On Election Day 2008 there were dozens of election coverage watching parties across downtown Boulder. It was a decidedly Obama-centric affair. After the polls closed the jubilant supporters spilled out onto the streets to celebrate.
It started out with a boom-box fueled dance party on the mall. It morphed into African-led drumming and chanting. Eventually the crowds gathered at the intersection of the Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall and Broadway.
When the lights turned red the crowd would swarm into the street, dancing and screaming, enveloping cars in the intersection. The peaceful mob would then reluctantly retreat to the curbs a while after the light had turned green again.
This ebb and flow continued for 15 minutes until eventually the police started to congregate. Much to my surprise, they did not use force to end the celebration. They put a squad car a Walnut and another at Spruce and diverted traffic, closing the street to allow the celebration to continue!
So that was really, really, cool to see. I must say I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I’ve grown up in a generation that has been generally apathetic about politics, a generation that has skipped out on voting because it didn’t matter, nothing’s going to change anyway, right?
Obama has inspired millions. He is a symbol of hope. He is a symbol of someone who stands against the corruption and lies of the politicians of the past, and of the last eight years. No one knows whether he will be able to back up his words, and there are plenty who have, are, and will try to manipulate his words and spew negative rhetoric that fearful will take to heart.
But on THIS DAY, November 4th, 2008, I danced in the streets with a crowd of people so excited and optimistic about future of our country, in the midst of a trying time of war and economic recession. And for the first time in a REALLY LONG TIME, many of us felt a very unusual feeling. We felt proud to be Americans.
by Steve Z
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