House Party Ends in Shouting, Tears

House Party Ends in Shouting, Tears

Last night, I went to one of the Unite for Change House parties for Barack Obama at the home of my hair stylist. She's an Aquarian Moon, so the assembled was a diverse mix of young, middle-aged, old, black, white, gay, straight, tattooed and conservative looking...somebody dropped the F-bomb in reference to Obama's recent reversal -- a decision not to accept public funding. That means he'll rely on private funds, with all the strings that are usually attached to that cash...This firebrand participant caused the room to explode, with people talking out of turn, and steering the conversation into dark, despairing comments like, "Who really runs this country?", "Do the people have a voice?, and "Are the two parties that different anymore?"

Every now and then, someone tried to look on the bright side, but was quickly reminded of the real mess we're in. It seemed like there was no going back to cheery American-style pretending that one man could fix it. The young Obama staffer lost control of the living room audience, started to tear up, and ran out. She later came back, but could not stop crying. There was no resolution, and I left feeling jarred, but like I had been part of something very real. It felt like a dysfunctional family grasping in the dark, and considering whether to stage an intervention. It left me feeling a wee bit of hope.

(c) Laura Rauch