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When I cast my vote today, I will be voting in memory of my mom, who taught me how to be a Democrat, who never ever EVER missed an election even at the lowest local levels of voting, who died the day before Barack Obama announced his candidacy, and whose ashes would reconstitute themselves from the finish line at Pimlico and slap me upside my head if I forget to vote today.
When she first came of voting age Washington DC residents were not allowed to vote for President. She liked JFK and loathed Nixon but she had to cross her fingers and hope the rest of the country would come through (and they did, just barely).
I voted for Obama (twice) in her memory, knowing how proud she would be if she had been alive to see it. Even though she was very ill, she was very excited about voting for the first Black governor of Massachusetts in 2006, so I know she would have been thrilled at the idea of voting for the first black POTUS.
Today I vote for Hillary in memory of my mom, because I think she liked and admired Hillary way back when WJC was in office, and I suspect mom was among the millions who hoped HRC would someday be the first woman president.
I vote for Hillary in memory of my grandmother, born when black men could vote but black women could not.
I also vote in memory of countless nameless faceless first wave feminism suffragettes like those in the photo above, who were physically and sexually assaulted, slandered and shunned, for insisting that women should have the right to vote. Did any of them even dare to dream that their daughters or their daughters’ daughters would have the chance to vote for a woman for president?
I also vote in honor of some people who are living:
- women whose husbands think they have a right to tell them who to vote for—women who are lying and saying they are voting for Drumpf to keep the peace in the household, but who will vote for HRC in secret...
- women whose hearts were broken when Hillary lost in 2008, who choked back their tears and did not lose hope and worked as hard as they could for this second chance, some of whom are of an age where they may not get another chance…
- women in inner cities who ride public transportation to two or three jobs and work hard for every dollar and drag themselves bone-tired through every single day, but who are willing to stand in line for hours to make sure they vote for a candidate who values women and takes women seriously…
and I vote in honor of the men and women who are struggling and barely making it now, whose lives would be so much harder under Republicon rule: they and their children will be the ones sent off to unjust war, their encounters with racist police will end with unjust prison sentences or death, their relatives will be sent to detention camps and deported because of unjust immigration policy. Their jobs will be sent overseas because they can’t compete with people who will work for pennies an hour; their homes will be destroyed by severe weather conditions; their franchise will be eroded by continued gerrymandering, caging, purging and other voter suppression; and the authoritarian government will decide whether they have to stay pregnant, stay single, or stay celibate.
Last but not least I vote today in honor of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who challenged the cultural pressures of sexism as a teenager, fought against outrageous Republicon propaganda tactics and called them out for what they were, faced relentless vicious personal attacks for decades, and is still standing.
I vote in honor of the poised young woman who arrived at Wellesley “not knowing what was not possible”, stunned her classmates by speaking truth to power, and dared to point her life toward the presidency even though no one had ever done it before her.
I carry a lot of people into the voting booth this day. I carry women who died never even dreaming to have the chance to vote at all, much less vote for a female president. I carry activist women still living who have spent their whole lives fighting to make our country and our world a better place for women, for men, for everyone.
I carry my mom. I will feel her spirit cheering from Beyond if things go well tonight.
Is there someone you are voting in memory of today?
Is there someone you are voting to honor today?
Is there someone in your present or past who inspires you in a special way as you vote this year?
Question of the day
Who do you vote in memory of? Who do you vote to honor? Who inspires your political fight?
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As always, this is an Open Thread!
LET'S BUILD IN-REAL-LIFE COMMUNITIES!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events. We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in. If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers. If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links. If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Colorado: Sunday Mornings
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
Let us know if you’ve got any events that would be of interest to other readers of Daily Kos IN-YOUR-REAL-LIFE space.
SFKossacks Holiday Party!
Saturday, November 19th, 1:00 PM, Wine Country in the town Windsor. Private residence address will be given to the folk who RSVP.
Please send navajo a kosmail to RSVP and state your potluck item. We need non-alcoholic beverages, appetizers, side dishes, (plus vegetarian versions) salads, and bread. Ice and large ice chests, too!
Also tell navajo if you need to carpool. AND! Dogs okay. FTW! No livestock, though.
RSVP & POTLUCK LIST:
1. Andrew McGuire—Host
2. navajo—Whole salmon for bbq for whole crowd, 8 six-packs of beer and all the dessert
3. Meteor Blades—Two cans of Spam
4. side pocket—2 bottles of (French) sauvignon blanc & deviled eggs
5. Mrs. side pocket
6. smileycreek—Mini jalapeno polenta cups
7. paradise50—
8. Glen The Plumber—
9. remembrance—
10. TLO
11. jotter—One case of wine
12. aha aha
13. dsb—Ice in an ice chest, baguettes & cheese
14. marge—Curried potatoes and roasted vegetables
15. kimoconnor—
16. maggiejean—Salad
17. elfling—
18. Hunter
19. elfling/Hunter offspring, not livestock
20. Lorikeet—side dish
21. norm—
22. jck—side dish
23. Lusty—Vegetable side dish
24. ebby—
25. jakedog42—
26. basket—Non-alcoholic beverages
27. edrie—
28.
29.
30.
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Maybees: Silky & Dixie the doggie
citisven
Deb
lmccapp & Daisy the doggie
Imccapp’s BF
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NEW GROUPS FORMING:
Peregrine Kate organized canvassing for her local candidate, Paul Clements. Details about the event are here: Canvassing for Clements in MI-06! WE Are Making a Difference. YOU Can Help! Great job, Kate!
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries about your event or if you have changes or additions.
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