Tomorrow is the Day!

It is hard to describe how I am feeling right now. In less than 24 hours, I will cast my vote (I know, I should have voted early...) in what has been called the most important election of any of our lifetimes. The only thing that I can think of to compare this feeling to is the feeling that I used to have on the night before Christmas as a kid.

But now I am an adult, and things don't get me quite as excited as they used to. I consider myself cynical, jaded, and over-analytical, and yet, I am inspired.

Some say that it is all a con, this "Yes We Can" message. They say that we are being fooled by a man who is offering false hope for change. We are accused of either not knowing or ignoring the facts, and voting for our candidate based on his oratory skills or his skin color.

Whatever you think about Barack Obama and his supporters, you must admit this: We have come a long way. There was a time in our (very recent) history when Obama, as a black man, or Hillary Clinton, as a woman, could not even vote. Now, in 2008, both candidates very viable to be the leader of the free world. That is a step in the right direction.

What about those who refuse to step into this milennium? There are still people, lifelong Democrats, who vehemently oppose Barack Obama. Some people that I know consider themselves yellow dog Democrats but are voting for McCain. When I ask them why, they cannot come up with an answer. I don't think I am alone in assuming that their opposition is race-based.

So, even though we still have our Civil War holdouts, Texas especially, we are making progress. No matter which way the election goes tomorrow, we have made our mark on history. People have stood together and proclaimed that things are about to change. Politics will no longer be the "good ol' boys club" that it always has been. Some of us, who have never been interested before, are paying attention. We have learned that we have a voice and that there are people to speak for us.

No matter what happens tomorrow, things are going to change.