Barack
   Hussein
   Obama

44th President of the
United States of America

“Election Results Central”

*****

Be sure to check out the new videos
by scrolling down the page

Results Updated February 26, 2009

Obama volunteers and supporters: Read many opinion pieces and the important political news of the day and see current politicsl videos. That and more over on my Liberal Politics page.

Read my article, “Guide to Progressive News and Politics on the Web, plus, read a personal note about Paul Evans, the owner, and other features, on my Guide to Politics page.

Even if you are quite familiar with the election results, we have some interesting videos we hope you will enjoy, further down the page.

Popular Vote

Barack Obama 52.92%  69,456,897

John McCain    45.67%  59,934,814
source: Wikipedia, Politico and other sources
These figures are pretty stable, now.

* See the New Videos, below *

* 9,522,083 vote margin for Obama. This is a 7.359 percent margin of victory. (Not reflected in percentages above because of statistical reasons such as Third Party vote numbers.)

* 131,257,328 plus of you went out and voted! This is 8.99 million people more than in 2004, and has now reached the level of the 130 million plus who were predicted to vote.

Barack Obama gets 10.43 million more votes than Kerry got in 2004. John McCain gets 2.11 million fewer votes than Bush got in 2004.

Third party candidates get approximately 1.6 million votes:
Ralph Nader: …………738,475
Bob Barr: ……………….523,686 (Libertarian Party)
Chuck Baldwin: …….199,314 (Constitution Party)
Cynthia McKinney: 161,603 (Green Party)
Source: Wikipedia & Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; the figures given are the highest of the two found for each of the third party candidates.

Write In Candidates: Other parties fielded write-in candidates but did not make it on the ballot officially in a single state.
Write-Ins ………………..227,616
More Results:
Alan Keyes ………………47,836 (Independent)
Ron Paul ………………….40,454 (LA Taxpayers)
(Mr. Paul largely threw his support to Bob Barr.)
Roger Calero …………….7,553 (Soclialist Workers)
Gloria LaRiva …………….6,811 (Socialism and Liberation)
Brian Moore ……………..6,564 (Socialist)
“None of these Candidates” ..6,322
Richard Duncan ………..3,902 (Independent)
Charles Jay ……………….2,422 (Boston Tea Party)
John Joseph Polacheck …..1,149 (New)

** Nine other candidates received between 111 and 829 votes. For example, one Jeffrey Boss with the “Vote Here” Party received 639 votes. Source: Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections

*****

* flashback *

Barack Obama Democratic
Nomination Victory Speech
(29 minutes)

*****

The Streets of Chicago
Source: OBAMARAMA by Click Nation

Jump to the top of the Page

Electoral College (270 needed)

Barack Obama 365     John McCain 173
(Final Electoral count)

Obama wins Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Indiana & North Carolina

State by state numbers revised 12 — 27

Ohio: Obama 51.37%   McCain 46.84%
Obama: 2,933,3888       McCain: 2,674,491   (updated)

Florida: Obama 50.9% McCain 48.1%

Pennsylvania: Obama 54.5% McCain 44.2%
(what were they thinking with their strategy here?)

Indiana: Obama 49.91% McCain 48.88%

Virginia: Obama 52.63% McCain 46.33%
(wasn’t as close as it seemed most of election night)

Colorado: Obama 53.7% McCain 44.7%

New Hampshire: Obama 54.1 McCain 44.5

New Mexico: Obama 56.9% McCain 41.8%

North Carolina conceded to Obama, 49.70% to 49.38%, a 14,177 vote margin (updated 12-27).

This gives Obama 365 electoral votes, given the single electoral vote for Obama from Nebraska, determined by Congressional districts. Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district went for Obama by 0.2%. Nebraska gave McCain 2 electoral votes based on the popular vote, and 2 out of 3 based on Congressional districts (so McCain got 4 out of 5). Maine also awards electoral votes by Congressional districts. All 4 of Maine’s electoral votes went to Obama, 2 based on popular vote and 2 based on Congressional district votes. Does anyone else here want to do away with the Electoral college?

This is a huge landslide in every sense of the word. Obama flipped two double-digit Bush states in North Carolina and Indiana. You have to start talking about realignment. Is the Republican Party now a minority, regionalized party? Take a look at the Congressional results, below.

Missouri goes to McCain. McCain 49.39%, Obama 49.25%. The margin was 3,903 votes, 0.135 percent. This breaks a streak of Missouri voting for the winning candidate going back to 1956: Missouri is no longer the “bellwether state.”

“All states decided.”

Our Music for You

Check out the two new tracks, “Down Fast,” which rocks pretty hard, and “Awakeless,” the first purely jazz piece we have offered, over on my Tech and Music page. We are offering eighteen great instrumental tracks, mostly rock and electronic instrumental music, with a few pop sounds and now a little jazz. With seventeen of them, I have purchased the rights to stream these tracks, just for you, and there is also an electronic piece which is a free download at Download.com. And there is great internet radio there, too, Finetune radio. Create your own custom stations based on your favorite artists. Search for your favorite artists and the player plays songs by your selected artist and related artists. Come back often to Evans Web Design and listen to my music while you’re reading the news!

*****

Talking Points Memo TV
The Day in 100 Seconds
November 5th, 2008

*****

Robin Williams on Obama’s Election
Warning: this is a little “over the top”
(c’mon… you know you want to watch it)

A Change We Can Believe In
(The “Yes We Can” Song)

HEY! Not spending enough time with the news?
At www.YouTube.com/ObamaSongs,
you can listen to over 1,346 Obama-themed
songs: that’s 73 plus hours!!!
(These are great videos, folks!)

Jump to the top of the Page

*****

Frank Calliendo Impersonates
George W. Bush (and Bill Clinton)

*****

Sarah Silverman on Olberman:
Farewell to George W. Bush

*****

See three juicy videos, “Fair and Balanced,” The Election: Fox News and Bill O’Reilly, a Republican attack video from before the election, then watch O’Reilly turn on Palin AFTER the elction, AND watch What We Were Worried About (In Our Paranoid Dreams), near the bottom of this page.

*****

A “What We Avoided”
Video: The Vice Presidential
Debates (with a little editing
by Keith Olberman)

*****

Another What We
Avoided Video:
“The Real John McCain”

*****

Democrats make gains in Senate, House, but no bloodbath:

Senate: 57 Democrat, 41 Republican
Democrats are +8 (there are 2 Independents, both of whom caucus with the Democrats)

House: 257 Democrat, 178 Republican
Democrats are + 21 seats in the House

Democratic Party Gains in the Senate

* GOP’s Liddy Dole loses North Carolina Senate seat to Dem Kay Hagan, 52.7% to 44.2%. Dole attacked Hagan as “Godless” when in fact she has been a Sunday school teacher, and there was something of a backlash. This means for the first time in, oh, I don’t know, at least 40 years, there is NO BUSH OR DOLE in elected government. That alone is good news for progressives.
* Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen defeats Republican Senator John E. Sununu in a rematch, 52% to 45%.
* The Oregon race for Senator went to the Democrat Jeff Merkley, defeating Republican Senator Gordon Smith, 44.8% to 42.0%.
*   Colorado Democrat Congressman Mark Udall defeats former Representative Bob Schaffer, 52% to 43%.
*   In New Mexico, Representative Tom Udall defeats Representative Steve Pearce 61% to 39%.
*   In Virginia, popular Democratic Governor Mark Warner (no relation to current GOP Senator John Warner, who did not seek re-election), swept the election, opposed by former Governor Jim Gilmore, 64% to 34%.

* In Alaska, at about 5 p.m. (Wednesday, Nov. 19th) convicted felon Senator Ted Stevens conceded defeat. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich had already claimed victory Tuesday, on Stevens’ 85th birthday, by 3,724 votes (current margin 11-29) 47.76% to 46.58%. AP and The Washington Post had already called this election. Alaskan Independece candidate Bob Bird got 4.16%, which in all probability took votes away from Stevens and threw the race to Begich. This gives the Democrats 58 Senators, with two seats still undecided (actually 56 Democratic Senatora and 2 Independents who caucus with them, plus any Democrat winners of the 2 undecided races). Begich said he was “humbled and honored” by the results. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had been threatening Stevens with an expulsion hearing if he was returned to the Senate. On October 27th, Stevens was convicted on seven Federal felony counts of filing false statements on financial disclosures.

On Nov. 20th, Stevens gave his final speech from the Senate floor. Stevens has been the longest serving U.S. Senator. 91 year old Robert Byrd, D-WVa, rose from his wheelchair to praise Stevens. Byrd and Stevens vied to get their constituencies all they could, famously resorting to “earmarks” attached to various bills. Retiring Senator Larry Craig (R-ID, of airport restroom fame) told the story of how he came to call Stevens “Uncle Ted.” Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, calling Stevens a “lion,” noted all that he had done for Alaska. Stevens for his part noted, “My motto has always been ‘to hell with politics, just do what’s right for Alaska.’” He added, “I bear no ill will toward any member of this body.”

2008 Alaska U.S. Senate Race

Party                  Candidate Votes       Percent

Democratic               Mark Begich      150,728       47.76
Republican               Ted Stevens        147,004       46.58
Alaskan Independence Bob Bird 13,113         4.16
Libertarian                David Haase            2,482        0.79
Independent            Ted Gianoutsos         1,375        0.44
Write-In 871        0.28

As you can see, we owe Bob Bird and the Alaskan Independence Party a large debt for running their candidate and taking votes away from Senator Stevens.

This race was particularly important because if Stevens had won and was then kicked out of the Senate for ethics violations, a certain lady whose intials are S.P. would almost certainly have run to fill the vacated office. Also, Begich needed to win by 0.5 percent for there not to be a recount (or to force Stevens to pay the state of Alaska $10,000 for one). This worked out to be about 1,575 votes (Fivethirtyeight). Begich’s margin of victory was about 3,724 votes, 1.18 percent, and Stevens decided against a recount.

“OOPS! There goes Palin’s 2012 hopes! Better take that $2 million offer for the porno. Its about all her pathetic behind is good for.” Posted by h.o.e. on Politico.

Actually, Palin has signed a book deal guaranteeing her $7 million up front to write her story. (Paul)

Sarah, here’s to you:

* There WERE NO Republican gains in the Senate.

Jump to the top of the Page

The Two Senate Races Which (WERE) Unresolved:

*****

In Georgia, the runoff election between incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and former state Rep. Jim Martin was Tuesday, December 2nd. It looks like it’s about all over but the crying (see below). The election is required by state law when neither candidate achieves 50%. Chambliss had a 3% lead the first time around – he got 49.8%. Democrats correctly worried about duplicating the African-American turnout for Martin in the runoff, and apparently that was justified. The Democrats will not have their 60 vote cloture margin in the Senate, although the Minnesota race is still up for grabs, which could give them 59 if you include the two Independents who caucus with them.

From the Georgia Secretary of State, Election Center 2008 page:

With 100% of precincts reporting:

Candidate                Votes        % of Votes
Saxby Chambliss     1,228,033     57.4%
Jim Martin                  909,923      42.6%
Totals                       2,137,956

3.7 million people voted on November 4th.

Young People Come Through for Obama

Daily Kos, Monday, Nov. 17th: 23 Million young people voted this time around, an increase of 3.4 million over 2004. The experts said they wouldn’t turn out, just as usual, but Generation X and the Millennials proved the experts wrong. 53% of young people voted, and the figure was 59% in the battleground states. Young voters accounted for 7 million out of Obama’s nearly 9 million popular vote margin. Without them, he would have led nationally by only 1.5% instead of 7%. While he may still have won, he would NOT have won the battleground states of Ohio, Florida, Indiana and North Carolina. Without the youth vote, Obama would have had a far narrower mandate if he had won at all. We liberals owe the youth of America a profound debt!

*****

** The name Barack is an African name meaning “blessed.” It is a variant of the Hebrew name Baruch.

WATCH Kos TV’s “A Night To Remember: Barack Obama Elected President,” below.

*****

source: MySpace

A New Politics of Unity

From last Wednesday’s article in The Huffington Post, by Gary Hart (November 5, 2008): Stating the various interpretations of what this election means, he says: “there is something here for everyone. This was a cyclical referendum with the pendulum bound to swing back to Democrats. The president-elect represents a new, post-Clinton, beyond centrism, post-racial, new politics, internet-driven phenomenon. The nation is fed up with neoconservative imperialists, radical fundamentalists, and failed supply-siders. And so on.”

One thing is certain. Something has changed in American politics. These are a NEW POLITICS of UNITY, not division, as was partly shown in McCain’s own gracious concession speech. Chris Bowers of OpenLeft refers to the new alignment as the “Pluralist coalition.” America has shown, not only that it is ready to put racial identity behind it as any important sort of cultural factor, but that it is hungry to leave the failed past behind it, and move on, in the hopes of a more just, fair, progressive and happier future.

May God Bless and guide Barack Obama as he leads these United States of America.

“Let’s Go Change the World”

Jump to the top of the Page

Idea! Send your friends a link to this website.

Here is a video for all my friends who volunteered on the campaign. It is a simple thing to say, but, we really tried to make this victory happen. Now that Barack Obama is President-Elect, we are so very happy, and we hope and pray that he continues to make use of his “Internet Army” in a constructive way. This has begun to happen with Obama’s semi-governmental transition website, Change.gov. Check it out!

*****

President-Elect Obama in
Chicago, Nov. 4, 2008
“This is Your Victory”

*****

Things to see on the (main) Liberal Politics page:

* Catch up on the latest political news, with up to five or six new articles gathered from around the internet, and videos added every day. This is the gateway page leading to a older pages of political news, too, gathered as an archive. It’s not just a campaign any more! This is now news of the whole country and world which is our subject. Topics range from the Presidency, foreign policy, conflicts in the middle east and south Asia and our congress to the unfolding political battles between Democrats and Republicans. We attempt to give you the best of the best from around the web.
* Read important press releases and news and see videos from Barack Obama’s official Presidential — Government website, Whitehouse.gov.
* Watch many interesting videos on the news and politics of current events as the Obama Presidency unfolds.
* Get the latest news headlines, with summaries, (at the bottom of the page) as RSS feeds from The New York Times, Alternet, Talking Points Memo and Politico.

Here is the full version of Barack Obama’s closing argument to the American people, made one week before the election:

*****

Where We’re Headed, Where We’ve Been

Bill Moyers’ blog at PBS is a joy to read. You will always be informed, often moved. One of his senior writers who writes a companion blog there is Michael Winship. He wrote a piece there and at Truthout titled “Obama Shows Us Where We’re Headed, Where We’ve Been,” that I will give a longish quote from, which Truthout sent around in it’s email update. Winship notes, “After 9/11, the French newspaper Le Monde’s headline read, ‘We Are All Americans,” and that

“In the years that have followed, we denied that proffered hand; we drove wedges, built walls, waged war that not only isolated us from other countries, but squandered the solidarity and strength that existed within ourselves.

“On Tuesday, as a nation we stood in line, waited our turn to cast our ballots, did what we do best. And when the results were announced, we watched a man and his family stand on an outdoor stage in Chicago. He asked for our support, regardless of party or race, and finally, for a moment at least, together we were all Americans once again. It’s a good start.”

*****

Daily Kos TV:
A Night to Remember
Barack Obama Elected President

*****

Jump to the top of the Page

“Fair and Balanced”

The Election: Fox News and Bill O’Reilly

Barack Obama has won the election and Fox News has “sort of” adopted this civil tone, but I want, for just a minute, to reflect on just how far the right wing media was willing to go to smear Obama. Here is a clip of a Fox News interview between Bill O’Reilly and Fox News Radio’s Laura Ingraham, which had the YouTube title, “Obama, Marxism and OUR Future.” We talk about how moderate the McCain campaign was during this election. But don’t they always use surrogates? Were those TV mass saturation adds throwing Rev. Wright back into the mix during the last week of the race moderate? In this clip, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham makes O’REILLY look moderate. I saw this on YouTube and it just infuriated me. I also saw a statistical survey done on news consumers and how informed they are. I was not surprised, then, when I saw that people who watch Fox News are absolutely, out of all the various media sources in this survey, the least informed news consumers in America. This clip, though, just makes me burn. Never forget how far the conservative establishment is willing to go to maintain power. See it for yourself. Go ahead and get furious, but keep on reading, below:

Yeah, well, all I can think of to say to Bill O’Reilly and Ms. Laura Ingraham is: THAT’S

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA to YOU!!!

** …BUT, IMMEDIATELY AFTER the election, Fox News, Bill O’Reilly and others of the Republican elite adopted a new tone of civility, blamed Palin and abandoned the right wing fringe, as the commenters and crazies at FreeRepbublic (a notorious hang out for far-right neocons and fundamentalist nuthatches) were left “dangling in the wind.” Bloggers there have announced a boycott of Fox News. Read the article on Alternet about this. William Kristol has NEVER looked this down. Ron Chusid over at the blog Liberal Values reports that Brit Hume plans to step down as an anchor at Fox News, citing his source as NPR’s All Things Considered. Obviously the communists have taken over! Here to make you feel all better is video of The O’Reilly Factor right after the election. Watch Fox News hang Sarah Palin out to dry!

Speaking of important current information – important even after the election – the latest polling information can be found at FiveThirtyEight and Pollster.com. If you want a final state-by-state election map with up-to-date figures and Congressional results, you can find it at Politico. I find the election results totals at Wikipedia are a little more up-to-date, though. Here was the final Pollster.com pre-election prediction for the electoral college, state by state:

*****

Jump to the top of the Page

What We Were Worried About
(In Our Paranoid Dreams):

Visit my Liberal Politics page often for breaking news and opinion pieces. This is the gateway page for a few other pages, as well.

If you like my politics pages, send your friends a link to them! Email me with your own news stories, and let me know what you think of my website, or just say hi. - Paul