Exhale

I think it's finally starting to sink in. I'm still stunned.



I took Boo with me to vote on Tuesday. Our polling place is only a couple of blocks away so we walked over and on the way, I explained what I was doing, that I was voting for Barack Obama to be the next President. The place was crowded but there were only a few people ahead of me in line. I got my ballot, filled it in and let Boo feed it into the optical reader. As we were walking out of the place, she turned to me and said "So, where's the water, Mama? I thought we were going boating with Barack Obama."


I spent a long time on the phone on Election Night with daysgoby. For much of the time, once the election was called, she and I were silent, watching the crowds gather, watching this thing become a reality, occasionally saying "Oh my god, I can't believe it." It was intense to watch it with someone else who feels as passionately about politics as I do.


And then yesterday, I was sick. Feverish, achey, the whole nine yards. I've had a horrible cold for two weeks, so I don't know if I'm now getting something else or what the story was, but I spent the day on the couch, huddled under blankets, trying to keep down weak tea and toast. My mother was out for a visit, thankfully, which was a huge help. I'm still feeling a bit funky today, but at least I'm functional.


It's funny. I really never thought we'd win. It does seem like a ridiculous comparison, but I've looked at this race the way I used to look at the Red Sox. It always seemed so close, just within our grasp, but then we'd blow it somehow. I was so afraid this was going to happen with this election, that we'd be the 2003 Red Sox and instead we were the 2004 Red Sox and just like that year, I don't know what to do with myself. It's been so long since I've backed the winning team. Man, it feels good.

Yes, We Can

I have never cried tears of happiness over an election before. Today, I feel hopeful. Overwhelmed, overjoyed and this faint, flickering glimmer of hope I've held on to so, so desperately, for the last four years, had finally, finally come true.




I lean pretty far to the left (no way, really?). It's no surprise that Keith Olbermann is my guru, that I totally drank the Ted Kennedy/Bill Clinton kool-aid. But I have never, since the day I started paying attention to politics - dateline Belgium, August, 1979 (it involved marzipan, sweahtagawd) - been so thrilled, so absolutely over the moon, about the guy I helped nominate as president.

That Canadian Boy I Married is not into politics at all. He humours me, but he doesn't really care. I can't really blame him - he can't vote, since he's not yet a citizen, and he feels frustrated by that. But he knows I care and he spent a good 2 hours tonight, listening to me wax rhapsodic over Obama's nomination, wanting to know the ins and outs of the process and why I (and the pundits) thought Hillary was done. He hates Bush with the same fire of a thousand burning suns intensity that I do (which is good - I'd have to ship him back otherwise), but he's been an uncommitted observer of this election. I think it's helped solidify my views on Obama. I have been a huge fan ever since the 2004 Demcoratic National Convention and said, even back then, that if he ever ran, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. TCBIM didn't quite get my fascination until now. I don't know that he's a total convert, but at least now, he gets it.

So, yeah. Maybe we can. And wouldn't that just be amazing?

Reason 8,792 Why I Love Bruce Springsteen.

This.

I made up my mind about Obama about a nanosecond after he decided to run for the office of President. Actually, to be completely honest, I've thought he'd make a great president since hearing him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. For the most part, celebrity endorsements don't do much to change my mind, but I do have to say that I am gratified to hear that Springsteen has endorsed Barack Obama.

I'm also squealing like a schoolgirl, but we'll just keep that between ourselves, m'kay?




(If Keith Olbermann endorsed Obama, I think my head might explode from the excitement.)








(Tracey - I got your package - I'll post about it tomorrow, but I wanted to say thank you so much. Very cool!)

Super Tuesday: Go Vote!

I tried to teach Boo how to say Barack Obama today. She came up with Go Rock Omama.

I'm going at 4-ish to vote, so that I can take my girls with me. I try to take my kids every time I vote - I think it's a good thing to teach them and while I know the little ones are too young to even get it, O will understand. She might roll her eyes at me now but one day she's going to be able to vote and I want it to seem like a normal thing, something you just do, something to make into a big deal.

Because it is a big deal. I really fear for this country and the path we've traveled over the last 7 years. We have willingly, for the most part, given up huge chunks of our civil rights. The phone companies and George Bush have been able to listen in on every phone call made in this country for the last couple of years. And if this stupid FISA bill goes thru, the phone companies won't bear any responsibility for their illegal activities. It's mind boggling that this doesn't upset more people.

Bush claims that we need this law in order to catch terrorist activities. However, he's threatened to veto the bill if it doesn't include this immunity for the telecom industry. I'm confuuuused. If he vetoes the bill, he's vetoing it protect the telecoms. What about the America people? Do we deserve less protection than the phone companies? Isn't it the president's job to protect the citizens of this country? By threatening to veto this bill, Bush is showing exactly what he thinks of us and our safety. Nothing. We are less important than the phone companies.

The Democratic Congress needs to step up and block this bill. They need to get off their asses and do what they were elected to do - put a stop to this sort of thing. It enrages me when I hear how mealy-mouthed and pitiful the Democratic majority sounds when they can't accomplish these things. Get up there and DO something, for fuck's sake, before you just hand the entire country over to a fascist regime.

Gah!

Go vote, people! It's more important than ever.