Thursday, November 6, 2008

Election Night 2008

The Dems Abroad party was unexpectedly sold out last week, leaving Ryan and I floundering for plans. Everyone had blown us off for Halloween, I was not spending Election Night at home! With a bit of searching we found a bash at American-owned bar called "Die Registratur." There was a myriad of excited people: Brits, Yanks, Germans, and some crazy guy with an Obama balloon taped to a stick with leaves on it. No McCain fans to be found.

The bar itself was pretty cool, a converted auditorium of a Catholic girls school, decorated in the cheesiest bunting and miniature flags. Miller, popcorn, and hot dogs were on special. Ryan tried the Miller but realized once you go German you don't go back. We crammed into a booth with a bunch of others and had some interesting conversations. I met a Ghanian guy who went to school in Michigan for 6 years so as to avoid a return to Ghana. He was sitting with a bunch of girls who invaded and kept squishing us.

Our friend,Gwendolyn, brought her friends, a group of mysterious 20-somethings on a "permanent business trip". They're working for some law firm and were on and off their Blackberries buying beers on expense accounts all night. Except for one who was raging drunk, hit on Ryan, and when Ryan left starting talking to his friends really loudly about my "ta tas." I was miffed, but let it go. His friends were very apologetic and he had clearly drank away the last of his judgment.

He did get drunker and funnier as the night went on. At one point he was waving an American flag around saying "Jesus" not in a swearing way, but rather as a question, which apparently offended the Ghanian guy who threatened to take him outside. But drunk man's friends told the Ghanian that this was a bad idea, their friend was used to getting drunk and laying guys out cold. So he backed off.

While the drunks and political conversation was interesting, in the background they were playing CNN international. If you haven't been out of the country much you've probably never seen this version of CNN. Its what they play around the world to make it look like Americans care about international news, when we actually want celebrity rumors. Anyway, the commercials on this channel are strictly intended for millionaires "Invest in Poland!" "India: Business Central." etc.

Anyway, CNN international played us lots of clips of the global reaction to the election. I don't know if they play these on regular CNN, for the reasons I've listed above. However, they were covering big fancy consulate parties with lots of swank. Where was our coverage? I guess they're not interested in drunk Germans. But they weren't overstating international interest. Everyone I know has asked me many times about the election, electoral votes, the congress, etc.

But the best thing about this year's coverage was definitely the HOLOGRAM LADY. WTF? Pop-up congress building and hologram lady. This is not the way to make the election more exciting, CNN. In addition to this bizarre technology they touted weird vertical bar graphs that you couldn't read and TWO teams of people pretending to type on laptops.

Die Registratur had the bright idea to play viral videos during the dull parts of election coverage, but unfortunately they only had political rap. I should've been the one to make this list, I do watch You Tube obsessively. There wasn't even a "La Piquena Sarah Palin."

Because of the 6 hour time difference between Germany and the East Coast, things startled dwindling before we got our election results. We stayed for the frank discussion "McCain would have to win the West Coast to get enough votes at this point." But Gwen's mysterious business friends left, along with the Ghanian, his girlfriends, and our Germans. Drunky passed out on a sofa with no shoes on, and Ryan and I decided to quit around 4 am. As we arrived at our train station in Pasing, a TV in Yorma's cafe was showing the electoral tally for Obama over 300.

It still feels like a dream.

Extras:
-After another drunk guy hit on me, we decided I should change the "Yes We Can" button on my shirt to "No You Can't."
-apparently Anderson Cooper is a gay icon. Who knew?

2 comments:

brexians said...

Have a nice weekend with an old song from Demi Roussos

It's five o'clock
and I walk through the empty streets
thoughts fill my head
but then still
No one speaks to me
My mind takes me back
to the years that have passed me by
(interlude)
It is so hard to believe
That it's me
that I see
in the window pane
it is so hard to believe
that all this is the way
that is has to be
It's five o'click
and I walk through the empty streets
The night is my friend
And in him
I find sympathy
And so I go back to the years that have to past me by
(interlude)
It is so hard to believe
That it's me
that I see
in the window pane
it is so hard to believe
that all this is the way
that is has to be

It's five o'click
and I walk through the empty streets
The night is my friend
And in him I find sympathy
He gives, gives me day
gives me hope
and a little dream too

Bonnie Jean said...

A gay icon? We three had an apartment-group-crush on Anderson Cooper, as I recall. :) And we were watching MSNBC - nothing too terribly odd there, so I'm kind of sad we missed the hologram people.
I'm so glad you got to be out with non-Americans for election night - I got such a kick out of being with Brits. it's amazing what actually being invested in an election will do for your excitement levels. Avesta, Amy, Zara, and I went to catch a bus after watching the acceptance speech, and basically were just chirping "Obama" the whole way. Very fun.
On the downside, just about EVERY Brit has congratulated me, but then told me, "You do know he's going to get assassinated, right?" In a tone that seriously sounds like they've seen the blueprints themselves. Come on, guys.
My response is always, "The secret service are better at protecting a guy from a bullet than they are at protecting him from a heart attack or malignant face tumor".