Obama carries lead over McCain into election day

[dsanchez]

Good luck to our U.S. members

WASHINGTON: A confident Democrat Barack Obama stood ready to make history by being elected America's first black president after wrapping up a marathon two-year campaign. But Republican John McCain stubbornly promised an underdog upset in Tuesday's election.

Obama and McCain, separated by 25 years and a seemingly unbridgeable political gulf, had agreed on one thing during the longest presidential campaign in U.S. history — their promise to slam the door on the era of George W. Bush.

But they were deeply at odds over how to fix the nation's crumbling economy and end the 5 1/2-year war in Iraq, the issues that sent Bush's job approval rating plummeting to a record low at the end of his 8-year presidency.

Record numbers of Americans were expected at polling stations across the U.S., adding their ballots to 29 million citizens who had already voted in 30 states. The early vote tally suggested an advantage for Obama, with official statistics showing that Democrats voted in larger numbers than Republicans in North Carolina, Colorado, Florida and Iowa. All four states voted for Bush in 2004.

Democrats also anticipated strengthening their majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, although Republicans battled to hold their losses to a minimum and a significant number of races were rated as tossups in the campaign's final hours.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/04/america/NA-US-Elections.php

[dsanchez]

Results can be checked here

http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/

[crowbi_wan]

What an exciting day!  This is easily the biggest election of my lifetime.  First African American President?  First female Vice-President?  Finally knowing who will replace our current "leader".  I'll be glued to the TV/radio all day.   

Go Obama! 

(I must say that I'm going to miss Tina Fey's portrayal of Gov. Palin once the election is over) 

[dsanchez]

I think all the world goes for Obama. For instance, here in France was an ad in a newspapper supporting him!

Let's wait for the results. It must be really quite exciting as you pointed!

[Lady]

I'm waiting for the first official results...c'mooon Obama!!! :roll:

[Tof]

I'm waiting too ...

crowbi some news from USA ???

[dsanchez]

First results, Obama is wining

[dsanchez]

I think I was reading bad. In US they gave a strange way to count the votes, called the "electoral votes" (in Peru for instance only counts the number of people. If we are 10 000 million people who can vote, and 6 million go for Obama and 4 for McCain, then Obama wins).

But so far seems McCain is winning, 16 "electoral votes", against 3 of Obama. Still, too early to say anything.

1st update: Obama 77, McCain 34

[dsanchez]

Obama is the new US president!

Congratulations!!

Hope the US troops quit Irak, and hope the economy there gets better again

[Tof]

Congratulation USA 

[crowbi_wan]

Yes, as soon as the results were in that Obama had won Ohio, it was quite clear that he would win the election.  California and Washington are givens, which would give Obama more than enough electoral votes to win.   

It's a great day for the US.  Actually, it's a great day for the world, I'd say 

[dsanchez]

McCain accepts the lose right now (live)

http://www.elpais.com/multimedia/player_video.html?stop=0&xref=Directo_cuatro

[crowbi_wan]

In US they gave a strange way to count the votes, called the "electoral votes" (in Peru for instance only counts the number of people. If we are 10 000 million people who can vote, and 6 million go for Obama and 4 for McCain, then Obama wins).

Yes, we do have a strange method of voting.  There have been three elections where the "popular" vote (the actual votes of the people) would have elected the person who lost the "electoral" vote.    

Here's the wiki link if you feel like reading up on the topic.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Electoral_College

[dsanchez]

thanks for the link crowbi

Obama's wikipedia updated already --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama

[tigermilk]

Go Obama!
I'm so happy!

The USA has elected a great man to lead them, I'm glad they didn't make a mistake like they did with Bush.