UK newspapers celebrate Obama victory

LONDON - "History beckons" sums up the upbeat and jubilant mood of the UK national press today with wall-to-wall coverage of Barack Obama's historic victory last night as he was elected the 44th President of the United States.

The Sun's front-page is entirely devoted to the result, with a photo of Obama in an action-man-style pose; running, sleeves rolled up and ready for the hard work ahead, framed by a fluttering stars and stripes. The headline, 'One giant leap for mankind', is followed by four pages of coverage.

The Daily Mirror shows a stern-looking Obama silhouetted against the American flag under the headline 'GOBAMA!', accompanied by four pages of coverage, while the Daily Star goes with 'Yanks Very Much!'

The Daily Mail devoted the front page of the early edition to the election, but following the result reduced the story to half a page with a long-lense picture of Obama saluting the crowd gathered in Grant Park, Chicago, with the headline: 'Obama takes his place in history'.

The mid-market tabloid has also run a story about a fall in interest rates and a rise in mortgage rates on its front page, with the headline: 'Home Loans: A Slap in the Face'.

The Daily Express runs with 'A New World Dawns' and is the only paper to run a picture of Republican John McCain in addition to one of Obama.

In the broadsheet market, The Times has ten pages of coverage, while its front page proclaims: 'This is our time'. A large picture shows Obama walking across the stage in Grant Park with his children and wife Michelle.

The Independent's headline simply states, 'Mr President', against a picture of a smiling Obama and a bumper 14 pages of election coverage.

The Guardian has plumbed for 'It's President Obama', before it continues with six pages of election coverage. and a large image and graphic covering its homepage to reflect its extensive online coverage.

The Daily Telegraph has five pages of election coverage, while a sombre headline says: 'A new era as American voters turn out in record numbers'.

The Financial Times opted for a rather dull and functional headline, with 'Americans turn out in huge numbers to vote', alongside just three pages of election coverage. also simply tells it as it is with: "Obama elected US president".

In the US, only very late editions of the major newspapers are available as the country wakes up to a new president.

The Washington Post had 'The Final Push' on its late edition.

The New York Times predicted a 'A Sea Change for Politics as We Know It.' Its website predicted profound societal change with:
The Wall Street Journal looked ahead at the next president's biggest challenge, with 'New Economic Ills Will Force Winner's Hand... Calls for Swift Action to Loom Over Next President.' reports, 'Obama sweeps to historic victory'.

USA Today went with the slightly uninspired and obvious: 'Decision is in voter's hands: US history will be made today by electing McCain or Obama.'

Obama himself sent out an email in the early hours of the morning before taking to the stage in Grant Park to deliver a six-minute speech.

Obama supporters who have registered their contact details on his website received the following email:

"I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.
We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing... All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack"

The election in blogs on Brand Republic



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