Election Open Forum: Comments, news and notes
As President-elect
Barack Obama claims victory, I'm setting aside this post for all things political: comments, news and campaign notes. Plus, a selection of coverage imagery, rotating all day. Here's The Indianapolis Star in the battleground state of Indiana:
Earlier: Our paper-by-paper list of presidential endorsements
Please post your thoughts in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.[Image:
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Earlier: Our paper-by-paper list of presidential endorsements
I'm now watching John McCain's concession speech.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the best ones I've heard. He recognized the historic significance of the evening and of the campaign.
ReplyDelete#45
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic that this was the only speech he has given that has impressed me...it seemed very sincere and well thought-out.
ReplyDeleteEach election cycle the thing that most amazes me is that we change control of the government without bloodshed. It doesn't have to be that way and isn't in many places.
ReplyDeleteI agree, McCain's speech was very gracious. One wonders how things might have been different if he had been able to tap into that persona more often during the campaign.
ReplyDeleteI tip my hat to Obama for doing something I never thought I would see again - running a clean campaign.
I missed Tim Russert greatly tonight.
I was not so crazy about Michelle Obama's dress.
When are they going to call Indiana?
The only reason Obama got to where he is today is because he was raised by WHITE parents (grandparents). I wish him and this country the best; he's got a tough pill to swallow. If nothing else, maybe now the black population will shut their mouths now that one of their own is in power.
ReplyDeleteShut up, 6am.
ReplyDeleteBetter Obama than McCain to clean up this mess. Republicans have worn out their welcome as the press coverage has shown in the last couple of months.
ReplyDeleteAs a blue collar employee of Gannett who doesn't have a dog in the journalistic race I would like to offer my condolences to the newspaper industry.The media has sold its soul in its unadulterated bias towards Obama.Any shred of jounalistic integrity has been tattered beyond repair as this opinion is shared by many friends and relatives on both sides of the aisle.The papers have decided to go after the left of center demographic while totally alienating a large percentage of Americans.I work on mechanical equipment and realize that that is a bad business plan.What happens when the older readers who have the paper delivered pass away? Their children have realized that there are countless other avenues to gather information from so you will be left with a dwindling readership.As more people realize that you can read most ads and print Sunday coupons online there will go another chunk.The upcoming 10% cutbacks will just be the tip of the iceberg as the industry continues its downward spiral into obscurity.Since the "jounalists" pushed so hard for obama maybe he can hire them for his new national publication-Pravda West...they will fit right in with Dear Leader
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see the level of discussion on our local forums today.
ReplyDeleteThis is our first presidential election where people can immediately fire off a letter to the editor, anonymously, to the whole community.
Will we see the same level of anger and pure hatred from the losing side as in 2004? Both McCain and Obama gave very classy, gracious and grown-up speeches last night. Both mentioned moving forward together as a country.
I hope that we see the same thing on our boards.
I don't see anger and hatred. Blacks and Hispanics are still minorities. So most of the White vote went to Obama or he never would have won. So there's proof in the pudding that discrimination isn't anywhere near as rampant as the African-American community would have us believe. Can we all let this mind-set be put to rest now? And for that notion, can we now put affirmative action to rest as well?
ReplyDelete7:08
ReplyDeleteYou must be kidding me if you think that affirmative action and racial identity politics are over.They are both a cornerstone to the dem party/left platform as they always have to play the victim card.What you had was alot of white people wringing their hands of guilt....guilt for what< I don't know.I truly think that his selection will set race relations back20-30 years.
If Obama is half black and half white, why does he position himself as a black man? Why can't he (and everyone else) just be Americans?
ReplyDeleteBecause if everyone is just americans, then no one is special.
ReplyDeleteAnd since the mid sixties, we've taught all of our kids that everyone is special and unique.
Just being a plain American would be such a blow to the national level of self-esteem, we'd have to appoint a Praise Czar to make us like ourselves again.
Sincerely,
A Mexican-Irish-Gen X-baby daddy-super hyphenated-American.
Amen, Trevor O'Rodriguez at 7:31.
ReplyDelete:) You forgot bi-curious...
Trevor O'Rodriquez, your new wheelchair is in. So sorry about the loss of your limbs. Oh, and about the herpes, too.
ReplyDeleteLet's bring this back to a discussion on why journalists feel the need to bias. And why they feel a need to project a winner weeks if not months before the actual results are in. I'd like to know.
ReplyDeleteBecause journalists are the best kind of special. They've worked hard to get their status. Now that we're special, it's our duty to remind everyone how special we are.
ReplyDeleteGranted, with the new administration, nobody who works hard should be rewarded. After all, who are you to say that your hard work merits more cash than someone happy to run the fryolater at McD's?
How will this historic vote change Gannett's policies on mainstreaming and diversity, I wonder---and how quicky will the company realize that the majority apparently voted for Obama based not on the color of his skin, but the content of his character. Will Gannett do away with the forms, requirements and "quota" hiring now?
ReplyDelete7:31am: Since when is black or hispanic "special"?
ReplyDeleteDo you realize how much money they spent to get a $200K a year job? Obama $240 Million and McCain something like $150 million. Folks, that's a shitload of money for a crappy ass job.
ReplyDeleteAs for race, I could care less if you pink, purple and have 5 arms... Just don't expect me to owe you anything.
We're screwed... A Democratic President and a democratic Congress.
ReplyDeleteNuff said.
Three observations. 1)How can an overwhelmingly (90%) left-leaning liberal media perform their "watchdog" role when they have been cheerleaders for the dems and have been coopted by the Obama campaign. (A. When you've sold your soul you can't get it back.) 2) The long term effects of this will soul selling be to hasten the demise of newspapers as the nearly half of the voters who voted for McCain will continue to leave the overwhelmingly pro-democratic mainstream press behind for Fox News, blogs and anything but the what they perceive as biased trash put out by mainstream media" and 3) (Tongue in cheek) Now that an African American has been elected president isn't it time for the largest most underrepresented minority to get their shot? Of course I referring to Italian-Americans! It must be all the vowels in out names that keep us from the top post. Think about it!
ReplyDelete8:40am...I totally agree...Dem pres and Congress...People forget the congress was mainly dem the last 4 years, not saying that Bush isn't to blame at all...but I'm sure the real impact came from the change in congress.
ReplyDeleteAnd the deal with race...this guy won with convience...He was "white" when it was convienent and of course "black" when it was convienient. Did anyone say anyting that he is MUSLIM too? His daddy was like 6% black and muslim. OK did we forget 9/11? Why on earth are we calling him the first "black" President? He should be the first Mixed race, but oh wait, doesn't that include those people that are Irish/german or English/Irish????
And how could he have snowed so many people, let see...the backing of Oprah's followers along with all the star power that follows her. People were lulled into believing he had the answers...honestly, right now, I PRAY he and they are right, because we are STUCK with him. Maybe its me that thinks that the issue of shelved abortions should have been brought up by someone....
I will pray for a better tomorrow and support him for now. He will be our president in a few short months.
If BHO puts an end to affirmative action, and any talk of reparations for ancestors of slavery, then he will raise himself above the level of angry discourse rightly directed at his polices to come.
ReplyDeleteI'm much more interested in the future of Gannett's M & D requirements than I am Obama's. Will the Info. Centers let up on the mainstreaming and diversity requirements by following his lead that we're not a red state, blue state, black America or white America---but the United States of America?
ReplyDeletehonestly, my info center has been way to busy and stressed to worry about mainstreaming/diversity. and no one has said a thing about it.
ReplyDeleteDid everyone get their commemorative edition screenshot of their local paper's homepage?
ReplyDeleteI say let's do away with affirmative action. The time has come.
ReplyDeleteI say let's do away with affirmative action. The time has come.
ReplyDeleteI read a comment about how Obama won the white vote. You need to look at the data -- He lost overall white vote 55% to 44%. Don't forget that millions upon millions of Americans did not vote for this man. I disagree strongly with his proposed policies, but admire what he's accomplished in such a short time. The media loves and has latched onto this theme of "a changed political landscape." He won for three very simple reasons:
ReplyDelete(1) the economy tanked
(2) the economy tanked
(3) the economy tanked
We can debate who caused this, etc., but I don't think that point is debatable.
Not to take anything away from Obama, but I wonder how many blacks voted for him just because he's black. Not only is he half white, but after his own black father abandoned him at age 2, his white mother was left to raise him (unusual story, huh?) After his mom passed away, he was raised by his white grandparents. That makes him white by association. Wonder what the outcome would have been if he would have positioned himself as white?
ReplyDeleteActually, I think his mother sent him from Indonesian back to the states with the grandparents so he could get a better high school education. He was adult by the time she died---or at least that what I saw on a TV special.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, he was raised by WHITES which may account for his success. It's not to say that he isn't smart, that he doesn't have charisma. I ask again: what would the outcome of his political career have been if he positioned himself as a white person?
ReplyDelete"Positioning" is in the eyes of the beholder.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure some people saw him as a black man. Others, a white man. And people like me who could care less how much pigment he's got in his skin or who raised him.
Check out todays Doonesbury. I think its sums this up perfectly!
ReplyDelete11:57 AM:
ReplyDeleteOBAMA IS NOT A MUSLIM
How ignorant can you be?
It's pretty clear by reading many of the comments on this topic that racism is still alive and well in America.
And, congress was NOT mainly Dem for the last 4 years. The Dems gained control just 2 years ago, and had to deal with the current moron in the white house deregulating everything to the point of collapsing the economy.
The GOP held the white house and both houses of congress for 6 years and royally screwed the country up. It's going to take more than a couple of years of Dems being in charge to get things back on track.
"It's going to take more than a couple of years of Dems being in charge to get things back on track."
ReplyDeleteEspecially if the Dems in Congress sit back and do very little, as they have in the past 2 years.
Seriously, name just one accomplishment in 2 years. Go on - I'll wait.
2:36 AM:
ReplyDeleteIncrease the minimum wage.
Now shut your mouth.