The lines outside continue to lengthen and the crowds are getting more boisterous as the hour draws closer to the anticipated victory speech. The congregation of supporters are politely quiet but the energy seems to be bursting at the seams. Red signs supporting the candidate from Chicago, blue signs championing Hope and Change. With just under two hours until the polls close, Obama currently leads by 13 points, a margin that suggests this former grassroots organizer is sprinting away from the competition.

I sit listening to the typing keyboards, the buzzing and chirping of cellphones, the click and whir of cameras. Above it all are the television pundits on the big screen, expressing their theatrical awe at the voter turnout, the implications of the win, and the massive outpouring of volunteer and monetary support for Obama. I can’t help but feel paralyzed in the eye of this political tornado, this kinetic Purple.