As I told my daughter this morning when she woke up, "Today we may be making history by electing the first African-American President of the United States." I'm not sure how much of that she understood, given that she's only seven months old, but sh
e was her usual good-natured self when she accompanied me to the polling station in my South Philadelphia neighborhood (pictured left). Though a neighbor told me that the lines were around the block at 7 am, by the time we arrived at 1pm there was no wait. Surprisingly, there were no signs for either Obama or McCain at the polling station, though plenty of Obama signs (as well as a couple of lone McCain-Palin signs) in the windows of nearby homes. But both were outnumbered by Phillies posters in this proud hometown. (picture right).The NY T
imes reported yesterday that South Philly, "a largely white, Catholic, ethnic neighborhood" in a pro-Obama city in a crucial state, may be fertile ground for McCain. Not if the impressive Obama get-out-the-vote machine has anything to do with it! We've been visited four times in the past two weeks by Obama volunteers, once on Sunday to see if we needed a ride to the polling station (not really necessary since it's only a block away) and once this morning to see if we'd voted yet. We also received an automated message from Bill Clinton this weekend telling us where to vote and a live call yesterday from an Obama volunteer to remind us to bring a photo ID. While some feel inundated with so much attention (picture left) -- the perils of living in a swing state -- 
others, including yours truly, are full of Obama-mania (picture right ). Never before have I been so excited about a presidential candidate and his potential to transform our country. While my parents' generation spoke with rapture about John F. Kennedy, I always wondered how anyone could feel so strongly about a mere politician. Obama inspires that same promise today by offering a new path forward for our country. I only hope that my daughter has the opportunity to vote for an equally inspiring candidate before she turns 35.
imes reported yesterday that South Philly, "a largely white, Catholic, ethnic neighborhood" in a pro-Obama city in a crucial state, may be fertile ground for McCain. Not if the impressive Obama get-out-the-vote machine has anything to do with it! We've been visited four times in the past two weeks by Obama volunteers, once on Sunday to see if we needed a ride to the polling station (not really necessary since it's only a block away) and once this morning to see if we'd voted yet. We also received an automated message from Bill Clinton this weekend telling us where to vote and a live call yesterday from an Obama volunteer to remind us to bring a photo ID. While some feel inundated with so much attention (picture left) -- the perils of living in a swing state -- 
others, including yours truly, are full of Obama-mania (picture right ). Never before have I been so excited about a presidential candidate and his potential to transform our country. While my parents' generation spoke with rapture about John F. Kennedy, I always wondered how anyone could feel so strongly about a mere politician. Obama inspires that same promise today by offering a new path forward for our country. I only hope that my daughter has the opportunity to vote for an equally inspiring candidate before she turns 35.
