Obama's Grandmother

Barack Obama's Grandmother, one of the larger influences in who he has become, has passed away. I cry for Senator Obama, for his daughters and family, because of the loss of somebody so important, but I also cry for Madelyn Dunham for not being able to witness this historical election in which her grandson plays such an important role. I don't yet have grandchildren, but because of my children I understand that our descendants are the vessels that we pour ourselves into. They are what carry us into the future that reaches beyond our lifespan. She will live in history as an important American for who she helped Senator Obama to become. 3 hankies

Shenanigans

This little video alternately boils and chills my blood. These slimy tactics of disenfranchisement have been nearly perfected by Republicans and are going to be used to try to avert a Democratic victory. I only hope we can avoid the trap.

As always, though, it's at the very end of the movie, when the man himself speaks, that my eyes fill up with tears of hope and joy at the idea that we might actually pull it off and save the country...

2 hankies

Barack Obama Half-Hour TV Special

I'm watching this Obama special, and he's sharing some hard-luck stories of everyday Americans, and I have to tell you, it's tearing me apart. He's right. We have to do something, and he's the guy for the job, but this show is really hitting me hard. There are many, many people who need help. 3 hankies

Charles Meets Barack

3 hankies

Wasssup for 2008

This one made me laugh and cry. I was roaring with laughter as tears were almost shooting out of my eyes. And they were tears for the sadness buried under the humor, not just from laughing. Overall, a fantastic little piece. 3 hankies

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

I like this video, but it's not the video, per se, that brought a tear to my eye. It's the audio of Barack Obama quoting the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Those powerful, prophetic words that marked the beginning of our nation always bring a tear to my eye. 2 hankies

Richard Trumka 2008 Steelworkers Convention

If this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, there's something fundamentally wrong with you. Period. A fire-breathin', barn-burner of a speech.

3 hankies

Alaskan Anti-Palin Rally

These times are so scary to me. Never in my conscious memory have I seen the country so visibly suffering. I also understand exactly what brought us to this point, and what's needed to fix it. Choosing Palin was a stroke of genius. She's so muddied the water by bringing back the culture wars that we've completely lost track of the issues that really matter. She scares me because she might be the wedge that allows McCain to take office and drive the final knife into America's heart.

Still, I keep finding hope in surprising places. 3 hankies

Les Misbarack

I went to Little Rock and saw Les Misérables three times during my Junior and Senior years of high-school. I loved that play. I think that's why this little spoof resonated with me so much.

Also, I knew it was coming, but seeing McCain as Javert had me roaring with laughter, even as tears were streaming down my face. 4 hankies

Below I've embedded a bit of the real Les Misérables. Made me weepy all over, again. 3 hankies

Signs of Hope

3 hankies

Coverage of Obama's Acceptance Speech at the DNC.

I'm watching this time-shifted so I can skip the commercials, but I'm starting at the beginning as Will-I-Am is singing "Yes we can." It's beautiful and makes me tear up (1 hankie). It's amazing that an artist can make a moving song using a campaign speech. Says something about the campaigner, if you ask me.

I'm watching MSNBC's coverage, so there's lots of skipping around to avoid Chris Matthews and Pat Buchannan commentaries... (this isn't the "angry-yelling-at-the-TV-diary") I'm catching as much Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as I can.

Hee hee... I wonder if Rachel Maddow knows that they're broadcasting her, Nora O'Donnell and Eugene Robinson dancing to Stevie Wonder? For all of her brilliance, she seems kind of shy and self-conscious.

Al Gore is beginning to speak. Just thinking about what the country would be like now if he'd been allowed to take his rightful office back in 2000... Good lord, this man should have been running this country. 1 hankie

Tom Brokaw of all people is making weird comments about the setting being "empirical." The other MSNBC commentators are sort of taking him to task for it.

Joe Biden is speaking. This is the first speech I've heard by him. Not bad...

This is crazy. MSNBC has a transcript of Obama's speech before he makes it, and Olbermann is reading parts of it? Don't spoil it for me! Holy crap!

MSNBC has got to be kicking themselves for putting their set outside. Earlier there was a guy with a bullhorn behind "Race for the Whitehouse" who was drowning out the pundits by screaming "911 was an inside job!" over and over, and now as Rachel Maddow and the others are trying to discuss the upcoming speech, the crowd noise - even without bullhorns - is making it hard to understand them.

That stadium is crammed full of people...

Dick Durban is taking the stage to introduce Obama.

I have to say, I've been hearing a lot of good speeches in the last few days, and very few speakers can move me the way Obama can. The man is a brilliant orator.

They're showing a video about Obama's biography. I have to say, he was not the prettiest of babies...

This video is very touching. Now he's talking about his mother's passing. 1 hankie

"One person's struggle is all of our struggles. We recognize ourselves in each other." 2 hankies

Is it just a trick of fate? The fact that I was born in '74 and Nixon and his successors are all I have to compare with? Barack Obama strikes me as potentially the most amazing leader our country has ever seen. Is it just because I was born so late in our country's history and don't remember anything better? Or is it the stark comparison of 8 disastrous years of Bush? This man seems so amazing to me. I want him to lead this country. 2 hankies

He's coming onstage, now, and people are weeping. 1 hankie

He accepts the nomination! 4 hankies

"Enough!" 4 hankies

"We love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight." 4 hankies

"They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know." 3 hankies

"It's time for them to own their faliure." 3 angry hankies

"These are my heroes." 3 hankies

"I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last best hope for all that are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future." 2 hankies

"This election has never been about me. It's about you." 3 hankies

"...to hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dreams..." 2 hankies

Biden and his wife walking on stage to join the Obamas and embracing them really struck me, somehow. 3 hankies

Biden was a young widower, as well. Knowing that draws me to him all the more. Bringing a family through that trauma is difficult and he seems to done it exceptionally well.

"They're going to criticize me for saying that he inspires me, and to hell with my critics." Chris Matthews. That took me by surprise...

Well, they've left the stage. I guess that's a good enough place to stop. What an amazing speech.

Invesco Field National Anthem

(doing this from my iPhone so it might be sloppier than normal.)

I'm like Rachel Maddow, the national anthem always makes me cry. Tonight, though, as I'm fully prepared to cry buckets as I listen to Obama's acceptance speech, it's really flooring me. 4 hankies

Michelle Obama's Speech at the DNC

My daughter had another white night, tonight. She does this quite often. I understand it perfectly, too, because I'm the same way. I just would rather be doing just about anything else but sleeping. She needs the sleep, though, since school has started back up, so I sit on the floor by her bed, keeping her from getting up and going back out to the family room to play. With me there she knows it's bed time and she'll stay in bed even if she's not particularly sleepy. I'm not so durable. A lot of nights I'll fall asleep leaning against her bedroom wall, and wake up a couple hours later, hopefully with her asleep in her bed.

That's what happened, tonight. Like most of these nights, the fact that I actually got a little sleep means I won't be able to just move on to my own bed and fall straight asleep. I actually wake up fairly alert and need some time to wind down, again, before I can finally go back to sleep.

Since the Democratic National Convention is currently underway, I decided to channel surf and see if I could catch some highlights of the convention's first night. What I found on CNN (in high definition, no less) was a replay of Michelle Obama's speech to the convention.

It was beautiful. It was moving. It was pitch perfect coming from a woman who I hope with all my heart will be the next First Lady of the United States. In a political season where her husband routinely makes me weep in anger at the injustices of the past 8 years and with hope at the potential for the next 8, her speech really got to me. It was about honoring the hard work of the past and current generations and their struggle to make life better for those who follow them. 4 hankies

Obama town hall in Raleigh, NC (#2)

Man, this is a barn-burner of a speech... 3 hankies

Obama town hall in Raleigh, NC

I didn't catch her last name, but there's a local North Carolina woman named Gloria introducing Obama and relating the devastation that 8 years of Republican rule has wrought. 3 hankies

I might embed some video, later, if I can find it. It was really moving.

Grassroots Obama Ad

Mostly I was just mad through this. Mad at the completely unfair coverage of the two campaigns and the traditional media allowing McCain to go so negative and to outright lie without being called on it. But the last phrase of the commercial is Senator Obama's voice saying, "Your voice can change the World!" Well, it just struck me and made me surge with emotion. I hope nobody's going to sabotage our chance to elect this man President. (2 hankies)

The Rachel Maddow Show 7/24/08

I'm catching up on back episodes of TRMS because they didn't post their podcasts for a couple days. Listening to Thursday's show, Rachel is replaying the Obama Berlin speech in it's entirety. The ending is making me weepy all over again. 2 hankies

Countdown - July 24th, 2008

Watching the MSNBC interview with Obama after the Berlin speech made me weepy, again. Maybe it's because I've just not seen this type of leadership in my lifetime, but this man simply floors me yet fills me with hope every time I listen to him intelligently discourse with other people and speak knowledgeably and correctly about matters of importance.

We have to elect this man. 2 hankies

Obama Berlin Speech #5

There's too much to document. This speech has left me a weepy - but hopeful! - mess. This man is truly a world leader. 4 hankies

Obama Berlin Speech #4

"These now are the walls we must tear down..." 4 hankies

Obama Berlin Speech #3

As he's speaking the camera is panning over the crowd, and there is a sea of American flags being waved over the crowd. This country has been so mislead and maltreated by it's administrators for the last 8 years... With them gone and trustworthy administrators in power, I think the world is eager to greet us as friends, again. 3 hankies

Obama Berlin Speech #2

He's so thoughtful, and intelligent, and well-versed in History. Listening to this speech just inspires me that we CAN have leaders worthy of the title... 4 hankies

Obama Berlin Speech

I haven't even started watching it, yet. Just read that it drew a crowd of 200,000 people. To give so many people hope... 1 hankie