Yes We...

Can DID!!!

What an exciting night to be alive to witness history!

I wasn't always an Obama supporter - I voted for Hillary in the primary (I've always liked the Clintons)... but once it was narrowed down to the 2 candidates and the VP picks were made, my choice was clear. I didn't dislike McCain - in fact I liked him more than any other Republican candidate, but he just didn't have that magnetic personality Obama has and I didn't feel he had a real plan for America. I felt like McCain wasn't tuned into Gen X or Gen Y in quite the same way Obama was. And honestly his campaign people ran a shitty smear ridden campaign. Even Bill Kristol of the weekly standard said weeks ago that McCain should fire his strategy people- because of the negative campaign and other tactics they were employing. I did not like the Palin pick. As an independent woman that voted Hillary that wasn't how to get me.

For me, it really felt like finally a candidate who gets where I'm coming from - he's younger, intelligent, passionate, and all around I feel like he gets it. He's in touch with what's going on. Some think Socialist, but I think he's more about doing what it right for the greater good of society. He got the youth excited again! He got them involved - Gen X and Gen Y made the difference in this election. I've been voting for some time now, but I've never been as excited, hopeful, and nervous as I was yesterday casting my vote.

As a person that works in Social Media - I was also amazed at the role it played in this election. Following the coverage on Twitter was awesome. I was getting updates from Twitter often faster than I was on the news (switching back and forth between: CNN, NBC, Fox and Comedy Central). Obama was the first candidate that really reached out and embraced technologies like Twitter, Facebook, SMS etc. To me those things were critical: He got my world, he knew how to reach me. This is what I do every day. My company always talks about the Power of WE and how our product helps businesses harness that to gain insight from their employees, customers, or partners faster. But now we all just witnessed the power of WE nationally. What a shame his grandmother and even mother didn't get to live to see this amazing day.

How awesome was it for America that our young people took to the streets beeping, yelling, screaming, cheering... celebrating the election of a PRESIDENT as if it was a Superbowl or World Series win!!??? I know I haven't witnessed that in my lifetime. Young people as enthusiastic about our electoral process as a sporting event? Americans not looking like the spoiled, apathetic, buffoons the rest of the world has often painted us as (and rightfully so sometimes).

If Obama is as good of a leader as he is a speaker - we just may be looking at one of the greatest presidents of all time, certainly in our lifetime. Wouldn't that be amazing? I'm just so happy I was alive to witness this. He's got a very tough road ahead: 2 wars, a struggling economy, home foreclosures, job loss etc etc... and it remains to be seen how well he will handle those hurdles, but I feel hopeful about it. Now let's all work together as a nation to fix these issues and make this a great country to live in.


* You realize Bostonians will go back to being their miserable selves again in about 2 weeks... ;)