Waiting to Exhale. Thoughts on the day before the 2008 Election.

[copperfiend]

I VOTED...NO DELAYS!!!  WALKED RIGHT IN AND VOTED IMMEDIATELY.  NO LINES, NO WAITS. 

That's good. I am going in about 20 mins.

[Coolyfett]

Personally, i cant wait till this is over. I am sick of all the ads. I voted this morning in the heart of Springfield and it was smooth sailing!

I don't know man. Hearing 40 to 60 year old ADULTS slander the hell out of each other can be entertaining.

I got up at 5 this morning, got the polls at 5:30am and  there was like 80 people ahead of me!!! (should have left at 4) They finally opened up at about 6:50am, Cast my ballot at exactly 7:26 am got my sticker and was out the door heading to work.

Gotta love the sticker, when people ask "DID YOU VOTE?" I just point at the sticker and keep moving!! Stickers what a great invention!

[Matt]

I don't know man. Hearing 40 to 60 year old ADULTS slander the hell out of each other can be entertaining.

agreed...but (i know it's not my money) i generally disapprove of people spending 2.5 billion dollars on saying the same thing over and over again.

[Joe]

What else is there to say.

Hopefully a lot. Particularly, Obama has a lot he needs to say about concrete policy.

This race was won on personality, platitudes, and pent up Bush-frustration. Obama is an absolute Jedi at being able to walk the philosophical fence and sound like he respects and favors both sides of a controversial issue.

But come January, Obama will be president, and he'll have to start taking a real stand on actual issues. Does anyone care to speculate on what his positions will be? Presumably he will have to start alienating either the hardcore democratic base or the moderate swing voter.

[uptowngirl]

Based on the popular votes of each stated and overall I am hoping he will be moderate. I know many on here have talked about the death of the republicans, but I don’t see it. Obama won the electoral, and the popular vote but the popular vote was no landslide. Taking into consideration the number of ticked off republicans that voted for Obama and the number of dems that voted for Obama even though they really wanted someone else....Obama, Pelosi, Franks, and group would be well served to cool it on the far left stuff and move closer to the center.

My biggest fear with Obama and group being in power now is a potential increase in entitlements, over taxing (really you can only tax people so much), and what his tax plan if implemented, is going to do to SS down the road. Hopefully four years is not long enough to destroy the US too much, or even better I am pleasantly surprised and they move more center. In either case, unless he is very moderate (hard to do with the people he owes), I think we will see the true conservatives come back in 2012! This is quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to the Republican Party….. Obama did not win alone; the conservatives helped him win in their quest to send the conservative party a message.

[vicupstate]

Some of the popular vote (NC, MO, OR) is still out, but at the moment Obama has 52%.  That is more than Reagan got in 1980 (51%) and Bush got in 2004 (50.7%).  Bush-41 got 53% in 1988.  1992,1996 and 2000 neither winner won even 50%. 

This was the best showing in popular vote in 20 years, and the best DEMOCRATIC showing since 1964.   

Republicans actually dodged a lot of bullets in the Congress, it could have been much worse. 

I think in his heart and mind, Obama is much more moderate than he is perceived to be.  I believe he is a true uniter as well.  The Left will have to temper it's desires, because the country is less 'right' than it use to be, but is at least slightly right of center.   

[Driven1]

vic, as a student of election history (or at least it seems to me from your previous posts), I thought you would find this interesting.  I posted it in another thread, but it is appropriate here too.

In a year when the mass electorate (and Florida) swung to an extremely liberal candidate - with the current GOP President sitting at only 30% approval - the GOP candidate STILL received 48% of the popular vote. 

To put THAT in perspective, when Clinton won in 1992, the GOP received only THIRTY-TWO (32%) PERCENT of the popular vote - and George H Bush had a HIGHER approval rating then than GWB. 

Your analysis is right, this is STILL a center-right country.  Probably much more so than in 1992.

[Driven1]

What else is there to say.

Hopefully a lot. Particularly, Obama has a lot he needs to say about concrete policy.

This race was won on personality, platitudes, and pent up Bush-frustration. Obama is an absolute Jedi at being able to walk the philosophical fence and sound like he respects and favors both sides of a controversial issue.

But come January, Obama will be president, and he'll have to start taking a real stand on actual issues. Does anyone care to speculate on what his positions will be? Presumably he will have to start alienating either the hardcore democratic base or the moderate swing voter.

Yes, Joe and last night, unfortunately was not a good start for him.  I actually TRIED to watch his speech, but it was just more of the mumbo, jumbo feel-good rhetoric.  THAT is what is frustrating.  The man STILL has not taken a realistic approach to any of the real issues.  After a few minutes I just gave up waiting on him to start to tell me HOW he will actually lead.  At that point it seemed hopeless and I just turned off the TV and went to bed.  Here's hoping that he eventually realizes that the president really has to actually lead.

[77danj7]

 "and Barak's first words were of praise for his opponent"


Actually his first words were...

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.

He praised his opponent several paragraphs into the speech

[Driven1]

I noticed the same thing 77danj7.  i was actually quite appalled at it.  usually the first words out of a victor's mouth is (and should be) gracious praise for his opponent.  not so last night.  IMO, this is in character though.

[uptowngirl]

I noticed the same thing 77danj7.  i was actually quite appalled at it.  usually the first words out of a victor's mouth is (and should be) gracious praise for his opponent.  not so last night.  IMO, this is in character though.

As many of his supporters here... we will see LOL!

[Driven1]

I noticed the same thing 77danj7.  i was actually quite appalled at it.  usually the first words out of a victor's mouth is (and should be) gracious praise for his opponent.  not so last night.  IMO, this is in character though.

As many of his supporters here... we will see LOL!

touche'

[77danj7]

Compare that to Sen. McCain praising Obama beginning in the 4th sentence right after...

Thank you, thank you, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening.

My friends, we have â€" we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.

[Driven1]

Compare that to Sen. McCain praising Obama beginning in the 4th sentence right after...

Thank you, thank you, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening.

My friends, we have â€" we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.

and the thing i noticed about McCain (and that made my respect for him rise to a whole new level) was the sincerity in his voice when praising his country and his opponent.  the same was missing when Obama finally got around to acknowledging McCain.

[77danj7]

Agreed Driven...

I definitely don't see Obama being very bi-partisan especially if the reports are true that he has offered the chief of staff position to Rahm Emanuel who of course has told the republicans "to go f*** themselves."