It is projected that Senator Barack Obama, with 338 electoral votes (to Senator John McCain’s 124 electoral votes), will win the 2008 Presidential Election, and become the 44th President of the United States of America with Senator Joe Biden serving as Vice President. Watch Obama speak at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Keep up with the action as more results come in.

Senator Barack Obama

Barack Obama and Joe Biden Headquarters

Senator Joe Biden

Did you do your civic duty? Did you VOTE? Did you get a sticker? I’m all about the sticker. Give me a sticker and I’ll follow you anywhere. I’m certain this obsession goes back to the gold and red reward stars.

 Still confused about where to go and what to do? Have no fear; the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will help you out. They’ve broken down all state voter information so everyone can find their voter guides and polling places and times.

It’s time to grab your crayons and color in the 2008 Electoral College map. Give your mind and hands something to do as you watch the election results. If you enjoy a little more action, try the 2008 Presidential Election Interactive Map. You can view how the battle between George Washington and John Adams went down in 1789, how poor Mr. LaFollette captured the sole state of Wisconsin in 1924, and check out which states are considered the swing states for 2008. Maps never looked this good in civics class. Sorry, Mr. Foley.

How does the Electoral College work? There is a short and a long answer to that question. You’ll need some reading material to get you through the night.

How are Electors selected?

“The process for selecting electors varies throughout the United States. Generally, the political parties nominate electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each State. Electors are often selected to recognize their service and dedication to their political party. They may be State elected officials, party leaders, or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate. Then the voters in each State choose the electors on the day of the general election. The electors’ names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State.” – U.S. Electoral College

Just who are these Electoral voters?

I’ve never known anyone who was (or ever claimed to be) an Elector. Wouldn’t it be nice to know just these influential people are? After the 2008 election you’ll be able to view the 2008 Certificates of Ascertainment online, following their receipt by the Office of the Federal Register. Until then, check out the 2004 Certificates of Ascertainment list (the approved electors for the 2004 Presidential election).

Just what is up for grabs:

The Electoral College by State, 2008

Okay, so it takes 270 Electoral votes to win, but why does it take 270?

Think of it like shares in a company. The share holder with the majority ownership has control. 270 is 50.2% of the total 538 Electoral College votes.

“In the Electoral College, each State gets one electoral vote for each of its Representatives in the House, and one electoral vote for each of its two Senators. Thus, every state has at least 3 electoral votes, because the Constitution grants each State two Senators and at least one Representative. In addition to the 535 electoral votes divided among the States, the District of Columbia has three electoral votes because the 23rd Amendment granted it the same number of votes as the least populated State.”

“The number of electoral votes is set at 538, based on 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate, plus 3 electoral votes for the District of Columbia under the 23rd Amendment. The Electoral College could become larger if a new State were admitted into the union (adding two new Senators and one or more Representatives until the next redistricting), or if the House of Representatives expanded. If a State gains or loses a Congressional district, it will also gain or lose an electoral vote.” – U.S. Electoral College

What happens if no one claims the 270 prize?

“If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each State delegation has one vote. The Senate would elect the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each Senator would cast one vote for Vice President. If the House of Representatives fails to elect a President by Inauguration Day, the Vice-President Elect serves as acting President until the deadlock is resolved in the House.” – U.S. Electoral College

Photo credits:

Crayons

McCain needs coached on how to go to a happy place when he hears something he doesn’t agree with or like. CNN kept the candidates in split screen mode throughout the debate, and it gave the viewers at home a great opportunity to check out the facial expressions and body language each candidate displayed in response to the questions and conversation. McCain sighed, shook his head disdainfully, grimaced and gritted his teeth, and forced smiles and laughter in moments of tension and anger.

Do these things matter? Yes, they do. Presidents need to be able to have a poker face and show some restraint in their responses, both verbally and physically. McCain doesn’t seem to have that ability. He started the night by telling us that Americans are hurting and angry, but he could have very well been describing himself. This type of behavior makes him appear old, bitter, and out of touch with Americans.

Obama, in contrast, looked thoughtfully at McCain while he spoke and responded with a wide smile and comfortable laugh at McCain’s attacks. He listened intently and shrugged off the statements he felt were absurd and erroneous. He stayed calm, and he wasn’t goaded into taking an angry defensive stance on any subject.

Who is Joe the Plumber?

Is this the “Joe Six Pack” that Palin continuously referred to during the vice presidential debate? Have they purposely been out looking for a Joe to keep the gag going? Here is the true story on the mysterious plumber.

OP – Overhead Projector

Seriously? I couldn’t believe it when McCain brought up the OP in the last debate, but to recycle it again in the final debate? This is how you want to spend your time? Let’s get the facts on the OP that won’t die from our friends at FactCheck.org:

“It’s true that Obama sought $3 million for a projector, and we’ll leave it to readers to judge whether it was frivolous or not. The fact is, however, that the technology Obama requested was not an “overhead projector” such as one might see in a classroom or office. Those typically cost no more than a few hundred dollars. What Obama sought was funding for a large and expensive piece of specialty equipment that projects the night sky in a dome theater, for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. For example, one model of an upgraded version of the Adler’s current projector has several separate projection units for the stars and for the sun, moon and planets. The projector weighs more than 5,000 pounds.”

“The Adler Planetarium replaced its projector for the first and last time almost 40 years ago. The planetarium issued a statement after Tuesday’s debate saying that it had approached Obama and other local congresspeople from both parties asking for government assistance in replacing the aging projector, on the grounds that “science literacy is an urgent issue in the United States.” All agreed to help, according to the statement, but the money was not awarded.”

-Jess Henig

Ayers / ACORN / Lewis

McCain somehow found a way to insert Ayers and Acorn into the discussion and lambaste Obama for not repudiating Congressman Lewis. Evidently, McCain believes such topics would have been off the table if Obama would have just agreed to some town hall debates. I would like to have seen Obama ask McCain if he repudiates Palin for her comments, but I guess we all knew how that would go.

Health Care

There isn’t enough time in the debates to explain or comprehend either candidate’s plan for health care but you can view a side-by-side summary of their proposals, courtesy of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can also mismatch the issues and tailor the results based on your concerns.

Roe v. Wade

Bob Schieffer did a wonderful job of when he pressed McCain if he would ever nominate someone to the Supreme Court who disagreed with him on the issue of Roe v. Wade. McCain said he felt the decision was a bad one and believes the matter should be in the hands of the states, but he wouldn’t impose a litmus test on any nominee.

Schieffer asked, “But even if it was someone — even someone who had a history of being for abortion rights, you would consider them?”

“I would consider anyone in their qualifications. I do not believe that someone who has supported Roe v. Wade that would be part of those qualifications. But I certainly would not impose any litmus test,” answered McCain.

What? So someone who supports Roe v. Wade wouldn’t meet your “qualifications” for a Supreme Court nominee? Isn’t that a litmus test?

Outcome

This was by far the most interesting of the three presidential debates. The moderator kept everyone on time, asked interesting questions, and (yes, it can be done) allowed each candidate the time to answer a question. The candidates were fully awake, prepared, and (mostly) on topic. Were all of our questions and concerns answered? No. We won’t fully know what we’ve gotten ourselves into until the votes have come in and the agendas start to reveal themselves. Until then, we keep searching for answers and discovering more questions.

Transcript of the third presidential debate

Here we go again. Since we last saw our contenders on stage, the vice presidential candidates have debated one another, the bailout plan was signed into law by President Bush, and the mud has started to sling.

The last time McCain and Obama took to the stage, they did the dance of “yes you did, no I didn’t” on every topic from funding the defense budget and supporting the surge to encouraging alternative energy growth. It was lacking in depth and put the world to sleep.

Tonight’s format will be in a town hall setting and will be open to all topics. McCain does well in this format, so it will be interesting to see how he does tonight with Obama beside him.

Will the debate tonight answer any of the questions Americans want answered? How about abandoning the discussion of past legislative votes and get to the economy, health care, and education? Will Obama raise issue with the attacks Palin has issued this week toward Obama’s previous relationship with William Ayers? Will McCain ignore, as Palin did, the questions asked of him, and spend his time winking, using folksy speak, and referring to his ticket as the “maverick” team?

Gotta say, it will be good to see veteran journalist Tom Brokaw moderating the event. Don’t forget to use your Mother Jones Bingo card to get you through the night.

Presidential Debate — October 7, 2008, Tuesday

Time: 9:00 EDT

Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format

Moderated by Tom Brokaw

@ Belmont University, Nashville, TN

-Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each question.

For those of you who missed them, CBS and LearnOutLoud.com are offering a podcast of the previous presidential and vice presidential debates. Download and listen at your leisure.

LearnOutLoud.com and CBS

Things to watch for:
Will Palin be able to answer the questions posed to her, or will she continue to dodge and evade the questions as she has in multiple interview segments with Katie Couric? Will she poke fun at Biden’s gaffes and mistakes on the campaign trail?

Will Biden take a “soft” approach when addressing Palin in order to prevent his critics from declaring he was sexist or “man handled” Palin? Will he focus on McCain and basically ignore Palin? Will he poke fun at Palin’s inability to name a newspaper that she reads or a Supreme Court ruling she disagrees with other than Roe v. Wade?

Will it matter how well Palin performs tonight? If Palin falters and fails to deliver, will the McCain camp blame her “poor showing” on the controversy surrounding moderator Gwen Ifill’s supposed impartiality based on her upcoming book that includes Obama as one of the political black leaders in America? The book, “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama” is slated to be published on the day the new president is inaugerated.

And finally, will the economy overshadow other issues or will it be glossed over? Will they debate the issue of the bailout program?

Debate starts at 9:00 p.m. EDT

October 2, 2008, Thursday
Vice presidential debate: All Topics

Moderated by Gwen Ifill
@ Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

-Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

2008 Election Debate Resource

Debate Schedule

All Debates start at 9:00 p.m. EDT

October 2, 2008, Thursday
Vice presidential debate: all topics
Moderated by Gwen Ifill
@ Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

-Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

October 7, 2008, Tuesday
Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format
Moderated by Tom Brokaw
@ Belmont University, Nashville, TN

-Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each question.

October 15, 2008, Wednesday
Third presidential debate: the economy and domestic policy
Moderated by Bob Schieffer
@ Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

-Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

B-I-N-G-O

The folks over at MotherJones.com have created a great game of Bingo to help get you through the lulls in the debates. Use it as a drinking game, or if you have some bean bags nearby you can throw them at the television when you “score.”

How do you watch the debates? Do you have friends over and make a night of it? Do you rent movies and ignore the entire process? Let’s hear it!

While the debate centered on foreign policy and national security, most viewers expected to hear more about the bailout plan and the true state of our economy. Those of us who waited for any such conversation to get started were just out of luck. Instead, we saw an odd display of posturing not unlike that befitting a chicken coop.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Obama’s intent stare straight into the camera. While I believe the intention was to “connect” with the viewers, I found myself a little unsettled by it. However, I gave him points for the attempt.

McCain, on the other hand, could learn a thing or two about body language. He refused to even acknowledge that Obama was on the same stage as he. Poor Jim Lehrer tried to get the two to address one another, but he was fighting a hard battle against a man who had decided to invoke an invisibility shield on the rest of the room. When Obama attempted to speak directly to him, McCain either stared straight ahead and made odd, crimped faces, or looked down at his podium with a look of disbelief directed toward his invisible opponent.

McCain wanted to drive home the point that Obama is young, and in his opinion, inexperienced. “I’m afraid Senator Obama doesn’t understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy.” He spent a great deal of his time repeating that Obama doesn’t “get it” and “doesn’t understand” what is going on in the world.

Obama didn’t get angry; instead, he more often than not kept responded by repeatedly offering words of agreement. “I think Senator McCain and I agree for the most part on these issues.” Really? I thought the whole point of the debate was to highlight your differences.

I think the American people wanted to see more from these two. It didn’t feel like they were in the race of their career. Frankly, it wasn’t as interesting as the previous debates we’ve seen this year. Nothing new was revealed, the same barbs were thrown, and in the end the American public isn’t any clearer on who they should vote for come November.

Read the transcript of the debate.

Will McCain be seen as a flip-flopper? Was it a wise choice for McCain to ever consider being absent from the debate? How are you feeling about the candidates today?

Not long after, Senator Barack Obama responded at a news conference in Clearwater, Florida, that he fully intends to show up for the debate and declared “It’s going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) followed with a press release of their own, stating that they are “moving forward” with the initial plans that were set in motion over a year and half ago. Unlike McCain, they “believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled.”

Thursday, in a telephone interview with Salon.com, Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chairman of the CPD, disputed the idea that the debate could go on if McCain bails out on it. “The law requires that there must be two candidates for a debate.”

And on Thursday evening, after the meeting between President Bush, Obama, McCain, and the Congressional leaders fell apart, Jon Carson, the National Field Director for the Obama campaign, wrote an email to Obama’s supporters stating that, “Barack is moving ahead with plans for Friday’s debate. The election is less than 40 days away, and the American people deserve to hear directly from the candidates about how they intend to lead our country.”

Does anyone know what’s going on here? Where’s the “straight talk” when we need it most?

Let’s hear from you:

Is McCain putting the “country first” with his decision to bow out of the debate or is he hiding behind the flag? Is Obama correct that the debate should go on as planned? If McCain fails to show up, will it affect how you feel about him as a candidate, and if so, in what way?

Topic of the Debate: Foreign Policy & National Security

Length: 90 mins.

Moderator: Jim Lehrer

Time: 9:00 p.m. EDT