Virginia Is Turning Blue

Andrew Sullivan has a post I found interesting and encouraging about an e-mail he received from a resident of Richmond, Virginia - capital of the Confederacy and often a bastion of conservatism- in reaction to the rally for Barack Obama at the Richmond Coliseum. I am convinced that Virginia is transforming from a backward thinking "red state" and hopefully in next year's state elections the Neanderthal Republican party of Virginia will see sweeping defeats. It is far past time for the state to fully move into the 21st Century. Here are some highlights from Andrew's post:

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I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and went to a private school there. My family has lived in the area for hundreds of years, dating back to the Revolutionary War. I'm white, and the only black people I saw growing up were maids, and the cafeteria workers at school, and a handful of black girls on scholarship from Harlem. My mother had a black male friend, and it seemed like a family scandal. . . . White people simply did not go to black neighborhoods - ever.

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I'm 37. I can't tell you how it makes me feel to see that rally with the Richmond Coliseum in the background. It isn't just happy, or relieved, or excited, it's overwhelmed. It makes me feel faint with joy. I thought the day would never come.

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Having attended one of Obama's rallies in Virginia Beach, I can understand the writer's feelings. As for the magnitude of the rally, here are some details from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

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Someday, perhaps Richmond will build an arena big enough to fit all the people who want to see Barack Obama. Yesterday, though, with the Richmond Coliseum packed to the rafters with 12,900 people, about 7,000 supporters were left outside on a crisp autumn day to listen over loudspeakers as the Democratic candidate made his case for change.

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Obama tried to please many who braved bumper-to-bumper traffic and lines stretching for blocks. Delaying his scheduled speech, he worked the crowd before entering the Coliseum and striding onstage to ear-splitting applause. "I had to be here -- I had to come," said VCU student Cristen Palmour, 24, one of thousands who blew off work, skipped class, packed up the kids or skipped the morning at the senior center to see Obama.

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The event even drew people from England -- specifically, seven London women who planned a week long vacation to Richmond to help Obama get out the vote. "It's a moment -- it's history," said one, who had tears in her eyes as Obama spoke. "We're all global citizens."