by Kristin Castle

Created on: November 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 25, 2011

He's black- better yet, he's not a white man. Imagine if the U.S. Constitution was not signed by our founding fathers, but our founding mothers, sisters and non-whites as well. Imagine if it didn't take centuries for everyone to earn the right to cast a vote and be heard. Instead, we trusted in the steadfast yet false sense of supremacy of the white man, leaving us no choice but to blame them for where we are now. I've had to listen to some very old men use the "n" word when referring to Barack Obama. I enjoy the irony of electing a black man President while these ignorant old fools are still around to suck it up.

He beat Hillary- I get more satisfaction out of seeing an inexperienced, young black man knock out the status quo than I do the once shoe-in, not to be messed with Clinton who felt entitled to the job. In one year, headlines went from "Can Anyone Beat Hillary?" to "Is America Ready for a Black President?" Clearly Obama had greater barriers to break through than an already cracked glass-ceiling.

He's inexperienced- The idea of electing a newbie to a position that typically requires years of making deals with devil seems refreshing and ideal.

He has a terrorist sounding name- It's that extra little slap in the face to the fear mongering right-wing conservatives. It's the added assurance to the world that we are not afraid of everything dark-skinned and ethnic sounding. And it provides great fodder for those of us who get a kick out of the people who are still talking about it and afraid of it.

He's a "flip-flopper"- Or, in non-Republican terms, he learns from his mistakes and may change his mind on issues he becomes better educated on. If he hadn't "flip-flopped" on campaign finance the Republicans would have been asking why he took $80+ million in tax dollars to fund his campaign when he clearly didn't need it.

He's a socialist- Socialism has become an ugly word, but spending our tax dollars on things like healthcare, education, child-care, and the environment rather than hopeless wars and bank bailouts may turn this ugly duckling notion into a beautiful swan-like reality.

He drank and did drugs in college- Who didn't? But gone are the "I never inhaled" excuses. Obama ran for election knowing that his demons were confessed and published and that Sean Hannity and the like would be quoting his books like anti-Obama bibles.

He is forgiving- I have a 90 year old racist grandfather whom I love dearly. For years I have sat at his dinner table listening to him spew the ignorance of his time. And not once did I storm out of his house. Obama should not have been expected to storm out of the House of God, turning his back on the very man who led him there. Instead, he forgave his understandable frustrations, cherished his steadfast hope and prayed that Rev. Wright would come to know an improved America that gave a biracial man every opportunity.

Hope- I've argued (hopelessly) with Republicans who insist that Obama's hope for a better tomorrow is merely empty, impossible promises. But banking on the man who has hope makes far more sense than voting for the guys who have proven hopeless. He says "YES WE CAN" and we believe him. He says "HOPE" and we see a glimmer.

My children- I will never forget this election day, taking my children into the voting booth and letting my four year old pull the lever to register my vote. I will never forget the visions of every corner of the world celebrating a victory that finally made us all feel as one. The next morning I received a text message from my sister-in-law: "Isn't it a wonderful day?" "Feels like a brand new world." I replied, "One worthy of our children."

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