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Election Results -- Check back often

HuffPost has a collection of election charts, widgets and live video feeds, it's their Guide to Watching Election Night Results. With constant updates all night long.

Political Polls

With the U.S. Presidential election less than three weeks away, I thought it was a good idea to learn more about pollsters and their organizations.

Here is a list that includes the top opinion polls. These are the ones most often mentioned in news stories and are frequently co-sponsored by the major national newspapers and television networks.

Gallup Organization
Harris Interactive, Inc.
Peter D. Hart Research Associates
Mason-Dixon Polls
Marist College Institute for Public Opinion
National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago
Pew Research Center
Quinnipiac University Polling Institute
Roper Poll, University of Connecticut.
Zogby International

To see how the various polls compare check out FiveThirtyEight -- Electoral Projections Done Right -- and Pollster.com.

The National Council on Public Polls has interesting statistics on how the major polls did in predicting previous presidential elections. And Wiki has an excellent overview of Opinion Polls: the history of them and how they work -- or are supposed to work.

Follow Up -- Presidential Predictions

Here's a follow up to the Presidential Predictions posts on this blog back in February 2007.

Back then, the predicted winners for the Democrats were John Edwards for the presidential nomination with Barack Obama for vice president.

For the Republicans John McCain was the clear choice for the presidential nod. But for vice president it was nearly a five-way tie. Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney were in a tie (two votes each) for the VP nomination barely ahead of Bill Frist, Rudy Giuliani and Chuck Hegel (one vote each). Nineteen-months ago, Sarah Palin wasn't even a gleam in Karl Rove's eye.

You can look at the original posts here:
Predicting the Candidates for 2008
Tallies

Our Memphis Trip, Day 3, Tuesday

A storm had come in overnight and it was dark and rainy when we got up. Should we drive to Arkansas and back today or tomorrow? We watched the Weather Channel and we decided that the worst of the storm was passing north of the line between Memphis and Little Rock. And tomorrow's weather might be worse. So after breakfast at the hotel we called Enterprise Rental Car and they sent somebody to come and get us at the hotel. They do that.

The drive to Little Rock -- cold, wet and windy -- was about 140 miles via Interstate-40 all the way. We were fine in the station wagon we got and we were at the Clinton Presidential Library before lunch. This was my first time ever in the state of Arkansas and for Jack the first time there in 40 or 50 years. What we could see of the city looked very pleasant and I hope we will get back there again someday. When the weather is nicer.

The Clinton Library is very well done and informative (as are all the presidential libraries it seems). The grounds looked lovely, too. But it was no day for a stroll. We had a very good hot lunch in the Library's restaurant Forty Two (he was the 42nd president of the U.S.) and spent about three hours seeing the exhibits.

The weather on the way back was still stormy and we were happy to get back to the hotel before night settled in.

As for getting a taste of Memphis, several local people told us we should eat at the Rendezvous for Memphis-style BBQ. The directions are daunting, but if you follow them you will find it -- "go down the alley next to the parking garage..." We did and we loved the place, its atmosphere and the food.

A side trip from Memphis

Our plans for the Memphis trip are underway. We have the hotel reservations and the train tickets. We are ready for a ride on The City of New Orleans, ready for the tour of Graceland and ready to eat BBQ.

While doing some research on the trip it occurred to us that Memphis is pretty close to Little Rock, Arkansas, about a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. And since Memphis is somewhat out of the way for us, we may never get back there. So if we don't see Little Rock on this trip we may never see Little Rock.

What's to see in Little Rock? The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library.

The Clinton Library is the twelfth Presidential Library and it is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The twelve presidential libraries represent all presidents from Hoover through Clinton. The Nixon Presidential Library, at the time it opened in 1990, was not administered by the National Archives. It was recognized by them in July, 2007.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park includes the Clinton presidential library and the offices of the Clinton Foundation and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, established by Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States.

Click here for Little Rock Tourist and Visitor Information. And here, too.

Where has Save Our City's website gone?

It had been a long time since I checked out what the folks at Save Our City were up to.

I had placed a link to their site on this very blog in the section devoted to Pensacola's Blogosphere. But after what I discovered today I had to remove the link. This was after I tried to go to the SOC website and got the ominous message you see above.

Apparently the SOC site is, or was, using a web host (out of Newark, Delaware) that doesn't have a current Server Certificate. Bad news. Scary bad news if you ask me.

Like you perhaps, I have no idea what this means to my or my computer's personal safety but it sounds serious. And not good. And why did they ask me to check my computer's clock? Does the SOC's penchant for wanting to live in the past means they are out to meddle with everybody's computer clocks?

Or is this all just a springtime trick by those pranksters over at the Independent News?

Predicting the Candidates for 2008

Who do you think will be running for President and Vice President from the Republican Party and the Democratic Party?

If you want your prediction listed just leave a comment or email me. You can always revise your predictions as the tides change and people drop out. And I will post all your changes.

Please base your predictions completely on who you feel are the strongest or most likely candidates right now. Not who you would like to see run and/or get elected.

To participate send me an email or leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

The predictions below are listed in the order received.



Here are my initial predictions...

On February 13, 2007, Kenyo predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
John Edwards for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 13, 2007 Kenyo predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be:
Mitt Romney for President, Newt Gingrich for Vice President


On February 13, 2007, RogerJ predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
John Edwards for President, Bill Richardson for Vice President

On February 13, 2007, RogerJ predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Chuck Hagel for Vice President


On February 13, 2007, Barbelli predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
John Edwards for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On March 19, 2007, Barbelli predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
Al Gore for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 13, 2007, Barbelli predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Rudy Giuliani for Vice President


On February 16, 2007, bhd predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
Hillary Clinton for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 16, 2007, bhd predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Newt Gingrich for Vice President


On February 16, 2007, Jack predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
John Edwards for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 16, 2007, Jack predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Mitt Romney for Vice President


On February 16, 2007, Jezziebones predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
Hillary Clinton for President, Bill Richardson for Vice President

On February 16, 2007, Jezziebones predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Bill Frist for Vice President


On February 21, 2007, DT predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
Hillary Clinton for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 27, 2007, DT predicts that the Democratic Party candidates will be:
John Edwards for President, Barack Obama for Vice President

On February 21, 2007, DT predicts that the Republican Party candidates will be
John McCain for President, Mitt Romney for Vice President


Email me here or leave a comment below.

To see how these predictions all add up click here.

Candidate Prediction Tallies

The totals so far for the Democratic Party candidates:
for President
John Edwards (4)
Hillary Clinton (2)
Al Gore (1)

for Vice President
Barack Obama (5)
Bill Richardson (2)


The totals so far for the Republican Party candidates:
for President
John McCain (6)
Mitt Romney (1)

for Vice President
Bill Frist (1)
Newt Gingrich (2)
Rudy Giuliani (1)
Chuck Hagel (1)
Mitt Romney (2)



Click here to go to the main Candidate Predictions page.

Live Free or Love It Here

In case you think I pick on the State of Maine too much here's a link to an excellent blog about another northern New England state that's full of unique individuals -- New Hampshire.

The blog is Cow Hampshire. It's all "...about New Hampshire History, Genealogy, Photography and Humor."

And signage, and dueling slogans.

Molly Ivins, 1944 - 2007

Sad news from Texas.

"AUSTIN – Columnist, best-selling author and partisan wit Molly Ivins died Wednesday after a long and recurring battle with breast cancer. " From the The Dallas Morning News, February 1, 2007. You can read the entire story by Christy Hoppe, as long as it's up.

The Morning News has also posted this video from Austin's KVUE TV, ABC Channel 24.

And be sure to read the tributes to Molly at The Texas Observer.

The Signs of Maine

Last November I posted a photo of a sign I had seen at a rest area in Maine. It warned about "snacking wisely." You can view the post by clicking here.

The Voice of Maine, an online forum devoted to Maine issues has a collection of comments about the sign and the "thinking" behind it -- they call it, 'The Ultimate in Nanny Statism'. Big Mother is watching you.

Someone contributed a photo of another sign, below, this was also found beside a Maine highway. It encourages exercise while driving. Are there more signs like these? Would they make just two versions?

Can these be for real? I wonder if they might be hoaxes. Everyone seems to be all too willing to blame the government of the State of Maine for such intrusive silliness. Perhaps some art students at the Maine College of Art in Portland thought this up after a silk screen class?

There was a case in Los Angeles a few years ago of a fraudulent highway sign that looked so real it stayed up for five years. Yes, an art student did it.

News from Our Mississippi Neighbors

Jackson County United for Families meeting with Coast Businesses for Fair Play

Who comes up with the names of these special interest groups? What do they want?

One is a group of Mississippi pastors who say it stands for "quality of life and moral values." The other is largely supported by Biloxi casinos and is against the Indian casino's tax-free privledges and potential freedom of location.

The proposed casino to be operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians would be closer to Interstate 10 and away from the waterfront locations state law forces upon the non-Indian casinos.

This would take business away from the Biloxi casinos and harm families?

The group of pastors opposed to gambling met Monday with a representative of Coast Businesses for Fair Play to discuss strategies against the proposed Choctaw casino near Ocean Springs.

The pastors plan to ask the Jackson County Board of Supervisors to hold a nonbinding referendum to oppose the casino, or at least a casino operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians away from the water.

What good is a nonbinding referendum, anyway? Does it cost the taxpayers anything? Probably. Does the casino cost the taxpayers anything? No, it brings in millions from the casino customers.

For more on this read the story by Tom Wilemon in the Biloxi (Mississippi) Sun Herald, January 24, 2007.

A reply from Senator Martinez

Yesterday, May 9, I got a reply from Mel Martinez. The letter was dated April 18. I received it more than ten weeks after my letter to him and six weeks later than the replies from Senator Nelson and Representative Miller.

In a long-winded way Senator Martinez said next to nothing and took no stand at all. But he did admit to a strange accomodation of business interests over our national security.

In describing the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), the very one that approved Dubai's operating several U.S. ports, he said something very interesting. And most revealing. "...as a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I believe we should focus on ensuring that the CFIUS process reaches an appropriate balance between national security and economic concerns."

Say what? A balance? There is an accomodation between national security and corporate profits -- and he supports it?

Heaven help the State of Florida.

You can read the letter by clicking here.

Letters from our congressmen -- another reply

Last Friday I heard from Senator Bill Nelson (D) replying to my letters of early March. His reply was much more to the point than that of Jeff Miller (R), see below, and it was certainly full of details. You can read it by clicking here.

I am still waiting to hear from Senator Martinez (R). Please take a stand, Senator! As it is right now you are making everyone unhappy with you.

Letters to our congressmen -- one reply so far

A few weeks ago I wrote a couple letters to each of my congressmen. Both letters are posted here. Yesterday I got a nice reply from Jeff Miller (R), our member of the House of Representatives for Florida's first district. Thank you, Jeff!

I have not heard a word yet from either Senator Nelson (D) or Senator Martinez (R).

Click here to read Jeff Miller's reply to my letter.

Take Destin, please.

Today the Pensacola News Journal printed a wonderful letter to the editor from Mary Brockett. She responded to an article from earlier this month that asked why Pensacola can't be more like Destin -- sleek, trendy, congested...

She closed with, "The only thing Destin hasn't been stupid enough to do is spend millions putting a baseball field next door to a sewage treatment plant in a floodplain."

As much as I want to see the Community Maritime Park built, and soon, I have to agree. The sewer treatment plant is a much more urgent matter. A new one is vital to the survival of Pensacola. We need the new plant built now, on the new site, even if we have to pay for it.

You can read the whole letter by clicking here. When you get there you will have to scroll down five or six letters but it is worth it.

The voters speak -- several of them

Version 1. Yesterday Pensacola voted to continue the one cent local option sales tax. It passed by a huge 64 percent of the voters.

Version 2. Yesterday a tiny percentage of registered voters, less than 13 percent, passed a tax that everybody has to pay.

Strangely both versions are true. That huge 64 percent came from the 20 percent of registered voters who bothered to vote this time.

So, that's about one in eight -- 12.8 percent of the registered voters. I would like those who did not vote and yet gripe about the tax to pay double.

Another letter to my Congressmen

Here's the text of a letter I just sent to my U.S. Representative (R) and my Senators (D) and (R). If I get any answers I will post them.

Dear Congressperson:

Please don't let any foreign government control our ports, especially a government that is currently an active enemy of Israel.

There is a US law that bars firms from complying with or cooperating with the boycott of Israel by Arab governments. The Dubai government is one of the participants in the boycott.

The Dubai Customs Department enforces the boycott. Its staff members are paid employees of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCZC). This is the same Dubai government-owned entity that runs Dubai Ports World.

In the recent past the U.S. government has fined companies millions of dollars for participating in the boycott. Is our law now meaningless? What will happen to Israel? And to us?

Please help prevent this sale. I follow the news closely every day and want to see that you are taking a stand against this.

A Letter to Washington, DC

The following is the text of a letter I just sent to my elected officials in the U.S. Congress: a Senator in the Democratic Party, a Senator and a Represenatative in the Republican Party. If I get any answers I will post them.

Dear Congressperson:

As I know you are aware, there is great opposition to the proposed sale of U.S. ports to a foreign government. This issue has unified our country in a unique way.

At the supermarket, the barbershop and over the backyard fence everyone I talk with, whether a conservative, liberal or a moderate, thinks this is a dangerous, bad idea for the United States.

I see on the news that now there will be more time to consider the sale. Why do we need more time? What is there to consider? It will still be bad for America—next week, next month, next year.

Please do what you can to keep the sale from happening.