My, how the times have changed. I came across these photos of new yorkers celebrating Obama winning the 2008 presidential election taken by LastNightsParty, and they feel like they were taken from a parallel universe, not from an election that took place during my childhood. People dancing in the streets and cheering for a presidential candidate they genuinely liked? Feeling optimistic and having a sense of hope for the future? I can’t fathom. I mean, there was plenty of celebration for Trump’s defeat in 2020, but that was because Trump lost, not because people actually liked Biden.
I was too young to really be politcally aware in 2008, but I do remember the overwhelming momentum of Obama’s candidacy. Posters and bumper stickers with Hope and Change were everywhere, teachers excitedly talking about his candidacy—It really felt like he could change our country, and our world, for the better.
After eight years of Bush administration policies, terrorist attacks, shameful forever wars, and financial recession, Obama’s historic election felt like a fresh start. And Obama’s cult of personality helped push that narrative—being young (for a president), charismatic, and an inspiring speaker, he stirred up a feeling of hopefulness that America yearned after the Bushpocalypse.
Of course, the Obama years were not as smooth-sailing as people had hoped. Seeing how genuinely excited everyone looks in these photos is kind of bittersweet in that sense, especially knowing all the political turmoil and conservative backlash that awaits a few years away.
But on that night, no one knew how fucked up politics were going to become. It was just genuine celebration of a historic moment, one that ushered in a feeling of wide-eyed hope for our future—at least for a little bit. And while we may never return to the feeling of elation these photos capture, we at least can look back on them and remember seemingly simpler times.
