Emilie Mutert

     After $73 million in campaign spending from both sides of Proposition 8, which changed the California constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Californians voted November 4 to pass the measure by a decisive 400,000-vote margin.

Democratic National Committee Election Night Party
Pasadena Hilton, Pasadena, CA

"If you were waiting for a knockout punch in last night's presidential debate, you had to wait until the very end and it never happened. What fireworks did occur came late in the debate and they really weren't the Fourth of July Washington monument type. They were more like sparklers or snakes," wrote Christian Science Monitor's Jimmy Orr. "But in the end the debate was called cerebral, presidential, sober, substantive, and 'a relief.'"
     It was definitely a relief. I kept hearing this sad, nagging little voice inside my head (a voice I know very well) during the debate. It was saying, "Emilie, this is BOOOORING. It's Friday night, can't we at least get a little As the World Turns rerun action going on? I'm craving a little entertainment here." Normally I indulge that voice with ESPN or the Soap Opera Network as soon as it gets whiny, but not tonight.
     Tonight, the two men who want to lead our country will try to prove their leadership capabilities to a nation stuck in a financial quagmire that impacts the most personal, the most important, and the most intimate aspects of our lives. This isn't a boxing match. It's not a reality show. But, we do get to vote someone off, and this time, the winner we choose will be responsible for untangling our most immediate, crucial, and complex problems.