Tuesday night was amazing. Let’s just start from there. As a Texas Democrat, I am quite often in the minority of political views, especially in College Station. Going to school at Texas A&M, sometimes polled as the most conservative school in the United States, gave me the chance to clearly define my beliefs in an environment where, more times than not, I was challenged to explain and justify my viewpoints. This environment is radically different than the one I am currently experiencing in Edinburgh, Scotland. Over here, most people simply are baffled as to why anyone would vote for McCain—I’m not saying that voting for McCain is or was a bad thing; I’m reasonably sure that my parents voted for McCain, and to be perfectly honest, he was my favorite Republican on the ticket. What I’m trying to get across is that the average person in Edinburgh is far more liberal, in the American sense of the word, than the average person in Texas. That being said, my Edinburgh election night was far different than any I’ve experienced back home.
From the beginning, I’ve been an Obama supporter, through and through; I was even selected as an Obama alternate to the Texas Democratic State Convention. I have Texas for Obama shirts, Obama hats, and even a Scotland for Obama shirt. Swing dancers in Munich know me as “the Obama girl” because I consistently wear my Obama hat to dance events. Watching the map turn blue on Tuesday night (or really VERY early in the morning for me) was such a powerful experience, one of hope for change and excitement for the future. What surprised me the most is how involved Scottish people are in American politics. My flatmate knows more about the historical turnouts, rates, polling numbers, etc., than I do—and my old roommate was a field advisor for Chet Edwards. Everywhere I turned, people—American students and Brits alike—seemed to be discussing the merits of the candidates and what it meant for the world at large. Overwhelmingly, the European consensus was for Senator Obama, which felt very different from my oh-so-Republican home town back in Texas.
The University of Edinburgh sponsored an American election watch party, complete with Obama and McCain burgers. One of the biggest differences between A&M and the University of Edinburgh is that Edinburgh has student bars—one of which is Teviot Row House, one of the student unions. It was here that I watched most of the election, and it was out of control. The whole place was jam packed with enthusiastic Americans and non-Americans alike, all anxiously watching the big screen projector of CNN. Believe it or not, there actually were a fair number of McCain supporters, all the way in Scotland, making their opinions just as equally heard as the rest of us. I went into Teviot with just Obama clothing, but came out with about three layers of Obama face paint that supporters were passing around. I think the most exciting part of the night, aside from Ohio going to Obama and the actual announcement itself, was at one point, Texas showed up as blue on the map. I’m not sure if it was a mistake or perhaps the congressional map, but I nearly jumped out of my seat with surprise.
It was fascinating to watch the American election from overseas. The enthusiasm caught me by surprise, no question about it, but in reflection, it’s not all that shocking. American politics, in a very real sense, do affect the rest of the world, and anyone who doesn’t think that needs to come to a British US Election party. I didn’t go home until well after 4:00 in the morning, and many of my Scottish friends didn’t make it home until 5:00 am or so.
Of course, I am thrilled and elated about the results of the election, but I am anxious and hopeful that the American people can unite to look to the future. I was scanning Facebook statuses on November 5, and I was surprised at the number of angry statuses that I saw. I realize that feelings run high at election time, but I hope we can work past divisiveness to create a better future. Regardless of who you voted for, we all had a part to play in our democratic process—that alone is an amazing thing, and it will be exciting to see what happens in January.