First of all – Sen. Obama, good luck and God Bless. As a student of social policy, I’m eager to see what having unified Democratic Legistlative and Executive branches brings.
As a young conservative studying abroad, I’m just glad the election is over. To be honest, it’s been a long month here of constantly deciding whether it was worth the effort to stand up for the principles I believe in every time someone makes a snarky/obnoxious comment about them. Which happens all the time.
When I turned my absentee ballot into the Porter at our college he joked, “Another vote for Sarah Palin,” with a little laugh that made it clear the thought was ridiculous. At lunch, the question is how could anyone vote for McCain, or how he could ever have chosen Palin. The day after the election the man serving my food at the cafeteria told me, “you must be happy about the elections.”
And while there are times when I know I should stand up for the things I believe in, it gets tiring doing so every day. Especially when it means people write me off and tune me out.
And so as Young Conservatives we learn to be prudent. We pick our battles and try to avoid meaningless arguments; an effort made infinitely harder by the election.
On election day itself half our class came wearing Obama shirts. All anyone wanted to talk about was the “election parties” that night. Parties which included an invitation to pop champagne when “we win.” I stopped by, wearing a little red. People simply didn’t believe I was conservative – they insisted that I was playing a practical joke. Nothing I said could convince them otherwise.
Earlier in the day a fellow conservative told me, “I just hope they don’t get 60 seats in the Senate.” Another said, “I wouldn’t be upset if Obama lost,” as if even with no one around, there was a danger of being labeled.
The common thread between the two incidents? Both lowered their voices when confiding in me, as if they were afraid of the reactions of their friends, as if conservatism was something to be kept secret.
So across the ocean, we young conservatives bite our tongues when it comes to politics, hoping that if our fellow students get to know us first they won’t judge us so harshly. But it’s a tiring process, and too often I walk away with that feeling that I’ve just compromised in a way that I’m not entirely comfortable.
And that’s why, regardless of the outcome, I’m relieved that the election is finally over.
