thank God for Rachel Maddow

I'm surrounded by conservatives. And that's okay. My family is conservative, some of my best friends are conservative and I live in a conservative city. I respect conservatives. I respect their view points. But the truth is, ever since I graduated from college, I've really missed being around other like-minded people. I've missed being young and passionate and liberal without having to constantly defend myself. I like debating. I like to argue. But sometimes I feel like that's all I do now whenever politics come up. So rarely in my current life do I just get to talk and agree. Sometimes I don't want to be one against multitudes. Sometimes I don't want to be seen as the lone liberal or democrat in a group of people. Sometimes I just want to fit in and not have to argue. Maybe nannying just makes me too tired to have that much fight in me right now.

And that's why I just have to say thank God for Rachel Maddow. Today in particular I found my political leanings under attack. And I get it. I get that conservatives don't like President Obama and are still stung that he won and blah di blah. And so they lash out and attack his wife for being popular and wearing (gasp) dresses that show off her arms. They attack him for (again gasp) admitting that the US has at some points in our history acted arrogantly (because God forbid that after Iraq and Vietnam we ever admit any kind of mistake) .They attack anything and everything and I get it, because I would probably do the same if Senator McCain had won. But right now I see so many of President Obama's choices and actions and feel even more sure of my decision to vote for him and fight for him and believe in him. He's talking to the Muslim world like they're humans instead of cartoon villains. He's talking about a future without nuclear weapons, a future where we don't have to worry that one of our cities could just be blown off the map. He's talking about opening up our world instead of continuing to close it. He's talking about all of these things and I'm just so hopeful, despite the bumps and bruises thus far in his presidency. And that's not because I'm positive everything will work out. But I think he's making bold and big of enough choices where maybe for the first time in a long time things could work out. They could fall apart of course. But I hope, I hope and I hope and I hope, that things will change for the better. And I just need to be able to think that without having this constant barrage of negativity.

And I can think that way when the Rachel Maddow Show is on. Because she puts into incredibly articulate words all of the thoughts that are just mumbo jumbo in my own disoriented head. She's funny and her show is thoughtful and smart and calm (and calm is a rarity in this hysterical cable news world of ours-I mean come on Glenn Beck). And I feel like I'm back in college (yes all of you Republicans, your worst fears are confimed-college campuses are havens for liberals and hippies and hooligans) and I don't have to be angry and fight and argue. I can just be happy and hopeful and surrounded by voices that feel the same way.