Collegiate Times

I need to get something off of my chest. During the 2008 presidential election, I surprisingly found myself holding on to a secret that left me feeling guilty every time I formed my lips to say "Obama." The secret is that unbeknownst to many, I have not always been a supporter of Obama and, in fact, I detested Obama supporters. My lack of support for Obama was not because I was a supporter of McCain, Hillary, or any other candidate.

It was simply the fact that I loathed the "hype" that surrounded Barack. I don't deny the notion that we needed hope or change in our country. However, I simply detested the ideology that Obama was our savior. The notion that one man would save us from ourselves or better yet what we have allowed the United States to become.

Need I remind anyone of "Obama Girl!" or the music artists donning the infamous Obama shirts? I was most disappointed in my peers for pushing him to celebrity and savior-like heights on what I assumed was blind support based on his age, skin color, background, oration skills and/or just not being anything like Bush.

Part of the political process is to evaluate the qualifications and abilities of our candidates to support our country and values. I am not stating that Obama was not qualified. However, it was my perception that everyone had blindly jumped on the "Change" train putting all of their hopes for an American utopia in "The One." It was this lack of discernment for ourselves, if I must say so myself, rather than a critical evaluation that offended me and tarnished my initial experience in this election.

However, as we moved closer to Nov. 4 my opinions and perceptions about Obama and his supporters began to change. I slowly began to find myself (a self-proclaimed pessimist) as a passenger on the train toward hope. This change was not a result of digression to or from either of the presidential or vice presidential candidates based on either of their campaigns.

Instead, it was attributed to the actions of my colleagues. In my interactions with them during the election, they presented a passion and motivation for change through their increasing involvements on campus and in their communities that was truly inspiring.

In a period of tough economic times and two foreign wars, one may find it silly or even hypocritical to base their opinion of a presidential candidate on the actions of twentysomethings; however, I was impressed by my contemporaries. The change and movement propelled by the Obama supporters that I saw toward civic responsibility as well as the renewed interest in government affairs brought me hope for our future.

Initially, I was annoyed by the constant slander, ignorant rumors and comments about each candidate. However, I found myself excited by any and all dialogue that occurred including the almost nightly debates and arguments that occurred between my roommates and myself.

In fact, it was not uncommon during this time for the topic of discussion to be the Democratic or Republican conventions, or for a group of friends to critique the candidates' debate performances instead of a character on reality television.

As Election Day drew nearer, I found myself jealous of friends who volunteered or interned with the Obama campaign, simply because they had the privilege to be a part of this election fervor. I found myself wanting to fulfill my civic responsibility and do my part for this historic election and period of change.

The movement toward change in our thoughts, words, and actions gave me hope. For 2008, we took our minds and tabloids off of MTV and celebrities and focused on important issues and the people who we felt could carry our concerns to the White House to create the change that we wanted. While I do not want to take any credit away from President Obama, this message of hope is not new.

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