05 November 2008

Caveat

With this year's election finally over, I feel like I need to say a few things.

First off, I'm not terribly happy that Obama is our president. Now, the other side of that is that honestly, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of McCain either. Both of them are just a little too liberal (politically and economically) for my tastes. But I'm not worried. God is ultimately in control of everything, and I believe this will work out for His glory in the end.

Second, I think the electoral college needs revamping, or at least rethinking. For all of the state's electoral votes to go with the side of the majority may not seem like a bad idea, but when the majorities are as small as they were this year (Obama led by <10% in a lot of states), all of those votes for the "other guy" are completely wasted. And I thought this eight years ago when Bush eeked by. Now, this is easy for me, someone from a state with 5 votes (5 whole votes! Oh joy of joys!!). But seriously, when a president can theoretically win with 12 states and 30% of the popular vote, something's wrong.

Lastly, one thing that worries me is the seeming deification of our president-elect. I mean, he skipped sainthood, and became savior in our eyes. Obama supporters are painting this picture like he is the Christ, and we need to follow him. That worries me. God is the only being deserving of glory, and when we ascribe that to a person, especially a person of power, things can be dangerous. Look at Hitler and Stalin. Now, I'm not saying Obama = Hitler = Stalin. What I am saying, is look at the hero worship that was rampant when these guys were in power. It gave them exponentially more power than was necessary or safe. Obama may turn out to be an ok, and even good president. But when we think he can do no wrong, we give him more power over us than I personally want to give.

All that being said, maybe it's good that we finally elected a black president. Maybe some people with more racist views will be compelled to think about that. Hopefully.

I did not write this to slander President Obama, or to declare that I'm moving to Canada (it's still far more liberal than this place), I just wish we'd think about some things before we do them, because while I'm sure that a lot of people made an informed, intentional decision to vote for the man, my gut tells me that a lot (maybe a lot more) didn't.

Also, maybe in four years, the Republicans will get off their lazy asses and stop trying to slander the "liberal devils" and actually embrace ideas and policies that hold to the conservative ideal. Just a thought.

1 comment:

Christina Anne said...

Hey, Marcus! I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate this post. I am somewhat of an Obama supporter, as in I voted for him because i felt that he was the best choice between them. However, I don't think he is the answer to all the world's problems and I'm also still a little anxious about the future and the decisions he will make. That said, I am so sick and tired of ignorant people going off about how we just elected the antichrist and how he's going to kill all our babies, etc etc. It was very nice to see someone have intelligent, informed reasons as to why they have some reservations about him. I may not entirely agree with you on everything, but I respect your opinion and the way you stated it. Thank you for that!

I also agree with the electoral college thing. I know I've heard a few explanations for why it is the way it is, but it has never really made sense to me!