Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I'm grateful for the right to vote!

November 4, 2008

Today I am grateful to have the right to vote. I'm grateful to have a voice. I'm grateful to the many, many, many people who have sacrificed their lives to allow me to live in such a wonderful country. I'm grateful for the women who demanded the right to vote. I'm grateful to have been born in a country and in a time when all men AND women are created equal. I'm grateful that there will be a change.


I'm grateful their wasn't long lines at the polls today, but that it was busy enough to mean more people than normal care. I'm grateful Nevada has computer voting and that the workers at my polling station were genuinely concerned with the integrity of every one's vote. I'm grateful to still have hope for our country; I feel bad for those who have lost faith in this nation (especially if it's just because their guy didn't win.)


I'm grateful for sweet, dignified concession speeches. I'm grateful to be touched by the inspiring words of a new president. I'm grateful my girls have had opinions about the presidency race . . . and even grateful that they aren't the same opinions as each other's or (in Kenzie's case, at least) as mine. I'm grateful for late night chat-sessions with Daniel and Erin to discuss all things hardly even political. And I'm grateful that even though I will be dead tired for being up 'til 1:30am tonight, that tomorrow will be one heck of a day in our world!

7 comments:

chris jenkins said...

i too am grateful for the right to vote. i did not vote for obama but i was impressed by his speech.

The RealFatman said...

I am grateful for Chocolate Popcorn

chanel said...

nicely said. although i think you're a better mom than me, cause when julia said she'd vote for "McCain's girl" I gave her the riot act! she changed her mind. If only EVERYONE were so easily swayed. :)

Dylan Todd said...

I'm still pretty happy and hopeful. I'm hoping that the Republicans realize that it's not as bad as it looks and the Democrats realize it's not going to all go their way, either. President-Elect Obama's far too pragmatic to turn this into a lefty version of the Dubya presidency and pursue a radical agenda, no matter the cost. It'll take a little time, but I think - or hope at least - that a vast majority of them will come around once they begin to see what energized so many Americans.

And as far "I feel bad for those who have lost faith in this nation," well, I feel their pain. Now they know how I felt on four years ago, when I had lost all hope in my countrymen, my own judgement (The thought "What am I not seeing? Because the good guy is pretty clear to me here." played over and over, all day long) and an electoral system that could elect such a crooked and incompetent man.

For the second time.

I remember telling my wife that I was never going to care about another election again. That I didn't want to feel that crushing feeling when I felt the country chose wrong.

My wife just said, "Whatever. You know you'll get all into the next one." And she was right. Big time. I should probably remember that for future reference.

It's going to take America a while to catch up to what just happened. The racial implications alone are pretty paradigm-shifting, but I think that the Obama presidency will bring us as a nation - possibly kicking and screaming, but hopefully not - into the warm sunlight of the 21st century.

Yes we can.

robin said...

I'm grateful it's over!!! and I'm grateful that proposition 8 passed in California. And I'm grateful I'm an optimist because unlike some I still have no idea who the heck Obama is I only wish the media would have done their job.

John Petersen said...

I'm grateful the Democrat lost and the Socialist won. Maybe the republicans can regroup and get back to being conservative, smaller government, less spending type of people.

Having lived in a socialist country it's not the end of the world just the beginning of efficiently run government health care and every other industry out there. I'm a big fan of the DMV.

Binghamz said...

Ok, I was all for McCain, but I am an optimist and don't think the world is ending. I am grateful for the right to vote as well and am curious to see how the next four years pan out. A lot of people said that because the Democrats would win the gas prices would sky rocket, the stock market would plummet, and much more. I am happy to see the gas still dropping and the world still spinning. While I may not agree with the choice, I am glad it is over and we can move on with our lives.