Yahoo!

As soon as the Electoral Votes reached 270 on Tuesday night, I headed down to Tom Thumb to purchase balloons to hang on our Obama yard sign. When I told the man at Tom Thumb what I was doing, he gave me a weird look and said, "Obviously, I hadn't heard." I wasn't going to let him rain on my parade!

My balloons didn't make it through the night very well, but I did manage to get a picture Wednesday morning of what was left.

Did you catch the speech? That was some inspiring speech. Even if I hadn't voted for him, I think I would have become a fan after hearing that.

The kids and I had dinner at Chick Fil-A that Tuesday night -- it was kids' night and they have crafts for the kids to do. Lots of talk about the election was going around Chick Fil-A. One kid working at the counter asked everyone he encountered, "Who did you vote for?" He never asked me but I told Katie and Trevor it is rude to ask someone that. Trevor said they had partitions set up at school for the Kindergartners when they voted. I told him that was to make sure it was a secret ballot. I tried to tell them how the secret ballot is very important. If you want to tell someone who you voted for, you have every right to do that. You do not, however, ask someone for whom they voted. The secret ballot is to protect the privacy of those who do not want everyone to know. Of course, I've got a bumper sticker and a yard sign, so evidently I don't mind discussing it. Both kids told me that Obama won at their elementary school's mock election. They both said they voted for him, too. I asked each one why they voted for him. I said it's important to understand why you want someone to be president. Trevor said, bless his heart, that Barack Obama's grandmother died and he wanted to do something to make him happy so he voted for him for president. I replied that might not be the best reason to vote for someone, but at least he had a reason. Katie said she voted for him because Mama and Daddy did. I told her it's important to make her own decisions. Listen to what others say about the candidates but ultimately make your own decision.

I just read an article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2203910/?GT1=38001

It was thought provoking. The question is, "Did Obama's race help him win the election?" Nowhere in it did I see my theory. I think President-Elect (wow!) Obama's race helped in that it got others who may not usually feel voting is important to listen to him. Once they heard his message, it was a done-deal. I really do not think many people voted for him just because of his race.