So, about that election...

According to my sources, something major's going down in the US of A on November 4.

Even though I'm 6,000+ miles from home, living in a country so often spoken about by US politicians and reporters it might as well be denoted the 51st state, my entire being has become consumed by this American election. And while I hate to sound preachy, I just have to say it: Never before has an election been so decisive, so pivotal, and so unbelievably important to the future of my country and our world.

When I first realized I would not be in the states for the 2008 election, back when I thought my girl Hillary had a shot at commander-in-chief, I was devastated. Having volunteered for Kerry's campaign in 2004, and actually believing in him and what he stood for, I felt a certain obligation to work on behalf of the Democrats and do all I could to support their candidate. I wanted to be caught up in the energy and the excitement of an election. I wanted to register people to vote and educate them on the issues that matter! But mostly, I just wanted to slap a cool bumper sticker on my car.

Fast forward to Hillary losing the primaries, Barack Obama, for whom I had medium feelings, stepping up to the plate, me realizing that this election was going to be absolutely insane, and thus coming to terms with being removed from the mud-slinging and the name-calling; the finger-pointing and the negative press. I was actually kind of relieved to be outside the states for the election, though I vowed to take my rights seriously and vote absentee. (Which I did on Wednesday)

But over the last several months, I've realized that I am my mother's daughter. I am simply too fascinated with politics and dreams and the potential of human beings to sly away from the excitement. I simply cannot deny my concerns, my curiosity, and my love of people, the future, and my own citizenship. So since August, I've been following this election religiously.

Since August, around the time I watched his major DNC speech in Denver, I have fallen in step with the ideals of Barack Obama. I have come to see him as a leader that can not only bring about change, but can make others believe in themselves and what they are capable of. I have read his policies, and now know that they are totally in sync with mine. I have watched him speak to crowds of supporters and groups of indies, and seen him handle it all with ease. And especially recently, I have watched him take all the attacks and vitriole against him and rise above it, which says more about his character than any political ad, endorsement, or editorial could ever do.

Is he perfect? No. No person is. We forget that when we watch these people compete for our affections, and our votes. And whoever steps into the Oval Office on January 21, 2009 has more work to do than any of us could fathom. But in my bones, I feel that he is a great person. I feel that he can guide this country back on the right track. And I feel that he can put people in his cabinet, and appoint people to office, that will stand up for what is right and decent and progressive. I feel that he will make wise choices, lead effectively and intelligently, and above all else, he will point the country in a better direction. I believe in Barack Obama.

I've gotten into some heated discussions here about the virtues of McCain and Palin. A friend suggested I hate them and their party so much that I won't even bother considering them. And well, that's just not true! I don't hate Republicans. I feel that they represent a certain set of beliefs and principles, and for the most part, they're just not mine. In a perfect world, that would be okay. It would be enough to call a spade a spade, say we're different, and go on our merry ways toward the voting booth.

But unfortunately, that's not enough anymore. McCain and Palin represent a not-entirely-new mentality based on negativity, hate, and fear. I've watched both of them, observed their campaign, and more important than anything else, I've read where they stand on the issues. Suffice to say, I completely and totally disagree with what they stand for and the methods they're taking to garner support. I feel they would direct this country in a worse direction than we're already in; not because of who they are, but because of what they say they want to do!

I cringe when people say Bush's intelligence is enough to hate him. He's not an idiot, and that's not a reason to detest a politician. You look at what they stand for. You read what they have to say. You see who they appoint to positions and what they themselves stand for. You observe how they handle themselves in pressured situations, both home and abroad. You ask yourself if this person represents you, and your family and friends, and actually cares about their futures. You have to put your faith in your leader, and my faith is simply not with him, or with John and Sarah. It's with Barack and Joe, and it's staying there for good.

So, yeah. I'd say this election is pretty important. It's important to me, just Jaclyn, the woman who's studying to become a rabbi in the holiest city in the world. It's important to Adam, my beloved, living in liberal blue-state California, hoping Public Health will receive more attention and funding than it is now. It's important to my parents, my grandparents, and all their friends, worried about their investments and the hard-earned money they expected to last them through their lives. It's about the people I've never met in New Orleans, still picking up the pieces from Katrina and wondering when they'll actually get their fair due. It's about people all over America, in poor towns, in rich towns, red states, blue and purple, curious as to what the future has in store for them. And, it's about people the world over, looking towards my country and seeing what move we'll make next.

But it is probably the most important to those who have yet to come to be. To these future generations, what kind of world are we leaving them? What will those who come after us inherit, and how will they approach our creation?

VOTE.
-Jaclyn