The Moderate Liberal

I’ve been silent on the this blog, choosing along with the rest of you to just sit on the beach and watch this tsunami come ashore. 

In a life full of years that just seem to meander by, 2008 is one which I am not soon to forget. It was the year, first of all, that I have seen my investment portfolio sliced in half.

It is also the year that I will witness the first Black Man in American History to be elected President. But more than that (much more), this is the man that I truly believe is going to set a long overdue progressive direction for America.

Obama has given me hope.  And soon he will need to deliver on that promise. 

While other politicians, namely Republican, offer hope with one hand and snatch it away with the other, Obama is different.  While we expect the typical politician to engage in a flourish of election year promises, Obama is offering the sort of hope that is much more personal. We have invested the future of our children in Obama (and by the look of his $150m haul in September, we’ve also invested the shattered vestiges of our 401k retirement accounts in him as well).

If Obama doesn’t deliver, he will inflict a very pesonal hurt upon America. We have placed hope in Obama like we have NEVER placed hope in a Presidential candidate in my lifetime. 

I for one believe he will deliver.  He must deliver.

Go Obama, Go!

Sorry, but I just couldn’t wait. Today, at 10:00 am central time, absentee voting opened in Minnesota, and I was right there, first in line (actually the only one in line). 

I know that the first vote cast in my county for the 2008 Presidential election  (and probably the first vote cast in the state of Minnesota) was cast for Barack Obama.

So at 10:01 am, the popular vote in Minnesota stood at Obama 1, McCain 0.

I have been dying to cast my vote since 2004.  The past few months have been so very painful, just waiting for that one tiny chance that I have to impact the result.  My 1/200 millionth impact on this election (the most important in US history in my opinion) has been effected.

I’ve never done this before, but I wanted to cast an absentee vote because I plant to be available for the Obama campaign in North Dakota on election day, driving little old Democratic ladies to the polling places. I have the day scheduled off work.

Although I went into cardiac arrest shortly after the Republic National Convention when McCain bounced as high as a superball, never once did I doubt that voters would eventually see the Real McCain and come back to Obama. I’m just simply floored at this moment at how far ahead Obama is.  We certainly can’t take anything for granted as the Republicans vomit their vitriolic hatred over the airwaves.  They will try everything, and stop at nothing.

I have become so cynical of Republicans that I expect amazing tricks to come.  I wouldn’t be surprised if John McCain feigned at heat attack and had to step off the ticket at the last second, to be replaced by Mitt Romney or Paul Harvey Jr. 

But nothing is going to stop us from taking back America. No way, no how, no McCain!