Hello from Bristol

I've just arrived at our election party here in Bristol. Our host thinks he may have convinced a wavering Republican- from Chicago, no less- to vote for Obama.

I'm off to drink an Obama Slammer (Tia Maria, Kahlua, milk, and later, coffee) and admire the Stars n Stripes party decor- be back soon.

Mickey Mouse (Election) Roll Call: Sound Off Now!

We're just shutting down at our home base and making the move to Election Night Headquarters: the Canuckistan Party in the heart of King's Heath, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

True story: We turned down invites to the US Embassy Party in London and the US Embassy Party in Dublin (held at the Guinness Brewery) tonight in favour of the Canuckistan extravaganza.

So while we're making our move, drop us a comment and let us know where you're from, what you're thinking/fearing/expecting, and what number you would put in for our Electoral College Pool.

Election Snapshot: The House of Representatives

YOUR SNAPSHOT SUMMARY: A Democratic gain of 15-20 seats, reinforcing their majority in the House of Representatives, is possible tonight.

Projections for the Presidential contest and for the Senate races were posted earlier today.

All but one of the 435 seats in the "junior" chamber of Congress are contested tonight. The House usually receives less attention than the Senate, and the stakes are not so high this year because the Democrats established a clear majority in the 2006 elections. They now hold 235 seats v. 199 for the Republicans (one seat is vacant because of the recent death of a Representative).

In most seats, the incumbent is unopposed or faces nominal opposition, but in about a tenth of the races, there is a possibility of a change of parties. As with the Presidential and Senate races, the Republicans are on the defensive.

REPUBLICAN VULNERABILITIES: 35

ALABAMA 2nd, ALASKA, ARIZONA 1st, CALIFORNIA 4th, COLORADO 4th, CONNECTICUT 4th, FLORIDA 21st, FLORIDA 24th, FLORIDA 25th, IDAHO 1st, ILLINOIS 10th, ILLINOIS 11th, INDIANA 3rd, LOUISIANA 4th, MICHIGAN 7th, MICHIGAN 9th, MINNESOTA 3rd, MINNESOTA 6th, NEVADA 3rd, NEW JERSEY 3rd, NEW JERSEY 7th, NEW MEXICO 1st, NEW MEXICO 5th, NEW YORK 13th, NEW YORK 25th, NEW YORK 29th, NORTH CAROLINA 8th, OHIO 15th, PENNSYLVANIA 3rd, SOUTH CAROLINA 1st, OHIO 1st, OHIO 16th, VIRGINIA 11th, WASHINGTON 8th, WYOMING

DEMOCRATIC VULNERABILITIES: 9

ALABAMA 5th, FLORIDA 16th, GEORGIA 8th, KANSAS 2nd, LOUISIANA 6th, MISSISSIPPI 1st, NEW HAMPSHIRE 1st, PENNSYLVANIA 11th, TEXAS 22nd

Best/Worst Election 2008 Videos: Fey-lin and Hillbilly Experts

I know, it's a specious link so I can salute The Goddess Who is Tina Fey, but another hat-tip to the video that elevated politcal satire and doomed Sarah Palin:



Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a trio of Kentucky voters assess Barack Obama:

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Szg9gwlbZZ4[/youtube]

Contrary to the rumours being spread, these are not my relatives.

Final Projections on The Presidential Race

FiveThirtyEight.com, whose reading of polls and other political information I hold in high regard, has just made its final call: Obama 353, McCain 185. They're in line with Enduring America (or we're in line with them) except for North Carolina, which they are tipping to Obama.

RealClearPolitics, which we've followed closely, is step-for-step with us on Obama 338, McCain 200, although they are being very cautious in calling states: they have no less than 10 as toss-ups.

Now the disturbing news: Karl Rove has also called the election as Obama 338-200. We are locked hand-in-hand with Karl Rove. Now's that's a scary start to the evening.