Election reflection
So, here is my several days late reflection/analysis on the 2008 election. I'll start from the high offices and work my way down.
The United States has elected Barack Obama to be our next president. This makes me so proud. And let me tell you something, I'm pretty sure the last time I was proud to be an American was September 11. The reason I was proud then was because how we all came together in the face of a tragedy. Now, seven year later, I see this country coming together for something positive. It is such a refreshing change. For so long, I've felt that the U.S. has been the laughingstock of the world. Now, I look at pictures, and I see people from all over the world celebrating with us. For so long, I've been so frustrated with the administration in power. Now, I can look to the future and can see our nation working to cure diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with the help of stem cell research. Now, I can look to the future and know that women in third world countries will be able learn about all options when it comes to choosing their reproductive destiny because President-elect Obama will repeal the global gag rule. I feel I can trust him with the education of young Americans, both K-12 and post-secondary.
Will his administration be perfect? I'm sure not. I don't think there are any easily made, or completely right or wrong decisions when it comes to things like the economy and the war in Iraq. But am I pretty darn sure that he will be better than Bush or McCain, the former of which has led this nation down the wrong path, and the latter of which I feel would probably closely follow in his footsteps.
Also, I believe the United States finally electing someone other than an old, white man is a true sign of progress for this country. Yes, there's that whole "all men are created equal" thing, but it really isn't true, particulalry for members of minority ethniticies. I sense that the election of Barack Obama has given the African-American community hope (please watch the linked video all the way through- it will bring tears to your eyes) and vindication. I sincerely, truly hope that this will inspire more African-American youth to reach for the stars, to believe that they can be anything they want to be.
Also, the decisiveness of this election was both a joy and a relief. Regardless of what side you were on, I'm sure we can all agree that it was nice not to have to wait for that one...final....state. Hearing the West coast called for Obama, thus putting him over the 270 mark was a thrill I will not soon forget. The energy in the synagogue whose election party I attended was electric. When we left, we walked through downtown DC to our metro stop to honks and yells of joy. It truly was a night to remember.
Now, if only Minnesota would not have let me down so much. Yes, it went for Obama by a decent marigin (take THAT GOPers who thought you could turn us red by hosting your convention in the Cities!!!), but for other offices, I was not so pleased. Take Minnesota's 3rd (Minneapolis suburbs) and 6th district (St. Paul suburbs and St. Cloud area- it's gerrymandered). In the 3rd, we had moderate Republican Rep. Jim Ramstead retiring. This resulted in quite the race between Eric Paulsen (R) and Ashwin Madia (D). It was supposed to be close, but Paulsen ended up beating Madia by a good eight points. I wonder if Paulsen's campaign saying that he is more "demographically suited" (read: married and white) actually worked. I mean, Madia is an Iraq war vet- I thought that would go over pretty well. Apparently not.
Then there's that lovely 6th district with my most favorite person ever, Michele Bachmann. You know, the one who went on Hardball sounding like Joe McCarthy. Before those comments, I pretty much figured she would win. However, after those comments helped El Tinklenberg (her oppontent) raise a pretty damn nice sum of cash, I was hoping that her crazy ideas and the infusion of money would push her out. Not so. She won by 3%. I know she isn't my representative, but her comments brought all this negative attention to my state. I don't want that association.
Then there's the Senate election, in which a winner has yet to have been called. Let's make a list of all the things wrong with this race:
1. Norm Coleman should not have this Senate seat to begin with. Had the late Senator Paul Wellstone not tragically died in a plane crase a merely 11 days before the election, Norm Coleman would not have won. Yes, it was a close race, but Coleman beat Mondale, the chosen substitue, by only two points. I think if the original candidate had been in, he would have beat Coleman.
2. The Democratic nominee is Al. Effing. Franken. Seriously DFL, couldn't we have picked someone better? Yes, some potential nominees (like Priscilla Lord Farris) came in the game late, and others (Mike Ciresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer) who...I don't know why they didn't get it over Franken actually. I didn't pay nearly enough attention to the DFL primary. Regardless, Al Franken is a COMEDIAN. He is a JOKE of a candidate. Yes, I voted for him, but it was more of a vote against Coleman than a vote for Franken.
3. Dean Barkley. UGH. Actually, you know what? It's the DFL's fault that they didn't nominate a better candidate. Still, it irks me that Barkley decided to jump into this.
So, I am, in a nutshell, disappointed in my state when it came to choosing people to represent us in Congress. Regardless of who wins this recount, I will be unhappy. I suppose I can take solace in the fact Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, and Obersar easily won reelection. Still. Ugh.
And then there is that whole Prop 8 thing happening in California. I am quite upset about this. I mean, if California won't stand up for gay marriage, what state will? Also, this state voted for more rights for farm animals--but they chose to deny rights to humans in their state. What the hell?
So, that is my general election analysis. Quick blurbs about other things in my life:
For those who did not see my facebook status/aren't friends with me on Facebook, I recently found out that I was accepted at my first choice study abroad location: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I will be heading there in January and returning to the states in June, and I am really looking forward to it!
I recently purchased a pretty yellow dress for 60 dollars. It was originally $250. Oh yes, I am awesome. Especially since I used a gift card, so it wasn't even real money.
School is going so-so. I've been really let down by one class- Religion and American Public Policy. Pretty much all we've talked about has been Supreme Court cases. I undetrstand that some basic knowledge of key court cases is important, but what about legislation (we've spent one class on that)? What about the religious lobby? What effect does religion of politicians have on our laws? Nope, we aren't going to talk about these things. We're going to talk about COURT CASES!!! Probably b/c our prof is a lawyer. Ergh.
Hebrew sucks. I'm bad at it, and don't want to work hard at it, so I do poorly.
American Political Parties has probably been the highlight. Good prof, plus an interesting class to take during the election.
Reporting is another good one. I do fairly well in it, and the prof is knowledgable. There are a lot of whiney people in the class though, which ticks me off a great deal.
Leadership program/internship- also so-so. Don't really feel like going into it.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my life right now. Also, I spent a long time writing this (particularly the election section), so I expect comments! Thanks bunches!!!!
The United States has elected Barack Obama to be our next president. This makes me so proud. And let me tell you something, I'm pretty sure the last time I was proud to be an American was September 11. The reason I was proud then was because how we all came together in the face of a tragedy. Now, seven year later, I see this country coming together for something positive. It is such a refreshing change. For so long, I've felt that the U.S. has been the laughingstock of the world. Now, I look at pictures, and I see people from all over the world celebrating with us. For so long, I've been so frustrated with the administration in power. Now, I can look to the future and can see our nation working to cure diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with the help of stem cell research. Now, I can look to the future and know that women in third world countries will be able learn about all options when it comes to choosing their reproductive destiny because President-elect Obama will repeal the global gag rule. I feel I can trust him with the education of young Americans, both K-12 and post-secondary.
Will his administration be perfect? I'm sure not. I don't think there are any easily made, or completely right or wrong decisions when it comes to things like the economy and the war in Iraq. But am I pretty darn sure that he will be better than Bush or McCain, the former of which has led this nation down the wrong path, and the latter of which I feel would probably closely follow in his footsteps.
Also, I believe the United States finally electing someone other than an old, white man is a true sign of progress for this country. Yes, there's that whole "all men are created equal" thing, but it really isn't true, particulalry for members of minority ethniticies. I sense that the election of Barack Obama has given the African-American community hope (please watch the linked video all the way through- it will bring tears to your eyes) and vindication. I sincerely, truly hope that this will inspire more African-American youth to reach for the stars, to believe that they can be anything they want to be.
Also, the decisiveness of this election was both a joy and a relief. Regardless of what side you were on, I'm sure we can all agree that it was nice not to have to wait for that one...final....state. Hearing the West coast called for Obama, thus putting him over the 270 mark was a thrill I will not soon forget. The energy in the synagogue whose election party I attended was electric. When we left, we walked through downtown DC to our metro stop to honks and yells of joy. It truly was a night to remember.
Now, if only Minnesota would not have let me down so much. Yes, it went for Obama by a decent marigin (take THAT GOPers who thought you could turn us red by hosting your convention in the Cities!!!), but for other offices, I was not so pleased. Take Minnesota's 3rd (Minneapolis suburbs) and 6th district (St. Paul suburbs and St. Cloud area- it's gerrymandered). In the 3rd, we had moderate Republican Rep. Jim Ramstead retiring. This resulted in quite the race between Eric Paulsen (R) and Ashwin Madia (D). It was supposed to be close, but Paulsen ended up beating Madia by a good eight points. I wonder if Paulsen's campaign saying that he is more "demographically suited" (read: married and white) actually worked. I mean, Madia is an Iraq war vet- I thought that would go over pretty well. Apparently not.
Then there's that lovely 6th district with my most favorite person ever, Michele Bachmann. You know, the one who went on Hardball sounding like Joe McCarthy. Before those comments, I pretty much figured she would win. However, after those comments helped El Tinklenberg (her oppontent) raise a pretty damn nice sum of cash, I was hoping that her crazy ideas and the infusion of money would push her out. Not so. She won by 3%. I know she isn't my representative, but her comments brought all this negative attention to my state. I don't want that association.
Then there's the Senate election, in which a winner has yet to have been called. Let's make a list of all the things wrong with this race:
1. Norm Coleman should not have this Senate seat to begin with. Had the late Senator Paul Wellstone not tragically died in a plane crase a merely 11 days before the election, Norm Coleman would not have won. Yes, it was a close race, but Coleman beat Mondale, the chosen substitue, by only two points. I think if the original candidate had been in, he would have beat Coleman.
2. The Democratic nominee is Al. Effing. Franken. Seriously DFL, couldn't we have picked someone better? Yes, some potential nominees (like Priscilla Lord Farris) came in the game late, and others (Mike Ciresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer) who...I don't know why they didn't get it over Franken actually. I didn't pay nearly enough attention to the DFL primary. Regardless, Al Franken is a COMEDIAN. He is a JOKE of a candidate. Yes, I voted for him, but it was more of a vote against Coleman than a vote for Franken.
3. Dean Barkley. UGH. Actually, you know what? It's the DFL's fault that they didn't nominate a better candidate. Still, it irks me that Barkley decided to jump into this.
So, I am, in a nutshell, disappointed in my state when it came to choosing people to represent us in Congress. Regardless of who wins this recount, I will be unhappy. I suppose I can take solace in the fact Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, and Obersar easily won reelection. Still. Ugh.
And then there is that whole Prop 8 thing happening in California. I am quite upset about this. I mean, if California won't stand up for gay marriage, what state will? Also, this state voted for more rights for farm animals--but they chose to deny rights to humans in their state. What the hell?
So, that is my general election analysis. Quick blurbs about other things in my life:
For those who did not see my facebook status/aren't friends with me on Facebook, I recently found out that I was accepted at my first choice study abroad location: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I will be heading there in January and returning to the states in June, and I am really looking forward to it!
I recently purchased a pretty yellow dress for 60 dollars. It was originally $250. Oh yes, I am awesome. Especially since I used a gift card, so it wasn't even real money.
School is going so-so. I've been really let down by one class- Religion and American Public Policy. Pretty much all we've talked about has been Supreme Court cases. I undetrstand that some basic knowledge of key court cases is important, but what about legislation (we've spent one class on that)? What about the religious lobby? What effect does religion of politicians have on our laws? Nope, we aren't going to talk about these things. We're going to talk about COURT CASES!!! Probably b/c our prof is a lawyer. Ergh.
Hebrew sucks. I'm bad at it, and don't want to work hard at it, so I do poorly.
American Political Parties has probably been the highlight. Good prof, plus an interesting class to take during the election.
Reporting is another good one. I do fairly well in it, and the prof is knowledgable. There are a lot of whiney people in the class though, which ticks me off a great deal.
Leadership program/internship- also so-so. Don't really feel like going into it.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my life right now. Also, I spent a long time writing this (particularly the election section), so I expect comments! Thanks bunches!!!!