Praise for both men on a long night for bloggers

"Change has come to America," declared Barack Obama when he addressed a huge rally in Chicago’s Grant Park early this morning, once John McCain had conceded defeat with what most observers agreed was an extraordinarily gracious speech.

So much so that Andrew Sullivan on the Daily Dish called it "very classy, very moving, and finally worthy of the man we once thought we knew". But not every Republican was so decent in defeat: "Alas, his [McCain's] crowd was as ugly as he was gracious. I fear what will now become of the GOP."

As for Obama’s victory, his “core strategy paid off” according to Chris Wilson, covering Election Night for Slate. "Win all of John Kerry's states from 2004 and pick up a handful of moderate states that elected George W. Bush." Once again Ohio was the key and so this election "preserves the state's role as an electoral kingmaker".

It wasn't the economic crisis that did it for Obama, insists Noam Schiber on The New Republic: it's that "voters trust Democrats on economics more than Republicans, and they especially trusted Obama more than McCain." Schiber added: "This is not some arbitrary development."

On the issue of race, Joan Walsh on Salon wrote: "A lot of us have a special pride tonight. A lot of people have made eradicating the stain of racism their life's work. A lot of people saw the promise of Obama's candidacy for our country." Adam Nagourney for the New York Times) said Obama was "sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease." It was "a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago."

Congratulations Obama, now get on with the job, said Slate's John Dickerson who already has some pointers for the new President. He should now: embrace John McCain, appoint Republicans, work without pay, increase disclosure and transparency, hold one inaugural event outside Washington and meet with a cross section of religious leaders.

Blogging through the night, Conservative columnist Dick Morris clung to the faintest notions of hope for the Republicans ."The Bradley effect is happening," he cheered, also observing that McCain was doing far better than expected in some exit polls. But when Ohio went to Obama, Morris simply stopped blogging.

FIRST POSTED NOVEMBER 5, 2008