The Practically-Obligatory Election Post
Nov. 5th, 2008 01:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookofmirrorsI'm going to put this behind a cut, just 'cause this has been such an emotional election, regardless of who you voted for, and/or who you wanted to win. But I did want to share my thoughts/feelings about the whole thing.
Wow. I have to agree with the broken record that's been playing for months. It was a historic election. It would have been historic either way.
We most certainly live in interesting times. And the next president will face some pretty tough challenges, in lots of areas.
We've all heard that before. I don't think anyone, of any party or non-party affiliation, disagrees.
So, to jump on the bandwagon of political posts... here's my take.
Note: Of course it's ridiculously verbose. It's me. No, I don't expect debate on it, 'cause it's just me running my mouth. But you can feel free to comment, nonetheless. I might even answer, or I might not. But I'd be honored if you'd take a look.
Voting for me was actually kinda hard this year. Not voting per se, just who I would vote for. I tried to remain informed for a change, and went out of my way to learn about the candidates, their views, their policies, their personalities, etc.. I watched the news, I looked up stuff on the internet, I read books, I clicked every political link on LJ and Twitter, and others, I searched YouTube and Google, and whole shitloads of things.
Really, the more I read, the more frustrating making a choice was. Someone (I don't remember who) at the party I went to last week, talking about their early vote, said that they voted, whenever they could, in favor of candidates who endorsed the FairTax, reasoning that, if they were going to be a one-issue voter, that would be the issue. I'm pretty much in agreement with that. I can't think of any other act or policy that would strengthen this country economically more than passing the FairTax in its entirety. In fact, no matter what their other stances were on issues, if either McCain or Obama had come out in favor of the FairTax, I would have voted for him. If they both had... well, see below.
As it was, I voted for Bob Barr.
It was a hard choice. But, in the end, his political leanings most closely matched my own, and I simply couldn't justify voting for anyone else. I'm just more Libertarian than I am Republican or Democrat. Plus, y'know, the FairTax... which he supports.
I voted with my head, my intellect. I voted my principles. And I don't regret doing that.
And yet.................
I wanted Obama to win.
Months and months ago, I wanted him to win. More than that, I knew he would. There was a video I saw a long time ago on YouTube... I don't feel like finding it or linking to it, and I don't remember who it was that made the video... but I do remember that, at that time, I was expecting Hillary to win the democratic nomination, and had no idea who would win the Republican nomination. Obama was the runner-up in the Democratic party at that time, and I figured he was a long shot. And then I saw this video, sent by a very close friend. It was some lady, who is apparently psychic, who had this dream. She claims she's never had a political dream in her life, but she described the dream... and I don't remember much about it now, except that she said that she was sitting at a table, like at a banquet, and that she was told that the next President of the United States would (and I'm HEAVILY paraphrasing here) be able to heal the country, because he had access to information that we didn't know about. She did specify that the Guides in her dream said "he", not "she". She didn't speculate about who they were talking about, but I knew. I knew it immediately, and it felt... I dunno, it's hard to describe. It felt ...aligned. There was no fanfare, no thrumming of my heart (well, sort of, but not in the sense of being "pinged" with the truth), just a ...peaceful rightness.
And ever since then, even though my head wondered about the outcome of the election, and reeled back and forth with the projections, and lamented, and hoped, and was confused.... in my heart, I knew Obama would win. I tried very hard to stay objective. I continued to do all the stuff I mentioned above... and, as I said, in the end, I didn't even vote for him. But I wasn't worried that he would lose, either.
The day before we voted, I was talking to my husband. I told him a bit of what I'm talking about here. I said that I was seriously considering voting for Obama, because I thought that him winning was The Plan, and I wanted to be aligned with the Universe on this.
I couldn't, though. I seriously disagree with anyone voting based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or, for that matter, political party affiliation. I would not have voted for McCain because he was white. I would not have considered the possibility that it might result in a white woman in office. I will not vote for a pagan polyamorous bisexual white educated woman, if that day ever comes, unless her political and economic views align with my own. And frankly, I'm disappointed in anyone that used any of those factors as a deciding point in their vote. I remember back when Clinton was impeached, and I was SO DISAPPOINTED with my country. Not that he was impeached, or that he wasn't, or anything like that. But that, looking at the vote count, with VERY FEW exceptions, Republicans voted for impeachment, and Democrats voted against it. I find it very hard to believe the motivation on either side was anything other than towing the party line. Where's the honesty in that? Where's the thoughtfulness? Lord knows I WANTED to vote for the first black president. I wanted to be able to tell my grandchildren (or whatever) that I was there, and I cast that ballot. But, I simply don't believe in his economic policies. And that's a huge issue for me right now. As well as for everyone else. A lot of people do believe in his economic policies, and it's quite obvious that this belief transcends race, gender, and any number of other demographics. I commend people for voting their conscience when it comes to that, or any other issue they feel strongly about. (--as long as it's on their own merit, not just blindly following the dictates of a political party, union representative, religious body, or any other external force--)
But, all that aside....
I was sitting at David's when they announced the projection on the news, and my eyes welled up with tears of joy.
I was still sitting there when McCain gave his beautiful concession speech, and tears slipped down my face. I wish I had a copy of Joe Biden's book, for the section where he was instrumental in the defeat of a Supreme Court Justice nominee (I don't remember which one). His staff started cheering when it was revealed that the nomination would not pass, and he chastised them for it. He said something to the effect that a good man had just had his dreams dashed, and it was certainly not a time for celebration for that event. I wish I could say it as eloquently. For all his faults, and for all my personal fears of his psychological instability, even for all the negative ads that have been run... when it's really counted, John McCain has shown a lot of class. He showed it again tonight, looking as though he might cry. I was so sad for him. I even felt a little pang for Sarah Palin, who wasn't doing as good a job at pretending she wasn't going to cry. I have no doubt he'll continue to serve his country honorably, in any event. I also think he's served his purpose, and probably won't continue on this plane much longer. I'm grateful for the part he's played in America so far, and I'm glad I got to know him better, through his books, and through the media, as biased as the media often is, in either direction.
I was driving home in my car when Obama gave his acceptance speech. I got home before it was over, and just sat in the car listening until it was over, practically sobbing. I am honored, amazed, and blessed to live in such times. I reached out to the Universe, expecting to feel a fanfare, but... nothing. Just an overwhelming sense of peace, of inevitability, of the contentment of the Earth. It was Right for this to happen.
And yeah... I know that my reasons for this are all pretty fluffbunny, and I don't care. I voted my ideals, and prayed for an outcome that was different than the ballot I cast. I know about the potential dangers of introducing yet more socialist-leaning policies in this country. I know about the arguments for objectivism. Since my post on it a few weeks back, I've come to the conclusion that, flawed as each theory is, socialism simply isn't enforceable. It's impractical, when you come down to it. I might say more about that another time... probably not. But, bottom line is, that, given the choice between the two, objectivism is probably the best bet. Again, I don't think we're there yet, as far as practicing such a thing with impeccable ethics. And that's certainly not Obama's financial plan. My fondest pipedream is that Obama will suddenly come out in favor of the FairTax, and use his executive influence, not only to push it through the House and Senate, but to take up the airtime of the majority of the TV stations for a few hours or longer, and have a panel talk about it, and explain it all to the American people, have debates, and keep answering questions until there are no more questions to ask, and then put it to the vote of the people. I'm convinced that if something like that were to happen, there's no way the FairTax couldn't pass. But that is a pipedream, and I feel no alignment with the Universe one way or the other on that one. Policy-wise, there's a lot of potential problems with an Obama presidency.
But that's not what I feel is important for us as a country right now. I have no data to support this, and I don't even think that data could be gathered to find out... but I think that this country is in the midst of a Great Depression. Not an economic one. An emotional one. We've lost our way. I don't mean that in the sense that we've failed to live up to the ideals of the Constitution (although that is also true, in some instances), or that we've lost sight of what we can be (ditto)... but that we're foundering in our souls. We've stopped believing in ourselves. We do little things to kill ourselves every day. Granted, this is mostly out of ignorance, and a great deal out of apathy, and a whole lot about exhaustion. Maslow's hierarchy is very much at work here.
And even though I voted on economic policy... I'm pretty sure that the initial jumpstart that will make any economic policy work is exactly the platform that Obama ran on.
Hope.
This idea that, if we band together, pay attention, put our shoulders to the grindstone, a difference can be made. That if we work at it, we can make the change that we want to see in the world. That if we use our voices, especially if those voices come in the form of votes, service, letters... that we can make those voices heard.
And Obama, moreso than other candidates, seems of a mind to listen. The buck now stops with him, and he most certainly has his own agenda... but if nothing else, he's shown that he pays attention, he listens, and he ............ has a great rhetoric in regards to that thoughtfulness.
Now is the time for him to act.
Now is the time for us to act.
Yes we can.
Wow. I have to agree with the broken record that's been playing for months. It was a historic election. It would have been historic either way.
We most certainly live in interesting times. And the next president will face some pretty tough challenges, in lots of areas.
We've all heard that before. I don't think anyone, of any party or non-party affiliation, disagrees.
So, to jump on the bandwagon of political posts... here's my take.
Note: Of course it's ridiculously verbose. It's me. No, I don't expect debate on it, 'cause it's just me running my mouth. But you can feel free to comment, nonetheless. I might even answer, or I might not. But I'd be honored if you'd take a look.
Voting for me was actually kinda hard this year. Not voting per se, just who I would vote for. I tried to remain informed for a change, and went out of my way to learn about the candidates, their views, their policies, their personalities, etc.. I watched the news, I looked up stuff on the internet, I read books, I clicked every political link on LJ and Twitter, and others, I searched YouTube and Google, and whole shitloads of things.
Really, the more I read, the more frustrating making a choice was. Someone (I don't remember who) at the party I went to last week, talking about their early vote, said that they voted, whenever they could, in favor of candidates who endorsed the FairTax, reasoning that, if they were going to be a one-issue voter, that would be the issue. I'm pretty much in agreement with that. I can't think of any other act or policy that would strengthen this country economically more than passing the FairTax in its entirety. In fact, no matter what their other stances were on issues, if either McCain or Obama had come out in favor of the FairTax, I would have voted for him. If they both had... well, see below.
As it was, I voted for Bob Barr.
It was a hard choice. But, in the end, his political leanings most closely matched my own, and I simply couldn't justify voting for anyone else. I'm just more Libertarian than I am Republican or Democrat. Plus, y'know, the FairTax... which he supports.
I voted with my head, my intellect. I voted my principles. And I don't regret doing that.
And yet.................
I wanted Obama to win.
Months and months ago, I wanted him to win. More than that, I knew he would. There was a video I saw a long time ago on YouTube... I don't feel like finding it or linking to it, and I don't remember who it was that made the video... but I do remember that, at that time, I was expecting Hillary to win the democratic nomination, and had no idea who would win the Republican nomination. Obama was the runner-up in the Democratic party at that time, and I figured he was a long shot. And then I saw this video, sent by a very close friend. It was some lady, who is apparently psychic, who had this dream. She claims she's never had a political dream in her life, but she described the dream... and I don't remember much about it now, except that she said that she was sitting at a table, like at a banquet, and that she was told that the next President of the United States would (and I'm HEAVILY paraphrasing here) be able to heal the country, because he had access to information that we didn't know about. She did specify that the Guides in her dream said "he", not "she". She didn't speculate about who they were talking about, but I knew. I knew it immediately, and it felt... I dunno, it's hard to describe. It felt ...aligned. There was no fanfare, no thrumming of my heart (well, sort of, but not in the sense of being "pinged" with the truth), just a ...peaceful rightness.
And ever since then, even though my head wondered about the outcome of the election, and reeled back and forth with the projections, and lamented, and hoped, and was confused.... in my heart, I knew Obama would win. I tried very hard to stay objective. I continued to do all the stuff I mentioned above... and, as I said, in the end, I didn't even vote for him. But I wasn't worried that he would lose, either.
The day before we voted, I was talking to my husband. I told him a bit of what I'm talking about here. I said that I was seriously considering voting for Obama, because I thought that him winning was The Plan, and I wanted to be aligned with the Universe on this.
I couldn't, though. I seriously disagree with anyone voting based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or, for that matter, political party affiliation. I would not have voted for McCain because he was white. I would not have considered the possibility that it might result in a white woman in office. I will not vote for a pagan polyamorous bisexual white educated woman, if that day ever comes, unless her political and economic views align with my own. And frankly, I'm disappointed in anyone that used any of those factors as a deciding point in their vote. I remember back when Clinton was impeached, and I was SO DISAPPOINTED with my country. Not that he was impeached, or that he wasn't, or anything like that. But that, looking at the vote count, with VERY FEW exceptions, Republicans voted for impeachment, and Democrats voted against it. I find it very hard to believe the motivation on either side was anything other than towing the party line. Where's the honesty in that? Where's the thoughtfulness? Lord knows I WANTED to vote for the first black president. I wanted to be able to tell my grandchildren (or whatever) that I was there, and I cast that ballot. But, I simply don't believe in his economic policies. And that's a huge issue for me right now. As well as for everyone else. A lot of people do believe in his economic policies, and it's quite obvious that this belief transcends race, gender, and any number of other demographics. I commend people for voting their conscience when it comes to that, or any other issue they feel strongly about. (--as long as it's on their own merit, not just blindly following the dictates of a political party, union representative, religious body, or any other external force--)
But, all that aside....
I was sitting at David's when they announced the projection on the news, and my eyes welled up with tears of joy.
I was still sitting there when McCain gave his beautiful concession speech, and tears slipped down my face. I wish I had a copy of Joe Biden's book, for the section where he was instrumental in the defeat of a Supreme Court Justice nominee (I don't remember which one). His staff started cheering when it was revealed that the nomination would not pass, and he chastised them for it. He said something to the effect that a good man had just had his dreams dashed, and it was certainly not a time for celebration for that event. I wish I could say it as eloquently. For all his faults, and for all my personal fears of his psychological instability, even for all the negative ads that have been run... when it's really counted, John McCain has shown a lot of class. He showed it again tonight, looking as though he might cry. I was so sad for him. I even felt a little pang for Sarah Palin, who wasn't doing as good a job at pretending she wasn't going to cry. I have no doubt he'll continue to serve his country honorably, in any event. I also think he's served his purpose, and probably won't continue on this plane much longer. I'm grateful for the part he's played in America so far, and I'm glad I got to know him better, through his books, and through the media, as biased as the media often is, in either direction.
I was driving home in my car when Obama gave his acceptance speech. I got home before it was over, and just sat in the car listening until it was over, practically sobbing. I am honored, amazed, and blessed to live in such times. I reached out to the Universe, expecting to feel a fanfare, but... nothing. Just an overwhelming sense of peace, of inevitability, of the contentment of the Earth. It was Right for this to happen.
And yeah... I know that my reasons for this are all pretty fluffbunny, and I don't care. I voted my ideals, and prayed for an outcome that was different than the ballot I cast. I know about the potential dangers of introducing yet more socialist-leaning policies in this country. I know about the arguments for objectivism. Since my post on it a few weeks back, I've come to the conclusion that, flawed as each theory is, socialism simply isn't enforceable. It's impractical, when you come down to it. I might say more about that another time... probably not. But, bottom line is, that, given the choice between the two, objectivism is probably the best bet. Again, I don't think we're there yet, as far as practicing such a thing with impeccable ethics. And that's certainly not Obama's financial plan. My fondest pipedream is that Obama will suddenly come out in favor of the FairTax, and use his executive influence, not only to push it through the House and Senate, but to take up the airtime of the majority of the TV stations for a few hours or longer, and have a panel talk about it, and explain it all to the American people, have debates, and keep answering questions until there are no more questions to ask, and then put it to the vote of the people. I'm convinced that if something like that were to happen, there's no way the FairTax couldn't pass. But that is a pipedream, and I feel no alignment with the Universe one way or the other on that one. Policy-wise, there's a lot of potential problems with an Obama presidency.
But that's not what I feel is important for us as a country right now. I have no data to support this, and I don't even think that data could be gathered to find out... but I think that this country is in the midst of a Great Depression. Not an economic one. An emotional one. We've lost our way. I don't mean that in the sense that we've failed to live up to the ideals of the Constitution (although that is also true, in some instances), or that we've lost sight of what we can be (ditto)... but that we're foundering in our souls. We've stopped believing in ourselves. We do little things to kill ourselves every day. Granted, this is mostly out of ignorance, and a great deal out of apathy, and a whole lot about exhaustion. Maslow's hierarchy is very much at work here.
And even though I voted on economic policy... I'm pretty sure that the initial jumpstart that will make any economic policy work is exactly the platform that Obama ran on.
Hope.
This idea that, if we band together, pay attention, put our shoulders to the grindstone, a difference can be made. That if we work at it, we can make the change that we want to see in the world. That if we use our voices, especially if those voices come in the form of votes, service, letters... that we can make those voices heard.
And Obama, moreso than other candidates, seems of a mind to listen. The buck now stops with him, and he most certainly has his own agenda... but if nothing else, he's shown that he pays attention, he listens, and he ............ has a great rhetoric in regards to that thoughtfulness.
Now is the time for him to act.
Now is the time for us to act.
Yes we can.
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Date: 2008-11-05 05:45 pm (UTC)Quoted from my girlfriend
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Date: 2008-11-05 07:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 05:37 am (UTC)