The First _________ President

Even though I'm Canadian I've been following American politics fairly closely since the famous Florida debacle. It's not that I'm a big fan of our southern neighbours, but as a nation the U.S. of A. weilds a lot of sway throughout the world and I figure what happens there affects us all to some degree.

Lately I have been following the primaries and potential next presidents (mostly the Democrats, but I've been paying attention to the Republicans). I have started to get really frustrated with one theme that many people and media outlets are using over and over. To be fair, I had been on that particular bandwagon for some time - and in the recent past. What I'm talking about is the thought that the U.S. will be (likely) electing either it's first female or first black President. Now I'm not one to argue about the odds of one of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama winning the presidency (I would actually be very surprised if it wasn't one of the two of them), but rather the emphasis.

If they win, they will indeed be the first president of their kind, but is that important in the grand scheme of things? I think it says a lot that both a woman and a black man have as much support as they do in their efforts. My intentions are not to belittle the struggles of any minorities, but should that even be the focus? If this is a theme that is so prevalent in the discourse, should we not be asking ourselves: are we voting for these people because they belong to their respective minorities? I can't speak for anyone, but I would imagine that they are voting for Obama and Clinton because of what they "stand for." So why is the media talking about the skin colour and gender? No doubt the two candidates face more obstacles than those who were born white and male, but it seems not to have hindered either of them. But to me that is only the subject of a human interest story.

I think someone should be elected (or given a job) based on their abilities and their work ethic (and other factors depending upon the position). It is definitely a sign of good times when we can support someone for what they stand for and do and not what demographic they fit into.

I will leave you with two video clips that made gave me hope for a better tomorrow:






I think this world would be a much friendlier and peaceful place if everyone saw each other as one people with differences that make us all unique. May the best person become president - regardless of gender or skin tone.