Turning Point: Election Night 2008
I work at home, so I got to go to vote at a non-busy time, right after lunch, around 1 p.m. The polling place, a school, was only 3 blocks from my apartment.
I live in the Bronx, and my electoral district went 92% for Gore in 2000. Still, on my way, as I was passing the grocery store, I saw a little black kid running around with some flyers (or maybe sample ballots?) calling “Vote Obama, vote Obama!” The Obama campaign was definitely not taking any chances!
The polling place wasn’t crowded at all, and everyone was very friendly. My neighborhood is about 70-80% black and Hispanic, so at that time, I seemed to be the only white face around. I showed my ID, signed my name in the book, and sat at the school cafeteria table to wait for the four people ahead of me to vote, then went in the booth and for the second time in 30 years, pulled the lever for a straight Republican ticket.
The first time was in 1976, the first election when I was of voting age. My Catholic family were all lifelong Democrats and I had always expected to be the same. Then in 1973, when I was sixteen, came the shocking and numbing announcement that the Supreme Court had decreed abortion on demand legal throughout the land. In 1976, Jimmy Carter was announcing his wishy-washy stand and shutting vocal pro-lifers out of the Democratic convention. I voted for Ford in protest. I still recall how reluctantly I did so.
I have voted for Democratic presidential candidates since then — just not any that were actually running. Twice I gave my write-in vote to Gov. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, a brave pro-life Democrat. The rest of the time I have simply not voted, also out of protest and aversion to Republican policies. This time, I wanted at all costs to defeat Obama, but I knew that in my district my vote was basically useless. But mostly I wanted to vote for a real live Feminist for Life for Vice-President. Who knows when I’ll be able to do that again?
For over 30 years I have gone through an internal struggle, longing to vote Democratic but unable to do so in good conscience. Those who are saying “it’s OK, we’ve got a proportionate reason!” all sound terribly glib to me. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe they’ve gone through as great an inner struggle as I have and are now throwing in the towel. or maybe they are just waking up to the whole question for the first time. I’d really like to know how they can do it. All I can think of is all the babies being slaughtered.
I started watching the election results at dinner. Now at 11 p.m. they’ve just called it: Obama has won. In the larger picture, a great historic moment — America’s first African-American President. I only wish I could feel happier about it. Why can’t I feel happy about it? Most of the things he stands for I agree with. If I could just stop thinking about his Messiah complex and his strange, unsavory radical associations, i could be happy. I should be happy — but I keep thinking about the slaughtered babies, and how Obama wants to remove all protection from them.
I’m now incredibly depressed. But at the same time, I’m determined to start the fight against FOCA as soon as possible. If not 30 years of pro-life work will be wasted. I will never give up! Prolifers must never give up!
And at all costs, we must pray for our country and our new President.