Election Night In Chicago

I don’t know who this person is, but I think they captured the night very well.  Song is Radiohead’s “House of Cards” from In Rainbows.

Taking It All In

What can you say?

These thoughts are a bit jumbled together, but they are all I can muster right now.  More structured posts will come later.

As I sit here watching President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech for the second time, I can say that I have never been more proud to be a young person, to be a Chicago citizen, but most importantly, to be an American Citizen.  Few events have been more symbolic of what America stands for and what America can be to it’s citizens than the events of tonight.

Congratulations America, you have grown a lot.

I have not lived long, but cannot help but think that today is the first day of the next era of my life.  Barack Obama being elected president will not have a dramatic change on what kind of job I get, how much money I make, or how I can support my family.  It will, however, change the lives of millions of people around me.  As CNN analyst Roland Martin, who is African-American, said, blacks across the country can say to their children “yes, you can be President”, and actually mean it.

I will write many posts on this subject, many of which will contain clichés and tired old patriotism.  But I will mean every word of it.  Today was a big loss to the people who hate our freedom and our will to live.  It was a victory for all who love this great country, whether they realize or not.

I Voted!

I just got back from voting for the first time in my life.  It felt great!

Why I Am Voting For Barack Obama

Note: I do not affiliate myself with either major party or consider myself “left” or “right”, “liberal” or “conservative”, whatever those labels mean these days. I think that both major parties are a bit of an embarrasment, personally. But that’s beside the point. When faced with an issue, I try to look at from my own personal perspective, but also the perspective of millions of other people. I feel that all too often people take a selfish approach on issues. And ultimately, I end up falling somewhere in the middle on just about everything. To me, no one issue is particularly more important than the rest. I say this not to be neutral but to let you know that I have no particularly strong leanings either way.

A lot of people say that the President of The United States of America does not really have the power that the position is perceived to have.  This may be true, however, the person holding this position has power that cannot be measured by any tangible means: they have the power to inspire and comfort millions of people in this country and billions abroad.  The world is at a crossroads in many ways.  Justifiable or not, much of the world doesn’t quite look at us the same way that they may have in the past.  In my opinion, we are in need of a president that can inspire and reassure not only American citizens, but the people all over the world.

John McCain is an American hero in many ways.  From his tremendous sacrifice during the Vietnam War to his dedicated service in politics since then, he has earned my respect as a man and as someone who cares about the country and the people.  In different times, I believe he would make a good president.  But now are not those times.

Now, for these times, I feel that Barack Obama is the best man to be the face of this country.  A lot of McCain supporters say that Barack Obama is all talk, that his rhetoric is just fluff with no substance.  In truth, Obama is an inexperienced politician.  He has only had three solid years in Washington.  I feel, however, that his ability to lead far outweighs his lack of experience.  When I see my peers volunteering and busting their butts for him, or the way he has ran a solid, relatively clean campaign, I am amazed.  This man has inspired thousands of young people, the very same people that are thought to not care about anything but Facebook and Xbox, to get up and do something, to feel strongly about something that doesn’t affect their day to day lives.  To me, that is a leader.

Regardless of who wins, tomorrow will be a historic day.  Vote Obama, vote McCain, vote whoever.  But please vote.

John Mayer - “Hope Is Not A Buzz Word”

I said I wasn’t going to try to influence people about the election, but I felt that this was too good to not post.  My favorite musician puts into words what an entire generation of people have been trying to say.  John Mayer writes:

I was 23 years old when the nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. I can remember hearing pundits say “this changes everything” and “things will never be the same.” Obviously it was a tragic and traumatic event, but that sentiment has carried on through the better part of my twenties. If you were 43 years old on that day, I would imagine it was a difficult concept to get your head around as well, Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, John Mayer, President Barack Obama

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