There are thousands of you who did more than I did to help get Barack Obama elected. There are thousands that gave more money than I was able.
But I take some pride in the small amount of time I volunteered and the small amount of money I gave.
And I'd like to share some thoughts about the last 24 hours.
- As a 29 year old white woman from Iowa, it is hard for me understand the feelings that African Americans had last night. But watching people that I admire break down and watching journalists taking time to express their feelings was amazing. It was just 44 years ago that the Civil Rights Act was passed! 44 years.....and yesterday we made one of the bigger jumps for equality.
- The call of Ohio is when the tears started for me. Up to that point, I had only slightly watched the coverage....I was just too nervous. But I was at my computer and I heard them call Ohio. I hadn't expected Ohio to get called, but that's when I knew that, barring a meltdown, that we would win. It was hard to believe.
- This election has brought 3 generations of my family together. I have learned from my Grandma that even though you may harbor some racist views, you can over come them (I am reminded of Barack's race speech when he talked about his Grandmother) and make an informed decision. I also learned that she is somewhat of a feminist when she talked about abortion rights last weekend! And how cool is it when you hear that your 86 year old grandmother stayed up until 1 am watching the election coverage. I've also learned about my 50 something parents, who are conservative Democrats. I've learned that while we may not always agree that they are people who I am proud of. And unlike a lot of my friends' parents they weren't afraid of what President Obama would do as president. And it has been fun and funny to me to learn that they are quite the progressive TV watchers tuning into Keith and Rachel. And it was kind of neat to talk to my mom and have her tell me tonight that she was just so relieved last night.
- It will be difficult to be emotionally invested in a president. I want him to succeed and it will probably hurt when he fails. It will be cool though to have someone in the White House who I think is smart and good.
- Barack is going to have a tough row to hoe. But as I was talking to someone today, no matter what happens. Even if he is the socialist, terrorist, communist, and radical that some claim, this result was good for the country. I think it might heal a lot of wounds.
- I am so happy for the Democrats in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana. How MUCH FUN would it be to actually win a presidential race in your state when you haven't in so long?
- We probably shouldn't forget that the actual vote percentage for us was extremely high. That's a huge accomplishment that we should be proud of.
- There was something so great about seeing the Obama family and the Biden family out on the stage last night. I don't know if it was the young kids or the two families that seemed to like each other, but it made me happy. It was a picture of America that made me happy.
- Finally, another thing that I was discussing with my mom. She is fairly scared for his safety. There is still a lot of crazy hate out in this country. At my 17 year old twin sisters school today there were plenty of angry kids saying some very hateful things today. So I wish President-elect Obama safety over these next few months. And I will be praying for him.