Am I the only one who cried?

Posted by Kate G. in US Election 2008.

Well, I know I’m not the only one, since my partner (now my FIANCEE!) was sitting next to me, bawling her eyes out along with me.

So let me re-phrase: anyone outside of my apartment cry like a little bitch watching Obama’s 30-minute media blitz?

I don’t know what it was. The fact that I was slighty intoxicated may have aided the flow of tears. But had I been of sound mind and body at the time, I’m pretty sure the message still would have hit me hard. Maybe a tear or two would’ve squeaked out, too.

I know I’m a political blogger, I know most things I write are supposed to be–and have been thus far– accompanied with a healthy serving of cynicism and doubt. But as I sat and watched the way people are living all over this country–the mom whose kids have no snacks for the week, the retired man who has to work as a Wal-Mart greeter, the people laid-off in factory towns–it broke my jaded little heart.

I think it touched me so deeply because of the lack of programs like this. I don’t mean a lack of Obamaganda. I mean a lack of focus on how terrifying life is for millions in this country. The mass media is so good at hiding the stories that would cause feelings of empathy, community, and a sense of I-need-to-do-something-right-now-to-help in every one of us. (If we thought like that, we’d probably vote liberal, god forbid.) So, Wednesday night, seeing the ugly truth of those people’s daily lives reminded me of a line from an Ani DiFranco song:

“…for one unnerving moment,
they’re gonna show the truth on TV .”

Granted, in the song (”Red Letter Year”), she’s talking about Hurricane Katrina. But last night was the first time since then that there has been a broadcast of the hardships people like you and me are facing every day in this country.

Of course, the Republicans are in an uproar. They say Obama took advantage of the people…who elected to be in the video. They say that it was offensive, tasteless, a waste of money. Me? I say it was necessary.

Yes, necessary. With all the crap swirling around in this campaign, this was a chance for Obama to set things straight and try to reach the people one last time, without a barrage of bullshit lies from McCain’s ragged little camp. It was a chance for him to let us into not only his life, but also into the struggles of others around the nation. In me, it created a sense of unity, a sense that we’re all up the creek right now, but it’s not so bad because now we know we aren’t alone.

In short: I loved it. Every second of it.  How about you?

US Election 2008 |