In the middle

I live in Illinois, a Democratic state- a byproduct of the "Chicago Machine".

Yesterday was election day, and here, like everywhere, people went out to vote. I do my best to vote in every election, even small primaries that don't make a large impact.

Despite my parents' best efforts, (my mother was a far left activist, and my dad is a vocal libertarian)I am a middle of the road kind of lady- not far left or far right. I have voted both Democratic and Republican. I have voted for and against taxes, bonds, improvement funds and much more. If you look at my life time of voting, it's pretty split down the middle. One of the major reasons for this is my tolerance for others, along with my willingness to listen to all ideas and weigh them equally.

I was honestly torn on who to vote for this time around. I was one of those rare "undecided" voters- but because I live in Illinois, my vote was not fought over or cherished like those of an Ohioan or Virginian.


I didn't take voting lightly- I knew that this was a serious choice and no matter my decision, the world I live in would change dramatically. And this time, it would be as a participant and not an observer.

I watched the Columbia Disaster- in school.

I watched Perestroika and Glasnost, the Berlin Wall coming down and the Russian Bloc falling apart on itself. I remember my dad forcing me to stay up, watching CNN until the wee hours of the morning, and him telling me- "this is history".

I watched as Yitzak Rabin was assassinated and the hopes for Palenstinian-Israeli peace crumble before my eyes. I remember crying, and none of my friends understood why.

I watched the US in Kuwait and Iraq the first time and counting hours (not months or years) that it lasted.

I knew I had valid reasons both for and against each candidate.

As I mentioned, I'm from Illinois. One large concern against Obama was who would be placed into his position by our largely unpopular governor, who has a history of using power & influence to reward (and punish) those around him. It wasn't until voting was under way that our governor announced that he would have a council appoint Obama's potential replacement. For Obama were other factors- but they had about the same weight as my concern.

My brother is a disabled veteran, and McCain's sacrifice is incredibly personal, and deeply touching to me. McCain's body took the brunt of an aggressor's dislike, distrust, and anger towards our nation. McCain returned home not disillusioned, but empowered and invested in our country. McCain's years in the service provides him a deep and powerful understanding of our military. His experience in understanding situation reports and information from our commanding officers on the ground would offer invaluable insight and wisdom in the coming years in Iraq. Against McCain were other factors- but they held about the same weight as my concern.


I went about educating myself on both candidates and did the best I could with the tools I had- the power of a personal touch.

I worked for 5 years at our local paper. My desk happened to be in the open air atrium/lobby area, and I was often the 1st or 2nd person the public saw when they entered our building. Our local paper serves a major college area, and the outlying rural communities surrounding it.

Many political candidates come through our area to woo the "downstate" vote (and we're well south of I-80, so we count). When they do so, they often stop at our paper and meet with our editorial board, hoping for endorsement.

I know a politician's "job" is to be friendly and court voters, to be personable and to impress those they meet. I can tell you from personal experience that it does not always work that way. More candidates (or press secretaries) than I can count were rude, snippy, dismissive and mean to the wonderful receptionist at our paper. Many of them treated her (and me) with truly ugly behavior and turned on the charm when the board came to meet them.

I met Senator Obama WAY back in 2002 or early 2003, when he was a complete unknown in our area. He visited with our receptionist, with me, and with countless others in the office. He was poised, classy, friendly, and interested in our questions about his platform and experience. He treated us with kindness.

I've met many local Republicans who campaigned vigorously for McCain. They were truly willing to offer me insight, consideration, information and generosity with their time. Most of them were beyond kind, offering gentle but effective arguments for their candidate.

I found myself yet again, in the middle.

And I left the polling place, I was no different. My ballot this year was split almost entirely evenly- I voted for one tax and against another. I voted for Democrats and Republicans. I voted to retain judges and to remove one. I felt confident I had done my best with the tools I had, and I went home to wait, and watch.

About 10pm, I found myself in the middle of the stream of history, watching my neighbors (because Chicago is not THAT far) celebrate, and the world changing around me. I shared with my children how special a moment like this is- and then we went to bed.