I thought I would be gloating this day, the way you did 8 years ago. Even though it was the closest election in history, and even though there was a cloud of illegitamacy, you guys wanted to rub our noses in W's victory. The speeches leading up to it were condescending, including one speech I vividly remember where the speaker said how great it felt to say "EX-president Clinton".
But this is a new day.
Not only will I not be gloating, I actually accept what you said so long ago... that God chose W. to be president. Let me explain...
Our country has a miraculous history. By all logic, our nation should not exist. We were a ragtag militia going up against the greatest military in the world. Yet we not only survived but flourished after the Revolutionary War. We had brilliant leaders like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin who forged the path. We experimented with this crazy notion of letting the people, peasants, rule in a time of absolute monarchy. We became a beacon of hope for the world.
Amazingly, at our most perilous times, we have had great men lead us just when we needed them. James Madison during the War of 1812, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, Roosevelet for WWII, and Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Could you imagine what would have happened if we had James Buchanan, Martin Van Buren, or Franklin Pierce as the president during the Civil War?? Could you imagine if George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were in charge during the missile crisis? (*Shudder*)
There is probably only one time in history, however, where George W. Bush's black and white, absolute vision of good and evil would have worked--and that's after the attack of 9/11. Al Qaeda had no side, no justification--they were just pure evil. For the one and only time in his presidency, immediately after the aftermath, Bush said just the right things and we all had each other's back. That was just what we needed during that time.
Unfortunately, he squandered opportunity, bi-partisanship, and universal good will into a narrow-minded agenda. This, along with stunning incompetence and bad decisions, led our nation into what has been the darkest of times. Yet through fear-mongering, he streched his agenda into a second term.
But let me say this, if there was no darkness, there would be no light.
If there was no George W. Bush, there would be no Barack Obama today. Bush's stunning incompetence and bad judgment caused millions of Americans to conclude that ideology, even racism, were luxeries they could no longer afford.
In our short history, we have not only never elected a minority--we never elected anyone without an Anglo-Saxon name. But just like our nation, whose existence defies all logic, we now have not only an African-American getting ready to be sworn in, but one with the same/similar name as two of our national enemies. Given the powerful smears by association thrown at him by your machine, the obstacles he had to overcome were not just huge, they were monumental.
But because he showed how a president should act--a steady leader who made decisions based on sound logic instead of "gut" reactions, and because he talked to people like adults instead of lowly pests who need information "spun" to them, he won people over. And he didn't just win, he won big. Places like Indiana, Virginia, and North Carolina. I was awed on election night.
This is why we believe he can do anything.
I believe that old saying that it always gets the most dark before the light--and I do finally agree with you, my GOP friend, that this was all divinely planned. Like you, I believe our nation was founded "under God" and is blessed. And once again, we have been blessed by our selection of just the right leader in what is now another perilous time. Obama is ready to guide America out of crisis.
And even though you do not support him, he will help you too. And I am glad you can witness history with me.
I was talking to a friend the other night about the irony of time. Had Kerry/Edwards prevailed in 2004, where would we be at this moment? Certainly some things might be better. There would have been a swift and effective reaction to the needs in New Orleans and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps we would be out of Iraq. No doubt many people would be alive now who are not due to Bush's actions (or inactions). Perhaps the economy would be on the upswing instead of in deep recession.
ReplyDeleteHowever, would Kerry/Edwards prevail for reelection this year? Would the revelation of Edward's infidelities mean a weakened President Kerry in his bid for reelection? Would a leader lacking the charisma of Obama prevail? Would people from all corners of our country come together as we have to defeat tyranny and greed in our own backyard? Or would we be ushering in a Republican Administration, perhaps President Jeb Bush and Vice President Lieberman--and a Republican Congress, with a presumed mandate for a change of another kind. (How that thought puts a shudder through my spine!)
Perhaps the author is correct. Perhaps we had to endure these last eight years of Bush in order to fulfill one of his campaign pledges--that he was a uniter, not a divider. Bush united the nation like no other. Sure, there is a small minority who will never be swayed, but the vast majority has finally rejected the past eight years of Bush and the policies and actions that he supports. Torture--no. Rendition--no. Corporate greed--no.
It's a brand new day!
I voted for Change and that's all I have left...is change. Thanks Obama, Pelosi and Reid, great job killing our economy! I'll never be fooled again.
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