How cool is that?

I was about a foot away from Joe Biden last night. I would have shook (shaken? shook. shaken?) his hand, but I was busy trying to get pictures of Alf shaking his hand, since he was kind enough to bring me along to the reception in the first place.

What it was, was a cocktail reception (with a cash bar), where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Mayor John Duran of West Hollywood did intros, and then Maroon 5 played.

Duran, mayor of the gayest city in the LA area, told the following joke, with three possible punchlines:
Q. What's the difference between a drag queen, and Sarah Palin?
A 1. Duct tape
A 2. Ask Cindy McCain
A 3. One is an over-dramatic clown who wears a lot of makeup and says funny things. The other is a drag queen.

All of this was just a pre-amble to Awesome. Joe Biden got up to speak (we were mere feet away), and talked about the hard work we still have to do in this election, followed by the hard work we're going to have to do to get this country back on track. And, I mean, of course, when all of our political candidates are out campaigning, they're supposed to inspire the masses. They're all going to say that America is the best country ever, and that we all have a right and a responsibility to help keep her that way. But for real, when you're standing right in front of Joe Biden, looking right into his eyes, and he tells you these things, it's amazing. And empowering, and inspiring. And it's possible that I was thisclose to the next Vice President of the United States. How cool is that???

Speaking of this work we still have to do, listen up Democrats: We need to keep reaching out to registered voters in key states like Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. You can find a phone bank near you, or you can make calls from home. And, I know, making calls when you know how much you hate getting them is inherently embarrassing. But, I mean, is it as embarrassing as sitting in chocolate pudding at your cousin's wedding? Is it as embarrassing as walking around with a toilet seat cover in your pants all night? And, if you knew for sure that either of those things would help bring about the change our country needs right now, wouldn't you go and sit in that pudding, and wear it proudly on your butt all day?

It's not the best metaphor ever, but, seriously, it's something small, for a potentially huge and important result. They give you a script, and if someone hangs up or cusses you out, just hang up & move on. It won't hurt you, but it could give you the chance to sway a voter, and maybe even an entire state. And how cool is THAT?