President Barack Obama

[damajuki]

Now that the Western polls have closed, it's official.

 

We have a new president. Thank God.

[Guest mz.]

e-high five, 'juki.

 

Now we can move move on to bickering over other stuff

[damajuki]

RIght back atcha, mz the pussy.

 

It's only the first step, but it's a big one.

[Guest mz.]

Now it's time to shift focus onto the State of California...some very important things about to shake out over here.

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/polit ... .htmlstory

[damajuki]

What an historic night.

 

There is living history and then there is THIS. Wow.

 

What an incredible thing to witness.

 

I don't know where we're heading, but for right this moment, there really is hope. Hope that our country will find its way out of the multiple messes we are in. Hope that this man is up to this task. Hope that we can somehow be a part of the solution.

 

Check out C-Span to see the speakers in Grant Park. Watch the history without the filter. Pretty cool stuff.

[damajuki]

Thoughts on Obama's victory speech as it happens:

 

--What must this feel like? God help this man to remember he's a SERVANT of the people, first and foremost.

 

--"Tonight is your answer."

 

--"We have never been just a collection of individuals or red states or blue states, we are and always will be the UNITED States of America." Wow. Great line.

 

--"Because of what we did on this night . . . change has come to America."

 

--No boos of McCain's name. Too bad the Republicans couldn't say the same when Obama was mentioned. Gracious words towards McCain/Palin.

 

--To Sasha and Malia: "You have earned the new puppy that is coming to the White House with us." Funny.

 

--"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you."

 

--"This is your victory".

 

--This is a truly great speech. Simple, yet eloquent.

 

--Great job reminding us about our troops waking up in Iraq and Afghanistan. There's the reality check.

 

--"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep . . . I promise you we as a people will get there."

 

--"I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face."

 

--Service and sacrifice, patriotism and responsibility. When's the last time we heard that from our president?

 

--HUMILITY! What a concept! The best thing he's said all night.

 

--"To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn: . . . I need your help. I will be your president too."

 

--Speaking to the rest of the world. Nice.

 

--Our enduring ideals. Great part. That gave me chills.

 

--This guy is ridiculously good at speaking. Thank God we didn't screw this up.

 

--Great appeal to what the next century will look like for all of our kids.

 

Man, that was a good speech. Begala made a great point just now on CNN. Not a triumphant speech but a sober one. Laid out clearly that we are all in this together and that we all need to get to work.

 

What a great start to a rough but necessary road.

[Guest Aloysius]

Brit Hume:

"Tonight is a night of victory and of hope, and all seems possible. It really seems possible that this remarkable man will be someone truly and remarkably different, who can lift us out of the partisan differences that divide us... who can change the atmosphere in Washington as his predecessor had hoped to do but could not.... What a story. What a night."

[Mr. T]

OBAMA: 50,937,491

MCCAIN: 47,144,053

 

3.7 mil. thats all i thought it was going to be a landslide?

[Guest Aloysius]

Yeah, Hume & McCain were both incredibly classy tonight.

[damajuki]

Tonight seemed like 8 years of madness being washed away by hope, excitement and common sense.

 

Like waking up from a bad dream.

 

Like coming into the light out of the darkness.

 

It really does feel like there's hope again.

 

Wow, Barack Obama and Brady Quinn in the same week!

[Furnier]

I'm not a big political maven like many of you here, but that was indeed a great speech. If he's sincere, than we made the right choice.

 

This country has been circling the drain since 2000 and we now at least have hope that we can stop before it all gets flushed away.

 

DWJ

[Mr. T]

OBAMA: 50,937,491

MCCAIN: 47,144,053

 

3.7 mil. thats all i thought it was going to be a landslide?

[Westside Steve]

Now that the Western polls have closed, it's official.

 

We have a new president. Thank God.

 

Well Allah as it were.

WSS

[Pumpkin Eater]

It's hard to believe the civil rights movment was going on only 50 years ago.

[Pumpkin Eater]

Yeah, Hume & McCain were both incredibly classy tonight.

 

Agreed.

[dencyguy]

Hume, McCain, and Bennett did very well.

 

Obviously a WAY bigger "mandate" than the one Bush chirped about... but you get the sense we won't hear anything remotely close to that old school partisan talk. It's all about unity this time around. Really cool.

 

Didn't hear Hume--although as a journalist, it's his job to be non- or bi-partisan (although on Fox News, perhaps the best one can hope for is bipartisan-curious. Thanks, and remember to tip your waitress). Agreed on Bennett and McCain--both of whom were very eloquent. And, for the record, I take both of them at their word--especially McCain, who is way better than the campaign he ran.

 

I was thinking about the mandate as well--clearly Obama has one, just as clearly as Bush didn't in his first term (note to Dubya--when you lose the popular vote, it doesn't matter if you win on a technicality; you don't have a mandate). Still and all, I couldn't help but think back at what a pathetic loser John Kerry is. I don't for a second believe in the whole "Ohio was stolen" thing--he lost fair and square. So, to recap, the Democrats went from running a guy who couldn't beat George W. Bush after the country realized that he was George W. Bush to a guy who gave John McCain more of a beating than he deserved in all aspects of the vote. Which just underscores my argument that Kerry was the worst major-party candidate since...well, who, exactly? I mean, at least Dukakis lost to a competent member of the Bush family.

 

Dennis

[Pumpkin Eater]

since Bob Dole?

[dencyguy]

since Bob Dole?

 

Dole wasn't so much a bad candidate as much as he was a candidate who had almost no chance of winning. He just didn't have much to run on; it's not as though he could have beaten Clinton but screwed it up. I would, however, say that Palin is the worst veep pick since at least Jack Kemp, who didn't even try to help Dole. Actually, that's not fair to Kemp--Palin is easily the worst ever. I compared her to Harriet Miers on the old board, and I think that still holds--just as the Miers nomination was Bush's "jump the shark" moment with the evil intellectual wing of the conservative movement, Palin was McCain's. But, now that the "Drill Baby Drill" crowd has alienated almost everyone else in the conservative movement, the Palin-Jindal ticket four years from now should be fun to watch.

[osusev]

Palin-Jindal ticket O good god not only would Obama win a reelection but in a much bigger landslide victory than he just did. 2 far right wing religous led politicians....

 

If the republicans make that sort of era it might actually break the party permanently. I think that would lead to a mass defection to a third party like the libertarians.

[Guest mz.]

Very well said, shep.

 

Although that "personal freedoms" stuff is very, very nebulous, as there are some personal freedoms the religious arm of the party will NEVER back (same-sex marriage, legalization of drugs, etc.).

[Guest mz.]

As an aside, Hannity's MB claims Obama uses hypnosis in speeches....too funny. I found this link in the semi-retired Copyranter's superb blog.

 

Guess weirdos can be found everywhere...not just here.

[Chicopee John]

Very well said, shep.

 

Although that "personal freedoms" stuff is very, very nebulous, as there are some personal freedoms the religious arm of the party will NEVER back (same-sex marriage, legalization of drugs, etc.).

 

I favor legalization of all drugs - regulated in a manner comparable to the way alcohol is regulated.

 

MA voted for pot decriminalization - a step short of what is needed. However, they may be taking a deliberate track.

[Pumpkin Eater]

Very well said, shep.

 

Although that "personal freedoms" stuff is very, very nebulous, as there are some personal freedoms the religious arm of the party will NEVER back (same-sex marriage, legalization of drugs, etc.).

 

I favor legalization of all drugs - regulated in a manner comparable to the way alcohol is regulated.

 

MA voted for pot decriminalization - a step short of what is needed. However, they may be taking a deliberate track.

 

Tax it more heavily than alcohol and it will help us get out of debt.

[choco]

something else that'll help us get outta debt.

 

quit spending so much money....

[Chicopee John]

something else that'll help us get outta debt.

 

quit spending so much money....

 

You mean the 'S' word Sacrifice? Ain't going to happen here. Just the opposite. We're all gonna get sum.................

[choco]

something else that'll help us get outta debt.

 

quit spending so much money....

 

You mean the 'S' word Sacrifice? Ain't going to happen here. Just the opposite. We're all gonna get sum.................

i may be a lucky situation....

 

i believe my wealth that will be spread will go to my girlfriend, who ends up paying me for various housing stuffs.....so i guess i'll end up getting my "fair share" back.