Obama Isn't The President Elect

Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, along with the Twelfth and Twentieth Amendments govern the election of the U.S. President. The members of the Electoral College are elected by the people in November once every four years in a general election; on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, electors convene in their respective state capitals (and the District of Columbia) and in turn elect the President of the United States. The electoral ballots are counted in a joint session of Congress on January 6 (as required by 3 U.S. Code, Chapter 1), and if the ballots are accepted without objections, the candidate winning at least 270 electoral votes is announced the President-elect by the incumbent Vice President, in his or her capacity as President of the Senate.

Just for clarification.

You Can Vote Whoever You Like

Obama on the Left; McCain on the Right

C'mon kids, how could you forget Nader et al?

Moderates To Blame For GOP Loss

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council told CNN that conservatives need to take back control of the GOP if the party is to return to its winning ways.

"Moderates never beat conservatives. We've seen that in past elections," he said.

Rejecting suggestions that the conservative movement was viewed as being out of touch with the electorate, Perkins says the Republican Party needs to go back to basics.

"It's a return to fundamental conservative principles that Ronald Reagan showed work and that people can be attracted to," Perkins said. - CNN

Perkins is right, but more people are identifying as moderates than ever before, meaning that the GOP must undergo some drastic realignment to take back the Executive.

Ben Tan Appears On NECN

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Our-generation-made-history/1225895220.html

My favorite quote: "We have a black President...you don't even know how this makes me feel."

By the way, Ben Tan is everywhere. When he's not on YouTube videos, he is on NECN. What's next for the kid?

Étudiant Election Special

Obama Elected President

Obama Wins: Maine (4), New Hampshire (4), Vermont (3), New York (31), Massachusetts (12), Rhode Island (4), Connecticut (7), New Jersey (15), Delaware (3), Maryland (10), Washington D.C (3), Michigan (17), Wisconsin (10), Illinois (21), Iowa (7), Minnesota (10), Washington (11), Oregon (7), California (55), Pennsylvania (21), Ohio (20), Virginia (13)

That's my prediction. I'd rather Nader get an electoral vote. Imagine that.

Damien Weaver 5th Grade Poli. Correspondent

France Supports Barack Obama

Aucun hésitant, aucune voix discordante, parmi eux. Ils ont 15, 18, 20 ans. Ils habitent les "Pâquerettes", une cité de la banlieue parisienne, à Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine). Et, ce vendredi 31 octobre, à quatre jours de l'élection présidentielle américaine, le scrutin n'a plus qu'un seul visage, au pied de leurs barres : celui de Barack Obama… - Le Monde

What does that mean? It means they support Barack Obama. Yes, France...ungodly France...supports Barack Obama. What are you going to do?! We have Al-Qaida in favor of McCain and now France in favor of Obama. What do I suggest? Ron Paul.

Al-Qaida Supports John McCain

John McCain isn't boasting about a new endorsement, one of the very, very few he has received from overseas. It came a few days ago:

"Al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming election," read a commentary on a password-protected Islamist Web site that is closely linked to al-Qaida and often disseminates the group's propaganda.

The endorsement left the McCain campaign sputtering, and noting helplessly that Hamas appears to prefer Barack Obama. Al-Qaida's apparent enthusiasm for McCain is manifestly not reciprocated.

"The transcendent challenge of our time [is] the threat of radical Islamic terrorism," McCain said in a major foreign policy speech this year, adding, "Any president who does not regard this threat as transcending all others does not deserve to sit in the White House." - Seattle Pi

This was just a liberal scare tactic!

Mass. Ballot Questions 1-3

Views on Question 1 varied by political party and education. Democrats opposed the idea 74 percent to 14 percent, as did independent voters by a margin of 70 percent to 22 percent.

Republicans favored eliminating the state income tax 42 percent to 36 percent.

Of voters with a high school education or less, 41 percent favored Question 1 and 45 percent opposed it.

Respondents with at least some college opposed Question 1, 59 percent to 25 percent. College graduates opposed it 70 percent to 19 percent.

On Question 2, which would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana, 62 percent said yes, 32 percent said no and 5 percent said they were undecided or declined to give an opinion.

On Question 3, to ban dog racing, 53 percent of voters said yes and 30 percent said no with 17 percent saying they were undecided or didn't want to give an opinion. - Massachusetts Live

My thoughts? "Yes" for all three.

Ron Paul Endorses Baldwin

Pensacola's Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party presidential nominee, has picked up his biggest endorsement yet.

Former Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Ron Paul announced his support of the pastor's candidacy on Tuesday.

Paul had campaigned for the Republican nomination and created a small political sensation with his vocal, grassroots supporters and hefty online fundraising abilities.

In January's presidential preference primaries, Paul won about 5 percent of the vote in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties, finishing fifth in both counties out of nine Republicans on the ballot. He withdrew from the campaign on June 12.

"I'm pretty much overwhelmed," Baldwin said of the endorsement. "He and I have been friends for some time, and he knows I share his fundamental principles." - PNJ.com

I could definitely see this impacting the two or three million Ron Paul fans out there. Since Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and Paul are divided on more than af few issues, Baldwin could receive a good majority of votes from Paul supporters.

Democrat Voter Registration

CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) — Five days a week, Linda Graham trolls tattered neighborhoods of this once thriving steel city outside Pittsburgh for unregistered voters she can sign up as Democrats — one of thousands of unknown volunteers whose work outside the limelight has already altered the basic arithmetic of the November election.

The epic nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton helped put millions more Democrats on the voter rolls while Republican registration declined. Now Graham, 45, has taken three months of unpaid leave from her job at Pittsburgh's Central Blood Bank in the hope of adding to those gains before the presidential vote.

She's encouraged by the response here. "They're all feeling the crunch" of lost jobs and a sagging economy, Graham said. "But people are feeling empowered. They're feeling like, you know what, I hold a little bit of power in this." - USA Today

You know what would be really cool? Old people registering as Libertarians.

Palin Chosen As McCain's VP

DAYTON, Ohio — Injecting a new twist into the presidential race, John McCain on Friday named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, introducing the 44-year old at a rally that also celebrated the Republican presidential candidate’s 72nd birthday.

“My friends and fellow Americans, I am very pleased and very privileged to introduce to you the next vice president of the United States, Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska,” McCain told a capacity crowd of 12,000 at the Nutter Center.

Describing Palin as someone with “grit and integrity and devotion to the common good that is exactly what we need in Washington today,” McCain said Palin “knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what is right and she doesn’t tell anyone to sit down. She’s fought oil companies and party bosses and do-nothing bureaucrats and anyone who puts their interests before the people they serve.” - Fox News

Damn, she should have ran for President.

No Word Yet On McCain's V.P

Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided on a running mate early Thursday, and top prospects waited to hear from the nominee-in-waiting.

"There's nothing really new to report on Senator McCain's decision. I think we'll all hear from him shortly and hopefully we'll be able to move forward together," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told the Associated Press in Minneapolis. Earlier in Denver and without explanation, Pawlenty called off an AP roundtable interview as well as other media appearances at the site of the Democratic National Convention.

Another prospective candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney met with donors throughout California on Thursday and was in Los Angeles and Orange County by evening. "I don't have anything for you right now," Romney said earlier in the day when asked about the vice presidential search. - Yahoo! News

We shall see...

Clinton Speech Aims At Unity

Denver – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said virtually all the right things in her speech at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday.

She called Sen. Barack Obama “my candidate.” She urged Democrats to unite as “a single party with a single purpose.” And in a plea to her fiercest supporters, some of whom say they will vote for Republican John McCain over Senator Obama in November, she asked whether they were “in this campaign just for me” or for the good of Americans.

Again and again, the crowd inside the Pepsi Center here roared. Delegates hoisted official signs with “Hillary” on one side and “Unity” on the other. But were her words enough to heal a divided party? - Christian Science Monitor

Hillary stop trying. You know Bob Barr is the most logical choice. You know it. Don't front.

18 Year Old Pushes For Clinton

Colton Crawford was 10 years old when George W. Bush was elected president — an election he says “I’m not very happy about, to put it lightly.”

Now, at 18 years old, Crawford is one of the youngest delegates from Washington to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

His agenda? To convince other delegates that Hillary Clinton should join Barack Obama on the Democratic ticket — despite Joe Biden’s having been named Obama’s running mate.

“My dream ticket would be Obama and Clinton — preferably Clinton first — but seeing as that’s not likely to happen now then I’d like her to be second. Together, they cover a vast group of voters from all demographics,” Crawford said. - Fox News

Poor kid. He needs to look Beyond Two.

Obama Picks Biden As VP

DENVER - The candidate of change went with the status quo.

In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office and on foreign policy — rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate — the ultimate insider — rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't even make his short list. - Yahoo! News

Biden is considered a moderate liberal, but he really isn't all too moderate. I can't imagine the Obama campaign gaining much more support from moderates and conservatives mainly because of McCain's status as a moderate himself.

Still Awaiting Obama's VP Choice

Democrat Barack Obama was poised to announce his choice for running mate as the chatter about possible vice presidential candidates this morning increased in volume, if not substance.

With the news media concentrating on two senators and a governor, the talk this morning turned to possible surprise choices. Obama has said he has made his decision but has teased reporters by insisting he is waiting to announce it at a moment of his choosing.

The campaign has said Obama and the vice presidential pick will hold a rally on Saturday in Springfield, Ill., where Obama announced his presidential drive months ago. - Los Angeles Times

Speculation has Chet Edwards, a 57 year old Texas politician, as Obama's running mate.

Obama: McCain "just doesn't get it"

Sen. Barack Obama says his Republican rival Sen. John McCain is out of touch and "just doesn't get it."

Obama's argument sprang from comments made by McCain Wednesday during an interview with Politico's Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen in which the Arizona senator said he wasn't sure of how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.

"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said.

"It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you," he added.

Obama, whom McCain has tried to portray as an arugula-nibbling, fancy-berry-tea-quaffing elitist, used the gaffe to further his argument that McCain is out of touch with average Americans.

"If you don't know how many houses you have, then it's not surprising that you might think the economy is fundamentally strong," Obama shot back during a campaign event at John Tyler Community College in Virginia.

"But if you're like me and you've got one house," he continued, "or you're like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don't lose their home, you might have a different perspective."

The Obama campaign thinks the gaffe may mark a "metaphorical moment" in the campaign -- on par with notorious presidential election gaffes like in 1992 when it was widely reported, perhaps unfairly, that President George H.W. Bush didn't know what a grocery scanner was or in this past year when former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was busted for getting a pair of $400 haircuts.

"They think it's going to have that kind of power," ABC News chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos said on "World News With Charles Gibson." "The McCain team says, 'No way.'"

Way.

Party Spotlight: Constitution Party

History: The Constitution Party was originally founded as the U.S Taxpayers Party in 1992. The changeover to the current name came in 1999.

Chairman: Jim Clymer

Platform: Defending the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Associated Political Ideologies: Conservatism, Paleoconservatism

Economic Issues (10% Government Involvement Grade):

• Reduce government regulation in economic affairs
• Abolish taxation including, but not limited to: income tax
• Reduce or dissolve government programs and agencies such as the Department of Education
• Stop participating in international lending institutions
  

Foreign/Immigration Issues (100% Protectionist Grade):

• Eventually stop participation in the United Nations
• Continue protectionist policies by levying a tariff on imports
• Favors a non-interventionist military policy
  
• Restrict immigration
• Reject amnesty to illegals

Social Issues (80% Traditional Values Grade):

• Supports pro-life policies: anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia
• Favors the death penalty for capital crimes
• Opposes same sex marriages
• Opposes pornography
• Rejects government funded gambling
• Opposes government's anti-drug laws
• Supports the right to bear arms per Second Amendment

2008 Election Candidate: Chuck Baldwin

Source: Beyond Two, A Wakefield Étudiant Affiliate