Today Is The Day

Posted on November 4, 2008 at 10:54 am | No Comments

Got up extra early this morning here in Allston, Massachusetts to exercise my right privilege, and was one of the first few dozen to vote at the Honan Library. I’m filled with no small amount of pride, excitement, and cautious optimism. I’ve been so beat down by the non-stop news stories — each one lifting up a new rock to reveal another dirty, rotten underside of this country — that I’ve kept my enthusiasm, and quite honestly, my hope, in check for a very long time.

You may have noticed there’s been nary a mention of politics here on the ‘Nac this time around, despite the fact that I’m actually more inspired by my candidate of choice than I’ve ever been. In the past two presidential elections, it was more about my disdain for the opponent than any deep admiration for my selection. Not so this year. And for that reason, the possibility of a defeat is potentially even more soul-crushing than before… but today, true hope is starting to surface.

At this point, if you’re a U.S. citizen and aren’t planning on voting today, there’s not a lot I can say to get you away from your computer and down to the booth. A co-worker from Pune, India asked this morning “What’s the point of voting here in Massachusetts, anyway? Not like it’s up in the air here…”, and the simplest response was, hey, after two years of build-up, it felt damn good to get some kind of personal pay-off, a culmination of all the swirling coverage that comes down to one equalizing moment. Filling in those blanks and sliding my card into the machine brought everything into focus, whatever the next day may bring.

I’ll leave you with a couple things…