Wednesday, March 19, 2008

About Obama

Don’t worry, true believers, I am not about to become an Obama-ite. I do, however, have very mixed feelings about this election and my current, so-called, political affliations.

It seems, as of late, I’ve become addicted to reading about the current election. And I have to say, reading through some forums and some comments on news websites, I have been appalled with the varying degrees of hatred evident upon them. Shocked, you could say.

And I wonder how conservatives, who often claim to be Christian, can speak with such venom dripping from their words. Have they not read Scripture? What happened to loving one’s neighbor, or even enemy? Isn’t that the message Christ gave us, at least in some respects? And yet...Obama...wow...if his political platform was not so far left leaning from mine, I would almost vote for him out of sheer pity and admiration.

I read the speech he gave the other day. And I was moved. You know, even if he couldn’t absolve himself from his relationship with his pastor...I feel like it took a lot of moxy to stand up there and not do so, even with the press and critics frothing at the mouth about it. He could have completely renounced the man in an attempt to save his political career...but he didn’t. I admire that, misguided though it may have been.

And his message? Even if you dislike the man, can you deny the truth of his speech? Isn’t race a huge problem that no one likes to look at? Don’t we need to stop fighting?

I think about the partisan culture we live in. We are so completely divided. And it is clear that even within parties, there is a huge divide. What is happening? How can we mend the rift? I am reminded of Ancient Rome that toppled because of decay on the inside instead of the barbarians on the wall.

Are we like that? Are we close to crumbling as a nation due to our lack of introspection? Due to our lack of unity? If ever there was a time for us to truly be the UNITED States...now is the time.

Obama...even if you lose, I hope someone takes up your torch and unites us somehow...before we divide along lines that can never be mended.