Hello, everybody. A lot of ground to cover as always, so let's zip right to it.
First up...While the transition of power from President Bush to President-Elect Obama continues with Eric Holder now being offered an Attorney General job (and the first African-American to possibly take it), there is a bigger transition here in Alaska: After 40 years, Ted Stevens doesn't have a job anymore!
With almost 100% of the count in thanks to 24,000 absentee and question ballots, the Associated Press reported that Ted Stevens has lost another bid for re-election to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, 47.56% to 46.76%. A recount is possible, but it may mean Begich will still have the edge.
I guess the indictment, the guilty verdict, and the call from Governor Sarah Palin for him to step down were indeed the final nails in the coffin for Stevens, and that means the only Republican Senator left to represent Alaska is Lisa Murkowski. Speaking of which, she's doing very well, and here's something I forgot to bring up while I was in North Carolina and Virginia a couple months ago for my grandma's funeral: She and a companion (definitely not her husband) were on the same flight to Minneapolis as us -- and we were a few rows and a First Class curtain apart! Of course we had connecting flights to elsewhere, but the Republican National Convention was not on Lisa's agenda...and it was the third night when Palin would shine in her acceptance speech.
Like I've said before, Begich promises change on Capitol Hill...and picking up where his father Nick left off, he will.
Obama's first interview since being elected two weeks ago gave "60 Minutes" its highest rating in quite a while, which is not unusual since the show was first #1 in all of television in the late '70s and for three more seasons in the early '90s. And now, the demand for tickets to the January 20th inauguration are at its highest ever with the crowd estimates hovering over 3 million.
Of course, all of Hollywood will descend to Washington for the festivities, and bunches of parties all over are right now at its planning stages. If you thought the Golden Globe Awards are being called "the party of the year", that's nothing compared to the series of inauguration parties that'll be thrown all over the nation's capital which will culminate with Barack Obama taking the Oath of Office and beginning a whole new era for America and the world.
And last but not least: Not since the late Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" have I ever seen a whole lot of buzz created for one of the highly-anticipated films of 2008, and I know you're starting to get sick and tired of the spots for it being played all over the TV: "Twilight"!
At the premiere Monday night in Los Angeles, it was absolute chaos as fans camped out over the weekend just to get their glimpses of the main stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart on the red carpet. Now these two are unknown to the world, but after Friday when the film opens, you'll remember those names.
But if "Twilight" wants to be #1 as expected, it'll have to go past Disney's "Bolt" starring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus which too opens on Friday; they had their premiere on Monday as well. And just for the record: Miley is still alive and well; somebody posted a video on her YouTube page over the weekend saying that she was killed in a drunk driving accident. Apparently, the person happened to have hacked into Miley's account, and the video was swiftly removed.
Both films want to take down "Quantum of Solace", which is #1 right now and have earned more than the last James Bond movie, "Casino Royale"; that proved to be no match for the animated "Happy Feet"...and that's in the domestic box office! But whichever way goes, "Quantum" will still be the top film worldwide, and "Twilight" (if the hype is really worth it) will follow suit.
I'm not part of this "Twilight" craze myself, just following it...unless if I resist myself seeing it on Thanksgiving weekend. So long and stay strong.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Day After
Hello, everybody. Things have went back to neutral just 24 hours after the election was called for Barack Obama, making him the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.
The celebration over that news immediately spread all over the world, and not just in the United States. From looking at hundreds of videos continuing to filtrate YouTube, there were many in cities large and small; it was like New Year's Eve all over again. Even in England, when most of them were supposed to be asleep, they stayed up late in the wee hours to witness history in the making. Grant Park in Chicago may have been the place to be last night, but it was absolute bedlam outside the White House; many of them didn't want to wait till January 20 to evict President Bush out and put Obama in.
The newspapers of course wasted no time starting the presses. Here, the News-Miner had "History is made" with a full-page photo of Obama adorning the front page, while the Anchorage Daily News had "Obama makes history" on theirs.
But you've got to hand it to John McCain in what was the most hard-fought battle for the White House since Kennedy vs. Nixon. He pretty much knew there was no way to catch up to Obama later in the night (although he had the early lead when the first polls closed at 7:00 pm Eastern), and I thought he was very gracious and cordial in his concession speech outside the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. As for Governor Sarah Palin? It may have been deja vu for her, but she's now back home in Alaska leaving behind months of memories...and Tina Fey.
And today, Obama wasted no time starting the transitional process as he wanted Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff with hundreds of other slots to fill (John Kerry -- who almost beat President Bush last election -- is rumored for a Secretary of State post). He only got about ten weeks, so he's choosing carefully.
Of course, we wore out our thumbs flipping across the dial last night in terms of television coverage. I thought NBC's overall presentation (including graphics) was the best among the broadcast networks; CBS was also good, but ABC? They bored me to tears!
On cable, my high marks went to CNN, especially their "hologram" interviews and John King's "magic wall". And it showed, as they beat everybody else in the ratings. And on the international side, there was the BBC and CBC in Canada (whose coverage was simulcast on C-SPAN2); I watched CBC's more. Oh yeah, in between all those, I checked out Univision, Comedy Central, and WGN in snippets.
But to sum it all up...in 1984, Jesse Jackson was the first African-American to run for President, but he hit a brick wall along the way. A few others tried including Alan Keyes in 2000, but in the end, Barack Obama decided to step up to the plate and take a stab at reforming America for the better. The road was rough with a few speed bumps along the way, and when he got the nomination, it started to pave with bits of John McCain as the potholes.
And last night, except for the first hour, it continued to pave all the way to quite an historic end. America went through the Civil Rights revolution of the '50s and '60s; soon, it'll be the Obama revolution and a 21st Century Camelot that John F. Kennedy would appreciate. It's too bad my grandmother Mildred didn't live long to witness what was truly another chapter written in the Black History books, but I know up above she was celebrating like the rest of the world.
Come January 20, 2009, the three most important words that'll be in our vocabulary won't be "Joe The Plumber", but "President Barack Obama." So long and stay strong.
Hello, everybody. Things have went back to neutral just 24 hours after the election was called for Barack Obama, making him the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.
The celebration over that news immediately spread all over the world, and not just in the United States. From looking at hundreds of videos continuing to filtrate YouTube, there were many in cities large and small; it was like New Year's Eve all over again. Even in England, when most of them were supposed to be asleep, they stayed up late in the wee hours to witness history in the making. Grant Park in Chicago may have been the place to be last night, but it was absolute bedlam outside the White House; many of them didn't want to wait till January 20 to evict President Bush out and put Obama in.
The newspapers of course wasted no time starting the presses. Here, the News-Miner had "History is made" with a full-page photo of Obama adorning the front page, while the Anchorage Daily News had "Obama makes history" on theirs.
But you've got to hand it to John McCain in what was the most hard-fought battle for the White House since Kennedy vs. Nixon. He pretty much knew there was no way to catch up to Obama later in the night (although he had the early lead when the first polls closed at 7:00 pm Eastern), and I thought he was very gracious and cordial in his concession speech outside the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. As for Governor Sarah Palin? It may have been deja vu for her, but she's now back home in Alaska leaving behind months of memories...and Tina Fey.
And today, Obama wasted no time starting the transitional process as he wanted Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff with hundreds of other slots to fill (John Kerry -- who almost beat President Bush last election -- is rumored for a Secretary of State post). He only got about ten weeks, so he's choosing carefully.
Of course, we wore out our thumbs flipping across the dial last night in terms of television coverage. I thought NBC's overall presentation (including graphics) was the best among the broadcast networks; CBS was also good, but ABC? They bored me to tears!
On cable, my high marks went to CNN, especially their "hologram" interviews and John King's "magic wall". And it showed, as they beat everybody else in the ratings. And on the international side, there was the BBC and CBC in Canada (whose coverage was simulcast on C-SPAN2); I watched CBC's more. Oh yeah, in between all those, I checked out Univision, Comedy Central, and WGN in snippets.
But to sum it all up...in 1984, Jesse Jackson was the first African-American to run for President, but he hit a brick wall along the way. A few others tried including Alan Keyes in 2000, but in the end, Barack Obama decided to step up to the plate and take a stab at reforming America for the better. The road was rough with a few speed bumps along the way, and when he got the nomination, it started to pave with bits of John McCain as the potholes.
And last night, except for the first hour, it continued to pave all the way to quite an historic end. America went through the Civil Rights revolution of the '50s and '60s; soon, it'll be the Obama revolution and a 21st Century Camelot that John F. Kennedy would appreciate. It's too bad my grandmother Mildred didn't live long to witness what was truly another chapter written in the Black History books, but I know up above she was celebrating like the rest of the world.
Come January 20, 2009, the three most important words that'll be in our vocabulary won't be "Joe The Plumber", but "President Barack Obama." So long and stay strong.
Back at AllenBlog Election Central where we're still awashed in emotion over Barack Obama becoming our next President, and the polls here in Alaska have already closed a short while ago. And hate to say this to you, but it doesn't look too good as far as change here is concerned...at least so far.
With 36% of the numbers in, Ted Stevens leads over Mark Begich 49% to 45% in the Senate. Over on the House side, Ethan Berkowitz is getting killed by Don Young 51% to 44%. And even though the whole deal is sealed, McCain easily gets Alaska's three electoral votes but Ralph Nader got only 1%.
But of course, it will be a bit longer till we declare a winner or two, so there may be some glimmer of hope for Begich and Berkowitz. And with polls in all 50 states now closed (though some of they have yet to be called), the electoral vote scoreboard now reads: Obama 338, McCain 141.
Well...it's been fun updating this blog all through the night on what was indeed a 56th Presidential Election already in the history books. I'll have my final thoughts on all this tomorrow, so so long, stay strong, and good night!
With 36% of the numbers in, Ted Stevens leads over Mark Begich 49% to 45% in the Senate. Over on the House side, Ethan Berkowitz is getting killed by Don Young 51% to 44%. And even though the whole deal is sealed, McCain easily gets Alaska's three electoral votes but Ralph Nader got only 1%.
But of course, it will be a bit longer till we declare a winner or two, so there may be some glimmer of hope for Begich and Berkowitz. And with polls in all 50 states now closed (though some of they have yet to be called), the electoral vote scoreboard now reads: Obama 338, McCain 141.
Well...it's been fun updating this blog all through the night on what was indeed a 56th Presidential Election already in the history books. I'll have my final thoughts on all this tomorrow, so so long, stay strong, and good night!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
AllenBlog Bulletin:
OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY!!!!!!!!!!
OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY!!!!!!!!!!
The polls have just closed in California, and with those 55 electoral votes and Florida's 27 to add with the 220 he already had...BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN ELECTED AS THE 44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!! That gives him way enough to go over the top, 324 to John McCain's 124, by 100 so far. McCain's victory at the hour belong to Idaho, but it's not enough as history on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, has already been made.
Here in Alaska, there is one more hour left to vote, and the night could be topped off with a Begich and/or Berkowitz victory. But right now, Barack Obama is the story; more on this extremely historic election later in the night.
Here in Alaska, there is one more hour left to vote, and the night could be topped off with a Begich and/or Berkowitz victory. But right now, Barack Obama is the story; more on this extremely historic election later in the night.
This is shaping up to be history in the making, as Barack Obama took Iowa's 7 electoral votes, pushing him to 202 now--68 away now from the magic number. Meanwhile, John McCain claimed Utah, Kansas, and Texas; he's now at 114. And with 4% in, Obama's leading slightly in New Mexico; will he hold on to it...and the much-needed Florida?
By the way...in case you're wondering, I'm getting these results from Yahoo! and the Associated Press, which explains their 202-114 electoral vote score right now. The networks on the other hand have Obama leading 207-135 based on their very early projections, and I'm not following those.
In about half an hour or so, the polls will close in California where the big 55 electorals are up for grabs. And based on their Democratic leaning, it will be all Obama; add those to Florida's 27...start the presses!
And yes, when 8:00 hits here in Alaska, our polls will close. Will we see some much-needed change in Mark Begich and Ethan Berkowitz taking Ted Stevens' and Don Young's jobs on Capitol Hill? Find out then, and keep it right here on the AllenBlog for yet another update as this historic night is about to swing to the West.
By the way...in case you're wondering, I'm getting these results from Yahoo! and the Associated Press, which explains their 202-114 electoral vote score right now. The networks on the other hand have Obama leading 207-135 based on their very early projections, and I'm not following those.
In about half an hour or so, the polls will close in California where the big 55 electorals are up for grabs. And based on their Democratic leaning, it will be all Obama; add those to Florida's 27...start the presses!
And yes, when 8:00 hits here in Alaska, our polls will close. Will we see some much-needed change in Mark Begich and Ethan Berkowitz taking Ted Stevens' and Don Young's jobs on Capitol Hill? Find out then, and keep it right here on the AllenBlog for yet another update as this historic night is about to swing to the West.
It is already past 9:00 pm Eastern, and things are getting red-hot as far as Barack Obama's concerned as he's expected to get ahold of Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and New York; North Dakota, Wyoming, and Alabama go to McCain. Right now, it's 175 electoral votes for Obama vs. McCain's 46 as the road to the big 270 continues to pave in Obama's favor.
In the popular vote, it's a see-saw battle as Obama maintains that lead with 50% (11,444,714 votes) to McCain's 49% (11,327,516)
Meanwhile, we've got some Senate wins as Kay Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, Jeanne Shaheen over John Sununu in New Hampshire and Jay Rockefeller over Jay Wolfe in West Virginia among others already called. The Democrats have picked up four Republican seats so far.
And looking at the heavily-contested Florida, it appears that Obama may take that with only 50% of the votes in. But it's still a bit too early to make the call right now.
More results later on this blog, so refresh this if you have to!
UPDATE (5:28 pm Alaska Time): Obama has just taken Ohio and its 20 electoral votes, therefore upping him to 195.
In the popular vote, it's a see-saw battle as Obama maintains that lead with 50% (11,444,714 votes) to McCain's 49% (11,327,516)
Meanwhile, we've got some Senate wins as Kay Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, Jeanne Shaheen over John Sununu in New Hampshire and Jay Rockefeller over Jay Wolfe in West Virginia among others already called. The Democrats have picked up four Republican seats so far.
And looking at the heavily-contested Florida, it appears that Obama may take that with only 50% of the votes in. But it's still a bit too early to make the call right now.
More results later on this blog, so refresh this if you have to!
UPDATE (5:28 pm Alaska Time): Obama has just taken Ohio and its 20 electoral votes, therefore upping him to 195.
Good evening everybody; it's already past 8:00pm Eastern Time (4:00 here in Alaska), and the polls have just been closed in some of the Eastern and Midwest states. John McCain may be holding an early lead with wins in Kentucky and South Carolina, but Barack Obama's first win so far is in Vermont. As of right now, the electoral scorecard reads McCain leading 16-3 on the road to 270; that is expected to change as early projections show Obama hopefully catching up.
I'll be back here shortly when more returns come in.
I'll be back here shortly when more returns come in.
Tomorrow...it's your choice!
Hello everybody.
Well...this is it. All the mudslinging, all the drama, all the cutthroat battles, all those "...and I approve this message" messages...they will come to an end once and for all tomorrow. The final chapter of the 56th United States Presidential election will be written when we head to the polls and place our final drafts in the ballot box.
The forecast may call for an Obama landslide victory (his informercial last Wednesday which was watched by over 33 million viewers -- way more than Ross Perot's stodgy campaign infomercials in 1992 -- might have sealed the deal for him), but you know John McCain may be pulling out a last-minute miracle. I was among the millions who've voted early, and I'm confident that when the sun comes up on Wednesday morning, it could be to "OBAMA MAKES HISTORY!" banner headlines in all the papers...not to mention Sarah Palin making her sad flight home to Alaska.
Of course, there are hundreds of other races to be decided including state races and propositions. California has two of them on the ballot: whether or not to ban animal cruelty and whether or not marriage should be one and and one woman.
Here in Alaska, Ted Stevens' and Don Young's longtime jobs on Capitol Hill are on the line, as Mark Begich and/or Ethan Berkowitz may take them. Stevens returned home last week to impromptu rallies in Anchorage and Fairbanks after his conviction, but it may be a bit too late.
The main issue that has been facing us is, yes, the economy. Both Obama and McCain have their own agendas on how to fix it, but whose one will it be to sway the voters?
Election Night will also be the news junkies' Super Bowl, as the networks get to showcase their fancy graphics and technology that have been in the planning stages for months. John King will have CNN's "Magic Wall" to play with; the ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza will turn into an electoral map for NBC; ABC will use Times Square to display the results; and CBS will go middle-school with touch-screens to tell the whole story. Their coverage will last until 10:00 pm here in Alaska...we hope.
But all throughout America, you can feel it as the witching hour draws near. We've seen lots of names drop out in the last two years leading up to this (Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani), and now, only two remain. They are both Senators alright, but after tomorrow night, either Barack Obama or John McCain will be promoted to the ultimate job as 44th President of the United States...not to mention moving to the swankiest pad of them all on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We've started this long journey after the mid-terms in 2006; tomorrow, it all ends.
So whether it's in the middle of your lunch break, in between classes, or on your way to or coming home from work, tomorrow...IT'S YOUR CHOICE!!!!!!
By the way, I'll be updating on this blog starting at around 8:00 pm Eastern (about an hour or so after the first polls close), and...you can interact with me on Twitter on the results as they trickle in!
It's going to be one interesting (and historic) night tomorrow night, so so long, stay strong, and don't forget to vote!
Hello everybody.
Well...this is it. All the mudslinging, all the drama, all the cutthroat battles, all those "...and I approve this message" messages...they will come to an end once and for all tomorrow. The final chapter of the 56th United States Presidential election will be written when we head to the polls and place our final drafts in the ballot box.
The forecast may call for an Obama landslide victory (his informercial last Wednesday which was watched by over 33 million viewers -- way more than Ross Perot's stodgy campaign infomercials in 1992 -- might have sealed the deal for him), but you know John McCain may be pulling out a last-minute miracle. I was among the millions who've voted early, and I'm confident that when the sun comes up on Wednesday morning, it could be to "OBAMA MAKES HISTORY!" banner headlines in all the papers...not to mention Sarah Palin making her sad flight home to Alaska.
Of course, there are hundreds of other races to be decided including state races and propositions. California has two of them on the ballot: whether or not to ban animal cruelty and whether or not marriage should be one and and one woman.
Here in Alaska, Ted Stevens' and Don Young's longtime jobs on Capitol Hill are on the line, as Mark Begich and/or Ethan Berkowitz may take them. Stevens returned home last week to impromptu rallies in Anchorage and Fairbanks after his conviction, but it may be a bit too late.
The main issue that has been facing us is, yes, the economy. Both Obama and McCain have their own agendas on how to fix it, but whose one will it be to sway the voters?
Election Night will also be the news junkies' Super Bowl, as the networks get to showcase their fancy graphics and technology that have been in the planning stages for months. John King will have CNN's "Magic Wall" to play with; the ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza will turn into an electoral map for NBC; ABC will use Times Square to display the results; and CBS will go middle-school with touch-screens to tell the whole story. Their coverage will last until 10:00 pm here in Alaska...we hope.
But all throughout America, you can feel it as the witching hour draws near. We've seen lots of names drop out in the last two years leading up to this (Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani), and now, only two remain. They are both Senators alright, but after tomorrow night, either Barack Obama or John McCain will be promoted to the ultimate job as 44th President of the United States...not to mention moving to the swankiest pad of them all on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We've started this long journey after the mid-terms in 2006; tomorrow, it all ends.
So whether it's in the middle of your lunch break, in between classes, or on your way to or coming home from work, tomorrow...IT'S YOUR CHOICE!!!!!!
By the way, I'll be updating on this blog starting at around 8:00 pm Eastern (about an hour or so after the first polls close), and...you can interact with me on Twitter on the results as they trickle in!
It's going to be one interesting (and historic) night tomorrow night, so so long, stay strong, and don't forget to vote!
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