2008 Election Moments

W-O-W.
I have had the chills off and on all day.
I have never felt this proud to be an American.

On election day, we took baby girl to vote with us en route to work. We got there around 7:20, strong coffee and muffins in hand, and waited. This wait was accompanied by tag team walks to the swings, the playground, the dog run, and many pick up-put down sequences. When we entered the school Alexandra couldn't roam free, and the wrestling match began, replete with multiple trips to the water fountain for entertainment. Finally, at 9am we exited the school building, having voted. Amid all the toddler agony, we're both glad we dragged her along so that she was with each of us as we voted for Obama. Here's my self-portrait from the voting booth:



The day DRAGGED, but soon we were upstairs at our neighbors (our baby video monitor stretches through four floors of brownstone and our house alarm was on) with my Obama cupcakes. Our neighbors Jen and Mary have friends that are exhaustingly funny. My most lucid memory of the pre-Obama mania was critiquing Tim Russert's son's man-bangs, or, as Jen called them, "mangs." Mangs...my new favorite word. Here's a photo of the mangs. Men should not, I repeat, should not, have mangs. Embrace your receding hairline; mangs are not the answer.



I made Obama cupcakes for our gathering, but we had a dozen leftover. In an attempt to keep myself from eating all of them and passing out from a sugar overdose, I brought them to school in my handy-dandy cupcake carrier. As I was exiting the F train, the train conductor (who was leaning out the window to make sure everyone was in before closing the doors) yelled to me, "Are those cupcakes?" I was late for work and walking at full speed (which is damn fast), but I turned and replied in my best June Cleaver voice, "Why, yes, would you like one?" I walked back to his window, set my coffee and cupcake carrier on the platform, opened it, and grabbed a cupcake for him. "Gobama!" he hollered to me, as he saw my tiny photo of Obama running topless in the Hawaii surf atop the cake. "Gobama!" I replied with a smile. He closed the F train doors and it lumbered out of the station. I love that a cupcake stopped the F train during rush hour. Here are the photos of my cupcakes for unity:

So emotional, baby.

Two photos of Alexandra Osa illustrate how I'm feeling right now.


I have such excitement about Obama as a candidate. I haven't felt enthusiastic about a democratic candidate, ever? Clinton? Did I know what I was talking about when 18? I don't think so...With that said, I have no shame in pimping out my toddler in her I heart Obama shirt. Regardless of the race's outcome, what a historical race this has been. I hope she keep this shirt as a relic of the early 21st century and can talk to her kids about it one day. Hopefully positive stories will accompany the little lavender shirt I bought in Union Square for five bucks.


Adam snapped this other photo of her at the Y's gym class on Saturday. She's very into hanging right now. This photo (and her insanely adorable facial expression) is how I feel. I am questioning if I can hang on until this is over. I have the jitters, I feel wired, and I kinda want to go run a million miles or do rabid aerobics and jump on a trampoline or run screaming through the street....I don't know.

Off to vote early tomorrow. And then the waiting begins...

Wassup

i am so obsessed with this election.
this made me happy today. minus the white power asshole on youtube who commented on it calling for obama's assination. W!T!F?!

Race and the Race

Listening to NPR last night (no surprise there), I was saddened by some comments made by Virginians regarding Obama--as a Black man--running for president. The moderator was asking a small focus group of individuals what they thought might happen if Obama were to be elected. One woman, a teacher, talked about the profound affect it would have on youth of all races to see a Black man as president and how that visual representation might spark hope, or ideological shifts regarding race, from a young age onwards. Then the moderator asked her sister what she thought.

This woman stated that although she "was not racist," she felt if Obama were to be elected that Black people all over America would seek revenge for past wrongs. She gave the example of how Black people used to have to get out of the way of a White person if they were walking down the street and expressed fears on how--if Obama were elected--the situation would be reversed. How "those people" would want pay back. How Obama would listen to "his people" only. It went on...

When I hear statements like this, I am not surprised. I'm from the South (VA & NC), and believe me, I know how certain groups of people think down there, but it makes me sad nonetheless. For your typical White girl, I feel I know a large amount of Black people of all ethnicities--African American, Caribbean, African--it comes with working in a public school in New York. And let me honestly say that not ONE person of any age or political persuasion, even the most radical and disgruntled and "White people suck!" student or co-worker that I know, has EVER mentioned that Obama = payback time. That is simply ludicrous.

The vilification of Black people of all backgrounds in this country is surprisingly alive and well. Though not a religious person, I fervently pray that Obama will get into office so that perhaps some folks might see that regardless of our skin color and our political parties there is quite simply more to us as people that we can unite beneath.

Clip from "Bowling for Columbine" that parodies the White man's fear of Black people in a historical context.

Updos for Obama

I have never before donated money to a political campaign nor have I ever attended a political fundraiser, so Saturday night's festivities were a first for me. My fabulous hairdresser suggested the Updos idea back in September, after the RNC, when Sarah Palin seemed to be lighting the GOP on fuego and we were all terrified. Thankfully (and hopefully), it seems like things have taken a turn for the better, but we gathered regardless in our attempt to be ever vigilant.

The premise was to come and pay $75, get your hair done in one of three Palin-inspired updos (the maverick, the reformer, or the huntress), drink wine, eat cookies made from scratch, hear some good music and writing---all the money goes to the Obama campaign. The best Sarah Palin won a basket of goodies (hair products, gift certificates from local venues, and a free haircut!), and I WON!

Now, let me be the first to admit that I was not the best Palin look alike. Yvonne, my runner up, had her cheekbones and jaw line and physically looked more like Palin. So much that some teens who obviously didn't understand irony came in, handed her a plastic moose,and thought she was the REAL Sarah Palin. But ladies and gents, this is story about props.

My costume = business attire, Republican pearls, a baby bjorn with Trig (baby doll) in it, a recorder (flute unavailable), my Bible (with passages conveniently marked about women being silent and the apocalypse from my undergrad papers), God stickers for my fans, binoculars and a map of Russia. It was a lot of work carrying all this crap around--especially while drinking vino. But in the end, it came down to a rough and tough game of paper:scissors:rock which sealed my victory.

Overall, what a hilarious night. Almost $2000 raised for the campaign. Woot!

Fear of a Barack Planet

Since school reopened, my students and I have had many conversations about Obama. These conversations range greatly, but one thing the majority of my students agree upon is that if Obama were to become our next president, that he will be assassinated.

At the beginning of the school year when they spat out this idea, I poo-poo-ed it. What, are you crazy? Nobody is going to assassinate Obama! I wrote it off as a fear that was partially substantiated from being part of one or many disinfranchised groups in America (all my students are Black, Hispanic, or Arab and 80% of our student body lives below the poverty level). Their skepticism and fear seemed fueled by their complete distrust in government, period, and I didn't take their statements seriously. (Nor, did I take their "We're going to die by 2012" kick seriously, either.)

But now, six weeks later, with Palin urging folks to believe that Obama is a terrorist and McCain rallies chanting, "Kill him! Kill him!" I am beginning to feel my students' fear. What is happening? WHEN has this EVER happened before in an election--when has one party's people rallied the crowd to chant for the MURDER of the opposing party's candidate? Why aren't more people outraged by this? As much as McCain seems to be trying to set the record straight by claiming Obama is a "decent man" and "not an Arab," isn't the damage already done? There are groups of individuals out there who actually believe a presidential candidate is DANGEROUS and a TERRORIST, and while some of these people may have believed this before the Mrs. McCain and Sarah Palin smear campaign went into motion, I feel a great number of these haters (or their intensity of hate) are recent recruits.

How can everyone not see that this is totally absurd?!?!

And, again, I can't help but pull the race card again here. If Barack Obama were some White dude, would he be receiving this fear and hatred? Would people be so quick to believe that a Senator could be a terrorist? That a presidential candidate could be dangerous? Or does this just go back to White America's fear of Black men?

Where are people's critical thinking skills?!

a safe-haven of friends

For those who know me, you know that i come from a familial stronghold of religous ferver. When growing up, I had to answer the phone, "Praise the Lord, Lori speaking." I went to many Aglow meetings with my mom in which the entire room of women would break into speaking in tongues. I had to read the Bible before school and at dinner each night, attend a multitude of Bible schools and classes, and all this was on top of every Catholic girl's upbringing of CCD and Religious Education.

I think I clocked enough religion in my first 18 years to last a lifetime. No exaggeration.

With this in mind, my wildly liberal ideologies do not sit well with my family. My mom calls me about once a year, honestly crying b/c she has had some dream that I am burning in hell. Many a phone conversation disintegrates into her asking about my salvation. On my latest visits home, she gave me the garage door code so that after they are raptured, I can get down to NC and salvage their valuables to barter with Satan during the seven years of trial and tribulation. Again, I am not exaggerating.

During such political times, it is difficult to talk to my mom. I love her, I really do, but politics is the white elephant looming in our conversations now. I can't even ask her about Palin, the election, etc, b/c we differ so greatly that I get angry and she gets frustrated. We have an unspoken agreement that we just don't talk about these things. But, being the child and her being the mom, I always start to feel bad about this, even though there really is no compromise available here.

Which is why I love my friends. I know surrounding yourself by like-minded people doesn't challenge you in some ways, but it is incredibly reassuring in others. And, I take great solace in knowing that if by some wild stretch of the imagination my mom is right, that I'll be facing the apocalypse and/or going to hell with my favorite people.

Some political fun from some great folks.

GREAT POLITICAL BLOG by an old coworker...

funny video post snagged from my super-smart hairdresser:

Informality from Hell

I am sure most of you reading this watched the vice-presidential debate last week between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. If you didn't, you should. Even though Palin disappointed by not being quite as inarticulate as she was with Katie Couric, she still provided enough fodder for another good Saturday Night Live skit (Tina Fey is a genius, btw...).

As much as I pretty much disagree with Palin's orthodoxy--both political and religious--what I mainly took issue with was her colloquial language last Thursday. Let me preface this:

As an English teacher, I spend an amazing amount of time tying to explain the need to be able to code-switch between colloquial slanguage and academic, standard English. This is a difficult subject to bridge as a White girl working in an urban setting. I am cautious not to make my students' language seem "incorrect" and my English seem "proper." I ardently praise the effectiveness and artistry of slanguage when doing creative writing, when writing dialogue, or when talking to friends; it has an important place in society--no doubt. BUT (and this BUT cannot be emphasized enough), a research paper, the SAT essay, a job interview, and the vice presidential debate are NOT such places.

Additionally, I feel she played the gender card with this "down-home" hodge-podge of language. The winking, the body language, the colloquialisms of being "blessed" and "having a special place in heaven" are not expressions that a male candidate could toss out with the same reaction. It reminds me of the time my advisor at Teachers College, LB, took a group of us women doctoral students aside and gave us a pep talk on the dangers of informal speech when trying to be considered an academic. The warnings I remember were: No intonation at the end of the sentence unless it is a bonifide question. No "like" at all, anywhere. No cliches. No being cute, be formal--this might be a school of education, but they will still rip you to shreds if they feel you are not a valid researcher.

This is what Palin deserves. Send those pitbulls that she mentions--lipsticked and all--after her for grammatical negligence. She might think she has a place in heaven, but her language use is certainly going to burn in hell.

Sarah Palin Bingo

Something to spice up your debate watching tonight = Sarah Palin bingo!
(who has the time to sit down and make these things?!)

Go to www.palinbingo.com for fun.

Can't wait to see what Tina Fey comes up with after tonight. Her parodies are just making me even more excited for the season premiere of 30 Rock...

Bristol, the Preggo Teen

I have been incensed by how easily Bristol Palin's teen pregnancy has been poopoo-ed by the media. Palin's comment that,"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," made me want to scream. Does nobody out there know the realities of teenage pregnancy? Popping a baby out of your vagina does not = instant maturity!

I heard the reports of those rallying around her, saying that they know how Sarah Palin feels and that they, too, have had knocked up teenage daughters. I have read of the pro-life groups that are celebrating Palin's ability to put her money where her mouth is in terms of her conservative/religious stance on abortion. But come on...Does nobody see the bigger issue here? Teenagers are having sex! Not only are they having sex, but they're having UNPROTECTED sex! How can the Republican Party rally around Bristol and then argue that sex education does not need to happen in schools? That, "If you hand out condoms, they'll have sex."

Idiots...they're having sex anyways.

After 10 years of teaching high school, as one whose younger sister had two kids before she was 18, and as the product of a teenage pregnancy that ended in adoption, I feel I have an inch of a platform to stand on here.

A large percentage of teens are sexually active. Period. Some are smarter about it than others, but many embark on this intimacy with little to no true knowledge of their bodies, pregnancy, STDs, HIV, and so forth. The lack of information that I have encountered as a teacher astounds me routinely. A co-worker of mine had a student ask her if girls had hearts in their vaginas because when she made out with her boyfriend she could feel hers beating. A had a random student ask me in the hallway, "Miss, how many holes do we have?" After I figured out what she was asking, I replied that women had three holes--the urethra, the vagina, and the anus. She said, "No, my mom told me we had only two holes down there." "Ummmm....sweetie....your mom was wrong."

I am not advocating or encouraging teenage promiscuity here. I say repeatedly in my classes that I don't think that high school students should be having sex because they are not mature enough to deal with the real life consequences of pregnancy, disease, and illness. But I do think that there needs to be real place and curriculum for sex education in our schools. If the schools don't discuss it, then the government ends up paying for it later in welfare, in health care, in Head Start. And you know Republicans don't want that.

And I can't help but bring up the race card here. If Obama's daughters were older, and one were pregnant, I can't imagine the stereotypes that would arise. Why is it so acceptable for Bristol--who is white and wealthy--to be 17 years old and pregnant, but my if my poor, Mexican or Black student were she would be shunned? Can you only be a pregnant teen if you have rich parents to raise your baby?

WTF?