The 2008 Election Day LIVE Thread

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Uhhhh holy shit - McCain's concession speech is actually fantastic. I'm literally stunned - wow.

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

That was more of the John McCain I expected to see on the campaign trail this year.

Originally Posted by KSig RC

I think thousands (on both sides of the aisle) agree completely - unreal that McCain's best performance was his concession, but it does show why he was a viable candidate not too long ago.

I have had heard many people say the same thing -- that this was the John McCain they had respected so long.

I thought his speech was full of graciousness, dignity and intergrity. A great speech!

And I agree with those who attribute the boos to disappointment that McCain conceded, not as directed at Obama directly.

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Dead serious: I think Michelle Obama sucks. Holy crap - maybe I just don't get it.

I worry about you.

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Holy WOW I'm kind of digging Biden's wife - what the shit? Seriously?

Okay, a little better now.

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

Every state has a winner-take-all system when it comes to electors, except for Maine and Alaska.

Actually, it's Maine and Nebraska, I think.

Electors are obligated to vote for the candidate that wins the majority in their state. An elector who does not vote for the candidate they are pledged to vote is termed a "faithless elector" and is relatively rare. We're talking maybe 1 elector per election and often none. Not anything that's thrown an election to a different candidate. Ever. In the entire history of the USA.

At least in some states, if an elector votes for a candidate other than the one he or she is pledged to, that elector is immediately disqualified and replaced; it's also a criminal offense in some states.

My thoughts:

As I watched last night unfold with my wife and kids (11 and 7) and watched more this morning, my own political feelings (and I did vote for Obama) took a backseat as I watched history unfold. As a child of the South and of the 60s, the speeches, while great, didn't move me as much as the reactions. Seeing the tears on so many faces (yes, even Jesse Jackson), seeing the dancing in the streets, seeing the congregation at Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta -- this was not the usual political celebration. This was different. And I just couldn't help but be moved as my children watched this historic moment.

So I often I feel like the country we're preparing for them is so much more full of challenges than what was prepared for me, and in too many ways it is. But I just couldn't help but feel last night that the country we're preparing for them is also more full of hope and opportunity.

Corny, maybe. But it brought tears to this corny dad's eyes.