It’s probably not surprising news among my friends who I voted for this election, but regardless of my disappointment this morning, I do have a big smile on my face for Amanda Jones. Ms. Jones is the 109 year old daughter of a slave who lived long enough to see a black man elected president. You do have to love the poetry of that.
You also don’t have to know me very well to know that my political feelings this election were not based on race but on political philosophy- something that, alas, is all too uncommon in this age of telegenic, crafted candidates (oh, for a single candidate that didn’t use double-speak or opaque, namby-pamby rhetoric). I took a good hard look at the political philosophy of both the major candidates, picked the one who was closer to my own, and pulled the lever.
Here’s my point, and why I hope that the next four years is more civil than the last eight: even though my guy didn’t win, I’ll still support the new president when he’s sworn in. I will not put demeaning or misleading bumper stickers on my car, I won’t refer to him by insulting names, I won’t run around screaming that he’s a fascist unless he sends the brownshirts to my door, and I certainly won’t try to delegitimize him in the eyes of the world. That kind of short-term politics only hurts America. Like it or not, he’s my president and I do sincerely hope he governs well. Why would I hope he fails? That’d be pretty dumb.
Win some, lose some. That isn’t to say, though, that I will automatically support or endorse everything he choses to do (ha! like he needs my endorsement!). I do think it’s past time for the bitter Opposition to go back to being the Loyal Opposition. I only hope our representatives share my feelings, and that their efforts to act as such are truthfully portrayed in the media.
Here’s to the next four years.
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