how sweet it is

The 2008 elections will be a day many will remember. Someday, I'll be telling my grandkids how I was working in Beijing, and took the day to work from home so that I could have the elections on the TV in the background. While I was at the computer for much of the day, I jumped up to watch John McCain's concession speech and Barack Obama's speech live from Chicago. Both were extremely moving, and I must admit, McCain's concession speech was one of the most humble and touching in history.



Both of those moments brought tears to my eyes, and for the first time, I felt like I did have a voice in American politics, and that what I thought mattered. Obama's win was the first time my vote put someone in office - and I've voted before! Being a Florida voter in what is traditionally a Republican state, seeing Florida vote for Obama was an incredible feeling, and I was proud to be a part of history.

Growing up, my Mom told me stories about JFK driving through her hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida in his convertible, waving to all the kids and people who had gathered on the side of the roads in hopes of catching a glimpse of the President. I wondered what it would be like to feel that closeness, that approachability to a President. In my lifetime, the Presidents have always seemed larger-than-life figures who are tucked away in DC and photographed by their plane at various ports around the world. They certainly never felt like they were 'for the people'.

I was always stunned about stories from my parents generation, about how passionate they were about politics - and how they seemed to really have an impact on things. It seemed like exciting times, and a time when what the youth thought mattered. From protests on Vietnam to the Watergate scandal -- that generation seemed so involved in a way that made my generation look like we were coasting through America without making our mark.

Partly, this is because, no matter what we all seemed to think, it just didn't seem to make a dent. Most people I knew from college, were against us invading Iraq - we didn't think there was sufficient evidence of nuclear weapons. We sided with the UN on this, and most of the world. And we were right. But we didn't have a say, and popular opinion didn't seem to matter. Since then, the Bush administration has continued to humiliate us and make us extremely unpopular overseas - a dangerous combination in today's global society. When we voted in 2004, most everyone I knew wanted a change. While Kerry didn't seem to offer all the answers, one thing was for certain, we knew we didn't want Bush. But we got him again, after four years of feeling that he maybe didn't really win that first term in the first place. But Bush played the 9-11 card in a way that created a society of fear and stress, and allowed rights to be abused with moves such as the creation of the "Patriot" Act. Tensions around the world rose, relationships deteriorated, and the Ugly American took on a whole new meaning. An entire nation of citizens who for the most part are kind, generous and caring - were considered the monsters of the world. The big bullies who could do whatever they wanted to serve their own interests. The unfortunate part of this, is the distaste for the American government was not limited to the government, but to their citizens living and traveling overseas - who learned rather quickly to play the "Canada card" when meeting locals.

The 2008 election was always going to be about change - and the financial crisis was the straw that broke the nation's back in ensuring this. Sure, there were other issues, and my generation had truly had enough of the same. But the financial crisis made everyone realize that something had to change or else. On November 4, I was all nerves. Having cast my absentee ballot early, I was so worried about the outcome. More of the same was a scary thought, but Sarah Palin in office was an even scarier reality that I think our country wouldn't have been able to recover from in my entire lifetime.

I can proudly say, that in this election, my generation made a difference. The youth vote was an extremely influential factor in deciding the outcome. We truly 'rocked the vote'. And I'll be so proud to tell my grandchildren, that I helped vote in the first African-American President of the United States. That I helped vote in someone who was about change, who gives it to us straight and most importantly - listens. Someone who inspires hope in a way that no US politician has in nearly an entire generation. Someone who can make us proud to be Americans again.

Obama is just one person, and he has a big job in front of him. He has about 2 years of a Democratic house to push his agenda through, and he's hit the ground running already. This election taught us that, Yes, we can make a difference - and we can help make the changes we so desperately need. And it taught us that in fact, our voices DO matter.

Photo courtesy of barackobama.com