we have a new president

And I am SO excited.

I got to watch the swearing-in and most of PRESIDENT OBAMA's (I just love writing that) speech before heading off to a student matinee yesterday. I wasn't as overly emotional as I was on election night; I just felt really, really happy. I smiled a lot. It was really nice.

I'm not naive enough to think that the honeymoon will last all that long, but it's just so nice to have so many people inspired by their government. I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

what now?

I've dreamed about this day for a long time, and I've been thinking a lot about what I would have to say. I think that this e-mail I wrote to my girlfriend (who is in Chile with her father for a couple of weeks) earlier today sums up most of my feelings pretty well.

[Maxine] -

It's only now, half a day after the fact, that I'm able to gather myself enough to string together a few sentences to you. And that, quite frankly, is still difficult.

I just feel so full today, of life, of energy, of optimism (and, unfortunately, of alcohol - we really cut loose last night), and for so many different reasons. I think we elected the right person for the job. I'm excited that our country has a chance to regain our standing in the world (although your article pointed out that we have a tough road to hoe). I still can't believe that someone who looks like me will be leading this country - my country. I feel an ownership of America that I've never quite felt before.

They always say that it's darkest before the dawn. And I don't want you to think that I'm thinking of Obama as some sort of Messiah or something (although my father made a great analogy about following Jesus Christ "no matter what he looks like" last night), but the last eight years have been as bleak as you can get, with hijackings and bombings and wars and the economy in freefall and unchecked greed...it's been very, very dark. Last night, I think, was the crack of light appearing in the east, the one that leaves you breathless when you see it.

[One of the guys in the cast] sent me a text this morning: "What now?" which I think is the perfect question. I think that the only way that Obama fulfills his promise is if WE all band together and help him, you know? It's going to require sacrifice and dedication and hard work from the entire country to pull us out of this mess, and I just hope people are as committed to what comes next as they were to getting us to this point. I think it just might happen.

One last thing. [Our director] yesterday came into the dressing room and said something to the effect of, "Hey man, we don't have any excuses anymore! We got to pull ourselves together," which was super ironic, because I had been having those exact thoughts the other day (and [the director] and I NEVER agree on anything). I'm really interested to see where my people go from here, whether we can use last night as a springboard to propel ourselves forward or not. Judging by the faces and emotions I saw last night, I think this could be a seminal moment in black history.

OK, enough pontificating. What a day yesterday was! It was funny to get all sorts of messages yesterday from people. [A friend] said there were people cheering in the streets, and apparently 125th Street was crazy. [Two other friends] said that Brooklyn was jumping. [A third friend] was chest-bumping [a very famous actor] (he's got a recurring role on [a tv show] this season, as if I needed another reason to watch it).

I was sitting at tech all day yesterday, not being used (GRRRR), trying unsuccessfully stream TV coverage on my laptop (GRRRR) before watching a crappy feed on the phone. I don't think I started crying until I started thanking God.

[My castmates] and I raced back to my apartment to watch Obama's speech and have some celebratory drinks, and then we went out and drank too much. But I still feel great. I'm excited for you to come back so that I can see you face to face and you can pinch me and tell me that this isn't all a dream.

so close

written in my journal

I'm at tech for [my show] in [Bluff City], sitting in my dressing room frantically trying to keep up with election results. I just got off the phone with my brother, who told me CNN says there's almost no way McCain can win. Still, my guard will stay up until Obama reaches 270.

I feel as though I'm about to burst with so many different emotions.

election eve

It's finally here.

After all of the speeches and attack ads and pundits and town hall meetings and debates and SNL sketches, we have arrived.

It kind of feels like Christmas Eve, you know? I have the same kind of anticipation bubbling in the pit of my stomach. It's a good thing that I have tech tomorrow, because I couldn't take sitting around in my apartment all day.

I am a little sad that I'm on the road for this. I would love to be watching this with my parents, or my brother, or my girlfriend. The cast is great (and they certainly have an understanding of what's at stake), but I would really like to be with people I love tomorrow. It will be a little lonely if I'm watching election results alone in my apartment.

Tomorrow, it ends. And begins. I am looking forward to it.

this. fucking. election.

This just about sums the whole thing up.

Brilliant.

a very short story through Facebook status

written on my Facebook page

12:55pm
THE ROVER is wondering when his absentee ballot will arrive.

6:43pm
THE ROVER got his absentee ballot today - no need to panic. Democracy wins again!

debate frustrations

via text message to my father and girlfriend, about Palin's performance during the VP debate

she's not answering any questions!

enough politics

Thank GOD this is the last night of convention coverage. I can't take them anymore.

it's finally official

Barack Obama has won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. I'd feel much better about Obama's historic victory today if I hadn't seen this quote:

"A lot of white workers ... and quite frankly a lot of union members believe he's the wrong race," AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka told a breakfast meeting of Michigan delegates.

Can't I enjoy this for even an hour before the naysayers chime in? Thanks a lot, Richard Trumka. You're off my Christmas list.

a near quote from my childhood

A quote from Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark (from this NY Times article) really hit home for me:

He said passages about Obama’s youth in Hawaii had reminded him of his own experience with subtle racism in the affluent, mostly white suburb of Harrington Park, N.J. “You know, what it’s like growing up every single day and having people ask to touch your hair because they’ve never seen hair like that,” Booker said. “To have the entire class laugh and giggle when somebody pronounces ‘Niger’ as ‘nigger.’ The constant bombardment of that kind of thing really affects your spirit, and it’s every single day. Like when people want to come back from a vacation and compare their tan to yours and joke about being black.”

It's like he's talking about MY public school experience.

If you've got twenty minutes, you really should read this article. It's fascinating.

should i stay or should i go?

written to a friend who wants me to go to the Democratic National Convention later this month

Well, I'd like to, but September is a little up in the air for me, so I can't make a decision for a couple of weeks. But I mentioned to Maxine that you had told me to go out for the DNC, and she was like, "WHAT? You HAVE to go!" So, you know, I don't want to disappoint her... ;-)

Tim Russert 1950-2008

He died today, of an apparent heart attack, at 58 years old (the same age as my father). I just found out, and I am in total shock.

I've been a political junkie for years, and I've always enjoyed watching the Sunday morning shows. This year I've been spending lots of time watching Russert, both on MSNBC and on Meet The Press. He had such a kind and gentle way about him - but he also had the ability to cut through a lot of the crap and get right to the heart of the matter. And the depth and breadth of his knowledge was astounding.

It's really hard to imagine Sunday mornings without him (as well as the rest of this election cycle, which he was all over). He will be missed.

yes, we did

written in the box office at work

I can't properly articulate the pride and the sense of possibility I feel right now. I keep thinking about my mother, as a child, drinking out of colored water fountains. And now she's seeing a person of color winning the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. We truly live in an amazing country.

"change you can Xerox"

Really?

This is what I hate about politics.

Obama

I have a new habit.

Whenever there's a primary going on, I turn on MSNBC and I watch their coverage (I'm a big fan of the Olbermann/Matthews team and, strangely, Pat Buchanan). And I wait for Barack Obama to speak.

It inspires me every time. And it trips me out.

I'll be listening to his speech, and every time there's a couple of minutes where I zone out. This happens because I can't believe my eyes. I honestly never believed that I would see the day where someone who looks like me would have a legitimate shot at the presidency of the United States. I can't tell you how proud that makes me, and how good it makes me feel.

Not to get too much into it, but I've spent a lot of my life being told what I could or couldn't do (you should be good at basketball! you shouldn't be getting good grades!), and receiving backhanded compliments for "being different". I didn't have a whole lot of role models. My parents, I guess. The Huxtables. But this...I mean, if Obama can win, I really feel like a Black person could do anything in this country. It's very exciting.

And I resisted Obama for a while because of this. I read his book two years ago (and was blown away), but I had all kind of reasons for not supporting him. I wanted him to wait for Hillary. I wanted him to get more experience. And I definitely didn't want to support him just because he was Black. I think that, deep down inside, I was afraid that he would fail miserably and/or become a joke. But it hasn't worked out that way at all.

But now, I'm on board - been here for a couple of months. Fired up, ready to go, so to speak.

I don't know if this is legal or not...

...but i'm proud that i got up at the butt crack of dawn to vote, and i've got the evidence to prove it.

Mobile post sent by Rover using Utterz.  Replies.

yes we can

It's 2:25 in the morning. I'm getting up in three and a quarter hours to go vote before I race to the airport to catch a flight. And it's all because this man has made a believer out of me. I've voted before, but I've never cared this much, or been this optimistic.



He's gonna do it. We're gonna do it. Starting in a few hours...

still out of gas...

...but, hopefully, a longer post will come later in the week.

Off to watch election results and prep for a callback...

Clinton beats Obama...

...and proves, once again, that the pollsters have no idea what they're talking about.

At least it gives the talking heads something to obsess about for the next few weeks.

I have to say, though, I hope this is actually a race with some suspense. This is what I enjoy about politics. (I don't enjoy, "What a great comeback I've made," which we've heard from both winners tonight. Maybe they shouldn't have read their speeches off the page.)

Any predictions for the general election? Of course, tonight proves that you can't take anything to the bank...

i heart obama

I read a great article about Barack Obama in the NY Times this morning, and I have to share.

It's here. Check it out.

This is the phrase that really got my attention:

The debate [between Clinton and Obama] was “orienting” because it exposed the very different orientations of the two — one toward tough-mindedness and resolve, the other toward transparency and dialogue; the one toward the peril that we face, the other toward opportunities we must explore. How you felt about the debate had to do with how you felt about the world.

He's more liberal than I would usually go, but the more I read about this guy, the more I think he's the answer.

Discuss.