Whether excited or dreading the next four years with Barack Obama as president, people living in Clallam County seemed to agree that the 2008 presidential election was a ground-breaking event.
“The election is without doubt an absolute historic event in the history of this country and, I think, the world,” said James Graham of Joyce, a World War II veteran and Homeless Veterans chairman of the Marine Corps League.
“No other country, I think, has had to deal with as severe a problem as ours in terms of hundreds of years of racial discrimination, but no other country could have surmounted this problem by our process of democratic voting.
Graham, who called himself a “conservative Democrat” who wants to “conserve the legacy of Franklin Delano Roose¬velt,” said on Wednesday that the nation’s democracy is a work in progress, “and we’ve made a giant step forward with that vote.”
In Tuesday’s general election vote, Clallam County went for Obama with 12,728 votes, or 53.41 percent, and gave McCain 10,679 votes, or 44.78 percent.
On Tuesday, votes in 24,242 ballots were counted out of the 45,766 ballots mailed to registered voters. More votes will be counted on Friday.
Moved by election
Glenn Smithson, slot-machine manager at the 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn, backed Sen. John McCain, but he said he was moved as he watched the election of the first African-American president.
Smithson, a Southerner who grew up in Virginia, said this is a thrilling time in the history of race relations, adding that he hopes “it’s a bridge we’ve now crossed and put behind us.”
To him, though, the campaign wasn’t about race. McCain and Obama didn’t turn the race into black versus white; “they truly ran on their platforms.”
Smithson, 55, had remained undecided until just before the election.
“I watched McCain with respect and pride. I like his patriotism, and that he stands so strong for what he believes in. He truly believed he could help our country,” Smithson said.
And McCain “showed a tremendous amount of class in defeat. With all he had stacked against him, he performed better than the average candidate.
“And where I am, truly, is based on what McCain said in his speech last night: We need to get behind [Obama]. And I’m really pulling for him.”
Smithson hopes the new president will pour his energy into solving the country’s economic problems — and work on reinforcing infrastructure such as bridges and highways, since that focus could help the economy by generating jobs.
Ultimately, Smithson’s hope is that in four years he’ll vote Obama into a second term, “just because he’s done an outstanding job. That is what I’d like to see.”
Immigration policy
Scott Chichester, 34, reached while harvesting carrots at Nash’s Organic Produce in Dungeness, where he toils alongside immigrant farm workers, hopes Obama will take the lead in reforming the country’s immigration policy.
“It’s definitely time,” he said.
It’s also time for a president who will “lead our foreign policy in a more favorable direction that allows the rest of the world to begin changing their perception of us, so we don’t feel like we have to live in fear of terrorism,” Chichester added.
“That’s a very important part of what’s going on with the political winds these days.”
For Chichester, Obama’s “yes we can” phrase resonates as a call for engagement.
“I hope he can maintain excitement in political participation,” Chichester said of the president-elect.
“Beyond voting, I hope people hold on to that ‘we’ part.”
Obama’s victory “means incredibly good things for the country,” said Brian Crocker, 21, of Port Angeles.
Crocker works for construction company, and plans to continue his studies at Peninsula College in January.
“Obama will be able to change the world . . . by getting more people involved, by increasing our ties with other countries,” he said.
Port Angeles resident David Ellis, 65, said he was excited by a sense of unity.
“Everyone pulled together for an African-American. I believe he will work with Native Americans on our concerns,” added Ellis, a member of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe.
Liz Fong, a barista in a Sequim cafe, didn’t vote for either McCain or Obama, because she wasn’t wild about either.
“It’s about moving forward at this point,” she said on Wednesday morning.
“I hope [Obama] can do something to unite us. We’re a divided country. If we continue to blame each other, we’re not solving issues.”
And Fong, 27, wants to see a spirit of compromise and balance among the Republicans and Democrats.
“We all need each other.”
Makah elder
Edward Claplanhoo, 80, a Makah elder in Neah Bay and an Army veteran who served in Korea, said the election gave him hope.
“I think we’re going to go in some new directions we’ve never seen before, hopefully for the better.”
“We went through some pretty bad times the last couple of years. I don’t know how we got into it [the Iraq war], and I don’t know how we’re going to get out of it.”
But Steve Marble, Sequim real estate broker, was down-hearted.
“What can I say? I’m a Republican and I’m depressed.
“The Republicans would have been better served by nominating a Republican with conservative values rather than a RINO — Republican In Name Only.”
Kevin Russell, a Port Angeles builder, emphasizing that he spoke only for himself, said that he voted for McCain, but that “I think there is a hope with Barack Obama.
“I think the Republican Party is out of touch with the United States of America. They’re ways too far conservative.
” I think Barack Obama might be closer to the center than, maybe not McCain but Palin was. Sarah Palin was certainly not prepared to take the helm — far, far too conservative.”
“The one thing I’m concerned with about Obama is the amount of money they’re going to spend on social programs.
“I’m not a big fan of social programs or the welfare system, but I’m also not a fan of the strong religious right.”
“I voted for McCain because I do like John McCain. I felt that John McCain is more of a moderate, and I’ve seen him through the years reach across the aisle.
“I see a hope in Obama that he might be able to unify the country.”
Russell said he had just returned from overseas.
“The world’s opinion of us is at the lowest I’ve ever seen it. I was astounded at how many people are dialed in to our country.”
“I’m terribly disappointed in George Bush. I’m embarrassed by George Bush.”
“Hearing the amount of money that both the Democrats and the Republicans spent on this election, think of what good we could have done with that money to help people.
“I am sick and tired of our political system. It was two years too long. We need to start our election process in June.
“All in all, I’m just glad it’s over.”
Anticipation
“There is a feeling of anticipation in the air,” said Terry Kahler, a Joyce native who now lives in Port Angeles and is a retired Crescent School District teacher.
“The only thing I can compare it to is the JFK years when we had a youthful, charismatic president.
She said that Obama “really seems to have excited the youth, which is something I’m excited about. I think it is a good thing.
That was in direct contrast to the feelings of Patti Adler, who owns Patti’s Property Management & Services in Clallam Bay.
“I’m disappointed in the way the race was handled, and in the outcome, “she said.
“I think a lot of bitterness came out, and I think we’re in for a whirlwind for a ride.
“I wasn’t really that thrilled with either candidate but between the two of them I was hoping McCain would win.”
She said she was concerned about Obama’s lack of experience.
“Mostly the whole world seems to be giving us the big hurrah,” she said. “That is kind of scary.”
The election results “are absolutely perfect,” said Scott Seaman, a math teacher who retired from Forks High School.
He now volunteers at the Forks Chamber of Commerce and tutors math at Peninsula College’s Forks branch.
“Every person I voted for is winning.”
He hopes Obama will turn the economy around, “but mostly I’d like to see us get of Iraq. I don’t think we should have been there in the first place.”
Alan Turner, owner of Port Book and News in Port Angeles, an Obama supporter, was pleased.
“And for the first time in I don’t know how many years, I was with the program from day one. … In times of trouble a leader emerges that is worthy for the times.
“For years it felt like ‘Is this the best we can do?’ This guy seems to be the person for the time.”
Kay Clark, Owner of Dawg Cart on Oak and Front streets in Port Angeles, said she was sure Obama will “change things, and I really like the idea it shows that we are not a racist country.
“I know there are racists around, but as a country, we are not.”
Said Donny Vollum, 32, of Port Angeles, who is unemployed:
“Good for him. I don’t care if he is black, white, green or brown.”
