It’s my last post before the election. Primarily because the election is this Tuesday. And I feel very anxious about the results of this election.
Here’s why.
At the time that I’m writing this post, the polls are showing that this country is roughly divided evenly, about 49% in Obama’s court and about 49% in Romney’s court. That leads us to believe there’s about a 2% undecided vote that could sway the election.
Of course, it’s much more complicated than that. There’s the popular vote (which some predict will go to Romney) and the electoral vote (that others say might go to Obama). There are swing states that could go either way and independent voters that could change the vote by up to 12%.
In other words, it’s still anybody’s election. And this brings me to the point of this post.
Romney might win. And if he wins, we, as a nation, need to be prepared to move this country forward for the next four years.
I’ve made it clear that I’m voting for Romney and loosely alluded to some of the reasons why. I want him to win. And I don’t want Obama to win. Likewise, there are many people that feel the exact opposite. Not only do they want Obama to win but they don’t want Romney to win. It’s about voting FOR the candidate that you want and AGAINST the candidate that you don’t.
But let me get back to my original point. One man will win and one man will lose. And either way, on Wednesday, November 7th, we will still be one nation moving forward.
I know what happened in 2008 when Obama won. I know how I felt and how other Republicans and conservatives felt when Obama won and the only change we were hoping for was the next election four years away. But he was and is my President. He is the leader of the free world and he was elected by my fellow citizens. I may not like it but if I don’t agree with the process by which he was elected, then I don’t really understand what America is about.
This time, my hope is that Romney wins.
Actually, my hope and fear is that Romney wins.
My fear stems from the anticipated reaction that will come from those who didn’t vote for him. From those who don’t respect the fact that votes COUNT even when they don’t agree with their own.
I remember when I voted for George W. Bush for his first term and for months, people fought the idea that he had been legitimately elected President. (Remember the hanging chad debate?) We were made to feel like we had participated in the biggest scam in history were collectively to blame for any issues during that first term.
I remember when I voted for George W. Bush for a second term. There was no debate about whether or not he legitimately won. But those of us who voted for him somehow fell into the category of “idiotic, uneducated people” in our country.
Sadly, I experienced this same mentality after the primary elections last fall. On the ballot in North Carolina was a proposal to amend the North Carolina State Constitution to include a definition of marriage between one man and one woman. I was strongly against this proposal and my reasons were many. I was actually in the conservative minority by voting against it and advocated others to do the same.
The proposal unfortunately passed. I was disappointed as were many others. What bothered me the most, though, happened after the election. It was when I saw friends making statements on Facebook about how they were ashamed to live in NC and how uneducated the people were. I took offense at the statement. The implication was that someone who voted “the wrong way” must simply be an idiot.
This is where my fear comes back in. The fear that I’ll be place into a category in which I don’t belong…
Anyone who didn’t vote for Obama will be considered backwards, stupid, uneducated, narrow-minded, and any other name you can think of along those lines. And they might just become victims of violence.
Don’t believe me? Take a quick read at some of the stories circulating right now before the election.
November 3, 2012
Black Pastor Receives Death Threats For Reversing Support For Obama
November 1, 2012
Gay XM Radio Host Tells Pro-Romney Caller to Buy Arsenic And Drink It
Oct 27, 2012
Republican Louisville resident has car vandalized for second time in two weeks
October 27, 2012
CA – Vandal Keys ‘Obama’ Into 2 Cars In Alta Loma
October 25, 2012
Lake County veteran’s Mitt Romney signs, flags torched in yard
And this was just in the last two weeks. You can’t really say how serious the threats are but it is a little frightening to read tweet after tweet from Obama supporters who are continually advocating rioting and assassination of Romney if he wins the election. In all fairness, I searched for similar offenses against liberals. Most of what I found was about yard signs being stolen, which actually seemed pretty prevalent on both sides of the fence.
But how can you expect supporters to maintain composure? The news is filled with talk of “revenge” and “payback.” It’s a highly combustible situation.
So where does all of this leave us on Election Day?
It leaves half of us having to accept a President we didn’t want. We don’t yet know which half but this is a plea for civility. We’re on different sides of the same fence. If we build more gates rather than building a higher fence, we might have a chance for change over the next four years.
Get out. Vote. And respect the process, no matter who wins.
51 comments
I don’t agree with you on the candidate, but I do agree COMPLETELY with the sentiment! 🙂 Thanks! And in my community I’m the one who’ll be called the idiot…
Thanks for commenting. I now live in a VERY blue state but happen to live in a conservative pocket. I just hate that ANYONE is called an idiot for making a personal choice.
Yay! I have the same candidate and I have the same fears as you. Apart from the fear of what the other camp will say, I am afraid that Romney won’t be able to deliver his promises. I am afraid at how the media, biased as it is now, will treat him and his presidency.
But I hope for the best.
~Imelda
I think we all have to realize there’s a lot if rhetoric during campaigns. Politicians may have the best of intentions (or not) but making real progress truly depends on your supporting legislative bodies. But yes, I understand the fear of “I told you so” and “see, he can’t do it.” Should be an interesting week.
I don’t agree on the candidate either, but I do agree on the sentiment (and, as a black woman have a LOT of fear of backlash)… as long as it goes both ways. Obama has been accused of all manner of highly offensive things, from being a terrorist to lying about his birthplace. And there have been plenty of threats of violence on both sides of the fence, so I do take a bit of offense at the idea that it’s one-sided. I do think that we could all use to treat each other with more respect. Unfortunately, I think that’s highly unlikely. Our 2-party system is extremely divisive and I believe that it is that, and not any one candidate, that will be our downfall.
I tried to be very careful to not imply that it is one-sided (edited out a whole bit about Ann Coulter). But I do feel very strongly that the reactionary emotion is more polarized towards the right. And that’s been my personal experience as well.
As far as disrespect for the President, I think that was exalted to a whole new level when Bush was President. I think it’s inappropriate whether its domestic or international.
I would not at all be surprised by statistics showing a more emotional stance on the left given what people feel is at stake (i.e. civil rights), but I don’t think that’s any justification for violence or even the threat of violence. I know it happens on both sides, though, as I’ve seen it. I don’t have a lawn sign in my yard because I’m already uncomfortable being the only black person in the neighborhood. Why add another target? Scary times. I agree that respect started to go rapidly downhill with Bush, but it went some other place entirely with Obama before he even had a chance to do anything.
I would agree that some of the issues that people on the left feel strongly about ARE issues that evoke more emotion. And I understand about not wanting to put a sign out. We lived in a very racially mixed neighborhood in NC and hesitantly put out our McCain sign and had it stolen.
And clearly, we simply have a difference in perspective. I don’t see the treatment of Obama that you have. In my eyes, he’s been exalted by the media. Even given a Nobel Peace Prize! Maybe we’ll have to talk someday over wine (and wine coolers).
Slow. Clap.
My anxiety levels are SO high today.
Well, I won’t be happy if I have to start calling Mittens, President Mittens come Wednesday, but life will go on. I won’t be counting the days until the next election, I’ll just sit back and see what he does. I may tend to lean a bit more left than right, but I refuse to be so upset over an election that I don’t respect the Office of the President of the United States and the man who holds it.
For that, I applaud you. It doesn’t matter who wins. It’s the commander-in-chief. It’s a position that is voted for by the people. I just wish all people agreed with me 😉
And if Romney wins, I’ll let you call him President Mittens and I won’t get offended. Much.
hahaha. I don’t mean it as a dig at him at all. I’ve been calling him Mittens since I saw a ridiculous poll result that said when asked was Mitt was short for, 2% of Americans said Mittens. I got such a kick out of it. I think because I find the word “mittens” so cute.
Wait…does that mean that subconsciously I think that Mitt Romney is cute? Hm…
You know what? I don’t even know what it’s short for (if anything). Guess I’m not as informed as I thought 😉
I am not voting for Romney, but I do appreciate you creating this post. One of the things that simply struck me as a little…weird…for lack of a better word, is the sentence about people who vote for Romney are stupid, etc. I don’t feel like that. There are some things I agree with Romney on even though he is not my candidate choice. I have friends who are completely against Obama, but I still RESPECT and LIKE them. We are human. To call someone ignorant or backwards or uneducated because they don’t vote for a candidate that you like is stupid, backwards, ignorant and shows your level of education. What is all boils down to is our own personal beliefs, ideas, and concepts and who we fill best represents them. Sometimes I feel like people lose sight of that and try to make elections out to be a sports match.
Jayla – I agree with you totally. But it was a consistent message I heard especially after Bush got elected for a second term. People were flabbergasted that this much-hated President could be elected to a second term and people were openly ridiculed for supporting him. And I hear the same arguments now. How I must not care about other people. I must not care about women’s rights. I must care only about me and my money. I have a large group of conservative friends and I can say that they are some of the most compassionate people on the internet!
I wrote about this (a little) today. You and I are on opposite sides of the voting fence, but I am much more conscious this year about the ways in which I’m thinking about the opposing side. I am trying to remember that people can hear the same information and be just as informed and still draw different conclusions depending on their own experiences and their own priorities.
And in the long run, there are many things that won’t be determined in my life by the president in office but the daily decisions I make for myself and my family, and I am really trying to remember that.
“people can hear the same information and be just as informed and still draw different conclusions depending on their own experiences and their own priorities”
YES!!!
Had I allowed myself to ramble on, I was going to write about a 22 year old who had commented a few weeks ago about all the things that made her better off a result of Obama’s administration. But as an (almost) 42 year old, I see things through different lenses.
And I realized that we shouldn’t be asking ourselves, am I better of than I was 4 years ago? We should be asking, are we as a country better off? It shouldn’t be a strictly selfish choice.
Thanks for your comment!
True – it’s often how our world works. I’m sad when I see so much hatred. I’m sad when I see such narrowmindedness (not a true word, or is it?) and stereotyping. I may not agree with everyone, but I work hard at respecting. Or that’s just it. I don’t have to work at respecting. I just do. I don’t disrespect those unless they are the few who do the lumping together of others. I worked hard for that NC law and tried to express how frustrating it was for me to see happening, but I still have friends who voted the opposite to me. And while I VEHEMENTLY disagreed, I respected their reasoning and that was that. And yes, I feel a certain way, and I hope a certain way, and I may even root against those who don’t think the same as me when it comes to certain things around election time. But I don’t disrespect. Or find myself hating. ANd now I’m rambling. Point is, you’re right. Half of us will be unhappy. But we’ll have to move forward. And my sadness is when I hear, no matter who is president, what an @$$hole that person is. Or whatever. ANd then I’m like, DUDE – HE IS THE PRESIDENT. Le sigh …
Love this, Andrea “I don’t have to work at respecting. I just do.”
So glad there are reasonable people like us on both sides. And yes, I believe narrowmindedness is a word (because it fits so well).
I think people attack others on this very personal issue because it is exactly that–personal. We know that whoever is president will be making decisions for us and that is oh, so personal. I am not a Romney supporter because although I agree with the Republican platform on some issues, I have trouble with THIS candidate in particular. I fear that he will be a puppet for the Tea Party and the extremists in the Republican party and I gotta say…they frighten the bejesus out of me. I am an Obama supporter and an Independent. My votes have gone to Democrats and Republicans since I started voting in 1996. I have debated with others who don’t agree with my reasons for choosing the candidates I did, and that’s okay. Some of us have gotten out of hand with our attacks on people with whom we don’t agree. I try to limit my contact with people like that. I have a Facebook friend who actually said that she “unfriended” all Romney supporters because “they are stupid.” That’s a shame because I think we should all agree to disagree. One of my best friends is a Romney supporter, we talk about the issues, agree on some things, disagree on others, I still love her and we move on.
Alexis! it’s so great to hear from you again. That’s interesting that your opposition is this candidate. I was initially undecided for the same reasons but based on his personal record for being moderate, I’m *hoping* he won’t be a puppet. He doesn’t strike me as the puppet sort. Yes, the Tea Party extremists acare me too!
You made the point for me though. People unfriended others for their political beliefs. It IS very personal. But for me, how I feel about others on EITHER side is how well they discuss and debate. I did unfriend someone not because her choice was Obama but because she was constantly posting little sound bites and graphics that were hateful and mostly untrue.
Anyway, I love healthy debate and I love that so many Obama supporters are stopping by to contribute to the conversation!
I don’t agree with your politics, but I love that and how you wrote this. I think people in this country are very divided and frustrated and it will an interesting Tuesday night, to say the least!
Honestly? I don’t plan to tune into anything Tuesday night. My anxiety levels are too high already! I’ll cast my vote and just accept the decision, whatever it is, on Wednesday morning.
(Okay – I might peek a little bit)
I happen to agree with you on both the sentiment and the candidate;). The problem that we are facing is that extremism is no longer on the extremes. I personally have seen a lot of vitriol on both sides but it seems the offensive conservatives aim it at Obama and the offensive liberals aim it at the people. Not the people who make crazy statements but anyone who dare disagree on any level.
Totally disagree with this statement. I got sucked into a CON-LIB debate on Facebook the other day, in which 8 cons attempted to gang up on me, using every expletive in the book. The more evidence I provided the more personal and worse it got. People who didn’t even know me, were saying things to me, and calling me things I probably wouldn’t even say to my worst enemy. I agree that there’s a lot of animosity, beyond the pale in many cases, but I think if you have some objectivity you would have to say it’s pretty equivalent on both sides. That said I find it extremely disingenuous if you say that Conservative fervor is only being directed at the candidate and not at the personal level.
James – I think the best we can do is assess it from a personal situation. That’s not to say there aren’t right-wing nutjobs. There ARE and many of my conservative friends agree. I’ve seen the nastiness on both sides in what I call special interest groups. And I would expect it there.
On FB, I keep it personal. If I know you (either online or in person), you’re my friend. And ONLY my friends can comment. And if we can’t have a civil discourse about politics, we probably shouldn’t be friends. (And yes, I have unfriended one person over this election).
Outside of FB is where is gets much muddier. I may write about politics from time to time but I don’t tweet about it because I find the views there SO polarized and many times, very disrespectful. That’s my personal experience. I don’t want that so I choose not to generally talk politics on Twitter. But of the thousands of people I follow, I would have to say most of them are liberal (I follow some pundits as well). And in MY personal experience, the attacks are not equivalent.
Ultimately, I think what we’d all like to get to is a place where we can better tolerate, if not accept, why some people make choices different than ours.
Amen my friend.
Amen!
Do you ever listen to a band and realize that while you don’t dig their music, you know they work hard, play their instruments well, and take longer than 5 minutes to rehearse? That’s how I felt about this post. You wrote the hell out of it and I respect that. We are not on the same page, politically, but I imagined (don’t get freaked out), our families sitting around a our dinner table, laughing, discussing the issues, and making fun of me.
Seriously, I understand what you’re saying. If Romney wins, we’ll both get up wednesday morning and attack another day with just enough vigor to not screw everything up.
So you’re saying I’m not musically talented? Or that we’d all love to make fun of you?
Seriously, I wish people saw things the way I did. But I’m sure others feel the same way about me. In the end, yes, let’s get fired up and discuss and debate but hopefully, at the end of the day, we all still love this country.
I agree with you. Not your politics, but you. 🙂 And wish we could just have respect for the bravery of any man(and woman – PLEASE A WOMAN) who wants to hold this amazing office.
xoxo
I’m thinking about running. Apparently, I’m well past the minimum age requirement so I’m thinking about 2016 if Obama wins and some other time if Romney wins. BUT… I’ll have a Democrat as my running mate so we can just blow everyone’s minds.
Look up Ed Rendell – former Governor of PA and former Mayor of Philadelphia. He’s a liberal – was the chair of the DNC for a while – but he’s very much interested in compromise. If anyone would be more compatible with running a split ticket, it would be him. Only catch…he jokes about never taking a national level office because it might prevent him from being so active for the Philadelphia Eagles football (he has been part of the post-game show for the last several years, I don’t think he wants to give that up).
How about you be Hillary’s running mate in 2016
I’ll start with my perennial statement about how we have differing views. But I feel that by now, you know that…and I think we’ve demonstrated enough respect for each other’s views. But the point you bring up is the dark side of politics, the part I feel shouldn’t be there. Maybe it’s a problem with our education or something? I’m amazed at how many times this political season (and back in 2000 for Bush/Gore) that I’ve had to explain the difference between the popular vote and the electoral college. But aside from that…I’ve really had a difficult time understanding why someone will, on wednesday, feel bitter and (sad to say) militant against the winner’s supporters. Or, for that matter, it could go the other way and the bunch of I-told-you-so-ers try to hold the alleged superiority over the losers. It is all, in my opinion, a lack of faith or respect in our system.
Do I want my guy – Obama – to win? Yes. Am I somewhat scared of Romney’s views? I’ll admit that. But I can bring it back into check when I realize that some of the most outlying policies that I disagree with likely won’t make it through congress. Or if it does, and if it’s truly unconstitutional, it might get overturned by the Supreme Court. In other words, I do believe in the checks and balances. And while there is a chance that some policies get through that I don’t like…I do know that the war isn’t over on those specific issues.
I also know that four years isn’t a lot of time any more to make drastic changes in our politics. Our politics evolve. Our economics evolve. And one man – certainly not the President – can shift that in four years. Now I’m letting my lean show a bit…that is after all the basis for why I still have faith in Obama. But it’s also the reason why, if Romney were to win, I wouldn’t be moving to Canada or Sweden on Wednesday.
Doesn’t matter about the party affiliation. We both have our extremists. We see far more about extreme conservatives these days – in part because of the media being predominately liberal, also in part because they are most outspoken about our President’s differing views – but the liberals have them too. Occupy anyone?
I just hope that no one is so crazy extreme and so narrow minded as to do anything stupid the day after the election. We, as a country, don’t need that.
So good luck tomorrow. I hope everyone holds the respect for the President and the system on January 20th, 2013, regardless of who is getting sworn in.
Wait – your views are different?? Yes, I agree that people this election are very much in the Facebook-graphic-sharing culture because it’s quick and easy and makes it look like you’re part of the political process. Their lack of knowledge is shocking, at times.
Glad to see you recognize there are nuts on both sides. But I’m full of anxiety about the election results for the potential Wednesday sentiments you mentioned. Good luck to you to. May the best man win 😉
Personally, I hope Obama wins. I pray, pray, pray that if he does win we don’t get four years of digging heals in the dirt to just wait it out to the detriment of the country. But if Romney wins, I agree with you and your fears. Seems like either way the backlash could be a crapfest. I hope citizens and politicians can rise above it and do what is right for the country no matter who they support. Hummmmm…something like “do unto others…”
That being said, I applaud you for writing about politics in a sane and respectful way. Way to go.
Thanks, Stephanie. The election really stung for me which is why it’s taken me some time to even respond. Unfortunately, the backlash was as bad as I worried about (in my personal experience) and I honestly took a social media time out. I’m now regrouping my thoughts about what *I* can personally do to help implement real change in the next 4 years.
Voted RomneyRyan and damn proud of it!
It would be nice if the Republicans in the house had actually behaved the way you say we all should the last four years. They have done everything in their power to ensure our President could accomplish the bare minimum. They should be ashamed to take a paycheck that we all are responsible for producing.
Their jobs are to best represent the interest of their constituents, the same with all politicians. And if you think that behavior is exclusive to the Republican party, you’re wrong. And if Obama’s is able to ineffectively to run a successful administration working with his party in the minority, then he might not be the best man for the job. It’s not a unique situation he’s been in.
“But let me get back to my original point. One man will win and one man will lose. And either way, on Wednesday, November 7th, we will still be one nation moving forward.
I know what happened in 2008 when Obama won. I know how I felt and how other Republicans and conservatives felt when Obama won and the only change we were hoping for was the next election four years away.”
Apparently you think we are only supposed to “work together” if a Republican were elected. I thought my comment would echo your sentiment. Sorry I was clearly wrong.
Sorry about Wisconsin.
You weren’t echoing my sentiment. You read my post and said exactly what I DON’T want to hear. You played the same old blame game. “Obama could have done a better job if it weren’t for those mean, nasty shameful Republicans standing in his way.” It’s partisanship at its worst.
I never said that working together only counts if we have a Republican leader. Never. But the agenda can’t ever be one-sided. There needs to be compromise and respect moving forward.
For example, do you respect my views as a Republican even though they are different than yours? I’m seeing tweets tonight suggesting that women can’t possibly live in the states where Romney has won because we couldn’t possibly be that stupid. It’s a common sentiment I hear echoed and that is more of my original point.
Sent from my iPad
I never said mean or nasty. I don’t think anyone is mean or nasty because of their party affiliations. I actually quite admire some politicians on both sides of the aisle. I was just saying, “Nice idea – wish we could have gotten here four years ago.” Maybe I didn’t say it eloquently enough? But you are correct! We all need to work together and listen to the other side.
And the bashing is not exclusive to liberals. I saw posts saying “The American Dream DIED” “Get your conceal and carry now.” “Hide your money.” All kinds of fear and hate because the majority of us made our choice differently than they did. I ignored all of these posts as I don’t want to wallow in the past or fuel the fire. It’s gone and now we have to move ahead.
And BTW I asked and asked and asked on Twitter for reasons to vote Romney – I got ZERO answers. I was looking for a truly compelling answer and I heard nothing but crickets.
I also watched specials and did research on both men prior to making my final choice who to vote for – and it really helped me see them both for who they really are.
I find you a compelling writer – you certainly compelled me to response. I continue to enjoy your blog and tweets. I hope we can all just get along.
Lisa – I always welcome you to come and visit here. And I’m always thankful for comments. This year, I have been extremely emotionally tied to this election and it stings all the way around. A lot of the people that voted for Romney (like myself) voted FOR Romney and AGAINST Obama. So it’s hard to swallow (again) someone you don’t think should lead this country.
However, to your point about no receiving a compelling answer… YOU’RE RIGHT. I think more people need to understand why they’re voting the way they are (if they choose to talk about it) and to be able to support that choice. It’s time for this country to go back to American Civics 101 and relearn how this country operates. And that goes for most people (myself included).
When you refer to “all” are you also speaking for those that contribute nothing to the tax rolls as well? I’m simply trying to understand how you can think that folks that are sitting around waiting for a check or bleeding the government for more “goodies” are paying taxes.
The beltway boys did us conservatives in again…pray.
But we move forward anyway.
Oh, I’ll always continue to move forward. I’ve taken the stand after this debacle to visit more veteran/conservative friendly businesses. #OpSlam will be another project I’m getting involved with as well. We have 2 years to get our ducks in a row for the Senate. Lots of good targets there.
Kudos to you, Fadra, for having the confidence to post your thoughts for the world to see regarding the election. I was so wrapped up in this election cycle and my belief that Romney had a very good chance of winning was so strong that when it didn’t happen, I fell hard. It’s not that I don’t like Obama as a person (he seems nice enough), it’s that I feel the country desperately needs to change direction and, for me, Romney was the man for the job. Along with many others, I have felt a considerable financial pinch these last four years, and since I was a little girl, I always hated to be pinched! Hopefully, President Obama will follow through on his plan to meet with Mr. Romney and discuss ways to build a bi-partisan consensus and bring about some real “Hope” and “Change” this time around.
Sandra – you’re not alone in the way you feel. I’ve never cried at an election and this one brought me to big, ugly tears. I can’t be angry or bitter. I just can’t. I hope things change but I have a lot of ideas floating around about how *I* can be part of the change.