When I first saw this picture yesterday, from the AP’s Alex Brandon, I almost burst into tears and sat staring at it for a long time trying to contain myself. Have you ever seen such joy, and did you imagine, in your lifetime, that you’d ever see children and teenagers responding with such elation to a politician? Not a movie star. Not an athlete. But a politician.
It’s not hard not to believe when you look at that photo that great things are ahead for America with a generation of kids becoming so politically turned on, and feeling as though their generation matters to a politician.
ButtercupPunch - "La clique, c’est chic!" 
October 22, 2008 at 9:31 am
DIMPLES!!!!!
I love, love, LOVE this one too:
http://yeswecanholdbabies.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/my-son-that-is-one-snazzy-tie/
October 22, 2008 at 9:35 am
@T&U: That one gave me little tears in my eyes.
October 22, 2008 at 9:41 am
I’m a cold-hearted curmudgeon. I’m glad the young ones are excited about Obama, but the pictures barely get an “Aww” out of me.
It’s also possible I just don’t like children. If those were puppies and cats gazing adoringly, I’d be all over it.
October 22, 2008 at 9:51 am
@Cate3710: LOL, come sit on the crazy cat/dog lady bench with me!!
I still favor the pic from this summer where Obama was quietly holding the little boy in his arms…that one was iconic.
October 22, 2008 at 9:59 am
I’m dead inside, but that picture made me tear up a little. And then I cleared my throat and looked around to make no one noticed, because I have a reputation to uphold.
October 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
@Devil: You mean this one?
http://yeswecanholdbabies.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/happiest-little-boy-in-the-world/
What? I have an eyelash in my eye! Both of them. And my contacts are dirty. And sometimes they just randomly tear up. It’s the opposite of chronic dry eye. I’m not crying!
October 22, 2008 at 11:35 am
This picture means so much. I live in NYC and to just see the amounts of buttons, t-shirts and random conversations I have gotten in with people over my Obama/Biden tote bag is amazing. I have never seen this sort of energy and at the same time fear of losing. And to watch kids be elated about a Presidential hopeful when you can’t get kids to do anything nowadays is beautiful.
October 22, 2008 at 11:49 am
OMG, that made me tear up too!
I was on the phone yesterday with a work buddy from the uk and teared up trying to describe the feeling around the election here and obama being so close to something historic.
And that story from a few days ago about the 104 (or something) yr old woman who was voting for Obama… teary again.
I can’t imagine the mess I will be on the 4th.
October 22, 2008 at 12:00 pm
This post from Shakesville, along the same lines, is also great:
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/10/nations-babies-have-spoken.html
October 22, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I did just burst into tears looking at that. Granted, I am working on 2.5 hours of sleep right now, but sill. that is awesome.
October 22, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I can’t imagine what this country is going to be like if/when he gets elected. Best I can think of, is what it must have been like for JFK to be in the White House. A young family, full of hope and a First Lady who’s glamorous.
Poor Obama is gonna have his hands full with the %^&$#@ mess the Repubs left behind. I feel sorry for him.
October 22, 2008 at 3:19 pm
My mother says the feeling in the air reminds her of the run-up to JFK’s election. It’s incredible to witness an event of such historical significance (I fervently hope). We’ll be telling our children about this.
October 22, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I’m still not feeling it. Pulling the lever, have the bumper sticker, but not feeling it.
I’m glad the youth vote is coming out this time. I’m glad African Americans are coming out this time. I’m also hoping Dems will not forget those who never failed to come out – women – but I’m not exactly holding my breath.
October 22, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I would love to see something like that. Instead I just see crap letters to the editor and other crap.
In other news, I need to move.
October 22, 2008 at 6:49 pm
My faith in humanity is severely shaken right now, so I’m siding with the curmudgeons at the moment. Hopefully things will look brighter in the morning.
October 22, 2008 at 7:43 pm
This picture is amazing. The look on their faces. They see something better in their futures because of Obama.It’s like Hillary. All my life people said a woman could not be president (stupid i know) and I truly think because of Hillary it will happen. Like Barack, these kids know that pretty much anything they want for their lives is attainable now. OMG i am crying.
October 22, 2008 at 7:44 pm
@theguvnah- Go lay down! Poor thing! Cupcake?
October 22, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Love it.
Still like this one best, though:
http://yeswecanholdbabies.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/happiest-little-boy-in-the-world/
Maybe because I would feel better if Barack hugged me like that :-)
October 22, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Also, on a more positive note, I really hope my generation can make a difference politically. If people in their 20s turn out en masse in this election, it would be so huge and I would be so proud.
October 23, 2008 at 12:49 am
It’s sweet, it really is. But I’m gonna sit where I can safely reach over and pet MBB’s pretty, pretty hair for now.
October 23, 2008 at 9:52 am
Also endearing is how older people are excited about the election. My mother is almost 80 and goes to a senior center for social interaction just about every day. Living in Colorado (a swing state) they’ve all had a steady dose of stump speeches.
One of the regulars of my mother’s hen party went to Obama’s last rally and was disappointed when she arrived as they had a full house, weren’t letting anyone else in to the venue and were pumping the audio from the speech outside where a huge crowd was just happy to be thisclose to Obama.
When The Big O left the building, my mother’s friend happened to be right where she needed to be to shake his hand. Ecstatic, she showed up at the senior center and made the rounds to everyone she knew saying, “Shake my hand! Shake my hand! I just shook Obama’s hand!”
It’s pictures like Trixie’s post and stories like my mother’s that give me confidence we have seen the worst and things are only gonna get better.
October 23, 2008 at 9:06 pm
WHEN he’s elected, my BFF and I are going to DC to listen to his swearing in and Speech. We know we will never get close enough to see him, but I want to be there, it’s history! Trixie honey? Any spare floor we could sleep on? Please? I’ll bring the 14 yr. old to bond with yours over what craziness is their mothers.
October 24, 2008 at 11:42 am
If the election keeps one little Black girl from shaking her ass in Rap videos and one little Black boy from joining a gang, then mission accomplished Obama.
October 25, 2008 at 8:24 am
Um, not to rain on your parade of happy Trix but you have heard of FDR, JFK and Bobby Kennedy right? Because this is NOT the first time people have reacted so viscerally to a politician. It’s happened before. As it’s happening now.
October 25, 2008 at 12:28 pm
And Trix I was more trying to be jokey and the fucking internet made me sound like a nasty bitch. Sorry baby. Those kids are way cute. Adorable, even. We only had Reagan when I was a kid to get excited about. And that fucker was hateful.
October 25, 2008 at 8:21 pm
We went nuts over Bill Clinton my freshman year of college when he was first elected POTUS, SinnRoo. Absolutely fucking apeshit nuts. I hear you – different strokes.
October 25, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Sin: Notice the phrase “in your lifetime.” I wasn’t alive then. Well wait, I was four when RFK was assassinated. So you were far, far from being alive.
And no, I have never seen, in my lifetime, kids so excited about a politician. They are excited about him in other countries, even. I was home this weekend and I had the children of friends of mine begging me to send them Obama T-shirts.
October 26, 2008 at 11:27 am
Trix: Ah, well, I guess you weren’t paying attention then in 1992 when this guy from AK was managing to get young people pretty fucking excited. But I guess…we pretend now that Obama is the only politician to have ever excited anyone before. Listen, I like the man. I really really do. I’m excited for him to win. But I am absolutely sick of this pretending going on like he’s the only politician (in even MY short lifetime) to have excited young people. Let’s get real. Ever hear of Dr Howard Dean?
October 26, 2008 at 8:26 pm
OMG memba when he went on MTV, SinnRoo? BOXERS OR BRIEFS? Fucking yes.
And Arsenio, too, although that wasn’t nearly as hot. But still, you understand me here.
October 26, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I am not the only one saying it, Sinroo. Not the only person in the U.S. who thinks it’s remarkable. I have heard and talked to hoary old journalists on the campaign trail who have been covering D.C. and presidential elections since before I was born saying they haven’t seen anything like it since RFK. I don’t think they’re lying and/or deliberately slighting Bill Clinton.
Anyway, none of this is to take anything away from Bill or Howard Dean (uhhh … really?? … Howard Dean was as popular with youth as Barack Obama? He was popular among youth, but Obama surpassed him in terms of numbers many many moons ago) and you can notice positive things about Barack Obama without it meaning you are insulting Bill Clinton. Barack and Bill love need not be mutually exclusive.
October 26, 2008 at 9:24 pm
p.s. You ridiculous whore.
October 26, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Trix: I didn’t say any of what you’re suggesting. And your claim that you’re not the only person in the US to mention that remarkability does not mean that it’s any less true. This is the first time I see the MEDIA so clearly fall in love with a candidate. And yes, really, if you were a part of politics in 2004 you would remember exactly how popular Dean was with young people. Except the media did not fall in love with him…so the “remarkable” part of it was never really talked about. All I’m saying is this: Y’all need to stop acting like Obama is the be all end all of people being excited about politics. Perhaps he’s made YOU in the media excited. But some of us have been into this shit for decades. And there’s been more than one guy that got people excited. The media had its head up its ass for many many years. Now that they happen to be up Obama’s we’re going to pretend he’s the first to draw excitement. Simply not true. And this has nothing whatsoever to do with Bill.
It’s still the same story to me. I want to vote for Obama. I like HIM. It’s his cheerleaders that leave a bad taste in my mouth. These generalities that are simply not true and easily disproven. Dean excited SO many young people. Bill did the same in 1992. You don’t remember the rallies and political activism going on then? Because I do. I was 14 and remember it well. The same thing with Gore.
I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m just pointing out that some assumptions that are made are just not true. yeah, these kids are excited. But you can find a couple of kids that excited at a nutty Palin rally, too.
MBB: YES! I sooooo remember.
October 26, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Sin: I have explored the youth vote issue in great detail on more than one occasion and I know how popular Dean was with the kids. I remember it well. They were calling Obama Howard Dean 2.0 for awhile, and he borrowed a lot of Dean’s strategies. But Obama’s numbers among young voters are far higher than Dean’s ever were, and so is his name recognition with really young kids who are years away from voting. He has gone beyond politician and into mega-celebrity territory in ways that few politicians other than Clinton have. That’s all I’m saying. And I don’t think kids outside of the U.S. were clamouring for Howard Dean T-shirts.
And the media isn’t ALWAYS just creating hype, you know? Good reporters are often simply reporting on it, writing about what they see and hear on the trail. I talked to a real maven at The AP the other day for an hour and she told me some stuff that she hasn’t even reported about what she’s seeing, and she too said she hasn’t seen anything like the level of excitement she’s seeing across the U.S. since RFK, which she covered. She’s been on the campaign trail since with Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, etc. I told her she should write a book.
October 26, 2008 at 10:03 pm
And if voter turnout is what they think it’s going to be, and the polls turn out to be true suggesting it’s because youth are so turned on by Obama and will turn out in droves, I think we will all agree on Nov. 5 that something remarkable was going on, and it wasn’t just a fairy tale created by the media.
October 27, 2008 at 9:58 am
alright then, since we’re being argumentative for the hell of it; Sin, I do remember Howard Dean. I remember being very, very bored with him as a candidate, just another plain, boring white guy running for office. Two things I would not say about Obama.
October 27, 2008 at 11:04 am
Sorry Sin, Clinton and Dean DID excite the youth, but not THIS (then) youth, and certainly not the African-American youth as much as Obama has. And that fact doesn’t take anything away from Clinton or Dean. They “warmed the crowd” so to speak for Obama to come in a seal the deal.
October 27, 2008 at 11:10 am
Sorry Sin, Clinton and Dean DID excite the youth, but not THIS (then) youth, and certainly not the African-American youth as much as Obama has. And that fact doesn’t take anything away from Clinton or Dean. They blazed a trail for someone like Obama to come in a seal the deal.
That goes for Dems in general. Coupled with the GOP epic fail as a POTUS, majority Congress, and the shiteous McCain/Palin campaign, the time is ripe for the Dems to take back the gov’t. there is a reason underdog Dems all over the country are suddenly threats to their GOP competition. Clinton and Dean and Gore and Kerry had MUCH to do with that.
The youth vote, coupled with the African American vote and the Latino vote and surprisingly the Asian vote and now the Muslim/Arab vote… not to mention the Teacher vote, the Union vote –I’ve talked to these Silver Miners and Steel Mill workers and yes, even plumbers who are knocking on doors in between their 12-16 hour shifts– Obamas got a lot of people who can turn many red states blue, not just the youth.