Three Senates Seats Still Remain

ALASKA


GEORGIA


MINNESOTA

TIME: 10 Things That Never Hapened Before

Almost two years ago, a lifetime, the 2008 presidential campaign launched. All throughout things occurred that we never imagined could ever happen. In a Republican debate, several candidates claimed they did not believe in evolution, some guy named Joe became the focus of the republican candidate for president, Ron Paul became a cult hero, and so on.

In this weeks edition of Time, Mark Halperin put together a top 10 list of things that have never happened in a presidential campaign before.

1. "A Former First Couple (Bill and Hillary Clinton) Switches Roles"
   
2. "Superdelegates Finally Have A Say" - how many of you knew what a superdelegate was before this campaign season. As someone who has votes democratic, even I will admit that the idea of a superdelegate is stupid.
3. "Wrong Track Sky-High" - Bush's approval ratings and with the country feeling that they are unsatisfied with the way things are going on the U.S., marks the end of an era that started with Ronald Reagan.
4. "Outsiders In" - for the first time since 1928, neither an incumbent President of Vice President ran for the top slot.
5. "Selling History" - Obama raised the most money of any candidate in the history of the U.S. rejecting public funding. Did Obama buy his presidency?
6. "An African American but Not Just an African American" - Obama, an African American, won the presidency of the United States. Who here though they would ever see a black president? Robert "Bobby" Kennedy did: "There's no question that in the next thirty or forty years, a Negro can also achieve the same position that my brother has as President of the United States, certainly within that period of time."
7. "Best. Reality Show. Ever." - SATURDAY NIGH LIVE RESURRECTED.
8. "Internet Fund-Raising Comes of Age" - the Obama campaign made history on so many levels, not only is he going to be our first black president, he did it shattering Internet fund-raising records. In one month Obama raised more money than the previous leader did in a election cycle: September 2008, Obama raises $150 million, 75% of which came from individuals donating via the web.
9. "Mooseburgers, Snow Machines And Serious Politics" - Sarah Palin helped McCain during the Republican Convention. After that she was useless. Watch: Couric / Palin Interview 1, Couric / Palin Interview 2, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.
10. "An October Surprise (in September)" - McCain states "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" amidst one of the worst financial crisis in our history. Some believe that this alone lost him the presidency.
    

Victims Of H8!

This is what happens when you discriminate against two human beings wanting to marry.  This proposition is disgusting and I hope the people continue to let their voices be heard.  NO ON PROP8!

Were You A Part Of History?

Source: Truthdig

Three Senate Seats Remaining

Today, Barack Obama officially won North Carolina, making the final electoral vote 364 to 173. However, the democratic party has yet to capture the filibuster proof majority of 60 seats in the senate (D - 57 / R - 40) and three seats remain, Alaska, Georgia, and Minnesota.

The Races

1. Alaska - Incumbent Senator Ted Stevens, a recent convicted felon, holds a close lead over Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. This race has not been decided because thousands of absentee ballots are still being counted.
2. Georgia - Senator Saxby Chambliss leads Jim Martin 49.9% - 46.7% and absentee ballots are still being counted. My hitch is that Chambliss will win, but anything is possible.
3. Minnesota - Senator Norm Coleman now leads Al Franken by only 342 votes. This is a close one and recounts are still being done. One can only hope that Franken wins.

White House Press Secretary

Politico reported that Robert Gibbs, a top aide for the Obama campaign, will be White House Press Secretary.

71.5 Million Watched Obama Win

71.5 million people watched the election last night, making it the most viewed event since the Super Bowl (97.5 million) and the highest-rated election night since 1980.

Americans United

I got this video from Andrew Sullivan's blog. It is truly, truly one of the more moving videos I have ever seen. Today, I am not ashamed to say that I am an American and proud of it.

The Obama Administration Taking Shape

Earlier today, Haaretz.com reported that Rahm Emanuel has been asked to serve as Barack Obama's White House chief of staff. Emanuel served as an advisor for the Clinton administration.

Later, Politico reported that Obama is "strongly considering" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Environmental Protection Agency. RFK Jr. is the son of Robert "Bobby" F. Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy. He co-hosts a show alongside Mike Papantonio on Air America Radio called Ring of Fire, which airs Saturdays at 3pm.

Bittersweet

Last night was a historical night, but today is suddenly a sad day. With Proposition 8 passing today we must realize that all though we have come a long way, there is still a ways to go.

Learn more about Prop. 8 here.

Obama: "This Is Our Moment"

Complete Transcript of Obama's Victory Speech

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.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of 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.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Sen. McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Gov. Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the vice-president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager, David Plouffe; my chief strategist, David Axelrod; and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics — you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to — it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington — it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

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. I promise you: We as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you 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, callused hand by callused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation — as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." And, to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: 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.

For that is the true genius of America — that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes, we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, we can.

When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes, we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes, we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes, we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes, we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Source: NPR

President Barack Obama

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Live Election Results

Keep Waiting On Those Lines

I found this video on Talking Points Memo. It was posted by John Marshall. The fact that lines in New York are this long speaks volumes. New York is a blue state and had this been any other year, most of these individuals would not have even bothered waiting on a line like this. History, as we speak, is being made.

Monday Night Football Interviews

During halftime of MNF, Chris Berman of ESPN interviewed both presidential candidates. I have to give McCain some credit here, the guy is funny. Pay attention to McCain's "he-can-go-all-the-way" call, something Berman has done during NFL highlights for decades now.

Obama:



McCain:

Last Poll Before The Election

Intrade: Realtime Electoral Vote Predictor

23/6: Presidential Campaign In a Minute

Have you been asleep for two years and missed the most historic campaign in, perhaps, the history of the United States of America? Here it is in 60 seconds:

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Electoral Maps

270 wins the election

1. In the New York Times electoral map, Obama leads McCain 291 to 163
2. In the Pollster.com electoral map, Obama leads McCain 311 to 142
3. Real Clear Politics has Obama leading McCain 278 to 132
4. CNN has Obama leading 291 to 157
5. Rasmussen has Obama leading 260 to 160

Every poll I could find, but one, has Obama winning the election by a landslide. The one is Rasmussen a conservative website. This is a good sign, but don't let hubris get to you. Vote, vote, vote!

Another Reason McCain Might Lose on 11/04/2008...

...Joe "the plumber".

Obama Ad: Cheney Endorses McCain