I need to get this off my chest.

[Tashca]

I am a Bidenite through and through. I don’t even doubt this.
Ever since Joe dropped out after the Iowa caucus I have had a low level of anger. I had no doubt and still thought he was the best choice.
I felt the media was manipulating the primary process….still feel that way.
I noticed people would keep switching candidates when theirs would drop out. I stayed neutral.
When it got down to just Obama and Clinton I felt letdown. I did the only thing that felt right……I sent more money to Joe.
I made a statement that when one candidate was picked I would get behind that person….work to get them elected and of course send them money……
When it got down to Obama……I did what I felt was right…..and sent more money to Joe.
When Joe was picked for V.P……I honestly didn’t like it….I wanted him to stay independent and would have loved for him to become Senate Majority leader. I now realize that probably would have never happened.

The past few weeks and especially the last few days have made me see things differently. Joe made a good choice…..or should I say then P.E. Obama made an excellent choice in picking Joe.
As I’ve slowly watch the cabinet being put together I have had this good feeling that maybe things will be different this time. I am probably one of the few people that have for the most part been energized by these choices.
Since the inauguration I have watched closely…..and for the most part been pleasantly surprised and happy.
Do I dare let myself have some hope????

I had just over 600 posts when Joe dropped out…..so I don’t post much anymore.
I am having second thoughts and even thinking of becoming a registered Democrat again…….maybe even going back to work for the party…..well thinking about it anyway.

The Bidenite group is a great group…..maturity and common sense. I hope it’s ok if I start posting more in here.

Oh yeah…..I’m definitely changing my name…..I love all these new names!!!

[PatSeg]

1. Your feelings seem to mirror many of us here

I never thought I'd be happy with Joe as a VP, but they make a great team, the best President/VP combo of my lifetime. They seem to be on the same page about most everything.

Oh, please post here as often as you like. We definitely enjoy your company.

[Tashca]

5. I remember the day JFK was murdered..

I was 6 at the time......I saw the people closest to me just fall apart. Something seemed to change...
I am hopeful this is the best by far combination in my lifetime too!!

[PatSeg]

10. The other big turning point for me was when

Bush was appointed president in 2000. The 2004 election was like someone had died. I began to wonder if it would ever get better. This was worth waiting for.

[jillan]

13. Kerry losing in 2004 was the worst day I can remember.

I never felt so hopeless.

[PatSeg]

16. Same here

It was like someone died and the heavy feeling stayed with me for a long time. It made this moment that much sweeter though. The other really bad day was when Joe dropped out. I couldn't stop crying.

[CrispyQ]

21. Me too.

I was so pissed in 1980. Carter's message of conservation really struck a chord with me, but most American's didn't want to hear that message. The American way isn't about cutting back! If you're cold, you bump the thermostat up, you don't put on a sweater or grab a blanket! And it was so transparent that the repubs manipulated the Iranian hostage release, especially when they were let go on inauguration day. :eyes: I became completely disillusioned, not just with politics, but with my fellow citizens. I didn't vote for a candidate again until 2004. I really didn't pay much attention to the boosh administration until the Iraq war. I was pissed about Kyoto, but it was Iraq that really got me involved in politics again.

I started putting anti-boosh bumper stickers in the back window of my truck. This was in 2004, shortly after I joined here. I was surprised when I got flipped off several times. I live in a progressive area. Then Fahrenheit 9-11 came out & almost overnight people's attitude started changing. I started getting thumbsup instead of the bird. And by late summer, at stop lights, people would roll their windows down & lean out & give me a thumbsup. As election day drew near the feeling of hope was almost electric.

I'll never forget election day 2004. I was an election judge. The energy that day was incredible! People were in great moods & didn't mind the long lines. We finished a little after 9pm & I was home by 9:20. Kerry was in the lead & had just taken PA & was leading in OH. I was starting to let myself feel more hopeful. Then in a matter of minutes, OH switched. Just like that OH went from strong Kerry to calling it for boosh. ???

I went to bed in tears & called in sick the next day.

[ribrepin]

26. In 2004, I stayed home watch the election

It took me two days to pull myself together to return to work. I just knew Bush would run the country into bankrupty...tax cuts, medicare drug benefit, two wars and an idiot who had never had to run a household budget. Yep, that's the ticket. I cried also.

In 2000, when the supreme court called the election for Bush, my idiot co-worker parroted the Nader line about Bush being so conservative that the country would immediate turn away from him and become a green paradise. Yeah that worked out well.

Anyway, welcome back to DU.

[PatSeg]

28. I took two days off too

I didn't want to miss a thing. The day after the election, I was a zombie. "This can't be real. This can't be happening."

[CrispyQ]

20. I was 6 too.

I was in school & it was recess. In the middle of recess, the teachers came out onto the playground. Many were crying. We knew something bad had happened. Never in my life, have I seen my mother cry like she did those first few days.

[Tashca]

22. We must be long separated twins!!

I wasn't at recess, but I distinctly remember a teacher coming to our door and asking Mrs. Peters to come out into the hallway....next thing I knew they were letting school out early....When I walked out into the hallway I saw three teachers holding each other and crying. That is quite a sight for a 6 year old.
When I got home.....my mother was sobbing and in tears....I of course couldn't understand the situation.....but I knew I was very afraid and something awful had happened. I remember being so confused......
My mother to this day is convinced Johnson had something to do with it....sort of shaped my view of the world after that incident.

[jillan]

2. I totally agree about Joe. He is a unique politician and the media

was and still is very unfair to him. It pisses me off - as you all know - how the only time they ever talk about him is when he makes "a gaffe" (their words, not mine)

I never thought I would like Obama as much as I do.
When I was supporting Joe, and even when I supported Hillary, I never understood what people saw in Obama. I used to call him "The Candidate" from that Robert Redford movie. Boy was I wrong. Now I see that things are exactly as they should be. Obama is the right man for the job. Joe wasn't. Obama has this amazing intelligence and I believe he really will be successful. I mean - who else but Obama could get away with saying to the Repugs - If you want to get things done, you need to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh. Ha - you gotta love the guy.

So, were you an independent? I just assume that everyone that posts here is a Democrat.
Pat and I were recently surprised when we found out that a Biden supporter was a R.

I hope you post more. Lately I've been feeling that our little group is disappearing.
That would make me sad.

Let us know if you change your name. Altho, I really like Bellator.

[Tashca]

6. Registered Democrat until 1998

I worked hard for the party in the late eighties and well into the nineties. I never liked Clinton and just plain got tired of his bullshit....I decided maybe I wasn't a Democrat and would find another party. I basically quit the party and never really found one that spoke to me.
I always have voted Dem.....in the primaries and caucus's I would vote Dem. then immediately change my party affiliation back to independent.

I have signed up for this site three times since 2002. My first name was Jericho a name I have used in different sites since 1997. I promptly lost my password and never retrieved it. I sent a letter and asked to get the name back....they responded that they would clear off the old account and I could have it if I wanted it. I have since changed my mind again....that is my old name form the past....I am thinking of moving forward and going with Tashca.....the first two letters in each of my three daughters names in birth order.

[PatSeg]

11. I remember when you watched

"The Candidate". Our feelings were pretty much the same at the time. I guess a lot of people were like us, as they didn't really know Obama yet. I had no idea he would end up this composed and confident. It is like he grew into the role of president during the campaign.

[jillan]

12. I agree. He grew up over the last couple of years and

I really believe that the tough primary season helped him alot.

[PatSeg]

15. Yeah, the long campaign was hell,

but it served Obama well. Oh gee that rhymes.

[livvy]

3. Of course!

I'm still a solid Biden supporter. Actually, just got home from meeting up with some friends for an hour or two, and I was wearing my Bidenite cap. It's my favorite!

Don't get me wrong. I like Obama, and I have great hope for the future, but a big part of that hope is because I know he has Joe by his side.

Nice to see you here. I don't post all that often, here, or anywhere for that matter. Most of my posts are because I did the daily thread in the Election Reform forum once a week for several years. Now I'm helping unhappycamper out in the Veteran's forum on the weekends. Other than that I don't post much. I'm not a big one for arguing, and I hate some of the nasty stuff that people post to each other. GDP is like that still, I think, and GD can get a bit testy, too. I mostly come to DU to read the real news, and of course, to see how the Bidenites are doing. It is actually the first forum I go to when I come on line.

Post away here. You are right...there's good people here! The Kerry group is like that, too. Really nice folks there.

:hi:

[Tashca]

7. Some of the posts are nasty

I'm not much for arguing....but I love to discuss ideas. When people feel threatened they seem to degenerate into attack mode. To me that is a sign of immaturity.....either by age of emotional maturity. I don't need that.
I know not all posters are like that and I refuse to argue with people who won't listen....

[CrispyQ]

27. The snark is unbelievable.

I read so many posts where the poster didn't have to respond in such a snarky manner. Instead of responding with something like, "I disagree & here's why," we have a lot of "You don't know what you're talking about."

American society has really changed since I was a kid. We're very harsh & unfriendly. It is now acceptable to build yourself up by tearing others down. That wasn't the case when I was a kid. Oh sure, people did it, but they got called out on it. We used to believe in something called sportsmanship. Now winning is the only thing that matters & if you have to gouge your opponents eyes out to do it, that's ok.

Stranger in a Strange Land - that's how I feel sometimes.

[CrispyQ]

4. Hey! It's good to see you!

I was completely deflated after Joe dropped out. I really didn't care who got the nom. I was somewhat more energized after Obama selected Joe as his VP, but I still that the "The-order-should-be-reversed" blues! But I've come around.

Piranha posted this story. It's kind of long, but very good!

http://www.esquire.com/print-this/joe-biden-biography-0209-3

snip...

But the real story is not so simple and far more interesting. It starts with the first time Barack Obama got Biden on the phone to talk about the vice-presidency. "When he called to ask me whether or not I would be willing to be vetted — and he was very specific, he said, 'I'm not fooling around, it's down to three or fewer people, I'm not asking you to jump into a mix of ten people — would you be willing?' And I said, 'I have to think about it,' " Biden says now.

Obama told him he needed to know soon. When could he get an answer?

"If you need an answer right now, the answer's no," Biden said. "But let me think about it. I won't keep you out there hanging."

The next day, he called Obama back. "I will submit to being vetted," he said. "But I want to make it clear to you the last thing I'm worried about is the vetting. What I'm worried about is the decision if you ask me. But if, after the vetting, you believe I'm clean as a whistle and you then determine I'm the guy, we got to talk again. I'm not saying I will accept it if you offer it, I want to talk to you about it, because I want to make sure what is the expectation, what is the role, what is the deal."

snip...

"Here's the thing," Biden told me. "This is an historic moment. I started my career fighting for civil rights, and to be a part of what is both a moment in American history where the best people, the best ideas, the — how can I say it? — the single best reflection of the American people can be called upon — to be at that moment, with a guy who has such incredible talent and who is also a breakthrough figure in multiple ways — I genuinely find that exciting. It's a new America. It's the reflection of a new America."

Biden goes quiet for a moment. "And I think we got it right," he says. "We got it right, the president and vice-president. It's the right order."

===

I hope you stick around. After eight years of "can it get any worse?" it's hard to beleive that we could see some really good things happen, but I think we will.

Welcome back!

CQ

[Tashca]

8. Thanks for posting that again.

For some strange reason that really made me feel good......and I'm feeling pretty good as it is!!

I plan on sticking around....thank you...

[PatSeg]

9. Yeah, that article was the icing on the cake,

or the "cupcake". I don't think we could have a more perfect administration for this time. I'm sure I won't always be happy with everything that Obama does, but he appears to be more suited for the presidency than anyone I know of in politics. And we get to see Joe on a regular basis!

[Muttocracy]

14. Goodness - none of us have changed our name to Cupcake - Gateley can have that :)

[PatSeg]

17. Aw, that is a sweet idea

I hope she comes back soon.

[Eurobabe]

19. I seriously thought about CupcakeLover

:rofl: :rofl:

[Muttocracy]

25. yep, I saw that subthread :)

[Eurobabe]

18. Glad you've come around Bellator

Sometimes it takes awhile. As for becoming a registered Dem, I swore I would always remain Independent, but now I am content to leave my registration as it is.

And yes, I have to agree with you -- JBSG is the first place I go when I log on, and the last place I check when I log off. Some wonderful people here!!

:grouphug: :grouphug:

[Tashca]

23. 48percenter.

I have to admit for a very long time I thought you were a guy......I don't think it was the way you wrote, but instead had something to do with the name.
Now Eurobabe leaves me little doubt....I think the name fits you well!!

I worked in the central planning committee for several years. I had a hatred of Reagan and his big business ideas....his so called Reaganism......trickle down made my skin crawl.
I decided the only way for me, besides voting, to get involved was working with the Democratic party.
In the county I lived most people politically active knew I was from that other party and fairly active. I lived in a Republican stronghold. I found myself constantly having to defend Clinton and democratic ideals......then finally when the Lewinsky think broke and Clinton admitted to lying.....I said fuck it and left the party. I felt they really didn't represent me anymore.

Today I feel the possibility that they do for the first time in a very long time. And it feels damned good.

I've come around????....yes.....but after all the years of lying and deceitfulness I am very cautious. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect ....respect.

[Eurobabe]

24. I hear you...

I never really joined the party, I've remained Independent since 1992. (I came over from the dark side, long story). I am taking a wait and see attitude too...but I feel hopeful.

And that is an awesome feeling.

And nope, I'm a woman. :hi: