President Obama!

[lobotomy42]

That's all I wanted to say really.

[DanJW]

Now to see what he can do. He's picked a tough term to be elected for.

Of course,

[lobotomy42]

True enough. But I figure I give him 24 hours before I start complaining about how centrist he is...

[syntheticgerbil]

Hurrah!

Hahaha, that redneck lady was filmed before the election. I wonder what she's saying now?

[ThunderPeel2001]

Huzzah!

:tup:

[Nachimir]

via Duncan on Twitter:

[Roderick]

Hurray for Obama! I stayed up through the night and then flicked on the tv again after a short sleep to watch the result. Parts of Obama's acceptance speech made me tear up, it was just so epic and such an amazing symbolic victory for bringing together different cultures around the world

We'll have to see, but for the first time there's a glimmer of hope that we may have a future that doesn't involve countless wars all around the globe and America turning into a Big Brotherian society that keeps pushing countries into dangerous corners.

Obama! Yes, we can!

[Nick]

We'll have to see, but for the first time there's a glimmer of hope that we may have a future that doesn't involve countless wars all around the globe and America turning into a Big Brotherian society that keeps pushing countries into dangerous corners.

I think sleep deprivation has started to kick in.

But seriously, huzzah for Barrrrrack Hussein Obama II ( apparently pronounced /bəˈrɑːk hʊˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/)

[DanJW]

[n0wak]

Now to see what he can do. He's picked a tough term to be elected for.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nation_finally_shitty_enough_to

[miffy495]

Not to bring everyone down or anything, but some news that kinda got lost in the shuffle is that Proposition 8 passed. The California constitution is going to be amended to ban gay marriage. Ain't life grand?

[lobotomy42]

Not to bring everyone down or anything, but some news that kinda got lost in the shuffle is that Proposition 8 passed. The California constitution is going to be amended to ban gay marriage. Ain't life grand?

This is indeed a bummer, but not totally unexpected. Florida and Arizona also passed measures in this election, and in '04 there were about nine states that did similarly. California was our one hope - because surely people on the Left Coast would support it? - but, alas, no.

[David]

We tried.

[Roderick]

What's particularly appalling about the whole thing is that the majority of the 'yes' voters was non-white. Apparently none of them made the connection that it's fucking racism. For some reason, little irritates me more than people with an immigrant background being conservative. It's like... you should know better.

[ThunderPeel2001]

For some reason, little irritates me more than people with an immigrant background being conservative.

There are white people in America with a non-immigrant background?

[ThunderPeel2001]

Not to bring everyone down or anything, but some news that kinda got lost in the shuffle is that Proposition 8 passed. The California constitution is going to be amended to ban gay marriage. Ain't life grand?

Sucks to the max. But surely they can't do this. This isn't an "amendment" it's a "revision" (meaning they need 2/3rds majority). Obama must fix this!

[Nachimir]

What's particularly appalling about the whole thing is that the majority of the 'yes' voters was non-white. Apparently none of them made the connection that it's fucking racism. For some reason, little irritates me more than people with an immigrant background being conservative. It's like... you should know better.

I'm not sure I understand your point. It's racist for non-white people to vote for a non-white candidate? Or it's racist for white voters not to? No doubt there were voters on both sides, among them all, who made their decision superficially on feelings around race, but you can't infer that reason for all of any given bloc.

It's a cultural change that's required to eradicate it, and those only happen glacially. There was never going to be a first black president without a huge dollop of racism on the sidelines, but his election in itself provides a massive push to effect a change in general attitudes. Also, I swear I could hear the sound of hundreds of millions of uptight white consciences unclenching all over the world on Tuesday...

Prop 8 sucks Chris Remo's balls. Coupled with this election, shooting it down might have transformed America's image abroad to that of an amazingly progressive beacon. My American friends on facebook are spitting mad about it, I would be too if I lived in there. I'd expect it to pass somewhere like Kansas or Texas, but California? Come on. I'm sure conservative strategists were quietly stirring up the prop 8 pot in California while watching the McCain campaign shamble from one humiliation to the next. Fortunately there are legal challenges brewing against it.

Edited November 7, 2008 by Nachimir

[Roderick]

My post was about proposition 8, not about the elections. What struck me that so many 'immigrant' folks (for lack of a better term) voted against gay marriage, because it in fact amounts to racism, something they themselves should know better than anyone is wrong and hurtful.

[Nachimir]

I see now, thanks for clarifying.

It'd be interesting to have a breakdown of where those immigrant voters are originally from. It does look like a lack of solidarity (among the Left? Never! ), but it's entirely possible that they come from more conservative cultures.

[Mel]

I see now, thanks for clarifying.

It'd be interesting to have a breakdown of where those immigrant voters are originally from. It does look like a lack of solidarity (among the Left? Never! ), but it's entirely possible that they come from more conservative cultures.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27584685/

African-Americans (ironically enough) and Latinos. Yes, it stems from social conservatism.

[Ginger]

For some reason, little irritates me more than people with an immigrant background being conservative. It's like... you should know better.

WTF? Tolerance isn't going to be created out of repression. When most people are treated badly they learn to treat others badly, being tolerant is a freedom most accessible to the educated middle classes (although not all take it up).

[Scrobbs]

Here's a set of frankly brilliant pics

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/the_next_president_of_the_unit.html

[ThunderPeel2001]

WTF? Tolerance isn't going to be created out of repression. When most people are treated badly they learn to treat others badly, being tolerant is a freedom most accessible to the educated middle classes (although not all take it up).

I can see Rodi's point, though (even if it was badly made). You would assume that someone who has put up with prejudice and discrimination (the words Rodi was looking for) would not place it upon others given the chance. Of course, I think you're right, Ginger, it's more complicated than you'd first think.

[David]

My post was about proposition 8, not about the elections. What struck me that so many 'immigrant' folks (for lack of a better term) voted against gay marriage, because it in fact amounts to racism, something they themselves should know better than anyone is wrong and hurtful.

Whoa. Much as I hate posting in these types of threads, some might accuse you of liberal racism, here. I would warn you to not go down the "you people just don't know what's best for you!" street. "Immigrant" folks (yikes) sometimes have opinions on things for various reasons that are their own. They're allowed. Perhaps their support was assumed and so they were never effectively lobbied by the "no" campaign.

That said, go ahead and be angry about the way the Prop 8 vote turned out. I am. I am also moderately disturbed by your blanket assumptions about the population of my state, though.

[Roderick]

Hey, my point wasn't badly made! Don't all gang up on me just because I didn't put in a ten-page treatise I think it's a combination of lots of things that grows awareness with people. I do think people learn not to treat others badly if they themselves are the subject of injustice. Not all of 'em, but the awareness can certainly spread through first-hand experience.

Education definitely has something to do with it, but it's a pretty cynical thing to think that people can't learn from bad experiences and only become bad themselves. That's just as unrealistic as the opposing scenario of them learning from it exclusively.