The Right to Party

Four years ago, I spent Election Night in a friend’s dorm room at an election party. The returns trickled in, we munched on fried chicken and Popeye’s biscuits, and the mood was lively. I think there was only one Bush supporter there, and everyone else was for Gore. There were cheers every time a blue state came in, sighs and boos every time a red state came in, and complete incredulity every time a state was taken back and deemed too close to call.

The night went on forever. I remember hearing Florida called, Florida recalled, going home, and hearing Florida called again. It was a big mess, but even while we dreaded what Bush would bring to the table, we managed to keep our heads up, have fun with the returns, have a good laugh and generally a good time. Most of us said we would move to Canada because Bush won (I remember planning for Vancouver), but I’m not sure we ever thought things would be just as bleak as they are today.

This year’s election night is different. The light-hearted joviality of it all is gone. I can’t imagine going to an election night party tonight without being on edge, and I can’t imagine having fun unless the night ends with the right result. The campaigns have been fought like a real, long war. It’s hard to joke around politically. I can’t even make a joke about moving to Canada anymore. Four more years of what we’ve just been through would be a nightmare. The anxiety has reached a 30-day high, and I need a lot more faith and patience that the right man will win than I currently have. It’s not that I’m giving up, because I’m still really hopeful that we’ll come out of this for the better… but with all the sickening and coercive tactics of the GOP, it’s hard to feel inspired by the whole process.

I’m hoping that by the end of the night, we have a President. I’m hoping that the person elected is the one who will not run this country into the ground, and the one who will not alienate even more foreign countries. I’m hoping that we don’t see weeks of litigation. I’m hoping voters don’t get intimidated by the GOP challengers. I’m hoping that four years from now, we’re in a safer, less divided, more fun place.