How about those exit polls in the late breaking bell weather states? Wow.

 kysmet wrote: 
A very nice post...

Amazing photos of President Elect Obama

Photographers will appreciate these, regardless of who you voted for.

 steeler wrote: 
Obama's presidency is already having an impact: he's reviving the nation's newspaper industry.

 rosedraws wrote: 
  Ditto.  That spirit of sharing is an inspiration!

 steeler wrote: 

The Washington Post has announced that it will be circulating special commemorative editions of today's paper late this afternoon at certain chain outlets in the District.  There already is a long line outside one of those chain stores near where I work and the papers have not even arrived yet.

   

edieraye wrote:
I think a lot of that money stays local, which is nice.  The big price tag on TV Air time is perhaps not so local, 'cause those are such huge megacorps now.

I like what P4j said... I'd pay that for me and the lady behind me.    Not that I'm endorsing a poll tax or anything.  Anyway, it's very interesting to break it out as costs per vote.

Also interesting is that I think the two camps (Dem/Obama vs Rep/McCain) spent fairly similar amounts of money.  I thought the Dems were way ahead, but it was just Obama way ahead of McCain.  McCain's shortfall was covered by the Republican Party.

 cc_rider wrote: 
I totally agree with you, but it wasn't until maybe 10 yrs ago, when I started taking another look at these issues, that i started to understand why they happen. Same thing with Bill Ayers. I remember the 60s and 70s, and they required drastic measures to bring about change. Watch Madmen to get an idea of what it was like for women. And now we have a wonderfully brilliant man as president who happens to have black skin.

But I don't think that this is an easy concept to grasp, and obviously not a philosophy that would be popular.

 edieraye wrote: 
I would have paid that at the door, both for me, and for the elderly woman behind me.

 hippiechick wrote:
 
And rightly so: riots are bad, no many who's doing it. But riots usually grow out of larger grievances, real or perceived. I would contrast those riots with Selma Alabama, where peaceful demonstrators were set upon with dogs and water cannons. Some people fall back on the lazy excuse of race, which ignores the underlying issues.

c.

 cc_rider wrote: 
Yep! I was just funnin you.

Another example of the reaction the rest of the world has had to our election:



(from Kill Ugly Radio)

 owld_skipper wrote:
 
I know, I know. I called it that way on purpose. But you knew that...

c.

 edieraye wrote: 
And worth every cent.  MOF, when it comes to liberty and self-determination, that's a bargain!

 cc_rider wrote: 
Be careful who you call a spade there fella.

One interesting stat that I've seen floating around the 'net today is the cost per vote.  Global Dashboard makes the point:
Here's an eye watering statistic. The election cost $4.2bn ($5.3bn if you include the congressional and senate races). 120-130m Americans voted. So that's nearly $35 spent for every vote cast.
 
I'm not sure if that is higher or lower than I expected.

 hippiechick wrote: 
The Black Panthers are about as obsolete as billy clubs!  If your aunt really saw any Black Panthers, chances are that the now-old men were using canes or walkers to hold themselves up, not clubs.

My whole family hails from the Deep south, except for me.  I'm the only one who was born abroad, in California. I'm often shocked when otherwise well-educated, forward-thinking and loving people like these suddenly blurt out hateful, racist words.  But they do.  Even my mom, who has spent the vast majority of her 84 years in NYC (Columbia University), San Francisco (Berkeley and Stanford), Chicago (at Loyola and North Park University) and Jerusalem (at St. George's College) still surprises me with an out-of-character racist remark.

 cc_rider wrote: 
It's totally racism, and I understand it. The riots of the 60s scared these people.

Who will Obama pick? The latest scuttlebutt

I thought the idea of Bill Clinton as Secretary of State was rather inspired but not a move I would recommend.  And The Terminator?  Really?  It is interesting to see the names that keep popping up over and over.  I know I've been out of the loop for a long time when I have to look 90% of them up to find out who they are.
 
edieraye wrote: