So, this morning, I'm sitting on my couch in Chicago, reading the newspaper and watching Meet the Press. Chuck Todd comes on, and he's going over the electoral college map, and he's talking about how the 2nd congressional district in Omaha, Nebraska is up for grabs for Obama.
For those of you who aren't aware, Nebraska and Maine are the only two states in the union that break up their electoral college votes by congressional district, instead of the winner-take-all approach of the other 48 states. So, even if McCain wins Nebraska, Obama has a solid chance of winning one electoral college vote from the 2nd district in Omaha.
Now for those of you who aren't familiar with Nebraska, let me give you some tidbits about where I grew up. Nebraska is very red state, and we're not just talking about "Husker football" red. A Democrat hasn't won the Presidency in Nebraska since LBJ in 1964. In the 2004 Presidential election, only three states, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming voted in a higher percentage for George W. Bush.
As I'm sitting there, I get a call from my mother in Omaha. And she's mad. She tells me that last night somebody came and vandalized the Obama sign she and my father had placed in their yard. She took a picture with her cell phone and sent it to me.
My mom is angry that someone came in her yard and destroyed her property. She's outraged that some racist is calling Obama a terrorist. She tells me that this is America. And that people should be able to put whoever's sign they want in their yard and people should respect that. She tells me she wouldn't want somebody vandalizing her neighbor's McCain sign.
Now, my dad is traditionally a centrist. And he hates, hates having political signs in his yard. But, this year he's so fed up with the way things have been going that he agreed put an Obama sign in his yard. Trust me, if you knew my father, you would understand how big of deal this is.
The only thing that could make me happier than a big Obama win on Tuesday, would be a big Obama win on Tuesday that includes an electoral vote from Omaha. But, just the fact that it's close there, and that McCain and Palin are having to spend time and money in the fourth most Republican state in America, makes me extremely proud of my home town.
Let's make history Omaha! Go Big Red!