Barack Obama Will Be Our Next President

NBC, CNN and others have called the election for Sen. Barack Obama.Obama made a brief appearance at Seattle Weekly's election-night party at Spitfire.

ADDITION:
Location: Spitfire, Belltown
Time: 9 p.m.
Crowd: Mannys & Margaritas, Please!
Party: Line out the door.
Mood: Jubilant
Outstanding Quote: "We are and always will be the United States of America," Barack Obama

It was easy to send the crowd at Spifire into a tizzy tonight. When the name "Palin" resonated from one of the TVs, out came a chorus of boos; attendees met a cut-out of McCain at the door, and and some tried to kick him in the head; Obama won Virginia, the crowd went wild. But, the most surprising applause line of the night came during the president-elect's victory speech. When talking about not dividing the nation into red states and blue states, he said, "We are and always will be the United States of America." It drew a rabid response.

It was the kind of patriotic line I didn't expect this almost-entirely liberal audience to react so strongly to. Celebrating membership in the United States isn't en vogue 'round these parts. Celebrating Obama is. I didn't see American flags waving around town tonight. But there were plenty of Obama T-shirts and shwag. For the last two years, the Obama brand has been more acceptable -- yes, even hip -- than the USA. But, the tide may be shifting.

In fact, earlier in the night a person told me about how long it's been since he's been proud to call himself an American. It's too early to say that an Obama presidency will usher in a new kind of patriotism. But, for a generation reared in a time when foreign-traveling Americans ironed Maple Leaves to their backpacks, and getting excited about the president meant cozying up to a celebrated fornicator and an arrogant cowboy, it's the start of something.

When the projection was made, Obama suppoters went nuts at Spitfire.