Post-Election fever

Big news!! Obama won the presidency. Being my usual apathetic self, I couldn't care less who won, especially since I am not voting. But being here in the United States, you cannot help feeling involved in this business of selecting the occupant the 'highest office in the land.' We talk about it in Econs where the prof alludes to the importance of the economic package the candidates are bringing. We talk about it in IR when learning about some of US foreign policy. I had a whole unit of it in English class where the topic of stereotypes that we are discussing have a lot of connection with the election with the first black (race), oldest (age), and woman running-mate (gender). And definitely, since the people can vote at 18 here, the election was bound to come up in a conversation. The election fever was definitely in the air: celebrity voting drives, posters, flyers, commercials (which can be very overt) and programs to inform voters are everywhere.

I'm glad that Obama won, but not for some of the reasons that I hear are bandied about. Sure he's the first black president, but what has that got anything to do with why he was elected. I mean, he did get 97% of the black vote, but blacks aren't the majority here in the States. From my point of view, and the majority of the 52% voters that leaned his way, Obama was the better leader. He had the more organized campaign, better advisors, better policies, and better grasp of the economic crisis that everyone is going through. I have to keep in mind though that the newspapers I read might be influencing this judgment. But from what I see, McCain can't beat Obama, especially with the weight of the Bush unpopularity going against him.

That said, I feel that some people cannot see Obama beyond the color of his skin. I've heard some people contemplating that there'll be another election next year or so, alluding that Obama is either going to get assasinated or impeached. Some even compared Obama to Hitler because of his oratory skills. On the other side, I feel that some minority groups are simply supporting him because of his skin color. Thoroughout the campaign, Obama downplayed the significance of his race, and I respect him tremendously because of that. The bipartisan politics that he wants to play is a welcome relief because squabbling about policies along party lines wouldn't really be beneficial to the people.

Now to the post election part. Apparently, racism hasn't died in the land of the free. Some verbal abuse cases has been brought up and because of that, a can of worms have been opened. At a town hall meeting I went just now, it was obvious that there were some pent-up frustration among the minorities and the discussion went of the tangent a few times. For the most part, it was intense, but it was an interesting experience to see the openness of the American culture.

Mid semester fatigue. Can't wait for the holidays.