It Feels So Good
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I told myself that I wasn’t going to blog about politics anymore, but this isn’t about politics, it’s about history. There is so much that I want to say, I don’t even know where to begin. I’m going to do this list style, because if I try and write it all out in paragraphs, it will just be one big stream of consciousness mess.
- Tuesday night was the most amazing night ever. I’m not sure I will ever experience anything like it again. I consider myself a fairly moderate guy, but I don’t like George W. Bush at all. I am embarrassed to have him as my president. I also can’t stand the political style of today’s republican party. The fear mongering, the smear campaigns, the ideological bullshit… I find it all deeply offensive. Barack Obama is the polar opposite of all of the crazy in the last 8 years. To see such an impressive candidate elected, who has eloquence, style, and intellect, and who just happens to be the first black president… It’s overwhelming. Completely and totally overwhelming.
- I took the day off and volunteered to canvass in north St. Louis county on Tuesday to help get out the vote for Obama. I was a little apprehensive about it. I had never volunteered for a political campaign before, and the idea of going door to door didn’t really appeal to me. I knew this election was important though, and I knew that just voting for Obama wasn’t enough. When I heard that north St. Louis county needed volunteers, I decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be a great experience. The neighborhoods I was in were strong Obama neighborhoods. Some people even honked and cheered for me. I don’t know if we really made much of a difference, but it made the day much more meaningful to me, and that was well worth the effort. Also, I walked for nearly 8 hours, and 3 days later, my legs are still a little sore.
- As much as I want to brag about the fact that I took a day off and canvassed for Obama, I am humbled by volunteers like Jaelithe (and countless others) who have been volunteering for months and have given hours and hours of their time to help elect Obama. The entire world owes them a big thank you. Seriously. Thank You.
- Going to the huge Obama rally under the arch and canvassing on election day were great experiences for me. I spend most of my life surrounded by fairly conservative republicans. I went to college in Nebraska and I work in fairly conservative industry. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nebraska and I love my coworkers, but it’s nice to be around other people that, for the most part, see things the way I do. I regret not volunteering more for Obama, maybe in 4 years. All of this has me thinking that I should look for something to volunteer for now. It doesn’t have to be political, but it would be nice if it was related to democratic causes. Any ideas?
- As great as election day was, there were still some disappointments. Missouri is still red, albeit barely red. California passed prop 8. Why can’t we just get over the whole gay thing? 86% of Missouri voted to make english the official language. 86%, seriously? And worst of all, apparently the rest of St. Louis county does not love the MetroLink nearly as much as I do. Whoever voted against the MetroLink funding is hear by forbidden from complaining about gas prices.
- I almost want to apologize for posting something so political. I do tend to be liberal, especially on social issues, but ultimately I believe the optimal solution to any issue is a balance between liberal and conservative principals. My issues with the Republican party are not so much issues with conservatism as they are with the style of conservatism embraced by today’s Republicans. I sincerely hope that one outcome of this election is a better republican party. A few republicans are suggesting that it was a mistake for their party to nominate a moderate like John McCain and that they should have stood stronger behind Sarah Palin. I think this is way off target. If you are a republican, you can be conservative without pandering to the extreme elements of your party, and you can be conservative without resorting to the politics of fear. You can be conservative without being crazy. For the love of our country, please do so.
Okay, enough politics. I have a new empire red KitchenAid mixer! and I’m going to make pumpkin cookies this weekend! and I’m going to blog about it! Are you excited?!? You should be.
You made me blush. Thank YOU for coming out to help me. Every extra person you reminded to vote counted.
Comment by jaelithe | November 8, 2008