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First Read: The day in politics by NBC News for NBC News
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http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/default.aspx
>From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
FIRST THOUGHTS: The 44th President.
*** The 44th President: In a just a little more than four years, an Illinois
state senator who delivered a rousing speech at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention will now become the 44th president of the United States and the
country's first African-American president. As of publication time, Obama
gained 349 electoral votes to McCain's 173, (just before publication NBC News
named McCain the "apparent" winner in Missouri. But North Carolina (15) and
Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District are still undecided. In addition, Obama
won the popular vote, 52%-46% -- the first time a Democrat won more than 51%
since LBJ did it in 1964. But Obama's election wasn't the only good news for
the Democrats last night. They picked up five Senate seats (with GA, AK, OR, MN
still outstanding), 1 governorship (MO), and at least a net of 17 House seats
(with some still outstanding).
*** Putting Country First: As for the man who lost last night, he delivered a
concession speech that might stand the test of time. "Sen. Obama and I have had
and argued our differences, and he has prevailed," he said. "No doubt many of
those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I
pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the
many challenges we face. (21) I urge all Americans... I urge all Americans who
supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next
president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together." It
was a pitch-perfect speech, and will spur the same questions that we heard
after Gore's concession speeches: Where was that person on the campaign trail?
John McCain and his alter ego Mark Salter have always had a sense of history
and it came through last night.
*** Payback And Geography: Obama's victory last night was a payback of sorts
for Democrats. He won the state that eluded Gore in 2000 (Florida), as well as
the one that escaped Kerry in 2004 (Ohio). But those weren't the only
battleground states Obama went on to win. In fact, he won in several different
parts of the country: 1) the Midwest, especially the states surrounding
Illinois like Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin; 2) out in the West, in Colorado,
Nevada, and New Mexico; 3) the Rust Belt, in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania;
and 4) the New South, including Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. The only
places where Obama didn't win: the Deep South and the Plains. By the way, take
a look at Indiana one more time. This is a state Bush won by 20 points.
TWENTY?!?!?? And Obama flipped it. Every other flip Obama made was explainable
in some way -- demographics, etc. But to flip Indiana, not a growth state like
Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina or Florida. If any state screams, "It was
the economy, stupid" it was Indiana.
*** Keys to the Keystone: Lost in Obama's impressive 11-point win in
Pennsylvania is that McCain's Western PA strategy worked. The problem? There
weren't enough votes out there. Eastern PA, from the Philadelphia suburbs to
Scranton (thanks Joe the Senator and Hillary), went in blowout margins for
Obama. Obama overperformed Kerry in places like Lackawanna -- where Scranton is
- which went for Obama, 63%-36%. Kerry carried it 56%-42%. We weren't sure
Obama could hold THAT margin. It was the same story all throughout the Eastern
counties - Lehigh (51%-48% for Kerry, 58%-41% for Obama); Luzerne (51%-48% for
Kerry, 54%-45% for Obama); Monroe (which Bush won by four votes, went for Obama
58%-41%); Northampton (Kerry 50%-49%, Obama 56%-43%). In the Philly 'burbs,
Obama got big margins out of Bucks, Chester (which Bush won) and Montgomery
counties. In fact, in Montgomery, Obama got 249,000 votes from a 6x%-39% win;
Kerry got 222,000 from a 56%-44% victory. In Western PA, First Read was
watching three counties -- Beaver, Washington and Fayette, all counties Kerry
carried narrowly. McCain flipped each of them, but the three counties combined
had about 227,000 TOTAL votes. (For more states, see Battleground section
below.)
*** Obama's Four-Legged Chair: Our final NBC/WSJ poll before the election
showed that Obama had a three-legged stool of support that contributed to his
lead over McCain -- African Americans, Hispanics, and 18-29 year olds. And that
poll (and others like it) proved to be right. Obama won African Americans,
95%-4%; Hispanics, 66%-32%; and 18-29 year olds, 66%-32%. But Obama had one
extra bit of support that turned a three-legged stool into a four-legged chair:
college-educated whites. McCain narrowly beat him here, 51%-47%, which helped
reverse a 17-point deficit Kerry had with all whites in 2004 to the 12-point
deficit Obama had last night. And it's what helped Obama do so well in suburban
counties like the ones above in Pennsylvania or the ones in the I-4 corridor of
Florida or the ones in Northern Virginia. That's the difference, folks, between
losing an election and winning one.
*** More Exit Numbers: Obama claimed the center, winning independents, 52%-44%
and moderates, 60%-39%. McCain slightly underperformed among evangelicals,
winning them 74%-24%; Bush won them in 2004, 78%-21%. In addition, 60% viewed
Palin as unqualified to be president, compared with 66% who saw Biden as
qualified. What's more, 42% said that their economic situation was worse off
than it was four years ago. Obama won those people, 71%-28%. And Bush was a big
drag on McCain: 71% said they disapproved of Bush's job, and those people broke
for Obama by a 67%-31% margin. By the way, Bush makes a Rose Garden statement
on last night's election at 10:40 am.
*** Highest Turnout Rate Since '08 -- 1908: Provided the number stands, the
turnout rate for yesterday's election was the highest in 100 years, according
to the estimate from turnout guru Dr. Mike McDonald at George Mason University.
Almost 137 million (136,631,825) went to the polls -- 64.1% of the
voting-eligible population. 1960 saw 63.7% of the populace go out to vote; In
1908, 65.7% voted. It was, of course, the most people ever to go to the polls
topping 2004's 122 million. That's 12% increase from 2004. For those wondering
why the current total vote in the presidential adds up to approximately 117
million, note that it's going to climb. There is still a ton of vote missing on
the West coast. http://elections.gmu.edu/Blog.html
*** It Could Have Been Worse: That may be the new slogan of the 2008 Republican
Party. The Congressional bloodbath was bad, but it wasn't as bad as some
Republicans feared it would be last week. Ted Stevens may yet survive (4,000
votes); Minnesota Senate is headed for a recount; Saxby Chambliss still has
some chance to eke out 50% though the trendlines don't look good and a ton of
votes (perhaps a million) appear to be outstanding in Oregon, meaning Gordon
Smith's fate may not be known for a few days. And in the House, it appears the
Democratic pickup could be in the mid-20s, not the 30+ some had feared. Still,
the glass isn't half full for the GOP, it simply has some condensation.
*** What's Next Grand Old Party: It's hard not to look at the map --
particularly in the House -- and not view the GOP as a regional party right
now. If it weren't for the party's relative strength in the South, the party
would be in even worse shape. Later this week, as the party deconstructs this
election, the recriminations will begin. Who will emerge as the next group of
leaders? Mitch McConnell survived re-election, but will he survive any
leadership challenge? What about House GOP leader John Boehner? No doubt he'll
be challenged. Still, will McConnell and Boehner be the true leaders of the
minority party? There will be a spirited race for the RNC chairmanship. State
chairs from Michigan and South Carolina will run as will some former governor,
maybe even Newt Gingrich. A group of current and former governors will also get
together and attempt to have a say in the party. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana even
has an Iowa visit planned later this month; Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah
Palin and Jeb Bush could all also play roles. As will Mark Sanford and Haley
Barbour. Bottom line, there is a massive leadership vacuum inside the
Republican Party and there are no shortage of candidates who will attempt to
fill that vacuum. The first thing to watch for: Will the fight be to do this
from inside the RNC or will there be a DLC-like organization that emerges from
the outside?
*** Some First Clues: NBC-WSJ GOP pollster Neil Newhouse did a post-election
survey last night, and here's what he found: Just 12% of those surveyed
believed Palin should be the GOP's new leader; instead 29% of voters said
Romney, followed by 20% who say Huckabee. Among GOPers, it was Romney 33%,
Huckabee 20% and Palin 18%. Look for more from this survey later today.
*** Transition Watch: All eyes are on Rahm Emanuel as he ponders whether to
take the White House CoS job or stay in Congress and attempt to some day become
Speaker of the House.
*** For Those About To Barack, We Salute You: NBC/NJ's Athena Jones wonders:
Just how many new babies in the United States - and throughout the world - will
be named Barack?
Countdown to Electoral Vote Count: 64 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 76 days
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OBAMA WINS.
The New York Times front page: "OBAMA." Subheadline: "Racial barrier falls in
decisive victory."
http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2008/11/05/pageone/scan/index.html
The NY Times' Nagourney: "The election of Mr. Obama amounted to a national
catharsis -- a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and
his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama's call for a
change in the direction and the tone of the country. But it was just as much a
strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation's fraught racial
history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05elect.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
The Washington Post: "Obama makes history." "Obama, 47, the son of a Kenyan
father and a white mother from Kansas, led a tide of Democratic victories
across the nation in defeating Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a
26-year veteran of Washington who could not overcome his connections to
President Bush's increasingly unpopular administration."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110404246.html?hpid=topnews
The Washington Post's Balz lead: "After a victory of historic significance,
Barack Obama will inherit problems of historic proportions. Not since Franklin
D. Roosevelt was inaugurated at the depths of the Great Depression in 1933 has
a new president been confronted with the challenges Obama will face as he
starts his presidency."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110500041.html?hpid=topnews
"His general-election campaign had gone stale. For weeks, he had watched Sen.
John McCain suction up the oxygen in the race, driving the news coverage after
the boisterous Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., and suddenly drawing
huge crowds with his new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin," the
Washington's Post's Kornblut writes. "Convening the meeting that Sunday in the
office of David Axelrod, his chief strategist, Obama was blunt: It was time to
get serious.
"'He said, 'You know, maybe we can just win it on the issues. But I don't think
so,' recalled senior adviser Anita Dunn. With the debates approaching and just
seven weeks until the election, "his charge to everybody was 'Guys, we're back
in combat mode,'" Dunn said. And then, the next morning, a global earthquake
hit: Lehman Brothers, the giant investment firm, filed for bankruptcy,
triggering the biggest corporate collapse in U.S. history and an international
financial meltdown, and transforming the presidential race."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110404531.html?hpid=topnews
"Historic victory" is the six-column banner headline of the Boston Globe.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/larger_view/?g_date=2008_11_05
The LA Times Barabak: "In winning the White House, Obama modified the
electorate:About 1 in 10 of those casting ballots Tuesday were doing so for the
first time. Though that number was about the same as four years ago, most of
the newcomers were younger than 30, about a fifth were black, and a fifth were
Latino. That was greater than their share of the overall population, and those
groups voted overwhelmingly for Obama."
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-ledeall5-2008nov05,0,2076534.story
"Race proved to be no discernible handicap, even among the small-town,
working-class whites who were considered most resistant to the black political
newcomer from Chicago," writes the LA Times. More: "Obama improved on past
Democratic performances among all groups, with the singular exception of
seniors. He improved on 2004 nominee John F. Kerry's totals among Jews,
Protestants and Catholics. While Kerry split women's votes with Bush, Obama won
a decisive majority. Moreover, Obama won the votes of 4 in 10 white men --
higher than the last five Democratic presidential nominees, according to a
National Journal study of exit polls -- and nearly half of white independents"
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-assess5-2008nov05,0,7733326.story
The NY Daily News: "Change has come" is the cover headline below a smiling
Obama.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/galleries/november_2008_front_pages/november_2008_front_pages.html
The NY Post: "Obama wins." "Barack Obama scored a barrier-breaking victory
tonight to become the first black president of the United States -- capping a
22-month quest that tapped into a national hunger for 'hope' and 'change.'"
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11042008/news/politics/barack_obama_wins_the_presidency_137002.htm
The Globe's lead: "Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was elected the 44th
president of the United States and the nation's first black commander in chief
yesterday, his triumph ushering in an era of profound political and social
realignment in America."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/05/historic_victory/
"This is one of those moments in history when it is worth pausing to reflect on
the basic facts," writes the New York Times' editorial board. "An American with
the name Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a white woman and a black man he
barely knew, raised by his grandparents far outside the stream of American
power and wealth, has been elected the 44th president of the United States. ...
Mr. Obama will now need the support of all Americans. Mr. McCain made an
elegant concession speech Tuesday night in which he called on his followers not
just to honor the vote, but to stand behind Mr. Obama. After a nasty,
dispiriting campaign, he seemed on that stage to be the senator we long
respected for his service to this country and his willingness to compromise.
That is a start. The nation's many challenges are beyond the reach of any one
man, or any one political party."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/opinion/05wed1.html?ref=opinion
"And yet Obama's clear-cut victory, bolstered by strong majorities of his own
party in both houses of Congress, can be read as a mandate for some very
specific policy changes that could, by themselves, have momentous impact.
Withdrawal from Iraq. Renewal of the six-decade quest for national health
insurance. The launch of a major government-funded quest for renewable energy,"
the Boston Globe writes. Beyond the policies, Obama's election will stand
forever amid the great milestones of America's racial history, the end of a
torturous progression from emancipation to the civil rights movement to the
election of the first black president. And yet the biggest change of all - the
one that the hundreds of thousands of supporters who came to Grant Park are
expecting -- will be intangible: The change of tone in the country."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/11/05/shift_in_tone_will_bring_a_watershed_for_nation/
"Millions of black voters across the country turned out to help elect Barack
Obama the first African-American president yesterday, and as they did, they
reflected not just on the course of a historic campaign, but on the history of
a nation. From Florida to Arizona, Chicago to Boston, black Americans said they
were writing a new chapter in a progression that began long before Obama burst
onto the scene at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. The moment was
tinged with poignancy at the prices paid by generations before them who could
have never imagined a black man winning the highest office in the land."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/05/among_blacks_joy_and_tears_at_journeys_end/
AP: "Throngs packed plazas and pubs around the world to await US elections
results last night and today, many inspired by Barack Obama's promise of change
amid a sense of relief that the White House is changing hands."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/05/world_watches_assesses_results/
"His name etched in history as America's first black president, Barack Obama
turned from the jubilation of victory to the sobering challenge of leading a
nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global
uncertainty," AP writes.
http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/E/ELECTION_RDP?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-11-05-05-36-16
AP's Walter Mears: "Audacity won. Now Barack Obama must validate the hope and
deliver the change he promised. He's already changed America by becoming the
first black man to win the White House. His challenge is to change the course
of its government and guide it through hard times and past the financial crisis
he inherits as he takes office."
http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/E/ELECTION_ANALYSIS?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-11-05-05-26-44
"No president since before Barack Obama was born has ascended to the Oval
Office confronted by the accumulation of seismic challenges awaiting him.
Historians grasping for parallels point to Abraham Lincoln taking office as the
nation was collapsing into Civil War, or Franklin D. Roosevelt arriving in
Washington in the throes of the Great Depression," The NY Times' Baker writes.
"What kind of decision maker and leader Mr. Obama will be remains unclear even
to many of his supporters. Will he be willing to use his political capital and
act boldly, or will he move cautiously and risk being paralyzed by competing
demands from within his own party? His performance under the harsh lights of
the campaign trail suggests a figure with remarkable coolness and confidence
under enormous pressure, yet also one who rarely veers off the methodical path
he lays out."
And don't miss: "Mr. Obama may also have a news conference and announce top
White House appointees by the end of the week, advisers said."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05ahead.html?ref=politics
The NYT's Healy offers this warning: "The last two Democratic presidents, Bill
Clinton and Jimmy Carter, claimed that they had reshaped electoral politics by
recapturing battlegrounds like Georgia, Missouri and Ohio with promises of
governing from the center. Both came up short rather quickly: Mr. Carter's
declaration of a post-Watergate realignment ended with one term and the loss of
the Senate in 1980, while Mr. Clinton's party lost Congress after two years and
watched Republicans reclaim the White House in 2000.
"Mr. Obama will soon face an American people seeking to have hopes met and
change confirmed as he addresses an array of problems no incoming president has
faced since Franklin D. Roosevelt. And Democrats will expect, in short order, a
plan for withdrawing one to two brigades a month from Iraq, a major economic
stimulus package, and a repeal of President Bush's tax cuts."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05assess.html?ref=politics
THE BATTLEGROUND: How the states fell.
COLORADO: The Denver Post: "From the outset, the campaign veered from
traditional Democratic strategy, which limited them to pockets of the country,
and instead targeted regions where Democrats don't usually venture. The
campaign's mobilization and organizational efforts among volunteers is likely
unparalleled in current politics, using everything from text messaging to
Internet recruiting." http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_10900108
FLORIDA: Hang This on Your Chad and Poke It! In Florida, Obama paved a path to
victory by winning the swing counties on the Gulf Coast and outperforming Kerry
and Gore (for that matter) nearly everywhere else, including in Orange, Duval
and Volusia counties.
The Miami Herald: "For Florida Democrats, who have tolerated a
Republican-controlled state government since the late 1990s and relished few
statewide victories since then, Obama's victory signaled a new day. The
Democratic nominee didn't just invest in a rusty political infrastructure; he
built a new one from the ground up."
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/757505.html
GEORGIA: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The McCain win in Georgia is a
tribute to the state Republican Party's ability to set aside its differences
and work for the good of the party. McCain lost the February primary, and at
the state Republican convention, speaker after speaker mentioned how McCain was
their first choice.But McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his
vice presidential nominee seemed to change that. Evangelical conservatives,
some of whom distrusted McCain, saw in Palin a kindred spirit and moved solidly
back into the fold."
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/11/04/election_president_obama_mccain.html
INDIANA: Hoosier Daddy: There isn't much to compare what Obama did in Indiana.
Think about this, not only had the Hoosier State not gone for a Democrat since
1964, it also was a 20-point margin for Bush just four years ago. It's just
emblamatic of how much a tectonic election this was. How'd Obama do it? With
the organization he built there during the primaries, he beat Kerry's margins
in Marion and Lake and flipped several counties, including, Vigo, Vanderburgh,
Perry, Spencer, Madison, Delaware, Vermillon and St. Joseph's. It turned out
not to be just about a few counties. Remember, there's a reason Obama held that
rally in places like Evansville in Vanderburgh the night of Pennsylvania
primary.
"While Obama was rewriting the nation's history, he was making history in
Indiana, well, eking out a razor-thin victory here. It was the first time a
Democratic presidential candidate had won the state in 44 years. McCain won
many rural counties with 60 percent or more of the vote, but Obama offset that
with big margins in many larger counties, including Marion, St. Joseph and
Lake, a Democratic stronghold near his hometown of Chicago."
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081105/NEWS0502/811050415
IOWA: The Des Moines Register's Yepsen calls Obama's victory speech "It was
moving oratory and a tonic for a weary nation anxious to move on."
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=3a86a5c341684631abb59d87c02a2df8&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a3a86a5c341684631abb59d87c02a2df8Post%3acadffce0-5cc8-488a-b15f-774455ba3150&sid=sitelife.desmoinesregister.com
MISSOURI: No showing of results from the Show-Me state as of this writing, but
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers this county analysis: "In St. Charles
County, another Republican stronghold, McCain appeared to be performing
slightly below Bush's 2004 numbers. Obama, meanwhile, was outpolling Kerry by a
significant margin in urban and suburban parts of the state. In the city of St.
Louis, Obama's edge was 108,000 votes."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/CCE387ECE348A5F4862574F800200195?OpenDocument
NEVADA: Silver (State) Surfer: Obama won Nevada convincingly. We'd heard a lot
about the Dems' new voter registration edge in traditionally Republican areas
like Washoe County. In fact, Obama flipped Washoe, 55%-43%. It was a place Bush
won 51%-47% in 2004. Obama also fared better than Kerry in rural northeastern
Elko. Bush had won it 76%-19%, but Obama shrunk the margins. He still lost, but
gained almost 10 percentage points, 68%-28%, in a place he made nearly half a
dozen stops this cycle.
Early vote, says the Las Vegas Sun, was key to Obama's victory. "The Democrat
scored surprisingly strong numbers in early returns in Nevada, putting the
state out of reach for his rival, Republican John McCain.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/04/obama-takes-nevada/
NEW YORK: "Democrats won control of the State Senate last night for the first
time in 43 years by ousting veteran Republicans in Suffolk and Queens."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-stsena055912716nov05,0,2780178.story
NORTH CAROLINA: If Obama pulls out the still-not-called Tar Heel State, it will
have pulled a "hat trick" - party wins in the Senate, governor, and
presidential races - for the first time since 1960.
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/christensen/story/1282911.html\
OHIO: The Columbus Dispatch: "Democrats, riding the coattails of Barack Obama,
regained control of the Ohio House on Tuesday for the first time since Verne
Riffe ended his 20-year reign as Speaker in 1994."
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/11/05/oh_leg.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
PENNSYLVANIA: Per the Philly Inquirer: "If many western Pennsylvanians are
racists, as U.S. Rep. John Murtha blurted recently, it appears that some found
a way to vote for a black man anyway and that others stayed home in yesterday's
election. Or maybe, as Murtha later said, he was wrong about his constituents.
Democrat Barack Obama cruised to a comfortable win in the Keystone State with a
strong turnout in Philadelphia and a big win in its suburbs. He also made
inroads into traditional Republican areas elsewhere in the state, where turnout
was down compared to four years ago."
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081105_Obama_cruises_in__racist__Pennsylvania.html\
VIRGINIA: Super NoVA: Obama rode to victory in Virginia, the first time for a
Democrat since 1964, in part because of increased margins in Northern Virginia.
He won Loudon 53%-47% (Bush won it 56%-44%); Fairfax 59%-41% (Kerry won it
53%-46%); Arlington: Obama 69%-30% (Kerry 63%-32%); Prince William 56%-44%
(Bush won it 53%-46%). Additionally, Obama got a wide 72%-28% win out of
Alexandria. Elsewhere, Obama also blew out Kerry's margin in Albermarle. Kerry
won it 51%-49%; Obama took it 59%-40%. Obama also flipped Henrico (Richmond and
suburbs). Bush had won it 54%-46%; Obama won it by about the reverse margin,
56%-44%, a net 20-percentage point change.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch: 'In the end, Virginia's 13 electoral votes didn't
matter. Obama won enough formerly red states elsewhere to wrap up the Electoral
College without Virginia. But Obama's defeat of Sen. John McCain in Virginia
represented a milestone in the Democratic Party's upward march in the state."
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-11-05-0243.html
MCCAIN: McCain concedes.
AP: "McCain conceded the presidential race to Barack Obama, saying the Democrat
has achieved a 'great thing' for himself and the country with his historic
victory."
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11042008/news/politics/mccain_gracefully_concedes_election_137004.htm
PALIN: Back to Alaska?
>From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger: Palin is expected to leave for Alaska Wednesday
>afternoon
"Can Sarah Palin go home again?" asks the Anchorage Daily News. In the 68 days
since Alaska's governor began her run for vice president, things have changed
on the home front. Some of her former allies are fuming, and former enemies are
lying in wait. Public perceptions of the governor have also changed. Has the
governor changed as well? Questions about Palin's future began to circulate at
Alaska's Election Central on Tuesday night almost as soon as the national
election results came in." http://www.adn.com/palin/story/579161.html
DOWN THE BALLOT: No 60 in Senate
SENATE: No to 60: Senate Democrats pulled down the low-hanging fruit in the
competitive races, marking VA (Warner), NH (Shaheen), NC (Hagan), NM (Udall)
and CO (Udall) in their camp. But the races that were higher reaches for Team
Schumer -- KY (McConnell) and MS-B (Wicker) -- stayed in Republican hands. In
the wee hours of the night, the Minnesota, Oregon, Georgia, and Alaska races
all remained too close to call, but only a perfect storm of wins in all four
states would grant Democrats the nine extra votes that they must net to beat a
filibuster. In Minnesota, this morning, Coleman leads Franken by just 762
votes. Stevens leads by 3,353 votes. (By the way, Don Young leads by more than
16,000 votes with 99% in.) Gordon Smith leads by about 13,000 votes with 75%
reporting. Chambliss is three-tenths of a percentage point from dropping below
50% with 99% of precincts reporting. (If he were to drop below 50, there would
be run-off.)
HOUSE: Democrats appear to have netted at least 17 seats in the House. Dems
picked up 12 seats held by Republican incumbents, nine more open seats that had
been held by Republicans. But Republicans were also able to pick up four seats
held by Democrats. About a dozen remain undecided.
Baked Alaska: Apparently Northern Exposure doesn't matter all that much in the
Land of Perpetual Daylight. Into the wee hours of the morning, it was STILL
unclear (as of 4:30 a.m.) if convicted Sen. Ted Stevens and under-investigation
Rep. Don Young were going to lose. In fact, both were winning their races -
despite calls from the party's top brass for Stevens to resign.
Purple Shays: The news out of the House was mixed for Republicans, who were
bracing for a potential bloodbath. Jim Himes' victory over Republican Chris
Shays represented the ousting of the lone GOP representative in the Northeast,
and the fall of incumbents in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida underscored McCain's
toxicity in battleground states. (Of note, though: the Cuban Diaz-Balart
brothers did survive in spite of Obama's long coattails in the state.) But
Republicans who feared losses in the high 30s in the U.S. House are breathing
sighs of (relative) relief this morning, with 22 seats (as of 5:15 a.m.)
evaporating from their camp into Democratic hands. The Cook Political Report's
David Wasserman notes a silver lining for those GOPers fearful of a House
juggernaut: November 4th turned out to be a good day for conservative Dems in
tossup races and a tough one for those on the more liberal side of the
spectrum. Ashwin Madia lost in MN-03, for example, unable to overcome Erik
Paulson's efforts to paint the Iraq War veteran as a tax-and-spend-liberal. But
anti-abortion mother of five Kathy Dahlkemper pulled off a swing-district win
against Republican Phil English.
Get Out of Gaffe Free: The utterers of the two mega-gaffes of the election's
waning weeks were both not punished by voters. Michelle Bachmann (MN-6), who
was accused of McCarthyism after calling for the investigation of
"anti-American" Democrats, and John Murtha (PA-12), who implied that some of
his constituents are racists, both won reelection. The one that didn't get
away? North Carolina Republican Robin Hayes -- who took heat after declaring
that "liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God"
--- was defeated in a rematch against Larry Kissell.
They Love the Gov'nor: Among the nation's 11 gubernatorial races, only one --
in Missouri -- saw a challenger beat a member of the incumbent party. State
Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) beat Representative Kenny Hulshof for the seat
vacated by Matt Blunt (R). But in North Carolina, Democrat Bev Perdue rode
Obama's long coattails in the state to beat popular Charlotte mayor Pat
McCrory; she'll replace outgoing Democrat Mike Easley. Incumbent Christine
Gregoire won the madly-fought rematch of her 2004 race against Republican Dino
Rossi. And Indiana's Gov Mitch Daniels sailed past once-promising Jill Long
Thompson to win reelection.
"Democrats increased their ranks in Congress last night, picking up seats from
the Canadian to the Mexican borders and ushering in a new era of Democratic
power in Washington the party has not seen since the 1960s," the Boston Globe
writes.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/11/05/new_era_beginning_for_party_in_power/
BUSH: Last night and the legacy.
The NY Daily News' Goodwin: "It now seems from the ice age, yet it was only
four years ago that President Bush was basking in his election. ... Thanks to
two unfinished wars and an economic meltdown, Bush's legacy is the historic
landslide election of an inexperienced Barack Obama and a liberal-led
Democratic Congress determined to undo every shred of the last eight years.
Bush leaves his own party defeated and demoralized."
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/11/05/2008-11-05_dem_victory_is_part_of_the_bush_legacy.html
First Read with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, every weekday on
MSNBC-TV at 9 a.m. ET.
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