Sitting in class on Wednesday, I was struck by a strange feeling. It was a strange amalgamation of pride, possibility, respect, and as tired as meaningless as the words has become – hope. Less than 12 hours before, our nation had ignored racial prejudice, demonstrated its maturity, and elected an African-American man to the country’s highest office.
This decision gave me a content glow for almost 12 hours, that is, until I took my seat in class and heard the death rattle of democracy from the back row. “I’m so glad we can stop talking about politics,” this grim reaper of the republic said.
Politics, like it or not, are how this country is governed, how policies are made, how things are changed, how wrongs are righted. It’s not perfect, it might seem overly bureaucratic and frustrating, but if you want to affect change, you are going to have to figure out how to use the system.
Barack Obama, contrary to the rumors you might have heard, is not an all-powerful being of strength and might with the power to shape policy using just his thoughts. He was elected by a 65,431,955 citizens who wanted to see a change in how the country is run, but these 65,431,955 need to back up their man if they expect anything to happen.
A vote is one way of telling the government what you want for the country, but it is far from being the only way. During the recent “Life of the Party” political discussion hosted by WeVote, several of the panelists addressed Obama-era apathy, and had some words of advice worthy of sharing.
“If you are going to vote, you must be involved in the political process,” said Anarchist rep Danny Muller. I will be the first to admit that an anarchist rep on a political panel had his work cut out for himself in trying to win me over. However, with just five days to go before the election, and an Obama victory looming, Muller and the rest of the panel set the ideological groundwork for a more involved society, where we feel a responsibility beyond the ballot box.
Democratic rep Rachel Talbot Ross expressed her concern that a political slogan had turned an idea into a catchphrase. “Those voting for change don’t even know what it means.” She said. And indeed, this dangerous disambiguation has led many to believe that Obama is change, and that his impending presidency means smooth sailing from here on.
Sorry to speak so loudly during this election hangover, but there are still a lot of issues we are dealing with as a country that one man can not, and should not be expected to, change all by himself. Two wars, one economic crisis, and the highest expectations we have ever allowed ourselves for a president.
It’s time for us to realize that it’s not only the president-elect who has promises to keep, we need to enable him, through our voice and involvement to accomplish what he’s set out to do for us and our country. A citizen is not just a citizen once every four years, follow through with the hope you allowed yourself to feel, and be the change you voted for.
Thank you for reading,
Matt Dodge