The fate of the world...The US Election.

[Bullet Magnet]

He won't enter office until the twentieth of January, but now seems as good a time as any to begin criticising the president-elect and the state of America in general.

The world is a somewhat more hopeful place today than it was yesterday, but let's get real.

Obama is a conservative/centrist Democrat who will at best implement a small shift in American policies — he hasn't promised any strong change in Iraq, and his health care plans are an incremental improvement over the existing situation. And the opposition is shrieking "socialist!" at every suggestion, so don't expect an easy road to accomplishing even the centrist plans of President Obama…especially since he's inheriting the wreckage of 8 years of Bush misrule.

He still has to work with a self-interested, triangulating congress made up of many of the same Democrats and Republicans who have collaborated with Bush in screwing over America for the last eight years.

We're still afflicted with the curse of religiosity as a political prerequisite, and Obama has strengthened it. That is a poison that will harm us over the long term; we may have made the more rational choice in this one election, but reinforcing the potency of irrationality will come back to bite us over and over again.

The media isn't helping. The news this morning was all a-babble over a "post-racial America". Nonsense. A significant minority still hates people over the color of their skin, and you know the skinheads are cleaning their rifles right now. This self-congratulatory nonsense distracts us from the real problems that still exist.

We still have the rot of ignorance and hatred in the American electorate. Proposition 8 won. Saxby Chambliss won. Michele Bachmann won. Norm Coleman might yet win.

I'm not dancing in the street yet. I'm anticipating many years of struggle ahead.

[Kimon]

I'm still glowing from last night. Amazing.

I was in my friend's apartment, watching the news, and they let the word out. Everybody started cheering and screaming outside, so we decided to walk the streets in celebration. EVERY PERSON that we went up to screamed danced, cars were beeping as we walked by and people were screaming out their windows... then we got to a certain section of Myrtle ( a busy street in Brooklyn), where there was a swarm of hundreds and hundreds of people on this one block, crowding the streets and banging on the hoods and windows of cars who rolling by and beeping in celebration. I was in that swarm for a about an hour, just screaming and hugging random people. It really felt like a historical moment.

Fucking unbelievable. Good job, Americans.

[Mac Sirloin]

For the first time in my life I am proud of the people of my country. Weird feeling.

Not me. We've got Harper to deal with for 4 more years.

[Munch's Master]

Well, I have to say Im glad Obama won. Very glad. I honestly think McCain, had his age not affected him, could have been a very dangerous man as president. But aside from that, I dont think qhe could have sorted out the issues in America the same.

Now Britain just needs a leader who could do a good job. Only problem is with us, I see no decent candidates anywhere.

Nevertheless, good job America!

[Havoc]

I'm still glowing from last night. Amazing.

I was in my friend's apartment, watching the news, and they let the word out. Everybody started cheering and screaming outside, so we decided to walk the streets in celebration. EVERY PERSON that we went up to screamed danced, cars were beeping as we walked by and people were screaming out their windows... then we got to a certain section of Myrtle ( a busy street in Brooklyn), where there was a swarm of hundreds and hundreds of people on this one block, crowding the streets and banging on the hoods and windows of cars who rolling by and beeping in celebration. I was in that swarm for a about an hour, just screaming and hugging random people. It really felt like a historical moment.

Fucking unbelievable. Good job, Americans.

Damn now that's just awsome.

[Strike Witch]

[used:)]

Kudos to South Park for their hilarious portrayel of the outcome.

[Oddsville]

Ah, I missed that Southpark. But I must agree with Kimon. I was headin home from work when I heard the news and everyone was out cheering as I drove and I could here cars honking everywhere.

[Bullet Magnet]

Here's an interesting visual breakdown of votes and population.

[Kimon]

^Our nation is Spiderman!

Just for shits and giggles, this is where I was on election night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ajPIXZWzw

You can actually see me at 3:33, I'm cheering as a car goes past. Tall, wearing a brown long-sleeve shirt with headphones around my neck. Also, at 3:50, I'm the guy who walks in front of the truck and slaps up the garbageman hanging out the door.

Whee!

EDIT: Also, that South Park was hilarious.

[mitsur]

I am incredibly pleased that Obama won. If McCain had won, I am 99% sure the country would have imploded quite violently. Now, we just have to see if he's really the Hope he said he would be. I pray to God he is.

I saw the South Park. Brilliant.

Final note, one the idea of Obama being assasinated:

Would you rather want a President who would be killed by a sniper from half a mile away, or a President who would have been killed by a mild winter?

[Lacy Hemsmire]

I'm kind of glad he won, really. I'm very interested in how he's going to help us, to be honest. I really hope he'll do a good job. The rest of my family is completely adverse to him and really doesn't like him. When Obama won, my father had this 'whipped puppy' attitude about it all.

Not a big fan of McCain, but I would've remained open-minded, whoever won.

Ahem.

Would you rather want a President who would be killed by a sniper from half a mile away, or a President who would have been killed by a mild winter?

HAHA awesome. I mean er. Well, I giggled anyway. D:

I need to see that South Park. Baaaad.