Chuck Klosterman’s favorable and effusive review of Benji Hughes’ A Love Extreme:

Even after nearly three decades of MTV, we still tend to see musicians with our ears, which (I can only assume) is what the musicians would want.

Last week, Klosterman was on The BS Report with Bill Simmons (who calls Klosterman ‘Close-terman’ can we figure out if that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced?) for 2 sessions. In the first they discussed the merits of pro sports (Simmons) vs college sports (Klosterman) and the second where they discussed newspapers, popularity and tenure.

Klosterman echoed David Carr’s thoughts that newspapers should have been charging on the web since the beginning and colluding to do so now is one way to save them. He also pointed out Simmons’ hypocrisy in criticizing sports columnists who have been where they are for ages. Simmons suggested that a lot of the best younger writers were leaving newspapers to go to the tubes, while Klosterman suggested that these guys might not be the best because internet is a popularity contest, judged by how much attention you can draw to yourself as opposed to how good you are.

Most interesting to me was a point Klosterman made a couple times that popularity begets popularity and the bigger websites are only going to keep getting bigger (though, wee Unlikely Words will soldier on!).

Lastly, spoke at the Highline Ballroom last night with all-girl Mötley Crüe cover band, Girls Girls Girls. I’ll assume the evening went well and post a review if I see one.

This got me curious about whether there are other Official State Sandwiches out there. Via FoodTimeline.org, I found that 2 states have sandwiches known as “traditional foods” (Iowa’s Loose Meat Sandwich and Nebraska’s Runza Sandwich), but this is obviously not the same thing. Even a state in Mexico has an official sandwich (Vera Cruz’s Pambazo). Someone suggested, as a joke, that the Oreo become the Official State Sandwich COOKIE of Utah (which doesn’t count because it’s a cookie and a joke), and in response to the bill being submitted in MA, a Florida radio duo began lobbying Florida to declare a official state sandwich.

Meanwhile, bloggers in Indiana and New Hampshire have previously begun movements agitating for a state sandwich of their own. Delaware’s might be the Bobby, but there wasn’t anything definitive on the nets, so send me a message if you’re in the know and I’ll add a link. As far as I can tell, though, the only “Official State Sandwich” out there is Carle’s Bratwurst, the Official State Sandwich of Ohio (recognized as such in a 2006 omnibus bill recognizing 64 other people, places and things as official symbols of Ohio).

Finally, I would be remiss if I neglected to link to the official Marshmallow Fluff Homepage, complete with history, recipes, and fun. Obviously the Fluff Festival as well.

(This post was inspired by my friends at Grand, an awesome shop in Union Square that is celebrating their one year anniversary this weekend. (No Fluff was promised to me for this plug.))

Take a second to click through and enjoy Rickey being Rickey:

Joe Posnanski made a great argument that Rickey should be the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Famer, including the mindboggling statistic:

“He walked more times just leading off an in inning than Lou Brock, Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio, Ernie Banks, Kirby Puckett, Ryne Sandberg and more than 50 other Hall of Famers walked in their entire careers (more than Jim Rice, too).”

Of course, a writer 70 year old sportswriter left him off and now wishes he hadn’t. The BWAA might want to have some editorial control over writers who use their ballots to make a point (or in the case of Corky, just goof).

Rickey was nonpareil as a leadoff hitter, and according to this short collection of stories about Rickey, he agreed. “There ain’t no other leadoff hitter but me.”

In 1982 Rickey’s manager, Billy Martin, wanted Rickey to get the season stolen base record at home in Oakland. This is a Rickey anecdote I hadn’t heard.

“Billy told that Chicken (Stanley) to get his butt thrown out, so he wouldn’t be on second in my way,’ Henderson said. ‘But I hit the ball too hard, and he had to stop at second. Billy wants me to run, but Chicken’s in the way. So Billy tells him to get picked off. Get caught. So they throw a pitch and Chicken is way off base, and they don’t even try to get him. We’re playing Detroit and (Tigers manager) Sparky (Anderson) didn’t want me to get it. So he wouldn’t let them tag Chicken. He’s way off the base, and no one’s even trying. And that old Durwood Merrill (the second-base umpire) is getting madder and madder. He knew what was going on. He didn’t like it. He made them make the play on Chicken. I think Sparky was mad. I go on the next pitch. And I make it, I’m in there. And that old Durwood, he called me out because he was still mad at Billy and Sparky.”

He finally got the record in the next game. Over the years, Rickey’s speech after getting the record has become something critics touch on proving he was selfish and arrogant. This, because the last lines of his speech are, “Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing. But today, I’m the greatest of all time.” Interestingly, the article from Time has no reaction to the speech and Lou Brock helped him write the speech before the game. Also, most of these article are full of teammates (like Don Mattingly and Dennis Eckersley) praising Rickey as a teammate. (Update: Via the comments, the speech was after he broke the career record, not the single season record, so that’s why it wasn’t mentioned in the article. My point remains, though, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his speech and “Rickey is selfish” is a media driven storyline, not borne out by facts.)

Also, via the comments, for those who say Rickey is selfish, there’s one girl in Oakland who would disagree.

See, I told you Mattingly liked Rickey.

“When Rickey was traded back to the A’s in the late 80’s, I remember watching a game the Yankees were playing in Oakland. Before the game, Rickey was hitting off the tee, and Mattingly was sitting there setting up the balls for Rickey. Mattingly liked Rickey. This was the moment that I realized that all the negative writing about Henderson was wrong. Don Mattingly was the most respected player in baseball at that time. If Don liked Rickey well enough to sit there and tee up balls for him when he was playing for the opposition, Rickey must be okay.

Rickey suffers from being inarticulate and a lack of education, just as Roger Clemens does. When they speak to the media, they have a hard time expressing themselves clearly, so they come off as jerks. I’m glad this article shows Rickey talking in a comfortable setting. It gives us a new insight into the man.”

In reading several of these articles, I found that Rickey was able to turn on and off the Rickey speak that made him seem inarticulate. And especially earlier in his career, he didn’t appear to use it at all. Roger Clemens was just a dumbass, but for Rickey, it seems like it was more of an act. “ He needed no coaxing to cruise into Rickey-speak, a mixture of a streetwise preacher and an eccentric professor.”

Here’s Eck relating a story about Rickey having trouble with R-E-S-P-E-C-T. His fondness for Rickey is clear.

This Sports Illustrated article from 2003 is overflowing with Rickey anecdotes. I’m going to go out on a limb and call this article the definitive compendium of Rickey Henderson Anecdotes. (There’s a ’25 Greatest Rickey Henderson Stories’ meme out there that you can find with Google, but this article is the source for it, and it has more than 25 stories so you may as well read IT instead.) One of my favorites, Rickey griping about his contract, “If they’re going to pay me like [Mike] Gallego, I’m going to play like Gallego.”

There’s also the ‘tenure’ story, the Olreud story (which is untrue), and TWO uncashed check stories, among several others.

The first mention of Rickey I could find in SI was when he was awarded Player Of The Week in October 1980 for having 12 steals.

Rickey was on the cover of SI 4 times:
In 1982, when he broke the single season stolen base record. In the accompanying story, “Medich and his catcher, Ted Simmons, had the downcast aspect of persons about to become answers to a trivia question.” Also, we find out that Kirk Gibson was once considered one of the faster major leaguers, which blew my mind. I had no idea.

In 1986 when Peter Gammons previewed the All-Star game by comparing Rickey to the other preeminent leadoff hitter of his time, Tim Raines.
Obviously, I’m going to snip the Rich Gedman quotation. Rich Gedman was one of my first favorites.

“Boston catcher Rich Gedman looked at Rickey Henderson, who was getting dressed. “He’s built like Superman,” Gedman said of the Yankee centerfielder. “When you play against him, you try to say, ‘Don’t let him bother you,’ because there are times there is nothing you can do to stop him from doing whatever he wants to do. He’s from another planet. Unfortunately, you can’t help thinking about him. We’re only human.”

In 1989 when he took over the Post Season. (Remember the earthquake that disrupted the Series? Rickey was apparently on the toilet for that one.) Gammons writes

“In the seventh inning, after getting such a jump on his steal of second that Whitt couldn’t make a throw, Henderson pulled up a few steps short of second and walked to the bag. “That kind of hotdogging isn’t right,” said Whitt (box, page 34). The A’s went on to win 6-3, and the next day Henderson was quoted in the papers as saying, ‘I can steal on Whitt whenever I want.’”

And in 1990 for an article about Tony LaRussa written by George Will.

Bill James’ response to Rickey setting the single season stolen base record in 1982 was exactly what you would expect. Curmudgeonly grumbling about how the stolen base isn’t an extremely effective offensive weapon and then plenty of statistics to back it up. The early Bill James byline was an exciting find, though. And, in 2001, James made his feelings for Rickey’s game clear, “Somebody asked me did I think Rickey Henderson was a Hall of Famer. I told them, ‘If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.’” (It’s important to note that Bill James was correct in his assessment of Rickey’s use of the stolen base because in the same year that he set the record for steals (130), he set the record for caught stealing (42).

Though Rickey and Bill James may have been of a closer mind than they knew. In this 1989 NY Times article, Rickey wants a new contract from the Yankees and is refusing to waive his no-trade clause. ”My average is down, but with a leadoff hitter, you don’t consider average,” he said. ”On-base is what’s important and mine is right up there.” I don’t think ANYONE was talking about on-base percentage in 1989 EXCEPT Rickey and Bill James.

Check out Rickey’s Wiki. He played 2 or 3 years of Independent ball after leaving MLB. Rickey was there doing his thing, hoping to get another job in the majors. Incidentally, he had an OBP of over .450 in his Independent league career.

And finally, here’s the obligatory New Yorker profile on Rickey complete with a story about getting thrown off an airplane and the quotation defining his last couple years playing for crowds numbering in the hundreds and low thousands. “I just don’t know if Rickey can stop.”

And, of course, a hearty congrats to Jim Ed Rice, as well. I’m glad he finally got in.

Here are some things you might have missed:

• I used the power of my blog to make fun of my wife, which is always a good time.
• I made candied kumquats, a delicious gingery beverage, and sausages.
• I lost a talented friend.
• I had one medium-interesting thought about the presidential campaign.
• I thought a bit about Rhode Island politics and policy.
• I wrote a post with the tags bush, parenting, and torture.
• I mocked a really stupid editorial in the Providence Journal about the electoral college.
• I proposed some five-star albums from the 1990s.
• And I shared some of the remarkable memorabilia from when I was born.

Many thanks are due to AC for not only keeping this blog running single-handedly, but for really taking things up a notch, traffic-wise.

Happy New Year, everyone.

In no real order…

A horse statue was vandalized in Saratoga Springs, Billy Ripken and Ken Griffey reminded me of how I spent the second half of the eighties and one summer after Sophomore year of college and Guns n’ Roses released an album leading to me telling 2 stories of my younger days.

I documented 12 cities that banned plastic bags, as well as the the 2008 Election and was PSYCHED this got linked by Kottke and Wonkette. Bill Simmons listed his favorite sports journalism and I found links to almost all of them as tons and tons of musicians told John McCain “Don’t Play My Song! and I compiled a list. I was hoping this would catch on, but, alas…

A seafood truck crashed in Worcester. Someone rented a refrigerated truck and the lobsters were sold all over town. Until they were discovered, seized and…dumped back into Boston Harbor, which seems like it could only happen in Worcester, the Paris of the Eighties.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks was my favorite book this year, Mad Men Season 1 my favorite TV show, and Eastern Promises my favorite movie. However, my favorite movie to talk about was the utterly horrible Unknown. It’s not unwatchable, though.

“Dodgers touch Colon for run in fourth” was my favorite headline of the year, while seeing Sir Ben Kingsley as Ian MacKaye was my favorite video. The Barack Brains T Shirt (Bad Brains logo/Barack) tied the Cry Celtic Green T-Shirt for garment of the year. And I got an iPhone.

A hawk attacked a girl at Fenway Park and I introduced the world to cold cut flavored jelly beans, which surprisingly elicited a prompt reaction from the inventor of Jelly Belly (see the comments). I continued hating sharks while Pat Matheny continued to hate Kenny G’s “Lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune, noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing.”

Eliot Spitzer banged a prostitute and I was there to flow chart it. I also created a recipe to make Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream at home, watched my street flood, enjoyed this article about getting stuck in an elevator, and found out BJ Upton’s BJ stands for Bossman Junior, which is just awesome.

And finally, my favorite picture of the year:

Happy New Year everyone, thanks for reading and see you next year.

On November 4, when Barack Obama was announced the winner of the 2008 Presidential Election I was searching for a similar sort of catharsis. Not so much because of Obama winning (which was nice) but because the election had been building as an event for almost 3 years – from the speculation of who would run, to the announcements, to the campaigns, to the primaries, to the general, and finally, November 4th came and went. I thought maybe I’ll collect a few thoughts from friends, or collect all the Facebook status messages, or collect a few links that helped tell the story. As I thought about it, I decided I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted without going overboard. And I won’t lie, despite my attempts at making this document impartial, there’s no way it could have been. And though I’ve tried to make its focus 11/4, Election Day, there were certain events from the campaign that creeped in.

I wanted to create something to look at a couple years from now to remember the election and hopefully present a good representation of what both sides of America were feeling on that day as evidenced by the response in the press and on the blogs. I didn’t capture everything, though I’ve certainly tried. I want to consume all of this information, have it put on a microchip in my brain. Until that’s possible, I just read a lot. I don’t know how many of these links will work in a year or 5 years, (when this doc might be helpful to show younger people who may not have ever remembered having a president who isn’t black), but here’s what I’ve got. At the bottom is a list of all the sites I used and the domains that helped.

This is a LONG post, when you get bored, bookmark it so you can come back later. There are several different sections. If you want to skip around, you can use the Contents Section below.

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

And now, finally, I can have my life back, not having to worry about politics every second of every day.

(Many, many thanks to the following websites for making the above possible. Seriously. Via Wonkette, Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish, Apelad, Soldier’s Home, Rob Pitingolo, Wired, Mark Cuban, SF Weekly, The New Republic, Change.gov, The Corner, Culture11, Daily Kos, Callie Shell, Dooce, Ed Cone, ESPN, Gawker, Gothamist, Wicked Local, Jezebel, Kottke, Nicholas Kristof, Paul Krugman, Marc Ambinder, Marketplace, Media Matters, Miami Herald, MyWay.com, Google News, Yahoo News, New York Magazine, Obama 2008 Headlines, Opinionator Blog, Perez Hiltion, Political Ticker Blog, Politico, Ross Douthat, Salon, Slate, The Stranger, Der Souegel, Swamland Blog, Talking Points Memo, The Board Blog, Think Progress, Tucson Citizen, Z on TV, The Wall Street Journal, Michelle Malkin, Curt Schilling, AfterEllen, The American Conservative, Baloon Juice, Barry Eisler, BeyondChron, The Boston Globe, The Big Picture (Boston Globe), Brand Week, Chris Piascik’s Blogzilla, CNN, Controlled Greed, Christian Science Monitor, Dallas News, Digby, D Magazine, EbonyJet, The Economist, Bill Whittle, Wikipedia, Atrios, Chicago News Examiner, FiveThirtyEight.com, FOX News, GQ, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, msnbc.com, National Journal, Saturday Night Live, Newseum.com, Newspaper Index, Newsweek, The New Yorker, New York Daily News, The New York Post, The New York Times, Patrick Mosberg, Bill Moyers Journal, Playboy, Pollster.com, Portfolio, The American Prospect, Real Clear Politics, Reason, RedState, Republicans for Obama, The Big Picture (Barry Ritholtz), Rolling Stone, Glenn Greenwald, Salon War Room, sarahpalin.com, Hello Everybody, Steven Johnson, The Next Right, The Onion, The Root, Time, Tiny Revolution, USA Today, Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, YouTube, Zefrank)

273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours
I was fascinated by the number of status messages left by Facebook users from 4:00 PM Tuesday, the 4th , until 7:00 PM on Wednesday, the 5th. They were almost exclusively about the election, and all but two friends were happy about it. It’s amazing how easy they were to divide up by the emotions that seemingly everyone was sharing…

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST – Some people still voting, donating their status messages, etc etc.

JB just returned from voting! on Tuesday
RH is overwhelmed by western PA. on Tuesday
JA can’t wait for results time! on Tuesday
JG literally might throw up from election induced anxiety disorder. on Tuesday
CKL is so happy she didn’t have to wait in line to vote today. on Tuesday
PO did his civic duty. on Tuesday
JW just voted and got the chills…let’s make history. on Tuesday
EL is getting out the vote for Barack Obama. Last chance to join the rally: http://causes.com/election/3755431?m=c41805ab. on Tuesday
MD is getting out the vote for Barack Obama. Last chance to join the rally: http://causes.com/election/13860967?m=a56f182a. on Tuesday
SMZ is getting out the vote for Barack Obama. Last chance to join the rally: http://causes.com/election/26867237?m=b82ec408. on Tuesday
MS has donated their status to remind everyone to vote for Barack Obama today. Donate your status: http://causes.com/election/9755311?m=41d830db. on Tuesday
JT is antsy! on Tuesday
AT VOTED!!!! it’ll be a long night of waiting to see the out come though :(. on Tuesday |

6:00 PM – 6:30 PM EST – Nervousness, jumpiness, eagerness, drinkiness.

GB is crazy nervous. on Tuesday
TJB has voted and is now getting ready to party! Anyone in the Valley within shouting distance is welcome to stop by:). on Tuesday
RD is the 1,593,543rd person to donate their status to get out the vote for Barack Obama today. Donate yours: http://causes.com/election/. on Tuesday
SW is HOLY CRAP JUST A LITTLE EAGER. on Tuesday
CP I love this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/joe-the-plumber-vs-cnns-r_n_141091.html. on Tuesday
PDS is down with the Force. on Tuesday
CM is going to the Obama rally tonight. Hot damn! on Tuesday
EEC is pissed that only 10% of people care about Iraq anymore when there are still people dying over there…. on Tuesday
JG just rocked the vote. on Tuesday
JO just voted and got a flu shot all in the same building. Yay America! Yay Obama! on Tuesday
JB is elated after casting my vote. on Tuesday
AK is mixing a stiff drink and bracing herself. on Tuesday AFM is election party tonight! Lots of beer on hand to celebrate or commiserate depending on circumstances. on Tuesday KC is waiting for the election to end. on Tuesday
LJBP So proud of America for voting – looking forward to curling up in comfy clothes with Scott & pizza to watch the election results roll in! :). on Tuesday
KM remembers when terrorists planned 9/11 under Democrat Bill Clinton’s watch. 23 hours ago

6:30 PM – 7:05 PM EST – Hunkering down, and the first noticing of CNN’s holograms.

DM is going to get himself a mess of sushi, crack open a bottle of red and watch the election returns on his very own couch all by himself. 23 hours ago
PC reminds everyone to fasten their seatbelts… (and if you don’t know the rest of this, remember to vote NO on 8!!!) 23 hours ago
KSG misses Tim Russert a little bit. 23 hours ago
FH is ready for returns, although her fingernails are getting shorter… 23 hours ago
SBS voted and is buzzing with excitement! 23 hours ago
LG is the 1,668,494th person to donate their status to get out the vote for Barack Obama today. Donate yours: http://causes.com/election/. 23 hours ago
RC can’t believe how ridiculous the CNN holograms are. 23 hours ago
JG thinks CNN’s holograms are hilarious. 23 hours ago
JFA is horrified at the reports of voter intimidation. But then again…it is Fox News. 23 hours ago
IME is moved by this story – that’s dedication. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081104/ap_on_fe_st/odd_vote_in_ambulance. 23 hours ago

7:05 PM – 8:30 PM EST – Polls stat closing, votes start coming in.

MM can’t get information fast enough….refresh…refresh. 22 hours ago
CC is extremely anxious, but has already (optimistically) purchased celebration prosecco. Cheers! 22 hours ago
NS is holding his breath. 22 hours ago
MC voted for Barack!!!!!!!!! 22 hours ago
JB is just waiting… 22 hours ago
MC wants to give away all the red states. 22 hours ago
MM is FREAKING. 22 hours ago
JF has her fingers crossed for Obama. 22 hours ago
RD is GOBAMA!!!!!!! 22 hours ago
MC hearts David Gergen and Chris Matthews. Maybe DG a little more. 22 hours ago KB can’t believe people are beginning to decorate their houses for christmas. Completely non-political status but….my head is racing. 22 hours ago
MM NH – check! 22 hours ago
JA is at Rockefeller Center and it is waaay cool! 22 hours ago
MC thinks that Jean Shaheen is fun to say. 22 hours ago
VK Ole ole ole ole, Batak, Barak!!! Ole ole ole ole!!! 22 hours ago
MS Hagan > Dole. It’s starting, and it’s gonna get better before it gets better people!! 21 hours ago
MC is a little bit proud of NH and has decided that they may remain a New England state. 21 hours ago
MF is projecting the CNN hologram has lost in a landslide. 21 hours ago
MM waiting on FL. 21 hours ago
SF is also stoked how many people were out voting and showing they want to be heard! 21 hours ago
RD is YES WE CAN AND YES WE WILL! 21 hours ago
NM is elated to see the US vote for their first black president. Right man for the job!!!!! 21 hours ago ME adrenaline. 21 hours ago
BB is feeling beyond addled. 21 hours ago
WEW is watching the votes roll in. GOBAMA. 21 hours ago

8:30 PM – 9:30 PM EST – OHIO!!! is called, people start to feel it.

TJB is OHIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21 hours ago
AFM wants to remind you not to get the projections confused with the actual votes. CNN needs TV drama too. 21 hours ago HV is 70 to go!!!!!!! 21 hours ago
HS is soo proud of her husband for making Ohio BLUE! 21 hours ago
DM is God I love seeing Fox News Talking Heads squirm and spin!!! 21 hours ago
MM wow. OH! 21 hours ago
LMC Yay Ohio!!!! 21 hours ago
RTM is having so much fun reading updated statuses pertaining to Obama’s anticipated victory. 21 hours ago
RD is. 21 hours ago
MFS is HEY! HO! WAY TO GO O-H-I-O!!!! 21 hours ago
MH declares that today, we are all Ohioans. 21 hours ago
CP psyched about Pennsylvania and Ohio! 21 hours ago
KB loves refreshing everyone’s status updates and getting the play by play… 20 hours ago
NS is Jim Himes! 20 hours ago
AK ’s heart is in Grant Park, with her brother! 20 hours ago

9:30 PM – 11:00 PM EST – Anticipation building. Closer and closer and closer. States kept coming in.

JG is witnessing one of the most historic moments in our nation’s history. Wow. 20 hours ago
MM is feeling a little relief… and pride. 20 hours ago
MS is surprised how many people on the living room floor are posting status updates. 20 hours ago
NS is SINCERELY thankful for Chris Shays’ service. 20 hours ago
LN wants less talking and more results…you hear me…RESULTS. 20 hours ago
JS is very very proud of America. 20 hours ago
LS is amazed. 20 hours ago
RT is 975 dollars richer thanks to Obama… BC o-ba-ma! o-ba-ma! 20 hours ago
JG says “Fuck Yeah Ohio!!!”. 20 hours ago
MM is back waiting for FL (or VA)…and getting sleepy. 20 hours ago
AS welcomes the new era that has just been born. 20 hours ago
AT is happy she moved to a swing state, did I help swing it? 20 hours ago
FH is feeling pretty happy. PBR helps. 20 hours ago
MY is Ha! Will.i.am via HOLOGRAM? awesome. 20 hours ago
RT is surprised you can smoke pot now. just not at the dog track… 20 hours ago
MC is wondering wtf is going on with IN, NC and VA? 19 hours ago
JA has been on NBC a lot tonight. 19 hours ago
JW has champagne on ice and is beginning to get overwhelmed with joy. 19 hours ago
RD is we just got virginia. 19 hours ago

11:00 PM – 1:00 AM EST – HE WON!!!!!! Disbelief, celebration, realization slowly starts to sink in.

LMC oh my god. 19 hours ago
NS is HE WON! 19 hours ago
CP 23 to go! Motherbitches! 19 hours ago
MM is excited….and tired. 19 hours ago
JO we did it!!!! 19 hours ago
AK is inexpressibly happy. let the images speak for themselves, Wolf! 19 hours ago
RTM no words can describe this! 19 hours ago
HV is shedding tears of joy…History is made and change is on the way! 19 hours ago
TJB is oh my god. 19 hours ago
CP John Stewart calls it, good enough for me!! 19 hours ago
RH loves this. 19 hours ago
JB says the Barack has just won the Presidency! 19 hours ago
CB is happy. 19 hours ago NS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY. 19 hours ago
SS nice, it’s over McCain, our next president is Obama!! 19 hours ago
MD is celebrating. 19 hours ago
LG is WWWEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! 19 hours ago
RD is elated. words can’t describe it. 19 hours ago
TM is ecstatic. 19 hours ago
CC is drinking some fizzy wine and SO excited!!!!! 19 hours ago IME HOORAY! Though I’ll miss Tina’s Palin. 19 hours ago
PW is so proud to be an American right now!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!! 19 hours ago
ME tears of joy. 19 hours ago
GB is Yes dammit! We won! 19 hours ago
JW is listening to Brooklyn erupt in cheers!!!!!! Elation! 19 hours ago
PW is so proud to be an American right now!!! Tears of joy! Thank you. 19 hours ago
RS is listening to pandemonium on the streets… GObama! 19 hours ago
AFM is fuck yeah!!! And I get to sleep at a decent hour! 19 hours ago
AC is great day. great, great day. 19 hours ago
JJ is unbelievably happy and proud to have her country back! 19 hours ago
GG has just witnessed the country go soft. 19 hours ago
HW Oh yes we did! 19 hours ago
CR is soooo happy!!!!! 19 hours ago
CP hell yes. 19 hours ago
PO can I get a hell yeah!!! 19 hours ago
CP has exhaled. The best night. Ever. 19 hours ago
JB just lit about 50 bottle rockets off his roof, the city is pretty much going nuts… 19 hours ago
JA Yes we can? Yes we did!!! 19 hours ago
LMC a happy moment of a lifetime. 19 hours ago
VK We are witnessing history in the making. President Obama. 19 hours ago
VK I couldn’t be happier. Change is here. 19 hours ago
FH is so excited! I was teary… 19 hours ago
MM is watching history tonight. 19 hours ago
PC is blown away by America. 19 hours ago
KH is OBAMA!!!!! 19 hours ago
DW just changed the world. 19 hours ago
CW is right in the heart of history. 19 hours ago
ED don’t tell me, i tivo’d it. 19 hours ago
CG is proud to be an American again. This day will be taught to and discussed by future generations as a watershed moment in American history. 19 hours ago
ED says McCain 2012 ! 19 hours ago
DP is excited to have a president he can be proud of. finally. 19 hours ago
KS is hoping no one hurts this man. 19 hours ago RC is beyond thrilled that Obama is prez, but slightly disappointed that Wolf Blitzer did not howl when he projected Obama’s victory. 19 hours ago
WA — it happened. 19 hours ago
LG has one word for you: landslide. 18 hours ago
JA is proud to have voted in a swing state that went Obama! 18 hours ago
TJB is breathless and overwhelmed. 18 hours ago
KO is amazed. And inspired. 18 hours ago
NS “Rosa sat so Martin could walk so Barack could run so our children can fly”. 18 hours ago
BS we are not enemies, but friends — change has come…thank god! 18 hours ago
VK Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!18 hours ago
SB is living history in the internet. 18 hours ago
EO is….PRAISE JESUS!!! 18 hours ago
AC is give’im give’im give’im give’im give’im give’im give’im give’im give’im the keys to the city. 18 hours ago
ED yes we can has! 18 hours ago
ME is inspired and encouraged. One love, America. 18 hours ago
AL is proud to be in Chicago. 18 hours ago
JD feels his shell of disaffected, ironic distance crack, crack, crack. 18 hours ago
GB is ecstatic and exhausted. 18 hours ago
LG is totally overwhelmed by the absolute yay-ness of the moment. 18 hours ago
NW is hoping the world is watching. That’s how Democracy works, bitches. 18 hours ago
SO is Extremely Excited!!! 18 hours ago

1:00 AM – 7:00 AM EST – Moving on, here comes the snark, pride, elation, exhaustion, PROP 8.

JA is wondering how soon he can sign up for health care! 17 hours ago
MS is loving the fact that I voted for a winner…..and that Chicago is the center of the earth right now. 17 hours ago
PC just found out that LA county results come in last – keep the faith everyone! 17 hours ago
EL is saying – time to spread the wealth!! 17 hours ago
AK has to sleep and give up on watching for California Prop 8 results. No matter where it comes down, your dignity subject to a vote, and we will overcome! 17 hours ago
MC wants a miniature Jill Biden doll – she is adorable. 17 hours ago
GF is surprised that Californians voted Yes on 8. Bright Side: I guess gays won’t have to endure divorce. 17 hours ago
CM is so proud of this country. Yes we did! 17 hours ago
MC is thinking Rudy and Sarah are starting to figure out what a community organizer does ;). 17 hours ago
EL loved all the horns (and drums) on the way home! about time we can show the same joy for politics as we do for the red sox/patriots. 17 hours ago
HW says HELLS YEAH! 17 hours ago
SR is smiling. 17 hours ago
ESJ is celebrating Obama victory. 17 hours ago
JH just got home from Grant Park! Very, very cool. 17 hours ago
EB is a seriously proud American. Elated beyond description. Ready to contribute to all the good things that are now going to come. 16 hours ago
CB is overwhelmed! 16 hours ago
CM is exhausted but too excited to fall asleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be rough. 16 hours ago
JG is ready to go to sleep and wake up on Jan. 20, 2009 in the United Baracks of Amerirack. 16 hours ago
CH is knocked on her butt, but in an amazing way. 16 hours ago
WEW is Oboozing. Great day in America. 15 hours ago
PP is celebrating. 15 hours ago
JF Obooyah!! 14 hours ago

7:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST – Did that just happen? Excitement, pride, America, happiness, relief, afterglow, more snark, WTF? CA, Bittersweet victory.

MS is OMG amazing election. Thanks to all that got out and voted, R or D!! 12 hours ago
SM is YAY! 12 hours ago
AB is so happy we got it right this time. 12 hours ago
KB did fall asleep too early last night but woke up feeling as though it was christmas morning. We did it people. 11 hours ago
SW is so ready for a new era. 11 hours ago
CG is breathing a sigh of relief. 11 hours ago
KC is happy there is no recount, the election’s over, and it’s safe to go back to the grind. 10 hours ago
NM is so glad to hear the words President Elect Barack Obama. :-). 10 hours ago
TJB knows that the pendulum swings both ways in this country, and it is time for like minded people to use this time wisely. 10 hours ago
MR “America has spoken…and has spoken clearly….”. 10 hours ago
JB is tired, but thrilled. 10 hours ago
MD was so happy this morning that she woke up early BY CHOICE. 10 hours ago
AK is looking forward to having an intelligent Pres again! GObama!! Best day ever. 10 hours ago
MS is sifting through data on state races. Massachusetts legislature is approaching Volkskammer numbers for Democrats. 10 hours ago
AD hasn’t been this excited in years! 9 hours ago
EL congratulates you! and asks you to get to work with him to make this country a better place. 9 hours ago
SBS thinks the people have spoken…loudly. 9 hours ago
HS is annoyed with Morning Joe-don’t piss on the parade already! 9 hours ago
LN is proud of her country…probably for the first time ever. 9 hours ago
EB is http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/11/20081155293464248.html. word. 9 hours ago
PJ is proud that Mass stepped up and voted YES on Question #3. 9 hours ago
KM can at least cling to guns and religion until 2012. 9 hours ago
EDW is OBAMA WINS! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! ♥ . 9 hours ago
CP second moment when it really sunk in was listening to Delores Handy this morning: http://www.wbur.org/news/2008/81167_20081105.asp. 9 hours ago
CM such an amazing night… now back to the grind. 9 hours ago
LJBP Tired, proud and optimistic after an inspiring and historic night! 9 hours ago
CM is glad he dosen’t have to move out of the country. 9 hours ago
AFM is amused that her neighbors called Obama a communist. What is this, 1950? 9 hours ago
MS is going into work–late–to toss most of the pictures of McCain and place the pictures of Obama. 9 hours ago
RS For the first time in my lifetime, I feel truly proud to be an American. Truly. 9 hours ago
LB is happy. 8 hours ago
MM is encouraged. 8 hours ago
KH is overjoyed. 8 hours ago
SGW stayed up late for the rally and is still happy, but tired. 8 hours ago
DM is thinking that this weekend is going to be a giant party! 8 hours ago
JB woke up to a great new world! 8 hours ago
KH is finding it very hard to focus on homework but that is totally OK with her! 8 hours ago
TL never saw people shouting from the rooftops until THIS. 8 hours ago
AK is road trip to dc jan 20th?? 8 hours ago
AK is content. 8 hours ago MD is so happy he doesn’t know how to… 8 hours ago
GB , for one, welcomes his new Democratic overlord. 7 hours ago
JFA is pleased. 7 hours ago
RTM is floating around Jersey suburbia… smiling and spreading the love! YES WE CAN AMERICA!!!! 7 hours ago
BR is hoping Obama can succeed at what he was elected to do as soon as possible…bring the economy back to life! 7 hours ago
RD is OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA. 7 hours ago
JW is still in joyous shock… 7 hours ago
PO may just have to name his first son Barack. 7 hours ago
SP is exhaling and breathing in a new day. 6 hours ago
DB believes a peaceful revolution has spoken. Oh….and go Chicago! 6 hours ago
EO is wondering what’s with the h8te Californians? Very dissapointing. 6 hours ago
SF is feelin’ pretty good. 6 hours ago
KL is already printing Palin-Bedelia 2012 posters!!! 6 hours ago
PC is wondering is Elisabeth will be as humble a loser as McCain was. Doubtful. 6 hours ago
JS thought last night was amazing and is excited for the future. 6 hours ago
AC hung over. 6 hours ago
EM is very proud of her PRESIDENT Barack Obama. 6 hours ago
BK has a restored faith in humanity. 6 hours ago
AC knows hope, if nothing else. 6 hours ago
JG is seeing a lot of smiling faces at work today. 5 hours ago
MS revised “first African American to become a major party presidential candidate” to “…elected President of the United States.” P. 167. 5 hours ago
AFM now has another reason to hate California. 5 hours ago
TJB is tired, but just can’t stop smiling. 5 hours ago
AC is come on california… 5 hours ago
AK is happy and a lil more hetrophobic today. 4 hours ago
MC I think Ralph Nader is done. His handlers need to put a muzzle on him. 3 hours ago
MD is rejoicing. 3 hours ago
NM is majorly disappointed with the Question 8 results in CA. WTF people? 3 hours ago
AK is still totally pumped about Obama. 2 hours ago
FH wants to know the results of the OR. U.S. Senate race. 2 hours ago
RH is so saddened by prop. 8. 2 hours ago
SW appreciates his mom, but honestly: “Mother, he is not Irish. Obama. Not O’Bama.” 2 hours ago
IM is feeling pretty fucking good right now. about an hour ago
BB is elated!! about an hour ago
PC is feeling a little better after some good cries, a solid Sex & the City and a chicken gyro. about an hour ago
CG is yay! 55 minutes ago
EEC is an Obama mamma. 28 minutes ago
KM : my state lets you kill babies, do drugs, and votes for Obama…If we didn’t have quality men’s league hockey and cheap beer I’d be out. 3 minutes ago

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Personal Stories from Friends
I asked my friends to share their personal thoughts from me to show how people I know reacted. These are relatively unedited and somewhat anonymous. If you want to add your own thoughts in the comments, that would be excellent.

GH, male, my age, from Ohio.
I put on a jacket and tie to go vote… and, it [was] totally sincere. I wanted to look good- the moment demanded more from me. And, I didn’t want to let the moment, history, and our nation down.

I cried last night, no doubt. I didn’t do much at work today, just read and read and looked at the photos.

The importance of last night cannot be overstated, or understood for a long time.

VK, female, a bit older than me, from Argentina.
We lived the election in Buenos Aires as it was the election of our own president. we hold parties each debate, follow the conversation online and did not missed the Daily Show even once. We were conscious that this was going to be a historic date.

Last night, we hold a party at one of my American friends house. We were watching CNN and checking sites on our iphones like crazy. When it was finally announced, we screamed and shout and cry, and celebrate the fact that America was finally electing the President it deserves.

JO, male, a bit older than me, from Boston.
Basically it just feels different.

Maybe it’s just living through the past 8 years, but I think for the first time in a while something new is happening. As cliché as it sounds there’s before Obama and after Obama as far as I’m concerned.

It feels like this is a rare opportunity for everyone to come together and actually work on getting stuff done. Not just liberals. Not just conservatives. Not black, white, Asian, Indian, Latino, but EVERYONE. Or at least give it the ol’ college try!

Oh and if you asked me two years ago if he could be president I would think you were insane in the membrane.

LS, male, a bit older than me, from NY.
I voted. It was great. Felt good about it. For the first time in almost a decade, I actually voted for the winner. So that was a nice feeling. Definitely feeling very positive at this point in time that Obama can actually start from scratch on a certain level. Bring a new kind of energy to the political process and make people feel that government is actually on their side. So, overall, feeling good about it.

SE, male, a bit older than me, from TN
Bittersweet to say the least.
The typical scare tactics by the Republican party (rumors of being a Muslim, a socialist, a communist, a terrorist, etc, etc) didn’t work this time. I’m glad the American public saw beyond all of the junk and to the core of the issues facing this country today. It’s time for a reversible of the trickle down economics and bring the troops home!

RN, female, my age, from CA
Before Obama became the Democratic nominee, I heard a comedian on TV say something like, ‘If we actually have a black president then how is Hollywood going to portray ‘the future USA’ in movies and television?’.

In October I started graduate school, and I’m taking a course called “Paradigms of Consciousness”. We’re learning about how the world is stuck in the Newtonian-Cartesan paradigm established 400 years ago wherein humans are reducible to parts (like a machine), science says what’s not measureable is not real, and that nature has no consciousness and therefore can be exploited by humans. This presidential election, along with the collapsed economy, proves that the old paradigm is not working. We are in the midst of a world awakening! At least I hope we are. Only time will tell if an Obama administration can truly make change a reality

RD, male, older, from MA – The Big E
Well, the Presidential E-lection was a watershed event for sure this week and I have to be the first to shout out E-grats, congrats, big-ups & what-alls to our soon to be new Prez Barack Hussien Obama and our new First Lady Michelle Obama. For this weeks E I was thinkin that since most Prezy’s have a headline grabbin nick name, you know like; “Ike”, “Slick Willie”, “Tricky Dicky”, Ronald “the Great Communicator Raygun”, George “W” (What-Me-Worry”) Bush, I thought I would staht the Obama Presidency off with a few moniker sugg-E-tions of my own fer ya, so heah goes:

1. “BIG BRO”. This one has several connotations but he will be Commander in Chief & the brother did tally a whoppin 97% O’ the African American vote !

2. “BARACK-N’-ROLL”. Not that catchy but if he stahts taxin anyone making less than 250 Lahge this one could take off!

3. “OBOMBER”. This one might work after one O’ dem Tommyhawk Cruise Missiles strikes the fool who sets off one O’ dem “test situations” during Barack’s first 6 months that Veep Joe Biden was “ludin” to!

4. “BAROMBA”. A take off on the espanish song “Barumba”, You may see this one under a picture O’ Barack Dancin wit the First Lady at the Inaugural Ball. This one could set off a new dance craze!!

5. “O-BEAR-Ma”. Hopefully dis one don’t make it cuz it will mean yer 401K jes went down to a 1-C.

Well that’s as good as I can do fer this Friday’s E but if you got more let’s hear from ya’s!. Here’s hopin all O’ us includin Barry O have a peacful & prosperous next four years but in the meantime we can all staht by havin a great weekend so long as we don’t ferget to: praise Jesus/Jehovah, please the “squeeze”, relaxitate & CHILL!!!!!

LT, female, my age, from MD
While my story isn’t uplifting, hopeful, or celebratory, it’s real. Include it if you like:

I’ve just completed my first quarter as an 8th grade Ancient Civ teacher. I love the material and there’s a ton of room for improvisation. We wrapped up Ancient China and India on Friday (October 31st), with Greece up next. To generate some excitement about Greek history, I thought it would be interesting to tie in some current events. The 2008 election will always remind me of this story:

The assignment I gave in class that morning was to have the students come up with 3 questions to ask of a registered voter about our democratic process. A key component of this assignment was to be an “informed interviewer” and I emphasized that the students need to be prepared with their questions. I communicated the objectives, which are to connect the students with current events, conduct independent research on the topic, and learn how to paraphrase an interviewer’s response. I also mentioned that the interview will come into play later as we discuss the characteristics of Ancient Greek government. I have been very careful not to bring any partisan politics into the classroom (the Head of School specifically requested that I avoid political discussion), knowing that doing so could have been risky.

One student asked how much research they need to do, to which I responded that each student is different. For example, some benchmarks for evaluation include (none of these questions were open for discussion; each were rhetorical):
“What is a citizen?” “Do you know the difference between Democrat and Republican?” and as a follow up, “Do you know that both parties are associated with a different color? For example, you hear the term red state and blue state. Do you know what that means?” And, “Do you know what color McCain is associated with?” “How about Obama?” It is to this last question that one of my white 8th grade students answered loudly – to nobody in particular – that “Obama is just black.” I couldn’t continue. I was distracted, disappointed, and had lost my train of thought. He spent the rest of the day waiting in the office for his parents to pick him up.

While the story isn’t about Tuesday’s election, the long lines (mine were short!), or my political leaning, it makes you think… Whew. 8th grade.

SC, male, older, from MA
On Election Day, I received a call from a high school friend from New Jersey, with whom I have not spoken in about a year. He was calling because he was trying to figure out for whom he should vote. He had spoken to some friends and family and they were basically evenly split. He was leaning towards McCain, but he wanted to hear my thoughts.

Initially, I spent most of the time countering some of the high level rhetoric that people mentioned about Obama (he will raise taxes on everyone, is a socialist, etc.). My friend said this information was helpful, but he still felt confused. Finally, I told him, very simply, that there are certain times in history that demand a certain kind of President. I told him that examples were Roosevelt (both), Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton, all of whom were the right people for that time. I said that there could even be an argument that 2000 was a time for George W. (although he failed miserably). I then said that now is the time in history for Obama to be our President. The message it would send to the country and to the world would be incredible.

Interestingly enough, he was probably the person that I spoke with during the campaign who seemed to be truly undecided. About halfway through the call, I realized how strongly I felt about the election and how important it was to me to be to convince him to vote for Obama.

He said thanks and that he would think about it. He has not called back to tell me what he did, but Obama took NJ.

JT, male, older, from MA
I’m probably one of the few people you know who was not enchanted by the outcome of this election.

But I’m reasonably confident that Obama & Co. will have trouble doing permanent damage to the country. We’ll probably see a few bad years, both economically and politically, but the pendulum almost always swings back when enough people figure out that Washington is in the hands of the wrong people. And if I’m the one who’s wrong–well, anyone who’s reading this 10 or 20 years from now can get a good chuckle at my innocence.

What troubles me far more is the likelihood that the press–a critical part of our political process–has done terrible damage to itself. There’s always been some bias in past election coverage, of course, and it’s not always a bad thing for reasonably knowledgeable reporters and editors to nudge the public toward the good guys. We’ve also had eras when there was open war between factional newspapers and publishers who sold their presses (and their souls) to the highest bidders.

But the past few years of campaign coverage were the first time I can recall when virtually the entire mainstream media–newspapers, magazines, broadcast–openly took sides with one candidate. There was no subtlety at all about the media’s efforts to promote and protect “their” candidate, and simultaneously to devastate the opposition. Troubling revelations about Obama and Biden were buried; silly rumors about McCain and Palin ended up on the front page.

I’ve spent much of my life around working journalists, and I know that in the past very little of this behavior would have passed muster among professional reporters and editors. Regardless of their political leanings, few journalists would have let large parts of a high-visibility politician’s life go unexplored. And few editors, especially at major metropolitan dailies, would have rushed thinly-sourced stories into print the way we’ve seen in the last few years. Self-respect trumped partisanship.

That’s changed, clearly. And the change occurred at the worst possible time for the credibility of the press, because an army of bloggers and commentators has begun to challenge deceptive reporting with YouTube videos and background research that often spreads around the Web like proverbial wildfire.

For the mainstream media, the price of this year’s aggressive partisanship has been a severe loss of credibility, steep declines in readership, and endless rounds of layoffs and cutbacks. It’s hard to feel sorry for anyone caught in this self-induced meltdown: Stupidity has consequences.

But I’m less happy about the loss to our national dialog. The media played a useful role in defining what’s important, and in keeping a lot of the players reasonably honest. Take away the media as a serious, weighty, responsible institution and I’m pretty sure we’re all much worse off. Orwell’s Ministry of Truth is not going to be a happy substitute.

SC, male, a bit older, from MA
McCain redeemed himself with his concession speech. Early in the race I considered voting for McCain simply because I liked the man, and I tend to vote by the person rather than the party. My opinion of him took a nosedive when his campaign resorted to personal attacks in the race against Obama.
Obama may have attacked in the media, but he wasn’t malicious. McCain regained my respect with the bipartisan tone in his concession speech and with the visible way in which he put down the anti-Obama sentiment of the crowd. Perhaps he is a good man…it’s a pity he let his campaign go the typical Republican low-road.

I had a sudden attack of paranoia waiting for Obama to arrive for his acceptance speech. I was struck with worry that something might have happened to him, that he might have been assassinated. He has become hope personified – a symbol that our country wants and perhaps can change. I was afraid for the repercussions to our country’s psyche if that symbol were killed. In retrospect I realize I was thinking of him as “our” Obama. The feeling of paranoia and protectiveness gradually eased as he arrived and spoke, but it did not go away.

BE, male, a bit younger, from CT
Every presidential election they say it’s “historic” and the phrase “generation” is used liberally (progressively?). Personally I don’t think the election itself is necessarily historic, it’s all about the consequences. Not to downplay the import of our first Black non-TV, non-Warren-G-Harding president, but the history books about the years 2008-2012 won’t have more than a few paragraphs dedicated to the occasion.

KC, female, older, from ME
For me it is simple. The best man won. Yes, he is a man who is half black and half white. That is momentous. I also think it is important to concentrate on the fact that he is the most intelligent, most thoughtful, most empathetic, most likely to choose the best advisors, classiest, least reactionary–cool headed–and simply is the best man for the job. I am elated that such a large per cent of the American public recognized that. That being said, I am concentrating now on how optimistic and hopeful he is. I am noticing the spring in his step and the clear quality of his voice.This job will wear him down–age him beyond his years. I am sorry for that.

CM, female, a bit older, from MA
It was a new, a very new feeling to watch the president-elect of the United States on television with tears in my eyes– tears of joy, relief, and hope. I have only voted three times, and never have I felt as if my vote held such a weight for my country and for the world. But there he stood, a true, honest, hardworking man who had worked his way through his life and the world to stand on a podium and address the USA as the President-Elect.
This meant a great deal for me, but what made the tears spring to my eyes was the idea that my two children, who are now two and four years old, would have this man as the first president that they would truly remember. I thought of the great change that he could bring to this nation in his years in the White House, and how those changes might impact my family and my children, and I glowed.
I have never before felt so proud to be an American.

CM, female, my age, from Chicago
It’s hard to put it all into words.

I’m a Cubs fan. We don’t win things. I never, seriously, never, expect things to come out how they should, or rather, how I think they should. I’m the product of Jack W____, so of course I always anticipate the worst (again, it really all goes back to the Cubs).

I’m going to say off the bat that I don’t think, no matter how many words, how many analogies, how many accompanying photos, how many tears I cry just thinking about it, I will ever, truly, be able to explain that feeling on Tuesday night.

It was magic. It was disbelief. It was something that pretty much allowed me to have a renewed faith in this country. I know everyone is saying these things, but it’s true.

So here’s how it went down.

I__ and I had tickets for the big rally, 75,000 expected in attendance. The morning of the rally, my mom told me that they, my parents, had gotten VIP passes through the campaign. I griped, jealous, but was excited they could be there. One hour later my mom called and said they were able to get one for me as well. (I__ was out of luck, but let’s be honest, this was a W____-W____ night and he was all about that.)

My mom, I__ and our friend, C_____, all took the train downtown together. At one point, the train stopped because a major fight was happening on the car next to us. Security, police, guns, it was scary. Very scary. I wanted to leave; go home. The crowds were huge and there was a very nervous tension. But, we stayed on and the train kept heading to Grant Park.

My mom got a call, mid-ride, from her sister to say that Barack was the projected winner in Pennsylvania. In a way that only my mom can, she whooped and loudly announced to all of our fellow passengers: “Barack’s got Pennsylvania!!!” Everyone cheered.

We got off the train, and my mom went to meet my dad in the VIP area and I went to wait in line with I__ and C___. After a while, it was clear their line wasn’t moving too fast, so I bid them adieu and went to the honored guest area.

You have to understand that there were more people out than I’ve ever seen. More than at the Bulls NBA championship rallies, more than 4th of July and the Taste of Chicago. It was insane. I walk to the VIP area and it was like a different world. There were people but they were in suits, not home-made tee-shirts. Despite the stuffy facade, the energy and excitement was just as present.

I called my parents and they told me where they were saving our spot. In the front row. Next to the podium. My dad had a veggie sandwich waiting for me. I’m really lucky- they’re good eggs. Before things kicked off, I went to get some water; I ran into none-other than Oprah, making her way to the Port-O-Potties. I am kind of kicking myself for not getting a photo of her entering or departing said Port-o-Potty, but Tuesday night wasn’t about ‘Stars, they’re just like Us.’ Tuesday night was about Barack.

The area where we were was pretty empty. There were only about 5,000 or 6,000, so our spot was pretty prime and people weren’t pushing us around, which was nice.

They were playing CNN on the big jumbotron, and as soon as I walked in, they had just projected Ohio for Obama. Everyone went nuts. Good tears.

Here’s when the real magic happened:

It was 9:59:30 and everyone started counting down to the close of the California polls. As the clock struck 10 p.m. CST, we heard the thundering intro music, alerting us that there was another CNN projection on its way:

CNN projects Barack Obama the next president of the United States.

(here’s a video) from my friend, V____, who was in the crowd at this exact moment. I think it does a great job of projecting how amazing it really was among 250,000 fellow Obama supporters)

I cried like I cried at my wedding. I cried so hard that I’m still exhausted from such an emotional release. And, as I type, I almost cry now thinking about the scene in front of me: My mom and dad, who for years have fought, so hard, for so many good things. I watched them embrace, cry with each other and celebrate a pinnacle in their lives that I don’t think either one of them really ever imagined would happen. My mom grabbed me, and hugged me. It was amazing.

Then my dad put my sister on the phone. (E___, who has made such a sacrifice to work in Portsmouth, NH, and has worked so tirelessly for the campaign since this summer. Did you know that New Hampshire, the ‘Live Free of Die’ state went to Barack? My sister helped with that. I’m so proud of her.) I began talking to her on the phone, and again, that same flood of feelings came rushing back- to talk to her was to re-live the excitement all over. But this time, the personal connection, the sense of pride for my little sister, almost exceeded the earlier projection.

In any case, that was what I think of as the most amazing point of that night.

But that’s not to discredit how incredible it was when they announced the new First Family. Or to hear Barack’s election speech and to be close enough that I could actually hear his annunciation in person versus over the speakers.

What was unexpected was the amount of exhaustion at that point. Despite all the energy I think everyone who was there, everyone in the city or country for that matter, was just so emotionally drained because what a long road it’s been.

His speech was so honest. And it was such a look at the leader he is going to be and the leader he’s always been. What he has before him is going to be hard. Harder than the past 19 months campaigning and harder than any other modern president has had to walk into. But I have faith.

That night I wrote a letter to a baby or babies that one day me and I__ will have. I wrote it because I really believe that it’s okay to bring children into this world. I want to have a baby because I think we’re on the brink of amazing times and I want our child/children to be here to experience it. I wrote a letter because I want to tell our children about how I__ and I were there that night. We were at different vantage points, but we witnessed history. I want to tell our children about the long hard fight that it took to bring Barack Hussein Obama, a black man, into the White House. Oh this is so important and I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I don’t want to miss any detail. I don’t want to forget about how hard my dad held me when Barach was announced or how proud, truly inspired, I felt that night.

As for what’s next, I lilke it. Rahm Emanuel is a crazy motherfucker, but he’s good. I kind of liken him a bit to my father (the self-proclaimed Bulldog). I think Barack is going to align himself with the best out there and I’m just eager to see who’s brought on board next.

So, this might be more than what you were looking for, but two nights ago, I experienced something that’s up there second to my wedding as one of the happiest days of my life. Magic.

HW, female, my age, from New York
Response to Election ‘08
I was appalled to learn that 4 out of 6 young teachers I ate lunch with that day were not even registered to vote and didn’t seem to think that it really mattered. (Like, who cares, I have a bad cold and I am just going to sit here in my Ugg boots with my jeans tucked in and not eat lunch and get other teachers sick and not vote because I am exercising my right not to vote?) Maybe that’s what one of them thought. I am just trying to see it from their perspective. I mean 4 college-educated women not voting in the most historic election of our time baffles me. It’s simply baffling since we’ve only had the right for a relatively little time and many women in the world still don’t have the right. I feel like how can people be that self- absorbed not to have participated in such a historic event? Are they so involved in themselves that they can’t see how important something is in the whole world, in the bigger picture, beyond themselves and their lives? Not to say that they didn’t have big things going on in their lives. But couldn’t they step outside their daily lives for a couple of minutes to fill out an absentee ballot? “Oh, I just moved here so I’m not voting”. How’s about take the couple minutes to fill out the form. Or even in CT you can go to your town hall and vote if you are not registered on time for a Presidential Election, or so I heard. Also, what bothered me were people saying, “oh, I don’t care for either of the candidates so I’m not voting”. Ack, get me out of this faculty room. The candidates were so completely different that you had to like one more than the other even by just a little bit unless you are brain dead. It’s like “Paper or plastic?” You need to choose one or the other even if the cloth bag is not available. Otherwise how are you going to carry all your groceries? You wouldn’t and then you might starve. But these people are not brain dead; they are seemingly intelligent, educated, awesome teachers. Ack. So, I voted, got my sticker, got my Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie dough, got my Starbuck’s tall decaf and stayed up to watch the entire event. My blood was all jazzed up without caffeine. (Even though as an Exercise Science major I know there is still caffeine in decaf). I was scared. What if a lot of other people who might have voted for Obama didn’t go out and vote? What if our country actually voted for the wrong person again? Would my rights as a woman go down the tubes? When the TV anchors cut away to the breaking news after California’s polls closed, I cried with disbelief and relief. Could this really be happening? My dad would have whooped and hollered. He had lost faith in the American people, as did I. Two years ago, he told me that America would never vote for a black man. I never repeated that aloud. I didn’t want it to be true. But my dad was wrong, thankfully. A lot has changed in the past two years in this country. But, was Brian Williams or Tom Brokaw going to come back and say, “We’re sorry but there’s been a mistake?” No, it’s true. It actually happened. My husband sat next to me in a silent (for once!) shock. I tapped him, “Obama just won.” “I know”, he said. I called my brother in Oregon and cried. It actually happened. Can you believe it? We voted for the winner, for change, for someone I won’t wince at when listening to, for an intelligent leader, a black man. How cool is this? Very. Tres. Muy. And Yes I Can do anything! By the way, I could have just told Conan the joke about Barack using inspirational words from Bob the Builder. “Can we build it? YES WE CAN!” And so we did and will continue to…

AH, male, older than me, from MA
11/4/08
Children boil onto the streets at noon; it’s
a half-day to relieve congestion at polling
places, all schools. At Bates I’m number

1057 at eleven o’clock. With absentee
ballots included, that means half the
potential precinct votes are in; John Schuler

says it’s running about double the rate
of a normal election. I embrace my neighbor
Elizabeth; we have cancelled each other.

11/5/08
On the Common a homeless orator
holds up the front page of the *Herald*
and chants a raspy enconium to the

President-elect. Most of us are a
little dazed, short of sleep, giddy
with this newfound sense of our

recovered virtue. Soon enough the
constraints will tighten; for this one
day we allow ourselves a big hope.

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Miscellaneous
Because not everything always has a place to go.

This was at the beginning, during the primary. Yes we can.

Some of my favorite pictures from the election include this illustration, Obama doing pullups, and Obama as Superman. Here are a few cartoons of Obama doing the terrorist fist bump with the Lincoln Memorial (“Who better to juxtapose with the country’s first black president than the commander-in-chief who emancipated American slaves (even if Obama’s ancestors were not among them)?”), 35 awesome pictures from the election, a big (in a good way) round up of editorial cartoons and some more pics of Obama.

I hope he voted for himself.

5 Signs President-Elect Obama Is a Geek

1. Obama has pledged to create a cabinet-level Chief Technology Officer for the country.

Four years ago we were sorry everybody, now it’s Hello Everybody

An explanation of the above link:

Right after the 2004 election, a California college student started a website called sorryeverybody.com, “an apology to the world for the reelection of George W. Bush.” He invited Americans to submit photos with messages to the world, and thousands did. In one photo, a man holds up a handwritten note: “Sorry World (We Tried). — Half of America.” Another note reads, “I’m Sorry World, I Miss You So Much.” A third promises, “Dear World, It’ll Get Better.”

And

No, Obama won’t bring peace to Iraq and withdraw U.S. troops in his first month in office, or end Arab-Israeli tensions by March. He won’t miraculously persuade Iran to switch from nuclear technologies to solar energy, or persuade Osama bin Laden to give up terrorism and open up a chain of florist shops instead.

And also from52to48withlove

From 52 to 48, we can work it out. Together.

Though, what is 52-48? Wasn’t it 53-46?

This is a fawning Obama victory montage to the tune of Marvin Gaye’s epic National Anthem performance at an NBA all star game. Maybe shut your eyes and listen.

Election night sex.

Here’s a list of bad predictions made during the race. A bazillion of them. Though the predictions of Hilary being the candidate were not bad, Obama was just that good.

In this case conventional wisdom is not just wrong but comically so. [Fred] Thompson will win the Republican nomination for two reasons. First, he’s a very impressive candidate. Second, there’s no realistic alternative. He will win the general election for the same two reasons.

How Simon Cowell saved American democracy:

And as much as some might scoff at the deleterious effects of Idol on our culture, it has created a culture of voting among our young people. Where past generations of youth might have felt cynically about their ability to affect change, the millions of Idol voters can see the palpable impact of their vote — live in prime time and with Ryan Seacrest as their Walter Cronkite.

A white conservative from Charlotte canvases for Obama and learns something:

I am the dreaded swing voter. So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.

36 Red and Blue Maps.

Barack Obama is a game-changer. The video game kind, not the kind that Nick Gillespie loathes so much.

What can we expect from Bush’s White House? There were stories about the transition from Clinton to Bush. “The vandalism included missing items like doorknobs, a presidential seal and ‘W’ keys from nearly 60 computer keyboards.” Or, well, maybe it didn’t.

Even baseball is going to be effected.

Some baseball agents already are thinking about trying to beat a possible tax increase for their well-paid clients under an Obama administration.

This could turn out to be a very busy last week of December or new contracts this offseason could have lower bonuses and higher per year salaries to cover the taxes. Though I think this effects agents way more than players who don’t typically receive very high signing bonuses.

Also, Poker Returns to the White House:

But it was already on the record that, after a cool reception from fellow legislators in 1997, when he first took his seat in the Illinois state senate, Obama won over colleagues of all parties with his charm and expertise at the green baize.

And three election recap videos from Daily Kos

Er, The Tonight Show

And CNN

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Humor
Just because there was a major election, people didn’t stop being funny, though an inordinate amount of them were concerned about the future of The Daily Show.

The Onion, was, as always on fire. Starting with an oldie, but a goodie. From Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over’ to Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job to Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress

Can ‘The Daily Show’ Survive the Barack Obama Presidency?

And if you’re an Obama fan — eager to give Barack the benefit of the doubt, and proud and excited about the change you’ve helped bring the nation — do you really want Jon Stewart sitting on the sidelines, taking potshots at your hero?

Ricky Gervais talking about the election.

Whatever will the comics mock? The end of the satirical industrial complex?

The chuckles produced during the George W. Bush era by a veritable legion of satirists and comedians, ranging from Fey to Jon Stewart to Chris Rock, have been particularly therapeutic. Unfunny times demand the tonic of humorous distraction.

President Pryor

I had to quote this entire entry. Go buy the book in exchange. Also noted here and here.

What An Amazing Accomplishment
It’s September 12, 2001. You’re sitting in front of a TV, watching footage of the World Trade Center collapse over and over and over again. All of a sudden, someone from seven years in the future walks out of a tiny temporal vortex, and tells you: George W. Bush is going to fuck this up so badly that in 2008, the United States of America will likely elect as president a black man whose middle name is Hussein and whose father was Muslim. Oh, and he also admits he’s used cocaine. I think it would have been easier to convince me of the reality of time travel. “No, no, I believe you really are from the future. But the other stuff, that’s CRAZY.”

Sarah Palin’s domain is available, though ironic now. www.sarahpalin.com

Domain Available – This page intentionally left blank.

Five Things White People Shouldn’t Do:

1. Don’t personally congratulate all your black friends.
2. Don’t declare that you ‘never thought you’d see the day.’
3. Don’t start crossing the street in order to walk next to a black person.
4. Don’t name drop ‘Dr. King.’
5. Don’t use the phrase ‘white people’ in any way that suggests it doesn’t include you.

Five Things Black People Shouldn’t Do

1. No Negro spirituals or quotes from Dr. King.
2. Don’t go up to every ‘redneck-y’ looking person and gloat.
3. Don’t corner your white coworkers to give them a tutorial on black culture.
4. Don’t go to your local DMV, post office or other government office and try to jump the line, talkin’ ’bout, ‘Barack’s got my back.’
5. Do not promise to name your first child after Barack Obama.

McCain on SNL a couple days before the election, which was weird, but funny. He had to have known at that point it was over.

Keith Olbermann on: McCain on SNL, Palin ad libbing, McCain campaign commenting on Affleck as Olbermann. He’s a buffoon, but a funny buffoon.

Colbert and Stewart were newsmen for a night, but will the show go on?

The exit of the Bush administration, some have argued, will dwindle comedic fodder. But Tuesday night’s show ended with Stewart rallying his correspondents and Colbert that their jobs would continue.

Joe the Plumber got some from an SNL star. No, he didn’t.

Round up of issues facing comics.

Even the LOL cats got into it. Change. U can haz it.

What now?! What now?!

Here are some directions on how to prepare for your mind to be blown. A Safety Guide

If you’re like most people, you’re still in shock. THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS HAVING YOUR MIND BLOWN.

Why White Comics Don’t Get Barack:

But the inability of ‘Saturday Night Live’ to produce one hilarious sketch on the Obamas has little to do with the quality of comedic material Michelle or Barack offer. It has more to do with the fact that mainstream American comedy has been, for far too long, racially segregated and has relied on two formulas in dealing with black people: one is racial stereotyping and the second is black invisibility.

Why Black Comics Must Get Barack:

‘We comics unleash,’ he says. ‘There won’t be too many things left unsaid. If he messes up, we won’t leave any meat on the bone. Truthfully, for comics, it would have been better if [John] McCain won. The worst choice is always better for us.’

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

The Media
The media gets bored reporting just facts all the time and their favorite story is a story about themselves. From my perspective, most of the press around this election were built to create a horse race. First in the GOP primary, then in the Democratic primary, and then in the general. Oh well, can’t live with them…Can’t…. Right.

Campaign memories from Rolling Stone:

This is what qualifies as a tough question on the campaign trail. The press performance in this election year would ultimately prove to be the worst of all time by miles and miles. Example: After thousands of reporters sat around for months on end listening first to Hillary’s and then John McCain’s people blather on about Obama’s connection to former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers, it would take David Letterman — David Letterman! — to challenge either candidate on the matter. “Are they driving cross-country?” Letterman asked, after finally having gotten McCain to squirm about his own relationship with equivalent extremist G. Gordon Liddy.

And from GQ:

Objectivity is a fallacy. In campaign reporting more than any other kind of press coverage, reporters aren’t just covering a story, they’re a part of it—influencing outcomes, setting expectations, framing candidates—and despite what they tell themselves, it’s impossible to both be a part of the action and report on it objectively. In some cases, you genuinely like the candidate you’re covering and you root for him, because over the long haul you come to see him as a human being. For a long time, this was John McCain’s ace in the hole with the press, whom he referred to as “my base.”

The press should have wanted Biden because of how ‘unscripted’ he seems, but they trashed him for this unscriptedness. A case study in the absurd:

If anything, grateful reporters should have rewarded Biden’s wide-open style (not to mention his generous access), right? Wrong. Throughout the fall campaign, the press relentlessly painted Biden as a buffoon and a goof. Rather than reward Biden for being open and honest with voters, the press punished him for weeks on end.

I don’t know if we consider them the media, but The View was must watch TV. Before

It’s been quite a season for “TheView,” a show that went from yappy, irrelevant punch line to must-see TV (even if your “TV” happens to resemble a computer). As has been eloquently pointed out by my colleague Rebecca Traister, “These ladies are a regular ‘McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour’ for the late-morning set, with [Elisabeth] Hasselbeck as the benighted Republican bugaboo.” It’s been nothing less than thrilling to watch the electricity of their political arguments, which mirror the country’s water-cooler conversation without the smug and easy vilifying made possible by sharing a conversation with people who think exactly the same as you do.

And after.

[Elizabeth] was uncharacteristically gracious and respectful of Barack Obama.

Unfortunately, Ana Marie Cox (I don’t know why, but she annoys me) isn’t talking about herself in this list of things to retire:

Term: Maverick. I’ve forgotten what it means.

Both candidates were interviewed on Monday Night Football, the night before the election and faced softball questions. I’m not sure what the writer expected.

The questions Berman was shown asking the candidates during halftime of ESPN’s Monday Night Football fell short of being softballs — they were more like silly putty.

Obama vs The West Wing

Howard Kurtz says that shows that have previously been fluffy have hit McCain harder than Obama (Letterman, The View). But Howard Kurtz is an idiot, and perhaps the softer shows were hitting McCain harder because the press wasn’t.

CNN debuted holograms for its coverage.

Anna Marie Cox interviews:
Obama’s Communications Director

This has been—filled with highs and, I could say any number, but I think, seeing Barack Obama last night in Virginia, the capital of the Old South, in front of nearly 100,000 people in one of his final campaign rallies, was sort of the great conclusion to everything we’ve done. One of the goals was to go where Democrats hadn’t gone before, to reach out to people that Democrats hadn’t reached out to before, and there we were actually having accomplished that fact, regardless of what the outcome is.

McCain Chief Strategist

Reached on a long-planned vacation outside the country, former McCain campaign chief strategist Steve Schmidt was in the middle of letting go.

And McCain Aide Mark Salter

I think the environment, the biggest challenge in the environment was the bailout… and the right track number, on top of a president with very low approval ratings and a shitty economy, that’s a pretty bad environment.

One of the more enjoyable videos of the election was watching fake pundit Joe the Plumber getting mauled by Rick Sanchez.

The traditional media, wasn’t interested in reporting news they were interested in creating a horserace.

I think there was media bias in favor of Hillary Clinton, and here’s why. It was virtually mathematically impossible for her to be nominated from late March on, and the media continued to pretend that there was an active campaign. And the reason is it serves the interests of the media to have the campaign go on longer.

“Obama bits and loose ends”

The press had details on how clueless Palin was (whether it was true or infighting), but didn’t report it until after the election… Why?

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Money and Business
The world economy and the US economy, specifically, are in a tough place right now. Obama certainly has his work cut out for him. How will he do?

The New Yorker is optimistic.

In fact, I think it’s possible that an Obama election could have a longer-term impact in boosting global markets’ confidence in the U.S., even if it’s also possible that American investors would be happier with McCain.

I would have expected this would happen, too, and I think an Obama administration will eventually right the economy, but at least in the two days following the election, the rally had been, well, a negative rally.

The Daily Beast tells us why Obama is good for stocks.

But back to the matter at hand: what does Obama’s win portend for the market? We live in interesting times, so it’s unlikely the averages really count this time around, but an average is an average, so we might as well take a look. And the news is good: in post-election years, the market tends to rise 6.2 percent if a Democrat has won the election, and just 4.0 percent if a Republican has won. Something to be thankful for.

Speaking of money, Obama raised so much of it during the election that campaign employees got a bonus. The campaign let them keep the laptops and cell phones they used during the campaign, paid their health insurance until the end of the year and gave them a month’s worth of severance pay.

This unprecedented munificence (for a political campaign) was likely made possible by the astounding amount of money Mr Obama raised in the home stretch of the campaign. (And it stands in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign, which ended up millions of dollars in debt.) No doubt the president-elect’s actions will rub some donors the wrong way—especially those who responded to the campaign’s pleas for cash the weekend before the election—but others may find it a clever move.

So how much DID he raise and spend? About $639 million and $594 million respectively:

Even without corporate cash, the Obama fundraising machine has been a force. Nearly half of the record $639 million that his campaign raised during the primaries and general election came in the form of donations of $200 or less. As of mid-October, the Obama campaign had spent about $594 million.

This could be where we’re headed because Obama has talked about letting Bush’s tax cuts expire. But I don’t think so.

Experts on economic development have long noted what they sometimes call the “oil curse.” Countries with huge oil reserves become economically wealthy but democratically impoverished, because the government can fund itself without taxing the middle class. As a result, the middle class demands less accountability from government because, heck, they didn’t pay for it. (No taxation, no representation.) In the process, the people become subjects rather than citizens.

How the better half watches the election and why they think Obama is screwed. It’s the economy, stupid.

For the Republicans in the suite, resignation had taken root weeks, if not months, earlier, and had grown into a kind of worldly indifference, grounded in the half-sincere belief that our new President, be it Obama or McCain, would be no match for the havoc in the financial markets and the spiraling economic mess.

What does Obama mean to Marketing?

Here’s a look at the worst-case scenario for marketers under Obama. The caveat: It is unlikely that all of these things will happen; the Iraq war and healthcare are higher priorities for the new president. But these are the issues that will likely be debated over the next few years.

Back to Original
Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Race
It was odd throughout the election that Obama being black wasn’t a major focal point, but maybe that’s cynical of me. There were flare ups here and there when a stereotype would become part of the conversation, but for the most part, the GOP focused on the false attack that Obama is a Muslim, though… That shouldn’t disqualify a candidate either. In any case, while race wasn’t keyed on by the media during the campaign, it became a focus on Election Day after it became clear Obama was going to win.

I don’t think I understood this article, because the way I read it, it was making some really stupid points. Maybe it’s just me, though. Shelby Steele:

Obama is what I have called a “bargainer” — a black who says to whites, “I will never presume that you are racist if you will not hold my race against me.” Whites become enthralled with bargainers out of gratitude for the presumption of innocence they offer. Bargainers relieve their anxiety about being white and, for this gift of trust, bargainers are often rewarded with a kind of halo.

The people who voted against Obama didn’t do it because of race, they did it because of class. Bernard Avishai:

Racism, it is true, did not confound the choice, as some predicted it would. But racism has not confounded mainstream admiration for The Cosby Show or Oprah or Tiger Woods–and hasn’t for some time. Most of the 46% who voted for John McCain feel deeply anxious about a world in transition, where erudition, open-mindedness and intellectual discipline matter more and more, and their own sheer willingness to labor hard matters less and less. I bet they are more skittish about Obama’s supremely elegant mind, his worldliness, than his dark skin; more drawn to the repudiation of ‘elitism’ than to the rejection of ‘welfare.’

The Washington Post:

Tears flowed, not only for Obama’s historic achievement, but because many were happily discovering that perhaps they had underestimated possibility in America.

I think the Wall Street Journal might be getting ahead of itself. This election has moved us forward, not canceled racism out altogether, idiots. And about that special obligation…

While Mr. Obama lost among white voters, as most modern Democrats do, his success is due in part to the fact that he also muted any politics of racial grievance. We have had in recent years two black Secretaries of State, black CEOs of our largest corporations, black Governors and Generals — and now we will have a President. One promise of his victory is that perhaps we can put to rest the myth of racism as a barrier to achievement in this splendid country. Mr. Obama has a special obligation to help do so.

Long look at race in the race by David Remnick in the New Yorker.

And yet Obama embarked on a long, exhausting quest for the Democratic nomination, determined to avoid making race a singular theme of his day-to-day campaigning. His issues were Iraq, the economy, health care, the environment—issues with no identity attached.

Black friends of Obama might rise with him, ‘In Tandem With New President‘:

They believe that their proximity to the president-elect will burnish their reputations, much in the way that white elites always have leveraged connections in business and politics

Obama, opening doors:

But I think we can assume that from now on there won’t be any perceived disadvantage to candidates of Italian, French, Asian, or other previous genealogies not previously seen in the White House. For that, congratulations to Barack Obama.

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.

Advice on who not to appoint to the cabinet:

State Department. Do not appoint Bill Richardson
Also, do not appoint John Kerry.
Also, do not appoint Anthony Lake.
Supreme Court. Do not appoint Hillary Clinton.
Treasury Department. Do not appoint former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Lawrence Summers.
Energy Department. Do not appoint Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Environmental Protection Agency or Interior Department. Do not hire Robert Kennedy Jr. H
Defense Department. Do not reappoint Robert Gates.
Attorney General. Do not appoint Jamie Gorelick.
Vice President. Not Joe Biden.

On not being too liberal:

Obama will need to bear all of this in mind in the years ahead as he comes under pressure from some factions of the Democratic Party hoping to translate his mandate into a Rooseveltian expansion of government. Such an expansion would severely undermine America’s ability to compete in the global marketplace, and the impressive coalition that he has put together would not last his administration.

On refocusing the Pentagon

Mr. Obama inherits a terrible legacy. The nation is embroiled in two wars — one of necessity in Afghanistan and one of folly in Iraq. Mr. Obama’s challenge will be to manage an orderly withdrawal from Iraq without igniting new conflicts so the Pentagon can focus its resources on the real front in the war on terror, Afghanistan.

Will it end in tears?

To say that now the hard part starts is a cliché, but it’s also true. Truer, in fact, in the case of Obama than for most new presidents. The troubles that await him are daunting and many, foreign and domestic. The expectations that have been heaped upon him are ludicrously weighty. It’s all too easy to spin scenarios in which Obama winds up humbled, broken, a failed one-term president, and trust me, there are already neurotic Democrats and vengeful Republicans churning up those dark and foreboding visions. But me, I’m thinking about a line I remember reading in 1992 — possibly crafted by the great Mike Kinsley, but I’m not sure — on the occasion of Bill Clinton’s election: “Of course it will all end in tears, but today it feels great.” I dunno about you, but for now I am content to go with that.

Three Predictions for Obama’s America:

1. America’s political and pundit class will go through a clinical bout of ideological amnesia.
2. The Culture Wars will be reignited.
3. Liberals and conservatives will continue to try and define everything in terms of right and left.

10 things that will never be the same.

1. Polling
2. Fundraising
3. Media
4. Announcing for Office
5. Advertising
6. Debates
7. Voter ID
8. Get-Out-the-Vote
9. Campaign Structures
10. Candidates

This Republican media consultant says Obama’s first order should be to take on Democrats, using a proposed pro-labor legislation as his example.

Gore this ugly ox and Obama will demonstrate he is truly his own man and capable of great things.

How things will change

Guns, God and gays will not disappear from our politics. But they are diminished as electoral weapons as the country confronts a new generation of disputes: global warming, mortgage meltdowns and the detention of terrorism suspects, to name a few.

Quickly there was a question as to whether Obama had earned a mandate (as Bush claimed in 2004 with a much slimmer victory), or if the country was really center-right and acting foolishly.
Mandate or no mandate?

This is why conservatives were so adamant about claiming a mandate in 1980 and in 2004 – they understood its critical connection to policy. This is also why Establishment voices are so adamant about downplaying a mandate today – because the empirical data from the election suggests that 2008 provided an overwhelmingly anti-Establishment mandate on everything from financial regulation, to trade, to health care to the Iraq War. If that mandate is permitted to be recognized, acknowledged and appreciated in the public debate, it might force significant policy change on those issues.

How Obama won? No idea, this is a center right country.

Senator Obama, who has the most liberal voting record of any current US senator, is well to the left, according to all polls, of most Americans. He is surging toward the unusual feat of being elected even though most of his countrymen are ideologically closer to his chief opponent.

Sarcastic response to the country being center right:

This, naturally, is very good news for the Republicans, according to many pundits. It proves once again that America remains a “center-right” nation.

“…This country is still very much a center-right country” and “…The public remains as skeptical about federal activism and social liberalism as they have been for years.”

But not everyone on, on the right or otherwise, contends that the nation is center right.

I think we are near a point at which America joins the rest of the west as a center-left society.

And

He’s carved out a mandate to take America at least some distance in a leftward direction, and he has left the conservative opposition demoralized, disorganized, and arguably self-destructing.

So is it a center-right country? Well, no.

They want some government action to solve some of these problems.

Nobody is sure what lies ahead.

Here we are– we, the people in Grant Park; we, the people of the United States; we, the people of the world. Here we are, and none of us– not even and especially the man on the stage, the man just elected to be the 44th president– can be sure of what lies ahead.

Obama might be afraid that he does not have the strength for the job:

But his manner before crowds and his face in photographs seem even farther out of reach than usual…On the night of his landslide victory over Hoover, in 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, Roosevelt had an intimate conversation with his son James,“You know…all my life I have been afraid of only one thing—fire. Tonight I think I’m afraid of something else. I’m just afraid that I may not have the strength to do this job…I am going to pray. I am going to pray that God will help me, that he will give me the strength and the guidance to do this job and to do it right. I hope that you will pray for me, too.”

And so it begins and begins.

One way to start changing things yourself? Apply for a job.

Back to Original

Celebrate! – A run down of the celebrations.
WINS! – A list of 38 sites and their winning posts.
Winners and Losers – 18 lists of election winners and losers.
Turnout, Voting, and Polling – Articles and stories about voting, polling, and turn out.
Reactions – Reactions from the world, pundits, and celebrities.
How Obama Won – Some thoughts on how Obama won.
Why McCain Lost – Some thoughts on why McCain lost and what next for the GOP.
Expectations and Advice – There are a lot of people with expectations and a lot of people with advice.
Race – Obviously electing the first black president is going to bring up comments on race.
Money and Business – What will the impact on your money and you business be?
The Media – Without the media, wherever would we be!?
Humor – Without the humor, wherever would we be!?
Miscellaneous – Without the miscellaneous, wherever would we be!?
Personal Stories from Friends – Just what it says.
273 Status Political Status Messages in 27 Hours – Just what it says.
Via – Here’s a list of all the sites I used in putting this together – the sources.