Obama's victory speech: One for the ages

post from Crooks and Liars on 05 November 2008 01:07:16 AM. © Crooks and Liars

Barack Obama's victory speech in Chicago tonight was moving and powerful. The crowd -- an incredibly massive one -- was treated not just to an amazing piece of history, but a great orator at his peak.

I'm not sure what more to say tonight. I'm speechless.

Oh, and it's looking like the final Electoral College count will be:

Obama: 364

McCain: 173

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A Few Notes From the National Exit Poll

post from FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right on 05 November 2008 01:07:00 AM. © FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right

African-American turnout share increased from 11 percent to 13 percent. That doesn't sound like much, but it's about a 20 percent jump among a population that already did turn out in pretty decent numbers. Turnout among registered black voters must have been near universal.

Youth turnout up a point. Latino turnout not up.

Voters who decided late broke about evenly between the two candidates. No evidence of a Bradley Effect -- none whatsoever.

Obama lost whites making less than $50,000 a year -- but by only 4 points. The bigger differences were along educational lines; he lost no-college whites by 18 points.

40 percent of the electorate identified itself as Democrat, 32 percent Republican, roughly in line with the pollster consensus.

The Obama campaign contacted about 50 percent more voters than the McCain campaign.

Obama won union members 61-38.

Obama won 83 percent of Clinton voters.

See here for more.

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http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/few-notes-from-national-exit-poll.html

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Links for 2008-11-04 [Digg]

post from uncomfortably numb on 05 November 2008 01:03:07 AM. © uncomfortably numb

URGENT: Stop Racist Voter Suppression - Take Action NOW!
Please sign this petition! If you're having problems voting and feel your voting rights were violated go to The Election Violation Report Site and file a report. A list of telephone numbers by state is available at NASS's State Voter Hotlines

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Down Ballot Blogging

post from Talking Points Memo on 05 November 2008 01:02:00 AM. © Talking Points Memo

1:02 AM ... Hardcore winger Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) goes down, according to the Denver Post. 1:04 AM ... TPM's David Kurtz reacts to Obama's victory speech, from on the scene at Grant Park ... 1:19 AM ... It's starting to look promising for Al[...]

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President Obama.

post from The Osterley Times on 05 November 2008 01:00:00 AM. © The Osterley Times

And so it comes to pass. America has chosen Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

In a victorious speech before an adoring crowd of 125,000 in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, the 47-year-old president-elect said the victory belonged to the American people.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

"We have never been a collection of individuals, a collection of red states and blue states. We are and will always be the United States of America. Because of what we did on this day, change has come to America.

The jubilant crowd, which included Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson supporters cheered, waved flags and shed tears chanted repeatedly throughout the speech, "Yes we can.''

Obama thanked his family, his wife, Michelle, who he called his best friend and love of his life, and his daughters, telling them they had earned their puppy who was coming with them to the White House.

He spoke of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died of cancer on the eve of the election, saying that he knew she was watching him.

Obama also sent out a message to those who had not voted for him, saying that "for those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices ? I will be your president too.''

After the years of Bush, of a president who ruled rather than governed, these words should be welcome to all Americans. Over here in Britain the different tone which Obama has always struck was the thing which made us admire him.

The arrogance of the Bush administration has been replaced with a man who genuinely wants to lead with the consensus of all Americans. This isn't a man who is going to say you are either with us or against us. This is a guy who will genuinely try to unite the United States.

To rousing applause, in a climatic moment as he repeatedly told the crowd the victory was not about him but the American people, he said: "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.''

And we should not underestimate what we are watching here. It's the death of Rove Republicanism. The American people have said that they want a president who unites rather than divides the nation.

Rove's America was not just turned on its head yesterday. It was broken up and recast in a very different mould. One of Mr Obama's many achievements has been his refusal to accept the permanence of the blue-red divide. He has reached out across the divide to states and voters that the embattled Democratic party of the Reagan-Bush years had forgotten about, places like the South and the Rockies, voters like farmers and small business people.

But his victory, historic as it is, means as much to the rest of the planet as it does to Americans.

Whoever is in power in the United States affects the life of everyone on the planet. The United States has pulled of a miracle. Four years ago the world yearned for Bush to be thrown out of office and was devastated to witness his re-election.

This time there were many people I know who dared not hope that this time the US would do the right thing. But I honestly have never doubted that, this time, the US would. There are very few stars in politics. In my lifetime I have seen, until Obama, only three. Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton.

And a couple of years ago, the very first moment when Obama stepped on to the national stage, we knew that we were looking at a new political star.

For that reason alone I have never doubted that America would elect him.

Overnight the Unites States will see it's unpopularity worldwide recede. They have done the right thing. They have elected a president not just for the United States, they have elected a president for the world.

And, for doing that, the world will be immensely grateful. We all wanted America back, the America of my youth where it led, as Clinton recently said, by the power of it's example rather than by the example of it's power.

Tonight, American delivered. By God, did it deliver. President Obama. Those are two words to savour. As Obama said tonight, "Change has come to America." And, as is true in so many cases, the change that comes to America comes to the rest of the world, whether we want it or not. This time we want it - and are overjoyed by it.

Click title for full article.

Tags: President Obama, Obama, McCain, Bush, US election 2008

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http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-obama.html

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November 5, 2008- The Best Day Ever

post from DownWithTyranny! on 05 November 2008 01:00:00 AM. © DownWithTyranny!

I don't know if SpongeBob SquarePants knows the country is rid of dangerous extremists like Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Virgil Goode (R-VA), Thelma Drake (R-VA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Robin Hayes (R-NC) but he sure knows that Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. And like many of us, he thinks it's the best day ever!

video details and more

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http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-5-2008-best-day-ever.html

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Frameshop: AND THE WINNER IS...

post from FRAMESHOP on 05 November 2008 01:00:00 AM. © FRAMESHOP

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http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2008/11/frameshop-and-the-winner-is.
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Bad GOP spin II

post from Daily Kos on 05 November 2008 12:59:53 AM. © Daily Kos

Richard Viguerie, conservative stalwart:

"Voters did not reject conservatism," Richard A. Viguerie, the Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, said. "They rejected Big Government Republicanism in all its forms, including the Bush administration and the Republican leadership in Congress."

Don't forget -- conservatism doesn't fail, it can only be failed.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/vlbeM1Yb6zo/653075

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Bad GOP spin

The Republican Governors Association:

The elections of Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Governor John Hoeven ensure that every incumbent Republican Governor won tonight by wide margins. Earlier tonight Governor Daniels and Governor Douglas dominated races that were targeted by national Democrats. The success of Republican Governors at the polls offers a bright spot for the GOP, and their victories tonight show their importance to the Republican Party's future. "Republican Governors prove that when we govern well and stick to our principles the nation still supports the Republican Party," said RGA Chairman Governor Rick Perry. "The plan that Republican Governors developed two years ago is working. Next week the Governors will expand on their plan and bring fresh leadership and new ideas to the GOP. Tonight's results show how important Republican Governors are to the Republican Party moving forward." "When Republicans focus on solving problems we can win in any environment," said RGA Executive Director Nick Ayers. "It's now time to focus on rebuilding our Party at the state level -- not in Washington DC -- and our governors are poised to do so."

Okay, so Republicans didn't pick up a single governorship. They lost Missouri -- a key swing state. But they held on to governorships in Utah and North Dakota -- and we're supposed to be impressed?

Lame.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/XsZPorizEcI/653634

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Where the Girls Are: Four to Six Women Coming
into the House

Last cycle, female challengers didn't do particularly well. This cycle, they fared a bit[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OpenLeft-FrontPage/~3/442896780/showDiary.do

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