hopeful white people

this was one of the most memorable political experiences of my life. (along with taking part in the world protest against declaring war on iraq in mar 2003)

the crowd was energized and diverse. we had gay boys to the right of us and blue collar laboreres to our left, an af-am couple holding signs for healthcare reform and behind us a gaggle of suburban teachers buzzing on beer and bitching about nclb and reminiscing about their crunchy 20's.

i loved this guy - one of the union guys -


the line to get in -


hopeful white people -


the man himself - and entourage



and though it's a pretty lame campaign slogan, let me tell you, the hope in that room was unabashed and palpable. the desperate wish to reclaim-and make recognizable once again-america was at a fever pitch. after fri night i began to see it less as an end-result on nov 2nd and more as a process that has pulled americans together whose differences on specific issues have polarized them in the past, but this year universally understand the politicking of this administration to be fatalistic and genuinely un-american. that seems to be the real ideological line at play in this election.