Sixth reaction

My great friend Greg Schrock filed this report this morning after spending the evening at the victory celebration in Grant Park, Chicago.

Dispatch from the Epicenter of Obama's America

Well my friends, it's morning again in America, both literally and figuratively.

They'll blame the financial meltdown and "Bush fatigue," but at the end ofthe day, Obama offered a compelling vision for change in our country thateven their basest attacks couldn't beat. And thank goodness the outcome wasn't terribly close -- both so that we don't have to spend the next four years hearing the wingnuts yammer about rogue community organizations and hanging chads, but more importantly so that President Obama will be better positioned to be President for all the people and get some things done.

Leigh and I were fortunate to be in Chicago, the epicenter of this historic occasion. Ironically, it's been eerily quiet here throughout the campaign season -- unlike a lot of you who live in "battleground" states, the outcome of Illinois was never in doubt, either in the primaries or in yesterday's general election.

With the exception of some late advertising intended for NW Indiana, we hardly saw an ad on television let alone people knocking ondoors or calling for my support. And until I went down to Indiana last weekend to do some canvassing in my native Elkhart County, my direct participation in the process had been embarrassingly low. (There was a good posting from a correspondent for The Nation who was travelling with some folks working the same precinct: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/379204/hoosiers_for_obama)

So that brings me to yesterday. As I'm sure it was where you are, there was a palpable excitement in the air throughout Chicago. A cheery endurance of long election lines (except in my precinct -- no wait!), but also the awareness that the city was about to witness something really amazing.

The plans for last night's celebration -- and Mayor Daley's suggestion that a million people might show up -- set into motion a logistical operation of epic proportions. Offices in the Loop closed early (Leigh's office closed at noon), and outbound trains were packed at 3 pm. The weather was clearly a good omen -- record high temps in the 70s during the day were giving way to cool but manageable high 50s temps in the evening. Despite my best efforts to secure tickets to last night's "main event" on the south end of Grant Park, we were unable to do so (I KNEW I should have kicked in another hundred bucks).

But like several hundred thousand other folks, we decided to venture down anyway to take in the event. Despite warnings of long lines, we breezed through the highly efficient security point at Congress and Michigan around 7pm and made our way to the north end of Grant Park near the Petrillo Bandshell, where they had set up a large TV blasting CNN as the results trickled in. The crowd was lively and festive, and much like the last time we sat in that lawn -- for Stevie Wonder at this year's Taste of Chicago -- the crowd was incredibly diverse. Black, white, young, old... a good cross section of the city.

The crowd alternately cheered and booed as CNN called states for Obama and McCain and displayed early returns, but in the spaces between people kept themselves occupied -- a man behind us played bongo drums, vendors hawked plastic American flags and "I was there" buttons and T-shirts, people calling and texting others. (The restriction on alcoholic beverages meant that the crowd was a little less surly than it often is for such large events.) But as some of the major dominoes began to fall -- Pennsylvania, then Ohio -- it was clear that it was going to happen. And when at 10pm Chicago time CNN projected that Obama would in fact win, the crowd exploded in jubilance.

People cried. Others danced. Some cried, then danced.

For the next hour, we stood and waited while McCain gave his concession speech (politely received except for references to Sarah Palin), and the expectation of Obama's arrival grew. Chants of "O-bam-a" and "Yes we can" sprouted and faded.

Finally at about 11pm, he delivered his amazing victory speech, the sound of which echoed off the Loop skyscrapers and condominium towers lining the park, enveloping all of us in a series of joyful waves. Aside from intermittent cheers, the crowd of probably 30-40,000 in our end of the park was silent, rapt in attention to the screen in front of us.

When it was over, the nearly 250,000 who had assembled in various parts of Grant Park streamed out into the closed-off streets. Like marchers in a demonstration, we walked with a purpose and a sense of accomplishment. A woman congratulated and shook the hands of passersby, another person turned to me as we walked and said "Congratulations -- your vote mattered this time!" Some stood on embankments and curbs and took in the scene as waves of people walked up Michigan Avenue. People snapped photos on cameras and cell phones as they walked. Here are some of mine: http://www.flickr.com/gp/54377908@N00/2WAaex

Anyway, enough of that from here -- morning is almost over! Time to get to work, America!!!

Best,

greg