Thank you, God, for sending us the right person at the right time

Although Norm Chomsky has warned about following a leader so blindly that he or she becomes a dictator and we must, indeed, avoid unquestioning allegiance to anyone or anything, and, although I have been somewhat surprised by some of Barack's choices for people for key leadership positions in his administration, the more I learn about Barack's logic, the more I appreciate how he is the right person for this most incredibly difficult time in the history of our nation and the world. He was not just TALKING about change and bringing us together so that he could win an election, those values are actually what makes him "tick." And he is smart enough and well-read and well-educated enough to actually operationalize those values. While his closest advisers will remain in his inner circle, Barack understands that experienced people with a diversity of viewpoints are critical to actually achieving desirable and immedite results, so he is enlisting a wide variety of people to get the critical work done, "from day one." :)

Just hearing Barack's voice, seeing his image, and hearing others utter the words "President Elect Obama" gives me confidence in our future. It's like nothing I've ever previously experienced. And, fortunately, I know that there are millions of others, in the United States and elsewhere, who feel this same sense of optimism that we so desperately need. The most exciting thing is that this is not blind optimism...this is hope based on an objective and demonstrated reality that Barack Obama will have the foresight, the judgement, and the leadership to get results a time when it would be so easy for a lesser leader to go the wrong way.

I am thankful that we have been given the right person for the right time.

Pinch me, and Micheal Moore, too

One night several days after the election, I had a recurring dream that we were still leading up to the Primary Election. Each time I woke up that night, I dozed back off to the same series of events in my dreamworld...Barack was still battling Hillary, and John Edwards, and Bill Richardson, and...I guess the stress of working so hard for something, with the end result being unknown for so long just became so familiar to me that my subconscious mind had a hard time adjusting to the fact that we had WON!

Barack Talk

Isn't it great to have a President Elect who is brilliant and articulate, and who can speak not only intelligently, but can, when appropriate, also use language that illustrates good judgment and common sense, and that is familiar to us in the real world?

Examples:

From 60 Minutes interview 11/16/08--
"And the new president will leave it up to his mother-in-law to decide whether she will move into the White House.

'I don't tell my mother-in-law what to do,' Obama said. 'I'm not stupid. That's why I got elected president, man.'"

In a Sway Calloway interview on MTV, Barack said he thought that laws banning the wearing of baggy pants down below one's underwear were "a waste of time," but he continued...

"Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants," he declared. "You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on.
Some people might not want to see your underwear - I'm one of them."

We left it all on the field!

We left it all on the field, there is nothing more we could have done. We have elected Barack Obama our next president. There are no words to express our joy and awe at this momentous accomplishment.

Barack Obama, the 44th President. It feels unreal. It feels fantastic.

A sense of peace and calm has washed over me. Exceptionally smart people will be running our government and determining the course of our nation and the world. My children and yet-to-be-born grandchildren have a future. We will be able to proudly represent ourselves as Americans if we have the opportunity to visit other countries. Relief and confidence in my fellow Americans feels so great.

Working with this movement, the most inclusive in the history of our country, has added meaning to my life and subtracted years from my mental attitude.

Obama staff always made us volunteers feel valued and equal.

I have become more confident, outgoing, and actively compassionate as a result of my involvement with this effort.

Barack Obama set an example for us all. We will strive to live up to the model he has provided and the faith he has had in us.

I am hoping that the election results in Missouri shift to our favor, when the legal work has been done.

Thank you to everyone who chose hope over fear!

No-bama when you have not one single thing to offer

Yesterday was our second Saturday dry-run, in preparation for Election Day. Today we also reported numbers and had much more of a simulation than I expected. It was all good. Senator Claire McCaskill came to the office to offer encouragement and support.

She made some very cogent points about how we will be restoring the image of America as a Democracy when we elect Barack Obama, with the support of a wider cross-section of Americans than ever before (I'm paraphrasing).

I cannot believe that enough Americans would be stupid enough to vote for someone who has nothing to offer except lies about his or her opponent, such that the liar could win the election. We will do everything with our power to avoid that outcome.