23 posts tagged “obama”
Shane and I watched part of the news the day Obama visited Canada, and we both got a chuckle over the fawning coverage of his trip. There were people who traveled to Ottawa from all across the country just to catch a glimpse of him, with one interviewee declaring he would be telling his children and grandchildren about that moment for years to come. I have to agree with Rachel Maddow’s assessment that Canadians have a slight case of “president envy”. (Not that I can blame them!)
Oh yeah, and they made a special beavertail in his honour. Nice.
When the President of the United States said tonight that we don't torture, I believed him.
Shane and I were fortunate enough to watch the inauguration of our 44th President on the big screen yesterday. The local chapter of Democrats Abroad (which hosted the Election Night we attended) teamed up with Canadians for Obama to reserve the Rio Theatre (at Broadway and Commercial) for the viewing. So, since Shane had taken the day off, we both left early on Tuesday morning to catch the SkyTrain out there.
We arrived around 8:30 a.m., just about the time the ceremony was starting in D.C. The theatre was not packed, but fairly full (considering it was a weekday morning), and included a bunch of Canadian reporters with video cameras, digital cameras and notepads. We grabbed a couple of prime seats near the front and settled in.
When Vice President-Elect Biden entered the stage, the crowd applauded enthusiastically and a few people whistled. But once President-Elect Obama arrived, everyone in the theatre rose to their feet, clapping and cheering without reservation. And this outpouring of excitement (and, I think, relief) continued throughout the ceremony. We stood respectfully when President Obama took the oath of office; we reacted with positive exclamations to his speech (and his shout-out to the nonbelievers – yay!); we all sang the national anthem together at the end. It was, as you might imagine, incredibly moving.
I am not ashamed to say I was teary-eyed through most of it. From the instant CNN announced that Obama had officially become President (which happened at noon, even though he had not yet taken the oath of office), I was overcome with emotion at the awesome history of it. There was simply so much meaning loaded in that moment – for me as a liberal, yes, but also as an American and as a human being – it filled me to the brim with pride.
So a big thank you to the folks who organized this gathering. I’m grateful that January 20th, 2009 will go down in my personal history as a day of sharing hope with a community of like-minded souls, smiling and crying (happily) in the warmth of a small Vancouver movie theatre.
Happy inauguration day, everyone!
I’ve got goosebumps already – do you?
I cannot adequately describe what a privilege it was to witness the election of Barack Obama as our 44th President last night. But I can say I will forever remember that moment as one marked with profound joy and jubilant celebration.
Shane and I chose to spend the evening with other Democrats Abroad (and some friendly Canadians) at the Yaletown Brewery in downtown Vancouver. We arrived around 3:45 p.m. and plopped ourselves down at a long table with a few other Americans. By 4, our table was full and there was nowhere left to sit. By 5, the place was packed wall-to-wall with bodies. The room was constantly buzzing with political discussion, and Canadian reporters, photographers and videographers were EVERYWHERE. Once the official results began rolling in, the energetic crowd wildly cheered every projected Democratic win and booed every loss.
All eyes were on that Electoral College count. When the CNN clock started ticking off the final seconds until the Western polls closed – ensuring an Obama victory – we all counted down the final ten seconds like it was New Year’s Eve. And moments later, when Wolf Blitzer called the election for Senator Barack Obama, the crowd erupted with shouts and whistles and hugging and crying, with people throwing their arms up in victory and clapping until their hands were raw. Confetti of all colours rained down on us from above; it was absolutely incredible.
And yes, I know (as our President-Elect himself said) that this is only the start of what will be a long (and potentially painful) road to progress. I recognize that America (or at least certain parts of her) will probably go kicking and screaming toward progressive ideals. But in my heart, I hold onto hope that yesterday will go down in history – and in our collective national memory – as the positive, defining moment our country started to change for the better.
So tell me: where were you when Barack Obama was elected president of the United States? What will you remember about November 4th, 2008?
