Obamamerica

Yesterday morning, before dawn, my wife and I waited in line for 45 minutes to vote. I will tell you now that we both cast our ballots for president, although neither of us voted for Obama, or McCain.

Yesterday evening, we both ate dinner, enjoyed a relaxing evening together, and went to bed without turning on the TV, or checking the election results in any way.

This morning, about dawn, we turned on the tube to hear the news media talk about a new dawn. It was clear they were trying to stifle their giddiness, and tone down the smiles, as they announced the official victory of Barack Obama for president of the United States. But I don't know if they were trying very hard.

History in the Making

"An impressive victory" was the refrain, despite a mere 5% margin over John McCain. It may be that these journalists were not so much impressed by the margin, as by the victory itself... a black man with a checkered upbringing inspiring hope in oneself, and confidence in government, to a nation sorely in need of both. It might be said that even an Obama loss would be an impressive thing, considering what his campaign has accomplished in the hearts of many Americans.

In my lesser moments, I wanted to see Obama lose, just to rankle the thinly veiled biases of the mainstream media. And in moments lesser still, to see him lose because he ruined our fundraiser.

Rock the Vote

In case you weren't aware, the Front Porch hosted an event last Saturday called "Rock the Vote". We worked for six months to book 24 bands on three stages over a 12-hour period. Our volunteers numbered 40-plus, and half-a-dozen local restaurants donated food for us to sell. This was going to be a big event; we expected 300 tickets to sell, and hoped for 400.

But three days in advance, we heard the news... that arguably the most admired man in the world was going to come to our hometown to rock the vote in competition with us. Usually our events are free, and our competitors are charging, but in this case it was reversed. How could we expect to sell tickets for $10 or $15, when Obama himself was having a free rally just two miles away?

The fact is, for the most part, we didn't. Many blessings to those who did show up... you may have helped us at least to break even, and we're so thankful for you.

In all honesty, our Rock the Vote event came off beautifully. Only one band, and one sound engineer, failed to show up, and everyone played their hearts out. The volunteers did everything possible to make it run smoothly, and their attitudes were very encouraging. I feel like we all came together in this successful failure, and bore the brunt as an honest-to-God team.

And as wonderful a thing as that is... it's still hard to kiss $4000 goodbye. Because that's how much were hoping to net from this fundraiser. And it's still hard not to see the Obama visage, and not think of what he's cost us already.

The Change We Need

I won't lie. I'm actually excited to see what an Obama administration can accomplish. Although I will admit that I voted for Bush twice (or, perhaps, voted against Gore once and Kerry once,) I have trouble looking back over these eight years and feeling proud of him in any way. (Come to think of it, I can't look back with pride at the service of anyone I've voted for, or against, for that matter.) Although I've had my differences with the war in Iraq, I am hopeful about the direction it's going now. I like his Supreme Court appointments. And it was nice to get those stimulus checks and that tax cut. But eight years?!? What's been accomplished? It seems as though President Bush occasionally gets a breeze of energy and tries to fix something, like Social Security, or North Korea, or energy dependence, but he quickly gives up at the first real obstacle.

Does our president believe in anything? And although I don't agree with Obama's "Four More Years of Bush" smear, I have to wonder the same thing about McCain. What does he stand for? Leadership? Security? Tax Cuts? Hockey Moms breaking tie votes in the Senate? Yes, I respect Senator McCain for his service and sacrifice, but I couldn't carry my feelings for him beyond that whatsoever.

So it's not hard for someone like Barack Obama to represent true change. True hope. He can take the podium over a nation bleeding from war, reeling from layoffs, and hemorrhaging debt, and proclaim to us some measure of hope. He can take the podium over a massive crowd of red, yellow, black and white and show them that they carry greatness within themselves, regardless of their race or their past.

This is the change we need. Let me put aside for the moment my policy differences with President-Elect Obama, and urge him to carry onward and upward the trajectory initiated by his campaign. Because the fact remains that he did not win in a landslide. The hundreds of thousands of screaming supporters did not amount to a revolution in this nation... this multi-colored throng of hope is not America. It is, to be accurate, half of America.

Obama knows this. I believe that's why he took a moment to recognize those who did not vote for him: "To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn -- I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too."

This man has a lot to prove, and who among us can imagine the weight of so many hopes and dreams on one pair of shoulders. I hope that we won't fail to pray for him as he endeavors to convert hope to initiative, and confidence to action.

Regardless of the way you voted, there is one thing to celebrate... that each person's voice can make a difference. On The Core website, there is a page called "How to Build Community", with advice that has guided me for years now. And the last line, to me, is the most poignant. It says "Know that no one is silent, though many are not heard." Obama seems to acknowledge this, and spread hope to see it change, in the opening lines of his victory speech, which will be the closing lines of this post:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

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