The Presidential Zone

President-Elect Barak Obama, the first African-American ever elected to the office of the Presidency, has been immersed in preparations to take office in January. Along with all the “usual” transition issues facing new presidents - namely choosing their Cabinet - the Democrat faces some of the most pressing crises the nation has ever faced.

The transition team for President-elect Barack Obama has indicated it plans to hit the ground running with what could be big changes for the country.

Top on the list is the economy. Increasingly dismal reports continue to show the depth and breadth of the country’s economic woes. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care, the mortgage crises, and the looming auto industry meltdown will all need Obama’s attention from Day 1. Read the rest of this entry »

Newly-minted President Elect Barak Obama had a “relaxed” and “friendly” meeting with the current White House resident, President George Bush.

“The president enjoyed his visit with the president-elect, and he again pledged a smooth transition to the next administration” according to a statement released by White House press secretary Dana Perino. “The president and the president-elect had a long meeting, described by the president as good, constructive, relaxed and friendly.”

Obama said he was “gratified by the invitation” to meet with the president and his wife.

In his regular radio address, President Bush said “When I called President-elect Obama to congratulate him on his historic victory, I told him that he can count on my complete cooperation as he makes his transition to the White House. Ensuring that this transition is seamless is a top priority for the rest of my time in office.”

Bush and Obama held a private meeting in the Oval Office, while the first lady gave incoming first lady Michelle Obama a tour of the residence. Read the rest of this entry »

President-elect Barack Obama told over 125,000 supporters that “change has come to America,” as he addressed the country for the first time from Grant Park in Chicago. Supporters in Chicago cheering, “Yes, we can” were met with cries of “Yes, we did.”

More than 1,000 people gathered outside of the White House, chanting, “Obama, Obama!”

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you — we as a people will get there,” Obama said in Chicago, Illinois. Read the rest of this entry »

The votes are in - at least in tiny Dixville Notch, New Hampshire - and the results would name the nation’s first ever African American to the White House: President Barak Obama.

100 percent of registered voters — all 21 of them — cast their ballots just after midnight in the first moments of Tuesday morning. For the first time in 40 years, the town voted Democratic in the presidential election, 15 to 6.

No matter how they vote, Americans will make history today. Democrat Barack Obama could become the first African-American president. Republican John McCain could become the oldest president elected to a first term. Sarah Palin could become the first woman elected vice president. Record voter turnout also is predicted.

The 2008 presidential election has been the most expensive in history. Read the rest of this entry »

With only two days left before Election Day, Illinois Senator Barak Obama leads Arizona Senator John McCain in every significant poll.

What’s surprising is that Obama has managed to turn traditionally red states either blue or purple, meaning they are either fully on the Democrats side of the ledger, or at least in play.

In the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, released Sunday morning, 53 percent of likely voters say they are backing Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, for president, while 46 percent support McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona.

Over the last month, Obama’s lead has remained quite steady, ranging from five to nine points in the CNN Poll of Polls, which is an average of the national surveys. Read the rest of this entry »

Early election statistics show Democratic early voters outnumbering Republicans in key states, said analysts, suggesting a surprising change in traditional patterns.

With less than a week to go before a historic Election Day, registered Democrats in some states are out-voting Republicans by up to a nearly 2-to-1 margin, according to official election statistics.

CNN reports that as of Tuesday, at least 9,813,052 ballots had been cast in 31 states that allow early, in-person or absentee voting without having to provide an excuse. The figures are based on reports from state election officials.

As with early voting statistics in every state — these are not election results. Voters who are registered with a political party don’t always vote for that party’s candidates.

But the numbers suggest that this election is shattering traditional early voting patterns reflected by years of data. Historically, more Republicans than Democrats have taken part in early voting. Read the rest of this entry »

Barack Obama and John McCain have already received millions of votes many days before Election Day. In many states, voters are able to cast their ballots early, and many have been willing to stand in line for hours while waiting to cast ballots. Election officials report significant increases in early voter turnout compared with past contests.

Historically, early voting tends to help Democrats rather than Republicans. Because of this, early voting may not mirror the general election, however it can provide indications regarding voter turnout.

31 states either are allowing voters to vote in person early, and election officials are reporting record turnouts, and state election officials said Monday that early voting already has reached record levels as the presidential campaign enters its final week. Read the rest of this entry »

An averaging of polls show Barak Obama leading John McCain by 13 points, 52 percent to 39 percent, which is a six-point increase for the Illinois senator since the last Iowa poll of polls released in late September.

With nine days left, a series of new battleground polls have some stark news for Sen. John McCain.

The average of three surveys shows Sen. John McCain leading Sen. Obama by 6 points, 50 percent to 44 percent.

Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that Sen. John McCain was now “owning up to the fact that he and George Bush actually have a whole lot in common.”

“Just this morning, Sen. McCain said that, actually, he and President Bush — ’share a common philosophy.’ That’s right, Colorado. I guess that was John McCain finally giving us a little straight talk,” Obama said at a rally in Denver.

Obama was referring to McCain’s Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” NBC’s Tom Brokaw pointed to a review of McCain’s record, which showed he voted with Bush 92 percent of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired U.S. general and a Republican, has endorsed Barak Obama for president.

Powell, who was once seen as a possible presidential candidate himself, served as Secretary of State under President Bush from 2001 to 2005.

“I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I’ll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama,” Powell said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Along with praise for the Democrat, Powell cited additional reasons for his endorsement of the Illinois Senator. Powell said he was concerned about what he characterized as a recent negative turn of Republican candidate Sen. John McCain’s campaign, such as the campaign’s attempts to tie Obama to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers.

“I think that’s inappropriate. I understand what politics is about — I know how you can go after one another, and that’s good. But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It’s not what the American people are looking for,” he said.

Powell has offered praise for Obama, calling him an “exciting person on the political stage.” Read the rest of this entry »

Republican White House hopefuls John McCain and his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin are engaged in a last-dash effort to stem the Democratic Barack Obama / Joe Biden ticket’s surging momentum and hold the states that have traditionally voted for Republicans.

With Obama trying to expand his electoral vote count in hopes of racking up a decisive win, McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin went south to states President Bush carried easily in 2004 and ones that haven’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in more than forty years.

The McCain GOP campaign had hoped to have shored up its support in traditionally red states, but instead is focusing its dwindling resources on the conventional battlegrounds that usually decide presidential elections.

But with limited time and resources, a state-by-state offensive appears no longer possible for the Republican presidential candidate. Read the rest of this entry »