Hes generous about Obama, still a bit quirky….’this is a proud day for African Americans’ – well particularly them but for everyone surely

He talks of the racism that disfigured America and that doesnt get much support either…the idea of overcoming it, gets tepid applause…

Mentions Obama’s grandmother, maybe to shame them into some sort of fellow feeling…

The failure is mine – they now chant ‘John McCain’ in support

He mentions Palin and the whole place goes spack ….gee that must hurt

‘I don’ t know what more we could have done to win this election’ …..competence would have helped

He rounds out the speech well about it being a privilege to serve….

‘americans never quit, we never hide from history, we make history….’

Now he is history.

But a generous and well-made speech, held together well.

Right on the stroke of 11pm here, the networks have almost simultaneously declared the elction for Barack Obama, just as the last polls closed on the west coast. In the end it’s gone pretty much as it was projected, with the polls nailing it pretty well.

What would have to happen for this to be wrong? Some quantum leap of loop gravity through the tracitr beam to make everything go backwards I would suspect.

Further results follow

Ohio’s been called for Obama in the last ten minutes or so, by most networks, which together with Pennsylvania is the ballgame for McCain – unless he can Washington State and Oregon ha ha ha.

The projection is based on 15% of returns, but theyre a reasonably even spread across different areas of Ohio, and it shows Obama with a 55% to 43% result

Someone’s going to have to tell Joe the Plumber………

The usual caution on exit polls is that young people are more likely to answer them than old people which skews to the Dems. However, this year that may be offset by early voting, which also skews to the dems, and whose participants obviously aren’t included in the exit results, so that may even it out.

If so the thing looks good for Obama:

The states looking good for Obama:

Florida: 52 percent to 44 percent
Iowa: 52 percent to 48 percent
Missouri: 52 percent to 48 percent
North Carolina: 52 percent to 48 percent
New Hampshire: 57 percent to 43 percent
Nevada: 55 percent to 45 percent
Pennsylvania: 57 percent to 42 percent
Ohio: 54 percent to 45 percent
Wisconsin: 58 percent to 42 percent
Indiana: 52 percent to 48 percent
New Mexico: 56 percent to 43 percent
Minnesota: 60 percent to 39 percent
Michigan: 60 percent to 39 percent

The states where McCain is leading in exit polls:

Georgia: 51 percent to 47 percent
West Virginia: 45 percent to 55 percent

But with almost nothing counted, Obama and McCain  are neck and neck 50-49. The really important thing here is that none of these results are coming from the urban black redoubt of Gary,  Indiana which will deliver late, and quite possibly with more votes for Obama than there are voters.

UPDATE: it must be anomolous but even Kentucky is running 51-49 McCain – Obama. Surely that will come back in better for McCain. Surely…..

first time voters going for Obama about 70-30

late deciding voters going for Obama about 55-45 (and about 62-38 in Virginia)

white male voters going for McCain about 55-45, and about 60-40 in Virginia

Ruh roh, as electoral analyst Scooby Doo would say.

However, it needs to be borne in mind that this is only polling day exit polling, so isnt taking into account those who’ve already voted

Remember Keating’s near miss  – was it in a helicopter – in 1996? Do the Gods like to throw a scare into folks?