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RELIABLE_DISAPPOINTMENT

                                             December 3, 2010

  The night the Obama was elected,
  Dangerbaby and I were at the Pirate
  Cat cafe.

  I joined in on the open mic political
  commentary broadcast illegally over       (My main contribution was
  their pre-FCC shutdown transmitter.       to repeat some of the things
                                            I'd learned from reading
  Kal (of The Seemen fame) had brought      Tannenbaum's electoral-vote.com
  along some toys, include a hot dog        site -- people were so obsessed
  rotissery of his own design (an iron      with the presidential race,
  cage rotating through gas flames),        that it wasn't common knowledge
  which was set-up out on the sidewalk.     yet that the Senate was on a
                                            knife edge of cloture.)
     Just before Obama's acceptance
     speech, I'd shouldered my way
     forward through the crowd, to
     use the bathroom all the way
     in the back.

     When I stepped out, the acceptance speech
     was starting: I turned around and looked
     up at the projection screen high up on
     the wall over the bathroom door.

     After a few minutes, I thought: "He
     started slowly, but now he's warming up,
     that's good..."  then I turned around,
     thinking about shouldering my way
     through the crowd, back to where I'd
     left Dangerbaby outside.

     I was looking into the faces of a solid
     wall of twenty-something women, all looking
     up at the screen over my head with radiant
     expressions and tears in their eyes.

     I changed my mind, and decided I'd better
     leave them alone, and stay there until
     the speech ended.


         While I voted for Obama, I've
         been around for long enough          I appreciated Bill Weinberg's
         to expect some disappointment.       sentiment: "I sincerely hope
                                              that Barrack Obama gets a chance
         However, the speed and               to betray us.  I really do."
         thoroughness with which he
         attacked this task was truly
         amazing.


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