Ala. County Declares Obama Day

A small, mostly black county in Alabama that delivered Barack Obama 70% of the vote has declared the second Monday of November “Barack Obama Day,” the AP reports. The state itself went convincingly for John McCain, but Perry County wanted to make a point about opportunity and the possibility of change. County offices will close, and workers will receive a paid holiday.

A vote of the county commissioners came down 4 to 1 in favor of the measure. The county is one of the poorest in Alabama, and the dissenting member, a white Democrat, said money used to finance the holiday could be better spent elsewhere. “In these financial times, it's not using the county's money wisely,” he said. But “the recognition is certainly well-founded.” Perry County has 3 black and 2 white executives. (More Barack Obama stories.)