... one great TV moment.
2008 was filled with great TV moments, more than most years. So when I asked the TV Squad crew what they thought the greatest moment this year was, I got a lot of responses: the Fey / Palin "summit" on SNL, Letterman going off an an absent John McCain, any of Michael Phelps' Olympic victories, the spectacular opening ceremonies in Beijing, the finale of The Shield, any of the Presidential / VP debates, the Giants' upset of the Pats in the Super Bowl, and probably more that I can't even think of right now.
But they all seemed small in comparison to what happened in the late-night hours of Election Day, when Barack Obama got up in front of a crowd in Chicago's Grant Park and gave his acceptance speech. No matter what you think of Obama or his politics, it was a historic moment, and not just because Obama had just been elected the first African-American president. But the reason why it's the best TV moment of 2008 is because... well, moments like this don't happen that much anymore, do they?
You know the kind of moments I'm talking about: the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the moon landing, John Lennon being shot, the Challenger explosion, O.J.'s Bronco chase. They're the types of moments where people ask "Where were you when you saw it?" around the watercooler for years to come. They were moments when everyone in the country could discuss how they felt about it, because everyone saw it, whether that moment was uplifting or tragic.
When was the last time we had a moment like that? 9/11? It's nice to know that despite everything that's gone on since that horrible day -- wars, terrorist attacks, economic nightmares, environmental disasters, red/blue state backbiting, American Idol -- that this nation can still have a collective moment that inspires positive feelings rather than negative ones. What the election of Obama proved is that the American people can judge a candidate on the issues and his or her platform, no matter what the candidate's ethnicity is. And the good vibes that were generated at this rally in Grant Park are one of the big reasons that -- as of right now -- even people who didn't vote for him are optimistic about his ability to turn the country around.
Oh, and who can forget Oprah, crying on the shoulder of Sam Perry? That was enough to bring us back to our jaded selves, even during a moment that made many Americans smile with pride. According to Jon Stewart, Oprah "actually purchased this white man to lean on during the speech," which was one of the best lines of the post-Election Night coverage. Thanks Oprah! You ensured that the best TV moment of the year wasn't completely saccharine and patriotic, which just made the moment even better.
Two perfect series finales
Three Zachs for viewing
Four impressions we'll be missing
Five cancelled shows
Six shows you should be watching
Seven shows a-thrivin'
Eight stars a-shinin'
Nine foreign Americans
Ten shows on DVD
Eleven babes worth watchin'
Twelve shows a-stinkin'
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-23-2008 @ 11:46AM
Thom said...
Cue loony-Conservative comments on how TVSquad is part of the Liberal Debbil in 3...2...
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12-23-2008 @ 11:49AM
Joel Keller said...
Heh. Yeah, I'm bracing for them. But my angle is that even most McCain supporters could appreciate the enormity of the moment once Obama locked up the election. At least I hope they did.
12-23-2008 @ 12:50PM
Franklin said...
"What the election of Obama proved is that the American people can judge a candidate on the issues and his or her platform..."
Oh good God, what a load of bullshit and sycophantic ranting. You morons voted for this socialist-policy wanker based on the flashy advertising that was his campaign and the superficial message of "Change". Obama rarely got any deeper into the issues than that one word "change", which was good enough for a majority win, but if you believe the votes were based on anything deeper you're fooling yourself.
Your continuance into delusion arrives in the form of a poll which queried all of 1000 people, probably in a blue area, and this is your basis for claiming even people who didn't vote for him are optimistic? Yeah, maybe a handful in select areas, but the vast majority of people who didn't vote for Obama are definitely not optimistic.
Maybe you should take a few polls up in Massachusetts of say, 5-10 people, and then come back and tell us how the majority of Americans think social policies should supercede any kinks that that pesky constitution throws in the way. I mean, heck, it was written by a bunch of old guys over 200 years ago who never owned iPods, saw MTV or even touched a computer; how relevant could their beliefs be today in this world where rich people are evil and should share their money with those that have none? How dare the successful reap the benefits of their success?!! The nerve!
Even after the election, you guys still continue to campaign for the most anti-democracy, socialist and liberal candidate this country's seen since Jimmy Carter. And we all know how well Carter fixed things. Oh wait, most of you were either not in existence or too young to watch that debacle as it unfolded. Just wait, even the constant cheerleading for Obama by the media won't be enough to cover up the monumental price tag we'll all pay for this guy's policies.
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12-23-2008 @ 1:18PM
Sam said...
I'm just waiting for the post where you tell all of us to get off your lawn.
12-24-2008 @ 1:10AM
B said...
Mmmm schadenfreude.
12-23-2008 @ 12:11PM
Dave said...
I haven't seen Obama's speech. I always go to bed at a reasonable hour on election night (the results will still be there in the morning) so I missed it. Honestly, I don't care what he said. Actions speak louder than words. I'm waiting for some action once he takes office.
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12-23-2008 @ 12:24PM
ac said...
Most supportors can probably appreciate the moment. However those are not the ones leaving angry conservative rants. So Joel I'd still prepare to duck and dodge a few shoes for the rest of the day.
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12-23-2008 @ 12:26PM
Joel Keller said...
Well, I kinda expected Franklin to rant away, so maybe he doesn't count.
12-23-2008 @ 12:22PM
Franklin said...
I certainly appreciate the "enormity of the moment", it was undeniably historic. It's just too bad it had to be someone so willing to give government the reins to things it should never come close to. It's also too bad you had to include the bullshit survey with an insignificant sampling as "evidence" that basically the entire fucking planet's happy about Obama getting elected. We're not, but most readers here won't believe that because they're mainly young, inexperienced and bring with them a misplaced cockiness that makes them believe they know better than anyone else. To them, and probably you, experience doesn't count for squat, it's all about feeling good, isn't it?
There ya go, Thom. The loony conservative comments. Just a drop in the bucket compared to the constant loony liberal writings on this site, soon to be renamed Obama Squad.
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12-23-2008 @ 12:54PM
amy3717 said...
I have to agree. Obama speech was the best moment on television in 2008. And I'm Canadian. I think it will be talked about for years and people will remember it.
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12-23-2008 @ 1:19PM
Thom said...
"Joel Keller said...
Well, I kinda expected Franklin to rant away, so maybe he doesn't count."
He doesn't, considering he is more of a troll than anything else and has the logical reasoning skills of a shrimp. His reactionary, verbal spew is banal, predictable, and boring, and sounds like a broken record playing in an empty hollow concert hall, echoing further and further into the impenetrable void of pure, utter inanity.
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12-29-2008 @ 11:39AM
Franklin said...
That's so funny because it applies *perfectly* to not only your comments about conservatives, but also every-friggin'-politically-themed-article every written on this site. Just goes to show exactly how far your head is up the DNC's ass.
There's so much irony in your posts, if it were water I'd have to build an ark. Too bad it's all shit instead.
12-23-2008 @ 5:29PM
Steve Ungrey said...
Coming from someone who did vote McCain, I still appreciate the moment. Yes, we have come a long way in this country to elect a black person as president. It is a historic time for the United States. I do not agree with his policies, but congratulations should go to him nevertheless.
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12-24-2008 @ 4:07AM
teenagertc said...
This is how you write a post where you disagree with the opposition, yet still respect their accomplishments! Obama deserves all the blame or accolades once he gets inaugurated. Any praise or criticism of his polices before that time are foolhardy.
Succinctly, Steve Ungrey > Franklin
12-23-2008 @ 10:29PM
Galley said...
I don't really get into politics, but it was a beautiful moment.
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12-24-2008 @ 12:25PM
Jimmy said...
LOL @ Franklin! Some people are pure win. He's one of them, for all the wrong reasons!
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12-29-2008 @ 11:38AM
Franklin said...
Give it time, you easily fooled morons. None of you have anything of substance to say about Obama because he has no substance, so you resort to simple dismissal of anything said against your new God. It's ironic that so many of you are proudly athiest, yet worship this new idol with a more fervent religion than even the most hard-core Bible-thumpers whom you so often ridicule. Your new religion is based on a series of commercial advertisements cleverly disguised as a political campaign. You pray at the altar of a groundless faith. Oh, the irony!
Let me give you a little tase of the future, a la the ghost of elections future. Obama will run full speed into the wall of reality when the true cost of his "changes" begin to hit the taxpayers' pocketbooks. He'll fail to "save us all" and the tax burden will push the economy into inflation we haven't seen since Carter. And just like Jimmy Carter's term, when Obama runs for re-election everyone who voted for him will use the excuse, "the economy's still bad because Bush screwed it up so badly that Obama needs another term to fix it all."
In an eery similarity to the Carter years, you'll all go vote in 2012 still trying to convince yourselves that it's still all Bush's fault. And again history will repeat itself as the swing voters who usually decide most elections won't be so willing to swing towards the man who promised us all Utopia, but gave us nothing more than empty promises with a high price tag.
It's going to be a bumpy and very expensive ride, but on the bright side, you young idiots who haven't seen more than a couple of elections in which you were old enough to vote, might learn something. Those who don't will fall into that same, tired circle of delusion that's plagued the Democrat party for decades. At that point, you have a very good chance of being asked to write for TV Squad.
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