Obama Country

The polls were right. Barack Hussein Obama easily cruised to victory last night and made history by becoming the country's first African-American president. The first-term senator from Illinois was elected the 44th president by beating John McCain in the key states that the candidates had spent months battling over, including Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, which voted for a Democrat for the first time since 1964.

A few states are still too close to call, but a preliminary tally gave Obama 349 electoral votes to McCain's 144, far more than the 270 needed to win the White House. Democrats also won big in the congressional races, even as they appeared to fall short of the dream 60-vote majority in the Senate. In all, Democrats picked up five Senate seats with four key races still undecided and were on the path to pick up as many as 20 House seats.

All the papers mention the historic aspect of Obama's candidacy in their banner headlines. USA Today points out that a mere "four decades ago, when Obama was 4 years old, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to ensure blacks can vote." The Los Angeles Times calls Obama's victory "a leap in the march toward equality." The Washington Post points out that Obama is the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to win more than 50 percent of the popular vote. The Wall Street Journal notes Obama is the first northern Democrat to be elected president since John F. Kennedy in 1960. The New York Times says the election amounted to "a national catharsis—a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama's call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country."

When Obama strode onto the stage at Chicago's Grant Park in front of tens of thousands of supporters (the LAT says 240,000; the WP and WSJ go with 125,000), he acknowledged his accomplishment and continued to espouse the main themes that have dominated his campaign over the past two years. "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said. McCain also acknowledged the historic moment in the "gracious" (WP) concession speech he gave in Phoenix. "This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight," McCain said.

In the end, Obama won every state that the Democrats carried in 2004 and managed to grab several of the swing states that went for Bush last time. How did he do it? Although he lost among white voters, he won more of their support than John Kerry did in 2004. Obama won a majority of women and received huge support from black and Hispanic voters. The Democrat also won among independent and Roman Catholic voters. McCain did poorly among young people, getting around 30 percent of 18-to-29 voters, compared with the 45 percent that Bush won. The exact turnout figures won't be known until all the votes are counted, but by all accounts a huge number of people participated in the election, and voters often had to wait in line for hours to cast a ballot. The WSJ says that all evidence seems to "point to the biggest voter turnout in the period since women got the vote in 1920."

The WP's David Broder points out that while history books will rightly focus on Obama's historic victory, the fact that the Democrats managed to strengthen their majorities in Congress "will be almost as significant for the governing of this country." It marks the first time since the early years of Bill Clinton's presidency that Democrats will control both houses of Congress and the White House, "setting the scene for Democrats to push an ambitious agenda from health care to financial regulation to ending the war in Iraq," says the WSJ.

Democrat Kay Hagan managed to beat Sen. Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, and in New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen defeated Sen. John Sununu. In the race for open seats, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner easily cruised to victory, and Tom Udall picked up a seat in New Mexico while his cousin, Mark Udall, won in Colorado. A little piece of good news for the Republicans could be found in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell managed to beat back a strong opponent. The race in Minnesota that pitted Sen. Norm Coleman against Al Franken is still too close to call, and there's also no word yet on whether Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska managed to hold on to his seat. In the House, Democrats also made strong gains, although it seems they will fall short of the 30 additional seats that many were predicting.

USAT points out that some analysts "see a turning point in American politics like what occurred in 1980," when Ronald Reagan's victory ushered in a new conservative era. But many also caution that it all depends on how the Democrats govern and it could all end up being "a one-time repudiation of a Republican president" at a time of high economic uncertainty.

The LAT fronts the early returns from the measure to write a prohibition of marriage among same-sex couples into California's Constitution. It's still too close to call, but support for the measure is winning, 52 percent to 48 percent.

The WSJ and WP both front extensive post-mortems that look at how Obama actually won the race. They both start by highlighting how Obama's calm and measured response to the financial crisis helped him, which is hardly news, but then go on to publish some interesting insider tidbits from the campaigns. The WSJ points out that McCain's staffers realized they had a problem when they were moving to the general election campaign and in a strategy session five top advisers couldn't reach a consensus on the basic question of why McCain should be president. "Without an overriding rationale, our campaign necessarily turned tactical rather than strategic," one adviser said. "We focused more on why Obama should not be president, but much less on why McCain should be." The WP notes the Obama camp was uniquely prepared for the general election after the hard-fought primaries and goes on to note that while much of the Democratic establishment started freaking out when McCain chose Sarah Palin, Obama's camp saw it as a gift. Not only did the pick undercut McCain's main argument that experience matters, but one of Obama's top advisers knew the Alaska governor better than most since she had run a campaign against Palin two years earlier and the adviser was convinced Palin wouldn't pass the vetting test.

There will be plenty of looking back in the weeks ahead, but now that Obama has been elected, it's up to a leader with almost no executive experience to take on some of the biggest challenges a new president has encountered since Franklin Roosevelt. Suffice it to say, everyone agrees he'll now have little time to rest as he has to quickly begin work on the transition. The WSJ, which goes the farthest in exploring Obama's options by even listing his possible Cabinet choices, says that a shadow Treasury Department could be set up by the end of the week. The NYT says Obama will name the three leaders of his transition team today and might announce some top appointees by Friday.

Most importantly though, Obama will now have to decide how he will run his administration. As the LAT puts it: "Which Barack Obama will dominate as he begins to govern?" During the campaign he espoused twin ideals of setting out to change Washington while also remaining calm and collected during stressful times. Now, he could use his political capital to push legislation through Congress, but that would undoubtedly cause partisan bickering. By the same token, if he emphasizes compromise and bipartisanship, he would risk angering the people who elected him if he's seen as too cautious and slow to make decisions. Ultimately, can Obama "fulfill his promise to govern in a unifying and inclusive way yet also push an ambitious progressive agenda?" asks the WP.

The NYT talks to Obama advisers who insist "he would not be passive and would move quickly to demonstrate leadership." Of course, dealing with the economy will be his first priority, but it could be risky for Obama to try to espouse too much power before the inauguration. The LAT highlights that Obama is likely to "seek early, high-profile legislative victories with bipartisan support" and leave the more controversial measures for later. That means some of his more ambitious goals, such as health care and energy, would likely be either delayed or broken up into pieces.

The NYT's Thomas Friedman says the American Civil War officially ended last night. "The struggle for equal rights is far from over, but we start afresh now from a whole new baseline," writes Friedman. "Let every child and every citizen and every new immigrant know that from this day forward everything really is possible in America." In the end, though, there is so much work to be done that breaking the racial barrier may "turn out to be the least" of the changes an Obama presidency will bring. "The Civil War is over. Let reconstruction begin."

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By Daniel Politik/slate.com)

Yes, He DidHow Obama bent the arc of history.

CHICAGO—Barack Obama faced a lot of big crowds during his campaign. Now President-elect Obama faces his largest one: a country of 305 million.

Barack Obama at his election-night victory rally. Click image to expand.Barack Obama at his election-night victory rally"We have a righteous wind at our back," Obama proclaimed in the closing days of the campaign. It turned out to be a gale-force wind. He won decisively with more than 350 electoral votes and 51 percent of the popular vote, the first time a Democrat has achieved a majority of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter and by the largest margin for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.* He won in working-class areas where there had once been concern about his ability to connect with voters. Obama won among women, who are 53 percent of the electorate, by 14 points. He inspired a host of new voters and young voters, who helped make him the first post-baby boomer president. They all call him Barack, and he responded by texting them on victory night: "All of this happened because of you. Thanks, Barack."

More than 200,000 people waited in Grant Park to welcome the first African-American president-elect to his new job. As Obama took his place between bulletproof glass that looked like a giant parenthesis, six beams of light shot toward the clear sky behind him. The weather was so perfect that, had it occurred earlier in the campaign, it would have spurred one of those e-mail rumors about him being "The One."

When Obama spoke, he was somber and serious. There were no jokes, and his optimism was tempered by realism. He talked of "the enormity of the task that lies ahead" and the challenges that "are the greatest of our lifetime." As he stood before 15 American flags, it didn't look like a campaign event. It was presidential. Gone were the blue placards from countless rallies. Instead, American flags waved. While the crowd waited for Obama to arrive, campaign music played. When he left the stage, the music was a more stirring anthem with a patriotic tone.

Obama wrapped his arms around the country he now leads, singing the song of its progress over the last 100 years. At the same time, he promised a renovation, a "new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility" as well as "a new dawn of American leadership" overseas.

He promised to be the president of all Americans. "To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn—I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too." John McCain praised Obama at length in his concession speech, testifying to the historic nature of the victory and Obama's ability to inspire the nation. Obama returned the compliment, saying of McCain, "He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader."

Obama was also careful not to gloat: "While the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress."

It was not only Barack Obama who made history—so did his strategists. They designed a plan and executed it relentlessly through a brutal primary and general election. Twice they upended the idea that no plan survives engagement with the enemy. Obama won by driving up his vote in traditional Democratic areas, and he shrunk the margins in conservative areas. They also out-hustled the competition. According to exit polls, 27 percent of voters said they were contacted by the Obama camp. Only 19 percent say they were contacted by the McCain camp.

Exit polls also indicated that race was not a factor. Where voters said race was important, they voted for Obama. Those who said race wasn't important also voted for him—in relatively the same percentages. In Ohio, Obama won among whites making less than $50,000, a group that was once supposed to be a big problem for him. In Pennsylvania cities like Scranton, Reading, and Allentown, where he was supposed to have the same problem, he won by healthy margins. "I always thought that there was a prejudice factor in the state," said Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. "I hope we've now washed that away."

In the end, the voters favored change over experience 37 percent to 20 percent. People also seemed to vote against their economic self-interest, something liberal critics said only witless Republican voters did. Fully 70 percent said Obama would raise their taxes, while 60 percent said McCain would. They voted for Obama, anyway.

The first blow for McCain came just after 8:30 p.m. New Hampshire, the state where he had twice staged comebacks, went for Obama. In Grant Park, a young man threw his arms up in the air and twirled in the dirt: "We're going to do it!" Then 15 minutes later on the jumbo screen, Wolf Blitzer, as large as a single-family home, announced that Obama had also won Pennsylvania. The crowd erupted. McCain had put his hopes on the traditionally blue state as a break against Obama's likely wins in other states.
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The next blow for McCain came in Ohio. With two days left in the campaign, Obama had visited Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. He out-organized McCain and outspent him. It paid off. There was no longer any way McCain could put together enough electoral votes. The pace picked up from there, with red states falling one by one for Obama: New Mexico, Iowa, Florida, and Virginia, where on the last night of his campaign Obama drew a crowd of 90,000, just outside Washington—miles away from the first battlefield of the Civil War.*

At the start of his campaign, Obama often concluded his speeches by telling the story of his Senate campaign and how he prevailed in the southern part of Illinois despite its history of antipathy towards blacks. He cited Martin Luther King Jr., who said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." On Tuesday, 221 years after the adoption of a Constitution that allowed slavery to continue, an African-American won the presidency. In Grant Park, as Barack Obama left the stage, you could see that arc bend.(By John Dickerson/slate.com)

Yes We Can: Barack Obama's History-Making Presidential Campaign

Yes We Can: Barack Obama's History-Making Presidential Campaign Photographs by: Scout Tufankjian

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Yes We Can is the story of Barack Obama’s historic journey from junior Senator from Illinois to President of the United States as documented by Scout Tufankjian, the only photographer to cover his entire nearly two-year campaign, and is the only photography book showcasing images of Obama’s unforgettable victory celebration in Grant Park, Chicago on election night, 2008. Obama’s grassroots journey touched something profound in America, inspiring millions of Americans, young and old, rich and poor, and from every racial and ethnic background, bringing together disparate people throughout the electorate in the service of change. In the course of his visits to almost every state in the union, Obama electrified record-breaking crowds at his rallies and motivated millions of people to engage in the political process. The results have been nothing short of a revolution in political strategy, communication, and activism. Be it a skeptical old farmer from Tama, Iowa, who was surprised to realize that he had something in common with this young black politician, or an eight-year-old boy from Los Angeles who couldn’t stop declaring, “He looks like me and he is going to be President!”, Senator Obama instilled a feeling of unity and hope in a nation scarred by divisive politics and pessimism. Obama’s campaign created a movement, a faith, and a feeling that has not been present in American politics for decades—if ever. Yes We Can is a comprehensive and intimate portrait of this transformative campaign, ushering a new era in American politics. With more than 200 color photographs by Tufankjian, the book transports readers to each emotional stop on this historical journey, punctuated with highlights from Obama’s most memorable speeches. Tufankjian artfully captures the impact this amazing candidate had with Americans of all stripes. From coffee shops and diners to auto manufacturing plants and bowling alleys, Tufankjian followed Obama as he wooed potential voters in middle class neighborhoods as well as in poverty-stricken Indian reservations. She covered the primaries, the debates, and the final weeks of the hard-fought campaign, shooting more than 12,000 images—compiling the widest variety, the most intense moments, and the greatest ecstatic receptions to greet the young politician on the campaign trail. Yes We Can is as much about Americans and their visions for America’s future as it is about the man that gave them voice—and hope. Photo: Linda Davidson/The Washington Post Scout Tufankjian has had photographs published in every major newspaper and news magazine, including Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, People, The Guardian, ELLE, Esquire, Essence, Rolling Stone, Fortune, The Times of London, Stern, Der Spiegel, and many others. Before covering the Obama campaign, Tufankjian worked photographing the conflict in the Middle East, primarily the Gaza Strip, for four years. She lives in Brooklyn, and has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale.