Election Day & Returns Thread

[SirSaxa]

This is truly an historic day for America and the world.
Personally, I can't remember ever feeling as pleased and delighted for our country on an election night.

[PhillyHoya]

Nov 4, 2008 22:27:28 GMT -5 SirSaxa said:

This is truly an historic day for America and the world.
Personally, I can't remember ever feeling as pleased and delighted for our country on an election night.

Funny, I can't remember feeling as depressed and scared as I do tonight.

[DFW HOYA]

Lots of ways the map will be sliced, but McCain still carried much of the central time zone, what the Easterners often deride as "flyover country". The rust belt that Ronald Reagan helped paint red for the better part of 28 years was the difference.

[mchoya]

Nov 4, 2008 22:33:41 GMT -5 PhillyHoya said:

Nov 4, 2008 22:27:28 GMT -5 SirSaxa said:

This is truly an historic day for America and the world.
Personally, I can't remember ever feeling as pleased and delighted for our country on an election night.

Funny, I can't remember feeling as depressed and scared as I do tonight.

It's ok. Either Obama overreaches and the Republicans come in to fix it in 2010 or his policies work, and we're the better for it. I hope the latter comes true, I believe the former will though.

[TBird41]

Nov 4, 2008 23:00:54 GMT -5 mchoya said:

Nov 4, 2008 22:33:41 GMT -5 PhillyHoya said:

Funny, I can't remember feeling as depressed and scared as I do tonight.

It's ok. Either Obama overreaches and the Republicans come in to fix it in 2010 or his policies work, and we're the better for it. I hope the latter comes true, I believe the former will though.

That's assuming that Joe Biden's wrong and there isn't a Cuban Missile Crisis type crisis in the next 6 months

[AustinHoya03]

Nov 4, 2008 22:54:13 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Lots of ways the map will be sliced, but McCain still carried much of the central time zone, what the Easterners often deride as "flyover country". The rust belt that Ronald Reagan helped paint red for the better part of 28 years was the difference.

Last time I checked, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa were all in the Central Time zone. Save Texas, nobody lives in the states you are speaking of -- it's called flyover country for a reason. And if you compare the 2004 county-by-county map of Texas to the 2008 map, it's clear the Lone Star State is trending away from Oklahoma, Kansas, etc. Who cares if folks in mostly rural/agricultural states are voting differently than a rapidly urbanizing America? Hasn't that always been the case?

[GIGAFAN99]

Nov 4, 2008 22:33:41 GMT -5 PhillyHoya said:

Nov 4, 2008 22:27:28 GMT -5 SirSaxa said:

This is truly an historic day for America and the world.
Personally, I can't remember ever feeling as pleased and delighted for our country on an election night.

Funny, I can't remember feeling as depressed and scared as I do tonight.

A great day for America. It's good to know that the two-party system and the power of money has finally been successfully defeated by a Democrat with $800MM.

Sorry I meant to say: Hooray, he's brownish!

[TC]

Anyone want to explain to me how "the best campaigner I've ever seen" is not a giant backhanded compliment?

[DanMcQ]

This graphic is almost as interesting as the electoral college map:

www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php?cycle=2008

[strummer8526]

20 years ago, a black man with the ability to turn water to wine wouldn't be elected in this country. If you guys can't appreciate ANY significance in this moment, then I am sorry for you.

[SFHoya99]

In 1992, a girl at my bus stop wore a black armband to signify some sort of loss.

I have to say, really? You're scared of a President Obama? Gotta love the machine -- eight years of crap policy but somehow Obama is going to be the end of the world...

[SirSaxa]

Nov 4, 2008 23:00:54 GMT -5 mchoya said:

Nov 4, 2008 22:33:41 GMT -5 PhillyHoya said:

Funny, I can't remember feeling as depressed and scared as I do tonight.

It's ok. Either Obama overreaches and the Republicans come in to fix it in 2010 or his policies work, and we're the better for it. I hope the latter comes true, I believe the former will though.

I read your comments, but I really don't get them at all. Are you suggesting that the same Republican party that has done their best to destroy our economy, our military and our standing in the world is somehow going to come in and "fix" the "mess" Obama is going to create? I just don't understand that perspective at all. There doesn't appear to be any justification or any reason to believe that...at all.

[SirSaxa]

Nov 4, 2008 22:54:13 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Lots of ways the map will be sliced, but McCain still carried much of the central time zone, what the Easterners often deride as "flyover country". The rust belt that Ronald Reagan helped paint red for the better part of 28 years was the difference.

DFW, I don't understand your continuing inferiority complex vis a vis the East Coast.
Obama is from the great American Midwestern city of Chicago.

It appears he is also winning
N. Carolina
Virginia
Florida
Penn
Ohio
Indiana
Illinois
Wisc
Minn
Michigan
Iowa
Colorado
N Mexico
Nevada
Possibly Missouri... or really close there.

Looking at the map and the results... and the results of the last two elections in which the Republicans barely eked out victories...

and you add the loss of 55 (or so) Congressional seats and 14 (or so) Senate seats over the last two years....maybe it is time to face reality. This is not the "East Coast Elite" rampaging over the "real America" in the middle. It is the majority of America telling the South East and evangelical, White Christians that America is much bigger and better and far more diverse than they give us credit for.

Obama is NOT trying to be divisive... unlike Sarah Palin's "Real America" and "Pro America", and the Republican's claims to be the "values party". You are a smart guy DFW, surely you can see how insulting that is to the majority of Americans and to anyone who doesn't agree with the Republicans.

McCain's concession speech was far more gracious than the response of his supporters -- not to mention several of the posts in this thread. It's set a positive tone for the country, as did Obama. I prefer to focus on the positive and support Obama's vision for rebuildling America. This was a GREAT night for America. Not East Coast, not West Coast, not Blue States, but all of America. I hope all of us can support him and pull together for the sake of the country.

[DFW HOYA]

No disrespect intended. I was speaking that the electoral map still reflects a GOP base in the central states of support that will invite discussion and scrutiny going forward, but I would argue that this is not simply an anti-Obama or pro-Palin vote inasmuch as the Democratic bases in these states are ineffective or, in other cases, given comparatively little support by the national party. By contrast, the Northeast has virtually excised the Republican party from its map. I'll send a PM to discuss further.

[Elvado]

DFW: Be very careful. We have change now. Dissenting voices will not be heard or tolerated. The Leader will not permit it. Now back to your regular state-sponsored programming and health care.

[EasyEd]

This may surprise some but I am really happy with the election results. Reason? Because it is the will of God. I would have chosen a different outcome but to think I know more than the Guy upstairs would be ludicrous. I'm also very happy to live in a country where the people, with no significant intimidation, can decide who is to lead them in national, state and local races. A sincere congratulations to all the winners of this election and may God guide you in your service to this country.

[Cambridge]

Nov 5, 2008 7:22:03 GMT -5 EasyEd said:

I'm also very happy to live in a country where the people, with no significant intimidation, can decide who is to lead them in national, state and local races. A sincere congratulations to all the winners of this election and may God guide you in your service to this country.

Amen

[Boz]

It may surprise some of you to know that I am really not all that religious. I just happen to have tremendous respect for those who are. My faith is just not very clear to me, but I admire people of strong faith.

Having said that, I echo everything that ed just said.

I am not a whiner who is going to say "He's not MY President." Or not show up to work today. Or leave the country (though I wouldn't mind living in England for a bit). And I ALWAYS want the President of the United States to govern well and wisely, no matter which party he (& almost certainly someday soon, she) comes from.

No I don't support many, even most of Obama's policy proposals. And I have very grave doubts about him, which I think I have made clear over the past several months. But I do wish him the best as he will soon become the leader of what is STILL the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

(I never say the greatest nation in history, because I always give that one to the Romans. Sorry, US, but Rome was the S**T!)

[SFHoya99]

Nov 5, 2008 5:59:18 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

No disrespect intended. I was speaking that the electoral map still reflects a GOP base in the central states of support that will invite discussion and scrutiny going forward, but I would argue that this is not simply an anti-Obama or pro-Palin vote inasmuch as the Democratic bases in these states are ineffective or, in other cases, given comparatively little support by the national party. By contrast, the Northeast has virtually excised the Republican party from its map. I'll send a PM to discuss further.

There's a lot of blue in those states that went red, and vice versa.

Insisting on a map with blocs of people isn't really reflective of a country that is more or less 40-40-20 at its most diverse.

[Deleted]

Nov 5, 2008 6:33:52 GMT -5 Elvado said:

We have change now. Dissenting voices will not be heard or tolerated. The Leader will not permit it.

That doesn't sound like change. That sounds exactly like the past eight years.