Obama Canceled Fireworks for This Evening

I liked the sobriety of the whole celebration. I thought it was very in tune.

I thought the mood of the speech showed maturity and class. I also thought the comparison between the two speech audiences was very interesting. The McCain audience boo’d at the moment Obama’s name was spoken. Whereas the Obama audience showed respect for McCain.

At last, America can attempt to salvage what dignity they have left after George W Bush and start participating with the REST of the world.
I doubt Obama will be as short-sighted as Bush and although it will not occur suddenly, I feel there will be significant foreign policy, immigration and economic reforms for the US people.
From Australia

this should be a sobering moment and not of crass celebration that was displayed by some tonight

I just keep being more and more impressed with our new President-elect. His speech was perfect, and fireworks would have been too much like “gloating”. We need to work together as ONE people from now on, and this is the guy to lead us to a better country. It will be a bumpy road, but I’m satisfied he will steer us around the dangers competently. Very inspiring, and very sobering…but, I really do feel hopeful. Onward and upward, America!

Celebrations in other countries weren’t so subdued as investors in other time zones around the world started pouring their capital back into the markets just after the announcement that Senator Obama had been declared the winner. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose almost 6%, the Nikkei surged almost 4%, and the Australian All Ordinaries jumped almost 3%. I have the markets running in my system tray and it was amazing to see the surge just after the announcement. See, the surge is working after all.

Without “liberals” not everyone would have the right to vote, the right to a safe workplace, the right to an education, the rights to many things we have. So please everyone who is dogging “liberals” for getting mr. obama into office, remember this.
Liberals are the ones who fight for the right thing. I look forward to the change that will come to america in the next four years

Let’s stop all the unnecessary fightings, let’s all unite to save whatever dignity we have. embrace the whole world and be part of a greater cause- LOVE. Congratulations America, you have made the right choice !

The popular vote (the real people vote) was extremely close. Expect 4 years of half the people of America to be as dissatisfied as the other half is happy.

Now we know what REAL AMERICA looks like!
HOORAY FOR REAL AMERICA!!!!
HOORAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!!

Bye, Sarah!

Elizabeth, you are right when comparing the McCain crowd and the Obama crowd..that has been the pattern througout the campaign..It tells me that the worst elements in our society are those so called McCain/Palin followers..hopefully we can work and pray to change the wicked, racist elements in our society..Most Americans are decent people. God bless president elect Barack Hussein Obama and his family and God bless America!

Thanks America ,Y.ve just prouved you are a great Nation.

Congratulation USA Congratulations Barack Obama, Congratulations once again USA for making ZIRO mistake congratulations for you newly elected PRESIDENT Nigerians Salute you !!

wow – lot of buzzwords I have just read. The change Obama speaks of is not a magic pill – each individual American must face and obliterate personal fears in order to make this change permanent. Do not forget that the financial quagmire in which we currently reside is based largely on greed. Until we (as individuals) make a more positive and selfless impact on our immediate surroundings, the change will not be permanent.

Good luck to everybody, may Obama be as great as it is hoped…

Congrats to obama and his supporters.
i supported mccain with no regrets.
however i recognize that it is time to come together and move toward unity.
i wish OUR new president the very best and my hopes and prayers for success are with him and his administration.
now the real work begins.

robin,no one said that its a magic pill but Obama is way better than George W or even McCain for these times..to heal America and the world. The world can once again respect America and look America for real genuine leadership..Bush failed America and the world and McCain would’ve too.. how do I know? because McCain is Republican whose foreign policy is based largely on imperialism..Obama is a healer not a devider and he will talk with our enemies and try to come to some semblance of common sense diplomacy..Obama is smart!..George Bush and McCain are not.

JAKE I just want to say THANK YOU. although at times i did not agree with you i am very grateful to you for providing us this medium for communicating and expressing our opinions.
best wishes to all.

Salut to Americans,
You are the embodiment of ideal of Human beings.
Thank you for all your great work…Thank you for Obama volunteers…
Today, electing Obama as your president, You changed the world already.
your friend from Far east.

Honestly, they weren’t necessary. I don’t think anyone would have really noticed, that’s how euphoric the crowd was.

the latest exit polls show that actually his RACE helped at the end.
and brings me back to Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of his children being judged not by the color of their skin but the content of their character.
half of the country, elected a president they hardly know, people are projecting what they want to project on him, He is still the least vetted candidate we had.
I just hope, for the sake of the country, he will be more courageous than what he has shown in the past. I hope, he will be less radical than his own records, and I have many other hopes….

All I can sya is “…thank you Jesus!”

Finally as a country of people we stood shoulder to shoulder, looked passed our differences, and made a decision based on a man’s heart, ability, and leadership. Finally we got it right. Finally the things that should matter do matter. And finally, as a white american, we have shown a sincere desire to put racism and past bigotry behind us. God Bless President O’bama, may he inspire us all.

75% of my town voted in this election by a 2-1 margin for Obama. I am very proud, both locally and nationally. America is the greatest country ever. We really know how to pull together when we need to. I am so proud to be an American. And happy to give back. I worked at the polls all day and we smiled and laughed, no matter what our party affiliation. Good times.

Celebrate the day, you have no clue what you have unleashed.

Congratulations to President elect Barak Obama .Great effort from the Obama 2008 election team. A great day for America. Weeping had endured for the night , joy came in the morning.Great campaign run with precision and focused on serious issues. A campaign that was not side tracked by wise cracks from the peanut gallery nor side tracked by Fox news malcontents.
That is all water under the bridge now. America has voted, America has decided. Democracy works and is still alive in America.Errol Smythe.

Does this mean that they will stop whining now?

I am pleased by the election of obama as a president. the speech provided by Barack obama make me cry. it was extraordinary.you are blessed to have such a person with hope, vision and determination. God bless your country.
Obama supporter
Ethiopia

Justin,
“(I know that there are a lot of intelligent people supporting his policies. Congratulations. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about people who don’t have a clue that think that pretty words are going to make everything okay.)”
The Boss says there are stupid people and smart people on both sides.
It’s time for the smart ones to unite. We can’t do much about the stupid ones.

Freida
ayers is a problem and will not be a part of the next white house

I am amazed at how so many people can just be in awe of a man…any man for that matter. Have some charisma and be a great speaker and one can rule the world. Its obvious to me know how that when that man, the son of perdition, arises that the sheep will follow him willingly to the slaughter.

What Obama support – from Ethopia – said is an interesting example of how the world viewed this election.
Billions of people around the world have been watching this election and are now filled with hope.
They are looking for America to lead again.
This is a really great opportunity for our country.

McCain’s concession speech was very classy. Too band many in the audience were not. Judging by some of the inane, bitter comments on this page, some people have zero interest in compromise and working together to get the country going again. Still babbling about Ayers, etc. Pathetic.

Get off the hate train. Time to work together. There’s a lot to do.

I think we’ve seen the “real” McCain. Too bad he followed the advice of his handlers and wasn’t true to his colors throughout the campaign.
Posted by: Born in the USA | Nov 5, 2008 4:28:08 AM
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McCain’s concession speech was good. It was the first time I actually felt that he was a decent human being that had a positive message to deliver. I agree. Too bad we didn’t see more of this before now.

As a Brit I am so relieved that Senator Obama has been elected; relieved to see the end of Dubya, his ignorance and war-mongering and the effect his party and policy has had on us here in the UK and the rest of the world … thanks for leading us into recession George.
Good Luck to you Senator Obama, you have made many of us around the world very happy, and relieved!

Pay close attention kids – hopefully you learned one thing from this election … being good at public speaking can make you president someday! Doesn’t even matter what your policies are just work on your presentation! Americans are suckers for that stuff!

What the world and America has witnessed is nothing short of a modern day miracle!!!!! All praises to Almighty God, He is in control. Do you think that the economy just happened by chance? I think not. He set it in place so that Americans looked past the color and saw the Man. God has always taken something or someone ordinary and made it extraordinary! Think about….. The Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela, the U.S.S.R.,just to name a few.

There are millions of BORN AGAIN AMERICANS out there today!

Morning after election day thought: My father stormed the beaches of Normandy for this Socialist nightmare? Barack sees me as a national resource for his collectivist pipedreams.
Socialism has failed everywhere it’s been tried, but hey, America, knock yourself out! An ObamaNation.

I apologise to the people of America for doubting you would put race aside…for doubting that in America a man really could be judged not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character…
I was wrong and I am glad I was wrong. For the first time in my life, I say “God Bless America”
Choiseul, UK

Great judgment by Obama to nix the fireworks. Despite the truly enormous, ecstatic and energetic crowd, Obama ensured that his first moments in the spotlight as president-elect would be calm, measured, thoughtful and respectful. This is exactly how he ran his campaign–despite calls for him to be more aggressive in the face of some really caustic attacks. And I expect that this is exactly how he will govern.
Barack Obama did not have to mute the tenor of his talk the way he did. He did not have to cancel the fireworks. He did not have to specifically call for John McCain’s involvement in his efforts. And he did not even have to reach across to McCain voters in a clear gesture of bipartisanship. But he did.
What you saw tonight was an intensely focused Barack Obama. You could see it in the set of his jaw as he came out on stage and as he met with Joe Biden. There was no beaming smile and free flowing emotion. At first I wondered: Why does he not look happy? Then I realized, he’s too busy looking forward to exult entirely in the moment. He knew full well that the way he comported himself last night would help define the way he would be perceived as a chief executive tomorrow.
I may not end up agreeing with all of Barack Obama’s politics. But it is clear that he is a gifted politician with a keen sense not just of the moment, but of the moments to come.

My husband is a quiet man and doesn’t express his opinions much, but this morning he went out and took down one of the us flags and turned the other upside down and stated rhat is will remain upside down until obama is no longer in office. By the way, he is a Korean vetran.

I was deeply disturbed at the lack of class my fellow AMERICANS showed at McCain’s speech. We have come a long way to elect someone ( finally) for who they are not what they look like. When my son ask me ( 21yr old) to support Obama when he announced his candidacy I said no it was a waist of time. We need change that can actually get elected. I didn’t think this country was ready to elect someone for who they are not worry about their color. I was so very happy and proud to be wrong, that he showed us all that he had the character to put up with all the negative campaign stuff and stay true to his goals. I pray that soon God may again bless us and the world.

BORN IN THE USA…now that you have painted me a new picture of “Saint” Ayers, let’s get to the point: regardless of the stupid comment Barry made about being “8 years old” when Ayers was in his heyday (we are not stupid, are we?) Obama’s attempt to whitewash the matter with the stupid comment above parallels his comments about the Reverend Wright…..same tack. He doesn’t lie very well, does he?
I can hardly wait for the day that we discover that Ayers is contributing a lot of his “education” knowhow to the “reform” of American public education.

Steve, the people in this country spit on the veterans in this election. They spit on every grave of every service man that died for this country. Never in my wildest dreams I ever thought I would be ashamed to be an american.
Australia sure looks good.

Hey Jake…you never really got to the REAL reason there were no fireworks at Barry’s acceptance speech last night…after the Roman Spectacle we endured during the Obama coronation as nominee, complete with Corinthian columns…..everything but togas….the “reallly big sheww” (assuming you remember Ed Sullivan) just had to be toned down to OUR expectations for a President’s behavior.

Now that the election is over and the American people have decided, let us work together to make America great again. Obama did not promise a magic pill for that. He emphasized the magnitude of the problems, and exhort all of us, not as democrats or republican, liberals or conservative, but as Americans to shoulder our respponsibities to the America and to the world we live in. And that involves personal sacrifices for all.

I am a republican. President Bush has dealt with more problems than anyone could have imagined during his two terms, and as tough as things are, it is remarkable that we are not in worse shape.
Last night the world witnessed why America is so great. Forget all of the “yes we can” bs, last night our country peacefully selected a new leader with no guns, not a single death. I do not agree with any of his stated policies but he (Obama) is my President and I will give him time. If only Putin of Russia, or leaders of nations in Africa could, or would learn from it. THAT is why Reagan thought us “a shinning city on a hill”.
In four years me and my candidate will come after him, (unless he changes my mind)and again the world will see why this is the greatest country on earth.
The government here is ours, when we don’t like it, we change it. Yes we can.
God Bless America, and her new President.

Further….I hit the send button in haste!
WE do need to move on and heal our Country in more ways than can be mentioned in this blog!
God Bless America…and let us brace ourselves for the upcoming year and keep in mind that…
YES WE CAN!
Richard

The right person was elected to be our next president without a doubt. Having experienced the negative fallout from the past 8 yrs and feeling a desperation never felt before during the Bush/Cheney years, i can only say that i am proud to have shared and to have participated in this historic event. Time for the minds of those Americans who still feel hatred and divisiveness to lay down your racist views and start acting like proud Americans. We share the same space on the same planet and breathe the same air, let’s not pollute the environment any longer than we have already done with hatred and separation — rather, pull together as citizens of the world to protect our great planet and persevere to strive to evolve our consciousness in paving the way forward for our children and their children that when they receive the stewardship of our great nation that they will do so with the honor and dignity of being a proud American. So to those who want to symbolize their resentment in having Barack Obama as their president, i say this to you — you can express yourself how wish to by setting an example of just how ignorance and bigotry can cripple a society and foment separation rather than unity. You have a choice — evolve or remain stuck in the mud.

How wonderful for America!! History has been made The election of Barack Obama as President of United States of America says how great each and every citizen of America is!! The American for anyone is possible!! We have made great great statement for all races and each sex! Yes We Can!!

Why does everyone say we’ve elected a black president when he is just as much white as he is black?

Obama is black because most people consider biracial people black. If Tiger is black, Obama is black. Often most black people are biracial with Native American Heritage.

Fewer people voted in the 2008 Presidential election than in the 2004 Presidential election.
Obama received only 5% more votes than John Kerry did in 2004.
Obama received only about 400,000 more votes than George Bush in 2004.
Did Obama and the Democrats spend more on their 2008 Presidential campaign than McCain 2008 + George Bush 2004 + John Kerry 2004?

It doesn’t matter who spent more on this election. Mitt Romney outspent everyone in the primaries and yet he still lost. Obama had to spend lots of money on ads combating all the rumors and lies being spread about him in emails and in bible groups.

People – Left, Right, Down the Middle – We’re all Americans, we’re all human. I have many Republican, conservative friends and I’m liberal. We differ on some issues, but we didn’t become friends bc of politics and it won’t ruin our friendship either. Sometimes your candidate wins, sometimes he / she loses. Let’s drop the retoric, hype and anger and see what our new President has to offer. Let’s put our best foot forward and fix our country.

americans, you are really lucky to have him as your president.as a kenyan i wish he was ours.
i think he is the perfect bridge for all races and cultures.he is extremely intelligent and i strongly believe he’s got your interests at heart.

YES WE CAN! Thank Jesus! I hope McCain supporters can please support Obama now and stop hating. After all, he did ask for their help and he needs those “people.” I understand we are all different, and that we have different ideas and opinions but in the end of the day, we are Americans. We are the melting pot country of the World. We fall under one category and we have it good! All we need to do is recognize what a great opportunity we have in our hands right now. Obama is president and we should jump with glee, not slump with hate and violence. It was time for a change. And i’m so glad we got it.

At what point did Obama decide fireworks were inappropriate? I mean, the financial crisis has been going on for a while. Either he was so pompous he planned a victory celebration months ago, so he recently realized he needed to tone it down, or there was never any plan for fireworks as they planned a victory celebration recently, but it sounded all “see,he’s a grownup not an egomaniac” to say that they were planned but then cancelled at his request.
I’m still waiting for inevitable letdown when reality starts to sink in and Americans realize they hired a pig in a poke for the most important job in America.

It seems to me entirely appropriate that Obama nixed the idea of fireworks. I really enjoyed his acceptance speech and the camera shots of the audience, how it was a mix of all the races and ages that make up our country.
I hope some of those who are commenting so negatively about our future President will take the time to view his speech.
So many of the negative comments are based on falsehoods, it amazes me! Anyone posting here can easily go to factcheck to find out how they have let rumors and lies influence how they feel. (You are on the internet, so you have the ability to be intelligently informed. And if you choose to willfully not seek the truth, ask yourself why. Would you refuse to buy a car because a competitor’s ads told you so? Wouldn’t you seek out unbiased sources to find out the truth?
This situation is no different. The truth can set you free from your fear of Obama’s administration and how he will lead our country in the next four years. I’m saying this like I would to a frightened friend. When you have the facts you can relax.)

YOU DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE US OUR 40 ACRES AND MULE, SO WE’LL TAKE THE WHITE HOUSE!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

ACC Fan–of which I am also one–Kenyans were celebrating because his father was Kenyan…you know, just like when we celebrate when Americans win in the Olympics? The majority of African Americans always vote Democratic no matter the race of the candidate. As for the end of the greatness of America, most would argue that started in 2000, with the election of GWB. Amazingly, most of America and the rest of the world sees this as a return to greatness. Wake up.