This Canadian For Barack Obama

On Thursday night, tens of thousands of Obama supporters across the country gathered in living rooms, coffee shops and pizza parlors across America to watch Barack’s acceptance speech. Over 6,200 watch parties were held from San Diego, California to Bangor, Maine. Obama supporters were excited to get together and share this very historic moment with others invested in this movement.

Here are just a few of the news stories from towns across the country highlighting our supporters’ watch parties:

From Tulsa World: (Oklahoma)

Thursday night, at locations across the metro area, people of all kinds turned out to watch Obama’s acceptance speech.

A hundred or more crowded into two rooms at The Brook restaurant in Brookside.

A similar number gathered in the Transport Workers Union Hall in northeast Tulsa. At least five other watch parties also were scheduled.

"I haven’t voted since (Bill) Clinton," said Toni Wynes at The Brook. "Obama is bringing my vote back to town."

… Also at the union hall, Dwight Peters said: "I was very moved, and I’m a hard-core cynic. I never thought I would see a person of color in this position in my lifetime."

The Brook crowd included people of all ages, colors and ranges of political experience.

At 33, Amie Nguyen has never voted in a presidential election. Now she’s organizing for Obama and was one of the main organizers of the party at The Brook.

"I’m taking this very seriously," she said. "When I was growing up, my school did not emphasize voting. My parents didn’t vote. As an adult, I got married and had children. But after Bush, I realized it was vitally important to vote."

From the Ann Arbor News: (Michigan)

 When Sen. Barack Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver Thursday night, a crowd watching at the Arbor Brewing Co. gave a raucous cheer. Minutes later, when Obama was still waiting for the Denver crowd to quiet, people in the bar on East Washington Street took up a chant of "Yes, we can" - an Obama campaign slogan.

But as loud as they were before the Illinois senator formally accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, the Ann Arbor crowd quickly hushed when Obama began to speak.

"You feel like you’re watching history," said Ann Arbor resident Rachel Wells. "It’s easy to be cynical about politics, but listening to him does change that."

The gathering at the Arbor Brewing Co., organized by the local branch of Obama’s campaign, drew about 150 people into a small back room to watch the candidate speak for nearly an hour on a television no bigger than most people’s living room sets.

Some attendees were campaign volunteers, but many were simply Obama supporters hoping to share a victorious moment with others.

From the Gaston Gazette: (North Carolina)

GASTONIA - They gathered around the 52-inch plasma TV with their soft drinks, chips and lasagna in anticipation.

They were excited as they watched the images from the stadium in Denver, Colo., on the TV. But they weren’t gathered to watch the Super Bowl, they were there to watch the man they hope becomes the next president of the United States.

"I’ll open my house, as long as it’s for Obama," said Lynn Lorenzo-Polk, who hosted around a dozen people at her Gastonia home Thursday.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama delivered his speech to cap off the Democratic National Convention.

"I’ll tell you what, it’s good," Polk said during the speech. Those around Polk continued to clap and cheer from her living room when Obama made a point they agreed with.

Before he gave his speech, supporters at the watch party were excited about the candidate.

From the Centre Daily Times: (Pennsylvania)

While presidential candidate Barack Obama prepared to address a full house at Denver’s Invesco Field, Penn State sophomore Zachary Zabel wondered if his speech would compare to his jump shot.

President of Penn State Students for Barack Obama, Zabel played basketball with the senator when he visited campus at the end of March, and joined over 200 other Obama enthusiasts at 100 Thomas Building last night to watch their candidate accept the Democratic nomination for president.

The Obama gathering on campus was one of at least 10 Thursday night in county restaurants and private homes.

One gathering was to take place at the Garman Opera House in Bellefonte. Hundreds of similar parties, like Super Bowl parties, were held across the state and nation. Penn State students munched on soft pretzels and waved vigorously to catch campaign pins distributed by state Rep. Scott Conklin, DPhilipsburg, whose silhouette contrasted against a white PowerPoint slide reading “We are Penn State. He is the future.”

Before speeches by Penn State cornerback Lydell Sargeant and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, Zabel announced a voter registration contest between Penn State and the University of Michigan to be updated daily at www.barackobama.com. “You are going to remember this night for the rest of your life,” Paterno told the crowd.

From the Pasadena Star News: (California)

PASADENA - Hundreds of area residents watching the televised speech of Sen. Barack Obama accepting the Democratic presidential nomination got a thrill when CNN aired footage of them cheering for the Senator on Thursday night.

In the fading light of early evening, people gathered to cheer for Obama in the auditorium outside the high school.

The crowd ranged from teenagers to senior citizens, all of whom cheered on Obama as he laid out his case for why he should be elected president. Several times throughout the speech, the audience rose and applauded, even breaking into cheers of "Yes we can", a slogan of the Obama campaign.

Pasadena Councilman Victor Gordo, who attended the event, praised Obama’s speech. "His message was clear, on point and firm," said Gordo. "He did what he needed to do."

From WCF Courier: (Iowa)

WATERLOO — In the state that helped launch his bid for the presidency, people who gathered together in Waterloo to watch Barack Obama’s acceptance of the Democratic nomination said they felt like they were part of the historic moment.

People gathered in groups across the country to watch Obama become the first African American to accept a major party nomination for the highest elected office in the U.S. Those people who gathered at the Talk Stop Cafe, 1015 E. Fourth St., said they felt more connected to the event watching the broadcast with a large group.

"It makes you feel more connected to share something like this with other people," said Luann Wortham, an Obama supporter.

"When people make history, you want to experience it together, not in your living room," said David Wayne Goodson, Talk Shop cafe owner.

More than four dozen Obama supporters at the Talk Shop hushed as he took the stage in Denver at the Democratic National Convention.

Before Obama took the stage, the cafe lights were turned off and the nearly the entire north wall was illuminated by a projection television. Some elected to turn their attention to a smaller television in a corner rather than crane their necks to the larger image.

When the crowd of an estimated 84,000 people in Denver applauded, so did the approximately 50 people at the cafe. Some rose to their feet in excitement during points of his speech.

"I knew this day was going to come," said Phyllis Gaines. "I didn’t know it was going to be in my lifetime, but I knew."

From the Connecticut Post:

BRIDGEPORT — City school teacher Carolyn Henderson watched with a smile as Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama took the stage on a screen inside Mt. Aery Baptist Church.

Her grin broadened. She began to clap, along with the more than 200 others who turned out to watch Obama accept the nomination.

Then she opened her mouth and joined the church crowd chanting "Yes we can! Yes we can!"

That was the moment local Obama fans had hungered for, despite a tasty catered meal of macaroni and cheese, chicken, green beans and salad, and lemonade and iced tea.

Obama had some appeal to all the church viewers: black, white, old, young, male and female, who spoke before Obama’s acceptance speech.

"Obama represents me," said Jackie Richardson. "He understands our struggles."

From the Grand Forks Herald: (North Dakota)

North Dakotans who gathered to watch Barack Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination said they were impressed by his emphasis on education and energy independence.

"I just think he couldn’t have come across any clearer," said Susan Kopp, of Dickinson, who hosted a party in her home for supporters who wanted to watch the Denver speech.

"He talked about values, the things that we want to see, our kids having a good education, our college kids being able to go and afford it, and he talked about how he was going to pay for it," Kopp said.

Another watch party host, Mike Frohlich, of Bismarck, said he believed Obama brought a unity theme to his address.

"I think everybody should deserve an opportunity to be successful, and he gives us the best chance to do that," Frohlich said. "Most of us weren’t given a silver spoon, and most of us had to work hard to get where we’re going, and I think he resembles that a lot."

From GM Today: (Wisconsin)

As presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. Thursday night, here in West Bend, Flo Moran and many others had no doubt he was their candidate.

"He couldn;t be better. He’s our future. I truly believe he’s our future," said West Bend resident Moran.

At the Binkery on West Washington Street, she and 30 or so Obama supporters gathered to listen to his speech, applauding often and letting out a loud cheer when he finished.

"Good job, Barack," Moran said to the wall-mounted flat-screen TV. "That was so cool. I loved it."

Across town, at another gathering of 30 or so Obama-backers in the outdoor patio at the Buffalo Wild Wings on West Paradise Drive.

Now that you’ve watched Barack’s speech, it’s time to get involved. This weekend is our Convention Weekend of Action – where Obama supporters across America are volunteering their time for the campaign. They’re phonebanking, knocking on doors, and registering voters in communities across the country. Get involved in your community today!

Original post by Molly Claflin and software by Elliott Back