Yesterday, Americans across the nation voiced their opinion about the state of our Union and the direction we should be headed in record numbers.  In a competition where one candidate is a true American Hero, and the other candidate is a posterboy for the American Dream, there really are no losers.  Although my heart breaks that I will not get to witness a McCain presidency, and I am deeply saddened to see someone so deserving of the presidency be pushed aside, I am also proud of America for overcoming some of the racial and social barriers that have limited and divided our country for far too many years. 

So now is the time to swallow hard, then take one step forward.  We must leave this long, hard-fought battle behind us and approach tomorrow with the loyalty and support that our presidency deserves.  I refuse to repeat the sins of elections past with the snotty, divisive, and contemptuous bitterness that only serves to further fracture our already splintered society.  So, I face tomorrow with a quiet resolve that, although John McCain was my candidate, Barack Obama is my president, and I will do everything I can to make the next four years a success, for all of America - the red and the blue.

I encourage all of you to get involved with your respective parties, and reach out to your state and national representatives to communicate what matters most to you.  We are not required to merely choose from two parties that loosely represent our values - we are obligated to communicate those values so that they may help our government work better.  Democracy means more than casting a vote every couple of years - it means shaping our government to represent the values of its people. And that responsibility, my friends, sits squarely on the shoulders of each and every one of us.

It never ceases to amaze me how, in the world of politics, what is good for the goose is a screaming outrage if done by the gander.  Well, Senator Biden better thank his lucky stars that the media are somehow favoring the pattern of his feathers to those of the fashionable Ms. Palin - had she muttered the blatant lies outlined in this WSJ article, they would have had her plucked and stuffed.

Read for yourself:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122325448093406451.html

I read a great article on the Washington Post website today, which discussed all of the misogynism that has been allowed to pass during this election cycle.  The article, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403090.html missed one of the most deplorable and overlooked misogynistic statements I've heard in recent press coverage, so I sent the following email to the reporter, and decided to share it with you.

Marie,

I loved your article entitled, "Misogyny I Won't Miss" but think that one other very interesting and highly underreported bit of blatant gender bias should be included.  Unlike most of the items you listed, this offense wasn't committed by a male journalist or politician, but the possible future first lady Michelle Obama, when she stated, "If you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House."  This deplorable statement blazenly places Mrs. Clinton as the responsible party for her her husband's hurtful misdeeds, and ignores the fact that she did, in the face of public humilitation and personal turmoil, maintain a busy schedule full of First Lady duties. ...I wonder how Michelle Obama would handle herself in the same situation. Should it turn out that Barack's passion for "change" also translated to a desire for "variety", would we get to see Michelle quietly press on, or would we instead see tabloids filled with images of a teary-eyed Mrs. Obama setting fire to a stack of navy blue suits on the White House lawn.  ...Perhaps that could be her contribution to heal the gender bias of the country - providing a new storyline for a feelgood girl-power sequel, "Waiting to Exhale II: The White House Years."

Thanks again for the thoughtful article.

Sincerely,
Starla Limberakis
Dallas, TX

My husband asked an interesting question this evening -- "In this presidential election, would McCain be a PC and Obama be a Mac?"

Hmmm... lets us evaluate this... We'll start with the Obama-Mac comparison:

Majorly overhyped in Hollywood?  Check.

Does not interface well with others?  Check.

Addresses critical errors by making a frowny face?  Check.

Is considered cooler and more modern, even though it has no real track record to back up this reputation?  Check.

Takes about twice as much money out of your pocket as it's competitor?  Another inevitable Check.

 ...My husband is literally doubled over laughing now, so I think that's good enough for the Obama-Mac comparison.  Feel free to comment with any additional connections you can think of!

"America wants change" is certainly a popular campaign slogan this year.  But what does that mean, exactly?  Is Barack promising to donn clean socks each day? ...That's a change, isn't it?  And Hillary, well, she wants to change everything,  but where will those changes take us?

I liken the Democratic party's promises of "change" to riding in the passenger seat of my husband's car - there are lots of lane changes, which are often abrupt, frequently unneccessary and unsettling, and while they occassionally may get you slightly farther ahead than you would have otherwise been, more often than not, they just leave you feeling agitated, thwarted, and stuck behind someone who's not fit to lead.  Ultimately, you end up in the same place you would have without out all of the fancy, frightening maneuvers.

I've talked to a few people merrily rallying around the "change" bandwagon, and asked them exactly what they think is going to change, and the answers are far worse than I ever imagined.  They vary from "[insert candidate here] is going to stop letting American jobs go to Mexico" or "[insert other candidate] will bring our troops home!" ...or even more frightening, "Well, I just know that I pay way too much in taxes, so I'm voting Democrat!"  

...OK, people.  Let's get something straight.  A President is not a god.  No matter who we elect, they are not going to somehow persuade the Germans to start making crappy cars so Detroit can have it's market share back.  Even the smoothest-talking candidate is not going to persuade bottom-line oriented business people to stop taking advantage of cheap labor in other countries.  And no matter what promises a candidate may make, they simply cannot put useful programs that benefit society in place AND balance the budget without passing some sort of cost to the taxpayer, in one form or other. ...And don't even get me started on what would happen if a newly elected Pres decided to snap their naive little fingers and order all of our troops home. I want the war to end just as much as the next mother with sons, but the reality of what is happening in the MidEast is what it is, and we cannot simply click our heels three times to make it go away. 

I hate to sound like a cynic, but people need to understand that the economics of gaining campaign votes and money turn all presidential hopefuls into used car salesmen.  Each one is trying to sell us on the notion that they can somehow get our country to a better destination than the broken down mess we are trading in.  The problem is that so many Americans are willing to buy ..er... elect a candidate based solely on their sales pitch, without even bothering to check under the hood.  Instead of being brainwashed into voting for the candidate with the catchiest 15 second soundbites looping on CNN, try examining the candidate's actual voting record, their accomplishments in previous or currently-held offices, and how often they have stepped outside party lines to accomplish something truly meaningful.  Look at how they got to where they are, and the sacrifices they made or laws they broke in the process.  These investigations are the closest thing we have to a presidential test drive, and are absolutely critical in determining how we spend our vote.  

Don't be seduced by the electionomics... remember that, as the now-infamous Obama staffer indicated, campaign promises are part of the game, and ultimately, they are worth little more than the index card some speechwriter put them on.  Choose your candidate based not solely on what they say, or how they look, or the dreams they are selling, but on what they have actually done, and their willingness to work with others to make meaningful policies.  Examine the viability and ramifications of the changes they promise, and remember that "change" is not simply something jingling in your pocket - it is a proposal to make modifications to our way of life - modifications with effects that, be they positive or negative, may be far-reaching and long lasting. Unlike a used car, you only have until November to trade in your candidate for a better model.  After that, you're stuck with it for four years.