What's Left To Say

See the Philadelphia episode here


On Tuesday night, 15 minutes before the polls closed in parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Vermont, Graham crumpled the last unnecessary scraps of the Philadelphia episode into digital wads and shot them into the virtual recycling bin.

The 18th episode of the 18 episodes in 18 days found itself delivered and uploaded. In the comfort of a Greenwich Village apartment our short crash across the country was complete.

And thus began a wonderfully distracted night through three boroughs. Hours after our two-week tour ended so did the relentless two-year campaign.

America elected Barack Obama.

And that's it. Now we turn our eyes forward. The last week has brought on a return to New York's pace. As break-neck as the trip was, the frenetic cynical cycle of NYC is a culture shock. My goal will be to keep the joys and humility of the journey with me as I scratch away at the intense surface of the city I adore.

And if this is the closing credits there are three groups of people who are responsible for the project's content and the contentedness of your narrator.

First, thank you to anyone who watched the videos, read the blog, sent an email, text, or twit. You're glorious investment of time made the tough moments sustainable and the easy moments easier to come by.

Second, thank you to the rock-stars in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Frisco, Las Vegas, Chapel Hill, Waynesboro, Media, and Philadelphia who graciously gave us a bed, floor, or hot tub to rest up inalong the way. We made it across the country and back in two weeks because of the hospitality of others.

Third, thank you to the fascinating folks who let their voices, stories, and faces fill each of the 18 episodes. Your graciousness, thoughtfulness, and uniqueness made the series work. Please keep in touch.

Lastly, there is no simple way to sum up what the partnership with Graham meant to me. He is unflappable, dedicated, and deeply talented. At so many points, he maintained a calm persistence and openness to challenges. Red Blue Road Trip left a indelible mark on me and a large part of that is due to Graham and the hours we worked together.

Now there's nothing left to say, so I won't say any more.

See the Philadelphia episode here

Reston, Virginia: Tomorrow's Choice

See the Reston episode here

Tomorrow, we as a nation will embark on the wonderful privilege of peaceful transition of power.

Fittingly, our last two stops are in a planned community that is not more than 40 years old: Reston, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest places in the nation. Two very different places with two very different populations that will help select the next President of these United States.

If this trip has taught me anything, it is that we as Americans treasure our democracy and our ability to choose our leaders. There is a sense across the nation that we are about to enter one of the most challenging eras in our brief history and a near consensus that who we choose to guide us through the tumult is a decision of utmost importance.

This is perhaps the legacy of the 2000 election. My own thoughts entering that election was that the system was rigged, that the choice was negligible and that my vote in particular did not matter. We watched as the courts instead of the voters decided the election and were left with a deep dissatisfaction on both sides, not necessarily in who became president, but in how he was chosen.

During, the last eight years there has been an effort to harden our stances and consolidate our associations. Parody maps divided into "The United States of Canada" and "Jesusland", websites devoted to mocking opposition candidates, and discussion of secession and which region represents the "real America." I hope that the legacy of this election is that the country unites in a healthy debate on how to carry forward together rather than deepening the divisions and disengagement from the political process.

No matter whom we select we've come a long way from 2000, both in the quality of our options and in the investment in the process. After speaking with hundreds of Americans of every political persuasion in nearly every region of the country, it is clear that we have narrowed the choice to two exceedingly qualified and inspirational men. I have heard cogent arguments for electing either one. While the campaign has brought out the worst in both, either one will be able to handle the burdens of the office.

John McCain has impeccable foreign policy bonafides, the respect of his colleagues in the Senate, and a well-earned reputation as someone who stands on his principles. Barack Obama has rocketed on to the national scene, building a grassroots campaign based in his experiences as a community organizer that empowers those involved. The biographies of both men are remarkable American stories. It's a wonderful choice to have, eons better than the two spoonfed career party men we had to choose from in 2004.

Only history will tell us if this is a historic election (not another e-mail asking for another $5 donation to a campaign). But the one great guarantee is that this imperfect experiment will result in a change of leadership in the most powerful nation in the world without a drop of blood.

See the Reston episode here