I worked so hard for the campaign. Hell, I'm an old beat up former bodybuilder w/ arthritis and a businessman and well lots of stuff, but nothing more meaningful than a "Barack Obama; Campaign for Change" precinct captain- volunteer- ever hopeful- believer!
On the day of the election I went from GOTV (getting out the vote) canvassing for miles and miles and doors and doors talking to everyone and moving them to vote. Then after 6PM I drove to another 'staging location' and met with a bunch of volunteers there and the exitement and tension was thick and well they asked if I'd take two more canvassing packs and hit the streets of Las Vegas one last time.
I did and it was amazing! When I'm more awake I'll write more about driving a first time voter, hispanic woman to the polls...so cool. And talking to an older voter who wanted to vote for Barack but was scared- literally of making the wrong choice but vote for Senator Obama he did:)
I have so many stories, but really what I will remember forever is watching the returns and simply being floored by how early in the night we'd already WON! I had just put together a plate of dinner and I went to my den where my wife was watching and she had this wry smile on her face and I looked at the MAP and I saw that number...284 and I thought it was wrong or a projection for later or maybe I was reading something wrong and then they showed Grant Park in Chi town and my wife said; 'honey, it's already over, Barack has won it' and I cried.
In my exhauastion of having worked so hard with so much urgency and a belief that we dare not lose and so we dare not slow down until 6:30 at night on Election Night...to see what I was seeing was just too much.
Bless us all the volunteers...the thousands and thousands of us who worked tirelessly w/ a belief so deep in our hearts in a better America. Bless all of you that voted w/ your hearts as well, the unity that we felt that night- the elation- don't ever forget it.
Bless you all America! We shocked the world and surprised ourselves and as hard as what's coming will be- BARACK OBAMA IS PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When Barack took the stage w/ his beautiful smiling family I was as proud as if it were MY family up there and his speech...omg y'all! That was a speech for the ages- poetic- MLK like, awesome.
Whenever they showed some awestruck black kid or an older person with tears in their eyes, I'd start to tear up again, I was a wreck. An elated, exhausted, relieved, proud, vindicated, uplifted...wreck: )
Comments are closed for this post.
