This morning I’m feeling, admittedly a little gloaty over the Obama win. Give me a break. I supported both Gore and Kerry, so I deserve this one. However, this morning when I left my house to go to the grocery store at 8:30 I noticed something peculiar. The McCain signs in my neighborhood were gone, including the two in a friend’s yard a couple of blocks away. I’ve driven the same route to the store a couple times a week for months now, and about four weeks ago, the number of political signs started to peak. I’d estimate that there were seven or eight houses with McCain signs; one of these houses had five or six signs in the yard.
Now, 8:30 am is pretty early, and I got this mental image of defeated voters skulking out into their yards in the middle of the night and removing their signs. I know the feeling. I felt it in 2000 and 2004. I’d like to say something to these voters that no one ever said to me.
There is no shame in participating vigorously in the process, even if your candidate doesn’t win. There is no shame in measuring a candidate’s voting record, words, deeds, affiliations, carefully against your own values and making an informed choice. There is no shame in it. If you supported a candidate who you truly thought was the best person to run our country, regardless of the outcome, you should be proud. You are among the best of us.
If you didn’t spend the last several difficult weeks shouting “terrorist” and “socialist” and emphazing the Hussein in Barack Hussein Obama, if you didn’t repeat lies and engage in slander, if you didn’t post a hateful billboard, if you didn’t shoot teenagers, if you conducted yourself reasonably, if you made the choices that reflected your values and cast your ballot, you are a patriot.
The electoral numbers tend to skew our perceptions, and the fact is, many, many Americans believe that John McCain was the man for the job. An even greater number believe he is a good man who bravely served in a way that many of us, including me, are terrified to even think about. There is no shame.
(To recycle your political signs, take them behind the South Side Annex on Market St., and the Green Team will pick them up.)
My 16year-old daughter was thrilled that Obama won, as was I. I am optimistic that my daughter’s generation doesn’t see minorities and gayness as something to fear.
At 12am last night I watched CSPAN as callers supporting McCain said the election would not stick because Obama was not born in the U.S. I thought this falsehood was put to bed months ago. I went to bed pessimistic about change and unity.
I turned on CSPAN’s call in show at 7 am and heard McCain callers say, “Fuck that N word.” I was shocked that CSPAN didn’t have a better delay system. Again pessimism about change and unity.
I noticed McCain signs on my work route at 7:30 am. were mostly removed. I was hoping this showed unity and I was optimistic.
I entered work and faced an angry racist I work with. She’s a Democrat and was a Hillary supporter but voted for McCain because she said, “I ain’t voting for no N word.” She had a tale to tell about two young black guys terrorized her at a gas station saying, whites will now be their slaves. I suspect she lied to prove her point to another racist in the room. How sad that these two think they’re good Christians. How sad they work around children. I was back to being pessimistic about change.
I listened to Rush at lunchtime whine bout now having to pay more taxes. I listened to Hannity on 1330 on the home drive and heard him screaming how the world is now ending. This would have made me pessimistic about change but I was so damn happy that these evil twins were having strokes I smiled all the way home!