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President- Elect, Barack Obama
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
Awesome.
Thank you
Well, my party is now in control of everything in the US from a political perspective. And looking at the money the Obama campaign got, it is in control from an economic perspective as well. What does that mean? I for one do not know. I feel in a sense like I did after the first phase of the latest Iraq war -- yeah, we can take them out from a military perspective, but what do we do then? Governance requires a very high standard of responsibility. What is the next step?
Chuck in Houston
Find common ground and go with it
Inhale, exhale
Inhale, exhale
Chuck.
I believe Obama laid out the plans for the next step. All of us need to put our heads together, put aside partisan politics, and make our government run properly again.
I hope that means, media reform, election reform, a personal 'send the lobbyists to H*ll (Michigan) reform', and of course healthcare, jobs, end the war, improve our schools.
We start by putting one foot in front of the other. We start by putting aside past anger and hate.
And we start by behaving like adults, who learned the art of compromise instead of children who have to have it their way or there is a temper tantrum.
Guys (and gals)
I want to collect newspaper and magazine covers. Anyone able to help?
Ok. keep up the good thoughts towards Schaurer over Walberg...
Schauer , Mark Dem 123,271 48%
Walberg , Tim (i)GOP 121,787 47%
Ok all - CONGRATULATIONS!!! - HUGS ALL ROUND!!! Wow! You did it! Yes. You. Did.
I wish I could be there right now - we need to be in DC. But a better time to be in DC would be January perhaps.
Your country turned a corner today - and left no doubt in anyone's mind about the feelings of the people. The real feelings. The highest priorities.
What will the media do now that they can't beat up the closeness of the campaign?
CNN showing areal shots of crowds out in the streets celebrating... they said it's going on across the country!
aerial
World leaders' quotes on Obama election win
Breaking... (probably) According to msnbc, tpm is going to be reporting that Rahm Emmanuel is offered Chief of Staff and will accept it.
speech rerun on CNN NOW
WH scene amazing. Pics soon.
See main page for WH pics
http://www.democracycellproject.net/blog/archives/2008/11/whose_house_bar.html
Reporting again from Seoul!
I took that bullet train trip to Daejeon, 100 miles to the south. On the way out (late morning here, late night eastern USA) I couldn't get much update, other than that Obama won Vermont and McCain won Kentucky.
But by the time I came back to the train station to start my trip back to Seoul, the reality finally hit me. Obama with well above 300 EVs. McCain with barely 150. History has been made.
On the train back to Seoul, I continued to get news feeds - about McCain's concession, about congratulatory messages to Obama from W and Lee Myung-bak, about Democrats winning 6 out of 11 governors' seats as well as more control of Congress, and more.
Even the South Korean establishment, which has always trended Republican, is welcoming Obama's mantra for change. Think about it - without a good economy in the US, South Korea loses its most important export market.
The hard work now begins. And I still need to check the status of California's gay marriage ban. But for now, I am celebrating. I've been truly honored to take part in making this historical moment happen, made all the more special because I had to do it 6,000 miles away from home.
Looking at electoral-vote.com...
Looks like IL-10 is still Republican. Sorry, madame defarge and everyone else there. :(
Alaska does look good though, as its at-large House seat is now Democratic. But Ted Stevens might still survive.
The popular vote gap between Obama and McCain is only 4% or so. There does seem to be some of that Bradley effect lingering - but not enough to derail Obama.
Looks like they are still counting the votes on the California gay marriage ban. It's supposedly leading 52-48.
I guess I'll prepare to riot tomorrow.
And if the gay marriage ban passes, I'll seriously ponder selling my BMW.
Between funding O'Reilly's threats to blow up San Francisco and funding the worldwide homophobia, BMW has lost my favor for good.
Looks like in CA, both the teen abortion ban (4) and the gay marriage ban (8) are not gonna be known for several more hours.
They haven't counted Los Angeles, and they are slow counting Oakland. I am sincerely hoping that the conservative immigrants of Los Angeles are not going to give the two evil ballot initiatives the final push to pass.
If either passes, time for serious ass-kicking, both here in Seoul and back in Los Angeles.
Calitics tells me that Prop 8 has a comfortable lead in Los Angeles. It must be the reactionary immigrants.
Things may change if Los Angeles swings toward no later on (when the liberal urban areas start counting). But for now, I am preparing to kick some MAJOR ASS.
From now on, I will be voting FOR every nativist measure and AGAINST every pro-immigrant measure. I'm sick and tired of Third World primitive morality being shoved down the Californians' throats. I'll further press the Obama Administration to COMPLETELY revamp the immigration and naturalization process. NO MORE FREEBIE CITIZENSHIPS TO REACTIONARY FOREIGN BASTARDS!
Prop 4, the third teen abortion ban attempt in three years, fortunately appears headed for a narrow loss.
One more thing from Seoul.
As part of the Lee Myung-bak government's faithful following of the Reagan-Bush agenda that has failed so miserably in the US for the past three decades, Seoul Board of Education has unilaterally canceled its contract with the Teacher's Union.
Also on the bullet train, the Lee government had plenty of propaganda on board, including a need to give tax cuts to the rich so that the wealth will trickle down. (WRONG - they'll all spend it on some obscene luxury import.) There were also pamphlets stressing a need to push the US-South Korean free trade agreement forward - WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AND APPROVAL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Lee is f*cking with his own people. But more importantly, he is f*cking with our pocketbooks, and appears have successfully taken away my right to get married. I WILL KICK ASS - VERY HARD.
I had the funniest dream last night.
Get this, I dreamed a BLACK MAN won the presidency of the USA!
Is that crazy silly or what?
November 5, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Finishing Our Work
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
And so it came to pass that on Nov. 4, 2008, shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern time, the American Civil War ended, as a black man — Barack Hussein Obama — won enough electoral votes to become president of the United States.
A civil war that, in many ways, began at Bull Run, Virginia, on July 21, 1861, ended 147 years later via a ballot box in the very same state. For nothing more symbolically illustrated the final chapter of America’s Civil War than the fact that the Commonwealth of Virginia — the state that once exalted slavery and whose secession from the Union in 1861 gave the Confederacy both strategic weight and its commanding general — voted Democratic, thus assuring that Barack Obama would become the 44th president of the United States.
This moment was necessary, for despite a century of civil rights legislation, judicial interventions and social activism — despite Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King’s I-have-a-dream crusade and the 1964 Civil Rights Act — the Civil War could never truly be said to have ended until America’s white majority actually elected an African-American as president.
That is what happened Tuesday night and that is why we awake this morning to a different country. The struggle for equal rights is far from over, but we start afresh now from a whole new baseline. Let every child and every citizen and every new immigrant know that from this day forward everything really is possible in America.
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/opinion/05friedman.html?em
November 4, 2008, 11:20 pm
And Then They Wept
By Charles M. Blow
History will record this as the night the souls of black folk, living and dead, wept – and laughed, screamed and danced – releasing 400 years of pent up emotion.
They were the souls of those whose bodies littered the bottom of the Atlantic, whose families were torn asunder, whose names were erased.
They were those who knew the terror of being set upon by men with clubs, of being trapped in a torched house, of dangling at the end of a rough rope.
They were the souls of those who knew the humiliation of another person’s spit trailing down their faces, of being treated like children well into their twilight years, of being derided and despised for the beauty God gave them.
They were also the tears of those for whom “Yes We Can, ” Obama’s campaign slogan, took on a broader, more profound meaning.
“Yes We Can” escape the prison of lowered expectations and the cycles of poor choices. “Yes We Can” rise above history and beyond hatred. “Yes We Can” ascend to Martin Luther King’s mountain top and see the promised land where dreams are fulfilled, where the best man wins and where justice prevails.
During this election African-Americans, their hearts weary from disappointment, dared to hope and dream again. Tonight their dream has been realized.
Whether or not you agree with Barack Obama’s politics, there is no denying that his election represents a seminal moment in the African-American narrative and a giant leap forward on the road to America’s racial reconciliation.
In fact everyone, regardless of race, should feel free to shed a tear and be proud of how far our country has come.
Same dream here!!!
I woke up & had to double-check...
Turned on TV & got a shock on FOX--
Last night it looked like a funeral parlor. This morning they were sitting in a little group laughing, trying to name Sasha' & Malia's new puppy! (Maverick)
Turned to CNN & saw an interview of a soldier in Afghanistan. He said for the first time he could believe that All Men Are Created Equal. He said that the American people are telling the world that all people are equal.
Saw shots of people around the world celebrating. I hadn't quite grasped that around the world people gathered in crowds and at parties, glued to the TV, watching our election returns...
CNN said that Russia is the only country that hasn't made made an official statement of congratulations. Don't know if it's really the only country, but they speak loudly with their silence... pundit comment: Russian rulers could not deny that American democracy is real, that it's not a platitude masking a quasi-dynastic system. They knew that people across Russia & the former Soviet countries saw what happened-- Russian leadership doesn't want the people to share such hope.
sorry about above... screwed up the underline
I'm not suggesting that everything's hunky-dorey... but if peeps on FOX can let their guard down & show a moment of joy, it's not all bad
;p
All of my childhood, I was isolated from blacks. I only ever remember one black man being allowed into our house. A wounded man who had an accident in the middle of the night right up the road, he used the phone to call for help. That is the only black person I ever remember stepping foot in our house.
Then I got older and started living in and around the hood and el barrios... And I made it a point to talk to the young kids from there about college, because very few of them ever even had a conversation about the possibility.
And those conversations almost always came to the point where I would have to look these young black/latino kids in the eye and say 'You can do anything. If you work hard and stay out of trouble, maybe you could even be president some day.'
But I never believed it when I said it. Every time I said it I secretly believed it was a lie. I knew I was lying right into the faces of children who trusted me.
I never said it a single time without making every effort I could to make sure they could not detect the lie in my tone or on my face. It was one of those lies I HAD TO tell them, I did not feel I had a choice but to decieve them, otherwise hope dies. I kinda asked God to overlook my willful dishonesty.
But it really wasn't a lie...was it?
All I can think of today is all those kids. I can still see all their faces.
All I can do is cry.
Good morning, folks.
Long night here.
I tried to stay awake to watch the other races and props.
Schaurer finally beat Walberg. I was really sweating it and was amazed that Club For Growth almost succeeded in buying another term for Walberg.
I'm sure Schaurer was one of the recipient of Obama's coattails. Most people I know voted straight dem.
The med. marijuana law passed. By like 65-37.
The stem cell research passed by 53-48. Very close! Poorly worded questions on this ballot may have presented problems for this proposal.
Can't find prop. h
Hmmm....when was the last time there was one party rule, again?
(Watch this clip... Once again the media doesn't get their facts straight!)
There isn't one party rule.
What about the stacked Supreme Court?
We have three branches of government.
The liberals are the oldest ones on the Supreme Court. The arch-conservatives are young and will live for a long time.
That's what the newspaper said and I was in it.
Obama street celebration in SeattleIn Seattle, crowds of thousands of people spilled into the streets near the Pike Place Market and on Capitol Hill Wednesday night to celebrate the election of Barack Obama.
SEATTLE —In Seattle, crowds of thousands of people spilled into the streets near the Pike Place Market and on Capitol Hill Wednesday night to celebrate the election of Barack Obama.
A police spokeswoman, Renee Witt, says the celebrations were peaceful and there were no arrests.
http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com
At redlights, people with Obama stickers flashing peace signs, shouting such like: "It's the best day of my entire life!!!!"
Sparrow
Ummmmm... short-term memory loss?
Popular vote: 52% - 46%
No one can argue that it's not a sea change, but instead is just a quirk of the Electoral College system.
Congratulations All, what a day. Christy we have been waiting a long time, 8 years for Change
God be with you President Elect Obama, and may you accomplish all so many of your citizens, and the Citizens of the world are hoping you can achieve.
Down Under
Sparrow can someone please give me the directions to posting photos, my computor has been down and I have lost the link.
Thanking You
Kangaroo, You have your stuff at a webpicture hosting site. I don't remember what name you use to use. It's been a while.
Then on this copy the code for images.
slugbug is right.
We still have to remember that W really screwed up the Supreme Court. Let's also remember that the Chief Justice, John Toyota Roberts, will remain there for a LONG time, as he is quite young.
I would love for Obama to stack the courts, if only to overturn California's gay marriage ban.
Toyota is supposed to be LGBT-friendly, but it doesn't matter. I will NEVER buy another of their slave-labor pieces of scrap metal, ever again. And speaking of cars, I will seriously consider selling my BMW when I return home. I'm ready to kick ass and that includes ANY corporate sponsors of hatred, prejudice, and violence.
It's official. I am following slugbug's lead and going TV-free when I go home. After all, the homophobic neoliberals at Samsung made my set, and it WILL be thrown away. The only reason I didn't throw it away last month was because I didn't have time to unplug it and drive it to my local recycler.
I'm also checking Kelley Blue Book values for trading in my BMW, as well as pricing suitable replacements. I refuse to drive a car made by a company that wants me exterminated. And it certainly won't be replaced with a Toyota or Lexus, either.
Hyundai (which funds my local LGBT center) informed me that they will have a hybrid Sonata mid-year next year. I'll consider it, if only because the average South Koreans, and certainly their labor movement, believe in civil rights more than their fascist brothers in Los Angeles, who voted overwhelmingly to take my rights away, ever do. Sure, if I buy the car, it'll probably end up as the only Hyundai in Los Angeles that spends lots of time in West Hollywood and never in Koreatown, but that'll be a distinction I'll gladly carry. If anyone told me last year that I'll be trading my "beloved" BMW in for a mere Hyundai, I'd have laughed it off, but DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES.
This is just the beginning. I'll kick ass, and YES I CAN with an Obama Presidency backing me up.
Hmmm...WSJ: Responsibility...
An entire rant where not one iota of responsibility for the collapse of our dollar, our bridges, our financial systems...but ends with "Won't have Bush to kick around anymore."
Where's good old fashioned responsibility?
Sparrow
Speaking of responsibility, there's no author associated with that article
As usual, repukes pulling a fast one... Bush makes nice in speech today, but his henchmen are working overtime to destroy our government before Jan 20
So Little Time, So Much Damage
Around the World, Praise for Obama
It will be a great day for America when people like Jesselyn Radack and all the other whistle blowers simply get their jobs back and their rights and freedoms restored. AND then given the accolades they deserve. They are as worthy of medals as our military. They have made enormous personal, family, physical, emotional and social sacrifices for us.
The SCOTUS has bothered me - a LOT - since I realised that the appointments have long tenures. Can't the really bad ones be given the boot anyway? While Supreme Courts are political they can never be truly representative and unbiased. In other words, they will never do their job. Waste of money it seems.
aimzzz...I observed the same thing!
Hey wait a minute! Did we just elect a black man to be the president of the USA?
Holy crap! YES WE DID!
I don't know why, but I still can not believe that just happened.
woz
SCOTUS justices are appointed for life-- some die in office but most retire at some point. A justice cannot be removed from office unless impeached for breaking the law.
Anybody out there remember the "Impeach Earl Warren" billboards? Earl Warren was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Civil Rights era... Brown vs Board of Education; One Man, One Vote...and more. Racists wanted to remove him by claiming that "Warren Court" decisions were unconstitutional... therefore impeachable offenses. Those folk may not be having a good day today...
Christy
Yesterday we rocked the world!
Ally
You will not miss the tv. You will have YouTube and can watch Jon Stewart etc. on-line. If I go to Northgate Mall, Comcast has a big tv screen (four of them, all with different channels) and big leather chairs - I can get a coffee and watch a little of that if I want. I don't usually but I saw some today just to see how the networks were milking the election for content.
It's not so much that they're propaganda but that they don't even have enough content to be 24 hour cable, so they repeat endless loops, speculate like gossip sheets, make shit up and generally bore the crap out of people except for those big moving graphics that almost swoop down on you and startle you, usually in some clashing collars like royal blue and lemon yellow. It's quite abrasive.
Comment
Bernard Avishai ...
I confess a certain impatience, on this poignant day, with all the earnest talk about how America achieved something remarkable yesterday by electing our first African-American president, as if the choice has been about race all along. I do not mean to diminish an historic first, like electing a Catholic in 1960; I, too, choked-up when John Lewis spoke. But relief today is not about Americans choosing an obviously black man over a white man, which proves we can come to terms with our past. It is about our choosing an obviously brilliant, reciprocal man over a thick, cynical one--a man who articulates a coherent vision of global commonwealth over someone advancing vague, military patriotism--which proves we can come to terms with our future.
Read the rest here.
(I agree 100% with this person. I didn't vote for color. In fact, the whole race was not about color for many people! And that is PROGRESS! Yes, he's black and he won. But more importantly only the other side had to smear him for his race. While this side accepted his values.
And most of his values are my values and many others. THAT'S every bit as important as his color.)
Election over.
Watch all the attacks from McCain's and Palin's people.
One. (CNN)
Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.
One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.
"He was positioning himself with Palin at the expense of John McCain's campaign message," said one of the aides.
TWO rate this up
Daily Kos
Here's a partial transcript:
Smith: Now that the election is over, Carl, tell us more about those reports of infighting between Palin and McCain staffers.
Cameron: I wish I could have told you more at the time but all of it was put off the record until after the election. There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lack the degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, and a heartbeat away from the presidency. We’re told by folks that she didn’t know what countries that were in NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, that being the Canada, the US, and Mexico. We’re told she didn’t understand that Africa was a continent rather than a country just in itself ... a whole host of questions that caused serious problems about her knowledgeability. She got very angry at staff, thought that she was mishandled.....was particularly angry about the way the Katie Couric interview went. She didn’t accept preparation for that interview when the aides say that that was part of the problem. And that there were times that she was hard to control emotionally there's talk of temper tantrums at bad news clippings......
Notwithstanding that there is to be an avalanche that will continue for many days now we’re told of stoy upon story of the foibles of Sarah Palin.
Here's the teaser from the site:
PHOENIX, AZ-Breaking news from FNC chief political correspondent Carl Cameron, who spoke to several senior McCain aides a little while ago who tell him " that there is no path" to victory for John McCain now, after Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have fallen into the Obama column. Cameron being told by insiders that more behind-the-scenes info will be revealed in the following days about the friction between the Palin camp and certain parts of the McCain camp, including Gov. Palin’s apparent refusal of interview prep before the infamous Katie Couric , and Charlie Gibson network interviews.
My memory is that he was told this information before the election but was asked to keep it quiet and did.
Is there any doubt that the knives are drawn and aimed at Palin? If she's coming back to be the leader of a reborn GOP, she'll have a lot to overcome.
Hmmmm...
Larry King is having Michael Moore, Pat Robertson & many others in between
Bill Mather... we were like Charlie Brown waiting for Lucy to yank the football away...
I believe we had 55 or 56 in the Senate.
Well, Merkley is ahead of Smith in Oregon now! With most of the 'blue' areas still counting.
We have a runoff in GA in December. (We'll be busy!)
We have a recount between Frankin and Coleman.
And in Alaska, a convicted felon Republican may have won his Senate seat back. (IOKIYAR)
Aimzzz,
Yes we were. (Maher)
And Pat Robertson is awful. I wish they would treat all of us with more respect by having people who don't shout, people who can maintain a spin-free zone, and just communicate in a compromise facade instead of HATE HATE HATE!
Folks...I just want to remind you of a conversation Tom Hartman mentioned. Basically, a friend of his told him why Michelle Bachman won. It's because even though he raised a million dollars. The money and organization and the commercials came too late. So if there's a lesson learned, the lesson is to not hold off. Don't wait. Organize early. Push continually.
They just 'called' it for Merkley! (D) Oregon.
We have a new Democratic SENATOR!
57 Dems now. (Not sure where LIEberman stands in the number)
Remember all the media lies about the Democratic split?
ha ha ha
Well, how many splits are in the GOP now?
I hope there will be many, many more cracks in their evil, greedy, power-hungry, corrupt party.
(See..cuz Obama asked me to...I toned down my rhetoric.) @@;-)
good slideshow
World Celebrates New U.S. President
The voters rebuke Republicans for economic failures. WSJ
sparrow-- LOL
voters rebuke repukes
Michael Moore
McCain didn't lose this election
Bush didn't lose it for him
Barack Obama won this election
~~~~~~~~~~
I get so sick of "it was the economy. etc. They didn't lose it--
Obama won it.
From a friend (to my email). Good thoughts--mostly. I think Barack would approve of this mediated message.
Dear Family and Friends,
Tomorrow the election is over and the country has decided. May I make a few post-election observations, not about the candidates (who cares what I think), but about our processing of politics as Christians.
For the record, I really admire both McCain and Obama. To last through the gauntlet of a presidential campaign takes an exceptional person, and the strength under fire and tenacity of both candidates deeply impressed me.
John McCain is not only a true war-hero, he is a stamina super-hero. When most 72-year olds with a 401K only dream of their well-earned retirement, Senator McCain is energetic and proved he could shoulder the weight of the presidency. He ran a campaign schedule that would kill most young men—including clear, rousing speeches in SEVEN states on the final day: try that sometime. He is a model of making your whole life count for the things you care about.
Barack Obama brought an eloquence of communication to this race unseen since John Kennedy, and his position papers on race and religion (the two hot buttons of his candidacy) are, in my opinion, must reads for their thoughtfulness—especially if he emerges as the winner.
Finally, the fact that we had: the oldest presidential candidate ever, the first black (bi-racial) candidate ever and that two strong women (Senator Clinton and Governor Palin) played central roles in this election definitely marks a new era of maturity and openness in American politics.
Now three observations about us:
Once we decide for a candidate and against the other, based on their positions (a good thing) there is a tendency to impugn the motives and character of the candidate we did not chose. Fiery zeal and words like idiot, crazy and dangerous get applied to both. I would be willing to wager a year’s salary that if you spent a long weekend with either candidate (and with an open heart) you would leave with great respect—perhaps not for their positions—but for their character and sincerity.
Second, my prayer for the American church is that we always respect the political process but stop believing anything other than the church sharing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can transform America . Political leadership matters, especially in a crisis (as Lincoln and Roosevelt demonstrated). But throughout history, whenever Christians believe their political party will usher in God’s righteousness—without exception—things have gotten corrupt at best and deadly at worse. Our hope is God’s grace alone, shared by Christians who believe Jesus alone is the answer, not legislation. I think perhaps Christians bent on political salvation m ay be the new legalism.
Third, God’s Word calls us to be “completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2. There is no clause that says ‘except for politics.’ Christians should be marked by passion for beliefs coupled with an equal dose of civility because of genuine humility about our own sinfulness and lack of infinite perspective on what God is up to. NOW—let’s pray for our new president—whoever he is.
slugbug
Thanks for the encouragement!
I am getting lots of positive vibe from the streets of Seoul, and from my meditation. I gave my master some information on Prop 8, why I opposed it, and why the Korean-Americans overwhelmingly supported it. He sees the big picture, and we had a great chat regarding the role of religion in society and in our personal lives. (I even went as far as identifying myself as a Unitarian.) We both lamented the fact that should I have children, and should I decide to send my children to a Korean-language preschool for cultural immersion, my options in Los Angeles are all Christian extremist. Hatred is NOT a value that I want to instill in my children!
Here in Seoul, everyone, even most of the conservatives, has a good feeling about the Obama presidency. I hope he will live up to the great expectations placed on him by the world.
I will put up some thoughts online, both at my blog and over at Facebook's No on 8 group.
I am feeling better, but nevertheless, every sight of a BMW makes my blood boil. (And there are quite a number of BMWs in Seoul - and LOTS of them in my neighborhood.) BMW has funded Bill O'Reilly's threats to blow up San Francisco, and I shall never forget.
In fact, if I were to return home today, I would throw away my Samsung TV today, trade my BMW in for a Hyundai Genesis (a much nicer car) tomorrow, and drive my new Genesis to San Francisco the day after.
Sparrow said:
"Well, how many splits are in the GOP now?"
Well, Caribou Barbie said there were 18,000 cracks in the glass ceiling thanks to Hillary. I say that number is about right for the number of splits in the Repuglican party.
I see splits in the Democratic camp too.
There will surely be a liberal-moderate split. But there will also be a split between conservative nonwhites and gays (remember that lots of Obama-supporting nonwhites also voted to ban gay marriage in California and elsewhere this week), between unionists and nonwhite entrepreneurs, and many more.
If Obama is to succeed, he must bring all these groups together into ONE AMERICA. If he fails, then the Republicans will sweep in again.
I agree with you Ally. I already hear people talking about putting people's "feet to the fire" and bitching about the DLC and all the rest.
We will need a moderate position for awhile, and we had that under Clinton. I don't see any big alternative.
Also, the Democratic party is different depending on where you live. It's more conservative somewhere like Tennessee or Missouri or even Pennsylvania than somewhere like Berkeley or Madison or Eugene.
Ally
Remember there are also alot of nonwhite gays. I have met so many in SF and Seattle. There were alot out last night. Also did discuss with a couple of guys that they had very ultraconservative parents. I didn't ask the background but I think Filipino for one.
Speaking of Michael Moore, he is MUCH MORE on the side of the working class than Joe the Plumber (Joe the Skinhead) - some just don't realize it. It's mind boggling.
This is how I feel about California - and this is NOT pretty.
http://rachelkso.blogspot.com/2008/11/its-official.html
The Obama Presidency is supposed to signal the end of three decades of social conservatism and economic neoliberalism of the Reagan-Bush era.
Guess which state started the whole thing thirty years ago and brought the rest of the US down?
CALIFORNIA.
I've been so PO'd that I took it out on Seoul's main Mormon church, as well as a number of BMW drivers, today.
Consider it a miracle that I didn't end up smashing a Samsung PAVV TV set today.
You are NOT gonna take my rights away without a fight. There will be hell to pay.
It's official. My own Samsung TV set back in the Nazi State of California WILL be smashed upon my return there. And the Nazimobile - BMW - will be sold.
And if South Korea's government can spend money to take my rights away, I WILL start pumping a small fortune into various South Korean political groups to undermine that evil government. It's WAR.
I will also fully support calls for splitting California into two or three states.
Sure, the Democrats will probably lose 20-30 electoral votes to SoCal, which will be a classic red state. But it doesn't matter. The way the Democrats act clueless in California, they will otherwise lose the ENTIRE state when the Republicans wise up and start courting the conservative immigrant vote again.
Northern California will be able to reinstate gay marriage and other progressive policies without interference from the Orange County neo-Nazis and their Third World immigrant sellout supporters.
And at that point, rest assured that I will move to the saner, northern portion.
A friend of mine is temporarily living in Texas, and reports that the wingnuts in that state are calling for secession!
Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt. Well, all I can say to Tom Delay and company is, "make my day!"
slugbug
Nonwhite gays? They don't exist.
White gays don't acknowledge them, and neither do the Third World immigrant motherf*ckers.
Obama must stop playing political correctness with immigrants.
Obama launching a transition news website-- supposed to go active later today (Thursday):
www.change.gov
Just tried it-- it asks for password so it's not public yet--
Obama Announces Transition Team -- and Web Site
Great pic of Barack & Malia
(news sites change pics alot, but I hope it's still there)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/politics/
Post-election interview of the kids who did the video: "You Can Vote However You Like". They are much better spoken that most pundits
Note to Christy: you may want kleenex...
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/05/ec.brown.ron.clark.school.cnn?iref=videosearch
In case you somehow missed it, here's You Can Vote However You Like. These kids are so elequent - they should replace MSM
I have closed my Hotmail email address.
Hotmail and MSNBC were flooding my computer screen with incessant Yes on 8 (California's gay marriage ban) ads, even though I am using a Korean IP address. This is unacceptable.
All my email will only be accepted at skinnylawyer (at) gmail dot com.
And while I certainly don't look forward to returning to my pathetic state now, I do look forward to returning in the first few days of the Obama Presidency - if only to get rid of my little Nazi (AKA my BMW).
Build your own Cabinet...
CQ Cabinet Maker
I'm still steamed.
My folks have just contacted me, telling me that they will end the year by spending about two weeks in Alaska. They may ask me to return to Los Angeles to tend their house and pets while they are away.
The primary reason for their trip is to claim their share of the resident dividend from Alaska's oil revenues. Sarah Palin really expanded that program, and as a result, she is very popular. My parents will continue to support Palin as Alaska's governor, though they remain registered voters in California, they voted for Obama, and they know very well that Palin is unfit for the national stage.
Honestly, this will be a return to Los Angeles that I look forward to. I'll be able to sell my BMW without my folks nagging at me for such an "emotional" decision.
I've already done lots of homework about selling my BMW, buying a Hyundai Genesis, changing my insurance policy, and so forth. It makes sense, and I definitely am fortunate enough to be able to afford the switch. Obama WILL raise my taxes, but I am also confident about his ability to revive the economy, and I hope that I make even more, and have more even after the tax hike.
I've even checked ideas for vanity plates to go on my new Hyundai. Yes, it sucks that I have to cough up extra money for California's undeserving state government. But I do want the spirit of my Seoul meditation to live on, and no better way to do it than with a Hyundai that has an appropriate vanity plate. Looks like the vanity plate I want (which will be a variation of Kwan Yin, the transgender Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism) is indeed available.
I should know in the next few days what will unfold for me.
Once the nation is safely in Obamas hands, I am going to have to find a new hobby to obsess over.
Botany maybe. Or I could spend all my time reading decorating magazines. I could study low land gorillas.
Perhaps I will become an astronaught. You know, after I grasp the basic concept of gravity.
I have no idea what to do with myself if I am no longer dissenting against the Worst President In History.
Damn, I really thought georgie would have killed us all already.
I mean, he still might, on his way out... But... if we actually do survive him... then what are we all going to do now?
For Karen
The Top 5 Body-Language Moments Of Election Day
(with slideshow)
Christy...
Came across this one on Kos
Aimzz,
That is FREAKING HILLARIOUS!
christy
In case you missed it, I posted this link with you in mind
Christy
Good point - though I feel that my struggle is only beginning.
I must continue to pressure the Obama Administration into kicking some major asses. I am still steamed about Prop 8, the Christian extremists, BMW, and a lot more.
It's kind of weird to walk around Seoul these days. For the first time in years, being an American is an asset as opposed to a liability. Almost everyone in Seoul genuinely loves Obama, and I feel it. At the same time, the sight of a wine rack with California wines reminds me of Prop 8 all over again - not good. I will continue buying wine from Napa Valley (depending on the stance of the winery), but I will certainly never buy any wine from Temecula (the pathetic southern part of the state) again.
The Repukes are down, but will certainly never be out. They WILL be back with a vengeance, especially in places like California, where the Democrats and the white liberals still don't get it, and most likely never will. I have to make sure to wake those white liberals up, so that this won't ever happen.
on CSPAN: Benjamin Jealous, President of NAACP was fielding questions from viewers saying blacks voted for Obama because he's African Americans... not exact quote but he said:
Yes, 94% of all blacks voted for Barack Obama, but 94% of all blacks also voted for John Kerry... 94% of all blacks voted for Bill Clinton... If Condoleezza Rice ran for president, she wouldn't get much African American support...
~~~~~~~
IMHO, same is true for 94% of all Obama supporters... well, OK, 99.99%
addendum to 8:02 AM post... I meant "same is true of all Obama supporters" to apply to Condoleezza Rice. If 94% of all Obama supporters had voted for Gore or Kerry, we wouldn't be in this nightmare situation
Aimzzz, I saw that clip, those kids are so cute! Great song.
It is all so strange to me now.
I was never here 'for' Kerry, nor was I ever really here 'for' Obama, I was here because of the war, the torture, the dismantling of our Constitution and way of life.
I am not really having an Obama moment like that funny video... Like I said, for me it was never really about Obama, my main goal was simply to put moral people back into power and end the abuses of the last years. I did not fight FOR anything as much as I was fighting AGAINST something.
And now that I know the dick and georgie freak show are on their way out, to me, it still is not about Obama. My God what a mess he has been left with.
For so long we stood on the brink of utter disaster, failure, and even atrocity. Every day for years my outrage at what was being done would bring me here. Every day something else would happen that I just found too intolerable to live with.
It really is hard to process that we stepped back from that brink. It all seems so anti-climactic and empty to know that the struggle is over and georgie has been cast out.
It is like a sudden quiet falling over a battlefield. Is it a ceasefire, is it over? Did the enemy just run out of ammo? Did we win...did we lose? And does it matter either way, when morning comes and we still have to count and collect the dead.
After so many years of fury and fire, the sudden quiet is almost upsetting all by itself.
Christy
Your points are excellent. I think the huge excitement about Obama is not "messianic"... it's not that we all agree with him on everything...
It's because he speaks to what has been welling up in the hearts of so many Americans
BTW, I would like to forward a motion to our group that we all vote to make the Aussis, Rossi and Woz, Honorary US Citizens.
We can not give them 'papers' but we can damn sure give them the title by vote. They have earned it.
Their friendship in these dark years has been unwavering and loyal. But the love they have shown for our country has been one of the most truly extraordinary things I have ever seen. We owe them a debt of gratitude for never giving up on us, even in the worst of times.
They have shown more love of our nation than most of our own citizens do. Anyone who has fought the way they did for our country deserves to be our countrymen. If Obama is to bring on a Golden Age, then they deserve credit for it as much as anyone here.
So all in favor of making Rossi and Woz Honorary US Citizens... Say Yea!
It's not over. It's time to catch our breath. Newt Gingrich & Sarah Palin are 2 of the many who will inflame hate & polarization in their respective struggles for power. Rush will still be Rush
Take a little break. You have a lot of energy & it will be needed.
Breathe in
Breathe out...
"So all in favor of making Rossi and Woz Honorary US Citizens... Say Yea!"
Yea! And bring Ally home
True Aimzzz, it is not 'over'.
But we stepped back from the brink, and God help me, but I just did not think we could.
Not over, no. I want their asses in prison. But the struggle to cast them out of power is almost over, and I just tremble in my soul at how close we did come to stepping into that abyss.
In many ways the fear was actually easier to deal with than this unexpected quiet uncertainty.
Have any of you ladies seen the new king of Bhutan..?
My my, he sho is purty.
http://www.voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/images/210_Bhutan_King.jpg
Not only that, but he is doing something unbelievable. He is willingly dismantling his own monarchy.
King of Bhutan gives up his absolute monarchy
By Matthew Rosenberg in Thimpu, Bhutan
King Jigme: Will remain head of state after poll
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, a land that has made promoting happiness its paramount goal, ends more than a century of royal rule today with its first parliamentary elections. And no one, except the King who is giving up his power, seems happy about it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/king-of-bhutan-gives-up-his-absolute-monarchy-799881.html
Read all of that last one. That really is amazing.
Ally
Good Kos diary from South Korea:
Morning Reaction: Destroying the "Center-Right" Myth
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/11/07/a_welcome_dilemma_for_newly_reelected_kerry/
Nice picture of Kerry and Obama
..hearing some bitching about cabinet pics but I'm not an economist nor a foreign policy expert nor do I know what direction the Dem party should go in the long run and I am purely just glad we don't have a bunch of new hardcore neocons being put into high positions.
I'm with you Christy - about finding a new hobby - for me, more exercise and more art.
Also thanks for posting a story NOT about the US in particular (Bhutan!) and I agree Woz and Rossi become dual citizens but I would like to be a dual citizen with Australia in return. It would be like an exchange. My dad was in love with an Aussie girl during WW2 and vowed to return but then met my mom. I grew up hearing that I wouldn't have existed in my present form but maybe my DNA would exist in some reorganized manner in Australia.
Ally:
What in particular do South Koreans find interesting about this election?
Chuck in Houston
SB: Re-organizing DNA for procreative purposes after the fact may be unethical .... Need to think on that. CIH
Wow! Thanks Christy! I agree slugbug - dual citizens all. We are in this together, that's for sure. And at least we are able to stand back and take a breath before we roll up our sleeves and get to work to reconstruct your country and its standing in the world. That's more than our president-elect can do. So much damage, so much wilful damage, has been done on all fronts. It will take determined efforts by absolutely everyone, on every side of the globe.
The dispelling of lies needs to continue. Raising awareness and tolerance needs to continue. Most of your wealthiest will quietly accept the raised taxes, knowing they are well and truly overdue. A few will squeal like