The Year Of Obama

Looking back over the past twelve months, as one is wont to do this time of year, I note one thing: readers saw this election more clearly, more presciently than most pundits. Here's an email from January 2 last year, which basically saw it all before a single vote was cast:

The national media and pollsters don't live where I do (Carroll, Iowa). When the story is told on Thursday night, the narrative will be a remarkable one: Obama will cobble together western Iowa counties with ivory towered college towns and eastern cities within the shadow of his Illinois. What's more, while he is running a tight race with U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards with traditional voters, Obama will pull ahead with new people, not just the young, but the never-before caucus-goers. I see their faces in the crowds. They are the woman I went to high school with who stunned me by appearing, waving a Barack Obama sign, no less, at one of his events in Carroll. Surely, she must have an "American Idol" re-run to watch, I thought. No, she's caucusing for Obama.

It turned out that we were the ones we'd been waiting for. Thanks for being a part of an amazing year.