Day After Elections…
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 5th, 2008
Well, it’s final. The votes have been cast and tallied. Obama will be our 44th President of the United States!! What an exciting time to be an American. This will be the first time in our nation’s history that we have an African American as our Executive leader. Last night (or should I say morning) ended with a big bang. It was broadcast on the televisions showing BBC and CNN throughout the Embassy: Obama had won. The crowd cheered like mad!! In celebration today, Ambassador Tuttle hosted an election breakfast at his home at Winfield House.
Hours after the party has ended, I have gone back to re-watch the speeches given by Obama and McCain. Both spoke eloquently and on good terms about the other. I must say, there speeches both impressed me. McCain’s speech spoke only good things of his love for his country, which he will continue to faithfully serve. Obama politely spoke of McCain’s great job at campaigning and looks forward to working with both he and Palin in the future. Our nation is headed to for a tough, but bright future. There is much work that Obama will have to manage. I just want to end by telling everyone, I Am Proud To Be An American!!
The Night Carries On…
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 5th, 2008
Guests sit down in the auditorium to watch CNN on the projection screen, while eating hamburgers and fries… Midnite munchies are kicking in. The wine continues to flow and the guests remain, even though it’s nearing 2 o’clock in the morning. This has been such a spectacular evening speaking with political junkies and enthusiasts! As an American, I am impressed by the number of British citizens whom are highly informed of our US Presidential election.
At this exact moment, Obama leads with 103 points v. McCain at 49. It will be interesting to see where these candidates stand in the next hour!! I’m going to need to head on over to the Starbucks guys who have a portable coffee carrier strapped to their back. Gotta stay awake… I need a large cup of Joe!
Oh, What a night!
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 5th, 2008
The first minister of Northern Ireland Ian Paisley and American actor Josh Hartnett are just a few from the list of star studed guests attending tonight’s Election party. The Embassy is packed with guests and Embassy employees!
Upstairs the woman’s choir sings with energy and downstairs at the Regal Eagle, the house music is thumping as guests and Embassy employees alike chat and enjoy the great eats provided by Subway, Burger King, and private caterers. Guests slowly meander from the press center to the main entrance to talk about what is on everyone’s mind: “Who is gonna win? And why do you think that?” Everyone’s eyes veer towards the numerous televisions posted throughout the Embassy that give the latest polls of the election, and hear what CNN critical poll analysts have to say. So far, only 2 states have come in: Kentucky and Vermont. When will the other states come in??? We’ll keep you posted throughout the night!!
And We’re Off!
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 4th, 2008
The party has kicked off to a grand start. Guests sporting patriotic red, white and blue colors to celebrate this election, trickle in to the main entrance room. They’re greeted by a woman’s choir singing patriotic songs at one end of the room and tables full of nibbles and drinks at the other end. In the press room, guests chat, meet and greet one another. In the background is the large map that will highlight the minutely election updates.
Downstairs, Burger King and Subway serve delicious meals, while volunteers serve drinks to guests. The party is under way!! What an exciting place to be. The guest list consists of a long and prestigious line of diplomats, reporters and the likes. There is this air a vibrant air of excitement and energy at the Embassy tonight. More info on this happening party will come soon!
Presidential Shortbread
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 4th, 2008
Burger King has created a new brand of ice-cream just for the party at the American Embassy in London namely Presidential Shortbread! Here’s a photo of the poster:
Presidential Shortbread icecream !
Before the Party….
Posted by politics in Election Night party 2008 on November 4th, 2008
The party preparations are nearly complete, members of the Press are arriving and perhaps most importantly, the food and drink preparations seem nearly complete!
We’ll be bringing you updates from the “party floor” during the night and we’ll also post things on Twitter at http://twitter.com/usembassylondon and on the Embassy’s website which is at http://london.usembassy.gov/ . Our State of the Party page at http://london.usembassy.gov/electionnight08/index.html gives you access to all the above and more information as we go along!
Have fun and remember : you CANNOT vote at the Embassy! For all voting information please see http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/scs/voting.html .
On The Eve of the Presidential Election
It’s only hours away from counting in the votes to determine our 44th President. What predominantly plays on the news are the little snippets as to the whereabouts of candidates Senator McCain (R) and Senator Obama (D) on their last minute sprint to win over undecided voters mainly on G.O.P. turf. It will be exciting to see in the upcoming hours how this election will conclude: Will Obama, take over the White House and shake up the scene with his Democratic ideals, or will McCain dominate and bring in his own form of change to an existing Republican White House? We shall see. The US Embassy of London will keep you up to date with how this exciting election will play out tonight. So be prepared!
Obama accepts Democrats’ presidential candidacy
It’s official — Obama fever has stormed the States!
Today, Senator Barack Obama paved the way for change as he accepted the Democrats’ presidential candidacy to run for the November 4th Elections — in a historic speech in front or a crowd of over 80,000 at the Mile High Stadium in Denver.
Every day, I say that this day has been the best yet, however, I really do think that last night was the highlight of the whole trip.
Obama fever is sweeping over the States — capturing the hearts and minds of millions of Americans, particuarly young Americans.
What about in the UK? Is Obama persuading us in the UK about whether he is ready for the presidency, and would be be a better ally to us than Bush? Who knows, but whether we like it or not, I think that we might just have to accept it, as from what I have witnessed in America, the next president of America is not going to be John McCain, but is going to be an African-American from Chicago named Barack Obama.
Next stop — New York!
The Final Day Dawns…
Well, the dawn of the final day – a big day for Mr. Obama as he will deliver a speech this evening for his presidential nomination acceptance speech.
This morning should be a good one – as I am going to a breakfast with Mr. Obama – so it should be a great morning!
James.
At The Democratic Convention!
Well, since I last wrote in this blog — what an amazing few days it has been!
The city has come alive with tens of thousands of Democrat delegates, media reporters and lobbyists — all here to witness history and to soak up the electric atmosphere that is a National Party convention!
During the interesting academic work which I have been doing whilst in Denver, I feel I have succeeded in my goal of understanding how the presidential election systems works, which, believe me, is a terribly difficult task; much harder than understanding our relatively easy democracy – and I am achieving my academic goals of understanding the contrasts and similarities between the British and American systems of electing a leader. On the education side of things – all is well!
Apart from academia, there have been a number of events I have been to – from Hillary Clinton’s New York delegation breakfast, to speeches by Howard Dean and to the heart of the Pepsi Center where so many key speakers have and will be speaking – not to mention meeting President Jimmy Carter whilst on the floor!
James Greenhalgh with President Jimmy Carter at the Democratic Convention
Only a few more days left, but my, how interesting and privileged I feel to be here at the convention, effectively being a youth ambassador for the young people of the UK and the UK Youth Parliament — witnessing history in the making!
Can it get any better than this? We shall see.
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