Babies, there's hope! There was hope before, but it was theoretical. Now you can touch it. We went to flip the levers! There were lots of people, lots of first-time voters (not young) and people like Mommy who hadn't voted in a long long time because there wasn't much to vote for, lots of kids being shown the polls -- Christiane Amanpour said that New York City looked like places she'd covered where the first democratic election was happening, where people were so excited about casting their vote because it feels like it actually matters, and that really is what it felt like.When we woke up on Tuesday morning it felt like Christmas! What is that feeling? Excitement, possibility, knowing that everyone else is going to show up in the living room all shiny and full of the same feeling... Not just hope, but having the exact same hope as billions of other people. When does that happen?!
And you were there, babies. We were too excited to take decent photos but look some up when you come back to read this because it was really something...After voting we went to the diner, as you do, and you passed out from the excitement. Then later we saw the early returns in some plasma-TV-filled sports bar, where your moms nervously watched the first states come in for McCain, and you entertained some Brazilian ladies in the booth behind us; and finally to a news-watching party at Aunties Lili and Leki's, which moved upstairs to Roz and Craig's house.
We watched as some Republican talking head said that McCain had run badly and Anderson Cooper cut her off to say "ah, we have a projection," and then one more state came in and then OBAMA!!!! O-BA-MAAAA!!!!!! OBAAAAMAAA!!! and everyone was cheering and jumping around, and we ran onto the balcony and everyone outside was whooping and we could hear the roar from Times Square. We went back in and waited what seemed like forever for Obama's speech, watching the crowd in Grant Park going crazy with happiness and crying... McCain gave his concession speech to a pretty scary-looking audience, and Saida said it was like Peanuts -- just "wah wah wah" because we didn't care what he said anymore. And finally, at last, Obama came on and we listened to him on TV, and heard every word again a few seconds later, coming from the huge screens in Times Square and rolling down every street in the city. You were there.
Your moms haven't completely lost their edge, babies. But what happened on election day can't ever be taken back! It demands at least a completely fresh try unburdened by the tries that tanked before. We hope the world you're about to receive stays changed like it was last night.
xoxo
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