Joe the Disappointed Turncoat

Politico:

Joe Wurzelbacher lashed out Tuesday at former GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the man who made Wurzelbacher famous as “Joe the Plumber.”

Wurzelbacher told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that he felt “dirty” after “being on the campaign trail and seeing some of the things that take place.”

Recalling a conversation he had with McCain about the $700 billion financial industry bailout in September, Wurzelbacher said: “When I was on the bus with him, I asked him a lot of questions about the bailout because most Americans did not want that to happen.”

“I asked him some pretty direct questions,” he continued. “Some of the answers you guys are gonna receive — they appalled me, absolutely. I was angry. In fact, I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him.”

What’s kind of hilarious about this is that McCain elevated Wurzelbacher to the status of representing “most Americans,” and apparently Wurzelbacher came to believe it: If he didn’t like it, “most Americans” didn’t like it, either.

Wait: Why are we still talking about this guy?

She is who we thought she was

Remember: This is from Fox News, so it has to be true.

So: Sarah Palin didn’t know Africa was a continent? Didn’t know which countries were in NAFTA?

I’ve tried to avoid suggesting that Gov. Palin is dumb, instead chalking up her obvious deficiencies to a lack of knowledge and lack of preparation. However, there comes a time when lack of knowledge and lack of preparation are so severe as to be indistinguishable from rank stupidity. It would appear that Gov. Palin found the sweet spot on this spectrum.

Not that you can, but if you can remove ideology from the equation, it becomes pretty clear: John McCain selected this woman as his running mate. You don’t have to like Barack Obama or Democrats to think this decision alone made McCain undeserving of the presidency.

The headlines

Even though people increasingly get their news online, I’m willing to bet a lot of morning papers sell out quickly today. Folks will want to share today’s front page with the next couple of generations.

Online, here’s how it played out. The New York Times:

Washington Post:

LA Times:

Of course, Philly.com:

And, most striking to me, MSNBC.com:

YouTube: Celebrating Obama on Broad Street

YouTubes being posted by the public:

YouTubing the Obama victory: Malcolm X Park

Andrew, the intrepid Malcolm X Park blogger, shares this video from 52nd Street:

YouTubing the Obama victory celebration in Philly

From YouTube user pwhitey86:

From YouTube user llulluq:

More to come, I’m sure.

Thank you, Philly

Barack Obama has won Pennsylvania. He has won Ohio. Florida is almost wrapped up. Unless something startling happens — something that even the staunchest conservatives are no longer hoping for — Barack Obama has won the presidency. There will be a few more videos and articles in the morning, but for this evening: It seems time to wrap things up and just be satisfied.

Amazing.

I arrived in Philly at the end of July. So I’ve had a front-row seat for Ground Zero of one the most amazing political events of my lifetime. And it’s been wonderful.

I’ve had the honor of watching, up close, the African American community as it celebrated the prospect of a black man becoming president.

I’ve had the honor of watching democracy at its most exciting — in a swing state, where every vote really does matter.

I’ve had my faith in my country, and in our procesesses, renewed. To an extent.

A note of caution: The bad economy will not go away overnight. Nor will the challenges of terrorism. Barack Obama has a very tough challenge ahead of him. He will not always be as popular as he is tonight.

But take a moment to celebrate an extraordinary moment in our national life — and in the life of Philadelphia. You’ll want to tell your children about it. I know I will.

Celebration at Obama’s Philly HQ

PW colleague Tim Gough sends me photos from Obama’s Philly headquarters — conveniently located one floor above PW world headquarters — when MSNBC called Pennsylvania for their man.

CNN just called Pennsylvania for Obama

…and the PW party crowd at Loews is very, very happy.

Hoping at Loews

Obama fans at the PW election party talk about their hopes for the next four years. And it turns out it’s really dark at this party. Woops! Interns have been instructed to use light in the next video.

Click To Play