Waking Up Blue in Virginia but Not Green with Envy

As I woke this morning I did so in a Blue Virginia. Oh what a heartsick feeling I experienced knowing Virginia had gone to the Democrats. But should I truly be surprised? Prior to the primaries even began I held no notion of a Republican winning the White House. The country, even conservatives were and are terribly Bush-weary. The Republican brand needed a respite to regroup, a return to a message backed up by actions of fiscal responsibility, the basics of Conservative ideals.

However when the Democrats shunned their star candidate, Hillary, for the young upstart far-left liberal, Barack Obama, a glimmer of hope was spawned for the Republicans. How could moderates and Independents vote for a product of the corrupt Chicago leftist political machine? John McCain, an authentic aisle crosser, a proven reformer, a man of the middle seemed to have the uniting chops that our country could embrace in these partisan times. The pick of Sarah Palin was nothing short of bold and smart bringing a shot in the arm to McCain at the perfect time. The Republican base was energized and began to believe in the impossible. Even so, none of these aspects were enough to shake the country of the vision of Bush. His specter hovered over McCain throughout the campaign with the kiss of death being the economic downturn. No matter how far from Bush McCain ran, the ghost of W hunted and haunted the McCain/Palin ticket. The final assault came a few days ago with the Cheney endorsement. What a Dick!

Now the campaign is over. Obama is president-elect. My state is blue and so am I. As the reality of this new page of history turns, the words of a younger friend of mine keep ringing in my ears. The words of this person, who is serving our country currently in the most dangerous of places, gave me a take on this election that at the time I took as the words of a brave yet callow young man. He is as conservative if not more so than I am yet he confided to me that he would not cast his vote for McCain. I was stunned to think my friend would vote for a left-wing candidate. He put my fears to rest. He was doing nothing of the like. Instead, he could not vote for either man. He did not want to see McCain be hog-tied by the left-leaning Congress when faced with an international political situation. My friend was convinced Obama would handily win due to Bush's unpopularity but would be faced with an incident that Obama, because of his debt to the left yet his need to govern from the center, would place him in the position of political suicide. Sound familiar? This was told to me a full three weeks before Biden ever hinted to such a thing. Today, just after the election is confirmed, Israel strikes Gaza. Hamas retaliates. Condi Rice races to the scene. Coincidence? Is this just the warm-up?

Will the left back off Obama and allow him to govern as a president to all Americans or will their quest for absolute power push Obama into decisions that would make him the political pariah of our time? The next 6 to 12 months will tell this tale. Having a black man as president of the United States of America is a momentous event, one all Americans, white and black view as a milestone reached however, this election was not about race. The left lifted Obama from obscurity. He is beholden them. The people voted Obama in. His oath is to protect them. To whom is he loyal? Obama is a man whose position will be tested. I may well now be in a state of blue but I am certainly not green with envy. My most sincere hope is that Obama does not turn yellow. Colorful times, no doubt.