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Mostly Hooray!!!!
I’m beyond stoked about the results of last night’s election. I have never seen the whole world happier about something like this. I have high hopes for our new President and I am so happy to see everyone else so happy. I know Obama is the really big news, but I can’t totally ignore the disappointing results of a few ballot measures in various states.
First of all, I am happy with a lot of the ballot measure results. I am happy to see progress made for marijuana and euthanasia, and I am really happy to see that even the red staters are upholding a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. Great job, fellow Americans.
Now here is the bad news, every state that gave voters a chance to be mean and hateful towards same sex couples did the wrong thing. I am especially disappointed in you, California. WTF? The good news is the haters are on the way out and eventually we will have gay marriage nation-wide. Don’t believe it? Check out the CNN exit polls for the states that had these gay marriage ban measures. The important thing to look at is what voters did by age group. Notice all the hate-free 18-29 year olds? The 18-24 year olds are even better. So eventually the jerks in this country are going to be the minority as we march into the future. Progress always wins out eventually and this embarrassing period will be frowned on the same way we now frown on past bans on interracial marriage.
I am disappointed to see us moving so slowly on this gross inequality, but I can’t help feeling really happy about all the other giant steps we saw the country take last night.
Yeah, a big step forward for the US but a couple of steps back. But as you say, progress is happening and change will happen when the collective mind changes… though I did read somewhere people misunderstanding prop8 and if voting yes meant yes for gay marriage etc.. think that’s true? But well done the USA on Obama, had the whole of Europe rooting for him I think, but both candidates supported the death penalty, that’s right isn’t it?
Comment by SSG — November 13, 2008 @ 10:57 pm
I would not be surprised if people voted in a way that was against their intentions on the ballot initiatives. They seem to make them deliberately difficult to understand. I always find I have to read questions on our ballots a few times to make sense of what is asked. They will say things like “Do you not want to amend the state constitution to overturn the law against the ban same sex marriage?” Seriously, that is how they often word these things. So how would the average person know what they’re even being asked?
As a US citizen, I am happy we finally elected someone the rest of the planet isn’t disgusted with on day one. I hope that sticks.
Yes, both Obama and McCain are pro-death penalty. I don’t like it. I would like it abolished but we have very few mainstream politicians in this country that agree with me on that. I think our entire prison system needs major reform, it’s a national embarrassment. There are a lot of issues that I find distressing in the US, but I’m a lot more left leaning than most people here so I realize I have to accept baby steps.
Comment by ex-boyfriend — November 14, 2008 @ 2:12 am