Mary van Balen

Preparing to write my monthly column, I had read today's readings last week. As I sat in the pews at church and listened to them again, I couldn't help but be reminded of the campaigns that ended with re-electing President Obama last Tuesday. I know Jesus was not talking about election funding and stretching the story of the widow's mite to do that may draw criticism. So, I want to be clear that I am not attempting an interpretation of Scripture here. Just sharing what came to mind.

First, an obscene amount of money was spent on this election. I have heard an estimate of 2 billion. I don't know what the exact numbers are, but they are staggering and surely could have been put to better use.

Second, small amounts of money, small investments of time, one person, can make a difference. Over the past few days, a number of conservative spokesmen (most were men...) have pointed to a variety of reasons their candidate lost. Besides accusations of Obama suppressing the vote, hurricane Sandy derailing Romney's momentum, the 47% backing Obama, or the demise of the white majority, the claim has been made the liberals bought the election. (Huff Post Politics Nov. 11 article by Sabrina Siddiqui)

As I pictured a widow placing her two coins on the table beside much larger donations to the Temple treasury, I thought of the money spent on the presidential election. While I am not suggesting the the Democratic Party ran its campaigns solely on small amounts of money given by ordinary people, I do believe that much of their money was raised by small donations given by individuals.

I am proud that a coalition of many people and groups held together to make their voices heard on Tuesday. Big money could not buy the election...either way. People who stood in long lines, who rode buses to polling places, who chipped in $3 countless times when an email arrived in their inboxes, these people helped make the re-election of President Obama a reality. People who wanted their voices heard. The "ground game" involving countless people hitting the streets, making phone calls, driving people to polling places made a difference.

What happens next is more important.  Read More 

I was able to crawl into bed with a grateful heart much earlier than expected. The vote count did not extend into today, or as some feared, even weeks ahead. Romney delivered a gracious concession speech, Obama a rousing acceptance speech. I know rough months loom ahead. Some Republicans are already placing all the demand for concessions on economy at the President's feet. Doesn't bode well for compromise or an end to gridlock. Still, Obama is in for four more years, and that in itself is encouraging to me.

I am also relieved the the Roman Catholic Church's dangerously political posturing did not prevail as more than 50% of the Catholic vote was cast for Obama. I had followed what appears to me to be obvious crossing the acceptable rhetorical line by RC church officials. Cardinal Dolan allowing some of his priests to run obviously partisan rants in their bulletins; Bishop Jenky listing many of Obama's stands and implying that Catholics who voted for such a candidate did so at the peril of their eternal soul; Fortnight for Freedom running from June 21 through July 4, are just some of the most blatant examples of good reasons to remove tax exempt status from some of those churches. That likely will not happen, but the question has been raised already by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Read More