Today’s news was a twist. I didn’t expect to wake up first thing this morning and learn about the surprise VP pick from John McCain. An unknown governor from Alaska thrust into the national spotlight as the finishing touch on the presumptive Republican nominee’s ticket.

At first I laughed, deriding McCain for such obvious pandering; but my reaction has changed the more I’ve learned about Governor Palin. She’s, astonishingly enough, an average and brilliant American who’s steered her way through local politics to the national stage on a solid platform that she’s ingenuously adhered to. (All while a member of the Republican party.)

I like her as a person, appreciate her convictions and believe she’s gotten to where she is today by knowing herself. And I respect the effort it takes to lead that sort of life. But she has some cornerstone convictions that I don’t share. I don’t agree with her stances on gay marriage and abortion. She also isn’t equipped to be the President. And with John McCain – the man the phrase “a heartbeat away” was coined for – the capability for the Vice President to assume power from the Commander-in-Chief is paramount.

However, she is quite adherent to the constitutionality of legislation (it’s unnerving that that qualification is necessary nowadays) even when it doesn’t fall in line with her beliefs. She’s tough on ethics and, judging by her history, is a tenacious person who goes after what she wants.

At the end of the day, her introduction into this election was a game changer. Obama and McCain have now essentially canceled out their main character flaws (inexperience and anachronism) with their Vice Presidential picks and, in doing so, are now freed up to debate the issues.

Both campaigns made holistically wise decisions about their candidate’s running mate and this is gearing up to be an exciting election. I hope Obama and McCain seize this opportunity and give the American people something we haven’t seen for a while: A genuine competition between two parties to sell their best solutions to our and the world’s problems. We are living through a truly historic time right now. This election is pivotal.

Walking past a conference room in my building at work, I heard a group of people talking about politics. It sounded as if they were discussing the remaining Republican candidates for president: I heard the last name Huckabee squeeze out of the open door as I passed.

Once I comprehended what their topic was, my gut reaction surprised me: I smiled and thought how great it was that people were caring about civics again. I didn’t snarl at the mention of Huckabee or even jump to conclusions about their lack of sanity for supporting such an ideologically misguided candidate (those thoughts came later, rest assured). It was simply true enjoyment of their interest in politics.

It’s a great and powerful thing to see people truly caring. It’s one of those emotions that envelopes you, uplifting simply because you had the chance to bear witness to it. These people were emanating care. My brief tryst with their words as I sped by was enough to tell that they were engaged, and their engagement was endearing.

Our current government has slipped too many tricks past us these past many years. After the 2000 and 2004 elections, disillusionment about our ability to affect change via our voices found its foothold in our daily lives and led many to ask “What’s the point? My voice doesn’t matter”. Though some where disgruntled by this horrifying realization, the majority of us lost interest and stopped caring about the horrible crime that had been committed. In a democracy, there’s no greater treachery than robbing your citizens of their belief in their ability to be and stand up for the change they wish to see in the world. We were comatose spirits, unknowingly resigned to our tyrannical fate.

Then, one day, a few people woke up. They woke up and realized the awfulness of our state and began to sound the alarm. Comedians, actors, politicians, everyday citizens. They all began to take advantage of their positions to remind us all to wake up, too. And, slowly, one by one, we’ve stirred and stared bleak-eyed at our surroundings, horrified at the carcases of our liberties so carelessly strewn about.

Our country is coming to, again. That iconic beacon of democratic hope that was the United States is slowly burning brighter and brighter. Our foreign neighbors are being woken up out of their own spells of disillusionment to a brighter prospect than before: A country standing for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness well on its way to historically electing a black man or a white woman to helm its ship. Two progressive liberals, vying for a piece of what will become our bright past, dedicated to resurrecting our liberties and giving back to us that which was unjustly taken away: A belief in our ability to carry forward the most quintessential democracy the world has ever known. We have a right to that ability and we’re demanding it back.

One engaged conversation after another is all we need to slowly rekindle the fire at the heart of our nation. When I now hear the disillusioned questioning from people around me, I tell them the point is bold and ambitious and that our voices do matter. Our voices are all we have. We just need to learn, once again, how best to use them.