Derrick's Extremely Detailed Thoughts of the 2008 Election (Hopefully the last detailed one for a long time!)

No top fives for this entry, just the ONE!

1)

The election is over. FINALLY! However, being a Democrat since the year I started voting, this is definitely something to be proud of. The president-elect is a Democrat, and the Capital is now run by Democrats. However, despite the awesome win, it will be politics as normal. There will be issues raised, arguments made, conflicts to be eased, etc. On the other hand, despite the such normalcy, the difference between a good government and a bad one is whether they can progress and achieve something good for country despite all these "realities" to consider!

That is why I voted for Barack Obama for this year (obviously!). While it is true that in 2000, George Bush promised the exact same thing that Obama preaches in terms of unifying the country and easing the partisanship, I believe that Obama is smart enough to actually deliver what he has been saying in the campaign trail. While it is true that the Democratic Party now runs the game just as the Republicans have for at least six of the eight years of the Bush administration, that does not mean that they can run amok dictating liberal policies and forcing taxes to rise up to the roof. If they are smart, which I hope they are, they would consider that they could easily lose this power in the midterm elections of 2010 (Yes, another election!), and that they need to meet in the middle if they want to stay in power for a little longer than two years. Let's hope that dejavu does not occur in the opposite direction.

While the Dems are now calling the shots, I have to give credit to John McCain. His concession speech was just as good as Obama's. I believe this truly reflects the character of who McCain is as a good politician. If he actually stuck to his maverick character instead of complying to the Republican policies that have existed for these last eight years, I though he would be a even better opponent against Obama during the election season. Despite the many mistakes that have occurred on his side of the campaign, the McCain-Palin ticket was otherwise a very formidable opponent (An opponent I didn't want to win, but a good one nonetheless.). His pick for Sarah Palin as his vice president was a good choice as well despite what everyone else thinks. While there are criticisms that she is just plain...stupid, we need to remember that the majority of the nation is not as intelligent as she is. However, they are still decent, hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens and are still a power force in this country. In other words...DON'T underestimate the character of a person. She was able to organize and bolster her party numbers better than any other choice that McCain could have considered (like Romney or even Guliani). That, my friends, is power.

For now President-Elect Obama, this was indeed a very historical election. I never would have figured that the election of this country's first African American president would have occurred this early in my life. At this point though, ANYTHING is possible. Also, I think it marks the beginning of the end of the argument that "I can't do this or that because I'm black." The playing field is truly starting to even up. I do agree with Colin Powell that I didn't vote for Obama becasue he was black, I voted for him because I agree with his policies and he happens to be black. His campaign also started a new trend in how to bolster support for his policies...technology. It was definitely ingenious that he has used YouTube, Facebook, and text messaging to attract many voters, especially younger voters. He is definitely a president that really reflects the new power base for future elections to come...you and me!

Also, the propositions for the state of California were pretty interesting as well. I just wanted to say...

WE'RE GETTING A NEW TRAIN!

Well, there were definitely more interesting propositions than just 1A. Prop 4, a.k.a. Sarah's Law, has failed AGAIN. This is the third time that this proposition has come up on the California ballot. This is also the third time that I have voted yes for this proposition. At this point, it is DEFINITELY clear that the state does not agree with what this proposition proposes (Not by a clear majority, but a majority nonetheless.). How many more times will this proposition appear on the ballot? Also, I don't think it will get any easier to pass considering that the number of voters that were born after Roe v. Wade (1973) is getting larger and larger. Even the abortion-limiting propositions in Colorado and South Dakota have failed. Abortions unfortunately are now a normal facet of life. For the Pro-Life person, there definitely needs to be a re-assessment as to how to actually reduce the number of abortions down instead of just ranting on how evil and wrong the procedure is. Everyone knows that it's wrong. No one wants to have these abortions. However, someone really needs to make the American people think about abortions in a different way other than just saying that it's a life and displaying images of mangled fetuses from late-term abortions. I think they will definitely hit a societal jackpot if they can promote a pro-life policy that people can agree on other than just pushing to limit existing abortion laws or even outright making abortions illegal in this country. The current approach is definitely not working, and it needs to be fixed.

Another interesting one was proposition 8. Gay marriages are now illegal in this state under the California constitution. Yes, there have been protests, and there are now three legal cases attempting to reverse this proposition, but the state has spoken. One reason for this is ironically the huge voter turnout for Obama. A good chunk of Obama supporter are African American and Latino, and they are not as supportive or even kind to the progression of gay rights. Florida and Arizona have also rejected the right for gays to marry. For me, while I did vote no on proposition 8 and I am against the persecution and the discrimination against gays, I am not necessarily going to be disappointed in the passing of prop 8, nor am I going to be a hard fighter for gay rights. While I can care less if gays do get married and I don't buy in the idea that homosexuality needs to be wiped off the face of the earth, I'm a Catholic that still believes in a traditional family and the values that this brings, especially to my children. Therefore, I find no need or rush to promote gay rights. Someone else will fight as hard and as passionate for gay rights, but it's not going to be me.

There, that's it, no more about this election! In summary and in conclusion, all I will say is that in the word of Barack Obama "Change has come to America" and it is time for us and the rest of America to...

Move forward and move on!

That is all.