I rather blog about Barack all day long, but I'll get to celeb gossip next, with the exception of my thoughts on Obama's win which will be posted later. Anyway, here's some election terms you may have heard last night or may hear today. I find this fascinating. My inner geek is emerging, as if it doesn't with every single posts. Hope some of you enjoy or learn something. :)
The Bradley Effect
This is the theory that says white voters tell pollsters they're voting for the black candidate when they really won't in the voting booth. It's named after Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles who ran for governor in 1982. That year, it was widely reported he had a polling lead going into Election Day, but then lost the race. Many people, including some involved in the campaigns that year, say the theory is wrong, and was based on bad reporting at the time.
If Barack Obama loses, you'll hear a lot about this. If Obama wins by a slim majority, look for pundits to talk about the Wilder Effect. This one is similar to the Bradley Effect, only it's based on Doug Wilder, the first black governor of Virginia. His substantial polling lead did not materialize when voters went to the polls, but he still eked out a win.
Nate Silver
Silver is an Electoral College polling savant who started the website Five Thirty Eight. He used to crunch baseball statistics, but this year, he got into the political prediction game when he thought the mainstream media was doing it wrong. He says Obama has a 98.9% chance of winning if the polls are right.
Filibuster-Proof Majority
You'll hear this in reference to the Senate races. If it happens tonight, that means the Democrats now have 60 seats in the Senate, making it possible for that majority to stop the other party from killing legislation through filibuster. The head of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee Chuck Schumer said winning this many seats is possible, but not likely.
I-4 Corridor
You'll hear this term, referring to Interstate 4, when pundits start to explain how Florida voted. According to the Miami Herald, "'nearly one out of five of the state's unaffiliated voters live in this swath between Tampa and Daytona Beach, and an even higher percentage are considered ''persuadable'' Democrats and Republicans.'"Â What happens here may determine what happens in Florida.
Blue Dog Democrats
This is the moderate caucus in the Democratic Party. They're the fiscally conservative types. This group could be discussed in two situations. If McCain wins, pundits will talk about how McCain will have to pull in the Blue Dogs to get his measures passed in Congress. If Obama wins, same idea.
GOTV
Nope, this isn't some name of a fancy TV station. It's initials for "Get Out The Vote." This is also referred to as the "ground game." In other words, it's how the political parties make sure you to show up to the polls.
And here's a good definition of the electoral college.
Electoral College
The body through which America casts its presidential votes. The winner of the popular vote in each state wins the electoral votes in that state. (With the exception of Nebraska - see below.) There are 538 electoral votes up for grabs; the guy who gets 270 or more wins.
Twitter