Post-Election Venting

Its been a heavy day.  I picked quite an election to make my voting debut, and the hours since I stepped out of the booth have not been lacking in terms of thought and emotion.  Unsure what to do with the mental explosions happening in my brain, I figured I’d unload them into a blog.  I can think of nothing more predictable on the day after a presidential election.  Regardless…here we go…

The catalyst to my thoughtful day came while riding to work inside Sandy, my beloved Toyota Tundra.  In an effort to be an informed citizen, I felt it was appropriate to give AM radio a chance in the wake of the most historical election of my lifetime.  I am a bit of an “AM radio rookie,” and was forced to default to the station on which I grew up listening to Rockets games; 740 KTRH.  Apparently the station announces a “question of the day” each morning, and lets listeners respond via the station website.  This was today’s question:

In 2000, many democrats said George W. Bush was not their president.  In 2009, will Barack Obama be your president?

The question was interesting and thought-provoking enough on its own, but the results of the poll (as of 5pm) were even more so; 74% answered “no.”

It has been 8 hours since I heard the question and the preliminary results, and I am still at a loss for words.

What do you mean, “no?”  If people are interpreting the question to mean “did you vote for Obama?” then I can make some sense out of that, but I honestly don’t think that is the case.  I have hypothesized that 74% of KTRH’s listeners are under the impression that they get to choose whether or not Obama’s presidency will apply to them individually.  If this indeed is the case, I have some thoughts.

According to the democratic process of the country in which we reside, the people (as a group) decide who will hold the office of president via the electoral college, which (almost) always reflects the popular vote.  Last night over 50 million people voted for Barack Obama.  Whether you were among them or not, “we” (the American people) elected Barack Obama.  His authority will apply to you regardless of whether you were crying tears of joy or sadness as you fell asleep last night.  I know this sounds horribly elementary, but starting in late January, Barack Obama will be your president.  Prepare yourself accordingly.

I am fully aware that when many (probably most) of that 74% answered “No, he will not be my president” they were not exempting themselves from executive authority, but were declaring they will not support or associate themselves with Obama’s Presidency.  This is where I get really disappointed, move into sadness, flirt with feelings of rage, and then distract myself with an arbitrary task until I am able to think objectively again.

I realize this election has been a polarizing thing for the last 18 months.  I realize that personalities, agendas and ideologies clashed.  I realize that the canyon has been deepened between Dem and Rep, between red and blue, between left and right.  I realize that those who find themselves on the losing side of that canyon experience strong emotions when watching the celebration going on across the gorge.  BUT, when the chips have fallen, and “your guy” has lost, it is NOT time to vent your disappointment through various immature actions and then check out for 4 years.

Last  night two of the finest speeches of recent political history were delivered.  John McCain conceded the race with more class than anyone expected, and Barack Obama embraced his victory inspiring millions with triumphant words laced with humility.  The theme of each of these speeches was one and the same:  UNITY.  Working together.  Moving past party lines.  McCain personally pledged his allegiance to Obama.  Obama specifically reached out to those who did NOT vote for him.

How unfortunate to log on to Facebook minutes later to see your peers unable to replicate the respect and unity exemplified by the two men on the ballot.

I hope beyond hope that if you are a person of prayer, that you are already praying for our new president.  Yes, OUR president.  That is exactly what he will be.  Ours.  Chosen by us.  Posting a harsh status on Facebook and threatening to move to Canada will not change this fact.

I am discouraged by the first 24 hours of post-election life, but still overly-optimistic at the many chances we are being given to move toward a true sense of unity in this country, something we haven’t had in quite some time.

Mr. Obama,  I didn’t vote for you last night, but you are officially MY president now.  Let me know how I can help spread the love of God to a country and world that desperately need it…

…I’ll be praying for you in the mean time.