Election Night: What A Night!
WOW! What an election night. It was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. While it’s not known as of this morning if the Democrats will gain control over the Senate, it is known that they have taken control of the House. This in and of itself is amazing. But beyond this, I though there were other interesting races that probably speak louder to where the state of America is going and about the true feelings of our politicians.
In Michigan, which is generally a liberal state, residents voted in favor of a ban on Affirmative Action. I can’t really say I’m surprised. Michigan’s economy is in the dumps and when economic times are bad, believe me, people look to blame others for why they are without jobs and promotions. What disturbed me most is the comments I saw on the news and in the papers from people who voted for the proposal. Many of them said I was denied a job or a promotion because of Affirmative Action. All I could think about was how arrogant. Last time I checked, employers don’t usually tell people you were denied a job or promotion because of Affirmative Action so people just assumed that if a member of a minority group or a woman got the job or promotion over them then it had to be because of Affirmative Action. No way could the person have better qualifications than me. This, more than anything, offends me as both an African-American and a woman and speaks to the inherent feelings some people have about minority groups and women, and in my opinion, provides the perfect example of why such programs are needed.
A second race that I thought was interesting was the Joe Lieberman race. I didn’t find this interesting because he lost the Democratic race and went on to win by running as an independent. I have always admired Joe Lieberman and thought he was a guy who looked out for the people. His race showed me that he is like many people in Washington, a politician. He lost his party’s primary. He blatantly ignored the people he professed to represent, cared more about his own political ambitions and aspirations, and said forget that you didn’t see me as your candidate anymore. You’re wrong, I’m right and I’m going to run again as an independent and take a second bit at the apple.
I thought he could have learned a lesson from former Attorney General John Ashcroft when he lost to Jean Carnahan, who ran against him after her husband, then Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, died in a plane crash a few weeks before the election and won. Rather than cry or moan, Mr. Ashcroft said I could challenge (and he did have grounds!) but the people have spoken and no amount of challenge will change their wishes. They didn’t want me in this seat anymore. Although I’ve never agreed with John Ashcroft on anything, the fact that he recognized the people are the source of power made me think of him a bit differently. Senator Lieberman didn’t take the high road or respect the people’s wishes to me. This race gave me further insight into Joe Lieberman’s character and it’s something I don’t think Americans should forget anytime soon.
