Elections | The New York Observer

In Chicago, a Great Day to Be in the Newspaper Industry

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:40:59 -0500

The Chicago Tribune probably wishes there were more days like this.

People are actually lining up on the street in front of the Tribune Building on the Magnificent Mile to buy copies of today's paper, which has Obama smiling, over the headline "Obama Our Next...

Dateline Chicago: The Very End of the Obama Campaign

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:33:38 -0500

CHICAGO—On the night before Election Day, Barack Obama’s Hyde Park neighborhood was dead.

Concrete barriers and a couple of cops prevented the rare pedestrian from walking past the stately houses and manicured lawns and red and yellow leaves falling on Obama’s street. A couple of blocks away, the lights were on in the living room of Bill Ayers, the Chicago education advocate and former member of the 60s radical group the Weather Underground to whom...

Ilyasah Shabazz on Obama

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:28:39 -0500

At about 8:15 p.m. on election night, Ilyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, stood inside the building where her father was assassinated in February of 1965 and spoke about the election of Barack Obama.

"I know that a lot of people my age and older never expected this to ever happen,” she began.

Speaking under a wall-length mural studded with images of her father, Shabazz, 46,...

The Pageant of Democracy

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:58:50 -0500

Tuesday morning the pageant of democracy began in earnest. At 6:15am on West 120th street off Morningside Drive, I stood with my neighbors in the longest polling line I have seen in more than two decades of voting on the Upper West Side. Reading about the death of Barak Obama’s grandmother as I waited in line, I thought of my own grandparents, long gone, and the journey that took all four from Russia and...

Paterson, Smith and an Emphatic Victory Party

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:42:34 -0500

The mood at the midtown Sheraton for New York Democrats last night: Jubilation.

First came the call by the national networks that Obama had won the presidency. Minutes later, with the crowd still breaking into Obama chants, and with some faces still moist from tears, Governor Paterson took the microphone in the ballroom after an uncharacteristically loud and excited Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver introduced him and announced to the packed audience of elected officials and...

Convincing, But Not the Landslide It Could Have Been

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:12:11 -0500

Barack Obama’s victory is historic and is also the best showing for a Democrat since Bill Clinton won his second term in 1996 with 379 electoral votes. As of the wee hours of Wednesday morning, long after John McCain had offered a gracious concession speech and Obama had declared victory, two states remained outstanding: North Carolina and Montana. Obama appeared headed toward victory in former and defeat in the latter, thus producing a final...

Wedding Dress Designer Angel Sanchez Can't Talk About Obama or His Mystery Pregnant Celebrity Client

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:36:32 -0500

The crowd at Josh Wood's LGBT gathering at Room Service was a fairly subdued one, with the majority of the mostly male crowd's attention focused on the club's various television screens.

In addition to the popular "Obama Pride" sticker, about one-quarter of the room was sporting name tags identifying their professions. "It's a networking thing, believe it or not," a helpful guest explained to us. Efficient! we thought, as we made our way...

Police Shutdown 'Guerilla' Viewing Party at La Esquina; Will Buzzkillers Also Ruin Williamsburg Bonfire?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:15:20 -0500

Police shutdown Serge Becker and Joseph Grima's open-air Elections returns party in stages starting at 9 p.m. First, they asked that the sound be turned off on the projected results, which were beamed above La Esquina in Soho.

Next, the projector was turned off.

Eventually, about 100 people spread out over three corners—a sort of downtown version of the Times Square crowd (think: stylishly dressed people who didn't seem to care...

Times Square: Strangers Are Hugging Each Other

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:07:58 -0500

CNN called it for Obama, and Times Square broke out in celebration. Strangers started hugging one...

CNN Calls Election For Obama

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:02:10 -0500

And Wolf Blitzer got to declare it, as the countdown to primary closings in the Western states put their projection for Barack Obama at 297 electoral votes, clinching him the election. Wolf...

Waiting for the West Coast to Put Obama Over the Top

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:56:23 -0500

Expect all of the major networks to call the presidency for Barack Obama in just a few minutes, when the polls close in the Democratic strongholds of California, Oregon and Washington. With Obama already at 207 electoral votes, those three states would bring his total to 279. Things should happen fast then: there will likely be news of a phone call from John McCain to Obama, a concession speech from McCain and finally a...

Richard Belzer: Every Black Kid Will Go to School 'An Inch Taller' If Obama Pulls it Off

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:54:33 -0500

Barack Obama booster and Law and Order wisecracker Richard Belzer was standing around with Tony Ortega, editor of The Village Voice, in the Audubon Ballroom on election night. He said he got "very emotional" in the booth.

"Pulling the lever for Obama was pretty amazing. And here we are in the Audubon Ballroom, where in February of 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. And tonight we may celebrate a black President, so let the healing begin."

If...

State Senate Democrats Pretty Sure They Won

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:52:10 -0500

The mood at the state Democrats’ midtown Sheraton party has turned rather giddy, since they think they’re about to obtain control of the State Senate.

Eric Schneiderman of Manhattan is even passing around a paper with unofficial election results that show a Democratic advantage.

...

Nadler: It's Over, Work Begins Tomorrow

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:33:58 -0500

U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler at the state Democrats' party in the midtown Sheraton: “It’s over – they called Ohio and they called Iowa.”

What's next in Washington, then?

"First of all, we have to gather how many people we have in the House… and what the Senate looks like," Mr. Nadler said. “Then the question is how much can we do?

...

Blogwatch: Crazytime

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:30:22 -0500

Ohio goes for Obama. People lose their minds:

Mark Halperin on The Page: THE NETWORKS WON’T TELL YOU BUT THE PAGE WILL: BARACK OBAMA WILL BE THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Nate Silver, on Fivethirtyeight.com: "!"

Andrew Sullivan: This is Obama's achievement; but it is also Karl Rove's.

Josh Marshall, on Talking Points Memo, under the heading of "F--K Ya Blogging": For the moment, I'm not sure what else I have to say.

John J. Pitney Jr.,...

Diane Sawyer! Suddenly Pops Up at Times Square!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:29:47 -0500

Who knew ABC's studio was right in Times Square? Well, we did, but we forgot.

Diane Sawyer reminded us when she got up from herperch for the first time in a while--George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson appear to be the only ones to play with that big, big screen--and walked all the way to a corner of their studio and found George Will, Donna Brazille, Matthew Dowd and Cokie Roberts sitting with laptops, a la...

At Overlook Party, Prosecco for Obama, Kool-Aid for McCain

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:28:59 -0500

At a party at Overlook Press publisher Peter Mayer's Thompson Street apartment, we learned a few interesting things. Most notably that at one point Mr. Mayer had almost rented his apartment out to Nas, the rapper, and his wife, Kelis. Who knew!

"Everybody's very happy," said Mr. Mayer of his party guests. "I don't think there's one McCain person here. There's Prosecco if we win, Kool-aid if we live...laced with cyanide."

A...

Hillary States Hand It to Obama

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:21:02 -0500

The combination of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire should give Barack Obama the presidency. The reason: Pennsylvania and New Hampshire were the only two Kerry '04 states that John McCain was seriously contesting. He has now lost them both, giving Obama a lock on 252 electoral votes (the number won by Kerry in 2004). Add Ohio's 20 electoral votes to that total and Obama is over the magic number. The rest of the outstanding...

Bob Schieffer Says Ohio Cake is Baked; What About Times?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:18:10 -0500

Even though Rick Berke said the immediacy of the web compels the Times to compete and call races as quickly as the networks, NBC, CNN and ABC are all over Ohio.

The Times still has Ohio as undecided.

But if you scroll down the page you can find Kit Seeyle's love blog where she reports that, yes, some networks have called it and she quotes CBS' Bob Schieffer as saying, "I think Barack Obama is going to be...

Cantor on a 'Democratic-Hyphen-Working-Families' State Senate

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:16:26 -0500

Dan Cantor, executive director of the Working Families Party, on the State Senate cliffhanger: “We don’t know yet. We think things are going well. We think we are going to flip the New York State Senate from Republican to Democrat-hyphen-Working Families.”

Mr. Cantor was at the state Democrats' party in the midtown Sheraton. “Two is all we need," he said, citing Brian Foley and Joseph Addabbo's chances against incumbent Republicans.

...

Georgette Mosbacher's Stiff Upper Lip

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:16:06 -0500

At the Harvey Weinstein/GQ party at the Public House on East 41 St., Georgette Mosbacher, another one of the hosts, was putting on a brave face. “As a Republican I plan to have fun in spite of it all. I’ll make the best of it,” said Ms. Mosbacher, who is the CEO of the Borghese cosmetics company and the ex-wife of Robert Mosbacher, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under George H.W. Bush.

But...

Georgette Mosbacher's Stiff Upper Lip

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:15:51 -0500

Oprah: 'There Are No Words'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:10:25 -0500

Chicago—Exclusive! Oprah Winfrey’s dreams have come true.

Asked how she felt tonight as she walked into a V.I.P. tent here at Grant Park, Winfrey answered, “There are no words. It’s sort of like the culmination of a world of dreams. It’s everybody’s dream. It’s everybody who has come before me and before him and everybody who will benefit from his hopefulness. It’s amazing.”...

Robert Caro: 'I’ve Seen Too Many Early Calls Go The Wrong Way'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:10:05 -0500

At 9:53, I spoke by phone with author Robert Caro from a party he was at in the Fifteen Central Park West home of former JFK aide Ted Sorensen. Mr. Caro said the party wasn't gleeful yet.

“I’ve seen too many early calls go the wrong way,” Mr. Caro said.

When asked about the party, Mr. Caro said “it’s an historic evening. Forty-three years ago, Lyndon Johnson passed the Voting...

Peek At Comedy Central Special: Susan Sarandon in Sneaks!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:56:59 -0500

Susan Sarandon and her family attended tonight's Indecision 2008, co-anchored by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Milling around near the kitchen in the early part of the night--where CNN played on a and popcorn, Doritos and 100 calorie packs of of Chips Ahoy were available for snacking--Ms. Sarandon wondered outloud if anything had happened, as states began to be called for the candidates.

She was wearing New Balance sneakers, and a...

Anthony Weiner Leaves Midtown 'Politicos' for Harlem's 'People'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:50:07 -0500

Representative Anthony Weiner was leaving the lobby of the Sheraton a few minutes ago, trading in the state Democrats' party in midtown for an event in Harlem.

But why?

“That’s more of a party of people rather than politicos,” Weiner said. “I think it’s appropriate we should be on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard when they announce Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.”

...

Ra Ra Riot! Actors, Gossip Writers Think There Could be Mayhem If Obama Loses

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:46:13 -0500

Actors David Alan Basche and Alysia Renier are married to each other. They also star on the USA Network show The Starter Wife. And on Election Night, they were both co-hosts for the Rock the Vote party at Citrine, on West 21st Street.

Today, they told The Observer, they were walking down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem, where they live and overheard a conversation among three men. “If [Barack Obama] doesn’t win,...

Malcolm Smith on the State Senate Cliffhanger: We'll Know by 11 O'Clock

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:39:03 -0500

I caught up with State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith at the Sheraton in midtown at the party for state Democrats. Asked about the Democrats' chances of retaking the State Senate, Smith demurred: “We don’t know yet. We’re optimistic." He said thinks he’ll know “hopefully by 10:30 or 11.”

Smith was trailed by an especially large entourage led by Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf.

...

Harvey Weinstein On Election Night: 'We're Gonna Sweat It Out'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:32:30 -0500

At the Bipartisan Election Night Party hosted by Harvey Weinstein and Georgette Mosbacher, Mr. Weinstein was remembering to another party guest about things were going around 6pm in 2004 for John Kerry. Then Michael Moore called Mr. Weinstein to say that something was wrong in Ohio.

This year, "I'm gonna stay nervous ‘til Ohio and Florida," he said.

In case anyone questioned his loyalties, Mr. Weinstein was wearing an Obama/Biden pin

...

Amid a Plague of Live-Blogs, The Atlantic Stays Classy

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:27:41 -0500

We’re having trouble locating a site on our RSS feed that hasn’t been overtaken by election live-blogging. Jezebel is. Time too. The Daily Cartoonist is, we kid you not, trying to live blog presidential election cartoons. You’re probably too busy live-blogging to even read this post.

But should you have a spare second between calling Wisconsin for Obama and saying petty things about David Gergen’s brace of hair, we want to recommend The Atlantic’s Live...

Chef Colicchio at Craftsteak Declares 'Indiana Doesn't Matter!'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:06:04 -0500

“He won Pennsylvania! Indiana doesn’t matter!” So declared "Top Chef" judge Tom Colicchio at 8:40 at his Craftsteak at 10th Avenue and 15th Street. Mr. Colicchio has installed two flat-screen TVs for the election night. He was settled in at a table with chef Marco Canora and renowned sommelier Paul Grieco when he issued his pronouncement upon the Hoosier State.

About a half-hour earlier, Mr. Colicchio had demanded more...

Housing Works Gets Crashed By Faux Naderite

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:03:26 -0500

At Housing Works, in Soho, intellectual types gathered to watch the returns where people usually sit for readings. MSNBC was on the tube.

A tall guy named Matt Stevens, who works as a personal assistant to a business woman and is in his late 20s, wore a Nader '08 shirt. So far, the response was negative.

"I wanted to stir the pot," he said.

Galleycat's Ron Hogan, sitting with a...

At News Corp., Barely a Boo for Obama's New Hampshire Win

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:56:14 -0500

Rockefeller Center is packed with election onlookers watching a red and blue 30 Rock display of the running electoral count.

But two and a half blocks over at News Corp.'s headquarters? Despite Fox's efforts to be accommodating, the scene was decidedly sedate as of 8:30. While there are enough people to (mostly) fill the 40 or so chairs set up next to a giant projector screen and the four swirling spotlights, the bar...

Dole and Sununu Gone, Senate Dems (and Schumer) on Track

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:45:53 -0500

Neither of these is particularly surprising, but Democrats are two seats closer to 60—Jeanne Shaheen is now projected to oust John Sununu in a rematch of their 2002 New Hampshire race, and Kay Hagan has defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina. The real test of whether this is becomes a great night for Senate Democrats—and for DSCC chair Chuck Schumer—is whether they can pull an upset in Kentucky, Georgia or Mississippi. ...

Old Town Speaks: The Election Night Wisdom of Gerard Meagher

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:43:12 -0500

A little after 7 p.m. at the Old Town Bar and Restaurant on E. 18th Street, where a casual after-work crowd had gathered for some election-night boozing, one of Old Town’s co-owners, Gerard Meagher, whose family has owned the place for decades, walked towards the back of the bar, ordered a fine Scotch malt whiskey, and started talking politics.

“We’re probably the only place in New York that has Fox News on,” joked...

At Comedy Central, Fans In Hats Get Psyched for the Jon and Stephen Show

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:36:38 -0500

Before they started "loading people in" to Comedy Central's "Indecision 2008" special with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, 200 people were lined up outside. Network folks were passing out water and popcorn. The first in line, Siobhan McCarthy, 25, and Valerie Addonizio, 25, had set up shop at 2:45 in the afternoon. Ms. McCarthy and her sister, Fiona, 23, an investment banker, was there too, and they went to the same high school as...

At Doctoroff Staffer's Party, An Obama Tree and Even a Republican

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:34:39 -0500

At a West Village party thrown by former Deputy Mayor and current Bloomberg L.P. president Dan Doctoroff's Chief of Staff Angela Sun, a Barack Obama tree made of tinsel and Mr. Obama lollipops is the grand prize. "I made the tree but I didn't make the lollipops--I had them made," said Ms. Sun.

Her boyfriend, Tom Brown, walked in and introduced himself; Ms. Sun informed us that Mr. Brown is a Republican. A real...

At Onion Party, There Are 'A Lot of Jokes To Be Made'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:11:01 -0500

By Tuesday afternoon, The Onion's ‘War For the White House Election Night Spectacular,' at Fontana's on the Lower East Side, was already sold out. Three hundred and fifty people were on the waiting list, and 800 others had been turned down.

As things got underway around 7 p.m. this evening, Onion features editor and party organizer Joe Garden joked that he was still hoping for a win for Bob Barr. He'd voted...

Mitch McConnell's Challenger Not Done Yet

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:10:01 -0500

The good news for Democrats is that nearly 20 percent of the vote in Kentucky has been tabulated, and even though the state was called early for John McCain, Bruce Lunsford remains relatively close to Mitch McConnell in the race for U.S. Senate, trailing by about 12,000 votes. McConnell seemed to be widening his lead in the final polls before the election, raising the possibility of a quick and decisive win. So far, though,...

At Will Leitch's Party in Cobble Hill, Obama Supporters and Exit Polls [UPDATED]

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:05:30 -0500

When the Daily Transom showed up to Will Leitch's "Election Angst" party in Cobble Hill this evening, Mr. Leitch, the one time editor of Gawker media's sports blog Deadspin who now pens a column for New York Magazine, directed us immediately to the backyard, where around a few people were standing around drinking beer; others were inside watching the returns on TV. A quick survey revealed that 11 voted for Barack Obama, one for...

Obama Projected to Win Pennsylvania

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:03:28 -0500

ABC News just called Pennsylvania for Barack Obama. If the projection hold, it should mean that Obama has a hold on all of the states that John Kerry won in 2004, for a total of 252 electoral votes. Add to that Iowa, a Bush '04 state that Obama has led by double digits for months, and he has a very firm grip on 259 electoral votes. That means that a win in just one...

Blogwatch: Heartwarming Tales of Obama, Already

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:57:27 -0500

If Obama pulls it out tonight, progressive bloggers will get as shriek-y as teen girls at a Beatles concert. We predict posts that devolve into exhilarated, random hitting of keys: “He’s Black Reagan! Bi-Racial Roosevelt! SAHFGOhasjnaaw**%!!!!E#R$!”

But The Most Breathless Post In the History of the Liberal Blogosphere may already been written. That would be Boyd Reed’s “I Didn’t Vote for Obama Today” on TPM Café. We'll spoil the twist ending for you:

When my ballot...

Andy Rosenthal: Falling For Sarah Palin Would Have Been Like Falling for 'Mission Accomplished'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:53:12 -0500

Has the New York Times been fair in this election? That's what Frank Rich asked Andy Rosenthal at a panel discussion going on at the Times Building just now.

"I can't be objective. I've been critical of the times in the past. I think our coverage has been fine. I don't fault the Times, the Washington Post or the Journal," he said. "I think the real problem has been on television, particularly on cable. People...

Early Reactions at DL21C

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:47:04 -0500

At the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century party at Worldwide Plaza, security guard Juan Perez, 32, on Obama: “I think he’ll help not only the rich people but also the poor people and the middle-class. I think it’s a bad situation right now, and what got us there is who’s there right now. Obama will take us out of this.”

The crowd cheered when Wolf Blitzer—on a giant 100-foot...

As Virginia Goes...

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:41:10 -0500

Of all of the states with polls closing at or around this hour, Virginia should be the clearest indicator of how tonight will end up. The reason is simple: Obama is strongly positioned to hold on to all of the states John Kerry won in 2004, for a total of 252 electoral votes. (Only Pennsylvania, with 21 electoral votes, is being vigorously contested by John McCain, but he remains a very long shot to...

Warner Wins Senate Seat. Now, the Tough Races.

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:32:14 -0500

The least surprising result of the night is now official: Democrat Mark Warner has defeated Jim Gilmore in Virginia, claiming the seat of retiring Republican Senator John Warner. Mark Warner, a mega-popular former governor who was ready to run for president this year until Barack Obama unexpectedly showed interest in the race during the fall of 2006, led by close to 30 points for virtually the entire campaign.

Democrats still need to pick up...

Times Hillary Reporter: She's Not Bitter

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:21:57 -0500

Pat Healy, who covered Hillary Clinton throughout the Democratic primary, just told the crowd at the Times building that since June, Hillary has felt warmer toward Barack Obama, that he's grown as a candidate. "Her primary concern is that a Democrat takes the White House. There are no residual...

What Does Adam Nagourney Do, Right Now?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:18:59 -0500

"I'll start right now as if the outcome [the recent count] suggests is the outcome," Adam Nagourney told a crowd that gathered at the Times building. "I'll write other versions too. Four years ago, the legendary Johnny Apple had written an early edition Q-hed analysis on exit polls that turned out to be wrong. And Johnny reacted pretty badly to it. I started writing it, but I'm also writing the other...

Will Patti Smith Show Up To Rock the Vote at La Esquina?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:15:43 -0500

At Kenmare and Cleveland, a block party is getting underway in front of La Esquina, the super-hip, faux taco shop. Not-for-profit art gallery Storefront is setting up a soundsystem, and projecting ABC on the giant wall above the restaurant, which is giving out free hot chocolate. The big news? Storefront director Joseph Grima says that Patti Smith might come by and play a few tunes. (Wondering what time? He's hoping for sometime between now...

At Democratic Leadership for 21st Century Party, 'Old Europe for Obama!'

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:55:03 -0500

At the Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century party at Worldwide Plaza, which they’re calling "New York’s largest election night viewing party," there's three $5 drinks on the menu that will be discounted a dollar every time Obama picks up a battleground state:Obama Mama -- rumScranton Scrapper -- basically, your typical sex on the beachSi Se Puede ("Yes We Can" in Spanish) -- a margarita

There's also a few excited Germans, law students at...