More chronological disorder: Videos from Grant Park

NOTE: Please turn volume down to a comfortable level for the following videos. There is a lot of annoying background Obama cheerleading.

Video the First: a pre-game interview with friend and associate Scott Bedard:



Video the Second: the end of the countdown to West Coast polls closing. And reaction. Notice the shakiness of the camera. People were bashing all around in jubilation.



Video the Third: a post-game interview with Scott.



Please ignore the shoddy cameraman-ship. But please appreciate the effort!

Denver: First impressions

Around the corner from the Denver bus terminal, this banner adorned a wall.

The Denver Daily News tells me that Democrats picked up a Senate seat and a House seat in addition to, of course, voting for Obama. So there are now two Republicans in a traditionally red congressional delegation.

Colorado: Blue rectangle in Red swath

Location: Grant Park

This post is a bit out of chronological whack, but it's the first opportunity I've had to post some pictures. Videos will take a bit longer to upload, as I can't find a solid connection around here. But the videos are pretty hilarious. Anyways.

..

Last night, the mood in Grant Park was at first apprehensive. The crowd was very young and very energetic, but also on edge. It grew excited in spurts, wavered, and then cheered again. Every projected victory was cause to stand, but then the mass would settle again. It became clear that everyone was waiting for the killer blow.

And then CNN declared Obama the winner in Virginia. That made the result inevitable. Five minutes before the west coast polls closed, everybody stood for a final time. And then...

Euphoria.

CNN declared Obama the president-elect. Emotions exploded. Jubilation. Celebration. It's likely impossible to understate the overwhelming relief and raw emotion that lasted and lasted until cameras moved to Phoenix.

McCain delivered his concession speech -- gracious, I thought, maybe more gracious than anybody might have expected in the heat of the moment -- and the Obama faithful awkwardly booed and applauded in spurts. In the end, not an unexpected concession. McCain had spent a few days weeks attacking Obama to the core, but last night he returned to a more humane tone. The crowd in Grant Park settled on polite applause as McCain wrapped things up.

A few minutes later, a miniature eternity to the happiest people in Chicago, Obama took the stage. His speech grabbed the crowd, and they didn't let go, well, probably until they fell asleep.

Critics can probably point holes in the speech. He implied that the United States became a country in 1787, when it ratified its constitution ("I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years"). I always thought they liked to start in 1776 (232 years ago). Perhaps I'm being petty.

The speech was pure rhetoric. But last night, tonight, and years from now, you will probably find more than a few commentators who will call it perfect.

Some post-game pictures. Sorry for the blur. I figure they're still worth posting.

Nice result, problems remain

From commenter Uncle Doug:

Look at the statistics, and you see the problem with democratic voting. Obama wins 53% of the popular vote, but receives 67.5% of the electoral college votes. I don't mind the outcome, but I sure wish that the percentages were a bit closer.

The 1924 U.S. presidential election is similar. Calvin Coolidge won with a 54% plurality and 382 electoral college votes.

But nothing compares with the Kennedy election of 1960 where the popular votes were tenths of a percent apart, but the electoral college split 303-219.

Agreed. I think that such a disparity is less important in a presidential election when the people essentially elect a one-person majority. So long as they score a majority of votes, the larger share of the electoral vote is rendered irrelevant. But it's still a problem. The electoral college is so bizarre.

Of course, I'm more concerned with fixing Canada's system. In some ways, even more bizarre.

Obama wins, Chicago erupts

I've never before experienced anything like tonight, and I doubt anything will match it for quite a long time. It's too late to say anything articulate. It's been quite a day. Rest assured, though, there will be pictures, videos, and commentary tomorrow.

Good night from Chicago!

Blog cameo, Ottawa style

An Ottawa friend is going to appear right here, in the space below, in just a little bit. If you can guess who (and I haven't already told you) before I post the picture, I owe you a cola.

Thirty Days hits the big time: CityTV comes calling

If you are watch CityTV tonight at 6 p.m., or are near Internet some time soon after and visit citytv.com, you might catch a glimpse of three Canadians here watching the action in sunny Chicago.

Depending on what gets edited out or not, one of my inarticulate ramblings might make it to air!

UPDATE: Here it is!

(In the accompanying story, I'm quoted saying: "There's been so much hype around it is that the energy is just here in a way that it just doesn't exist in Canada." I'm positive I didn't say that and think it was the other guy, though I don't disagree.)

How did it all happen?

• Carl Meyer made me aware of a post by..
• Warren Kinsella, who was looking for Canadians in Chicago, because..
• CityTV's Richard Madan wanted to interview some.

Kinsella wanted people to get in touch with him. So I did. And then Madan called me. What a funny sequence of events. Just another day on the trip.

Oh, and this articulate woman named Danielle Takacs was also part of the interview, along with another guy named Mike.

By the way, there is more security in this city than anything I can remember. The lone exception might be New Orleans in April, when the streets were full of state and federal authorities for blocks and blocks. As was the case there, Chicago police are pretty much all on duty tonight.

An early morning in Chicago

Any minute now, check out MediaScout for a post about today's election, amongst other things.

UPDATE: Here it is!

Voters, take your marks

Can anyone believe voting day in America is actually here again?

Obama: then and now, a stark contrast

Yesterday, I started reading Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama's first book published in 1995. Obviously, it's quite a time to read it. Polls close in 48 hours and I am on the way to Chicago.

Regular Greyhound riders know that at most American bus stations, TVs constantly blare either Fox News or CNN. Given the timing, that means Obama is on the screen a lot. And as he hits rally after rally in swing states and I hit layover after layover in mostly red states, I'm reminded of his oratorical flare and his wide appeal. And most of all, the confidence he exudes in the limelight.

Then I climb back on to the bus, read a few more chapters, and am struck by just how far the man has come -- not just in terms of power, but personally. In Dreams, he holds back little as he unveils his deepest struggles with his own maturity. And with race. It's a contrast unlike anything I've really experienced.

Oh, and on race. Expect more on that from this blog. Much more.