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photo by Brie Cohen
At the Ramada Inn, Freeborn County Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Art Anderson stands close to the TV and claps Tuesday night the moment Barack Obama is named presidential winner.
Obama turns to building administration
President-elect picking a Cabinet
Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008
CHICAGO — After eight years of Republican rule, Barack Obama turned today to the task of building a Democratic administration to lead the country out of war and into the financial recovery that he promised.
Obama planned to spend the rest of the week at home in Chicago, turning in earnest to reviewing the hiring decisions he’ll have to make in the next 2 1/2 months. Campaign advisers have already presented him with names to review for key positions, but they said he wasn’t focused on filling the jobs before winning the election.
A top priority, the advisers said, would be picking a White House chief of staff to help manage the selections to come. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel appeared headed for the job, said Democrats who spoke on condition of anonymity before the announcement, expected as early as Wednesday.
Obama also faces intensive national security briefings that will prepare him to take over as commander in chief.
Photo by Brie Cohen
Latacha Beck wipes her tears while watching Barack Obama give his victory speech Tuesday on TV at the Ramada.
“We know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century,” Obama said in his victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park. “There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created, new schools to build and threats to meet and, for us to lead, alliances to repair.”
He said the solutions wouldn’t be quick or easy — perhaps not even achievable with one term. “I promise you — we as a people will get there,” Obama said.
Obama planned to keep a low profile on his first full day as president-elect, aides said. Obama had told reporters over the weekend that he’d hold a press conference Wednesday, but the campaign staff later walked that back and said it would be more likely to come by the end of the week.
Photo by Brie Cohen
Katrina Ellis, left, and Eli Vick hug at the Ramada while watching the TV after Barack Obama was named the new President of the United States on Tuesday night.
There were more personal decisions to be made, too, like when to move his family to Washington and where his 10- and 7-year-old daughters will go to school. Obama also was expected to take time to mourn his grandmother, who died Sunday before she could see the grandson she helped raise achieve his dream. Obama could be considering a return to his native Hawaii for the small private ceremony that she requested be held later.
In a congratulatory call to Obama, President Bush pledged to make a smooth transition and extended an invitation to the Obama family to visit the White House soon.
And then there was the matter of the family pet. “Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House,” he told his daughters in his victory speech.
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Comments
Posted by OldTrojan (anonymous) on November 5, 2008 at 3:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
NoDFL! Where are you? No comments today? You are missed.
Posted by Disgusted (anonymous) on November 6, 2008 at 7 a.m. (Suggest removal)
NoDFL is probably going through a period of silence and mourning like so many others. The "gloaters" are smiling and sitting with open hand waiting for all the loot our President Elect has promised them during the campaign. They have sold out for a few pieces of silver.
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on November 6, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We need to all get behind our new president, whether we voted for him or not. I pray he does what he talked about and that our country does have a change for the better. We teach our children good sportsmanship, we should take a lesson from that ourselves.
Posted by stitch0852 (anonymous) on November 6, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Change - it was his platform. CHANGE. Appointing those who were in office with the Clintons doesn't seem like a good way to get "Change" off the ground to me.
It sounds like more of the "same old, same old" he campaigned against.
As he said in his victory speech, "To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices."
This isn't a good way to earn support. I will reserve final judgment pending several things.
1. He needs to put to rest the question regarding how he got to Pakistan in 1981 (U.S. Passport or Indonesian Passport?)
2. He needs to put to rest the citizenship on his college application.
Both 1 and 2 need to be done in a matter so as to be beyond reproach, not doctored documents posted on the internet. (No, I am not taking the word of others, I have examined the jpg file in question and I can prove it has been doctored. It is NOT a true scan of an original document in its current form.) Furthermore, I can explain to anyone who has a program that can open a JPG file and a scanner how they can prove to themselves it is not a true scanned copy of the legal document. No lights, no mirrors, just opening the file and looking closely at it reveals this.
I want to know that our President has AMERICA'S best interests at heart, not Kenya, Indonesia, nor any other nation. He has stated during his campaign his plans to help Kenya, AMERICA FIRST!
3. Answer the Washington Post story regarding campaign contributions coming in the form of pre-paid cards from untraceable sources.
Before the flame spraying begins - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
How did $174,000 get into his campaign funds from ONE person (when each person is limited to a maximum of $2,300) who, when contacted, stated she NEVER gave to his campaign?
The American Presidency should not be bought, it should be earned. Touting the capability to outspend your opponent, purchasing a $3 million 30 minute TV ad does not demonstrate your capability to budget monetary resources.
THEN, and only then will I consider supporting him.
I found it quite convenient that the media neglected to mention the morning of the election that Sarah Palin had been cleared of any wrong-doing in the "Troopergate" investigation by the Alaska officials investigating. Only a tiny crawl along the bottom of the screen alerted possible voters of this. Evidence the love affair between the media and Obama continues.
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