Four years ago I was a high school senior watching the '04 election and was very
disappointed. Neither candidate had a hint of inspiration, they weren't very different in terms of policies, and neither really seemed to care about the things I cared about. I remember trying to get a little fired up about John Kerry, but was not all that disappointed when he lost.
At that time my sister Laura and I were already looking ahead to potential candidates for '08. We both liked Bill Richardson, the former Secretary of Labor and Governor of New Mexico. I cringed at the thought of another Clinton polarizing America, but she seemed like the most likely winner. That year I also took notice of a senate race in Illinois where this guy Barack Obama was winning 80% of the vote and also had an amazing speech on unity at the
DNC. I took notice and Laura and I talked about how fun it would be if he ran someday in 2016.
A year later, I was watching the last season of one of my favorite shows,
The West Wing. In the last episodes, the writers gave us a fictional look at an
intellectual, clean, and inspiring campaign from both fictional candidates played by Jimmy
Smits and Alan
Alda. I wondered if there was a anyone in real life who could actually have a campaign like this. I naturally thought of my favorite Republican, John McCain, who always seemed intelligent, moderate, bipartisan, honest, and candid in his politics. I also thought of Richardson and Obama and wondered if any of these people could make it in a real
campaign. Nah......couldn't happen.
Last year I began reading and discussing with my friends writers like Lee Camp, Shaine Claiborne, and Tony
Campolo. I became very interested in the impoverished and oppressed, and also very dis-enchanted with the government. I realized that our American political system was a worldly kingdom, quite apart and separate from the Kingdom of God. I considered becoming a follower of the writings of David Lipscomb, who thought
Christians shouldn't vote or be involved in the military, and never get involved in (and perhaps even oppose) the government.
However, at the same time, the campaigns had already begun and I listened to the candidates. I was excited about the idea of Obama, but as I began to listen to his actual campaign he struck me as a type of politician that I had never heard before in my lifetime. I always hear from history about how John and Robert Kennedy were able to inspire a generation and also helped bring real change to fight segregation in our country (I know LBJ actually signed the Civil Rights Act in '64, but it was due to the legacy and fight from Kennedy). I heard about how FDR was able to use the government to legitimately help the poor and downtrodden. I heard about how Lincoln sought to move us to our best ideals and ended slavery and helped keep the nation together. I saw a glimmer of that in the rhetoric of Obama as he spoke about unity and hope for our nation. But he also spoke about issues I really cared about. He wanted health care available to the poor who couldn't afford it and were thus unable to get the help they needed, helping low-income schools, affordable housing for the poor, expand job
opportunities for the lower class, raising the minimum wage, being a better steward of our environment, helping the AIDS crisis in Africa, increasing foreign aid, and making a better commitment to peace and diplomacy around the world. I saw hope not just in him, but perhaps a shift in government across the board (federal, state, local, and diplomatic) that his election could provide. He also seemed a legitimate Christian who took kingdom values seriously. I know many call me gullible, naive, and unrealistic to buy all the hype "hook, line, and sinker," but I believed this could be real and I wanted to gamble that perhaps our hopes could be realized in a new type of government.
I was committed to Obama by September '07, but there was no chance he was actually going to win. Clinton and
Giuliani were going to sweep the board and I was ready for another nasty campaign and my final separation from politics. But I hoped that Obama could make it close in the primaries and get his message out for future elections. Then during Christmas break, Obama had a huge upset win in Iowa and suddenly there was a chance he could win this thing. For the next several months, I followed the highs and lows of the campaign like watching one of my favorite sports teams. I was crushed by the loss in New Hampshire and pumped up at an official Obama Campaign party in Little Rock when we watched the South Carolina returns. We had an exciting party on Super Tuesday and cheered for every state that went
Obama's way. Then we watched Obama win 11 straight primaries in February and we finally really thought we were going to win. However, Clinton hung along for an
looooooooooong time until we finally wrapped up the nomination in June.
During this time, McCain managed to pull an upset and win the Republican nomination and suddenly I was facing the reality of my dream campaign. Two genuine, positive candidates were facing each other and both promised an honorable campaign. This fall has been
fascinating to watch the ebbs and flows of the election cycle. It has been far from a perfect campaign and there have definitely been some nasty moments, but I think it really hasn't been as nasty as people make it out to be (at least compared to the last 2 election cycles). Of course, it's been getting a lot nastier lately and probably will continue to be until the election (although don't blame both sides if just one side is being excessively negative). Honestly, my biggest disappointment has been the incredible focus the candidates have had toward the middle class during the general election, with very little emphasis on the lower class (But, it's the middle class who decides who wins the election. I just hope the benefits given to the middle class can trickle down to the lower classes as well). No matter who wins, I think we're going to end up with a decent President and hopefully the nation can come together and actually try to help people who really need help. I know the economy isn't looking good for the next few years, and the
prospects for changes in health care, education, and
environmental stewardship are looking very
bleak with all our money tied up in the financial markets, but I'm still holding out some hope.
I know I'm an idealistic, optimistic, and yes, naive college student. But perhaps we can start to look for the best in ourselves and hope that our government can aid us in our pursuit to bring justice and help to the poor and oppressed. I meant to write this last week to encourage everyone to register to vote before the deadline, but my
procrastination won out in the end. Instead I encourage everyone who is registered to vote to actually vote if they feel morally inclined. However, if you believe you should be separate and apart from government, then I totally understand and I may be there with you one day. I do ask everyone to pray. Not just for our nation, but for every nation that has God's children crying out for justice and relief. May God bless us all to be agents of hope in a dark world.
