Haydain Neale, 1970–2009
Transit City and Transit Cities
Peeve Patrol
Newsstand: November 23, 2009
The Making of a Medley
As the announcement of Barack Obama's victory neared last night, a group of about forty revellers gathered at Yonge and Dundas Square to celebrate and Welcome Back America. Public art group Newmindspace was also in attendance and provided music and encouragement to the crowd.
Torontoist will be following up with a comprehensive photo post on the election reaction in Toronto. If you have pictures, add them to the Torontoist Flickr Pool!
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Here's Eye's report, complete with The National reference.
Welcome back America? Almost as many people voted for John McCain voted as voted for Barack Obama. Make no mistake, America is ideologically divided, despite what the electoral college might make you think. So perhaps you should change the title to "Welcome Back 50% of America". Make no mistake my friends, individual liberty and self-reliance will make a comeback.
At the very least he probably won't invade a foreign country just to settle an old grudge. So we non-USians can be happy about that.
The idea that modern day republicans are on the side of liberty is nonsense. Comical, even.
Pickletoes, McCain garnered 46% of the popular vote, and no, I don't think anyone was pedantic enough to call the event, "Welcome back 54% of America." Besides, you're missing the point of, it's welcome back America, not welcome people who voted for Obama. If you can't see the difference I doubt anyone can explain it to you.
America has always been ideologically divided and it always will be. I and my fellow Europeans laugh at the idea that Obama is left wing. American political divides are so minor to barely register on an international scale. The issues that divide the parties, that are so incredibly divisive to the nation, are as much semantic as they are traditional or faith-based.
PickleTrolls - Individual liberty? The Republican party wants to push a minority religious moral set on the rest of the country, into the classrooms and science books and popular media, and make sexual orientation a determinant in the rights people have. Self-reliance? So McCain was going to put an end to bank loans and mortgages, fire departments and police forces, hospitals and dentists?
I'd say you're full of bullshit but I know you're trolling so you don't actually believe your own rhetoric.
Miles - I think everyone outside the US, and maybe rural parts of Alberta, laughs at the idea that Obama is left wing.
spacejack: The idea that modern day republicans are on the side of liberty is nonsense. Comical, even.
Yeah, and that's why they fear the Democrats. They'll take a bad situation and make it worse.
PickleToes,
I enjoy your repeated use of the phrase "make no mistake." It provides the correct comedic reference point.
friend68: Haha, not bad.
PickleToes:
I do hate the expression, "make no mistake." It's a bully-boy phrase, meant to warn that the speaker really means what he is saying.
wasn't "make no mistake" a line Bush used to sell his stupid policies that the world is suffering from today? and half of them didn't really make sense to begin with.
here are some quotes:
"The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake, we will show the world that we will pass the test. "
"Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die."
"This is clearly a case of good versus evil, and make no mistake about it.. good will prevail."
"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House -- make no mistake about it."
"But make no mistake - as I said earlier - we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction."
munzz: Uh oh, maybe I actually am Bush...
no you are not
but make no mistake about it, you would love to be able to vote for Bush for another term. ;)
ummm as happy as I am aboout the Obama victory (super hella happy) Prop 8 does put a dampner on things.
^As do similar ballot initiatives passed in Arizona and Florida.
That's part of why I don't buy the Obama "Change" hype. Social decisions are made at the state level. There's no way Obama would even attempt a bill legalizing gay marriage, not when even the most liberal (for American values of "liberal") states can't get it together.
I cried.
Prop 8 was completely drowned out in the easter half of the country, I am a news JUNKIE and sadly i didn't know the about the issue until it was too late.
Poor california. Hopefully they'll get it back in the courts.
it was fun to see the celebration, here in TO and around the world.
I am an Asian-American who grew up in the southern part of the U.S..
I was very happy that he got elected but at the same time somewhat surprised at the same time.
Only in my humble opinion...I am no expert...
it shows that now, more than the majority of the philosophy of the people living in it no longer fit the system installed from the beginning in that country.
Country is highly capitalistic but the peoples' needs are different.
I wonder whats gonna happen.
Again, its only my 2 cents.
Now that Obama is in. And everyone in Canada loves him, perhaps it's time we start thinking about joining the United States and becoming the 51st state.
Based on the demographic shift, the USA and Canada should become one very happy country.