hooves on the turf

Where Were You When Obama Won? Part 2

Jesse Elliott, These United States

“2 of us were driving across the rainy black West Virginia night, from DC to Kentucky, to pick up 2 other of us. By the end of the night, 2 am, when we finally hit Kentucky, the sky was clear for a million miles off, and all those good stars had finally started to sink in.” Pictured from left to right are J. Tom Hnatow, Robby Cosenza, Jesse Elliot, and Justin Craig of These United States, in Chicago the day after the election. You can read Jesse’s thoughts on Obama over at Largehearted Boy’s Why Obama column.

Where Were You When Obama Won?

Barack Obama’s week-old victory has since revealed much else about the country. An astounding 46% voted for John McCain, proving once again the extent to which conservatism continues to rule this nation. Post-ideology appointment of Obama staff seems to have thrown both the decrying Left and the decrying Right into arrant confusion. More importantly, though, the country remains afflicted with tight-ass’d people who won’t let the soon-to-be President make Nancy Reagan seance jokes; while I’m at it, John Stewart’s Bill Ayers joke was funny—come on, what are we going to do with you freaking downers? In short, don’t be mistaken, annoying times lie ahead! But for now, we look back to that joyous night: we asked a few folks from the music world and the literary world, “What were you doing when the election result was announced?”

Victory at Grant Park, Chicago: Photos

This post is a little late in the day, I was distracted by a lengthy IM debate on gay marriages. Anyhow, since I was too anxious to be sociable on election night, I skipped election parties in favor of a quiet evening at home, the early part of which I spent performing electoral vote calculations, naturally, switching between MSNBC and Comedy Central, watching Stephen Colbert and John Stewart cry. Kashish, on the other hand, headed for Chicago on Sunday. He brings back these pictures of anticipation and celebration from Grant Park, Chicago. All pictures by Kashish.

Music for a new day

“..it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.” Full speech.

Let’s pretend “American” means “humanist” and we’re all good. Go Obama.

Animal Collective: For Reverend Green
Múm: They Made Frogs Smoke ‘Til They Exploded
Beirut: My Family’s Role In The World Revolution
Au: RR vs. D
The Books: Tokyo
Broken Social Scene: Our Faces Split The Coast In Half
Sufjan Stevens: Your Land
Kocani Orkestar: Siki Siki Baba

Photo credit: “A grief stricken American infantryman whose buddy has been killed in action is comforted by another soldier. In the background a corpsman methodically fills out casualty tags, Haktong-ni area Korea.” By Sfc. Al Chang, August 28, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Buy music from these fabulous bands, artist names are linked to albums.

Oh, Bama! Making Strides

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Obama, Clinton and What Has Been Achieved

The longest, most demographically-difficult and highest-turnout campaign ever for the presidential nomination of an American political party was settled Tuesday night when Barack Obama — the son of an African immigrant and a daughter of rural Kansas — secured sufficient delegate support to assure that he will be selected as the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

Carter tells Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton

“I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made,” said Carter. “That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates.”

Barack Obama claims the Democratic nomination, but Hillary Clinton has not yet conceded

Strangely, Mrs Clinton said she would make no decision on Tuesday. It is anyway out of her hands. As the polls closed in the two western states, superdelegates announced their support for Mr Obama in droves, giving him well over a majority of all delegates.