Dancing in the streets for Obama

November 5, 2008 3:51 PM

People took to the streets to celebrate Obama's victory in New York, Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Boulder, New Brunswick, Oakland, Philadelphia, Gainesville, Los Angeles, Boston, Portland, Atlanta, Cambridge, Madison, Richmond, Baltimore, Santa Cruz, and Washinton, D.C.

... and many other places.

posted by twoleftfeet (82 comments total)

Should this maybe go in the other thread?
posted by Krrrlson at 3:56 PM on November 5, 2008

You mean the thread with one thousand plus posts? I'd figure it'd just get buried there.
posted by Atreides at 3:58 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Because otherwise we wouldn't have known. C'mon people, I cried too, but this one's in the wrong spot.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 3:59 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

The other thread actually has 2050 posts at the moment. And it started before the election.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:12 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Having formerly lived in Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Portland and Oakland, and having been to Washington DC, Boston, LA and New York, I LOVED THIS.

Thank you for posting it here and not buried in the throbbing blob of the other post.

Not that I don't like the other throbbing blob post. Throbbing blobs have their place in this new America, also.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 4:15 PM on November 5, 2008

Downtown L.A was fun last night, but today has been great. I keep on hearing random people on the street just start shouting 'Obama! Obama!' every half hour or so. That's only trumped by the guy who driving along blasting out James Brown's "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" this morning.
posted by ob at 4:21 PM on November 5, 2008

How about this thread?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:24 PM on November 5, 2008

Neighbors (seattle gay bar) turned their speakers towards the outside, and this is what happened
posted by mrzarquon at 4:25 PM on November 5, 2008 [21 favorites]

Thanks for this thread.

Greenwich Village was full of joyous racket last night. We thought about trying to get to Times Square or Harlem, but stayed put (at Kettle of Fish on Christopher Street) so as not to miss the O-man's speech.

A great night, altho the beer plus Jaegermeister plus champagne turned out to be a big mistake.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:30 PM on November 5, 2008

Neighbors (seattle gay bar) turned their speakers towards the outside, and this is what happened

'Cause nothing says OBAMA like a little, uh, Journey goodness?

...

Who am I kidding, I'm all about the Journey.
posted by Justinian at 4:33 PM on November 5, 2008

mrzarquon: That is awesome.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:37 PM on November 5, 2008

The scene at MeFi's favorite hippie school, Hampshire College
posted by silby at 4:41 PM on November 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

I seem to have something in both my eyes :~)
posted by Awakened at 4:42 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the Hampshire link, silby! I've been watching these videos all day and chills every every time. WHAT BLACK MAGIC. Oh right: love, long-dormant, for my fellow countrymen.
posted by wemayfreeze at 4:46 PM on November 5, 2008

mrzarquon: I was thinking of that song last night and had yet to get to listening to it, knowing it would bring the tears -- to see it with the backdrop of my neighbors on Capitol Hill was perfect...
posted by Pantengliopoli at 4:48 PM on November 5, 2008

I suspect Shep Smith will be among them
posted by matteo at 4:48 PM on November 5, 2008

I was at the DC video scene, though I left about an hour earlier. Man, it was crazy--incredibly tight crowd, everyone happy, horns blowing everywhere, and everyone yelling at the White House. Bush, apparently, was home at the time. Hope we kept him awake.
posted by MrMoonPie at 4:48 PM on November 5, 2008

mrzarquon: I was among the 3500 or so people literally dancing in the streets last night on Capitol Hill (and I probably should have chosen that video instead). It was absolutely beautiful.

I've never seen anything like this in the U.S. - spontaneous outpourings of unbridled joy across the country. Other countries get to win the World Cup sometimes, but I can't think of another time when americans (well, a lot of us) were so happy together.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:56 PM on November 5, 2008

> mrzarquon: I was thinking of that song last night and had yet to get to listening to it, knowing it would bring the tears -- to see it with the backdrop of my neighbors on Capitol Hill was perfect...

I am continually kicking myself for not realizing how big of a thing that was, and that I just went to bed last night to an attempt to get some sleep before an early day today.

Right now I wish I was hungover at work, but delighted and with my own photos of the events, than just mildly regretful.

On the plus side, I think the partying will probably carry through the weekend. And maybe there will even a Prop 1 spontaneous party for us transit geeks.
posted by mrzarquon at 4:57 PM on November 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

You forgot Obama, Japan.
posted by gomichild at 5:03 PM on November 5, 2008

Apparently there is a victory march tonight in seattle?
posted by mrzarquon at 5:05 PM on November 5, 2008

Obama: The second coming.
posted by gman at 5:13 PM on November 5, 2008

still hung over and my bike bell ringing hand hurts.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 5:13 PM on November 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

Inauguration Day Meetup? Plz?
posted by brain cloud at 5:20 PM on November 5, 2008

Providence!
posted by lunit at 5:25 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was trying to figure out what this reminded me of. I don't think we've ever seen anything like it after an election in this country; it feels like the sort of thing you see at the end of a movie just before the credits roll. Then it hit me.

It looks like Berlin the night the Wall came down.
posted by EarBucket at 5:32 PM on November 5, 2008 [6 favorites]

Should this maybe go in the other thread?

This is the second attempt to derail a thread. Folks, if we all flag these comments, we can get them removed. We can do this, people.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:42 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

This Obama love is getting to be a bit much. He'd better be the Second Coming for all the fuss that's being made.
posted by Autarky at 5:47 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

It looks like Berlin the night the Wall came down.

Yeah. I actually thought of photographs of American cities celebrating the end of WWII.

When I left work yesterday, it was looking pretty good for Obama, but I didn't want to count any chickens or anything. Then I was away from any news during my hour-long commute.

When I got out off the BART train in Oakland, I was greeted by people dancing in the street, laughing and hollering. One guy in a car slowed down next to me, rolled down his window and showed me a large carton of ice cream.

"I'm gonna go home and celebrate with ice cream!"

Then he sped off. It was a really great way to hear the news.
posted by brundlefly at 5:54 PM on November 5, 2008 [12 favorites]

I am sooooo jealous. I live overseas, and I had a hectic-beyond-belief schedule for the past 36 hours and only just now am I able to soak in all of this. Wish I could've been there...whichever city, that is.
posted by zardoz at 5:55 PM on November 5, 2008

cheers for that lunit - seeing RISDoids clapping limply means something is really going on in the world : )
posted by sgt.serenity at 5:58 PM on November 5, 2008

Does running around my apartment screaming and kissing my boyfriend count?

It should.
posted by The Whelk at 6:02 PM on November 5, 2008

This Obama love is getting to be a bit much. He'd better be the Second Coming for all the fuss that's being made.

Don't think of it as a second coming, then. Think of it more like a giant fudge sundae after 8 years of shit sandwiches.
posted by brain cloud at 6:03 PM on November 5, 2008 [9 favorites]

I was trying to figure out what this reminded me of

VE Day is the only thing I can compare it too.
posted by CynicalKnight at 6:04 PM on November 5, 2008

And oh god, NYC had such a VISIBLE Hangover today. Worse than New Years. Aspirin sales must have SPIKED.
posted by The Whelk at 6:04 PM on November 5, 2008 [5 favorites]

I stood on a window ledge in Harlem and screamed "We did it, we did it, we did it" for two hours. Fireworks went off, cars were honking, people were dancing in the streets, hugging, laughing.
posted by bukharin at 6:09 PM on November 5, 2008

I think I saw more fireworks in Portland last night than I did on Fourth of July.
posted by spacely_sprocket at 6:24 PM on November 5, 2008

This is what the streets outside Grant Park looked like in Chicago
posted by Windigo at 6:29 PM on November 5, 2008

As to the Second Coming, I think it's more of a Moses thing.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:56 PM on November 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

Actually meant this photo, but the above works well as well.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:58 PM on November 5, 2008

Forget New Year's Eve, THIS is epic happy.

I've heard comparisons to the huge victory row at the end of Star Wars. That's... not a bad analogy, actually.
posted by Yoshi Ayarane at 7:01 PM on November 5, 2008

Man, I miss living in Madison.
posted by Rykey at 7:15 PM on November 5, 2008

Sadly for a lot of people in SF the elation has turned into something more mixed, as Prop 8's passage is pretty devastating. Still happy about the rest of the election, but it casts a nasty pall over it that makes it impossible to truly enjoy.
posted by wildcrdj at 7:15 PM on November 5, 2008

Gee, I wonder how this makes the republicans feel? It must flip them right out. If this type of outpouring had ever happened for Bush, I'd have been very afraid.
posted by madamjujujive at 7:25 PM on November 5, 2008

Public holiday for kenyans to celebrate Obama's Victory
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:52 PM on November 5, 2008

I love the pictures up at Obama Daily.

Gee, I wonder how this makes the republicans feel?

In my statistically insignificant poll of centrists (N = my dad), not too shabby. My 96-year-old grandma is another story. She voted Republican all her life -- she says more because that's how everyone she knew voted than anything -- but the last 8 years have made her what in Western Kansas passes for a radical progressive. She and I agreed that the polite thing to do with the rest of family during the holidays would be to maintain a discreet and dignified silence (with high-five breaks when no one else is looking).
posted by melissa may at 8:12 PM on November 5, 2008 [5 favorites]

I keep expecting the camera to pan over to Rod Serling on the street or to pan over from the Star Wars holograms on CNN. So far, I haven't seen the wisps of smoke that say Rod is will be speaking with us in a moment.
posted by juiceCake at 8:31 PM on November 5, 2008

mrzarquon: thanks, that's officially my video of the day. Nothing says fuckin' great like an impromptu JOURNEY street party, complete with 2000 people muttering vaguely along until it finally gets to the "streetlights! people! in the niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!" part.
posted by vorfeed at 8:31 PM on November 5, 2008

the polite thing to do with the rest of family during the holidays would be to maintain a discreet and dignified silence (with high-five breaks when no one else is looking).

*practices aforementioned by trying not to smile while re-reading above quote*
posted by YoBananaBoy at 9:04 PM on November 5, 2008

Public holiday for kenyans to celebrate Obama's Victory

Reminds me so much of the worldwide celebrations after Bush got re-elected! Ah, nostalgia.
posted by brain cloud at 9:05 PM on November 5, 2008

I was in a bar on 14th and U in DC, and a ridiculous party started on the very same corner as the 1968 King riots. I went down to the white house later, and yeah, it was pretty incredible. Much more than the fall of the Berlin Wall, it reminded me of the end of the Return of the Jedi special edition where they're knocking down all the statues and everyone's cheering for the end of the Empire.
posted by borkingchikapa at 9:40 PM on November 5, 2008

Goddamn.

Personally, I love seeing hundreds of really happy people all hanging out together. Dancing is an added bonus. Flag waving? A little bit unorthodox given the past eight years, but a nice thing to see nonetheless. I give this thing a 10 out of 10.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 10:27 PM on November 5, 2008

Those pictures at the Obama Daily LiveJournal community are amazing, melissa may. How rare it is to see so many people overwhelmed with that kind of joy. Thanks for the pointer. Now I'm weeping too!
posted by velvet winter at 10:41 PM on November 5, 2008

A friend of mine started this Impromptu Hi-Five Streetgame in portland.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:10 AM on November 6, 2008

Could everyone start posting links to flickr sets of the celebrations and such here? I'm looking for more inspiring photos of my fellow Americans.
posted by threeturtles at 4:58 AM on November 6, 2008

Gee, I wonder how this makes the republicans feel? It must flip them right out. If this type of outpouring had ever happened for Bush, I'd have been very afraid.

That's because Bush was one of the most unpopular presidents ever. I think even if McCain had won, there would still be bittersweet feelings from Obama supporters simply because McCain is not Bush.

Of course, he tried his hardest to imitate Bush during his campaign.
posted by sondrialiac at 5:39 AM on November 6, 2008

This video from Harvard Yard brought me to tears.
posted by EarBucket at 8:48 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I have posted a related question in AskMe.
posted by mwhybark at 10:07 AM on November 6, 2008

I was coming home from studying for a midterm when we encountered stop-and-go traffic and honking. My friend dropped us off and we saw that there was a HUGE crowd gathered in the intersection of Telegraph and Durant (this is in Berkeley), all cheering, dancing, crowdsurfing, popping champagne, climbing trees and traffic lights, honking their cars, riding each other's shoulders... it was just amazing. I took a couple of video clips of the event, and will post them up soon...
posted by curagea at 10:27 AM on November 6, 2008

This video from Harvard Yard brought me to tears.

Related: Harvard Class of 2012 Celebrate Obama Victory.
posted by ericb at 10:27 AM on November 6, 2008

I love the pictures up at Obama Daily.

Dammit. No I'm weeping. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. YES WE CAN!
posted by ericb at 10:33 AM on November 6, 2008

*No, I'm not weeping.*
posted by ericb at 10:34 AM on November 6, 2008

Elsewhere in Boston, kids were going batnuts in Kenmore Square.
posted by Smallpox at 10:40 AM on November 6, 2008

Awesome! Frigging Awesome!
posted by doctorschlock at 10:49 AM on November 6, 2008

I liked how peaceful it was. Especially in Grant Park in Chicago.
(Especially given the history)
posted by Smedleyman at 11:24 AM on November 6, 2008

I liked how peaceful it was.

Yes. I had this slight nagging fear that some people (not a lot, but it wouldn't take many to create an ugly scene that Republicans would talk about for years) would treat this like their team had just won the championship and start overturning cars and burning things. Thank God that didn't happen.
posted by EarBucket at 11:40 AM on November 6, 2008

This is beautiful. I was in Grant Park, celebrating in the street, horns honking, people hugging, all that... and the thought that, in almost every major city in the country, and indeed the world, people were doing the same thing, spontaneously, for the same reason...

OK fine so he's not the Messiah or anything, and things will calm back down eventually. But to all the cynics: don't you see the redemption in this? This is what people do, this is what countries do: they screw up and then make it better. Evil, or the bad side, is not conquered forever, or even that much tangibly changed right now, compared to three days ago. But what did happen is this: for one moment, at that moment, all that America was expressing to the world was its best side. Forgiveness, redemption, cannot happen without evil/bad in the past, and yet, somehow, it is wholly good. And yes I know it is not permanent, America will make more mistakes, just like anyone will, but right now, in this hour, it is not the mistakes of the past or future that matters, but the redemption of the present.

I'm probably not making sense at all, but, all I know is that everyone around me, myself included, has stories of tears of joy over the last two days, and I'm not in the mood to rationalize this feeling away.
posted by notswedish at 11:43 AM on November 6, 2008

So awesome. My neighborhood in LA was silent, which was annoying because I would've loved to be a part of some of these street celebrations. Any American should be proud of an event which brings people peacefully into the streets to celebrate!
posted by cell divide at 11:56 AM on November 6, 2008

Oh man, thousands of people singing the National Anthem makes me mist up. Might as well just start cutting some onions.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:08 PM on November 6, 2008

Awww, thanks for the Hampshire link!!!! I was there for the election of Bush in 2000, and it's so nice to see a JOYFUL reaction instead of the protests. Not that Hampshire doesn't do a good protest. We do.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:19 PM on November 6, 2008

I am so Jazzed!
posted by doctorschlock at 12:23 PM on November 6, 2008

(Thnx also for the Providence link. Maybe I should refrain from commenting again before I read the WHOLE thread, but I think we've hit up everywhere in the US I've lived, unless someone spontaneously comes up with something from that teeny town in VT where I was born, in which all five people and their cows start dancing.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:24 PM on November 6, 2008

(Ok, so I also appreciate the extra Boston links. It's really nice to see Bostonians show some joy for something that ISN'T the Red Sox.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:32 PM on November 6, 2008

Here are some pictures from downtown Raleigh, NC.
posted by remo at 12:59 PM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

We’re still sort of two countries tho.
I mean - where you celebrated, did a lot of people look like you? Where you wound up I mean.
There are still black nightclubs and white nightclubs sorta.
Not really an exclusivity thing. But we haven’t really gotten together. Something we’ve got to play* at.

* I don’t say work because really, we should learn to just relax and enjoy ourselves in each other’s company - broadly socially speaking.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:50 PM on November 6, 2008

Someone else on a local blog near me posted this -- this was out front of the bar I went to watch the speech at (I bar-hopped after I found out that one bar had a wide-screen tv, but the sound crapped out right after McCain called to concede). By the time I got to this block the crowd had doubled, and that woman with the flag was joined by a second woman with her own flag -- they ran into the middle of the street and started doing interpretive dance with them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:38 PM on November 6, 2008

You forgot South Park, CO!
posted by jckll at 4:00 PM on November 6, 2008

...shoulda been a raid on the Whitehouse castle, dragging Bush out and running him out of town on a rail. Obama coulda started as Prez yesterday.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:43 PM on November 6, 2008

I heard the New Brunswick one from my window. I didn't know it was a rally - I thought they were redistributing the wealth.

(Jay Kay)
posted by mikespez at 6:08 PM on November 6, 2008

...shoulda been a raid on the Whitehouse castle,

While I admire the sentiment, past examples of storming the palace and kidnapping unpopular leaders don't ....tend to go well. For anyone. Ever. Respect for the democratic process and reconciliation are better but (sadly) less popular.
posted by The Whelk at 10:45 AM on November 7, 2008

Worked for the Orange Revolution.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:40 PM on November 7, 2008

THIS IS THE FAVORITE THREAD EVA!
posted by humannaire at 4:40 AM on November 10, 2008