Well, it seems like something happened last night. I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh yeah, the world may have changed. I am pleased to be able to say I got to vote for the first African-American President. I must admit that I am still a little stunned that our country has grown up enough to elect someone who is not an old white man. I cannot imagine what it must feel like for African Americans across the nation to be able to truthfully tell their children that one day they could be president. I don't think I ever thought this would happen in my lifetime. But to see all the civil rights leaders with tears streaming down their faces in amazement, it was truly a moving moment. I am just glad I was able to witness it.
It is interesting, but it appears, at least from my analysis of the election returns, that many Republicans left Mr. McCain high and dry on election day. I may have this all wrong, but back in 2004, George Bush won 51% of the vote for a total of 62,040,606 votes (286 electoral votes). John Kerry won 48% of the vote for a total of 59,028,109 votes (252 electoral votes). Now the returns are still not at 100%, but if you look at the preliminary numbers, Barack Obama won 53% of the popular vote with 63,607,129 votes (349 electoral votes as it stands now, but I assume he will end up with North Carolina's 15 votes for a total of 364) and John McCain won 46% of the popular vote with 56,218,351 votes (163 electoral votes as it stands now, but I assume he will end up with Missouri's 11 votes for a total of 174).
The difference between Bush and Kerry was 3, 012,497 votes. The difference as it stands now (with 97% of precincts reporting) between Obama and McCain was 7,388,778 votes. So, looking at these numbers, Obama beat Bush's popular total by over 1.5 million votes. McCain's total was under Kerry's by just over 2.8 million votes. So the total difference as it stands now is about 1.25 million less votes in 2008 than in 2004. Granted, some votes have not been counted yet and the numbers will change slightly over the next month until they are certified, but this is significant considering how many pundits kept talking about how so many more would be voting this time around. I wonder if it was Independents who stayed home or if it was conservatives who did not trust McCain to be truly conservative.
And, shock of all shocks, I now live in a BLUE state. Granted, I live in one of the reddest counties in Florida, and I have already been shunned once today. McCain carried my county with 70% of the vote to Obama's 29%. I guess it is irrelevant now how my county voted. I do have an Obama pin and bumper sticker that will go into my box of memories but, unfortunately not on my car. Don't want to get shot.
UPDATE & NDY GIG
12 years ago
2 comments:
I think you're going to like...
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OLLBtlyi4YM
I'm just grateful that we have elections and not just announcements to who our next leader is. Maybe, in some strange way those that are not Republican or Democrat feel like that is precisely what happens. All things considered, if you aren't on one of those tickets you may as well forget it.
Truth be told, McCain would have likely caused more turmoil in the Republican party as president than not. I believe that Obama on the other hand is going to alienate many in his party as well once they realize he, like all candidates, made a lot of promises he can't keep.
Those folks in Washington whom we call public servants will do what they want regardless. The back room deals are still going on and the smoke and mirrors game is still being played in public. Who really thinks we can agree on a National Health care system? Who really believes you can unite people who are so opposite on ideologies such as illegal immigrants and amnesty, abortion rights or wrongs, or even the right to bear arms.
These issues will be with us for a long time. Red State, Blue State. If you look at the country as a whole it is RED. The liberal population centers are blue and the rest of America gets to ride along. That's where the celebration ends and the work begins.
From my point of view, the color of the skin is not important, it is the allegiance to basic American values. I do believe they still exist.
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