What an awesome day

Amazing. That's all I can say. Last night was the incredible end to a 21 month odyssey for both our country and for Barack Obama, our President-Elect. (I'm tearing up just writing that title).

As someone who has lived in the South for over 25 years, I've seen some pretty amazing shifts in attitudes - and seen some who are still resistant to such changes. Subtle racism exists all around us - and not just below the Mason Dixon, I realize; it's just a little more overt here. Even today, some here are expressing disbelief that an African American will be our next President.

And yet, and yet. I look at my adolescent students and realize that most of them never saw the color of Obama's skin. They were able to look at the politician - no, at the statesman - and judge him by what he was saying. Some have confessed to me that they've been at odds with their parents during this election season. And yet, they've ignored their parents (as every teenager does) and supported their candidate.

The President-Elect has inspired the old and the young alike. I've watched my 22-year-old niece become inspired by him, so much so that she was volunteering 8 or 10 hours a day for the past few weeks. And she in turn inspired her mom to stand on a street corner with a "Honk for Obama" sign for hours this weekend.

Personally, I had not realized how much I wanted him to win until 11 o'clock last night. When NBC projected Obama as winner, as the cameras panned the jubilant crowd in Chicago's Grant Park, I suddenly realized that I was sobbing. What an incredible, historic moment. One that I feel blessed to have been a part of and to have witnessed.

Today, truly, anything seems possible.

Even signing Tek for a reasonable price.

Do it!

Vote today!

Wassup

Hilarious video via my pal JB:

Undecided voters

The Presidential election is now just two days away. Because I've been home lately, I've been watching a lot of the coverage. Okay, I admit it, I can't imagine anything happening at this point that would turn me into a Republican supporter. I've been firmly in the Democratic column since...oh...well, since my one young mistake of voting for Reagan. Twice.

But I can't imagine ANYONE at this point truly being undecided. How, after all these months (years) of primaries, conventions, debates, ads, misinformation - how can you have NO opinion?? But apparently, there are some out there, and today's New York Times has interviews with several. This part in particular kills me:

While many people in this campaign-saturated country are relieved that the election will soon be over, some of the undecideds figure, What’s the rush? “I might flip a coin,” said Vasilios Gerovasiliou, 64, of Concordville, PA

Flip a flippin' coin?? In one of the most important elections in recent memory, you would flip a coin??

What's frightening is the outcome of the election - and the future of our country - could be decided by wishy-washy voters like this.

Whatever your opinion, wherever you stand, whoever you support - GET OUT AND VOTE ON TUESDAY!

Deja vu?

It looks like someone from the New York Times has been reading my blog. Last week (10/23), I wrote about rediscovering "The West Wing." I've been watching each day on Bravo - they're showing the 7th season episodes covering the election of Rep. Matt Santos.

Yesterday, I read the Times, and discover this article: "Following the Script: Obama, McCain and the West Wing." It discusses how that 7th season seems to have predicted this year's presidential race: the veteran Senator taking on the brash, young minority Congressman.

Hmmm.....Sounds familiar, eh?

How representative are they?

I'm already missing baseball - and the season just ended! I'm trying not to look at the financial news right now - the Market is down 600 points in light of the failure of the House to pass the bailout bill. So, instead, I'm amusing myself with politics! My sister sent this to me via email - I think it's one that's been making the rounds, but I think it's right on the money!

>>Let Me See if I Have This Straight.

I'm a little confused.

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different." Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive and a heartbeat away from the presidency should a 72 year old man (who has had cancer 4 times) die.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard law graduate who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now...

Reality check

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• Eight of 10 teen fathers do not marry the mother of their first child
  
• Less than half of mothers who have a child before the age of 18 graduate from high school
• Teen parents will have 10-15% less income in their lifetime
• Children of teen mothers are 50% more likely to have to repeat a grade in school and are less likely to finish high school
• The sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison

These are sobering facts. This are also the reality that most pregnant teens face. I hope Bristol Palin realizes how lucky she is to be part of the Republican family. She won't have to rely upon aid from the government to improve the life of her child - she won't have to rely upon programs that her mom would like to eliminate.

Small Town Values

I'm from a fairly small town - @18,000 residents in my growing up years. And I lived in a pretty affluent community. Yet I cannot relate to Mrs. Cindy McCain

Looks like stuff I have in my closet now!

Don't mess with the Librarian

Briefly creeping back to politics....

From yesterday's New York Times:

Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms. Palin approached the town librarian about the possibility of banning some books, though she never followed through and it was unclear which books or passages were in question.

Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin’s first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. “They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her,” Ms. Kilkenny said.

The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to “resist all efforts at censorship,” Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article.

Now that just gets my dander up all over again. Don't go messin' with the Public Library - or the Librarian!

It's all about choices

Kind of surprising news today that the 17-year-old daughter of presumed Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin is 5 months pregnant. Sources say McCain knew about this before he chose Palin. Hmm. The spin-meisters are out in force, but the theme is obvious. From CNN -

• "Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father's example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation," Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said.

• Evangelical leader Richard Land also backed Palin completely."This is the pro-life choice"

• The McCain aide emphasized that Bristol decided to keep the baby, a decision "supported by her parents."

Interesting choice of words. Interesting, because if Palin's Republican party had its choice, the decision would have been taken out of Bristol's hands. They would prefer that no woman have any choice in the matter of reproductive freedoms. I am happy to live in a country that allows all women - even Republicans - the right to choose.

We interrupt this blog...

I rarely stray from the Red Sox and other minutiae in this blog. It's kind of my escape from real world issues. But I want to go off topic a bit today, and talk about politics. Probably the second favorite contact sport of most Americans.

Last night, the Democratic Party introduced Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill) as their candidate for President in 2008. Senator Joe Biden of Maryland is the VP nominee. It is an incredibly historic moment in our history. Just 45 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the movement to get African-Americans the right to vote. A generation later, an African-American is now a viable candidate to be the President of the United States. This after defeating a viable female candidate for the same office.

What a fantastic country we are fortunate enough to live in! I think about my grandparents who left behind their families in County Cork and County Wexford, Ireland, to search for a better life in America. Of their son, my dad, who went to college, married, and raised six children, all with college and post-graduate degrees. Some of them are crazy enough to be Republicans and Yankees fans - but, isn't that the type of freedom that my grandparents were searching for?

I must admit, I was a Hillary woman. I'm disappointed that she's not at the top of the ticket. But I'm also determined to turn our country around, to shake off the Bush administration. One of my neighbors has forwarded to me a few anti-Democratic emails (why?), and I told him honestly that the Democrats could put a ferret (Steve?) on the ticket and I would vote for them. The GOP has had its chance for the past 8 years, and they've screwed us up. It's up to the Dems to turn this around!

And the choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin? Wow - what a transparent and obvious move to try to capture the Hillary crowd. Well, as a Hillary supporter I can tell you : FAIL!

Something to keep in mind come November

The Associated Press revealed how the candidates in Wednesday night's debate in New Hampshire responded to a question on whether they support the Red Sox or Yankees:

_ New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Red Sox.

_ Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Cleveland Indians.

_ New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Yankees.

_ Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel: Red Sox.

_ Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: Red Sox.

_ Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: White Sox.

_ Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: Red Sox.

_ Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: Yankees.

My analysis: Obama and Kucinich totally wimped out. I know they have home town loyalties to project, but, really, no one offered the White Sox or the Indians as options. Clinton - understandable choice. Dodd's choice of the RS in a state pretty evenly divided in loyalties between the two teams is bold. But interesting that among the other, more partisan candidates, only Biden chose the Yankees. Have they done focus groups that show most Sox fans are Democrats? That many are the middle class voters to whom they wish to appeal?

I like Obama, but his wimp-out makes me wonder how he'll hold up on more serious matters....