Well.
Yes. We. Did.
Yeeeee....
So the shock and awe has worn off a little bit, and I can now write up a little something about election day 2008.
First, let's start with YES YES YES YES YES!!1!
Second, WE WON INDIANA!
Third, I predicted the electoral votes right! What's that you say about NE-2? Well, as of this writing that hasn't happened yet...
Anyway, I woke up early Tuesday morning, loaded up on coffee (it was a long night of tossing, turning, and incoherent typing the night before) and headed down to Lafayette, IN with my roommate's girlfriend. We got there at about 10 am and were immediately (well, after a bowl of chili and some more coffee) sent out canvassing. We canvassed, only met one mean guy, and came back to pick up another walk packet.
Worst experience? The morbidly obese woman with the two naked kids in the run down house who hadn't bothered to clean the dead mice off her porch and most definitely didn't want to vote for Barack Obama.
And the guy who threatened us. But he was more sad than scary...
Best moment? Seeing the joy on peoples' faces as they told us that they had voted already that day, or voted early, and that everyone in their family supported Obama. Even the old white people!
After we finished out last packet, we helped set up the Lafayette Campaign for Change party, complete with bigscreen TV, keg, and lots and lots of champagne. We left before it started though and headed back to chicago for the Grant Park rally.
Which I, due to the kindness of a girl on my floor, had a ticket to. Yay!
Grant Park was amazing. Standing in line to get in, rumors raced up and down like wildfire. Obama won Ohio! Obama won Wyoming! Take that back about Ohio! Obama won New York! The polls in Wyoming haven't closed yet! Wait, he DID win Ohio!
There was a giant TV projecting CNN, but no one could see or hear it from the line. One full search later, we were inside (sans flagpole on my American flag) and into the largest mass of people I've ever been a part of. The energy was palpable.
One by one, states would come in and the crowd would go nuts. Some of us, I think, knew that the race was over as soon as Ohio was called. Others didn't.
Then, at about 9:50, Virginia came in.
Next up? California.
We waited. CNN put a countdown on the big screen.
10
9
8
A few people started chanting
7
6
5
4
Everyone yelling at the top of their lungs
3....
2........
1...........
And then there was a moment of silence, Barack's face and the words "President Elect" came up on the screen, and the next five minutes were pure pandemonium. Tears. Screams. Hugs from total strangers. More tears. Oprah on the jumotron. Civil Rights leaders weeping. Everyone singing and chanting and celebrating.
McCain spoke; it was good, people were appreciative of his tone. The only thing we booed was Sarah Palin.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours came on. We all expected Barack to come out. Nope. Dance party. Sweet Home Chicago. Higher and Higher. Finally, out they came.
As for the speech? You all heard it. Honestly, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I was going to be. All of my emotions had been spent. I was sort of in a daze. Afterwards, we left. Took the train home, came in, saw that they'd called Indiana. That was nice.
And then, for the first time in what felt like forever, I just drifted off to sleep, slept through Latin, and woke up with an Obama presidency and lot of Marx to read.
peace
