Inaguration Streaming Live

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Final Countup




Whoops! I was right about Missouri's electoral votes, but not the Omaha Nebraska vote. It looks like they counted absentee ballots last in Nebraska, and they went overwhelmingly to Obama. So the final total for the Great Election of 2008 ends up being 365 for Obama to 173 for McCain.

This vindicates the Obama campaign's decision to spend some time and money in Omaha in the final days of the campaign. That in turn vindicated the Nebraska legislature's decision to split their electoral votes that way. Given this result, I have to wonder if any other states that got neglected this cycle are going to follow Nebraska's lead.

Where We Go From Here
There are still a couple of Senate races to be decided, but this pretty much wraps up the Presidential campaign news for 2008.

For those of you wondering we at the campaign will be doing now that the campaign is over, I had wondered that myself.

Greg I know is planning on helping in the Great Crusade to take our state back for The Light ... if he doesn't get called up to DC, which I understand is a possibility. Mary Jo and Blanca I know will continue fighting until the day the Good Lord calls them Home. That's just the way they were made.

As for me? Calvin Rees at DemoOkie has graciously offered to add me as an author there. When I started this effort I did a survey of every Democratic and progressive blog and message board in the state that I could find. Calvin runs the best general-purpose Democratic message board in the state, and his blog has become an important resource for me here at Oklahoma For Obama, so I was very honored to accept. If you are interested, my first post is already up. See you there!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Results - Friday



Another day out, and we still don't have a final count. North Carolina did finally come in, so we do now stand at 364 to 173. However, it now looks like Obama is likely to get the Omaha EV from Nebraska, (still not Missouri though). It's nice to see some vindication for Nebraska finally in their decision to split their EV's this way. Let's hope this causes some other larger states to follow their example.

Thursday, November 6, 2008



Its two days later, and we still don't have all the EV's in. However, the final Nebraska EV and the ones for Missouri look like they are going to go McCain. North Carolina is still a tossup, but one where Obama is slightly ahead at the moment. So the final count looks like it will probably be 364 to 173.

Obama has named his transition team. No names on it I recognize by sight, but that's typical for a transition team. The main transition news is the on again off again talk about Rahm Emmanuel becoming Obama's Chief of Staff. He's got a rep as a real down and dirty take no prisoners kind of guy. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be with him anywhere else in the Administration, but Chief of Staff is a good fit for that. If Obama doesn't want to hear from you, you will not be getting by Rahm.

One of the big questions a lot of us on The Left have about the aftermath of the election has been, will the Reps Get It? Will they accept the repudiation the country has handed them with, and do the soul-searching required to rebuild their party, or will they find a couple of convenient scapegoats and go on using their same old message that worked so well in 1980 when they crafted it? Frankly the longer they stay in denial, the better off we will be.

So far, Denial seems to be winning. There's been a fair bit of blaming Palin. It turns out she spent even more on clothes than was reported. She had her staffers buy her stuff on their credit cards, which are only now being charged back to the campaign for reimbursement. It would be funny if it weren't so...aw heck, it's funny.

There's also a lot of talk that they lost because they weren't "conservative enough". I call this the Tinkerbell theory. If you believe enough in Conservatism, it will work. If you failed, that's proof you didn't believe enough!

So it's likely that we are going to see more sillyness in the future from the remaining Republicans in Congress (for example, our entire Oklahoma delegation). Fortunately, they are no longer in power, so it shouldn't be too damaging, just entertaining.

Awwww...they're so cute when they get all 1980 like that.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Oklahoma, The Land that Time Forgot

Sadly things did not go well here in Oklahoma. Obama did not win a single county. Every Democrat running in a statewide race lost, as did Oliver for Tulsa's representative.

While the rest of the country was having a transformational election, we seemed to be stuck in 2004. The results were exactly the same.
Here are the numbers from the state election board:

2004:
JOHN F. KERRY DEM 503,966 34.43%
GEORGE W. BUSH REP 959,792 65.57%
2008:
BARACK OBAMA DEM 502,329 34.36%
JOHN McCAIN REP 959,808 65.64%


Landslide


I'd like to say "the results are in", but as I write this the 26 electoral votes for Missouri and North Carolina are still up in the air. There's been some kind of weirdness in Georgia too, something about the vote totals being rediculously low, so some folks have thrown their 15 EV's back out too.

However, even without them Obama has the largest electoral victory since Regan. When you add in what happened with the house and senate races, it's clear the Republicans got spanked.

I was expecting the win of course, but the implications of it didn't actually hit me until it was announced. It is very hard indeed not to see this as a vindication our the ideals of freedom and equality that we have strayed so far from these last 8 years. This is both due to the personal story of the winner, and the resounding nature of the defeat of the current party holding the White House.

Perhaps my favorite story of the night was the impromptu celebration that started (in the rain) in front of the White House. (DC, of course, voted %93 for Obama). From CNN:
At least 1,000 people gathered on Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House late Tuesday night, shouting "Obama! Obama!" and "Yes we can!" Uniformed Secret Service officers were overheard, saying they'd never seen anything like it.


Of course celebrations weren't even limited to this country. Kenya, the birthplace of Obama's father, has declared tomorrow a national holiday. While other countries aren't going quite that far, there are reports of celebrations all over Europe, Africa, and in parts of Asia.

The more interesting (and perhaps relevent) thing is what this does for US clout. For example, European leaders are openly expressing worries that requests from President Obama for more support in places like Afghanistan are going to be difficult to turn down, due to his popularity with their own constituents.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Watch Parties

I just got back from driving a voter to the polls, so now its time to go over the area watch parties.


Tulsa County Democratic Party and
Senator Nacy Riley (SD37) and
George Bullock (HD71) and
Seneca Scott (HD72)
at 7:30 pm
Transport Workers Union Hall
11945 East Pine Street, Tulsa

Senator Tom Adelson (SD78)
Representative Lucky Lamons (HD61)
Representative Jeannie McDaniel (HD78)
7:00 pm
Baxter's Interurban Grill
717 South Houston Avenue, Tulsa

Sebastian Lantos (HD67)
7:00 pm
Bluestone Steakhouse & Seafood Restaurant
10032 South Sheridan Road

Karen Keith (Tulsa CC2)
7:00 pm
Leon's - South Peoria
33rd & Peoria, Tulsa

Georgianna Oliver (1st Congress)
7:00 pm
Downtown Doubletree
616 West 7th St., Tulsa

General
6:00 pm
Jazz Hall of Fame
111 East 1, Tulsa

They Will Enter Zion With Signing

The reports I'm getting are of very heavy turnout, particularly in North Tulsa. For example, the World reported the wait at Mt. Zion Baptist Church at more than an hour and a half. If were were to see Tulsa County go blue this year, this is exactly the reports we'd be seeing right now.

I've added a couple of gadgets from MSNBC to the blog that should report realtime election results, once the polls start to close. If you are in front of a computer then, stay tuned here.

An American Prayer

Conservatives for Obama

You probably know about the Republican moderates supporting Obama, like Colin Powell.

What you may not have heard so much about is the amazing number of Conservative pundits who have come out in support of Obama. One example is Christopher Buckley, son of arch conservative William F. Buckley, founder of National Review.

Another is favorite Conservative talk show guest Andrew Sullivan. Here he was on Colbert last night making a strong case for Obama being the Conservative choice for president.



The direct link to this video is http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/207785/november-03-2008/andrew-sullivan . Email this to your conservative friends.

VOTE

Today is the day we change the world.

To find your polling place in Tulsa County, use this neat tool to find your polling place. Outside Tulsa County, you can use the State's locator. Polls are open *now* and close at 7PM.

If you need a ride, call 747-7933 (League of Women Voters), 584-0001 (Metro Tulsa Urban League), 663-0377 (YWCA of Tulsa), or 850-2048 or 231-3340 (Coalition for the American Dream).



Volunteer Opportunities
Once you've taken care of your own voting responsibilities, here are the volunteer opportunities we have available.
  • Drive people to the polls - Call Darrel Knox at 734-7560
  • Sign Teams - Email Greg Markley
  • Phone Banking - Call Dave Ratcliff at 906-0662
  • Phone Banking to Missouri Voters - email Tom Donahy


Fired Up, Ready to Go!

Monday, November 3, 2008

More Videos

We Have a Lot of Work to Do

This is one that the campaign was actually sending around to everyone on its mailing list. It shows clips from the campaign with a voiceover from Obama. One day some genius is going to make a mint by selling posters with the image at 1:55.



Take the Day Off
This next one shows Matthew Broderick asking everyone to take the day off tomorrow to help the campaign. Even if he's not your favorite actor, or you are too young to even know who the heck he is, this is still something everyone reading this blog should do. My company is patriotic enough that it actually gives us the day off, so I took today off too.


The Rising in Cleveland
This is a video of Bruce Springsteen introducing the Obama family at a rally by singing "The Rising". Its more than 5 minutes, so if you aren't fan of The Boss, you might want to just watch the first minute, then skip ahead to about 4:50.


Jay-Z
If Jay-Z is a bit more your speed (not mine, sorry) then you might be more interested in this video


World's Biggest Obama Supporter

To end on a bit of a lighter (but vaguely creepy) note, meet the world's biggest Obama supporter:

Obama on Native Issues

I found this video of a speech Obama gave on First Nation issues several months back when he made a campaign stop at the Crow Nation (first and only presidential candidate to do so).

A fair bit of this is specific to reservations, but I think lot of the issues he raised will be of great interest here in Oklahoma.

One Day More



Tomorrow is the Judgement Day.
Tomorrow we discover what our God in Heaven has in store.

Last Day of Early Voting


Today is the last day for early voting at your county election board office. The hours are 8AM to 6PM. That means everyone who gets in line by 6PM will get to vote, so feel free to run by after work.

The Tulsa County offices are at 555 North Denver. I have maps to that and other area county board offices here. It may be quite crowded, so it is suggested that you come in from the north and park in one of the nearby church parking lots. Remember that no campaign material (including shirts and buttons) is allowed in a polling place.


Volunteer Opportunities
If you'd like to do a bit more than just vote, there are still plenty of volunteer opportunities available.
  • Drive people to the polls - Call Darrel Knox at 734-7560
  • Sign Teams - Email Greg Markley
  • Phone Banking - Call Dave Ratcliff at 906-0662
  • Phone Banking to Missouri Voters - email Tom Donahy

Sunday, November 2, 2008

McCain's House

Thanks to twoidhd for pointing this out.

With all the talk about McCain's houses, have any of you been curious what one of them would look like on the inside? Well, you are in luck. It turns out he's selling one of them, and there's a video walthrough available online. Just twelve million dollars and its all yours. Don't worry about John; he's got 8 more!

Don't listen to all that talk about John being out of touch with the common man. He has his TV room, just like you.
(click on pictures for full size image)

He's got that back deck, just like the one you worked so hard on.


He's got the enclosed wine room, just like yo...aw...who the hell am I kidding here?


The furnishings alone in these couple of rooms probably cost more than most houses in Oklahoma.


The lesson here is clear: If you get a chance to marry an heiress, do it. Don't let any silly moral consideration, like say being already married to someone else, get in your way. Particularly not if your "old" wife gets crippled and disfigured in an auto accident. Promises are made to be broken.

Remind me again, which candidate shares Oklahoma values?

Video Diary

Obama Congratulates McCain on Cheney Endorsement



I know here in Oklahoma we don't get much of a chance to see presidential commercials, so I've included Obama's new endorsement commercial below:

Democrats on Economics



Since there's no early voting today, I finally have enough of a breather to do something I've been meaning to do for quite a while: inject some facts into the presidential race. A big thanks goes to Brad DeLong for compiling all the pretty graphics for me.

Since John McCain's entire economic plan centers around earmarks, let's start with those. Everyone agrees that the Federal Budget is out of control. So how much good is he liable to do for us by concentrating on earmarks?

Some of you might have to go get your glasses to make out that blue sliver at the top labeled "Earmarks". Is McCain really planning on wasting effort trying to shrink that tiny sliver, or is he just lying to everyone? I almost hope it's the latter, and that's sad.

Democrats are Better Democrats
The traditional Democratic economic goals have always been increasing jobs and economic fairness. How have they done in reality?




Note how in every graph the Democrats are at the top and the Republicans are at the bottom. The only exception is the Roosevelt/Truman cycle, where all our drafted soldiers from WWII came back into the job market at once.

Democrats Are Better Republicans
Republicans, on the other hand, have traditionally sold themselves as the folks who will control the budget deficit, increase the Gross Domestic Product, and be better for the stock market. What has the truth been?



Once again, the Democrats tend to all be clustered at the top, and the Republicans at the bottom. The exceptions for the Democrats again seem to mostly be WWII related. The Republicans would look far worse if not for Eisenhower. He was a popular General drafted into the Republican party before anyone really knew his politics, very much like Colin Powell.

How is it, one might ask, that Democrats do better on Republican goals, when in theory the are concentrating on their own goals? Perhaps it is as Obama keeps saying: businesses do better when they have more customers who can afford their services.

Whatever the reason, the results are pretty clear. When it comes to economics, if your priorities lean Democratic, you should vote for Democrats. If your priorities lean Republican, you should still vote for Democrats.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

McCain and Friends

Early Voting - Day 2


Today is the second day of early voting in Oklahoma. This is the same deal as yesterday with one exception: Polls close at one PM today. So get up a bit early to vote today.

According to reports, there were long lines and congestion at the polls yesterday, but the lines moved very quickly. Although the wait in some places around OKC was quite long, here in Tulsa it was only about 45 minutes.

One of my fellow denziens on SoonerKos who lives in the area reported that parking was a real issue. He suggested:
If you plan on going to The Election Board be prepared to park a couple of blocks away and walk. There is plenty of street parking on Denver or Cheyenne in The Brady Heights Historic District. There was a very long line of cars waiting to park at the Election Building so to help ease congestion come in from the north and park at one of the Churches or on the street.

Also, remember no campaign gear is allowed. Be considerate and bring a coat or sweater to share with any of your neighbors who didn't get the message.

The reports I got were that roughly 5,000 people voted yesterday in Oklahoma County (OKC) and 4,000 in Tulsa County.