Whew. I just got off my long shift as an election judge — I was filling in for Horton Township, a small, very rural precinct south of Morris, with a registered voting population of 114 people. The good news: 110 votes! The bad news: these guys broke 103:7 for McCain. Ewww. Now that I’m home, though, I see the news is saying Minnesota’s electoral votes are going for Obama.
So what else is new? What excitement/dismay/horror are you experiencing as you watch the returns?
I am vastly relieved to see that Obama has won a landslide victory, but I’m not going to say that I’m overjoyed. He’s got a lot of work ahead of him, and I’m definitely not an uncritical supporter.
We’re still waiting on the Franken/Coleman senate race here — it’s horribly close.
Proposition 8 in California may pass. That is bad news to balance the good in the presidential race.
Anymore back-assward predictions, Carnac?
More congratulations from Finland; this has been a great partial victory of the bland weevil party over the insane malevolent lunatic weevil party.
Shame about Bachmann and Prop 8 though, but aure entuluva, eventually.
Posted by: moo @ 39 “… The amount of international interest in this election is remarkable…”
Not really. We’ve watched with slowing increasing dread, USA start to spin out of control on the world stage over the last 6-8 years under Bush, dragging us with it. Then we watched the McCain/Palin team campaign, in growing horror of the possibility of them taking over from Bush and probably making everything even worse. Obama being elected instead is a supreme relief even if simply because he seems to be a reasonable, intelligent man who shouldn’t make us cringe in sympathy with the Americans every time he opens his mouth and shows signs of being a much better leader of the most powerful country on earth at this time. Let’s just hope he has the ability to do a good job and has surrounded himself with some good advisors.
Kindly stow them. Most people in the US do not care what Finnish whackaloons think about our elections.
Besides which, I fully expect Obama will only serve one term. The pseudo-conservatives have left him such a mess that he will not be able to make enough headway and both he and the other members of the Democrat clown car will be turned out to make room for genuine conservatives after the fashion of Robert Taft (not the Robert Taft of coingate infamy but his grandfather.)
Kindly stow them. Most people in the US do not care what Finnish whackaloons think about our elections.
Fuck, what an asshole you are.
I try. I also have a generally low opinion of vapid atheists, so the whackaloon has two strikes against him/her.
Oops, sorry, I didn’t read the idiotic comment you were responding to. Still, we do care about sincere congratulations from Finns like MrrKat.
“Democrat clown car”? “vapid atheists”? Never mind, you stupid piece of shit, I’m not sorry after all, just in need of sleep.
I try.
And you succeed. g’night, jackass.
Congratulations, US and Rest of World. Seems like the US made the smart choice this time.
I wonder how much good he can do though, being bankrupt and all…
Well, at least us in the Outside World won’t have to deal with your Republicans for at least 4 years.
G’night dimbulb. May you and the other vapid atheists/whackaloons have pleasant dreams of adequacy.
Vapid? For saying that I’m happy you elected the better of the two choices?
If my previous comment seemed like an insult, I apologize. I didn’t mean that.
Huzzah!
Dole’s loss was but the beginning of a great night. I only wish I were in Chicago to join the all-night victory party.
Don’t feel bad, Masks of Eris. I would have been just as dismissive of any other foreign national cooing over Obama, and the vast majority of atheists are vapid, as far as I am concerned, so my disdain was not specific to you; it encompasses almost all pharyngulites.
Joukossa tyhmyys tiivistyy
Why does “states rights” only ever seem to come up in the context of the “right” to discriminate against and oppress minorities?
It doesn’t. Partially it’s because there is an unfortunate history of claiming state rights in support of slavery and later segregation, but partially it’s because you are more likely to remember people who offend you. Confirmation bias and selection bias are probably playing some role here.
You, in fact, probably support state rights to an extent. Local direct government is frequently preferable, because the needs of San Francisco, California are likely to be different from the needs of Atlanta, Georgia. Do you really want Georgians or Alaskans or New Yorkers having as much say in what is taught in your local public school as you do? They aren’t sending their kids there, but you are. The right of states to determine their own education programs is threatened, for example, when the federal government withholds funding for sex-ed. that teaches anything other than abstinence only. You might want the federal government to interfere when the Kansas school board votes to replace the teaching of evolution with creationism, but probably not when your local school board wants to explain the value of birth control. That’s why the constitution makes it quite clear that states have the right to handle their own affairs, but only insofar as they don’t violate certain other protections (such as the freedom of/from religion and separation between church and state).
As for whether the state of California should have the right to determine whether a gay union should constitute a marriage, consider that marriage is largely a social construct, and so social opinions on marriage have a legitimate role to play in the debate. Can you explain to me a clear reason why a man should have a right to marry another man, but not two women? Can you explain to me why a man should have a right to marry another man, but not his brother or sister? If your reason involves the opinion of society on either romantic love or the institution of marriage (and I’m not saying it does, but I think it’s likely that it does), then it would seem that you, too, think that we should take the opinion of society into account when determining how a marriage should be defined.
Do I wish that more of the country thought that gay marriage should be just as valid as straight marriage? Of course I do. Do I think that the legality of gay marriage should be forced on an unwilling public? I’m not so sure.
scepsci wrote: 436 words
Uh, oh. Here come the dissertations!
Oh, and for those who replied to Peregrinus: do you not know that trolls should not be fed? Is it really that hard to just not say anything?
Which is exactly the problem, America has been policing the world with little regard to how the rest of the world feels about it. Maybe if you listen to some people in other countries, you would have understood that Iraq is not going to grovel at the liberators in the red, white & blue.
skepsci ” Can you explain to me why a man should have a right to marry another man, but not his brother or sister? If your reason involves the opinion of society on either romantic love or the institution of marriage (and I’m not saying it does, but I think it’s likely that it does), then it would seem that you, too, think that we should take the opinion of society into account when determining how a marriage should be defined. ”
Marriage should exist to benefit society. Incestual relationships are detrimental to society. A high prevalence of polygamous relationships would also be detrimental to society.
Same-sex marriage would have a clear benefit to society. That’s not a matter of opinion, it’s a simple fact.
This Canadian is elated that you Yanks have finally decided to go Brazilian…In January 2009 – NO MORE BUSH – and that’s a wonderful thing.
Peregrinus,
And I bet you that not only he’ll serve two, but he’ll be remembered as one of America’s greatest presidents.
See, it’s easy to make predictions.
Not only that, but so far, all predictions you conservatives have made about Obama have been epic failures, so…
I’d like to remind you that he’s not the first democrat to inherit a catastrophic situation. There was once a certain FDR. He didn’t do only one term did he ?
And believe me, it’s going to take the republican party far more than 4 years to reform itself and find a new leadership and coherent direction between all the different confusing factions that are continue to make it fail during the years to come (libertarian, neo-conservative, conservative, theocratic, pragmatic).
349 EV – with possibly 26 more coming – is a solid victory, but it’s not really a landslide.
Peregrinus | November 5, 2008 6:32 AM
Don’t feel bad, Masks of Eris. I would have been just as dismissive of any other foreign national cooing over Obama, and the vast majority of atheists are vapid, as far as I am concerned, so my disdain was not specific to you; it encompasses almost all pharyngulites.
Hi, Peregrinus. So, one guy apologizes to you, and like a true religious right member, you act like a complete fucking prick. When it comes to vapid, we atheists are not the ones who are hoping for some stupid pie-in-the-sky reward in some unproven “afterlife”.
At least your kind of people are no longer in power in the States, so maybe the administrations’ “War on Science” will finally be ending.
Us atheists it seems, are the only ones who even give a shit about science, and the world as it really is. Yet some superstitious twit like you calls us “vapid”?
“I’m not anti-gay! I just think that if ‘the public’ is anti-gay, the law should be anti-gay!”
Posted by: Quiet_Desperation @ 381 “… I’m the first to admit I have a cold, black heart through which pumps a thick, supercooled fluid that closely resembles crude oil.”
Jack, is that you?
I don’t see why state rights and opinions should trump federal rights and opinions – or at least no more of a reason than say county, precinct or personal rights and opinions.
Just because a smaller population has decided something, it doesn’t make that something any more valid or justifiable.
Posted by: Quiet_Desperation @ 381 … 382! I meant 382!
# 511 “G’night dimbulb. May you and the other vapid atheists/whackaloons have pleasant dreams of adequacy. ”
Why should I feel inadequate because I don’t believe any gods exist?
You should examine your own inadequacies that require you have these beliefs, to the extent, that you feel the need to insult other people anonymously.
Anger’s not going to get rid of that big dark uncertainty you’ve got Peregrinus, grow a pair and face it down.
According to cnn, the hate propositions in Florida, Arizona, and California (all banning gay marriage), and the hate initiative in Arkansas (banning adoption by gays) have all passed. Religion has done a lot of harm this election cycle.
Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
Sarah
Sarah who?
That’s politics for ya!
In times like this when mental sanity of a degree seems to grip the majority of the US population again, it is easy to forget that the dimwits, the bigots, and the assholes still are alive, as proven in many postings by some of them.
One thing is to be conservative, but when combined with being a blockhead ain’t great.
Considering you’re not smart enough to figure out the whole Santa Claus thing, who the hell do you think is going to be upset by your anonymous Internet insult? Seriously, you’re as gullible as a three-year old and as crazy-delusional as a schizophrenic.
There is no magic man in the sky. Get over it.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh yes.
It’s a good morning. Lets hope it’s a good day.
Hey Peregrinus,
One term eh?
Wait until Obama gives citizenship to all of the current illegal inhabitants in the US, thereby automatically ensuring a majority for his second term and probably a permanent Democratic majority for the foreseeable future.
As a non-US citizen it’ll have little or no impact on my life, but I’ll laugh my ass off at idiots like you spontaneously combusting in hatred and bigotry.
It came 7 years, 10 months and 4 days later than anticipated, but it’s finally arrived: this is the first morning of the new millennia.
(Now if only we can fix that weird calender…)
–
llewelly#528: “Religion has done a lot of harm this election cycle”.
Yes, it has. Despair not. Nothing is forever. View it as unfinished business, that there are still pockets of intolerant resistance. Must beat the hate down and raise the love, mutual respect and cooperation up, under the banner of rationality, not mere righteous conviction. Show ’em they can no longer monopolize virtue…or distort it out of all recognition. It’s a long journey and a first step has been made – the real work has only begun.
God TV’s election special – hilarious and horrifying:
Stephan Wells @ 301: “He’s quoting Lincoln. I guess he gets to do that.”
Yes he does. It made me think of one of Lincoln’s advisors too: the unsung Frederick Douglas. Much of the victory we reap today is attributable to that gentleman. We owe him as much a posthumous debt of gratitude as to any.
When does the Pete Stark test of the electability of an atheist take place? Google still wasn’t showing any sign of a result or even a date when it might happen. I don’t understand why the pre-determined date of a future election is such a big secret that Pete Stark’s own site hasn’t been listing it.
there are many things i could have said before i could say “President Obama, congratulations Sir!” but fortunately i no longer need to say them.
congratulations to you too, America, from the rest of us here in the world
Gee, they finally called Indiana for Obama
That’s 349 for Obama
Still North Carolina and Missouri to go (26 EV)
Pop.vote Obama 52% McCain 46% Delta 6%
Which means the aggregated polls like 538.com were spot on.
Arnodium Upinarum: On the issue of historical figures, I’m going to say something that’s been bouncing around in my head since last night which some may not agree with; this election validates LBJ’s Great Society program. Lots of ink, electronic or otherwise, has been spilt calling it wasteful, undemocratic, and unsuccessful, but in 40 years those programs managed to change U.S. society enough for a miscegenated, arab-named man who benefited at one point in his childhood from wellfare to be elected President of this Union.
LBJ was right; throwing money at it does help solve the problem. Head-start, affirmative action, school lunch programs, all of it; they really did engineer a shift in U.S. views, and once again, the electoral might of the Rainbow Coalition is reaffirmed. Tall Texan bastards everywhere should be smiling today.
I really hope that Obama works out for you guys and that he turns out to be a great and thoughtful president. But….
I remember all too well when Tony Blair was elected overwhelmingly in the UK in 1997 replacing a headless administration. The expectations were well up there too but were we disappointed!
The lesson we learnt, with Blair in particular, is that being young, trendy, able to think on your feet and produce instantly good sound bites may make a ‘good politician’ but doesn’t make a good government. Very little fundamental change (for the better) came from the Blair government.
Ever the optimist I note that Obama seems more thoughtful and less flashy than Blair so disillusionment isn’t inevitable!
Elizabeth Dole’s concession speech continued her downward spiral into the 7th level of gigantic assholishness.
Some polls to crash.
http://siriusknotts.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/were-adam-eve-real-a-critical-look-at-the-inconsistency-of-long-age-compromise-creationism/#comment-1119
Now we need to see about follow-through on that independence from foreign oil within ten years thing. As a scientist I’m sure it’s doable but requires multiple-Apollo-program levels of effort.
Good Morning Everyone! Here in Toledo Ohio it is literally and figuratively bright and sunny this morning.
What a spectacular day for our Country!
It is great to know that this great nation founded by our revolutionairy and critical thinking founders can still inspire dramatic change and hope.
The icing on the cake was when the levy to re-open and fund our local children’s science museum COSI (here in the nation’s solar industry capital of Northwest Ohio) passed after previously being voted down on two occassions (2006, 2007).
Wow what a night and what a great feeling to wake up in a nation, although faced with serious concerns, one that is now poised to focus on unity,science, education, working with our global neighbors and hopefully extolling and not ridiculing critical thinking.
From Focus on the Family (Citizenlink):
“With an Obama administration forthcoming, Focus Action’s Tom Minnery says, ‘We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us.’…Minnery pointed out that in the Bible, God worked through pagan rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar, Darius and Cyrus to accomplish his purposes, and that values voters ought to begin praying for President-elect Obama.”
Didn’t know Obama was a pagan.
Mine weren’t. I could see the evil behind the smile beforehand. Unfortunately, most people are more easily fooled though (which is one of those fundamental flaws in democracy).
I don’t think this has been mentioned yet:
Washington state becomes the second state to pass a death with dignity law. Yay Washington!
#370 “Here is a great way to bring everyone on this thread together:
Send Quiet Desperation, Eric Atkinson and Scott O to the moron dungeon.
Their repetitive boring tripe needs to be devoweled and flushed.”
Pssssst…. killfile :-)
Hello America from the UK and well done on a historic and great decision. I’m not saying Obama is the perfect leader for the US – only time will tell that – but thank you for seeing enough sense to keep Palin away from the Whitehouse !! The relief about that is palpable here !
Rog
Eric A. @285
The other day I promised you kudos if you would be true to your word, and come by and take your lumps.
Kudos to you, you have earned my respect.
Unfortunately, just 2 posts later, you returned to being an asshammer.
Nuts to you, you have just returned my respect for a full refund. Nice job.
Everyone else…
This has been a good day for us all. Way to go!
PLEASE pray. Spend every waking moment praying so that you aren’t doing anything that actually has any effect on reality.
Pray your tightly wired shut asses off.
– I am so wise
Depends what you mean by “minority”. The UK and Austria have elected Jewish political leaders. Also, the USA has yet to elect a majority candidate as political leader – that is, a woman. The UK, Germany, Norway and Iceland have all done so, as have (outside Europe) Israel, India, Pakistan, Philippines (twice), Sri Lanka, Burma (although not allowed to take office) Argentina (twice), Chile, Nicaragua and New Zealand. Maybe a global moratorium on national smugness would be a good idea?
All that said, it is indeed a great thing for the USA to have elected a black President – and elected him not because he’s black, but because he was obviously the best candidate, with the best policies. Sincerest congratulations, for that reason among all the others!
Nick Gotts, I’m sure we’ll elect a woman president soon enough. Maybe not in four years (I’m hoping that Obama will live up to the high expectations we have for him and in so doing earn his reelection) but perhaps in eight or twelve. Perhaps I’m being naive, but I believe that we nominated Obama over Clinton for reasons unrelated to gender, and I believe we elected Obama over McCain for reasons unrelated to race. I know I did.
Up until 18 months ago, I would have bet long odds that we’d elect a woman president before a black one, but Obama was just the right candidate at the right time.
gazza,
I agree with you that there’a a risk that Obama turns out to be an empty promiss and nothing much changes.
Afterall, the 8 Clinton years didn’t change much either.
But I truely believe we are living a historic moment, a dscontinuity, not because of Obama, but because of this economic crisis.
Now on one hand this is going to be a great challenge, but this can be a great opportunity for a great leader, if he is one, which we don’t yet know, to make real profound changes.
I’ve never believed that history is made by historic figures, but by historic moments, like what we are going to live in the years to come : there’s just so many things to do : we have to revamp the world economy from a global recession which is going to be long and protracted, we have to solve the problem of energy consumption and carbon emmissions, and both are in the end linked. Those leaders that happen to seize those opportunities and turn them to their advantage and to that of their people pass on to posterity.
So all in all, I don’t think the situation today, 2009-2012, a world in crisis, where our leaders are absolutely obliged to do something, is at all similar to that of the years 1997-1999 when accelerated growth, booming stock markets and real estate, deregulation, and very little government was the chosen way and where noone would have listened to the voices of Cassandra, even if they had come from someone like Blair.
So I’m much more hopeful that in the current context real profound change might come our way than I have ever been.
The first test will be this G20 meeting mid November. Let’s see what Obama’s attitude is then.
Dear US,
Congratulations and thank you.
With love from the UK.
xxx
Anyone* who exhibits *any* dissent is just lumped together into the same “dungeon” as you say.”
Typical Democrat behavior.
The election hasn’t changed one this: Eric still lives in Opposite World, where the Democratic Party forces its members to walk in rigid lockstep and isn’t an unfocused party with a broad range of views.
because of what the kids have to put up with
Of course, the crap they have to “put up with” is from bigots like you.
Prop 8 passed in california. I don’t think that america will ever accept gays. I think that the majority of americans see being gay as purely behavioral and that most people are too stupid or unwilling to understand that it is not changeable because it is not tangible like skin color. I’m glad we have a democratic president though. At least we won’t have a really really conservative supreme court. Still, Canada is looking better all the time. I hear that there are lots of cute girls in van couver.
They have to make excuses to line up with their religion.
I think the country will accept gays. Right now, there is a lot of personal acceptance, but that isn’t being translated to equal protection under the law very fast. I suspect in 20 years everybody will be wondering why a majority of people were against gays 20 years ago.
If he got the remaining 26, he’d then have 375 ECVs which, I understand, meets the definition of “landslide” being used by ‘electoral-vote.com’ amongst others.
Sarah,
I hear you. But I still have to have some hope. I hope that as the older generation dies off that their hate and bigotry dies off with them. That their fear of meeting their god dies with them and they no longer try to impose their will in his name on the rest of us.
The Petey-
I’m hung over so hope feels a little foggy at best. I mean I’m young and so maybe time will tell. I can’t say that I feel particularly patient. I’m not sure where my efforts are best focused at this point. There is a campaign to strip the mormon church of it’s tax exempt status and while I like the sound of it I feel like it will never happen.
OT, Mover is back dropping his excrement on a couple of old Palin threads. Please stop by and give him some rebuttals to hasten his leaving.
@#176
I very much doubt that.
#485:
Not only that I also heard:
Christmas 2008 has been cancelled. The evil libruls are going to completely repackage the holiday and rename it to Obamamas and then re-introduce it in 2009.
The states will be renamed too. Starting with Alobama.
All vehicular traffic in the USA will drive on the left. New model cars will have their steering wheels moved to the right side.
The electrical grid will be changed from AC to DC and we will need to replace all the transformers and buy all new street lights.
US currency will look more like the Euro and the presidents will be replaced with portraits of the Obama family. Early predictions have most of Alabama and the southern USA changing to a barter economy.
The Pips will be appointed to The Supremes Court.
Everyone will be required to check a box for Gay or Straight on their driver’s license. Only Gay people will receive change for their purchases.
All vehicles, lunchboxes, and school lockers will be required to display a sign or sticker that reads, “Don’t blame me; blame Sarah Palin”
Churches will be closed and remodeled over the Easter weekend and turned into Planetariums and each one will be required to have the latest and greatest and possibly most expensive ‘overhead projectors’ not bought for the U.S. military. Oh, and admission will be free.
God has spoken. He wanted B. Hussein Obama to be president. And just for giggles He also wants the sign on President Obama’s door to read that way.
The Executive Branch of the US gov’t will look much like the Nazis because Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America. 4+4=8. “H” is the 8th letter of the alphabet. Hitler’s name begins with an “H”. Therefore, Obama is Hitler (or something like that).
All zoos will halt breeding programs immediately and force all impregnated animals to have abortions then the exhibits will be reorganized so that only same-sex animals are together and thus enforcing the Gay Agenda(TM). Early rumors are that zebras will be re-painted in a rainbow pattern until the geneticists have perfected the animal’s genes to produce that pattern naturally.
Oh, almost forgot: Five hundred sixty something-th!
Sorry PZ – I was compelled to.
Please don’t disemvowel me – this post will not work without vowels. ;)
@Mike Wedel (#471): The only boos I recall hearing at the Obama rally were whenever CNN projected a state going to McCain. But really, it was more just that the state was going Republican, and less directly booing McCain (at least, that’s how it felt to me).
Even when we were watching the McCain concession live and his crowd was booing, not much of anything was said on our end that I can remember. Just a little bit of tittering rippling through the crowd, but certainly no booing.
On behalf of us all, I accept your congratulations. It’s winning about 59/41, too. And we had a lot of out-of-state money from the same slimy groups that passed Prop 8 in CA, so it doesn’t always work! (They had Martin Sheen doing an anti-1000 commercial; my only reaction was: “Get your nose out of the Pope’s ass, Martin!”)
In a funny note, the Republicans “Top Two” primary they promoted so heavily put two Democrats on my ballot for state senator, so I got to vote against the incumbent, who came out strongly against 1000, with a clear conscience. She won reelection, of course, but still….
We managed to keep one of the most disgusting pieces of filth that has ever crawled out from under a rock in this state, Dino Rossi, out of the Governor’s mansion (again).
Unfortunately, due to Rossi’s narrow defeat after multiple recounts last time, which is where the Republicans invented their “Mickey Mouse” and “Pluto” registrations theory which they went nationwide with this time, they had a county charter amendment on the ballot this time to turn the job of Elections Supervisor into an elective (i.e. potentially Republican office.)
This is very bad. King County handles the second largest number of ballots of any county in the country after Los Angeles county. If any of you see a similar proposition where you live, please vote against it! What’s wrong with hiring someone for a job who actually (Gasp!) knows what they’re doing?
Unfortunately that rancid pustule Reichert looks like pulling out a squeaker. Maybe Gary Ridgeway did vote for him!
Nick Gotts:
And Finland. As every Conan O’Brien fan will remember. We’ve also had a president from a linguistic minority although not a traditionally oppressed or disenfranchised one.
Peregrinus:
We know, strangely many of you would rather listen to Middle Eastern whackaloons. Maybe you’d be better off listening to the Finnish whackaloons for a change.
Vedä vittu päähäs ja pakene vuorille itkemään.
More congratulations from a Finn, if they annoy some asshole that’s just a plus.
Since 3 US states (sadly, including my own!) voted to ban gay marriage, I think the nation should take away everyone’s marriage: “Since you all can’t share the word and concept of marriage, we are going to take it away: BOOM, you’re ALL un-married.”
Then there would be a federally-mandated Search-and-Replace on all federal, state, and municipal laws for anything about marriage/married/marry, all to be replaced with some “civil union” language.
Since everyone in the nation who wants to go back to the privileges and status heretofore given to marriage will now need one of the new civil unions, have a govt. official in each city or county run the paperwork process of giving couples who apply for them civil unions. Charge a sliding scale of $5 to $25 (according to income)per civil union, and it will be a great one-time, short-term solution for our debt-ridden budget, too.
Then we who voted AGAINST Prop 8 (in CA) will get to watch all the people who wanted to “protect marriage” wail and gnash their teeth.
My dear congenital moron,
Many of the Democrats who have been elected tend conservative (I use the accepted American definition here, not PZ’s, which is “anyone a tick to my right”) and they are as tough, if not tougher, on illegal immigration as Republicans.
I don’t care what you think you know, you clueless pos. Besides which, you have already proved you are an idiot in other venues (e.g., Panda’s Thumb). Now, you are just being gratuitous.
I don’t think that america will ever accept gays.
Thinking has limited utility without information:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20081031-9999-1n31field.html
And another thing on President Halonen of Finland: hopefully she will get an invitation to the White House in the near future. She hasn’t been welcomed there since 2002, which may or may not have something to do with her criticism of the invasion of Iraq at UN.
WTF? 52% to 46% is a landslide?
I thought this was a science blog.
Anybody here take statistics?
Anyone?
MarkB, try reading this. I seem to recall dubya’s “landslide” and political capital in 2004.
No, but a comfortable victory. To put things in perspective here are the victory margins of the previous presidents for their first elections, as you will see, Obama’s 6% margin puts him in 3rd place in the last 40 years :
3.Obama 2008 : 6.0%
7.Bush2 2000 : -0.5%
4.Clinton 1992 : 5.3%
2.Bush1 1988 : 7.8%
1.Reagan 1980 : 9.7%
5.Carter 1976 : 2.1%
6.Nixon 1968 : 0.7%
windy@570,
Thanks, I missed that one! Which minority? Swedish?
Many of the Democrats who have been elected tend conservative (I use the accepted American definition here, not PZ’s, which is “anyone a tick to my right”) and they are as tough, if not tougher, on illegal immigration as Republicans. PerigrANUS
They might still be just bright enough to recognise their own electoral interests. That’s not likely for conservatives, admittedly, but possible.
Thanks, I missed that one! Which minority? Swedish?
Yep, Svinhufvud and Mannerheim – not any surprise or “overcoming great odds” considering Finnish history, but still it goes to show that there are a lot of different “minorities”.
Yeah, we covered linear regression, analysis of variance, blocked designs and orthogonal contrasts, nonparametrics, and some other stuff, but I don’t recall a definition of the subjective term “landslide” being mentioned.
I haven’t read this whole thread, so in case no one’s mentioned it…
MA voted the other day to:
1) NOT abolish the state income tax
2) decriminalize pot (lame version of decriminalization, but still)
3) ban dog racing