Obama ‘08

In 1988, I voted in my first presidential election. I was very excited about it, about finally being able to help make decisions for my country. I spent a lot of time reading about the candidates, watching debates and listening to what they had to say. And I came away from the process discouraged, disheartened and disgusted. I ended up voting for Lenora Fulani, a black woman with a powerful voice. I didn’t think she’d win. I didn’t even really want her to. I just didn’t want to give my votes to the other idiots, one of whom would end up being President.

Ever since then, I’ve voted the lesser of two evils. This is the first year where I am actually voting FOR someone. And that not only says a lot about my candidate, but about my feeling that the candidates in general are much more aligned with my beliefs than in any election in the past. I’ve seen intelligence and thoughtfulness and integrity in larger amounts than I’ve seen in any campaign season that I can recall. So despite the fact that the newspaper is telling me daily that the country is going to hell in a handcart – and I have no reason to doubt it – I am feeling hopeful.

It’s not that there hasn’t been a certain amount of bombastic grandstanding and mudslinging in the campaigns. It wouldn’t be an election without that, and no one, not even my candidate, has been immune. But it hasn’t gone too far. No candidate is perfect, certainly not mine. It is all a matter of degrees: degrees of experience, degrees of integrity, degrees of conviction. But they are degrees I can live with, even if my candidate does not win.

This year, for the first time, Illinois moved its election date from March to Super Tuesday. For the first time, tomorrow, I will cast a vote on the biggest voting day of the year. My alarm is set. I’m looking forward to picking up my ballot and marking the clearest possible “X” so there can be no mistake whom I have chosen. I will be spending the evening monitoring the returns. In New Orleans, the voting will be followed by dancing in the streets. But I don’t need carnival to make me want to do that. I just need to think about January 20, 2009.