Baited Breath

I haven’t spent much time on this blog talking about politics mostly because I can’t vote in the American election so it seems like that energy which would be better spent elsewhere. And the truth is, a lot of people (myself included) have gotten sucked into a negative space of hating Republicans and loathing Sarah Palin and insulting John McCain and as was pointed out to me, if people redirected all that energy towards positive intentions and goals, starving children could be fed, mountains could be moved and my bathroom could get cleaned more often.


I am excited. In two short days, the US will have a new president. And I am optimistic and hopeful that it will be Barack Obama. Mind you, eight years ago, I was optimistic and hopeful that it would be Al Gore and four years ago, I was optimistic and hopeful that it would be John Kerry. In fact, it never even occurred to me that it would be anybody else but Kerry. I understand now why he wasn’t elected. Lack of leadership. But truly, this can’t be said about Obama. Something about Obama makes me hold my breath. He reminds me of the great leaders of the sixties that I am too young to have experienced first-hand: John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Is it audacious to hope and believe that a black man can rise to lead the most powerful government in the world? Are there enough liberals out there to elect him, or will the red-necks and white supremacists and closed-minded citizens of America come out in record numbers to make sure that a black president is elected over their dead bodies? Consequently, will blacks themselves turn out in record numbers to make sure that never happens? Even if Obama wasn’t black, I would still be excited about the change that he represents.

I like my world leaders very much how I like my boyfriends: young and black. If I had to choose between a good-looking young, vibrant, magnetic, engaging black man or an ancient war veteran to run my country or share my bed…well, there’s no contest. Even looking at John McCain makes me afraid that he is going to drop dead right there on the screen. And while I recognize that there is a lot to be said for his heroism and experience, I want someone who is going to have enough energy left over to get up and make me breakfast the next morning.

But I digress. I know I am not the only one who feels like we are on the cusp of monumental and very exciting change. And although my vote doesn’t count, the results of tomorrow’s election will have an impact on my life and my government and my world, so I will be cheering from the sidelines in breathy anticipation to see the Americans put an end to eight years of rule by a chimpanzee and elect their first black president.

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