It's here. We've arrived. Two years of madness two years of spending obscene amounts of money, two years of promises that can't be kept, two years of blunder after faux pas after association with terrorist - today it all finishes and the next chapter of American history begins.
McCain visited seven key states yesterday, and has two more stops today. (The carbon footprints of these two, after the last week alone, would make a pilot blush.) McCain has to do it though; every poll has him behind and even Mr Evil himself has predicted a landslide for Barry.
It's an historic occasion because we either get a Muslim for President or a Prom-Queen as vice. In all seriousness though, the country is turning out in record numbers and they're ready to oust the monkey in charge.
There's the possibility of a tie, which will mean all kinds of messy things. And as we're in Chicago we're hoping to attend the rally Obama is hosting at Grant Park tonight - One million people are expected to turn out, yes you read that correctly, 1,000,000.
Our friends here in the windy city are hoping for an Obama win, just to avoid a riot. Most people we've spoken to are convinced that if Barry loses there will be some kind of backlash.
If you are still undecided, here are the closing arguments of McCain and Obama.
After the fanfare of the McCain rally in Columbus the other day, we were told to expect a slightly more conservative (small 'c'!) affair this time round
8.15: People have been calling Obama an Arab and a socialist like they are bad things. We've got loads of both in the UK and we get on fine! As we approach the stadium one man approached us asking for tickets, we're press/media types now, we don't need tickets. But out of the shadows we hear a gallant 'I've got a spare' and with that the ticketless man's evening was made. Talk about redistribution oftickets. If only Kings of Leon gigs were like this.
8.45: So much for more conservative affair; the venue is of a different scale to the Republican rally. We're at the football stadium of the Cincinnati university football team. It's starting to fill, looks like around 15,000 at the moment and the big guy isn't on for an hour.
8.50: Well there's no doubt the Donkeys love their leader as much as the Elephants but there is something slightly more....well... English about the whole affair. Cheers, delight and chanting, but not as much blatant (and slightly obscene) patriotism as at the Republican rally. We are just 100 miles further south, but not a cowboy hat in sight.
9.00: We got chatting to Floyd, a local film maker who has turned up, and got into the press area without a battery for his camera! We've both been there so we promise to send him our rushes... and I think we will, as well.
9.10: The big man is due on stage now but the travelling media have not arrived yet, so we're waiting around. Good thing for global warming and the unseasonal warm temperatures. We could be in T-shirts tonight.
9.15: It seems the Mexican wave moves up and down the political spectrum with it's peristaltic action. The crowd has managed to 'smuggle in' a massive message. Spelled out in 10 feet-high letters; 'OHIO 4 OBAMA'. I would have included '4 EVA' at the end... but that's just me.
9.25: Just chatting to Scott (an ABC camera man) about the state of American media at the moment and the move towards online journalism. 'We need more multi media journalists here' he says. I wish media in the UK were this desperate. It's nearly full now, the Cincinnati Fire Department estimate there are 27,000 people in here.
9.45. Some bloke is up on stage, the crowd have gone wild. I think it's the man they all came to see, and Arnie was right, he is skinny. 'Hello Cincinnati', I think they're pleased to see him. After waiting for the masses to calm he starts with... 'I've got two words for you.... two days'. It kind of sums up the mood of the place (and the last eight years) for the Democrats; anticipation, at the Republican rally, it was fear.
The crowd are rapturous: "YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN!" Apparently, they can.
9.47: Obama tries to begin his speech "After 8 years of Bush" the crowd begin to boo. Obama: "You don't need to boo, you need to vote." Now that's how you channel negative energy!
9.40: Obama has promised "Common sense over ideology," hardly the words of a socialist!
9.46: "No one knows what McCain's economic policy is. He's been running a lot of ads recently but all he's been talking about is me!"
9.50: "Yesterday, Dick Cheney came out of his 'undisclosed location' and went on the campaign trail" to laughter in the stands.
9.52: Obama does look tired though, on a few occasions, he has mixed his words and stumbled. Still a great speaker, but he looks jaded. If you can come through two years of political campaigning and perform as well as either of the candidates; you've got to have something about you.
9.55: Obama asks for a show of hands, "Who here earns less than $250,000 a year?" Everyone kind of puts their hand up and half-heartedly shouted "yeah!" I don't think they're proud of that fact though! He explains that 98.5% of small business will not have their taxes raised under his plan... along with 99% of plumbers!
10.00: A final crowdpleaser: "If I am President, I will end the war in Iraq."
10.02: Obama ends the speech on a familiar theme of 'hope' for the future. He defines the word for the audience; it has been the message of the whole campaign.
There is a real feeling that they are going to win the election. It's like the Democrats are floating downstream and watching the Republicans trying desperately to swim against the current; those who are sinking swim the hardest, after all. We've seen that from the McCain and Palin camp, the last polls before the election came out today, and they are still behind...but fighting for their political lives.
Our work is ready to show. We're kind of pleased with it, and according to Current it will be on TV at somepoint - we haven't been able to get any scheduling information out of them yet.
But until I get some times, watch the videos below or, (even better,) go to Current.com and watch the videos there. Leave a positive comment or two if you'd like.
Two men decided that their lack of employment, lack of finance and lack of knowledge should be no barrier to reporting on the US elections.
There'll be some analysis and even more bewilderment. This blog is about making sense of the most non-sensical political extravaganza in the world...
The race for the White House 2008!
