ELECTION 2008 :

Pride, anger, joy as Nevadans vote

Young and old, north and south, citizens take part in democracy

Leila Navidi

A motorist holds up a Barack Obama campaign sign at a stoplight at Rancho Drive and Lake Mead Boulevard on Tuesday in North Las Vegas.

By Brendan Buhler (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

Republican Watch Party at the Palazzo

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The Republican Watch Party Election night at the Palazzo.

Democratic Watch Party at Rio

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People attending the Democratic Watch Party awaited results from the presidential election and state congressional races.

Election Day in Las Vegas

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Obama speaks as president-elect

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Get the results of Tuesday's races

Will Nevada be better or worse off in 4 years?

Text of McCain’s concession speech

Obama’s remarks in Chicago

Election Day in Las Vegas dawned cool and clear, a day when the mountains ringing the valley looked blue, just like on the license plates.

But while the rest of the nation awoke to jammed polling places, Nevada voters rarely had to wait long and usually could walk right in.

That’s what happens when nearly half of your registered voters cast ballots in the weeks before.

(Or maybe we’re just not morning people.)

Tuesday was an Election Day like no other in memory — a day filled with a peculiar energy, a mix of hope, despair, civic virtue and general nuttiness.

For some, it provided opportunity. Outside McDoniel Elementary School in Henderson, the people clustered in the parking lot were hawking not candidates but cupcakes and coffee, raising money for a school trip to Costa Rica. The cupcakes were frosted in nonpartisan red, white and blue.

Behind the gates of a south Summerlin golf course retirement community, a steady trickle of voters found no lines inside the Siena Social Center.

Taj Bakhshi, 67, an independent and immigrant, preferred Barack Obama for his economic policies and polite manners. More than that, he was happy to vote. “I feel wonderful,” Bakhshi said. “I never go to early voting, because this is a big day and a celebration of freedom.”

Terrance Teramana, 60, a marketing director and registered independent, also had nice words for Obama, praising his eloquence and intelligence, even if “he doesn’t know the mess he is getting himself into.”

More than anything, Teramana couldn’t stand career politicians and incumbents and said he couldn’t stand to be a part of the most expensive presidential race in history.

“I’m angry and I’m voting angry,” he said.

In the end, Teramana voted for independent Ralph Nader but said he would tell his friends he voted for McCain.

Jerry Greczek changed his registration from Republican to Democratic this year and said he was “disgusted with the corruption and stupidity of the last eight years.”

So is the country on the right track? “It’s on the way of the Roman Empire, actually,” Greczek said.

Another voter, who wouldn’t stop or give her name, told us her opinion of Obama and said we could print it in the newspaper.

Not in those words, we can’t.

At Lake Elementary, near Maryland Parkway and Desert Inn Road, Stan Storm, 84, a Nazi concentration camp survivor, said his last name described his mood this Election Day.

George W. Bush “sold the country down the river,” and Obama “is a Communist who can’t even produce his birth certificate,” he said.

Storm’s shock of white hair blowing in the brisk morning wind, he said the only reason he voted for John McCain was to get a vote to his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “I think she’s got more brains than the other people together.”

Patricia Ortloff, 47, said she voted for McCain because she prayed about it, “and that was my answer.”

A member of the Mormon church and a medical office employee, Ort-

loff was anxious this day to see what the outcome foretells about how close the planet is to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Over at Keller Middle School off Charleston Avenue and west of Nellis Boulevard, plumber Barry Ackerman had more earthly concerns as he carried a long tool of his trade into the school.

The tool is called a urinal auger, he said. “They got plugged drains. Gotta make sure the voting booths stay clean.”

And yes, he’s heard a lot people calling him “Barry the Plumber” recently. He voted for McCain because he is stronger on national security. “I feel safer with him,” Ackerman said. “Obama was good with the economy. I think national security is more important right now than the economy.”

Up in Reno, where voters had to brave snow and hail, Republican Maurice Brennan, 84, said she voted for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in her life.

She liked his message of hope, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama meant a lot to her. She didn’t like McCain’s pick of Palin for vice president.

Back in Henderson, at the Sun City Anthem Community Center, Palin was also on the mind of Republican Margaret McClintock, who voted for Obama.

“Hillary, yes. A lot of other women, yes. Palin, no,” McClintock said. “A woman winking at world leaders.”

North of the Interstate 215/Rainbow Boulevard interchange, at Sawyer Middle School’s gymnasium, the election brought marital discord.

Sue Stuart, 30, supported Obama because “he’s not a Republican” and because she dislikes Palin. Her husband, Jim Stuart, 28, supported McCain because he’s a member of the military and he trusts Republicans with the armed forces.

Sue Stuart said she chose the Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidate, Dina Titus, because she’s tired of the Republicans; Jim Stuart said he favored Porter because he doesn’t like the way Titus sounds (with her strong Georgia accent).

At Cadwallader Middle School at the northern end of the valley, where the sun sets behind Mount Charleston, Joyce Morris, 72, a retired middle school teacher, was excited. Black and a registered Democrat, she voted for Obama. She said she had just spoken with her 101-year-old friend, whose brother was lynched in the Jim Crow era.

It was a special day.

“To hear the joy in her voice,” Morris said, “to think that a brilliant young black man could be president ...”

There was no shortage of poll observers at the recreation center in tiny, traditionally Republican Boulder City. One even called the Sun newsroom to make sure its reporter there was who he said he was. (He was.)

Voters were split between Obama and McCain, but the two sides were of a single mind about the election itself.

“I’m so glad it’s over,” said Phil Esser, 66, a music minister and a registered independent who voted for Obama. “Shame on everybody. The television ads were the worst I’ve ever seen.”

For some voters, the election was more than some televisual spectacle. Carolyn Morgan, who voted at Priest Elementary School in North Las Vegas, is 47 and has four girls and a boy. And she has cancer.

She voted for Obama because she trusts that he’ll protect her health insurance. Despite everything, Morgan, who worked in dry cleaning for 30 years before getting sick, said she felt blessed to be alive and able to take her two youngest children to the polls.

At Kidd Mobile Home park, near the Eastside Cannery, Melanie Rodrigues, 35, a day care worker, came out of the polling place with a giant grin on her face. When a reporter asked her to describe her mood, she said it was the happiest day of her life.

Why is that?

“Because I voted for the first time.”

Sun reporters Liz Benston, Joe Brown, Joe Schoenmann, David McGrath Schwartz, Phoebe Sweet, Brian Eckhouse, Michael J. Mishak, Mike Trask, J. Patrick Coolican and Ron Kantowski contributed to this story.

Discussion: 11 comments so far…

By RBlackhawk

11/5/08 at 7:09 a.m.

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Well who cares both candidates sucked!
I more worried about the power that the thug Polishi, and Reied politician will do with their new found power. If it fails big time we may end up in a real civil war in the US between midwest going at it against west and east Coast. It reminds me history of Lincoln was elected and civil war errupted scary!
By asylum1

11/5/08 at 7:19 a.m.

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Apparently a lot of people cared because it was the biggest turnout in American political history. Both candidates have their virtues and vices, but one selects the candidate closest to one's convictions.

If they both "sucked" perhaps you should run for office, although I suggest enrolling in English 101 and investing in a good spellchecker first. Wouldn't want that to ruin your platform of disaffection and apathy.
By truerelic

11/5/08 at 7:24 a.m.

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I think the saddest part about this election, is even though the turnout was the largest in history, it also showed how the majority of folks didn't study the two candidates, on both sides of the coin. Many of the comments above, both pro and con, just show an ignorance of the electorate, rather than an actual understanding of the policies and issues.
By PatriciaLV

11/5/08 at 7:33 a.m.

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truerelic: You state as if fact "... showed how the majority of folks didn't study the two candidates".

Actually, they did and this is the outcome. Sorry it isn't what you apparently wanted.
By asylum1

11/5/08 at 7:37 a.m.

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Although I must admit that expecting a celestial response as to which candidate to vote for is a tad disturbing. Is this Iran?
By PatriciaLV

11/5/08 at 7:44 a.m.

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Have to agree with that one, asylum1. But we've had to deal with that for the past seven-plus years, beginning with Bush's "God wants me to run for president".

Shudder.
By johnevegas

11/5/08 at 7:57 a.m.

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asylum1 "...expecting a celestial response as to which candidate to vote for is a tad disturbing. Is this Iran?"

I once asked a Guru, "Why do Christians believe that theirs is the only true God?". She answered "All religions believe that. It's part of the process".

I believe that's true. I think it's part of politics too, on some level. For example, I would imagine that Obama never said "Let's tell everyone I'm the Messiah!". But much of the collective certainly has foist that energetic upon him.

Or how about this, if you were chosen out of billions of people on the planet to be the next president of the United States, wouldn't you feel a little sanctified? And aren't we all looking to be delivered from tyranny and oppression these days?

So I think the God stuff is normal. Though I admit hating when Bush did it.
By gmag39

11/5/08 at 9:07 a.m.

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rblackhawk; log on to craigslist. go to the las vegas rant & rave section. I think you'll find a great many like-minded, intellectually similar thinkers such as yourself.
By renomuse

11/5/08 at 10:01 a.m.

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The saddest part of this election was learning the true "colors" of the Republican Party. Such horrid race-baiting at presidential campaign events. Disgusting. Kill him! Waterboard him! People, grow the feck up!
By Judy

11/5/08 at 10:53 a.m.

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Renomuse - It is so good that all of that hatred came out and opened peoples eyes to the new Republican Party. A new party that promotes hatred and bias.
It is going to take a long time for the GOP to pull out of the mire that is their own doctrine. It had to come to this in order to change. Americans have spoken and decided that the way of the GOP - down a road of inequality and hatred is not the direction to take America. No more "my way or the high way" from a Bushie.
It's a new world this morning, things are gonna change.
By PatriciaLV

11/5/08 at 11 a.m.

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It's funny you say that, Judy. Last night I was on another board (that I moderate) and had written that for the moment at least, we told the world that we are NOT a hate-mongering, war-mongering nation.

It felt good.