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Much like Barbara Walters says, I don’t think it was a surprise to anyone that President-elect Barack Obama would be named the Most Fascinating Person of 2008 in her 10 person countdown. Let’s be real, he would have won that had he even not won the election!

Also check out #10, Will Smith. I knew he was a big deal but dang, he apparently runs the film industry…who knew he would become this?

So Hillary Clinton officially solidified her position in the Obama Administration…if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em right? Check out her press conference where she reflects on the appointment.

Check out the latest video blog by Jay Smooth of illdoctrine.com as he reflects on the Obama election.

Check out this video of President-elect Barack Obama as he makes a Pre-Thanksgiving visit with the kids at St. Columbanus Parish on the Chicago’s South Side. Not only do they loose it when he walks out, but even as he names menu items. Sweet Potato pie seems to be their favorite.

Meet Melody Barnes, President-elect Obama’s head of the Domestic Policy Council.

Check out Jack and Jill Politics for more insight on Barnes and Desiree Rogers, the first African American White House Social Secretary.

So the United States Government keeps tricking, and we all know they don’t got it. The Houston Chronicle reports:

The government introduced a pair of new programs today that will provide $800 billion to help unfreeze the market for consumer debt and to make mortgage loans cheaper and more available.

The new programs from the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department are the latest effort to provide billions in government support to get the U.S. financial system back to more normal operations and keep the country from sliding into a deep and prolonged recession.

For the full story, click here.

And for your viewing pleasure…

News leaked today that President-elect Obama plans to nominate Tim Geithner, currently the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as his Treasury Secretary. While he and current Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson both hail from Dartmouth, Geithner does not have any questionable ties to Wall Street (in the sense that Paulson RAN Goldman Sachs, those are his homies he’s helping). While Geithner is not a household name, he has been very instrumental in ironing the cape the Fed used to save Bear Stearns, AIG as well as shining the boots that were used kick Lehman off the cliff.

Ladies and gentleman, Sarah Palin is not going anywhere anytime soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is on the next season of Dancing With The Stars or The Real Housewives of Wasilla. Check out this interview she’s giving as a poor turkey sees his end in the background. I hope you think of him on your Thanksgiving.

CNN played President Bush in their breakdown of a video of him at the G20 Summit. They even ran the video back John Madden style, all that was missing was the on-screen drawings of formations. Somebody somewhere probably feels real bad for President Bush, until they realize that it was his deregulated disposition that played a big roll in the current state of the economy. If he had any longer in office, his approval ratings might dip in to the negative ranges.

What is with the cable news commentators and the short fuses? Maybe their chairs aren’t comfortable or something. Watch here as Shepard Smith goes crazy off a viewer email. This economy thing has really got people on edge…

From chicagotribune.com

Updated 7:11pm PST

The folks across The Pond at the Telegraph compiled an interesting list of “50 facts you might not know” about President-Elect Obama. Check out the list after the jump.

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as “O’Bomber” at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means “one who is blessed” in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle’s shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can’t stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn’t

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister’s fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn’t drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters’ ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia’s godmother is Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name “Renegade” by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed “Bar” by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were “street urchins”

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

So Obama and McCain sat down for the first time since the election and there is only one word that describes the spectacle - awkward. John McCain looks so uncomfortable and the “conversation”…all bad.

“Today, I am ending one journey to begin another. I am stepping down as senator to prepare for the responsibilities I will assume as our nation’s next president. But I will never forget, and will forever be grateful to, the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible.”

- Barack Obama 11/16/08

Its no secret that the Republican Party is in disarray. 20 minutes after Obama was elected, fingers had already began to pointed and by the looks of things, they will be for a while.

Check out this clip from Hardball with Chris Matthews where Mike Paul and Pat Buchanan go at it over what steps the Republican Party needs to make to maintain its relevance. While it isn’t interesting the Buchanan is behaving like a Grumpy Old Man, it is interesting that he is refuting Paul’s call for change - seeing how Buchanan once left the Republican Party. The difference now is that change comes at the cost of women and minorities, and Pat just won’t go for that, which kind of just confirms his bigot persona.

Things get really funny at the 3:49 mark - “Excuse me Pat? What did you just say?” With Barack packing up to move into the White House, the struggle of the Black Republican has just gotten that much more difficult.

Gentleman’s Quarterly named Barack Obama “Man of The Year,” giving him the cover and a article written by legendary Senator Ted Kennedy. Looks like this would have been out win or loose, as it was reportedly sent to print prior to the election.

Merry Christmas from the Obama’s. This is cute, yea I said it, cute.

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
Opinions Section, B2
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Guest Columnist: Renford Reese, Ph.D.

The Meaning of Obama’s Victory

When Michelle Obama stated during the presidential campaign that, “For the first time in my adult lifetime I’m really proud of my country” most open-minded people knew what she meant—especially now.  I have never been prouder of America. Barack Obama’s monumental presidential victory has inspired hope that America can live up to the egalitarian principles embedded in its constitution.  This moment ranks with the Emancipation Proclamation, the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery, and the Brown decision as one of the most significant events in the history of U.S. race relations.

The exuberance of this moment parallels the 13th Amendment in many ways.   There was euphoria among the slaves that were freed in 1865.  However, after the celebrations ended reality set in—the freed slaves had no land, no property, hence, no way to support themselves.  The black man who is serving a disproportionate 15-year sentence for the possession of two ounces of narcotics will still serve his sentence.  The poor mother who could not afford to put food on the table for her two children on November 3 will probably not be able to put food on the table for her children on January 21, the day after the new president is sworn in.

Obama, in his eloquent, gracious, and solemn acceptance speech warned his supporters against thinking that he will be able to feed the multitudes with a fish and a loaf of bread.  His caution included these words: “For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime–two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century…The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep.”  When the euphoria wanes, people will come to realize Obama’s limitations.  He will be hamstrung by eight years of mismanagement, corruption, and ill-advised policies.  Any changes that he makes will necessarily be incremental. He will not be able to change the lot of millions of Americans overnight.

With that said, his election should not be trivialized. Obama has lit the fire of hope in millions of people in the United States and around the world.  He has made it possible for the 11-year old Hispanic girl, the 12-year old Chinese boy, and the 13-year old African American boy to believe that with hard work, discipline, and commitment, that they can be anything they want to be in America.  Until November 4, this was our most glaring myth.

What does Obama’s victory say about the current state of race relations in America? Obama has given millions of people a common conversation.  Dialogue is at the core of racial understanding.  By now, all Obama supporters have experienced that common conversation in the hallway at work, in the bathroom, in the break room, etc.  By now, irrespective of ethnic background, we have all found ourselves chatting about the man and the moment.

A leader like Obama comes to us once a generation.  This is acknowledged in the words of Colin Powell, the joy of Oprah Winfrey, and in the apologetic tears of Jesse Jackson. The world has witnessed the charisma and brilliance of Martin Luther King Jr., the perseverance and humility of Nelson Mandela, and the spiritual radiance of Bishop Desmond Tutu.  Obama embodies the characteristics of all these great leaders plus something.  We cannot put our finger on that “something” but we see it in his calm demeanor and we feel it when he speaks.  He is both ordinary and extraordinary. He fundamentally understands that you get what you give.  If you give respect you get respect–if you give love you get love.  He fundamentally understands that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  This is why people are drawn to him.

The world became a better place on November 4; we could sense it on November 5–the sun seemed to shine brighter.  Nevertheless, with all the rays of sunshine Obama has brought to the world, he still cannot walk on water.  Hence, we need to recognize this and be realistic and patient with him as he takes us on his historic journey.

– Renford Reese, Ph.D., is a professor in the Political Science Department and the Director of the Colorful Flags Program at Cal Poly Pomona University. He is the author of “American Bravado” (2008), “Prison Race” (2006), and the widely discussed “American Paradox: Young Black Men” (2004).  He is also the author of the Starbucks “The Way I See It” Quote #294.

Looks like Will.I.Am has done it again. check out “It’s A New Day,” his latest pro-Obama single. Just like before, its star-studded and full of speech content.

So…Akon promised to renounce his citizenship IF Obama lost. Guess everything about this win wasn’t so great after all. Check out the full article here.

Check out Keith Olbermann on his recent trip to everybody’s daily drama dose, The View. Interesting convo follows.

Joe Scarborough slipped up and dropped the F-Bomb this morning on his MSNBC Show, Morning Joe while singing the good guy praise of President-elect Barack Obama and adviser David Axlerod.

Check out everyones reactions, thats the funniest part.

Earlier today The Obama’s made a historic visit to their future home. While the boys meet in the Oval Office, the girls hung out in the residence quarters. I wonder what they all talked about. Was Michelle completely displeased with the decor? Did Barack sit at the desk and spin and circles and scream at the top of his lungs?

Your guess is as good as mine. Peep video of their arrival below. Is it just me or have a never noticed how statuesque Michelle is?

Hillary - “I’m listening.”

Rumor has it - and the folks over at Bloomberg write - that Hillary Clinton is a possible name being thrown around for Secretary of State? Interesting….

… more

Text As Prepared

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.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. 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. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and 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. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And 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.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Of course South Park reps for Barack. Let’s not forget he turned Colorado blue.

Check out this article from AlterNet.org in which they spoke to some of the most prominent Black public figures on what a Barack Obama candidecy meant to them.

Daring to Dream of a Black President

By , The Independent
Posted on November 4, 2008, Printed on November 6, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/106044/

With Obama on the brink of victory, America’s leading black voices share what it means to them.

Maya Angelou, novelist: ‘If he wins, it means my country has agreed to grow up’

I never thought I’d see a black president in the White House in my lifetime. I didn’t even dare dream it. I feel like a child approaching Christmas, you can’t believe election day is finally here. It’s been so long since we’ve had people — Asian and black, white and Spanish-speaking — come together and say YES. Some did during the civil rights struggle but not as many as today. What it means if Mr Obama is voted in, is that my country has agreed to grow up, and move beyond the childish idea that human beings are different.

I’m talking to friends in the UK, in Italy, in China who can’t vote, who cannot press anything other than the point home, so I know the world is watching. We have lain so long in the undergrowth of ignorance. Can we really be saved from the rage of consumerism where we identify ourselves by our spending: ‘I’m a shopper’. What kind of stupidness is that? Buying things we cannot afford and do not need.

I’m no prophet, I’m no seer, I’m a beseecher — so I have been out to thump the drum for Mr Obama. I started out in Senator Hillary Clinton’s camp and I thumped the drum for her.

When it was proven that the majority of people wanted Senator Obama, she stepped out of the race and began to thump the drum for him, and so did I.

I think he has simply proven to everybody that he is very intelligent — and by that I’m referring to what used to be called common sense, which is terribly uncommon these days. You can see him thinking before he speaks, which should be a presidential prerequisite but rarely is. Most of the candidates all the way back, save for two or three, seem to just punch a button. There’s a question and they punch number seven and out comes an answer, which had been stored up.

Senator Obama has proven that he knows how to be a president to all the people, not just the rich and mighty, not just to whites, not just to blacks, but all the people. I’m so excited, the excitement can hardly be contained. How will I be spending election night? On my knees. Maybe getting off them to have a very nice Scotch and then getting back down on my knees again.

Toni Morrison, novelist: ‘Things are different now. A lot of white people are different’

This election is critical, vital to more than just people in the United States. It’s going to make a big, big difference which way it goes. The worst thing is not Senator Obama losing, it’s who wins. I am encouraged by the polls and by him but I have lived long enough to know that elections have been systematically stolen. Luckily, I think everybody knows that and is sending about 5,000 lawyers to the polls.

I don’t believe in the Bradley Effect — there were a lot of reasons he lost. And this time is different. First of all the country is different. Secondly he’s different. And thirdly a lot of white people are different. Several weeks ago I read about the Reverse Bradley Effect, where whites down in the south say they are voting Republican because of their neighbours!

I think the situation is dire, I cannot think of a large issue where things are going right, and Senator Obama will have an extremely difficult time. But there are two things that one should remember. The first is a cliché, but he himself has said it, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about other people’. He cannot do it on his own, he needs the force of those who voted for him. The second thing — and one of the reasons I really respect him — is that he surrounds himself with really smart people, and not just smart people that say what he wants to hear. He likes the dialogue, the questioning, the one who tells him the truth as opposed to the one who strokes ego.

I think the promise with Senator Obama is that we return to an idea known as “the common good” and we have not had that in eight years. I mean, you can’t get sick in America, you will be bankrupt. This administration has been very clear in its assumption that privatisation is best. There are jails where you have to pay room and board, you get into debt and when you get out you have to pay it back. And some people who do not have means to borrow go out and steal again. I know that the Democrats are more inclined to take the right position and not regard taxes on the extremely rich as some sort of insult to them.

What am I going to do on election night? I have three choices: I can go to some friends; I was invited to go on a TV show; but I think under the bed may yet prove the safest place to be.

Samuel L Jackson, Actor: ‘There’s been a warrior culture here. It’s time that ended’

We have been through eight years of pretty much lunacy and madness. In America, we have tended to think that we are the greatest living things on the planet and our leadership has exemplified that. There’s been a sort of warrior culture here, and it’s time that ended. Obama is the president to take us to the next place. He’s not part of the establishment, number one. He doesn’t have that sense of entitlement that others have had. What he does have is a sense of empathy for people who are on the lower rung of society and he doesn’t want to give the people with all the money all the breaks.

It’s not just about what an Obama victory will mean to the African American community, it’s for the nation in general. It means something for the little Asian kid, or the little Hispanic kid, for everybody of a different origin than Anglo-American. It actually means that the lie that they told us all these years — that you can grow up to be anything you want to be in America, even the president — might actually be true now. Until this election, it was just a fantasy — you had to be white to be president. The closest we got to it was when Jimmy Smits was elected president on the West Wing or Morgan Freeman being president on screen.

I grew up in the segregated South, and there’s probably still two generations who grew up next to “Whites Only” signs. We were part of that time in America when we were second-class citizens, so no, I didn’t expect to see this in my lifetime. It’s really wonderful and revelatory in terms of how far we have come so fast. And hopefully it will signify a major change in how we are perceived in the world community. Obama represents what we hope America can be.

But I will not be comfortable until 5 November. I was in the UK for the 2000 election. When I went to bed in Liverpool that night, Bush had lost, when I woke up the next morning Bush had won. Until I go to Obama’s inauguration in January, I won’t really believe it. And I’m definitely going, I’ve made hotel reservations already.

Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader: ‘I just wish Martin Luther King was here to share the joy’

It will be the sixth time I’ve voted for Barack Obama. When he ran for the State Senate I voted for him in the primary and the general; when he ran for the US Senate I voted for him in the primary and the general; and in his run for the presidency I voted for him in the primary and will be voting for him in the general. I will spend election day on the phone, encouraging people to go out and vote. I will not be letting up until the polls close.

Our struggle in America for civil rights started out with the right to vote and now Mr Obama is on the doorstep of the White House. We got the right to vote in 1965, that’s 43 years ago, and we have kept evolving over those years. America is a country that continues to grow, it’s maturing. This election says to Europe, Africa and Asia that democracy is real and that we must rise above limitations of race and gender to achieve our purpose.

The people of America are ready for a black president now. Senator Obama’s race is self-evident, he didn’t make an issue out of it. He’s reached out to people across the divide and had universal appeal by focussing on the real issues.

There’s a great sense of joy. I just wish Dr [Martin Luther] King were here to share it. He would be overjoyed. But he would also know that we have challenges beyond the election. He would be proud of where we are but he would remind us that we are not all the way there yet, until we wipe out poverty and illiteracy and end these unnecessary wars.

Jay-Z, rapper

Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so that Obama could run. Obama’s running so that we all can fly. I can’t wait until 5 November and I’m going to say ‘Hello, Brother President’. I can’t tell you who to vote for. All I can do is tell you to vote.”

Spike Lee, director

I say it’s very simple, we have BB, “before Barack,” and AB, “after Barack.”

This coalition that he’s got: black, white, Hispanic, Asian, gay, straight, whatever. It’s come together and this has never been done before and I think this thing is preordained or whatever we want to call it. I’m not going to say it’s God, but this is not a mistake, this is happening now. He’s here when his country is at it’s lowest in many many years.

Even though I live in Manhattan, I still vote out of Brooklyn, so 4 November I’m going to be the first in line in Brooklyn. Then I’m going to get a flight to Chicago and I’ll be there all day.

Tiger Woods, Golfer

I’ve seen him speak. He’s extremely articulate, very thoughtful, I’m just impressed at how well, basically all politicians really do, how well they think on their feet. Especially those debates. It’s pretty phenomenal to see them get their point across. But I just think that he’s really inspired a bunch of people in our country and we’ll see what happens down the road.

Alonzo Mourning, basketball player

I need to be part of this because this is part of the history of our nation and I do have a voice in the community — I have a presence and it’s beautiful to be able to use it on behalf of something I believe in. Some athletes worry something like this might affect their sponsorship deals, but I’m not afraid. Obama has given real leadership. I’m not ashamed to say I’m with him all the way.

Stevie Wonder, musician

He’s a combination of JFK and Martin Luther King. With that, he can’t lose. I see a time when we will have a united people of the United States. And that is why I support Barack Obama.

James Blake, tennis player

I am proud. I am very proud of Barack Obama. I believe in him and I believe that he will do good things for this country. I hope the country gives him that opportunity.

Chris Matthews LOVES Barack…in case you missed all that Matthews/MSNBC love during the campaign. Funniest part about this video? When he vows to do everything to make “this Presidency work,” leaving everyone basically dumbfounded.

Check out Single Black Males perspective on the historic election of Barack Obama and the 44th President.

BARACK OBAMA WON!!!

The inner joy I am experiencing today and experienced last night will be hard to beat for a long long time.  It was better than the aquafina flow, better than super head, better than finding the perfect mate … it was just … remarkable.

President Obama (has a nice ring … don’t it) has proven that as a people there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

And I don’t just want to make this a victory for Black people.  We as a nation have gained someone with the charisma, vision, and motivation to really enact some change and correct the mistakes of the past 8 years.  I am very proud to be an American and can now look at the next 4 years with a true sense of hope.

But as the title says … there is a bad part.

While I was watching the coverage last night on CNN, one of the anchormen started talking about the impact of an African-American President.  Apparently he teaches or is in somehow involved with schools in urban communities.  He said (paraphrased) “I don’t want to hear any complaints at all from my students.  They can’t say anyone is holding them back anymore.”  Essentially … he was declaring that racism and discrimination were over.

While driving to DC … my brother’s friend said “You know their gonna start saying the N* word now.”

A few days ago I had a vision … a powerful one.

I saw across the country … people glued to the TV watching the results … white and black cheering in unity.  Suddenly, Barack is announced as the next President … and then every Caucasian person turns to their African-American counterpart … looks them in the eye … and says … “Happy?  Racism is dead.”

So … that to me is the possible bad part.  Because a black man has managed to obtain the most powerful position in the free world … there is a good chance white america will officially consider racism dead … although its not.  There will continue to be injustice, discrimination will still exists, and there still is work to be done … but who knows how this is going to affect “relations”.

On a positive note … I finally feel the youth will have a great and real role model to look up to.  WIth the possibility of being President, black yoth everywhere will start trying hard, striving for more, and accomplishing great things.  This may be the single starting point of the “revolution” … and I guess it was televised.

Oh yeah … because this site is about dating and sh*t … uhhhh … Black Love in the White House.  See …

Yesterday Oprah had a live election special where she lost it going crazy over “Mr. President”. I thought this was pretty funny…now she knows how her studio audience feels when she gives out $5,000 toilet paper and cars.

According to McCain aides, Sarah Palin didn’t. This is getting uglier by the hour.

Juan Williams goes against the tide of Fox News…hope he doesn’t get banished…

Check out video of Secretary of State Condalezza Rice as she opens a press briefing and reflects on the election of Barack Obama.

Watch 40,000 people go nuts at Madonna’s show in San Diego

Watch as Sherri Shepherd sheds tears over the election of Barack Obama

The Revolution is here…

In my best Dap voice “School Daze,” I scream from the top of my lungs to the world, “Wake Up!” With this shout, I worry not that my cry will fall on deaf ears, that is the least of my concerns for just as in School Daze I see people clamoring about and rallying to a call which is much like my own.

While some people will still sleep thru a day like this, I can only enjoy my role and ability to participate in something so monumental.

Around 10 this morning I entered the Rose Garden Convalescent Center to cast my Vote. There were only a few people in line ahead of me. I was greeted with smiles and provided with instructions. While voting on the entire ballot, I could here the lady giving instructions to a couple people who had made errors on there ballot as the machine refused them. Once I received the green light and my “I Voted” sticker, I had a great feeling and hoped that each dot I placed on the ballot would win, especially the one for Barack Obama.

When I speak of the revolution not being televised, I’m not talking about the change that we will all be watching tonight at our various election viewing parties. I am talking about the personal revolution within each of us that should be happening and in turn, sparking the larger revolution within the world.

When Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination, I witnessed a speech which grasped my attention and inspired me. Not yet born to hear the “I Have a Dream Speech,” I realized the magnitude of what was happening and it left me speechless.

Why did I vote for Obama? Because he is qualified. This seems like the logical explanation when evaluating the two mainstream candidates. But I won’t front, a large part of this was due to the fact that he is Black. Though a Black woman was running as well, Barack Obama was Black and most qualified.

As a person who’s family has been directly affected by racism, with the death of my father do to police brutality, just months prior to my birth, I have never trusted the justice system nor politics, and I still may not. However, if Obama wins, I will feel a strong sense of power within myself and hope that the rest of my community feels that same power. If this wakes up all the sleeping giants that are in the black community, and empowers all to no longer be content and complacent, I do see some direct change in the world. Regardless, Gheren is and will be a different person.

Though I didn’t have to wait in line I would. Though I didn’t walk the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, I have been across the bridge, and I understand how important this day is. Tonight I will at my crib sitting in front of the TV, watching Direct TV Channel 352 which will cover 8 news channels simultaneously. With An anxious feeling in my stomach and some champagne on ice, ready to celebrate once I get the word of victory.

What’s your voting story?

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