Meditations upon the last election.

"It's about believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life."--Shepherd Derrial Book

"I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it." --Ibid.

"You've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything."--Aaron Tibble

For those who don't know, the first two quotes are from a character from the television show Firefly, created by the same man who gave America Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The second quote in particular comes from the movie, where the Shepherd (a wandering minister in the series) has settled down on a planet, and is speaking to another character, Mal Reynolds, about a danger he's in. The villain of the piece, the Alliance, had sent an assassin after another character under Mal's protection, an assassin who believed strongly that the Alliance was trying to create a world without "sin." The assassin would do anything to bring about that world; from the strength of his belief came the strength of a juggernaut, and no one that didn't believe could stand against him.

The Operative came close to winning, too; however, Mal found his belief. Mal believed, with all the strength of his soul, in freedom. That people had to be free to choose whatever path they wanted to take.

It was enough for him.

Funny. Seems America doesn't really stand for anything anymore, or at least our politicians don't. Out of all the twerps running for president last election cycle, from the very first part of the primary season (in 2006), it seemed as if none of them believed a single word they said. Oh, it sounded wonderful enough, for most of them (Joe Biden, ironically, was a shining example of a politician having his filter outside of his mouth, rather than between his brain and his mouth). But I never got the feeling--with any candidate--that they believed in what they claimed to believe in.

Except for one. And he got elected president.

I do not believe in any of the same things that President Obama believes. I don't believe that the Constitution is a sound, but fundamentally flawed document (except in that it permitted power-hungry self-chosen transnational progresives to take over the whole shebang). I don't believe that socialism is a better way of life--I certainly don't want to work my tail off to support someone who doesn't want to work at all, and I don't want anyone to give me charity. I don't believe that the government can understand everything I need better than I do, and can take better care of me than I can.

I do have to say this for him, though. Despite the fact that his core beliefs run totally opposite to mine (and have shown to run totally opposite to some of what he says), the fact that he has beliefs in the first place, believes them all the way down to his very soul, and is willing to act on those beliefs is something that I have to respect.

It is, after all, something that no one else in the campaign had going for him. Or her. And America saw that, and loved that ability to believe. They wanted to believe, too.

Here's hoping that the event that shows him just how fundamentally flawed his beliefs are is less horrible than that which shook the Operative's faith. For all our sakes.