For the record, I took advantage of my state’s early-voting program and registered my political choices yesterday. If you have that option where you are, I highly recommend taking it. It’s nice to have it out of the way.<\/p>\n
That said, I wonder how many people really get<\/i> how remarkable and important this election season is. A few people do, at least:<\/p>\n For me the most moving moment came when the family in front of me, comprising probably 4 generations of voters (including an 18 year old girl voting for her first time and a 90-something hunched-over grandmother), got their turn to vote. When the old woman left the voting booth she made it about halfway to the door before collapsing in a nearby chair, where she began weeping uncontrollably. When we rushed over to help we realized that she wasn’t in trouble at all but she had not truly believed, until she left the booth, that she would ever live long enough to cast a vote for an African-American for president.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It was only two generations ago — if we define a generation as 25 years, more or less — that black people weren’t allowed to use the same drinking fountains as whites. Viewed in this context, it doesn’t really matter who wins the presidency (although I certainly have my preference). We’ve still taken a big<\/i> step forward. And for that, I am proud of my nation. At risk of pissing off my conservative readers, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt able to say that…<\/p>\n