This is the fifth Presidential election I have voted in. It was the first that I actually voted for the person that won.
Last night was nothing short of amazing.
Driving home last night after the President-elect gave his speech, the streets of Uptown Minneapolis were filled with nothing I had ever seen before: a populus that had banded together and got something that was theirs. And they were pretty happy about it. There were impromptu demonstrations in front of most of the establishments still open after midnight (ok they were all bars). Ever seen a bunch of people gathered on sidewalks waving a signs for a political candidate to people who were in cars honking their horns in recognition after midnight? Me either.
Hunter S. Thompson would have loved last night. An African-American underdog took on the establishment of the Democratic party and beat it. Then he smashed the GOP, dunking its head in the toilet they had created and giving them a swirly of their own lies. Populism lives.
To top it off, Obama’s victory party was at the place where Thompson’s America came apart 40 years ago, in Grant Park. It was there, working as a journalist, Thompson was beaten in the riots outside the Democratic Convention.
That’s pretty poetic to me.
And now I am off to buy a new frame to put up a picture of the first President I can claim some sort of electoral ownership over, the first President I voted for.
I read about this in the paper a few days ago and it elicited an eyebrow raise. Mrs. Hockey Mom herself was scheduled to drop the ceremonial first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers home opener last night. Yeah, that went over well.
I haven’t heard more boos in a hockey rink since Claude Lemieux skulked back into Joe Louis Arena after Darren McCarty turned his face into some sort of ground meat product. (Seriously, click that link. Goalie Fight. Need I say more?)(Also, Matthew, sorry. Cloude had it coming.)
One, I would like to thank the fans of the Philadelphia Flyers. You guys rock. I still don’t regret winning that Cup at your expense , but you have surely redeemed yourselves tonight.
Two, I want to take a minute to deconstruct this whole Palin-Hockey-Mom business. I know from Hockey Moms. I was raised by about 10 of them. I grew up watching the Detroit Red Wings. This was back when they sucked. Back when they hadn’t won a Stanley Cup in about 50 years (for the record, it’s been roughly 4 months since they last hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup). But watching the Wings made me want to play hockey. So my parents signed me up with the local hockey association.
My team played for a couple of years at the city-run ice rink. We were about 6-8 years old. It wasn’t terribly skilled or thrilling hockey. Then the city ran out of money. To cut costs they shut down the ice arena. The thing is, in the couple of years that our team had been playing together, we had coalesced into a community. Us kids on the ice playing, and our parents at practices and games, all of us had come to really, really like coming together a few times a week for a common goal. (pun half-heartedly intended)
So the parents took action. Our parents took over the River Rouge Hockey Association, which, being poorly organized and managed, was the easy part. Then under the auspices of the the Hockey Association, leased the otherwise defunct arena from the city. They gave local teams (read:their kids) a preferred rate for ice-time, while offering more costly, yet cheaper than local going rate ice time to other clubs and teams. This was a viable business for more than a decade.
A good portion of my childhood was spent in that hockey rink. All of my friends spent their childhoods growing up in that rink, too. BJ’s mom ran the joint. Marcus’ dad was the janitor. Mark’s Mom ran the concession stand. My dad drove the Zamboni. And all of us kids were always running around the place causing trouble. Talk about it takes a village. That rink was my village.
Somehow, I lost track of the point I was trying to make. My people were not politically connected. They weren’t very Mavrickey. They didn’t have the ability to build a boondoggle of a new ice arena. . But a small group of people who cared deeply about their children took matters into their own hands to keep a service to the community available to everyone. What they created was more than just keeping an ice arena open for a few years. They really made an extended family.
That’s the kind of hockey moms (and dads) that are awesome.
Darcy Burner is running for Congress in Washington’s 8th District. She’s pretty cool. She ran in 2006 and incumbent Republican Dave Reichert just barely kept his seat (by an average of 5 voters per precinct.). She’s running again this year.
On Tuesday, she lost her home to a fire.
The laws of campaign finance say we can’t donate to her family directly. But we can donate to her campaign.
I, as well as the majority of the posters of this blog are fired up about this primary. Today, I witnessed 19,999 of my fellow minnesotans speak with one voice for hope. Change we can believe in. Today Barack Obama filled the target center. If you don’t believe me, watch this short video.
The joint was packed. The spirit was electric. The speech was phenomenal.
As a young voter, I refuse to be told my vote doesn’t matter.
I refuse to even let that be insinuated in my presence.
I refuse to indulge the cynicism that the last seven years may have fostered.
I will continue to phone bank and canvass until tuesday. And then Barack Obama will carry Minnesota and beat the odds on Super Tuesday.
I will step up and be a part of this movement for change.
I will not let this moment’s historic potential succumb to sigh, um, er, meh, oh well, eh, whatever.
I don’t think I’ve awarded one on LME yet. It was a little thing I used to do back at my old place (which I either need to start updating again or just make go bye-bye). I read something just now that deserves one.
This guy, Kid Oakland is his internet handle. Kid’s an effing rock star. He is probably the most positive blogger at Daily Kos, period. This guy is committed to electing Democrats, and GOOD Democrats wherever and whenever possible. This is his latest. This dude is committed. During the 2006 campaign, on top of working his ass off to elect Jerry McNerny in his district (CA-11)(Who won by the way, one of the many Democratic pick-ups), he organized a national network of local blogs, including Minnesota’s own Bluestem Prairie Seriously, read this diary from his time campaigning for McNerney. This diary spent almost at least a full 24 hours on the Recommended list at Daily Kos, and rightly so, for it is an inspiring story.
While I knew I supported Barack Obama long before I learned K/O did, his mutual support is a better endorsement than any elected official or celebrity can give.
K/O is one of the hardest working and most committed Democratic activists I can name. I hereby bestow upon him the highest honors I am capable of: Gold Star.
Bill and I agree. I think I know where Natascha stands, but not sure. Rik? Phillip? Anyways: Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States. Perhaps the president I’ve always wanted to call my own. He’s pretty goddamn fantastic.
Indeed, I’m adding a new category here at LME: Stunningly sincere posts.
