How Chicago Made Obama a Politician

(NEWSER) - President-elect Barack Obama addressed the country and the world for the first time tonight, vowing to unite a nation beset by trouble at home and abroad, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Change has come to America," Obama told a crowd of tens of thousands at Chicago's Grant Park and millions more watching around the world. "Our stories are singular, but our destinies are shared." More»

Obama supporters collect in Chicago; McCain staff relaxed and confident

(NEWSER) - Hundreds of thousands of Barack Obama supporters have been collecting in Chicago's Grant Park, watching results come in on a Jumbotron screen while they await the candidate's rally tonight. The Lollapalooza-like atmosphere includes blankets spread out on the grass and vendors offering t-shirts and buttons, reports the Chicago Tribune. Obama is dining at home with his family, who will move to the rally site later tonight. More»

Stewart and Colbert recreate the controversial cartoon for EW cover

(NEWSER) - Taking their spoofing of TV into print, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart grace the cover of this week’s Entertainment Weekly in imitation of the Obamas-as-terrorists New Yorker cover that set media of all kinds afire in July. The stunt surely threatens to obscure the question-and-answer session it’s intended to advertise, but the duo cheerily critiques the campaign and its characters regardless. More»

Political journey began in years as organizer

(NEWSER) - Between graduating college and starting Harvard Law School, Barack Obama spent three years working as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side. As he learned how to rally and mobilize people to progressive causes, he also developed a greater understanding of his identity as an African American. The New York Times examines that formative period in the candidate's life. More»

First reelection bid outside DC in recent memory

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s reelection campaign will likely be based in Chicago, not Washington—a rare move for a sitting president, and one that his advisers hope will help him rekindle the energy of 2008, Politico notes. Usually, campaigns are kept close to the president’s DC home, where they’re easily accessible, said a Democratic consultant: "In modern presidential history, this is kind of revolutionary." More»