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fencer_xI just got through talking on the phone with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
daiki_dansu about this, and figured Election Day was probably my last chance to say it before it was a moot point.
I'm a "Republican". This means I'm pretty conservative (yes, I am a practicing Christian, but no two Christians believe the same thing, really, when it gets down to brass tacks), pretty "old fashioned" (you can have descriptive grammars when you pry my proscriptive grammar from my cold, dead fingers--okay, perhaps that has little bearing on politics), come from a typically Red state and a typically Red family who, as far as I know, probably voted Red this year as well.
The other day on Digg, I came across this article, which describes one blogger's explanation of why he, a conservative Christian Republican, was supporting Barack Obama for President of the United States, and it really just...felt like this explained exactly how I'd been feeling this election. Why was I considering voting for a candidate that was from my "rival party"? Why did I feel drawn so much more to a candidate who represented a party that went against some of my basic ideals (this blogger cited completely different views on gay marriage and abortion, though I have no qualms about gay marriage whatsoever, but that's a whoooooole 'nother entry)? I mean, Sarah Palin certainly wasn't turning me on to McCain at all, but she could've been anyone really, even someone level-headed and, yanno, normal, and I don't think I'd have supported McCain any more than I did.
The blogger writes: "My immediate thought was: Why should I vote two of my values to the exclusion of all others?" which is a damn good question and one that many Christian conservatives voting this election should ask them.
Are abortion rights important to me? Of course. Are GLBT rights important to me as well? Of course (though, against the ideals of most conservatives, I imagine). But does that mean I should blind myself to more important matters? Absolutely not.
I read this story on CSM the other day, about a man much like myself: undecided, a swing voter. These words spoke to me as well: "I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things." It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected. It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore [...] I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama."
30, 40 years ago African Americans still were objects of ridicule with little in the way of respect from white people, and here we are 24 hours away from possibly electing one President of the United States. Less than ten years ago Islamic terrorists suicide bombed New York City, and here we are 24 hours away from possibly electing a man named "Barack Obama" President. Rednecks for Obama, you have no idea how much it made me smile to see that--people embracing that derogatory term and saying, "We're hicks 'cause of where we were born, not how we think."
Possibly one of the factors that I feel really influenced me, particularly, in this election is the fact that I'm not living in America right now. This would really not matter to a stay-at-home-mom in Missouri or a soccer dad in California or a computer programmer in Florida, but me? I give a shit about what the rest of the world thinks of my country.
I have never been nor do I ever expect to be ashamed to say I'm from America. I like Japan, but I would rather die than give up my citizenship, would never give up the chance to return home to my friends, my family, and my country which I love. America is to me like your stupid best friend who gets a little too tipsy at a party. Sometimes I just wanna smack it and tell it to get its act together, you're embarrassing me in front of my COOL FRIENDS (aka REST OF THE WORLD). But it's still my best friend and I still want to hang out with it.
That being said, Obama is insanely popular, over here in Japan particularly (well, we do kinda have a CITY with the same name, yeah he's more popular here :P). But he's just got such notoriety, everyone's excited and eager to see him take the stage and recast America in the public eye, and I'm excited to have that opportunity. If Obama wins, people overseas will think, "Wow, this guy is a fresh face, he's something new and different, what will he bring out of this country?" whereas many will only think, "Well, 4 more years of That Guy Who Is In The Same Party As Bush" should McCain win, instead.
I am excited about what will happen with Obama. McCain may be safer, I'm not entirely sure because my knowledge of politics comes mostly from The West Wing. (Speaking of which, WW fans, please tell me everyone has noticed that "CUTE, YOUNG, FRESH-FACED ETHNIC DEMOCRAT vs. OLD, WHITE, EXPERIENCED LION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY" is eerily present in both the fictional and this non-fictional campaigns~ :DDDDDD I won't spoil who won though :x) I feel like we'll get a rebirth with Obama, that my generation will finally feel like they have a president they can relate to, can have a repartee with. Whether or not that's true, I'm just...not excited for McCain, like, at all. Unless it means we get four more years of Tina Fey on SNL (that'd be the only thing keeping me from weeping, I think).
And finally: all the cool kids are doing it.
Yes, it sounds stupid, but it's true. I'm sure it's been said somewhere that the Internet is VASTLY liberal, leaning more towards Democratic ideals probably than Republican, if we were to classify everyone (now, we must ask ourselves, how would Goatse vote? <--PLEASE DON'T GOOGLE THAT.) but so many of the people whose opinions and ideas I respect have cited their own personal reasons for voting one way or another, and all around I see nothing but hope for this election riding on the coattails of Barack Obama.
I don't support him for his economic policies. I don't support him for any tax breaks he may or may not issue (I live in Japan--what's that mean to me, psh). I don't support him for any of the reasons one should support him, really. But I do, and that's how I feel about it.
Good luck to all involved, and see you on the other side of Election Night :)
[/long, late late late post]
Sano/Moriyama 2012! A ban on balloons and a drinking/gambling age of 12!
daiki_dansu about this, and figured Election Day was probably my last chance to say it before it was a moot point. I'm a "Republican". This means I'm pretty conservative (yes, I am a practicing Christian, but no two Christians believe the same thing, really, when it gets down to brass tacks), pretty "old fashioned" (you can have descriptive grammars when you pry my proscriptive grammar from my cold, dead fingers--okay, perhaps that has little bearing on politics), come from a typically Red state and a typically Red family who, as far as I know, probably voted Red this year as well.
The other day on Digg, I came across this article, which describes one blogger's explanation of why he, a conservative Christian Republican, was supporting Barack Obama for President of the United States, and it really just...felt like this explained exactly how I'd been feeling this election. Why was I considering voting for a candidate that was from my "rival party"? Why did I feel drawn so much more to a candidate who represented a party that went against some of my basic ideals (this blogger cited completely different views on gay marriage and abortion, though I have no qualms about gay marriage whatsoever, but that's a whoooooole 'nother entry)? I mean, Sarah Palin certainly wasn't turning me on to McCain at all, but she could've been anyone really, even someone level-headed and, yanno, normal, and I don't think I'd have supported McCain any more than I did.
The blogger writes: "My immediate thought was: Why should I vote two of my values to the exclusion of all others?" which is a damn good question and one that many Christian conservatives voting this election should ask them.
Are abortion rights important to me? Of course. Are GLBT rights important to me as well? Of course (though, against the ideals of most conservatives, I imagine). But does that mean I should blind myself to more important matters? Absolutely not.
I read this story on CSM the other day, about a man much like myself: undecided, a swing voter. These words spoke to me as well: "I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things." It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected. It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore [...] I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama."
30, 40 years ago African Americans still were objects of ridicule with little in the way of respect from white people, and here we are 24 hours away from possibly electing one President of the United States. Less than ten years ago Islamic terrorists suicide bombed New York City, and here we are 24 hours away from possibly electing a man named "Barack Obama" President. Rednecks for Obama, you have no idea how much it made me smile to see that--people embracing that derogatory term and saying, "We're hicks 'cause of where we were born, not how we think."
Possibly one of the factors that I feel really influenced me, particularly, in this election is the fact that I'm not living in America right now. This would really not matter to a stay-at-home-mom in Missouri or a soccer dad in California or a computer programmer in Florida, but me? I give a shit about what the rest of the world thinks of my country.
I have never been nor do I ever expect to be ashamed to say I'm from America. I like Japan, but I would rather die than give up my citizenship, would never give up the chance to return home to my friends, my family, and my country which I love. America is to me like your stupid best friend who gets a little too tipsy at a party. Sometimes I just wanna smack it and tell it to get its act together, you're embarrassing me in front of my COOL FRIENDS (aka REST OF THE WORLD). But it's still my best friend and I still want to hang out with it.
That being said, Obama is insanely popular, over here in Japan particularly (well, we do kinda have a CITY with the same name, yeah he's more popular here :P). But he's just got such notoriety, everyone's excited and eager to see him take the stage and recast America in the public eye, and I'm excited to have that opportunity. If Obama wins, people overseas will think, "Wow, this guy is a fresh face, he's something new and different, what will he bring out of this country?" whereas many will only think, "Well, 4 more years of That Guy Who Is In The Same Party As Bush" should McCain win, instead.
I am excited about what will happen with Obama. McCain may be safer, I'm not entirely sure because my knowledge of politics comes mostly from The West Wing. (Speaking of which, WW fans, please tell me everyone has noticed that "CUTE, YOUNG, FRESH-FACED ETHNIC DEMOCRAT vs. OLD, WHITE, EXPERIENCED LION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY" is eerily present in both the fictional and this non-fictional campaigns~ :DDDDDD I won't spoil who won though :x) I feel like we'll get a rebirth with Obama, that my generation will finally feel like they have a president they can relate to, can have a repartee with. Whether or not that's true, I'm just...not excited for McCain, like, at all. Unless it means we get four more years of Tina Fey on SNL (that'd be the only thing keeping me from weeping, I think).
And finally: all the cool kids are doing it.
Yes, it sounds stupid, but it's true. I'm sure it's been said somewhere that the Internet is VASTLY liberal, leaning more towards Democratic ideals probably than Republican, if we were to classify everyone (now, we must ask ourselves, how would Goatse vote? <--PLEASE DON'T GOOGLE THAT.) but so many of the people whose opinions and ideas I respect have cited their own personal reasons for voting one way or another, and all around I see nothing but hope for this election riding on the coattails of Barack Obama.
I don't support him for his economic policies. I don't support him for any tax breaks he may or may not issue (I live in Japan--what's that mean to me, psh). I don't support him for any of the reasons one should support him, really. But I do, and that's how I feel about it.
Good luck to all involved, and see you on the other side of Election Night :)
[/long, late late late post]
Sano/Moriyama 2012! A ban on balloons and a drinking/gambling age of 12!
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 12:04 pm (UTC)You know, I've never heard a politician speak the way Obama speaks. I watched his speech to the democratic party, after Michelle Obama introduced him with an eloquent, beautiful speech of her own, and I was really taken aback. In Australia, it's default to believe that all politicians are scumbags- we even had a party with the official tagline to 'keep the bastards honest'. But something made me let go of that cynicism for a moment and I felt really inspired by all the things he was saying, about the environment and women and families and peace.
My god I wish we had a man like that over here. :) I'm so nervous for tomorrow, and dang what a shame you couldn't cash in on all those free coffees and chocolates and vibrators (http://www.babeland.com/about/presskit/pressreleases/maverick-promotion)just for voting. ;3
no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 02:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 01:10 pm (UTC)windair in contrast. ^_^ He reminds me of Bobby Jindal in some ways, actually.Regardless, I might have voted for Obama anyway just as a strike against the Republicans.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 02:02 pm (UTC)But back on topic. I really don't care one way or the other about gay marriage, as it's never been something to affect me. If you wanna do it, then do it. 'Course, down where we're from, ain't a church around that'll give you a wedding, but that's what civil unions would be for. Even Obama is against gay marriage, but he's for civil unions. I always thought the difference lay in the world "marriage." Over the years, it's taken on a semi-religious meaning, even though it is still a legal action. So by calling it a "civil union," you keep the legal action without getting tangled in the religious aspects. Seemed like a good way to beat around the bush to me. Love is love, however it may appear, and only God can judge what's truly right and what's truly wrong.
And I really do agree with that blogger. When it comes down to it, Obama doesn't represent my ideas on those issues. I don't want higher taxes, or redistribution of wealth, or an ill-planned exit from Iraq. But I do want to dare to hope, to dream that we can set things right, make life better for everyone. I'm happy that he's African-American; it's been a long time since we really had a national figure to look up to. But that's not why I like him. It's because he makes me believe I can do something. That I can make a difference, and that politics is no longer something that happens behind closed doors.
Like you, I will never be ashamed to call myself American. I will never hate my country. We could elect Bush for another four years, but these feelings wouldn't change. I am American, and I have pride in that. I have pride in all the people that work and have built the country up to what it is today. America isn't about politics, it's about people, and you can't tell me to be ashamed of them. And while I really don't care what the rest of the world thinks about America, I don't wanna damper foreign relations either. I keep hearing from my Japanese coworkers about how much they hate Bush; I really don't care. But I don't want them to hate Americans. Hate our politics, not our people.
Anyway, all that to say that I agree with you. This is historic in any case, as I'm not one to vote on a dream, but this time I'll take that change. And I pray to God we get it right, because if Obama can't make it, America isn't gonna take a chance on another black president for a long time to come.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-04 06:10 pm (UTC)Most people have stated they would vote for Obama if they could
President is too busy trying to get to the G20 reunion, though, so in TV it looks as if we were having Elections Day too xDD
no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 01:21 am (UTC)That said, I am all for supporting Barack Obama. For pretty much the same reasons you said.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 08:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 08:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 08:06 am (UTC)I get out of Australian taxes too, since I'm never working there long enough to break the yearly minimum tax threshold ;D Foreign income ftw.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-05 08:07 am (UTC)