President Obama
clinton, Culture, mccain, obama 6:16 AM
As our nation prepares to go to the polls tomorrow in record numbers, I can't help but reflect back on the last year and a half or so and think of all the twists and turns that brought us where we now stand.
I remember even further back to nearly two years ago, to a time before we knew who would even be running for president on either side of the proverbial aisle. Many of my friends lobbied me to support Hillary Clinton. Others tried their best to shove me in the direction of John Edwards. I even had a few urgent pleas to get behind Al Gore. Not knowing my true options and not having been introduced to the 2008 reformulation of any of the above or others, I was truly an undecided.
It wasn't until sometime in December 2007 that I started to fall in love with Hillary Clinton. In retrospect, I don't think it was only her thoughtful policies, and it certainly wasn't her charisma with voters - no, I think it was her strength under pressure that truly tipped me in Hillary's direction. As I watched her take on the attacks of Republicans early on, I couldn't help but admire her grace and poise as she refused to knuckle under the pressure. Little did I know then how much pressure would be mounted upon her - or how much resolve she truly had.
By her loss in Iowa, I was hooked. By her surprise win in New Hampshire only days later, I was officially a disciple. And by the time Ohio and Texas were ready to go to the polls, I was bloodthirsty. After 11 straight disappointing losses, I'd had it. The line in the sand had to be drawn. We had to win. And we did.
We won over and over again, taking away 9 of the final 15 contests from Senator Obama, but it was not enough. In the end, whatever the spin, we simply did not have the total delegates to stop Obama. By June, when we watched Hillary stump, it was for her nemesis.
In a tragic turn for her disciples, we had to go through a huge metamorphosis of thought. What began in our hearts and minds as "Who will be the best candidate to take down John McCain in November?" transformed into "Do I support McCain (the guy I like who stands for some things I hate) or Do I support Obama (the guy I don't like who stole away my dream but shares more of my goals)?" This was no easy decision, and no easy shift out of our comfort zone.
In the eternal battle of heart versus mind, many of us did end up making the transition over to Obama. Others of us proudly bucked our party and got behind McCain. Still others remained hopelessly unsure what to do. A surprising many of us still struggle with this decision still today.
But it is indeed 3 a.m. in the White House, and the phone is ringing. It's up to the voters of America to decide who is best suited to take the lead and steer us in a better direction. This election has been quite an adventure, full of twists and turns, ups and down. The surprises have been endless.
The last year and change on the campaign trail has been exhilarating and terrifying. It's been uplifting and humbling. To those of you who gave me hell the whole way, thank you. To those of you who were with me for part of the journey but ultimately ended up against me, thank you too. And a special thanks to those of you who listened to an alternate opinion with an open mind, whether or not you ultimately were on board. This is democracy in action, and it is exactly the purpose for which I created this blog in the first place.
Tomorrow, America will speak. For us the people, it's time to listen to the majority of voices. Surely we all will be tuned in. The stakes are too high now to be tuned out, no matter what you stand for. And tomorrow, no matter who wins a majority, it is time to start embracing the change that comes before us.
As for me, I'm bracing (with due respect) to swallow the term and the reality of a "President Obama". In the words of John McCain, "I cannot wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well."
God Bless America.
I remember even further back to nearly two years ago, to a time before we knew who would even be running for president on either side of the proverbial aisle. Many of my friends lobbied me to support Hillary Clinton. Others tried their best to shove me in the direction of John Edwards. I even had a few urgent pleas to get behind Al Gore. Not knowing my true options and not having been introduced to the 2008 reformulation of any of the above or others, I was truly an undecided.
It wasn't until sometime in December 2007 that I started to fall in love with Hillary Clinton. In retrospect, I don't think it was only her thoughtful policies, and it certainly wasn't her charisma with voters - no, I think it was her strength under pressure that truly tipped me in Hillary's direction. As I watched her take on the attacks of Republicans early on, I couldn't help but admire her grace and poise as she refused to knuckle under the pressure. Little did I know then how much pressure would be mounted upon her - or how much resolve she truly had.
By her loss in Iowa, I was hooked. By her surprise win in New Hampshire only days later, I was officially a disciple. And by the time Ohio and Texas were ready to go to the polls, I was bloodthirsty. After 11 straight disappointing losses, I'd had it. The line in the sand had to be drawn. We had to win. And we did.
We won over and over again, taking away 9 of the final 15 contests from Senator Obama, but it was not enough. In the end, whatever the spin, we simply did not have the total delegates to stop Obama. By June, when we watched Hillary stump, it was for her nemesis.
In a tragic turn for her disciples, we had to go through a huge metamorphosis of thought. What began in our hearts and minds as "Who will be the best candidate to take down John McCain in November?" transformed into "Do I support McCain (the guy I like who stands for some things I hate) or Do I support Obama (the guy I don't like who stole away my dream but shares more of my goals)?" This was no easy decision, and no easy shift out of our comfort zone.
In the eternal battle of heart versus mind, many of us did end up making the transition over to Obama. Others of us proudly bucked our party and got behind McCain. Still others remained hopelessly unsure what to do. A surprising many of us still struggle with this decision still today.
But it is indeed 3 a.m. in the White House, and the phone is ringing. It's up to the voters of America to decide who is best suited to take the lead and steer us in a better direction. This election has been quite an adventure, full of twists and turns, ups and down. The surprises have been endless.
The last year and change on the campaign trail has been exhilarating and terrifying. It's been uplifting and humbling. To those of you who gave me hell the whole way, thank you. To those of you who were with me for part of the journey but ultimately ended up against me, thank you too. And a special thanks to those of you who listened to an alternate opinion with an open mind, whether or not you ultimately were on board. This is democracy in action, and it is exactly the purpose for which I created this blog in the first place.
Tomorrow, America will speak. For us the people, it's time to listen to the majority of voices. Surely we all will be tuned in. The stakes are too high now to be tuned out, no matter what you stand for. And tomorrow, no matter who wins a majority, it is time to start embracing the change that comes before us.
As for me, I'm bracing (with due respect) to swallow the term and the reality of a "President Obama". In the words of John McCain, "I cannot wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well."
God Bless America.
Posted by Nick Stone
on 6:16 AM.
Filed under
Posts
Posted from another political blog--
Dear Red States: We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware,that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California. To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share. Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizensback from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of alltelevangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you. Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacredunless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy *******s believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties. Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico. Peace out, Blue States