Overcome With Emotion; Or, I Got Something in My Eye

It has been a while since I cried. In fact, I can't remember the last time... But yesterday something happened.

I came home from work and immediately took Leia outside for her afternoon/evening walk. Then we came back in. So far, it was a usual weekday.

Typically, we leave the TV audio on during the day for the dog. And Leia especially likes to listen to CNN.

As you know, the Democratic National Convention is going on this week. CNN is covering it. Last night, I sat down to watch the roll call of all states, districts, and territories. For a few seconds, each state gets to represent itself as it submits its delegate votes for presidential nominee.

The roll went on for about thirty minutes until it reached New Mexico. New Mexico yielded its vote to Illinois, who had passed on its vote earlier in the roll call (I have no idea what any of this means).

Illinois, represented by Chicago's Mayor Daley, after first proclaiming Illinois to be the home of the 2008 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, then yielded to the state of New York.

At this point, the hall was chaotic. There were people everywhere yelling and screaming and pushing and shoving. Then it became apparent that there was a small group of people trying to make their way from the back of the hall to the area where New York was positioned.

Eventually, Hillary Clinton appeared out of the mass of humanity and moved to suspend the rules of the convention and halt the roll call thereby nominating Obama by acclimation.

The hall went nuts.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, recognized the motion by Clinton and asked if anyone seconded the motion... and every hand went up with the sound of a thousand people yelling the same thing: "I second the motion!"

I hadn't realized what I was witnessing until I saw images of grown men standing in that hall with tears streaming down their faces. It was official. Our country, our Democrats, nominated an African-American man to run for president.

Regardless of what you think of his policies, it was difficult not to realize we had just been a witness to a truly historic event. I am more full of hope for our country now than I have ever been.