I Voted!
Well, I’ve been working hard to keep my political preferences hidden in most of my public life (except maybe on Facebook, and even then I didn’t go all out or anything). Honestly, I’ve come to view elections a lot like I view football – I have that nervous, queasy feeling in my stomach today, waiting to see who will “win.” I’ll be watching this evening to see the results. And like most of you, I’ll be VERY GLAD when it’s all over.
For reasons I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve been careful not to be open in declaring my position about this election, even though I’ve got pretty strong feelings about it. I made a contribution, however small, to the campaign of my choice because I believed in it – and still do. But no one knew about that donation except me and my Visa card. I didn’t put up yard signs, didn’t make phone calls. I recognize the power I have as a spiritual leader, and I know that by advocating a particular candidate, I might have undue sway on someone in the community (either for OR against, depending on how they feel about me!). I’d rather use that influence for things that will make a difference.
And no matter who wins, I will support them in whatever ways I can. I don’t subscribe to the whole, “don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him” mentality. It’s a cop-out. It’s as if we could say, “Since I didn’t vote for whoever is in government, I don’t have to abide by the rules of law, and I have no responsibility for what our nation does.” If you didn’t vote for Bush, and if you blamed him for the current economic crisis, does that mean your retirement account is immune from the stock market fallout? Of course not. We’re all in this together, no matter who we voted for.
Now I’ve cast my vote, and so have most of you. So at last, I feel like I can “vent.”
I voted for Obama, and I’m going to tell you some of the reasons why. I am NOT going to slam John McCain – in fact, I have a lot of respect for him. He has an amazing story as a soldier and as a US Senator…
[Edit: I've decided not to post my reasons here. If you really want to know, email me and I'll share them. But I think the above says enough. This blog is primarily an outlet for my writings and musings about faith. And while I viewed this election very much as a matter of faith, I also see that it was polarizing for people of faith. I don't want this to be a place for that.]
