On Tuesday, November 6, 2012 President Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the United States. First of all: I would like to congratulate President Obama on his historic re-election. It's a feat that I once thought was unattainable. That being a black man being elected to the highest position in these United States twice. Albeit the same man. Secondly: Even though I did not vote for him; I wish Gov. Mitt Romney and his family all the best--really, I do. I pray for all of our leaders in office, because they, not me, are in public office working for the people of this nation.
I'm not one to really talk politics for a few reasons: 1) I've never been too interested in politics. 2) I'm no political strategist, so I don't try to act like I'm an expert on all of the issues. 3) Politics is a sticky subject that drives a wedge between people. 4) Politics can bring out the ignorance in some people that you wish you never witnessed. This election quite frankly, has shown me sides of people that I wish I never knew existed. That goes for Democrats and Republicans alike.
In this country that we live in--a democracy--it's imperative to have different parties and affiliations. Innovation comes from the ability to be diverse and adapt to different philosophies. If we didn't have multiple parties; we would live in a dictatorship, or socialist type of society. Although many have accused President Obama of being a socialist. Some have even said that he is the Anti-Christ. I find these accusations to be ridiculous, laughable, and based with no merit.
No matter how badly I do not want to address race; honestly, it's simply unavoidable. I will keep the race issue to a minimum, because I'm big on moving forward when it comes to that subject. I've heard, listened to, and read many comments regarding our current president. If race wasn't an issue; why is it that President is referred to as the first African-American President? When he was elected as president; it wasn't said that America elected its first multi-racial, or its first half white half black president. I say that to say this: It doesn't matter if your background consists of 1/16 black or African blood. Once the world finds out about that 1/16, you are black in the world's eyes. That's just the way it is. My grandfather, Rudolph Smith Sr. was multi-racial (creole). But you know what he considered himself to be? You got it--a black man! My grandfather could pass for a white man, too. He had fair skin, and had what we (blacks) would call good hair. He didn't try to fool himself into thinking that society saw him as anything but black. One more thing: When you look at President Obama, what do you honestly see? Do you see multi-racial, or do you see a black man?
To the people (black and white; because some honestly feel like there were no blacks that voted for Gov. Romney) that supported and voted for Gov. Mitt Romney because you felt that he was the better candidate; I have absolutely no qualms with you. As voting citizens, it's our duty to research the available candidates, assess how their plan aligns with what we see as best for our families--best for our country. I know we all have our own unique reasons as to why we vote for who we vote for. Some of us vote according to the political party that we're affiliated with. The people that I do have qualms with are the people that did base their decision solely on race. Whether you voted for or against President Obama. Educate yourself on the issues and be mindful of how these issues affect you.
I do not know all the ins and outs of the politcal world that we call Washington D.C. But I do know this: It takes a team effort to get things done. That includes Democrats working with Republicans and vice versa. Nothing can get done when personal agendas are first and foremost rather than the welfare of our country. It seems to me that political parties are doing more to sabotage the other party--like winning is what is most important--and not passing bills that would help the citizens of our country.
I've heard that President Obama doesn't deserve another four years in office. As I stated before: If you have tangible reasons for this opinion; I respect your opinion. But some have said that a black man should not be in the White House, let alone deserve another four years seated at the highest position in the country. I'm not going to get into the battle of saying that former President George W. Bush got another term at the presidency, therefore President Obama should as well. That will be me going tit for tat. But I will say this: In my opinion; President Obama deserves another chance because I truly like his direction. I don't agree with all of his policies and positions. His positives outweigh his negatives for me. One thing that is huge is the economy and debt. I honestly don't see how in this day and age we can cut the debt to almost nothing. It just feels like as long as we're here; there will be debt. Point blank. I'd rather have debt because we're trying afford everyone healthcare and people going to college as opposed to fighting wars. Wars cost a lot of money. Do your research on how much the Iraq war costed this country. And that doesn't include what you can't put a price on--American lives lost. I am a veteran and fought in the Iraq war. I'm extremely proud to have served this country; but I didn't necessarily agree with the war in Iraq.
That's about as far as I'm going to go into political issues and my position. Back to what I want you to centralize your thoughts on. When will we get passed differences and move forward? Whether it be racial, political, economical, educational, or religious differences. We are all Americans. The preservation and progress of this country is at stake. It seems like we can't disagree without totally offending someone or disrespecting their opinion. If you're married or in a relationship, you definitely disagree. The disagreement shouldn't tear the two of you apart. That's the time to communicate and listen to what each has to say. I want to say this to the people that are President Obama supporters such as myself: Don't take this opportunity to throw President Obama's re-election back in the face of those who didn't/don't support the president. The day after the election was actually a hard day for me. To see and hear things said like: "My president is still black" didn't make me feel like we won. Am I proud that he is black? Yes, of course! But I'm beyond that now. Focus on moving forward, because even though the president is black; we still have so far to go and grow. Thanks as always for listening and reading. And most importantly: God bless America!
VERY well written!!!! You made some very valid points in this blog!!!! Some of the things I've seen and read during and after this election have been disgraceful/distasteful to say the least. We (as Obama supporters) have every right to be proud, however, some actions/reactions have been absolutely unnecessary. How can we constantly gripe about the actions of individuals with an opposing view if some of us have stooped to the same level of tomfoolery?? It starts with a change of mindset/action from "self!" On another note, Obama is actually just the only president who is "visually" black. In fact, there are actually said to be about 6 presidents before him that actually had black ancestry. Back in the day, they had something called the "one drop rule." Meaning, you have one drop of black blood within you...you were considered black whether you were dark skinned, light-skinned, mulatto, etc. I did a presentation on this in a communications course while pursuing my undergrad degree. Many of them would NEVER express it publicly or talk about it for "obvious" reasons, but I believe the number to be about 6 that proceeded Obama in the White House. Hmmmmm! Something to think about!!! Some people need to do their research. Anyways, again.....very well written blog (as usual)!! :)
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