It was hard to ignore the smiles, the tears and the cheers of joy that came Election Night at the Ramada Inn when every major news channel on television announced Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as the next United States president.

As the newscasters made the announcement around 10 p.m. Tuesday — telling the American people that Obama had received the needed 270 electoral votes to win the presidency — cheers erupted from the people who had congregated in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party room at the Albert Lea hotel. Some clapped, some yelled and others danced. Family and friends hugged.

“The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly,” Arizona Sen. John McCain said in a congratulatory speech to Obama about 20 minutes later.

He talked of his opponent as a man who was able to instill hope in Americans and who had achieved much to be proud of, both for himself and for his country.

In the difficult times for this country, McCain pledged to help the new president and urged the country to come together and bridge their differences.

“Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans,” he said.

Eyes in the DFL room were glued to the televisions as the speech was given.

“I’m happy,” Freeborn County DFL Party Chairman Art Anderson said. “All the work we’ve done — it paid off.”

A short while later, Obama appeared on the television giving his victory speech.

Tuesday night was “the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day,” he said.

While he knows government can’t always solve every problem, Obama said he will always be honest with Americans about the challenges the country faces.

“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree,” he said. “And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

Thousands of people were shown listening to his speech in Grant Park in Chicago with flags in hands and tears running down their faces.

“Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope,” Obama said.

The crowds just cheered.

“He has so much hope,” Freeborn County DFL Party Vice Chairwoman Rose Anderson added. “He just draws so many crowds.”

Rose said she knows some people say Obama doesn’t have the answers to this country’s problems, but with the help of advisers he will be able to do great things.

“They’re such wonderful people,” she said of Obama and his family. “I just had such a warm feeling at the convention.”

She and Art attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where Obama and his family were present.

Dale Drescher, who was one of the several people with the Andersons in the room, said because of Obama’s victory the country is headed in a better direction. Things can only go up from there, he said.

“It’s time for a change, and change has finally come,” Drescher said. “We definitely don’t need another four years of McSame.”

Minnesota House District 27A Rep. Robin Brown said she burst into tears when she heard the news that Obama was elected president.

“Even without my race — had I lost this race — the presidential race was so important to our district, so important to our nation,” Brown said.

“What a wonderful first family. What a smart, articulate man. We are blessed to have him in the White House.”

She said she is looking forward to seeing things begin to change in this country and hopes Obama will keep the promises he has made during the campaign.

Feelings were a little different among many Republicans who were down the hall in a much quieter room as the Obama victory was announced.

“In the end the electorate made the choice and we abide by this, but we of course were disappointed,” said Freeborn County Republican Party Chairman Tiny Brandt. “We do feel very definitely that John McCain had the values and the thinking we wanted to see, but we accept this. We thought he was gracious in his defeat.”

Despite the loss to Republicans nationwide and the party losses in many of the local and state races, Brandt said this does not mean the Freeborn County Republicans are going to stop.

“They are going to look forward, and we’re going to hold our values,” he said. “We are not going to sacrifice our values, but we do abide by the decision of the electorate. We wish President Obama the best to him and all the people working with him.”

Brandt said he is not out looking for ways to put Obama on the chopping block, but he will be watching and listening to him closely.

The following is a breakdown of the presidential/vice presidential race among Freeborn County voters. The first figure is the number of votes, the second is the percentage:

Obama/ Biden: 9,915 57.38

McCain/Palin: 6,955 40.25

Nadar/Gonzalez 245 1.42

Barr/Root: 43 0.25

Baldwin/Castle: 36 0.21

McKinney/Clemente: 25 0.14

Calero/Kennedy: 3 0.02

“The country is still No. 1,” he said. “That hasn’t changed.”

Matt Benda, former Republican candidate for the state House District 27A seat, said recently politics have been so dramatic from one extreme to the next that he fears the country will again have a president who does not govern from the middle.

In terms or party politics, Benda said, though the Republican Party’s principles are sound, it is clear to him the party needs to repackage its message.

Paul Overgaard, former Republican state representative from 1962 through 1968 and state senator from 1970 through 1972, said though his candidate, McCain, lost in the election, he will support Obama.

“President-elect Obama will be my president,” Overgaard said. “I am hopeful that he will get the respect personally and in the office that I think the office deserves. I earnestly hope that he will be treated with a great deal more respect than President Bush has been treated by people who disagreed with him.

“Our nation needs to return to a time when all of our citizens show respect for the office of the president even if they disagree with some of its actions.”