Proud to Be a Democrat

I wasn't watching the Democratic debate last night, because I was at my Italian conversation group, but as Chris & I were watching some of the "highlights" on CNN (what is politics, a sporting event now?) I couldn't help but think, "I'm so proud to be a Democrat right now."

Yes, I'm sick of the debates - I haven't watched a single one of the 7,349 debates in its entirety, and I'm still sick of them. But even catching some of the images of the two final candidates for the Democratic nomination on the screen, you can't help but notice that no matter who's on top of the ticket, the Democrats are making history this year. And I happen to feel very confident that a Democrat is going to end up in the White House, and we'll be making history in an even bigger way if that happens. There's something really moving about looking at a woman and a black man on a stage, both vying for the chance to be President of the United States, and both Democrats. Especially when you look at the Republican party which has, yet again, a slate of white men from which to choose. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see which party is really about change.

Given the fact that I'm pretty optimistic about the Democratic party's chances this year, I also started thinking about something else - that we're actively trying to move away from this country this year. The last time I voted for someone to oust a Bush from the White House, I was studying abroad in the U.K., and had to vote by absentee ballot. So, maybe - who knows? - I'll be voting for the next post-Bush President with an absentee ballot from across an ocean.

In a way, if a Democrat wins the election, it's going to make leaving the U.S. a little harder. Of course, it'll also make it much easier to be an American abroad - there would be no more need to tell people, "I didn't vote for him."

So, yes. I'm feeling very proud to be a Democrat these days.