Can Obama unite us?

I think just about everyone must have an opinion on this recent election.  Many are jubilantly celebrating and still others think this country just took a turn for the worst.  I received a somewhat troubling call today; this individual told me they were sick about what had just happened. I tried to surmise as to why and heard much about his voting record and stances on abortion which are perfectly legitimate ideological reasons not to vote for someone.  The troubling thing was not the person's vote but that they had given up on him before he had even started -- that they had already determined what his legacy would be.

We are a nation divided.  In a election widely hailed as a landslide victory, 46% still voted in the minority.  I have known many individuals, Christians no less, who are both to the far right and to the far left.   I have lived in the Bible Belt, the heart of perhaps the most liberal city of America, and even the UK.  I have heard disturbing comments from all sides -- how can a real Christian possibly believe that?!  It is a sort of tribalism -- not all that different from the regional conflicts that permeate the World.

And then there comes the election of the first black President elect.  The sad thing is that many people voted against him because of his skin color and still many others voted for him precisely because of his skin color.  Nevertheless, it is truly a remarkable achievement of one man who has cvercome tremdous odds.  It is a reminder for those of us cynics that we should dream the impossible dreams and that the the improbable can truly become a reality.  

There are many people in this World who present one public facade only to turn into something else behind closed doors.  The challenge of an election is to try and ascertain the true character of a politician beneath the continuous rhetoric.  One of the measures of character is how a person acts when they are in power.  I think of the story of King David and how he listened to the prophet Nathan when he could have easily had him killed.  And that is the thing that struck me about Barack Obama last night.  He had just achieved an overwhelming victory and had every right to relish in the moment with his supporters.  However, he made a point to reach out to those who didn't vote for him and say "I will be your president too" -- that to me was a sign of character.

With that speech, I got excited about an Obama Presidency.  Now here's the thing...I tend to be on the Conservative side of things and I do have my concerns about some of his polices as well as the worries of an unchecked Democratic Congress.  But I look at him and I see a man who is committed to his family and who has a genuine desire to help this country.  He has earned the respect afforded to the highest office in this land and an opportunity to change all the rules.  Only time will tell if he can retain that respect and truly be a President for all the people.