Why Election night was best spent in a crowd

Unfortunately I had do my celebrating alone.  I live in a red county in a newly minted blue state (Indiana) so there was no dancing in the streets.  In fact I'm told the local newspaper didn't even put Obama's picture on the cover!

I felt lonely and left out when Barack Obama was declared the winner.  I wanted someone to share the moment with.  My was sleep although she did wake up after my hooping and hollering broke the silent night.  I definitely plan on being in a crowd for the inauguration for sho'!!!!!!!!!!

After working for the Obama campaign during the day, I went home napped and watched the early returns. Like so many Obama supporters, I was still apprehensive that our dream would materialize. When Pennsylvania was announced for Obama, I left home to attend election night parties, one for a congressional candidate and the second raucous and emotional one for Obama volunteers. My inclinations matched those described in this article.

Of course it was best to spend a night like that with friends. All the better to plan the revolution early.

I am an avid supporter of Senator Barack Obama even before he declared his candidacy for President of the United States.  I contributed to his campaign, wrote editorials on his behalf and volunteered making phone calls to encourage voters to support him.  My election night was spent with Team 6 members of the campaign at one of the supporter's home. The moment the news was transmitted by Wolf Blitzer from CNN, we all jumped up from our seats, began yelling and screaming and the entire group hugged each member to savor the victory! One member immediately held up a huge banner that read, "YES WE DID"! This banner was then hung from one of the house's eaves outside.  Several of us remained to watch John McCain's concession speech; and then the most anticipated acceptance speech of President-Elect Barack Obama. This night will always remain a significant, memorable event of my lifetime!

I was home alone but on the computor and watching the results. Friends were calling back and forth all night. At 12:15 est, the phone rang and my friend of 38 years was on the other end crying and so was I. It was right after Obama finished his speech. It felt like  New Year's had come and it has. A new time for all people to come together!

I was alone at home on watching the results on the computor and TV. Friends were calling all night long. At 12:15 est my freind of 38 years called and was crying, so was I. It was right after Obama made his speech! It felt like it was New Years Eve. It is a new year and a new time for all. It is time for all to work together!

I was alone, kids were in bed but I had one of my bestfriends on the phone. We watched the returns together over the phone. She was the time keeper every time a poll would close she would say well me have this many hours, or this many min. till such and such poll closses. It was 10:30pm et. and we were waiting for california to close and when it hit 10:59pm she was like we got one more min till it close. As soon as it hit 11pm and the people on the news said " Congradulations to Presedent Elect Obama" I went through so many things. At first I asked my friend on the phone was it real she said yes and I cried, I yelled, I reflected on all of the people who never got to see this day. All the people who had to fight, all the one's who died. I thought about all the older people who never thought it would come and now they have seen it through. I wish I was in a crowd but I am thankfull for that one friend on the phone.

i was home alone yelling and screaming and my african grey (bird) started whistling.....he felt the energy too......phones call coming and going well into the late night.......oh yeah , can't forget the text messages to , i think i hit my text message limit that night. this is a global change for everyone........we have a great leader!!!

I was with my wife and my son at a local Vietnamese noodle shop. By then, Obama took PA and we were feeling very good about the election. Then, we went home to keep watching the result. As soon as 8 p.m. hit, all news media declared Obama's win. It was a historic moment we all shared in our lifetime.

I was alone. As soon as Charlie Gibson said it is now 8pm the polls have closed on the west coast and we have a new president - the tears started streaming down my face. I still get choked up just writing this. It's a moment I will never forget.

I spent the night before at the Obama rally in Manassas Virginia. I went there alone driving from my home in Baltimore. It was a two hour ride and I knew it would be a very long day and night but I wanted to/had to be with people as we cheered him on for what was to come the next day.

That whole experiencewas incredible but it totally drained me. It turned into a 14 hour day. I had to pull of the road to take brief nap a couple of times. Tuesday after I voted I took a little nap knowing I would be up waiting for all of the returns to come in. I spent that night in a much smaller crowd with two friends. The roommate of one of my friends was a republican and it was a bit awkard when he came home. Shortly before they called PA and Ohio he got up and left the room but shortly after returned to say congratulations. I knew it was hard for him to say because I knew it would have been hard for me if Obama had lost. Although I must say after attending the rally and seeing all of those peole and the amount of diversity (I think they said it was 90,000) I was more confident that Tuesday night was going to go our way!

Lastly, I think the writer of this article was dead on by saying we do feel  better being around other, whether it's a happy or a sad moment.

After Ohio had been won by Obama, my husband said it was secured for him, and he went to bed.  I had to watch it all and am I ever glad I did.  It was historic!  I was watching MSNBC, and when they said they had a big announcement coming up, I thought it was going to be Florida going for Obama.  Instead, the announcement that Obama was the 44th President of the United States, I looked at the T.V. in disbelief!  California, Oregon & Washington had been declared for Obama and I started crying.  I am a 65 yr. old white woman.  I had never had a reaction like that over a Presidential pick!  As I watched the people celebrate in Chicago, New York, Florida, California, Washington, London, Germany, France, Bagdad, etc., I just could not stop crying.  I finally went upstairs to my husband and cried as I bent down to tell him "He did it!"  I just could not wrap my emotions around monumental event.  I went back to the T.V. to watch the acceptance speech and was so taken by the humility of this man who had just made history!  Obama and Hope are indeed synonymous!  I am thankful to God that I was alive to witness such an event!

Grant Park in Chicago. The last time I felt proud to be an American was in the early 50s as a child.  The last time I felt connected to a large mass of people was in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in the mid 60s.  It really hit home how everyone shares the same hopes and aspirations.  A common thread was truly visible.

I was at the Obama/Biden Headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia after helping out for several weeks. I had wanted to get involved to experience the election/political process so helped to canvass, deliver literature to Obama offices in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, and other areas as far away as a 3 hour drive. It was amazing to see all of the volunteers doing things to help in a way that looked like chaos but was, if you knew what was happening, very organized and productive. The site leader and the territory leaders did not micromanage; it just happened. In last four days 500 volunteers showed up from other parts of the state and the country, and the process for accommodating them was almost seamless.

After the polls closed at 7 PM, nobody wanted to leave. A projector streamed the MSNBC feed to a wall, and everybody watched as things progresses. Someone brought in beer and wine and food, so everyone could watch the results of all of the effort while enjoying each other's company. Nobody wanted to leave to watch from some other location.

Thinking back on the whole thing, it was a lot like childbirth with lots of activity for 9 months followed by the delivery. Watching the votes come in was like watching the contractions. As states were declared, there were cheers and tension and excitement. As the Virginia vote turned more and more Democratic, the volunteers had a sense of ownership and participation. When it was clear that we had won Virginia and NPR and AP feeds  to laptops declared Virginia, the cheers were loud and long. Then when the election was declared, it was like the baby had been delivered. Lots of tears of happiness, everyone was hugging each other, and chants of "Yes we did!"

One of the Obama staff in charge of the Veterans vote had quit his job in DC to come down, and he was more subdued but crying; this historic event more meaningful in different ways which I could only partially appreciate, and he was not alone. Personally, I remember segregated water fountains, separate schools, blacks in one small southern town who were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk in town, and the civil rights changes of the 60's; it is amazing how far things have evolved. I'm sure he had to feel that change more than I could begin to understand.

When McCain gave his concession speech he was applauded for his graceful and supportive words. Then when Barak gave his speech it was more affirmation that everyone who had spent weeks and weeks working on this effort had done something important. After that I went home since I had been up since 4AM, had a beer while watching Keith O and Rachel M, then slept for about 10 hours.

I went by the former Obama office this morning to see who was there and what things looked like. Three of the territory leaders were still there cleaning up but getting ready to leave so that they could find jobs (all of them had left jobs to work on this campaign). The office leader and an assistant were leaving to go to jobs where they had been given leaves of absence. The office was mostly empty, but the memories of the work and the relationships and what was done will linger for a long time.

Was in my apt, alone.  It was tough to find someone in the burbs of Houston to share with...but I didn't have the over-whelming urge to go nuts or anything.  I just sat on my couch and cracked a little smile as all my fellow suburbian Houstonian friends decided that the world is coming to an end. 

GOBAMA!

I was at the convention center in Portland Oregon with the entire Oregon Democratic Party.  Within seconds of polls closing on the West Coast, victory was declared, and a thousand voices cheered together.   What an amazing experience!  We waved "President Obama" signs that were so fresh, the paint hadn't completely dried.  Then my friend and I went to a street party on Hawthorne St., where everyone danced to drummers on the corner.  There was even a bagpiper on a unicycle.  What a night!

I was hunched over my desk struggling with homework with the TV on in the background.  It was lonely, but it felt good to hear the people out in the hall celebrating.

I was sitting at home in Adelaide, South Australia with friends, watching the election live on tv. It started on the 5th at 3.30am till 4.30pm. We were all glued to the tv. When we saw that Barck Obama was the new Presdient there were cheers, tears, hugs, and a huge relief. This is not just a huge change for the States also for the world.

I had the honor & privilege to be one of the ticketed at the rally in Grant Park. However, when the news broke at 10 CST that Barack Obama was the next president, I was in a port-a-potty! I heard an eruption from the crowd like no other and people screaming my name. I scrambled outside as fast as I could and my two girl friends who were waiting outside for me were yelling 'it's over, barack's won'. I was astounded, awestruck, and then as it hit me, completely overcome with emotion. My girl friends and I screamed, hugged, and jumped around and then went to find our other friends so we could celebrate with them. It was one of the most humbling and overwhelming experiences of my life. To be in Grant Park and to see the awe inspiring emotion that people were feeling at that moment is something I will never forget. I thank my lucky stars that I was there and was able to witness and be apart of history.

I was at a Bob Dylan concert on the University of Minnesota campus.  Bob said something after the encore that we thought was about the election, but we couldn't really make it out.  Then, as we made our way out of the concert hall, we heard a huge roar from the lobby.  First thought was, did Bob come out?  Then as we got closer to the doors we could see a huge TV screen, and they were just announcing Obama's win.  I have never been in a crowd that was so extravagantly happy.  Out in front of the building, there was an impromptu dance going on, about a thousand people, with drums adn chanting, and just so much exuberant joy.  You couldn't help but be swept up in the excitement.  It was absolutely stunning.

I was at a party of Obama volunteers in Houston. I had spent the day with the party hostess, doing visibility at a big polling center in the central part of the city. My Honk 4 Obama sign got lots of honks;when a few drivers rolled down their windows to yell curses, we laughed. I tried to take a short nap before the party but I was too keyed up. At the party we decided to open a bottle of champagne every time they called a state for Obama, but along about PA we fell behind and gave up. Everyone there had done door to door canvassing, calling to battleground states, and other volunteering, so it was a great group to be with when the big moment came. We were literally jumping for joy, hugging each other, laughing and shouting all at once. I called some family members to share the moment with them, too, and I got a jubilant text message from my young nephew. We sat and listened respectfully to McCain's concession speech and applauded several times, and then the acceptance speech that I will never forget.  This moment will leave an indelible mark in the memories of people all over the world.

I live in a small remote village in Alaska! My husband and I are lone blue flowers in a big red bouquet. My husband is a Civil Engineer and works away from home regularly on construction projects around the state so has not home the last ffew weeks.

I also am an election official in my community of around 60 year round residents. I had to be at our community hall at 6:00 am to set up. There are three other woman who work with me at our polling place and because our politics are so different we don't talk politics at all.

I live a few miles out of town so am off the grid, i power my home with generator, inverter and battery bank. But because I wanted to know everything that happened while I was gone I left my satelite on recording MSNBC.

The day was excrutiating, I was so excited to know what was happening, and had to spend the day listening to some of my more mentally challenged neighbors spout thier Rush Limbough Rhetoric while keeping my very tired lips sealed. We had 2 breaks through out the day. I had to come home do chores like packing wood, feeding sled dogs and gassing up the generator. I watched the tube for a few minutes and it only made it worse.

When our polls closed at 8:00pm and we started counting votes I was so dejected my community overwhelmingly voted Palin/McCain (most voted more for Palin than MC). I was heartened that a few of my neighbors voted for Obama so that helped. At 9:30 pm we finished and I finally got to head home. I sat hear alone and learned the news that Obama had been elected and it had been called several hours before our polls even closed.

I watched the speaches and sat alone with TEARS flowing and no one to celebrate with.

When the phone rang I was startled it was my wonderful mother calling from Denver. I had dare not call her because of the time difference I did not want to wake her.

She told me she new that I was just finding out and wanted to celebrate with me. We cried and laughed on the phone for a while but then she was tired and had stayed awake to talk to me.

I spent the evening at a Republican election party - though we were not celebrating about our presidential candidate (as he obviously did not win) - it was still an amazing experience.

Come next election in four years, whether republican or democrat - I would highly encourage everyone to attend an election party!

We were all a part of it (like the out come or not).

When are we going to learn that we are all connected. The color of our skin, where we were born, none of that matters. Nothing changes the fact that we are all connected. Quantum physicists have proved it for you non believers. This article is a no brainer for the people that already get it. The sooner everybody starts realizing this fact, the better our chances as a species for survival. It would also make it a much nicer world to live in.

To all my fellow humans....PEACE