Quote:
Originally Posted by The Flayed One
(Post 753609)
It's over! Obama is president!
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Wooohoooo! Guys as you can rightfully imagine I am beyond estatic right now. I haven't been to bed. It's 3am here and I've been glued to Cspan, Cspan 2, Cnn and msnbc watching senate, house and presidential results. Not sure if any of you all missed me the past two days but I was at my local Obama campaign office campaigning like crazy--phonebanking and door-to-dooring doing everything in my power to encourage voters to get out there and cast their ballots, making sure they had the right polling information, and making sure everyone had those absentee ballots in--stressing the importance of voting even if it wasn't the candidate I agreed with--the fact that this time we can truly say it matters. I was campaigning for Virginia and I like to say I partook in making them blue--1st time for them since LBJ was Prez! Of course not by a huge margin 51-49 but that's still making a huge statement on their progress.
Since 7pm I along with majority of my dormmates were glued watching the results at first many were worried because between 7 and 8:15 there was a lead of I believe 88-44 McCain-many were very tense and either thought McCain's gonna' win or we will be up all night because of the nail-bitter situation. Especially when it came to FL, OH, VA, NC, and PA. I reassured everyone that it's far too early to call because 15 states closed their polls at 8 (I know my homestate Maryland does for sure) and another 15 closed at 9.
Shortly after there were huge sighs of relief as we checked the electoral college again and there was a 199- 97 lead for Obama. More and more results came in as my dorm was still divided [on the left we had the obama supporters far right -republicans, in the middle the nader/ron paul supporters/ "non caring people"--these were the ones who didn't
vote for illegitimate reasons] Following that I'm watching statistical comparitive analysis of each candidate's party during the 04 and 00 elections to see how great or how worse than did than their preceiving party. As you can imagine, Obama did far greater a job than John Kerry in 04. For McCain some states equal, some states not as much. Then all of sudden I see 297 Obama, 160 for McCain and the reality starts to sink in that it's over because he only needed 270 and got way more than that. The obama supporters leave the dorm and start running all around campus celebrating. I stay around just in case something shady happened like a contesting of the votes--a want for a reccount--a concession speech, etc. Then around 11:45-12am the number get even larger: Obama 315, McCain 190 and I start to fantasize a in a good way of course in what this means. Then the majority of the republicans tell me "it's cool," "they'll get over it and they don't care anymore" and respectfully went away in defeat, although a few rebellious ones posted signs up that said "Death: RIP Democracy on 11.4.08" . After that, I listened to McCain's concession speech --which to me sounded a bit choreographed, not entirely from the heart and covertly irate--nonetheless was a respectable approach to address and redirect his supporters--although many were responding in a rally form of comply rather than a speech (Ie--extreme boos, nothing politically respectable). Within the next half hour I get more results more increased numbers--all before I watch Obama give remarks live from Chicago followed by an appearacnce of his wife and family alongside Biden and his family. The words he spoke, feelings I felt, and scene I saw was outrageously breathtaking and exhilirating at the same time. Within the next 20 minutes of me checking out the electoral college once again I saw Obama 339, McCain 149. That's when I finally verbally and mentally celebrated because then I knew despite any deficit, argument, recount or contestation--I knew there was absolutely nothing McCain could do to pull it off no matter if all the precints for the remaining states was in. He just couldn't get it done with the math.
What I was so amazed by is how many political analysists (including myself although not officially lol) said that just because someone is winning in the polls doesn't mean they will on election day. Well tonight/today it happened. And there have also been remarks that proved that even if a candidate doesn't win the popular vote he can still win presidency because of the electoral college. This happened--sort of. Obama did have the popular vote -not by a close margin though 51-49. But ironic to most turnout's he (like Bush in '04) won by a landslide!--actually outdoing Bush's 04 election by a bigger number. The keys here: He got the swing states he needed and by good enough margins and the ones that were assumed to be his (naturally democratic states--the West and Northeast coast) won by significant numbers.
The last time I checked the numbers : 2:45 am et it was Obama 359, McCain 159.
So there's my experience through the whole thing. I can't wait to the inaugaration on January 20th 2009. ANti-bush supporters actually have countdown clocks that countdown the days minutes hours and seconds til his last day. I live in Maryland, so I'm about a half-hr (45 minutes if heavy traffic and without shortcuts) away from DC--and I'm thinking about going to the inaugaration. One of my friends here has family that works in DC during all the prez inaugarations and actually has a good reason for work now-so I may attend with them. I don't know how many of you guys on HDC are Democrats or republicans, or independents-- but regardless I'm proud to know any Obamacans here. Sorry for being fanatic about this whole ordeal but we've got the 44th President on his way to the white house. Woooo!!!! We shall gain our respect back (hopefully) on the international circuit. Troops you've done a noble job thus far: it's almost time to come home!! :) :) :)
