I thought Missouri was decided. NBC, for one, called it yesterday.

I'm missing the quick campaign hits. They were invaluable!

What's happened to them, anyway?

YES WE DID!

TO be fair, Harvey Gantt came really close before the "you wanted that job..." ad in... when was it? 1990?

Obama would have already won Missouri too if the 17,000 Nader voters there hadn't proved themselves to be useful idiots for the Republican party.

Here in Virginia [woooo-hoooooo!] a bunch of us sat at a bar watching the returns on Tuesday night. We were joined by a burly, white truck driver from North Carolina named Joel.

He worked himself into our conversation and we weren't sure what his political persuasion was [we were profiling, I guess]. Then, when he saw Elizabeth Dole getting beaten he shouted one of those ridiculous rebel yells and then bought us all drinks.

Someone asked him what he thought of Obama. "You kidding?" he said. "Best thing that ever happened to this country. I just hope North Carolina knows it."

For the rest of the night we could tell he was a little embarrassed that Obama hadn't pulled ahead in NC.

To Joel [and Alex above] I say, congratulations! Safe travels! And thanks for the beer!

Gotta say this really makes me pissed at my home state. NC and Virginia get it right, and MO doesn't. Ugh.

I wish blogger Steve Gilliard had lived to see this.

Due to the changing demographics of North Carolina, I find it less surprising that Obama carried that state than that he carried the state where I currently reside - Indiana.

North Carolina's demographics have moved democratic in recent years due to the increasing education levels of the state. In Indiana, college graduates have followed jobs out of the state and the overall education level of the electorate has decreased. The percentage of Low Information Voters (stupid white trash) in Indiana is on the increase.

If I had been in the right area of North Carolina on Tuesday, I might have heard multiple persons say "the nigger won & he won't live to the end of the year". I was in a rural community in Indiana on Tuesday afternoon & I did hear it there.

Of course, that was in the western part of the state. Where I reside (Indianapolis) is much more worldly - about 10 miles from the birthplace of the John Birch Society!

I must toot my own horn for a mo. If Missouri (that always trying state) goes for McCain, I will have called every single state correctly and predicted the exact electoral vote breakdown. Why did I not put money on this?!

Obama cracked the solid south. I'm still marveling -- and celebrating.

In light of this fact, the Republican regression to the party of the Confederacy makes it even less relevant.

That day Obama felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life." One panel on the brochure, "Called to Bring Change," declares, "We do what we do because God is with us."

GAGGGGG!!!! You're ruining my image of the person.

I thought Missouri was decided. NBC, for one, called it yesterday.

The results have not been certified by the Secretary of State. Last I checked he had not been mathematically eliminated. There were still more provisional ballots to be counted from heavily Democratic inner city areas in StL and KC, as well as a lot of military absentee ballots. And if they really did vote with their wallets, the military demographic will break for Obama. They gave him six bucks for every one they gave McCain.

Will the dixie Chicks be at the inauguration? Maybe playing Landslide?

I find it less surprising that Obama carried that state than that he carried the state where I currently reside - Indiana. Hopeful Vet

Indiana gets my vote for biggest and best surprise of the election. Way to go!

It does seem symbolically appropriate that Obama won 3 southern states, states that were part of the Confederacy--even though he would have won the election without any of them. North Carolina (Greensboro) was where the sit-in movement began in 1960. Four students sat down at a segregated lunch counter and ordered coffee. They were refused service because they were black. Just think--a black man wins a state in a presidential election in which, only 48 years earlier, he would have been denied service at a restaurant!

As an NC native, I can attest to how marvelous this really is. I am truly proud of my home state and know firsthand how much of an uphill battle this was.

We fought hard for Harvey Gantt when he went up against Senator No in 1996. Indeed, it was the first political campaign that I actively volunteered for. His loss was a clear sociopolitical bitchslap and stung most of us progressive types pretty badly because it was clear that the ground game was there. Of course, it came out later that there were Republican moles inside the NC Democratic Party that aided and abetted this travesty. The N&O did a good write up of this if you're interested.

Its a real shame that old bastard Helms is dead because I'd love to see him face this tidal wave of democratic reckoning. Way to go Tar Heels!

Not only that, but they kicked out Helms' successor after just one term. As much as the bluing of Virginia has been discussed in the past few years, I think we're going to see North Carolina just as blue by 2010.

See the short story below. Suppression, marginalization, and criminal behavior in the South is still occurring, at this very moment. If you live in Georgia, or can help Jim Martin, please volunteer or donate. Or whatever you can.

The Pits: Georgia's GOP Swipes the Peach State

by Greg Palast

for SuicideGirls.com - November 5, 2008

The evil little &*%$'s are doing it again.

Even as they drown in the anger of platoons of pissed-off voters, Republican operatives are swiping ballots with both hands.

Ground zero is Georgia. It's here where the sick little vulture named Saxby Chambliss won the US Senate seat six years ago by calling his Democratic opponent, a guy who'd lost three limbs in Vietnam, a friend of Osama bin Laden.

There's no way in hell that Chambliss can slime his way back into the Senate in the face of over half a million newly registered voters (Black and young - 69% for Obama) without jacking them out of their votes. That's what the Republicans are up to. Right now. As we speak.

Over 50,000 the new voters in Georgia have been blocked from voting by using a nasty little new law, the Help America Vote Act signed by George Bush. (Bush is helping us vote - look out!)

I just got this from Christina Rush in the Peach Pit state:

"They really have stolen my vote and I don't know what to do about it at this late stage. I just found out 2 days ago that I do not exist on the voters rolls in Georgia. I have disappeared. After calling 866-OUR VOTE and the Secretary of State (for GA), it has been determined that the last vote I was accounted for was the 1996 General Election. That's awfully strange to me, considering that I voted in the recent Primaries and that last two General Elections (2000 and 2004)."

"Everyone is 'very sorry' this is happening, but no one can tell what I can do to make my vote count for THIS election. The only advice I've been given is to fill out a new voters registration form and I'll be eligible for any future elections, just not THIS one."

"So, what can I do except tell anyone and everyone who will listen?"

And no one is going to listen to you or the other 50,000 dumped voters in Georgia.

But here's the good news: it won't save them. The GOP is toast. Paint the White House black and blue and Congress the same hue.

But the steal in Senate races may allow the GOP to savage, obstruct, sabotage President Obama's ability to repair the damage of eight years of looting by the unelected junta of the Bush regime. They begin with the theft of the Georgia Senate seat, now heading into a run-off.

* * *

I've been studying the purge of voters and the blockade of new registrants all year with my co-investigator, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Here's what we know is happening: While Obama is brushing his tux for his Inaugural, several million votes are getting disappeared. We're awaiting the count on provisional ballots, those bouncing baloney ballots they give to the purge, The raw data is ill-making. We predicted a six-million vote heist and we're looking grimly accurate. Visit our site, www.GregPalast.com, to get the full report as the numbers come in - the totals of the UNcounted you won't see on the CNN website.

"GAGGGGG!!!! You're ruining my image of the person."

Yeah, but notice how little it actually matters when the person speaking isn't always trying to beat you over the head with their religious preferences. I've always had no problem with people that are religious. I don't agree with them at all, of course, but I only become very anti-religious when those that are try to inject religion into matters of science and government.

Can we NOW get rid of the Electoral College?

Kudos to the folks in North Carolina, who, finally, realized that it is not only fine to have African-Americans playing basketball for your state univerisity, but, it is OK to vote for an African-American, as well.

Now, if only Kentucky and my beloved Kansas would follow suit. And to think, so many Jayhawkers still cherish the thought that they are a "Northern" state. Yeah, does Brown vs The Board of Education ring a bell? It wasn't the school board of Birmingham, Alabama, Jayhawks, Wildcats and Wheat Shockers.

On the state level, NC *is* bluer than Virginia and has been for some time. The Democrats control the legislature (one reason NC has never passed a constitutional hate amendment) and have held the governor's mansion for 16 years (with 4 more on the way), and now have an 8-5 advantage in the House delegation. There's been a strong progressive element (alongside the more reactionary) in NC going back at least to the '30s with men like Frank Porter Graham; in part this explains how we simultaneously in the 80s had the liberal Terry Sanford and the arch-conservative Jesse Helms (who got his start helping oust Graham from the Senate with a race-baiting campaign) as our senators. Now, as many have pointed out, with the changing demographics, the rise of the Triangle and Charlotte as major urban regions, in-migration from other parts of the country, the far-flung state university system, North Carolina has finally become a competitive state on the presidential level. I've been waiting for this official call for two days; so great to see NC blue on the final map.

one thing this completes that I found interesting is how this affects the states that face outwards, geographically at least.

There are 16 states that border Canada, at least across water. McCain won four of them (Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho)

There are five states that touch the Pacific, McCain won one. (Alaska again)

There are four that border Mexico, McCain won two.

There are 14 that touch the Atlantic, McCain won two (S.C. and Georgia)

There are five that touch the Gulf, here McCain had his best showing, winning four.

There are 14 states that have no border. McCain won either 10 or 11 (depending on how Missou goes)

not sure what this is really indicative of, but I thought it was interesting.

Jesse Helms is dead.

And he won Georgia ...

North Carolina's maintained the bad rap for years due to Helms. Yes, we did elect him (and I deeply regret never getting to vote against the man personally, him announcing his retirement not long after I turned 18) but we'd kept a progressive in the other seat quite often, and Helms always won by narrow margins, and I suspect in many cases he won votes through his, frankly, stellar constitute services - something Dole and Edwards never had; indeed, neither of them seemed to care about North Carolinians at all. The man's politics and morals were terrible and I would gladly have voted against him 100 times out of 100, but in serving the people of North Carolina in dealing with their government, his office was top-notch. Lots of people have stories like my teacher whose aunt's passport was expedited by them, etc. That is a lesson Hagan should learn if she wants to celebrate again in 2014.

Interesting comment about the manner in which Helms' office helped constituents. Have read similar comments about Strom Thurmond.

My wife had some problems dealing with the SSA - She wrote both Senator Wyden and Smith of Oregon. Wyden's office responded quickly and was very helpful - Smith, finally, got back to her several months after the problems had been corrected, with a form letter telling her they were still working on her case. And, Smith will probably still be "working" on it, when he returns to private life in January.

just read that the n.c. county where palin made her "real america" comment voted obama by over 10 points....

Just think--a black man wins a state in a presidential election in which, only 48 years earlier, he would have been denied service at a restaurant!

Yep -- and he also won Virginia, where the union between his black father and white mother was illegal at the time of his birth in 1961 (reversed only by the ironically-named Loving v. Virginia decision six years later).

It also appears Obama may reach 365, as the Nebraska electoral district that includes Omaha is leaning his way. (Nebraska and Maine are the only states where winner-take-all does not apply in the Electoral College.)