Inauguration and Fairfax County Democrats

And you thought you were planning ahead?

How about camping out on Pennsylvania Avenue five days before the big event? That’s the plan, and how many more are going to throw down land claims? This place is going bonkers.

Then there’s the group trying to come up with the down payment for yet another Inaugural Ball, the "Grassroots Ball," to be held January 19 at the Ronald Reagan building ($52,000 deposit, and they are getting close) which, at the stroke of midnight will turn the pumpkin carriage scene into feet and legs to move to the Mall to stake out more land claims (if there is any land left at that bewitching hour, just precious few before the Big Event).

But where’s my date? Yeekers, yikers!
I'm late, I'm late for
A very important date.
No time to say hello, good-bye,
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

Meanwhile, back in Fairfax County for a meeting Wednesday night of 30-some always strong willed Democrats, the “Brigades,” who just can’t give it up! ("We live it up!")

Echoing the statements of several present, Dewita Soeharjono, campaigner/canvasser extraordinaire, said she knocked on doors in Ohio and Pennsylvania for Mr. Barack Obama. One Middle Easterner said he traveled to 19 states for Obama. An official from the Fairfax County Office of Elections attending the meeting "on her own time" said the Obama effort to register voters was more than extraordinary, and she praised the group for its unearthly muscle, energy, and verve.

Thank goodness Virginia has elections every year to help satiate the political junkies who have it in their blood to run and run and run, or help others to run and run and run.

Seems like the 2009 governor’s race finds the determined Democrats supporting Brian Moran; the less-determined, supporting Creigh Deeds, and the Clintons, Terry McAuliffe.

Jon Bowerbank from Russell County, a candidate running in the Virginia 2009 race for Lieutenant Governor, had a spokesperson present, and Mark Keam formerly of Sen. Dick Durbin’s staff and huge Obama supporter, is running for State Assembly, a supporter announced. Where was Creigh Deeds' representative? A man supporting Brian Moran for governor spoke up, urging the group to support him.

Although McAuliffe has lived in McLean about 20 years, why does he seem like a carpet-bagger? Could be he’s never traveled south of McLean? Give that man a road map, one Republican said, so he will know the difference between Norton and Norfolk!

Joy in the World: Mark Warner's Election Night Party

There’s a party going on!

If I closed my eyes I was sure I was at a University of Tennessee football game (back when the school had a team) for the screams and cheers were just as loud and deafening. How happy not to be in Tennessee!

At the McLean Hilton, anywhere from several hundred (the Washington Post) to about 1,000 (my count) to 3,000 to 4,000 (an exuberant reporter who shed his “media” badge to jump in and clap and shriek with the rest of us) attended Mark's party to watch, scream, and cheer (most of) the projections which flashed across huge television screens, one to the left of us (CNN), one to the right of us (MSNBC).

Meanwhile: the media sat glumly behind us on its platform.

Shouts of joy drowned the ballroom when MSNBC projected a state for Obama, then, moments later ear-splitting screams when CNN called the same state for Obama (and vice-versa). Boos erupted when Tennessee was called for McCain, and later, when Sarah Palin's face was screened during John McCain's concession speech.

Off and on the stage: the “senior” senator from Virginia, James Webb; the governor, Tim Kaine; the winner and host of the magnificent buffet, Mark Warner; newly-elected congressman, Gerry Connolly.

Moments after Warner, Webb, and Kaine paraded on the dais for the first time for Senator-Elect Warner's victory speech, here they came again with their families for Gov. Kaine's announcement of a special telephone call just received.

The floor moved, the walls quivered, the lights twinkled and his pearly whites glistened when Tim Kaine exclaimed: AP was calling Virginia for Barack Obama!

The jubilant mass raised fists, shouted, cried, danced, and Gov. Kaine said Virginia’s electoral votes had delivered the presidency to Obama, but it was not Virginia.

An Arab American woman came up to me and sorrowfully asked where I, an Anglo-Saxon, had gotten my "Arab Americans for Obama" sticker which I wore proudly on my dress. I peeled it off and gave it to her who later wore it plastered to her cheek.

I passed Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust who smiled broadly: "It's a great day to be an American." He paused: "It's a great day to be a Democrat!"

To my pal in Blacksburg worried on Monday about the outcome, I said: "Don't you worry, Ann! We 'Communists' in the Great State of Northern Virginia will deliver for Barack Obama!" And we did...with sincere and everlasting joy.




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Pollwatching in Northern Virginia

Voting went off without a hitch today at my precinct at Tysons Corner where I was a pollwatcher for the Democrats.

When I reported “for duty” at 5:30 a.m., about 100 persons whom I could see in the dark to count, stood waiting for the polls to open at 6 a.m.

By the time I left at 2 p.m. some provisional ballots had been cast, but no serious, not even mild, problems had occurred, other than one of the touch screen machines breaking down twice which was restored to duty shortly thereafter by whom or what? I do not know.

(What happened? How do they know those votes are saved? In pollwatcher school, we were instructed to cast paper ballots when possible, but most people, not realizing I think, the paper trail left by paper ballots, wanted to stand in the longer line for the machines.)

One woman who missed the voter registration deadline of October 6 and had only registered to vote last week, showed up “hoping,” and even she voted by provisional ballot. That she could even submit a vote was an indication of the progressive attitude of voting officials who generally approved every questionable voter.

Two other representatives of the Democratic Party joined me “inside”: an attorney who stayed all day and another pollwatcher. We had three people outside. Throughout the day the Good Providence Democrats brought us doughnuts, coffee, bananas, and paper bag lunches they had made.

In addition to monitoring the voting process, our chief duty was to record the names of voters on the Democratic list whose names were picked up by runners at 9:30 a.m. and at 2 p.m. for submission to the data bank so that the party and volunteers could contact non-voters to urge them to get to the polls before closing at 7 p.m.

No McCain representatives came to pollwatch and from the window, I could see only one McCain supporter outside who didn’t stay long, maybe because those high heels were too high. She was dressed like Cindy McCain, in leather coat and dark hose. She violated the 40’ rule by leaving her “McCain/Palin” stickers on her red coat when she entered the building twice, but no one reported her. If it had not been for the elderly woman wearing a diamond donkey on her chest whom no one criticized at my book, I would have reported Cindy McCain’s violation at Tysons.

Then there was the man who returned for his “I voted today” sticker so he could go to Starbucks, he said, and get a free cup of coffee. This was the same man carrying a Salvatore Ferragamo purse in a bag which he was returning to the store, he said, for his “significant other” who wanted a bigger Ferragamo emblem to show off. “You see what you women make us do,” he laughed. No wonder he needed free coffee!

In the early morning voters told us they waited one hour and 15 minutes to vote, but by lunchtime, lines had vanished.

Without question the most thrilling part of the day was witnessing “Alex,” whom I registered to vote, show up to cast his ballot and seeing my neighbor, a naturalized citizen from China who works for a federal agency and feared for her job security if anyone found out she supported Barack Obama, vote for the first time.

Now it’s time to get ready for the big Mark Warner party down the street. It’s a good thing it’s nearby so I can crawl home.

Happy days are almost here again!