Our New President 2008
Who would have thought on November 4th in 1958 that 50 years later America would elect our first African American president?
No one that's who!
And I'm the lucky girl who celebrated her 50th birthday on that momentous occasion.
Never in my life have I been so involved, and that's not saying much, in a presidential election. This time I listened to every debate on TV. As I did, I listened not so much to what they were saying as to how they were saying it. I filtered through the words the candidates were saying, because much of it I either did not comprehend the complexity of, or decided it was campaign babble.
Our new president presented himself professionally, seemingly knowledgeable, and poised at all times. He seemed to me to be a thoughtful man.
The other candidates seemed frayed around the edges, subjective to what their advisors were telling them perhaps and thus not speaking from their own convictions as much as I perceived Barack Obama to be doing.
Up until the moment I left for the voting booth, I was on the computer, checking facts, reading issue positions and truly unsure for whom I would cast my vote.
Ultimately, I looked at the situation pragmatically.
Both candidates were fine men. Good men. Strong leaders with noble convictions, whether I agreed with those convictions or not. So on that basis I was torn.
I was additionally torn on some of their issues. I've lived long enough to hear a few presidential campaign promises that were sincere when made but once the man took office all the good intentions in the world were no match for the mangling they went through in the Congress and the Senate.
So, regardless of what ideologies the candidates spouted, I had to take the implementation of them with a grain of salt.
Next on my list of considerations was their running mates for Vice-President.
While I believe Sarah Palin is an intelligent woman, I was not convinced she could lead our country effectively should we faced an untimely death of John McCain...and considering his age and health, one might argue the use of the word "untimely".
There were a couple of reasons I was concerned about Sarah Palin's abilities. First and foremost, she's a mother of young children, and a very lovely, though needful child with developmental disabilities. As a mother, I know what a distraction children can be to one's ability to concentrate, especially when a child is ill. That may seem a trivial issue to some, but I had to consider how focused could she be on our nation's issues, especially now during these troubled times, if one of her children were to become ill.
How could she tear herself away from their needs to attend to ours?
Would I want her to? No.
Would I expect it? Yes.
Secondly, Gov. Palin's cutesy use of colloquialisms, winking, defiant behavior, and appearances on Saturday Night Live may have appealed to "the Main Street Crowd" but to me it was unbecoming behavior for an applicant for the professional office for which she was asking me to hire her.
I don't want my Vice-President, let alone my President, showing up in Jordan with her tight skirts, winking and "you betcha-ing" King Abdullah in his palace. There's no place for that casual behavior in the diplomatic arena.
The fact that Obama is African American gives me hope that the rest of the world, especially those nations with leaders of color, will look favorably on the civil progress this election tells the world our nation has made.
As I considered the possibility of McCain's possible death while in office, I most certainly had to consider Barack Obama's; even more so.
What I observed, read and intuited about Joe Biden was that he was stable, also thoughtful, and a potential good leader...maybe not great, but good. I liked that he'd lived in the same place for almost 30 years to provide stability for his family, as well as keep his seat in the Senate. He talked of his losses with sincere emotion, so that told me he was a sensitive, but reserved, man. T
he fact that he had to suffer such losses exhibited his humanity as much as Sarah Palin's decision to continue her pregnancy knowing what lay ahead.
In the end, I weighed the realities against the possibilities and put my confidence in the change he promises to bring. I hope he doesn't screw it up.
Obama is young, inventive, and apparently determined to make a difference. Plus, as he demonstrated with Barbara Walters tonight, he can stand his ground with grace.
Will he make a profound difference? Probably. Will he make a positive difference? I hope so.
At this point in our nation's status, the fact that we can hope, is a good thing.
No one that's who!
And I'm the lucky girl who celebrated her 50th birthday on that momentous occasion.
Never in my life have I been so involved, and that's not saying much, in a presidential election. This time I listened to every debate on TV. As I did, I listened not so much to what they were saying as to how they were saying it. I filtered through the words the candidates were saying, because much of it I either did not comprehend the complexity of, or decided it was campaign babble.
Our new president presented himself professionally, seemingly knowledgeable, and poised at all times. He seemed to me to be a thoughtful man.
The other candidates seemed frayed around the edges, subjective to what their advisors were telling them perhaps and thus not speaking from their own convictions as much as I perceived Barack Obama to be doing.
Up until the moment I left for the voting booth, I was on the computer, checking facts, reading issue positions and truly unsure for whom I would cast my vote.
Ultimately, I looked at the situation pragmatically.
Both candidates were fine men. Good men. Strong leaders with noble convictions, whether I agreed with those convictions or not. So on that basis I was torn.
I was additionally torn on some of their issues. I've lived long enough to hear a few presidential campaign promises that were sincere when made but once the man took office all the good intentions in the world were no match for the mangling they went through in the Congress and the Senate.
So, regardless of what ideologies the candidates spouted, I had to take the implementation of them with a grain of salt.
Next on my list of considerations was their running mates for Vice-President.
While I believe Sarah Palin is an intelligent woman, I was not convinced she could lead our country effectively should we faced an untimely death of John McCain...and considering his age and health, one might argue the use of the word "untimely".
There were a couple of reasons I was concerned about Sarah Palin's abilities. First and foremost, she's a mother of young children, and a very lovely, though needful child with developmental disabilities. As a mother, I know what a distraction children can be to one's ability to concentrate, especially when a child is ill. That may seem a trivial issue to some, but I had to consider how focused could she be on our nation's issues, especially now during these troubled times, if one of her children were to become ill.
How could she tear herself away from their needs to attend to ours?
Would I want her to? No.
Would I expect it? Yes.
Secondly, Gov. Palin's cutesy use of colloquialisms, winking, defiant behavior, and appearances on Saturday Night Live may have appealed to "the Main Street Crowd" but to me it was unbecoming behavior for an applicant for the professional office for which she was asking me to hire her.
I don't want my Vice-President, let alone my President, showing up in Jordan with her tight skirts, winking and "you betcha-ing" King Abdullah in his palace. There's no place for that casual behavior in the diplomatic arena.
The fact that Obama is African American gives me hope that the rest of the world, especially those nations with leaders of color, will look favorably on the civil progress this election tells the world our nation has made.
As I considered the possibility of McCain's possible death while in office, I most certainly had to consider Barack Obama's; even more so.
What I observed, read and intuited about Joe Biden was that he was stable, also thoughtful, and a potential good leader...maybe not great, but good. I liked that he'd lived in the same place for almost 30 years to provide stability for his family, as well as keep his seat in the Senate. He talked of his losses with sincere emotion, so that told me he was a sensitive, but reserved, man. T
he fact that he had to suffer such losses exhibited his humanity as much as Sarah Palin's decision to continue her pregnancy knowing what lay ahead.
In the end, I weighed the realities against the possibilities and put my confidence in the change he promises to bring. I hope he doesn't screw it up.
Obama is young, inventive, and apparently determined to make a difference. Plus, as he demonstrated with Barbara Walters tonight, he can stand his ground with grace.
Will he make a profound difference? Probably. Will he make a positive difference? I hope so.
At this point in our nation's status, the fact that we can hope, is a good thing.
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