By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009) - full transcript

In 2006, Barack Obama -- a largely unknown freshman senator from Illinois -- hits the campaign trail in a struggle to gain national recognition. Cameras follow Obama as he recovers from nearly losing to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries and meets the challenge of his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, in the general election. After a hard-fought campaign, Obama successfully captures the nation's imagination, becoming the first African-American president in U.S. history.

(street noise)

(metal detector beeps)

(indistinct radio chatter)

(indistinct)

- Good morning, guys.

- Woman: Good morning.

Good.

Go directly to you by

the seventh (indistinct),

and then we are out of there.

Uh, what have they

called so far? Sharon.

Reporter (TV):

Right now we have

a major projection,

major projection to make

in the state of Maryland...

(cell phone rings)

...we project will be elected,

the next United States senator

from the state of Maryland,

succeeding Paul Sarbanes...

- Alright, that's good.

- Did you call them?

No, I'm gonna make calls now.

Do they have a count

on the House seats yet?

(both speaking indistinctly)

That's the only one

that's a pick-up,

though Yarmuth in Louisville

is up with...

- That's what I'm talking about.

- 96% in, but they haven't called it.

My goal is every candidate...

Every candidate

I campaign for, I want to win.

- (laughs)

- Every single one.

Hey, congratulations,

Madam Speaker.

We...

Well, listen, we're...

We're so proud of you.

You're...

You're making history, and, uh,

let's figure out how I can

be helpful going forward.

Alright. Bye-bye.

Woman: We keep asking you,

are you ready to run?

Are you ready to

serve as President?

Barack Obama:

You know, the, uh...

I haven't had time

to catch my breath.

This, I think,

will be the first week where

I haven't taken off my shoes

at the airport

security terminal. So,

I'm gonna step back,

take a look at what's going on,

and, you know, really do some

soul-searching in terms of

how I can be most useful

to the country.

I haven't had time

to do that yet.

...this point with

84 and a half in.

-(sigh) You don't get a lot tighter than that.

- Nope.

I love elections.

It's so much fun. (laughs)

It's even more fun when

you're not on the ballot.

(traffic ambiance)

(indistinct chatter)

-(indistinct) -Ronnie

Cho: My name is Ronnie,

calling from the Barack Obama

campaign here in Des Moines.

And just wanted to

try to get acquainted

with people in the community.

I'm gonna be working

in that area

through the caucuses in January.

Oh, you do a caucus?

Well, that's great.

Have you decided who

you'll be supporting?

Not yet. Well, you're right.

It is awfully early.

Well, Alvin, is there

a particular issue

that you care about?

Something that stands out

in your mind?

Just basically just trying

to get out there,

set up meetings

with activists,

let them know that we're here

and we'd like to talk

to them. You know,

people wanna see him,

but they don't necessarily

know a lot about him.

-He is the biggest and

best tool we have -(jet idling)

in terms of drawing people in

to get interested.

I think that's half the battle.

- How are you? Having fun?

- What's going on?

It's been a couple

of crazy days, huh?

- I like this.

- You like it?

- Yeah, I do.

- Okay, good.

Linda, I can't wait

to see you on the 30th,

and let's just...

Let's just stay in touch.

Say hi to... Say hi to your

husband and son for me.

Alright, bye-bye.

(hangs up)

- (indistinct)

- I'm the one...

Sorry, after this next...

- these next two calls,

- Robert Gibbs: Yes, sir.

Are we going straight

to the farm thing?

Gibbs: Yes. We'll do the

remaining press calls in the car.

Obama: I just want a

second to change out of...

This is not

the best outfit for...

- Gibbs: I hear you.

- Rural America.

Paul Tewes: We got overalls.

- I'm not gonna wear overalls.

- And a horse.

- Is that gonna be a problem?

- (laughs)

A horse I won't mind, actually.

That sounds kinda cool.

Obama: So I just want

to check in and find out

what we need to do

to earn your support,

because I think once I get you,

that puts us over the top.

Then I've got...

I've got Iowa at that point.

I, you know, I...

I understand completely,

but, you know, the one thing

I will say is that...

we wanna make sure that

anybody who is supporting us,

that, you know, this is all

part of a single team.

I'm fascinated by Obama.

Here's a man

who's been in town...

Washington for two... Two years?

As near as I can tell,

hasn't done a thing?

Apparently there's no

performance criteria,

in the process of selecting

somebody to be President.

Nobody asked the question

what has he,

in fact, ever done?

Woman: What do you

think of Barack Obama?

I think he's a cool guy.

I don't know much

about the guy

to be honest with you.

I have no clue who that is.

- Man: You don't? Okay.

- I have no clue who that is.

Girl:

Wait, is he African American?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

That'd be really cool if he

was our next President then.

I got a "O," you got a "Bama."

- O! O!

- All: Bama! Bama!

I got a "O," you got a "Bama."

- O! O!

- All: Bama! Bama!

Mike Blake: I got a "O,"

you got a "Bama."

- O! O! O! O!

- All: Bama! Bama! Bama! Bama!

I haven't done this since, um,

I campaigned for Bobby Kennedy

back in mid '60s, '68.

There just hasn't been anybody

that's been exciting enough.

Crowd (chanting): I, O, W, A,

Barack Obama all the way.

I, O, W, A,

Barack Obama all the way.

I, O, W, A,

Barack Obama all the way!

Woman: Do you think

this country is ready

to elect the first

African American President?

- No. No.

- Man: Sure.

Not even Colin Powell?

He would get elected.

That's a different story.

He's smart enough

to know not to run.

Woman 1: Right now

I have to say that I'm...

I'm looking at Edwards.

I would like to see Richardson.

Woman 2: I don't like

any of the candidates.

I don't think any of them

are the right people.

I think Hillary's

been around too long.

She doesn't stand

for anything anymore.

Obama's wonderful but he's just

a little too young and untried.

'Course after Bush,

anybody can be President.

I can be President.

It's for good reason,

if you think about it

the odds of me standing

here are very slim.

I wasn't born to money,

I wasn't born to fame,

I didn't have a famous

family member.

You know, my father left

when I was two years old.

I was raised by a single mom

and by my grandparents.

And so they... They gave me love,

and they gave me an education,

and they gave me hope.

David Axelrod:

I met Barack Obama in 1992.

He was an extraordinary guy.

He was thoughtful, he was funny

-(crowd cheering) -and he

was obviously well-motivated.

In 2002,

-(crowd cheering) -I heard

that he was considering

a race in 2004 for the Senate,

and I'd thought, like,

if you could elect Barack Obama

to the United States Senate

that you'd be doing

something that

you could be proud of for

the rest of your life.

She was the manager

for my first campaign.

Yes, I was.

Carol Harwell,

from the west side of Chicago.

- Right on.

- (both laugh)

If it wasn't for her,

I'd be nowhere.

Thank you. (laugh)

Over the course of time,

and particularly in the spring of 2006,

leading into the summer,

-(applause, cheering) -everywhere he went,

he was drawing huge crowds.

And at each event

people would say,

"You really ought to think

about running for President."

Barack asked us a lot

of questions, and we said,

"Why would you wanna run for

President of the United States?"

-(indistinct) -And he said,

"I have a strong feeling about

"what it would mean to a lot of

young kids around this country

"the moment I raise my hand

and swore that oath

because all of a sudden,

anything would be possible."

Appreciate you taking

the time to come out,

even though it's a little hot.

- You gonna shake his hand?

- I know.

But you know, my... my daughter...

How old are you, nine?

Yeah, my daughter is nine.

She explained me,

"Dad, you know,

kids don't shake hands.

- (chuckle)

- They just say 'Hey'."

I think I'm gonna win again.

That's my prediction.

You just...

Alright, Sasha.

(laughs)

Sasha!

I did nothing!

- You just ruin everything.

- (laughing)

(yelling)

Malia Obama:

That was perfect. (indistinct)

(phone ringing)

I'll... I'll get it.

If it's Kathy, tell her she can

stay as long as she wants.

Malia: Hello?

Hi, Daddy.

- Oh, it's Daddy.

- Dada.

I'm fine.

Daddy, I had to eat a lot

of chocolate today.

(laugh)

Yup.

Okay.

I love you. Okay.

Hi, Daddy.

Good. Yes, I went to the gym.

(indistinct chatter, laughing)

Uh, I played with Poi ball.

- (indistinct chatter)

- Poi ball.

You wanna talk to Mama?

Okay. Mommy.

Alright, I play,

Malia play, you play.

Hello.

Michelle Obama: I had, you know,

a lot of practical questions

that I needed answers to

before I could say definitely

that this is something

that I could handle.

Which I was telling

Lindsay about...

Michelle:

That is funny how they do the...

How is this gonna work?

What would be the schedule?

How often would Barack

be on the road?

What would be expected of me

as a campaigner

- (laughter)

- and spokesperson?

Now I'm really not tired.

A little ice cream boost.

- (indistinct chatter)

- You wanna hold on to this?

- Can I have a lick?

- You can.

Yeah, that's your second.

- Staffer: Go ahead, finish it.

- Malia, can I have a lick?

- Malia, can I have a lick?

- Michelle: And how would we

structure our time to

ensure that our girls

would not be pulled out

of their lives?

How much would it

cost us as a family?

How are we financially

going to handle

me reducing my hours

at work to be able

to participate?

What would the campaign do,

if anything, about security?

We obviously got all the...

Those questions answered

to my satisfaction,

and, as a result, we are now

running for President.

(laughs)

(park chatter)

- Woman: What are you gonna be when you grow up?

- Ah...

I wanna be an actress.

Woman: How do you feel about

your dad running for President?

What's it been like?

- (indistinct chatter)

- It's hot.

- Hi, how are you?

- Tommy Vietor: This is actually taped.

-This is actually taped.

-It's taped. It was supposed to be live,

- and then our sat truck went down, of course.

- No problem.

- Woman: How'd this event go?

- (train horn)

It's great.

Except for the, you know,

seven trains that went by

and the bug that he ate.

Other than that...

Vietor:

I'll never forget the first

time I met Barack.

I was in this office, and we

were working on the weekend,

and he walks in.

I sort of pop up

and then I shake his hand.

He was great. I mean, I didn't

spent a lot of time with him

until they got to the Senate.

I always sort of felt like

there wasn't a day

where I didn't feel like

he was uniquely qualified

to do anything.

You know, be a Senator,

be a CEO, lead the country.

And that's what's so

impressive about the guy.

(indistinct chatter)

- Okay, hey, guys.

- How are you?

- This is my Polk County staff?

- Man: Yeah, some of them.

- Obama: Good-looking group.

- (laughs)

(indistinct)

Alright. Are any of

these people over 30?

(laughs) Nope.

(indistinct chatter)

David Plouffe: You're part of

something really historic today.

We've got 10, 15,000 people

around the country,

right now as we speak,

knocking doors

and attending events

and spreading the message

about the campaign.

What this really speaks to

is the kind of

grassroots enthusiasm

that Barack Obama's candidacy

is inspiring all

across the country.

He's a community organizer

at heart.

So door-to-door canvassing,

phone calls,

real contact with voters.

Even in a Presidential

campaign, his firm belief

is that to both

succeed electorally

and transform the country and

make the changes we need to,

we need to build a grassroots

movement for change.

- Woman: Where are

you gonna walk?

- Just here in Illinois.

Woman: Can we follow you?

Uh, well I've got to wait

for my son to wake up,

so this is kind of our own

freelance canvas.

Barack is walking

in about 20 minutes.

-Thanks for coming out.

Hey, everybody.

-(indistinct)

-(baby screeching)

-I just wanted to say

thank you so much for coming.

You know, this isn't

a bad day to be outside.

I just want to let all of you

know,

I wanna shake hands

with everybody.

Hi, very nice to meet you.

-Welcome to Iowa.

-Hey, good to see you.

How are you?

Axelrod:

Running for President

is like being an astronaut.

You can go in the simulator

all you want,

but until you're

orbiting in space,

you don't really know

what it's gonna be like.

I've been shaking hands...

for three straight hours.

(indistinct chatter)

Straight.

You guys are killing me!

- I'm physically spent.

- (laughing)

I don't know how

I'm going to give a speech!

It's like I've been

through a wrestling match!

- Marvin!

- Marvin Nicholson: Yes, sir.

- You all are killing me, man.

- Nicholson: What's the matter?

I've been shaking hands

three hours straight!

- Nicholson: We're early, though.

- Obama: We're early.

- Nicholson: We're early, though.

- (laughter)

You got a lot more hands

to shake in this state.

- Man: Good morning again.

- Obama: Good to see you.

Okay, so I wanna emphasize that.

I'm gonna talk about CAFE, I'm

gonna talk about cap and trade,

low-carbon standard.

The equivalent of removing...

Now, you know,

there was a statistic,

I don't know if you guys

still have it,

that if you're making

the fuel less harmful

and then you're

also making the cars

use less fuel,

and, in combination,

then it ends up

being real powerful.

Woman (PA):

...begin to engage in this

whole support process.

The whole country

is watching us.

(yawns)

We came here to listen.

This man came here

to talk to you.

He came here to listen to you.

This is our place.

This is his time.

Mr. Senator Barack Obama.

(crowd cheers)

Axelrod:

And there really

isn't any corollary

for what he's gone through

because almost every

candidate for President,

save a very few, start off

in semi-obscurity,

and then work their way up.

I always say, you know,

most of them get to

try their stuff out

in New Haven and Topeka

before they get to Broadway.

We opened up right on Broadway.

Critics in the front row.

And that's an awful

lot of pressure.

The reality is, Obama is

not gonna be the nominee

for the simple fact that he's

never run a competitive race

outside a state-legislative

district in Illinois,

That is not gonna happen.

He can't win the election.

Woman: Why not?

I don't think that

America's ready for it yet.

Just because of his race

and his views.

People are saying they're

viewing him kinda as, like,

a terrorist. They associate him

with the terrorists and stuff,

so, it's... I don't know.

I think he'll have a tough time

winning just because of that

whole association-by-race.

I find it kinda interesting.

Everybody keeps asking me,

"Well, you think

that Obama got a leg up

because he's African American?"

My question is, well,

does Clinton have a leg up

because she's a woman?

I'm actually going to wear

a button for Hillary this time.

And then my husband

won't commit himself,

but if he doesn't vote for her...

We've been married 41 years.

If he doesn't vote for her,

we're through.

We got to put up a fight

against Hillary.

We've had about 20 years

of the Bushes and Hillarys.

We want a fresh start,

fresh face.

That's Barack Obama.

Is Hillary Clinton pulling away

for the Democratic nomination?

A new USA Today Gallup Poll

gives her a double-digit lead

right now over Barack Obama.

Is she the inevitable nominee?

Has Hillary Clinton got

this thing locked?

(amusement park screaming)

(sizzling)

Woman:

Good job, Hillary. Good job.

(laughter)

Well, you know, if you can't

stand the heat,

- get out of the kitchen.

- (all laughing)

(alarm buzzes)

(crowd cheers)

Woman (PA): Finally. Alright.

You get to pick out

any prize you like.

You want an update?

I'm trying to get him on TV.

On a local NBC affiliate,

Live at 6,

but I have no clue where

we're gonna be, where we are

and how long it's taking

to get there.

We're literally on our way out.

(kids laughing)

- Hey, I'm Tommy.

- Oh, hey, Tommy. Tommy Vietor?

- Yeah.

- Scott Helman

from the Boston Globe.

- Hey, man!

- How are you?

I've been reading you

forever. I've been

swearing about Boston sports.

Way to stick it to us

on that crap lobbying story.

Yeah, I knew

you wouldn't like that.

That's such bullshit.

When are we gonna move

past the gotcha story?

Oh, come on, that was

totally not bullshit...

Here's the reason

it's a bullshit story...

Sir, we did two. Is that okay?

- Woman 1: Alright.

- Woman 2: Oh, look at that.

- Which one is it?

- Yeah, you did it, I think.

- Woman 3: Yeah, you got it.

- Man: Oh, I got it!

Hey, thank you!

Will you sign her thing?

(indistinct chatter)

I got a picture

of you and Hillary.

Yesterday was Dave's birthday.

- Yeah, you told me.

- Okay, just want to make sure.

Dave, we're here.

Dave Price:

Alright, we're with

Senator Barack Obama

outside our

Cast Your Kernel poll here.

Senator, if you would like the

honor here of actually voting.

There's your corn kernel.

(whistling)

Price:

Now, as you may see here, sir,

- you're getting out-jarred now.

- Obama: Excuse me, everybody.

I need everybody

to get a corn kernel

and start filling up a jar.

You don't want me to be behind.

It's heartbreaking.

So, we need to catch up.

By Sunday, we're gonna

have overtaken

all the other candidates when

it comes to their corn kernels,

- alright? Do I have

a commitment?

- Man: Yeah.

-(applause)

-Obama: That's it.

Thank you, guys.

Hello, is this Barbara?

My name's Lorenzo,

and I'm nine years old.

I'm a volunteer with the Obama

campaign. How are you?

- Where's Diana?

- (office chatter)

Who's Diana?

Obama is the candidate

running for President.

No, not... Not Diana. Obama.

Well, he is a candidate

running for President.

(sighs)

He's a candidate

running for President.

Of the United States of America.

No, Hillary is running

for President.

Obam...

Hope you have a wonderful day.

How are you, sir?

- What's your name?

- Joe Scott.

Good to see you, Joe.

How you been? Is this your shop?

- No.

- Oh. (laugh)

Hi, Barack. What's your name?

- John.

- Nice to meet you, John.

- Sarah.

- Hey, Sarah, good to see you.

- Kay.

- Hey, Kay.

- Rose.

- Nice to meet you.

- You too.

- Well, thank you very much

for saying hello. This is...

This is as nice

a downtown as I've seen.

Obama has raised more money...

A little bit more

money than Hillary.

Yet...

if you look at

the national polls,

his momentum just stalled at

a certain point this summer.

People are starting

to question whether

he has what it takes

to take down Hillary.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

So the question everyone

has been waiting

to have answered

in this campaign

is when is Obama gonna start

moving in these national polls?

Reporter:

Senator Hillary Clinton's

widening her lead

-with a 30-point lead.

I had to ask, I have to ask.

-(scoff)

- (laugh)

- Does it concern you at all?

- I mean...

- (laugh)

We're having a good

time in Iowa.

You know, the national polls

story will run...

Sooner or later,

it has to run itself out.

At some point, there'll be

the first actual vote.

Lynn Sweet:

I think these polls

can change. I think

he's not in the best

position to win,

but, by no means is he not

in a position to win.

The strength of

Obama's calling card is

he's a community organizer.

This campaign is his

laboratory for organizing.

- ♪ You better think ♪

- ♪ Think ♪

♪ Think about what you're

tryin' to do to me ♪

- ♪ Think ♪ - ♪ Think, think ♪

♪ Let your mind go,

let yourself be free ♪

♪ Let's go back, let's go back ♪

♪ Let's go way on

to way back when ♪

♪ I didn't even know you ♪

♪ You couldn't have been

too much more than 10 ♪

♪ I ain't no psychiatrist ♪

♪ I ain't no doctor

with degrees ♪

♪ But it don't take

too much high IQ's ♪

♪ To see what

you're doin' to me ♪

- ♪ You better think ♪

- ♪ Think ♪

♪ Think about what you're

tryin' to do to me ♪

- ♪ Yeah, think ♪

- ♪ Think, think ♪

♪ Let your mind go,

let yourself be free ♪

- ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ - ♪ Freedom ♪

- ♪ Freedom ♪ - ♪ Freedom ♪

♪ Oh, freedom ♪

- ♪ Yeah, freedom ♪

- ♪ Freedom ♪

- ♪ Oh, now, freedom ♪

- ♪ Freedom ♪

- ♪ Oh, freedom ♪ - ♪ Freedom ♪

He's got my vote. He's on time.

He showed up on time.

He's got my vote.

What?

Woman:

You guys getting excited

for the big dinner?

- I am.

- Woman: You are?

- Yeah.

- Is his speech all ready?

- Haven't written it yet. (laugh)

- Oh, yeah.

Axelrod: Jon is, in my view,

a brilliant young guy.

Woman: Is he a hero of yours?

Jon Favreau:

Yeah, he's one of them for sure.

I mean, you know, cliché

but as a speech writer,

you always look

to Kennedy for sure.

I think for speeches,

even Bobby Kennedy's speeches

are probably even more

inspirational in some senses.

It's a little more

like Barack, I think.

Axelrod:

I think he has a good ear

for Barack's voice.

It's a very tough thing to be

a speech writer for Barack,

because Barack is the best

speech writer in our group.

Now, you guys may argue with

me with on this, but, again,

I'm just trying to give

a little bit of a...

I want this to be populist,

but I want a little bit of

a flavor. Forward-looking.

So, one place we can put it.

"I will eliminate capital gains

tax for small businesses

to start up their

engine of growth."

Favreau:

He always wrote most of his

speeches himself before this.

He's had to get used to

having... writers around,

just because the nature

of a Presidential campaign.

But he doesn't give up,

you know...

He's still the chief

speech writer, always.

(indistinct)

We are 77, 8,

something like that,

days out from the Iowa caucus.

I am working on

the speech he'll give

at the Jefferson-Jackson

dinner in Iowa,

which is a pretty big deal,

where all the candidates

are gonna appear

at the same time.

It's a big organizational test

of each campaign, see who

can turn out the most people,

the most raucous crowd,

give a great speech.

(drumline playing)

We think of the 9000 people

going to J-J tonight,

3,000... We know

3,000 are our votes.

3,000 or more.

As you can see.

(drums playing, crowd cheering)

(drumming, cheering continue)

(crowd chanting)

(cheering continues)

(laugh)

People ask me, "Why do

you think you can win Iowa?"

And I think if we're in

a close race, these kids,

they're gonna win it for us.

Thank you, guys.

Axelrod:

They think they're

changing the world

and that's the best thing

that they could do,

and God bless them.

We need more of them.

- The good news is

I think they are.

- Yeah.

(cheering continues)

Obama:

I am running in this race,

because of what Dr. King called,

"The fierce urgency of now."

I believe the American people

are tired of fear

- and tired of distractions

- (cheering)

and tired of diversions.

We can make this election

not about fear,

but about the future,

and that won't just be

a Democratic victory,

that will be an

American victory!

(cheering, applauding)

That's why I'm running,

Democrats!

Thank you very much, everybody.

Thank you.

(music playing

over loudspeakers)

Obama: Thank you.

("Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

by Stevie Wonder playing on

speakers)

Axelrod:

The J.J. was a big task.

Nine thousand people,

and the whole political

world focused on you.

Your opponent's sitting

in front of you.

No teleprompter, no notes.

Just you and this crowd.

And he just knocked it

out of the park.

And I think the campaign

changed dramatically that day.

She's so real,

I'm here to tell you.

(indistinct chatter)

Obama:

I just want to say

to the parents,

thank you for doing a great job.

I want to say to the organizers,

don't believe everything

I'm saying right now

because I'm talking

to your parents.

- (laughter)

- You better be working hard

over these last two months.

- (cheering)

- We've got a lot of work to do!

We gotta go get

some caucus-goers!

We gotta knock on doors!

We gotta make phone calls!

We gotta get everybody

in Iowa fired up!

I'm ready to go!

(truck rumbling)

(chatter)

I'm finding supporters

out of the woodworks.

My neighbors down the street

I had no idea about

are supporting Obama.

You can tell that, you know,

the momentum

has definitely shifted.

I remember there were

times when people

couldn't even pronounce

"Barack Obama,"

much less end up

caucusing for him,

so he's come a long way.

We can start here.

This is Stephanie Grobman.

- Stephanie Grobman: Hey.

- What happened?

I had to pick up Senator

Wofford from the airport.

Oh, that's so nice of you.

- Was he nice?

- Yeah, he was.

Obama:

You know, I think that we are

at this moment that doesn't

come around that often,

where we've got a chance

to make big change.

After seven years of

disastrous foreign policy

and a country that

is more divided

and less competitive

than it was before.

I think, not only Democrats,

but Republicans and Independents

are looking for something new.

Reporter:

Anything keeping you up

at night at this point?

Uh, nothing keeps

me up at night.

- Reporter: It must

be exhausting.

- Yeah, it's tiring.

Now, actually, one thing that

keeps me up at night

is the prospect of...

dealing with all the problems

that we've got right now.

So, when I fret,

it's not about the campaign.

It's about governing

and figuring out how can

we lead this country

to a better direction?

Reporter:

Do you have time

to reflect on what,

you know, what's

happening to you?

No.

At some point I will.

- Alright.

- (indistinct)

Candy Crowley:

He seems different now.

I sensed before that this

civil rights professor,

walked in and gave

very deliberative answers,

all of which is laudable.

He thinks things through,

but in sound-bite world,

he was terrible.

Well, now, that Barack Obama

that flashed onto

the national scene

is showing up in Waterloo.

His trajectory is

good at this point.

Now, can he bring it home?

That's the beauty of Iowa.

Nobody knows.

Plouffe (phone):

Alright, everybody.

Thanks for getting on the phone.

12 months ago today,

Barack was in Hawaii

wrestling whether to run,

on Christmas Eve.

We had no infrastructure.

If ever there was

a David vs. Goliath situation,

if Barack were to run,

this is it.

Barack came back

from Hawaii and told us

he was gonna run

for the Presidency,

and this

improbable journey began.

We were facing the most

dominant national front-runner

our party has seen in

a generation, if not more.

I talked to Barack

when he landed

after having been out in Iowa

with you guys on that bus tour.

And he said, "You know,

I really wanna win this."

I said, "Yeah,

no shit, Sherlock."

(laughter)

And he said, "No,

I really wanna win Iowa."

I said, "Yeah, you know,

if we win Iowa,

I think we're off to

the races. "He said," No, no.

It's not about

anything like that."

He says,

"I wanna win for those kids."

Yeah, and...

(voice breaking):

He believes so strongly

in what you guys are doing.

In eight days, we're gonna

win the Iowa caucus,

in 13 days, we're gonna win

the New Hampshire primary.

In 24 days, the Nevada caucus,

31 days,

the South Carolina primary.

In 39 days, on February 5th,

we're gonna clinch

this nomination.

Then we'll have to deal

with Mitt or Rudy or Huckabee

or whatever asshole

they nominate.

And November 4th,

you all in this zone

are gonna be responsible

for electing Barack Obama,

the 44th President

of the United States.

(applause)

- Michelle: How's it going?

- Woman: It's going very well.

Alright, well,

we need your support too.

- Yeah. (laugh)

- Are you both undecided?

- We're undecided.

- Oh, goodness.

- But all of our family's...

- You gotta work on 'em.

We need your support.

- I-I-I haven't decided yet.

- (mocks stuttering)

- I haven't decided yet.

- Were you listening to me?

- Yeah.

- Were you awake?

- ...Republican.

- Were you awake?

- Yeah.

- You know you love me.

(laughter)

- Hi.

- ...caucus for Obama!

- Uh, uh...

- Say, "Yes, I am."

- Will you sign this?

- I will.

He says that if

Barack Obama gets nominated,

we won't have to worry

about living on peanuts.

That's right.

That is absolutely right.

Richard Wolffe:

It's New Year's Eve

and everyone's on tenterhooks

waiting for the Des Moines

register poll, which is...

the serious poll of

what's gonna happen.

And the caucus is

just a few days away.

(indistinct chatter)

Man: Oh shit, it's up!

What... Uh, what is it?

- Woman: Oh...

- Man: Obama at 32.

Clinton, 25. Edwards, 24.

(cheering)

Woo! That's wonderful.

32 to 25.

That's gonna do it.

Alright. Love you too, Mom.

Bye.

Yeah. Seven points, baby.

I asked for a seven-point

lead today. Who knew?

(laughter)

All (chanting):

Fired up, ready to go!

Fired up, ready to go!

Fired up, ready to go!

Fired up, ready to go!

(all cheering)

Listen, listen. I really want

everybody to know this.

Polls don't mean shit.

And if you think tonight

that this is done,

you're wrong.

This is a close,

close, close race.

And we are on the verge

of making history.

On the verge.

And what we do tomorrow,

and what we do the next day and

what we do the day after that

determines whether we're

gonna make history or not.

(indistinct chatter)

Obama:

Michelle and I had a really

interesting conversation

and she said,

"We're not doing this again."

(laughter)

At first I thought she just

meant well, you know what?

I'm never home

and it's hard on the family.

And she meant

a little bit of that,

but what she really

meant was, you know,

that the reason that it was

important for us to do this now,

the reason it's better for us

to do it now than later,

is we're still almost normal.

Which I loved.

It was a great line.

I attribute it to you.

It was a good one.

And what she meant was,

you know what,

five years ago, six years ago...

We had just finished paying

off our student loans.

Michelle:

Three years ago. What are you...?

-(laughter)

-Well, it was actually

five or six.

We were still living in a condo.

It was a little bit

too small for the kids,

a growing family.

We still had credit card debt.

We were trying to figure out

how to save for college

for the girls

and to save for our retirement.

I mean, the point is, is that

we've gone through what people

are going through right now

relatively recently.

We don't forget it.

And so, when I go

into the White House,

I will be carrying

your voices with me.

What it comes down to is,

who do you trust?

And, you know,

I think that if you trust me,

then I think I'll...

I'll deliver it for you.

Alright? I'm gonna go to bed.

- Thank you.

- (applause)

It's caucus day!

I saw Tom Vilsack,

the former governor,

Iowa governor.

He said, "Happy Caucus Day!"

Whoever thought

that was a greeting?

-(indistinct chatter)

-Cho: So,

you guys know where to go?

Altoona Being There

Coffee House?

We're gonna be in there,

like, 10 minutes.

- 10 minutes?

- So we'll leave right now.

Grab a sign for good

old-fashioned visibility.

Right down Main Street, USA.

I remember feeling

so proud of...

of this opportunity and,

you know, my parents,

they really have truly come

from absolutely nothing.

My dad has never had

any money in his life.

My mom, you know,

she's from Seoul, Korea.

She was born and raised

there and moved out here

when my mom and dad got married.

You know, we lived in a car

for, you know, the first

couple of years of my life.

And I was the first member

of my family to go to college,

and now I'm working

for Barack Obama, right?

Just one of those...

One of those stories.

(laugh) Hey,

have you guys seen this one

- where we do the O-dance?

- Man: No.

Everyone's gotta do it,

so let's get in over here.

-(indistinct)

-So, alright... remember that

episode of The Fresh Prince

where they were like... that

one, he's doing a little dance

like this? Everyone watch me and

then we're all gonna do this.

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, Obama ♪

♪ Obama, Obama, Obama ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, Obama ♪

♪ Obama, Obama, Obama ♪

Alright!

Reporter: How do you feel today?

Good. Uh, confident.

I feel like we did

everything we could.

And the crowds have been great

and the volunteers

have been great.

- It's nice to see you.

- Nice to see you, thank you.

Ethan, who are you voting for?

Who are you voting for?

I'm going for Barack Obama.

(laughs)

We've been doing this

for months, and this is it.

You... We've worked too hard

to let this go now.

So now let's just,

close the deal.

Have to close the deal.

It's more... At this...

This just means too much.

Means too much.

New Hampshire and Des Moines?

(chuckles)

(indistinct chatter)

(inaudible)

Adrienne Cooper:

You're making...

You're gonna make me cry.

I've been like this all day.

I've been so emotional today.

Don't do this to me.

Don't do this to me.

- I'm with you.

- Thank you.

Woman:

Did you sleep at all last night?

Uh, yeah, for, like,

two or three hours.

Yeah, it was great.

It was great.

Reporters (TV):

Put a fork in her,

her goose will be cooked.

...receiving end of a tirade.

We'll see. We'll see soon.

Just a little bit more

than an hour from now.

What's going on? (indistinct)

Gibbs:

We have to say, "And finally."

(TV chatter)

Wolf, I think the most

important thing to remember

about the Democratic caucuses

is they're not an election.

They are a caucus.

They're more like a meeting,

and people stand up

and be counted.

They actually walk up to

their candidate's location.

They usually put up

a poster for each candidate,

and in front of their neighbors,

they decide who to vote for.

And now,

we come to the key rule.

Any candidate who is

15 percent or more,

gets to go on to the next round.

It's called

the viability threshold.

And any candidate

who is not, uh...

Does not get 15 percent,

they're out.

♪ ♪

Tewes:

I always think that

people should witness

the Iowa caucuses firsthand,

because I...

I do believe it's true

democracy in action.

(indistinct chatter)

This is so exciting.

The parking lot is full.

-People are streaming in.

It's democracy in action.

-Yeah.

I'm seeing a lot

of my neighbors here.

And they're all on Obama's side,

and that's great.

(chatter continues)

There'll be a lot of cajoling.

People will say,

"Hey, come over to our side."

And you're like,

"No, I'm an Obama supporter,

I'm staying put."

(chatter continues)

This is many more people

that we were expecting.

About four times more.

♪ ♪

Uh, this is like listening to

the pregame of the Super Bowl.

None of it matters.

Just kick off the damn ball.

You may now break

into your preference groups.

Obama, you sit towards the end.

Obama, over here.

Woman:

Obama people,

hold your hands up!

We're gonna start counting!

Hold them up!

43, 44, 45.

63.

64.

65.

So who said it's crazy?

What does that mean?

(inaudible)

Oh.

Biden, Dodd and Richardson

are not viable.

This is our final round

of realignment.

I'm a Republican.

I registered Democrat.

That's why I'm here.

Just get in there. Go, Obama.

We need two more people.

Somebody get in the hallway

and find me two people.

I need someone with

a green card.

And I don't mean

the immigration kind.

Sir, have you already

given your vote?

You guys wanna

be with the winners?

Okay.

I'm inviting you to join us

with the Obama group.

How about some stickers?

- Give me a sticker.

- Hey, hey!

I need one person

for Obama! Damn.

Oh, you don't wanna

be counted for Obama?

Yes, I have been counted

for Obama.

Oh, yes, thank you! You rock!

(laughter)

♪ ♪

That's the latest.

Man:

We will elect eight delegates

to the county convention

for this precinct.

Edwards will elect

two delegates,

-(scattered applause)

-Obama will

elect four delegates.

(cheering)

Clinton will elect

two delegates.

(cheering)

(news sound effects)

We are back on the air

here in Des Moines

and we have news to

report at this hour.

NBC News is projecting

that when all the caucus-goer's

preferences are counted up,

Barack Obama will win

the Iowa caucuses

on the Democratic side.

- Holy shit.

- (cheering)

Holy shit. Holy shit!

(cheering, screaming)

(screaming, laughing)

(excited chatter)

(laughing, squealing)

History.

History. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable. There is hope.

H-O-P-E.

Woman: How are you feeling?

- Pretty good.

- We just told her.

Woman: You did? What'd she say?

Not much. She jumped. (laugh)

Who knew?

I might throw up now,

It's okay, though.

Wow.

- Sasha Obama: What?

- Vietor: It's one state,

49 more.

Sweet:

Winning Iowa is a big

victory for Barack Obama.

This gives him the momentum

to be the first African American

to actually win the Presidency.

Obama:

Man:

A state that's,

so few minorities as Iowa has,

I think we've proven

a lot of people...

It proved a lot

of people wrong tonight.

Woman (PA):

So now, I would like

to introduce you

to the next first family of

the United States of America.

(crowd cheering)

♪ ♪

(applause)

Yeah!

(cheering, applause continues)

Crowd (chanting): Obama! Obama!

Thank you, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Iowa.

(cheering)

I used to get really kind of

ecstatic at things like this,

but now Plouffe is

rubbing off on me,

and I've got a real even

kind of metabolism.

We'll win New Hampshire

in five days

and then we'll feel really good.

(sniffling) I feel good.

Oh, man.

(crying)

What I was so pleased with was,

not just the fact that

we won all the raw numbers,

but what it showed

about the country.

I think it's fair to say

that there were some

who were skeptical

that young people

would come out,

that Independents

and Republicans

would be voting

Democratic in the...

Caucusing in

the Democratic caucus.

Man:

Can you just describe

that moment when

it sort of sunk in that

you and your family

won the first...

The first battle?

Uh...

We've felt good for

the last two weeks...

because we were so proud of what

was happening on the ground.

We were seeing

the crowds, and so,

regardless of how the numbers

played out exactly,

we were really confident

about us having changed

how politics operated

in this caucus,

and it makes me very

optimistic about the country.

I think we can do it

with the country as a whole.

- Thank you, guys.

- That wasn't bad, guys.

- Woman: Thank you.

- Alright, let me go to sleep.

- Thank you.

- Man: Thanks, Senator.

- Can you sleep?

- You bet.

(laughter)

Gibbs: Uh, what is this?

Obama:

How come we can't see

the Patriots game?

It's blacked out.

How can the Patriots

game be blacked out?

We didn't... They say

we didn't purchase it.

Toot, it's your grandson.

I realized I hadn't talked

to you in a while.

And so, I was thinking...

That was, in fact, how I started

thinking about how...

How come I'm not

in Hawaii right now?

'Cause that's where

I usually am.

-(bus chatter)

-That's where

I belong. Exactly.

(jet engine roaring)

- Woman: Who's that?

- Suhaila Soetoro-Ng:

Me and Uncle Rocky.

- Uncle Rocky have big ears.

- (Woman laughs)

Ooh.

(indistinct)

Konrad Ng:

What's it like to have

Barack Obama

as your brother

and my brother-in-law?

Maya Soetoro-Ng:

There are moments, of course,

when you recognize that

there's sacrifice involved,

and like I said,

he belongs to the world now

and, you know,

you have to sort of

come to terms with that

and to know that

your conversations

aren't necessarily

going to be as long.

He's awfully busy, and...

and that you might not have him

for two weeks at Christmastime

and, you know, December,

that sort of thing.

But again, you realize,

well, it's...

it is worth it.

Neil Abercrombie:

His father had been

spotted by AID folks

in Kenya as someone

with the kind of intellect,

the kind of drive,

the kind of energy

that we were hoping

to attract as students

back in those days,

in the late '50s, early '60s,

to come to the United States.

Barack's mother,

almost the mirror opposite.

She was sweet and kind,

but very, very smart.

But a much more placid

personality.

Still water ran deep with her.

It's an interesting thing,

because he is

the embodiment of his mom,

uh, in his demeanor,

but his intellect,

of course, is like his dad.

I've always said that,

"Barack, you'd always be

that voice of reason."

So, as a kid,

he had that voice of reason.

He wasn't one of those kids

who just went with the flow

because that's what

you're supposed to do.

And I do see that in

him now as an adult.

You know, and I think that's

what appeals to so many people.

Maya:

This is where Barack grew up,

with our grandparents.

They lived on the 10th floor,

and our grandmother

still resides there.

Titcomb:

His grandparents,

you called them grandparents,

but they were his parents,

you know, growing up here.

He was just a very normal boy.

He wanted to be

a big-time basketball player.

And he played basketball

every minute that he could.

He had a group of boys that

would come over

to this apartment

and raid the refrigerator,

and go play basketball

and do things.

I know this is hard on you,

missing all of us,

Maya and all the kids.

Well, I love you, sweetie.

Alright, bye-bye. Yeah.

That was a good call.

(crowd chanting)

(chanting continues)

Last night, Barack Obama won

an historic victory in Iowa

beating Hillary Clinton.

For Clinton, what was once

considered inevitable

is now barely likely.

Are Democrats over Hill

and looking for a change?

Is Barack Obama on the eve of

what it looks like a victory?

Not only that,

I mean it looks like

the trajectory

is still going up.

Man:

I actually don't think

she's been way ahead.

She was way ahead in

the polls at one time.

She's not way ahead

in the polls now.

- Yay, Obama!

- Woo!

Wolffe:

We got used to him

having big crowds, okay?

But to get a big crowd

in New Hampshire

- (chatter)

- is not... is really unusual.

I mean, look at this line!

It stretches...

Around the block

doesn't do it justice.

Something's happening here.

♪ ♪

These people are still here.

It's because their movie's

now gonna get a lot better.

Hey, guys!

This is it. This is...

This is our...

Our army.

I don't know who thought about

doing a college rally at 8:30.

That's stupid.

(inaudible)

Man (PA):

Ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome

a woman who will be

the future First Lady,

Michelle Obama.

(crowd cheering)

Follow the arrow out,

In case I was like,

where do I go?

Barack Obama is surging

right now in the polls.

Hillary Clinton

and Mitt Romney are sinking.

Can Clinton and Romney survive?

If they lose tomorrow...

Young people voted at the same

rate as senior citizens, which...

-(indistinct)

-Oh, we did. We won

all of them, but still,

just to see all these

new people to decide,

- we're gonna try this time.

- Woman: Yep.

Here's when Democrats

in New Hampshire

will make their minds up,

and Independents.

Tomorrow, the debate.

How will Hillary perform?

She does well in debates.

What can you say to

the voters of New Hampshire

on this stage tonight,

who see your resumé and like it,

but are hesitating on

the likability issue,

where they seem to like

Barack Obama more?

Well, that hurts my feelings.

- (laughter)

- Moderator: I'm sorry, Senator.

Hillary Clinton:

But I'll try to go on.

He's very likable,

I agree with that.

- I don't think I'm that bad.

- You're likable enough.

- Thank you so much.

- (laughter)

So I was riding in the bus

with him on Monday,

before the primary,

and someone said...

Looked at their e-mail

or something and said,

"Hillary had a breakdown

of some sort

on the trail, and it's online."

You know, I have so many

opportunities from this country,

I just don't wanna

see us fall backwards.

(voice breaking):

You know, so...

(applause)

You know, this is

very personal for me.

It's not just political,

it's not just public.

I see what's happening,

and we have to reverse it.

Axelrod:

I remember thinking at

that moment, I don't know.

I don't know how

this is gonna play.

Because one of the things

that had plagued her

was this sort of lack of

authenticity and humanity,

and here was this

very human moment,

and whether she was crying

because she was losing or not,

she was showing an emotion

people could relate to.

-Man: Mr. Obama!

Come on, come on!

-(chatter)

- Are you nervous?

- Obama: What's up?

Man:

There's more

and more people...

No, I'm not nervous,

I feel great.

We just wanna make sure

everybody goes to the polls.

We've only won one state.

If we do well tonight,

maybe two.

Then there are 48 to go.

Linda, Hillary Clinton

woke up this primary morning,

her Presidential aspirations

potentially on the line,

ready to work for

every last vote.

(crowd cheering)

She traveled to five different

polling sites in five hours

trying to rally her supporters,

hoping to turn the tide

against her predicted

by the polls.

Ryan Lizza:

The exit polls all

day have gone from...

The first wave was

about nine points,

the second wave about

four or five points,

and the final wave

is about one point,

Obama over Hillary, all three.

And now, the returns that are

coming in are showing her up

by like five or six points.

As soon as we started

getting returns,

Matt Rodriguez,

our state coordinator,

looked at some precincts

from Manchester

and he said,

"How could this be?"

You know, we're gonna lose.

And CNN is now ready to project

that Hillary Clinton has won

the New Hampshire primary.

Hillary Clinton will emerge

the victor tonight.

Axelrod:

So, we went up to

tell Barack that

we weren't gonna win

the New Hampshire primary,

he having gone into his

dinner with his wife,

thinking that he was

preparing for a victory.

We were in a hotel room,

and whenever...

Gibbs and Axelrod come

up with that kind of

sheepish hangdog look,

then you know that

things aren't going

the way they're supposed to.

- (cheering)

- I want especially

to thank New Hampshire.

Over the last week

I listened to you,

and in the process

I found my own voice.

(applause, cheering)

He leaned against the wall

and smiled kind of,

uh, wanly, and said,

"This thing's gonna go on

for a while, isn't it?"

Obama:

When we've been told

we're not ready,

or that we shouldn't try,

or that we can't,

generations of Americans

have responded

with a simple creed

that sums up the spirit

of a people.

"Yes, we can."

- (crowd cheering)

- Yes, we can.

I didn't consider that

a low point in the campaign.

I actually thought that was

a good moment in the campaign.

It was whispered by slaves

and abolitionists

as they blazed the trail

towards freedom

through the darkest of nights,

- "Yes, we can."

- (cheering)

It was the call of

workers who organized,

women who reached

for the ballot,

a President who chose

the moon as our new frontier,

and a King who took us

to the mountaintop

and pointed the way

to the promised land.

"Yes, we can" to

justice and equality.

(applause)

We had come out of

Iowa so energized,

and, you know,

everybody was giddy.

And...

you know, although I think we...

believed that we were

guarding against hubris,

I'm not sure we were.

And I remember,

after having lost New Hampshire,

going to my supporters over the

next couple of days and saying,

"I think this is a good thing."

We have to earn this.

- (indistinct chatter)

- (buzzing)

(TV chatter)

Just getting my hair cut.

- (laugh)

- I don't know.

I'd rather just get a haircut.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

- This is one of

my quiet places.

- Barber: Right on.

- Alright. That means you too.

- (laughter)

(crowd chatter)

Obama:

Somebody have any water for me?

I'll get you a water.

Do you have a card?

Obama: I mean, you know...

(man speaking on PA)

- (man on PA continues)

- (indistinct)

(man on PA continues)

Yeah.

Charles Ommaney:

It felt like 18 months.

(jet engine idling)

Jeff Zeleny: It's February 5th.

To the rest of the world,

it's Fat Tuesday.

To the political reporters

trapped on this plane,

it's Super Tuesday,

which means the Democrats

are voting in 22 states,

the Republicans are

voting in 21 states.

This is the biggest

political day of the year.

The biggest challenge of

this Super Tuesday contest

is just the breadth

and expansion of it.

There are contests in 22 states,

15 primaries, seven caucuses.

Tonight,

there are 1,681 delegates

picked for

the Democratic convention,

which is more than half

of the delegates you need

to win the nomination.

-This is the first week

that Senator Obama

-(applause)

has caught up with her

in national polls.

Really, only a week ago,

he was still 10 points down.

For Senator Obama,

this is probably

the biggest week

of his campaign.

(office chatter)

Woman:

When do you think this

is gonna be decided?

(indistinct chatter)

Who knows? It could be

a complete nightmare.

- Woman: You think by March?

- Uh...

There's like...

There's something we call

the "Doomsday Scenario," which

is the Pennsylvania primary,

sometime in mid-March.

But, I don't even know.

I don't even know.

Now that we get to a house

divided cannot stand,

it doesn't even...

It actually doesn't sound

as much like a call.

Adam Frankel:

Are we landing

on something here,

and then just applause,

and then kind of do the sound,

- start with the whisper thing?

- Favreau: Yeah.

Alright. What began as a

whisper in Springfield, right?

Can we say something

like "found its way"

to somewhere in Iowa?

"Where people who wanted..."

And then start getting

a little concrete?

Say that maybe,

you know, maybe I want ch...

(laugh) Maybe I want change.

-Ben Rhodes: Change

sounds pretty good.

-(laugh)

- Frankel: Not bad, right?

- Favreau: I'm for change.

Rhodes:

George Bush,

he's for change now too.

♪ ♪

(indistinct)

My name is Ronnie Cho. I'm with

the Barack Obama campaign.

Here in Arizona,

the Latino turnout's

gonna be very important for us.

Hopefully you heard

today is election day.

Blake:

I've let go of Mike Blake

a long time ago.

You get to a point where you're

not even thinking about that.

You're so passionate

that you want him to win.

There's a huge protest vote

against Republican policies

and it's a record

turnout in New Mexico.

I'm hearing the same in

Arizona and Colorado, Utah,

California...

Cho:

There's gotta be some water,

and just make sure

you get it done.

We need granola bars,

we need the water there.

This line is just

getting longer and longer

- by the minute.

- Crowley: The Clinton Campaign

believes that Illinois

will go for Barack.

New York, New Jersey,

California will be theirs.

Woman:

Have you picked a candidate?

Definitely Barack.

We voted for Hillary Clinton.

Yeah.

I think we need

a woman President.

- Nice to see you. Hey, sweetie.

- (chatter)

How are you?

- I'm here.

- Nice to meet you.

♪ ♪

Water, anyone?

Alright. You want one, babe?

He is what I dreamed about.

And this, to me,

is just off the charts.

All: Hillary for President!

Woo!

Blake: Ward 5, Precinct 3.

Let's just come on inside

so people don't

stand in the cold.

We absolutely annihilated here.

Obama don't have to worry

because God's got him.

He is that shining light

we've been looking for.

Man 1:

Man 2: No. No, never.

Can you imagine if

85% of the people

voted every election?

You couldn't get

these bums in there.

♪ Keep on teachin' ♪

Obama:

I still think that Senator

Clinton is the favorite.

You know, she had 20,

30-point leads

in many of these states.

We've been closing some ground.

What day is today?

Super Tuesday.

Right.

David Axelrod.

- A-X...

- E-L-R-O-D.

Yeah. We've been waiting

on you all day.

- (laughter)

- All day.

Could be a great night.

- Democrat, please.

- (chuckle)

- This man been waiting on you.

- You'll ruin my reputation.

- You know, look at these.

- (crowd cheering)

Now Utah, Minnesota,

North Dakota,

Kansas.

I mean,

there you go!

We're just loading it up!

Two weeks ago, we were

20 points behind

in the national Gallup Poll,

and tonight, we're basically

fighting her to a draw,

and winning states

in her own backyard.

What began as a whisper

in Springfield

soon carried across

the cornfields of Iowa,

where farmers

and factory workers,

students and seniors

stood up in numbers

- (applause)

- we had never seen before.

It's been a clean sweep

for Barack Obama

on this Saturday night.

-(crowd cheering)

-He carried

the Virgin Islands.

He carried Washington State,

Nebraska, and now Louisiana.

Obama:

They stood up to say

that maybe this year

- this time can be different.

- (cheering)

Maine hands him his

latest victory tonight.

It comes on the heels

of a sweep of

three states yesterday.

Obama: Change will not come

if we wait for

some other person.

Wolffe:

Barack Obama has won

the Potomac primary.

-(applause)

-That's DC, Maryland

and Virginia.

Obama:

We are the ones

we've been waiting for.

(crowd cheering)

She is in the midst of

a losing streak of sorts.

He's gonna be the best

President we've ever known.

Obama:

We know that what began

as a whisper

has now swelled to a chorus

that cannot be ignored,

- (cheering)

- that will not be deterred,

that will ring out

across this land

as a hymn that will

heal this nation,

repair this world,

make this time different

than all the rest!

Yes, we can.

- Let's go to work.

- (crowd cheering)

- Yes, we can.

- (crowd chanting)

All: Yes, we can.

Yes, we can!

Thank you, Chicago.

Let's go get to work.

- I love you.

- (cheering)

Tim Russert:

He has successfully

broadened his coalition,

which could be very bad news

for Hillary Clinton

going into Ohio and Texas,

coupled with the momentum

of having won

10 consecutive primaries

and caucuses.

I think we can expect a very

challenging couple of weeks.

- That's my guess.

- Woman: Super-negative. Super.

Yeah. I don't ever...

I never had them pegged

as folks who would

come out with a white flag

and say, "We give up."

That's not their gestalt.

Announcer:

It's 3:00 AM, and your

children are safe and asleep.

-(phone rings)

-But, there's a phone in the

White House, and it's ringing.

Something's happening

in the world.

Your vote will decide

who answers that call,

whether it's someone who already

knows the world's leaders,

knows the military,

someone tested and ready

to lead in a dangerous world.

It's 3:00 AM, and your

children are safe and asleep.

Who do you want

answering the phone?

♪ ♪

Clinton:

I'm Hillary Clinton

and I approve this message.

Answering Machine: (indistinct)

(dialing)

Answering Machine:

26 other callers present.

Tewes (phone):

I cannot stress this enough,

that everybody does doors.

Everybody. This weekend,

everybody on staff,

I don't care who you are,

I will be doing them. I expect

the political folks to do them,

I expect the press

folks to do them,

I expect the schedulers

to do them.

Everybody does a shift.

Everybody.

- (laughter)

- Obama: It's a beautiful day.

We're getting folks out,

campaigning everywhere.

And so I just wanna

make sure that I say hi

to these guys coming in.

Walter!

- How are you?

- Alright. How are you?

- Fine. Good to see you.

- Good to see you.

-How are you, sir?

Nice to see you.

-(indistinct)

- Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

- (phone ringing)

- Stephanopoulos, hold on.

(woman speaks indistinctly)

- Hey.

- (indistinct phone chatter)

Yeah, I agree with that.

No, I agree with that.

I think that the reality of this

is gonna begin to set in.

There... There is.

We said there's no...

There's no course for her other

than just search and destroy.

And I don't think

there's an appetite

for that in the party.

Uh...

What are you asking me?

Say that again, George.

Woman: How are the numbers?

Close.

Woman: Yeah?

They're, uh,

really, really close.

Like, the first wave, we were...

ahead in Ohio, behind in Texas,

ahead in Ohio by two,

behind in Texas by one.

The second wave,

she's ahead in Ohio by three,

and we don't know Texas.

Maybe she's ahead

by two or three there.

But it's so close that

these exit polls become...

less meaningful, you know. So...

I just don't know.

I mean, it's gonna be...

it could be

the nightmare scenario,

which is she ekes out wins

in Ohio and Texas,

we win more delegates,

so it's even clearer

that she can't be the nominee.

And yet she finds

encouragement to stay

and fight a kind

of trench warfare here.

So that would be unfortunate.

Woman (TV):

We have a Democratic Party in

Ohio that is divided by race,

gender and age.

Here are the numbers.

First, race.

Among white voters,

Clinton is winning women by

a large margin. Look at that.

66% to Obama's 44%.

(indistinct)

The exits are so fucked.

There's no way that, like,

it could even be close

if the exits are right about

white men and white women,

who both went for her

in big numbers.

Right.

(indistinct chatter)

- Cho: Hey, guys, how are you?

- Hey, man!

-How you been?

How's it look out here?

-We're hoping they'll fit.

- We got way too many people.

- Cho: Too many people?

-So, what's, uh...

Yeah, you're right.

-(indistinct)

- Woman: I said,

they're not gonna...

- It's okay. Yeah. It's alright.

Obama button, anyone?

Okay, you got one, there you go.

Obama button? No?

This one is for you.

Obama button? Perfect.

Obama button, anyone?

-Almost there,

guys. Almost there.

-(chatter)

Alright, hang out for

a little while longer, guys.

Don't leave us.

- How much what?

- (office chatter)

Yeah. Why, are they saying

they're gonna win Texas?

Right.

Alright. I'll work something

up and I'll send it to you

quick.

Do you know what time

he's going out to speak?

Okay, cool. I'll do that.

(hangs up)

Favreau:

Thank you for waiting.

Uh, every delegate counts.

So, this campaign in Texas has

only a couple hours left in it,

so hang out with us, please.

Don't leave, don't leave.

We need you. (laugh)

A huge comeback for

Hillary Clinton tonight

in this Democratic

Presidential race,

and a major, major achievement

for John McCain.

He captures the Republican

Presidential nomination.

Two storylines unfolding.

John McCain is the Republican

Presidential nominee,

but Hillary Clinton

now coming back

from a series of losses

to Barack Obama's

in Super Tuesday.

The wins in Ohio and Texas

are oh so significant

for Hillary Clinton

in going forward.

Let's take a look and recap.

- (cheering)

- You know that they say.

As Ohio goes,

so goes the nation.

- (cheering)

- No one says that.

(laughter)

Obama:

(hangs up)

We don't have a choice

when it comes to our relatives.

We have a choice

when it comes to our pastors.

Goddamn America!

That's in the Bible!

For killing innocent people!

Goddamn America!

How could you go to

this church for 20 years,

and not know this guy said this?

There's no way Obama

can shade it.

"Well, you know, I sort

of agree, but I..."

You know, no. That's crazy.

Bill O'Reilly:

New polls say Barack Obama's

taking a big hit

because of his pastor,

but there is a racial divide.

I think it's a bunch of crap.

It's been taken out of context.

That Reverend Wright looks

like a raving maniac to me.

I don't think for one moment

that Obama believes

in those things.

If I belonged to a church

that had that much hate in it,

I wouldn't belong

there very long.

I'm fearful that, uh,

Obama feels the same way.

Dr. King said

many of the same things.

If this is the best candidate

that we have to put up

for President

of the United States,

this country's

in terrible trouble.

Strictly, Obama's out.

- (jet engines whirring)

- (inaudible)

Wolffe:

Campaigns are fashioned

in the image of their maker.

And then, of course,

the sort of main narrative

of this campaign

has been about his identity.

We're not used to

an African American politician

talking, thinking,

behaving like he is.

And when a story like

Reverend Wright pops up...

There have been plenty of

controversial preachers

and pastors

in American politics.

Clearly, in this case,

we're fascinated by Wright

and about Obama because of race.

Cho:

You know, we're... sort

of in a street fight

for the nomination here.

The events with Reverend Wright,

and the attacks, and...

You know, it makes it

difficult to keep

the tone of our message

and to maintain

the integrity of that.

At one of our field offices,

they just spray-painted slurs

about Barack on the window.

And the downtown office

right here,

somebody threw a barricade

through the window,

broke the windows.

It... It sucks.

Living in a world where

the rules that you're living by

and the rules

that the campaign lives by

aren't necessarily the rules

the world lives by.

Zeleny:

This week, I think, has been

the most trying week

of the Senator's campaign,

because he really had to deal

with something personal.

There were super delegates,

there were other

Democratic supporters

calling, e-mailing

members of his staff saying,

"Look, this is killing you,

you need to do something

about this."

This is an issue

that will stay with him

for the rest of the campaign,

however long that is.

(crowd cheering)

(rumbling)

If they come at us on this

what's it gonna look like?

Is it just gonna be "Goddamn

America," or is it gonna be...

you know, US. of KKK A?

- If they use it, it's gonna

be him condemning America.

- Right, right.

Axelrod:

I think we all were

a little unsettled

by the Wright deal.

It was coming at us

with such ferocity.

If Wright became a surrogate

for Barack Obama,

then, certainly,

the race was over.

What does it... If it's, like,

just a total over-the-top...

You know.

So we have two versions

of the Wright response.

Axelrod:

It was a troubling time,

and no one had a great idea

about how to deal with it.

Except Barack, which was,

"let's go right at it."

(TV chatter)

Barack called me up

Friday night,

I think he called Plouffe

as well,

and said "I want to give

a speech on Wright,

"but it has to be

bigger than Wright.

"I wanna talk about

this whole issue

of race relations in

our country." And he said,

"I don't know whether

it's gonna help us or not,

"but I think that it's a moment

"in which we can

confront this thing

"in a way, this thing being

the issue of race,

in a way that could be

really valuable."

Man:

Give me a sense of

what you're anticipating

from Barack Obama today.

I don't know. It's clearly

a very important speech.

It's gonna be a defining

speech for him.

I hope he talks as much

about patriotism

and his feeling

about the country

as he does about race.

Reverend Wright's comments

were not only wrong,

but divisive.

Divisive at a time

when we need unity.

Racially charged

at a time when we need

to come together to solve

a set of monumental problems.

But I can no more disown him

than I can disown

my white grandmother,

a woman who helped raise me,

a woman who sacrificed

again and again for me,

a woman who loves me

as much as she loves

anything in this world,

but a woman who once confessed

her fear of black men who

passed her by on the street.

Favreau:

You know,

he felt good about it,

because he knew

what he wanted to say.

He had known it for

a long time, probably,

and it had crystallized

in his mind

after the controversy erupted.

And the way he is is that

he's just confident enough,

and, "Look-it. This is

what I believe to be true.

"This is what I think

about this issue,

"I'm gonna say it.

If people buy it,

"they buy it. If they don't,

what can I do?

"You know, I... I... I, you know,

spoke as honestly as I could."

Wolffe:

Well, my first

impression is, uh,

just what a gutsy move it was

to have the speech at all.

Here you have, obviously,

a candidate of a very different

complexion in many ways

really confronting

this hot button,

very emotional issue, head-on.

Really, words can't describe

how I felt to hear that speech.

It was moving. It really was.

- Woman: That was a great speech.

- It was pretty good.

- Woman: How'd it

feel to give it?

- Huh?

- Woman: How'd it

feel to give it?

- Strong.

(indistinct chatter)

Plouffe:

We are not terribly, uh,

buffeted around by

the conventional wisdom crowd,

- (basketball chatter)

- because the truth is,

every day there's

something written or said

that is a challenge to Barack,

challenges our

campaign strategy,

challenges our execution.

And, you know, not that

we're being arrogant.

The truth is that sometimes

feedback is very important,

that you need to know.

But for the most part, you know,

you just gotta keep

your eyes straight ahead,

know where you're going,

know what your strategy

is to win.

As I said,

we don't have real...

a lot of message angst,

because Barack has a very

clear sense of who he is

and what he's saying.

So, I'm not making

a long speech.

I just wanna come by and say

hello to everybody. Thank you.

(cheering)

Wolffe: The race is important.

Every twist and turn

is important.

But the shape of the race

is what it is.

He has a lead in

pledged delegates that

she's highly

unlikely to overturn.

So, this is all

about an argument

they're making

for super delegates,

these party insiders

who are steadily trickling

towards Obama.

- Alright, fire away.

- Woman: Senator, are you gonna

wrap up the nomination tomorrow?

Obama:

We feel good about

the number of super delegates

that we've, uh,

been accumulating,

and my sense is

is between Tuesday and Wednesday

that we got a good chance

of getting the number

that we need to

achieve the nomination,

but, obviously,

there are two more...

♪ ♪

Senator Barack Obama

goes over the threshold,

goes over 2118 delegates.

He will be the Democratic

Presidential nominee.

Favreau: Final speech.

- Woman: Really?

- Favreau: Just emailed.

Woman: What's the tone?

- Tone is victorious.

- Okay.

You know, we won, thank you,

thank you, other candidates,

thank you, Hillary,

you're great.

McCain, blah, blah, blah,

hope, change, you know.

(indistinct chatter)

So, listen, uh...

Man: What's that?

(TV chatter, cheering)

In the end,

while this primary was long,

I am so proud we stayed

the course together.

(crowd cheering)

Clinton (TV):

It means that every single

United States citizen

had a chance

to make his or her voice heard.

Senator Obama has inspired

so many Americans

to care about politics,

and empowered so many more

to get involved.

Hi, it's Robert Gibbs

with Senator Obama.

Hi, how are you?

I am good.

Senator Obama is wondering

if Senator Clinton

was available.

- (indistinct)

- Hello? Can you hear me?

(indistinct chatter)

Gibbs:

Hi, Huma,

it's Robert Gibbs again,

Senator Obama's trying

to reach Senator Clinton.

Shh.

(indistinct chatter)

(chuckle)

Hey, Huma, this is Barack.

Uh, just calling Hillary

to congratulate her

on South Dakota.

And, uh, I look forward

to working with you guys soon.

She can call us back

anytime at 312-533...

Hope you guys are doing well.

Talk to you soon. Bye-bye.

(indistinct chatter)

(chatter continues)

- Obama: Looks pretty good.

- Nicholson: It sure does.

(music playing)

We filled it up, right?

Gibbs:

Barbara didn't tell you

about overflow?

-(TV cheering)

-Dick Durbin (TV): Inspiring

the dreams of a nation.

Tonight,

Barack Obama will accept

our nomination,

to be President of the

United States of America.

We still would've

won if she hadn't...

We'll go backstage and then

how long we are backstage?

Nicholson:

About three minutes

at the least.

(TV continues)

- (Obama speaking)

- Yes. Good luck.

(indistinct PA)

Obama:

When I was practicing

the speech for the first time,

and I came to the end

where I talked about King

speaking in the

Lincoln Memorial,

and... and I choked up

and had to stop.

I mean,

Dr. King's speech happened

when I was two years old.

So, you know, anybody who's

60 or over,

remembers it vividly.

And, uh...

And the majority

of African Americans

at that time couldn't vote

much less run for President.

- (indistinct speaker)

- (crowd cheering)

(cheering gets louder)

(music rumbling over speakers)

Thank you.

To Chairman Dean,

(cheering)

and my great friend Dick Durbin,

and to all my fellow citizens

of this great nation,

with profound gratitude

and great humility,

I accept your nomination

for Presidency

of the United States.

(crowd cheering)

(cheering continues)

(fireworks exploding)

Obama: Okay, everybody,

now it's official.

We couldn't have done it

without you.

Whoops. I'm sorry.

Okay, let's try it again.

Okay, now it's official.

- I can't remember this...

- (laughter)

There's only two lines! Okay.

-You're making me

feel better.

-(laughter)

Okay, now it's official.

- But this... Man, we couldn't...

- (laughter)

Hey, where is the

teleprompter guy?

Alright, come on, come on.

Let's try it again.

We're gonna do this.

- Okay, this time

we're gonna do it.

- Alright.

Hello, everybody.

Woman:

How will you avoid that you

are going too negative?

How will you balance it

out into a positive?

We wanna make sure

that people understand

my agenda.

What I will do as President.

I am confident that if

the American people know

what my plan for America is

and what John McCain's

plan for America is,

then I will win this race.

I don't spend

a lot of time thinking about

John McCain's negative ads.

If I did, I wouldn't be spending

much time thinking

about other things,

because they come

fairly fast and frequently.

My friends and fellow Americans.

I am very pleased

and very privileged

to introduce to you

the next Vice President

- of the United States,

- (cheering)

Governor Sarah Palin

of the great state of Alaska.

(crowd cheering)

(music blasting)

Are you ready to shake

things up in Washington?

(crowd cheering)

I think Sarah Palin

has really helped to spark

the Republican ticket,

I really do.

I don't think anybody,

including the Democrats,

saw this coming.

She's a dangerous person,

and I just would

dread the thought

that she's a heartbeat

away from the Presidency.

America's big.

(laughter)

Just traveling around Ohio,

you realize how big

this country is,

and then when you go

to all 48 states

in the continental United States

and you go to Hawaii,

I have to say Alaska's the one

state I haven't visited,

-(laughter)

-which, now that I think

about it, I'm gonna have to...

I'm gonna have to get up there.

Man:

Is there still

an 18-state strategy

or a 50-state strategy, or... Now

that we're getting down to it,

are some states

coming off the map?

Plouffe:

We have a huge number of Bush

states that McCain is defending.

So, yes, the normal

battlegrounds of Ohio

and Missouri are very

competitive.

But there's new states.

Virginia, Colorado,

Indiana, North Carolina.

We're playing offense

in 11 or 12 states,

including states

that McCain never thought

he'd have to defend,

so if you look

at the battleground states

in the electoral college,

we think McCain's

in real trouble here,

because he has to pull an inside

straight at this point to win.

♪ ♪

Woman: Who is Barack Obama?

I'm afraid this is

someone who sees America

as imperfect enough

to work with a former

domestic terrorist.

Woman:

Barack Obama and domestic

terrorist Bill Ayers.

Friends.

How dangerous.

On November 4th, let's leave

Barack Hussein Obama

wondering what happened...

Obama's a terrorist,

don't you know that?

He wasn't born in America.

I do not want a black man

running my country.

This is little Hussein.

(laugh)

Axelrod:

I think it's getting

very ugly out there.

I mean, what McCain

and Palin are doing

is really irresponsible.

I mean, they're inciting people.

Don't believe for a second

this election is over.

Don't think for a minute

that power will concede

anything without a fight.

We're gonna have to work

like our future depends on it

in these last few days,

because it does.

Since the convention,

it's basically been like this.

I mean, it's been a wild ride.

We saw with John McCain

that the Palin pick

really gave him a bounce.

But really, the game changer

was the economy goes into

this incredible meltdown.

The fundamentals of

our economy are strong,

but these are very,

very difficult times,

and I promise you

we will never put America

in this position again.

I know how tough

it is right now in Nevada.

But we've faced

difficult times before.

The American story has never

been about things coming easy.

It's been about

rising at the moment

when the moment was hard.

Woman: This past week alone,

we made over

450,000 phone calls,

knocked on over 110,000 doors,

but that's what it's gonna take.

So as exhausted as we are,

we were told a long time ago

we wouldn't get to this point.

Right?

- Right?

- All: Right.

And, you know, a month...

You know, it's...

It's pretty surreal.

Like, in four more weeks

we finally get to

the ultimate goal of winning,

which we... we have to win.

We have to win.

(indistinct chatter)

- Axelrod: Right. Here he is.

- Anita Dunn: Here he is.

- Obama: I'm here.

- Dunn: Good morning.

Hey! Good to see you, guys.

Ron Klain: I think

there are a few new things

we want to work on. Medicare.

What you want to say about

McCain's announcement today...

Plouffe:

The debates are huge.

McCain jettisoned his message.

His message was all

about experience.

Now, he's given that up.

So, he's saying the election's

all about change.

Well, so are we. We've been

saying that for 20 months.

So we think that's a debate

we're well positioned to have

because McCain isn't

changing the economy.

If you're not gonna change

the economic policies

that have failed the country,

that's not change.

You seem to feel the need

to really answer

every single McCain attack.

I think our view is,

you're at a stage in the race,

you won two debates,

your numbers are strong,

where you can

just push past him.

You shouldn't feel vulnerable

to every single thing

the guy says.

I mean, I think if he

presses me on honesty,

I mean, the, uh...

I think there's

nothing wrong with...

The only thing is,

I don't wanna sound whiny

about his lies.

Senator McCain keeps on

talking about me being risky,

but let me tell the American

people what's risky.

I think Senator McCain's plan

for taxing your

healthcare benefits,

potentially leaving

20 million people

without employer-based

healthcare,

I think that's risky.

If this whole debate

were on economics,

that'd be fine with us.

What role do you think

that character

and judgment should play

in the people's

voting for President?

Well, inevitably, Bob,

it plays an important role.

The question is, Senator,

what does your friendship

with Bill Ayers tell us

about your judgment?

Well, first of all, I think

it's important to note that

Senator McCain's made this

the centerpiece of his campaign

at a time when we're going

through the worst

financial crisis

since the Great Depression.

Mr. Ayers does not

advise my campaign,

and he certainly would

have no involvement

- in my White House.

- You may just wanna say so...

"It's important for the

American people to understand

who it is that's gonna be

advising me in the White House."

Small thing.

Let's talk about

what my plan does.

What's our four things again?

- (indistinct)

- Jobs!

Man, jobs.

Hopefully that won't happen

during the debate.

(laughter)

Huh?

I don't...

I don't remember my plan.

- (laughter)

- But it's a really good plan.

(crowd chatter)

Michelle:

It is so good to see you.

Now, are you guys like me?

I get nervous

at the debates?

I hate the debates.

Yeah.

This is big in the campaign

because this is the time for

John McCain to try to

turn things around.

It's his last chance.

Again, you launched

your political campaign

- in Mr. Ayers' living room.

- That's absolutely not true.

And the facts are facts.

Obama:

Let's get the record straight.

Mr. Ayers is not involved

in my campaign,

he has never been involved

in this campaign,

and he will not advise

me in the White House.

So, that's Mr. Ayers.

Now, I don't mind being attacked

for the next three weeks.

What the American people

can't afford, though,

is four more years of

failed economic policies.

And what they deserve

is that we talk about

what's most pressing to them.

- Man: How do you feel, Senator?

- (jet engines whirring)

Woman:

On the final day of his

historic run for President,

Barack Obama got this sad news.

His grandmother had passed away.

This is NPR News.

Obama:

You know, obviously this

is a little bit of a...

a bittersweet time for me.

Some of you heard

that my grandmother,

who helped raise me,

passed away early this morning.

- (crowd chatter)

- And, uh...

Look, she... She has gone home.

(crowd cheering)

Here name was Madelyn Dunham.

She was one of those

quiet heroes that we have

all across America,

who... They're not famous,

their names aren't

in the newspapers,

but each and every day,

they work hard.

They look after their families.

They sacrifice

for their children

and their grandchildren.

They aren't seeking

the limelight.

All they try to do

is just do the right thing.

And in this crowd, there are

a lot of quiet heroes like that.

That's what America's about.

That's what we're fighting for.

- After decades - (chatter)

of broken politics

in Washington...

after eight years of failed

policies from George W. Bush...

(crowd booing)

You don't need to boo.

You just need...

- You just need to vote.

- (crowd cheering)

After 21 months

of a campaign that has taken us

from the rocky coast of Maine

to the sunshine of California,

we are one day away

from changing America.

- (crowd cheering)

- One day.

Woman: That's right!

Obama:

Tomorrow, at this defining

moment in history,

you can give this country

the change that we need.

(scattered cheering)

You can do this.

Right here in North Carolina.

(crowd cheering)

-Crowd: Yes we can! Yes we can!

-Obama: We will win

this general election,

you and I together!

We're gonna change this country!

We're gonna change the world!

Thank you, everybody.

(all cheering)

(indistinct)

Thank you, guys.

Alright, Karen. You gonna

be at the gym tomorrow morning?

(laughter)

Yeah, for sure. Thank you, guys.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Alright, Jake.

- (indistinct)

Yeah, I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you. Alright,

guys. Appreciate you.

These guys have been carrying

-all the heavy equipment

the whole time.

-(laughter)

Thank you, guys.

And you too. You don't

get enough credit.

Thank you, thank you.

Okay, guys! Let's take off,

let's go home!

(applause, cheers)

(indistinct chatter)

Hey, how you doing?

(overlapping shouting)

Nice to see you.

Where are the lines, guys?

Where are...?

Where are the TV cameras?

Hey, we're that good.

We're getting them in and out.

(indistinct chatter)

Now, I read the paper

this morning,

saw what was going on,

and as an act of friendship,

I voted for McCain.

(chuckle)

- All set, sir?

- Yes.

Done.

Woman: How'd that feel?

It felt great.

It felt, uh...

I think it's the beginning

of a long and emotional day.

Woman: Today is history.

That's what it is. It's history.

When I got to my car

and I saw the line,

I actually cried.

Man:

I've never seen this

kind of a line here

in 20 years,

so I'm feeling optimistic.

It's a great sign seeing

everybody getting out.

This is the most important

election of our life.

You know,

this really will determine

so many things about our future.

♪ ♪

Man (phone):

...next President of

the United States of America,

- Senator Barack Obama!

- (applause)

Obama (phone):

I wish that my grandmother

had been here to see this,

and I wish my mother

had been here to see it.

They're in a better place now,

they're looking down on us.

And yet to see

my daughters be a part of this,

that's something, presumably,

that they'll never forget.

Michelle seemed to

really take a long time

deciding who to vote

for for President.

- I was a little...

- (laughter)

(indistinct)

Just remember, everybody who's

listening. Stay in line.

Don't get discouraged.

- Man (phone): Hold the line.

- Obama (phone): Hold the line.

- Bye-bye.

- Bye-bye.

How do you keep doing this?

It's going in a circle.

Good Lord.

James Clyburn:

Usually I come to this precinct

and get in line right

around 6:30, 6:45.

And I'm usually

within the first

15 or 20 people to vote.

Well, people were here

standing in line

at 5:00 AM this morning.

My daughter got here at 6:30,

and I think she is...

she's probably number 200.

♪ ♪

Axelrod: Winning elections is...

who has the momentum at the end.

Do you feel good about

the way you're closing?

I think that we closed well.

I think we closed

much better than McCain.

But, you know,

I'm gonna be nervous.

It's about 20 to noon,

and there's

a big turnout everywhere,

just like we expected.

Blake:

Uh-huh.

We just got word that

Osceola Township in Owen County,

that the clerk there is not

allowing people to vote

if they don't have ID,

which obviously is illegal.

Hey, what's new? What do you

hear? What do you know?

Sounds like Florida's good, huh?

See, what happens

on election day,

is you just call people saying,

"What do you hear,

what do you hear?"

And nobody actually

knows anything, so it's...

Michelle:

This will be a long day.

Those lines are long.

We want people

to hang in there.

We'll be, uh, honored

and ready to serve.

Katie McCormick Lelyveld:

Okay. When we come back

we're gonna do eight more.

- Eight more?

- Yeah.

- (laughs)

- That's all.

There's no problems

discernible anywhere.

♪ ♪

The only thing I'm really

surprised by is that, uh...

African American

turnout seems low.

Pennsylvania black

turnout seems low.

Young people across the board

seems a little low,

but I bet that

they're out-sampled

in the early voting.

Pennsylvania's

the only one that's

giving me buzz.

I mean, the truth is,

when you think about it,

I mean, for all our anxiety

and everything else,

when you got a black guy

named Barack Hussein Obama,

how could you lose?

I hate waiting.

Favreau: I hate it.

This has been the longest day

of the entire campaign.

Gibbs: Yeah.

You know,

if it's possible to feel

anxious and calm

all in the same breath,

that's probably

what I'm feeling,

with a heavy dose of

being very tired.

But, you know, we're excited.

We've worked two years

for this moment.

It's now in the hands

of the voters

and the people of this country.

We have great

confidence in that.

Hi, Smiley. I'm so

glad you're here. (kiss)

Meredith Turner:

20 months later, it's come

down to two hours remaining

- and you're at a loss.

- Nowhere to go.

(laughs)

Everybody wants me out,

nobody needs me anymore.

- This would be the last one.

- Woman: That's right.

This is my last

campaign activity

prior to this evening.

Axelrod:

Virginia looks good. Nevada,

New Mexico, New Hampshire.

Uh, Iowa. Colorado.

I mean, the only ones that are,

you know, look challenging,

are Florida, Indiana, and Ohio,

which is the ones

that you would expect.

But, I mean,

North Carolina looks...

Where is North Carolina?

If it were here,

it'd look really good.

Woman: I'm 63 years old.

I've been crying

since 4:00 this morning.

♪ ♪

This is momentous.

Win or lose,

the game has been changed.

So, Fox thinks we have 291

with Virginia, Iowa, Colorado,

New Mexico, Nevada, easy.

Well, I tell you what.

What I'm really excited about

is just to see that turnout

all across the country

seems to be extraordinary.

And, you know, we started

this campaign with the idea

that the American people

are decent and generous,

and if we've got people

participating,

that bodes well for the future.

You know, the turnout stuff

is really good,

and... turnout stuff

looks very good.

You know, I mean, you know,

we still have to open up

the fucking vote and see

that they're voting

the way that we think they are.

(phone chatter)

Yes. And that's it,

that's all you need.

That's all you need.

- Okay.

- (phone chatter)

(laughs)

Right, see you.

- Wait, what?

- Wait, what?

(overlapping chatter)

- (people cheering)

- (clapping)

They just called Ohio, dipshit!

- Oh, shit!

- Woman: What?

Barack just won Ohio.

Reporter (TV):

We have very

important news. Ohio...

Oh, my God! This thing's...

This thing is over.

They just called Ohio.

Oh, they did?

(indistinct)

(indistinct chatter)

Okay. Look, we gotta

go to a party or something.

I can't be in here anymore.

Just be quiet.

- (laughs)

- Let's get outta here!

(indistinct chatter)

Pete Giangreco:

Alright, look at that.

We just whacked 30,000

off their margin.

We're gonna get your 100,000.

Reporter (TV):

We're within an hour

and a half of polls closing.

Now, people who were not

convinced that the 2004 Ohio...

- (indistinct)

- (laugh)

(people cheering)

Iowa!

(phone ringing)

This is Jon.

Hey, there!

I can't believe it.

(laughs)

It's unbelievable.

It looks really good.

You feeling good?

(laughs) Right now, it is.

Are they calling something?

Yeah, they're calling Virginia.

What is it, 22?

Hey, can I have a beer?

...of fighting it out

on Republican turf

is paying off.

We can't say which way

these states are gonna go,

but we can say that by

forcing McCain to spend time

and money and energy

in states like...

Axelrod:

Palin is speaking

at 11:00 Eastern.

I wonder if she's communicated

this to the McCain people.

(laughter)

Fox called Virginia.

Favreau: Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

Oh, and one paragraph up,

Axe had one edit.

When it says there will

be setbacks and false starts.

Uh, he has, "There are

many who won't agree...

"with every decision or policy

I make as President,

and we know that government

can't solve every problem."

Okay.

(typing)

That's good?

Alright. Congratulations.

Early... Early congratulations.

(laughs)

Got a speech.

ABC's definitely calling

at 11:00.

- Jim Messina: 11:00 East?

- Dan Pfeiffer: 11:00 East.

11:00 East, which is,

like, in five minutes.

That'll be a moment, huh?

Charlie Gibson (TV):

Somebody in the Obama campaign,

talking to George and me

just the other day,

said it was the debates

that did it.

- Shit.

- At 11:00 in the east,

8:00 in the west...

Here's history, fellas.

Gibson:

We will not declare anybody

to be President

of the United States

until he gets over 270.

But, in just 10 seconds

from now,

the polls are closing

in California,

Oregon, Washington, Idaho,

and also in the state of Hawaii.

Crowd:

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three,

two, one!

Williams (TV):

11 PM on the East Coast,

and we have news.

Barack Obama will be

the 44th President

of the United States.

(crowd cheering)

(cheering)

Yeah!

- Yeah! We won!

- (laughing)

(applause)

(screaming, laughing)

- (clapping)

- Way to go.

(crowd screaming)

(cheering)

(screaming)

All: Obama! Obama!

Obama! Obama! Obama!

Obama!

All: Yes, we can! Yes, we can!

Yes, we can! Yes, we can!

(chanting continues, muffled)

I gotta call my mom.

(crying) Mom...

(sobbing)

(sniff)

Man (TV):

It's clear that Barack Obama

is elected President

of the United States.

(indistinct shouting)

Woman: Woo!

(indistinct murmuring)

(applause)

(cheering)

Thank you.

Alright, fellas.

Don't party too hard!

Alright, congratulations.

- It's actually hard...

- When they say...

When they say that, man.

It's just hard to process.

Yeah, man.

(sigh)

-We still got some

states in. (indistinct)

-(laughs)

(indistinct)

(clapping, cheering)

Woman: Good job, good job!

(cheering)

Okay, so now, you're gonna work

on the next four years

afterwards?

Axelrod:

Hey. I'm just

celebrating tonight.

(street chatter)

(rings)

- Hello?

- (phone chatter)

I'm in an elevator, we're

going up to see Barack, so...

- You okay?

- (phone chatter)

Okay. We'll be over there soon.

Okay.

(TV chatter)

- Plouffe: Hey. We're...

- Axelrod: Room 3607.

- Security: 36? Here.

- Axelrod: Yep.

(indistinct)

- Excuse me, do you

have a hard pin?

- Woman: I'm with these guys.

Plouffe: Looks like a party.

Man: Just down to your right.

- (indistinct)

- Axelrod: Hey, how are you?

- Man 1: Hi, guys.

- Man 2: Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you.

- (indistinct)

- (back patting)

- Hey.

- Unbelievable.

(indistinct congratulations)

- Plouffe: A long two years.

- Woman: A long two years.

(patting, groaning)

- Woo.

- (laughing)

-In here?

-Yeah, come on in.

The Bidens just went in.

- Man: Congrats.

- Move aside!

(party chatter)

I've been looking forward

to seeing this place.

Man:

Okay. Thanks a lot.

Bye, Ruth.

(laughing)

-Don't start crying.

Don't do it.

-I've already done it.

I've already been crying.

Okay.

Okay. So, well, you know,

I know you were...

The President-elect is

definitely looking forward

to speaking, uh,

with the Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, currently,

right now, he's...

He's unavailable.

Um, but what I will do

is somebody will reach out

to you very soon

to try to arrange a time for the

President-elect to speak with...

(overlapping chatter)

-Obama: Alright,

guys. Let's do this.

-(slam)

("This Land Is Your Land"

by Bruce Springsteen playing)

(crowd cheering)

They said this day

would never come.

(cheering)

They said our sights

were set too high.

(cheering)

But on this January night,

at this defining

moment in history,

you have done what the cynics

said we couldn't do.

(crowd cheering)

♪ This land is your land ♪

♪ This land is my land ♪

♪ From California ♪

♪ To the New York Island ♪

♪ From the Redwood Forest ♪

♪ To the Gulf Stream waters ♪

♪ This land was made

for you and me ♪

♪ As I was walking ♪

♪ That ribbon of highway ♪

♪ I saw above me ♪

♪ The endless sky ♪

♪ I saw below me ♪

♪ A golden valley ♪

♪ Yeah, this land was

made for you and me ♪

♪ This land is your land ♪

♪ This land is my land ♪

♪ From California ♪

♪ To the New York Island ♪

♪ From the Redwood Forest ♪

♪ To the Gulf Stream waters ♪

♪ Hey, this land was

made for you and me ♪

♪ I roamed and rambled ♪

♪ And I followed my footsteps ♪

♪ To the sparkling sands of ♪

♪ Her diamond deserts ♪

♪ And all around me ♪

♪ A voice was sounding ♪

♪ This land was made

for you and me ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪