You're so right, Paul. Despite an upcoming early Weds morning, I stayed up to watch McCain concede, and then again to watch Obama's speech--which was absolutely stellar. But I was really astonished to be RACKED by sobs for the first half of it, and they were truly tears of joy (heard of that, but never experienced it before). I tear up now, just thinking about how amazing it was to watch that crowd of 200,000 and to hear that speech. Definitely one for the ages.

Congratulations, America, WE DID IT!!!!!

the bottom line is that Obama won and won big. He ran an absolutely brilliant campaign that that stirred the imagination of the young voter. I would be interested to hear the actual number of people who came out to vote compared to other years. The the think is Obama's campaign probably worked for both parties. The the conservatives who saw the Obama propaganda probably came out to save their country and all the liberal illuminati came out to support theirs. So Obama's campeign probably worked a bit for both sides. I think if we could count who was reached by a particular campaign McCain might of only got like 10 votes.

My tear ducts are suffering from an overuse injury. I spent half the day teared up from the polling place stories and then totally lost it when the cameras showed Jesse Jackson during our next President's acceptance speech. I never thought I would live long enough to see a black President. Throw in the fact that he may well be the most intelligent President in our history and I am a very happy man.

It was a truly memorable day, perhaps made all the more so by the fact that I was with a group of wingnut McCain supporters when he came on the tube to concede. The sound had been off (it was in a karate dojo) and no one had heard any results. They honestly believed it would be a close contest and were stunned at the unified voice of America repudiating their ideology.

Three years from today you won't be able to find anyone who admits to voting for McCain/Palin. More and more Americans are getting on the bus. Watch for more Democrats winning in two years as Obama inspires greatness in these United States.

To rednecks: You will love living in a country with more international friends and not so many enemies. There's so much more; it's all good, it's all happening. Y'all come back now, heah?

...and that's no joke, as I also found myself "knowing" this was going to happen then finding myself weeping with joy and gratitude quite unexpectedly (interestingly I also had the same reaction to the mentioned scene in "Field of Dreams", though perhaps for different reasons than Maislin's).

Anyway, now that I've got hold of my surprised emotions, I've just got to ask where this "liberal illuminati" is located. As a lifelong Republican and natural-born conservative (or, as has been suggested recently, perhaps "conservative" -- in quotes -- is more correct), and a member of the Illuminati (just ask any of my crazy, Masonophobic family members), I need to know who's stealing our routine. We run the world, dammit!

I voted for Obama simply because he was the better qualified candidate. I did not vote for him because he was black. I understand the historical significance of it but I am not racially inclined one way or the other. In fact, I wish people would lower the volume on race and move on to the issues. The more people talk about the obvious race component, the more people are going to view everything he says and does in typical racial sterotypes. Everything will be magnified 10x over and above the usual 10x factor that any president enjoys. So, that's 100x magnification and amplification. Plus the enire world will be watching and hoping that Americans will become more European or at least Canadian.

by the numbers.

Yes, he did that ~ and yet more importantly to me, he also won with heart and with his mind. This bodes well for his power to govern us though I do not hesitate to add, he has inherited a huge mess that will no doubt try our patience in the months and years to come.

That being said ~ Yes We Can. Oh Yes We Did. And May We Continue to Believe in Change.

For today, I am so proud of my fellow voting citizens! To see the photographs of people around the United States and around the world, celebrating his/our historic win, is truly a joy and a wonder to behold. We should never cease to believe in better things for us and our next generation. This includes the rest of the world, for goodness sake.

I knew I'd be full of emotion if the Democratic Party were to take the reins of power in this country again. I just didn't understand and am still trying to grasp the implications of just how much has been accomplished. I cried last night, and I am not ashamed to say it. We have conquered a nightmare of sorts and should celebrate this simple truth! I am super happy and pleased and hopeful for the first time in a long time.

There is much work ahead, for us all. Let's all try to get along and get some things done shall we?

Thanks for voting your conscience, America!

It will be interested to see if he can consolidate these gains and make them permanent. I was very worried until Ohio flipped last night that we would be witnessing another 2004-that the youth in the end would stay home while the Evangelicals would come out instead. If what you hypothesize about Ohio is true, it Evangelicals may have stayed home in Ohio and non-evangelical values voters did not mobilize in in other places. Maybe they only come out when one of their own is running for president, or will they only come out in certain circumstances?

Determining what happened to them will be very important for understanding whether the Republicans can remobilize quickly by choosing a different candidate, or whether they will be lost for quite some time. The easy answer is the economy trumps all this cycle, but if that is the case, then the Democrats had better figure out how to keep their presidential gains. Unlike national security and fear that civilization is constantly under attack, there is only so long you can rely on imminent economic collapse and financial ruin to keep Evangelicals home. (I don't want four years, I want 20, and I don't want to have to rely on my 401(k) account losing 40% of its value in September every 4 years to guarantee a Democratic victory.)