Election madness, part 2
And here's how it all shook out (with more pics on Facebook)...
After my near-fiasco at the voting booth, I headed back to the house to shower, shave, and get ready for what was going to be a busy day. The girlfriend and I got together, ate a little lunch in Old Town, then went to the Obama campaign headquarters to volunteer for the last time. They needed "visibility," so we ended up standing on a corner for a few hours with a big Obama sign!
Although it was raining, we had a good time - we were able to talk to several people, helping them get rides to the polls, and everyone who rode by was very supporting with their waves and honks. Yes, we saw a few McCain supporters driving by who shook their heads, but for the most part, they knew what was coming. Of all the volunteer events that I did over the past few months, this was probably the most fun.
After a few hours at that, we decided to head in and get ready for the night. We'd already decided that we wanted to head out to the district and see this on the ground floor, so we hopped on the Metro and hit U Street. We planned on going to Busboys and Poets, but there was a private party there. Instead, we ended up at a bar called Red Lounge, but it was far from "red" politically. On the second floor, they had an interesting setup - CNN was projected on the building next door - and we got there early enough that we were able to get a covered place to stand (those who arrived later had to stand on an uncovered deck).
Then the wait (and the drinking) began... long, long hours of good talking, hoping for the best, and endless political speculation. It wasn't that cold, but around 10pm, I was ready to hear the word on VA, NC, and the race in a whole. The girlfriend and I had planned to leave once those things were decided, but we didn't know what the night would bring...
And then we made it to 10:59pm, a time that will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. Up until this point, I'd known that it was pretty much over - even sweeping everything, McCain wouldn't be able to close out Obama. But 10:59, that was the time that they finally called Virginia.
Slight deviation from the story here: this race, and this state in particular, had become really important to me. I became active in the volunteer movement after the dissolving of my last relationship, and during that time, I needed something... anything... to erase all the bad things hanging around me. And then this candidate, and this state comes along. It gave me something to work for, something to be inspired in, and it gave me the chance to make a difference. As time went on, it also gave me a chance to get to know my new girlfriend better, and more than anything, I'll associate this campaign with her. I walked the streets with her, canvassing and spreading the word. I talked politics, and hope, with her. I held her hand and watched our candidate stand before a crowd of 80k+ on the night before the election, and I knew what it meant to have something. And finally, we closed out the election together. Yeah, she's someone that I'll always associate with this process, and it's always going to make me smile.
But back to 10:59, and victory.
Hard to see, yes, but that is Virginia being called for Obama. And at that point, every second of the struggle to volunteer (because I'm naturally shy) was so worth it. And then we started the countdown...
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5...
You see, the West Coast polls closed at 11pm eastern, and with those, we knew that it was over. Washington state, Oregon, and California would throw Obama over 270, and that would be the win.
4... 3...
Everyone was counting in unison, and the nation started to wake up from its eight-year nightmare.
2...
I gripped my girlfriend's hand and held my breath.
1...
It was finally time.
And so, it was finally over. A campaign two years running, a frustration eight years building, and every Republican since Nixon finally repudiated. This moment was the death of trickle down economics, the death of "greed is good," the death of the GOP as we know it. It was over, and we'd finally emerged victorious.
Now it was time to party.
We walked out of the bar and it was already in fuill swing. The police had blocked off U Street, and people were dancing and cheering and chanting and hugging and collectively, we were whole. Everyone laughed and broadly smiled, and I just looked on in awe.
My girlfriend misinterpreted my quiet reflection, because she knew that I was excited but thought I might not like the demonstration. However, I explained that I wasn't mad, I was happy - and now was the time for work. She wanted me to enjoy the moment, and I did, but I let her know that the work was a good thing. We'd waited years for the chance to do OUR work, and this was our moment. I wasn't sad, or scared, or any of those negative emotions. I was excited and happy that OUR moment had come. Our generation, our youth, had finally pried this country from the fear-mongers and haters, and we were ready to start shaping this world in OUR image. This was our time, and I felt that weight, and I felt that ecstacy, and I was proud that we, as a whole, had made a difference.
Enough self-reflection; some pics from U Street!
We stayed down there for an hour or so, and then the ripple started: "White House... White House... let's march on the White House..." It was after midnight, both the girlfriend and I had to work the next morning, it was raining and getting colder by the second... and yes, we were marching on the White House. How could we resist? So we took off, ALL of us, marching down the street - not the sidewalk, because this wasn't a sidewalk night - the 20 or so blocks to the White House. And the whole time, there was singing and dancing and cheering and screaming and slapping hands and waving at the cars that honked their horns. We pulled our coats tight, mocked the elements, and walked the walk.
We weren't the first, and we weren't the last, but finally, we arrived.
Once there, the crowd cheered and sang "Nah nah nah nah (hey hey hey goodbye)" and chanted "YOU LOSE!" We saw snipers on the roof, but no one was being too rowdy and endangering the safety of those around them. No, it was just one biig congregation giving one last "fuck you" to the government that we felt like had screwed us for eight solid years. We gave notice that we were ready to take back the country, and we were ready to do the work.
In the end, I don't know what the future brings, but I do believe this: November 4th, 2008 was the night that things changed. Some will say they changed for the better, and some will say they became worse, but regardless, they changed. Tonight was the night that the people stepped up and took back some of the power that we'd lost over the last several years. Tonight was the end of an era, and the start on a new one. And I was extremely luckyy to be a part of it every step of the way.