Wednesday February 27th, 2008. If it's remembered at all, it'll be a footnote, and not necessarily an important footnote, at that. It'll be Ruth's RBI total the season he hit sixty home runs. The number of people the Tennessee Valley Authority put to work in Knoxville, Kentucky. The number of people actually there when Martin Luther King told the world he had a dream. But it's a footnote nonetheless. Today, at approximately 4:45 am EST, one million people have voted with their wallets to support the man who tells them "Yes we can."
I don't think this is exactly unprecedented, for instance I remember reading somewhere that Goldwater had a million donors behind him. Still, hitting that mark when you're still in the primary season? Not to steal another candidate's meme, but this is one instance where words fall a bit short.
I'm pretty yellow dog, and at the time, I honestly thought either Gore or Kerry could have been great Presidents, (I still think that about Gore, Kerry not so much.) Having turned 18 in 1997, Barack Obama is only the 3rd Presidential candidate I've voted for. That said, there really does seem like there's something different about his candidacy.
Being 28 (and not being married to a Presidential candidate,) it's probably a lot easier for me to say this is the first time in my adult life I've been really proud of my country. It's true nonetheless. It's almost appropriate that it happened at a time that's in the middle of the night for the entire country. Whether you prefer poetry (America is casting off the darkness that has enshrouded it for so long) or prose (at all hours of the night, people are choosing to donate money to the campaign,) it's really something amazing.
Remember, however, that this is just a footnote. We still need victories on March 4th, maybe even more, and there's still over 8 months until the general election. If you're already part of the million strong, consider giving more. This campaign has spent they money you've donated wisely and effectively. If you aren't, the next million is starting to fill up as we speak. Invest in the future of your country!
Obama for President.