post-election ramblings

So...here we are four days since my last post and three since the United States of America expanded the American Dream of millions by electing Barack Obama the next president of our nation. I have not yet posted about this because I have been in mild shock. I think that I am coming out of it now and realizing that it is for real. Mind you it is very much what I wanted to have happen, America needs this change. However much I wanted it, and my friends wanted it the nation had to want it. I have heard it referred to as being similar to the feeling many had in Red Sox Nation when after the 84 year drought we got to hear the words "and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!!" (Philly fans congrats on your recent change to a winning team!!) However this is on such a grander scale, a scale that we as a people had an influence on. Today I am writing in red and blue and mostly am proud to be an American. While I am not proud of some of my fellow Americans for the racist crap that has happened since the election (black cardboard effigies hanging from telephone lines here on MDI, black church burned in Mass., and cross burnings in Newark, NJ to name a few) I am proud of the many of us that voted for the best candidate instead of the "right" colored candidate.

I am however disappointed that in several states "my people" that is to say the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans* communities were knocked back down several rungs on the ladder of justice and equality. In EVERY state where there was a measure to ban same-sex marriages or same-sex adoption those bans won. I guess that when it is said that you can't have it all they mean it.

Here in Maine I think that we took Obama's message of change to heart and elected several young people to our state legislature. 6 new folks and 2 re-elected from eastern and northern Maine are all in their 20's. Maybe they ran the better campaigns or maybe we are looking for fresh life in Augusta, I don't know. I do know that I worked on the campaign of one of these 20-somethings. Elsie is 25 and I think that she will do great in representing us in the House.

I am still a little in shock I guess. I am mostly glad that it is over. Now I have the time to be at home sick and miserable that I didn't have while working on the campaigns.

Here's to hoping that Barack was right in saying "A better day will come."