It's DNC Week!

"And out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come."

First off, let me just go ahead and say that I've not always been so interested in politics. I used to roll my eyes, tune out the talk and hear "blah blah blah." I guess it really started when people I grew up with were being shipped off to Afghanistan and then Iraq. It was the first time that my peers were having to put their lives on the line and that's when it really hit home, the importance of who's in charge. {Oh, yeah, and also when my friend Jed's political "blah, blah, blahs" started forming into real and meaningful words in my brain ... heh. Thanks, man.} Don't get me wrong, I've always done my "civic duty" and voted ... but I didn't really "get it" until then. I was one of those people just walking around in my own little bubble, not thinking about the bigger picture.

And then came the '04 election. I was working at a small design company with a few local politicos as clients. One of my closest friends was serving as campaign manager for one of those clients, and at the same time John Kerry was trying to get that Nasty G.W. (NGW) outta the Big House. I was already riding the "Kerry Me" wagon ... and then Pearl Jam came to Asheville for the Vote for Change Tour. There is simply nothing better than Eddie Vedder pushing for a better administration! (I actually dressed up like My Love Mr. Vedder for Halloween when I was in the 9th grade ... just, you know, fyi).

And I was excited.



And then ... we got four more years. It sounds like a prison term because, essentially, it has been.

And now ... well I'm head over heels for a presidential candidate (my mother's generation would add a "Bless her heart" before that statement). And the fact is, it started 4 years ago when he was just a guy giving a speech at the Convention. But even then, that speech gave me goose bumps and caused me to get all teary-eyed (ok, I guess that's not that hard to do but still ...) and man, I felt proud. And as I sat there and listened to Obama's keynote, I kept thinking, "I wish this guy could be The One."

And now, only 4 years later, it's happening ... that very same Goose Bump Giver will be on the ballot come November. That same man who only 4 years ago was someone many of us had never even heard of ... just a young Senator from Illinois. And all I keep thinking is ... this is how it is supposed to be. For once, this is how it all should be happening. Just like he said about Kerry in that '04 keynote: "Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer."

And so I'm excited again ... really excited. I'm an optimist anyway, but I honestly believe that now is the time we can have some real hope.

"The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes America has a place for him too ... Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope. Because in the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. The belief in things not seen. The belief in better days ahead."

And this week I, along with so many fellow Americans awaiting a regime change, will be watching as Democrats from across the country gather in Denver to celebrate a shift in our nation ... a shift toward hope, toward things more of us can agree with and feel good about, toward a person we can believe in, toward a better US.




I. am. ready.

Early Evening Addendum:
On NPR this afternoon, they had a bit about how in 2000, Barack tried to go to the DNC and couldn't get the credentials needed to attend. And when he got to wherever it was being held, he tried to rent a car and his credit card was declined. That was a mere 8 years ago folks ... and now, he's on the freaking presidential ticket. If that's not the American Dream I don't know what the hell is! It keeps getting better and better and tonight, it's Michelle's turn at the mic. I can't wait!