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!

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.

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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.

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!

Prelude to a victory: Is this the right spot?

Chicago on the eve of The Most Important Election Ever. The mood in the city might be different but, as this video explains, I really don't know anything about Chicago. Lots of sidewalk conversations about the election, though, for what that's worth.

Observe:



Not surprisingly, I was wrong. Sort of. All of Grant Park is presumably being prepared for an expected one million people who will stream downtown, but the speech will be given here:

There's some doin's a'happenin'

It looks like national security is coming to Chicago. Some examples:

This is a Coast Guard boat in Chicago's Harbour. What a gun!

Homeland Security isn't missing this party.

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.

Obama vs. McCain: The Ultimate Showdown

My dear uncle Doug asked in a comment what the mood is down here re: presidential election campaign. Well, to be blunt, I'm not the one to ask.

On the way south, you'll observe most of my destinations have been, well, either blue states or liberal enclaves in red states. As far as I can tell, Obama's got about 75 per cent of the vote locked up.

But of course that's not the case. In Birmingham and again today in New Orleans, I heard some talk radio. Conservative talk radio. And there were some upset Republicans (the Angry Right?) on air who really do think that Obama is a terrorist, a socialist, and the worst thing for America since French fries.

Most people seem to think that Obama has it, though. So that's the update with five days left until voting day.