Election night......

[Kate Matthew]

I'd like to hear people's stories about where they were and what they were doing as the polls closed and things started to look good.....

[Kate Matthew]

I intended to stay home on election night as I had to get up at 5.30am for work. I was IMing with Molly D'eath on and off for a while. We were anxious and excited. When people ask in the future "What did you do on the night Obama won?", I will say "IMed with Molly"! But after a while I started to get too excited so I went out. I called my friend Suzanne and we went over to watch the concession and acceptance speech at the home of some of her friends. Afterwards, I left, still attempting to get to bed at a reasonable hour. I meant to catch a cab home as soon as possible....BUT!!! The streets of San Francisco were alive!!! People were pouring out on to the streets, yelling, hooting, screaming, blowing horns, clapping, chanting..... Cars were honking... It was so exciting! I walked home through the Mission, down Valencia Street, the sidewalks were packed. Everyone was smiling and laughing with joy. It was similar to New Year's Eve, except on the whole, people were intoxicated with excitement rather than alcoholic beverages. I have marched and yelled in the street several times protesting the war; lovely to be yelling about something positive. I live about 8 blocks from City Hall, and could hear helicopters circling as I went to sleep. Today at work people were saying that, in the Castro, the streets were packed with people, stopping the traffic.

[BURD]

I don't have TV, so I was watching the results on the internet. When it was certain Obama was in-I exhaled with relief and went to bed. Yesterday, I didn't know what to do with myself. I walked around, feeling oddly out of sorts. I think the fact that the nightmare of the Bush-Cheney years coming to a close is going to be an adjustment-kinda like winning a long ugly war. The end of the tunnel is within sight.

[Molly D'Eath]

I was IMing with Kate the Great!!

[David Alexander]

I was "working" at the library until 9pm, constantly refreshing the news sites as results started to come in. When I got home, the fams were getting ready for bed. Kim didn't stay up with me to watch the results, since she had to get up at 5:30 and her staying up wouldn't affect the outcome; she'd find out in the morning. Sam said that if Obama won, I was to wake him 5 minutes early the next morning, and that way he would know. So it was me in my robe and slippers and my warmed up leftovers, watching one swing state after another come up blue. I made a 26oz bottle of Belgian ale last until they called the west coast states and McCain called to congratulate Obama. I watched the concession speech, and then the acceptance speech amid the wild joy of the crowd in Chicago, from a soft chair in my quiet living room. I wanted to stay up until they called Indiana, but gave in and headed up to bed. I was trying to enter the room and climb into bed in utter silence, but Kim heard me and whispered, "What happened?" I whispered back, "President Barack Obama." "Awesome." And we slept.
In the morning, Sam woke himself up and shuffled downstairs while I was having coffee. "So?", he demanded. I showed him the paper, and he did a fist pump. "Yesss!"

[Jeb Banner]

Jenny (my wife) and I were at Ben and Kirsten Shine's house until about 11 and then headed home to relieve the babysitter. On the way home we heard the news on NPR that Obama had officially won. We knew it from looking at the electoral map and realizing it was impossible for McCain to win. The thing at Ben and Kirsten's was really fun, a good group of Obama supporters watching the results come in.

[Loralie]

We lit a fire in the fireplace and camped out in the living room switching from CNN to MSNBC to NBC watching the results. When they called it I started cheering and clapping. Some close by neighbors had fireworks so we watched out the window, and we could hear bigger fireworks from downtown PDX. We got the boys in PJ's and snuggled them up with us to watch Obama's speech (remember, we are 3 hours behind you so it was only 9:30), they fell asleep while we listened, and then we carried them to bed. It was a great night.

BTW, I'm so proud of you Hoosiers.

[mike whybark]

I was at home at 8 when they called it - the plan had been to head back down to my old neighborhood, but I didn't want to miss the speeches, so I stayed put. Here's some of what I missed:





The shots near that Shell station are at the other end of the block from where I experienced the sublime joy of tear gas and rubber bullets nine years ago during WTO, in Seattle's Capitol Hill. Word is (although I regret that I did not see video of it in the clips) that the club which moved its' PA onto the roof to provide a soundtrack for the dance party later also hosted a drag queen leading the crowd in the national anthem from the roof. I don't live in that neighborhood anymore, but I did for sixteen years, and it's where my heart will always be.

[Loralie]

Kind of touching in Downtown Portland:

[Bill Zink]

I was at work with hundreds of TVs tuned in to MSNBC. I tried in vain to get them to put a ballgame on. I just had a bad feeling. Polls closed at 6 here in the Bluegrass, and not long after KY became the first state called - for McCain (though Louisville/Jefferson Co went big for Obama - no surprise there). I pointedly avoided the TVs as much as possible after that, until a co-worker said "Hey Bill! You can stop hiding now. They just called Pennsylvania for Obama". I felt better then. Left work, hit an Arbys drive through for a late dinner, got home, poured a drink for my wife and I, and watched the rest of the returns. Thought briefly about heading out to west Broadway after they called, but ended up staying home for the speeches. Tried to stay up until they called Indiana, but didn't make it - had to work the next day with a bunch of bitter Republicans talking about stockpiling canned goods and ammo.

[jennifer johnson]

I went out to the local watering hole and watched it with Brad [my boyfriend] and we cheered as Obama won--there was only one McCain supporter and no one was really talking to him. I got to see the concession and acceptance speeches there and toasted Obama with a shot of tequila. Then we drove around our neighborhood honking our car horn and cheering. Then we went next door to our neighbor's house and watched it some more. I got like three hours of sleep that nite and I'm still excited two days later!

[Ian Brewer]

Heh, I was out and about, didn't see one McCain supporter. Everyone I saw was in a good mood! I suspect all the McCain supporters were at home clinging to their God and guns.

[mike whybark]

Ian Brewer said:

Heh, I was out and about, didn't see one McCain supporter. Everyone I saw was in a good mood! I suspect all the McCain supporters were at home clinging to their God and guns.

On a county basis, only Lake beat Monroe for Obama percentile share, Ian. 66%, give or take!