Election Day Manifesto

Last night I could barely sleep.  The feeling was reminiscent of the nervousness/excitement I used to get every Christmas Eve... but, a little over a month away from December 24th, I looked with excitement to 8:30 AM, when I would wake up and vote for Barack Obama.

8:30 AM

Like every morning, my Home Medics Pro Alarm Clock disrupted my sleep with the sounds of waves crashing onto a shore that I've never been to.  I hopped out of bed with an extra pep in my step as I hustled to the shower before letting my dogs out for the first time today.  I looked in the mirror at a day's worth of facial hair growth and decided not to shave... if there was a day 

to look like a hippie-college-grad-Democrat... it was today (thought not hippie-college-grad-Democrat enough to skip the shower).

8:45 AM

Dogs are out and I'm going for the instant gratification of some Honey Nut Cherios.  CNN's Morning Election Coverage blares off my television as I inhale my breakfast and hastily make-up a a few cups of coffee.  I change to News-12, Long Island and wait for the right moment to begin my journey around the block to Bay Shore Middle School, my designated voting center.

That's my dog, Bernie.  He's actually watching the Election coverage with me (the television's across from the wood burning stove in my living room) as he sits on his perch.  While continuing morning routine on this most un-routine of days, I open my laptop and discover the people over at Facebook.com provide a friendly reminder to everyone who's been living under a rock for the past year:

9:45 AM

Now seems like the perfect time to vote.  I will miss the morning rush and avoid the lunch-breakers.  Plus, it's too early for the voting machines to malfunction.  So, I switch off the television, log-off of Facebook, and say 'adios' to my puppies as I trot out of my house and down the walk-way to my car.  It's time to vote.

9:50 AM

It's "go-time."  I roll into the parking lot at Bay Shore Middle School and notice a small sign "prohibiting" any "campaigning on the premises" during Election Day.  Ten feet past the sign, there's a man wearing a business suit with a rubber Barack Obama mask on his head.  I laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation and slowly roll along down the entrance.  He raises his fist to me, his fake rubber eyes meeting mine, and I return the fist raise out of my car's window.  It was a true moment of solidarity...

...I then looked around to make sure no one saw the intimate moment between the masked supporter and myself...

...No one did.  Moving along.

10:10 AM

My guide.  "Vote Aqui," welcome to Bay Shore.

10:13 AM

I'm immediately confronted by a large man who demands my district.  Obviously, my youthful look has already discredited everything I should know.  He might as well of asked my age as I blew past his ignorant, girthy body and entered the Middle School lobby.  The table for District #169 was empty and I hastened my steps until I reached the table.

Perhaps a visual learner, the large man watched from a distance as I passed his "What-To-Do-On-Election-Day" Test.

10:15 AM

My name is signed, and I'm ready to roll.  There's one person ahead of me and I look at the photocopy of the voting booth taped to the wall.  I look through, make up my mind on several candidate (though I already decided on everything weeks beforehand) and nervously tap the wall with the toe of my shoe and pretend to read some dedications on the wall of the school.

10:17:28 AM

The curtain opens.  My turn.

10:20 AM

I click down my last vote and stare at the "Democrat: Barack Obama, Joe Biden" one last time.  To it's left was the 'red-X,' signifying my support.  I stared long and hard wishing I had that ability from the "Cam Jansen" books we read in Elementary School.  This was definitely a different experience from 2004.  I care more.

I gripped the red handle to register my vote and took a deep break.  Crank.

10:30 AM

This is my attempt to look extremely stoic.  Or to have the "Man on a Mission" vibe.  Either way, it does the trick (to me anyway... and don't any of you attempt to say otherwise...).  My vote was cast, it was out of my hands, and I have one thing on my mind:

10:40 AM

Gotta love Election Day.  Exercising your rights and Free Coffee?  What a country!  I walk into the next town's Starbucks and, once asked by the barista for my order, exclaimed: "I just voted.  May I have a free cup of coffee?"  The barista acknowledged my vote (by no official means... I'm sure if I really wanted to I could drive around to every Starbucks on Long Island and do the same thing) and gave me a free "tall" (small for those of us who refuse to use Starbucks lingo) coffee:

The Starbucks was actually out of Whole Milk... but on a day like today... who can complain.  I'll take Free Coffee, Skim Milk, and Barack Obama any day of the week.

11:40 AM

There's Bernie, again, with his brother, Ziggy.  They're both obviously very excited to see me... but only because they both are Obama supporters at heart as well.  It's time to settle in, watch the Election Coverage, and prepare (finger's-crossed) for a huge night for Barack Obama and the Democrats.

No Lapel Pin? John McCain Obviously Hates America...

America is in trouble.  Yet... three days ago a Cedar Rapids reporter asked Sen. Barack Obama the following question after the Senator delivered a speech at a ralley in Waterloo, IA:

“Is this a fashion statement? Those have been on politicians since Sept. 12, 2001.”

The question referenced the fact that Barack Obama neglected to wear an American Flag lapel pin during the rally.  Despite the obvious fact that Obama was jacket-less (therefore, lapel-less), he humored the reporter with an answer to his absurd question.

Fast-forward to tonight: the Second Presidential Debate at Belmont University in Nashville, TN.  

All the propaganda that you've been receiving in your e-mail inboxes from the GOP about Obama's non-verbal message of "hating America" through not wearing an American Flag lapel pin is somewhat questioned.  Looking at the close-ups on my television I found a great deal of humor in America's favorite war hero, John McCain's lack of an American Flag lapel pin.

Do I think he hates American for not wearing this pin?  No, of course not.  What kind of idiot would that make me?

If I were a betting man...  I'd go out on a limb to say that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party won't be sending out absurd e-mails about the audacity of McCain's lapel pin-less jacket on October 7, 2008.

Pennsylvania Debate: 1st Half, non-issue fluff. 2nd Half: Real Issues.

The first half of tonight’s “debate” between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton was absurd. The debate began at 8 PM Eastern and literally no real issues were covered for the first 50 minutes. The tide turned once George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson focused on the withdrawing of troops from Iraq. Before this turnaround occurred at 8:50 PM, anyone viewing the debate received tabloid garbage news from both Obama and Clinton.

But whose fault is this? Is it ABC’s for actually posing questions about sniper fire in Bosnia, racist ministers, and shady individuals know by each candidate? Not entirely. If you dig down into the belly of the beast, it is each of the politicians who are to blame. Looking back to a three-way attack Sen. Obama faced about his minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Watching this exchange, it seemed more like a trashy talk show than a Presidential debate.

However, it wasn’t strictly Obama who was on the receiving end of “issue” attacks. Gibson and Stephanopoulos also attempted to, again, make Hillary Clinton talk about how ridiculous her sniper fire story in Bosnia was. Is this really a pressing issue? This question counts as the third time that this absurd story has swept through the mass media. The first was when it initially “broke.” The second, when former-President Clinton decided to randomly bring it up at a talk he gave just over a week ago. The third comes tonight.

It really baffles me that these two stories that the American people have had force-fed down their throats are coming up again! Not only that… but taking away from the time that two candidates for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES could be discussing REAL ISSUES! It is disgusting that the first hour of this two-hour debate was on nonsense that people really should not base their votes on. Especially since the second half of the debate hit real issues that people should take into consideration when casting their ballots next week and in November.

In the issue of Iraq, Hillary Clinton had her best showing thus far. She spoke about not knowing what will happen if US troops are withdrawn from Iraq. However, Sen. Clinton said that we do know that troops are continually in danger and dying in Iraq if the United States remains overseas. This is the first time that I can remember, that Sen. Clinton took a solid stance on the removal of troops from Iraq. She also listed three specific factors that remaining in Iraq will result in: (1) Iraq will continue it’s dependency issues and passive approach to independence so long as the US remains. (2) The U.S. Military will continue to be stretched thin as troops will be forced into third, fourth, and fifth tours of duty in the Middle East. Lastly, (3) The U.S. will not give its full attention to more pressing issues (e.g. the economy).

However, this strong position began to fade once Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama addressed the social security crisis. During this juncture, Sen. Obama called Clinton’s bluff about waiving a magic wand and fixing the social security crisis. At this point, I was expecting a specific approach or example that Sen. Clinton had up her sleeve. No. Her response was, “We’re gonna work it out, we’re gonna make it happen.” ABC went to commercial right after that “response,” and I sat back and wondered… Was that really just her response? If there was any chance of her running away with this debate, it fell flat at that very moment.

The debate closed with a lack of commitment on gun issues and a lack of furtherance on propositions of transforming affirmative action at some point down the line. It’s hard not to think that both candidates could have expanded on both of these issues that they danced around if the entire first half of the debate was not spent delving through non-issues. It saddens me to know that there are some people who turned off the debate after an hour or less. Those who did so only received information about irrelevant topics (like church minister and imaginary sniper fire) that could potentially decide for whom they case their votes, and that is a sad reality of our political coverage.

Chants of "U-S-A" Capture Spirit of Obama Campaign

Tonight during its coverage of Super Tuesday’s almost-national primaries, CNN provided a brilliant metaphorical statement to its viewers. During Arizona Senator John McCain’s address to his supporters from Arizona, Illinois Senator Barack Obama began to approach the stage of his campaign headquarters where he would address his own supporters. CNN found itself in a pickle. Should it stick with the Republican powerhouse that has been John McCain, or would they preempt the boasting senator in favor of Obama?

The tension was building as CNN provided an essential split screen. On the right (ironically—except not at all) McCain rambled on about how his mother’s birthday was in two days, how she was traveling on the campaign trail with him, and how, though he liked being the underdog, winning all the time wasn’t bad either. Though all his comments were undoubtedly pressing, CNN cut McCain short, and at the crescendo of his speech to boot, in favor of what would be another stirring speech by Barack Obama.

Senator Obama’s speeches, at this point, are a selling point of primaries, debates, and public appearances. CNN proved that tonight when they axed John McCain’s own speech in favor of that of Obama. Tonight, in my opinion, Obama did not disappoint. However, there was a different message sent by Obama tonight. In fact, Senator Obama issued a plea to voters not completely sold on his position for change.

This tangent was necessary, as Obama no longer talked about his positions against those of Hillary Clinton, but rather the Democratic candidate against the Republican candidate. He asked the crowd of supporters if they wanted to hear a Presidential debate over who had more experience in Washington, or over who is most likely to change Washington? He continued that they all had a choice between a Democrat whose campaign has received more lobbyist donations than any Republican’s has, and a choice for a Democrat who has accepted no lobbyist donations. Considering the War in Iraq, Obama assured that Republicans do not have a foot to stand on when debating against him.

Most importantly, Barack Obama lumped Hilary Clinton in with all the Republican candidates as being “linked to the past.” Rather than “look to the past,” Obama propositioned his supporters, “allow me to be a President that looks to the future.”

Despite not winning a majority of the state in tonight’s nation-wide primary, Obama’s call to the indifferent was a moving one. So moving in fact, that the chants of “O-bam-a, O-bam-a,” sounding throughout the beginning of his speech were replaced with chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A!”

Is Barack Obama the real candidate for change? Well, like all things, that is still up for debate. However, the emotion and inspiration that emulates from each of his speeches and appearances are something that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike respect and are drawn to. I feel I can say, without a doubt, that a speech given by Hillary Clinton (even on her best day) could never achieve that result.