The night, the glorious night that Barack Obama was elected as the 44th president of the United States of America I went to bed happy & hopeful & relieved & worn out from crying, screaming, & singing with joy.
Then I had a dream. I dream I met my dad & he was sad about the result of the election & I had to explain to him why I thought Obama was a great choice.
I don't know what my dream reasons were but here are some of my current reasons. This is not a exhaustive list.
1. He is articulate. This is extremely important to me. I cannot believe in the intelligence of a leader who speaks in English in a way that requires interpretation. Even if they are doing it to appeal to the "ordinary folk" I don't want a leader who is ordinary folk. I think leaders should be held to a higher standard in everything including speech. I think if you are going into politics & didn't pay enough attention in even high school English & speech classes than maybe you should brush up before the campaign.
2. He is willing to sit down with leaders of foreign countries. I want our country to consider diplomacy as the first rational step to conflict rather than a sign of weakness. I want us to exhaust every other option before we commit ourselves & resources to the killing of soldiers & innocents.
3. I truly believe Obama's positions are more inline with Catholic Social Teaching. That the ideas of respect for life, rights & responsibility to community, the dignity of work, care for God's creation, & preferential options for the poor were all evident in his policies. I'm OK with leaning a bit towards socialism, I think there was good in socialism. However, I don't really think what he is proposing is socialism (anymore than the recent bailouts) that was just a convenient word use to scare people away.
4. I'm hoping a for redefinition of a few traditional conceits. The first one is the definition of masculinity. (Are you thinking, "Whoa, that's a bit out there." Well, it's not. I majored in Feminist Literature & worked/volunteer as Socialization & Gender Roles teacher). What I mean is that we have a very narrow definition of what it means to "BE A MAN" in our society now day ( I do think this is bit of the backlash from the latest feminist movement. But, seriously, focus on Obama, one issue at a time.) I'm hoping that having a man like Obama in such a position of leadership will help expand the definition of masculinity to include care-taking, listening, faithful, intentional, open, & thoughtful.
6. I'm also hoping for a new dialogue to be opened about forgiveness in regards to peace & justice. I have always, always since September 11, 2001 been against the idea of war as a solution to the problem, We did not have a clear objective in going to this war, a good, long term plan, or enough evidence that it was the right thing to do. According the Catholic standards of just war, this just isn't it. I would like us, as a nation to explore the ideas of forgiveness as a necessary part of the healing process. Not just in regards to 911 but also all situations of pain & violence.
(Ahhh! I'm just not as articulate as I would like to be on this topic. But we just showed a great film at ministry last night that is articulate & beautiful & so thought-provoking & challenging. Check it out: The Power of Forgiveness.)
6. Joe Biden. Yes, he's been in Washington forever & you can contend that he was picked to counter the little-experience argument. AND he's a bit of a wild card on a microphone but I appreciate the fact that Obama picked someone who does not believe exactly everything that Obama does. Having to talk out your position with someone who does not agree with you can be very healthy. (Talking out your position with someone who is more intelligent than you & is using you as a puppet in their evil plans to take over the world is not. Sorry, I'm still getting over my trauma at the hands of the current administration).
7. "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree." I love this. I aspire to this. This is so much more helpful to hear rather than a leader who says, "I'm the decider." & forges ahead without stopping to consider if he knows where we're going or if anyone is following. I know this is not humanly possible for Obama to literally listen to all of us but the fact that he knows listening is important warms me to the heart.
8. "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you- we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks & false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, & we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face." I feel hopeful by how reality-based this speech is. He doesn't try to sugar-coat the situation we are in now nor does he promise the all of problems will be magically fixed. I want a leader who is aware of the world outside of his own inner circle.
9. Yes, he's new, he's relatively untested, he hasn't been in politics long. I'm not hearing the down-side here. The old guard hasn't done us any favors lately. I think if things are not going well we need to change, we need the new. Also, I know when I'm new to a job I work harder to impress everyone. I'm on my toes & more open to learning because I recognize that I don't know everything yet.
10. "So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service & responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in & work harder & look after not only ourselves, but each other... In this country we rise & fall as one nation, as one people." I appreciate that fact that he reminds us all that we have a part to play. That some self-sacrifice is needed. When our nation is at war or in economic crisis or our planet is in danger we need a leader who calls on each of us to do our part, to give up a little, & to take responsibility. We should all be challenged to sacrifice at a time like this & to care for one another.
9. Finally, I hope that the election of Obama signals that we, as a nation, recognize that the path we have been on for the past 8 years is terribly, terribly wrong. That we are all called to be better & do better. I hope this election signals that we are craving change. I feel hopeful by how many more people were inspired to participate in the process this year. I am thankful that more people staying informed about politics now or whatever reason.
For me, it's because I no longer feel so helpless every time I listen to the news.
Thanks for the hope. I needed that.
Paco & I probably won't ever talk about this because he is a one issue voter (pro-life) & we can't find common ground (thanks to his daily doses of Focus on the Family) & personally, the few times a year when I see him I'd much rather revel in his company than preach.
So, thanks for listening.
*all quotes taken from Barak Obama's acceptance speech 11/4/08
