Another Report From the Field!

The pronouncement from the vegan bistro at 1st Avenue and 6th Street.

Anyway, as you probably already know, Obama won! As soon as NBC and pals called it, I started hearing shouts from outside like when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Eventually, I wandered outside, and in fact, it was more like New York had won a whole bunch of Super Bowls and even the hipsters cared!

Crowds of people were at the intersection of First Avenue and St. Marks, many of them banging on pots and pans. Every time cars would go by, the crowd would cheer, and the cars would lay on their horns:

At one point, an ambulance went by, lights flashing. The driver picked up his microphone and announced, "President Barack Obama!!"

Virtually every time people passed one another on the sidewalk, cheers and high-fives were obligatory. Among the people I high-fived was this guy:

There was, not surprisingly, a still larger crowd at Union Square:

As well as vendors cashing in on the result:

Hangover factory Lilly Coogan's had this to say:

And this building on St. Mark's Place offered its own verdict:

When I walked by, they were blasting "Happy Days are Here Again" out of the windows.

So, good job, everyone! Democracy worked!

Report From the Field!

I woke up around 6:30 this morning, and, because I am a big dork, I was too excited to get back to sleep. So, around 7:20, I pried myself out from under my cat Spider and went to vote.

The line at my polling place was the longest I've ever seen it, and I usually just go around 8:45 a.m. on my way to work. I think the only other time there has been a line at all was for the 2004 presidential election, and that was pretty short. Today's line got still longer while I waited. I was still out in about 20 minutes, but the big turnout is a good sign, no matter who you support.

But especially if you support Obama.

Anyway, people, vote!

Baracktober

In case you hadn't heard, Election Day is upon us.

Already, the ridiculously small town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire has voted, and the returns are in: for the first time in 40 years, Dixville Notch has gone Democratic. Barack Obama beat John McCain, 15 votes to 6. Everyone else: don't forget to vote! Even if the line is really long and you live in New York or California so that, despite what everyone says, your vote will make absolutely no difference. Vote, or spend the rest of your life lying about how great it was to vote in 2008.

To be honest, the whole Young Everyone for Obama contingent (*cough* especiallyamongmycolleagues *cough*) is often obnoxious and makes we want to write in Hillary Rodham Clinton, but I won't do that. Despite his supporters, I like the cut of our next president's jib and most of his policy positions. Unlike everyone in the middle of the country, I don't think he's an elitist jerk just because he went to prestigious schools and apparently did his homework while he was there. Unlike everyone on both coasts, I don't think the middle of the country is a bunch of slobbering buffoons incapable of voting for someone who isn't white.

In short, I find virtually everyone in America highly objectionable at this point, but it still seems pretty obvious that the best man (by my measure) will win. So calm down, everyone! It's like I've been saying for months:

Seriously, the Republican Party is not organized enough to mount whatever weird scheme involving black helicopters and Bolivian cocaine that would be required to steal the election absent a Bush v. Gore style virtual tie. Luckily, Oliver Stone doesn't get to direct our actual lives. And if you're a McCain supporter -- well, I won't lie. I think you've backed the wrong horse, but at least his SNL appearance was entertaining.

So, at this time tomorrow, this neverending campaign season will finally, finally, finally be over. Then let us never speak of it, or Sarah Palin, ever again.