Headline Roundup: Leap!

• Baghdad Embassy Project in Trouble [AP/Newsvine]
• Republicans Block Consideration of Housing Relief Package in Senate [WashPo]
• McCain’s Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out [NY Times]
• Dem hopefuls won tax breaks for contributors [USA Today]
• U.S. Navy ships move closer to Lebanon [CNN]
• Texas Contest Includes Primary, Caucus: Everything Is Bigger in Texas, Including Its Presidential Contest With a Primary and Caucus [ABC News]
  

Breaking: Obama Loves First Two 'Godfather' Movies; Favorite Color Still Unknown

Revelatory news is breaking from the Associated Press. On Tuesday and Wednesday, "Entertainment Tonight" will reveal Obama's favorite movies and actors! Oh, what's that? Can't wait until ET airs the answers? No problem, AP super sleuths already know. Barry Obama's top three films are Oscar winners:

1. The Godfather
   
2. The Godfather: Part II
3. Lawrence of Arabia
   

His favorite actors:

• Jimmy Stewart
• Spencer Tracy
• Humphrey Bogart
• Meryl Streep
• Susan Sarandon
• Angela Bassett

Will Smith gets the nod to play the candidate if a biopic is ever made.

"Will and I have talked about this because he has the ears!" said Barry Hussein.

The short AP story promptly runs out of Obama entertainment favorites and resorts to a retelling of his eating habits.

"Sometimes when you're out in remote areas, there's not much you can do," Obama said. "You go for a burger, that's safe. If you start getting fancy you could get into trouble. If you're in a place like Iowa or Wisconsin there's gonna be cheese on just about everything. If you start eating too much junk you'll never survive."

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Nearly 2 Million Court Rulings Now Online.

From Slashdot comes news of Carl Malamud posting some 1.8 million U.S. Supreme Court decision and Court of Appeals rulings online. Free electronic copies of this database can be downloaded from http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/

Read more about the project on O'Reilly Radar.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Deadly Choking Game

Ack! News today of a deadly "choking game" the kiddies are playing. At least 82 young ones have died according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count of fatalities from the cataclysmic fad.

The game involves intentionally choking oneself thus blocking blood flow to the brain. Once the stranglehold is released, blood rushes back to the brain in an attempt to create a brief buzz.

The CDC provides some telltale signs of the players:

CDC officials urged parents to be aware the fad exists, and to watch for possible warning signs like bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after spending time alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor.

Why is this politically relevant? If enough kids keep croaking from this fad -- and it's believed the number of deaths are underreported -- politicians will most certainly try terminating the practice. But how does one abate something like this? Do you ban the bungee cords and dog leashes used for choking? Certainly you must try awareness and education. . . Not sure exactly what it could entail, but if this fad is not a passing one, some sort of law is on the horizon.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Will the real delegate count please stand up

MSNBC delegate count

Fox News delegate count

CNN delegate count

CBS News delegate count

ABC News delegate count

According to five major news outlets no one has clue how many delegates the candidates have secured.

The above screen shots were taken between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. central time. For readability purposes, the delegate count is detailed below:

ABC News:

• Clinton -- 1126
• Obama -- 1110

• McCain -- 712
• Huckabee -- 234
• Romney -- 282

CBS News:

• Clinton -- 1131
• Obama -- 1134
• Edwards -- 26

• McCain -- 706
• Huckabee -- 201
• Romney -- 168

CNN:

• Clinton -- 1141
• Obama -- 1121
• Edwards -- 26

• McCain -- 723
• Romney -- 286
• Huckabee -- 217

Fox News:

• Clinton -- 1136
• Obama -- 1108
• Edwards -- 26

• McCain -- 719
• Romney -- 282
• Huckabee -- 234
• Paul -- 14

MSNBC:

• Clinton -- 943
• Obama -- 895
• Edwards -- 26

• McCain -- 724
• Romney -- 278
• Huckabee -- 234

At least they all agree on the number of delegates need to win: 2,025 for Democrats and 1,191 for Republicans.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Super Delegate Transparency Project

The Super Delegate Transparency Project Wiki

Lots of talk concerning super delegates on the intertubes these days.

Some folks are downright pissed that approximately 800 "super delegates" -- who's "votes count approximately 100,000 times more than yours and mine" -- could decide the Democratic nomination and not the people -- the voters.

So some decided to do something about it by calling for transparency among the super delegates. Jennifer Nix and Mark Myers of LiteraryOutpost.com in collaboration with Chris Bowers from OpenLeft.com have set up a wiki aptly named the Super Delegate Transparency Project. The aim is "to provide citizens with visibility to how the Super-Delegates could impact the outcome of the primary."

The meat and potatoes of the wiki is the main table. It lists:

• The State
• The districts in each state and each district's:
• Obama vote
• Clinton vote
• If there is a super delegate and who it is
• If the super delegate has pledged Obama or Clinton
• Super delegate status
• Disparity
• Totals

This project appears new, containing little data. But anyone can join and contribute:

To join, simply create a wikidot account and send your wikidot user name to mark.c.myers@gmail.com. Please also include a brief note on how you heard about the project.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

US Electoral Votes Per Million Citizens for Each State

Here is a idea and interactive map whipped up by Tim Showers. Just like the title says, this map shows the electoral votes per million US citizens for every state.

For example, in Missouri there are 1.896 electoral votes for every one million Missourians.

The map's purpose is to provide an easy way to visualize inequalities in the electoral college system at a glance.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Stupid Election Facts

The following is swiped from Something Awful:

Percentage of population who believe Barack Obama is a Muslim: 29%

Percentage of population who believe moon landing faked: 28%

Percentage of population with IQ scores lower than 90: 25%

Amount of personal wealth Hillary Clinton loaned her campaign: $5 million

Net worth of Barack Obama: $1.3 million

Net worth of Dennis Kucinich: $200,000

Elizabeth Kucinich's hotornot.com rating: 8.4

Ron Paul's hotornot.com rating: 9.6

Laps Rudy Giuliani's bus took around Daytona while blasting the theme from "Rudy": 1

Delegates won by Rudy Giuliani: 1

Money spent by Rudy Giuliani during primary campaign: $49.8 million

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Headline Roundup: Money Time

• US resumes Thailand military aid [BBC]
• Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches: U.S. Agents Seize Travelers' Devices [WashPo]
• FBI Preps Award for Biometric Database: Lockheed, Northrop, IBM Vying for Multibillion-Dollar Contract for FBI Biometric Database [ABCnews.com]
• Redesign the U.S. White House [BoingBoing.net]
• U.S. rebuilding aid in Iraq winding down [USA Today]
• Senate Deal on Economic Bill Closer [NY Times]

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Polling Place Photo Project from The New York Times

Blogger shows that this is post number 100 for PoliticalReps.com. Instead of faking a celebration with a diatribe about how far the site has come, or by even posting past highlights, I am bringing YOU, the reader, more content. Or at least trying to pass off other people's content as my own.

The above screen capture is the Polling Place Photo Project from the New York Times. They want everyone to take photos of their polling place and send them in for display. From the project web page:

We are looking to collect photographs of every polling place in America during the 2008 elections. You are welcome to participate no matter where you vote, how large or small your polling place is, what kind of ballot you use, or what your party affiliation is.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Super Duper Tuesday Polling Times

You'll probably hear this a lot today: "Go Vote". So when can you vote today? I couldn't find a definitive list of polling times for all the the states today, but did find the polling hours for the "top five states to watch" according to ABC News:

California:

Democratic primary – open (independents can vote)

Polls open: 10 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 11 p.m. ET

370 delegates at stake, awarded proportionally

Republican primary – closed (independents cannot vote)

Polls open: 10 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 11 p.m. ET;

170 delegates at stake, awarded via congressional district and winner take all



Missouri

Democratic primary – open

Polls open: 7 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

72 delegates at stake, proportional

Republican primary – open

Polls open: 7 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

58 delegates at stake, winner take all



New Jersey

Democratic Primary – open to Democrats and new Democrats who have never voted in a primary

Polls open: 6 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

107 delegates at stake, proportional

Republican Primary – semiclosed (open to new party members and new registered voters who have not voted in a primary)

Polls open: 6 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

52 delegates at stake, winner take all



Tennessee:

Democratic primary – open

Polls open: 7 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

68 delegates at stake, proportional

Republican primary – open

Polls open: 7 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

52 delegates at stake, congressional district winner take all




Connecticut:

Democratic primary – closed

Polls open: 6 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

48 delegates at stake, proportional

Republican primary – closed

Polls open: 6 a.m. ET;

Polls close: 8 p.m. ET;

27 delegates at stake, winner take all

Check vote411.org if you don't know where you polling place is.

Here is a list of all the Super Tuesday states, their number of delegates and when the polls close:

• West Virginia -- Republican-only caucuses (30 delegates) ; polls close 12:30 p.m. EST
• Georgia -- 87 Democratic delegates, 72 Republican; polls close 7 p.m. EST
• Massachusetts -- 93D, 43R; polls clsoe 8 p.m. EST
• Connecticut -- 48D, 30R*; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• New Jersey -- 107D, 52R*; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Delaware -- 15D, 18R*; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Alabama -- 52D, 48R; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Tennessee -- 68D, 55R; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Illinois -- 153D, 70R; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Missouri -- 72D, 58R*; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Kansas -- Democratic-only caucuses (32 delegates); polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Oklahoma -- 38D, 41R; polls close 8 p.m. EST
• Arkansas -- 35D, 34R; polls close 8:30 p.m. EST
• New York -- 232D, 101R*; polls close 9 p.m. EST
• Arizona -- 56D, 53R*; polls close 9 p.m. EST
• Colorado -- 55D, 46R; polls close 9 p.m. EST
• New Mexico -- Democratic-only primary (26 delegates); polls close 9 p.m. EST
• North Dakota -- 13D, 26R; polls close 9 p.m. EST
• Minnesota -- 72D, 41R; polls close 9 p.m. EST
• Utah -- 23D, 36R*; polls close 10 p.m. EST
• California -- 370D, 173R; polls close 11 p.m. EST
• Idaho -- Democratic only caucuses (18 delegates); polls close 11 p.m. EST
• Alaska -- 13D, 29R; polls close midnight EST
• Montana -- Republican-only caucuses (25 delegates); polls close midnight EST

[via WSJ.com]

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Find Out Who Contributing to Campaigns with HuffPo's FundRace 2008

The above screen capture is of HuffPo's Fundrace 2008, which is yet another political interactive web tool. This one basically allows the look up of campaign donations, to see where they are coming from. Users may search by any of the following:

• Address/Zip
• City
• Name
  
• Occupation
  
• Employer
  

The results -- the donor's name, title and address along with the candidate donated to and the amount -- appear in a column on the right. Simply mouse over results to plot donors on a Google map.

Also worthy of mention is "The Horserace" section. Click on any main candidate's picture to compare total funds raised and chance of winning -- according to intrade.com.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation