Chicago: home of the President of the United fucking States

three bucks here, pal

can someone give me some interesting election news please? i am at a computer that is too slow to load any fancy infographics and i want info.

I've got one bottle of good Champagne that I've had stowed away for about five years, and I'm gonna get it out tonight.

Talking Points Memo has some info.

Amanda, I don't think there's any real news yet, and probably won't be until polls start closing at 7 est.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so excited you guys!

i went there and there was a giant map that refused to load and some shit about robocalls in florida.

just get me outta here! i was so excited all day and now i feel like i am wearing a muzzle. no likey!

Meantime, Obama returned from a rally in Indiana to play a pickup game of baskeball at a Attack Athletics, a West Side gym. As is is custom before a big election, Obama likes to play ball with Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan.

He will spend the evening watching returns at the Hyatt Regency on Wacker Drive before moving a few blocks south to the rally in Grant Park later tonight.The stage where Obama will deliver either a victory or concession speech is simply adorned with a series of American flags in front of a blue wall. It's a far cry from the Greek columns and highly stylized backdrop the campaign used at the National Convention in Denver.

Traffic around the park has been re-routed, and there is no parking for miles around the site. Once spectators get here, there's only one way in, through an entrance at Congress and Michigan Avenue. The park doesn't open until 8:30 p.m. but long lines are expected. Once inside, people will be directed to one of two locations in Grant Park.

View Map Of Grant Park

Ticketed guests will go to Hutchinson Field. Inside, the speakers' podium is flanked by two large panes of bulletproof glass. Most of the ticketed guests will stand to the side of the podium; only the most important VIPs will get a position in front of the podium. Everyone has to pass through metal detectors.

The rest of the public can watch the action on video screens set up on the north side of Grant Park in Butler Field.

Right now, all streets around Grant Park are closed. Right now, drivers are unable to park on the street anywhere from Lake Michigan to the Kennedy/Dan Ryan Expressway, and from Cermak north to the Chicago River. People are encouraged to take public transportation.

ahhhhh news
thank you

nothing on local broadcasts, most 5:00 news broadcasts are just doing regular news with some election stuff up front, only channel doing election-only is fox (I#@)$(@#)$)

Yeah this is going to be fun. I'm rooting against Elizabeth Dole extra hard. There is no Dole!

A bunch of Ohio ppl yelling cheering and hugging at Small Bar, and quite a few smiling happy ppl on the streets during the walk home. Happy election everybody!

abc news just called it for barack

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it's true
finally

xposted from election thred: so glad I found my firecrackers

Watching McCain concede, feels so good.

Thanks you USA!

Dear United States of America,

Thank You,

-The rest of the world.

our pleasure guys

We love you Team USA!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

i wish i had been in grant park tonight

In no particular order:

1. OK, actually this is foremost: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!!!!!

2. The crowds were very well managed. We got in easily and all was cool. We could reeealy have used additional points of egress, but still, not too too terrible.

3. The crowd had amazing energy. My heart was bursting out of my chest. There was a lot of goodwill in the air. We weren't all that close to the stage, but we could see it sometimes. Still, it was good.

4. Seeing Obama and family onstage was wonderful. Seeing him and Joe Biden was wonderful. Seeing the whole family made me tear up a little. They seemed like (I hate to say it) regular folks who enjoyed one another. Also, they're really very attractive people. I can't wait for Ol' Joe to start saying weird shit.

5. A really sweet moment: we were walking on the street outside of the rally and a young black man looked at our group and said very excitedly and sincerely "Hey! We've got a black president!"

6. Holograms????

good job jesse

check it out guys. It's morning in America. (no,really!)

guys i feel so earnestly happy that i want to listen to U2 and cry tears of joy all day long.

happy birthday everyone

I love how Obama's whole thing of offering an alternative to fear, an alternative to post-9/11 blues, gets embodied in this giant thing in the park (oh no giant event in the park with black leader, oh no chicago cops, etc.) -- and it all works out OK! They planned the hell out of it, that's part of it, but, I mean, I was walking down Michigan yesterday during the day and I could've had a duffel bag full of explosives and blown up something mid-day, but I didn't do that and no one in the world came to town and did that either!

Then again, there would've been something fun in a totally different way, too, if, when Obama appeared for his victory speech, he came out in a bow tie and had a team of Fruit of Islam around him.

check it out guys. It's morning in America. (no,really!)

― Mozarella sticks. Think about it. (kenan), Wednesday, November 5, 2008 8:08 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I have been thinking this all morning! And hearing, as best I remember it, the voiceover and music from the original commercial.

LOL to Eric.

Eric H.?

Eazy is an Eric.

Ugh. I slept from 4:00 until 7:00.

xpost I didn't know that. Neat!

Hi Eric. I've got my fingers crossed for Franken!

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t306/shakesville/herrings_all_the_way.jpg

That otter is crazy. HERRING over shrimp??

when you're that cute, you don't have to be smart

Gonna vote in a new Funky President

Might not fix our stank economy

But he'll look smooth trying.

Jesse's weird computer issue # 10 billion: when I was typing, the letters began to appear to the RIGHT of the cursor, and would sometimes appear in reverse order (I hit g b and x and it came out looking like "|xbg"). This was happening in Firefox, Word, and Outlook. I had to restart and now it's fine.

otter favours bulk.

the surprise hidden gem of happiness this post-election morning has been reading the incredibly butthurt facebook status updates of my conservafriends

can we get some samples?

David is I'm so embarrassed for my country.

Jason is starting a motion to gather like minded people, move to one or more states, and secede from the union. Any takers?

etc etc

Times I Cried in Grant Park Last Night by jenny, a complete puddle

1. When PA and OH went for Obama.
2. When VA went for Obama.
3. When they called the election for Obama.
4. During the montage with the National song.
5. Every time anybody said "President Elect Obama."
6. When Obama introduced Michele as his best friend.
7. When Obama said he loved his kids more than they knew, and that they could have a puppy.
8. During the whole Amanda Jones story.
9. A coupe of times randomly as we walked out of Grant Park and to points west to look for a cab.

Then I cried again just now because Jesse put me on hold for two minutes then came back on the line and told me that he had to go.

xposts these are the type of dudes who likely did absolutely jackshit zero to support their candidate of choice btw and I have no sympathy whatsoever

the surprise hidden gem of happiness this post-election morning has been reading the incredibly butthurt facebook status updates of my conservafriends

I guess I don't have very many conservafriends. I scrolled through like two dozen "OMG YOU GUYS!!!!" before I got to one tepid "Evelyn accepts the coming changes, but is not sure how it will affect her." And I haven't even spoken to her since 8th grade.

Jason is starting a motion to gather like minded people, move to one or more states, and secede from the union. Any takers?

Give 'em Idaho.

Hmmm... Idaho is too pretty and the humidity is very low. Maybe AL or MS.

Give 'em Hell.

Dan, you've inspired me to cull some of my Facebook friends that I never should have been friends with anyway, like the guy I barely knew in high school who hopes that after this election, we can still keep God in schools. al;skdjfa;lsdj

Yeah, I kind of like Idaho, actually. Maybe they can have AL AND MS.

they can secede and call themselves soreloserstan

^^what I would have commented on that dude's status if I felt like actually acknowledging his existence

At his concession speech, McCain looked kind of embarrassed to have these booing knuckleheads as his constituents.