24 is the new 25

I just learned Congress passed health care reform on SNL Weekend Update

That seems wrong, but I’m still pretty excited about it.

Y'know what, guy who claims to work for some homeless people charity and stands with an overturned water cooler outside Starbucks every day?

“Just one penny” isn’t going to help anyone.  Seriously.

By the People: The Election of Barack Obama

Last night’s HBO documentary on the presidential campaign and election of Barack Obama, brought me back.  On one level, the film played as a standard, behind-the-scenes, propagandist-leaning look at this historic campaign.  On another, the film viewed like a playback of the last year in the lives of the American people, as marked by debates and speeches; caucuses, primaries and elections; hopes and expectations.  Through the lens of this ultimately triumphant political drama, I saw my own life reflected back to me in high-def.

…

The film’s first build-up is that of the Iowa caucus last January.  I watched with my brother, still living in New York at the time.  We made spaghetti, drank Rolling Rock and watched CNN’s Wolf Blitzer et al. analyze the evening’s events.  My brother and I couched our hopes in reassurances about the continued viability for a second-place finish, but our worries went unfounded.  As my new boyfriend Jon Favreau would later write, “What began as a whisper in Springfield soon carried across the corn fields of Iowa,” and delivered a first place finish for our man.  We were stunned, elated, excited for the future.  This was real now.  Far from a long shot, the Illinois senator had proven himself a formidable David against the Goliath that was the Clintons.

On to New Hampshire.  In the film, Axelrod expressed his apprehension about the second primary after seeing Hillary’s “emotional breakthrough.”  I remember that feeling, the queasy, ‘hmm, we might not get to rest on our laurels just yet’ concern that proved prescient that night.

Super Tuesday I held a sign outside a polling place in Chelsea for two hours before going to work.  I felt like I was changing the world.  As Obama won state after state that night (but not all of them – don’t think I’ve forgotten you, Ohio and Texas.  I’ve still got my eye on you…), the inevitability of his candidacy began to sink in.

In the film, Axelrod again proved himself the prophet when he noted that while they were stacking up a considerable lead in delegates, the concern that ‘other’ candidates would drag out the contest fighting over every last superdelegate was very real.  And indeed, that’s exactly what happened.

In August, the candidacy was finally his for the taking.  In the film, we saw the senator in a reflective moment before accepting the democratic nomination at the convention.  While the senator paced backstage, I sat on the steps of my boyfriend’s apartment, waiting for him to get home from a business dinner so we could watch history made together.  He was late, and I cried, but when he finally showed up, we sat on the edge of the bed and watched the future president call the nation to action.  And then I cried some more because we were part of this exciting new future.  We were part of this election.  We mattered.

On Election Day, cameras followed staffers as they retreated to various headquarters to watch the returns.    After a day off from work spent in service of the campaign, I joined friends at the New York Democratic Party’s party to do the same.

In an oddly anticlimactic scene, the California polls closed, and news outlets called the election for Obama.  (A not-unimportant sidenote:  I watched CNN for everything election-related last year.  In the documentary, the filmmakers did too for all the important contests…up til the general election when they made the odd decision to queue up ABC News’s Charlie Gibson for the big news.)  At the time, I was disappointed by the relatively subdued reaction caught for the cameras.  In retrospect, I suppose the moment didn’t lift any weight off those most closely involved, but rather piled it on in a matter of seconds.  Yes, there was jumping around, hugging and screaming among the volunteers shown, but for those at the top, there was the realization that their work was far from over; in fact, it had just begun.  Everything they’d been working for hadn’t even happened yet.

…

Obviously, the president still has plenty to accomplish before he merits the spot on Mount Rushmore this film tries to carve for him (Nobel Peace Prize notwithstanding), but after reliving the passion that accompanied this campaign for me and all who supported him, the film stands as a worthwhile exercise in preserving history for future generations.  If Obama does nothing more with his presidency (which I don’t for a second believe), I will always treasure the exultation I felt when I realized my hard work and passion for this campaign – for this candidate – had resulted in a victory for all.

That’s what I wish the filmmakers had captured more of.  Maybe it was different from behind the lens – you’re just trying to get the shot, catch the soundbite – but the feeling of excitement emanating from the now-president’s supporters at the moment we all saw “PROJECTION:  BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT” flicker across the screen is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  Like climbing a mountain that’s never been scaled, the feeling of “We did it” was incredible.  A huge accomplishment that everyone – from the casual voter to the door-to-door canvasser – could share.

So while the documentary made a few missteps (I’m sure Fox News will have a field day with the “indoctrination” of the freakishly well-spoken, phone-canvassing nine-year-old), for me it succeeded on its “Remember where you were when…” credentials alone.  I didn’t realize how closely the past year of my life was intertwined with that of our president.  Milestones and signposts in my life are tied up in the journey of this man; how many presidents are we proud to say that about?  Not many.