An expected, but relished, success
05 November 2008 à 05h39
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« What is that ? I understand nothing ! Obama does not win ?! » Midnight, at the Lion’s bar, in the second district in Paris. The first results are put up in this crowded bar and people wonder about the electoral process. The CNN maps are lighting up the five televisions set up on every corner. But with time, this worried young girl is reassured. On her face, like on her friends’ faces, the smiles reappear. After two states dominated by John McCain, Kentucky and Indiana, projections of New Hampshire and North Carolina have heartened them.
At 1 AM, when projections of Florida, a swing state that was crucial in the two last presidential elections, appear on the screens, there is thunderous applause.
In the Lion’s bar, like almost all over France, people have chosen their camp : Barack Obama’s. A lot of people are wearing T-shirts bearing the image of the Illinois Senator. Others, like Christine, proudly wear the cap on which we can read the famous Obama slogan « Yes we can ». Guillaume, a philosophy student, has made his own placard. It looks like the one brandished by Obama supporters during the two years of a long campaign.
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At five to 2 AM, the atmosphere is tense. Projections of 11 new states are about to be announced, and it could be synonymous with victory for Barack Obama. People are counting down the time. « 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Yeahhhh !! ». Barack Obama is again ahead in most of the states of the north-east coast. Only two states, Tennessee and South Carolina, are won by John McCain. At the only « Republican table » in the bar, they do not believe anymore in a victory for their candidate. Their attitude inevitably contrasts with those of Barack Obama's supporters. They are all standing up and having a drink again. Some of them are encircling in blue the states in the column of the Democrat candidate. Then, on CNN, David Axelrod, the Obama campaign chief strategist, appears, interviewed by Anderson Cooper. « Ladies and gentlemen, this man is a genius ! », exclaimed Dick, one the most excited Obama supporters. « I am bowing down in front of this hero. »
Half an hour later, definitive results from Pennsylvania fall. Obama, 56%, McCain, 43%. Except for a last minute turn, Barack Obama is sure to go to the White House. « We can go to bed », says Dick with a big smile. That makes all the Obama supporters laugh. But they will not go to sleep. They’re going to party all night.
Nicolas Camus - Xavier Monferran - Raphaël Vantard
At 1 AM, when projections of Florida, a swing state that was crucial in the two last presidential elections, appear on the screens, there is thunderous applause.
In the Lion’s bar, like almost all over France, people have chosen their camp : Barack Obama’s. A lot of people are wearing T-shirts bearing the image of the Illinois Senator. Others, like Christine, proudly wear the cap on which we can read the famous Obama slogan « Yes we can ». Guillaume, a philosophy student, has made his own placard. It looks like the one brandished by Obama supporters during the two years of a long campaign.
At five to 2 AM, the atmosphere is tense. Projections of 11 new states are about to be announced, and it could be synonymous with victory for Barack Obama. People are counting down the time. « 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Yeahhhh !! ». Barack Obama is again ahead in most of the states of the north-east coast. Only two states, Tennessee and South Carolina, are won by John McCain. At the only « Republican table » in the bar, they do not believe anymore in a victory for their candidate. Their attitude inevitably contrasts with those of Barack Obama's supporters. They are all standing up and having a drink again. Some of them are encircling in blue the states in the column of the Democrat candidate. Then, on CNN, David Axelrod, the Obama campaign chief strategist, appears, interviewed by Anderson Cooper. « Ladies and gentlemen, this man is a genius ! », exclaimed Dick, one the most excited Obama supporters. « I am bowing down in front of this hero. »
Half an hour later, definitive results from Pennsylvania fall. Obama, 56%, McCain, 43%. Except for a last minute turn, Barack Obama is sure to go to the White House. « We can go to bed », says Dick with a big smile. That makes all the Obama supporters laugh. But they will not go to sleep. They’re going to party all night.
Nicolas Camus - Xavier Monferran - Raphaël Vantard
