Horrified at Northern Iowa right now

mason city is comparing Obama to Hitler – on a billboard.  See here for the local story, and here for the coverage in the Atlantic.

This is devastating to me on two levels:

1) That this would happen at all – you’d think that somewhere along the process of making a billboard somebody would have realized that this is an inappropriate comparison (to say the least).

2) Deep disappointment that there are apparently enough people in the area that feel this way to support such an awful thing.

Update: the sign was taken down today.  I remain angry, however.

inauguration

damn. i’m a sappy crying proud american right now 🙂 i hope that the next few years keep me just as proud and happy as i am right now

getting to work

Now it’s time to get back to work.  Gay marriage bans passed in Arizona, Florida and California.  As Obama said last night – this isn’t the end, this is the beginning of change.  Now we have to really get moving and actually figure out how to make things work in this tanking economy, two wars, horrible world standing (slightly higher this morning), heart-rending poverty and general disparity in population, huge partisanship and bitterness all over the political spectrum.

I’m personally further left than Obama, but what I’m seeing is that political realism HAS to take priority over our idealism in many ways.  This is for several reasons – 

1 – this country needs help.  if the dems in congress go overboard and push through a progressive agenda that is not palatable to moderates (I have no worry about catering to the right – who cares), i question how effective measures will be.

2 – i worry that the dems in congress will squander the advantage they have and push partisanship, ending up in a swing back to the right in 2, 4 or 6 years.  totally alienating moderates is not the way to effectively move forward.

once again, i have to say that I KNOW this means that legislation that I really want is not as possible as it would be if the dems are willing to push through legislation.  However, I do think that for the good of unity, moving forward in a meaningful way, and understanding that Obama has a HORRIBLE state of the union to deal with, everybody needs to take a deep breath and not go overboard with majority in a way that will create a backlash from the moderate/right that will undo everything.

speaking of undoing…we could probably spend all 4 years just trying to undo the damage that the bush administration has done to civil liberties. 

this election has given us a huge opportunity.  now we actually have to make the most of it.

PS – I know I may get a lot of flak for this post from my liberal friends.  I think that moving forward is really just a continuation of the debate of 1) do we go all out for exactly what we want in the end, regardless that it may create backlash and we may end up with nothing?, or 2) do we go for the part-way, do what we can right now, and keep working?  

Sometimes I feel one way, sometimes the other.  Right now I’m feeling like moderation is where we’re going to have to go to really get things done.

happiest day since Kieran was born.

this is the most amazing day.  i have literally cried with happiness.  I had compassion for John McCain, who was able to give an appropriate and compassionate concession speech.  I am so happy.  excited, yes.  ecstatic, yes!  just plain HAPPY.  many of my future worries are just a little bit tamped down.  today is an amazing day.

i voted! :)

Kieran helped me vote about a 1/2 hour ago (10 AM).  The polling place was well organized, with a steady stream of incoming voters and a good system for moving people through.  Sigh of relief…at least THIS polling district seems to be running well!  I was disappointed, though, that I had an electronic ballot.  I just don’t like them as much – I like the idea that there is a paper copy that I filled out.

Walking away from the polling booth, I have to say I felt and still feel much stronger in this election than I have felt in the past.  This is my 3rd presidential election, and it may be that I’m actually really excited about the Democratic candidate, or it may be that I really feel that Obama can realistically win this.

I wish I was volunteering today, but I’m going to wait until Kieran is a little older and in day care…I can’t just leave him all day.  If I could bring him with, I’d be there, but my volunteer services will just have to wait one more election.

Not that I should need to say this, but MAKE SURE YOU VOTE!!!!!!!