I'm in.



Nuff said. I think a huge chunk of the world just heaved a sigh of relief.

LabRat

I went back and forth about whether or not to comment. This board is a happy place for me and I hate to see politics argued in my happy place. Nothing I say here will change the mind of anyone deeply disappointed with the results of this election. In fact, I fear that by speaking out I may lose a few readers. But I'm happy today and I want to share why.

I've been a registered Republican for over twenty years. And yet I won't be voting with my party until they can swing back to the middle and represent the values of average Americans and not the extremists on the fringe. The GOP of Ronald Reagan and my youth has been overrun by strident voices seeking to legislate morality. I was raised to believe that free agency and personal choice are gifts. Personally, I don't think I could ever have an abortion. But I don't have the right to tell someone else, whose circumstances I can only guess at, that she doesn't have that choice. Neither can I tell a consenting adult who they can or can't choose as a life partner.

We're shaped by our experiences in life. My experiences taught me that life is messy and not to judge anyone on government assistance. My parents divorced when I was ten and my mother held down two full-time jobs while raising three children. Even with those two jobs (as a nurse, mind you, not a menial laborer), she had to swallow her pride and apply for welfare. To this day, I still remember the looks I got when buying groceries with food stamps. It wasn't a hand-out, it was the equivalent of wearing a big old scarlet "A". And yet I didn't grow up to be a "burden on the system". I went to college and became a tax payer myself. I'm grateful there was a safety net in place to catch us. I have absolutely no issues with paying in to the system that helped me.

I find it distressing that anyone wants to call me stupid or crazy or delusion for making a choice they disagree with. I live in the reddest of the red states and it's amazing to me that all these otherwise intelligent and compassionate people can't see past the end of their own noses. Four years ago there was a run on buying guns and ammo here. Everyone was so certain that it was the apocalypse and that Obama was going to take away their right to bear arms. And yet, every day for the past four years, the sun has rose and set and they're still free to squirrel away as many weapons as they choose.

Why don't we give Obama the second chance that half of America feels he earned and see if we could make this a better place instead of doubling down and hoping he fails? I was extremely impressed by Romney's concession speech and his sincere graciousness. Mitt said it best: "This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the President will be successful in guiding our nation."

I'm happy about it!

RJS :

I read your post several times over the space of two hours and couldn't work it out to being anything other than a negative comment. So as this is the positive thread it's been deleted.

You are, of course, more than welcome to post it in the appropriate, negative thread.

There is, of course, a small chance that I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick :rolleyes: so if that is the case let me know!

LabRat :-)

I had a hard time deciding whether or not to add my voice to this topic as I don't care to advertise who I vote for. It's just something ingrained in me by my parents that who you vote for is your own business and no one else's.

In 2008 I was very vocal who I was going to vote for and exercised that right through canvassing in the extremely partisan town that I live in. This year I was not as convinced that it would be best but did not like the idea of an alternative scenario where a republican house and senate AND republican president would take us. The social issues would be front and center but the economic ones would't be and That would be the primary reason I would consider voting republican. Unless and until the republicans learn to separate their social issues from the economic they will continue to have problems earning my vote.

As I read all of these responses so far (fewer though they may be) I'm heartened that I'm not the only one to feel this way.

I just thought I'd let the celebrators know that even though I disagree I'm not going to let a little thing like politics keep me from reading your stories. You guys are such fantastic writers. I hope the other wallowers agree and stay folcs.

Hear, hear! I'll vote in favour of this proposition.

Joy,
Lynn

I agree chickberry - definitely will not stop reading fics over politics. Now THAT is ludicrous!

I'm not American, but I think that Obama was the better of the two candidates. At the very least, he blundered less than Romney, and I just plain like him better - from the little I read about both candidates, that is. :p

Frankly, I'd be seriously disappointed in the intelligence of FoLCs if any of them were to let a silly thing like politics get in the way of important stuff like reading fic.

Fortunately, I don't think it's something I'll be encountering from this community any time soon. You guys are way too smart.

LabRat :-)

I'm happy with the results. I voted for Obama and jumped up and down like a hyper little kid when he took Ohio. I stayed up late (though I'm on the west coast, so really, what is "late"?) to watch the speeches.

He has a big job ahead of him and I hope he gets in there and gets things done. I'm counting on him to finish strong.

I haven't always been political, and definitely wasn't partisan for most of my life. Something about invading a country that had nothing to do with the one that attacked my city, running up a massive debt while paying for that bogus war, being called unamerican and traitorous because I dared to question it, etc.

I have also been appalled by the naked racism that has emerged from the opposition...this is not to say that everyone who voted against Obama did so out of bigotry--there is lots to disagree with that has nothing to do with race. BUT I was disgusted by the birther crap and all the other blatant dogwhistles which became acceptable behavior. Disagreeing is fine and a great American tradition. Calling Obama (who is actually further to the right of Nixon and would have been classified as a moderate Republican back when I started voting)a clown, a socialist, a Kenyan, a secret Muslim, etc etc etc was shameful. I was embarrassed to see how much public disrespect the Republicans gave him. Apparently they were shocked to discover that the disdain they felt was not universal

I have worked hard and paid my dues for my whole adult life, and I am furious at being called a lazy moocher because I voteed Democratic. Personally, I HAVE benefitted greatly--- my children get to pay low-interest student loans as I did 30 years ago rather than having a massive debt right away, my husband-who got sick as a result of being a 9-11 first responder-- cannot now be kicked off our health insurance, we got a few thousand back the past few years by reducing required social security contributions; implementing HARP & reducing our house interest, capping our health care costs for the
future at % of my salary (and bending national cost curve down by multiple billions over next 2 decades); ending war I did not support in Iraq- phasing out war in Afghanistan; killing Osama Bin Laden and most of Al Qaeda leadership (the ones that actually attacked us; not Iraq or Muslims or...); taking insults and being called Socialist, Fascist, affirmative action idiot, undeserving, unAmerican, having his wife's behind insulted for being too big and other regular racial slurs, etc etc... I don't love everything Obama has done as president but I think it should be apparent that this guy is a hard-working class act. He has responded with dignity and respect for others unlike his critics. I am not at all surprised that he won the "minority" vote so thoroughly. For four years, when the opposition was so busy insulting the President, those to whom the same insults could apply were noticing and remembering and taking offense.

Oh, Joy! I second everything you said, but most especially this:

I avoided coming here for a while because I was hurt and angry at the same time. I had no issue with anyone who expressed their views in a reasoned manner. But the name-calling and insults in my "happy place" felt deeply personal somehow. Thank you for putting it so succinctly.