The Numbers

This was NOT a mandate or a landslide. Don't let the in the tank media convince you otherwise. Want proof: Look at how close many states were coupled with the fact that the national popular vote was only 7 million votes apart. Consider this:

less than 1 million votes spread across 8 states got Obama Elected.

Obama should finish with 364 electoral votes.

Vote diff (electoral college value)

Fla - 190,000 (27)
Ohio - 209,000 (20)
VA - 156,000 (13)
Iowa - 141,000 (7)
NM - 115,000 (5)
Col - 139,000 (9)
In - 23,000 (11)
NC - 12,000 (11)

That is about 985,000 votes total. Flip those and McCain is President. Of course, flip those numbers and were in lawyer / police in riot gear hell last Wednesday morning!!

If this were a landslide - this would have been a Reagan / Mondale moment where McCain would have only carried Arizona and maybe Texas. The country is NOT as left as the media will portray.

Relative to this.....one major downside to this election is the campaign finances. Will the next go around produce a billion dollar campaign for one candidate? Anyone think that barrier to entry is getting set pretty high?