While watching some Obama videos today, including the epic will.I.am video on YouTube, it really, truly hit me what it was about this election that mean so much, that made this so much different.
In 2000 and 2004, yes, I worked hard to convince people to vote for Al Gore and John Kerry. In 2004 especially, I wrote columns, handed out Kerry materials to people before two Michigan football games (and that was after legendary coach Bo Schembechler endorsed Bush, not helpful to us), and did my damndest to keep us from more Bush. It failed both times, and to say I was dispirited, well, my postmortem of that was so poorly written and disjointed that it is easily the worst thing ever penned under my name.
Events changed, though, and I found my voice again in 2005, and soon enough, I had hope again. All that remained was finding a candidate for 2008. And when Barack Obama, someone I saw in 2004 as our great hope (I watched his convention speech five times in two days), declared for the race, I knew I had my man. I knew I had someone different. And I knew what had changed this time.
More over the jump....
Quite simply, 2008 means so much more to me because for the first time, I am working for someone, not against someone. I am working for principles, not against someone else's. I am, for the first time in my entire life, completely, fully inspired by a politician, something that I thought was past our capability in this media-driven, corporate-packaged world of ours.
I have never in my entire life been able to listen to someone speak and have them move me emotional. I listen to Obama and I get goosebumps on my arms and a feeling of immense hope. I always wondered when we would get our Jack and Bobby Kennedy, or our Martin Luther King, Jr. I always wondered what would be out there that would inspire me and give me a purpose. I got my degree in PoliSci, and I've bounced around job-wise, and while writing/blogging has been an incredible outlet for me, I haven't felt a purpose, an urge to care about something as much as I have cared about electing Senator Obama as our next president.
Yes, I know this primary season has been ugly, especially in the diaries and comments around here, and I appreciate the intensity of support for people's candidates. I haven't been into the whole demonizing of Hillary or her supporters. I would much rather support my candidate and work for him than work against someone anymore, because I've found it matters a lot more, it means a lot more, and it inspires a lot more when you're working for your own principles instead of fighting someone else's. That is why this year has changed me, and I hope you can look at yourselves and say the same.