election thoughts

I'll start with just a few thoughts I have had since watching CNN last night... 

118,747,361 people voted in 2008 

62,100,082 people voted in 2004 

that means that 56,647,279 more people voted in 2008 than in 2004. Thats incredible!!!

A nation of the people, by the people and for the people. I think we've forgotten about this, but this is where our country started and should never move away from. 

I'm not sure how you could have watched Barack's speech last night and not been inspired, and given a renewed hope for America's future.  

I thought it was very important and very interesting that Barack last night addressed the people who didn't vote for him, and reminded them that he is "their president too", so he'll be listening to their voices too. 

Let's talk about McCain's Concession Speech last night. One, I'm proud of his speech, this is probably the best speech he's ever done. I felt like he was honest and this was the first time I watched him and felt the honesty he had behind his words. However, I was APPALLED by the McCain supporters. I would be embarrassed to associate myself with them after last night. I could not believe they booed in the middle of the speech, they chanted McCain's name... they had nothing to gain from this. I wish they could have listened to what McCain was actually saying.  And it wasn't only the people at the rally, the McCain supporters at my election party had the same reactions, they made horribly rude comments during Obama's Speech, and then the facebook status waterfall of horrible comments. The world has not ended and will not end because of a new president. 

In watching the two speeches, a very distinct difference, that I somewhat just referenced. The McCain supporters at the rally and around the country versus the Obama supporters (again at the rally and around the country). The Obama supporters chants and statements made in the last 12 (ish) hours were "YES WE CAN" not Obama's name, not anything about a party, or a single person making change. It is about us as a country coming together to make change, and to bring America up to where it could be as a country. The greatness it can achieve, and the hope that it can afford its people. 

I have never been interested in the news, or politics, or keeping up with what's going on in the world. I've had the attitude of just let it happen, what is going to happen is going to happen.  However, I could not wait to watch the news this week, I stat mesmerized in front of the television last night, abandoning my studies for a few hours, waiting to see what America had in store for its future. I saw my peers, a generation who has been as apathetic as myself joining in the campaign, watching with the same interest I had, discussing and taking pride in the fact that they VOTED. My generation, myself included, have always been very apathetic about politics; we couldn't see our voices being heard, we couldn't see our efforts making a difference. But last night we did. We saw what could happen when we ban together and use our voices, for those that can't, for our country, for those that are scared to use them. We saw what we could do and now we are interested. We want to see what is going to happen and how we can be a part of it. This is now not just a country we've grown up in, and where our citizenship lies; it is OUR country, where we have a chance to make a difference, where we can take pride in our efforts to help those less fortunate than ourselves, a country we can love and affect, a country in which things will not get better unless we speak up, where our voice matters. I think not only is this a historic election because of who was elected, but also I think and I hope that the apathy of my generation is beginning to be broken as we realize the potential and opportunities we have for affecting this nation.