hope change hope, A Fourth Street resident in Albuquerque expresses wishes for the ’08 presidential elections, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
My daughters are in on it now. This weekend, driving down Fourth Street in Albuquerque’s north valley, Em points one out.
“Mom, we just passed a really good sign.”
“Was it worth stopping for?” I ask her.
“Yes, yes!”
I pull over, wait for the cars behind me to pass, then do a U-ey. She’s right, this one is gorgeous.
Here’s what we’re noticing as we drive around town. People in the central Rio Grande Valley are expressing their support for Barack Obama in very creative ways. Signs are cropping up everywhere—and not just your ordinary signs. We’re seeing oodles of the large Hope sign that features the bold graphic of Obama’s face. And we’re seeing handmade forms of political expression into which people are putting time, energy, beauty, and humor.
All along the main roads in Albuquerque’s north valley, as well as Corrales, you can see ’em. Yes, there are plenty of your standard political signs for both sides, but the ones we’re stopping to admire and photograph are standout.
Maybe it’s because New Mexico is a battleground state. In the 2000 presidential elections, Al Gore squeaked by with less than 500 votes. In 2004, Bush won by only 6,000 votes. And in the 2008 Democratic primaries, it took a week before the winner was declared. (Hillary won by about 1,700 votes.)
We get serious about our races in this state, and this year Albuquerque and Corrales—two cities in the central Rio Grande Valley—are working hard to make New Mexico “blue.”
Personally, I’m knocking on doors in historically “red” precincts, and even though it’s not my favorite type of work (last election, homeowners nearly chased me off their lawns by election day) I’m still putting myself out there.
And I can tell you this. Deep in my gut, I know that NM will, indeed, be “blue” this election. I feel it in my bones.
Here are five completely non-scientific reasons why:
- The signs. No one ever got this into it in 2004. No one seemed to do anything more than slap a machine-made yard sign in front of a wall. The signs we’re seeing this round tell me something about the level of passion people have—they’re going out of their way to express themselves.
- At an early vote rally on the day after early voting began, about 100 Obama supporters and I stood with signs on one of the busiest street corners in one of the most conservative precincts around, and we got a surprisingly large number of thumbs-up, high-fives, and cheers from passing cars. Yes, we heard and saw a few obscenities, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.
- Going door-to-door in a “red” district, I’m seeing a lot of Obama signs (ordinary garden variety) and I’m hearing people say, “Yes, you can count on our support!” Some of these folks are NM’s version of so-called “Dixie-crats,” Democrats who in the past few elections have voted based on so-called “culture” issues. One guy came out and said, “I don’t like homosexuals, gun control, or abortions, but I like Obama.” On my most recent round of canvassing, I even ran into Republican couple who said, “We’re done with the Republicans; we’re voting Democrat.”
- I’ve gone from being a nervous Nellie to having hope. I worked the 2004 elections and I can tell, something is different this time ’round. I’m proud to wear my Obama buttons and drive around with my “Obamanos” bumper sticker on my car. Last election, people flipped me off when they saw my Kerry bumper sticker. I got to where I cowered over my political expression. All that fear is gone today.
- Finally, my kids tell me that most of their friends are voting for Obama. Of course, my kids’ friends can’t vote, but their parents can. I have a feeling these young’ins are echoing their parents’ preferences.
So there you have it. I see hope on the ground, and I feel hope in my heart.
-Related to post WRITING TOPIC – WHY I VOTE.
yb, I love the hope change hope photo! I wish I had a banner like that! I notice the signs all the time when I’m out & about. My neighborhood is littered (& I do mean litter) with McCain/Palin signs. But, the polls show Obama ahead in our state, which is also a battleground state. My favorite signs are the ones declaring that their home is a Republican household voting for Obama. Those make me smile! Wide!
I think it wonderful that you are going door to door for what you believe in! Kudos to you for that!
5 more days…and I have a heart filled with hope & change.
D
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That’s my favorite one, too, diddy, and the one that Em pointed out. I would have missed it had it not been for her.
You know, a good friend of mine and I went to the early vote rally together, and there we decided that as much as we both dislike canvassing (and putting ourselves out there that way) we were going to sign up. So we’ve done it together two mornings. And the good thing is that we have given valuable information to people about early voting sites, mail-in ballots, and in one case, I did talk to someone who just wanted to talk through his decision process (the aforementioned Dixiecrat).
Especially with first-time voters, and we met a few, it’s been important to give them information on where to go vote and to urge them to vote early.
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I just watched Obama’s infomercial on YouTube. I felt teary the entire time I watched it.
When I was a kid, we were taught to pray for our leaders, for soldiers. I didn’t really get it, but I remember praying before supper, “And I pray for the soldiers in VietNam. And I pray for President Nixon. And I pray that the soldiers will be safe.”
I haven’t prayed those sorts of prayers since childhood. Until now. I pray for Obama’s safety and vision. For Joe Biden’s. For the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. That all will be brought home safely and soon. For a leader who inspires the highest ideals.
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I wasn’t going to watch it, Teri—was feeling overloaded and didn’t want to see anything that might make me nervous. But then I called my mom and asked if she’d watched it. She said it was great and that my dad had watched it with tears in his eyes.
That’s all I needed to hear to then go find it on the web and watch it myself. Em asked me about it today (Mom, did you know Obama had a half-hour ad last night?!) and I plan this weekend to watch it again with her.
I, too, cried. Why? The hope, the potential, possibilities. Happiness but also sadness. What if? Yes, we must.
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Thanks for this. As the days wind down I vacillate between hope and nervousness. I had a bit of a run in with a conservative blogger friend today which made me feel too wound up. then I saw Obama’s interview with Rachel Maddow and felt better again. Thank you for all the work you are doing to turn NM blue again!
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Yeah, I also go back and forth. I mean, I’m confident about NM yet there is so much to overcome to win enough states and the election overall.
I also saw Rachel Maddow’s interview with Obama. I admire her a great deal. She is part of a movement that has been so important to give people like me a voice once again (politically speaking).
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I love the colourful Obama signage, and from the photos especially how New Mexicans personalize their political leanings. It is good that you have invested so much of your energy in spreading the word in your neighbourhood.
I watched an Obama video today, and was much struck by what a measured, self-contained person he seems to be. And he is wise, which is also desirable in a head of state. If i were an American, i would be sitting in anxiety waiting for an outcome I’d desire – Obama for US president. Rooting for him up here in the wet, west coast. G
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i saw a green obama sign the other day with the O being a peace sign–i want that one
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Hooray for HOPE! I’m a fan of it myself :))))
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Yb, a great post! I love the signs and how your daughters are in on it with you, like playing a scavenger hunt.
You are brave to go door to door. Good for you. I’ve been making phone calls, a wimpier alternative. But it’s the first time ever I’ve gotten involved in an election. I usually just show up and vote.
This election is different. I feel it in my bones too. Hope, inspiration, a view to a more accepting, inclusive culture. It has to happen.
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Oh, right on, Christine. And what a great place to be doing it—Georgia is in play!!! That’s so exciting!
For all my complaining about the door-to-door, once I get a person who answers, I get into the conversation. We’ve had quite a few cases where we chatted for a long time with different people. Seems like people have wanted to talk, and they have been open and friendly. Even one woman who believed all the negative stuff just chatted up a friendly storm.
So, that’s different from 2004, too—people are friendly this round.
Sib, yeah! Scot–sounds like a good one.
G, it is striking how people have personalized their leanings. It can actually be kind of hard and sometimes dangerous to pull over to snap a shot, but I could have taken many, many more had they not been a two-lane busy state highway.
There’s one shrine that was created by people who saw what happened to one household’s original sign. A big Hope poster, framed and covered in plexiglass, plus a “Farmers for Obama” sign with Halloween decorations were both vandalized, so the owners put up another set of signs along with a message admonishing the vandals. Since then all sorts of people have erected other handmade signs at the spot—Biologists for Obama, and a host of different homemade signs. I love driving by it.
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ybonesy, I admire your tenacity and passion, getting out there, knocking door to door for what you believe in. This post really speaks to one aspect of the amazing person you are. I have to admit, I’m not one who is moved to tears by Obama or feels a huge rush of hope by his speeches. But I’ve done my research over the last few months on the issues that are important to me, and I think he will make a strong leader of this country.
I can also relate to his persistence, the way he has kept going, and his history in communities where he worked along the way in his rise to the top. I’m not a fan of his wanting to stay in the war in Afghanistan, or of the fact that he doesn’t support gay marriage, but on most other issues we are aligned. I do think he’ll be a good President. It won’t be without its challenges, that’s for sure.
BTW, the guy that said the statement below, the Dixie-Crat you reference:
Some of these folks are NM’s version of so-called “Dixie-crats,” Democrats who in the past few elections have voted based on so-called “culture” issues. One guy came out and said, “I don’t like homosexuals, gun control, or abortions, but I like Obama.”
I’m talking half tongue-in-cheek and half seriously, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say this — he sounds like a bigot and I’m not sure he’s someone I’d really want on our side! But that’s just me. I do get the point you are making but people who operate at those extremes put me off.
On the signage — “Signs, signs, everywhere a sign!” Remember that song from the 70’s by the Five Man Electrical Band? Ah, I must be dating myself. 8)
I love how New Mexico has personalized their signage. So creative. Here in Minnesota, it’s pretty conservative; in fact, I don’t think I’ve seen anything but the standard lawn signs. But Minnesotans tend to be more conservative on the outside, more liberal on the inside. 8)
I’ve noticed that I see more Obama signs in the city when I head in. In the outer rings, I see more McCain with a smattering of Obama thrown in. But if the Primaries are any indication, MN is an Obama state. And I do see more Obama bumper stickers than McCain. I saw a PBS show on signage and it was talking about how it doesn’t really change anyone’s vote. But shows a great deal of pride for the candidate the person is voting for.
This election process has been so challenging on all levels. I am personally going to be glad when it’s over. I’m ready to move on. But I’m also excited for the possibilities. And I am positive I want a Democrat in office.
ybonesy, one thing I was wondering — what’s one of the strangest things that happened when you were out canvassing door to door? I just think that takes so much guts these days, to step up to people’s doors. It’s a crazy world.
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Hey, QM, you know, that one Dixie-crat who made the comment—yes, he has bigoted views, no doubt. That he came out and said that he doesn’t like “homosexuals”—well, I was canvassing with two friends, a lesbian couple, and I really felt protective of them and wanted to defend them. But, I didn’t. I just listened to what his highest priority issues were—and it turned out to be the economy.
But what struck me is that it made me realize why candidates who win have to be so centrist. They really have to be able to connect with folks who hold very different philosophies even within the same political affiliation.
Let’s see–what’s happened in the door-to-door? One lady invited me in to her home. She had on a terrycloth robe and a towel wrapped around her head. We’re absolutely not supposed to go into people’s homes, but I knew instinctively that she was safe. She wanted to talk but not stand at the door or outside in a robe. She’d already voted for Obama, but she lived in a conservative district, and I could tell she just wanted to talk to someone who also was an Obama supporter.
I did wake up one man who was wearing white-and-blue striped pajamas. Actually, I woke up two different men. I think they were shift workers. Both were very kind—they both said they were voting for Obama. I felt so bad for waking them up.
We’ve been thanked by many people—offered water, snacks. So, nothing really strange. Just lots of kindness from strangers. And a couple of homes where the people said, “Don’t want to talk” or “No, you don’t have my support.” These were usually McCain households where we were sent to talk to, say, the one Independent in the home. Those are the ones I dread going to.
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QM, I do remember the “signs, signs, everywhere a sign…” song. 8)
In our community, we have an ordinance that only allows for signs on private property and only a certain number of days (is it 28?) prior to the election. And the police do usually remove signs on areas that are say, sides of the road or ditches or anything that is an easement. Although, I’ve noticed they haven’t been very fast in removing most of those non-private property signs.
Yeah, the conventional wisdom, having been the “campaign manager” for a mayoral candidate one time, is that signs do not win elections. But, yeah, they do show the intensity of the preference—the pride and passion.
I’ll be glad when all this is over, although it will feel like something is missing in my life. The elections have taken up a lot of my energy and time, even just in terms of checking the news and websites. I might go through withdrawals. 8)
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Yeah, when you’re out doing political canvassing is definitely not the right time to be confronting people on bigoted views they hold. That’s something that can get people shot.
I think it takes a certain amount of internal strength to stand and listen to a bigoted person who may be saying, “I don’t like gays,” or “I don’t like blacks,” or “I don’t like ____” you name it, especially if you happen to be gay or black and the person is looking you in the eye and saying something like that. Staying center, and centered, in situations like that is an art form. You have to have a higher purpose in mind to withstand that kind of hate and keep going.
ybonesy, I do admire the work you are doing. Again, I think it speaks volumes about the kind of person you are.
BTW, here in MN, the big race that is SO close is between Al Franken and Norm Coleman. Bill Clinton was here yesterday rallying for Franken. But there was some political scandal around Coleman this morning that came out in the news, something in Texas.
It reminded me of another news bit I saw on how people tend to remember the negative smears about candidates (and probably people in general), even though it’s later proven that the smears are lies. In people’s brains, the negative thing sticks, even years later. The positive falls by the wayside.
It made me think about my own memory experiences with past candidates. The psychology of politics is huge in terms of winning elections.
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Thanks, QM. Oooh, I’m intrigued by the Coleman comment. We shall see. Looked like Franken was ahead about a week or so ago, but now I’ve noticed that Coleman has been making up ground. It’s a local race that’s rec’d much national attention.
Re: the negative smears—amazing how effective they are. But you know, the more I see negative, the more I get turned off. I really respond well to positive messages. I guess it’s because I’m an optimist. Also with people, I resist negative people. They turn me off.
Remember how positive Clinton/Gore’s campaign was? I still have that etched in my memory.
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yb, the Coleman thing, I heard a tiny bit about it and don’t have the full story yet. Something about money his wife supposedly received. It comes back to the importance of the spouses in elections. They are just as scrutinized as the candidates.
Yes, the Clinton/Gore campaign was a feel-good one, too. I’ll never forget that Fleetwood Mac song – Don’t Stop – they connected to their campaign.
Coleman and Franken are neck to neck now. It’s really close. OH, I forgot to mention the Michele Bachmann thing, too, another national attention grabber. Tons of money poured into Elwyn Tinklenberg’s coffers after her unfortunate remarks a few weeks ago. But in spite of that, the race is still close.
Obama is going to need good, strong Democrats in office to help him accomplish his goals. Especially since he seems to be a person who delegates and strongly involves the circles of people around him in his process. We can’t forget to be well-informed and get out and vote on our other local Democrats, too.
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QM, yes, I heard all about Michele Bachmann. I saw the interview where she made the remarks. Yeah, the MN Congressional races have made lots of news this year.
You’re right, the local races are so important. I’ve done all my voting already. One race will be especially tight here.
Four more days to go….
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Thought you might like this…
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I wanted to come back & comment on this post one last time. I spoke with my mother today & wanted her take on the 30 minute ad by Obama. Three words were what she gave me. “Refreshing, hopeful, ready”. My parents also live in a McCain/Palin neighborhood. They proudly display their Obama/Biden signs. My mother is a very talented artist. Every year she paints pumpkins. In the past she has honored all the candidates by painting each one. This year she painted only Obama & Biden. This time around she said she & my father are tired of the negative ads of McCain & find his ads to be those of someone who is desperate & mean spirited. She wonders how someone who voted with the Bush administration so many times could do a 360 & now tries to distance himself from the facts. She said that she is nervous & hopeful all in one. I’m so proud of my parents for many reasons, but especially for putting themselves out there by displaying the banners & pumkins. They are well into their 70’s and well known in the community. D
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I’m proud of your parents, too, diddy. 8)
The painted pumpkins sound fun; wish I could see photos.
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I cast my vote for Obama on Wednesday. Despite the passion in this election, this household has maintained a definite distance from the race. Eight years ago I really burned myself out when Bush got elected, and then the reaction to 9/11 and the Iraq war. Felt like butting my head against the wall, the fear was so discouraging. People wouldn’t listen. If you didn’t support the government and things they were doing, then you were ‘pro-terrorist’, ‘Un-American’, and advised to leave this country since you sympathized with terrorists.
In hindsight, the concerns being expressed by myself and like-minded thinkers proved founded, sometimes 10-fold over time. But it didn’t really make a difference, then. No one wanted to have reasoned discussion about the issues. No one was interested in another perspective.
Weird how much difference that can make on your personal belief in having an impact. I’m glad there seems to be a growing tide in support of Obama. I’m glad there’s possibility of solid, positive change. I don’t think I’d ever want to expend too much energy on politics, though.
Rational, compassionate people make the mistake, I think, of believing the majority can be talked to and reasoned with. But without a heavy dose of self-interest driving the swing, I don’t believe it’s really true.
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I wish I felt this way, Ybonesy. I’m so afraid to hope. I read things that make me want to hope. Your post is a good example. When I sit here, in your words and photo, I want to hope.
I’m in a battleground state, too. But it doesn’t feel so hopeful here for so many reasons (one of them being the possibility that Ohio is where the last presidential election was lost). After all, Joe the Plumber is almost the state bird now and people feel disgruntled that Joe was picked on by the “elite liberal media” (is there such a thing these days??). He misrepresented himself and then had the misfortune to be made a public symbol that the elite media might call into question. And there are others that think Joe got what was coming to him for allowing himself to become a symbol.
Check this out (just for fun, mind you):
The snarkiness, the polarization, all of it… I’m worn out. I want hope. I’m afraid to believe in it. I can’t remember ever feeling this pessimistic.
And yet…
I look at the images and words you’ve shared here… and I think, yes…
Maybe…
Maybe yes.
Yes, we can.
I really hope so.
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amuirin, I read your comment yesterday and your words stuck with me. I was at a birthday gathering with friends last night and when the subject of politics came up, I thought of what you had written. There is a kind of sadness in it. And an honesty. And I don’t think you are alone.
Robin, at that same gathering last night, several people expressed a little fear at the prospect that Obama might not win. These are staunch supporters, too. I don’t know why, but I don’t feel the same kind of fear. I do think he’s going to win, though the margin may be smaller in some places than others.
I really appreciate the honesty you two have shared. It seems like it’s been a really hard election process for people on many different levels. I do think the time is right for someone new though.
One person last night mentioned a story she heard around Obama when he was asked to run for President. I don’t remember all the details, but it was something along the lines of him remembering some of his losses in Chicago in his early career and wondering if he should really run for President.
Someone turned to him and said, “Sometimes you don’t pick the time. Sometimes the time picks you.”
That’s what I believe about this election. I think the time has chosen him. I just hope it’s true.
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I don’t know why, but I’ve been finding comfort in this copy of the Tao Te Ching I found in a box in my old art studio stuff. A friend of mine from school had an old translation that actually contained drawings and illustrations by each number. I guess back then, I’d made a copy of the book, I was so moved by it.
It reminded me that hope resides most in places way bigger than we are. But perhaps we each carry the burden of hope in our everyday practices, the way we each move through the world.
Anyway, the Tao Te Ching was written around the 6th Century BC in China and is attributed to Lao Tzu. (There are hundreds of translations of it.) The other day, I turned to Eight, typed it out on my little Royal typewriter, and took it home:
Eight
The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing.
No fight; No blame.
–from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
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Soothing words, QM. Thanks for sharing them.
Well, it’s coming down to the wire. Deep breath.
Robin, thanks for the youtube link. LOL. I hope Ohio comes through, but yeah, we never know until the time comes. I can understand how you would be cautious about hope. Obama’s there today, and Palin, I understand, which says a lot about how close it is there.
amuirin, I completely relate to your comment, and I can understand your caution, too. I think a lot of people still feel that burn.
I went canvassing yesterday morning. I was in Rio Rancho, a very conservative city, a high proportion of Evangelicals. This is the same town I’ve canvassed in twice before. But again, I met so many people who were voting for Obama, so many who had already voted. I woke up another poor soul, this time a woman who worked on a night shift in the medical field. I apologized profusely, but no, she said, don’t worry. She and the four people in her household had sent in their vote-by-mail ballots. All Obama supporters.
My friend Deborah noticed a household with a McCain sign in the yard. Ugh, she thought, why do they send us to these houses? But then she noticed the sign was in a noose. So she went to the door. A woman and her adult daughter answered. The mother was a McCain support, her adult kids—three who lived with her—were all Obama. They laughed about how they all played tricks on one another. The mom put out her sign a few days earlier, and for Halloween, the kids slipped a knot about the sign. They all were having fun with it.
And then there was a man, a Democrat from a Latin American country, who voted based on one issue–abortion. He said he had to represent the voices of the unborn. He actually was willing to talk, and I told him that under the Clinton administration, abortions were down as compared to the Bush years. You have to have policies that support bringing children into the world. You have to have early education, healthcare, shelter, food. No one is pro-abortion. After we were done, the man said, “Well, it’s too late, I just voted.” But he said it in such a way that I realized that he might have voted Democrat had I had the conversation with him sooner.
I don’t know what compels me to go out there. I think it might be lineage. My dad’s mother, someone I never met, actively campaigned for FDR in the 1930s. It’s in my blood, and even when I feel despair, I work the process.
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“Finally, my kids tell me that most of their friends are voting for Obama. Of course, my kids’ friends can’t vote, but their parents can. I have a feeling these young’ins are echoing their parents’ preferences.”
Well ybonesy….My kids CAN vote and their friends
CAN…and their friend’s parent’s and grandparent’s CAN..and they are all echoing the same feeling that we are…we need a new leader that CAN give us that hope we so need…believe me…have faith…on Tuesday we are going to see something so unbelievable.I have never seen such a unified group of people…every color, every age, every person that wants a change in their life….it will happen…have faith…hope will prevail…I got my Obama sign stolen on Sunday….then I read in the newspaper that lots of Obama signs were being stolen right before the election…one guy said on the paper…I had to laugh…he said” well let them steal the signs…they think it’s going to hurt the campaign…I’ll just go out and buy another sign…and where does that go??? to the Obama campaign…more $$$ to the campaign…I can hardly wait…
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I read somewhere that now everything is in the hands of the people—that all the punditry and all the hand-wringing and the speeches, it’s all coming to an end. And now voters take over. There is something so powerful in that idea, that notion, and that’s what your comment made me think of, bobbi.
I also read one guy’s blog who had his two Obama signs spray-painted, one with a “KKK” and the other with a swatiska. That act prompted him to go out and knock on 200 doors the following day. So, yeah, the vandals simply prompt supporters to amp up their support.
BTW, I am so surprised by how many people I know who’ve never canvassed before, never given a political donation, never expressed themselves in this way—how all those people are moved in this particular election to do all of the above. It’s inspiring to see.
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ybonesy, in less than 24 hours I will have finally been able to cast my vote. I’m anxious to see how it will all pan out. Hope, I have lots of it, & should my hope come true I will embrace the change like nobody can imagine. Are you attending any election day parties or other event? Or will you, like me, stay away from such things & watch the results with your family? D
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I’m not sure what I’m going to do, diddy. My sis (bobbi, who made a rare appearance above) is having an election party. Jim, the girls, and I will likely go. I have friends who are going to Democratic headquarters, but that’s not for me. Too many people. A small gathering with friends and family sounds perfect.
Good luck tomorrow. What time will you hit the polling place? What’s your estimate on how long it will take to get through the line to vote? You should give a guess here and then report back on what it actually took.
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J & I are still on our sabbatical, so we plan on hitting the polling place at 10am. We found that time worked well during the primary election. The lines were relatively short. Tomorrow might be different though. Beat the early voters, lunch time voters,& after work voters. We missed the canvassers today, but I opened my front door & hanging on the knob was a Vote Obama sign. I was bummed. I would have loved to tell them that is exactly what I intend to do! I haven’t been this excited about an election in ages. D
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Too bad they missed you. I bet they also would have enjoyed the positive message you had to share.
I heard on the local NPR radio station this morning that they’re urging voters to come in between 9a-4p if they can for the same reason—avoid those who vote before or after work. I told Jim, as he hasn’t voted yet (went to an early voting spot one day but decided the lines were too long—his thinking is that at our regular polling place, there aren’t as many residents in the entire precinct as there were standing in line at that early voting spots for the entire county). Jim says he plans to arrive at our precinct at 6:45a. It will be interesting to see what happens.
My friends and I hit the Obama HQs at about 9a to begin our Get Out The Vote (GOTV) work for the day. I’ve taken the day off from work.
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Good for you ybonesy. Good luck to Jim I’ll let you know what it’s like tomorrow. NM & PA are both very important states tomorrow. I’ll be thinking of you! D
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Hi there! I am so excited for tomorrow too! I am holding happy thoughts :)))
I could share my hilarious story – a comedy of idiocy really — between the Secretary of State, the Town Hall Clerk, and the County Offices…. long story short: None one knew what times the polls actually OPENED. So they all decided to transfer voters between 3 different offices hours apart in distance – only to have them promptly returned back to where they started.
Good thing I had my “happy hat” on today! Anyway- much success on all your hard work and just wanted to stop over and send a hug!
Sib
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Liz and I voted at our precinct area at about 8am this morning. We’re right outside of Minneapolis, a first-ring suburb. There was a steady stream of people but it wasn’t the least bit crowded. I was so surprised. In the last election, we waited in long lines. And in the Primaries this year, it was insane at our polling place.
It made me wonder if people tended to vote early this year. On MPR right after we voted, I heard that there was a line of 60 or more people going out the door at one of the South Minneapolis polling places. I think it’s really going to vary across the day as to how crowded the polls are. Population density and demographics may play a factor.
I feel good about my vote. And I haven’t really been watching the media coverage much so I feel like I’ve got room tonight in my brain to watch the returns. I feel a strange peace about it. I am hopeful.
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I got to the polls this morning at 8 p.m. I live in a racially mixed neighborhood with a blend of poor people and educated, social-justice types. The line snaked out the door and down the street. There were many, many first-time voters.
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Ahh. J & I just voted. We had wanted to arrive at 10am, but got there at 10:50. The lines were long, but they moved quickly. I would say there were at least 75 people in the lines. The whole process took about 20 minutes. Not bad at all. I feel great now that my vote has been cast. Now we just sit back & wait. Our polls are open until 8pm. D
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[…] in the United States of America. Liz and I voted this morning at our local precinct in Minneapolis; ybonesy is out in New Mexico continuing her good work. I take comfort in the realization that we all contribute to the process in the ways we are able. […]
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Jim voted by about 7:30 this morning. The lince for our precinct was not long, he said, although the other precincts in the same location were out the door.
During canvassing today, it was amazing to hear that so many people had already voted. I did come across a few first-time voters. I think so many people cast their votes early in NM that the lines, at least in the suburb areas, were quite manageable. Longer lines, we heard, in the more densely populated areas of NM.
Thanks for doing your part, everyone. We’re going to head to my sister’s and watch the election results come in. We don’t plan to be out late, but it sounds good to go have a bowl of posole and be with friends and family on this night.
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Looks like we did it yb! Woohoo! I just had such a good feeling in my heart today. I just watched McCain concede & am waiting to see Obama speak. A landslide! I really never doubted the outcome. Congrats! D
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Back at you diddy! Congrats to you and to PA!! My throat is hoarse from screaming for joy.
8) 8) 8) 8)
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A new era of hope and the return of dignity for America. Barack Obama – President-Elect!!! How sweet it is!
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Isn’t it amazing, the feeling of deep joy and relief. I am speechless. Went to bed in a swoon and woke up feeling like it truly was a new day when anything is possible, that we can be grateful that the system worked. Ever since that last blatant stolen election, I was so devastated that “demon-cracy” had prevailed. Almost everyone I knew was talking about moving out of the country if it continued in this path. It truly is amazing, as Michael Moore says ” Pinch me” – is it a dream? The Reptilian Age is ending. The Humans are Coming.
oh, and I started this comment to post a squidoo page I saw,
http://www.squidoo.com/ObamaStreetArt
Obama Street Art – stencil graffiti – thought you’d enjoy it
It is really going to be interesting to see the young people wake up in a world of change.
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Your bones were right!!!
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Boy were they! NM went back to its blue roots—15 percentage point-win for Obama, and every Congressional seat went to Dems, including icon Pete Domenici’s (R) seat. I am so happy we had such incredible candidates, too.
lil, the StreetArt link is so cool. I loved those shots.
I do think this election will restore many people’s faith in the process.
Write on!
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[…] and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than to take time off of work on Tuesday to listen to Barack Hussein Obama II be sworn in as our 44th President. That we will be graced with a moment of poetry falling on the […]
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