Our Moment
I haven’t been excited by a political candidate, well, ever.
2000 was interesting to me. My first election, a contested battle, Ralph Nadar, etc. But nothing that excited me.
Same thing in 2004. It was exciting, but I was in Scotland at the time, and most of the excitement stemmed from the fact that I was an international watcher of an election now.
But this year, with Barack Obama, things were different. I remember when he ran for Senate, how exciting it was to see him speak at the 2004 DNC. I still think that’s one of those speeches that will be looked back at as a defining moment of American political history.
He, of course, was elected in a landslide (it helps when your first opponent withdraws because of a sex scandal and your next opponent is Alan Keyes). Nevertheless, he excited us in Illinois.
Soon after he was elected, he came to Bradley to announce a piece of legislation he was sponsoring to support Pell grants to students. They of course put him in a small room at the library, but that room was packed to the gills with people standing far into the library. It was another exciting time to be there. I got my picture taken with him, talked to him for a few minutes, and knew that this man was the future of America.
Well, when he announced his presidential candidacy 2 years ago, times were right. He faded into obscurity (as so many candidates do that soon after their announcement) and didn’t come back until the beginning of the year with the Iowa caucuses. That was when the excitement started.
You know the history from there. I did some phone banking, donated some money, and cheered him on from afar.
But then it started looking like not only would he win the nomination, but he might beat John McCain as well.
About a week and a half ago, my friend Joe called me to see if I wanted to go to Indiana to knock on some doors and get out the vote. I jumped at the chance, and so on Saturday, November 1st, he, I, and two other friends loaded up the car, drove to Indianapolis and canvassed for about 5 hours. We knocked on about 300 doors in some low-income areas of Indianapolis and each talked to lots of wonderful people. Its one of those experiences that just connects you with everything. We talked to people who had never voted before, but were giddy from excitement over the whole prospect of voting for Obama. We talked to people who had been voting for many, many years, but had never had someone they truly believed in. We talked to one old man who took 4 minutes to get to the door. He was 83 years old, and when we knocked on the door, we saw him through the window. He had to put down his food, put in his oxygen, and then walk to the door. The whole time, Joe and I felt like horrible human beings when we knocked and made him do that. But when he opened the door, he did nothing but smile at us. He told us he was going to vote for Obama and that his union was going to pick him up on Tuesday to bring him to the polls. We did run into some people who were not pleased to see us, but 99% were so gracious and thankful for the work we were doing.
Fast-forward 3 days to November 4th. Elizabeth and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the rally in Grant Park. It was an amazing experience. We went with friends from church, got down there at 6:45 and the party had started hours before. We got in line, waited to get in, and the atmosphere was festive.
People were getting results on their cell phones, and whenever a state was won, it would spread through the crowd. Soon, we were making our way inside. After going through checkpoint after checkpoint, we found ourselves positioned on a hill near the back of the ticketed area. Before us spread a see of more than 100,000 people with some screens showing CNN. Whenever a state was called for Obama, the place went nuts.
Slowly we saw the electoral votes ticking up and up. We allowed ourselves to hope and believe that it might be time for our guy to be president. Soon, Ohio was called and the realization that this might be happening was coming in. We cheered, talked, wondered about the possibility. All of a sudden, at about 9:50, we heard them say they were ready for a big projection on CNN. Everyone stood and watched with just the most rapturous stares.
Virginia was called. It was over. We just needed to wait until the polls closed in California, Washington, and Oregon for it to be official.
The minute 10:00 pm rolled around, the entire field of 125,000 erupted in cheers, tears, hugs and joy. I cannot honestly think of a single time that I have been surrounded by so much emotion in my entire life. It was impossible not to be swept up in it.
So we celebrated, and celebrated, and celebrated.
After 15 minutes or so, the screens showed John McCain up there. This was the moment we had waited for. His speech, while not the best any of us had ever heard, was gracious, kind, respectful, and exactly what the country needed. It was amazing to be in the middle of this field full of Obama supporters, and to have it so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone watch McCain with attention, respect, and admiration. It was very indicative of how everyone felt regarding this whole campaign. It was a time for us to come together with everyone around us. After he was finished, we just wanted to wait for Obama.
When the announcement came “Ladies and gentlemen, the next First Family of the United States of America” the place went nuts. We were about as far back as you could be and still be in the ticketed area, but the feelings from the stage made it all the way back to us. Obama’s speech was equally eloquent, gracious, and somber. I can honestly say that it’s a moment I will never forget. After he was done, we made our way onto the streets of Chicago, and I have never seen so many people in my entire life. Everywhere you looked, there were throngs of people walking the streets, celebrating, enjoying the evening. I never felt threatened the entire evening, it was such a peaceful crowd. You could just tell everyone was happy to be a part of the moment. I later heard that only seven people were taking away because of injuries, but none were because of violence. It was amazing to be in the middle of so much history.
I look forward to the day when my kids and grandkids learn about Barack Obama in history class, and I can tell them that I helped him get elected, and I was there the night that he was. I talked to one of my coworkers, who is 73 years old, and he said that he thinks this is the most important moment in American history that he’s been alive for. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.
