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YES WE DID!

Cindy on November 5th, 2008

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” — Raymond Lindquist

Obama won last night — and it’s a gorgeous morning in my suburban Detroit neighborhood. The autumn sun shimmers through the maples in my front yard, and it looks like we’ll hit an unseasonal 70 degrees again today. Meanwhile, the city is sweeping away the fallen leaves in the street, adding to the sense that we’re all making way for something fresh and new. Like everyone else, I was overcome with emotion as I watched the election returns last night. And I couldn’t help but think about how our country has changed — how I’ve changed — throughout this historic presidential election. Here are a just few things I discovered about myself:

*I hadn’t lost interest in politics after all. Shell-shocked after eight years of George W. Bush, I’d merely developed a nasty case of political apathy. Yet I knew I was ready for change and was intrigued by everything I’d read about Barack Obama. I’d also been impressed, years earlier, by John McCain. But before I could commit to either candidate, I had to re-examine my own values and beliefs. I had to do my political homework. Then I had to find the courage to speak out.

*I care so much about my country that I stopped worrying about what the neighbors think. My family and I rarely displayed political lawn signs in the past. We live in a relatively conservative neighborhood — a neighborhood anchored by a strong Catholic church that supported McCain and Palin. Our Obama lawn signs were definitely in the minority, and I know they disturbed quite a few conservative neighbors who walked or drove past our house. We may have lost a measure of their respect while “outing” our Democratic choice in this particular election. In the long run, we learned who our real friends are.

*I learned the value of being informed. I had to study the big political picture and the major issues — the economy, the war in Iraq, the health-care crisis, educational reform, energy and the future of environmental resources. Just for starters. In the past, I typically skimmed the front page and went directly to the lifestyle section. During this election, though, I dug deeper. I spent at least two hours a day reading political Web sites and online editions of newspapers around the country. Meanwhile, a nasty flurry of myths and rumors circulated on the air and in print. I had to learn which sources were reliable — and which were not.

*It helped to take “news fasts” throughout the campaign. Several of my politically active friends pointed out that we’d all become addicted to our steady diet of political news shows, articles, op-ed columns, and e-mails. To quiet my pounding heart, I had turn off the television once in a while. Cooking a meal, riding my bike, or talking with a friend about non-political topics really helped.

*Laughter is the great political unifier. What would I have done without Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live ? She and the SNL cast — plus special appearances by the real Sarah Palin and John McCain — made the past several weeks a lot more bearable. We all needed to lighten up.

*My views on race and bigotry were put to the test. Like so many other white kids raised in middle-class suburbs during the 1960s and ’70s, I wrote reports about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. I gave lip service to the lofty notions of racial equality. But until this groundbreaking election, I never quite realized the depth of my desire for social justice and liberty for all — or how hard I was willing to campaign for those ideals.

*No matter which political party they support, people in America are more patriotic and passionate than I’d ever imagined. Yesterday’s historic voter turnout proved that we believe we can make a difference, and that we won’t give up on the values, dreams, and ideals we uphold. For the past eight years I’ve been worried about America — worried that we’d be forever paralyzed by alternating currents of fear and apathy. But now I have reason to hope. A bright, shining reason to hope. – Cindy La Ferle

Tags: 2008, 2008 presidential election, American politics, Barack Obama, civil rights, Democratic campaign, John McCain, Marthin Luther King, November 4, Obama victory, political activism, politics, Rosa Parks, Sarah Palin
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