Here's to democracy...

Not quite the result I was hoping for. Hearing the news of our new president really just left me speechless. I've been annoyed by the entire process from start to finish. There really is a misinterpretation of what is actually being said and what is being perceived.

McCain was my man from the start. Being from Arizona I’m familiar with him and knew what kind of person he is. Its hard to see that most Americans felt Obama was more qualified to lead than McCain. Just my opinion. McCain had the experience, knowledge and the guy spent five years in a POW camp. That’s got to count for something. The only thing he had going against him was that he was a republican.

I'll start from the top. When Obama first was hailed as democratic nominee I said out loud ''He's going to win because supporting Obama is 'thing to do' .'' The Obama nation, I feel, is a fad and is no different that slap bracelets, pogs, trolls and sideways hats. And like all fads you feel like and idiot after it goes out of style. Everyone wanted to support him because he was a fresh face and he wanted to shake things up. I’m ok with that. I think Washington does need some change but when it becomes blind faith in the guy, that’s when I see problems

Now this doesn't come out of the blue. There were a lot of red flags that alerted me to this, my favorite being the rhinestone Obama shirt. This shirt and many like it were soon to follow. I’m ok with supporting your candidate but make up your own mind. It was a big thing at my work to make Obama shirts and wear them. So for a while we saw a flood of homemade Obama shirts. Everyone talks about the race barrier wanting to be broken down, well no one even approached me wondering if I was going to vote Obama. Why would they, I’m a silly white man.

This also plays into the race issue I wanted to approach. I have no issues with the race of the president. I think we are way past that as a country but people will find any reason to fan the fire. Race to me is a non-issue and that’s why its frustrating seeing it become a huge issue. What upsets me is that it seems like everyone who was the same skin color voted for him because of that reason. A statistic shot by on my news ticket at work stated 95 percent of black voters voted for Obama. Not sure of its validity but it seems to make sense from what I’ve seen. Again at my work, small groups of people would congregate, all wearing Obama shirts. I think voting for a president because he is black is just as racist as not voting for a president because he is black. The line has been drawn and you’ve staked your claim. No one will admit to it but I think it was up there on the list of how people chose their candidate.

What I respect about Obama is that I don’t think he milked the fact but I had conversations with people I work with who had these Obama shirts I spoke about earlier. When asking why they chose to support Obama all they could say was the want ''change.'' Ok, so you saw a commercial, what kind of change are you looking forward to? I would ask. Needless to say, no one could really give me an answer. It was George Bush did this and that. The country is going to the crapper. Well to echo my buddy McCain, it’s not bush who Obama was running against. From what I can recall only one person I spoke with had a legitimate reason to vote for Obama. Only one person told me because of ….

I feel as if this election is more like high school student council Election. Its a popularity contest and based of how many friends you can attracht. Obama didn’t win because he is qualified (Cleary McCain has more experience in politics). He didn't win because his stance on issues(He‘s stance is closer to socialism lined with communism. Bet you didn‘t realize that). He didn't win because he has America’s best interests in mind. He won because he wasn't republican. He won because everybody is against racism yet based their vote on race. He won because he was endorsed by celebrities that have no idea what the hell they are talking about. He won because the majority of US citizens blindly bought into his ''Change'' philosophy.

Change huh. The wife and I are in in a tough situation. She is self employed and is going to be taxed even higher than she is now. If Mitchi or I cant get a better job or another job we will not have enough money to afford our house payments. My dad is in danger of losing his job at yucca mountain because democrats are so closed minded and self focused they will act blindly to shut down the program. So, that’s the change we get. Lord knows what’s coming your way but I will bet most assumed it was going to be a good change.

I’m venting now. Anger is my first step and I’m upset and I'm torn. My stance on politics can best be wrapped up in a Dropkick Murphy’s song Boys on the Dock. The lyrics go as follows, ''United we stand divided we fall, we came to this country you made it our home.'' I think a person can do more harm with blatant disregard for the country that just trying to take every day as they come. I think that there is a point and time when a citizen needs to step up and be hear. But good luck in this government. I'm upset and its going to be a bumpy road for the Thomas clan but I spent the last 8 years defending the government trying to maintain the sense of unity. So now everyone will have to listen to me complain. Some times feel like Harry Waters putting a gun to my head and mumbling ''a man must stick to his principles.''

I'd love to be proved wrong. I'd love to have all my concerns cleared out but I’m nervous. I’m going to bitch and complain for a while but yes I am an American and he is my president. The people have voted and that’s the idea of this country. Its just really hard to say that these days.