Tag Archives: Barack Obama

Obama’s electoral college challenge

This interactive tool from the LA Times reveals the daunting challenge Barack Obama faces in this election. It lets you paint the electoral map based on which candidate you expect to win each state. Remember, the popular vote doesn’t matter: in the end, 270 electoral votes are the only thing that can make someone president.

This tool defaults to Republican, Democrat, or toss-up, based upon the 2004 election results. Any state with a margin of victory of 8 points or less in that year is considered a toss-up. This is somewhat disingenuous, as it doesn’t take into account current trends and polls (for what they’re worth). But it’s as good a place to start as any and it seems to line up pretty well with what we’re seeing in the polls (for what they’re worth) this year.

I took the challenge, and went with my best guesses for those toss-up states: I painted Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Delaware “Democrat Blue” and Nevada, Missouri and Florida “Republican Red.” That left three states in play: Colorado, New Mexico, and Ohio. Ohio is a 20-vote powder keg in this election. If McCain wins Ohio (along with the other three states that I think are fairly safe for him), and Obama prevails in the entire, aggressive slate of ten states I assigned to him, Obama still must win Colorado and New Mexico to (just barely) win the election. Ouch.

Beep for Breakfast!

A package was waiting for me in the mailbox today. It was from someone I don’t know — at least, someone I don’t think I know (and if I do know you, sorry!) — sent from a city I’ve never visited. I opened it with some trepidation, though the anthrax scare and my own quasi-cyberstalker are distant enough memories that I wasn’t too worried. I assumed it was my Obama car magnet, though I wondered a bit why they’d roll up the magnet to send in a roughly 3×3×8 inch box, instead of just a flat envelope.

I was totally, utterly shocked when I opened it and discovered what was actually inside. It was none other than — well, OK, the surprise has already been ruined by the accompanying photo — a Beep for Breakfast cup, just like the one I remembered my grandfather keeping on the edge of his basement sink, so many years ago!

About three months ago, I put out a call to help me locate just such a cup, but I had mostly put it out of my mind, and certainly never expected one to randomly appear at my doorstep one day!

I’m still a bit perplexed as to how the sender obtained my address. (Well, not too perplexed, because I know how I’d have gone about finding it, and it probably wouldn’t have been terribly difficult.) But I’m glad they did!

To the sender (whose identity I will keep to myself), thanks!

Two critical reads for anyone who’s planning to vote (and even moreso for those who aren’t!)

I just read a couple of great articles on Alternet. Now before you (as a McCain supporter) go dismissing Alternet as liberal fringe media, I would ask you to just carefully read the following two articles.

First, a roundup of excerpts from newspapers and news magazines around the country calling the McCain/Palin campaign to task for some of the egregious lies they’ve been perpetuating lately, both against Obama and for themselves.

And second, a very well-thought-out article debunking conservative myths about national security. This brilliant article shows us what’s wrong with our current administration’s clumsy assumptions about the threat of Islamic terrorism, and also points out the things we should be worried about, but aren’t. (Or at least, aren’t worried enough about.)

I think I may need to gouge my eyes out

So I stop reading crap like this or this.

My God people, come on! How is this even a contest? What the hell is wrong here? AAAAARRRGGH!!!!

I never would have made it on the debate team.

But as long as we’re on the topic, I just wanted to give a shout out to Jw and suggest that if you’re considering making a donation to the Obama campaign, you do so by saying “Make Mine Barack.” I would have, but I just made a donation directly to the campaign yesterday hours before he tipped me off to this.

Historic first now inevitable

One of these people is absolutely, positively going to be in office come next January.

One of these people is absolutely, positively going to be in office come next January.

I was initially nonplussed when I heard the news early this morning that John McCain had selected Sarah Palin (who?) as his running mate. I know a lot more about her now than I did twelve hours ago, but nothing that’s been added to my brain in that time span has done anything to change my opinion that this was a move that was at best cynical, at worst a sign of utter desperation (and/or utter cluelessness).

Along the way the geeky but not terribly profound thought occurred to me that (as I’ve always liked to think anyway) the Democrats are like Apple in this election, and the Republicans like Microsoft. Apple delivers true innovation while Microsoft plays copycat and catch-up. But despite offering what the people really want and need, Apple usually loses to Microsoft and whatever appeal it offers. (Really, I don’t know. Why do people like Microsoft? And why do they think the Republicans represent their interests? Unless they count themselves among the select group of Americans who think people making $4,999,999 a year aren’t rich and are even more self-centered than that would suggest.)

But then another thought occurred to me. A non-partisan thought (for once). History is going to be made in this election. History has already been made of course, but nominating someone who’s not an old white guy is not so new (1984, anyone?). Having someone who’s either non-white or non-male (or both, but Oprah’s not running this year, and I don’t mean that to be as glib as it sounds) actually win election to either office, president or vice president, is something that’s never even been close to happening before (again, 1984?). But it is definitely going to happen this year. There will be an African-American president. Or there will be a woman vice president. One of the two of these things absolutely is going to happen this year.

Wow. Of course I have a preference. And I suspect that accusations of racism and/or sexism are going to be flying for the next couple of months. But in the end, history is going to change, and we don’t even need a flux capacitor to do it.