One of Us?

One young man had a microphone shoved in his face the day after the elections.  The question to this young African-American was how he felt having an African-American win the election.  The reply would be laughable except I was distracted by the shiver running down my spine.  He said he didn't vote for Obama because of his ethnicity, he voted for him because of his "experience".  I wanted to scream at the TV, "what experience!" I thought the whole point was his lack of experience, that his naive, rosy colored view of the world and not being "one of them" was why he had been dubbed "The Annointed One" and the perfect candidate to bring change to the White House, if not the World.  So what the heck was this guy talking about?  Was he this ignorant when he stepped into the voting booth?  His ignorant answer was almost as pathetic as the idiot in Vermont who shot several rounds out his window with his gun to celebrate the same man who would be more than happy to take away that gun (although, I'd be just as happy to help him in this particular case). 

I didn't vote for Obama.  His experience is the reason I didn't vote for him. His skin color had nothing to do with my decision.  Neither would his gender have swayed me.  I wanted the person who leads our country through these tough times to have some experience and some idea of the duties involved. 

I am already disgusted by idiots all around me on both sides.  There are those who voted for him because of his ethnicity, and those who voted against him for the same reason.  In either case, if this is how you reached your decision, that makes each and every one of you a racist.   Perhaps you voted as I did, but that doesn't mean I want to hear your bigoted remarks.  I thought an election wasn't supposed to be about gender or skin color, just as it shouldn't be about eye color and shoe size.  It is supposed to be about who would best fill the position.  How far have we truly come?  Not very far if you ask me.  Wouldn't we have arrived if we never once mentioned his ethnic background?  Why is he an African-American?  Shouldn't he simply be an American?  When we can talk about this man, and simply call him a man, then I would say we have something to celebrate; then would Jesse have something truly inspiring to cause him to weep.  We are not there yet.

As my S.O. says, now that this man will be our President, I hope he proves us wrong. My only expectation is that our country will remain strong.  I hope this man can keep all his promises in a position that will undoubtedly grind him down as it has so many before him. Otherwise it will be a very long 4 years that could drive the wedge even deeper. Time will tell if he truly is one of us, and doesn't become one of them.   I pray he doesn't disappoint his faithful followers.