Nothing/No one I voted for yesterday won, well, except for the decriminalization of marijuana. So, at least I can drown out my political sorrows with some whackytabacky. I kid (maybe).

I did vote for John McCain but note that my vote was not a vote against Obama. My political views are much more aligned with McCain’s. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the historical significance of this moment.

And, like John McCain said in his poignant concession speech last night, what Obama was able to do is admirable, if not amazing, and I’m not talking about race. Barack Obama was able to do something that Al Gore and John Kerry could never do. He was able to engage a new generation of voters. He got them excited in our electoral process and, most importantly, he got them to vote. In my day (and yes, I’m old enough to say that now), my friends and I would piss and moan about elections but most of them wouldn’t so much as register.

I also voted “yes” on Question 1 (to repeal the state income tax). I knew this one would never pass but my vote was more of a middle finger to the state legislature. I hate, no, LOATHE the way money is spent in this state. I can’t stand that a state which boasts more colleges and universities than you can name in an hour is one of the lowest in funding its public higher education. I can’t stand that I’m forced to buy health insurance.

I voted “yes” on Question 2 (to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana) because I think it’s a step in the right direction. After witnessing the horrors of alcohol abuse and the nightmare of heroin addiction, I think it’s time to face reality and accept that marijuana is not dangerous. It’s not addictive, you can’t overdose on it, and I’ll even go as far as saying it’s much safer than alcohol.

My favorite part of the campaign for this referendum was when Suffolk County DA Conley spoke out against it while mentioning he tried it in college. Remember kids, even if you smoke weed in college, you too can become a District Attorney in Massachusetts. If only you guys could see how far into my head my eyes are rolling right now.

I voted “no” on Question 3 (to ban dog racing) because I’d rather not put people out of work during a recession. I also think it’s naive to believe that now greyhounds will be let free to run and play, oh la dee da… the trainers will move their operations to kennels in New Hampshire. If anything, I would have preferred some regulations on the treatment of the dogs and organization to help post-career dogs get adopted instead of banning it outright.

I did not vote for Sen. Kerry and I didn’t vote for Rep. Tierney. I think it’s practically assured that by next week, John Kerry will be named to the Obama Cabinet. Deval Patrick, too. To the victor goes the spoils.

Overall, I can’t complain about the results because that is the beauty of democracy in action. Majority rules.

Today is Election Day (duh) and it also marks the third time I have voted in a Presidential Election.

The first Presidential Election I can remember was 1988. My very old fourth grade teacher told our class she was voting for George Bush because she thought Dan Quayle was “soooooo handsome.” The only other thing I can remember is that my dad would call Michael Dukakis, “Du-cah-cah,” which I, as a 9-year-old, thought was hysterically funny.

In 1992, my junior high school conducted its own mock presidential election. We voted in homeroom and spent the entire day waiting for the results. Political debates overtook the usual cafeteria gossip and in the end, Ross Perot won in a landslide.

The first presidential election I voted in was perhaps the most controversial in recent memory… 2000. And, I’d like to say I was part of it but I didn’t vote for Al Gore and I didn’t vote for George Bush. Yes, my sister and I both voted for *gasp* Ralph Nader. Not that it really matters anyway, Al Gore would win Massachusetts no matter who we checked off.

Today, I voted first thing in the morning. I think my dad and I were able to dodge the lines but they were starting to fill behind us. In fact, it took us longer to check out than it did to check in but I think that was due in part to the 120-year-old woman in charge of the check-out book.

Now, I’m just going to kick back and watch the results roll in with my fingers crossed.

As we drove to Wakefield for fireworks the other night, my boyfriend, his son, and I started discussing the history of the Fourth, such as the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Out of the blue, the kid asks who we want to win the upcoming presidential election.

“John McCain, I guess,” I said.

He replied, “Good! Because I don’t want Obama to win!” Bear in mind, he’s only nine-years-old.

Intrigued, we asked him why.

“Obama wants to make kids stay in school two more hours a day!”

I have no idea where the kid heard that. His mother is far from, we’ll say, political. But that, my friends, is a nine-year-old perspective on the upcoming election. Don’t think they aren’t paying attention, in between episodes of Spongebob and Fairly Oddparents, of course.