Up-to-the-second coverage from BC personalities and editors starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Will Senator Barack Obama win the presidency like so many polls, formulas, and Ivy League-educated augurs predict? Will John McCain pull a stunner in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and many other states Howard Dean can name in 5.8 seconds? Will Ralph Nader jump onto the stage, tie both candidates to each other with seat belts, and steal electoral votes? And how many write-ins will we see for Rick Astley?…
Article comments
76 - Jet
That was the real McCain we saw tonight, not the one the GOP machine made up. Thank you John McCain, thank you
77 - Jet
Rejoice! for tomorrow the phone will stop ringing
78 - El Bicho
McCain certainly has more class than some of his supporters who were booing during his speech. Too bad that McCain disappeared during the campaign.
79 - Baritone
Zing,
My son is also in Greenpoint. I just spoke with him on the phone. We couldn't really hear each other.
My older son is at Rock Center. It's the same there.
Oh, and by the way. Yay!
B
80 - Zedd
WOW
Slaves built the white house folks. Let's all take this in! God bless America.
81 - Clavos
Oh, please, people. The "gracious speech" was written by speech writers.
Speech, shmeech. He lost.
The Republicans should put him out to pasture, find a better candidate, and start grooming him (or better yet, her) now.
82 - Jet
80-Zedd, you should be ashamed of yourself-I know I am... and I feel sorry for you
83 - Baritone
Wow! Check out Grant Park in Chicago. Holy Mackerel!
B
84 - Dawn
Monumentally momentous. Can't wait to hear President-Elect Obama's speech!
85 - Deano
Okay, so did Dave's head explode?
86 - Heloise
My sister and daughter are somewhere in that Chicago Grant Park crowd. I just wrote an article...can somebody get it published Clavos or Dave if ya'll ain't sore losers...ouch.
Republicans have bit the dust, big TIME!!!
Heloise
87 - handyguy
Lordy, Clavos, turn down the cynic-o-meter just a few notches for one night, could ya? Allow us a few genuine moments of grace. There are far too few in this life.
88 - STM
Deano: "Okay, so did Dave's head explode?"
Lol. Some of your best work Deano.
However, whatever else Dave is, he's a genuine believer in the democratic process. Let's give him that much.
89 - Doug Hunter
Congratulations to the gracious winners, I love the new tone already (although I'm skeptical how long it'll last). It's always frustrating to realize that over half the country doesn't share the values that you do but I'll get over it. I'm a bit jealous I didn't have the chance to be a part of history and vote in the first black president.
The rhetoric of our leadership has changed but the core values of everday Americans remains the same. Freedom and capitalism still have firm entrenchment in our collective spirits. Change, even if you believe it to be bad, means opportunity. The entrepeneurs, the pioneers, and those with ingenuity will not be held down by a few % of tax rate. (especially when its sooo easy to show no profit or shift income to cap gains!)
Me, I'm betting on a nice wave of government spending next year. Just perfect in our current slowdown. Must talk to my wife about following up on the HUB certification for the business she runs. Gotta be ready for change!
90 - Dave Nalle
Obama's speech was pretty good. On the right track. Let's see how long it takes for the large and hate-filled element of his party to drag him down. If he can resist their pull and put Pelosi and her allies in their place he could achieve greatness.
Dave
91 - Clavos
Allow us a few genuine moments of grace.
Have a ball, handy.
I just find it strange that the same man who was being vilified by every democrat on this blog just twenty four hours ago is suddenly such a great guy.
He's still the guy who selected Palin as his running mate, remember? The "POW who gave up military secrets to get medical help?"
92 - El Bicho
"The "gracious speech" was written by speech writers."
You mean that didn't come of the top of his head? Great insight, yet it doesn't change the fact that the tone was gracious. If they gave him an angry, bitter speech, he wouldn't have read it.
93 - STM
Clav,
Repeat after me: "All will be well ...
"The sky will not fall ...
"The sun will rise again in the morning ...
"Etc"
94 - americanized
i believe today is a great day for humans. We can now put behind us all the indifference in color or religion. I also believe Afican Americans now have a reason to stop with blaming the white man. It is our job as young americans to show the world and old america that we are here and it it our time now.
95 - Baritone
Clav, I still don't like the guy, but few people are all bad, including McCain. His speech was well written and well delivered.
I worked the polls all day today. I didn't sleep worth a damn last nite, then got up at 4AM. I am happy as shit. I know you are not. Enough said.
While tomorrow is now today. It still promises to be "another day."
B
96 - americanized
this is the first time ever in my 31 years i have felt like America is America.......land of the free, truth liberty and the American way???
97 - Zedd
Jet,
I must have missed something. I am a Black woman who is very moved by the symbolism of this night, let alone that my candidate won.
Why are you ashamed?
98 - americanized
i am not ashamed i am proud. i have felt this day would come.I hope we as people can see each other not as groups but people.
99 - americanized
i feel so proud for the African Americans. W ho now have a leader in the highest position in America. It almost makes me feel like we are the land of the free now.
100 - STM
Mind you, it was back to reality pretty quickly.
With all the hoo-ha and jumping up and down Down Under over the US election, and 20 million people who aren't even Yanks glued to their TVs, my wife was partaking of another aspect of imported American culture: she watched a couple of re-run episodes of The Bold and The beautiful while McCain and Obama were making their speeches.
You have a lot to answer for up there. I watched Leave it to Beaver as a kid, and now we've got Law and Order, the CSI franchise, etc, ad infinitum. Is it any wonder the only real differences are that we have a wire between brain and mouth that actually engages sometimes, you guys talk funny AND you drive on the wrong side of the road?
I'd just like to say thanks too while I'm here for that other piece of intellectual American frippery: Girls of The Playboy Mansion, which my daughter is hanging out to watch tonight because it's a new episode.
I can't believe people think it's normal for 20-year-old blondes to hang out with an 80-year-old bloke whose favoured daytime outfit is dressing gown and slippers.
101 - Franco
89 â€" Doug Hunter
I solute you Doug. Land of the free baby for those who know how to think like it!
102 - americanized
STM welcome to america. Where if you want to dress a woman and your a man it ok . Where if your white black asian,mexican , You can become some one and something.Even if you enjoy the girls next door. FREEDOM ....FREEDOM...
103 - zingzing
i must say, i am hicuppedng and i am proud, oh dog, it hurts.vowels suxk.
104 - STM
"STM welcome to america. Where if you want to dress a woman and your a man it ok . Where if your white black asian,mexican , You can become some one and something.Even if you enjoy the girls next door. FREEDOM ....FREEDOM..."
Of course, Americanised, we don't have any freedoms like that Down Under, despite our democracy being 350 years old - more than 100 years older than yours because ours is a direct and unbroken continuation of Britain's, which is the longest continuous running constitutional representative democracy in modern history.
What does that count for, though? The secret police are always coming to the door and checking under our beds. That's why Australians are such a timid, repressed, spooked and frightened bunch of oppressed people.
One day we'll really come out of our shells, rise up, and start slugging, though. You watch.
If we can tear ourselves away from the beach and the barbecue, that is.
105 - Jordan Richardson
We'll blow the whole thing up before we let you take over. You can count on that. Why do you think there were so many people buying guns down in Texas, Florida etc....leading up to this election?
Arch, would you care to repeat this? Louder and into the microphone...
While you're working on blowing "the whole thing" up, perhaps you can remember that the majority of the country doesn't agree with your backwoods ideologies and doesn't think comparing Barack Obama to an psychotic individual who savagely murdered millions of people is a sane or remotely appropriate thing to do. And perhaps when you're wiring the explosives, Arch, you can remember to plant a few long, hard, red sticks of dynamite firmly and snugly up your own rotund ass so that you can take out the Command Centre of where the majority of your idiotic thoughts come from.
And when your ass is blown wide open by a combination of reality and your own stupidity, perhaps you can think really earnestly and really honestly about how you've verbally threatened the President-Elect of the United States of America with physical violence more than once on a public and popular website and how it really isn't that hard to find out who you are, where you live, or what you pretend to do for a living.
In other words, try thinking before you rant. I know it's a painful prospect and I know it requires you to shift some of the blood away from your penis (which means you have to stop watching Who's Naylin' Paylin for just a sec), but think.
106 - STM
Jordan: It's nice to see Arch accepting the will of the people (spoken in a most resounding fashion, I might add), don't ya reckon?
See, Arch wants us to believe that he believes in representative (modern) democracy ... but it's only true when he's getting exactly what he wants.
That ain't freedom at all. Gettin' all those guns to make sure you don't have a voice? Oh, right, it's guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment.
And yes, Jordan, you're right again ... what Arch is saying could well be a breach of the Patriot Act, which so far hasn't been rescinded.
107 - zingzing
seriously, this os one of the typiest nights of my night. life.
108 - zingzing
from thread to thread i go and damn if we didn't elect the black man--fuck you, repuclians! we did it anyway!
ahem.
109 - STM
Good on you zing ... glad you're happy.
I know a lot of Americans don't care what others think about what happens in the US, but it's of vital importance to the rest of the world because it impacts so heavily on us.
I got to share with Americans in something pretty special today, even though I'm 13,000kms away, and to watch history unfolding - live - like that was pretty amazing.
I though McCain was great too, and quite possibly would have made a good president if he could shake off the stuff-ups of the Bush era, but Obama's election restores faith around the world in the American people.
Don't underestimate the importance of that to the American nation.
110 - zingzing
hey stan-- a lot of americans care what happens around the world. it's 430, and ive been partying around a lot of folks that care about shit--their own shit, your shit, everyone's shit.--and we're gonna make it right on our end, at least as much as we can. or so it seems. who knows what comes of that. but, for tonight, a lot of people are gonna try.
i''ve gotten so many chills tonight. we elected a black man. who could imagine it 200 years ago? 40 years ago? shit, 4 years ago? we've done something amazing (for us) and i think we're going to have some major changes come.
have you ever had more hope for us?
we've never had a brighter future than now.
truly, for the first time in my life, we deserve everything that we get, and i'm sure you can all agree with that.
111 - STM
Good luck to you zing ... I remember how disappointed I was - watching from Australia! - when Tom Bradley lost out in the 1982 California governor's race to his white opponent, politics regardless.
I had to be reminded of it in a discussion with Dave over the weekend, but I remember not understanding how it could've happened when everyone said he was going to win.
I thought I'd never see a black president elected in my lifetime, and my view: no matter what your political persuasion is, that one thing alone should be enough of a moment for anyone.
Is this America's true coming of age??
A turning point in history? I think so ... I hope so.
Amazing stuff. Democracy is a special thing.
112 - pleasexcusethisinterrutpion
Wish I was on here earlier didn't know you all were liveblogging .. anyways here's the calls for the night.. don't know if you all know this all already.
IN: obama (call made 9:30pm est - networks uncalled)
MO: McCain (call made 1:30am - networks uncalled)
NC: McCain (call made midnight - networks uncalled)
FL: McCain (call made half an hour before networks)
Franken wins MN (call made 3 am - uncalled by networks)
113 - Christopher Rose
I am delighted with the US election results last night. Well done the USA on making a major step towards a greater maturity and catching up with the rest of the world.
Hopefully the excessively conservative trends that have gripped the country since Reagan's election will now fade away.
This is a great day for the USA, the wider world and our shared future. Now there is hope again.
114 - Clavos
Well done the USA on making a major step towards a greater maturity and catching up with the rest of the world.
Thank you for your condescension in the midst of our celebration, Chris.
115 - bliffle
McCains concession speech was excellent. Very graceful. Much more graceful than some of his supporters in the crowd.
The gigantic crowds attending the Obama victory outings were also very graceful. No rioting, no drunkenness, no overturned cars. Amazing. Some of the crowds approached a million people.
116 - Christopher Rose
Clavos, that isn't condescension, it's simply the way it is.
Thanks for your customary sunny nature and optimism though, not that you are actually celebrating of course. Hypocritical much?
117 - Victor Plenty
So, where are the special polling places for registered Republicans open today? A broken promise already! Ominous.
(If you can't tell I'm kidding here, take a deep breath.)
118 - Cindy D
Clav,
RE #48
My sister told me that over the telephone. I think she was driving home listening to the radio.
119 - Les Slater
Way back, during the primaries, I pointed out that the ruling class would prefer Clinton to Obama because Clinton would not raise expectations as high as Obama would.
Reading this thread, and quite a few morning after press reports, the expectations are indeed quite high.
They will not be met.
120 - Cindy D
Les,
It is a good feeling to know I have a president I like. And to feel that he likes and understands people.
I hadn't even realized the extent it affected my psyche to have a war-mongering, big-business-loving, tiny man who was using our country to play cowboy and who served only his constituency--the haves and the have mores.
No one can solve everything. What can and cannot be done--that's just reality. But, it feels very different. I went to bed last night peaceful and happy. Just that is a good start.
121 - Lisa Solod Warren
I know bliffle. I heard people in Philly actually stopped their cars on the interstate and opened their car doors to turn up the radio and listen to Obama's acceptance speech en masse. WHEN has that ever happened? Pretty cool.
122 - Les Slater
Cindy,
I live in Chicago and can feel the emotion regarding the election of Obama. As I have posted elsewhere on BC, within the last week I believe, that when talking to working class Blacks that were supporting Obama, when questioned whether he would solve major problems, the answer was overwhelmingly, no. The other thing that was usually pointed out was they thought McCain's policies would make things much worse.
The encounters were usually brief but when I had a chance to point out Bill Clinton's administration was a point of acceleration of attacks on economic and political rights, they usually agreed.
Just as Bush was building on Clinton's attacks, so will Obama continue on from where Bush left off.
There will be some differences like probably a greater economic stimulation. I am sure, regardless of his philosophical inclinations, McCain would be forced to do the same. Remember that the dramatic intervention of the government in propping up the economy started without waiting for a new regime.
You have to realize that Oboma represents the class that is sinking deeper into crisis. His whole campaign moved to the 'center', as you put it, actually, to the right, so to convince that class that he would reliably function on their behalf.
The euphoria will wear off.
Les
123 - Dr Dreadful
It may of course have nothing to do with the fact that I live in a strongly Republican district, but I fancy that my night's sleep was punctuated with the muffled pop of shotguns behind drawn bedroom curtains, and the soft idling of car engines in closed garages...
[/macabre]
124 - bliffle
Some people around here were predicting that there would be a riot, like after a big football game, after the election. Whether Obama won or not.
They were wrong. Not the first time.
I've never seen such huge crowds who were so well behaved and respectable. And they did it without cops.
Just a personal sense of responsibility.
I'm impressed.
125 - Jordan Richardson
I was thinking the same thing, Bliffle. It was an incredible moment and the crowds were great. Wonderful, wonderful night.