Feeling Hopeful

I called my Dad last night and we got to the topic of the election. To my surprise he proudly told me that he voted for Obama. While this may not sound like much to some people, when I look at the man I knew my father to be as a child, I am taken aback. This is the man who used to tell me that if black people got any power they would use it to oppress us white people, and so we should make sure they don't. In the course of the conversation he even admitted to how racist he has been in the past and how hurtful it was. Wow!

I have learned from this the following things:
1. People can grow and change if we let them. There's been a part of me that has held on to this image of my father from my childhood. And it had hurt our relationship immensely. As an adult, I've had to learn to acknowledge the person he is today.
2. This country is changing. I never would have thought my father would vote for a black president, but the country/world we live in has changed that.

When I hung up the phone with my father, I cried. I am amazed at the people in this country and am feeling patriotism for probably the first time in my life. Not a patriotism that's used to oppress others, but one that appreciates what our country has become.

The history of racism in our country is horrible and I don't deny that racism still exists in the U.S., but this is progress. I feel like even though there will be struggles (fear in many people will bring out horrible things in the near future, I'm sure) we are finally starting to head in a good direction. For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful about our country.

Celebrations at my alma mater

Go EMU!

Celebrating Obama in NYC

The energy on election night was vibrant in NYC. I thought I'd share some videos of the city-wide celebration.

These people went to several of the same places I went to that night (even including getting free Ben & Jerry's).




Here you can see the celebration in Harlem




In Brooklyn




And they said the youth of this country were apathetic...




People from all over NYC called into WNYC to talk about the celebrations in their neighborhoods.


What night to be in NYC! I would love to hear stories of how it felt to be in other cities, please do share.

Yes we did!

So, anything going on in the news lately?

I am feeling such intense emotions right now, please be patient with me as I try to express what I am feeling. What an amazing night! I had the privilege to watch the election results in New York City last night. It was a bit of a journey as some friends and I moved between several locations in Manhattan.

We started off by getting some free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (you know the night can only be great after that). We then moved on to Rockefeller Center and watched as Obama got Vermont and McCain Kentucky. As the other states were “too close to call” we decided to go to a local bar and watch there. We were amazed and thrilled when one-by-one Eastern and Midwestern states went to Obama (Woo! Way to go Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan). From there we moved on to Times Square, where we got our photo taken with a lifesize Obama cutout and watched Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart ham it up (No sound though, we had to improvise by reading the captions). In Times Square we got free popcorn and hot chocolate (oh no, is that socialism?!? :). We decided, with perfect timing, to go back to Rockefeller Center just before 11pm.

We got to Rockefeller Center just few minutes before they announced Obama as the predicted winner. Wow! What an atmosphere! The place was packed, but people were not annoyed with being squished in such a large amount of people. No, people were laughing, crying, hugging, screaming. It was beautiful and the energy went on for a while.

We then decided that we wanted to go to a bar in the East Village to watch Obama’s speech. We got in a cab and a friend announced to the driver “Obama just won!”. He just smiled and said “I know”. The driver was courteous and turned up the radio so we could hear McCain’s concession speech, which I found to be pretty respectful. When we got to the East Village, we were greeted by cheering and shouting. Somebody would shout “Obama!” and the cheers would reverberate down the street, like we were doing the wave at a baseball game. All the people on the streets were filled with joy. It was so amazing to be a part of!

We ended up watching Obama’s speech in a bar, and saw many people, myself included, tear up with his words. More hugging and shouting ensued, and then quickly turned to dancing. We decided to finally head home around 2am, but were slightly derailed when we were told that we had to go to Union Square just then. We did and saw a few hundred young people dancing/screaming/chanting in the square. There wasn’t any violence or even ill will. The environment was positive as people chanted “Yes we can! Yes we can!” (even when one guy started chanting “Let’s get naked! Let’s get naked!” to which I replied “You go first! You go first!” but he didn’t and no nudity ensued). It was a picture of the role young people played in this election and how Obama motivated this group.

I got about 3 hours of sleep last night. I am feeling a lot of things, but tired is not one of them. I’m sure that will change. I have gone back and forth with pure joy, relief, and sentimentality. One minute I’m laughing, the next crying. But, it feels so good. Because I am filled with hope, and that hasn’t happened in about 8 years. I am so glad that I got to be part of such a historic moment. Now I can look back on it one day and say, what an event! I was there! Yes we did!

Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. - from Barack Obama's speech last night

At the polls

Doug Mills/The New York Times

"Who are you voting for?"

"No, you can't vote for him. That'll cancel out my vote!"

Today is THE Day

Today is the day when all of the political rigmarole of the past year+ comes to a conclusion. This has been a historic and very heated campaign year. So, it's very important that we all use our constitutional right to pick who the president will be for the next 4 years. (Yea we're almost done with the previous idiot who has been "running" our country!).

Any who, if you need some incentive (other than having a say in who the next leader of the free world will be) to get your butt out there and vote, a few businesses are rewarding voters for their job well done. Starbucks is giving away free coffee and Ben and Jerry's a free scoop of ice cream. This was originally for people who voted, but I just heard on WNYC that it is actually illegal to reward people for voting or not voting, so they've changed it to anyone who comes in. Also, Krispy Kreme is sticking it to the man and giving away free donuts to people who have voted (and no one else!). So, you should take advantage of these give aways!

But honestly, if this is the only reason you decide to vote I am going to come over there and smack you over the head. I'm not a violent person, but really this election has been going on forever now. If you don't know who you are going to vote for, or worse - don't feel like voting, then you've had your head stuck in the sand and you deserve a smack over the head. You've been warned.

Crammity, Cram, Cram, Cram!

Tomorrow's E-Day. Do you know who and what's on your ballot? We all know the big ones, the Presidential candidates (and we should, what a race!). But, the state and local elections are important too. Being that I live in NYC I looked up some local info. Should you live elsewhere, well do your own research (and do it quickly, time is running out! No pressure. But do it!). Know your polling location and times. NYC see here (Polls are open 6am-9pm in NYC). This is especially so if there are hot issue proposals on the ballot. (I'm talking to you Michigan, California, Washington, etc).

P.S. Isn't it sad Obama's grandma died today? Oh, I wish she could have seen him win the election! (Please win, please win, please win!)

Almost there!

Next Tuesday is the big day. It's amazing that it's almost here. It has felt so far into the future for so long now, that it's hard to believe there are only a few more days until we decide who the president will be. As a final hurrah (hopefully to the idea of Sarah Palin as Vice President) I will be dressed as Sarah Palin for a Halloween party tonight. I just couldn't resist, I already look a bit like and have some traces of a midwestern accent, so close to the accent she sports.

In preparation for my Halloween costume I have been viewing videos of Palin on the web. I probably will not be as spot on as Tina Fey, but I'm looking forward to imitating such an extreme character. In my internet searching I came across this video on You Tube of Sarah Palin's Greatest Hits.

For some reason I cannot copy the whole code to embed the video in this post, so I will just add the link to the video.

Bon Jovi is not having it, Sarah Palin

Palin and McCain don't seem to understand how to ask for permission to use artist's songs for their rallies. Also, they seem to keep using songs by artists that do not support them. Add Bon Jovi to the list of musicians who have spoken up about the use of their songs by McCain and Palin. Do Palin and McCain not realize that Jon Bon Jovi recently held a fundraiser for Obama?

Obama's mad debate skills!

In case you missed it...

Can we just vote already?

I wasn't going to watch the debate last night, but I ended up seeing it with a group of friends. I cannot watch these things alone, I get too infuriated. And last night was no exception. Overall, I thought that Obama kept his composure and, even when McCain really could have put him on the defensive, he brought it back to the issues. McCain was grasping for whatever last breaths of air he could get.

Now, I may be biased, but here is an overview of the debate from my perspective:

Issue: Campaign Attacks
McCain: You hurt my feelings, why didn't you call me so we could do a town hall?
Obama: Look at the polls, people seem to think my campaign is less negative and focuses on the issues.
McCain: You didn't defend Palin/me when whats-his-face said [true] things about the people that attend my rallies. (ie. chanting 'kill him')
Obama: Yes I did...I don't agree with your views on healthcare...economy...yada...yada
McCain: My supporters are great...vets...patriots...Joe the Plumber...
Obama: They call me a terrorist and and want to kill me.
McCain: Aren't you a terrorist? You're buddies with Ayers and involved with ACORN. Ha! Gotcha!
Obama: Here's the truth about those things and you have no point. *Smile*

Issue: Health Care
Obama: Here's my plan to make sure everyone gets coverage.
McCain: That costs too much money, let's just give everyone $5,000 for health care!
Obama: But that's not dealing with the underlying issue with our system.
McCain: Socialist! Don't vote for this commie!

Issue: Which programs would you cut during financial hardtimes?
McCain: An across the board spending freeze - that's the hatchet and I would get out a scalpel...look I know how to cut programs.
Moderator: Could you be more specific?
McCain: Pork-barrel earmark projects. We'll cut the pork, that's why I have a hatchet...Joe the Plumber!

Issue: V.P. as Pres should something happen to you
Obama: Joe Biden's great! Look at his record.
McCain: (Oh Shit!) Uh...energy independence...Joe sixpack...isn't she adorable!

Issue: Bias in picking a Supreme Court judge (excellent question!)
McCain: I am unbiased in picking judges, but abortion is wrong! Obama is pro-abortion!
Obama: I will pick a judge that is intelligent, experienced, and who recognizes a woman's constitutional right to privacy. I support Roe v. Wade and feel that the decision is between the woman and her doctor (DAMN STRAIGHT!!!!!)
McCain: Obama voted to kill infants!
Obama: No, I just didn't support a bill in Illinois that would have compromised Roe v. Wade, there is already a law in Illinois that doctors must resuscitate an infant, not to mention the Hippocratic oath.
McCain: You're a Pro-abortion extremist! You want to kill all babies!
Obama: First of all, no one is pro-abortion. I am pro-choice.
McCain: Don't fall for his fancy words, America!
Obama: Look, there are good, intelligent people on both sides of this debate. We have common ground here...prevention of unwanted pregnancies, support for single moms, options for adoption. (Can I get an amen!)
McCain: (Air quotes) "Health of the mother"? You want to kill all babies...

McCain was certainly trying to paint Obama as an extremist, left-wing, baby-killing, commie terrorist. And he was unapologetic for it too. This debate made me lose any respect that I had left for McCain, as he tried to play into the unsubstantiated fears of many people in this country. I just hope that a lot of other people recognized this in him too and don't vote for him.

Guest Blogger on The Only Baggage You Can Bring

I got the opportunity to be a guest blogger on Samantha Grace's The Only Baggage You Can Bring blog. Check out my post on Medicare and the Election.

Thanks Sam Grace!

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel...a little worried

Did you know that the economy’s gone to shit? I know, why doesn’t anyone talk about it?

Okay, so I watched the first presidential debate on Friday (or at least half of it, that which I could hear over the packed bar full of NYU students). I thought that Obama brought his A-game and didn’t back down. Since I couldn’t hear everything that was said, there were times where I could only focus on body language. A few things I noticed:

-Obama looked directly at McCain several times and McCain would only look at Jim Lehrer.
-The reactions of both McCain and Obama were hilarious! Both had smirks come up several times throughout the debate. McCain especially, while writing down notes as Obama was speaking.
-Obama let out a big smile that, while I’ll explicitly state is not the reason I want to vote for him, did make me crush on him a little.

Of what I did hear, this was the best line in debate history: McCain’s reaction to Obama’s statement about Pakistan, “You don’t do that! You don’t say that out loud!”. Priceless.

BTW – Excellent piece(s) in the NYTimes today about the absence of healthcare in the election lately. Where did it go?

I’m gearing up for the VP debate this Thursday. Palin’s ineptitude has been shown in the past few weeks, so it will be interesting to see her performance at the debate. Of course, the McCain campaign has set “restrictions” to the debate, to make it more even for Palin. Really? You know, Hillary got so much BS for having to work even harder to be taken seriously as a woman and Palin waltzes in and has the election dumbed down for her? There’s the part of me that thinks there is no way that McCain/Palin are going to get elected, especially after her performance lately. But, last night I saw a clip of Bush and I was taken back to the 2000 election, when I thought there was no way in hell that he would ever get elected. Some American people, or the rigged voting system – however you see it, were silly enough to elect him – twice! – why would this be any different for Palin?

Speaking of Palin, an SNL sketch of Palin’s interview with Katie Couric was spot on! Thanks Tina Fey for making SNL funny again and the election slightly more amusing. Anyway, to see Tina Fey’s remarkable resemblance, I’ve posted both interviews here. Enjoy!

Copyright infringement

Apparently McCain keeps using music for his campaign without approval from the musicians. Is requesting permission really that hard? We sing a Jackson Browne song in choir (see the link below). Fitting for McCain, don't you think?

Jackson Browne - Lives In The Balance lyrics LyricsMode.com

A few things about Obama's acceptance speech

I had the opportunity to watch Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC in the company of a packed bar in Brooklyn last night. I was very excited about it, especially about being surrounded by so many supporters who were enthused about this turning point in our country's history. I thought this would be such a historic moment that would give me chills. I have to say though, I was a little let down. Although I still very much support Obama and what he stands for, there were a few things about his speech that got to me:

1. He made promises that he, nor anyone, can live up to. Okay, I'll give you that all politicans have somewhat grandiose ideas that never end up being accomplished when they get into office, but isn't this what Obama is telling us we don't need in Washington. Yes, I think that we should work toward renewable and domestic fuel sources, yes we should improve the education system, and yes we need better healthcare. Independence from foreign oil in 10 years, top notch education during his term, etc, etc, just what we want to hear! Realistic? Not so much. What's the problem with idealism, you ask? There's nothing wrong with striving toward these ends but making these unrealistic promises seems to make him a little less credible.


2. He attacked McCain a lot. Yes, elections are dirty and candidates boost up their own images by putting their opponents down. But, again, isn't this what Obama wants to change? On the one hand, it's nice to actually hear a Democrat take a stand on things for once and not dance around issues. And he's tapped into the common disappointment of the past 8 years. On the other hand though, I'm sick of candidates dogging each other. And he did it in kind of a sleazy, passive-aggressive way.


3. The common chant of "yes we can" sounds a little too militaristic for my taste. I cannot help it, I know it's a positive chant. But really, just listen when you hear it, it's a little scary.


4. His talk of being for the people and not fortune 500 companies when so many companies put millions of dollars into the convention and were listening, live, to this very same speech. (Including a certain pharmacaeutical co...) No doubt they had a significant presence at the DNC.

Of course, there were great things about his speech. The fact that he actually listens to the American people and is in touch with the issues (he spoke very well about the middle class, jobs and Katrina) is inspiring and propells him far past McCain in my book. Due to the past 8 years under the current administration, the prospect of change reaches to so many people. We're sick of not being seen or heard, of an administration that doesn't care about anybody but wealthy CEOs and industry. So, although he did get a little snippy toward Bush and McCain, I could appreciate the stance he took against what we've been experiencing the past 8 years.

I have high hopes for Obama. I am putting my support behind him as a candidate because his campaign of hope and inspiration is not lost on us. Call it what you want, but isn't it obvious that millions of people are inspired by his words and are through with the political callousness of the past. They're not shallow words. People are sick of heartless politics, we want someone who can lead with his heart. I liked the song that Sheryl Crow performed last night "Out of Our Heads"

If we could only get out of our heads, out of our heads And into our
hearts

She apparently adapted this from one of the Dalai Lama's speeches. No wonder why it's so Buddhist in nature.

BTW - I couldn't help but use the image with the shamrocks. Irish for Obama! He he.