Wishing Him Well: Why this McCain Supporter is Supporting Obama Today

I did not vote for Barak Obama. Nothing personal. I liked him. I kind of wanted to vote for him. I just didn’t agree with enough of his ideas to do so.

But today I find myself eager to support his presidency. No major mind shift of ideas on my part, but the time for arguing ideas and casting votes is past, and the time to give this man a chance has arrived, and this requires our support. The peaceful transition of power and willingness on the part of all Americans, even those who voted for “the other guy,” is what makes this country so remarkable.

I still admire John McCain and credit him for the wisdom and honor he demonstrated by not dragging the election on, thus risking a devastating rift from which we may not have recovered. He respected the vote of the American people and exhibited leadership in ending the election, and that’s just what I respect about him.

However, like McCain, I now pledge my support to Obama as our president and wish him well. True, I wish him well for some selfish reasons—don’t we all? I want our country to continue to be safe. I want our economy to recover and thrive.

But I also wish him well for other reasons. His leadership has meaning and implications for the African American community I may never understand. One commentator said that most of us can’t know what it means to his community to see a black man as president, a man who loves his wife, is faithful to her and to his children, and who gives back to his community. I was struck by the fact that he didn’t mention Obama’s Harvard degree, his leadership in Chicago, his meteoric rise to power. No—he was touched by the model Obama provides as a faithful husband and father. For this too, I wish Obama well.

Like many Americans, I too feel a sense of celebration and wonder in seeing the dream of Martin Luther King and of so many others realized. I know that for my African American friends, there is something powerful in the very idea that a black man could occupy the White House. For this also, I wish Obama well.

At the same time, I have African American friends who did not vote for Obama. Remarkably, they also judged him on the merits of his ideas rather than the color of his skin. Even if their vote was a negative, this too was part of King’s dream—each person voting his or her conscience, regardless of color.

I also wish Obama well because I am concerned for him. How can anyone live up to the expectations and hope so many have placed in him? It’s impossible. He will disappoint some, while others will support him no matter what. The first option presents a challenge to Obama. The second is a challenge to us all. My hope is that we will be fair both in our praise and our criticism. Pray for him. Support him wherever we can. Oppose him respectfully when we must.

I wish Obama well, too, because I know I’m human. Could I be wrong on some of my political ideas? Sure. Could he be wrong? Of course. No one gets it right all the time. So we must keep a humble view and pray for the best in one another. Barak and Michelle Obama seem sincere in their desire to make a difference. My prayer is that God will fan the fire of that desire into a blaze so that nothing can cloud it—not the criticisms, nor the adulation. I will pray that amidst the noise of both, Obama will be able to still hear that “still, small voice” that directs him and, indeed, directs us all.