President-elect Obama just finished speaking. It was powerful and moving, he’s quite an orator.

His message was one of hope, for the future of America and the world. He even addressed the rest of us, not in America. That’s unprecedented. The current occupant of the White House only made threats to the rest of the world.

I felt a bit sorry for John McCain when I watched his speech. I don’t think he is a bad man, I just think his policies were bad. People clearly wanted change and that wasn’t on offer from the Senator from Arizona.

I hate to piss all over the party, but the feeling I have right now reminds me of the day after Tony Blair was elected the first time, back in 1997. Strangers smiled at each other in the streets, people seemed so happy by the prospect of change. It was really amazing.

And we know how all that turned out. Not well.

I think it will be different with Obama. I hope so, anyway.

Obama has a lot to live up to. Many people will be disappointed with him when he doesn’t turn all the water into wine.

The changes Obama has promised won’t happen overnight, but they will happen. We need to be patient and let him do what he can. Don’t be discouraged if the happy feeling you have today wears off.

Trust me, it will wear off. It always does.

But for today, just enjoy it. Bask in it. Revel in it.

For today, for the first time in the better part of a decade, things have never looked brighter.

That’s it for me, tonight. I hope you’ve enjoyed my surprisingly prolific live-blogging this evening. I’ve enjoyed being able to comment on actual history as it unfolds.

the northlondonhippy
0535gmt - 5th November 2008

They may have been an hour behind me, but the American networks have now called the election in favour of Barack Obama.

That’s right, I beat everyone else.

This is a historic moment. I never thought in my life time I would ever see a black man elected president of the United States.

It’s an amazing achievement for Mr. Obama, and an amazing achievement for the American people.

No matter who you are, or where you are in the world, you can’t deny the significance of this moment in time.

Or as Bob Dylan said a long time ago, “The times they are a changing”.

the northlondonhippy
0410gmt - 5th November 2008

I can’t wait for the networks to call the winner of this election, so I am doing it myself.

It’s 10pm eastern time, 0300gmt here in north London and I hearby declare Barack Hussein Obama the winner of the 2008 presidential election.

Based on everything I’ve absorbed in the last half hour, there’s no way McCain could reach the magic 270 electoral votes.

Remember, you read it here first, fuckers!

the northlondonhippy
0301gmt - 5th November 2008

Something I noticed today, there were no pictures of Bush or Cheney voting.

Usually, the incumbent is seen casting his ballot. Usually, the incumbent also speaks after voting, offering a strong endorsement of his party’s candidate.

This year is not usual in this regard as the incumbent is so wildly unpopular.

It’s no wonder we haven’t seen much of him recently, and though he may not be currently in anyone’s field of vision, he’s certainly on their minds.

If anyone is responsible for the abysmal performance of the Republican party this year, its George W. (for What were they thinking when they elected him twice?) Bush.

When people look back at the historic election of 2008, Bush will take a large slice of the blame. And that brainless bimbo, Sarah Palin, who kept the independent voters away from the Republicans in droves, will also shoulder a healthy portion of blame.

the northlondonhippy
02:28gmt - 5th November 2008

Pennsylvania has gone to Obama.

Apparently that’s a good indication of where the race is going.

Also, it is looking good in Florida, which as you may recall has been a problematic state for the Democrats in previous elections…especially 2000 for poor ol’ Al Gore.

Even this close to a result, I am still nervous and unsure.

I’m still alternating between CNN and FoxNews, though I definitely prefer CNN. CNN has been highlighting viewer reports of various voting irregularities across America, with a really cool graphic map. The more orange an area is, the more they are screwing with people’s right to a free and fair vote.

And don’t forget the holograms!

It’s just gone 9pm on the east coast of America (0200gmt here in north London) and according to CNN, Obama is now leading leading McCain with about 3 electoral votes to one. That’s a pretty good margin, let’s hope it holds!

the northlondonhippy
02:02gmt - 5th November 2008

It’s all too slow, they are being too conservative and cautious in their predictions.

Tell me who’s winning!

As of now, Obama is up, up, up!

All you need to do is look at the people at the two candidates “victory” rallies. In Chicago, where as many as one million people are expected, it already looks like one hell of a party, while in Phoenix, the gathering appears to be more like a wake.

At this point, does anyone really think McCain can pull this off? Even McCain himself looked glum as he arrived in Phoenix a short while ago.

My tv viewing is settling into a routine, switching mainly between CNN (who I think have the edge) and FoxNews, with the occasional stop on the BBC. SKY seems a bit slow and looks a bit cheap and the BBC is actually doing a pretty good job, but the American networks have the resources and speed to do the story justice.

And what a story its going to turn out to be!

the northlondonhippy
01:25gmt - 5th November 2008

It might be closer than the pre-polling suggests, but I am already getting the feeling that its going to be a good night for Obama and his party.

I’ve been flipping between:

- FoxNews
- CNN
- MS-NBC
- SKY
- BBC

They all have giant sets and really whizzy graphics, especially the American networks. They’re all being cautious in their projections, which is sensible, but not very exciting.

CNN win on the technology front, Wolf Blitzer is talking to actual, life-like holograms of people in other parts of the country. Spooky!

The key states at this hour remain too close to call, but that in itself could be telling us something, as the key states in previous elections were firmly in the Republican column.

The internet may be my personal medium of choice for doing my own thing, but at heart I am a television viewer. I’m splitting my time between my desktop computer and my tv, though as this thing heats up, I’ll probably switch to surfing on my iPhone while I remain on the sofa. Like you needed to know that.

- the northlondonhippy
- 00:25gmt - 5th November 2008