The MT.Net reader knows I’m a political junkie. Some say its incurable. The year 2008 offered many fixes for my habit.
First off, America (and North Carolina!) elected Barack Obama to be its next president. What a breath of fresh air he promises to be! While he did disappoint me last summer, he still was better than the alternatives. I said a year before the general election that he’d get my vote and he did.
Obama spent much time in Raleigh. He dropped in to the Raleigh Times bar across the street where I worked just minutes after I had left for the day. I missed one rally but made it to another (being a vet has its privileges).
I also went to his rally in October, though I opted not to blog about it then. It was crowded and cold, but if I squinted I could make him out on stage. I was touched at the hope I saw in the eyes of an African American teenage girl and her mom, both witnessing Martin Luther King’s dream come to life.
There were other stories, like how I saw James Taylor play for free (and shook the man’s hand!) and how some humorless bureaucrat in Raleigh city government had it out for the Obama Signal.
I campaigned more actively for other candidates, including Grier Martin (N.C. House), Josh Stein (N.C. Senate), Janet Cowell (N.C. State Treasurer), and Al Swanstrom (N.C. House). In spite of my canvassing sweltering Cary neighborhoods and fighting off bitter old women (and rescuing car-crash victims) in Apex, Al narrowly lost his race. It was my only “defeat” of the election, made all the more painful because I’ve known Al for years.
Josh Stein and Grier Martin convinced me to stand in the cold, pouring rain as a poll greeter on the evening of Election Day. The highlights of that night were making friends with a wonderful Obama volunteer and having supper delivered when an Obama volunteer delivered sandwiches to us. Never has a simple turkey sandwich meant so much.
The whole family got involved for Janet Cowell’s campaign. My canvassing skills weren’t especially needed, so instead the whole family and I spent a few hours acting in her campaign commercial. As of this writing, you can still see it here (and the alternate here). And if you look closely, you can see us in them!
Election night was a magic night, though. Seeing the joy on people’s faces and hugging total strangers while we all watched history being made.
As for my own political career (or more accurately, the lack of it), I took a few steps toward that myself. More about that in an upcoming post.
Yes, all in all it was a great year for politics. At least for me!