All right, so we’re being a bit facetious with the headline here, but seriously, Sen. Joe Lieberman’s future vis-à-vis his former base at the Democratic Party is a tad uncertain at this time, to say the least.
Bush’s brain gets inside the minds of Obama campaign manager David Plouffe and strategist David Axelrod to explain the president-elect’s success: “Messrs. Plouffe and Axelrod understood that over the last 28 years only 11 of 20 eligible Americans on average cast a presidential ballot. They focused on registering and motivating the other nine who don’t usually vote.” Yes, he wrote “Messrs.”
After a long wait, North Carolina has been called for Barack Obama. With an Electoral College landslide already in hand for Obama, the state’s 15 electoral votes pump up his total to 364. That leaves one state dragging its heels. We’re looking at you, Mizzou. Let’s get this thing done.
The Democrats fell short in their quest for 60 U.S. Senate seats, but the race isn’t quite over. After a fierce battle in the politically fascinating state of Oregon, Democratic usurper Jeff Merkley has been projected by The Oregonian to defeat Sen. Gordon Smith. That leaves Minnesota and Georgia. Update
Hold on to your Louis Vuitton—it looks like those zany Alaskans re-elected Sen. Ted Stevens, now a convicted felon. He’s just about guaranteed to be expelled by the Senate, which means, if she wants to, Gov. Sarah Palin could run to replace him.
While many of us are still celebrating Barack Obama’s historic victory, rumors of a major buzzkill are flying: Lawrence Summers, a Clinton-era treasury secretary and deregulation enthusiast, is said to be the front-runner to take over the Treasury Department.
Just a day after winning the presidency, Barack Obama has started hiring. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, one of the architects of the Democrats’ congressional majority, is in line to be chief of staff. Sen. Chuck Hagel, the anti-war Republican, could be named to a Cabinet post, while Sen. John Kerry is said to be after the secretary of state job. Updated yet again.
If John McCain’s strategy on the ground in Pennsylvania worked, why didn’t he win the state? The Political Wire reports that it’s possible the Obama campaign tricked McCain into wasting his limited resources in a state that was never actually in play.
A razor-thin margin in the contest for a Minnesota Senate seat between comedian Al Franken, the Democrat, and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman will trigger an automatic recount that is likely to stretch into December.
While many in the world are looking forward to change, an Israeli airstrike proved that some things never will. After a four-month cease-fire between Israeli and Palestinian fighters, Israel launched an attack into the Gaza Strip Tuesday evening, killing six in an allegedly pre-emptive strike.
The latent racism that many had predicted would cut into Barack Obama’s poll numbers on Election Day—the so-called “Bradley effect”—ended up largely an unfounded concern, as exit polls showed him picking up 43% of white voters, an increase of 4 percentage points over what Democratic candidates have averaged since 1968.
Californians voted 52 percent to 48 percent to approve a despicable ballot measure banning gay marriage. The two sides spent more than $74 million, and in the end proponents of Prop. 8 won out by convincing voters that the measure would somehow protect children.
“We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.”
Calls have been going out in Virginia and Pennsylvania, telling people to vote tomorrow, on Nov. 5, according to Jonah Goldman, director of Election Protection at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Goldman says he doesn’t know who’s responsible, but similar misleading messages are being distributed via e-mail, FaceBook and fliers, often targeting young and minority voters.
Journo nonprofit ProPublica is aggregating reports of voting issues “ranging from voter registration to machine malfunction to alleged fraud or suppression.” See what’s going wrong and where, or report a problem yourself.
Long lines were one form of fun awaiting voters around the country as they made their way to the polls on Tuesday; early voters also reported troubles of a more potentially prohibitive nature in battleground states.
All 21 eligible voters in Dixville Notch, N.H., became the first in the nation to vote at the polls just after midnight Monday, following a time-honored tradition, and the win went to Barack Obama with 15 votes over John McCain’s six.
Just in case you’re waiting until the last possible minute to participate in this historic election, here’s a handy guide to poll closing times around the country.
Time to relive the magic that was the 2008 presidential campaign—one big, outrageous prevarication at a time. FactCheck.org delivers the “Whoppers of 2008,” courtesy of both Team McCain and Obama HQ.
Both campaigns predicted the polls would tighten up on the approach to Tuesday’s election, but many of the states where the race is closest were won by George W. Bush in 2004. Those include North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Georgia, Montana and Florida.
As you head to the polls Tuesday, keep this thought in mind: A voter in Wyoming is three and a half times more influential than a voter in Florida. Thanks to the Electoral College, it’s possible to become president with only 16 percent of the population’s support. Yay, Democracy!
Barack Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who he says had a major role in bringing him up during his early years in Hawaii, died Sunday just before midnight in Honolulu. She was 86.
In a last-ditch attempt to derail Latino support for Obama, an anti-abortion crusader and an activist against illegal immigration have teamed up to send a retired Texas bishop’s message to nearly 3 million Latino voters by e-mail and to even more by radio.
Active-duty military members arguably have more to lose than anyone else in Tuesday’s election, but voting can be an obstacle course for servicemen and -women overseas. The Dallas Morning News reports that in 2006 only one-third of the absentee ballots requested by U.S. armed forces personnel abroad were counted.
Chevron in the White House
