President Obama

[sleigh]

After going to sleep in 2000 thinking Al Gore had won, the first thing I did this morning was check the web to make sure that it was still real...

It was.

I feel incredibly hopeful, though the months and perhaps years ahead will be no picnic -- not with the economy, not with issues we face in the world. But I do have hope.

Obama's speech last night was inspirational. If you haven't heard it, go here and listen. It's well worth the time.

There was one stark contrast I noted between McCain's concession speech and Obama's Grant Park speech. McCain was gracious in the text of his speech, as he should be, but when he mentions Obama, there are loud boos and calls from the crowd. McCain does make an attempt to hush them, but -- if you watch the video -- the camera cuts to a headshot of Palin as McCain is trying to quiet the booing crowd. She's smiling and grinning at the crowd's reaction... which made me doubly glad that we're sending her back to Alaska.

(EDIT: I notice that somehow the convicted felon Stevens is leading Begich in the Senate race in Alaska -- by some 4,000 votes with 99% of the votes counted. Should Stevens actually take the race, then I'd expect him to be expelled by the Senate due to his conviction. As a result, I'd expect Palin to run for the suddenly-open seat against Begich, and to win handily. Time in the U.S. Senate would pad her resume for a presidential run, after all...)

In Obama's speech, he was also gracious towards McCain... and while the applause of the crowd was tepid at best, no one was booing, no one was shouting derogatory statements. That made me proud.

The hard work is ahead, but today feels like a new beginning.

Comments

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

It seems like Democrats are the grown-ups these days!!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

In fairness, they haven't always been in the past. It's far easier to be a good winner than a good loser. :-)

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I'm aware of the history.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit cheered by the Obama crowd's reaction, but I do note two things: a) as a larger venue, it would be more difficult to hear the boos and b) it's a lot easier to be gracious when you're winning.

Now, is it just me, or at about 7:10 into McCain's concession speech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1zFm_FfP8) are some of his supporters booing Sarah Palin as he speaks about her future with the GOP?

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it is much easier to be gracious as a winner than as a loser...

No, I didn't think they were booing at the mention of Palin as the future; it just sounded like someone making noise to me.

It looks like the Franken race is going down to the last vote...

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

As a result, I'd expect Palin to run for the suddenly-open seat against Begich, and to win handily. Time in the U.S. Senate would pad her resume for a presidential run, after all...

I'm not convinced the Republican machinery would ever allow it. I firmly believe that the party insiders are going to be blaming her for dragging him down, and criticizing his choice of her as a turning point in the election. Just because she developed a strong taste for the national scene doesn't mean the strategists buy into her.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and the 6th District re-elected the crazy Michele Bachmann. I'm hoping those last few votes are absentees voting for Franken.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

Right. Losers boo the winner. Winners applaud the losers. If Obama had lost, I suspect there would have been serious riots.

[richrichmond.livejournal.com]

"I'll recruit an army of new teachers,and pay them higher salaries and give them more support."-Barack Obama August 28th 2008. My wife will take her raise now. While i dont know how Obama plans to do this, maybe breaking the union, destroying collective bargaining and having the government take over public education, I am excited to get more money.

I am also suspect on ending "America's dependence on Mideast oil within a decade." also Obama August 28th 2008.

But I suppose it is the lesser of 2 evils. Maybe a change will do us good? thought the change in congress two years ago hasnt been THAT successful. http://www.gallup.com/poll/108856/Congressional-Approval-Hits-RecordLow-14.aspx

I hate to have the cynicism President Obama called for an end to, but I think he won on a lot of promises he really doesnt have much control over. A lying old guy or a lying somewhat younger dude, that may actual believe some of the crazy shit he said? lets give it a shot.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I fear that you're right in that.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

Thank you. If other opponents of President-Elect Obama are willing to go this far, to "give it a shot," I am hopeful that some change can be made. We may not get as far as Obama's vision sees, but we may make a few steps in a direction that helps all Americans.

Thank you, Buckeyes

[jdonat.livejournal.com]

It was nice to see Ohio go blue. I felt much more confident after that. looks like Obama won by abot 200k votes in OH.

Cincinnati did it!

[jdonat.livejournal.com]

According to CNN, Hamilton County, which went for Obama 52-48 was what pushed Ohio blue!!!!

My thanks to all of you in Hamilton County who pushed America forward.

[scottakennedy.livejournal.com]

My wife and I and our son were at Hutchinson field last night (toward the back), and while there were no "boos" for McCain, there were a few scattered ones when Obama mentioned Palin. But they didn't catch. Many of us, I think, wanted to boo her. Her "terrorist-socialist-marxist" line of attack had certainly gotten under my skin during the past few weeks. But I happened to catch the eye of a stranger standing next to me at that moment: we both sort of cha-grinned and shook our heads. It felt like a strange instance of telepathy wherein we agreed that we wanted to boo, but nonetheless weren't going to go there. That hadn't been what Obama's campaign was about.

[spenceraloysius.livejournal.com]

I did think that some of McCain's supporters were booing Palin.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I was pretty sure others were chanting for her to speak.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

As a result, I'd expect Palin to run for the suddenly-open seat against Begich, and to win handily. Time in the U.S. Senate would pad her resume for a presidential run, after all...

I think she has a different job...

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I'm certain there will be some blame-casting in the Republican party in the next few weeks (as there was with the Democrats after 2000 and 2004), and alin will probably take some hits, but at the same time she did rev up the base, and she had more (and more enthusiastic) people at her rallies than did McCain. Like her or not, she does have charisma and an effective way of speaking (especially when she's giving canned speeches; less so when she's on her own). She will have four years to get better at this.

I think she could be a capable opponent for the Dems after four years in the Senate.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Hey, Rich -- it's going to be difficult for any politician of either side to do much of anything but deal with the immediate crises in the next six months to a year, I'm afraid.

But I'm glad you're willing to give him a shot!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

She does, but if she has political ambitions (and I suspect she does), then four years in the Senate will give her national experience that being Governor of Alaska will not. Governors have resigned before to become Senators; I can see her doing the same.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I'm far more sympathetic toward McCain than Palin myself, I must admit. When McCain first became the nominee, my first thought was "Well, if he does win, then at least it won't be terrible." As I've said before in the blog, I'd thought that a Kerry/McCain ticket might have been a very interesting move four years ago, one that may well have taken the White House.

[richrichmond.livejournal.com]

my wife's students (those old enough to vote were bussed to the polls) said all day yesterday that if Obama did not win that america was racist and that they would riot.

[davidbcoe.livejournal.com]

Thanks for a great post, Steve. I suppose it's likely that she'd take the Senate seat. I don't think she can win the GOP nomination, though. She has a certain segment of the party behind her, but there's a good number that blame her for McCain's defeat. I think that the GOP faces a tough couple of years. The party is deeply split between social and fiscal conservatives and each side has plenty of reasons to blame the other for last night's losses. It'll be interesting to watch. Four years ago people were writing the Democrats' obituary, so anything can happen.

[spenceraloysius.livejournal.com]

Does she have political ambitions or does she just want to stay in the spotlight? If she simply wants the spotlight then Tina Fey's "I'm going to become a White Oprah." may have more truth to it than fiction.