Two years.
This has been the length of time I have been focusing on this presidential campaign in great detail. There have been so many surprises, so many challenges which have emerged from this campaign, that I have found myself both disenchanted and utterly infatuated with the political system. I knew this election would be like no other, I knew that this would be the one event in my lifetime which actually mattered, to me.
I have a feeling that no matter what happens tomorrow night... there will be tears flowing from my eyes. The fact that we may see the first African American elected president did not sink in until I spoke to my grandfather this evening. He hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1968, he is a strong Christian conservative, he used to refer to Obama as "the colored guy"... and he said he will be voting for Obama. At the age of 80, he claims that a moment like this will never be seen again in his lifetime. And to watch as history escapes him, he says, would be irresponsible.
Now, I don't advocate voting for Obama because he could be the first African American president. No, what I'm trying to say with this analogy is that tomorrow night could be a pivotal point in our nation's history. So many people I have spoken with about this subject claim that they never thought they would see the day when an African American would have a fighting chance for the presidency. And these same people were even more astounded when the Democratic nomination came down to a black man and a woman, already setting in motion a turn of events which would be historic regardless of the election's outcome. If Barack Obama is elected, history will be made. So many barriers will be shattered. The rebirth of the American dream, the adage "you can be anything if you try hard enough," will be reignited in the hearts of so many people in this country. This is not an election like 1960, or 1980. This is an election like none we have ever seen, or one we may see in the near future.
So, while so many of us are planning to get trashed tomorrow night (myself included)... be reminded that the evening may result in a historic victory and an earth-shattering event which will be written about in history books for centuries. Remember that this could be an evening you tell your children and grandchildren about some day.
In other words: Be safe, and don't do anything stupid which may affect your stake in what could be one of the most historical events in our nation's history.
I will cry if McCain wins, I must admit... but I will cry even harder if I am a part of what could be a historical moment. In fact... I'm sort of looking forward to it...