Change We Can Vote For

For the first time since the start of the campaign, it was becoming increasingly likely that along with millions of other Americans around the country, I would witness a first of some kind – either the first female or black nominee to be elected President.

Debates were heated not only on television but in nearly every classroom and university hallway. Proposition 8 and the “race card” were frequent discussion points, and I now know why politics and the workplace do not mix.

I cannot express enough the divisive stances many shared on issues of sexual orientation and race. Both sides of the fence couldn’t help but ponder the possibility of a Presidential assignation solely based on Barak Obama’s skin color, should he be elected President.

A blog in the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported in January that “assassinate Obama” turned up as one of the top 100 Google search terms – an alarming occurrence considering the Internet’s anonymity.

As election day neared it became obvious the buzz that surrounded the election was not just limited to the middle aged or elderly. Student endorsements and campaigns engulfed the Chico State campus, and I felt invigorated when I heard other student’s opinions on politics, and my own interest surged concurrently.

It is no wonder the young voter turnout was expected to reach historical numbers this election season. It was something to care about, and something to have a say in. It was a nice change.

The rate at which the lines moved when I finally made it to the Bell Memorial Union on election day were enough to make even an ipod boring, yet somehow I felt proud of my fellow citizens for taking their time.

Passions flared in some of my classes though, usually on issues like whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to enjoy the same marital rights endowed upon their heterosexual counterparts.

The familiar “separate but equal” motto began to rear its ugly head in the days after the election among fellow classmates, harking back to the civil rights movements of the 60s.

Some believe America has taken one step forward by electing the first black person as President, but two steps back with the passing of proposition 8, which rescinded gay marital rights.

Fellow journalism student John Stevens expressed his concern with the election’s results to classmates during an open discussion the day after the historical election. His words had a profound impact on me as he analyzed the logic behind the rights Californians were willing to protect the rights of animals, while denying the rights of fellow human beings.

“It is interesting that Californians consider the rights of animals to be more important than the rights of the gay community,” he said.

When the dust finally settled, it was clear to me that Obama would embark on a new game plan for America, and that people had finally gotten the inspiration they needed to help Obama make America great again.

At the same time inequalities still plague key sections of America, but I believe that with Obama the gaps between sexual orientation, race and gender can only get smaller.