Election Day in Bushwick

An expected package delivery kept me away from the polls until 3:30 p.m., but it took less than 10 minutes to vote at my polling place here in Bushwick once I arrived.

Here are some snapshots from the day.

New York rejoices Obama's historic victory

It's nearly 5:20 a.m. and I just filed my election story for EDGE about local reaction to Barack Obama's historic election as the country's next president. It frankly all seems so surreal. I spent the night at the LGBT Community Center in Greenwich Village, Room Service in Gramercy and finally in Times Square with thousands of eccstatic New Yorkers and others from around the world.

Fellow reporter Michael Luongo and I knew the cheers and honking horns we began to hear as we walked up Sixth Avenue in Chelsea meant Obama had secured enough electoral votes to win the White House--and my friend Paul in Boston confirmed it with a phone call a couple of minutes later. Reporters are trained in journalism school to remain objective in their coverage and to provide fair and balanced coverage of all sides of a story. Tonight was different.

I became emotional as I watched Obama make his speech in Chicago. I joined others inside Room Service who began to clap for a man who is now the first man of color elected to the White House. And at one point all I could do was put my arm around my Fire Island News columnist Bruce-Michael Gelbert and soak in the moment with tears in my eyes.

The election not only represents an arguable bold exclamation point to end Bush Republicanism, but it amounts to what many hope is a monumental change in American politics and the United States. Those changes will make themselves known in the coming weeks, months and years, but the majority of Americans will arguably wake-up proud of the monumental step forward their fellow citizens took by electing Obama as their next president.




Tisha Riley of Crown Heights, right, watches the results trickle in at the LGBT Community Center in Greenwich Village with friend Mo George




New York Times captures the mood of many in Times Square




Boy in Bushwick captures scene in Times Square around 1 a.m. today

America Votes

With my sausage McMuffin and coffee in hand, I made my early morning trudge to the my local polling place and cast my final vote in the longest and arguably most important presidential election in which I have participated. It is an unseasonably mild early November morning here in New York, but the thing that stands out is the unprecedented turnout.

WNYC reported long lines at polling places in the East Village, Inwood and other neighborhoods across the five boroughs before I left my apartment around 7:30. The British Broadcasting Corporation just reported an estimated 135 million people will vote today and I read an e-mail from someone on a list serve of which I am a member that he expected to wait more than two hours to vote in Alexandria, Virginia. I didn't expect a long line in Bushwick, but a bustling but largely efficient scene greeted me at my polling place. I waited a couple of minutes before I entered the booth to vote. I finished and nearly a dozen people (mostly white 20-somethings who had probably just moved to Bushwick) were waiting on line. This queue is the first I have seen in my neighborhood. It moved rather quickly, but this scene is almost certainly indicative of a myriad of others across the country.

Bushwick Gentrification and the Election

Perhaps it was only a matter of time, but I was curiously stunned at the sight of a sign outside the former Scatturo supermarket on Knickerbocker Avenue yesterday that announced new condominiums and retail space would open on the once violence and drug-riddled street by March 2010. Gentrification has arguably arrived in full force within my immediate 10-block radius. The steady influx of former Williamsburg hipsters on 10-speeds, musicians trudging from the Jefferson Street L train stop with their instruments on their backs and even a handful of Vespas on my block were the early signs of this trend that continues to transform once undesirable parts of Brooklyn and large swaths of the five boroughs. But I guess this new project in the heart of what was once known as "the Well" because of the seemingly endless supply of drugs makes it all the more official...

On a more partisan note, voters will officially end the longest presidential campaign in American history tomorrow. The long and arduous election cycle has been for us journalists, bloggers and partisan junkies (Isn't sarcasm great?!?!?). The broader public, however, will arguably breathe a much awaited sigh of relief. Things will return to some resemblance of normalcy in a country frightened by the economic crisis. And Americans will arguably look forward to Thanksgiving, the holidays and other non-partisan endeavours.

Finally, those of you who may want to reach out to me can e-mail me at bushwickboy@gmail.com.

T minus five days

With only five days until voters go to the polls to elect the country's next president, it is an arguable safe bet to assume the vast majority of people in this country are more than ready for the longest presidential campaign in American history to come to an end. The idea that Joe the Plumber may have a record deal signed before Nov. 4 is entertaining indeed, but the latest polls indicate John McCain has potentially gained some ground on Barack Obama in contested battleground states.

Quinnipiac University shows 47 percent of Florida voters back Obama in comparison to 45 percent of those who said they back McCain. This statistic compares to the 49 to 44 percent margin on Oct. 23. The same poll shows 51 percent of Ohio voters back Obama over 42 percent who indicate they support McCain. This margin is less than the 13 point spread found on Oct. 23. Obama maintains a 12 point lead in Pennsylvania.

Momentum remains largely at Obama's back with less than a week to go until voters head to the polls. The steady stream of election night parties for which I have received invitations are the latest in a steady stream of obvious reminders this vote is arguably the most anticipated in a generation (or more.) The fact remains, however, more than a few people will rejoice on Nov. 5 at the conclusion of the longest campaign in American history... and only then does the real work truly begin!