After two years of following the primaries then the conventions then the past couple of months of intensive campaigning, watching the stump speeches, reading the weblogs, listening to the rhetoric, being inspired by Barack’s message of change, I can’t vote. Of course I can’t. I’m British, I live in a whole other country. Yet, here I am, watching the BBC’s tv coverage (Jane Hill looks amazing this evening), following updates on @TheGuardian, @DailyKos, @Indecision2008 with both fingers crossed (as you can imagine that’s not helping my ability to type).
I’m actually nervous. I’ve had a knot in my stomach for most of the day and I expect that it’ll still be there until Barack makes his acceptance speech. Whatever the polls are saying, whatever I hope will happen, I know that shock results are possible, and that nothing is certain. I’ve seen interviews with undecided voters which scare the hell out of me due to the person’s lack of understanding of the issues, a genuine fear that the world is out to get them without realising that this fear is as a result of the actions of the very party they’re considering voting for.
It’s a frustrating time to be an Ameriphile.
Anyway, I’m inevitably staying up for the event, the blow by blow, play by play. Apparently it could all be over as soon at 1am, but this is such a historic event, even if the worst comes to the worst, I can’t imagine I’ll be under the duvet until the speeches have been made, until the last state has been called. I’m mainlining coffee, drinking lots of water, munching biscuits, hoping for a second and third wind. I used to stay up for the Oscars when they were still being shown on proper television, but this is different. This is legendary. By tomorrow morning, the US could have its first black president and why would I want to sleep through that?
4 comments:
My voting experience was a little mundane compared to the glorious, beautiful stuff that keeps turning up in the giant MetaFilter thread, but I haven't been this engrossed and engaged in forever. Gladly watching your Tweets, too, even though I don't understand most of your Brit-media references!
I'm watching the coverage which I think is also being shown on BBC America.
Yep, I'm flipping between that and CNN now. I met Jesse Jackson once, when I was in college and he was stumping for Clinton. He's mesmerizing, and despite his wackadoo moments during this campaign season, I still get chills thinking about how he entranced a roomful of dopey Iowa college kids.
David Dimbleby has presented our local election coverage since the year dot.
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