On Voting, Ameri-European Relations, Pundits, and "Bamoa"

Oh my god. What a day. What a day!!! I haven't been able to sit still. Have you? I should be teaching aerobics right now, or running in a marathon, or SOMETHING. My house is cleaner than it's been since I moved here. I almost yanked my arm out of its socket sweeping the front porch. I keep telling myself, No matter what happens, at least you'll wake up to a clean house! As if that would be a consolation...!!

But really. Seriously. Did you expect to get to this point? To be on the verge of electing a president who doesn't look like any other president we've ever had, whose name ends with a vowel? To be on the verge of electing someone who actually seems human??

Voting was easy (that seems like ages ago; it was at 10 this morning). As Tom Petty says, "the waiting is the hardest part." But I didn't do much waiting in line, not like what I've been hearing about (though I was surprised at the long line, for such a small voting precinct, and everyone around me commented on how they'd never seen it so long, ever). I certainly didn't have the nightmare of friend/writer/comedienne Jill in New York, who describes her voting day thusly:

"It was exciting at first, but soon it devolved into a long, horrible experience. I had to switch lines 3 times, each time having to move to a danker, hotter part of the school's basement, full of passive skittish elderly women and bossy, obsessive elderly men. It was hot down there and one man was so obese I thought he was going to pass out. I finally thought I was having a nice chat with an elderly voting official, until she said that long lines must be due to that "Bamoa" guy (her tag said she was a democrat for christ sakes!) and then after I pulled the lever and came out of the booth she smiled at me and PUT HER PALM FLAT AGAINST MY STOMACH!! Did she think I was pregnant? Was she wishing me years of good digestion? Did she put a hex on me? I almost pushed her over to get out of there! I want electronic voting!!!"

(LOL....oh Jill, I miss your blog! I hope you will start blogging again, the world needs more of your observations!)

Nerves have seemed a little frayed today, I can certainly attest to that. For instance, I had a ridiculous argument on the way to the polling place with my other half (i.e., hubbie), regarding whether or not our darling young pup should wear an Obama sash (see photo). What should have been a non-issue became a minor transcontinental schism, with me accusing Frenchie of being too "uptight" about the sash (hence, life in general), while he condemned my American tendency to make a party and show about EVERYTHING (well, OK, c'est vrai!), and not giving politics - especially voting - the proper gravitas it demands.

Well, as the kids say (or used to say, the last time I knew any lingo): We were just wiggin'. And I know we aren't the only ones. Emotions are running high! I just saw this in the nytimes - check it out. A sort of wordy mood ring for the electorate. Kind of cool to see the rest of the country's feelings as the countdown continues...

What else? The whole world is watching what's going on in the States right now. That's another thing that is making today feel so exciting, nerve-wracking, important, and all the rest. Here's what a French friend wrote:

J'ai très envie d'être avec vous ce soir, de parler avec vous, bref d'être au coeur de cet événement. En tout cas, je ne vais pas dormir cette nuit et j'espère qu'à 4h, on saura que l'Amérique a voulu se réconcilier avec le monde !!!! même si ça ne change pas grand chose au plan des grandes options politiques, c'est fondamental sur le plan symbolique.

(she's basically saying that she wishes she could be here with us, she won't sleep tonight, and how important this race is for the world, symbolically if nothing else...)

Then there's good old Bob Herbert (god, I LOVE him), who reminds us that voting today is just a tiny sliver of what needs to be accomplished:

"As important as this choice has become, the election is just a small first step. What Americans really have to decide is what kind of country they want.

That decision will require more than casting a vote in one presidential election. It will require a great deal of reflective thought and hard work by a committed citizenry. The great promise of America hinges on a government that works, openly and honestly, for the broad interests of the American people, as opposed to the narrow benefit of the favored, wealthy few.

By all means, vote today. But that is just the first step toward meaningful change."

Bob, I couldn't agree more. There is so much more work to do!

And I have so much more to say. But I'm about to faint from all the excitment. I've superstitiously not looked at any polls yet. And it's after 7 pm! Time to start watching TV and getting sucked into all the sound and fury. Will this be a perfect storm for Obama? As my stepfather Carl just said on the phone, "Even Mother Nature doesn't like John McCain" (the weather is gorgeous here, and supposedly everywhere else along the east coast and midwest).

OMG - the next time I write we'll have a new president!!!!!!!