My 21 year old son, who goes to college in California and is registered to vote there, voted for president for the first time today. He was very excited and called to tell me.
He grew up in a household that was very politically attuned. We rarely watched television news, but always read the newspaper and discussed the events of the day. We were avid listeners to public radio.
He went canvassing with me in York, PA during the 2004 election. He also did some phone banking. On election day, we drove home from York feeling triumphant, only to listen to the news that the election was going another direction.
He was opposed to the Iraq War more vocally at the outset than I was. He marched in a protest march the day of the invasion when that was the minority view. I was proud of him that day. We have engaged in spirited political debates, agreeing more than disagreeing, but I have often frustrated him when I act as devil's advocate.
When I went to Yearly Kos last year in Chicago, I knew how much he would have enjoyed it. I wished that he was there with me. I took him to Netroots Nation this summer and we got to share that experience together.
When he first called tonight, I thought, "Well, that's good," but I really didn't understand the significance of what he told me. Nancy Pelosi is the member of Congress from his district in California and his vote for Obama won't tip the balance, either. As I thought about it more, though, it is what all that we have done together over the last four years - and even longer - have been leading up to. It's a great day for me, too.