Hello, Democracy

I have to talk about the Election, don't I? It's really impossible not to. On top of the whole Cusp of History feeling about it -- and how New Millennium is it to have either the first black President or first female vice president -- there's also that Christmas Eve Thank God It's Finally Here exhale. Like, let's get on with it already.

(In fact, starting presidential races nearly 2 years before the actual frickin' election is an awful lot like putting up the Christmas displays before the Halloween candy has even been handed out. It sucks all the anticipation out of the thing itself and by the time it rolls around, there's no fun left.)

I didn't really think I'd care about it so much. In 2007, we talked about the launch of the BarackObama.com web site at work because of the ways the campaign was using Web 2.0 technology to reach out to volunteers and voters, and as marketers, it was fascinating and interesting. And his candidacy itself definitely had an energy around it from the very beginning. I knew very little about what anybody believed, but something about Obama was exciting. I also liked what Bill Richardson had to say and thought he had an impressive resume and a low-key charm. And I kept an eye on John McCain because I had found him a strong candidate in 2000; if he'd won the Republican nomination then, I probably would have voted for him.

But it's not like I registered with their sites, or donated money, or even paid much attention after the initial candidacy announcements. Who cares in the summer when the first primaries are 6 months away? (See? Like Christmas in July. Doesn't work.)

Then there was the whole Obama vs. Clinton extended Democratic primary season and that got old really fast, so I kept tuning out.

Even when the nominees were initially confirmed at last, I felt like I had two strong candidates to choose from, but then McCain ran the silly Paris Hilton ads and I was puzzled. The conventions happened, and that's when I really started to pay attention. And when McCain picked Gov. Palin, suddenly my choice was clear. I think "appalled" is the word that best sums it up. I still can't figure out what he was thinking.

But it wasn't just me paying more attention. The chatter was everywhere -- Facebook, Twitter, blogs, walking by the TV at work, sitting at the lunch table with colleagues. I cared about the elections in 2000 and 2004, but the energy and interest was nothing like this.

I felt like I needed to be involved, so I took Tuesday off to volunteer.

And here we are.

Tomorrow I'll stand in line to vote, and it's anybody's guess how long that will take. Then I'll help hand out materials at a local polling place. And I'll watch TV that night, nervously, hoping it's all wrapped up before I go to bed.

Then I'll exhale.

What about you?