Proud America

Bob Cesca writes about a moving episode from the recent biopic on John Adams and its' significance today:

...the Adamses, who were vocal opponents of slavery... walk below the familiar triangular peak of the north portico and through the front doors [of the White House under construction]-- the first presidential couple to occupy that historic building. As they step through the mud in what appears to be silent horror, they're taken aback by numerous slaves toiling all around. Painting and plastering the walls. Sweeping the floors. Moving furniture.

"The negroes will see to your trunks," a white foreman offers to "help" with the presidential luggage, and then barks at a slave, "Here! You boy!"

The scene culminates with Abigail Adams, played by Laura Linney, shouting with indignation, "Half-fed slaves building our nation's capital?!"

Not only was this scene a powerful cinematic illustration of the contradictions and ironies of America's founding liberties, but it also set the stage for an event you and I will be fortunate enough to witness just 76 days from right now.

Today, President Bush, of all people, described the forthcoming Inauguration Day and, perhaps inadvertently, presented the ultimate historical bookend to that scene from John Adams when he remarked, "It will be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House."

Indeed it will, sir. After eight years of awfulness, George W. Bush actually managed to say something that touched me in a way that didn't precipitate, you know, me breaking something. Damn you, Mr. President, you magnificent bastard...

The Whole Speech

For anyone who missed the whole thing live...

The Face of Change

Rice: Obama "Inspirational," His Election "An Extraordinary Step Forward"

In His Own Words

CNN has a nice slideshow recap of Obama's speech highlights

President-Elect Obama

Nate Calls it for President Obama

McCain's Camp says they need a miracle and fivethirtyeight calls it for Obama



There's a giddiness in the air. I'm going to take a while to savor it but as I told a conservative friend today:

You should know also that as hard as I have fought for whatever gains the Democrats may make today, I will fight equally hard tomorrow to hold them accountable. I will not abide reckless policies or revenge tactics. I hope that whomever is elected today is prepared for the hard work of governing that tomorrow will demand, and will work to make it so.

Here We Go.

First polls are now closed. The counting begins.

Here was the ground game in Boulder today:



A group of High School kids who looked too young to vote were passing their lunch hour getting out the vote today.

All over town Obama's offices are bustling, people are wearing every manner of Obama Flair and despite record high numbers of early votes, polling places are seeing steady streams...



Having already voted, I went over to the county building today trying to get to the DMV--I'll be on crutches for a few weeks and was trying to pick up a hang-tag for my car. No luck. The Motor Vehicle office was closed. The whole building had been converted to manage voting. So while there were lots of people in and out (including a guy in purple pants, pink converse and a giant sombrero I would have loved a picture of), there was no backlog. They even had a "drive up ballot box" on the curb for folks who had received early/mail-in ballots and not yet returned them. Everywhere, it was the picture of efficiency. Hopefully we'll do right by those High School kids and they'll remember today when they get to vote in 2012.

Landslide: 538's Final Prediction

Obama 349, McCain 189? That's What Nate Silver says:

Our model projects that Obama will win all states won by John Kerry in 2004, in addition to Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina, while narrowly losing Missouri and Indiana. These states total 353 electoral votes. Our official projection, which looks at these outcomes probabilistically -- for instance, assigns North Carolina's 15 electoral votes to Obama 59 percent of the time -- comes up with an incrementally more conservative projection of 348.6 electoral votes.

Youth Vote At Dartmouth

Those who are wondering if the youth will turn out ought to see what I saw this morning.
One well-known government professor here told me that she has never seen so many students vote in the first hour of voting as she saw this morning. And I've never seen so many students up and alert at this hour. They're normally stumbling out of bed to make it to their 10 a.m. courses. Today, the campus has been buzzing for hours this morning. It appears that many of them decided to go to the polls as groups of twos, threes, fours and more when the polls opened at 7 a.m. The number of students I saw by 8 a.m. walking around with "I voted" stickers on is astonishing.
At breakfast, I sat next to a table of four black students, all of whom had voted. The three men were wearing ties. I asked them why. The answer: It was their first election, and they wanted to "mark the occasion.

One Last Rally

90,000 people turned out to see Obama in Virgina yesterday. He reminded them where this all started, with small crowds, and long-shot odds, and a few courageous people who were willing to get their friends and their communities fired up and ready to go...

The Dish

I'll be posting interesting things as I see them today, but will inevitably be behind the best... Andrew Sullivan is one of my staples--a self-described gay conservative, he's been smart and incisive about the things that matter this election season. Check out his blog today and read his endorsement of Obama. This paragraph sums it up, but the whole thing is worth the read:

If I were to give one reason why I believe electing Barack Obama is essential tomorrow, it would be an end to this dark, lawless period in American constitutional government. The domestic cultural and political reasons for an Obama presidency remain as strong as they were when I wrote "Goodbye To All That" over a year ago. His ability to get us past the culture war has been proven in this campaign, in the generation now coming of age that will elect him if they turn out, in Obama's staggering ability not to take the bait. His fiscal policies are too liberal for me - I don't believe in raising taxes, I believe in cutting entitlements for the middle classes as the way to fiscal balance. I don't believe in "progressive taxation", I support a flat tax. I don't want to give unions any more power. I'm sure there will be moments when a Democratic Congress will make me wince. But I also understand that money has to come from somewhere, and it will not come in any meaningful measure from freezing pork or the other transparent gimmicks advertized in advance by McCain. McCain is not serious on spending. But he is deadly serious in not touching taxes. So, on the core question of debt, on bringing America back to fiscal reason, Obama is still better than McCain. If I have to take an ideological hit to head toward fiscal solvency, I'll put country before ideology.

It's Time

Obama's Grandmother Dies on Eve of Election

Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died early Monday morning. What a bittersweet day this must be for Obama. Yesterday, he remembered her this way:



She did get to vote before she died, and because she was alive when she cast her vote and her ballot was received, her vote will count.

Reagan Ad Man Uses Pro-Reagan Ad Against McCain

Looking to the Future

In his own words...

Palin Pick: "The Most Devastatingly Poor Judgment in Modern Political History"

Discussing media efforts to be "fair and balanced" when the wheels are coming off the cart on one side of the wagon, Andew Sullivan doesn't mince words on this one:

Colin Powell Endorses Barack

When You Put Them in a Room Together

Obama and McCain both attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner last night. A fancy-schmancy white-tie affair at the Waldorf Astoria. Here's what those crazy kids had to say about each other...

First, McCain roasts Obama



Then, its Obama's turn

Boy Bands for Obama

An appeal from the youth of America to White Moms who might still be on the fence...


Apparently, we are a YouTube target demographic...