On November 2, 2012, four days before Election Day, President Barack Obama came to Ohio for a last hurrah tour through the central and southwest regions of The Buckeye State. A swing state that has been projected to determine the fate of the country’s leadership with considerable specificity, Ohio has long been the heart of the country, not just in geography, but in sociopolitical activity as well. In a three-part series exclusive Shadow League got personal with three Ohioans who all intimated their opinions and intentions for voting in Tuesday’s election in America’s “Battleground.”
Part Two focuses on Voting For Romney.
Also Read: “Part One: Voting For Obama.”
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Name: JoAnn Wilson
Home Base: Southwest Ohio
Age: 65+
Occupation: Retired Nurse
“I’m a person who loves God, found Christ as my personal savior, and someone who loves people.”
JoAnn Wilson may be the kindest woman you could ever meet. A spry woman that is fitter than her 65-plus years may desire to admit, she is the prototypical grandmother.
A longtime resident of the Miami Valley in Southwest Ohio, Wilson originally came from Washington Court House, a small community located south of the state capitol of Columbus and better known these days for its close proximity to a popular outlet mall chain than for its rural roots.
In her humbly decorated living room, she smiled big and wide and sweetly, her eyes shrinking as she beamed. After taking a seat, she quickly got to her favorite topic: Jesus of Nazareth.
That opinion is not unusual in Ohio. Though not a part of the Bible Belt, religion and spirituality play a great part in the livelihood of Ohioans. What is unusual is that Wilson is an African-American woman whose opinions lean toward presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Romney has been polled in some parts of the country as having zero support from the African-American community. Women voters also favor Obama 53 percent to 40 percent. This makes Wilson a unique case, both being a woman and an ethnic minority. However, Wilson herself didn’t seem to be fazed by that. In fact, she reflected upon her views, candidly expressing, “I don’t see color, I see individuals.”
You see, Wilson has been greatly informed by her spirituality. Not one to officially describe herself as an evangelical Christian or even truly conservative, she delivered an unexpected sermon that would rival any Sunday pastor, exclaiming, “I don’t mean to preach! Oh, hallelujah!” A mother of five children and grandmother to more than twice that, Wilson exclaimed that God has been central to her life’s work as a nurse and as something of a comforter to the spiritually unaware and unfamiliar. And apparently, she believes the country is not so unlike the people that she counsels.
“This nation is a nation that stands for Godly principles, and I feel this country has moved away from God. … He’s so big, you can’t take Him out of politics,” Wilson said. “God has a man for this hour. When I vote, I want a man who has integrity. Not everybody [has moved away], but the nation has moved away from God.”
Citing that neither candidate was perfect, Wilson sat and contemplated, but not for too long. In a distinctive but subtle drawl, she carefully conveyed that Romney seemed like the better candidate between him and President Obama.
“There’s a lot about both of ‘em that I disagree with, but if I vote, I would go with Romney, and I’m not saying that Barack doesn’t have some good things, too…but I’m for what God wants,” Wilson said. “I’m for Godly purposes. And I told you in the beginning, that I love people – I love people.
“My vote is going to be meaningful, because if I don’t vote, the person that God wants in there won’t be in there,” Wilson said. “If we want our voice to be heard, we have to vote; and if we don’t vote, we have no right to say anything about anything at all.
“I want America to go back to the God of this nation,” Wilson said. “People can say what they want to – this country is a Christian nation, built on the principles of God.”
Chuuuch.
