Review of My Polling Place
There was a steady stream of voters walking in and out, but no line. There are many candidates on the ballot. Barack Obama heads the list for President, so he is easy to find, and Mary Landrieu heads the list for U.S. Senate, so she is easy to find, too. In other races you must sometimes hunt for your Democratic candidate.
Vote for them all. Do not split the vote and give this race to the Republicans. Please vote Democratic now and organize left immediately afterwards. A vote for Obama is a vote to rejoin the community of civilized nations.
Citizens: The time to exercise the “American freedoms” you tout is now. Conservatives: a vote for Obama is a vote for your income. Progressives: a vote for Obama is a vote to allow the children of BOLIVAR, MARTI and SANDINO space to breathe. Vote.
Review of Our America
Vote because we are worth it. Vote because the porpoise will jump up in the Gulf and the salmon run thick in the Northwestern waters. Vote because people fought and died in the streets of the United States so you could work an eight hour day. Vote because their spirits deserve your respect and gratitude. Vote because you did not have to withstand the blast of a fire hose to register. Be glad and vote. Vote, as I keep saying, because there is still time to become a civilized country if we start now. Vote. Here are some Americans, not in a mall, not invading foreign countries. Vote.
If you are undecided between McCain and Obama, look at the Times-Picayune’s endorsement. I link with some hesitation as it is one of those conservative endorsements that reminds progressives like me why we did not originally plan to vote for Obama in the primary. Please remember that to save the country you want to do daily grass roots work, not just cast a vote every four years. Obama is no progressive but an Obama win will be a sign of progress. Vote.
Here are some Americans, not in a mall, not necessarily eating every day. Children like this did more than just vote so that yours, generations later, could go to school. At least VOTE.
Review of My Neighborhood
Everyone says Obama is going to lose Louisiana. I am aware of what people are like here and it is why I am so uncomfortable all the time. A church group is studying Barack Obama, the Antichrist, across the street from my house right now.
Assuming that 99% of African American voters come out to vote for Obama, it would only take about 35% of all other voters to vote that way for Obama to win. McCain is expected to win handily, which means only about 1 in 4 white people here would consider voting for someone … else. I think we can do better. I hope we will.
It would boost my mood considerably if this country, which despite everything still embodies the hopes of many, decided to join the community of civilized nations once again.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
This election seems to have more people engaged than I can remember since Jimmy Carter. Will be interesting to see what plays out no matter who is elected.
Ojalá.
Joanna – yes.
Herb – I was out of the country and missed the Carter ferment – I didn’t realize. Voted third party because he was so conservative, but he turned out to be comparatively good.
I am not sure you are a real commentator or an ad, so I delinked your site. But thanks for visiting, and the book looks good.
Amen & Axé!
Let’s do it.
He did it. We did it.
Already??? Louisiana has gone McCain 2-1 and Mary Landrieu has not won for Senate yet. Those FUCKING Palin voters who claim they are feminists have not voted Landrieu too much.
Ha about the Palin voters.
profacero — I totally know where you are coming from about being uncomfortable. I have considered trying to return to Louisiana because I could research the history of school desegregation and be near my family. But I feel I would be bound to be disappointed if I tried to reconnect to my family. I am just too different. And then there’s everyone else. I’d be a freak to all the rest of them.
I am sorry that Obama did not win Louisiana. It’s tough to content yourself with Mary Landrieu, I know. I have a soft spot for her, but oh my can she be frustrating and infuriating.
I wish for you some of the joy we felt when we learned that Obama had won and that Virginia had put him over the top. I have been working hard for three years to turn Virginia blue and there are many here who have worked for many years before I arrived. Years and years went into this.
The beautiful thing to me is that it isn’t all our victory. So many “new” people, people of all ages and colors and backgrounds and so on, worked so very hard alongside the usual (white) Democratic party suspects. It would be a grievous mistake to make this a story about the Triumph of the Non-Racist White Virginia Democrats. We’ve got to share. It’s good for people to learn to share.
I wish I could share with you some of the absolute unadulterated joy that we felt, because it seems to me that you’ve earned it as well.
Sharing unadulterated joy … you are, Human! 🙂 I actually had it before … but I thought Louisiana would do better than this. It’s OK though, because the young voters even here are JAZZED.
A church across the street was studying Obama as the anti-Christ?? I’d hate to think of a surer route to a sullied election night. I’m so sorry to hear it, Professor Zero. I went to school with a huge smile on my face Wednesday, and my first student visitor seated herself and asked in a hushed, concerned tone, “What do you REALLY think about Barack Obama?” She clearly expected me to tell her privately that he’s a terrorist plant or at least a communist. She clearly thought that my comments in class had been some attempt to toe the politically correct line. That’s not nearly as unsettling as witnessing an “Obama: Anti-christ” church gathering, however.