Tue, November 11, 2008 - 11:39 AM

From the AP. Apparently Rep. Paul Broun didn't get the memo noting that, politically, it's pretty much never a good idea to play the Hitler card.

WASHINGTON--A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."

Broun cited a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.

"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

"We can't be lulled into complacency," Broun said. "You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential of going down that road."

--Sean Mussenden

Mon, November 10, 2008 - 11:32 AM

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-Va., likely to become the No. 2 Republican in the House later this month said he can work with President-elect Barack Obama until the new president “veers left.”

On Fox News Sunday, Cantor said, “If … (Obama) veers left and says, ‘No, the way to do this is to crank up the government spending machine and to raise taxes on families and small businesses,’ we’re going to oppose him.”

Regarding the significant Republican losses last Tuesday, Cantor said his party will have to learn from them.

“The incredible innovation and use of technology that the Obama campaign and the Democrats employed is stunning. We're going to have to change,” he said. “The Republican Party will have to begin to adapt those innovations and that technology to make sure that we can reach out to the increasing diverse population of this country.”
For more on his appearance read here or see the full transcript here.

-Neil Simon

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-Va., likely to become the No. 2 Republican in the House later this month said he can work with President-elect Barack Obama until the new president “veers left.”

On Fox News Sunday, Cantor said, “If … (Obama) veers left and says, ‘No, the way to do this is to crank up the government spending machine and to raise taxes on families and small businesses,’ we’re going to oppose him.”

Regarding the significant Republican losses last Tuesday, Cantor said his party will have to learn from them.

“The incredible innovation and use of technology that the Obama campaign and the Democrats employed is stunning. We're going to have to change,” he said. “The Republican Party will have to begin to adapt those innovations and that technology to make sure that we can reach out to the increasing diverse population of this country.”
For more on his appearance read here or see the full transcript here.

-Neil Simon

The current president and the next one are scheduled to meet at the White House this afternoon behind closed doors. Who wouldn’t love to be a fly on the wall for their first post-election get-together?

President-elect Obama owes his victory in no small measure to President Bush’s historically low approval ratings. Obama just spent the last two years trashing his predecessor on the stump, and tying his opponent, John McCain, to Bush’s policies.

While the meeting is likely to be somewhat awkward, it will probably not match the uneasy meeting between Bush and President Clinton and Vice President Gore right after the recount.

--Sean Mussenden

Fri, November 07, 2008 - 5:30 PM

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-Va., appears to have no opposition in his bid to become the next Republican whip.

Cantor has been calling members to solidify support, his chief of staff Rob Collins said, but no names have surfaced to challenge Cantor, who currently serves as the chief deputy to Republican whip Roy Blunt of Missouri.

Blunt announced he would step down from the leadership post after Republicans lost at least 19 House seats in Tuesday’s elections.

Minority leader John Boehner of Ohio intends to keep his job and faces no formal opposition.

Some Democrats said Republicans, left with a smaller minority in the chamber, would become more conservative. But Collins said if Cantor were to rise in the GOP leadership, it should not be taken as a sign the conference is moving to the political right.

“We are not worried about the conference becoming more conservative or more moderate. We are concerned about making our party more relevant than their party,” Cantor said.

The Republican conference is to elect its new leaders November 20.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is seeking the House Republican conference chairmanship, the party’s No. 3 position, which is being vacated by Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla.

“(The conference) is reassessing how we present our ideas and principles to the American people and looking for a way to reenergize not only our ideas and our legislative proposals but also reenergizing the grassroots,” Collins said.

--Neil H. Simon

President-elect Barack Obama may not be back in Washington yet, but a downtown D.C. building is already housing his presidential transition office to start appointing government staff and build a new administration to slide into power January 20.

Washington residents, workers and visitors have seen security ramp up around the square-block office building for a week. The Department of Justice has an annex in the same building. One of their divisions had to be moved from the basement to accommodate the Obama transition team, according to one employee.

Watch a video for more on the transition office here.



--Neil H. Simon

(For latecomers, read from the bottom up)

***

And it's over. Pretty short.

***

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet has an arm on her sling, which she says she hurt running to Obama's victory speech on Tuesday night.

***

Asked about the dog he promised his daughters, Obama says it's a "major issue." Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. He says they would like to get a shelter dog.

Michelle Obama is scouting out schools for the kids in Washington.

***

Q: To what extent will you use your influence in naming a sucessor to your Senate seat?
A: The governor has that responsibility, not mine.

***

Question: when will you send low level communiques to Iran, Cuba other dictatorships to see about meetings? Obama says "we only have one President at a time" and says he wants to be careful about sending dual signals.

***

Question: are you confident that Congress can pass a stimulus package before Bush leaves office? Obama: "If it is not done in a lame duck session, it will be the first thing I do as president of the United States."

***

Obama says Congress must pass a stimulus package, "either before or after inauguration."

***

The DOW has dropped 90 points since Obama started speaking.

***

Obama says he "does not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead." He adds: "It's not going to be quick, it's not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole we're in."

***

For the curious, here's the lineup behind him:

William Daley - Chairman of the Midwest, JP Morgan Chase; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Commerce, 1997-2000

Robert Reich - University of California, Berkeley; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Labor, 1993-1997

Penny Pritzker - CEO, Classic Residence by Hyatt

Roger Ferguson - President and CEO, TIAA-CREF and former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

Lawrence Summers - Harvard University; Managing Director, D.E. Shaw; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1999-2001

Anne Mulcahy - Chairman and CEO, Xerox

Richard Parsons - Chairman of the Board, Time Warner

Paul Volcker - Former Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve 1979-1987

Rahm Emanuel - United States Representative (IL-05)

President Elect Obama

Vice President Elect Biden

Jennifer Granholm - Governor, State of Michigan

Robert Rubin - Director and Senior Counselor, Citigroup; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1995-1999

David Bonior - Member House of Representatives (Michigan) 1977-2003

Laura Tyson - (Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Former Chairman, National Economic Council, 1995-1996; Former Chairman, President’s Council of Economic Advisors, 1993-1995)

Antonio Villaraigosa - Mayor, City of Los Angeles

William Donaldson - Former Chairman of the SEC, 2003-2005

Eric Schmidt - Chairman and CEO, Google

Roel Campos - Former Commissioner of the SEC


***

He says his transition team plans a major review of the financial rescue package passed by Congress and the Bush administration last month.

***

Obama on auto industry: urges Bush administration to speed up financial assistance to car markers, and said his transition team is focused on the issue.

***

He pledges to address economic crisis right after he becomes president, work with President Bush on the issue until then, and talks up "rescue plan for middle class" -- a favorite talking point on the campaign trail -- and expansion of unemployment benefits.

***

Flanked by his economic advisers, Obama starts out with the terrible unemployment numbers released today. "An urgent reminder that we're facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime," he says.

***

Still running late. Very Clintonesque in that regard, though Obama also had a reputation for late arrivals on the campaign trail. The Very Important People have lined up behind the podium, including Obama's new chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. And here comes Obama.

***

Obama's first press conference is about to get underway in Chicago and we're liveblogging it. It was supposed to start at 2:30, but we just got word that it will be starting about 10 minutes late because Obama's meeting with his economic team is running late.

Refresh for the latest updates, which will appear at the top of the page.

--Sean Mussenden

John McCain, who has laid low since his loss Tuesday night, sent an email to backers today thanking them for "steadfast support during the course of this campaign." Full letter below:


Cindy and I would like to take a moment to thank you for your loyal and steadfast support during the course of this campaign. Governor Palin, her husband Todd, our families, friends and campaign staff extend our deep appreciation for your tireless dedication, support and friendship.

It is the end of a long journey and your support through the ups and downs has meant more to us than you may ever know.

Although we were disappointed with the results, we must move beyond this campaign and work together to get our country moving again.

It is our sincere hope that you will join us in putting our country first and continue to work to keep our nation safe, free and prosperous.

We urge you to join us in not just congratulating Senator Obama, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together as a nation. Whatever our differences may be, we are all fellow Americans.

We are truly blessed to live in this great country and call ourselves Americans, and we will forever be her loyal servants.

Today, let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

With warm gratitude,

Cindy and John McCain

--Sean Mussenden

Thu, November 06, 2008 - 3:45 PM

While some Republicans have criticized Barack Obama's choice of Rahm Emanuel for chief of staff as too partisan of a pick, Sen. Lindsey Graham called the choice "wise" in a statement just released.

The statement said Graham spoke by phone with Emanuel earlier today. Emanuel has accepted the job as Obama's top deputy in the incoming administration.

“Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills," Graham's statement said. "He can be a tough partisan but also understands the need to work together."

Graham, who advised Republican John McCain during the campaign mentioned negotiating the presidential debate formats with Emanuel, who worked on Obama's behalf.

"When we hit a rough spot, he always looked for a path forward," Graham said. "I consider Rahm to be a friend and colleague. He’s tough but fair. Honest, direct, and candid. These qualities will serve President-elect Obama well."

“Rahm understands the challenges facing our nation and will, consistent with the agenda set by President-elect Obama, work to find common ground where it exists. I look forward to working with him in his new position and will continue to do everything I can to help find a pathway forward on the difficult problems facing our nation,” the statement finished.

--Neil Simon

Election Day has finally ended for North Carolina.

The Associated Press has called the state for Democrat Barack Obama.

The AP is reporting that after canvassing counties in North Carolina to determine the number of outstanding provisional ballots they found there are not enough remaining ballots for Republican John McCain to close a 13,693-vote deficit.

-- Amy Dominello

While the presidential race was decided decisively (even though North Carolina's electoral votes are still in question) there are some races that won't be determined for weeks because of recounts.

In Minnesota, Sen. Norm Coleman leads challenger Al Franken by fewer than 500 votes. The contest for Virginia's fifth congressional district is even closer: Democrat Tom Perriello leads Republican Virgil Goode, the incumbent, by 31 votes according to the latest tally.

Several elections for state offices across the country will also go to recounts.

Everyone remembers the 2000 Florida recount debacle, when George W. Bush won Florida and therefore the White House after court battles over the recount eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Bush's margin of victory was just over 2,000 votes on election night, but recounts in some districts narrowed that lead to just 537 votes.

In 2004, the Washington gubernatorial election was initially called for Republican Dino Rossi, who had a 261 vote lead over Democrat Christine Gregoire. The machine recount shrunk that lead to 42 votes, but during a manual recount additional ballots were discovered, as well as ballots that improperly disallowed in the initial vote tallies. Several lawsuits later, Gergoire was declared the winner by a 130 vote margin. Rossi didn't officially concede until June of 2005, after several court challenges failed to change the outcome of the final recount. Gregoire defeated Rossi again Tuesday by a wider margin.

Less well know, at least to people outside of Minnesota, is the recount of that state's 1962 gubernatorial election. Initial results indicated that incumbent Elmer Andersen had defeated Karl Rolvaag by 142 votes. It wasn't until March of 1963 after a recount and a court battle over that recount, that Rolvaag emerged as the winner by 91 votes.

Politico is reporting an Alabama native will be the new press secretary for the Obama administration.

The Washington newspaper reports Robert Gibbs, a native of Auburn, Ala., will be named to the job.

Gibbs was the top communications staffer during the campaign.

-- Amy Dominello

Wed, November 05, 2008 - 1:44 PM

Sure, we elected a new president in a historic election. But there were a lot of other important races last night too.

Here's a look at a few in the Southeast.

In Alabama, Democrat Bobby Bright was able to pick up the seat of retiring Republican Terry Everett. Democrat Parker Griffith held on to the seat of retiring Democrat Bud Cramer. The state’s five incumbents in the House won re-election, as did Sen. Jeff Sessions.

In Georgia, all incumbent House members – seven Republicans and five Democrats - held onto their seats. Georgia Democrats had high hopes for picking up at least one seat.

The state’s Senate race between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin is still too close to call, with 96 percent of precincts reporting. Chambliss leads by 117,804 votes.

But in Georgia, the winner must get 50 percent of the vote. Right now, Chambliss has 49.9 percent. A runoff would be closely watched to see whether Democrats can continue to add to their majority in the Senate.

And in Mississippi, the Associated Press reports the GOP's Roger Wicker defeated Democratic former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to serve the final four years of a Senate term started by Republican Trent Lott. Wicker was appointed to the seat in January.

Three of Mississippi's Democratic U.S. House members — Travis Childers, Bennie Thompson and Gene Taylor — were re-elected. Childers defeated Southaven Mayor Greg Davis in a rematch of the special election nearly six months ago for Wicker's old House seat.

Republicans held onto the 3rd District seat that was open because 12-year incumbent Chip Pickering chose not to seek re-election. Republican Gregg Harper easily defeated Democratic cattleman Joel Gill.

-- Amy Dominello

In the larger scheme of things, it hardly matters which presidential candidate won North Carolina, which is still too close to call this afternoon. The race is over. Barack Obama was declared the winner and John McCain conceded long before all the votes in North Carolina came in.

Still, the uncertainty has to feel somewhat unsatisfying for voters in the state, who endured long lines and two months of TV ads and robo-calls. And for political junkies, it's hard to start the debate about whether Republicans can turn the state red again in 2012 or Democrats can make another run at turning it blue without knowing its color this year.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Obama leads by .27 percent or 11,690 votes out of 4.2 million cast. For those keeping score at home, it's Obama 2,110,285 to McCain 2,098,595.

While that would seem to give Obama the win, there are more votes to be counted.

Based on past estimates, an expected 40,000 provisional ballots were cast this year, Gary Bartlett, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in an interview today. History suggests that about 65 percent of those provisional ballots end up counting -- the rest are thrown out -- meaning there are probably 26,000 votes or so left to include in the tally.

Historically, provisional ballots usually break along the same lines as the election as a whole -- with a slight trend towards the winner -- suggesting Obama will probably pull it out, he said. But we probably won't know for sure for a little while.

--Sean Mussenden

On this morning after Election Day 2008, President Bush read a brief statement in the Rose Garden, saying he had congratulated Barack Obama in a phone call last night and had promised "complete cooperation in the transition." He also said he has invited the Obamas to the White House but didn't say when they would be visiting.

In the three-minute speech, Bush was gracious about the historic signficance of the Democrat's election, spoke warmly about Republican John McCain and praised the electoral system.

"No matter how they cast their ballots, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday. Across the country, citizens voted in large numbers. They showed a watching world the vitality of America's democracy, and the strides we have made toward a more perfect union. They chose a President whose journey represents a triumph of the American story -- a testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our nation," Bush said.

After the networks called the election for Obama last night, the streets around the White House filled with revelers who honked horns, pumped fists and shouted their excitement into the wee hours. This morning, several balloons that had blown over the White House fences were stuck in bushes. One red balloon wafted over the South Lawn just before Bush spoke, lending a festive air. Garden note: Several rose plants are in full, glorious bloom, although the mums have faded.

Here's a transcript of President Bush's remarks, as released by the White House:

THE PRESIDENT: "Good morning. Last night, I had a warm conversation with President-elect Barack Obama. I congratulated him and Senator Biden on their impressive victory. I told the President-elect he can count on complete cooperation from my administration as he makes the transition to the White House.

"I also spoke to Senator John McCain. I congratulated him on a determined campaign that he and Governor Palin ran. The American people will always be grateful for the lifetime of service John McCain has devoted to this nation. And I know he'll continue to make tremendous contributions to our country.

"No matter how they cast their ballots, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday. Across the country, citizens voted in large numbers. They showed a watching world the vitality of America's democracy, and the strides we have made toward a more perfect union. They chose a President whose journey represents a triumph of the American story -- a testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our nation.

"Many of our citizens thought they would never live to see that day. This moment is especially uplifting for a generation of Americans who witnessed the struggle for civil rights with their own eyes -- and four decades later see dream fulfilled.

"A long campaign has now ended, and we move forward as one nation. We're embarking on a period of change in Washington, yet there are some things that will not change. The United States government will stay vigilant in meeting its most important responsibility -- protecting the American people. And the world can be certain this commitment will remain steadfast under our next Commander-in-Chief.

"There's important work to do in the months ahead, and I will continue to conduct the people's business as long as this office remains in my trust. During this time of transition, I will keep the President-elect fully informed on important decisions. And when the time comes on January the 20th, Laura and I will return home to Texas with treasured memories of our time here -- and with profound gratitude for the honor of serving this amazing country.

"It will be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House. I know millions of Americans will be overcome with pride at this inspiring moment that so many have awaited so long. I know Senator Obama's beloved mother and grandparents would have been thrilled to watch the child they raised ascend the steps of the Capitol -- and take his oath to uphold the Constitution of the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

"Last night I extended an invitation to the President-elect and Mrs. Obama to come to the White House. And Laura and I are looking forward to welcoming them as soon as possible.

"Thank you very much."

-- Marsha Mercer