November 05, 2008

OBAMA WON YAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!
  • YES WE DID
  • YAY.
  • Dude... Wait, what?
  • RLY?
  • Oh HELLS yeah we did. I'm 37. I'm from Arkansas, and I voted for Clinton twice. This? So much more powerful. So much more meaningful. So... just... man.
  • WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (I say this even though, thanks to the Electoral College, my vote did not in any way help this happen. Still: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
  • Also: I ♥ HBS
  • WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's really something to think that he's giving his victory speech just a few miles away.
  • So you're at the outskirts of the crowd in Grant Park, then? ;)
  • Change is afoot.
  • YES WE DID Just how many of you voted? Hi ya, pete!!
  • Well, I did. Several times. :P
  • OMG I DIDNT VOTE
  • Perverts aren't allowed to vote. It's in the Constitution.
  • Suck it, Right Wing Fucktards.
  • I voted for you, Capt. Hope you don't mind.
  • oh I just had such a lovely election party with my dearest friends, including a beautiful 6 year old girl, who will grow up in a world in which the idea of a black president is not crazy, or inconceivable, but a beacon of hope :D I am so happy *and yes, a little drunk and yes, I voted you fools!
  • Wait! What'd he win?
  • W))T!!!!
  • As one of the "Right Wing Fucktards" I'm saddened that our country has chosen a path of a nanny-state government where self-reliance and responsibility are replaced with government intervention and socialism. I wish I could say that when the shit hits the fan that only those who fell for such a farce would pay, but sadly, we will all pay dearly. Hooray, Bill Ayers for Secretary of State!
  • The race for the White House begins here! Four more years!
  • hierarchii, you are a fool. Basically. If you think Obama's platform is even close to 'socialism' you are a pitifully ignorant dolt. Get out of your pisshole and travel the world, then maybe you'll get an idea what real socialism is. Barack Obama is not even close. Baling out the failed big businesses and parasitical corporations is not socialism according to you. Well, that's because you're a chump. Suck it.
  • Ding Dong the Witch is dead!!!! Well done merkins! I remember how I felt in 97 when New Labour got in. Enjoy!
  • The shit has been hitting the fan non-stop for eight years. We've been paying for it dearly.
  • Oh, don't start with the left/right bashing, please.
  • LET'S PICK ON TALL PEOPLE!!!
  • I woke up at 05:45 local time, checked the internet, saw the news, and went back to sleep with a big happy smile on my face. Citizens of the U.S., in future could you please organize your elections on a Thursday or Friday? That way I can stay up late and watch the results. Thx, bye, and congratulations on your new president-elect.
  • I just got done dancing in streets of downtown Seattle. Never have I seen a happier, more hopeful bunch of 20-something hipster psuedo-hippies. What fun! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!
  • So, please tell me: what prize did he win? I think commiserations are in order, no matter who won what.
  • I have to say that a large chunk of the USA just grew up. Finally, a man born of an African father, on a Pacific Island, brought up by his grandmother, educated in a Muslim country, not of wealthy connections, has been elected by the people to the highest position in the country. It is an illustration by doing of the tenet America espouses, namely Democracy. Now if they open their eyes even wider, they can see what they can do with that. He's not the messiah - just an ordinary boy.
  • Now I can finally stop being embarrassed. About my country anyway. Seriously I am so. fucking. HAPPY!!!! Also: Hi pete!
  • PETES! I couldn't stay awake for the whole speech, but it seemed to have a bit of an "ask not what your country can do for you" vibe to it.
  • I would've voted had I known it'd bring the petes back. Well done, merkins!
  • On the commute to work this morning - my thoughts are happy and thinking, "finally, I don't have to be so damned ashamed of leader of my country! I can actually look up to the President and feel proud..." That, and, "the rest of the week should be declared a National holiday!!!!" Yes, what a long road ahead still... but things *are* looking up!
  • Whoot!! 2 comments: Hierarchii: don't kid yourself, we've had socialism for years. We just do it a little differently here. In this country it's been privatize the profit and socialize the debt. Maybe now we can start the draw back on giving handouts to the poor Big Biz. (I'm talkin' YOU, auto industry, airlines, shitty banks!) just an ordinary boy. I'm proud to be an American on this day, when we've decided that race is not what's important in a president. But, EdArzakh, don't kid yourself, Obama is not just your average kid. Your average American kid has no near the chances he had at wealth and education. Our presidential race is structured so that the elite can be the only winners. Obama has wealth and power behind him. Hopefully he will use it well.
  • Hooray, my baby froglet will be born under a president I actually like. YEAH. But while we can celebrate for a bit, we still have a lot of work to do, folks. Hate legislation is still being passed. States are adding discriminatory clauses to their constitutions. And while we as a nation threw a lot of the bastards out, some of them managed to stay in power. We need to work to keep improving our nation. We need to show the powers that be that we refuse to reward those who use negative, fear-based campaign strategies. We have come a long way, sure, but we aren't at the top of the mountain yet. But still, despite all that, let's all join hands and scream and jump up and down like kids with a new puppy just for a minute, because it feels pretty goddamn good, doesn't it?
  • Race will cease to be important when CNN stops asking what this means for the African-American community. He won't be as progressive as we hope and will be disappointing many of his idealist supporters who want massive change immediately - he indicated as much in his speech last night - but the world should be a better place with the demise of the neo-cons.
  • The best presidential candidate of my lifetime actually WINS. Astounding. Pity it's too late for even him to save the U.S. now.
  • Doesn't fascism generally tend to begin as a left-wing personality cult?
  • hierarchii, I'm looking forward to when he demonstrates to you that your fears are groundless, that there is no terrorist socialist boogeyman in your closet, and I sincerely hope that you'll recognize that when you see it.
  • The main thing is that citizens like you and me don't get complacent, and that we continue to do what we've been doing: to actually care enough to stay engaged, to not let up, to not sit back and wait for Obama to perform miracles alone. This is day 1 of a years-long fight. If we care about our country, we'll keep holding our politicians accountable and making our wishes known. Americans stopped doing that decades ago, and it made me cry last night to see people doing it again in such numbers.
  • Now is the time that I wish it wasn't just four years away before we have to go through this again. What can truly be gained in four years? We are going to be suffering the consequences of the last eight years for a few years more - especially financially. Four years is not nearly enough time to do what needs to be done. Even if he gets re-elected he will still be in the nitty-gritty of it. There are still some interesting outcomes to see; Minnesota's senate seat, for one. I have to admit - I will have a hard time seeing Al Franken in office (if he wins) and NOT seeing him as Stewart Smally. Finally - it's quite humorous to see the difference in tone between the idiotic folks at FOX versus the clearly joyous CNN talking heads. FOX was so somber last night - like the country was now going to hell in a handbasket. Today they are wondering where their beloved Sara Palin is going to go now. *snicker*
  • Doesn't fascism generally tend to begin as a left-wing personality cult? We have this lovely ghettogated community for dissidentsfree-thinkers like yourself. Perhaps you'd like to move there? Right now?
  • His race wasn't an issue before the election. I wish everyone would stop making it an issue now. It happened because his skin wasn't a big deal. Quit making it into a big deal now.
  • Well, he is the first African American president. No one's making it into a big deal, it IS a big deal.
  • The highlight of the election for me was the rally in Berlin. A quarter of a million people. I'm really looking forward to travelling to other countries again without feeling like an idiot and like I should be constantly apologising.
  • His race wasn't an issue before the election. It was the number one issue. A significant number of Americans voted for or against him based on that issue alone.
  • I think I heard this morning it was the biggest voter turnout since 1908? I'd wager that a lot more African Americans voted in this election than any other. I'd say his race has quite a bit to do with his being elected. Not everything, of course, but enough to get a significant number of voters to the polls who otherwise might not have bothered.
  • I don't think race was the number one issue for most people. Racist white folks generally don't vote Democratic anyway, and black folks generally do. It might have helped with voter turnout in minority communities, but African-American populations are mostly concentrated in Southern states that Obama lost anyway. I can't imagine there are that many white folks out there who rate electing the first black president above electing someone who can simply fix what's wrong with this country. We just happened to get a two-fer with Obama. On another vaguely related topic, this dampened my spirits a bit last night. Sure hope my divorced sister isn't shacking with anyone if MCT and I kick the bucket before the munchkin's 18.
  • You know what, wife? I've already brought that up, and you are so late to the party and embarrassing yourself and, more importantly, me. Ignore the little lady, everyone. She just gets these ideas in her head sometimes. I don't know why she does it.
  • I am just stunned. Not only did Obama win, but every single Really Important Person/Initiative/Prop that I voted on in this state (Washington) went my way! My jaw is on the floor! OMG PONIES!!!1!
  • It was the number one issue. The number one issue was the economy. or the wars. This election was important because we need to fix our country. It wasn't a "oh, hey, here's a black guy!" gimmick. Suddenly, now it is. The whole reason it happened was because it wasn't a big deal. Turning it into a big deal is what prevents these things from happening.
  • While I believe that almost any Democrat would have won this election based on anti-Bush sentiment alone, I definitely think race was the proverbial 'elephant in the room' that nobody talked about. At least not directly. In the Democratic primaries, every other candidate was trying to say "he's not electable because of his skin color" without actually saying it, so they talked about his inexperience instead. Race was the reason Rev. Wright was newsworthy, and McCain's relationship with Rev. Hagee was not. Race was the reason McCain's marital infidelities were not an issue, whereas a similar history from Obama would have been critical. Race was the reason Cindy McCain's drug problems were ignored while, again, if it had been Michelle it would have been a game-changer. Obama's win isn't evidence that America has become color-blind. Far from it. It was a big deal because he won despite the racial obstacles.
  • No doubt.
  • So, race is an issue, since it would've been, if things that didn't happen, did happen? This conversation is kind of like hiring a black employee, then going around telling everyone "OMG, I hired a black guy! He's more qualified than any other candidate, but he's BLACK! My business is so impressive! It's so amazing that I finally did it." We took a step forward yesterday. Today, were walking backwards.
  • I'm sorry, it's not "This conversation", it's the debacle on TV.
  • So your argument is that, after the centuries of racial strife, from slavery to Jim Crow to King and X and Parks and Evers, given that racial politics has been one of the key defining issues of our country's history and identity, after all that, we shouldn't remark electing our first black president?
  • *And now it's time for another RalphTheDog North American Moment!* An eight year old Canadian kid today told me, as she arrived at school, that "Obama is the president now." Last month, neither she nor anyone in her class knew that voters had allowed Stephen Harper to retain a plurality government in Canuckistan. Moral of this story: $700 million in advertising gets the attention of 8-year-olds! *And that concludes this episode of another RalphTheDog North American Moment!*
  • "So your argument is that, after the centuries of racial strife, from slavery to Jim Crow to King and X and Parks and Evers, given that racial politics has been one of the key defining issues of our country's history and identity, after all that, we shouldn't remark electing our first black president?" Also, his middle name is funny, and he has big ears.
  • Why is he he the first black president? He is as white as he is black. He is the 44th white president. *Digs deep, dons helmet*
  • Last night I was sitting on the couch, listening to his acceptance speech, and I had tears rolling down my face. Hope. This is what it feels like. It's been so long that I'd forgotten. I like it, and I hope it lasts.
  • Yup, media's makin' a circus out of it, per usual. But hopes are high. Unfortunately, in my high school, kids were saying how horrible a president he'll be and betting on when he'd be assassinated. Shit like that I'm sure they get from their parents. Prove 'em wrong, fella!
  • RalphTheDog North American Moment is brought to you by Chillee Ugum's Caffeinated Otter Bile™. It otter keep you up all night!
  • Seems to me that race was definitely an issue, as evidenced by the fact that so many people here are referring to him as African American, when no one refers to me as European American. Every black I know refers to blacks as blacks. Uncomfortable whites use the term African American. And damn near every black person in America voted for Obama in the primaries, regardless of whether or not one of the other Democrats running might have been more in line with their values. And blacks voted for him even though under other circumstances, a lot of them would criticize him for "acting white". Didn't Jesse Jackson say something similar not too long ago? It does say something about America that we did elect a black president, but racism is far from over in this country. In a different world - if George Bush & Co. hadn't fucked up the country so much in the last 8 years - Obama probably would not have been elected. Blacks, and young white voters who listen to rap, got Obama the Democratic nomination, and after that the rest of the Dems voted against McCain, rather than for Obama. If you live in the Northeast U.S., it may seem that racism is over. Come visit me in Houston, or go to the Midwest, and you'll find out differently.
  • First, I think most of us know racism isn't over. Second, I can only speak for myself, but race had absolutely nothing to do with my vote. I chose the most qualified candidate.
  • I'm with NE on this one. I don't think that there will be all that much change on a policy level, not much difference between the two candidates, actually, but in terms of symbolism, of image, this is momentous. I did like one comedian's response on the ceeb the other day to the claim that people are forgetting that Barry's half-white. "True, but you can't see that part..."
  • In a way the pundits are right: this is a momentous occasion. But my great joy at this result does not come from the race, gender or age of any candidate and is not really related to the parties or policies. To me this was a simple contest of blindly chanted dogma versus actual thinking. Of weasely spin and "truthiness" versus the actual truth. Of appealing to our lowest personal instincts of fear and greed versus appealing to a higher sense of doing the right thing for the whole country. For me the "miracle of '08" was that people stopped and thought twice about what they were being fed. Then chose the higher road so that the good guy could finish first.
  • He talks like he's talking to grown-ups. We haven't seen that in a president in a while.
  • I'm happy, I love America but cannot be there now. Finally I can say it again here in Europe. Thank you. <3
  • > He talks like he's talking to grown-ups. Yes, and he's unabashedly intelligent. He doesn't try to hide it. This is quite novel.
  • I got this off the blue. It's longish but worth reading to see how Obama succeeded the other way, by support from people who saw his potential.
  • Yes, and he's unabashedly intelligent. He doesn't try to hide it. Man, he really is anti-American after all
  • What Lara and Kevvin said. He was the best candidate, hands down. I love that a smart guy finally won, that people finally realized that they need to vote for someone who has the brains to do the job, not someone who's like their neighbor Bob up the rud (no offense to Bob). The fact that he's African American, or black, or half-black or whateverthefuck you want to call it is just the icing on the cake. To me it feels like our nation just made the jump into evolutional hyperspace. We are like the Millennium Falcon outrunning the tie fighters of corruption and stupid government and ignorance and such. It's great to be colorblind and it's something we should all strive for, but you can't ignore hundreds of years of repression and not be totally thrilled that a brutha just got elected president. A BRUTHA IN THE WHITE HOUSE. This isn't the end of racism (we still have to blow up the Death Star!), but it's such a huge step in the right direction that it makes me want to cry. Yes I'm a bit loony, but that doesn't mean I'm not also a little bit right!
  • Hehe, koko, that reminds me of the time we did St. Paul in my college choir. When we met the professional soloists at dress, I could hear some of the black kids in the group whispering ecitedly, "St. Paul's a BRUTHA!"
  • They still call it the White House But that's a temporary condition, too. Can you dig it, CC? Chocolate City - Parliament George Clinton saw this coming. You don't need the bullet when you got the ballot
  • Looks like it's now official that Barak won North Carolina! Hooot! Not that the electoral votes matter at this point, but it's a symbolic vitory indeed.
  • And, can I not spell the POTUS-elect's name correct? Barack I meant.
  • Only the second time NC has gone blue in 40 years, apparently.
  • "Bark Obama" would be a great name for the First Puppy.
  • I wonder if America will ever be able to overcome its deepest prejudice and vote for a man who likes cats better than dogs
  • Or a woman, either
  • Or an agnostic.
  • Agnostics all like cats better
  • That's fine - he is a male cat, right?
  • Why don't you check?
  • Of all the presidential pets, I think John Quincy Adams wins with his aligator and silk worms. Coolidge's pigmy hippo comes pretty close though.
  • Why don't presidents keep elephants as pets anymore? Its a disgrace
  • Calvin Coolidge - Peter Pan, a terrier; Paul Pry (née Laddie Buck), an Airedale; Calamity Jane, a sheepdog; Boston Beans, a bulldog; King Cole, a shepherd; Palo Alto, a birder; collies named Rob Roy (née Oshkosh), Prudence Prim, Ruby Rough, and Bessie; chows named Blackberry and Tiny Tim; canaries named Nip, Tuck, and Snowflake; cats named Bounder, Tiger, and Blacky; raccoons named Rebecca and Horace; Ebeneezer, a donkey; Smokey, a bobcat; Old Bill, a thrush; Enoch, a goose; a mockingbird; a bear; an antelope; a wallaby; a pygmy hippo; some lion cubs I think Calvin Coolidge might have been taking the piss a little bit
  • Exactly. Plus, pet elephants and hippos and zebras and bears and whatnot wandering the White House grounds would add a little je ne sais quois to the place. I wonder where Roosevelt and Coolidge kept their zoos.
  • IN CONGRESS AMIRITE
  • WTF, Ralph?
  • "We're sorry, this video is no longer available" WTF, R88?
  • Still works for me. Try this one.
  • He's got that Herbert Lom eye twitch goin' on.
  • neither work for me. Dunno why.
  • A new dog for the Whitehouse? What a great opportunity for Obama to go down to the pound and save a dog's life. That would be a fine example for others and great P.R. too. Then e.e.Q. can make tee-shirts that say "I voted for Obama and he saved this puppy's life!" (plus pic of cute puppy named "Karma").
  • Mr. Whiskers in 2012 Let's see Enoch "The Goose" Coolidge's snappy campaign logo.
  • Here's a link that has text describing Nader's bonehead comments.
  • Old Ralph needs some ink. The last two elections have pushed him well beyond the outskirts of Irrelevanceburg and into the mountains of Whydon'tyoujustgothefuckawayistan. So he's mounting his little insurgency with his self-consciously racist language. His whole demeanor during that interview struck me as a sort of amused "look at me, I'm edgy."
  • Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi greets his new American colleague with customary tact and insight: He's "young, handsome, and tanned"
  • Great articles - the Salon one put into words ideas I've had knocking around for a long time, and the LA Times one made me cry.
  • The butler article is just so damned bittersweet... thanks for that one, rocket. The Salon piece has me thinking... thanks, H-dogg (I must owe you a couple years of my life by now)
  • I wish I could be so magnanimous, ThinksTwice, but, to tell the truth, I am disappointed and frustrated that, instead of this election being uniformly joyous, it is instead tainted with the relegation to the back of the bus of a whole class of Americans and American families here in CA, FL, AK and AZ, and Obama didn't do much, if anything, to prevent it from happening.
  • would Mr. Whiskers run with Koko? That's a ticket with the gravitas of Bill 'n' Opus if ever there was one !
  • thanks, H-dogg (I must owe you a couple years of my life by now) No kidding....I'm astounded at the sheer volume of information unearthed by homunculus. How do you find the time??!!
  • Obama didn't do much, if anything, to prevent it from happening. I feel your pain, el cheeso, but those decisions are made on a state level. What could he have done? I mean, "ack, thppt".
  • Nail on the head with that Salon article. And just when I thought I might be out of tears after Tuesday, LA Times proved me wrong. My heart hurts having read that.
  • Suck on it, imperialist right wing fucktards! Nigeria/Kansas/Hawaii/Indonesia/Anthropologist mother and Nigerian Government Advisor father/Indonesian stepfather and half sister/REAL African black relatives/single parent and grandparent collective parenting/white/black/Muslim/Christian/Agnostic/Protestant/intellectual/charismatic/pragmatic/anti butt-slop prison fashion statements. Michelle earns the greater income too. WHOOOHOOOOOOO He's got the spectrum of muttness covered almost to the nth degree too. Congratulations America. You won. Big time!
  • Whew! That was a compliment?
  • Reading articles like this reinforces my admiration for him. His appreciation for the magnitude of what's ahead, his swift, forward-thinking reaction in pulling together strong teams to analyze the best course of action....it's thrilling to read how progressive he and his team are. I, like all the rest of the world, am extremely excited about the changes headed our way. I have always been a believer that change is good. Well.....except eight years ago, you know, when it.....wasn't.
  • Get yer tickets now! Anybody going?
  • I think I'll stage my own version, with Mr. Whiskers as Barack, a Hello Kitty bubble bath decanter as Michelle, and The Basic Practice of Statistics as a bible. Sure, it'll be lame, but at least I can afford the tickets.
  • Well, Mr. Whiskers is half-black, half-white. I loved that Irish video. It's cute, but it also highlights just how much the world is watching and hoping (just like we are).
  • *sigh* That's not a good sign at all. I'd like to think that there's really good reasoning behind this, but somehow I doubt it.
  • Why Obama Really Might Decriminalize Marijuana I Might Start Ejaculating Money and Beer
  • I don't know whether to look away in disgust, or grab a bucket. I guess I'll do both.
  • Wow, mct is our own golden goose.
  • I just hope it isn't all in £2 coins. Ouch!