Stories by Andrew Romano

  • McCain Concedes: 'Obama Is My President'

    11/4/08 at 11:38 PM
    McCain's concession speech from the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Ariz. was everything it had to be--a generous, gracious reminder that when the campaign comes to a close what really matters is our shared enterprise as Americans. It was easy to forget in the heat of battle, but no one does bipartisanship better. "Sen. Obama and I...

  • The McCain-Obama Call

    11/4/08 at 11:27 PM
    McCain called Obama at 11 p.m. Eastern. What they said, courtesy of Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs: Senator Obama thanked Senator McCain for his graciousness and said he had waged a tough race. Senator Obama told Senator McCain he was consistently someone who has showed class and honor during this campaign as he has during his entire life in public service. Senator Obama said he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together--Obama said to move this country forward "I need your help, you're a leader on so many important issues."

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama

    11/4/08 at 11:02 PM
    It's a wrap. Whatever your political affiliation, whomever you supported... I think we can all come together at this moment, as Americans, and agree that the election of the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother--an African-American--represents a turning point in the long, imperfect narrative of our nation. Tomorrow we can return to bickering; if we didn't, we wouldn't be Americans. But tonight, let's pause and celebrate--and savor the rare feeling of living through history, together. Everything just changed. Here's hoping that President Obama is equal to the moment.

  • The Old Dominion Goes Blue

    11/4/08 at 10:52 PM
    With 91 precincts reporting, both FOX News and the Associated Press call Virginia for Barack Obama. How'd he do it? By slicing into the Bush margins downstate and running up big leads in the heavily populated, transplant-rich ring of suburban counties around Washington D.C.--Arlington (67-32), Loudoun (53-47), Fairfax (59-41) and Prince William (55-44). To see how much has changed in four years, just look at the Bush-Kerry splits from the last time around: 46-54 in Fairfax, 56-44 in Loudoun and 53-47 in Prince William. That's the whole story right there. Obama's electoral vote total now stands at 220. When the polls close at 11:00 p.m. Eastern in California, the networks will call the race--and Barack Obama will officially be the president-elect of the United States of America.

  • Whither the Youth Vote?

    11/4/08 at 10:26 PM
    Judging by the latest exit polls, young voters (18- to 29-year olds) accounted for roughly the same share of the overall electorate as in 2004--17 percent then vs. 18 percent now. But while the split four years ago was 54-40 for Kerry, it was 68-30 for Obama tonight--a net 24-point swing in Obama's favor. That's by far the biggest support shift within any age group. We'll have to wait until the exits stabilize to get a solid sense of how much the 'utes contributed to the Senator's impending victory. But it seems from these preliminary stats that they played an important (if not necessarily decisive) part.

  • Obama Just Won Ohio. Why That Means It's Over.

    11/4/08 at 9:25 PM
    The networks won't call it for awhile. The winner won't reach 270 for another hour or two. But it just became pretty much impossible for John McCain to win the 2008 election....

  • No Blue States for McCain

    11/4/08 at 9:06 PM
    It's official.As polls close at 9:00 p.m., the networks call Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin for Barack Obama. This means that John McCain, who has already lost in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania will not--repeat will not--add to George W. Bush's 2004 electoral vote total of 286.To win, the Republican has to hope that Obama either a) doesn't win any Bush states or b) wins Bush states worth less 16 electoral votes. A few examples: Nevada plus Iowa; New Mexico plus Colorado; Virginia or Indiana--and nowhere else. If Obama wins Ohio or Florida, it's over. The Sunshine State, of course, is still too close to call. Obama currently leads 51-48 with 50 percent reporting; he's outperforming Kerry in key Bush districts 9and the key Kerry districts on the southeastern coast have yet to report). What's more, there's an early sign in the Florida exit polls that McCain may be in trouble--if not down south, then out west. After Bush won 56 percent of Florida...

  • The Peach State Stays Red

    11/4/08 at 8:51 PM
    With a quarter of precincts reporting, NBC News calls Georgia for John McCain. No surprise there--the Peach State was probably the reachiest of Barack Obama's reaches. The Democrat tried to close 2004's double-digit gap by increasing the black vote as a share of the electorate to 30 percent (up five since 2004), but it wasn't enough in a state where whites--who chose McCain 73-25--made up 65 percent of the voters. Needless to say, Georgia wasn't make or break for Obama. Chicago was expecting to win Iowa, New Mexico Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina before the Peach State (in that order)--and all of those states are still up in the air. 

  • Well, That Was Fast

    11/4/08 at 8:28 PM
    The AP calls New Hampshire the second the polls close. Despite showing massive Obama leads in recent days, the Granite State was always considered McCain's second-best pick-up possibility. Without it, the math looks particularly dire for McCain. At this point, he can only afford to lose 16 of Bush's 286 electoral votes from 2004. That means that if he loses Florida or Ohio, he's toast. Same goes for Virginia or Indiana plus either Iowa or Colorado. Not to mention Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri or Georgia.Above all, the speed of the N.H. call does not bode well for the Republican.

  • Watch Georgia...

    11/4/08 at 8:12 PM
    According to the CBS exit polls, African American turnout in the Peach State is up five points as a share of the electorate since 2004.Why is that important? Because it means that black voters will comprise 30 percent of the electorate there this year. That's the typically considered the magic number for Obama--the point at which flipping Georgia, which twice voted for George W. Bush by double-digit margins, becomes a definite possibility.Right now, McCain is leading 63-36 with four percent of precincts reporting. Among the outstanding areas, however, is Obama-friendly Atlanta. So stay tuned.

  • The Keystone State... Called for Obama

    11/4/08 at 8:00 PM
    John McCain's plan to win tonight? Swipe Pennsylvania. Alas, it was not to be. At 8:00 on the dot--the moment the polls closed--the networks called the Keystone State for Obama. Without it, McCain now needs to win Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Indiana. If he loses any one of those states, his path to 270 becomes prohibitively steep. If he wins them, he still needs to hold onto the Western states of Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa and Nevada, where Obama has been polling much better than in the east. Stay tuned...

  • Stumper's Election Night Cheat-Sheet

    11/4/08 at 12:32 PM
    If that's not enough detail for you, be sure to check out Nate Silver's exclusive NEWSWEEK timeline of "what to watch for" this evening. Here's a sneak peek:...

  • The View from Brooklyn

    11/4/08 at 10:21 AM
    I left the house to vote at 6:30 this morning--and here's what greeted me at the corner of St. John's and Sixth Ave. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. "I've been voting here for 20 years," one guy told me. "Usually, you just walk right in." Another fellow--slightly older--interrupted. "I've been voting here for 30 years," he added. "Never seen anything like this." Now, my neighborhood--a patchwork of aging Bobos, deeply-rooted African-Americans, young creative types, yupster families and lots and lots of lesbians--is probably the furthest thing from a bellwether in the entire country. But the hour-long line, which covered an entire city block, was probably a good sign for Obama. If he can turn 'em out in a 'hood as safe as Park Slope--and yes, the crowd was probably 99 percent Democratic--I imagine he'll fare pretty well in the places where he's actually making an effort.Developing, as they say.Oh, and please let...

  • 'It Will Be Fun to See How the Story Ends'

    11/4/08 at 8:00 AM
    (Alex Brandon / AP)En route last night to Chicago, Barack Obama came to the back of O-Force One to chat with his traveling press corps, which includes reporters who've barely returned home for 21 months. Here, via spokesperson Jen Psaki, is the transcript:Obama: You guys have been gracious, outstanding, reasonably easy for our crack team here and you know whatever happens tomorrow it’s extraordinary you guys have shared this process with us and I just want to say thank you and I appreciate you. Kathy Kiely: How are you feeling Senator? Obama: I am not going to come back and answer any questions here, Kathy.  Even though you can feel free to keep your tape recorders on. Get some sleep starting on Wednesday. Reporter:  I’m sorry about your Grandmother. Obama: I know you guys have sent a lot of emails individually, collectively. It is very gracious. Embeds—they have been there for the start. Thank you guys, thank you guys. (Walks to the back of the plane) Obama: This is finally...

  • The Filter: Nov. 4, 2008... Election Day Edition

    11/4/08 at 7:53 AM
    A round-up of this morning's must-read stories. NOW GO VOTE!AFTER EPIC CAMPAIGN, VOTERS GO TO THE POLLS(Adam Nagourney, New York Times)The 2008 race for the White House that comes to an end on Tuesday...

  • Dixville Notch Votes!

    11/4/08 at 12:35 AM
    (Cheryl Senter / AP) The polls opened shortly after midnight in the tiny, isolated village in northeastern New Hampshire that has cast the first presidential ballots in every election since 1960. A few minutes later, the voting was done. In the end, fifteen locals had chosen for Barack Obama--and six had sided with John McCain.Dixville Notch isn't a bellwether--nationally or statewide. But the results may have some significance. The town had consistently leaned Republican, with President Bush capturing 80 percent of the vote in 2000 (21 to five) and 73 percent four years later (19 to six). All told, Obama made a small bit of history this morning, becoming the first Democrat since 1968 to triumph in the eager Granite State hamlet. A sign that he'll win the White House? Perhaps. Then again, the last Dem who took Dixville Notch was Hubert Humphrey. And we all know how that turned out.Either way, welcome to Election Day 2008. What a long, strange trip it's been.

  • Can McCain Battle Back to 270?

    11/3/08 at 11:33 AM
    Twenty-four hours. Thirteen states. And only one of them is typically considered blue. If you want to get a sense of how steep a climb John McCain faces in the final day of the 2008 presidential campaign, forget about the national polls. Look at the travel schedules instead. Sure, the last pre-election burst of national numbers is nothing but bad news for McCain. Gallup has Obama trouncing his opponent 55 percent to 44 percent. NBC News and the Wall Street Journal show Obama ahead by eight points, 51-43. The rest of the reliable pollsters give the Democrat leads ranging from six points (Pew, 52-46) to 13 points (CBS, 54-41)--and none shows him polling below 50 percent.  But presidential elections are won in the battleground states, not on the national stage--so at this point we can pretty much afford to ignore those numbers. What we can't ignore is where the candidates have chosen to spend their last full day of campaigning. It's by far the most important indicator ...

  • If McCain Wins...

    11/3/08 at 8:37 AM
    As part of NEWSWEEK's continuing "Press Box" series, here's my take on the challenges that face a President McCain--and the questions Democrats will ask themselves--if Barack Obama loses tomorrow's election: Thoughts? Disagreements? Amendments? Ad hominem attacks? The comments, as always, are yours.

  • If Obama Wins...

    11/3/08 at 8:35 AM
    As part of NEWSWEEK's continuing "Press Box" series, here's my take on what will happen to the Republican Party if Obama wins tomorrow's election: Thoughts? Disagreements? Amendments? Ad hominem attacks? The comments, as always, are yours.

  • The Filter: Nov. 3, 2008... Election Eve Edition

    11/3/08 at 7:23 AM
    A round-up of this morning's must-read stories.THE YEAR OF LIVING ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS(Frank Bruni, New York Times)Will one candidate win by millions, or lose by thousands? If there...

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