Tears of joy

I cried them tonight for the first time in my life.

Obama '08!

Truth in the light of day

Even a major media outlet whose publisher leans to the right of center and is a critic of Barack Obama reported on the historic nature of Obama's speech today.

U.S. News & World Report: Obama's Race Speech Heralded as Historic

I knew this speech was coming as soon as the media feeding frenzy began last week around the sermons of Pastor Wright, and it makes me even prouder to be an elected delegate for Obama.

I reiterate the quote in my post titled "Interlude."

"Fired up! Ready to go!"

I'm very proud of my home state of North Dakota for bringing it in for Barack Obama last night on Super Tuesday. The tiny red state may not deliver a hefty punch in delivering delegate numbers, but it does deliver a signal loud and clear that change is on its way.

With recent news of Hillary Clinton pumping $5 million of her own money into her campaign this week, I'm reminded of the saying "slow and steady wins the race" from the fable The Tortoise and the Hare.

Clinton's infusion of her own money into her campaign is an indication she has nearly tapped out her primary campaign funding fueled by a small pool of big-money donors. In contrast, Obama's campaign funding continues to grow by relying on just the opposite with trickles of money continuously coming in from a large pool of small donations made by everyday citizens like me who live paycheck to paycheck.

Sure, my $60 contribution to the Obama campaign may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of what campaigns cost today, but my donation combined with millions of others across the nation is a display of hope and people believing in the words, "Yes, we can."

This comparison of campaign funding to The Tortoise and the Hare can also be shown in the voting results of Super Tuesday. Even though Clinton is still leading in the number of delegate nominations, Obama is slowly closing the gap after winning more states and delegate nominations than Clinton yesterday.

We are in the home stretch of the first inning of a grueling race for change that started more than seven years ago in Florida. Those of my generation, including me, who were voting for the first time in a presidential election felt robbed of hope and belief in American democracy.

Despite naysayers who believed my generation was nothing more than another group of idealist youth who wouldn't wouldn't walk the walk, we have marched on in the race for change by giving our voice of dissent.

Over the last seven years our voice has only grown louder after continually being pummeled by lies about:

• Weapons of mass destruction,
• Torture scandals concerning prisoners of war,
  
• An information leak revealing the identity of a CIA agent,
• Help being on its way to Katrina victims,
• The firing of Democratically appointed federal prosecutors for "poor" performance,
• And the list continues to amount.

All of that said, I'm still fired up and ready to go to the polls this Saturday to cast my caucus vote for the only real candidate of change - Barack Obama.

Yes We Can!

Because we are the generation

I have to take this moment and depart from my sharing of brilliant traces to mark tonight's moment in history.

I think many, many, many people - pundits and political strategists alike - are going to fall on their asses in awe of how many young voters end up going the polls in this presidential election.

After winning the Democratic Iowa caucus tonight due to a large turn out of young voters, U.S. Senator Barack Obama said:

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.

But on this January night, at this defining moment in history you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do."

I truly believe this wave of young voters turning out in large numbers will grow into a tsunami by November, and here is why:

• Because we are the generation who the cost of the unjust war is falling on - both financially and emotionally.

• Because we are the generation who is finally getting a chance to vote in an election that isn't being altered by political henchmen.
  
  One thing almost all people of my generation who voted in the last two presidential elections will tell you is that we feel betrayed by the electoral process.
  
  They were the first two presidential elections we've been able to vote in, and they were both stolen - the first in '00 due to hanging chads and political favors being played in Florida, and the second in '04 due to "faulty" electronic voting systems.

• Because we are the generation who finally has a candidate who speaks to us, speaks like us, and we can trust to speak for us.
  
  That candidate is Barack Obama -and you can mark my words now that he will be the next president of the United States.
  
  There's a reason Obama's campaign slogan geared toward my generation is "Got hope?" He is a candidate that gives us hope after eight years of feeling powerless, betrayed, and forgotten.
  

• Because we are the generation who will have to live for the next 50 to 80 years in the shambles of what the Bush presidency has left our country and Constitution in.

• Because we are the generation who realizes that change only comes from action, and when your only action in a democracy is to vote - you better believe we're going to vote.

• Because we are the generation who looks past race, gender, and "one-issue" voting to see the big picture - the picture of falling bridges, breaking levees, and crumbling towers.

• Because we are the generation who can't afford not to vote.

Read more about my generation's historic turnout in Iowa:

"Obama: A 'defining moment in history'" in the Chicago Tribune

"Winners triumphed by attracting new voters" in the Boston Globe

"Young Obama voters lead record Democratic turnout" in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Obama's historic victory" in Time Magazine