They showed wall-to-wall clips of Reverend Wright proclaiming "God **** America!" non-stop for 3 or 4 days in Pennsylvania, where I have lived since 1996. And it didn't work! I am so glad.
Pennsylvania went for Obama. It had done so for Gore and Kerry too, but it was very close. Looking at the projected percentages it looks like Obama will get over 60% of the state (according to CNN).
McCain (who didn't officially support the Reverend Wright ads, but didn't stop them either) has led a relentlessly negative campaign in this state.
I am so sick of Joe the Plumber. I like my plumber Ed out here in PA. He returns calls quickly and has a license. I am so glad McCain and Palin and Joe the Plumber couldn't succeed in terrorizing everyone about taxes.
And the long, long days of every f-ing Republican alive labeling Obama's plan to return to the Clinton tax levels for couples making above $250,000 as "redistributing the wealth" ... those days have come to an end. They have bullied us all with their Orwellian names for 8 long years.
The 8 long years of Bush have been very, very hard to live through. The country is in awful shape, it's going to be very hard to get things back in order.
It feels like Obama is going to win, right? Without Ohio or Pennsylvania, McCain can't win unless Obama loses some unexpected states.
You know what, I'm shell shocked. I can't feel glad yet, that's a quirk of mine, it's hard for me to celebrate.
I have hated the last 8 years so much, and hated the way that Republicans "spun the truth" so that no real discussion ever happened. Mr. President, why didn't you get warrants to listen in on American citizens as required by the FISA law? Bush: "Well, if someone's talking to Al Qaeda, I want to know about it." That's how the news stories always ended. But it didn't answer the question, did it? Bush is an old hand at redefining the question and answering that one, and not the one asked. A little bit like Sarah Palin in her Vice Presidential wink-fest.
Yet if we all go back to hating each other -- I heard 3 minutes of Rush Limbaugh today, wow what a hater he is -- yet if we all go back to hating each other, well, it won't be good. I'm not sure how to get over a lot of anger toward the "other side" that I and others like me feel - but perhaps President Obama will set us all a good example.
Oh, and let's be glad the rest of the world will love our choice. I, like the Dixie Chicks, was ashamed of our president.
I think in a couple of hours I'll start feeling ecstatic. (Oh, he's just become President. Okay, I'm starting to feel it.)
Read more Election Day Liveblogs, Reaction and Analysis from HuffPost Bloggers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4bZw9FmXZ4
Best,
Hannah Friedman
As a campaign volunteer, I was introduced to the bigotry here in Westmoreland Country that I wasn't aware existed -- at least not as prevalent as it is.
Most Democrats here embraced Hillary whole-heartedly and said they were either going to vote for McCain or not at all.
This election threatened to tear families apart and end long-term friendships. Hopefully people will continue to "cling to their Bibles" and heal.
Memo from PA to the Republicans - You're fired.
Finally enough of us have seen how the GOP has used our fears to manipulate our votes and we have refused to be used. We have voted for positivity, hope, and unity.
I'm from Pennsylvania, too, and I'm thrilled for my state and my country today.
I've read the comments so far (and ones below too), and I really appreciate hearing from so many Pennsylvania people. I too felt both relief and pride for Pennsylvania to have voted in sufficient strength to give Obama the state.
And I acknowldege the comment below, we were indeed helped by moderate Republicans who crossed party lines and voted for Obama. I appreciated hearing them in the media too (Andrew Sullivan, Colin Powell, etc).
And I have gotten over my shell shock... I am today feeling very thrilled at Obama's win (and the country's win). Yaaaaaay!
In the end, I just think that there were more of us who looked at the big picture and saw the clear choice. And Palin certainly helped that cause. As my colleauge in China, a lifelong Chinese citizen and a really nice guy, wrote to me today in an email, "You made a right decision! I wonder why Bush was elected for a second time 4 years ago."
Indeed.
We began to look at our lives and the way our country was heading with every Republican victory , into one downward spiral after another.
The smears and the simplistic talking points became so much background chatter.
And we heard from Barack Hussein Obama the voice of reason, and calm and HOPE, and we voted accordingly.
I thank the gods, karma, who/whatever that I lived to see November 4, 2008.