Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Senator McCain's concession

I just wanted to post, somewhere publicly, how much I was blown away by John McCain's concession speech. I did not hope to hear it, but since I did, my respect for the man has grown even more, if that is possible.
Since he was 17-years old, this man has served his country in ways most of us can't even imagine. I may not have always agreed with his stances but I can never question his devotion to the United States of America.
May God bless John McCain.

ELECTION RESULTS

First off, let me extend my congratulations to President-Elect Obama and his supporters. In no way do I agree with most of his policies and I am not looking forward to 4 years of liberal leadership.
However, this is America and we choose our President by voting in our individual states and appointing our Electors in the Electoral College. It is by this method that Barack Obama has been elected and he is the rightful President-Elect. Let’s have none of this crap about election fraud, cheating, lying, media bias, etc.
Yes, all of those things happened and probably had a major effect on the race. It is our job as citizens to go out and fix those problems going forward.
For now, we get behind our President and extend our prayers that God will guide him to do the right things for our country and the world.

There were some very interesting things that came out of the election tonight:

- I have never seen so many important states come in so close for so long. As I sit here now, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana all are showing 51-49 or closer for either candidate. That a lot of electoral votes that were truly up for grabs. Unfortunately, all of those states went for George W. Bush last time around.
- The popular vote, at least to this point, is much closer than the polls thought it would be.
- We did not lose as many seats in the Senate as were expected.
- I don’t think we will lose as many seats as expected in the House of Representatives.

Ohio will end up being MUCH closer than the networks thought. Heck, they may even end up switching to McCain before it’s over, in which case, I reserve the right to amend my comments :)

Relax, people. America is bigger than Barack Obama or John McCain. We will survive and we will recover. Be proud of your country for being able to conduct and endure elections like these.

Let the Democrats have their day in the sun.

The revolution begins tomorrow…

Things to do and expect on election day.

First of all, if you haven’t already, go vote! There are many states where your vote will help make a difference. Even if it doesn’t decide the Presidency, every vote counts in the national total and there are local races that need your input.

Second, make sure anyone you know that said they would vote McCain/Palin has done so. If they haven’t – take them and wait with them.

After that –relax. What will be, will be.

I’d love to tell you that McCain will stomp Obama and the Republicans will regain control of the House and Senate. That ain’t gonna happen.

If McCain wins, it will be by a slim electoral margin – I still hold out hope that states like Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin will lean our way and make it more convincing but we shall see. Even without any of those states, McCain can win. If there is any stomping to be done tonight, it will be done by Obama – let’s hope that’s not the case.

Here are some early election results to look for (not exit polls!! Results!!):

New Hampshire – We could really use a win here and it could make for very interesting electoral math if we do. Remember, urban areas tend to submit results before suburban and rural areas so the first reports will probably lean Democratic. If McCain wins here, we are probably in for a very good night. If he loses but is close (say 4 points or less), we are in for a long night of counting, and if he gets trounced here, things aren’t looking good.

Virginia – put very simply, if McCain loses Virginia, we have probably lost the night. The polls have tightened and things look ok but this state is crucial. Remember, early returns will favor Obama.

Georgia – I don’t think there’s any way McCain loses Georgia. If he does, go to bed.

Remember, exit polls mean squat – there are way too many early voters this time around – don’t listen good or bad and it may be good. Ignore the exit polls!
One interesting note: if McCain wins New Hampshire, we may see a scenario where one of Maine’s 4 electoral votes decides the Presidency. It’s highly unlikely but that sure would get people learning even more about the Electoral College.