I stayed up and watched as America made history last night. Some thoughts:WGN TV should get an award for the visuals that it supplied from Grant Park last night. There were so many great pictures of the people in the audience, faces illuminated with joy and happiness, it was magnificent to view.
- The crowd estimates were classic Chicago: the reporters said 65,000, city officials said 125,000, and the mayor said a million. Other than that, last night Chicago went a long way to distance itself from the biggest-hick-town-in-the-world behavior that normally characterizes big events.
- WGN's on-site reporter was Jackie Bange, who stepped up and set herself apart with a top notch performance, sharing insight and showing restraint. Bravo!
- WGN's studio crew: their guest list was excellent, host Mark Suppelsa isn't quite to the level of Channel 7's Ron Magers (whom I now consider to be the top dog) and co-host Micah Materre isn't big news material. Suppelsa, a very likable fellow, was rather windy, and Materre, well, she appeared to be out of her element.
- Dennis Hastert is a crotchety old fart. Toni Preckwinkle is an excellent communicator, even though she always looks irritated. The political commentator, whose name I must go look up, was one of the most eloquent people on TV last night, local or national.
- Channel 7's Andy Shaw botched his big moment, telling us that his ABC network had not yet projected a winner, that coming just seconds after we saw that ABC projected Barack to be the winner.
- The woman who sang the national anthem should have had the words in front of her, what an embarassment!
- John McCain's concession speech was the most effective communication I've ever seen from him. It was another example of a candidate who has shown us a better side of himself too late. He was graceful, elegant and in control...too late.
- Barack's victory speech was a big step up in class; I was spellbound.
- The conclusion of the speech, when everyone had left him alone onstage, was incredible. He waved to the crowd, turned and walked to the back of the stage, where Michelle was waiting, her hand outstretched. He took her hand and they walked to the side curtain together, pausing and turning to each other for the briefest of moments before exiting. It was a unique, warm and exciting moment.
- From the sublime to the ridiculous: Jesse Jackson seems to have become irrelevant, and I wish the TV people would treat him that way and spare us the mumbly mumbles and history Jesse-style that comes with putting him on camera.
- Tony Peraica should go away.
- Likewise for Jim Oberweis, who is now 0-5.
- Paul Vallas reminds me of John Lithgow on Third Rock from the Sun. Doesn't matter what he's saying, all I can see is Third Rock.
- Fox 32 had snippy Lauren Cohn on their coverage. That's how I chose Channel 9.
- I didn't see Richie Daley, anywhere at all.
- My daughter texted me at 10:10 p.m. a simple message: God Bless America.
- Yes.
