Election 2012 – Love Prevails
Some big things happened in this country last night, and I can’t let that go unacknowledged. But I don’t want to spend thousands of words on this election that is (thankfully) over either. Plus, if I climb too high on my soapbox, I may end up sobbing atop it, and this is far too happy a day to be reduced to tears by my own over-thinking.
To some extent, I feel like this election was a test of this country, of who we are as a people. It’s a test we passed, for which I am intensely grateful and relieved, but that we passed by the slimmest of margins. Online, I see people from other countries congratulating us on moving forward. But, sadly, this country didn’t pass with flying colors. We’re being congratulated for the D we narrowly pulled out after being told we’d be held back a grade if we didn’t.
Last night, Obama said “We’re not as divided as our politics suggest,” but I’m not sure that’s true. I think, as a country, we are that divided. I think that, in our beliefs, we are that divided. Or maybe, we’re that divided within me. Because, when it comes down to it, I saw two clear choices in this election – humanity as equal or white male tyranny – and I didn’t draw that line in the sand. Every anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, anti-poor word that came from Republican mouths cut that line deeper.
Now, it is a huge chasm, and the line is beginning to feel impenetrable. Once, I would have agreed to disagree with someone on politics, but, the space has widened to such an extent, I can no longer see their side. When a political party starts to take firm stances against everything that I stand for and believe in, everything that I am and care about, I can’t just brush off someone’s support of that party as “their opinion.”
The Republican party intentionally advertised themselves as for the one – writing it into their platform and speaking it out loud with pride. The Democratic party intentionally tried to embrace the many – writing it into their platform and speaking it out loud with pride.
Love won last night. Compassion won. Progress won. Equality won. Humanity won. How so many people can feel as if they have lost something today when those things won, I do not understand.
Some of the things that happened are so big that it will take us a while to process even outside of the US. The women who got elected into office, and the women who voted & rejected rape apologist ideology by wide margins. The marriage equality gains (yes, there have been happy tears, and I’m getting a bit emotional even writing this comment). Those long waiting lines. The determination and passion of people, something that, we’ve seen, can’t be bought.
I’ve seen a few unhappy/angry voices online, and I just don’t get it. The economy? We knew from non-partisan analyses that the numbers of the other guy didn’t add up. Equality and choice are economic issues, and the “pro-life” women should remember that the ones who take away choices could come for theirs just as well. So the next 4 years might not be easy, but it could be so much worse.
It will get better. You guys built that. 🙂
Now – Hillary 2016. Go!
I think the economy is more of an excuse for why people voted as they did than the reality. When you look at the poll data of how people voted, which you can check out here – http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president?hpt=hp_t2#exit-polls, you can see exactly who wants to be “conservative” and keep things chugging along as they are, or even prevent or retract the rights of minority groups where they can. The prototypical WASP is the standard Republican voter, which adds up since that’s who the status quo favors.
The problem is, these people don’t recognize equality and choice as economic issues. They see them as moral issues and themselves as the moral gatekeepers for the country. The saddest part is that they truly believe this – let me borrow a word from Joe Biden – malarkey, and act accordingly. They certainly don’t recognize themselves as ever being on the receiving end of any rights being taken away, because they believe they are living these untouchable lives of virtue. Translation: they are ignorant to a point of delusion.
But, yes, looking at the polls also shows that humanity is evolving, that things actually are getting better.
And if Hillary would only run in 2016 with a hotshot young Democrat – knowing she would only run once and be a one-term president – she would virtually guarantee Democratic control for the 12 years after Obama’s term, which sounds like progress to me.