Well, it's finally here. Election Day 2008. The day that has been coming for a very long time. I am so glad it is here and we can hopefully move on from all the hype after today.
Rob and I decided to vote right at 6 am this morning in Upland thinking the lines would be short and knowing it would probably be our only time to vote during the day since we work further away. We pulled in the church parking lot and it looked like church was in session there were so many cars there! The line was well out the door. We took our turn, quietly standing in line with our neighbors, participating in a weird sort of communal ritual, all with the same end goal. The worker told us he'd never seen the lines this long.
Forty five minutes later I was pushing little buttons and casting my vote. Doing my part for democracy.
I did end up voting for McCain/Palin just so you know. Don't hate all you who've been telling me why I should vote for Obama. I trust we can remain friends and respect each other within the body of Christ. To be frank, it was a very hard decision, but ultimately it came down to policy issues, certainly not personality. I heard McCain's voice on the radio yesterday and literally cringed at the thought of voting for him. And many of you know I think Palin is, to quote my father, "a twit." (Which actually a twit is a pregnant goldfish so it doesn't make much sense, but it seems a fitting word for her.)
As much as I desperately wanted to vote for Obama (and I do think he will win this whole thing) I couldn't push the button for him with a clear conscience.
Rob and I have been wrestling with this decision for weeks. Going back and forth, researching, praying, thinking, talking with others, examing the issues. For me what I had to keep coming back to was Obama's contridictions on wanting to help "the least of these" but consistently voting against the born alive act and where he stands on abortion. I know, I'm probably sounding like one of those "one-issue" people, but across the board, no matter the age, sancity of life is so important. There are other reasons I voted for McCain in the end, mostly having to do with the economy and thinking about how Obama's plan has potential to hurt small businesses, something close to my heart. I also don't like the idea of bigger government that Obama proposes. (There's lots more I could say here and if you want more of my thoughts just ask)
Perhaps some will criticize me for not standing up for social justice issues that Obama supports. Those are really the things I like the most about him and the reasons I honestly considered voting for him for so long. I respect him and think he will be an excellent leader should he win today. I think he could bring new things to this country. I'm tired of some of the Republican tactics and wanted to break free of them in this election. Part of me wanted to be rebellious and rub it in that I went against the grain of everything I knew growing up and voted for Obama. I know in my heart though that I must be accountable to myself, my country, and my Lord for where I cast my vote and that had to be where my priority was.
I think this is a very historic day and I'm anxious to see how it all plays out. I'm praying for a clear decision (no hanging chads please!) and a new focused vision for this country.
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2 comments:
Ha, well, I was going to email you and tell you to not tell me who you voted for because I know you've been thinking about it pretty intensely, and I didn't want you to feel you had to tell others. But, nevermind because its on your blog! ha.
No hate here. Hate isn't of God. And I think there are plenty of ways to stand up for social justice outside of legislation. So no judgement in that arena as well.
Its not who people vote for that gets me. That's much less of a concern for me. Rather, its those who believe that there is only one way to vote as a Christian. This is what is so sad to me. So, of course you are loved:) This is something that I have decided will be private for me in the future. Something I will talk about in small groups or on the phone, but probably no longer in my blog! ha. But then again, we'll see what happens next time around:)
Dobson would be proud :). But seriously though, I admire how thoroughly you examined and researched the issues. Much love!
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