Vamonos, Abamanos!
After a beautiful three hour ride through the Guanacaste countryside and exhilarating canter in the Pacific surf, our clients were getting into the truck for their ride back to the ranch when the guide, seeing the Obama stickers and signs on the truck windows, shouted Obamanos!
And Obamanos it is, in the US, in Obama, Japan, in remote villages in Kenya, and along the Gold Coast of Guanacaste. The world is celebrating the amazing victory of Barack Obama as the President Elect of the United States of America. You can feel the emotion when people talk about this very special event in history, an emotion few have felt for a long time when it came to American politics. Our clients had said they would consider just staying in Costa Rica if Obama did not win. They, like many of the foreign residents living here, were glued to the news channels or internet sites. They said they hadn’t had a television set in their house since the war in Vietnam, but purchased one just to keep abreast of the election news. I, like many others, became an election junkie and thought it appropriate when we coined the new word – Obamanos. We agreed, with a little creative license from our Spanish vamanos, the definition would be “follow Obama” with confidence, and I might add, a lot of hope.
Over the last 8 years, there has been a lot of Bush bashing by “citizens abroad”, remembering Senior Bush and bemoaning the policies of he whom his wife calls “Bushie”. As foreign residents, we often were not in agreement, nor proud, of the policies our native country followed. We were affected by the economic mismanagement, environmental ignorance, and military tentacles that wrapped around the planet.
Few of the foreign residents really knew each other’s politics, or talked much about political party affiliations - that was, until recently. I knew that my friend Susan Smith was a democrat and that Ellen Duggan strongly supported a woman’s right to choose, but not much more. Until, during the primaries, some of us began to be swept back into the national politics, the very politics many of us wished to escape. I’m sure some of our friends and family were surprised with our reborn interest in what was happening back home. I was chided during our women’s card evening when I wanted to watch the presidential debates while playing cards. Some teased Susan when she ordered an Obama tee shirt before he was nominated. But soon, more were bitten with the political fever.
This year’s presidential primaries and presidential election provide endless topics of conversation, no matter which political party one supported. “Did you watch Saturday Night Live?”, “What did you think about the Katie interview?”, “Does anyone care about Ayres?” or “Is the US ready for a black President?” Never has there been more discussion and controversy over a Vice Presidential candidate. You either loved Sarah, or not.
Foreigners abroad began to think about voting...many for the first time in years. They considered – where do I vote, how do I get an absentee ballot, will my vote count if I don’t vote in my home state – and many more. Some looked to the embassy, but remembered, we don’t really elect the US President by a popular vote, but the often-criticized, Electoral College, which most often uses the majority vote in individual states. (And we thought the US was a democracy.)
Obama was often criticized, especially on Fox News Network, as inexperienced with just community organizing credentials to his credit. Somehow they forgot about honors at Harvard, the editor of the Harvard Law Review, professor of Constitutional Law, an author and orator that could speak in complete sentences and a person that could inspire and move to action. He turned community organizing into an art, organizing a grassroots political team into a national organization never seen in US politics, funded by millions of small donations. However, as a teacher, I think I am most proud that he came from simple roots and was a product of public education.
Over morning coffee, Susan and I again discussed the excitement the election was generating in all sectors. We felt a pride again, connected in a stronger way with our home country. But the problem of voting abroad was bothering us. Because I was going back to the States to vote 10 days before the election, I said I would take her ballots back and put them in the US mail to get them to Texas on time. We had the idea to email an invitation to our friends to an Obama Party. I linked into the Obama website, and they had a format for all kinds of pre-election events. The resources on the website were amazing and, if you had happened to make a donation to the cause, you were given updates and critical information on all aspects of the campaign. The computer and use of all of the internet resources were invaluable in organizing a nation. I received an e-mail from Bonnie that said, “I need to get four absentee ballots back to the US; hope I can find someone to get them back to the US. We are registered in Florida which is a battleground state and have four votes for Obama!!!!”
At the sunset beach party the group shared stories, food and drinks, and an excitement over what would happen in just 10 days. Some had buttons, others Obama tee shirts, but all shared pride and excitement that had been lacking in previous elections. Some, who couldn’t be there, sent their ballots to be mailed, some sent messages that they were also going back to vote. The consensus was not just to vote for Obama, however preferred, but to just VOTE. When I got to the post office in Michigan the next Monday morning, I had votes for California, Florida, Texas and others. It was like voting 17 times. I was fortunate to have the chance to volunteer at an “Obama for President” office in my home town. As I sat with a Vietnam vet in a wheelchair, retired businessman, high school student and feisty community organizer stuffing pamphlets for door-to-door distribution the weekend before the election, I looked around the room full of some 40 volunteers and thought, “yes we can!” And you all know the end of the story... Si, se puede – Vamanos, Obamanos!
