Change was already on the way

I am still so thrilled about Obama's win last night. Not because he's black, although I think this is absolutely great. Not because he's charismatic, even though I know that helped inspire others to vote. I voted for him because he's good and he's a Democrat. That's it.

It helped that his running mate was also my original pick for President, Joe Biden. I remember thinking Biden should run way back when I saw him on television supporting John Kerry in 2004. I was sad that he and Chris Dodd didn't make it far in the primaries. When the TX primaries came around, I voted for Hillary Clinton. That was a tough choice, as I definitely liked Obama too. Part of my reasoning was because I thought too many Americans were racist and wouldn't vote for a black man in the general election. Even though he's a first generation African American and not the same kind of African American that they are so racist against; those descended from slaves in the US. I still thought he would be seen the same way and that they wouldn't vote for him. I am so proud that Americans did vote for him and last night was one of the happiest nights in a long time for me. I finally felt like my beliefs were in line with the rest of the country.

Just for laughs, I listened back and forth to 3 national conservative radio talk shows on the way to my son's doctor appt this morning (at 8:15!!). Wow. Most were offering congratulations, but with a smug attitude that Obama had better be careful how much of a liberal agenda he puts forth, because these guys still really believe that America is right of center and that it's still Reagan's Republicans by majority.

Seriously!?! I just can't believe it. Not right at this moment anyway. That's just the "America" that had been actually voting in recent elections until now.

The only reason I wasn't a voting "liberal" in the nineties when I turned 18 was because I didn't know or care about anything that had to do with government or the world. I always "thought" I believed in Republican values though, because well, I lived in Oklahoma and I didn't pay attention at school and I didn't go to college (then). My parents didn't express any political leaning, but my grandparents were card carrying Republicans. All my friends were so-called Republicans and those few who actually knew a little about politics, didn't say much about it. But when they did, I just took their word for it, because I sure as hell didn't have any contrary evidence as I never watched the news or read the paper. I don't think my story is an exception. I know most young people don't care, but in 2004 some more did, and in 2008, even more did.

Though amazingly, still not as many voted as should have voted. Republicans know this is how it goes, they don't want young people to vote. They win elections when there is low turnout!! Obama's campaign inspired enough people to care and vote and hopefully, also have a good grasp of Democratic principles.

I never voted at all until I voted for Kerry in 2004. So happily, I can say I never voted Republican. And even though it doesn't matter in Texas because it's so red here anyway, I am glad I didn't vote (back then, would have likely voted for Bush) in 2000. Although I was already 25 years old and old enough that I should know about my world, I knew nothing. Except everybody I knew disliked Bill and Hillary Clinton and I certainly agreed was unpresidential for a president to cheat on his wife, in the oval office, with a staffer, and lie about it.

Clinton's term came to it's 2 term end in 2000. Al Gore was a boring candidate to me, a sorta-Republican who wasn't watching debates anyway. George Bush seemed relatable all the time and he was TX's beloved governor. But relatable relative to what? The locals? I can't say. I obviously didn't care about either candidate enough to vote anyway. Later on, when the infamous Florida election recount was going on, several acquaintances sent silly right-wing emails that contained hateful language about Gore. I never heard anything bad about Bush. And of course I didn't watch an news or look up any facts. So I went along with whatever belief system was tossed my way. I only caught wind of sensationalized news, otherwise it wasn't on my radar. That's it. That's literally all I could say I knew about Clinton's presidential end.

I started listening to Howard Stern on the radio after Sept 11. Partly because he was right there in NYC, partly because I had just discovered that a local radio station had recently put him back on the air in Dallas after another had shut him off a few years before. Bill O'Reilly had a phone interview on Stern in the same week I began listening to Stern, promoting his book. He sounded like a bulldog that knew his stuff and was looking out for regular people. That's why I began watching him on Fox News. I was hungry for information about "WTF" had just happened to America and why, plus I felt like Fox News really put the information in a forthright way that caught my attention. If later in 2002, I heard a pundit claim Clinton was responsible for XYZ foreign relations problems, he was to blame somehow for 9/11 because it was he who had "missed" the opportunity to kill Saddam Hussein...remember this shit Fox News used to say before we invaded in 2003? I would just believe it because well, a person so passionate, articulate and intelligent couldn't be exaggerating, right?

WHO in Texas would have bothered to change my mind? Nobody. Most people, and I am sure it's not only Texas, just cared about The Cowboys, The Dallas Stars, college football, American Idol, Paris Hilton, Survivor... I mean seriously. When post-Sept-11 was discussed, it was like, "fuck the arabs!" "you can't trust Muslims, there are cells everywhere" that's about as substantial as it got.

Nobody I knew, knew jack about Middle Eastern culture, understood our history with the Middle East or could articulate why they hated us. I know my mom knew some things, but she didn't feel passionately about anything, so I didn't hear it from her. I will say, on Sept 11, 2001, when I called my mom to tell her to turn on the tv...right around when the 2nd plane hit...she immediately said "it must have been Osama Bin Laden!" (Side note, when McVeigh bombed the OKC federal bldg, mom initially thought it was Osama too...so ya know...she had long been expecting the 2nd attack by this "well known" terrorist). The whole first attack on the WTC had basically missed my radar completely. Later in the day, I felt stunned that she knew that, because obviously, the entire event was a complete history lesson for me.

So although Bahai's in Iran had been persecuted mercilessly by Muslims, it just wasn't really spoken about when I was a kid and was around some of these families. But the adults knew what was going on in the Middle East. And although I didn't know of Middle Eastern history and politics, I knew Middle Eastern families and I developed a love for their food and their regular everyday warm and welcoming culture. I also loved their accents! So when people around here began hating on Middle Easterners in general, Muslim or not, after Sept 11, I felt a little at odds, obviously! From somewhere deep inside, I knew better than to fall for that fear-mongering rhetoric.

So since nobody tossed me any opinion other than a neo-con email here and there, I decided I would figure my political beliefs out for myself. It happened gradually, after I started college again in 2002. There were a couple of great history professors who stressed tempered judgment when dealing with atrocities the US has sometimes been part of. A government professor who explained what Democrats and Republicans stood for (the text book did this too) and who mildly encouraged the class to listen to opposing viewpoints and write argumentative papers about them. Then there was the philosophy course that got me interested in a human's ability to reason over simply needing others dictate right or wrong. Then there was my short-lived interest in Catholicism, fundamentally so very different from Protestants, though the majority of my peers come from Protestant backgrounds. I would regularly read the front page of the Wall Street Journal, as it was subscribed to by my employer and it landed on my desk each morning. Then I started listening to so-called radical news sources, like the NYT and NPR. I listened to the 9/11 hearings live. I listened up when so-called radicals like Ted Kennedy and Tom Daschle were interviewed. AND GUESS WHAT? I finally figured out that I am not a Republican in most views, that I am a Democrat, and not an independant, unless Democrats really mess up their core beliefs.

My metamorphosis is just one little story. But I have a feeling that it might mirror a few others stories. Sure, the first time I voted was in 2004, for all of the aforementioned reasons. But how many voted for the first time on November 4, 2008? Was it all because of George Bush? I say no, he just helped by being a terrible president and getting a lot of attention for it. Change was on the way, it was already well on it's way when Gore's election was practically stolen from him in 2000. It was already on the way before Bill Clinton screwed around with Monica Lewinsky. I consider that a setback, similar to the now-ended bubble that the neo-cons have been riding since 2000. I caught wind of change about midway through when I finally recognized my values in 2003, and now it's manifested itself into the general election results. It seems like such a long time, but it's all relative. I just hope there aren't any setbacks for a while.

No pressure, Obama. God bless you for coming along and being a major catalyst. You've done so much already just in spirit. I have so much hope, not just in my new president elect, but in my fellow countrymen.

Yes we can!

Again and again and again, even if Obama hits a bump in the road somewhere.