The Gist

Great Story from a Virginia Listener

We received such overwhelming response about the LGBT Presidential Caucus on the show two weeks ago that we have decided to rebroadcast it this Monday. It's President's Day, and we'll be taking the day off, but we'll rebroadcast the entire three-hour caucus and the one hour "pre-caucus" from that day. (You can listen in on Monday by getting a free three-day trial if you're not a Sirius subscriber. It airs 2-6 ET)

Below is an email I wanted to share with you from a listener who voted in Virginia yesterday, his decision influenced after having listened to the LGBT Caucus (and let me say that I've gotten a lot of email from people who were informed and influenced by the caucus and many decided to vote for Hillary Clinton while many others went for Obama -- evidence, I hope, that we provided the discussion in a balanced way, and people made up their own minds.) His email underscores what a difficult decision it has been for many, and how a lot people aren't sure even after they've voted.

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Subject: Voting in VA today

So I went to vote today here in Richmond. While I was waiting in line, which was about 45 minutes, I felt like I was about to get on a roller coaster, I was so excited. I get to the table where the old ladies are checking the names out of the book, and naturally I told them to give me a democratic ballot. As this was happening my phone began to vibrate.

Now I have been behind Hillary almost from the beginning, and subscribed to her text message campaign. It was a few weeks ago, when I really went a little deeper into my research and decided I would get behind Edwards instead. Well you know how that went down, the very next day he dropped out. So I tuned into your glbt caucus, which was nothing short of awesome, at which point I decided on Obama. All of this leads me to today, now i work across the state and had to drive through horrible weather to get back to Richmond in order to vote, and Im so glad i did, and the turnout has been incredible, way more than they expected.

Because of this, the polling place was well under- staffed, and the wait was insane. As my phone vibrates, i look down and see its my old friend Hillary. A shiver ran down my spine, and s bead of sweat formed on my brow. Was i making a mistake not to vote for Hillary? i mean the timing could not have been better for whomever is actually sending the voting reminder messages from her campaign, I was literally getting my ballot at that time.

My mind started racing and I didn't know what to do. Quickly I snapped out of it so as not to hold anyone else up any longer than necessary. Ultimately i voted for Obama, and I honestly felt like I had just left the doctors office with excellent news, But i cant help but be haunted by the timing of that massage and wonder weather i made the right choice. I just thought you may find that a little ironic and get a laugh off of it. I love your show, and look forward to hearing it all the time.

Truly,
Jonathan