The election is over...Obama won...Get over it...

Ok, the elections are over and the backlash has begun. I can honestly say that the results brought tears to my eyes for several reasons. The most moving being that the next morning I could look in on my sleeping children and honestly tell them that they could grow up to be whatever they wanted and truly mean it. This of course was spoiled by people making comments about the results. Let me start this by saying that I believe everybody is entitled to an opinion. But in my mind an opinion is based on facts. When an opinion is based on misinformation or emotion it becomes a prejudice. So for those who are still crying that we have elected an Arab American, all that does is put your ignorance on display for the educated to laugh at. For those who were up in arms about his association with Rev. Wright before and now are claiming that he is Muslim I say the same thing.
There are already cries of racism being thrown around because he won 95% of the black vote. Where were these cries of racism when Clinton won 88% of the black vote?? Why are there no cries of racism over the overwhelming Latino and Asian vote that went to Obama? Had Obama lost, yes there may have been outrage and race may have been blamed but more important than that AMERICA and the world would have been outraged that we elected someone who would have, not only continued in the same direction we are headed now, but came across most often as a petulant child or a grumpy old man. And it seems that we also forget that McCain won the majority of white voters in certain demographics. Have we become so petty that we have to search for a reason to cry injustice now? Yes, some black people did vote for him just because he was black…just as some whites did. It was staggering the number of young white men felt the need to "instruct" me to vote for Obama. It was staggering the number of white people who would tell me that I was an idiot and a traitor if I DID NOT vote for Obama. Some white people also voted for Obama just because he was black. There was the "novelty" vote and the "I can't be racist because I voted for Obama" vote. The same can be said for McCain supporters that became his supporters simply because they didn't want Obama to win. They didn't care about his policies of his voting record. They just didn't want the other guy to win.
Blind intolerance and fear mongering is what comes to mind when I think about the McCain campaign. And unfortunately this is how a lot of his supporters are coming across in the face of his defeat. At Senator McCain's concession speech every time President Obama's name was mentioned there was a chorus of boo's and shouting. But at President Obama's speech whenever Senator McCain's name was mentioned there were cheers and applause. Tears of respect were shed for Senator McCain and the effort that he put forth. There was nothing but respect and admiration in the audience. I might not agree with Senator McCain on all of his policies but he did make valid points and he earned my respect. But his supporters, it seems, were/are so focused on certain things of President Obama (his age, his experience, his race, his religion…) but no one actually listens to the words of his speech. He is not just a man that speaks well, as are most politicians; he is one that believes that he can make a difference. He has not been jaded by Washington politics. Do I think he will be the best president this country has ever seen? I don't know. Do I think that he will make changes as he promised? I think that he will try with all of his heart. But the president does not have as much power as Americans want to believe. He can only do as much as the senate, the house, and the people will allow him to. Not to mention that the presidency has been severely weakened during President Bush's reign.
One of the big questions is if Obama being elected will bring about racial unity. Here is a pearl of wisdom: If you want to end racism then stop making people classify themselves by race. If you want to stop affirmative action then stop putting a spot for filling in your race on the application. America is the ONLY country that is obsessed with putting people into categories. We talk about having unity but we find new and creative ways of keeping us separate and giving ways for people to compete over what is better: young or old, black or white, Latino(because Hispanic is not a race it was a category that was created by America to classify people) or Asians, rich or poor. If this was a truly loving and caring nation then we would not have poor. We would all try and help to pull these people up. Will black people take over now that there is a black man in the white house? No. The only thing his win should mean for black people is that we have no more excuses. That's it. He will not be signing in reparation orders or making us all convert to anything. His message was about unity and change so why would all that change the minute he got in office?
"He doesn't have the experience." Neither did Washington but he was our first president. No one has experience until they actually get the job. Have any first term president had any experience at being the President?? No. And as we see it is not always the best thing to elect someone just because they have been there once before. Re-electing Bush to office was like taking back someone you have dated who abused you.
"We are more open to attack with him in the office." More open then we were when we had the worst attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor ? More open to weak leadership then we were shown when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita devastated whole areas of our country? More open to biological attacks then we have been with Bird Flu, Mad cow disease, contaminated fruits and vegetables, and the AIDS epidemic reaching record numbers?
"We should have supported the troops." By electing a man who said in several interviews that he was not opposed to staying there for 100 years, while in the 7 years we have been in Iraq we have LOST more troops then in almost any other war? A war, might I add that we were led into under false pretenses.
"I guess things have to get worse before they get better but this is going to be a long 4 years" And I suppose these last 4 years have been Utopia? Things did get worse before they got better…we re-elected Bush.
If this country is supposed to represent a melting pot where we all care for and help each other, why is it that when we elect a president, who has said, time and again that he will need our help do we spend so much time listening to hateful and pessimistic comments? The election is over, it was a landslide. Move on, stop complaining and do something about helping this man rebuild the country. We used to be a country of, not only action, but thinkers and strategists. But now it appears we are a country of complainers and bloggers. If you want to make a change do what you need to, to get your voice heard. Stop trying to tear down what one person did because you don't agree with it. If you don't agree with it, then do what you need to do so that you are in a position to make the changes you feel we need. Stop sniveling about what didn't happen and look toward what will happen.