RandomTope: Barack Obama

In the end, after months constanstly plugged in and glued to the TV it's fitting that on a historic night I finally got the news from the most old-school of sources. Driving downtown to catch up with some friends to toast apparent success, it was on the radio that I heard Barack Obama had been elected president of the United States.

As NPR was announcing that polls had closed on the west coast, and indeed the unlikeliest senator from Illinois had just made history, I suddenly got that same tingly feeling in my gut from August when I was fortunate enough to attend his dramatic acceptance of his party's nomination.

My gut then told me we were nominating a decent man for the job, and months later, I remain convinced of that today.

I can think of no better time to change directions in America. A nation battered down economically, stretched militarily and drained from decades of divisiveness needs someone to inspire them through tough times.

My hope for Barack Obama is that he uses the opportunity to become a great president for all of America, a difficult path when the temptation to veer the partisan way is enticing.

We must carefully remember the still-fresh example of his predecessor, who squandered the goodwill and opportunity of a nation by pandering to the extremes of partisanship.

The tingle in my gut gives me much hope. Time will tell.

As most big elections go, you can't necessarily win everything, and Tuesday night was no exception. While I applauded John McCain's graceful concession and cheered Obama's Grant Park celebration, there was a dark cloud in California brewing as the tallies started coming in for Proposition 8. As we celebrated the apex of racial equality, gay civil rights took a blow in the sunshine state.

It was an ironic twist that as Colorado finally rid itself of Marilyn Musgrave, one of the authors of the proposed Federal Marriage Ammendment, the thousands of same-sex couples that shared their vows in California this summer were told to get back in the closet.

As America celebrated a milestone in the march toward civil rights, some of those very same supporters shut the door on another minority that simply wants the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities that all Americans have.

Luckily as with presidents, the beauty of our political system is that ballot boxes are only markers in time. No setback will deny me the hope that one day I will legally be able to look my partner in the eye and say "until death do us part."

In the meantime I choose to be heartened that we came so very close in California. While there is still much hate in our nation today, there are more and more people everyday who are sick and tired of previous generations' false morality.

If an African-American can become president in the not so distant shadow of slavery and segregation, there is hope for the rest of us. It gives me more determination to live my life openly so that everyone knows my partner and I exist and we both ask and demand to be treated equally.

Barack Obama mentioned us in his speech in Denver, and he did so again in Chicago this week.

Marriage equality may have taken a shot or two on Tuesday, but it's a powerful dawn to have someone who simply even acknowledges you moving into the White House.

Yes we can.

Regardless of whom you support, the current election here in the United States needs to be a decisive one, setting a clear track for a nation stumbling through war and economic malaise.

This election really matters.

My choice to lead us?

Barack Obama.

If you are still undecided, I urge you to look for the candidate that has a clear vision for America, that isn't based on the tactics of fear mongering and greed that got us here in the first place. I urge you to look for the candidate who is surrounding himself with a respected team of leaders to help guide him through turbulent times.

I think you can rightly wonder if Obama will do the right thing and govern closer to the center like he promises. The John McCain of 2000, I may have trusted to do so. Sadly that McCain disappeared eight years ago, replaced by a candidate pandering himself to the extreme conservative right, topped off by his seriously ill-advised gimmick in choosing Sarah Palin to join his ticket.

There is a clear choice this year. His name is Barack Obama.

Whomever gets to be our next president, I think it's clear our nation is at a crossroad facing serious challenges.

I hope for all our sake that either John McCain or Barack Obama can rise to the challenge of governing from the center, looking to build a broader consensus as we figure our way through the current economic and political climate.