Presidential Election Thread

This thread will serve to provide updates on the outcome of the Presidential Election. A handy link to this post is on the upper right-hand corner of the blog, but I will probably keep promoting this post along with our other election threads to the top of the blog. For the sake of ease of reading, I'll skip the "Update" addendum that usually accompanies a change to the post, and just add information as we get it.

Nate Silver gives us ten pretty good reasons to ignore the results of exit polls. He's right, those things are just crazy. Ignore them as best you can and let the pundits on cable news make fools of themselves going bonkers over them. In fact, here's the last set of polls you should be paying attention to. Am I alone in saying that I'm going to miss the daily fix of polls?

At 6:37 CST, it's Vermont for Obama and Kentucky for McCain.

MSNBC calls S. Carolina for McCain.

CNN calls Pennsylvania for Obama, though it appears to be on the basis of exit polls alone. McCain's electoral gambit in Pennsylvania appears to have failed. CNN also gives Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Washington to Obama. Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennesse go to McCain. So far, Obama has 102 electoral votes to McCain's 34.

MSNBC calls Ohio for Obama. CNN now follows suit. That's 20 electoral votes for a total of 195 for Obama to McCain's 85.

MSNBC calls New Mexico for Obama. According to CNN there appears to be no feasible way for McCain to win at this point, barring absolutely shocking surprises.

CNN gives New Mexico to Obama, and Lousiana to McCain.

CNN gives Iowa to Obama, and Utah to McCain. Obama leads 206 electoral votes to McCain's 89. McCain has now taken Kansas as well.

CNN gives Arkansas to McCain.

CNN gives Texas to McCain. No surprise there, as he finally breaks the 100 electoral votes threshold. Obama is lacking 63 electoral votes to secure the Presidency, with California's 55, Washington State and Oregon yet to be called. Can you believe that at this point, Florida is essentially irrelevant?

Okay, CNN has some neat toys but seriously...holograms? That's hilarious. Fantastic and hilarious.

CNN calls Virginia for Obama. And now they've called the race for Obama; apparently they were simply waiting for the top of the hour for polls to close in California, Oregon and Washington State before they wanted to announce it.

10:18 CST: McCain concedes. 

MSNBC calls Florida for Obama. 

Obama will speak soon. If God were a prankster, we'd hear opening remarks from Rev. Wright and William Ayers.