since i dont even want to begin on the disappointment with prop 8...

~

so i think this is the first update in a while where i had to literally sit and force myself to write it which is a shock to anyone that knows me. feels like i have had writers block for a while (which i do get sometimes and it blows). and kind of still have it. the most i can do is post a picture and update a little bit on petewentz.com. ill just talk about last night and hopefully that will cover it.

election night. where were you when you heard the news that obama won the presidency? its such a huge part of history and we are all lucky to have been a part of it last night, to be able to see it happen. something positive that happened in our lifetimes that we can tell our kids and our grandkids about, finally. last night was insane, i dont know how patrick put up with me because i probably sat three inches away from the tv for most of the night glued to cnn. it was kind of scary at first, it seemed like mccain was going to win by how many states were coming up red and going his way, starting out at 13. then when obama had at least 200 i was already saying we won it and hugging patrick tight but sorta still biting my tongue because i didnt want to call it too soon- i was calling it a "celebration incase we dont win" so that way we at least got to be excited for one part of the night. but soon even cnn was saying there was no way mccain would win california and florida and the last states needed to pull it off. the whole night and all the camera shots switching to grant park made me miss my hometown so bad- i kept saying i wanted to be in chicago, i wanted to be home with my parents for this because not only was obama winning important to me but it was to them, maybe even moreso considering they met way back in the 70s through supporting joe biden. like see thats a pic of me mom and joe biden holding me. kind of crazy how everything comes together like that. one event to the next that happen and explain each other in a way that seem to make your life make sense. my dad was actually out at some of the polls doing his best at making sure people got to vote and werent waiting too long- he told me in 2004 that at least 15,000 people went home without getting to vote because they were frustrated at the wait, and people were waiting up to 7 or more hours. like he said, it could have been what cost kerry the presidency. this year he and other lawyers made sure that things ran as smoothly as possible and polling places opened up more booths and had more machines to fit the demands. earlier in the day patrick and i both went out to vote and stood in line- i think patricks wait was a while longer than mine- and then i went home after that, drank cold starbucks from the fridge and stayed glued to watch cnn. i was totally prepared for the wait to be an hour or two to get my vote in but it wasn't as long as i thought it would be.

i dont like how cnn made it so much about the color of the skin or the age of either candidate. patrick was so bothered by it he went into another room here and there to avoid cnn and watch a local networks reporting of it instead. i can understand why cnn felt the need to- for statistics- but they made it sound more like it was black people voting for obama and white people voting for mccain and that was that. however standing in line and throughout the past few days ive been talking to people about it only to find that no black person was ever like "yo man, lets get a brother in office, man!" and no white person was ever like "im voting for mccain because hes white and no black man should be president", granted i doubt anyone would admit that out loud- but each person had an actual issue that either candidate addressed that was their reason for their choice. some people were still divided up until the last minutes on who to pick. with the economy like it is, most people feared another four years with a republican in office so that weighed heavily against mccain as well.

what did you think of mccains speech when he lost? i actually felt bad for him losing, i like how he actually seemed embarrassed when his supporters gathered there for him in arizona booed obamas mention. he handled everything very well (patrick had said something like it was his first good speech) to the point it seemed like he had been prepared to lose, he had been expecting it. it was obvious how much he loves this country and that part of his campaign had never been just a motto but what he actually stood by and lived for. it made me happy to hear him say he will actually be working with obama to make the country a better place still and that is exactly what obamas campaign has been about: uniting washington. changing how the government works so that it actually works. he doesnt want it to be about republicans or democrats, blue states or red states, and i personally love that. i understand politics and the importance of different parties but i never understood the division or the need for it to be republicans vs. democrats the way it starts to be in washington, especially around election time and voting in new members to the senate and white house. i dont think mccain should be embarrassed about losing. the popular vote was very close and i think he would have made a good president- better than bush but then again that is like saying a hug is better than a wedgie or a stomachache, but i think obama would be/will be better and this is his time. also what i like is obama seems willing to accept help and ideas from others, he makes it feel like we are actually doing this together and i am not too sure mccain would have been as open or if he would have remained hard headed and set in his ways as most older people are. also- do you think mccain screwed his own campaign over by picking sarah palin for his vice president? ive heard a lot of people say thats why mccain lost their vote. i think mccain and palin together made great joke material out of themselves and having them hang around would have been fun in that aspect- but weve had 8 years of a president we made fun of and after awhile as we all know, it stops being funny and just becomes pathetic. its about time we got a guy in office that we can take seriously and even respect. i dont remember ever respecting george bush jr...

and in closing... incase you werent added to his mailing list from his official site, last night barack actually sent out an email to thank every single one of his voters, his supporters, his donators and his volunteers for their work on his campaign BEFORE he went out to make his speech in chicago which i think shows exactly what kind of age we are living in as far as communication goes with the internet. after all, if it wasnt for the internet, nobody would have heard about my band or gave a shit about it. soo we can all be thankful for the internet right? ;) and like obama was for a while, we are also the underdog so its always cool to see that underdog pull through. but honestly its pretty cool to see people other than musicians using the internet to connect with a huge group of people like that. i think obama has made more change than he realizes before he even was elected president. i cant wait to see the change to come.

"pete --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack"