If you don't know Rahm by now you are living under a rock. Let me enlighten you.
He's Obama's Chief of Staff. He worked under the Clinton administration. He's Jewish, devoutly so. His brother is Ari Emanuel, the inspiration for Jeremy Piven's character on Entourage. He is a trained Ballet dancer. He's missing part of his middle finger from a butcher accident. He's a badass. Like, for serious.
"The best Rahm Emanuel story is not the one about the decomposing two-and-a-half-foot fish he sent to a pollster who displeased him. It is not about the time - the many times - that he hung up on political contributors in a Chicago mayor's race, saying he was embarrassed to accept their $5,000 checks because they were $25,000 kind of guys. No, the definitive Rahm Emanuel story takes place in Little Rock, Ark., in the heady days after Bill Clinton was first elected President.
It was there that Emanuel, then Clinton's chief fund-raiser, repaired with George Stephanopoulos, Mandy Grunwald and other aides to Doe's, the campaign hangout. Revenge was heavy in the air as the group discussed the enemies - Democrats, Republicans, members of the press - who wronged them during the 1992 campaign.
Suddenly Emanuel grabbed his steak knife and, as those who were there remember it, shouted out the name of another enemy, lifted the knife, then brought it down with full force into the table."
Rahm Facts, trust me...you're gonna want to click that link.
Obama Roasts Rahm in 2005:
And finally, he's the real life inspiration for Josh Lyman's character on The West Wing. Further proving that Aaron Sorkin predicted EVERYTHING about this election.
I woke up early, straightened by hair and applied makeup. Let it be noted: I don't apply makeup for just any occasion.
Jon woke up equally excited. He wanted an Obama sticker from my stash.
After I voted:
Jon came home and applied his stickers from the day to my poster of Jack and Bobby. He thinks they would approve.
And then we watched, and waited. And in the midst of the excitement and the crying I remembered to take a photo to capture the moment. Judging by other photos on the internet today, I was not the only one.
I have to tell you something about last night that I will remember forever. When the election was called and CNN was flipping through crowd shots of people crying and rejoicing all over, Grant Park in Chicago, Times Square, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta (the home church of MLK Jr), my Dad began to cry too.
It's not the tears that got to me. My Dad is pretty in tune with emotion. But the reminder of the time he was born into. And the realization that people of his generation, who saw the things he did, might never have thought this was possible.
My father was born in 1958, he remembers sitting on his mother's lap at the age of 5 while she cried over Jack Kennedy. He was 10 when we lost Martin and Bobby. He was 18 when he helped a black soldier out of his car and away from a riot on Dixie Highway at the height of the busing situation. My Dad knows the troubles of this country. He knows racism and bigotry. He comes from a different time. And he's not perfect, because he's said things in the past that have sometimes made me cringe.
But last night he cried because the barriers of this country were broken. 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.' It's not just some phrase in some old document. Barack Obama fulfilled Martin Luther King's dream: he was judged by the content of his character and NOT by the color of his skin.
I told my Dad, 'we did it' and he replied, 'no, God did it.'
And that moment, with tears streaming down his face and pride in his eyes, is a moment I will never forget.
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To those who are upset with the election results today, all those who wanted John McCain to win, I want to take a moment to speak to you.
I understand how you are feeling. Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, I've been there on the other side of an election. I've had a President with an absolute opposite ideological view. I know what it is like to disagree with your commander in chief. But I also know that at the end of the day, whoever our President may be, they are people. They are fathers and husbands and sons. I may not have agreed with a majority of what George W. Bush has done over the last 8 years, somewhere within me I can find a small bit of like for Mr. Bush.
I'm rambling, but my point is this: you may not like Barack Obama. You might disagree with every policy he puts on the table. But at the end of the day he's Malia and Sasha's Dad and Michelle's husband. He is a person who thinks he can fix some of the problems our country is facing. The electorate has spoken and he has four years to show us what he'll do. And no matter what it is, we will be okay. Nobody truly pursues the highest office in the land if all they want to do is destroy it.
That said, dissent IS the highest form of patriotism. If you disagree with him for 4 years, if you dislike every single thing he tries to do and you want to express your opinion about it, GO RIGHT AHEAD. I will never call you unpatriotic. I will never submit to this 'with us or against us' mentality.
John McCain was incredibly gracious in defeat last night. I only wish we'd seen more of that John this election, not whatever his campaign spiraled out of control and into after the Palin pick. Senator McCain will always have my utmost respect and admiration for his service to this nation. And I think we all now know that John McCain is a REALLY funny guy...and I have a thing for funny guys.
So thank you, Senator McCain, for the laughs and for the kind words last night. May you pick yourself up, dust off your boots, get back to Washington and begin giving them all (Republicans and Democrats) hell again like you do best.
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I knew that I would be proud at our win last night. I knew I'd probably cry. I knew the crowd in Chicago would be amazing. But what I didn't anticipate was the outpouring and pride and emotion across this country and across the globe. I have been overwhelmed in the past 24 hours with photos and clips of celebrations. But I think this video takes the cake for the one that stirred up the most emotion.
A spontaneous rendition of our National Anthem by a crowd at Union Square in New York City:
Beautiful.
And so concludes this long election. Two years of caucuses, of debates, of barriers broken and glass ceilings cracked. It has been long. But it has been wonderful.
And so it came to pass that on Nov. 4, 2008, shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern time, the American Civil War ended, as a black man — Barack Hussein Obama — won enough electoral votes to become president of the United States. — Thomas Friedman, New York Times
I voted for John McCain because I admire him immensely as a person, and agree with him on many more issues than I do with Senator Obama. And I ask a rhetorical question: Can we McCain voters, without embarrassment, shed a tear of patriotic joy about the historic significance of what just happened? And I offer a short, rhetorical answer.
Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. — Barack Obama, in his acceptance speech
Let every child and every citizen and every new immigrant know that from this day forward: Everything really is possible in America. —Thomas Friedman
-------------------------------------------- I didn't go to sleep until around 2. I was up at 6:30.
Over the course of the last several days I've attempted to write a rousing endorsement of your candidacy. A last statement on why I think my blog readers and friends should vote for you. But my efforts never really panned out. You've made the argument for yourself better than I ever could. I've called complete strangers for you, something I don't enjoy at all, because you inspired me in ways I can't quite articulate.
Eight years ago I had a neighbor who voted for George W. Bush. He couldn't understand why in the world my father would support Al Gore. 'Gore will take your guns away,' he would tell my Dad over and over. And again and again my Dad would remind him that no President, Republican or Democrat, would ever touch the constitution. And that the constitution protects his right to bear arms. But the Republican party got good at marginalizing the issues, everyone bought into the party line of 'God, Guns and Abortion'.
I have a point here. Because one day, during these mildly heated front porch exchanges my Dad turned the argument around on our neighbor. My Dad is a Union guy. He was the first person to lead the march off of the job site to picket in support of unionizing the county road department. He's always understood the plight of the American worker. Our neighbor worked at the local Ford plant, so my Dad turned to him and asked him how he could possibly vote against the union and against his job.
That was it. The end of the exchange. The two simply agreed to disagree.
I don't need to say how this story has ended eight years later, but I will anyway. Eight years of failed economic policies have left this guy with no job, no health insurance and barely hanging on to his house. His wife now works at McDonalds. They had to let their brand new Ford vehicles go and take their children out of private school.
But by God, they still have their guns!
(Yet women can still legally get an abortion in this country. Oops, I guess Bush forgot all of those pro-life promises.)
Anyways.
By the time this election season rolled around I was tired. And fed up. Tired and fed up with people letting the Conservatives in this country act like they owned patriotism and religion. Tired and fed up with these issues dividing us. Tired and fed up with this insistence that you are either 'with us or against us'. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. I was at the highest level of dissent.
Mr. Obama, your campaign has been a breath of fresh air. And you said it best in your Closing Argument the other day:
"Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort -- black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; Democrat, Republican; young, old; rich, poor, gay, straight; disabled or not. All of us have to come together.
Ohio, in this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another, to make us afraid of one another. The stakes are too high to divide us by class and region and background; by who we are or what we believe. Because, despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else."
I am 15 minutes away from the end of this day. And I'm not planning on telling anyone on this blog to vote for you. I'm sure most of them have made up their minds, either way. I'm simply going to say this: if they still don't understand why I support Barack Obama then I'm not sure they'll ever get it. But I pray that someday they will. I'm proud of my candidate. I'm inspired. I'm hopeful about my future. And this ride, this election, has been an amazing one. I feel like I've been a part of history. And instead of feeling angry or hurt, I only feel sorry for anyone who hasn't felt it. Hope isn't just some buzzword, or something that can be made fun of. You reminded me of that,
"...Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting around the bend that insists there are better days ahead if we're willing to work for it; if we're willing to shed our fears and our doubts; if we're willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we're tired, when we're worn out and we come back fighting harder."
I'm ready.
Thank you for this election. Thank you for changing the way the political game is played in this country. Thank you for reminding us that there are no pro-America or anti-America parts of this country, and that education and intelligence are not things to be afraid of.
But most of all, thank you for giving me hope again. I was worried I'd lost it.
"Whether she’s making up the story that the Alaska legislature fully exonerated her of abuse-of-power charges, proclaiming that Obama is an anti-American terrorist sympathizer, calling Obama a socialist (and now, a communist) who will raise all our taxes and “redistribute wealth”, or reveling in the hatred and rage she incites at her rallies, Palin has proven herself to be a lying, vengeful, slanderous hypocrite who uses Christianity as a resume booster."
Barack Obama makes his final case on why you should vote for him.
I am telling you, everyone my age, we are watching our generation's JFK. Which side of history do you plan to be on? You don't have to answer. Just think about this in the coming days.
I'm in the very early stages of deciding whether or not to go. But as an official Clinton Groupie I must admit this is VERY tempting.
Also tempting?
This guy: will be holding a rally in Indianapolis on Thursday morning. The big bummer part of that is I do have some school commitments that day that I'm not sure I can get out of yet. But, I'm totally trying.
I'm having so much fun making calls on behalf of the Obama campaign to independents in Indiana. And calling for Bruce Lunsford in Kentucky. This weekend I'm spending a few hours at the Democratic Headquarters in the Highlands.
Forget Christmas, election time is the most wonderful time of the year.
Or I'm just a big giant dork.
(I don't really care. I love all this stuff. And forgive, but it's been a long frustrating 8 years for me. This is all a gigantic breath of fresh air.)
In other news I made cinnamon rolls from scratch yesterday. I woke up and thought, hmm...spending an entire day rising dough and kneading it and rolling it out and taking forever sounds like a FUN IDEA. Stop me before I do that again.
Don't get me wrong, they were DELICIOUS. But it's an exhaustive thing. Probably because I'm terribly impatient.
I used this Paula Deen recipe. I do highly recommend it. I should note I do have pictures of them. But it's late, I'm tired and Anderson Cooper is on my television. So I don't feel like getting up and finding my camera right now.
Down the road, around the corner, over the hill and across the street from the elementary school sits a roadside Pumpkin stand. Near this barn and next to a cemetery.
This stand sits unattended. But they appreciate your honesty.
Something about that I love. I hope most people are honest.
He's finally, totally, absolutely, no question about it, taller than me. Which I suspect had something to do with the resistance to join me on this pumpkin picking adventure. Saturday night he ditched me to hang out with the new neighbors. Loser.
We picked out two pumpkins. And a couple small pumpkin shaped gourds.
I came home and took a cue from Martha. I glittered the small pumpkins.
But the best part is the plan for the big pumpkins. We'll be using stencils from Yes We Carve, to carve OBAMA PUMPKINS! I would say I have too much time on my hands, but judging from the entries on that Yes We Carve site, I'd say I'm not the only one.
"After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years. What we really need is, we need somebody to lead us in an American Reclamation project."
"I've continued to find where ever I go, that America remains a repository of America's hopes and desires and that despite the terrible erosion of the standing in the world accomplished by our recent administration we remain for many, many people this house of dreams and 1000 George Bushes and 1000 Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down."
--Bruce Springsteen, just yesterday campaigning for Barack Obama
When my brother was 5 years old I called him my little Alex P. Keaton. I know I've shared this story before, but it begs repeating. He was quite the young Republican and it DROVE ME BATTY. His little blonde freckled self would walk around taunting his big sister with his love of George W. Bush. I was younger, less mature about the nature of 5 year olds, but my Mom would reassure me. Don't egg him on she'd say, he just knows it bothers you. Eventually I gave up. Like my Mom told me to. My Jon was a little Alex P. Keaton. I'd accepted it.
Years passed, elections came and went. And throughout Gore, and Kerry my little brother showed little interest in politics. I put little thought into his disinterest. At least he wasn't walking around like a miniature Bush-o-phile anymore. Pick your battles, you know?
But something happened during this past primary season. A woman named Hillary and a man named Barack decided to run for President. A woman who is married to an actual President, a man with a funny name and a message of hope. I could see a change. I could see the wheels of motion that had affected me at the same age begin to turn in my brother's head.
He watched the debates. He asked about policy. About the issues. He began to inform himself through newspapers and 24 hour media sources. This Alex P. Keaton began to shed his Reagan Democrat clothes and shift into a young George Stephanopoulos.
It is easy to assume my parents (lifelong Democrats they are) would have influenced our views on politics. But trust me when I say they have not. My father couldn't care less what political party anyone belongs to, so long as you can ignore the reactionary tic he still has whenever anyone mentions the words 'Reagan' and 'union' in his presence. My mother might care, but she'd never admit it out loud.
My brother's closest friends are the girls who live next door to us. They have been raised to think a vote for the Democratic Party is a signed, sealed and delivered invitation to Hell. I'm not kidding. So it came as no surprise to my brother when they mentioned they want McCain to win in November. Nor was it a surprise when they asked him who he would vote for if he could.
And this is the moment that made putting up with my 5 year old Alex P. Keaton all worth it. Proud, not that he is is a Democrat, but that he is making informed decisions all for himself at the ripe old age of 13. Proud that in moments like these, he reminds me of myself.
Jon turned to the oldest girl, as they lobbed a volleyball back and forth over an old clothesline, and repeated a line from Barack Obama's New Hampshire Concession Speech:
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
He got the line from watching this video on YouTube, a video I'm sure everyone has seen at this point.
The youth of this country often gets a bad rap. But sometimes, trust me, you can be so surprised by their knowledge, their thirst for the future, their hope. And it's those moments that send chills up your spine and lift the hairs on the back of your neck.
The hope of a nation in the face of a 13 year old.
So there you have it, the election from the eyes of my almost 81 year old grandmother. She also said some things involving violence and a certain President that I'm frankly, not going to print. But umm, it wouldn't surprise me if her house is wiretapped is all I'm saying.
"Lord, protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."
