Congress to make it official: Obama's the president-elect

Getting the party started!!

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama will officially become the president-elect today when Congress meets in a joint session to tally the ballots from the Electoral College, which convened last month in every state and the District of Columbia.

No surprises are expected at the gathering, which is mandated by Amendment XII of the Constitution. Obama won the November general election with 365 electoral votes, compared to 173 for McCain, and all 538 electors cast their ballots accordingly when the Electoral College met on December 15.

Roller coaster

By GottaLaff

This morning, my Television Machine was on with the sound muted as I listened to a wonderfully gleeful post-election Stephanie Miller on the radio. As I laughed and gloated along with her, something happened.

I experienced an abrupt and profound change of emotion. Why? Glancing up at the TV screen, I noticed our soon-to-be-ex veep Dick Cheney "paying tribute" to our veterans. A gut-level switch was flipped, and tears welled up.

It was difficult enough to deal with the deaths of the brave men and women who gave their lives for their country, but this particular visual was jarring. As I took in the chilling image of this thug-- one of many who were savagely responsible for the deaths of so many soldiers and civilians-- acting as if he cared, I was struck like never before by the hypocrisy.

And then, just as abruptly, it hit me that we had just elected the anti-Iraq War, pro-Constitution candidate into office, and was overwhelmed by a torrent of conflicting emotions.

It was a fast-forward of sensations: Sorrow, then indignance, then resentment, then rage, then realization, then relief, then gratitude, then pride. All within about a minute.

I'm still not over it. Did any of you experience something similar?

Obama responds to Gramm-pa McCain's "welfare" comments

By GottaLaff

Oh, suh-nap! And in front of 100,000 people, too:

Standing beneath the Gateway Arch in downtown St Louis, Senator Obama responded to claims from the McCain campaign that his tax plan is a "welfare" program because it gives tax credits for people who don't pay federal income taxes.

"I'm not giving tax cuts to folks who don't work, I'm giving tax cuts to people who do work. John McCain is so out of touch with the struggles you are facing that he must be the first politician in history to call a tax cut for working people 'welfare.'"

Whaddya want from a guy who married a zillionaire, owns eleventeen houses and twelvety-two cars?

"The only 'welfare' in this campaign is John McCain's plan to give another $200 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations in America – including $4 billion in tax breaks to big oil companies that ran up record profits under George Bush," Obama continued, "That's who John McCain is fighting for."

Gramm-pa's take on "pro-America" and "real Virginia" is defined by his own skewed un-"real"-ity. Not exactly someone we'd call Joe the Plumber or Mr. Everyman, more like Grammps the Fat Cat or Mr. Out of Touch.

CNN/Time: Obama Makes Gains in Red States

Mmmm, poll porn. I get extra tingly over that word "defense".

A new set of CNN/Time polls show Sen. Barack Obama is making crucial gains in once reliable Republicans states and has forced Sen. John McCain into playing defense.

Colorado: Obama 51%, McCain 47%

Florida: Obama 51%, McCain 46%

Georgia: McCain 53%, Obama 45%

Missouri: McCain 49%, Obama 48%

Virginia: Obama 53%, McCain 43%

Added- Is the McCain camp getting ready to pull out of Wisconsin?

Is All This Hoopla Over Getting The VP Debate Postponed Or Maybe Cancelled?

That would be my call.
Via Hunter-

According to CNN, McCain's camp is now proposing that the debate be postponed by moving it to into the time and venue of the vice presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 2nd in St. Louis. The Biden-Palin debate would then be itself rescheduled to happen later on.

So, that'd be delaying two debates, not just one. And what are the odds that the vice presidential debate would manage to somehow never get rescheduled, given the McCain camp's intensive efforts to keep her away from reporters and questioners?

My apologies for cribbing from all the smart guys, but this stuff is coming so fast it's hard to keep up.