The first presidential election I was eligible to vote
in was the notorious 2000 election.
After plenty of research (and some college-inspired soul-searching), I
proudly cast my first ballot for Al Gore.
I have voted dutifully in every election since (presidential, primary or
otherwise), albeit with an ever-increasing sense of hopelessness. Seeing as how my political awareness
coincides directly with the years George W. Bush has been President, can you
blame me?
I simply never paid attention to any of our country’s
leaders before Bush. I never had a
reason to; my teenage years felt as far removed from politics as possible. I was much more focused on education and religion – areas of my life that demanded daily attention. So it wasn’t until I was able to vote that I took
the time to care. And caring these last
eight years has been anything but easy.
I could go on and on about the reasons why I think
Bush and his cronies have royally screwed America over. But if I had to choose one over all the
others, it would be this: I hate how they have made sport over dividing the country.
Sure, we were divided before, but Bush’s brand of Republican seemingly celebrates our most contentious issues –
abortion, gun control, gay marriage – and makes us feel like two nations instead of
one. You know: the Red America and the
Blue America, the conservatives and the liberals, the beer-drinkers and the
latte-sippers.
Enter Obama. Here (finally) is a politician who chooses to
emphasize the similarities over the
differences. The theme running
throughout his speeches, throughout his whole campaign is one of unity.
And really, isn’t that the first step on the road to true progress? (And perhaps the real reason Republicans want to keep us so angry at each other?)
From his recent
DNC speech (emphasis mine):
“We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on
reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality
of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those
plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the
Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I
know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that
our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love
in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on
immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated
from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal
workers. This too is part of America's
promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace
to bridge divides and unite in common effort.”
Let me tell you: for someone as young as me who has
never in her political life heard a presidential candidate earnestly speak about
the importance of people COMING TOGETHER to solve common issues, this feels exciting and ground-breaking and new. Obama is not only looking
to change how the government works, but to change how we view ourselves - to help us see America again as ONE people and ONE nation.
This is what restores my hope.
Another excerpt,
this time from Sarah Vowell’s The Partly Cloudy Patriot:
“The protagonist in a recent movie called The Contender, about the confirmation
hearing of a vice presidential replacement, admits that she’s an atheist but
says that she has a religion. Her faith
is the idea of American democracy itself. It’s what she believes, believes in.
I was struck by that, because that’s how I feel too...
...Look up the word suffrage in the dictionary. In mine, after noting the main meanings – the
privilege of voting, the ‘exercise of such a right,’ the third interpretation
is this: ‘A short intercessory prayer.’
Isn’t that beautiful? And
true? For what is voting if not a kind
of prayer, and what are prayers if not declarations of hope and desire?”
Voting for me, too, is a kind of prayer – a small gesture undertaken in the hope of
creating something larger and better. So when I go
to the polls this November (or rather, fill in my ballot at my kitchen table abroad),
I will be voting for Obama. I will be hoping to further the Democratic agenda. But I will also be casting my ballot for unity,
in the hope that America can someday be a place where what unites us is
stronger than what divides us, where we overcome our biggest problems by finding
common (and higher) ground, where we can ALL be proud to call ourselves
Americans. That is the country I choose to believe in.