Whether or not you like Obama or think he's a good president (dealing with economy, healthcare, foreign policy well), this past Tuesday was still a turning point in our country's history.
I'm sure Republicans and conservatives will not agree with that statement, regardless of any explanations I give in the rest of this post. But, oh well. Nothing much I can do about that.
Again, before I keep writing, go watch this video from Rachel Maddow and read this brilliant CNN article. Because, you know, I like to spread the things I find.
Now, of course, I do love Obama. I think he has done amazing things for our country. And, as Rachel Maddow says, he's been the most successful Democratic president now since FDR. I absolutely think our country and the world will continue to grow and develop so much with him leading us. He's not just an amazing leader, but he's a genuinely good-hearted person. I need only watch the beautiful video of him crying thanking his volunteers or pictures of him lovingly spending time with his daughters to know he really is a good person at heart. Also, his acceptance speech was one of the best speeches I have ever heard.
The best summary I read following his re-election was in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, with one voter noting, "I think Hawaii, more than maybe other parts of the country, appreciated what Obama has always been trying to do, which is to take care of your ohana."
Wow. As someone who has lived in Hawaii for over a year now, that statement is so true and so powerful for me. Obama truly sees every person in our beautiful country as part of his family, his ohana, and he wants to make sure no one gets left behind. He wants to make sure everyone has opportunities and equal rights. He wants to make sure we all keep moving forward.
All of that love being said, I would like to urge everyone to remember Obama is not perfect. He inherited a lot of problems from the disastrous Bush administration. The world, especially the Middle-East, is changing around him, and he has to adapt to disasters and threats and economic problems. So before anyone jumps to judge him for not following through immediately on his promises, remember 2 things:
1) He is human
2) He has already done so much for our country
Anyway. Moving on. I was worried on Tuesday that the election would be really close, and I expected it to take hours to declare a winner. When Ohio was called, I almost didn't believe it. I was in the middle of wandering around Twitter when I suddenly realized everyone was projecting Obama the winner. I almost didn't believe it.
I was ecstatic, but that wasn't the end for me. I know a lot of people may have just waited to see who had won and gone to bed (I think it was pretty late on the East Coast at this time? I don't know. It was still only 21:00 when Obama gave his speech here).
I, however, along with all the friends I follow on Twitter, was waiting to see what else would happen. So much more was at stake.
And guess what? On Tuesday, we showed the world, the country, the Republicans, just how much our country is changing.
We voted for marriage equality in four different states. Twenty women were elected to Congress. The first lesbian woman, Asian-American senator, disabled veteran, and this amazing woman: Tulsi Gabbard. Marijuana legalization was approved by voters in two states. We beat down every single man who made such ridiculous claims on rape, "legitimate" rape, and pregnancy.
We showed the world, that, yes, everyone has rights. Women can choose for themselves. Gay people are no different, at heart, from any of the rest of us. In three states, it's no longer "gay marriage" or a "civil union," but simply MARRIAGE for everyone. And we not only elected, but re-elected an African-American president. Healthcare will continue to be a right for everyone. Education and opportunity will continue to be open. Students, young people, women, Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans have more of an influence in this country today than white men, who are currently crying about being a minority. Because they know how they treat other minorities? Perhaps.
My favorite statement from Tuesday's events? Someone who, on Tumblr, said, "Relieved to wake up in 2012--was worried it'd be 1954 again."
Basically, my heart was bursting with love and joy and hope for our country on Tuesday night. As each victory kept rolling in, I got more and more loopy from happiness (and a slight lack of sleep). I continued to walk through the rest of the week genuinely excited and happy and proud, still, of where I lived. Proud of what my generation is doing to change the world.
I will never be able to voice my opinions or views on what Tuesday meant as articulately as Rachel Maddow or that CNN journalist, but the bottom line?
So much progress is coming to our country right now. Just 20 years ago, everything that happened on Tuesday would have been completely unimaginable. AIDS was still the disease of the gays, that no one wanted to talk about. Gay couples could only dream of being offered acceptance or understanding in our society. White men still ruled our country and politics.
But we're changing all of that.
And I really mean it. So many people refuse to vote because "well, my vote doesn't really matter." And, well, if you are referring to deciding who actually becomes president, then yes, your one single vote doesn't hold very much influence. But, also, if the only reason you want to vote is to decide who becomes president, you are not grasping what voting really does.
Voting is a way to make our voices heard. Voting allows us, as citizens, to make a difference. We vote on laws and congressmen and governors. We vote for change and hope and what we believe in. And, as we saw on Tuesday, those votes can change EVERYTHING. And truly move our country forward.
Don't let go of that. Don't forget the amazing feelings of pride and happiness and love that poured out on Tuesday. Change is happening, and it is very real. But we need to continue to go to the voting booth, continue to fight for equality and our rights, in order to keep the ball rolling. We, as a generation, are showing the world, showing the politicians, just what American really is today.
One final thing: On Tuesday night, several of my Republican friends on Facebook bemoaned the fact that we were all celebrating and wished we'd all just shut up about it now that our guy won. One even said we were being "sore winners." As much as I genuinely like some of those people as friends, I have to disagree with them.
First, please don't stop our celebrating mere hours after our guy won. That's a little ridiculous. You know you'd be celebrating just as much if Romney had won. And, in the days since the election, most of us have not been celebrating Obama as much as we are celebrating all of the change that happened on Tuesday. Allow us to be happy. This change is important, whether you like it or not.
And second, I would like to propose something: If all of this changed so quickly, if your party was so shocked and dismayed, maybe your party needs to change. Live with the changing tides. The Republicans lost not necessarily because of their economic or foreign policy views, because the fiscal conservatives will always remain loyal to their ideas. But the Republicans lost because they refuse to recognize how much American is changing and still needs to change. They are afraid of white, rich men becoming a minority. Fine. But if you want to win, if you want to give your economic policies a try, you need to move a little bit more toward the middle on social issues. You need to realize the importance of women and students and Hispanics.
Because like it or not, the majority of the nation showed you that America has changed. And you are going to have to change with it to make a difference.
Anyway. I am just really happy with what all of us did in the past few months. Today, we are proudly showing the world that yes, we still are the country of liberty and equality and progress. But we cannot lose that. We mus always keep fighting, every single one of us.
And vote. Because yeah, we really do make a difference.
Still one of my favorite pictures. Love this family.
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