For pundits such as the outspoken FOX news favorite Dick Morris, the reelection of President Barack Obama was a hard pill to swallow. Hopes and dreams of a different tomorrow were prematurely aborted and a gaping void remained in the wombs of self-proclaimed conservative Americans. Ironically, I felt that void 4 years earlier when President Obama was first elected. At that time, I sensed that the America I had come to know for over thirty years was slipping from my reach and further from my son’s grasp. Yet this go round, my heart was prepared for what occurred. Hispanics, women and young people came out in droves to cast their vote. How proud I am of the political process in our country that allows us to exercise our rights in freedom without guilt or condemnation. However, we cannot be naive regarding the methods, strategies and techniques used throughout the campaign to target certain populations. For instance, when pop icons wear provocative ballots (Katy Perry) or sing lyrics such as “I got 99 problems, but a Mitt ain’t one,” (Jay-Z) while on the campaign trail with the President of the United States, it’s blatantly obvious that young people will be drawn to the candidate who has celebrity endorsement they can relate to. Sure, I can further explore the reasons for the overwhelming Hispanic and African-American vote and provide my opinionated commentary, but instead I will focus on my own vote. On that I am an expert.
I am confident that I voted principle and not politics. I am grateful that I am independent in thought and not easily swept away by group think mentalities on either side of the aisle. During the campaign, I was courted by Republican organizations who sought to have my service in holding signs, making calls and stumping for the Republican candidate. But I made a choice to abstain due to the divisive nature of the presidential campaign. We are “one nation under God indivisible,” and I felt that my participation in partisan politics was an endorsement of a culture I didn’t believe in. I pray and sincerely hope that President Obama has a productive 4 more years; that he reaches across the aisle to bring unity to an ever dividing nation; that he will base his decisions on a wisdom greater than his own for the well-being of all humanity and not just persnickety lobbyist groups.
The 2013 inauguration falls on the day our nation observes the glorious life of Martin Luther King Jr. and his pursuit for justice and equality for all men and women. For me this day will be more symbolic than ever. I will not dwell on the fiscal cliff debacle, the debate on gun violence or birth control. In order to move “forward,” I recognize that even though my candidate will not be inaugurated on January 21, 2013, I have won. From the Kat’s Eye, it is others who lost the opportunity to embrace “change” that would foster economic growth, personal responsibility, global independence and patriotic allegiance.
So, I solemnly swear that I will celebrate the year 2013 in victory, declaring that in my life, and the lives of loved ones, the best is yet to come. This truth, I hold self-evident, is not determined by who holds an office but more in line with the words of Martin Luther King Jr. which is that I will “accept finite disappointment, but never lost infinite hope.”
Dear Kat’s Eye:
You are a prolific and well read woman, who intellectually filters the need for worthy news and journalist reporting. Unlike, you I had no doubt in my mind who I was casting my vote for president. Granted, the last four years was a less than stellar performance by the President, I had hoped to see a significant change in various areas; and to be fair he did make strides in key areas but it was not the dent that I or even Americans needed for a WOW! moment of exhilaration. For me personally, starting over is very hard and I felt that given the circumstances my candidate faced, perhaps the casting of my vote will not have been in vain.