Congratulations President Obama

[S.F.W.]

Have to say I'm very pleased with the US election results. Anyone else watching closely?

[jaimie08mazda3]

so now as of 11:00 Barack Obama has been named the first black president of the united states. thats awesome. might help out alot better then bush did.

[Thrizzl3]

ya he got most of the votes has 294 electorials only needed 270

[S.F.W.]

started my thread first, so I'm merging :)

[jaimie08mazda3]

fine fine :P

[cwp_sedan]

Just watching a little bit of it now.

[Thrizzl3]

how many states to Obama conquer?

[jaimie08mazda3]

iunno

[Slipstream]

he took over i think 3 republican states? cali gave him the win 55 electorials dam..

[Thrizzl3]

The States have their first African-American president

[Nick]

thats so weird, i'm canadian and i'm having a hard time believing that! i'm not bothered by it or racist btw...just had to mention that to save myself =]

[Xerox]

The States have their first African-American president

Yes...all "57" of them.

History in the making.

[condor888000]

Interesting.

I think they made the right choice. Only time will tell. McCain had a lot of support however.

[Xerox]

Joe the plumber ain't too happy tonight.

[b.rabbit]

Happy to see that Obama won! I'm still awake just so I can hear his victory speech. I hope he comes out soon!!

But yeah, at the moment, it stands 338-139 Electoral Votes for Obama, with Alaska's results coming in soon!

[condor888000]

Bah, Alaska's gonna go McCain.

[mEtH]

yip yip HUrRAY!

[Broli]

i am happy with the results i must say

i was a bit worried that unseemly things would happen.

now the hope is that he will institute some changes, particularly in foriegn and economic policy. time will tell!

[Flagrum_3]

I must say that I'm also very pleased with the results! We just witnessed an historical event!, first African/American President and largest voter turn-out in 100+ years in the U.S....it was a time for a change!....but only time will tell what Obama will be able to do, as much as he would like to change alot of things he will have alot of opposition to his plans.

Like Broli, I'm still worried that unseemly things may happen.....it's happened before.


_3

[Cardinal Fang]

Like Broli, I'm still worried that unseemly things may happen.....it's happened before.


_3

Every time I hear this I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't shake. History agrees with you both.

There is a sense of optimism that Obama brings to the office that hasn't been there in a while. Who knows...this may be the catalyst that begins to lift the U.S. out of their recession. MaCain's was a distinguish public servant who probably deserved better. His acceptance speech was well though out. I love his explanation to his supporters of the importance of Obama's win. Class act if you ask me.

One quote stood out for me last night from an Obama supporter that was telling.

"We have made our decision and we will hold Obama accountable. And we expect him to hold all of us accountable."

[condor888000]

McCain did deserve better, until he choose Palin. Then he's lucky he didn't lose even worse.

[Xerox]

McCain did deserve better, until he choose Palin. Then he's lucky he didn't lose even worse.

I somewhat agree. In a way McCain had to campaign against not only Obama but also Bush & Palin.

[Go_Habs_Go]

I think it's amazing that Obama won. Politicians are supposed to inspire people to be better than they are. They are supposed to inspire people to be proud of their country, aware of their past and conscious of the future. I think that's what Obama is able to do, more so than any other President since JFK. To elect an african-american man in the US, where slavery was rampant just a century or 2 ago is incredible and will inspire people not only in the US but across the world.

His abilities as on orator are incredible, he really makes you feel that you are a part of what is going on, that you CAN make a difference. Whether that is true or not doesn't actually matter, because once you feel that way your attitude about everything changes. Even with the economic downturn and the negative image of the US across the world, people feel that things may finally change for the better.

It's time to move away from a republican party that only cares about bettering the lives of certain US citizens, no matter the cost to the rest of the world. It's time the US step up and show REAL leadership across the globe. Its time to convince people with diplomacy and kindness, not with bombs and threats.

Here's to changing the world for the better! :)

[Cardinal Fang]

Americans elect leaders. We in Canada elect governments. There difference is staggering at times.

[RemaerdLacidar]

I, for one, welcome our new socialist overlords
:chuckle:pop

[Unoriginalusername]

I somewhat agree. In a way McCain had to campaign against not only Obama but also Bush & Palin.

he choose palin and defended her to no end so you can't feel sorry for him, if anything she helped his ticket. she was bringing 2-3x more people to her events than he was to his own so I hardly think that is the reason he lost.

Bush on the other had, maybe if he didn't want to be compared to bush he should have spent more time talking about how even though he voted with bush 90% of the time his policies would be different vs. trying to convince people that obama is a terrorist

[Xerox]

he choose palin and defended her to no end so you can't feel sorry for him, if anything she helped his ticket. she was bringing 2-3x more people to her events than he was to his own so I hardly think that is the reason he lost.


Yes, I did hear that she was bringing in a larger crowd but I also read this.



One McCain insider said she was "going rogue."

"She is a diva – she takes no advice from anyone," an unnamed McCain adviser told CNN over the weekend. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else ... also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."


http://www.thestar.com/News/USElection/article/525030

[b.rabbit]

Every time I hear this I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't shake. History agrees with you both.

There is a sense of optimism that Obama brings to the office that hasn't been there in a while. Who knows...this may be the catalyst that begins to lift the U.S. out of their recession. MaCain's was a distinguish public servant who probably deserved better. His acceptance speech was well though out. I love his explanation to his supporters of the importance of Obama's win. Class act if you ask me.

One quote stood out for me last night from an Obama supporter that was telling.

"We have made our decision and we will hold Obama accountable. And we expect him to hold all of us accountable."

I liked McCain's speech as well. He spoke well on the losing side and congratulated Obama and even told the crowd not to boo the loss.

It's amazing how well both these candidates can speak under pressure and how well thought out their speeches are. It's very inspiring.

Both guys are class acts, and I liked when Obama said that even though he beat McCain, now he looks forward to working WITH him.

I hope that Obama does a great job for the USA and bring them out of this slump they're going through now..and maybe help Canada along the way! :)

[Go_Habs_Go]

It's amazing how well both these candidates can speak under pressure and how well thought out their speeches are. It's very inspiring.


I agree whole-heartedly! Is it me or did it seem like both McCain and Obama did their entire speaches without ever looking at any notes? I mean there didn't seem to be any teleprompters around, so where they both reciting speeches they has just learned a few hours earlier? Or did they both prepare speeches in case of defeat or victory? Maybe they just had an outline of a speech from their speech writers and they ad-libbed the rest of it? They really seemed to speak from the heart.

Regardless I think both of them gave excellent speeches and I think Americans can be really proud of their latest election. Definitely more interesting, passionate and relevant than our last federal election.

[Unoriginalusername]

I agree whole-heartedly! Is it me or did it seem like both McCain and Obama did their entire speaches without ever looking at any notes? I mean there didn't seem to be any teleprompters around, so where they both reciting speeches they has just learned a few hours earlier? Or did they both prepare speeches in case of defeat or victory? Maybe they just had an outline of a speech from their speech writers and they ad-libbed the rest of it? They really seemed to speak from the heart.

Regardless I think both of them gave excellent speeches and I think Americans can be really proud of their latest election. Definitely more interesting, passionate and relevant than our last federal election.

If you had been campaigning for two years talking about the same things over and over to different groups you'd be pretty polished as well

[MattC]

now, i cant wait till people stop calling him first first black president, and just president.

frickin america, race is always an issue.

[Go_Habs_Go]

now, i cant wait till people stop calling him first first black president, and just president.

frickin america, race is always an issue.

true but I think it would be an issue here too...how soon do you foresee a black person leading one of the major Canadian parties? And when it does happen, I'm sure it would get A LOT of coverage in the media. It would be like, 'here is so and so, the first (insert visible minority here) leader in the history of Canadian politics!'

We like to think that race is not a 'big deal' in Canada,that we're all really tolerant, etc, but I think it is an issue that a lot of people would still have some difficulty with. Just my 2 cents.

[ZeroChalk]

I think this is a fantasitc opportunity for Obama and his administration. With so much happening in the economy / world he has inherited a huge mess. He can either turn it around and become a heroic figure or it could be disasterous.

He had to prove himself harder then any other president imo - the eyes of the world will be on him.

[///M]

true but i think it would be an issue here too...how soon do you foresee a black person leading one of the major canadian parties? And when it does happen, i'm sure it would get a lot of coverage in the media. It would be like, 'here is so and so, the first (insert visible minority here) leader in the history of canadian politics!'

we like to think that race is not a 'big deal' in canada,that we're all really tolerant, etc, but i think it is an issue that a lot of people would still have some difficulty with. Just my 2 cents.

+100

[b.rabbit]

true but I think it would be an issue here too...how soon do you foresee a black person leading one of the major Canadian parties? And when it does happen, I'm sure it would get A LOT of coverage in the media. It would be like, 'here is so and so, the first (insert visible minority here) leader in the history of Canadian politics!'

We like to think that race is not a 'big deal' in Canada,that we're all really tolerant, etc, but I think it is an issue that a lot of people would still have some difficulty with. Just my 2 cents.

When this happens (because it will), I wouldn't be surprised if it's soon. We tend to follow in the footsteps of our southern neighbours.

I'm sure that we would be as celebratory as the Americans were when Obama was named President.

[Go_Habs_Go]

When this happens (because it will), I wouldn't be surprised if it's soon. We tend to follow in the footsteps of our southern neighbours.

I'm sure that we would be as celebratory as the Americans were when Obama was named President.

I wonder how soon it will happen here...but I hope you're right and that it does happen sooner rather than later. When visible minorities (of any race or background) became involved in politics at a high level (i.e. leader of a party) it only means good things for the country. It shows that immigrants are an important part of the political process and decision making as well as highlighting the integration of immigrants into the fabric of Canadian society. As opposed to just talking about equality, it becomes a shining example of it. Something that everyone can be proud of.

Mind you, Canada had a female Prime Minister (hello Kim Campbell!) well before the US even had a female as a potential candiadate for the top positions in the US (Hillary and Palin).

Even though Campbell backed her way into being PM (I think it happened after Mulroney resigned if I'm not mistaken??) it still happened here before it did in the US! :)

And of course Pierre Elliot Trudeau (not a visible minority but representing a cultural and linguistic minority of francophones) paved the way for a whole slew of PM's from Quebec!

[dentinger]

while its amazing to see a black president, and i cant wait to see what happens with the states now that george dubya is out of office, but i can still see obama getting shot over his race. (no offense to anyone) it sounds awful, i know, but its just what i can see happening.