Working the night shift

After going to the Obama Invesco speech, I was so filled with energy that I spent the entire night walking around Colorado Springs talking about politics and life with my friend Adam. At about 4 a.m. we walked past a 7/11 just as the one employee was stepping out for a cigarette break.

Tom, a 20-year-old with a mane of curly hair, a ten-day-old beard, and glasses, may have been tired (his shift goes from 12 a.m.- 6a.m.) but he was in a similar state of mind as me.

“I am having Obama fever right now,” he said. “It’s so exciting, and the excitement is spreading. You know that right now you are standing in a blue-state. Colorado a blue state? It’s amazing!”

Tom may be young, but he has seen a lot of this country. He grew up in Illinois, moved to Southern California for high school, and then to Colorado Springs after graduating (he is currently saving up to go to college). All of this moving around has greatly affected his view of national politics.

“When I moved to Southern California my view on this country changed,” he said. “For the first time I saw poverty. As the economy got worse, and as there were more foreclosures, then the poverty spread into the suburbs. My family was living in a pretty nice area, but after a couple of years there was gang  activity on my street. The school system was so bad– lowest 5% of test scores in the country– that my parents pulled me out of school and taught me at home. All I know is that our country needs a change, and Obama is going to be the best first step imaginable.”