Yes, we did.
Last night was incredible, to say the very least. We had a countdown to 11pm, when the west coast's polls closed, and from then until 1am I was celebrating, alternately in rooms, in the street, and in a crowd around the projected tv in the lobby. There was an impromptu parade in the middle of the night, chanting and cheering and marching, and Nick and I ran outside yelling, high fiving and hugging everyone we met.
When McCain's (very gracious) concession speech came on, there was a huge amount of people in the lobby, and though we kept our own booing down while he was speaking, we're still unruly Maryland kids at heart. As he left the stage, someone started up a cheer of Hey, You Suck! Never has it felt so good to join in with that cheer.
Between speeches, I went up back to my room to the internet and kept on looking for North Carolina's results, which still haven't officially been called (though Obama's possibly won with 100% reporting!). And then, I got back to the lobby just as Obama took the stage in Chicago.
And wow. That speech. Though our crowd had thinned out considerably by then, we still broke out into cheers and applause throughout it. There was a girl openly weeping, and I was even moved close to tears. I'm so fucking proud that this is the president we have elected. Despite all the worries that he's not qualified, or that he's a little dishy, or that he's just a popular face - I so much trust the people around him, and I'm so inspired by him and by this movement, and I truly believe that he is exactly what we need.
And, for the love of God! I know the new Vice President of our country! I mean, that's Delaware's good old Joe Biden up there with Obama! I spent eight years at school literally next to his house, saw the pictures yesterday morning of him disrupting my former classmates' schoolday by going to vote. It's so unbelievably cool that, of all people, he's the one standing side by side with - dare I say it? - President Obama. So if it's Obama who inspires my hope, it's Biden who grounds that hope in real trust.
Also! It was a doubly good night for Delaware! We elected Markell to governor, finally! After two hot summers of campaigning for him, after the much more harrowing primary, we finally won that race. So not only are things looking up for the country, they're looking up back at home, too.
However, with all this happiness, I can't forget. Proposition 8. I... well. I suppose it's our reality check, that despite the promise of change given by this election, it's still a long road until our country can finally wake up and do the right thing. At the very least, we might win civil unions under this administration, and then hope that the 'separate but equal' argument doesn't last long in the fight for queer rights either. So, despite the results in California, Florida, and all the others that passed similar legislation last night, I still have hope.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?
I have been changed for good.
When McCain's (very gracious) concession speech came on, there was a huge amount of people in the lobby, and though we kept our own booing down while he was speaking, we're still unruly Maryland kids at heart. As he left the stage, someone started up a cheer of Hey, You Suck! Never has it felt so good to join in with that cheer.
Between speeches, I went up back to my room to the internet and kept on looking for North Carolina's results, which still haven't officially been called (though Obama's possibly won with 100% reporting!). And then, I got back to the lobby just as Obama took the stage in Chicago.
And wow. That speech. Though our crowd had thinned out considerably by then, we still broke out into cheers and applause throughout it. There was a girl openly weeping, and I was even moved close to tears. I'm so fucking proud that this is the president we have elected. Despite all the worries that he's not qualified, or that he's a little dishy, or that he's just a popular face - I so much trust the people around him, and I'm so inspired by him and by this movement, and I truly believe that he is exactly what we need.
And, for the love of God! I know the new Vice President of our country! I mean, that's Delaware's good old Joe Biden up there with Obama! I spent eight years at school literally next to his house, saw the pictures yesterday morning of him disrupting my former classmates' schoolday by going to vote. It's so unbelievably cool that, of all people, he's the one standing side by side with - dare I say it? - President Obama. So if it's Obama who inspires my hope, it's Biden who grounds that hope in real trust.
Also! It was a doubly good night for Delaware! We elected Markell to governor, finally! After two hot summers of campaigning for him, after the much more harrowing primary, we finally won that race. So not only are things looking up for the country, they're looking up back at home, too.
However, with all this happiness, I can't forget. Proposition 8. I... well. I suppose it's our reality check, that despite the promise of change given by this election, it's still a long road until our country can finally wake up and do the right thing. At the very least, we might win civil unions under this administration, and then hope that the 'separate but equal' argument doesn't last long in the fight for queer rights either. So, despite the results in California, Florida, and all the others that passed similar legislation last night, I still have hope.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?
I have been changed for good.