McCain Concedes

by hilzoy

John McCain just gave a truly gracious concession speech. I particularly liked the way he seemed to be urging his supporters to give Obama their complete support, not to forget that Obama will, in fact, be their President. It would have been an easy thing to somehow forget to say. It was an honorable speech, and I salute him for it.

Comments

[socratic_me]

Hear hear!

It was weird watching him consistently have to calm his supporters whenever he said something positive of Obama.

As TNC pointed out over at The Atlantic, McCain seems almost unburdened to be done with the whole thing.

[The Modesto Kid]

Are we going to get network coverage of Palin's victory speech?

[doubtful]

I can still hardly believe it.

Part of me is very glad the McCain who gave that speech allowed himself to be influenced by Rick Davis, Holtz-Eakin and the other nattering nabobs of negativism.

We did it! Yes, we did!

[Gary Farber]

"Are we going to get network coverage of Palin's victory speech?"

Remember, she's a uniter.

Palin said, "It won't be so much partisan. ... It certainly would be a uniter type of role.

Just like George W. Bush and Richard Nixon.

[tomeck]

McCain tonight was the guy I thought I might be able to support back in 2000. If he had run his campaign like that instead of the the mud road that Schmidt and Rove and the rest took him on he probably would have done better.

Can't say I'm unhappy with the results.

[Gary Farber]

Tv networks referring to "President-elect Obama."

I so didn't allow myself to believe it, until now, after 2000.

So: wow.

[Don the libertarian Democrat]

I agree.

[Gary Farber]

I want to be the first to say it: four more years! Four more years!

There, done. Beat ya to it.

;-)

[Gary Farber]

This is so effing great.

[rea]

A very gracious concession speach. It was, of couse, predictable that he would recover his sense of honor at this point . . .

[Gary Farber]

I have to ask: where is Jay Jerome?

And Ken! It's a shame ken is banned!

Because yes we can, and yes, all their bigotry and stupidity can't.

Justice outs. Truth outs. Yes we can.

It's a new America. And let everyone work harder to make it better. Make it so. Heal the divides.

This is not George W. Bush. This is the true American. I have lived to see it. Thank god almightly. Here at last. Here at last.

[tomeck]

Obama just finished speaking.

Wow!

[Gary Farber]

I can hardly believe that he's our new president. I just can hardly believe it.

I literally can't believe happier political news. This has never happened before in my life. I must be dreaming. I couldn't allow myself to believe it could happen before now.

I'm effing dreaming.

Too bad he's not the socialist of the crazy winger's nightmares, of course, but still.

;-)

[Gary Farber]

It's like the fucking end of Star Wars.

[publius]

i too thought the speech was excellent

[MeDrewNotYou]

It's like the fucking end of Star Wars.

I like that analogy! We blew up the Death Star of GOP sleaze! We slew the Emperor Bush! The only shame is we've got no Ewoks.

But Sasha and Malia are getting a dog, so good enough. ^.^

[Andrew]

The only shame is we've got no Ewoks.

Yub Yub!!

[xanax]

The fitting time and place, I believe, to thank you, hilzoy, for your tireless, elegant, articulate and always-appropriately-wonkish efforts on our behalf to make this a reality.

President Elect Obama owes you a thank you note... as do we all.

[Slartibartfast]

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama, and well done.

[chance]

Nicely said, xanax.

Thanks all at ObWi.

[JakeB]

As a friend of mine put it, summing up today, "Yes we can has cheezburger!"

[JakeB]

It's nice to feel proud of my country again, at least for a day.

[Overjoyed]

Amen to JakeB and tomeck.

I cried during the national anthem before Obama's victory speech. Of course it's a beautiful song, but today it spoke of a beautiful country. I am *so* happy!!

And McCain... tonight he showed himself the honorable man who if he had campaigned like that would have done so much better.

[hilzoy]

Sorry not to write more: I'm really speechless with joy.

I mean: I always thought he had it in him to do this. (Not that it was a sure thing, etc., etc., but that it was possible.) But it's another thing entirely to assimilate the fact that it has actually happened.

Just think for a moment about what it means that we have elected someone who teaches and understands the Constitution. After these last eight years, little things like that just make me cry.

Thanks, xanax.

[Eric Martin]

Hilzoy deserves the thanks. I just keep her place while she's not posting.

Also: President Obama.

President, Obama.

Say it.

It sounds so unbelievably wonderful.

[Gary Farber]

President, Obama.

Say it.

It sounds so unbelievably wonderful.

No, no! for crissakes, so I have to teach you people how to punctuate!? It's "President Obama"! Not "President, Obama!"

Punctuate, people! Be literate! Say what you mean!

[AndyK]

I'm trying very hard not to inflate my hopes and expectations, but I gotta say: This juices me in a way no other election victory ever has. I think he has the chance to be great. And even failing that: At least he's incredibly smart, sane, and judicious, which is such a relief after our long national nightmare.

I'm not sure which makes me happier -- the prospects of his presidency, or the fact that at least a small majority of Americans have finally rejected both the hideous policies of the last eight years AND the egregiously evil form of campaigning that seemed to work over and over.

ON the down side...Cal. Prop 8.

[ThatLeftTurnInABQ]

Mayor Cory Booker of Newark,NJ sounded really good on MSNBC talking about the change which Obama represents being about a generational transition in American politics rather than just a reshuffling of identity politics of the last 30 years, and about how he is telling the people in his city that this is about people making their own changes from below rather than expecting it to come down from above.

[Caravelle]

"The President of the United States, Barack Obama"

Squeee !!

[gwangung]

Yeah, that Booker interview was interesting. And it falls in line with what I was seeing with things like gay marriage and all...as the current youth get older (and stop being youth), they begin to dominate and their attitudes are a lot more liberal than their elders.

[Caravelle]

AndyK : ON the down side...Cal. Prop 8.

53% vs 47% is very very bad... But only 33% of precints have reported, surely it's not desperate ?

[KCinDC]

Argh, Michele Bachmann survived. But we may possibly be rid of Virgil Goode, though the race is incredibly close.

[KCinDC]

And OCSteve may have a Democratic congressman -- Kratovil up by 808 votes with 98% reporting.

[Jeff]

The only shame is we've got no Ewoks.

True -- they make good eats!

It was a good, but not great, concession speech. He referred to "Senator" Obama rather than "President-elect" Obama, and still did nothing to rebuke the booers in the crowd.

As good as we can hope for from McCain, I think.

(Last Senate projections were at 56. I hope we stick there if we can't make it to 61; and throw Liarman out the window.)

[Ara]

Congratulations, everyone. Congratulations. We made world history tonight. A really great thing happened.

[KCinDC]

Have we really doubled the number of Democratic House members from Virginia, with the split in the delegation going from 3-8 to 6-5? And of course doubled the number of Democratic senators from Virginia as well.

[Ben Alpers]

It's like the fucking end of Star Wars.

Jonah Goldberg would doubtless point out that the end of Star Wars was directly modeled on Triumph of the Will.

[Hartmut]

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
---
This could be called a Triumph of the Will indeed (unlike the Riefenstahlian original). The will of millions not to be scared/intimidated/suppressed/fooled/etc. by the Republican apparatus and Obama's will not to sink to the level of his opponents.

[Gary Farber]

Obama's speech.

Yes: we did!

[Gary Farber]

Forgive me the long excerpt, but I loved this:

[...] This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing--Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.

Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves--if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth--that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people.

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

40 years the wrong way, and now we're back on the right path. Thank god almighty, free at last. Free at last.

[Gary Farber]

My celebration.

Also, I'm 50! Best present ever!

[matttbastard]

Holy shit!

Happy birthday, Gary!

And...wow. Just wow.

[Slartibartfast]

True -- they make good eats!

Nah. Actually, they taste like lizard.

[russell]

Brilliant.

I thought McCain's speech was superb.
I thought Obama's speech was more than superb, it was uplifting.

IMO it's going to be a really crazy four to eight years, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks -

[Jesurgislac]

Gary: Also, I'm 50! Best present ever!

Really?

*sings* "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Gary, Obama for you!"

(I cannot carry a tune. Fortunately, on the Internet this does not matter.)

[Gary Farber]

Jes, right now, I'd like to hug you and kiss you, and give you the best hetero thanks ever!

Also, tea? Crumbcakes? Anything nice at all? I offer it all.

[ThatLeftTurnInABQ]

Happy Birthday Gary!

Not much else to say, after last night I need a rest.

[Ugh]

It's like the fucking end of Star Wars.

Yep.

[Jesurgislac]

Well, Gary, since you ask, the thing that would make me genuinely happy would be if - given that by this time you *know* I won't, ever, respond to your comments in general discussion - you quit responding to mine. Especially when all you have to say is something insulting. I appreciate that you're tired, in pain, depressed, in trouble, angry, depressed, in pain, and angry, and Christ knows I appreciate how snarling can make a person feel better. But I will not respond, and I got tired a long time ago of your taking advantage of that by making endless personal comments. So, if you actually do momentarily feel like doing something nice for me, what I would like much better than tea or crumbcake would be a moratorium on your comments to or about me.

Alternatively, I could sing "Happy birthday" a second time, but I fear this might constitute an international human rights crime (where applicable).

[Gary Farber]

Gee, Jes, I suppose I could accept your ill will. Gee.

I'd rather try to be friends, but, gee. Can't we just disagree in friendly fashion? Am I so inhuman, or what? What the heck?

[Jesurgislac]

Gee, Jes, I suppose I could accept your ill will. Gee.

Gee, Gary, alternatively, you could accept that I bear you no ill-will, I just see no point in responding to you in general discussion. And instead of bearing ill-will against me because of that, you could just take the opportunity to quit hating on me for not responding to you.

Or not. Up to you.

[jwo]

Yes, McCain did make a good speech, but my feeling is that he owed it to us. And by "us" I do not mean Obama supporters, but the country. His campaign spewed venom and divisiveness and did much harm. As I was heading to the polls yesterday (in a Red state that just went Blue!!!!), I saw a lady pulling out in a car that had a bumper sticker saying, "A vote for Obama-Biden is a vote for Osama Bin Laden." Cute. But McCain-Palin did a lot of harm and I do not think he has done enough yet to undo it. In my opinion, John McCain still has a lot of work to do.

[Hartmut]

I now had the chance to hear McCain's concession speech. If he had run his campaign that way he would likely be the president elect now. A dignified exit indeed (for him at least, the crowd was a disgrace again. I almost expected them to bombard him with rotten tomatoes).