On Liberty, Megan style

I have an odd personality quirk. Actually, I'm not sure that it's a personality quirk as much as proof of my genius (or overall insanity, which really are one in the same). Whatever it is classified as, I can't help it. You see, I remember weird and random things. For example, I can tell you the store where I bought every single one of my 500+ CD's. That's a lot of stores.

I can also tell you where I have been and what I did on every single general election day and night for the past 7 years. And if I thought long enough, I could tell you what I was wearing too. As a democrat in Utah, I've had a lot of depressing election nights. I won't go into many details but let's just say tears and tequila have always been involved and that is not a good thing. TRUST ME.

As much as I try, I can't seem to get away from politics. Something/one always drags me back, kicking and screaming (usually Adam) and forces me to realize why it is I do this. I can't explain my sadomasochistic attraction and you'd think after having been beat up and let down so many times, I'd get tired and just give up. But I can't. Not until everyone sees things my way. (To my friends who read my personal blog: SHUT IT).

On election night 2002, the US Congress suffered a serious blow with many democratic losses. Here in Utah, our legislature took a severe turn to the right-again. Hope, one might say, was lost.

After hearing the results and drinking multiple shots of above referenced beverage, my friends and I went to Denny's. There we encountered a group of people our age who asked us why we were dressed up so nicely but so sad. We told them of our night. The reply of one guy has stuck with me: "I don't know why you care, I mean, the only election that really matters is for the President. That's why I only vote every 4 years." We stared at him in disbelief and Matthew began arguing with him how he was so very wrong. I learned that night it's not smart to argue with drunk people while you are also drunk. But that's not the point of my story.

It's this: I do not understand people who don't vote in every single election, don't read the newspaper every day, and don't volunteer in their community at least once a year. These things are not hard. And I will fight to the death to make sure people see why and do these things.

A friend of mine told me a while ago that because Obama was the democratic nominee, they were just not going to vote. I didn't respond but now, I wish I had. I wish that I had said, "Don't you see how ridiculous that statement is?? It's ONE race and the things the President decides do not affect your daily life as much as other offices you will vote on this year. You don't have to vote for him, but please, go vote for the other people on the ballot who deserve it!"

I hear this all the time, of course, but it still makes me angry. By not voting at all, you are forsaking the choice you have for people who make decisions on how you live your life. They make decisions on traffic construction that will invariably affect your commute, how much your property tax will be, how much your kids' school teachers get paid, how much your tuition will be raised at that nice college you attend, and even if your garbage will be picked up that week. They legislate things like ensuring my gay friends can have domestic partner benefits, whether or not it's a crime to beat someone up because they're a Muslim, and even where certain people are allowed to go--physically and electronically.

Just voting every 4 years for one person will not make this world a better place. To quote Bobby Kennedy, "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."

There are thousands of laws that are made and enforced every day by people who were not elected to be President. Your vote matters more to them than you'll ever know. I know because I've been there when a candidate has lost by a mere 30 votes. I've asked myself what else I could have done and who else I could have persuaded to get out and vote.

I've seen laws get made and know the passionate elected officials who fight for your rights every single day.

You can't tell me that the only election that matters occurs every 4 years. Every election matters no matter which side you're on. The decisions and discourse created on the lowest level--the public level--matter more than you know. By not voting, you are giving up on a piece of liberty that I and millions of others hold dear.

You may not like Barack Obama for whatever reason but if you don't even take a moment and vote for others who deserve it, you're giving in to what he's trying to change. If you don't like Obama, McBush, or anyone else running for President, just skip over it and go right to Congress (or Governor, or legislature or school board-whatever gets you off your ass).

But please, vote. Vote in every race. If you don't know the people running or don't like them, write my name in. I like a little notoriety now and then. Whatever you do, just VOTE.

Barracudas scare the s#!t out of me

Sarah Palin is definitely the easiest politician to make fun of in our world today. I mean, it's not like it's very hard. Personally, I thought she did well in last week's debate against Senator Biden. Yeah, sure she didn't actually answer the questions but to about 85% of Americans watching, they didn't care or notice.

Sarah Palin does not appeal to or represent women like me. But I'm not your average woman. Young girls and soccer moms everywhere are idolizing this woman. I'm amazed at this because of the sheer stupidity of most of the things Sarah says or does. But again, I'm not most women.

What scares me the most about Sarah Palin is that people like my oldest sister LOVE her. They want to be her. They have 3 or more children, live in nice houses in nicer neighborhood, most likely have a part time job but still manage to run their kids to soccer, piano, dance, skating, math club, etc. They are vocal about their opinions to the point I'd like to run them over with their own mini-van. They are the "social planners" of their kids' soccer teams and must always look perfect with every hair in place even if they're just running to the Super Wal-Mart to get some milk.

And, they vote. They vote every year for every race and make sure all their fellow PTA moms do so as well. They are a large segment of our population and sometimes end up being the deciding factor in many elections. This scares me.

Now, I know Obama is up in every poll and has the electoral votes now and WILL WIN next month, but I'm still nervous...we don't need crazy people like my sister running our country.

Small steps

My mom usually votes for Democrats in all races except for President. My dad usually votes for whoever my mom or I tell him to, except for President. I consider this quite significant considering studies show children are more likely to have the same politics as their parents. I'm an anomaly, obviously.

One politician she absolutely despises is Lt. Gov. Herbert. Last week I casually mentioned to her that IF John McCain wins, he'll most likely appoint Huntsman to some kind of ambassadorship and the Herbert would become Governor. This did not make her happy.

It's still not a reason for her to vote for Obama, but it's a step.

Are you registered?

I knew it!

Hat tip: Jere

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Peace Patroller, also known as an anti-war liberal or neo-hippie. You believe in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Get up America!

I love this video. Watch. Register (if you're not already). Then VOTE!

Hard to say

After listening to "President" Bush speak today about the financial crisis, I wondered how long his staff worked with him to say 'unprecedented' correctly. I mean, he said it twice! And he didn't stumble AT ALL.

On Qualifications

There has been a lot of talk about Sarah Palin Tallhair's (this is her official Eskimo name) experience and qualifications to be Vice President. A blog I read posted an exchange between the author and her mother discussing the qualifications of Sarah Palin and Obama. The author felt that Sarah had a lot of executive experience while Barack only had a few years of legislative experience.

This got me thinking about everyone's definition of experience and why it matters so much to them. First, I don't think it's fair to compare Sarah Palin and Barack Obama and their respective experience since they are not running for the same office. There is a vast difference in what the President does on a daily basis than what the VP does. I do understand that Sarah is a mere heartbeat from the #1 seat but that is only an IF.

Second, if Executive Experience is so important to people, then why aren't they worried about McCain's lack of executive experience? There is a difference between legislative and executive and both Obama and McCain have some. So can SOMEONE show me McCain's?

Third, I was not around to personally see it but I seem to recall another legislator from the State of Illinois who became President and who a lot of people felt wasn't experienced enough either. I my opinion, this man is one of the greatest Presidents in our nation's history. And you know what? Our lives are much better off because of him.

Megan's Victory Map for Obama/Biden

<p><strong>><a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008/pick-your-president/">2008 Election Contest: Pick Your President</a></strong> - Predict the winner of the 2008 presidential election and enter to win a $500 prize.</p>

Create your own and be entered to win prizes here!

What I Heard

Last Thursday night, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the final day of the Democratic National Convention to be a part of history and hear Barack Obama accept the nomination as President of the United States.

We had a great time waiting almost 6 hours in the sun for the event to "officially" begin, making calls to Coloradoans asking them to watch the speech, watching Jennifer Hudson walk 5 feet in front of me, going to an after-party where Barack and Michelle came to say thank you--even getting lost on the shuttle was fun! (You can see proof of how much fun we had here on Jesse's Flickr set).

My family often asks me why I'm supporting Obama. They think there must be some other reason besides my liberal leanings and I usually ignore their questions because I do NOT like talking politics with my conservative family. I've heard a lot of people think Obama is all talk and no action and his words are simply rhetoric. But from what I heard last Thursday night, I felt that the kind of person he talks about helping improve his or her life is me. While he nor John McCain understand what it's like to be me I'm sure, I know that Barack Obama has helped people like me and truly "gets it."

Let me show you what I mean from some excerpts from his speech. (The lines that pertain to me and my life I have bolded).

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

(I really just like the last line in this paragraph--even if it doesn't directly affect me).

My involvement in the Democratic Party began when I had my daughter. As I've said before, I want her to have a better life than mine. She has only known life with George W. Bush as our "President." For me, supporting Barack Obama is giving her and all our children hope for a brighter future. Eventually, I'll overcome the obstacles that are constantly put in front of me. But I could never do it alone. What Barack Obama stands for is everything I hold dear and I can't imagine supporting anyone else.

If you're still unsure about supporting and voting for Obama, look past your current hesitations and look to what you want your future to be. This is not an election about him; it's about me and you, our country and ensuring the American promise is something we all can enjoy. I've read this speech a dozen times now and I get chills. This is change I know we can believe in.

From the closing of his speech:

I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I’ve seen it. Because I’ve lived it. I’ve seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I’ve seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I’ve seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they’d pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I’ve seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things. They could’ve heard words of anger and discord. They could’ve been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

“We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.