Obama Nation

Whew! What a night! What crazy emotions and the elation and joy and excitement and hope! Yeah!

Yesterday was an amazing day in history and we all got to live through it and see the other side! Things will always be different after this. This was one of those defining moments in history that you see in the movies and read in all the great books.

I am so filled with hope for what this country can do. I know that it will not be an easy journey, nor one without right wing criticism. But one thing I am doing now, that I can say I haven't done for a few years now, is look up at my future and the future of my niece and nephews and feel relief that the economy and health care and their future will be better. I am so excited! And I'm motivated to get more involved in the world around me - not for my church or my employer but because it's the right thing to do. Make the world better. Obama has inspired me and most of the people I know to reach into our communities and make the world better.

How the videos played out through the day:
Pre-election coverage:


This is MSNBC's summary of the election:


Historical Race:


McCain concedes not long after the polls closed on the west coast. I thought his speech was eloquent and thoughtful.


I'm sure we all watched Obama come out and give his acceptance speech.


So how did Utah do?
Utah's numbers:
Grand County (Moab area), Obama won:
Obama: 1,981
McCain: 1,787
Difference: 194

Summit County (Park City, Coalville, Kamas and Heber), Obama won:
Obama: 9,194
McCain: 6,691
Difference: 2,503

Salt Lake County, Obama lost, but by a pretty close margin:
Obama: 161,696
McCain: 163,579
Difference: 1,883

Think your vote doesn't count? It most certainly does! Click Here to see how counties around the country voted.

How happy am I? Well, here's today's daily shot:
Happy day to all!

I Voted!

Yippee!! I voted! I left work, picked up Eric and we went to vote around 10:30 a.m. so there were NO LINES! Yup, we avoided a chunk of what everybody else faces when they go before and after work. whew!

Here I am getting ready to vote. You can see the empty polling stations:

Here I am voting:
Um, I need to loose a few freakin'-frackin'-filthy pounds! But that's not the point of this entry, is it?

And don't I look happy after voting?
Yeah, I know what angles work best for me and it's not from a distance.

So who's happy? I am! I am!

I found a cute PBS video encouraging the voters to get out and do their thing.


Barack Obama votes:


I choose hope over fear.
I choose unity over division.
I choose a better history.

Election Day is Finally Here

Here we are: Election Day 2008. I find that I am a bit emotional this morning, although I haven't voted yet. I will head to my polls later this morning - hoping that the lines will be down after the morning rush of people heading to work is done.

Sandy forwarded some videos to me that have to be posted here:

#1 Charles meets Barack


#2 One Day to Change the World
*tear* This one did it for me this morning.


#3 Yes We Can - Music Video


happy voting!

Take a Big Breath!

Well, here we are at the day before the election! Really, all that can be said has been said and it's time to pick our leader for the next 4 years. So what can I offer? Here are a couple of great election 2008 summaries:

Rachel Maddow summarizes the year in Presidential politics


Keith Olbermann Election Special countdown:


Why McCain CANNOT win; Two words (among many): Sarah Palin.


Here's the prediction and let's hope it ends up this way:

Hoping, crossing my fingers and praying that the voters choose Obama with me.

Nick Anderson did a great little cartoon today:

America, Our Moment is Now!

Headed For The Future

Did you see Obama's 30 minutes? I did and I was moved to tears at several points. 33 million other viewers also watched it! It came with the hefty price tag, but as an Obama supporter and someone who donates to his campaign, I was happy to watch it and was truly moved by the stories told.
Obama laid out his plan, but more than that, he told the story of Americans who are facing decisions they didn't think they'd ever face. Here's his 30 minutes. Watching the whole thing is well worth the time.

I can say this: I love that I feel so much hope for our country when I hear Obama's plans. I love that Obama has been able to mobilize so many Americans to take action in their own neighborhoods to make them safer - that people I know have begun to move together to make life richer for their coworkers and cities. I love what I imagine this country will be able to do with a leader like Obama.

I stumbled across a video while working my graveyard job. It's of Ronald Reagan when he was running for his first term as president. Although the images have been added to this clip, the soundbite has not been altered.

Makes you think, doesn't it? hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here's an appearance of Barack Obama on the Daily Show:



In May 2008, Time Magazine did a photo essay on Obama and there are some pictures I just love. I've included the captions made by photographer Callie Shell.

These two boys waited as a long line of adults greeted Senator Obama before a rally on Martin Luther King Day in Columbia, S.C. They never took their eyes off of him. Their grandmother told me, "Our young men have waited a long time to have someone to look up to, to make them believe Dr. King's words can be true for them." Jan. 21, 2008.


Waiting: Obama listens from a back stairwell as he is introduced in Muscatine, Iowa. It was his second or third speech of the day. Unlike many of the politicians I have photographed in the past, I find it is easy to get a photograph of Obama alone. He lets his staff do their jobs and not fuss over him. Nov. 7, 2007.


I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn't have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I've encountered. Nov. 7, 2007.

Senator Obama was doing press interviews by telephone in a holding room between events. Sometime later as he was getting ready to begin his event, he asked me if I was photographing his shoes. When I said yes, he told me that he had already had them resoled once since he entered the race a year earlier. Providence, R.I., 3/1/2008.

My favorite picture in the group:

It was primary morning in New Hampshire. Barack and Michelle Obama had been campaigning separately all week. In the first few months of 2008 their private time seemed to consist of a few crossover moments in back hallways before rallies. This moment was rare and you could tell they just loved being able to sit together. Jan. 8, 2008.
Click Here to see the whole photo essay. It's fantastic.

Last: I stumbled across this little picture while meandering through the Internet. Here we find some Christians praying to change this ugly bear market to a bull market. I think prayer is quite powerful and utilize that open line of communication with God on a daily basis. I can say that I've even prayed for this country and the economic situation at least a few times in the last month.
That said, I was pretty amused and surprised to find this picture of the group praying over a bull statue on Wall Street.

Yikes! It conjured an immediate image from Exodus 32 - a little thing called the Ten Commandments.
Yowsers!