One of my friends Daryl, a registered Republican, called me this morning and said “I just voted for a black man for President”. Well done. A white Republican from the south voted for an African-American President and walked away from the polls alive and well enough to speak of it. It’s a historic day regardless of the outcome. And since he voted for Bush twice I can almost forgive the error of his ways. Almost… Many, many fellow North Carolinian’s I’ve spoken to voted for Obama. Often these were not people I would have picked as Obama supporters, including my mother-in-law, for example. I think the polls are wrong. They’re saying McCain still has a chance. I’m starting to think landslide for Obama.
My predictions for this evening are that Obama takes North Carolina, a state not even the Obama camp considers a strong possibility but they’re making a run at it. And he will also take Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Pennsylvania. If this comes true then those who were complacent in the last two elections will be partially redeemed. There is no redemption for those who voted for George W. Dumbass twice and cast a vote for McCain today. This core ideology of hate and moral based legislation is stale and outdated. The old school “conservative” ideology will be washed away today and with any luck won’t return. The Republican party has proven itself to be a bad brand. It has been proven that no political party holds the patent on patriotism. In this spirit with any luck Kay Hagan will be NC’s next Senator and a Republican, Pat McCrory will be our next Governor. I say this because voting is not about party lines or partisan ideology. It’s about picking the best person on the ballot for the job.
High voter turnout generally favors Democrats. If this holds true then we could see the Democrats take a super majority of Congress tonight. I’m not convinced this is a good thing. I believe there’s value in varying opinions and positions on issues. It creates necessary debate. What we do need to overcome is partisan paralysis so it will be beneficial for Democrats to control both Congress and the White House. Laws will get passed. Some may get repealed if we’re lucky (think Patriot Act).
And my last prediction before I watch the vote count: There’s going to be a hell of a big party in Chicago tonight. Several people I know are planning victory parties locally. None are Republicans.