So, I called my Mom this evening because today was such a weird, tense day for me and I wanted to vent some of my election stress. And just out of curiosity, I asked if my Grandpa had voted. She told me, yes, they filled out an absentee ballot for him and mailed it in to Georgia. I figured he would vote for McCain, because he usually votes Republican, being an older Southern Baptist conservative WWII vet. He and I even had an argument about gay marriage last year when he asked me whether I thought homosexuals should be allowed to marry, and all I said was, "I don't really care if gays and lesbians get married to each other, if they are in love." I didn't even state my entirely true feelings on the subject because I didn't want to make him too mad, but he got mad at even me saying I didn't care. So, imagine my surprise when my Mom told me he asked her to fill in the bubble for Obama. (He's blind, so she had to do the bubbling for him.) She didn't ask him his reasons, which I assume are largely finance-related. But, if my almost lifelong Republican Grandpa is voting for Obama, I feel very reassured about the world and about people's willingness to be open-minded. I love my Grandpa very much, and I've always been proud of his service to the country and the amount of love he has showered on me and my Mom, and this just makes me prouder. It's nice to know that, when pretty much everyone else on his side of the family is a vocal McCain supporter, he decided he isn't too old or indoctrinated to make his own decision. I don't feel so isolated anymore when it comes to that side of my family. Maybe it even helps me understand a little better why my Mom and I turned out to be so liberal.
The other thing I found out today is that Obama is a Leo. So is Bill Clinton. Not that I really think it matters, of course, but, being a Leo myself, it does make me feel a little more kinship with the guy.
Anyway, I hope these are good signs, and I hope there aren't too many shenanigans on this Election Day.
