Lucky Number 44
Where were you? I was sitting in a hotel in Canmore listening to a presentation on macro-economics and pulling the stats off the net and onto my Blackberry. I pried myself from the room a few minutes before 9 o’clock, quick enough to flip on the television and see that the results had been declared. I was lured to a small gathering where too many somber faces did not reflect my opinion of the results. I hunkered back to my small room to share my glee on this little blog. That’s where I was.
Where were you? Discuss.
Congrats USA.
[...] Where were you? I was arriving home from my writing class to find my husband at the kitchen table, watching McCain’s concession speech on MSNBC Live. I was shocked that the results were declared so early. I interrupted a writing session to watch Obama’s first speech as president-elect. Because it will be history. Except I can’t help thinking that they’ve called it with too few votes actually counted. So tonight I will let out this breath I’ve been holding for months, and tomorrow I will breathe normally. [...]
[...] Where were you? I was arriving home from my writing class to find my husband at the kitchen table, watching McCain’s concession speech on MSNBC Live. I was shocked that the results were declared so early. I interrupted a writing session to watch Obama’s first speech as president-elect. Because it will be history. Except I can’t help thinking that they’ve called it with too few votes actually counted. So tonight I will let out this breath I’ve been holding for months, and tomorrow I will breathe normally. [...]
You must have taken picture of Obama off the TV in your hotel room. I can see the lamp.
The proof will be in the pudding. He will somehow have to deliver on his promises. Two wars, a recession looming, and lack of experieice will keep him awake many nights. Wonder how long before he is totally grey. Would be interesting to pull a picture out in 2 years and see what the toll is. I supsect people will be more gracious and give him more time to deliver than normal but remember in 2 years he will be back in re-election mode for 2012. Still interesting that the majoity on white electorate still did not vote for Obama. Also the total vote count was less than the last election. Again media hypes the stories and we all get sucked in
TV? No, I was in Grant Park via a hologram.
Yes, there is media hype. Yes, there is reason to be skeptical that the inherited problems are far too big to be handled in the time allotted by one guy. Simple math will tell you that the debt of the USA can only be undone in a time span measured in decades — and this fact will impact all of us for a good part of my life and probably for the rest of yours. But WHOEVER got elected inherited these problems and would have been given the opportunity to compound them or to fix them. Yes, time will tell. And you couldn’t pay me enough to take that job. BUT, BUT BUT the question is not who has the most experience to handle those problems — because problems of this nature rarely exist and NO ONE has experience to handle them — but who is best equipped to create an atmosphere conducive to engaging the ENTIRE WORLD to tighten their belts for a long, hard road of cleaning up the mess made by the current so-called leaders.
I listened to both candidates speak extensively. I downloaded more videos from Youtube than I care to recall. I watched so many newscasts, listened to so many podcasts, and read countless editorials on their ideas. And yes, both are human and flawed. And no, I didn’t even get a vote. So why?
So many people made this out to be an election of white v. black, young v. old, man v. woman, but it wasn’t. This, for me at least, was an election of intellectualism versus fear. On the one side, the McCain side, there was a build up in the culture of fear. On the other is a man who talks about inclusiveness and hope. Dad, I know you don’t read much fiction, but you need to read books like “1984″ or “Brave New World” by men who predicted leaders like Bush and McCain years before their time — leaders who invoked the “unseen fear” and never ending wars and control of the population through these ideas. And when you see that talk for what it really is, and you stand up and look through it, and you can honestly say to yourself I would rather give up my life than be the one hiding in the sand, there is NO OTHER choice than to put your hope in the guy who tried his best NOT to use that tool in his campaign. Yes, there are examples of Obama inciting fear of McCain — but what I saw was this:
McCain: Be afraid of terrorists. Be afraid of change. Be afraid of that black guy running for president — and be afraid that he’s hiding something or linked to something else we think you should be afraid of. The sky is falling.
Obama: Be afraid of the guy who tells you to be afraid.
Fear is a drug more powerful and destructive than any chemical we have ever discovered or created — and it is impossible to quit.
So am I happy Obama won? Of course. Do I think he’s perfect? No. Is he going to do a good job? Better than McCain would have. Is he going to fix everything. Not a hope in hell. As a Canadian does sit even matter? As much as I’m a patriot, we’re the 51st State in everything but practice. Did I get “sucked in” as you say? I got sucked in on September 12, 2001 when I followed the rabbit down the hole of trading freedom for an illusion of safety — and it’s taken me a long time to crawl back up to the top of that hole and understand why I jumped down in the first place.
2 + 2 = 5
I stayed up into the early hours with some friends to watch the results as they came in (UK here), and then exchanged drunken, gleeful (relieved) text messages with friends.
It’s significant that this election has drawn interest from all over the world, with the same passion and fervour as those who can actually vote in it.