# Did You Cry When Obama Won? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232 "2008-11-05T06:50:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/61 "2008-11-05T16:31:27Z")
Yes. And seeing Jesse Jackson cry did me in. I was thinking about him being on the balcony with Dr. King when he was shot…one of the lowest points of our history…and him working hard all these years and now seeing this, one of the greatest moments so far. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/62 "2008-11-05T16:32:37Z")
I was kind of in disbelief all night, so I didn’t cry. I couldn’t let go of the nagging feeling that everything was wrong or I was dreaming or something. But during Barack’s speech, at the end when he pulled out the “Yes We Can” stuff, talking about that 100+year-old-woman…well that’s when it sunk in and I cried like a baby. I couldn’t be happier for America. For all of us. I didn’t vote for the guy who was going to help me, I voted for the one who is going to help us ALL. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/63 "2008-11-05T16:52:51Z")
> [@tesseract](#): > > Yes. And seeing Jesse Jackson cry did me in. I was thinking about him being on the balcony with Dr. King when he was shot…one of the lowest points of our history…and him working hard all these years and now seeing this, one of the greatest moments so far. Yes, but… I’m just enough of a cynic to wonder if ol’ Jesse cut some onions just before going before the TV cameras. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![darkgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@darkgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darkgoddess)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/64 "2008-11-05T17:36:20Z")
My tears were relief and joy. For the past 8 years I have cried for the country I love. Obama knows “America” is the real America no blue/red black/white. We’ve got a lot of work to do. He needs our help as much as we need his leadership. GET TO WORK YOU SLACKERS!! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/65 "2008-11-05T18:16:51Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Yes. > > On MSNBC shortly after projecting Obama as winner they had ten minutes of footage, without commentary, on the crowds. And there was this black woman in Chicago who collapsed on the ground with her face buried in her hands and wept. > > I wept with her. Yep, I got choked up over the Spelman College celebration they were showing, where all the students were jumping up and down, screaming and laughing and crying all at once. Some of them just stood there with their hands over their mouths and tears in their eyes, almost like they just couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was incredibly emotional. ---
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/66 "2008-11-05T18:58:56Z")
Unexpectedly, yes. Suddenly, tears were running down my face. And then again during his acceptance speech. Several times. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/67 "2008-11-05T19:04:13Z")
Not when he won; that was jumping and screaming and hugging friends. There may or may not have been some abnormal moisture in the ocular region during his speech. I’m not convinced he’s going to fix a damn thing, but for the first time in my adult life I feel like there may be something of a chance that things will get better. ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/68 "2008-11-05T19:09:52Z")
Yes, I cried for joy. I can’t stop smiling today. This is like a 24 hour country-wide orgasm. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/69 "2008-11-05T19:24:06Z")
I cried a bit. It was like I was finally allowed to release all the pent up anger, anxiety, frustration, and fear. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I still get a bit emotional, especially when I see footage of the crowds. I just wish Prop 8 hadn’t passed. It was like a sucker punch to the balls (I’m imagining). ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/70 "2008-11-05T19:34:39Z")
Yes I did, tears were streaming down during the speech. I was holding my ethnically mixed baby thinking it is a great day and country today and I felt so happy and relieved. I now think I’m ready to mail in my application to become a US citizen. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/71 "2008-11-05T19:34:48Z")
I did, during his speech. I was surrounded by a young, progressive campaign staff and the joy and hope was overwhelming. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/72 "2008-11-05T19:35:09Z")
I’ll have to admit, even as conservative as I am, he acceptance speech made me tear up a little. Not because I like all his policies (his pro-choiceness worries me greatly) or think he’ll radically change America (no matter how great may be there is a lot of inertia and politicians tend to act like politicians no matter how he might want them to act), but because of what he symbolizes. We have a mixed race, son of an immigrant as the soon to be president. If that isn’t a vote for the American dream I don’t know what is. He shows that we as a country have come a lot closer to not only professing, but embodying our professed ideal of equality. I also teared up a bit when McCain brought up the historical significance of Obama’s election. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/73 "2008-11-05T19:40:00Z")
I teared up when they called it, when they showed Jesse Jackson (a man whose politics I don’t care for much) doing his best not to bawl, and in the closing moments of the acceptance speech. There are very few occasions when I get misty eyed from happiness. This was one of them. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/74 "2008-11-05T19:44:58Z")
I cried when Roland Martin on CNN talked about finally being able to look his nieces and nephews in the face and have no reservations in encouraging them when they talked about one day wanting to be president. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/75 "2008-11-05T19:59:59Z")
Not when he won, but during his speech. And several times since. I even got chokey visiting palinaspresident.com this morning (it’s hard to get a sense of it unless you’ve been following it the past month). ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/76 "2008-11-05T20:11:38Z")
Little bit. Then I realized how tense I’d been the last eight years. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/77 "2008-11-05T20:12:39Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/78 "2008-11-05T20:23:44Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > Not when he won, but during his speech. > And several times since. > > I even got chokey visiting palinaspresident.com this morning (it’s hard to get a sense of it unless you’ve been following it the past month). Dude, that got me on a full-on crying jag. I was not expecting that. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/79 "2008-11-05T20:23:49Z")
I did. MSNBC was talking to congressman John Lewis who was obviously stunned. He talked of the days he fought for the right to sit at a diner or ride the bus and how he never imagined he would live to see a black president. Pretty amazing moment for our elder African American citizens who remember much darker days of racism in America. Indeed a moment of renewed hope. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232/80 "2008-11-05T20:29:00Z")
Yup, I got a bit misty, especially when he made remarks about America. I think I was more touched by the notion of hope for America and for the world. And Obama has enough class to move us in the right direction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cry-when-obama-won/471232.md?page=5)