Election Daze

It's funny how easy it is to divide your life into 4 year clumps. 4 years ago, the Red Sox had just won the World Series. I arrived to work on Boylston Street as Boston city workers were just putting up the fences they had taken down (literally) 2 days ago after the Red Sox parade.

There was a huge rally at Copley Place. I was taking a class at Bunker Hill Community College that night (I learned nothing that evening) after which I met up with a few friends who worked at Hilton's Tent City. If things had gone well, we would have gone to the rally at Copley. When it was apparent that things were Not Going Well we headed back to our Cambridge appartment to watch the votes come in and feel bad.

In 2000, I was working for a web company (now out of business) and I remember talking to intelligent, relatively liberal people who were genuninely considering voting for the "compassionate conservative." I remember talking with one of the smartest people I knew at the time and hearing him say he wasn't sure if he could vote for Gore "because here's the thing--he'll spend every penny of that surpus we have."

When the votes came in I was working an evening shift at Brookline Booksmith and sneaking into the back room to hear the radio whenever possible. I distinctly remember the first time they called Florida. *sigh*

And 12 years ago, in 1996 (the first presidential election I was eligable to participate in) I voted in Minnesota. I biked over to the polling station and my walkman fell out of my jeans jacket coat on the way. I was pleased (silly little dork that I was) to finally get to vote in a presidential election.

When the votes came in, I was working a shift for Carleton Security when they announced the winner. I was working the evening shift and I stopped by my friends' suite to watch the votes come in. That is also when I got my first glimpse of W ("He's going to be trouble," I thought to myself. I had no idea...)