Obama supporters ecstatic after lengthy campaign

CHICAGO – Believe.

For a campaign based on that very slogan, some Barack Obama fans still can’t believe it. After 21 months of campaigning, they have their president.

An endless sea of 125,000 jumping, screaming and singing fans gathered in Grant Park on Tuesday to witness a historic speech as Obama became the 44th president and first black president of the United States.

“We have done it,” said Carolyn Ford of Olympia Fields, Ill. “Oh my, it brings tears to my eyes to know that I have witnessed a candidate ...who believes in people.”
Ford said she was most proud for her son who was watching from California.

“As an African-American mom, it sends a message that he can be whatever he dreams to be,” she said.

The mob of people swelled with excitement, most constantly discussing feelings of pride and hope that this nation could elect a black president.

“Of all that we’ve had to overcome in the past, this is a huge moment,” said Amanda Law, from Crete, Ill. “It’s not just a moment for African-Americans to share. It’s a moment for Americans to share. All generations got together and made change. ... I feel like this time my vote actually counted.”

Elaine Boytor couldn’t help the tears continually streaming down her face and could only muster out the word “unbelievable.” Like many others, Boytor said she knew in 50 years she would look back on this moment in the same ways people today look at Martin Luther King’s famous speech.

Sandy and Jim Poor of Hinsdale, Ill., were watching the results pour in from CNN on large TV screens at the park. When Obama was named the winner in Virginia, Sandy began to get really excited, sensing a win coming.

“I just can’t believe it,” she said, pointing to goose bumps on her arms. “I’ve wanted it so much and it’s seemed so impossible.”

Moments later, the CNN headline read “Barack Obama Elected President.”

The IU alumna closed her eyes, pumped her arms into the air and screamed as her husband kissed her on the forehead.

“I don’t know that I’ll believe it ‘til I wake up in the morning,” she said. “I can’t believe we finally did it.”

Earlier in the day, lines blocks long formed where supporters hoped to get close enough to catch a glimpse of Obama’s victory speech.

Judith Elam, a woman wearing at least 10 Obama buttons over her Obama T-shirt, decided two days ago to come to the rally all the way from Houston. She and her friends had no tickets and expected to be blocks away from the stage. Their best view would come from large TVs.

“It’s going to be history in the making,” she said early in the afternoon. “I want to be here in the city that he lives in and celebrate with him tonight.”  When asked if she thought Obama would win, she said, “I just know. I feel it in my spirit.”

Margaret Olin, a 60-year-old voter from Chicago’s Hyde Park, said she remembers being in the same park in 1968 for the Democratic National Convention. She hasn’t worked for a candidate since the ’60s, she said.

“The possibility of an African-American president is just too wonderful to be true after all that this country has been through,” she said. “The whole world is watching again. This is what we want the world to watch.”

Fans lingered in downtown streets after midnight, and helicopters still circled the area. Cameras were seen flickering from the apartment buildings lining nearby streets during Obama’s speech. Lights from office buildings were shaped into an American flag, “U.S.A.,” or simply “Vote 2008.”

“This moment is a period in history that I will never, ever forget,” said Ketan Vaghani of Chicago. “The campaign didn’t end tonight. It just started and I really feel the energy. Everyone is empowered to make a change.”