Yes We Can

Brace yourselves, I'm about to get political. I haven't really used this space for that reason yet, and I know that everyone is probably sick of hearing about politics, so I figure today is the last day that I can really talk about what went on last night.

I am an Obama supporter. This should not come as a great shock to anyone. I got up early yesterday (well, okay, early for me) to wait in line for 45 minutes to cast my vote in a state that was going blue anyway. I was excited and a little scared. Everyone there was.

Later on, at Sidetrack, watching the states turn primary colors was very exciting indeed. Once Ohio went blue, I knew it was all over. When they pulled up the map and showed us that even then if McCain were to win every state with a slight chance of going red, he still wouldn't get enough votes, my stomach clenched. And once the projections from the Pacific came in, and Obama won by a landslide, I freaked the hell out. Hearing all of Sidetrack singing "God Bless America" was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. McCain had a great concession speech, even though it looked like Palin was about to burst into tears at any moment.

But I want to talk about Obama's acceptance speech, and how wonderful it was. He has always preached a message of unity and acceptance, which was nice to hear again. I watched the MLK "I Have a Dream" speech before the election, and it was kind of awesome to think about. His calling on people to join in to turn our country around was inspiring, and for the first time in 8 years, I felt it could happen. For the first time in 8 years I didn't want to just ride it out and try to ignore the message of fear. Hell, I was proud to be American again, rather than apologetic on behalf of my country. Look what we did.

It's just nice to feel like you can actually do something. I don't really expect change to happen immediately. That's not the point. Obama is not the messiah. However, I think this is a very important win, not only because he's the first black president, but it's the first time in over eight years that we as a people have had enough and are willing to take back the country. Our voices matter again, and that means we get to be proud patriotic Americans, regardless of what people like Sarah Palin think. Awesome.

Add: Prop 8 passed. Wow. Legalized discrimination. Thanks America for taking one big step forward and another back. Gosh, sorry California, I wish I could've helped.

Add 2: I should just avoid Facebook from now on.
I've decided three things:
1. I don't think people understand what Marxism actually is. Note: not a synonym for communism. Also, just shut up.
2. HEY, YOU, SHUT UP ABOUT HITLER'S SPEECHES. I'm flummoxed as to how people can even think about drawing comparisons between the two of them. Disliking a person because he's well-spoken and intelligent is revolting.
3. I don't think people understand the world: if you want to leave the country because it's getting too liberal, where in the hell are you going to go? Canada? Europe? Just think about that for a second.

Okay, so that's me talking about the political sphere. Tune in tomorrow when I get back to our reguarly scheduled frivolity.