the state constitution to deny same-sex couples the existing right to a legal marriage. This passed, but may ultimately be stuck down because it obviously violates the Equal Protection clause of the constitution. This is no different than someone passing a law that says two people of a different race can’t marry. It’s simply an act of hatred and bigotry. Those who supported this have sick hearts. If it is sustained, it will likely be repealed by another referendum in the next election. Gay people, their children and their families are full citizens and should have every single right and privilege that any other American has. Many churches and synagogues in California have said they will continue to marry same-sex couples, even if the marriages are not legal at this time.
Colorado:
Amendment 48 sought to define a person as simply a fertilized egg. So, the moment an egg was fertilized in a woman or petri dish or wherever, it would be considered a person. It’s just a stupid proposition on so many levels. You really can’t have any intelligence and think this is a good idea.
Arkansas:
A ballot initiative to no longer allow unmarried couples (gay or straight) from being adoptive or foster parents. All this does is make it even harder for children who need homes to find them. This is another initiative pushed by the radical segment of Christians who are more worried about whether two adults are having sex out of marriage than they are about helping children have better lives. This measure passed, but in the end these people have failed – the have hurt children and they are decidedly un-Jesus like.
South Dakota:
Measure 11 would have banned abortions except in the case of rape or incest or the mother’s life is endangered. This one failed. Just a blatant attempt from the anti-freedom crowd to take away a woman’s right to her own body.
Michigan:
An amendment passed that allows stem-cell research to continue, even with stem-cells from unused embryos. The right fought this hard, but thankfully lost. The right values the “life” of a clump of 12 cells over the possibility of finding real treatments and possible cures for some horrific illnesses.
Florida:
Amendment 1 would have removed from the Florida constitution a section that allows the state to forbid foreign (specifically Asians when it was adopted in 1926) persons from owning land in the state. It is so sad that in 2008 there are enough people who are anti-immigrant (and let’s not forget that we are all immigrants in this nation) that this measure would not pass. Obviously this law is not enforced and it would be illegal under federal law to deny Asians the right of land ownership, as well as subsequent Florida laws. But that even some Floridians feel its ok to leave the language in the state constitution is appalling to say the least.