Last Night. 2 am CST. Rantoul, Illinois. After a night of drinking and having a good time, my 40-something husband and his favorite high school buddy got in the back of taxi cab and learned something: this election is over. And it is Obama who has won.
My husband lives with me in Austin, Texas having left the heartland of Illinois where his mom still lives in a beautiful 100 year-old white farmhouse in Rantoul, Illinois (near Champaign). He often gives me hell for living in the same state as George Bush and the Texas Longhorns (although I remind him that GWB is really from Connecticut, but hey, OK I'll put it up with it). Despite his misgivings about Texas, my husband loves Texas, and fortunately he loves me, so he lives with me in Austin where we, as both proud and loud card-carrying liberals, we can live a pretty neat life, unfettered by the right wing-nuts plaguing the rest of the state.
So every once in while, my husband longs for home and so he travels back to his Illinois heartland and falls in love all over again. This is one of those times. Which brings me to the point of this diary.
Last night, my husband had gone out to have a few pints with his favorite friend from high school (I'll call him "Joe" for purposes of anonymity.) My husband and Joe were out having a good time and re-living memories and enjoying the coolness of autumn, when they decided to get a taxi to go back to their hotel. (My husband decided to rent a hotel rather than stay with his mom at her farm since they would be imbibing and staying out rather late - he is a good Midwestern boy).
All of you know that Barack Obama is a Senator from Illinois. But what you may not about Illinois, is that the farmland regions of Illinois are quite, quite different from Chicago. The farmers and blue-collar workers in these rural areas are generally very, very conservative. And, unfortunately, some of them can sometimes be racist. At least that has been my experience, as well as my husband's, who should know.
So back to the 2 guys getting into the taxi. Based on the little information that my husband has shared with me, I have only gathered that they were attempting to get back to their hotel to probably to do some drinking and talk about days gone by (please note that I do not condone such behavior for any third party, but my adorable husband gets a pass as he is on his annual trip back home, cherishing the small town of Rantoul, Illinois.)
Husband and Joe get in the taxi and make it home. My husband calls me today so excited I got a little worried for a moment. But I, as is usual with our relationship, begin the conversation:
Me: Hi honey! How are you? Are you having a good time? You aren't going to believe what McCain is doing [interrupted]
Him: Honey...wait! I've got to tell you the coolest story. Joe and I were getting in the taxicab last night...
Me: Yeah?
Him: And we were talking about politics and the election....and then the craziest thing happened!
Me: Well, what? Were you in an accident? [freaking out]
Him: No, no, no! Joe and I were just talking so much about the election, and about McCain and Obama.... and I don't know what happened but somehow the taxi driver - a real blue collar type of guy - stopped the car and looked at back and said with real concern, like he was really, really worried and said "Hey, um you aren't gonna vote for McCain are you? Because that's just like voting for George Bush.
The taxi driver was so concerned he stopped the car to make sure to tell his occupants that a vote for McCain was a vote for Bush's policies and the last 8 years.
Of course my husband assured the worried taxi driver that in fact he was an ardent Obama supporter who had donated to the campaign and whose wife (that's me) was also as supportive. But, after talking today, my husband and I realized that the taxi driver's words symbolized much more than a taxi driver's offhand political comments.
In fact, it shows that this elelction is at an end. Obama has already won.
He has won the hearts of all people like the taxi driver who are suffering and hurting from the Bush Administration's policies. And he's won them and more unlikely voters by giving them a steady hand through the latest economic crisis. Obama has acheived support from people who probably would have never considered voting for him in the past.
But this time is our time. I know we has 30 days left and a lot to do. But with every day, there is less and less time for McCain to sway voters his way. And attacking Obama - the man who people are looking up to as a leader in these difficult times - smacks of desperation and rot within.
It is no longer their time. It is our time. It is the taxi driver's time. It is the farmer's time. It is the secretary's time. It is mechanic's time. It is the office worker's time. It is the factory worker's time. It is the artist's time. It is the poet's time. It is our time. And as we go through the difficult days ahead, realize we are wading through beautiful waters gently pushing us forward to victory on November 5.
It's over.
And Obama has already won.