November 5, 2008
Election Night in Grant Park
Last night an electrified 125,000 or so people gathered in Chicago’s Grant Park to hear Barack Obama give his first speech as President-Elect. Sure, a good portion of the night was spent watching CNN on a giant screen and I couldn’t actually see any part of the stage during the live speech, but this night was about experiencing history and it didn’t disappoint.
Pictures from the night are here
Pennsylvania was called for Obama before I even made it out of the house. But while that dropped much of the night’s suspense, none of the excitement potential faded. Pennsylvania meant almost certain victory. He’d pretty much have to lose in Virginia, Florida and Ohio now and it seemed unlikely that John McCain would accomplish such a run.
The train headed downtown wasn’t over filled, but the shirts, buttons, stickers and anticipatory smiles were a giveaway that everyone was headed to the same place. Sure enough we all got off at Monroe or Jackson and streamed East toward Michigan Avenue and Grant Park. Most were already outfitted and the display of different designs and creative expressions was non-stop entertainment. This is certainly the first campaign I can remember that’s inspired such a spontaneous artistic outpouring. For those who didn’t have any gear, vendors stood along the sidewalks ready to provide Obama shirts, hats, hand towels and the light up victory cup I wish I’d purchased.
Arriving at the park the crowds were met by a flashing sign indicating which side of the park was for ticket holders and which was for those without. A sound system intoned “Welcome to Election Night in Grant Park. Ticket holders to the right.” There was a line, but from the other side was an unorganized clump that merged with the line at the first security check where they checked for tickets. The crowds were filtered in through several checkpoints, each featuring a slightly higher degree of scrutiny. First it was ticket, then all electronics had to be turned on, then a check that the ID matched the ticket holder’s name.
Walking in there were open spaces and moments when the crowds bunched to be checked, and the soundtrack of CNN’s election coverage could be clearly heard. Everyone hustled through the open spaces trying to get into the park as fast as we can. As we head toward what might be the next checkpoint or the edge of the real crowd my girlfriend observes, “Everybody’s running to watch CNN.” And so we were.
There were no further security checks and past the pizza concessions the crowd was filling up the North end of Butler Field. A stage set up of some kind was across the park, but the park was segmented with large fences one of which prevented getting any closer to the stage. We could stand and look up at CNN, which I noticed had colored Ohio blue while I’d been on my way to the park. Only a matter of time now.
It really doesn’t matter where we are in the crowd. It’s all one big smiling anticipation field and the booming CNN broadcast is ringing out nonstop. Well, it stops during the commercials and is replaced by songs used on the campaign trail like “I’ll take you there” and for just one chorus, Kanye’s “Touch the Sky”. The crowd is ready for a celebration of a somewhat relaxed and relieved sort. Still a Care Bears beach ball get batted over and into the back of people’s heads and everyone is paying attention, cheering for Obama states and booing as McCain’s southern victories rolled in or Ted Stevens gets name dropped.
The loudest cheers were coming when the cameras showed shots of the park. People love to see themselves on TV. The hologram thing really stopped everyone in their tracks. It was really the only uncomfortable moment, but when will.i.am beamed into the newsroom for a slightly awkward chat, things got momentarily quiet. Of course it wasn’t long before Virginia’s name was called for Obama’s team and the crowd knew exactly what this meant. California’s polls close in minutes and with the big state’s big collection of Electorals Barack Obama would be over 270 and he’d be the next President of the United States.
And then he was.
There was plenty of cheering, hugging, high-fiving, crying and general overjoy going around. The CNN people kept on talking, but they were hard to hear for a few minutes of hopes being realized. When things settled down a bit the CNN chatter came back into focus, but the crowd wasn’t paying nearly as much attention. The wait for McCain’s concession speech was on.
Thankfully he didn’t wait too long, and he covered all the right things with his final campaign speech. He might not have been gracious on the campaign trail, but he showed that side on election night. But he did keep on talking quite a bit. When he got around to thanking his campaign staff by name I found myself wondering when the awards show wrap it up fanfare would finally kick in. Right after he got off, CNN was bumped for a shot of the stage and the victory rally was officially underway.
An invocation, a pledge, an anthem, random shots of Oprah, “Sweet Home Chicago” and a video montage later Barack Obama took the stage to deliver a speech many people never believed they’d see. The speakers set across the park made his words echo just a bit and the concise speech was among his best. The mood of the park stayed excited and charged, responding with genuine enthusiasm.
Once he concluded no one knew quite what to do. The feeling of “is this real?” hung for a moment in the air, then satisfied it was, the 125,000 or so streamed calmly out of the park. Michigan Avenue was shut down to cars and people ambled up and down the road as they pleased. Occasional roars rang out here and there although what caused the excitement was rarely apparent. The crowd didn’t seem ready to head home and no one felt like rushing them. It was settling in that tomorrow was a new day and with the accomplishments of today that new day came with more possibilities.