Having had a bit of an opportunity to process this a bit more, I’d like to throw this out there. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about this election, on so many different levels. This is a big day for America, and the moment it was called was one of those moments that I will literally remember where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, etc. I had actually planned on going to the big party for all of the people that have been working on the campaign, but my wife is pregnant and we had our first childbirth class last night, so as soon as I was done with election-related stuff, I had to run and catch what I could of that class with her. Afterwards, she really wasn’t in a position to go over to the party, and as much as there is part of me that would have loved to have been in a room full of Obama supporters partying like a rock star, I’m actually more happy that I got to spend it with her, sitting on our couch, eating pizza and sipping on some kick ass wine (me, not her 
). Also, I would have hated for her to look back on that historic moment and remember that she was sitting at home by herself while her husband was out partying.
I love the message this sends to the rest of the world. We in America are ready to turn the page on the horrors of the last 8 years. We are ready to be back in your good graces. We are ready to take a broader world view.
It is also incredibly heartening to know that we as a country can elect a guy named Barack Hussein Obama in light of all that has happened over the last 8 years of Karl Rove-fueled politics. People always complain about negative campaigning, but the reality is that it tends to work. Finally, in the face of race-baiting, unsubstantiated smears and whisper campaigns, the voting public has said, “enough.” Finally, people have rejected the politics of fear and divisiveness. Finally, it didn’t work. Negative campaigns aren’t going anywhere, but we do know that we are not so bloodthirsty as a culture that we reject common sense and accept appeals to our most base, primal instincts, that people are not rewarded for increasingly nasty tactics.
One more thing: this election unfortunately reminded us that racism and general small-mindedness is alive and well in this country. Obama’s election, however, underscores that we as a nation are bigger than that. Things are not going to change overnight just because he’s elected, but those that thought that open or semi-open displays of racism and intolerance are OK “because most people think that way deep down,” got a wake-up call last night. Guess what folks, the world has evolved around you, and you’re the one that’s being left behind, you’re the ones that are outside of the mainstream. My mom reminded me this morning that when my daughter is born in a few months, she’ll be born into a world where having an African American president is just the way the world is, and as she grows up, the idea that the president could be someone other than an older white guy will be par for the course. That’s really exciting to me. It’s an enormous step in the right direction.
For purely selfish reasons, it is a little bittersweet, because I really would have liked to have seen him win Missouri, not just because that’s where I live, but because I’ve personally devoted a ton of time and effort here. I was working in what is referred to as the boiler room yesterday, taking calls from and advising attorneys in the field about voting complications, voter suppression techniques, and related issues. You might have seen the story on CNN’s ticker yesterday about 4-5 hour lines in North St. Louis County, and I was actually on the phone with our guy on the scene at that particular polling location off and on over the course of the day. Once things had calmed down later in the day, he told me that at one point when the lines were at their apex, a guy had gotten frustrated and tried to leave the line. The other people in line began chanting for him to get back in line – which he ultimately did – and he cast his vote. Great story, IMO. For the people that endured lines like that, primarily on principle (because a single vote is a drop in the bucket), a win in MO would have been particularly nice. It would be really nice to have the satisfaction of saying that your vote contributed to the final tally in Obama’s column. Ultimately, though, Obama won nationally, and that’s what’s important.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. Thanks to all that have endured my drivel-spreading over the past 20 months or so.
And with that, I'm going to try my hardest to avoid any serious thought about anything of a political nature for a few days. Gotta give the brain a break and think about some meaningless bullshit for a change...
). Also, I would have hated for her to look back on that historic moment and remember that she was sitting at home by herself while her husband was out partying.I love the message this sends to the rest of the world. We in America are ready to turn the page on the horrors of the last 8 years. We are ready to be back in your good graces. We are ready to take a broader world view.
It is also incredibly heartening to know that we as a country can elect a guy named Barack Hussein Obama in light of all that has happened over the last 8 years of Karl Rove-fueled politics. People always complain about negative campaigning, but the reality is that it tends to work. Finally, in the face of race-baiting, unsubstantiated smears and whisper campaigns, the voting public has said, “enough.” Finally, people have rejected the politics of fear and divisiveness. Finally, it didn’t work. Negative campaigns aren’t going anywhere, but we do know that we are not so bloodthirsty as a culture that we reject common sense and accept appeals to our most base, primal instincts, that people are not rewarded for increasingly nasty tactics.
One more thing: this election unfortunately reminded us that racism and general small-mindedness is alive and well in this country. Obama’s election, however, underscores that we as a nation are bigger than that. Things are not going to change overnight just because he’s elected, but those that thought that open or semi-open displays of racism and intolerance are OK “because most people think that way deep down,” got a wake-up call last night. Guess what folks, the world has evolved around you, and you’re the one that’s being left behind, you’re the ones that are outside of the mainstream. My mom reminded me this morning that when my daughter is born in a few months, she’ll be born into a world where having an African American president is just the way the world is, and as she grows up, the idea that the president could be someone other than an older white guy will be par for the course. That’s really exciting to me. It’s an enormous step in the right direction.
For purely selfish reasons, it is a little bittersweet, because I really would have liked to have seen him win Missouri, not just because that’s where I live, but because I’ve personally devoted a ton of time and effort here. I was working in what is referred to as the boiler room yesterday, taking calls from and advising attorneys in the field about voting complications, voter suppression techniques, and related issues. You might have seen the story on CNN’s ticker yesterday about 4-5 hour lines in North St. Louis County, and I was actually on the phone with our guy on the scene at that particular polling location off and on over the course of the day. Once things had calmed down later in the day, he told me that at one point when the lines were at their apex, a guy had gotten frustrated and tried to leave the line. The other people in line began chanting for him to get back in line – which he ultimately did – and he cast his vote. Great story, IMO. For the people that endured lines like that, primarily on principle (because a single vote is a drop in the bucket), a win in MO would have been particularly nice. It would be really nice to have the satisfaction of saying that your vote contributed to the final tally in Obama’s column. Ultimately, though, Obama won nationally, and that’s what’s important.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. Thanks to all that have endured my drivel-spreading over the past 20 months or so.
And with that, I'm going to try my hardest to avoid any serious thought about anything of a political nature for a few days. Gotta give the brain a break and think about some meaningless bullshit for a change...
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