I have been following the news both on TV and online regarding the 2008 election results.  I have to say it was very gratifying and inspiring to watch.  As I wrote before, I was undecided for a long time.  Ultimately, I voted for Obama who I thought would be better for the U.S. for many reasons.

It is not so much that McCain was so bad.  It was simply because I found Obama more inspiring, symbolic, and ultimately more powerful to make changes that we desperately need.

In years past, I have leaned Republican primarily because of my economic views.  But having watched President Bush and the extreme “conservative” elements come out of the woodwork, I found it distasteful.  And having someone like Sarah Palin within the reach of the top position convinced me that I could not vote Republican this time around, no matter what my disagreements are on the Democratic economic policies are.

Like millions of people who helped vote for a landslide victory for Obama, I am both gratified and hopeful.  This landslide victory should send a message to the extremist Republicans that the need to take a more centrist view and approach to issues.  There has been a huge revolt against the presidency of Bush, the evangelicals, extreme conservatism, and his whole approach to government.

I am happy to return and vote Republican.  But if they don’t change their ways, I won’t be back even if it costs me more money.

Outside of these reasons, I ultimately found Obama very impressive, admired his intellect, and presidential demeanor.  I look forward to seeing what he will do between now and Jan. 20, 2009 when he enters office.

I hate this. I am usually pretty good at making decisions for myself.  You pick a direction and go.

This whole decision to figure out if I want Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin has got me in a quandary. I keep going back and forth but not sure what weighs on me more.

Frankly, I like John McCain and his record. He isn’t perfect but he is experienced and seen a lot in his years. But the thing that concerns me is that if anything happens to him with his advanced age, Sarah Palin just doesn’t do it for me especially when compared to Joe Biden as the competing VP.

I like what Barack Obama represents but there are still things that nag me about him. His lack of experience and I am not convinced he can deliver on all his promises.

I guess I will be like everyone else and just keep listening to the two camps compete. I will have to make a choice in less than 3 weeks. It looks to be a tough one for me.

There has been a lot going on with the national stage.

The John Edwards scandal.  Disappointed that Edwards didn’t confess all the way.

Obama selected Biden.  Great choice.

Both Bill & Hillary Clinton made some great speeches.

Democratic National Convention on the final night at a stadium with fireworks was pretty spectacular.

McCain selected Pallin.  That was a wowzer and caught me entirely by surprise.  She appears too extreme for me.  I might have to run the opposite way.

Pallin’s 17-year old daughter being pregnant.  So much for Pallin’s belief that abstinence programs work.  Not.  And her daughter will get married.  I sure would like to see how long a marriage by a 17-year old “forced” into it will last.

Hurricane Gustav has brought back memories of Katrina.  And of course, gas prices creep up again.

Real estate market remains crappy.  And lenders are cutting back.  It is going to be tough for another couple of years.  2009 will be another downer year it looks like.  Maybe the new president can excite us out of recession.  Maybe not.

I still do not know who I want to vote for.  It is very tough decision.  But I am in Georgia.  My vote may not count much since chances are Georgians will flock to McCain and Pallin.

In an earlier post, I mentioned how much of a fan I was of the “The Political Machine” PC game released in 2004. It was a relatively simple but very fun simulation game that allows you to become a campaign manager and compete to win a U.S. Presidential election.

Stardock Entertainment made the formal announcement and provided details on March 26, 2008 of the upcoming updated and revised follow-up version, “The Political Machine 2008″. It is scheduled to be released in June 2008 and priced very reasonably at $19.95.

I have followed the 2008 Primaries and have found the events of this election year to be interesting and exciting which only enhances my interest in the the upcoming game.

Read the official announcement by Stardock Entertainment.

More information on “The Political Machine 2008″ can be found at http://politicalmachine.com .

The Democratic nomination process continues to be exciting to watch as we saw Obama trounced Hillary by a huge margin in South Carolina. Without doubt, Obama and Hillary will fight it out for a long while to come. Each side have their merits but I have to admit to being more moved by Obama than Hillary.

On the Republican front, it was comforting to see McCain beat out Romney by a large margin. But again, as much as I want to see Romney out, he is still very much in on the Republican fight.

Now, we move on to Titanic Tuesday on February 5!

Another wow. I cannot believe Romney beat McCain by such a big margin in the Republican Michigan Primary. Like it or not, I guess the game is still on. Huckabee, McCain, and Romney are still full on.

And what the heck is the deal with the Democrats doing with Hillary vs. “Uncommitted”? That is just plain weird. Something about Democrats “punishing” Michigan for moving the primaries up? Good grief.

Well, at least we are down to 3 Democratic players: Obama, Hillary, and Edwards.

The Republicans still have a mess of contenders.

Onward to South Carolina. This is going to be pretty important. And Super Duper Tuesday? All hell will break loose there.

Wow, it was another exciting night watching the numbers come in for the 2008 New Hampshire Primaries.

I was very happy to see McCain come out on top by a significant margin on the Republican side. Romney keeps trying to buy the election and he shifts his talk every time the wind shifts. I don’t know how long I have to wait before he drops out. Mike Huckabee is still in the fight and it will be interesting to see how he performs in South Carolina.

On the Democratic side…

Although I thought the media underestimated Hillary by predicting a huge loss, I was also incorrect in thinking that Obama would win by a small margin. It turns out Hillary won by a small margin. I fell into the media trap thinking that Obama popularity meant winning votes. That is not always the case as New Hampshire has shown.

John Edwards had a tough fight. I was hoping he would do a little better but he is clearly struggling. If he does not turn around on some of the Southern states, he is going to be out. With Obama in the race, he will end up as a Presidential or Vice-Presidential nominee. It would be stupid for the Democrats to ignore Obama even if he did not win the Democratic nomination.

My attention will turn to Michigan and South Carolina next.

I haven’t been too productive today. One of those reasons is my flipping through the 3 national news channels: CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC. I have been following the New Hampshire Primaries like I have never done before.

It has been a great show. On the Democratic side, Hillary had a touching emotional moment. Either she has gotten worn down or it was just a moment of weakness. It was interesting to see that side of her. I didn’t see much of John Edwards but he is going all out as the self-appointed underdog. And the rock star named Obama? Damn, people are inspired by him. And I cannot say I am immune. I was inspired since I first heard him speak in 2004 on the televised Democratic National Convention.

On the Republican side, Romney continues to offend my sensibilities. That is all I have to say about him. I am rooting for McCain on the Republican side. When I hear him speak, he really is very wise. I just wish he didn’t look so old. It makes me feel like he won’t last long enough to make a difference even if he were elected. I am not trying to be insulting but it is how I feel. With Giuliani, I like how he took accountability for his past and admits that he is not perfect on the GOP NH Forum.

On the Democratic side, although I would still like to see John Edwards come out on top, it looks like Obama will win. It seems like he is now a rock star. How can anyone compete with someone who has become a political rock star? Hillary will likely come in at a close 2nd to Obama. Unless she has ticked off a ton of voters in the last few days, Hillary is still a force to be reckoned with.

On the Republican side, I think McCain will win, thank goodness. But Romney will likely come in at a close second. Ugh, that means he will continue on and I have to listen to him yak more. Huckabee is a great talker and will come in 3rd.

I am looking forward to the results tomorrow night.