WARNING: This post may wander. I'm processing things, so one primary purpose for what I'm about to write is personal therapy. In addition, I hope this will be interesting to you, but also that it will serve as a model for a number of values: introspection, vulnerability, honesty, thoughtfulness, civility.
My heart goes out to Kent Koebke of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, who fought hard and with integrity for a chance at a seat in the state house. Kent, thanks for working your tail off for what you believe in, and God bless you.
Meggan and I went to an election night party last night. The majority of us there were McCain supporters, but we still had a good time. We did a "pick the states" pool - our entry had Obama winning, but we gave McCain way too many swing states, so we didn't take the prize. Thanks to Dan and Erin Breed for a fun time!
I was impressed both by McCain's concession speech and Obama's Grant Park acceptance. I didn't necessarily appreciate Obama's "Yes We Can" refrain, since it strikes me as misplaced hope, but I thought he came out with an unexpectedly muted expression. He was not celebratory; he was (exhausted and) rather sober. He did not look like a man who would quickly let the power go to his head. These are two men of character. God bless 'em both. God, we pray that you would keep president-elect Obama and his family safe from crazy people.
I think sobriety is the appropriate response for all of us at the moment. Let McCain supporters acknowledge our feelings of disappointment, submit our feelings to God, and recognize that He is still the Most High King. Let us recognize that Obama is a good man who will accomplish some good, and let us remember that McCain would have made some mistakes in the Oval Office, too. As for my brothers and sisters who voted for Obama, I won't be your killjoy; feel free to celebrate. But, please, do not mistake Obama for the Savior. Neither the real Savior nor our president-elect would want you to do so. A McCain victory would not have been the end of the world, and I hope you will critically examine the man you elected rather than becoming his unquestioned apologist.
The election of an African-American to the U.S. presidency is an historic occurrence. I wish I could celebrate it with enthusiasm. At the same time, we still have racial issues in our country, and the election actually highlights some of those. Black conservatives were ostracized in their communities for voicing their convictions, and they were dragged around in the dog-and-pony show by white conservatives. Millions of white Americans voted their conscience for Obama (or McCain), but, no doubt, there were many who voted for Obama out of "a sense of history" or latent white guilt (in addition to white supremacists who voted for McCain). I look forward to the increase of Dr. King's dream, that, in growing measure, people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Still, it is amazing that we've reached a day where we fall short of this dream in ways so very different than the ways we once fell short of it. Praise God for this progress.
Random wondering - which of the following factors contributed most strongly to the defeat of a moderate Republican by a liberal Democrat:
--disapproval of Bush?
--the economic crisis?
--thinly veiled network media biases? (Before you read too much into that comment, see my Oct. 17 post about NPR.)
--image factors (as SNL put it, "Joe Cool vs. Yosemite Sam")?
I have deeply mixed feelings about international reaction to the election. On the one hand, it will be nice to live as a U.S. citizen in Europe during a time when Europe likes my president. On the other hand, I don't think European opinion should matter all that much in my choice of a candidate. I care a heck of a lot more about the opinion of people in countries that could be much more deeply and directly affected by who's in the White House: Iraqis, Afghans, Israelis, and Palestinians; for our foreign aid, Africans; also, our neighbors, especially Mexicans. Life would go on just fine for the vast majority of Europeans whether Obama, McCain, or Ron Paul were living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. In the reverse direction, I have decided never to pass judgment on an Iranian for voting for Ahmadinejad or a Venezuelan for voting for Hugo Chávez unless I actually understand more issues than just how that vote affects their country's relationship with my country.
On a different note, I am saddened for the pro-life cause. How many justices will be appointed by pro-choice presidents and confirmed by a majority pro-choice Senate in the years to come? Beyond that, Amendment 48 (defining life as beginning at conception) got trounced here in Colorado, and a pro-life ballot initiative lost for the second time in South Dakota, 55%-45%. It seems that over a million babies a year will continue to be killed with government approval in our country. This is deeply unjust - not only to the people killed, but also to the people duped by our culture into thinking that murder for personal convenience is an expression of their freedom of choice. Three cheers for crisis pregnancy centers and adoption ministries, but it seems as though we pro-lifers need to reevaluate our political strategies. Do we turn to the 95/10 Initiative proposed by pro-life Democrats? Do we work harder to let the pro-life voice be heard in the marketplace of ideas (for an online example, see here)? Is creative nonviolent protest the answer? Should we put our efforts for the appointment of constructionist justices and the passing of pro-life ballot initiatives on the back burner or not?
For the trifecta, all three items on the ballot that I had strong opinions on (see my Oct. 10 posting) went the other way. :-)
And now, to end on a lighter note... God bless Minnesota! First, they elect an independent governor who happens to be a former pro-wrestler. Now, they come within 500 votes (out of nearly 3 million cast) of electing a comedian to the Senate, in a race where a liberal independent candidate garnered 15%. The recount is on, and Minnesota officially wins pop culture "cool" points (whether that's a good thing or not is up for interpretation).
