Decision 2008: Obama Now President-Elect (Videoblog)

Blogger Shaun King and NPR's Tony Cox react to Sen. Barack Obama winning the White House.

Geoffrey Bennett

12:58 AM ET | 11- 5-2008 | permalink

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Congratulations, President-Elect Obama!

Credit: Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Geoffrey Bennett

11:42 PM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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Decision 2008: Down To The Wire (Videoblog)

Political watchers Harry Allen and Edward O. Willis join Farai Chideya, as the latest returns give Sen. Barack Obama an edge in electoral votes.

Geoffrey Bennett

11:34 PM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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Obama Holds Strong Lead In Electoral Votes

Sen. Barack Obama has put the key states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico in his column, as the path to victory becomes more difficult for Sen. John McCain.

Our next videoblog is coming up soon, but in the meantime, share your thoughts about the latest returns.

Geoffrey Bennett

10:03 PM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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Decision 2008: Reporting From The Precincts (Videoblog)

Farai Chideya speaks with blogger Carmen Dixon and NPR producer Roy Hurst, for the latest, on-the-ground reporting from voting precincts.

Given technical issues with NPR.org, this is coming to you later than we'd hoped. Check back for two more vlog updates, as the returns come in. And if you are having difficulty playing the video above, check us out on YouTube below.

Geoffrey Bennett

8:47 PM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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What Was Your Voting Experience Like?

After almost two years, Election 2008 is drawing to a close. What was your experience at your polling place today?

A polling place in Culver City, Calif.

Geoffrey Bennett, NPR

As for me, I arrived at my voting precinct at 5:30 in the morning, attempting to beat the crowd expected at the official 7AM opening. And when the doors finally swung open, I was struck by this memorable scene: A black cowboy, who happened to be the precinct captain, brought out a large American flag and planted it in the ground. As the flag started to wave in the morning California wind, Public Enemy's "Don't Believe the Hype" bled from the iPod earphones of the guy standing behind me. Then the line, which had swelled from five people to about 200 in the course of an hour, made its way inside.

Come back to our blog throughout the night, as News & Notes will be posting reaction and videoblogging as the results come in. Farai Chideya will be joined by a group of our regular bloggers and NPR's Tony Cox.

Geoffrey Bennett

4:39 PM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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Happy Election Day!!!!!!!!!!!

I voted this morning at 7:30AM in Culver City at a house ... I don't mean some big spacious house ... I mean a regular, modest-sized house where the line wrapped down the block, and a crowd of people of different ages and races -- very much a mirror of this culturally mixed neighborhood -- waited patiently to have their say.

After a night of rain, the skies were bright and clear; the weather cool and pleasant.

I e-mailed my pals all over the country and gave them a shout. No matter what happens, the excitement around voting itself is remarkable.

So: VICTORY! A friend of mine who is in her mid-30s, but has never voted because she simply believed it did not make a difference, walked on into the polls and made it happen. Her only complaint: They'd run out of vote "I voted today" stickers.

Farai Chideya

11:15 AM ET | 11- 4-2008 | permalink

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Bobbleheads & Bloggers: A Video Retrospective of Election '08

(Updated 11/14/08)

On News & Notes, we've focused on the impact of political imagery -- specifically the iconography surrounding Sen. Barack Obama. Here, producer Roy Hurst, who attended both political conventions this summer, expounds on the issue in word and video:

No candidacy in recent history has inspired more artistic expression than Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

During the 2008 election year, Obama imagery seemed to be everywhere -- on walls, on bumper stickers, on clothing, and on the Internet.

The vastness and variety of Obama paraphernalia has generated untold sums of money and become both a cottage industry and an arts movement. Meanwhile, for better or worse, Barack Obama's image has become an icon.

The creative push of support for Obama has its roots in black culture, in youth culture, and in a general feeling of uncertainty among everyday people about the future of world.

With two wars, a sagging economy, and a deteriorating environment, many Americans yearned for something new in national politics.

Obama spoke directly to that yearning, and has become a symbol it.

It all seemed to start with an image called "HOPE" by guerrilla artist, Shepard Fairey. The image is rendered in red, white and blue, and features the face of Sen. Obama looking upward and outward to the future, above the word "hope."

Earlier in the year, reproductions of the image began to pop up in public spaces across the country. It seemed to be on the vanguard of a wave of artistic political expression that followed.

By contrast, Sen. John McCain's campaign seemed to focus on the imagery of the candidate's past. We saw photos and video footage of "McCain the soldier" and "McCain the POW." With these images, his campaign emphasized the theme of "Country First."

We've compiled a few video examples of election images below. Some are focused directly on the candidates; others are more ambiguous. We've also recorded interviews with an array of artists, vendors, and supporters of the two candidates.

Check out the videos below. Hopefully, they will serve as a small record of this unprecedented season of artistic expression during Election '08.

-- Roy Hurst

"From Hope to Hero" -- Political imagery can take many forms. Guerrilla artist Shepard Fairey, creator of the iconic Obama "HOPE" posters, explains how his work managed to wield major political power.

"For & Against" -- Everyone has an opinion. A street performer, members of a college political group, a black Republican, and a blogger who supports Obama explain the philosophies behind their presidential choices.

"Bobblehead" -- Art intersects with commerce. Performance artists and vendors mix at the site of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

"Action Figure" -- Jason Feinberg, owner of Jailbreak Toys, explains what he's doing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver: "History's happening, and I've got an action figure to sell."

-- Videos Produced by Roy Hurst

Flashback: From Hope to Hero: Political Art In Election 2008

Geoffrey Bennett

5:30 PM ET | 11- 3-2008 | permalink

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From Hope to Hero: Political Art In Election 2008

On yesterday's show, we focused on the impact of political imagery -- specifically the iconography surrounding Sen. Barack Obama. Here, News & Notes producer Roy Hurst, who attended both political conventions this summer, expounds on the issue in word and video:

No candidacy in recent history has inspired more artistic expression than Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

During the 2008 election year, Obama imagery seemed to be everywhere -- on walls, on bumper stickers, on clothing, and on the Internet.

The vastness and variety of Obama paraphernalia has generated untold sums of money and become both a cottage industry and an arts movement. Meanwhile, for better or worse, Barack Obama's image has become an icon.

The creative push of support for Obama has its roots in black culture, in youth culture, and in a general feeling of uncertainty among everyday people about the future of world.

With two wars, a sagging economy, and a deteriorating environment, many Americans yearned for something new in national politics.

Obama spoke directly to that yearning, and has become a symbol it.

It all seemed to start with an image called "HOPE" by guerrilla artist, Shepard Fairey. The image is rendered in red, white and blue, and features the face of Sen. Obama looking upward and outward to the future, above the word "hope."

Earlier in the year, reproductions of the image began to pop up in public spaces across the country. It seemed to be on the vanguard of a wave of artistic political expression that followed.

By contrast, Sen. John McCain's campaign seemed to focus on the imagery of the candidate's past. We saw photos and video footage of "McCain the soldier" and "McCain the POW." With these images, his campaign emphasized the theme of "Country First."

We've compiled a few video examples of election images below. Some are focused directly on the candidates; others are more ambiguous. We've also recorded interviews with an array of artists, vendors, and supporters of the two candidates.

Check out the first video below, as there are more to come. Hopefully, they will serve as a small record of this unprecedented season of artistic expression during Election '08.

-- Video Produced by Roy Hurst

Geoffrey Bennett

5:34 PM ET | 10-29-2008 | permalink

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