As you know, I haven’t written much about politics during this election season. I don’t tend to talk much about politics on this blog, but it does come up from time to time. As we are now about a week past the election of our first African-American President, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on some of the things that have made me hopeful, angry and filled with mixed emotions.
I’m hopeful. I voted for Barack Obama. I doubt that is any surprise to you if you’ve been following my Twitter/Facebook comments throughout the past few weeks. It was never a question for me that Obama would get my vote. I first heard of Barack Obama during a family reunion in Illinois, summer of 2004. My grandpa (and all of my other Mennonite cousins and aunts and uncles) were talking about how this was a politician that we could actually put some hope in – that he was someone who cared about social justice, the poor and was someone to keep an eye on. I figured if he’s good enough for my Mennonite relatives, he’s someone I should try and keep up on.
Of course, I forgot about him a few months after that until his name started coming up for the Presidential race. Once he received the nomination, there was no question in my mind, I would vote for Barack Obama.
And yes – I think I did fall into the category of Obama-supporters who asked the question (mainly in my head and with my wife): “How can you be a Christian and honestly vote for McCain/Palin?” I’m sure I have friends who did vote for McCain/Palin and I don’t mean them disrespect, but it really did seem that a vote for McCain was simply a vote for the continuation of the leadership that Bush gave this country, four more years of the Bush Doctrine (err…what is that again?), etc. Obama was clearly the candidate who rallied a whole segment of the nation behind him and his desire for change, for hope and for a new way of doing politics in Washington.
Now, clearly Obama IS a politician and as he himself said, we won’t all be pleased with every decision he makes. But I think that watching the aftermath of the election, and the overwhelming international support for our choice of Obama, this was the right decision for the United States at this time in our history. It’s funny – I have this shirt I bought back in 2005 that says “America is Scary” on it. One of the first thoughts I had after the election was, “Do I still wear the shirt…?” Part of me does really feel different about the United States now that we have a President who embodies such a radically different worldview than President Bush. Is America still scary? Well, I’m sure it depends who you ask. I think that having Obama as our next President sure doesn’t change everything – obviously. But it does set the stage for a new shift in our politics and a new shift in the way America is perceived.
I’m angry. And I’m more angry at Christians than anyone else. It’s pretty clear that Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state of California, was passed because of the amazing capability of the conservative evangelical churches in California (as well as the LDS and the Roman Catholic churches) to fuel a massive fund-raising and awareness campaign of lies, close-mindedness and perversions of the truth. Christians all over California thought they were “protecting marriage” by voting YES on Prop 8. They thought they were protecting their children from being taught about gay marriage in schools – even though the California Teachers Union denied that it would have that type of impact at all.
It’s extremely frustrating – especially since I know some people for whom Proposition 8 has direct affects. Since when does it make sense that an entire state of citizens should have the right to vote for whether two people of the same sex who love one another can do so in the context of marriage and receive the same rights as heterosexual couples? It really doesn’t make any sense to me, or to any of these folks. I’m hopeful that, and confident, that in the future, this issue will no longer be an issue. The church will have to come to an understanding at some point that discrimination of this kind of antithetical to the message of the Gospel. I’m sure that as younger generations keep getting older and are able to vote, these types of questions won’t be such big issues, as the culture is definitely moving towards one of openness and inclusivity. I’m just sad and angry that it isn’t happening sooner.
I’m filled with mixed emotions. As Obama said in his speech, not everything he does, not every decision he makes, will be something that we are all supportive of. While I’m sure everyone will have their own issues, it seems that one of Obama’s first choices, Rahm Emanuel for White House Chief of Staff, is not a popular one with those invested in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. You can read a detailed bio of Emanuel here, but many sources cite his extremely pro-Israeli position and his volunteer service with the Israeli army. Rabbi Michael Lerner wrote a not-so-flattering piece on Emanuel at Religion Dispatches and argues that “The Rahm Emanuel selection is an early warning that the peace and justice agenda dropped by Obama after he won the Democratic nomination may be permanently on hold…”
Everyone has their own issue that they were personally invested in, and after my experience in the Middle East, this is a situation and issue that I care deeply about and would hope that Obama might be able to work toward a peace agreement. I’m not saying that’s impossible with Rahm Emanuel, but it seems that with someone who comes across as so clearly pro-Israeli, it’s hard to imagine that Obama will hear much more than that side of the story concerning the conflict.
At any rate, as I reflect back on the election results, I am hopeful for the change that may be coming. I am angry of the barriers that were erected by California citizens. And I’m filled with mixed emotions about the way in which possible staffing in Obama’s administration might affect certain issues and conflicts that I care about. But, I’m guessing those are all pretty normal feelings after an excruciatingly long campaign season. How do you feel about the election when you look back on it?