But the damage that we've incurred will continue for a long long time. Luckily we have a President-Elect who will attempt to clean up the damage.

Today is a day I do not celebrate for myself, for I have celebrated enough already. Today is a day I celebrate for my country and world. Today is a day I celebrate for people of color who now realize that depsite the racism and discrimination that exist in this country, this is a land of opportunity and hope.

I can't help but wonder what my dear Katie (my daughter, who is mixed race) feels. Perhaps a little more optimism? Perhaps she has higher self-esteem? Perhaps other kids will be a bit nicer and she'll face fewer jokes because of her mixed race? That's my hope.

Anytime I get upset that I am not going to the Inauguration, I remember how insane it will be. The crowds, traffic, packed everything, lines, outrageous prices, etc. Hotels were around $600/night when they are usually 1/6th of that. Sorry, but I'm not spending $2k-3k for a 2-2.5 star hotel for 4-5 nights. 

The title of this blog post is the best way to describe my 2008.

-I drove across the country for the second time in a year.

-I met Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Tim Russert, James Denton, Viggo Mortensen, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King, Joe Lieberman, and more that I am forgetting.

-I adopted two kitties.

-I lived in 3 states.

-I have now visited 47 states in the US.

-I lived in my Mecca, Washington D.C.

-I worked on K Street.

-I became known as the best in my field of tracking candidates for public office.

-I bought a new car, my dream car.

-I helped a few people have a Christmas.

-I lived my dream and I had moments of such profound happiness, there are no words to explain it.

Unlike many I know, and countless I don't, 2008 was a pretty good year for me. I hope 2009 is even better, especially for those who need it.

I've been watching with both interest and nervousness as a good friend of mine blogged about Obama winning (the comment section went crazy!). Some of my friends are Republican and they haven't been very happy about Obama winning (BIGTIME!). I've tried to put myself in their shoes.

I have been one of the most apprehensive supporters of Obama. Don't believe me? Check my blog archives or look at my Facebook history. I just refused to buy into the Obama mania. But I became inspired at what he was able to do. What he did is make people believe again. He gave people hope. People believed that they had a voice again. That they counted. That they could do something to better our country. How could I then complain or look with disdain at what Obama had helped create and inspire? I couldn't.

Like him or not, like his policies or not, what he has done is unprecented in our time. We haven't had a leader like him since Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK. You don't have to agree with his policies to agree that his mantra of "YES WE CAN" can be applied to all kinds of service and work. Let's use this opportunity to come together and fix the broken system and a broken Washington (D.C.).

YES. WE. CAN.

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Barack could run. President Obama was just elected so our children can fly." Not sure who said this. Picked it off of Facebook.

I've got a special place in my heart for Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Almost a year ago, I tracked my first event/candidate. I tracked John McCain in Dixville Notch. There were maybe 20 people there and only a few people in the press pool. I was nervous as hell and amazed that I stood five feet from McCain as he held a town hall at the Balsams Hotel (which is GORGEOUS!). That event feels like yesterday.

I barely made it up the Notch because of the snow and steep roads, but my Nissan made it, despite spinning out and doing some 360's.

Dixville Notch is a gorgeous area (take a look at some pictures) and so I was excited to find out that Dixville Notch, for the first time in 40 years, has voted for the Democrat for President, Barack H. Obama.

In case you don't know about Dixville Notch, they are the first to generally report their results in the New Hampshire Primary and General Election, with having their citizens vote at midnight and immediately reporting their results.

This is AWESOME! Thanks, Dixville Notch, for putting a smile on my face.

Many of you, I'm sure, have already voted. To those who haven't, allow me to give you some recommendations.

Obama (must I give an explanation???) Aren't we tired of the direction this country is headed? Aren't we tired of endless war? Endless war that costs $10 billion dollars a month? Are ready to usher in a new era? An era where we work with our allies, where our government works for the people and not corporations, where we can tackle our problems with solutions that don't hurt the middle class?

Gregoire. I'm sorry but Dino Rossi doesn't support open and transparent government. He despises openness and he despises Democrats. We need a Governor who works with both sides. Gov. Gregoire has won awards for her managerial skills and this state, though not in great shape, is one of only 10 states that has a surplus.

Peter Goldmark (Lands Commissioner). The Republican, Sutherland, is a perv and sexually harassed an employee. Not to mention he is way too cozy with the special interests he is supposed to help regulate!!! That is NOT GOOD.

Carol Gregory in Federal Way. I love love love Carol Gregory and Skip Priest has been around far too long. While he is a moderate Republican, we need change and someone who has a better grasp on educational issues. Gregory is a former teacher and understands education.

Randy Dorn for Superintendent of Public Instruction. I don't like the WASL, you don't like the WASL, no one likes the WASL, except Terry Bergeson. Time for Randy.

No on 985. Sounds good but takes money from the general fund to pay for unspecified road projects, which is NOT GOOD.

Need any other help? Give me a call.

Let me just say that I am deeply saddened that the Mormon Church is spending $20 million dollars in California for Proposition 8. I support equal rights and I don't believe that discrimination should be legal. I can't help but think of what that $20 million dollars could do. How many hungry children it could feed. How many widows could have heat this winter. How many vaccines could be given. Heartbreaking.

I swear to God, if Dino wins I will move out of this state. It has been said that how one runs a campaign is how one would govern. If that is true for Dino Rossi, then everyone in Washington should be shaking in their shoes. He runs a campaign that uses fear and intimidation against anyone they perceive won't vote for him, including women. 

I was just watching Extra and they were interviewing Gladys Knight and she said she supports Barack Obama for President. For those who don't know, Gladys Knight is a Mormon. 

"An Alaska woman who owns a company that processes workers’ compensation claims in the state has told an independent investigator that she was urged by the office of Gov. Sarah Palin to deny a benefits claim for Palin’s ex brother-in-law, a state trooper who was involved in an ugly divorce and child custody dispute with Palin’s sister, despite evidence that the claim appeared to be legitimate, according to state officials who were briefed about the conversation."

I find it strange and hard to believe that so many people support the McCain-Palin ticket. It's as if they don't really get what they are supporting (corruption, special interests, a lack of experience and judgment, a lobbyist run White House, the worsening of our healthcare system, more war, the same George W. Bush policies that have destroyed our economy, ruined our reputation, and decimated our military). 

This list comes from Andrew Sullivan (who is a Conservative) who has a brilliant blog:

The Daily Dish.

- She has lied about the Bridge To Nowhere. She ran for office favoring it, wore a sweatshirt defending it, and only gave it up when the federal congress, Senator McCain in particular, went ballistic. She kept the money anyway and favors funding Don Young's Way, at twice the cost of the original bridge.

- She has lied about her firing of the town librarian and police chief of Wasilla, Alaska.- She has lied about pressure on Alaska's public safety commissioner to fire her ex-brother-in-law.

- She has lied about her previous statements on climate change.

- She has lied about Alaska's contribution to America's oil and gas production.

- She has lied about when she asked her daughters for their permission for her to run for vice-president.

- She has lied about the actual progress in constructing a natural gas pipeline from Alaska.- She has lied about Obama's position on habeas corpus.

- She has lied about her alleged tolerance of homosexuality.

- She has lied about the use or non-use of a TelePrompter at the St Paul convention.

- She has lied about her alleged pay-cut as mayor of Wasilla.

- She has lied about what Alaska's state scientists concluded about the health of the polar bear population in Alaska.

More here.

Gov. Sarah Palin's favorable/unfavorable ratings have suffered a stunning 21 point collapse in just one week, according to Research 2000 polling. Last week, 52% approved and 35% disapproved of the GOP vice presidential nominee (+17 net). This week, 42% approved and 46% disapprove (-4 net).

Earlier this week, Newsweek also saw the drop in other polling. "Over the course of a single weekend... Palin went from being the most popular White House hopeful to the least."

Political Insider: Why Palin was ultimately a bad pick for McCain.

Hat tip: Political Wire.

So if you click my blogger profile, you can see that I have created a new blog, Women Against Sarah Palin. I find the choice of Palin, while potentially brilliant, so offensive and dangerous, I can barely contain my feelings. 

So Sarah Palin...I was pretty surprised, but not horribly surprised. As soon as I heard the loud rumblings 2 days ago about Kay Bailey Hutchison, I knew McCain was looking for someone conventional yet different. 

Watching the convention this year from Seattle will be extremely bittersweet. I watch with envy as some of my dearest professional mentors are in Denver soaking it all up. I had the opportunity to go to Denver, for free, but I turned down the job that would've brought me there.