BBC America Election Coverage

Being British, I have a natural fondness for the BBC. I grew up with it, and there is something to be said for commercial free viewing (and listening). And let's face it, their news service is world class.

So this was one of the reasons I was planning to tune in to BBC America for their election coverage last Tuesday night.

I have to say that to call it shit is an understatement. Even CNN with their stupid 'holograms' and MSNBC with their crazy fake architecture graphics was better than the BBC.

The show was hosted by David Dimbleby and six old white dudes on a panel. David appeared to be on a mission that night to try and be the biggest douchebag on TV. A difficult task given that Fox News were also covering the event. He spent the entire show (or at least the bits I saw) talking down to people and being a total prick.

The coverage was so crappy that even The Soup took the piss out of it this week. Unfortunately they didn't bother to post a video of that bit online. But if you get a chance, watch the show and you'll see what I mean.

What a let down for BBC America viewers. For the BBC to get their ass kicked by American cable news is a pretty sorry indictment of their mediocre show.

Racism Gone In America?

An end to racism may be a lofty goal, but the election of Barack Obama took us one step closer to a day where people are not judged solely on the color of their skin.

And what I found particularly interesting in the news today was the fact that the much talked about Bradley Effect didn't happen.

The Bradley Effect is when white voters lie to pollsters about who they are going to vote for so that they don't appear racist. The guilty white voter tells the pollster they are going to vote for the non-white candidate, but when they get to the voting booth fear and racism kick in, and at the last minute they vote white.

In doing this they invalidate the early poll numbers and this creates an overly optimistic count of the support a non-white candidate has.

In analyzing Obama's victory from Tuesday it has been discovered that the Bradley Effect was a non-issue. Generally speaking people voted as they said they would, and there was no hidden white bias.

It's a refreshing thing to see.

Election By Numbers

Some interesting statistics came out of this election, and some went against what the so called experts predicted. I thought I would share with the group:

• The black vote wasn't the huge deal predicted. In fact the black turn out was only slightly higher than when John Kerry ran.
• However, the black vote was 95% in favor of Obama.
• Latinos, Asians and pretty much all other races voted 2-1 for Obama.
• Young people (18-29) made up 18% of the vote.
• Obama carried 82% of the Hillary vote, with only 17% being moronic enough to break for McCain.
• 16% of people who 'strongly disagreed' with Bush policies voted McCain.
• Obama pulled 17% of 2004 Bush voters.
• Virginia voted for their first Democrat since 1964.

Update from MSNBC:

• 133.3 million Americans voted.
• Highest voter turn out in 44 years.
• 62.5% of electorate voted, well above average for America.
• The white vote is now just 74%, down from 81% in 2000.
• Republican turn out was lower than usual.
  

Goodbye John McCain

John McCain was sent a historic and clear message last night. A message that divisive racist and negative campaigning is the path to defeat. And not just any old defeat, but a crushing defeat.

Americans rejected the old school politics of yesterday, and turned their back on a man who disgraced himself by running a horrible campaign of hate and division.

John McCain should be ashamed of himself. Not just for the dishonor of his campaign, but for the racists, liars, and smear artists he surrounded himself with.

Let this be a lesson for Republicans going forward. America is built on hope, not on fear and hate. The politics upon which George Bush built his presidency died last night, and while many may try to resurrect it in the future, it will always be the path to failure.

This is my last post in this election on John McCain. Let us hope that all Republicans will learn from his mistakes.

Barack Obama Makes History

President Elect Barack Obama made history last night by becoming the first African American ever elected to the office of President.

The 44th President of the United States won in a landslide victory, surpassing all expectations and beating old man McCain 349 to 162 (according to BBC final projections).

He picked up Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Indiana.

The turn out was unprecedented as Americans desperately wanted to close the door on the horrific Bush Administration.

I am personally elated that America made the right decision, and did so in such a decisive manner. This is the direction America needs. We are fortunate to have experienced the kind of leader that only comes along once in a generation.

Congratulations President Barack Obama.

BBC Election Prediction

And for similar reasons to the previous post. Here is how the BBC see it as of this afternoon.

Vote Poker!

When you vote today, keep in mind your right to play poker in America!

The Poker Player's Alliance have published this helpful guide to poker friendly politicians in your area.

So when you vote for Barack Obama today, remember to vote for poker friendly local and state politicians too. And consider too that old man McCain has made it clear he is not in favor of online poker. Plus, keep in mind Sarah Palin could be the next president if you squander your vote.

I'm ZCT, and I approved this message.

Sarah Palin

In an attempt to steal the limelight from Barak Obama, old man McCain decided to name his vice president a couple of days ago. He picked Sarah Palin; a move that shows the depth of his ineptitude for all but the most stupid people to recognise.

After all the campaigning about the need for experience in the White House, he picks this 44 year old former pageant girl, who has been Governor of Alaska less than two years, and prior to that was mayor of a town with less than 9,000 people in it. A women that McCain has met once.

John McCain was 72 just the other day. If elected he would be the oldest president ever, with a slew of medical problems. And if he dies, this woman would be our president. WTF? How is she qualified to do that?

I think that McCain's decision only goes to show why he is utterly unqualified to run this country. It's not just that he is fucking old, or that he has voted with George Bush over 90% of the time, it is the fact that he is willing to abandon his own principles just to get elected. He seems to think that this young hottie will entice women to automatically vote for him because he picked a lady VP. Now I am sure that some women are that stupid, but seriously, any intelligent woman is going to notice that Palin is not Hillary, and never will be. Her politics are dangerously stupid, and she is not qualified to be VP.

Apart from he laughable lack of experience, here are some other interesting facts about her:

• She is strongly anti-choice, and believes that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape and incest. In fact she is a member of a right wing feminist organization called Feminists For Life. In a letter to them she once called abortion an 'atrocity.'
  
• In 2000, she supported right wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president.
• She thinks that Creationism is science, and should be taught in schools, along side evolution. Although despite stating this in a televised debate, she changed her mind the following day, and said that students should be encouraged to debate evolution, rather than place creationism on the curriculum. Fuck it, why not have them debate Pi and Gravity too. Let's not educate the kids, let's just have them learn to argue with teachers.
  
• She attacked the Bush administration for saying that polar bears are endangered (she didn't want environmental concerns to get in the way of drilling for oil in Alaska).
• She wants more oil drilling because she doesn't think that renewables will be around for years (which they probably won't be if people like her get to make decisions).
• She doesn't think that humans have any impact of global climate change.
• Although she claims to have gay friends, she has consistently campaigned against gay rights.
• She came second in the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty pageant.
• Her five children are called, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Track and Trig.
• Palin has been accused of abusing her power by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as State Trooper. She is part of an ongoing investigation into her abuse of power, that has cost the tax payer over $100,000 thus far.
  
• Palin claims to have tried smoking pot (perhaps not enough of it). But despite this, is in favor of people being sent to jail for possession, since she claims relaxing the law would send the wrong message to children. Maybe she should spend some time in jail since she has admitted to committing a crime.
  
• She favors the death penalty.
• She has left the country twice. Once to visit Ireland, and in 2007 she had a trip to Germany and Kuwait. UPDATE: Turns out I was misinformed here. This was another lie by her people to make her sound more worldly. She never actually went on a trip to Ireland. Her plane merely stopped in Ireland to refuel, on her way to Kuwait.
  

At the end of the day, as an Obama supporter, I think it is wonderful that McCain has chosen this women to be his VP. He has now shown beyond any reasonable doubt what a severe lack of good judgment he has.

Voters now have a clear choice. A man with vision and charisma and a genuine desire to repair the damage that the Bush administration has caused. Or an old fool, who thinks having an unqualified women on his ticket will win him the election.

Finally, on what should be a separate blog entry (but I am too lazy) I'd just like to ask those assholes who claim to be voting for McCain now (because Hillary didn't win the nomination) to go fuck themselves. Your dream candidate Hillary Clinton fucked up. She was the prohibitive favorite at one time, yet managed to lose to Obama. I was truly shocked, because I really thought at one time she was a slam dunk. But now she has lost, so stop being so childish and stop threatening to vote for old man McCain and his right wing bimbo instead. That's like being hungry, going to a restaurant, and then refusing to eat anything because they ran out of the daily special.

A vote for McCain is an indication that you are fucking stupid, and that you think that George Bush has done a great job. Don't be that person.