No politics here. I just wanted to express a few sentiments about Election Day and our democracy in general.
As I was driving home from voting today I was filled with a warm feeling that I always get on Election Day and I realized that I love this day no matter what happens. It’s more exciting, more fun and more important to me than Christmas or my birthday. I feel kinship and gratitude even to those who vote the other way. Today is the essence of America. Today is more than a holiday, it’s an enactment of the greatest human instutution ever established.
To everyone who voted, good on you and thank you. To those who who have risked and are risking their own lives and limbs to protect this day, I thank you profoundly. To those who have lost their lives protecting this day, it’s impossible to thank you.
I just wanted to take a moment from all the bickering and acknowledge what’s good about this day. Have a good day, don’t let anyone stop you from voting and may the result be whatever is best for our country.
Happy Election Day and don’t forget to vote*
*But vote for Giant Douche.
The proudest now is but my peer,
The highest not more high;
Today, of all the weary year,
A king of men am I.
Today, alike the great and small,
The nameless and the known;
My palace is the people’s hall,
The ballot-bow my throne!
Who serves today upon the list
Beside the served shall stand;
Alike the brown and wrinkled fist,
The gloved and dainty hand!
The rich is level with the poor,
The weak is strong today;
And sleekest broadcloth counts know more
The homespun frock of gray.
Today let pomp and vain pretense
My stubborn right abide;
I set a plain man’s common sense
Against the pendant’s pride.
Today shall simple manhood try
The strengthen of gold and land;
The wide world has not wealth to buy
The power in my right hand!
While there’s grief to set redress,
Or balance to adjust,
Where weighs our living manhood less
Than Mammon’s vilest dust-
While there’s a right to need my vote,
A wrong to sweep away,
Up! clouted knee and ragged coat!
A man’s a man today!
I left work to go to my polling place. It is a church on Peachtree Street here in Atlanta. As I pulled into the parking lot I was struck by the lack of pretentiousness, the years-old sign stuck on the corner of the drive “Vote Here” seemed a stark reminder that in this wonderful place you have to leave it all behind. Walk in and cast one vote. I felt the tears well up. I love this day. I love the fact that on this day we are kindred. I love the fact that it does matter what your opinions are, who you are, or who you have to answer to in other areas of your life…today you can come here and cast your ballot. A perfect system? No. But today always reminds me that the more we try the better we get. The mood inside my polling place was neighborly, friendly, welcoming smell of coffee for the weary. It was a sweet relief to be at the end of the election. Home.
I went to a gory movie yesterday instead of to the polls,
and saw a corpse all putrified and bloated.
I shoulda voted.
Then I bitched today when my guy lost,
and my neighbor, one of those (fill in party name here) idiots gloated.
I shoulda voted.
My country’s going to heck in a handbiscuit while the (______) idiots chortle.
“See? We got the man for Prez on whome we doted.”
I shoulda voted.
–DesertGeezer
Oh, and Dio, great (and uncharacteristically un-cynical) post!
My grandfather was a poll worker until well into his 80’s, so I always think of him when I go to vote. Today, while in line, I resolved that I will work the polls in 2008.
I also feel a kinship with those whose votes differ with my own. If you like the other guy better, go to the polls and vote for him, and we can still share a beer (metaphorical, as I don’t drink) afterwords and watch the world series (well, it’s over).
BUT, I don’t feel the slightest bit of kinship for any scum-sucking piece of human refuse who is doing ANYTHING to interfere with the rights of other Americans to vote. And that goes for scum-suckers of either party.