On election day I was phone banking from the Obama campaign office in my neighborhood. It was (is?) on South Street in Philadelphia, which is a very artsy, young, high energy neighborhood. The office was FULL of volunteers! They had so many volunteers we were able to knock on every sing door in our two wards (about 70 voting precincts) not once, but TWICE on election day, to make sure everyone got out to vote. There were boxes and boxes of Philadelphia soft pretzels (the good kind), cakes, brownies, pulled pork, apples, you name it! The place was just amazing!
I was at a table for awhile with three women in their fifties and sixties. They had all volunteered for Democratic campaigns for (literally) decades. I asked them if volunteering every election day was like this. They emphatically told me "NO!" They said there were so many more volunteers, so much more energy, so much more going on this election day, and how clear it was Obama was a community organizer. While there were lots of young people in the office, there were plenty of older people, people who drove in from Jersey to help out, blacks and whites... It was a great atmosphere.
I ran into a friend from college (who I haven't seen since college, but happened to come in to volunteer when I was also there). We decided to go out canvassing, and they sent us to a campaign office south and west, where they needed more volunteers. It was in a heavily black area. The office was much sparser, and had fewer volunteers, much less food, and fewer resources, but it had the same energy.
It was a truly inspiring afternoon/evening. We were told there wouldn't be a McCain supporter for miles, so knock on every door and make sure you get everyone to vote! Virtually everyone we talked to had already voted. People were so excited to see us and talk to us. Two women stopped us in the street and hugged us and were almost crying, telling us how wonderful this election was, and having us young people out, and a black man being elected. People who were hesitant to open their doors changed instantly when they found out we were from the Obama campaign. They chatted with us, were excited with us, cheered... you name it!
We went over to the polling place that was at the end of the block we were canvassing. They had music set up, drums and two guitar players, playing improv songs about Obama. People holding up Obama signs outside the polls got honks, yells, and cheers from cars going by. A big party truck came for a bit... It was a flatbed decked out in Obama signs, with a huge sound system, and a big Obama dance party on the back of the truck! It was seriously like one big party in the streets for the election.
How inspiring! I have no delusions that simply because we have a black president that race is no longer an issue in America. What I found so awesome (in the true sense of awe-some) was the excitement found among blacks-- blacks who have been disenfranchised, ignored, or uninspired to vote for so long. And here was an election that was so inspiring blacks turned out in droves to the polls, got their neighbors to vote, were watching closely for the results.
It wasn't just about race: as we might expect in a country with our racial issues, the black candidate had to run a campaign that was twice as good to win. But he did it, and that twice-as-good campaign inspired so many. Young people, also not big voters, out in droves not just to vote but to volunteer, make calls, knock on doors, have parties for Obama. New voters. Long-time republican women who quietly voted for Obama while their husbands probably voted for McCain. Entire swaths of voters in typically red states, that have now gone blue. This is Inspiration with a capital "I".
Strategists and republicans claim the tanked economy and an unpopular Bush tilted the election. I'm sure that might be true. But a tanked economy does not inspire, it scares. Obama's supporters are not an electorate that was scared: they are an electorate that is inspired.
I cried on election night. I cried because I couldn't believe we have finally elected a black man president. I was giddy because the past eight years are really coming to an end. I was in awe of the massive organization of volunteers and supporters. I was excited to see Philadelphia so ALIVE with the election, and then to see that reflected on the news in streets, parties, and cities around the country, right down to the hundreds of thousands of people in Grant Park. I was in shock that the never-ending election had finally ended. I was amazed at the varied people who had come together and supported Obama. There aren't enough adjectives or words to describe my overwhelming feelings for the outcome and historic election.
