Posts Tagged ‘Election’
Yesterday, We All Lost
Yesterday, voting Americans elected a black man to the highest office in the country. In Colorado and South Dakota they voted to preserve a woman's right to choose. In Maryland they voted to allow adults to gamble with their own money. In Michigan they voted in favor of stem cell research and the legalization of medical marijuana, while in Massachusetts they voted to decriminalize marijuana. In Washington they voted to allow friends and strangers with terminal illnesses to shuffle off this mortal coil at a time and in a manner of their own choosing.
Yet for all those victories--and they are victories--Democrats and Republicans alike voted against their gay and lesbian neighbors in four states.
Election Night 2008: In the Wee Small Hours…
Photograph by Darrow Montgomery
Nobody seemed to know whose pickup truck it was—certainly the police didn’t, but they weren’t about to arrest the twenty or so people jammed onto the cargo area. Slowly, imperceptibly, it rolled us down 16th Street as we chanted “Sí se puede!” and “O-BAM-A” and—yes—”U.S.A.!” to the approval of crowds on either side of the road. Flag-waving pedestrians constituted a peaceable but overwhelming force amid the standstill traffic, hollering genially at the gridlocked cars and asking those of us on the pickup if they could jump on. They could. Horns blared euphorically and strangers hugged or high-fived or fist-bumped or made out, and the truck continued its snail’s march toward the White House.
Insane Person of the Night
And the winner is: The lady in the grandiose white hat at the corner of 6th St. & Rhode Island Ave. who yelled at me, as I rode past her on my bicycle, "Barack Obama! Sieg Heil, Nazi! Sieg Heil on that bike of yours! Nazi!"
Can anyone top this?
So Long Frank Winstead?
As we all have figured out by now, BOEE is not the most reliable. But according to their latest updates on election returns, notorious ANC Commissioner and Ping Pong Hater Frank Winstead has lost his re-election bid. He got thumped:
Tom Whitley: 460 votes.
Frank Winstead: 161 votes.
Write-In: 11 votes.
This may be a huge victory for Mr. Whitley. But it's an even bigger victory for Ping-Pong enthusiasts (and folks who generally want to sit outside a coffee shop or book store or pizza place)....
Obamans Dancing on 18th Street
Thus CNN projected it, thus people danced in the street. There was yelling. There was honking. There was photographing. And from someone somewhere, James Brown.
The Scene at Station 9, the DC For Obama Party
I just got back from the DC for Obama party at Station 9 (on U Street), which was ca-raaaaaaaay-zee! The first floor was packed from wall to wall, with a huge screen showing CNN to masses of people standing in the middle section of the restaurant. Upstairs, there was a V.I.P room. I was told that many of the hardworking volunteers, canvassers, and extra devoted devotees would be there. Instead, I found a guy who knew a guy that worked at the restaurant, and a bunch of Spaniards. Whatever. Party's going strong still, I'm sure.
First floor of Station 9. Creative Obama t-shirts and attire abound.
Right to left: Asewe Onyango, Allyson Little, Shane Gooding,who all volunteered for Obama over the last year.
The crowd right in front of the CNN screen. Read More "The Scene at Station 9, the DC For Obama Party" »
As the Election Is Called…
...the roman candles start popping over Petworth.
This isn't a Red neighborhood.
Ben’s Chili Bowl Provides Lousy Reaction Shots
Look for Ben's Chili Bowl and the back of my head to be on CNN. A crew from the cable network spent the evening watching the returns in the crowded back room of DC's most famous restaurant.
As the results kept pouring in on the big screen analog TV -- tuned into CNN, probably not by coincidence -- the mood in the house wasn't as tense or joyous as I'd hoped. The experience was sort of like watching a Florida State/Duke game with Seminoles fans as their team runs up the score after a close first quarter.
I wanted to find myself caught up in a happy riot. So did CNN, I think. The crew left as soon as Pennsylvania got called for Obama. I followed 'em out after Ohio.
Where to Watch Returns in Adams Morgan
It's 10:30 on Election Night and you know you are so shut out at Busboys & Poets. Well, there's plenty of room for you on the 18th Street strip! We here at City Desk are here to serve those looking for a beer and some blue-staters. (And also, these bars are close to our offices.) Here's a fairly complete rundown of what's happening:
Saki: Suck-i. Skip it.
Asylum: TV's on. So is the metal music. Don't come in if you don't have a tattoo.
Subway: Your sandwich artist is waiting with your six-inch meatball.
Bossa: TV's on, but the band's setting up. It's Mojai, "alternative funk." A manager says they're going on later than usual, about 11 p.m.
Madam's Organ: Election TVs on three floors, but you'll have to endure a cover and Old Man Brown, a blues band (well, duh). BONUS: Bill Duggan may be lurking angrily inside.
Tryst: TV's on but it's tiny. Everyone else is more interested in themselves. It's Tryst.
Diner: Ka-ching! People are cashing in their 10 percent off cards gleaned today at area precincts. TV's on, but so is the glam rock. It'll probably be Madonna or the Ramones by the time you get there.
GranDCentral: A good spot to see returns. TV's on Brokaw and turned up loud, $3 domestics all night.
Rumba: Rum-bad. Skip it.
Color Me Mine: Closed. Sorry, Cherkis. You'll have to paint pottery another night.
Toledo Lounge: My go to. Switching between the Caps game and election results, will switch over to all-election after hockey, in true Toledo style. Also, it's "Ladies Night." (Not really, the bartender was being ironic.)
Cautiously Optimistic Young Influentials Rent Spotlight, Party
Tomorrow morning, Brian Komar will pinch himself. IF, that is, Obama wins. IF, that is, the GOTV organization he helped put together in Virginia helps deliver the state to Democrats. For now, he's drinking a beer and welcoming other like-minded progressives to LeftBank on 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan. Komar, 36, works for the Center for American Progress Action Fund, which is unaffiliated with the efforts he and other "leading influentials" have put forth on behalf of progressive politics. Read More "Cautiously Optimistic Young Influentials Rent Spotlight, Party" »
An Interview With A First Time Voter
Kenneth Jones voted at 6:30 p.m. at a precinct near his old home in Northwest. He voted for Obama. Jones just turned 18 in September; this is, obviously, his first time voting. "It felt good. I was a little nervous. I didn't think I would get in to vote," Jones says. "It felt real nice. It was something to definitely get off my chest as well. I'm just glad that my voice was heard."
Jones says he would vote again.
With Obama inching closer to 270, Jones says: "I feel real proud. It's time for a change."
