Moderate House Democrats want leadership roles

It's not just the Republicans and conservatives who are worried about the gains liberal Democrats made in Congress. Moderate, or Blue Dog, Democrats are vying for committee leadership positions in a Pelosi-run House. They warn that if their voice is not respected, then there will be seats to lose in 2010.

What will Pelosi do? I think she's drunk with power and will ignore the Blue Dogs. Like many in the Democrat leadership, she sees her party's seat gains as a mandate to stride towards the left, quickly. If she's smart she'll heed to the moderate voices in the House. After all, there is another election in two years...

WaPo admits unequal campaign coverage, but doesn't sound sorry

Is this an apology or gloating? I'm reading the article by Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell, and I don't get a sense that she thinks it's embarrassing that the newspaper tilted Obama's way in political coverage. She reveals all the evidence of pro-Obama coverage and unwillingness to dig deeper into stories which potentially hurt their candidate, but still gives the journalists -- writers, rather -- a pat on the back.

Obama must lead from the center

Let's be clear: there was no mandate in this year's presidential and congressional elections. Although the Democrats won the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, the geopolitical landscape of the U.S. didn't change that much. Still almost half of the popular votes supported McCain, and that's after eight years of Republican leadership. Democrats captured additional seats in Congress, but they did not reach a super-majority.

Obama is the most left politician to become president, but he must govern from the center. I believe even a Democrat-controlled Congress will check and balance him on it, too. Some good observation from Peggy Noonan over at WSJ:

Can Mr. Obama claim a mandate? The answer: a firm no-yes. This was not 1980, with a landslide 10-point, 44-state win and the will of a clear majority firmly revealed. And yet of course it's a mandate—a clean win, a new beginning, a solid Democratic victory in the House and Senate. A friend noted the other night that George W. Bush from the beginning governed as if he had a mandate, and he'd lost the popular vote in 2000. Presidents are presidents and claim what they claim. Mr. Obama won it the old-fashioned way: he earned it. He confounded history to get it. And because he replaces a president whose unpopularity has impeded his ability to govern, he is, in a way, president from day one.

McCain campaign postmortem

We all know that the Obama campaign did many things right. It energized the youth vote with new voter registration drives. It kept Sen. Biden away from the press in the later weeks. It never allowed the candidate to speak without a teleprompter (when he did, he created the "Joe the Plumber" panic). Undoubtedly a well-oiled political machine.

So what went wrong with McCain's campaign?

It took too long to bring Obama's past and current associations into focus. It wasn't until the last presidential debate that McCain decided to talk about Bill Ayers. It was a valid topic, but at that time the general perception was that McCain is desperate, especially when polls continued to show a comfortable Obama lead. Plus he never followed through -- kind of just mentioned Ayers' name, Obama rebutted, and moved onto the next topic.

The choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as running mate was a masterful maneuver. She was a breath of fresh air in politics, a strong conservative leader far away from Washington. She was comfortable on stage and in front of the cameras, perhaps thanks to her experiences in journalism, television, and beauty pageant. Many people had doubts about her when McCain made the announcement, but overall she was welcomed by the conservative base. McCain kept his decision under wraps in order to launch a surprise attach at the opponent. This may have backfired as there was no time to prepare her for the national stage. There were some interviews where she bombed, I think mainly because of lack of preparation. But when you are the underdog you cannot afford mistakes. Unfortunately towards the last several weeks, many have labeled Palin a liability rather than an asset to the campaign.

Then there was the issue of fund utliziation. Obama was outraising and outspending McCain. But when you have little money, you should use it wisely, get the most bang for the buck. Recall Mike Huckabee's campaign. He had no money, but he lasted till the end losing to McCain in the primaries. Huckabee had a great online following, and what better advertising medium than the Internet? The McCain campaign was not inventive enough in advertising. His opponent actually bought ads inside a video game. What better way to reach the younger voters?

These are just some of the things I came to think about after McCain's loss. His campaign was still respectable, but there were definitely some strategic mishaps and lack of vision.

Lieberman to feel peer's wrath

Sen. Joe Lieberman may not stay a Democrat much longer. Majority Leader Harry Reid isn't very pleased with his high-profile speech at the RNC attacking Sen. Obama, so now he's wanting to kick him off the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Now that Reid leads a 55-Democrat (at least) seat senate, he has no more use for Lieberman. The Republicans will welcome Lieberman with open arms...

Tension between McCain and Palin?

On stage they seemed to be the perfect maverick combo: McCain the war hero and seasoned senator; Palin the Washington outsider who fought the Republican establishment. But now that the votes have been counted, details are emerging about the tensions between them.

This is another clear example that Republicans need to get their acts together and unite. Yes, you lost. Now is not the time to sling mud amongst yourselves, especially with respect to the ticket.

Where's the "change we can believe in"?

Obama is said to be tapping Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), former aide in the Clinton White House, to be chief of staff.

So much for "change we can believe in"... Let's see if he really reaches across the aisle to fill in his cabinet positions.

Georgia senate race heads for run-off

Neither Chambliss (R) or Martin (D) received 50% of the votes, so a run-off election will happen on December 2. This is a high profile race as Chambliss unseated Democrat and war veteran Max Cleland previously and the Democrats would love to have one of their own from this southern state. Winning this won't put the Democrats to the magical super-majority, but another pickup would hurt the GOP in the Bible Belt.

Gay marriage ban passed

It wasn't all doom and gloom for conservatives after all. Voters in "left coast" California backed a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on Tuesday in a state where homosexual unions are legal. The amendment will override the recent state supreme court decision legalizing gay marriages. Maybe this is the best indication that the country is still center-right?

Post-election eyes on Alaska and Palin

Republican Ted Stevens is likely to win Alaska's senate race. However, about week ago he was found to be guilty on all seven counts of corruption charges, so whether or not he will be seated is still a big question.

Then that leaves the governor of Alaska to appoint a fill-in. Would Gov. Palin be interested in a job at Washington? Would (Can) she appoint herself to the senate? Or would she resign and ask the lieutenant governor to appoint her?

It's a tough call. Does she have White House aspirations in 2012? She jumped onto the mainland political scene as a Washington outsider and reveled in that label. If she were to become a U.S. senator, that would damage her outsider status and potentially hurt her politically. However, on the other hand, she may be interested to enter the Democrat-controlled senate to join her party's fight and advance herself politically by having a voting record in Congress.

The aftermath of the senate race in remote Alaska could end up being the post-election story of the year.

The day after...

So America and the world celebrate Obama's victory, another orderly and lawful power transition in the United States. Many heralded the end of racism in the country and proof that in America, you can reach your dreams no matter your skin color and background.

As of this posting Obama/Biden won 349 electoral votes vs. McCain/Palin's 163. Things started to look gloomy for MacCain last night when Ohio and Virginia turned blue. In popular votes, Obama/Biden captured 52% against McCain/Palin's 47%. Some would categorize this as a landslide win, but I beg to differ. Maybe in the Electoral College, but not among the population.

The result of the senate races did not give the Democrats a mandate, either. First, Harry Reid's hope of leading a filibuster-proof senate is dashed. The Democrats' plan to unseat minority leader Mitch McConnell also fizzled as he won re-election by a comfortable margin (53% against Lunsford's 47%). In the hotly contested Minnesota senate race, Republican Norm Coleman held a slim lead to win over Democrat and entertainer Al Franken. The race is still tight in Alaska where convicted Republican Ted Stevens holds the lead, but whether he is actually seated is still questionable; and in Georgia, incumbent Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss may have a run-off against Democrat Jim Martin if neither garner 50% of votes (Chambliss leads a slim margin right now). Overall it looks like Democrats will pick up five more senate seats.

There's a lot of talk about a change in the electoral landscape. Yet that isn't really the case. We still have a Red South, Red Midwest, and Red Prairie. With the exception of Virginia and North Carolina, the other battleground states have traditionally been toss-ups. The GOP needs to refocus on why support in the south has slipped. Although Georgia went for McCain/Palin overwhelmingly, it was troubling that the state became a toss-up in the latter weeks of the campaign.

History is made - Obama is president-elect

There's no need to count California's votes... The state's 55 electoral votes will go to Obama. (As well Oregon's seven, Hawaii's four, and Washington's 11.)

That puts Obama over the 270 electoral votes necessary to become the next president, and history is made as America will have her first black president.

Congratulations to Obama and his well-run campaign. As much as I don't agree with his platform, I think it is a well-deserved finish to his historic presidential campaign. Congratulations.

This is beyond a wake-up call for the GOP. The wake-up call was two years ago when the party lost control of Congress. Now there will be a Democratic president in January, not to mention more Democratic senators and House representatives. The GOP has to completely turn itself inside out and return to its true conservative roots.

True. Conservative. Roots.

It's now or never.

Virginia goes to Obama

FOX News just called the battleground state of Virginia for Obama. Well done, as Virginia hasn't turn blue in decades. He now has 220 electoral votes as of this posting.

Unfortunately, with the loss of Ohio and Virginia, it's unlikely for McCain to obtain 270 electoral votes to win the race. The next wave of poll closings come from the west coast, and it's almost certain that states like California, Oregon, and Washington would not flip to red.

Ohio called for Obama

The bellwether state of Ohio has been called for Obama. McCain's outlook is even dimmer now unless some sort of miracle happens...

Georgia holds for McCain

The McCain camp can let out a sigh of relief as Georgia is called for the candidate. This was a southern state which ended up being a toss-up in recent weeks.

GOP loses several senators

The Democrats make gains in the Senate as the GOP candidates Elizabeth Dole (NC), John Sununu (NH), and Gilmore (VA) lost.

Networks call Pennsylvania for Obama

Not a good sign for McCain: TV networks are calling the Keystone State for Obama. This was a state which McCain concentrated in the latter weeks of the campaign in hopes to turn the tide to capture its 21 electoral votes.

America decides tomorrow

Americans will wake up tomorrow morning to greet one of the most important days in history -- Election Day 2008. Tomorrow voters will stand in long lines, perhaps in dreary weather, to cast a ballot for the candidate they think qualifies for the most important job in the world: President of the United States.

The next president won't have it easy. Our troops are still fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. The economy is in a global recession. The government is borrowing and printing money like never before. The threat of terrorism against America is still real.

Each candidate promises change for the better. One is eager to bring soldiers home at the expense of a new democratic Iraq. One is an advocate of taxing wealth to give to the poor. One does not recognize evildoers and the ill they have against America. One spent his political life so far avoiding votes.

The other candidate is determined to achieve victory in Iraq. He also wants money made to be kept in the earner's pocket. He's also seen the faces of evil and lived through hell. He has a voting record of ayes and nays.

Sen. John McCain's life is an open book. Americans who lived through the Vietnam War know him as a surviving POW and war hero. He embodies the American spirit: self-sufficient, perseverance, sacrifice. He understands that there is something greater than himself -- his beloved country. And he genuinely wants to better her and her people.

History will be made no matter who wins the election. Tomorrow you will have a vote in your hand to pen your words in America's history pages.

Supporter believes Obama will pay for her gas and morgage!

Peggy Joseph is Internet famous now. She took her kids out of school early to attend an Obama rally. She thinks helping Obama to get into the White House will help her with gas money and mortgage!

Seriously, we need to require people to take an exam on American history, basic economics, and IQ before allowing them to vote. Seriously.

Keystone State to become key state

Voters in the Keystone State hold the key to the presidential election on Tuesday. The McCain campaign has been targeting Pennsylvania in order to capture its 21 electoral votes, something to counter the likely losses in the west (Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico). Sen. McCain may have a good chance there, as Selena Zito points out in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Most Pennsylvania Democrats who live outside of Philadelphia are very Midwestern in their values and their votes.

If they lose their jobs, they go out and get two more to make up for the loss. They do not take handouts and they don't whine; they provide for themselves and their families.

What are these people made of? I can remember listening as a child to my union-Democrat immigrant grandparents saying they never took "relief" during the Great Depression -- and they were raising five children, had no education beyond the fourth grade and spoke broken English.