Republican Blues

Obama won and the Democrats won. I concede that. I realize that if I continue to fight that fact, I will only keep myself depressed about the outcome. i don't want to stay depressed, or disappointed. That's not who I am or want to be. Instead, I am choosing to take pride in my country, its democracy, and the wisdom of the American people as evidenced our nation's rise to greatness under this political system. It has worked throughout our history, Republican's losses this month cannot override centuries of evidence that this system works. (Thanks Dad, for helping me through this one. Dad's a Republican too! )

This is the toughest hurdle for me. I really respected and admired Gov. Sarah Palin. And I truly believed that McCain would keep me safer. But, that was before the American people weighed in on the same choice. If I respect and trust our democracy, I have to respect and trust the will of the voters on election day. And I will. That in turn requires me to search for what the people voted for and against, that I didn't recognize.

Reading a lot of articles in the last couple days, there is a lot of criticism aimed at both Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain, some of which, I have to admit is valid. When the economy and markets suddenly went down, the candidate who appeared to be the most in control and cool headed about it, was Sen. Obama. Sen. McCain reacted as if hasty reaction was the right thing to do. My high school economics course taught me that our economy is an incredibly complicated thing, and requires years of study to truly understand. Overnight reactions don't lend time to research and appreciate the data. Sen. McCain went from 'The economy is fundamentally strong', to 'we are in a crisis and someone must act', almost literally overnight.

It now appears to me that Sen. McCain reacted, not to the economic data and information unfolding, but to the political opportunity that it presented. And that was not a sign of the kind of problem solving leadership the voters were looking for.

Gov. Palin, bless her heart, is a spunky, assertive, up and coming leader. But, she was not prepared to jump from Governor of a low population state to potential president of the largest economy and military on the planet. She did not have the time and preparation to become informed on all the issues that a president may face, which a Gov. of any state need not be so informed about. But, from all that I read about her, she is a fast learner, and she has four years now to prepare herself for federal office, and I have a gut feeling she will take every advantage of that time to pursue her ambitions for both herself and our nation.

As a young Republican, I agreed with those in past years who said Americans should respect our president, even if they don't agree with his/her policies. Of course, those were Republicans speaking about Democrats criticizing and ridiculing Pres. Bush. Well, the shoe is on the other foot, and I don't like being a hypocrite. So, I resolve to respect Pres. Obama when he takes office, and to consider his actions and words on their merit alone, and not on past disappointments over his election. (Thanks Mom,, for helping me through that one. Mom voted for Obama, I think. She won't say.)

What matters now is saving our country which is in financial peril, and defending it while our enemies test for potential weaknesses in our new Administration. Sen. Obama will have the entire military establishment at his disposal and I have great confidence in our military to advise Pres. Obama wisely. I have to believe that our democracy works, because it always has.

Politicians serve many masters, but a great many of those running our government will listen and consider the voices of the people, especially when the decisions to be made will have long term consequences. I therefore, resolve to do something my teachers have encouraged us to do all through high school. That is to write my Congresspersons and President when I feel I have something important to say about where my country is going. I don't have a college education yet, but in a democracy it isn't required, or even preferred by those in government who want to know where the people stand. I am one of the people and I will insure my voice is heard.

I have also discovered that some respected Republicans like Colin Powell, who remain Republicans, supported Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain. They are far more educated and experienced in government and politics than I am. While I would not change my vote for McCain/Palin, I am a whole lot less nervous about an Obama administration knowing respected Republicans support him, and that some will even serve in the Obama administration. I heard Richard Lugar would turn down Obama on a position. I think that is a big mistake. But, there will be others to join the Obama administration to help create the consensus that will be needed to solve the difficult problems our nation faces.

It has been an exhausting and difficult week for this young Republican gal. I have gone from elation to dispair, joy to tears and back again so many times this past couple weeks, that I am drained, and nearly numb. I appreciate everyone's feedback on my last article, and apologize for not replying to more of your comments. I am going to spend the next week avoiding all things political to get my head back into a comfortable, stable place again. I will though rejoin the dialogue with a sense of hope and confidence that the 'Yes, We Can' phrase will be adopted by myself, and all Americans who love this country so dearly.

It is an honor to be given the privilege to write here at PoliWatch, and to receive the comments and feedback from others here. I look forward to your replies and comments and will respond to them when my energy is restored at the end of this coming week. Thank you all.

Writer:   LA Hanna on November 9, 2008 8:22 AM