Today I Am A Blue State Girl

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to be a blue stater. Last night we were riveted by the election coverage. DQ didn't want to go to bed until she saw Virginia declared BLUE. Of course it happened moments after her head hit the pillow but my brother was still up and he called to thank us for turning Virginia BLUE. ;)

This was such a historic election and the feeling of hope that is in the air today is undeniable. Wouldn't it be great if this excitement was just the start of a positive change in our country?

You may recall that DQ and I went to see President-elect Obama in July when he spoke at what is now her school. What I didn't mention is that Stinkerbelle went out canvassing for Obama with Hubbo a few weeks ago. Both of my girls feel like they were a part of something wonderful and I hope that they remember this moment forever. After all, they are the next generation of voters.

Tomorrow I promise some actual knitting content.

Counting For Better or Worse

I voted this morning. Did you?

I could tell you all about my excitement at the potential for having my vote count this year as opposed to the past where it was a foregone conclusion that Virginia would go Red. And I could tell you about waiting on line to vote this morning just a few feet away from where we saw Obama in July.

There is much to be said about today's historic vote but for me, the most telling thing are the people. They are turning out in droves and waiting patiently in long lines to be heard and I find that encouraging. People are inspired.

Yes, there have been way too many commercials on television and many of them have been full of lies and half-truths. I'll be really happy to see them stop and I can't wait for them to retire Robo-call. It'll also be a relief to see all of the campaign signs disappear.

What I hope remains is the feeling of inspiration and being engaged. For one moment in our country's history people are excited about an election in a way I've never seen before. With such a tight election and so many of the expectations of the past turned on their heads people feel like they could make a difference. Regardless of how the election goes I find it somewhat refreshing not to hear people using the excuse that they're not voting because their vote doesn't matter.

Of course I'll be happiest of the Old Dominion goes Blue and Obama is elected. Go vote!

Obama

Late Wednesday afternoon my husband called to tell me that he had scored 2 tickets to hear Senator Obama speak in a Town Hall meeting at a school in my neighborhood. Hooray for me and DQ because we got to go see Obama speak. He was amazing!

Here is the First Lady of Virginia, Anne Holton introducing Obama. A woman who has raised three children while maintaining a successful legal career, she was a great choice to introduce him since the focus of his speech was Economic Security for America's Women.



He discussed the need for better policies on sick time (no less than 7 days for every worker) and allowing parents to attend school events for their children. Assistance for families to pay for day care and for school tuition were discussed but he also focused on helping people care for aging parents.

There was a question and answer portion of the program and I appreciated the way that it was handled. The questions were chosen at random and not prescreened. The only direction that he gave is that he would alternate answering queries from men and women. The subjects ran from his recent votes on legislation related to the administrations wiretapping policy, to encouraging writing programs, to improving our relations with the rest of the world. He answered all of them completely and clearly.



One of the big thrills was that this Town Hall meeting took place in the gym at DQ's school. What a kick to see him in such an incredibly familiar place! There were lots of young people there - some new voters and some, like DQ, who won't vote for many years to come. I have no doubt that when Obama is elected all of these kids will look back on the day and feel like they were a part of something great.



The only thing about the day that made me a little sad was that, although other local politicians had representatives there giving away bumper stickers and signs and stuff, the only Obama stuff there was for sale. The materialism was a little off-putting. Three dollars for a button or a bumper sticker seemed a little high. The day was still great though.

Go Obama!