America Has Spoken, Now It's My Turn

Well guys, it's over. The people have spoken and Barack Obama is going to be our President for the next four years.

I'd be a liar if I said this isn't what I wanted, what I hoped for, what I argued over, lost Facebook friends over, and campaigned for. But this isn't a "Haha, my guy won and yours didn't" post. What I really want to write about is respect.

Something that made this particular election so interesting for me was that Layla was learning about elections at school and we had several conversations about what it means to elect a president and why it is a privilege to vote. As the polls closed, the votes rolled in and the states on the maps turned shades of blue and red, Layla asked me if I would be mad if Mr. Romney won.

Despite my many (strong) beliefs, I told her no.

Because here's the thing: No matter what you believe or who you voted for, we are all Americans. This is our country. I am proud to be an American, proud to live in a country with the freedom to vote, the freedom to vocalize my opinions (even if I'm just bitching and complaining on Facebook), the freedom to even have an opinion at all.

If Mitt Romney had won, I would have been disappointed. I would have spent a few days licking my figurative wounds and I would have moved on. It would have been a decision made by my country and, like it or not, I would have shaken off my pride and gotten on board. I tell my kids "You get what you get and you don't get upset", which is what I would have been telling myself (and have told myself, in past elections). Because when it comes down to it, we are all in this together and going around pissed off about something that is over and done isn't going to help anything.

So here's what I'm asking of the world today.

If you aren't thrilled that Obama won another term, that's fine. If you feel like this is a great injustice to America, do something constructive about it. Write letters, volunteer for a campaign in the next election (by the way, if anyone needs me, I will be Twitter-stalking Julian Castro, trying to convince him to run in 2016), do something, ANYTHING, that doesn't involve acting like Donald Trump. This election will not create another Civil War, I can promise you that. It doesn't have to be a sign of an impending zombie apocalypse or a sign that the Mayans are right. It's not a reason to start saying things like "That's YOUR President, not MINE" (this sentiment was hugely popular after Bush won his second term and though I am far from a Bush fan, I never understood it). It's pointless, worthless and a waste of your energy. We can't undo what has been done, certainly not by telling your Obama-loving friends that you hope they "choke on their own idealism" as someone charmingly told me via Facebook moments after the election results.

That being said...

If you are thrilled about Obama sticking around for another four years, I ask you not to be a sore winner. Don't rub it in people's faces. This is not an school yard, no good will come from a "nanny, nanny boo boo" attitude. This is also pointless, worthless and a waste of your energy. It's one thing to be proud of the candidate you voted for, but it is quite another to showboat. Be respectful, no matter what side of the argument you land on. Obama didn't win by a landslide, not even close. Mitt Romney ran a very well-executed campaign that made us all think about our choices, which despite our many heated social media arguments is a GOOD thing. Not to be forgotten, Gary Johnson also ran a very good campaign (3% of the votes might not sound like anything at all, but for a Libertarian candidate, it's huge. It's like a Republican or a Democrat winning 100% of the votes. So good work, Gary!). Whether you agreed with his politics or not, the Romney campaign made us think and talk about the things that matter the most to us in our country.

We are part of a great country, one that is definitely not without its problems right now. But those problems go beyond party lines and we, as Americans, should go beyond party lines ourselves to help solve them. Maybe I'm just a naive tree-hugging lunatic (who very well might choke on her own idealism), but I do believe that people can still make a difference. I believe in hope and change. I believe in respecting the leaders of this country, whether you love them or hate them. I believe in showing respect, because frankly, could you handle being President of the United States? Yeah, me neither.

As we head into the next chapter of our lives, all I ask is that we stop concentrating on our differences and start respecting each other and working towards making our country a better place. I wish we lived in the kind of world where Romney would be calling up Obama right now and offering his help and expertise in business to help make his next four years successful, despite the fact that they are from different parties. Unfortunately, life isn't a Disney movie and politicians (on either side of anything) will probably never behave like that. So it's up to the rest of us. The easiest way to make a difference is to be kind, be respectful, be a gracious winner, shrug off your loss and come together for the good of the country we all love so much.

And, if nothing else, remember this: The political ads are finally gone from TV and the radio. The overwhelming relief that we don't have to hear that crap every five seconds anymore is the one thing everyone in this country can agree on.