The presidential election of 2000 was an especially intense time for me. Though I could not yet vote, I could see my parents and my friends' parents fighting it out over the outcome of the Florida vote. Passions ran very high at my school. Most of the kids thought that the Democrats were trying to steal the election from George W. Bush. I heard many of my friends insist that Al Gore did not deserve the presidency because of his "record" under Bill Clinton. Still, I thought Al Gore would have made a very good president, as did my parents. It was very significant to me that Al Gore was a man of science, and an intellectual. George W. Bush seemed to be a religious man, but I was not so sure that his actions as Governor of Texas truly accorded with his religious views. I thought to myself that there is much more to being religious than simply going to church and talking about God all the time. As Buddhists my family felt that actions were more important than words - how you felt in your heart was the real indicator of your moral development as an individual. Still, George W. Bush said he was a uniter, and in fact, during the years that he had been Governor of Texas, it had seemed to me - and even reluctantly to my parents - that he had managed to smooth over the tensions between the political parties in Austin. The majority of my friends, and their parents, were all for George W. Bush' a fact that made me seriously look at his candidacy. I thought that just maybe he could help the nation outgrow the fierce debates of the Clinton Era, and the partisan divisions that seemed to be tearing America apart. Possibly he would usher in a new era of cooperation, a new time in which all Americans would work together for the good of all.

But not everyone who was Christian and Republican appeared to be bad, or prejudiced. A girl I was friends with was always telling me about how Jesus Christ loved me and my family, even though we were from another place. She said that Jesus always forgave people, and that he wanted to do the best He could for them. Jesus had only love in His heart - there was no room there for prejudice and spite. While most of the kids and their families attended evangelical churches, some of them did not. They were Christians too, just different kinds. A few of them, who were very outspoken, used to make fun of the kids who were born again. One day, they even started up with my friend, the girl who was always saying how kind Jesus was. One of them said that only idiots could be Republicans, and that she must be crazy to keep talking about Jesus all the time. Once again, I felt bad to be a Democrat. My family had always been very devout, and very respectful of all religions. I could see that this person respected no one. In mocking Jesus, he was mocking even the beliefs of my own family. Afterward, my friend told me that her parents had warned her about people like that. They had frequently explained how Satan wanted people not to believe in God, and how he wanted to keep religion out of school and the government - that was exactly what the Democrats wanted to do!

Looking back on it now, I see how much I was caught up in the emotion of the times. But, I had another reason too, for becoming Republican. My family was form another country. My parents could not speak English well, and stood out. Many of my friends, and the people in my neighborhood, become even more suspicious of foreigners than ever before. Again, I heard people pass comments about people of other religious backgrounds coming to this country to hurt us, and to take advantage of us. All of these things created a great amount of pressure on me to show that I was "just as American" as all of the people around me. I bought an American flag to put on my car, and an "I support our troops" bumper sticker. For almost two years after that fateful September day, I became an increasingly fervent supporter of the Bush Administration.

Some common words found in the essay are:
George Bush, Jesus Christ, Republican Looking, Texas Carter, English Sometimes, America Vietnam, , Democratic Party, Tom Daschle, Middle School, george bush, al gore, republican party, country parents, bill clinton, president carter, mother told, people republicans, country mother, governor texas,
Approximate Word count = 2695
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)