Leadership Memo: 'The Audacity of Change:' Barack Obama Wins Historic and Decisive Victory; is the 44th President of the United States

USA: Election 2008 Special Report

Election 2008 Results [Click on the link for updates every 5 minutes]

Election results with 97% reporting:

McCain (R)
Total votes: 55,821,650
Total % of vote: 46%
Electoral votes: 147
Obama (D) [Winner]
Total votes: 63,112, 190
Total % vote: 52%
Electoral votes: 349

With 97% of all U.S. precincts now reporting, Democrat Barack Obama has achieved a decisive victory in both the electoral and popular vote over his Republican rival for the U.S. Presidency, John McCain.

Obama has 349 electoral votes. That's 79 more than the needed 270 to become President. Obama's 349 electoral vote total is far more than President George W. Bush (the 43rd President) received in both 2000 and 2004. It's also more than Democrat Bill Clinton received in his victory over President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, in 1992.

President-elect Obama achieved a solid six percentage point winning margin in the popular vote, which is on of the highest percentage popular vote margins in modern Presidential election history.

Barack Obama also accomplished something that has eluded Democrats since Bill Clinton's wins in the 1990's -- he won a number of what have traditionally been solid Republican or red states. These states include: Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Indiana (forst time in 44 years a Democrat has won the state) Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and perhaps even North Carolina, which is currently too close to call. Obama won more red states than Bill Clinton did though.

Most startling is how President-elect Obama has changed the national electoral map in the Western U.S., changing Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Montana from red to blue (Democratic.) These four states now join traditional Democratic blue states in the west, California, Oregon and Washington state, making it clear that at least this year the majority of voters in the west are solidly Democratic.

For complete results of the election and Barack Obama's victory, view the national electoral map here: Election map: Results.

Below is an analysis of President-elect Obama's victory [Just click the links to read]

Analysis: Strong, 21st-century campaign.

To read an analysis of some of the things that went wrong with the McCain campaign, click on this link: Analysis: McCain derailed by market, missteps, Bush.

Now that he is the 44th President of the United States, and will be sworn into office in 76 days, Barack Obama faces numerous challenges, chief among them the financial crisis and recession at home, and two wars abroad. Read about those and other challenges the next U.S. President faces here: Hard challenges ahead.

Last night, President-elect Obama spoke to a crowd estimated at about 200,000 in Chicago after learning he would be the next President of the United States. You can read the key excerpts from his speech last night here: Best of Obama's speech.

Defeated Republican candidate for President John McCain also spoke to supporters last night in his home state of Arizona after learning he had lost his eight-year quest for the Presidency, which found his losing the Republican nomination to George W. Bush in 2000 and after getting his party's nomination in 2008, losing the general election to Barack Obama.

Senator McCain, who says he plans to return to the United States Senate representing Arizona, urged his supporters to support President-elect Obama, calling him "his" President, and saying he would do all he can as a U.S. Senator to work in a bi-partisan way to help the new President solve the many problems and face the numerous challenges facing the United States. Read what Senator John McCain has to say last night here: McCain: Support Obama.

Below are links to a variety of stories, analysis, opinion pieces and editorials you might find of interest:

News, analysis & opinion:

What Obama Means to This Nation - Anna Quindlen, Newsweek...From King to Obama, the Nation Heals - John Kass, Chicago Tribune...The Obama Revolution - John Harris and Jim VandeHei, Politico...Near-Flawless Run - Nagourney, Rutenberg and Zeleny, New York Times...Obama Won with Clear Message of Change - David Brody, The Brody File...Decisive Win Gives Dems New Clout - Susan Page, USA Today...Bipartisanship Could Help Victorious Democrats - Gerald Seib, WSJ...

Conservatism Faces Challenges Ahead - Philip Klein, American Spectator...America the Liberal - John Judis, The New Republic...Obama's Post-Racial Promise - Shelby Steele, Los Angeles Times...Will a Black President Heal the Racial Divide? - T.D. Jakes, Time...Hail to the Chief - Michael Gerson, Washington Post...

Transformational Presidency - Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation...Audacity Wins - Roger Simon, Politico...Republicans Got the Thumping They Deserve - Rod Dreher, NPR...Could Anything Have Prevented McCain's Defeat? - Byron York, NRO...How Obama Bent the Arc of History - John Dickerson...

SlateElection Results: President Senate House / Videos: Obama McCain: RCP Blog: The Journey Begins Editorials / Politics Nation: Strat Memo.

Editorials:

President Barack Obama - Washington Post...America Turns the Page - Boston Globe...Voters Rebuke Republicans for Economic Failure - Wall Street Journal...From Slavery to Obama - Chicago Sun-Times.

Speeches, comments & interviews:

President Bush on Obama's Victory - George W. Bush...Obama's Victory Speech - Barack Obama...McCain's Concession Speech - John McCain...Obama Interview with Katie Couric - CBS Evening News...Interview with Cindy McCain - Larry King Live.

From the Blogosphere:

We Will Be Back - Mike Huckabee, Next Right...What Obama's Win Means - Tom Matzzie, Huffington Post...Gird Your Loins, Conservatives - Michelle Malkin...Hillary's Grace - Kevin Drum, Mother Jones...It's the Economy Stupid, Kinda - Noam Scheiber, The Stump.

From the United Kingdom:

Obama Victory Will Change America - Bonnie Greer, The Telegraph...Four Reasons Why US Went for Obama - Daniel Finkelstein, The Times...Obama Faces A Dangerous World - Bridget Johnson, Pajamas Media...America Has Come a Long, Long Way - Jonathan Steele, The Guardian...What I Will Miss About President Bush - Int'l Herald Tribune.

From the world of finance:

Economic Change I Believe In - Thomas Cooley, Forbes...Obama Must Save Economy, World Too - David Callaway, MarketWatch...Obama, and An Economically Scared Electorate - A. Vargas Llosa, TNR...Obama's Victory: Lessons for Business - Jack & Suzy Welch, Business Week...Voters Got Statism They Desire - Redenbaugh & Juliano, RealClearMarkets.

From the sports pages:

Athletes of Color Paved Way for Obama - Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel...Michael Jordan Backed Obama - Johnette Howard, Newsday...Tomorrow We All Wake Up Americans - Curt Schilling, 38 Pitches.

[Photo Credit: Photograph of Barack Obama's famous 'Yes We Can' campaign slogan being painted on a city sidewalk by a supporter is courtesy of the Boston Globe.]

Election Day USA 2008 Memo: Barack Obama is the New President of the United States of America

Election Day USA Special Report

11:40 eastern, 8:40 pacific time, November 4, 2008

With the votes in the Western United States not yet even fully counted, Democratic candidate for President Barack Obama will be the the next President of the United States.

Based on our analysis of all of the national news media projections, the Senator from Illinois has passed the needed 270 electoral votes required to win the 2008 Presidential election.

We project Obama currently at 320 electoral votes, five more than is needed to become President.

Republican John McCain has 142 electoral votes, less than half of what Obama has.

President-elect Obama has 51% of the popular vote at present to McCain's 48%

California alone has 55 electoral votes. As of yesterday's polls Obama was favored to win in the Golden State by as many as 20 percentage points. The polls in California and the other Western states have just closed. Results will be coming in shortly.

However, these states will only add to the already 275 -- and growing -- electoral votes that now have put Barack Obama over the top, making him the first African American President in American history.

Americans it appears decided to choose change and a new direction (Obama) over experience and four more years of Republican governance in the White House.

Democrats also are picking up numerous seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

Thus far the Democrats have gained nine (9) seats in the House of Representatives, the GOP losing nine (9).

In the U.S. Senate the Democrats are up by four (4) new seats, with the Republicans losing four (4). If the Democrats can gain six more new Senate seats in the election, for a total of 60 (they now have 54 seats in the Senate), they will have a majority which will prevent the Republicans from Filibustering any legislation passed by the Democratic majority.

As of press time, the Democrats have 172 seats in the House, compared to 112 for republicans. In the Senate, Democrats currently have 54 seats and Republicans 38.

The Democratic Party will have a majority trifecta in 2009, as a result of today's election. A Democratic President, Barack Obama, a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, and a majority Democratic Senate. The last time this happened for the Democrats was in Bill Clinton's first term in the early 1990's.

Barack Obama, the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father from Kenya, a man who was raised in part by his grandparents on his mother's side, and just yesterday found out his beloved 86 year old grandmother passed away, is the 44th President of the United States.

Tonight American parents can tell their children with a completely straight face, that regardless of the color of their skin or ethnic and economic background, they too can, if they work extremely hard like Barack Obama has, one day become the President of the United States.

For real time election results click here.

Election Day USA Memo: Barack Obama On Clear Path to Be Next President of the United States; Democrats Picking Up Senate Seats in Republican States

Election Day USA Special Report

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Time: 10:15pm eastern, 7:15pm West Coast Time

Democratic candidate for President Barack Obama appears on a clear path to be the next President of the United States.

At press time the Democratic Senator from Illinois has already captured 207 out of the needed 270 electoral votes to win the Presidency. Just 63 electoral votes remain for Mr. Obama to win the Presidency. California alone, where Obama is favored to win by nearly 20 points, provides over half of those 62 electoral votes all by itself.

Arizona Republican Senator John McCain has just 135 electoral votes at press time.

The two candidates are neck-to-neck in the popular vote, with Obama at 50% and McCain at 49%. However it's the electoral votes that will determine the next President of the United States.
With the polls just getting ready to close in the Western U.S., Obama seems sure to reach 270 electoral votes, and far more than that, perhaps even before California, Oregon, Washington state and the other Western States where Obama is expected to win by a wide margin even report results.

The Democrats also have so far picked up a number of key seats in the U.S. Senate which were previously held by Republicans.

These states so far include Virginia, where former Governor Mark Warner has defeated his Republican challenger for the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of longtime Virginia Republican John Warner (no relation), who retired this year. Virginia traditionally votes Republican. But with the election of Mark Warner, both of the historically red state's U.S. Senators are now Democrats.

In North Carolina, traditionally a Republican state, challenger Kay Hagen has defeated Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole, the wife of former Kansas Senator and former Republican candidate for President Bob Dole.

In New Hampshire, incumbent Republic Senator John Sununu has just conceded defeat to his Democratic challenger, former New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, according to a flash report on the Manchester Union Leader newspaper Web site. The two faced-off against each other for the Senate seat in 2002, with Sununu winning. Six years later the first woman Governor of New Hampshire bested the Republican incumbent. New Hampshire, like North Carolina and Virginia, are traditional Republican stronghold states.

For up-to-the-minute, updated election results you can go to the Real Clear Politics.com Web site here.

Food & Politics Memo: Election Day Freebies USA: Vote, Then Eat and Drink For Free

Election Day USA Special Report

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch...or dessert...or cup of coffee?

A number of U.S. national food service chains are offering free food, drink and sweet treats today, election day 2008, to voters.

Starbucks, which has cafes throughout the U.S., many of which are very near polling places, is offering voters a free cup of coffee all day today and tonight. Specifically, a free cup of tall, brewed Starbucks coffee.

Starbucks originally announced that in order to get their free cup of Joe, voters would have to show their "I have voted" slips of paper with the smiley face that's given to them after they vote at their local polling places.

However, the coffee chain was told it's illegal to require proof of voting in return for the free coffee offer, so the King of Coffee changed that policy, offering free cups of coffee to everybody today regardless if they voted or not. [Note: If you haven't voted but still get your free cup of Starbucks coffee at a cafe, be advised it's possible the Coffee Gods might just bless your house (or reusable travel mug) with bad karma for the rest of this year. So, vote first -- then get your free cup of Joe at your local Starbucks cafe.]

The free cup of Joe offer from Starbucks is rather fitting for this election since we've had "Joe the Plumber" and lots of talk about "Joe Six-Pack" and the "Average Joe," primarily from the McCain campaign and the news media's reporting on it. Therefore it seems appropriate to end the 2008 election with a "Free Cup of Joe."

And while you're getting your free cup of Joe at Starbucks, do make sure you say hello to "Joe (or Jane) the Barrista" for us.

And what's a free cup of coffee without a free donut to go with it? Voters are in luck. The Krispy Kreme donut chain is giving free donuts to voters all day today.

Not satisfied with just a free donut and cup of coffee. Never fear. The Ben & Jerry's ice cream folks are offering free ice cream to voters at all of its U.S. Ben & Jerry's retail ice cream shops today. That should add a little extra sweetness to voter's election day on top of the free donut.

But it's not just free coffee and sweet treats being given away for free to voters today.

If your lucky enough to life in the southern U.S., and have a branch of the regional restaurant chain Shane's Rib Shack nearby, go there first, before hitting Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's for your free coffee and deserts. Why? Because Shane's Rib Shack restaurants in the south are giving voters free chicken finger dinners all day today as an election day promotion.

The Chik-Fil-A fast food chain also is giving away free chicken finger dinners at stores in selected regions of the country.

There you have it -- a free lunch and more, if you have branches of these food service chains near where you live in America.

Click here for a Web site with a list of election day freebies, along with links to articles about the election day free eats and drinks today.

Food & Farm Policy Memo USA: Barack Obama Responds to Michael Pollan's Policy Agenda For the Next 'Farmer in Chief'

Election Day USA Special Report

As we write this piece, America's voters are either at the polls, getting ready to vote, or have already voted, since about 30% voted early in the 30 U.S. states that permit early voting.

And as America prepares to learn who the nation's next President will be, the country faces a host of serious challenges at home and abroad. These challenges include: the worst financial crisis since the great depression; an economic recession; engagement in two wars; record federal government budget red ink; growing unemployment; a broken health care system; soaring food prices; and a host of other problems and challenges.

Whichever candidate is elected -- Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain -- he will face more domestic and global challenges than any other President in modern history has upon taking office.

The most pressing issue as evidenced by polls of the American people is the economy. Consumer confidence is at historic lows, the credit markets remain frozen despite an injection of $700 billion of taxpayer money, people fear their jobs might be gone tomorrow, and to borrow a word from former President Jimmy Carter, economic malaise is beginning to set in across America.

The economy has been the primary issue during the last 4-5 weeks of the Presidential campaign, with little room really for discussion of anything else. This is probably as it should be considering how the economy is the master of all else -- and how deep of a hole it is in.

However, among the other serious issues facing the next President is food and agricultural policy in America, which is something both Barack Obama and John McCain have talked very little about, if at all, during the long Presidential campaign, which comes to an end today, election day 2008.

Michael Pollan, the University of California at Berkeley journalism professor, author ("The Omnivore's Dilemma" and other best selling books about food and agriculture food policy) and national advocate for a new approach to food and farm policy, is a person who has given much thought to the lack of discussion and debate in this election year regarding agricultural and food policy.

A few weeks ago Pollan expressed his views on the lack of food and farm policy debate in an article in the New York Times in the form of an open letter to the next President about food and farm policy in America.

You can read Pollan's "An Open Letter to the Next President" article from the Times' at this link: Michael Pollan Proposes A "Sun-Food" Agenda In Open Letter To Next U.S. President.

Pollan calls this agenda for the next President, who we should soon learn is going to be, the "Sun Food" agenda, as the article about the next "Farmer In Chief" lays out.

It appears that although he hasn't been talking much during the campaign about food policy, one candidate and the potential "farmer in chief", Barack Obama, did pay attention to Michael Pollan's article and "Sun Food" agenda.

Appearing recently on National Public Radio (NPR), Pollan said he was approached by a member of Barack Obama's campaign staff about his New York Times article and his "Sun Food" Agenda for the next U.S. President. [Links to Pollan's NPR interview here: National Public Radio and here: New York Times article, Farmer in Chief.

According to Pollan, the Obama staffer asked him to distill the article into a one or two page summary so the campaign staff member could present it to Obama to read and review. Pollan said no, telling the staffer if he could have presented the agenda for the next "farmer in chief" in a page or two he wouldn't have bothered to write an 8,000 word article about it. After all, the article is online -- and isn't that what staffers are for? To write summaries of various articles and position papers for Presidential candidates?

Despite Pollan's decision not to summarize his 8,000 word article, which turned out to be the smart thing to do, it appears Barack Obama read the author's entire New York Times' article himself.

In an October 23, 2008 interview with Time magazine writer and columnist Joe Klein, Obama refers to the article, explaining how Pollan's ideas fit into his concept of a new energy economy. Obama has said if elected President he would invest at least $15 billion a year for the next few years, creating an Apollo-type energy program focusing on alternative and renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal and other forms, as well as investing in new automotive technologies and conservation and related "green" programs, creating millions of jobs in the process.

Below is a summary of what Obama told Joe Klein in the interview regarding his energy policy, the new energy economy he is proposing, and how Pollan's "Sun Food" agenda for the next President fits into it:

"There is no better potential driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy. I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollen about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it's creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they're contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That's just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board."

Read the full Barack Obama-Joe Klein 'Time' interview here.

In our analysis and opinion there's a near 100% synergy between energy policy and food and agricultural policy in the U.S.

For example, one of the primary drivers of the soaring price of food over the last year is the rapidly-rising price of oil and the resulting sky-high price of fuel. The fact the price of oil has dropped nearly 50% over the last few months is only a short-term band-aid fix. It will go back up again, especially if the U.S. fails to embark on a massive program designed to achieve energy independence like Barack Obama is proposing.

These high fuel prices, and the uncertainty they have created, are being felt throughout the entire food supply chain, from the farm to the supermarket, along with in American consumers' pockets and what's left of their bank accounts.

One thing we do suggest to Senator Obama and team if he is elected today is to remember America's agricultural and food industry is arguably the nation's most important and most responsible.

For example, unlike the financial services and auto industries, and probably a few others soon, America's agricultural and food industries aren't asking the federal government to bail them out with taxpayer dollars, even though a number of companies are experiencing tough times. Like the rest of America's businesses and individuals they are helping to pay for bailing out these industries.

Additionally, America's agribusiness companies and farmers, as well as its food and grocery manufacturers, distributors and retailers -- all vital national enterprises -- haven't behaved in a way that's found them financially leveraged to the hilt. Rather, most of these companies and family farmers operate, grow and behave in financially prudent ways. Compare this to many of America's big banks and financial institutions, for example.

Therefore, we encourage what in just a few hours could very well be the new U.S. Presidential Administration to make sure it does all it can to work with and protect America's farmers, agricultural and food and grocery industry businesses during any new energy-agricultural policy shift. This is a policy shift, a focus on new energy sources, we agree with.

And if a new agricultural and food policy is a part of this policy shift, which we agree with in the main except for some particular details, then America's agricultural and food industries, which have in the main been ethically good players, employers and agents for the consumer in the economy, need to be considered, listened to and involved in developing this new policy.

Meanwhile, if Barack Obama is elected President today, it will be refreshing to have an American President who actually reads the newspapers. Since his first term in office, President George W. Bush has proudly said he doesn't read the papers. Perhaps that's how he missed the fact financial crisis was on the way? Or that Hurricane Katrina could be devastating? Or that OPEC was cutting oil production so it could jack up the price of oil?

[Photo Credit: the photograph of Barack Obama at the top of this piece is by Charlie Neibergal. Courtesy: Associated Press.]