ID :
28585
Wed, 11/05/2008 - 10:23
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/28585
The shortlink copeid
Obama vs McCain: Americans vote in historic Prez polls
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) Americans voted in a historic Presidential poll Tuesday with Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama bidding to become the first black occupant of the White House and his Republican opponent John McCain hoping for a surprise election-day upset amid a raft of adverse opinion surveys.
With Democrats eyeing both the Senate and House of
Representatives, Tuesday's polls may also result in a
political re-alignment on the Capitol Hill.
47-year-old first-time Illinois Senator Obama, who
clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination after a long
hard-fought battle with seasoned Hillary Clinton, is widely
expected to emerge victorious with a number of opinion polls
giving him an edge over the Vietnam War veteran McCain.
But, 72-year-old McCain, seeking to leave behind the
legacy of incumbent George W. Bush who is being criticised for
his foreign and economic policies, hopes to make a remarkable
comeback in the race for Presidency defying poll pundits. If
he wins he will be the oldest person to be inaugurated as
President.
Some states, including Florida, Georgia and Colorado
started early voting with a large number of people queueing up
to cast their ballots.
"Today is Election Day. The opportunity to set our
country on a new path has never felt more real than it does
right now. The polls are open in most places, and people are
already making their voices heard for change. There's just one
thing left to do -- vote and make sure everyone you know
votes, too," Obama said in an e-mail message to his
supporters.
Obama opened his account with a landslide win in Dixville
Notch, an isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner
which voted shortly after midnight last night and drew the
media attention for being the first place in the country to
make its presidential preferences known.
It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned
Democratic with Obama winning 15 of 21 votes cast in a polling
that saw a full 100 percent registered voters participating.
However, CNN said the result in Dixville Notch is hardly
a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White
House -- or even the result statewide.
McCain, true to his word, has not given up insisting that
America is in for a rare come from behind win.
On election day, the subdued analysis is that this
election is one of historic proportions for there is not only
the strong likelihood of a young African-American occupying
the Oval Office on January 20, 2009 but also that the
Democrats are looking to occupy both ends of Pennsylvania
Avenue by virtue of controlling the White House and Congress.
The polls' outcome is expected to have definite
implications domestically and globally, including on South
Asia and India-United States relations.
For Obama, the final stages of his hectic 21-month
campaigning had only one sad moment towards the very end --
the passing of his maternal grandmother on Sunday night who
had a "meaningful and enduring" impact in shaping his life.
As Americans are looking up to which of the two
candidates crosses the 270 Electoral College vote mark, the
networks are letting Americans know that they may not be as
restrained as was thought and that some of them may not be in
the mood to wait for polls in the West Coast to close before
making a clear and definite projection if one was available.
Given the electoral college map and the strength of the
respective candidates, indications are that an announcement on
who the 44th President of the U.S. may not be known till about
10:30 pm (0900 hrs I.S.T. Wednesday)
"There's no way to get around it," C.B.S. News senior
Vice President Paul Friedman was quoted as saying. "If one man
gets 270 electoral votes before the West Coast polls are
closed, we're not going to pretend (he doesn't)."
The call for restraint on the media is on account of the
implications of an announcement or projection before the polls
closed in the West Coast, especially as it pertained to tight
Congressional races.
Obama, by way of polls and pundits, is expected to make
strong headway into areas that Democrats have not treaded
before -- which means states like Ohio, Florida, Indiana,
Virginia and perhaps even Georgia and North Carolina.
The expectation is that Obama will be walking away with
at least 310 seats in the electorate college with McCain
coming in with a decent 130 in the electoral college vote.
What is going for Obama is that aside from a strong
showing in the mainstream, more than 90 percent of the
African-American community is pulling for him; nearly 70
percent of the Hispanic community has pledged its support; and
among the Asian-Americans, 80 percent of Indian-Americans are
throwing their weight behind the Illinois Democrat.
In one of the final polls, Obama holds a significant lead
over McCain. The Pew Research Centre's final pre-election poll
finds 49 percent people supporting or leaning to Obama,
compared with 42 percent for McCain; minor party candidates
draw 2 percent while 7 percent are undecided.
The strong showing of the Illinois Democrat has to do
with the fact that his campaign has the most effective ground
operation any Democrat has mounted in years.
Record numbers of Americans were expected to vote across
the country in addition to 29 million who had already voted in
30 states.
The early vote tally indicated an advantage for Obama,
with Democrats voting in larger numbers than Republicans in
North Carolina, Colorado, Florida and Iowa -- the states that
voted for George W. Bush in 2004.
"I'm feeling kind of fired up. I'm feeling like I'm ready
to go," Obama said at his final campaign rally last night in
Manassas, Virginia.
"At this defining moment in history, Virginia, you can
give this country the change it needs," Obama told a gathering
of tens of thousands of voters in a state that has not voted
for a Democratic presidential nominee in 44 years.
In the final stages of his campaign, McCain slammed his
Democratic rival saying that there is a difference between
running as a "commander in chief versus a
redistributionist-in-chief."
"I'm running to be commander-in-chief. Senator Obama is
running to spread the wealth. I'm running to create more
wealth. Senator Obama is running to punish the successful. I'm
running to make everyone successful," he said. PTI KIM
Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) Americans voted in a historic Presidential poll Tuesday with Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama bidding to become the first black occupant of the White House and his Republican opponent John McCain hoping for a surprise election-day upset amid a raft of adverse opinion surveys.
With Democrats eyeing both the Senate and House of
Representatives, Tuesday's polls may also result in a
political re-alignment on the Capitol Hill.
47-year-old first-time Illinois Senator Obama, who
clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination after a long
hard-fought battle with seasoned Hillary Clinton, is widely
expected to emerge victorious with a number of opinion polls
giving him an edge over the Vietnam War veteran McCain.
But, 72-year-old McCain, seeking to leave behind the
legacy of incumbent George W. Bush who is being criticised for
his foreign and economic policies, hopes to make a remarkable
comeback in the race for Presidency defying poll pundits. If
he wins he will be the oldest person to be inaugurated as
President.
Some states, including Florida, Georgia and Colorado
started early voting with a large number of people queueing up
to cast their ballots.
"Today is Election Day. The opportunity to set our
country on a new path has never felt more real than it does
right now. The polls are open in most places, and people are
already making their voices heard for change. There's just one
thing left to do -- vote and make sure everyone you know
votes, too," Obama said in an e-mail message to his
supporters.
Obama opened his account with a landslide win in Dixville
Notch, an isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner
which voted shortly after midnight last night and drew the
media attention for being the first place in the country to
make its presidential preferences known.
It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned
Democratic with Obama winning 15 of 21 votes cast in a polling
that saw a full 100 percent registered voters participating.
However, CNN said the result in Dixville Notch is hardly
a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White
House -- or even the result statewide.
McCain, true to his word, has not given up insisting that
America is in for a rare come from behind win.
On election day, the subdued analysis is that this
election is one of historic proportions for there is not only
the strong likelihood of a young African-American occupying
the Oval Office on January 20, 2009 but also that the
Democrats are looking to occupy both ends of Pennsylvania
Avenue by virtue of controlling the White House and Congress.
The polls' outcome is expected to have definite
implications domestically and globally, including on South
Asia and India-United States relations.
For Obama, the final stages of his hectic 21-month
campaigning had only one sad moment towards the very end --
the passing of his maternal grandmother on Sunday night who
had a "meaningful and enduring" impact in shaping his life.
As Americans are looking up to which of the two
candidates crosses the 270 Electoral College vote mark, the
networks are letting Americans know that they may not be as
restrained as was thought and that some of them may not be in
the mood to wait for polls in the West Coast to close before
making a clear and definite projection if one was available.
Given the electoral college map and the strength of the
respective candidates, indications are that an announcement on
who the 44th President of the U.S. may not be known till about
10:30 pm (0900 hrs I.S.T. Wednesday)
"There's no way to get around it," C.B.S. News senior
Vice President Paul Friedman was quoted as saying. "If one man
gets 270 electoral votes before the West Coast polls are
closed, we're not going to pretend (he doesn't)."
The call for restraint on the media is on account of the
implications of an announcement or projection before the polls
closed in the West Coast, especially as it pertained to tight
Congressional races.
Obama, by way of polls and pundits, is expected to make
strong headway into areas that Democrats have not treaded
before -- which means states like Ohio, Florida, Indiana,
Virginia and perhaps even Georgia and North Carolina.
The expectation is that Obama will be walking away with
at least 310 seats in the electorate college with McCain
coming in with a decent 130 in the electoral college vote.
What is going for Obama is that aside from a strong
showing in the mainstream, more than 90 percent of the
African-American community is pulling for him; nearly 70
percent of the Hispanic community has pledged its support; and
among the Asian-Americans, 80 percent of Indian-Americans are
throwing their weight behind the Illinois Democrat.
In one of the final polls, Obama holds a significant lead
over McCain. The Pew Research Centre's final pre-election poll
finds 49 percent people supporting or leaning to Obama,
compared with 42 percent for McCain; minor party candidates
draw 2 percent while 7 percent are undecided.
The strong showing of the Illinois Democrat has to do
with the fact that his campaign has the most effective ground
operation any Democrat has mounted in years.
Record numbers of Americans were expected to vote across
the country in addition to 29 million who had already voted in
30 states.
The early vote tally indicated an advantage for Obama,
with Democrats voting in larger numbers than Republicans in
North Carolina, Colorado, Florida and Iowa -- the states that
voted for George W. Bush in 2004.
"I'm feeling kind of fired up. I'm feeling like I'm ready
to go," Obama said at his final campaign rally last night in
Manassas, Virginia.
"At this defining moment in history, Virginia, you can
give this country the change it needs," Obama told a gathering
of tens of thousands of voters in a state that has not voted
for a Democratic presidential nominee in 44 years.
In the final stages of his campaign, McCain slammed his
Democratic rival saying that there is a difference between
running as a "commander in chief versus a
redistributionist-in-chief."
"I'm running to be commander-in-chief. Senator Obama is
running to spread the wealth. I'm running to create more
wealth. Senator Obama is running to punish the successful. I'm
running to make everyone successful," he said. PTI KIM
