Election results

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

When someone would tell me that they weren't going to vote for Obama because of his positions on the various issues, or because they were concerned that he's not quite experienced enough, I could respect that. Those are legitimate reasons, whether I agree with them or not.

But it's beyond me how, in 2008, anyone out there could still be gullible enough to fall for the "he's the Anti-Christ" malarky.

Obama isn't the devil, liberals aren't communists, and the gays aren't going to turn your children into deviants. The end.

For way too many, its the last grasp/hope in order to rationalize to themselves how someone who makes them feel so uncomfortable and threatened could attain the approval and validation from so many- character, positions, and intellect be damned (literally).

They *must* be unholy. There's simply no other otherworldly explanation.

[trackaghost]

America, I am so proud of you!

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

America, I am so proud of you!

me too, was one helliva night~ even jesse jackson looked stunned & speechless, which i have never seen before~ i loved when the played "signed, sealed, delivered, i'm yours"~

[Musicman408]

Alright, a technical question here. Have they counted the absentee votes and stuff like that, because I definitely thought the vote totals would have been a lot higher. As of right now, Obama's got about as many as Bush did 4 years ago if I'm not mistaking.

[estranged4life]

I just want, for once in my damned lifetime, to have a feeling of a UNITED COUNTRY that my parents had when JFK was president...And that may have finally happened.


Oddly, this morning I am watching a news-story about Palin who may either run for President in 2012 or may become a star on television (Be it a talkshow or what-have-you)

[JohnL]

the highest of highs and lowest of lows here in Florida. I am very proud that Florida finally woke up and voted...I mean everyone voted...not just the old fogie stogies that live here. Young people were everywhere yesterday in the polling lines. And Florida voted for Obama. Yes...it is awesome!!

At the same time, Florida had a gay marriage amendment on the ballot. There is already a law in Florida banning gay marriage. Now we have a constitutional amendment. All Florida cities will soon eliminate domestic partner coverages and rights. All because of hate! I just cant believe people are so small minded. Sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers are going to start being denied basic rights of a citizen just because of who they share their life and bedroom with.

It is a strange feeling...I love this country and cant stand it all at the same time.

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by JohnL

At the same time, Florida had a gay marriage amendment on the ballot. There is already a law in Florida banning gay marriage. Now we have a constitutional amendment. All Florida cities will soon eliminate domestic partner coverages and rights. All because of hate! I just cant believe people are so small minded. Sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers are going to start being denied basic rights of a citizen just because of who they share their life and bedroom with.

It is a strange feeling...I love this country and cant stand it all at the same time.

That similar amendment was on our ballot in 2006, and idiots voted it into power without HAVING read the wording of the law. Not only did the citizens of Oklahoma vote to define marriage as only between a man and woman, but they didnt realize they had also voted to abolish ANY type of relationship that in 'legal' terms a man and woman could have (ie 'Common law' marriage is now no longer considered a legal marriage in Oklahoma, so those who may have been together for years and were happy to have a relationship in that type of manner are now considered 'not married in ANY legal sense' and NOW have no rights or priviledges that they once may have had).

Oklahoma's Democratic leaders ENCOURAGED citizens to vote IN FAVOR of this law (Odd to see the TV ads where both Democrats and Republicans agreed on a major issue)...But not against it (Which is why I ask jokingly "What is the difference between an Oklahoman Democrat and an Oklahoman Republican? Easy, there IS NO DIFFERENCE" - Hell, one Democrat who lost last night in his election had a TV ad where the National Rifle Association gave him an "A-" rating and that same ad mentions how he was FOR 'faith based teaching in public school')

In the town I currently reside in, about 1000 citizens voted in its favor, only 3 voted against it: My late-much-missed wife Debbie was one vote and I was the second.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by JohnL

the highest of highs and lowest of lows here in Florida. I am very proud that Florida finally woke up and voted...I mean everyone voted...not just the old fogie stogies that live here. Young people were everywhere yesterday in the polling lines. And Florida voted for Obama. Yes...it is awesome!!

At the same time, Florida had a gay marriage amendment on the ballot. There is already a law in Florida banning gay marriage. Now we have a constitutional amendment. All Florida cities will soon eliminate domestic partner coverages and rights. All because of hate! I just cant believe people are so small minded. Sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers are going to start being denied basic rights of a citizen just because of who they share their life and bedroom with.

It is a strange feeling...I love this country and cant stand it all at the same time.

This is why Obama was such an important win. What will now happen is same sex couples who marry in a state that allows it will try and make non allowing states recognize their marriages.

Article IV, Sec. 1 of the U.S. Const. states:

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

What this means is twofold:

1. Each state must recognize a marriage performed in another state as is what happens now in hetero marriage. The plain language of the Constitution must override the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 28 U.S.C. § 1738C, which states:

1. No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) need treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

2. The Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

DOMA will be found Unconstitutional and overturned.

2. If a state that disallows a same sex marriage but allows a hetero marriage without providing a legitimate and, perhaps, compelling reason essentially with, perhaps, no less restrictive alternative (See Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)) - the state disallowing the marriage will likely be seen as violating Article XIV, Sec. 1 (the so called "equal protection clause" ) - which states in relevant part that:

. . . No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
____________________________________

Once The Supreme Court makes these findings, the R's most def. will then push to amend the U.S. Const. to make marriage solely between a man and a woman. Within that lang. will also be the prohibition of civil unions, which really have nothing to do with marriage.

I'd love to get Heather's (Mad4stevie) opinion on this rather fascinating Constitutional argument and the effect of the Obama justices on it.

In the end, I just cannot see why it is so important to deny same sex couples the same benefits accorded automatically by law to hetero couples. But, the majority of Christians in this country cannot let others choose their own paths. They want to impose their widely different versions Christian principles on the masses no matter the Const. prohibition against doing so.

[strandinthewind]

A cool read:

McCain's Campaign Derailed by Market, Missteps, Embrace of Bush
Edwin Chen and Hans Nichols Edwin Chen And Hans Nichols Tue Nov 4, 11:39 pm ET
Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- On Sept. 15, John McCain shared with a Miami audience his sense of foreboding at the unraveling of the U.S. financial system, warning that the nation was facing ``a strong headwind.''

What the Republican nominee didn't realize was that a headwind was also gathering for his presidential ambitions that would ensure his defeat by Democrat Barack Obama, 47.

McCain's campaign was derailed by the most hostile environment his party has faced in decades, with voters blaming Republicans for the meltdown of the markets, a looming recession and the burden of two wars. His troubles were compounded by his struggle to show leadership during the financial crisis, as well as the compromises he made to secure the nomination, which sullied his ``maverick'' image.

``It may have turned out that no Republican could have won,'' said media consultant Mark McKinnon, an unpaid adviser to the campaign.

McCain, speaking to a crowd of supporters in Phoenix after his defeat, said: ``It is natural to feel some disappointment tonight. Though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.''

When the market crisis reached its flashpoint in September, it crystallized McCain's problems: He was blindsided by events that few economists foresaw, yet his handling of the emergency also stoked doubts about his ability to take charge.

McCain, 72, had sought to calm nerves on Sept. 15 after the government bailed out the nation's largest insurer and the fourth-largest investment bank collapsed by declaring the ``fundamentals of our economy are strong.'' Obama pounced, calling him ``out of touch,'' and polls showed a growing perception among voters that the Arizona senator was weak on the economy, the issue that mattered the most to them.

A New Race

McCain then suspended his campaign and returned to Washington to help lead a financial rescue, advancing a series of proposals that lacked any organizing principle.

``The September financial crisis totally restructured the presidential race and put McCain and the Republicans forever on the defense,'' said party consultant Scott Reed, who ran Bob Dole's 1996 presidential race. ``The lead McCain had coming out of the GOP convention vanished and became an afterthought.''

Added Republican strategist John Feehery, ``If this were a car race, the financial package was the equivalent of a flat tire that McCain never seemed to be able to recover from.''

Link to Bush

McCain also never recovered from his association with President George W. Bush, who will leave office with some of the lowest job-approval ratings in history.

McCain had spent years cultivating the image of a Washington maverick, having led fights to curb campaign- spending abuses and wasteful congressional pet projects. Then, in a bid to attract the Republican base, he embraced the president's tax cuts and other initiatives. He was also among the most ardent supporters of the war in Iraq.

That enabled Obama to depict McCain as anchored in the policies of the administration and himself as the agent of change.

At the same time, McCain was unable to shake the perception that his campaign was unduly influenced by former lobbyists and Washington insiders, including campaign manager Rick Davis and top adviser Charles Black.

McCain headed into the race believing that unscripted town-hall meetings would be his ticket to victory. He had conducted more than 100 of them in New Hampshire alone, en route to a spectacular comeback there in January's primary. Such gabfests were designed to show off the real McCain -- allowing him to intersperse jokes and snippets of his life story with ``straight talk'' about America's problems.

`Double-Edged Sword'

Yet it was during town halls that McCain committed gaffes that would come back to haunt him. One occurred in December, when he said economics was ``not something I've understood as well as I should.'' The Democrats used that moment of candor against him for months.

``The town halls were a double-edged sword,'' Reed said. ``They allowed him to come back in New Hampshire, but after he became the nominee, he often went off-script and off-message. And that confused voters.''

Other McCain actions fueled skepticism about the man who first limped onto the national stage in 1973 as a celebrated ex-prisoner-of-war.

After losing the Republican nomination in 2000 to Bush, McCain began the 2008 primaries as the frontrunner, backed by the party establishment. The role didn't suit him.

As the oldest White House contender in a crowded field, he touted himself as the steadiest hand on the nation's tiller. That proved a difficult message to sell after he allowed his own campaign to spend into near-bankruptcy by the summer of 2007, while ignoring infighting among top aides.

`No Surrender'

Facing the imminent collapse of his White House run, McCain fired several senior aides, laid off others and launched a ``No Surrender'' bus tour that highlighted his call for victory in Iraq and his determination to soldier on with a low- budget, long-shot bid for the nomination.

Focusing almost exclusively on New Hampshire, McCain seemed energized to be rid of his frontrunner's mantle and pressed on with his insurgent campaign.

While his victory there paved the way to his nomination, he failed to prepare for the general-election campaign, even as Senator Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York were still fighting it out for the Democratic nomination.

``McCain had what most presidential campaigns would kill for -- an open field in front of them while two potential opponents were beating the hell out of each other,'' said Reed Galen, McCain's former deputy campaign manager.

It took McCain until May to open a field office in Ohio. ``That should have happened on March 1,'' Galen said.

Looking Desperate

For months, McCain also refused to criticize Obama for his past association with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor in Chicago. When McCain finally began questioning Obama's links to William Ayers, a former terrorist, the belated attacks ``made McCain look desperate,'' Reed said.

McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was also derided by Democrats and even some Republicans as a desperate attempt to hold onto the party's base, because of her anti- abortion views and support for gun rights.

While Palin, 44, galvanized Republican conservatives, her views and tenuous grasp of key issues drove away independents. Her selection also allowed critics to argue that McCain had made a mockery of his ``Country First'' motto by naming someone widely regarded as unprepared to be commander-in-chief.

The number of voters with doubts about her qualifications grew as Election Day approached.

Attack Ads

As he sagged in the polls, McCain unleashed blistering attacks on Obama that even some supporters found excessive. One McCain ad falsely claimed Obama had backed ``comprehensive sex education'' for kindergartners. On the stump, McCain questioned Obama's patriotism.

It was no small irony that McCain's tactics were the handiwork of campaign operatives who had worked for Bush and whose brass-knuckle tactics had buried McCain's bid for the Republican nomination eight years ago. The smear campaign included whispers that McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock.

After denouncing the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, McCain campaigned to make them permanent. He made up with evangelical leaders he had denounced as ``agents of intolerance.'' Once a champion of immigration reform, he now focused on border security.

Banishing Reporters

Another change came when McCain's top tactician, Steve Schmidt, banished reporters from his campaign bus, ending those rambling conversations that McCain credited with sharpening his thinking.

To further minimize the chances of McCain committing gaffes, Schmidt persuaded him to stop speaking off-the-cuff. Even in casual, small gatherings, McCain was reduced to casting furtive glances at note cards for his talking points.

Ultimately, it was the economy that did McCain in, playing to his biggest weakness and Obama's greatest strength.

The implosion of the markets ``just broke the back of the Republican Party,'' said Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/a39d2uwjgtbi

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by Sapphire Girl

The nomination of Obama as the 44th president of the US can best be summed up by Shakespeare-

The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape

Have a nice day. God bless.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by Sapphire Girl

The nomination of Obama as the 44th president of the US can best be summed up by Shakespeare-

The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape

haha...well I wouldn't go THAT far.

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Originally Posted by Sapphire Girl

The nomination of Obama as the 44th president of the US can best be summed up by Shakespeare-

The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape

And what exactly makes you come to that conclusion?

[GoldDustOrphan]

She sees little devils everywhere.

[rubytuesday]

Today I wish I was American. It won't all happen in one day but you are allowed to feel that you will be safer now than you were before.

Now we can also see other news and catch up on whats been happening around the world.

[GoS]

Originally Posted by rubytuesday

Today I wish I was American. It won't all happen in one day but you are allowed to feel that you will be safer now than you were before.

Now we can also see other news and catch up on whats been happening around the world.

That is so true. I love the reactions of all the foreign countries, it will be great for the POTUS to no longer be a joke around the world (I remember seeing Roger Waters in 2005, before hating Bush was in fashion, and he had written on his inflatable pig "Impeach Bush now!")

(How often do you read the words "Inflatable Pig?")