NationStates Jolt Archive

What are you worried about? Obama's GOING TO WIN. after which, the question of who he goes after, and with how much force, will ACTUALLY be answered.

Let me tell you again-based on state-by-state polling, and defections from the GOP (likely pre-empting the threat of investigations), Obama's GOING TO WIN.

As much fun as I have, taking the most extreme interpretation (Emulating my counterparts on the other side) the fact is, At the end of the day, Obama's going to win, because Americans don't like to keep the same party in charge, and if McCain were a viable candidate on the national scale, he'd have already won in, like, 1996 or 2000, or 2004.

McCain was the 'sacrifice' candidate for the 2008 elections, we knew this back before the empty-suit Romney dropped out.

It's a bad year to be a Republican, everyone can agree to that. McCain picked the wrong time to run. Because his party has done most of the major screwing up. I had sincerly hoped that McCain would have beaten Bush in 2000. I actually admired McCain, when he clearly showed himself as a 'Maverick' now all he's got is a tin plated badge with the same motto. He thinks that his sleeazy attacks are going to impress people, who remember him for not doing that in the past. It's a betrayal of his true character. Anyway, it doesn't impress me, nor do I think does it impress others that much eiher.

Picking Palin was just a way to make things interesting and preserve what was left of the Murkowski Machine in Alaska-by getting rid of the person that was kicking them out of office. She did her job and made the contest look halfway real, and the Democrats did THEIR job by making sure she'll never be viable in any office again. Party bosses on the GOP get what they want (two people who don't do what they're told by The Party rendered irrelevant), the Democrats got what they want (the appearance of a spirited election to help motivate their base), the Bankers got what THEY want (neither candidate will EVER be able to enforce any kind of serious challenge to corporate corruption now-both are up to their eyeballs in enabling and protecting it for the sake of Their Party).

McCain lost the moderates by picking Palin. She is not qualified for anything else but to be a govenor in a state that borders Canada. Do you honestly think the banks are going to like it when Obama puts a 3 month stoppage to foreclosures. They are going to whine like stuck pigs.

The Press will get what THEY want (to muzzle the alternative press with a renewed, broadened, and aggressive "Fairness Doctrine" that will, in typical fashion, look only in one direction, just as FEC only looks for fraud if it's done by a single party.)

Don't be absurd. If their is corruption on either side, they will smell it out like vultures to carrion. They did a fine enough job of that when Clinton was in office.

The Bureaucrats get what THEY want (jobs for life, more authority, less effective oversight, and less actual responsibility or accountability).


We had quite a bit of that under the polices of GWB. Lack of oversight and more government (Big Brother watching) than we could handle.

and the People get what they want- a Nanny state to hold their hands, wipe their noses, tell them when to go to bed and what they can't hear or say lest it offend someone, and how much they are allowed to earn before it's taken from them and given to people who do not, will not, and refuse to, work.

People who work pay taxes, Obama never said he was going to take that money and give it to those who don't. Unless you mean the disability programs that we have for those that can't work.

Give me a break, tax money gets redistributed all the time. But it seems like less and less dollar per dollar is getting back into the tax payers hands. A large chunk is being given to the military industrial complex, instead of fixing up the problems at home, with roads, bridges, and other public works that help keep our country up to par.

It's also pretty hard to do much of anything when people have lost jobs, lost their homes, and can't even get a loan or anything to get back up on their feet.

People are voting for Obama because the tried and true Republican methods are not working. You can't swallow Republican/conservative ideas when you have no job or a home to come home to or you're struggling to pay for groceries. It's as simple as that.

I'll go for 338 - 200 in favour of Obama.

Obama wins, GOP makes huge stink about Democrat voting scandals. Protests. Protests turn violent. Riots. Martial law is declared. GW doesn't step down in January.

/tinfoil hat.

The Patriot act provides suspension of Habeas Corpus rights,

No, it doesnt. Bush has never officially suspended Habeas Corpus.


Have you read the act?

as well as broad "at will" ability to declare anyone a Terrorist.

Which is unconstitutional.

Combine that with near-exclusive control of Elections Offices by Democratic Party activists...

Source?

IF McCain were to win, riots will erupt in New York, Chicago, Detroit...hell, any major city in the lower forty-eight. The Democrats will pour gasoline on it by accusing Diebold.

Obama WILL be elected. He will be sworn in. He'll be sworn in because the country can't take having every major city with a large minority population turn into a war-zone and burn-and if he loses, they will.

There aren't any "Moderates" left for McCain to lose, you see-there's the uninformed, there's the party-voters, and there's the radicals...
and that's it.

"Moderates" jump to whatever star is in ascent. They vote the guy most likely to win, not the other way around. Obama's won in the media, so he's got them by default. McCain walked into this race set to lose, Palin almost got him a chance to win by motivating a base that was going to go for maybe Bob Barr or that Baldwin fella, which is the only reason there was ever any "close" to the race-but that was not the intended outcome-the intended outcome was to lose gracefully (as Dole did in '96) and repudiate the old, "Paleo" conservatives in the party, and to club down state-level reform as a favour to the Murkowski machine in Alaska.

The problem with tinfoil-hatting on the left, is that if you READ the "U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act", it's an open "write in the target" hunting license for any executive with strong support in the Congress and the Media. (this was actually the problem many DEMOCRATS had with it after passage-lots of power to do things domestically that aren't good for the Republic, but are very good for whatever party is in power.)
The ability to detain for eighteen months without charges on suspicion. This doesn't require evidence, and there IS a suspension of Habeas Corpus rights written in.

It's a writ of Imperium, KOL. Read It, use a Legal Dictionary when you do.

If I may hit up the OP... and respond to it before it's too late... I'm feeling optimistic.

So, on election night:

McCain takes: Alabama - 9, Alaska - 12, Arizona - 22, Arkansas - 28, Idaho - 32, Kansas - 38, Kentucky - 46, Louisiana - 55, Mississippi - 61, Missouri - 72 (in a counter-bellwether surprise), Nebraska - 77 (but a squeaker in that one almost-citified district, leading to Republican panic on the ground in Nebraska), North Dakota - 80, Oklahoma - 87, South Carolina - 95, South Dakota - 98, Tennessee - 109, Texas - 143, Utah - 148, West Virginia - 153, Wyoming - 156

Obama takes: California - 55, Colorado - 64, Connecticut - 71, Delaware - 74, District Of Columbia - 77, Florida - 104, Georgia - 119, Hawaii - 123, Illinois - 144, Indiana - 155, Iowa - 162, Maine - 166, Maryland - 176, Massachusetts - 188, Michigan - 205, Minnesota - 215, Montana - 218 (Republican loyalists blame Ron Paul privately following this call), Nevada - 223, New Hampshire - 227 (but a closer than expected race), New Jersey - 242, New Mexico - 247, New York - 278, North Carolina - 293 (by a larger margin than expected by the pundits), Oregon - 300, Pennsylvania - 321, Rhode Island - 325, Vermont - 328, Virginia - 341, Washington - 352, Wisconsin - 362.

The nation tunes out and McCain concedes before the final count in Ohio gives 20 more electoral votes to Obama, giving a final tally of 382-156. Republican pundits will say ACORN stole the election and point to a grand mess in Ohio, and castigate McCain for not challenging the Ohio results to "expose voter fraud."

After the election, people will be arguing over whether or not turnout was damped in California; whichever side loses on Proposition 8 will blame CNN all but calling the national election for Obama at 8:30 EST when it becomes clear where Virginia falls.

382-156. You heard it from me first.

382-156. You heard it from me first.
Close to mine. I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing an Obama sweep of the "battlegrounds".

If I may hit up the OP... and respond to it before it's too late... I'm feeling optimistic.

So, on election night:

McCain takes: Alabama - 9, Alaska - 12, Arizona - 22, Arkansas - 28, Idaho - 32, Kansas - 38, Kentucky - 46, Louisiana - 55, Mississippi - 61, Missouri - 72 (in a counter-bellwether surprise), Nebraska - 77 (but a squeaker in that one almost-citified district, leading to Republican panic on the ground in Nebraska), North Dakota - 80, Oklahoma - 87, South Carolina - 95, South Dakota - 98, Tennessee - 109, Texas - 143, Utah - 148, West Virginia - 153, Wyoming - 156

Obama takes: California - 55, Colorado - 64, Connecticut - 71, Delaware - 74, District Of Columbia - 77, Florida - 104, Georgia - 119, Hawaii - 123, Illinois - 144, Indiana - 155, Iowa - 162, Maine - 166, Maryland - 176, Massachusetts - 188, Michigan - 205, Minnesota - 215, Montana - 218 (Republican loyalists blame Ron Paul privately following this call), Nevada - 223, New Hampshire - 227 (but a closer than expected race), New Jersey - 242, New Mexico - 247, New York - 278, North Carolina - 293 (by a larger margin than expected by the pundits), Oregon - 300, Pennsylvania - 321, Rhode Island - 325, Vermont - 328, Virginia - 341, Washington - 352, Wisconsin - 362.

The nation tunes out and McCain concedes before the final count in Ohio gives 20 more electoral votes to Obama, giving a final tally of 382-156. Republican pundits will say ACORN stole the election and point to a grand mess in Ohio, and castigate McCain for not challenging the Ohio results to "expose voter fraud."

After the election, people will be arguing over whether or not turnout was damped in California; whichever side loses on Proposition 8 will blame CNN all but calling the national election for Obama at 8:30 EST when it becomes clear where Virginia falls.

382-156. You heard it from me first.
382, bull. 364 as it is happens to be an extremely optimistic number.

Close to mine. I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing an Obama sweep of the "battlegrounds".
Well, if it's between you and me figuring out whether the final result was closer to Omaha+ND+MO+WV going for Obama, or Georgia going for Obama, to see which of us was closer, I'll be a happy man Wednesday morning. ^.^

382, bull. 364 as it is happens to be an extremely optimistic number.
I did already say Ohio would be late in reporting its final count :-P So only 362 of that will come in on schedule.

I've been following the polls, and looking at the early voting totals, and while I'm unquestionably being optimistic in making that call (it is a high EV total, and I've called a couple toss-ups for Obama and only one "battleground" state to McCain), I also think it's the best prediction I can make.

I do live in NC, where we've already reached three quarters of the ballots cast in 2004, and where party ID of early voters vs 2004 voters is up D+3 and down R-7 (I+4). The published polls are toss-ups... but not regarding the early voting, and it's hard to overstate how massive early voting has been this season. Hence, by a larger margin than the pundits have been talking.

I've been feeling good about Obama's chances ever since one of my more interested roommates last year informed me she was wanted to vote for "the ******" in the primary. Georgia is a closer call by the numbers - not quite as much early voting, and some close polling - but I'm predicting Obama pulls out a victory there for similar reasons.

Well, we'll see, I suppose.

By this time next year the president will be JOE BIDEN.

Not if Obama wears body armor whenever he travels to Alabama et al. :P

But yeah, he seems to attract the enmity of a very small and very dangerous demographic - the gun-owning white supremacist rednecks. Already, two people were arrested for a making a (fortunately rather impractical) plot to kill him as well as hundreds of black students.

The Secret Service is going to have its work cut out for them during this presidency - it won't be all tasing protesters and interrogating bloggers.

---

Also, I'm no longer sure of my 364 prediction. McCain seems to be going all in, and he's determined to score a few last-minute points. Meh, he'll still lose, but he may fight Obama back down to the low 300s. I'm kinda disappointed that the Republican party won't get its just deserts for GWB and get owned so hard they never field another candidate, but that's just vindictive. What counts is that we get eight years of a president who doesn't suck.

If I may hit up the OP... and respond to it before it's too late... I'm feeling optimistic.

So, on election night:

McCain takes: Alabama - 9, Alaska - 12, Arizona - 22, Arkansas - 28, Idaho - 32, Kansas - 38, Kentucky - 46, Louisiana - 55, Mississippi - 61, Missouri - 72 (in a counter-bellwether surprise), Nebraska - 77 (but a squeaker in that one almost-citified district, leading to Republican panic on the ground in Nebraska), North Dakota - 80, Oklahoma - 87, South Carolina - 95, South Dakota - 98, Tennessee - 109, Texas - 143, Utah - 148, West Virginia - 153, Wyoming - 156

Obama takes: California - 55, Colorado - 64, Connecticut - 71, Delaware - 74, District Of Columbia - 77, Florida - 104, Georgia - 119, Hawaii - 123, Illinois - 144, Indiana - 155, Iowa - 162, Maine - 166, Maryland - 176, Massachusetts - 188, Michigan - 205, Minnesota - 215, Montana - 218 (Republican loyalists blame Ron Paul privately following this call), Nevada - 223, New Hampshire - 227 (but a closer than expected race), New Jersey - 242, New Mexico - 247, New York - 278, North Carolina - 293 (by a larger margin than expected by the pundits), Oregon - 300, Pennsylvania - 321, Rhode Island - 325, Vermont - 328, Virginia - 341, Washington - 352, Wisconsin - 362.

The nation tunes out and McCain concedes before the final count in Ohio gives 20 more electoral votes to Obama, giving a final tally of 382-156. Republican pundits will say ACORN stole the election and point to a grand mess in Ohio, and castigate McCain for not challenging the Ohio results to "expose voter fraud."

After the election, people will be arguing over whether or not turnout was damped in California; whichever side loses on Proposition 8 will blame CNN all but calling the national election for Obama at 8:30 EST when it becomes clear where Virginia falls.

382-156. You heard it from me first.

McCain has made last minute plans to campaign in Colorado and New Mexico tomorrow on election day. I hope it dosn't turn out to make a difference.

Obama will win the thing easily. Ask me again in four years and I'll say the same thing.

Obama will win the thing easily. Ask me again in four years and I'll say the same thing.

Boy, youre really hammmering home the point that you know a term is 4 years, arent ya? Someone a little embarassed?

Boy, youre really hammmering home the point that you know a term is 4 years, arent ya? Someone a little embarassed?

No, I just think he'll win again, assuming that he doesn't die or anything.

I thought you put me on ignore?

McCain wins, 273 to 265. He picks up Pennsylvainia thanks to John Murtha, and Nevada in a squeaker. Obama wins Virginia, McCain wins NC,OH,FL,IN,MO.

Obama will win the thing easily. Ask me again in four years and I'll say the same thing.

Oh yea if Obama wins and we start to see the green jobs, progress on foreign policy & the economy you have to follow through and keep him there till 2016.

382, bull. 364 as it is happens to be an extremely optimistic number.

538 still has about a 30% that there will be a landslide. So that puts his pick as not that unlikely.

The OP is up to date through this post.

We'll break ties by who posted their guess first.

According to the research of compiled state polls by Karl Rove & Co., the hypothetical electoral college numbers suggest an Obama win over the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin of 338 electoral votes to 200.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/electoral-map-o.html

Throw Karl Rover's prediction up there too just for the hell of it.

Obama: 359
McCain: 179

I'd really like to see Obama take Arizona in the last few hours.

538 still has about a 30% that there will be a landslide. So that puts his pick as not that unlikely.

I just don't see it happening. To be perfectly honest, I'd be amazed if my prediction was fulfilled.

I just don't see it happening. To be perfectly honest, I'd be amazed if my prediction was fulfilled.

That's not really an argument, you know. Their prediction is based on reasoned analysis of all the available polls. They add weighting based on the methodology. You'd have to do a bit better than "I just don't see it happening".

It doesn't mean it's guaranteed or anything, but it means TJHairball has approximately the same chance of being right as you do.

I just don't see it happening. To be perfectly honest, I'd be amazed if my prediction was fulfilled.Here in Michigan, about 75% of eligible voters were registered in 2004, about 60% showed up. Now, 98% of eligible voters are registered. How many of the newly registered will show up? I'm thinking, JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM. They registered because they really want to vote. Look at the mob scenes in all the early-voting states. The newly-registered are breaking 70/30 for Obama.

Plus, Obama's volunteer get-out-the-vote drive is massively awesome; McCain's is pathetic and unenthused. I count on an O+3 and M-4 from their poll numbers: the "unlikely voters" will show up with greater probability than the "likely", throwing all the models off.

McCain has made last minute plans to campaign in Colorado and New Mexico tomorrow on election day. I hope it dosn't turn out to make a difference.
Possible, but both of those are also heavy early voting states (http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2008.html) this year.

I predict a win for the Constitutional Party.

Obama: Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia (264 E.V.s)

McCain: Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina (174 E.V.s)

Therefore this leaves 7 “swing” states: Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida (100 E.V.s)

We BOTH feel that McCain will win Missouri, and it’s 11 E.V.s, bringing him up to 185.

So here’s the bet. Jocabia feels that he will win the remaining 6 “swing” states, making the final Tally 353 to 185. In addition, since Nebraska divided their E.V.s by proportion, Jocabia things that Obama will get one of Nebraska’s votes, making the final total 354 to 184.

I on the other hand am less optimistic. I believe Obama will win Colorado and Nevada. McCain will win North Carolina and Missouri. This will bring the tally, there, to 278 to 200. Of the remaining 3 swing states, Virginia, Ohio, and Florida, I believe that Obama will win one of them, I can’t figure out which. This will make the final count for Obama somewhere between 291 and 305 and McCain somewhere between 233 and 247. If I HAD to chose which one of the three Obama will win, I say Virginia. Making my prediction 291 to 247.

So, our final predictions:

Jocabia: Obama wins all of the ones above, plus Nevada, Colorado, Virigina, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, plus one from Nebraska. 354 to 184.

Neo Art: Obama wins all of the ones above, plus Nevada, Colorado, and Virginia. McCain takes all of Nebraska. 291 to 247.

Thus our bet, in general, splitting the middle, is whether Obama breaks 320. If he comes between 270 and 320 I "win", if he breaks 320, Jocabia "wins". If he gets below 270, we all lose.
You forgot Poland!

That's not really an argument, you know. Their prediction is based on reasoned analysis of all the available polls. They add weighting based on the methodology. You'd have to do a bit better than "I just don't see it happening".

It doesn't mean it's guaranteed or anything, but it means TJHairball has approximately the same chance of being right as you do.
I read 538 and electoral-vote regularly. They've actually both talked about some of things that have led me to deviate from both of their models.

For 47 states, my projection matches electoral-vote's calls and 538's median (they agree pretty closely today).

According to 538, I'm really sticking my neck out in Georgia - 93-7 - but I'm crossing my fingers on early voting, incredible black and youth turnout in Georgia, and a low unenthusiastic Republican turnout in Georgia. 538 and e-v project a five point lead for McCain; I see the turnout gap between black and white voters (especially with early voting) potentially erasing that and turning it into a coin toss, and I've optimistically rounded to Obama.

The next most striking thing about my particular "bet" - my optimistic projection - is that I've placed Indiana and Montana in Obama's column while placing Missouri in McCain's. I hope that I'm wrong about Missouri, since I want a huge landslide for Obama, but while the polling is closer in Missouri, I'm counting on several things in Indiana and Montana that aren't present in Missouri:

Indiana: Extremely powerful GOTV effort in neighboring Indiana by Team Obama, with strong early voting numbers especially in the northern bit of it.

Montana: The combination of polls showing remarkably pro-Obama early voting in Montana with a Ron Paul spoiler not in most polls (or models); Montana contains the greatest fraction of disappointed Ron Paul Republicans, and he's on the ballot. Montana is also trending blue on the state and local level in a remarkable way, and if there's anywhere I'd look for reverse coattails, Montana would be it.

Missouri, by contrast, has a much smaller black population than Indiana, and early voting only with an excuse for it.

That's not really an argument, you know. Their prediction is based on reasoned analysis of all the available polls. They add weighting based on the methodology. You'd have to do a bit better than "I just don't see it happening".

It doesn't mean it's guaranteed or anything, but it means TJHairball has approximately the same chance of being right as you do.

Here in Michigan, about 75% of eligible voters were registered in 2004, about 60% showed up. Now, 98% of eligible voters are registered. How many of the newly registered will show up? I'm thinking, JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM. They registered because they really want to vote. Look at the mob scenes in all the early-voting states. The newly-registered are breaking 70/30 for Obama.

Plus, Obama's volunteer get-out-the-vote drive is massively awesome; McCain's is pathetic and unenthused. I count on an O+3 and M-4 from their poll numbers: the "unlikely voters" will show up with greater probability than the "likely", throwing all the models off.
Point, point...

I read 538 and electoral-vote regularly. They've actually both talked about some of things that have led me to deviate from both of their models.

For 47 states, my projection matches electoral-vote's calls and 538's median (they agree pretty closely today).

According to 538, I'm really sticking my neck out in Georgia - 93-7 - but I'm crossing my fingers on early voting, incredible black and youth turnout in Georgia, and a low unenthusiastic Republican turnout in Georgia. 538 and e-v project a five point lead for McCain; I see the turnout gap between black and white voters (especially with early voting) potentially erasing that and turning it into a coin toss, and I've optimistically rounded to Obama.

The next most striking thing about my particular "bet" - my optimistic projection - is that I've placed Indiana and Montana in Obama's column while placing Missouri in McCain's. I hope that I'm wrong about Missouri, since I want a huge landslide for Obama, but while the polling is closer in Missouri, I'm counting on several things in Indiana and Montana that aren't present in Missouri:

Indiana: Extremely powerful GOTV effort in neighboring Indiana by Team Obama, with strong early voting numbers especially in the northern bit of it.

Montana: The combination of polls showing remarkably pro-Obama early voting in Montana with a Ron Paul spoiler not in most polls (or models); Montana contains the greatest fraction of disappointed Ron Paul Republicans, and he's on the ballot. Montana is also trending blue on the state and local level in a remarkable way, and if there's anywhere I'd look for reverse coattails, Montana would be it.

Missouri, by contrast, has a much smaller black population than Indiana, and early voting only with an excuse for it.

See, Kyr, this is what an argument for certain numbers look like.

I suspect if you're wrong, the states you gave to Obama will be close.

I actually think TX will be close this time because of third party spoilers. That's the thing that makes this kind of election difficult. When it appears this far out of hand, there is no incentive not to go ahead and vote for your favorite candidate. I fully expect that to happen.

I actually think TX will be close this time because of third party spoilers.
I would LOVE to see Texas actually go blue, but that would be way too optimistic. For sheer Schadenfreude, while necessarily sticking to my 387 projection, I revise my state counts thusly: give McCain West Virginia, North Dakota, and Montana back, but he loses a second district in Nebraska (East, as well as Omaha; it is only West Nebraska that is thumpingly Maroon), and--- Arizona!

538-0

go obama all the way!!! :d

538 - 0 Favor Obama



I havent forgot my bet with Wilgrove...Kinda have to say this.

Obama wins, GOP makes huge stink about Democrat voting scandals. Protests. Protests turn violent. Riots. Martial law is declared. GW doesn't step down in January.

/tinfoil hat.

The timing for orchestrated riots would be uncanny (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogromnacht), but I doubt the GOP can pull that off even while they're still in power. They just don't have the required approval rating anymore - the first thing a riot needs is a lot of very angry people. Right after 9/11? Maybe. Now? Not a chance.

Unless there is another terrorist attack. But that's inconceivable. I think. Hope. (I'm shutting up now.)

So, what do I get if I win?

So, what do I get if I win?
Bragging rights. Which, on an internet forum, are more precious than gold.

I predict that there will be at least one recount in the Washington gubernatorial election.

I predict that Santo will win and that he will nominate his noble defeated rival Vinick, as Secretary of State:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hCkA2Dhxfc&feature=related

How exactly does voting in America work?

How exactly does voting in America work?
Barely.

How exactly does voting in America work?

How do you mean?

How exactly does voting in America work?

voting for what? president? house of representatives? senate? governor?

One votes for a candidate. Votes go towards the state total. Whoever wins the state total gets the state's electoral votes, which vary depending on state population (California is the highest.). Whoever gets over 270 electoral votes wins the presidency.

Also, does anyone care to speculate on what will happen if Obama loses? I predict that Democrats will feel that the Republicans stole the election, as all the polls for weeks showed Obama leading massively, and take to the streets screaming their anger. In other words, riots in nearly every major city.

How exactly does voting in America work?

Person with the most votes wins. Basically.

That's a general rule. If you want a description of the involved process, you'll have to specify which office you're talking about.

The president is elected differently than governors or senators, or congresspeople.

voting for what? president? house of representatives? senate? governor?

American Idol.

Also, does anyone care to speculate on what will happen if Obama loses? I predict that Democrats will feel that the Republicans stole the election, as all the polls for weeks showed Obama leading massively, and take to the streets screaming their anger. In other words, riots in nearly every major city.
People complain impotently, followed by demands for an inquiry, which is granted, and has the people on the board say that McCain won fair and square.

This may interest people from outside the US, so this is a sample of the ballot I voted on a couple of weeks ago (I voted absentee). Of course, depending on state and municipality ballots would be wildly different. Note that all races except the President are FPTP.

Page 1 (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/ballotPage001.png)
Page 2 (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/ballotPage002.png)
Page 3 (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/ballotPage003.png)
Page 4 (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/ballotPage004.png)

One votes for a candidate. Votes go towards the state total. Whoever wins the state total gets the state's electoral votes, which vary depending on state population (California is the highest.). Whoever gets over 270 electoral votes wins the presidency.

Also, does anyone care to speculate on what will happen if Obama loses? I predict that Democrats will feel that the Republicans stole the election, as all the polls for weeks showed Obama leading massively, and take to the streets screaming their anger. In other words, riots in nearly every major city.

With any luck, the Obama campaign will have enough money leftover to fund some massive lawsuits against the GOP.

Barely.
I fail to understand how a country that put man on the moon can allow five hour queues to vote, shortages of ballot papers and voting machines to break.

I fail to understand how a country that put man on the moon can allow five hour queues to vote, shortages of ballot papers and voting machines to break.

Well, the elections are run at the state level. And to quote Dennis Miller, "States can't pave fucking roads..."

No more predictions. Thread closed.

If you need to link to your projection, use the post number links.