Yes. I started jumping up and down and screaming “oh my god” and hugging my friends when they announced his projected win, and then just broke down. I think it was just holding my breath for so long, wondering if there would be a place in this country for someone with my beliefs. Then again during his acceptance speech.
Several times, but mostly (for some odd reason) when everyone gathered on stage at the end. Just his interactions with his family and loved ones had me losing it the most.
Of course, I also teared up during McCain’s concession speech. Everything has just been too much emotional overload!
Yeah, I was a basket case by the time we got to McCain’s speech. It was extraordinary. What an incredible, profound sense of relief. The actual incarnation of hope realized. One of the deepest moments of human gratitude I’ve ever experienced.
I sobbed about midway through his speech-just before he went into the 106 year ol woman story (which was very cool all by itself).
Like others here, I did not realize how defeated I had become until I was given hope again. I feel like a great weight has been taken off my shoulders.
He won’t do it all–no one can. But he has vision and the ability to lead others. That is what we need in a President. I also like the fact that he goes to DC owing very little in the way of political favors to anyone, pols or lobbyists.
And it is nice to see a happily and functional married couple with kids as first family.
Yup. I teared up several times over the evening, but it wasn’t til I left school at 1 am that I really broke down. I was walking home when I heard a LOT of noise coming from the Diag (the central quad at the University of Michigan), so I wandered over to see what was going on.
There were at least a thousand kids screaming and jumping up and down and waving placards and flags. I’m a grad student and a non-traditional one at that, having returned to school eight years after graduating from college, and I admit that I usually look at the undergrads as kind of…annoying. They don’t walk fast enough and and they dress ridiculously. (Girls, I think you forgot something when you got dressed this morning. Leggings =! pants.) Yes, if I had a lawn I’d be telling y’all to get off of it. But seeing this happy crowd of young people who had all just voted in their first presidential election really got to me. The outpouring of good will really got to me. I took some pictures, but I forgot my camera at home today, so I don’t have any at the moment.
After dancing around the Diag for awhile, they took to the streets and marched around downtown for what must have been HOURS. (I know that probably sounds annoying, but 83% of the population in Ann Arbor voted for Obama, so I think most people were similarly excited, even if they weren’t dancing and singing in the streets.) I could hear them screaming and drumming on pots and pans as I walked home, and their enthusiasm kind of made me realize: this is real. And I stopped on a streetcorner and put my head in my hands and cried.
I went to bed kind of early on Election Night, before all the returns had come in.
When I woke up this morning to the sound of Obama’s acceptance speech on my alarm clock radio, tears came to my eyes.
Yeah. Many tears were shed in the office when it officially happened. Lots of “Thank you”'s back and forth.
I was pretty stoic, but I may need a day to decompress and just let it out.
Yes. Yes, I cried. Up here in Canada, I cried and my husband–who’s completely apolitical–cried. Tears of joy.
I am a proud Canadian, but that sometimes feels like you’re the younger child, the overlooked child, the follower, the one always influenced and never influencing, forever in the shadow of a larger, louder, brasher one. It’s a fight to be a Canadian nestled up to the giant, and sometimes it chafes, and I have to fight to soak up my own culture and history.
Last night was the first time I ever wanted to be a part of the United States. I wanted to be part of the joy, the victory, the history–and the hope.
Yes, we cried.
…and I cried this morning, too, when I heard this story on NPR. And maybe got a little sniffly at the office this morning.
I didn’t expect to - but the acceptance speech got me. And then I’d stop for a while, and then cry some more. Being in a really emotional crowd made it better and worse alternately.
it caught me by surprize as well. verklempt. i didn’t expect it to hit me like that.
eleanorigby, i agree. a strong first family there.
i had seen the obamas interact during the primaries and general. i thought the fist bump was a very tender moment. there was a moment where michelle came up behind him on the stage and wrapped her arms around him. he reacted like the sun just came out and warmed him.
last night, when the two of them exchanged “i love you” on that stage… that got to me. such a strong marriage.
Yes.
For two decades I was told I couldn’t have babies. I finally made it to the acceptance stage and was quite vocal about being happy that I wouldn’t bring life into the sad circumstances of this country. Imagine my surprise at getting knocked up! My husband works so very hard, but we don’t own a house or a car. We don’t have insurance. We don’t have savings for a weekend out, let alone college. What should be such a miraculous time in our lives is tempered with worry about our ability to give our baby a good lot in life.
After Obama’s moving speech I cried. I cried and hugged my belly tight and for the very first time I felt able to honestly tell my unborn child that we’ll be okay. Yesterday was hope, today is achievement and tomorrow - well, that’s the promise of our future and it’s smiling at you baby boy.
I also did the fat girl jig this morning when I saw that Obama won in Indiana.
Knock, knock. Hoosier? Why, it’s your new president!!!
xanthous was right - if you’re not expecting that, it’s an emotional broadside. More tears.
For those who have not seen it, the original site is linked to at the bottom.
Nope. I voted for him but I’m not that impressed.
I voted early, Tuesday last week, and went out to my car and started crying, really unexpected. Not a normal election experience… Just such a tremendous chance to make a difference.
When Obama became President, I cried too. The past day, I wondered why my eyes just gave up and teared so much. Realized; these Bush years have made me feel very miserable and scared, truly. It was a great release to feel somewhat out of that fear fucking mode. Not to say at all that Obama will wave a magic wand; it’s going to be hard as hell to dig out of this crap, but, at least there’s some hope.
Yes I did.
Not buh-wuh-huh-GASP-huh-bwuh crying, just make-up ruining, sniffy, gimme-a-tissue crying.
I also, later, experienced unexpected eye leakage over another Obama supporters joy.
I’m a proud Pansy 
I went through a whole slew of emotions after it was called.
I was so nervous all day. When coverage started, I was sure something was going to go horribly awry at some point. This was not going to be the easy victory the polls were predicting.
I told my friend who had come over that if VA gets called for us early- it would be a good sign. especially since it was one of the polls to close first- I figured that would be an early call. As it went on and on and on- and I saw Obama’s numbers down and down in VA- I just started getting more and more nervous. When MSNBC called PA so quickly- I was a little taken aback. Surely there was a mistake. When Ohio was also called fairly quickly- I was shocked. Surely there was some sort of Florida in 2000 type mistake. I told my friend (Who wanted the obama victory- but didn’t know the Electoral politics that well) that Ohio would pretty much seal it- we were just waiting for it at that point. But I didn’t know if I really believed myself. I was sure they were going to take Ohio away.
When they called the Race for Obama… I switched to CNN (who had been making their calls really conservatively) who also had called it for Obama. I was in a shocked stupor for I don’t know how long. In a relieved, too good to be true, elation. It really was just as easy as the polls said it would be.
By the time he gave his speech- I had a jumbled ball of emotions welled up. Watching him give his speech- they just all came out. I couldn’t help it. It was as powerful a moment I’ve ever felt. Tears of joy, tears of relief, toys of pure raw emotion. It was very cathartic.
Yeah, I did during his magnificent acceptance speech. I’m about as locked off from my emotions as a man can get, but those words ripped open my heart. So, this is what hope feels like?
Seeing Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face really hit me, too. I don’t like a lot of what the good Reverend has done and said over the years, but I can only imagine how much this means to that man. Having been next to Dr. King when he was killed, two runs at the presidency of his own, and to finally see it happen. It must have really felt like a Dream come true!
I didn’t, but I don’t really cry when I’m happy. I’d been nervous and jittery all day. We went to the grocery store around 6:00 or so, and we didn’t get back until 7:30, so I focused on that to keep from going stir-crazy. We heard that Ohio and Pennsylvania had gone to Obama and I did a happy dance. I saw the announcement on CNN, and I was just stunned. I’m an unrepentant chatterbox, and there was just nothing for me to say. Nobody said anything.
After a minute or two, I let out a whoop and went to get the sparkling apple juice to celebrate. Then I made lasagna.
I didn’t even cry during his acceptance speech, but I felt overwhelming relief and pride. I felt inspired. I was far too happy to cry.