| In the real world, as a matter of record, there isn't much dancing in the streets. Setting aside sanctioned festivals, it's mostly just a figure of speech, especially when used predictively (see "Iraq, invasion of"). Election Day, November 4, 2008, was different. That night, Baltimore Avenue in Philadelphia was clogged with a jubilant mob boogying with abandon, banging pots and pans in time with horn blasts from engulfed cars. In Kisumu, thousands of Kenyans shimmied in the streets, singing, kissing, thumping on drums in such an unalloyed outpouring of euphoria that the government was moved to declare a national holiday. In Seattle, a club turned its speakers into the street, blasting a beat for the enormous dance party that rocked downtown. In Jakarta, schoolchildren hugged and danced in the pouring rain. In New Haven, hundreds of Yale students, mad with joy, spontaneously poured from their rooms and converged on a campus green, where they formed an enormous circle of celebration. And in Manhattan, Broadway was quickly cordoned off as thousands of New Yorkers streamed south toward the lights, dancing, shouting, overcome by a big, bold blast of history, the kind that filled up Times Square on V-J Day. And then the next day, after the street parties were over, people went out and did something many of them hadn't done in years: They bought newspapers. Yes, newspapers. By the trainload, actually. The Washington Post printed up 30,000 extra copies; they sold out instantly. So they ordered another 150,000 copies, then raised it to 250,000, then eventually 700,000—offered at triple the usual cover price. In Los Angeles, the Times printed up an extra 107,000, but they were gone in an instant. Outside their downtown offices, a line of customers formed around the block. Two days later, it was still there. Meanwhile, The New York Times put an extra 250,000 papers on the street, but individual copies still popped up on eBay for $200 apiece. And at last count, USA Today had printed 380,000 additional copies, with online sales still brisk. All those folks scrambling for copies weren't just interested in election returns, obviously. They could, after all, get the details from TV or the Internet, and probably already had—maybe even from their local newspaper's Web site. But what they couldn't get was the crisp, tactile, iconic artifact that is a daily newspaper— that tangible proof that something big had really happened. The morning-after newspaper, with the huge headlines reserved for historic events, continues to be seen as the indispensable keepsake—one that can forever evoke and refresh a deeply consequential memory. To our industry, it was a glorious day and no doubt will be recalled fondly. It seems doubtful, with newspapers inexorably losing their place in public life, that we will see many more like it. But on November 5, 2008, for one day, we became a nation of newspaper consumers again. Across the country, editors were breaking out the 72-point type, and the public couldn’t get enough of it. This collection of front pages evolved from that continuing excitement, and part of its great appeal is that it allows readers to vicariously experience the same ringing event from many vantage points. Each newspaper had its own particular cultural or geographic perspective, so while the basic lead ("Obama wins!") was the same everywhere, there was considerable variation in the framing. For Hawaiian readers, for instance, it was a hometown-boy-makes-good story. For Atlanta, with its civil rights legacy, the story is the ultimate triumph of social justice. In The Arizona Republic, John McCain's home newspaper, the smiling winner shares the front page with a gracious loser. To look at these disparate front pages in sequence is to grasp the enormity of Barack Obama's dream of bringing a fractious country together. But the overriding tone of elation and pride suggests he's off to a pretty good start. Did I mention there was dancing in the streets? --Garry Trudeau A New Era: Excerpts from President Obama Election 2008
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Elections - Books On Amazon.com Check eBay.com!
  BOOKThe Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election Dan Balz $13.49
About this product:  BOOKGaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (and What We Can Do About It) William Poundstone $2.56
About this product: At least five U.S. presidential elections have been won by the second most popular candidate, but these results were not inevitable. In fact, such an unfair outcome need never happen again, and as William Poundstone shows in Gaming the Vote, the solution is lurking right under our noses. In all five cases, the vote was upset by a “spoiler”—a minor candidate who took enough votes away from the most popular candidate to tip the election to someone else. The spoiler effect is more than a glitch. It is a consequence of one of the most surprising intellectual discoveries of the twentieth century: the “impossibility theorem” of the Nobel laureate economist Kenneth Arrow. His theorem asserts that voting is fundamentally unfair—a finding that has not been lost on today’s political consultants. Armed with polls, focus groups, and smear campaigns, political strategists are exploiting the mathematical faults of the simple majority vote. The answer to the spoiler problem lies in a system called range voting, which would satisfy both right and left, and Gaming the Vote assesses the obstacles confronting any attempt to change the U.S. electoral system. The latest of several books by Poundstone on the theme of how important scientific ideas have affected the real world, Gaming the Vote is both a wry exposé of how the political system really works and a call to action.
 BOOKStealing Elections, Revised and Updated: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy John Fund $10.00
About this product:  BOOKElection Tom Perrotta $4.80
About this product: The book is set in a New Jersey high school amidst a hotbed of political activity: students are voting for their school president. Perrotta's cast of characters are exaggerated but convincing. They convey adolescence as it often is--sometimes painful and frequently awkward. Tracy is the popular girl, smart and pretty, but she isn't quite as perfect as her classmates assume. A sordid affair with a teacher lurks in the shadows. Paul is the jovial football jock, but his parent's divorce has left him hurt and vulnerable. Then there is Paul's younger and geekier sister Tammy, the tormented underdog struggling with her sexuality. Plot develops through a series of mini-chapters, narrated by the main protagonists. There are also frequent interjections from Mr. M, the all-around good teacher every kid loves--the kind of teacher Hollywood loves to enshrine in sentimental flicks. A genuine crescendo of excitement and anticipation consumes the reader, as we eagerly await who has won the election. This is a novel of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, and is probably best appreciated by grownups with enough perspective on their own adolescent experiences to be able to take the bitter with the sweet.  BOOKHow to Win a Local Election, Third Edition Lawrence Grey $10.51
About this product:  BOOKPresident Obama Election 2008: Collection of Newspaper Front Pages by the Poynter Institute The Poynter Institute $10.13
About this product: President Obama: Election 2008 is a collection of over 75 November 5th, 2008 newspaper front pages from around the world, including international, campus, and ethnic newspapers. There is no better statement of the emotion, excitement and significance of this historic event. Compiled by The Poynter Institute, a non-profit school for journalists, this book will be a cherished keepsake or gift for any of the millions of Americans who cast their vote for the 44th President of the United States. A Look Inside President Obama: Election 2008, with an Introduction by Garry Trudeau BOOKToo Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election Jeffrey Toobin $2.97
About this product:  BOOKHow To Win A Local Election, Revised: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide Judge Lawrence Grey $5.75
About this product:  BOOKA Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign Edward J. Larson $5.75
About this product: This was America's first true presidential campaign, giving birth to our two-party system and indelibly etching the lines of partisanship that have so profoundly shaped American politics ever since. The contest featured two of our most beloved Founding Fathers, once warm friends, facing off as the heads of their two still-forming parties -- the hot-tempered but sharp-minded John Adams, and the eloquent yet enigmatic Thomas Jefferson -- flanked by the brilliant tacticians Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, who later settled their own differences in a duel. The country was descending into turmoil, reeling from the terrors of the French Revolution, and on the brink of war with France. Blistering accusations flew as our young nation was torn apart along party lines: Adams and his elitist Federalists would squelch liberty and impose a British-style monarchy; Jefferson and his radically democratizing Republicans would throw the country into chaos and debase the role of religion in American life. The stakes could not have been higher. As the competition heated up, other founders joined the fray -- James Madison, John Jay, James Monroe, Gouverneur Morris, George Clinton, John Marshall, Horatio Gates, and even George Washington -- some of them emerging from retirement to respond to the political crisis gripping the nation and threatening its future. Drawing on unprecedented, meticulous research of the day-to-day unfolding drama, from diaries and letters of the principal players as well as accounts in the fast-evolving partisan press, Larson vividly re-creates the mounting tension as one state after another voted and the press had the lead passing back and forth. The outcome remained shrouded in doubt long after the voting ended, and as Inauguration Day approached, Congress met in closed session to resolve the crisis. In its first great electoral challenge, our fragile experiment in constitutional democracy hung in the balance.A Magnificent Catastrophe is history writing at its evocative best: the riveting story of the last great contest of the founding period.  BOOKPerspectives on Election $11.23
About this product: Despite the focus upon a topic that divides many people, editor Chad Brand says, "The goal of this book is to add clarity to the discussion and to further the discussion, insofar as it is possible, in an amiable manner." |
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