Published on Saturday, November 8, 2008 by The Nation
Obama's Best Advice Will Come From Reich, Bonior

by John Nichols

Barack Obama appeared at his first press conference as the president-elect of the United States on a day of sobering economic news. Just hours earlier, the Department of Labor had reported that 240,000 American jobs were lost in October, bringing the unemployment rate to 6.5 percent -- the highest rate in 14 years. And General Motors, the hobbled giant of American manufacturing, was announcing that it might not have enough money to make it through the end of the year.

Though his 20-minute appearance offered few details regarding specific plans, Obama acknowledged the fact that, "We are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime..." So it was not surprising that the president-to-be would surround himself with a few dozen economic wingmen and women, as well as his new chief of staff -- Clintonite neo-liberal Rahm Emanuel.

Most of the advisors who stood with the senator who on January 20 will assume responsibility for an economy in crisis were more in Emanuel's investment-banker, free-trader mold than that of the tens of millions of workers and farmers who elected Obama as an agent of change. Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin was to the side of the stage. Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker was just behind Obama. Another former treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers, was in the room and perhaps in the running for a top spot in the administration.

But not everyone on stage stands on the wrong side of the equation.

I watched at the time the newcomer, Rahm Emanuel, as the NAFTA Czar push it through Congress. To me that said everything one needs to know, but the following from a retired British banker further validates it.

http://londonbanker.blogspot.com/2008/11/change-i-cant-quite-believe-in....

Friday, 7 November 2008

"Change I Can't Quite Believe In" by London Banker

"I wanted Obama to win. I really, really, really wanted Obama to win. McCain/Palin gave me nightmares. Just about the whole world held it’s collective breath willing Obama to win on Tuesday.

Obama’s election is powerful confirmation that America remains a land of opportunity, a democracy where power is allocated at the ballot box. It reassured the world that despite the lawlessness and arrogance of the past eight years, Americans are capable of enlightened, rational self-determination. It restores hope in much of the world that America can reorient itself toward tolerance and dialogue.

For all of that, I haven’t been happy since watching Obama’s acceptance speech live Wednesday morning on the BBC.

I have a bad feeling that America has just elected its Tony Blair. The package of Change the voters ordered isn’t what is being delivered to the White House.

Friday, November 7, 2008

http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini/254292/the_economic_mess_and_fina...

"The Economic Mess and Financial Disaster that Obama Will Inherit" by Nouriel Roubini Nov 6, 2008

"The good news is that America has just elected a president with leadership, vision and great intelligence. President Obama will also choose a first rate economic team: individuals such as Larry Summers and Tim Geithner would be excellent choices for the position of Treasury Secretary. Obama and his team are fully aware of the very difficult economic and financial challenges that the country is facing and will work hard to resolve them.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU

The following quote from President-elect Barack Obama on the night of Nov. 4th, 2008, will go down in history as a great quote:

"...In this country we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House. A Party founded on the values of self-reliance, and individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.'

To those American's whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all of those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from Parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

Published on Thursday, November 6, 2008 by The Huffington Post
Real Change Depends on Stopping the Bailout Profiteers

by Naomi Klein

To understand the meaning of the U.S. election results, it is worth looking back to the moment when everything changed for the Obama campaign. It was, without question, the moment when the economic crisis hit Wall Street.

Up to that point, things weren't looking all that good for Barack Obama. The Democratic National Convention barely delivered a bump, while the appointment of Sarah Palin seemed to have shifted the momentum decisively over to John McCain.

Then, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed, followed by insurance giant AIG, then Lehman Brothers. It was in this moment of economic vertigo that Obama found a new language. With tremendous clarity, he turned his campaign into a referendum into the deregulation and trickle down policies that have dominated mainstream economic discourse since Ronald Reagan. He said his opponent represented more of the same while he stood for a new direction, one that would rebuild the economy from the ground up, rather than the top down. Obama stayed on this message for the rest of the campaign and, as we just saw, it worked.

Dems Boost Majority in Senate, House

The Obama administration will come into office alongside an increased Democratic majority in Congress. Democrats picked up five seats in the Senate but appeared to fall short of the sixty needed to overcome Republican filibusters. In North Carolina, State Senator Kay Hagan ousted Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, former Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican Senator John Sununu in a rematch from 2002. Democrats Mark Warner of Virginia and the cousins Tom Udall of New Mexico and Mark Udall of Colorado all won seats vacated by retiring Republicans. Four key races remain unresolved in Alaska, Oregon, Minnesota and Georgia. In Minnesota, Republican Senator Norm Coleman is in a virtual dead-heat with Democratic challenger Al Franken. A recount is expected in their race. In the House, Democrats increased their majority by defeating twelve Republican incumbents and picking up nine open seats vacated by Republicans retiring their seats. In Connecticut, Democratic challenger Jim Himes defeated twenty-two-year incumbent Republican Congress member Chris Shays, giving Democrats every House seat from New England.

For Obama, No Day to Bask as He Starts to Build a Team
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06elect.html?_r=1&hp&oref=...
Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Published: November 5, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama began moving Wednesday to build his administration and make good on his ambitious promises to point the United States in a different direction, as his commanding victory reordered the American political landscape and transfixed much of the nation and the world.

A day after becoming the first African-American to capture the presidency, Mr. Obama announced a transition team and prepared to name an ally as his White House chief of staff in his first steps toward assuming power. President Bush vowed to work closely with Mr. Obama to ensure a smooth transition in the first handover since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the fourth-ranking House Democrat and a close friend of Mr. Obama’s from Chicago, has been offered the job of chief of staff, and although he was said to be concerned about the effects on his family and giving up his influential role on Capitol Hill, many Democrats said they expected him to accept it. Mr. Obama named John D. Podesta, the former Clinton White House chief of staff, to lead his transition team along with Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser, and Pete Rouse, his Senate chief of staff.

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/03/the-political-impact-of-election...

CNN SciTechBlog
November 3, 2008
"The political impact of Election Day weather"

"It seems rain DOES make a difference when deciding an election. As matter of fact it might have cost Al Gore the White House in 2000.

According to Florida State University researcher Brad Gomez (along with Thomas G. Hansford and George A. Krause), just an inch of rain can make a big difference in a tight race. (Gomes, who recently joined the faculty at FSU, did his research while at the University of Georgia).

The researchers studied the past 14 presidential elections using simulated weather conditions for those dates based on data from more than 22,000 weather reporting stations. They found that while 1 inch of rain drops overall voter turnout by less than 1 percent, the Democratic turnout drops by 2.5 percent.

There was significant rain in the Florida panhandle during the controversial 2000 election when George W. Bush beat Gore by just hundreds of votes in Florida to win the presidency. If it hadn’t rained, enough additional Democrats might have voted in Florida to give Gore the White House.

Other interesting findings in the study show that younger voters are less likely to vote in bad weather while older voters are more inclined to vote rain or shine. (Once again we need to follow the lead of our elders and vote — regardless of the weather!!!)

Monday, November 3, 2008
Voting Trouble Abrewing in Philadelphia

Amazing Video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1417423198/bctid1892230553

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-w0NUm3FA

From Gallup today: "Just 18% of Americans are “very confident” the votes in this year’s election will be accurately cast and counted, down from 29% prior to the 2004 election. Nearly half (44%) say they expect a “major problem” with votes cast by ineligible voters, nearly double the percentage (24%) from 2004." Read more at GALLUP.com.

Aloha, Brad

All of the national large sample polls show Obama with 52 to 55% and McCain with 43 to 46%.

From: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_electi...

Barack Obama leads John McCain by eight percentage points among “traditional likely voters,” 51% to 43%, with 5% undecided. His lead stretches to nine points among “expanded likely voters” and 11 points among all eligible voters. Read more at GALLUP.com.

The final USA Today/Gallup 2008 pre-election poll predicts Barack Obama will be elected the 44th president of the United States, as he holds a 55% to 44% advantage over John McCain in the allocated estimate of the 2008 presidential vote. Read more at GALLUP.com.

Gallup 10/31 - 11/02
2472 LV
2.0 MOE
Obama 55
McCain 44
Obama +11

ABC News/Wash Post 10/29 - 11/01
2172 LV
2.5 MOE
Obama 54
McCain 43
Obama +11

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
On Monday, the final full day of campaigning for Election 2008, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows Barack Obama with 52% of the vote while John McCain is six points back at 46%. That's up a single point for Obama from his 51% to 46% advantage yesterday.

Rasmussen Reports 10/31 - 11/02
3000 LV
2.0 MOE
Obama 52
McCain 46
Obama +6

Pew Research 10/29 - 11/01
2587 LV
2.0 MOE
Obama 52
McCain 46
Obama +6