blog - gObama 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
(Chicago, IL - 12.15 a.m. local time)I spend the Monday afternoon walking around and checking my emails. I had a classic brownie with American coffee as a special treat at Corner bakery cafe downtown. I walked up to the J. Hancock building and took a lift up to the Signature lounge on the 96th floor. An amazing view over the city that I shared with hundreds of people who were sipping their cappuccino's or cocktails. I tried to take shots and bumped into two women from Pittsburgh, who offered me a free table seat. We instantly became friends when they told me that a friend had just texted them that Obama’s grandmother “Toot” had passed away in the morning. So, we started to chat about the election fever - it turned out that both of them had campaigned for Obama in Ohio. Good vibes.
I interviewed them about their feelings and just like my host Shehla, they were very emotional and apprehensive about everything taking place over the next 48 hours. It was almost impossible to name and describe their mixture of fear and excitement. I think it is an indication that something historic is taking place - a paradigm shift that comes with a sense of uncertainty and loss of ordinary control mechanisms of power. New ideas rise slowly and merge with old patterns and habits.
As we walked into the night, the two women (Jami & Lindsay) invited me to watch the game. How the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Washington Red Skins was a forebode of the election night. I don’t know anything about American football teams, but when they explained me deadly serious: if the Washington team wins this football game, then historically that would mean Obama will lose the election to the status quo that runs Washington. So I got very interested and my superstitious self was bugged as we sat down and watched (although I do not understand any football rules). After three hours and some good dark local Chicago beer and after discussing American life and global politics, we were mightily relieved. The Steelers won 23 to 10 against the Red Skins. Word Up for the Steelers!
