Brand New Day / Can You Feel It?
If I could pick the soundtrack for today, it would include Brand New Day (from the musical The Wiz - video/audio) and/or Can You Feel It? by The Jacksons (video/audio). Do you have any other suggestions?
I am relieved and will sleep well tonight, although my stomach also decided to vote for change last night too - I think my bean soup had gone bad, or I was gulping it down too fast and not chewing while I was watching the polls on television. Or maybe it was a cathartic reaction. Anyway, it all came back out last night and I feel purged today both physically and spiritually. I want to record here that I was throwing up southwest heritage bean soup when I learned that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States.
Fireworks - and possibly some gunshots - could be heard outside in Shaw, but I don't think anyone got hurt. There were impromptu celebrations throughout the night in neighborhoods around DC. Local Shaw election results can be found here.
This morning everyone on the subway to work and people at work were very cheerful and happy. I haven't sensed such a positive vibe for many years.
Obama's wildly successful campaign is evidence that he is a good manager as well as an inspirational leader. Any organization's leader should be one, the other, or a good mix of both manager and leader. So knowing that I'm confident good things will happen. I can already feel the unctuous cloud of evil lifting from this great city, a dark cloud of gloom that first settled into the souls of those of us in DC in 2000.
In addition to his campaign promises, we can all look forward to hearing the word A-mer-i-ca pronounced with four syllables, not two. And perhaps we will again hear the word nu-cle-ar pronounced properly again. I have had about enough of the Bush/McCain/Palin/Republican git-'er-done anti-intellectualism, and it was particularly offensive to continually hear that I wasn't an American because I had a college degree or didn't live in "the heartland." May I offer a solid "fuck you" to such campaign tactics that backfired so well on yer sorry ass. I have a degree, I live in the city on the East Coast, and I drink wine and eat cheese, but you can kiss my snooty manicured entitled white-collar ass, thanks. And while McCain's concession speech was classy, his audience of grumpy rich old white supporters were not. Too bad, so sad. I think the GOP needs to throw up their southwest heritage bean soup too.
As I type, Proposition 8 is still a close race in California. Many married gay friends of mine in California are understandably very upset about it. It's mean and intrusive, and I will not forget the efforts and funds dedicated to hate by Amway, Jeff Kent, Knights of Columbus and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our gay friends in Arkansas, Florida and Arizona are also bummed out today, as laws guaranteeing their second class status as Americans have succeeded.
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If BrettCajun ever talks you into coming down to visit, make sure to let me know - I'll set up a birding excursion or two for you while you're here.
I know. It couldn't all be puppies and Xboxes this christmas. We got some lumps of coal too. Which sucks.
But hey... we have a new president elect. And hope. And the potential for change.
Not a bad day.
You're right about the positive vibe in the city today. The MARC train from Baltimore was virtually aglow with ecstatic glee. I think it was running on that instead of the usual electricity. A brand new day indeed!
Best. Day. Ever. A little bittersweet with Prop 8, but still, wow.
There was a small, but significant, Marriage Equality Victory for my state, Connecticut.
The haters, with the financial support of the Catholic Church, were trying to have a Constitution Convention to add voter driven initiatives to our state constitution. For the sole purpose of having our own version of Prop 8.
The haters lost. 60% of the voters said NO to a Constitution Convention ensuring my right to marry the man I Love.
The only vehicle they have left is the normal amendment process, which is not likely to pass. The majority of the legislature passed Civil Unions three years ago with ease. It is doubtful they would overturn last month’s CT State Supreme Court decision allowing same sex couples to marry.
So come November 12, same sex couples can marry in Connecticut. Unfortunately with all the discriminatory legislation out there, the marriages will only be recognized by Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, California (for now.) In New Hampshire and New Jersey they would be recognized as Civil Unions. I’m so proud to live in the North East.
I hope that wasn't a soup mix I gave you! Yes, becoming a second class citizen is very unpleasant. That's fundamentalist Christians!
Homer: it was indeed the soup mix from you, but it was after all almost a year old. Either the beans were so old and dry that the became undigestible, or they had gone bad. Or like I said maybe I just didn't chew them like I should have.
I think we need to start demanding some pro-gay legislation from our Democratic leaders, not just lip service. While I'm happy I got a mention in Obama's acceptance speech, I'm with Chris Crain on being a little fed up with our lawmakers (and organizational!) leadership and results on the issue of gay rights. Read this:
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/
Re Chris Crain: I think he needs to clean up his own damn house and party before he goes throwing any stones. It's his party's fearmongering and using glbt as the boogeyman to get votes that has made it so much harder to advance any positive legislation from our own leaders. How many of his party voted for ENDA vs. the Dems?
Jimbo,
Glad you corrected the post, but removing the correction from my comment leaves my comment pointless for this posting - it makes me look, well, stupid. I wouldn't have minded if you didn't approve it and just fixed the post. This way seems silly.
Kevin
May I suggest D:ream's "Things Can Only Get Better" as in here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl-ai9HuR60
I've spent the last 8 years refusing training opportunities and tourist travel into the US. (I told my boss I refuse to go while they live under a "facist dictator.")
I'm so happy that time is over; the other half and I are giddy about a potential spring trip: NYC? SanFran? The possibilities are endless. Hell, maybe even Cleveland!!
As I was leaving work last night, two mormon missionaries on bikes pedaled past me, and I was tempted to give them a loud "fuck you" but let them go on their ignorant way. My happiness over Obama's win was severely curtailed by the passage of Prop 8, I'm really tired of this electoral process of enshrining hatred in state constitutions.
yes indeed there was election night gunfire in shaw & no it wasnt celebratory. fortunately the (uncooperative) victim was not hit and the police caught one of the shooters. hopefully they didnt let him go. this happened near kennedy rec.
I think a song that puts across how our new President Elect struck the world is "Feeling Good" by Michael Bublé.
It was the weirdest deal to have a few hours of euphoria, and then have the Prop 8 results seep into my consciousness like an eclipse of the sun on Tuesday night. To me, the Prop 8 issue was more a matter of organized religion once again stripping us of our dignity and respect than of marriage rights, especially in the manner the campaign was carried out here in CA. I’m not gonna let it bother me too much though, because I really do believe Obama being elected is by far the more important.
Looks like we get all the fun of more drama with Prop 8 too, because the case against it has already been sent to the Supreme Court. I hope people aren’t too confident, because there still is a five to four split, conservatives to liberals, on the court, thanks to the Bush Admin (remember them?). It definitely isn’t an open and shut case in our favor as I’ve heard some people express.
Whatever the case, we have a new day ahead of us and a lot to work with. I'm definitely feelin good about that.
Correction - Prop 8 will be fought in the CA Supreme Court, not the US Supreme Court. Duh... state initiative Dan! Still no idea how that will play out, but feel a bit more confident.