Out With the Old

Over two years ago, I had a stance on the election.  I made it clear to a number of people.

The country is a huge system.  Balance is key.  Regardless of personal motivation or ideals, the country has swung a certain direction in the last eight years and it needs to swing back.  It’s imperative that it does.

And even though I had a clear history of support for the Republican party, I conceded to many at that time that it may be necessary to vote for a Democrat for the good of the country.  Not for the good of me, but the country.

I lost sight of that somewhere along the way.  Somewhere between the primaries and the election, I stopped thinking about the country and I started thinking about me.  I started worrying about my pocketbook as so many Americans did after September 15.

The fact is that I fall into a situation between those who would be financially rewarded by Barack Obama and those by John McCain.  I’m on the cusp of having to worry that I will be labeled ‘rich’ when I do not feel rich by any means.

And that made me seriously consider what the candidates would do for me and my checking account.  It was easy to get behind John McCain for me, because despite that fact that he was horribly re-branded for this election, I believe him to be a true and honorable man.

That was squelched through much of the campaign, but he had his moments.  He repeatedly refused to go after Obama for Jeremiah Wright, even when so much of the GOP brought it up incessantly.

But he proved his mettle most of all when he conceded to President-Elect Barack Obama last night.  The real John McCain came through in that speech, and he said exactly the sort of things that I’ve come to expect from John McCain.

Watching John McCain quietly chide his audience for trying to boo Barack Obama is exactly the John McCain that has gained the respect of so many Americans.

Now is not the time to reflect on who supported whom.  Now is the time to look forward and recognize the tremendous opportunity we have before us and embrace the new America that Barack Obama has promised to usher in.

The election of Barack Obama may have made a statement about race relations in America, but it is our ability as a nation to support him that will test whether we are truly ready to ignore the color of a person’s skin.

Obama ran his campaign on the premise that race is of no consequence.  I earnestly pray that we, as a nation, prove him right.

I don’t know if I will fare better financially under Barack Obama, but after being reminded by a overwhelming majority of Americans, I do know that America will fare better under Barack Obama.

The morale of this nation is on an Obama-induced high.  Let’s not let that fade away.  Let’s support this great man in fulfilling the vision he has set forth.

Whether you supported him or not, America has spoken and America has clearly chosen correctly for herself.  That historic mandate is more important than anyone’s pocketbook.