UPDATE: I lied . . . 530k people voted in the SC primary in the final count, not 480k. whoa!
-PS
(Home movie I took of John Edwards, local high school, Jan 19th)
I could not sleep last night. Most of you know I live in South Carolina, and yesterday I took my 3 year old with me to vote. I pushed the ivotronic button for Edwards while a pollworker read her a book about kittens at the elementary school down the road.
If the rumor that Obama would make John the Attorney General is true, then all is fine and groovy, but no matter. I am damn proud of us here.
Why? Did anyone think that South Cakalaka would be the state to launch the first black man into the white house? The state where Bob Jones university and it's segregated dating rule was IN FORCE when Dumbass Dubya was there in 2000? Me frikkin' neither.
Hell, 480k people voted in the Saturday PRIMARY, and I did not know there was even that many democrats ALIVE here. I felt like I was watching history on my teevee.
It is great here. It's affordable. The smoky mountains are 30 mins from my house, and the beaches are 4 hours drive. But for a political junky who writes on the internets and it's tubes . . . very cool.
How many Presidential candidates came to Amarillo in the 28 years I lived there? Zippo. No chance to hear them, and the AGR would endorse Asmodeus as long as there was an 'R' after his name. Why would a democrat bother?
But I got to see and hear Hillary. And Edwards. Unfortunately Obama came to town when I was on a trip to Baltimore, but even John McCain came to Pete's, a hamburger joint 2 miles from here. Did not go to that one. I had to clean out the litter box.
But I got to listen. and ask a question. I asked Hillary how she would show leadership when we are still rolling over for Bush in the senate. She said something about not having a majority yet, and Mara Liasson glared at me. Edwards took just two questions, and left.
Watch Obama's victory speech last night.
Around 11 P.M. I put down a terrific book on the bond yield curve and stared up . . . just when did I get so damn cynical? I was a Deaniac, and my own damn party destroyed him.
At what point did I turn from Obama's message of change and reaching out across the aisle because I thought that once he got to DC he would be eaten alive.
The rethugs would be laughing all the way to the bank, and if they can shut down his admin quick enough, they can sit around in smoke-filled restaurants over the remains of a 32oz bone-in ribeye, sip a fonseca, and smile. I can almost HEAR them "See a ni. . . I mean black feller . . . I mean African American just can't hack it at the top."
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe . . . I am CHANGING . . .
Maybe I should hope again.
-Prodigal Son
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