Election Night liveblog #36

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Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:36 PM PT (Jed Lewison): According to NBC, President Obama will be taking the stage within the minute. Here's a video feed:

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:37 PM PT (Jed Lewison): The president is on stage now with the first lady and his daughters.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:37 PM PT (Jed Lewison): And now it's just the president at the podium.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:40 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "We are an American family and rise or fall together as one nation, as one people."

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:41 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "We know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come." Explosive cheers.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:43 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "Whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign you made a difference." Says he just congratulated Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan on a hard fought campaign. "The Romney campaign has chosen to give back to America through public service, and that is a legacy that we applaud tonight. [Cheers]" Says he's looking forward to sitting down with Romney to talk about areas of potential cooperation in the future.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:44 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Thanks Joe Biden ("The best vice president anyone could ever have.") and Michelle Obama ("I have never loved you more", he says.). Obama sends his love to his daughters, before thanking "the best campaign team ever." Raucous applause.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:52 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "Our economy is recovering, a war is ending, and a long campaign is over. Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to your voice ... and I will return to the White House more determined than ever."

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:53 PM PT (Jed Lewison): There the second-term agenda: Reducing deficit, reforming tax code, immigration reform, and energy independence.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:54 PM PT (Jed Lewison): That's an ambitious agenda, and it's politically challenging. But I think that's exactly what the president meant during his convention speech when he said the path he was offering would be more difficult than Mitt Romney's false promises of tax cut after tax cut.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:56 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Oh, and also continuing to implement Obamacare.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:57 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "I've never been more hopeful about our future, I've never been more hopeful for America's future."

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 10:57 PM PT (Jed Lewison): But he says he will not "shirk from a fight."

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 11:00 PM PT (Jed Lewison): The president ends with a crescendo reminiscent of his 2004 convention speech, saying we're more than a collection of red states and blue states, we're the United States of America. And after the first lady and his daughters take the stage, Vice President Biden walks out, and then Jill Biden.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 11:01 PM PT (Barbara Morrill): New thread here.

Tue Nov 06, 2012 at 11:06 PM PT (Jed Lewison): The president is lingering on the stage a bit, waving to the crowd. Really, a great way to end a great evening at the presidential level.