The scene in Richmond is the exact same. Literally, the police are redirecting traffic in front of my building because they cannot herd the mass of students from the dorms down the street back off of the road: It has become a block party. Cars are honking constantly, people cheering, and I’ve personally been pulled out of the sense of jadedness I’ve built up over the past few election cycles by this new sense of community.

However, this was not a painless victory. It looks like Prop 8 is going to pass in California. At least this is but a stumbling block on the long march to equality, one we shall indeed overcome.

Posted by Joe on 5 November 02008 @ 1am

Some videos I shot here in New York tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/user/willgmcc

Posted by Will on 5 November 02008 @ 4am

I’m in London, as in United Kingdom, having flown overnight out of Charlotte at a time when the early returns showed McCain up 55-45% in Virginia, Kentucky to McCain, etc. And then no announcement throughout the whole flight of the results! Thankfully, a girl wearing an Obama shirt in the next aisle read off a text message waiting for her when we landed at Gatwick.

Obama is of course on the front page of all the papers and on the BBC news. Gordon Brown started off the Prime Minister’s questions this morning with a shout out to his victory, to a rousing cheer. I’m here for an international conference, and the Americans are hosting an informal Obama victory party tonight and expect lots of well-wishers.

Posted by David Sewell on 5 November 02008 @ 8am

Congratulations on your new Congressman, Waldo!

Posted by Brian Pace on 5 November 02008 @ 10am

Most of you guys were right about last night’s outcome. I was wrong, and it wasn’t even close.

Congratulations.

I hope President-elect Obama turns out to be the kind of leader many of you think he can be. I have serious doubts but will endeavor to give him a chance without surrendering principle. After all, he’s my President, too.

Posted by Will on 5 November 02008 @ 12pm

Will, that was a beautiful post. Thank you for giving him a chance. I hope that he earns your vote in four years when he runs for reelection. Not because you would surrender any principles, but becuase I hope that he will (and feel confident that he can) truly unite us all as one nation, focusing on the many things we all have in common. I hope someday to be served by a Republican president doing the same thing. We are one people, one nation. I don’t want you or any other Republicans to be shut out. I want all of us to draw a circle together that is big enough to bring us all in. Yes, we really can.

Posted by ChrEliz on 5 November 02008 @ 6pm

I heard Nancy Pelosi on the radio today, saying that yesterday’s election doesn’t mean that the country needs to lurch to the right, but merely to the center. That struck me as a very good sign.

Posted by Waldo Jaquith on 5 November 02008 @ 8pm