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Yesterday marked a turning point in our country's great history. We elected Barack Obama as not only the first African American president, but the 44th president in a long history of free, unrestricted elections. His familiar campaign phrase "Yes, we can" should now be looked at as our country's new motto: "Yes, we will."I've seen many comments today which have saddened me about our recent history and how our own citizens had perceived the country's standing. Many have said "I'm proud of my country again." I couldn't imagine what could have possibly taken place where our own citizens were in any point in the past 8 years not proud of the country their families and ancestors fought for with their blood and tears. It's inconceivable to me to think that there was absolutely no good to be seen from the past administration, despite the flaws and shortcomings that were apparent.
If your parents or spouse ever made mistakes, you didn't write them off as people to lose faith in or not be proud of anymore. You know that they still loved you, and that their mistakes probably hurt them more than it hurt you. We're all human, and it's in our nature to make mistakes. Only hindsight is 20/20, and unfortunately it has affected some of us as the single judging factor in every decision that's made.
Back in 2000, the divisive election left half the country embittered and emboldened to resist accepting and supporting President George W. Bush as their president. They went into the election with a strong hatred towards "The Bush Legacy" as it were with every preconceived opinion and belief. And as a result, it only took a tragic event like 9/11 to rally the people together, put partisanship aside and unite as one country with a single goal: to continue to be the beacon of light across the world, to give hope and inspiration to countless other countries, and to continue to support humanitarian efforts and give people in other countries the same opportunities we Americans here enjoy at home: a free, democratic government that is for the people, not against the people.
I didn't vote in that election, because as most people under the age of 21, I decided that I didn't have a mature opinion on the political agenda, and could not support my decision based on what I've seen and experienced. I don't think it's in any young American's interest to vote simply because they're pressured to do so by their friends, family members or coworkers. I don't agree that voting for the American Idol candidate in the hopes that they will automagically solve all our problems and take care of us.
Unfortunately that has taken place this election, on both sides of the lines: young adults are so easily manipulated and pressured by those around them to not make their own decisions, but to "fit in" with their peers.
When President George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004, he gave a humbled acceptance speech, and said "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
Today still holds true to that one statement: Our Constitution, which gives equal rights to any citizen, regardless of gender, race or religion, provides to be the strong basis of American ideals.
As Americans are called to do, I voted not along my party lines, rather I voted with the candidates and issues that were most important to me. I didn't vote across the board in a one-sided attempt to go with a single doctrine or goal, I voted for those who can inspire others and move our great country forward.
Today I was greeted with both boasting and criticism from both friends
and coworkers. Our country shouldn't be about showing one side who's
better than the other in the face of an unprecedented election. Despite
how one side may feel as if they lost and one side feeling as if
they've won, our new president is going to inherit some tough
challenges and needs our support.
In an opinion piece written by Jeffrey Shapiro, an investigative reporter and lawyer who interned with John Kerry during his failed 2004 presidential bid, Mr. Shapiro notes:
It was that one statement in the last paragraph that sent shivers up my spine: Despite personal differences and partisan conflicts, we need to support our president, whoever he or she may be, to show our resolve and show that we as Americans can continue to inspire those around us, not show how we can abandon one of the most powerful people in our government as soon as they're elected or make policies we as individuals may not agree with.
While the critically-acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica is science fiction, it has strong ties to the current issues our world faces today. In the beginning of the series, Commander William Adama gave the following speech, and the similarities of our country's and our world's recent history are too striking:
The majority has spoken: we have voted for change, and change we must carry out. When I previously disagreed with Obama's stance on "changing" the course of our country, I did not see the full impact of what our country could do. We weren't going to change everything that had gone wrong in the past 8 years, we were instead going to change our domestic perception of who our president could be.
No longer would we hold our president up to robotic, pipedream, unattainable standards as we had in the past. We would accept our president as a human, just like every one of us, complete with gifts and flaws, and support them as our both our leader and our peer, not as our fantastical miracle maker.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was bound to a wheelchair and our ancestors were able to overlook that flaw with the gifts and beliefs he held for our great country. I think we've lost sight in that over the past few decades, and it's divided us as a country that greatly needed a bold new step. [Read a clarification on this paragraph from the comments below.]
While I did not support Senator Barack Obama as my candidate of choice, I as a proud American will support him as my President, and I hope for the sake of our country, we can support our President through the good and bad times, whether we agree with him or not. I will pray for him, his family and his administration, and be confident that despite my personal beliefs, we will emerge stronger than ever.
President Barack Obama is inheriting the problems and mistakes of our past, just as every president previous has done. Today is no different than yesterday, this year no different from the last, and we'll need to support our President in what's sure to be a tough and challenging road ahead.
I'm proud my country has finally been able to place race aside and elect President Barack Obama in this historical election, and I'm proud we can continue the tradition of free, democratic elections in a world that deserves to be free for everyone.
In closing, it seems fitting to include John McCain's closing to his very graceful concession speech [see video] from last night:
May God continue to bless America, my home sweet home.
So say we all...
Update: James from Right On! wrote a similar yet shorter article on this very same topic. Great minds think alike :)
This article, So Say We All: "Yes, We Will" by Chris Fullman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
In an opinion piece written by Jeffrey Shapiro, an investigative reporter and lawyer who interned with John Kerry during his failed 2004 presidential bid, Mr. Shapiro notes:
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
It was that one statement in the last paragraph that sent shivers up my spine: Despite personal differences and partisan conflicts, we need to support our president, whoever he or she may be, to show our resolve and show that we as Americans can continue to inspire those around us, not show how we can abandon one of the most powerful people in our government as soon as they're elected or make policies we as individuals may not agree with.
While the critically-acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica is science fiction, it has strong ties to the current issues our world faces today. In the beginning of the series, Commander William Adama gave the following speech, and the similarities of our country's and our world's recent history are too striking:
The Cylon War is long over, yet we must not forget the reasons why so many sacrificed so much in the cause of freedom. The cost of wearing the uniform can be high, but... sometimes it's too high. You know, when we fought the Cylons, we did it to save ourselves from extinction.
But we never answered the question Why? Why are we as a people worth saving? We still commit murder because of greed and spite and jealousy, and we still visit all of our sins upon our children. We refuse to accept the responsibility for anything we've done, like we did with the Cylons. We decided to play God, create life. When that life turned against us, we comforted ourselves in the knowledge that it really wasn't our fault, not really.
You cannot play God and then wash your hands of the things that you've created. Sooner or later, the day comes when you can't hide from the things that you've done anymore.
The majority has spoken: we have voted for change, and change we must carry out. When I previously disagreed with Obama's stance on "changing" the course of our country, I did not see the full impact of what our country could do. We weren't going to change everything that had gone wrong in the past 8 years, we were instead going to change our domestic perception of who our president could be.
No longer would we hold our president up to robotic, pipedream, unattainable standards as we had in the past. We would accept our president as a human, just like every one of us, complete with gifts and flaws, and support them as our both our leader and our peer, not as our fantastical miracle maker.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was bound to a wheelchair and our ancestors were able to overlook that flaw with the gifts and beliefs he held for our great country. I think we've lost sight in that over the past few decades, and it's divided us as a country that greatly needed a bold new step. [Read a clarification on this paragraph from the comments below.]
While I did not support Senator Barack Obama as my candidate of choice, I as a proud American will support him as my President, and I hope for the sake of our country, we can support our President through the good and bad times, whether we agree with him or not. I will pray for him, his family and his administration, and be confident that despite my personal beliefs, we will emerge stronger than ever.
President Barack Obama is inheriting the problems and mistakes of our past, just as every president previous has done. Today is no different than yesterday, this year no different from the last, and we'll need to support our President in what's sure to be a tough and challenging road ahead.
I'm proud my country has finally been able to place race aside and elect President Barack Obama in this historical election, and I'm proud we can continue the tradition of free, democratic elections in a world that deserves to be free for everyone.
In closing, it seems fitting to include John McCain's closing to his very graceful concession speech [see video] from last night:
Tonight -- tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama -- whether they supported me or Senator Obama.
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.
May God continue to bless America, my home sweet home.
So say we all...
Update: James from Right On! wrote a similar yet shorter article on this very same topic. Great minds think alike :)
This article, So Say We All: "Yes, We Will" by Chris Fullman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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Chris,
First off, this was very eloquently written and expressed. So I give you credit for that.
HOWEVER, lest we forget that the disappointment has gone both directions? The fact that when Bill clinton was being impeached and the right turned it into a witch hunt was quite embarassing to me and everyone else in this country. Then when the 2000 election (which I DID vote in, despite being only 18) was stolen, it gave every american the right to be upset. If I had voted for Bush in that election and then witnessed how he and his cronies tampered with its results to win, I would have been equally disappointed.
Your reference to us needing to stand by a President if they make a mistake is honorable, but not completely thought out. I feel as though there were a series of mistakes that led to the glaring lack of faith in W as "OUR" president. I will say to compare FDR to W is almost blasphemous as well.
There is a widespread sentiment of disappointment in our nation, and rightfully so, people are losing their jobs, their homes, and they really need hope. Hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I suggest reading Mark Cuban's post http://blogmaverick.com/2008/11/05/proud-to-be-an-american/ as it conveys my sentiments exactly.
And finally, the beauty of this country is that you DONT have to support the president elect, you are entitled to your own opinions and beliefs. Resistance and protest are a beautiful part of our country's past and our culture, embrace that.
There's no denying that the country was extremely divided during the 2000 election. There was as much unjustified hate spewing from the left as there was unjustified support spewing from the right, both due to blind partisanship. The fact that you still refer the election "stolen" has just placed you in that bitter group of voters who still haven't gotten over something that happened 8 years ago.
The country went into the polls as divided as they exited the polls. Yes, W.'s lead dwindled down to a very, very small margin, but he was still in the lead the entire time. It may have truly been a stolen election if the roles were reversed by hand-picked recounting in only certain areas while excluding others.
Politics is such an unpleasantry in today's world because it truly brings out the best and the worst in people for such a short time frame before things go back to normal for another 3 years. The irrationality, the conspiracy theories, the temporary bigotry, the blind partisanship, the double standards (attacking an opponents views or flaws while ignoring the same views or flaws from one's candidate)... emotions and thoughts that are normally suppressed by a person's rationale all come into play when things get heated and come to blows.
I can't imagine living my life without hope, only placing my hope in one person, as fallable and flawed as they may be. I'm sorry, I've just never lost hope that we'd get through any difficulty we faced.
The reference to FDR was drawling a comparison to Barack, not W. If we can overlook someone who lost the use of their legs and elect them as president ("oh, but think of the thinks he can't do!"), then we can certainly overlook someone because of the color of their skin.
Americans have shown that they're better than that, and so the "gold standard" that we hold our president to has returned to a normal acceptance of electing a regular, flesh-and-blood human being into an office.
While we don't have to support the President-elect, we as a country should support our President. We can disagree, but we cannot continue to build on our country's strength when more than half the country is against the elected President, doing so not only shows our enemies that we are a weak country and are losing our resolve, but also shows them that we distracted and focused on nit picking and bickering.
There's something to say about the psychology of a country's citizens: how can other countries respect another if that country's citizens can't even respect their president?
I'd like to clarify one statement for future readers: I am not comparing the politics and achievements of FDR to that of George W. Bush or Barack Obama. Instead, I'm drawing a comparison to how we as Americans could overlook an imperfection or perceptive difference (such as FDR's disability), recognize that those differences wouldn't define or hinder their capabilities, and elect that candidate into office.
Our perfection-mongering standards weren't existent back in 1932, however appeared to have come into play in future elections, until our country elected Barack Obama as our 44th president. We as Americans have once again accepted our candidates as people, not fantastical objects that must adhere to strict, superficial standards.
Granted, we must hold our elected government officials to higher standards, but we shouldn't hold them to unachievable standards.
For the record... much of the country was kept in the dark about FDR's disability. In his time it was seen as a weakness and he did everything he could to appear healthy and strong to the people of his country.
Americans didn't "overlook imperfection", they didn't know about it.
I also find it a bit odd that Mr. Shapiro derides us for failing to respect our leader, despite political differences... then calls him "Mr. Bush".
He is, and always will be "President Bush" out of respect for the office and the country. It's a title one doesn't lose when the term is completed.