Monday, November 03, 2008

US Election Live Webchat: Tuesday From 11pm

I am much looking forward to tomorrow night. John McCain seems to be narrowing the gap but I think most people expect Obama to pull it off.

Originally I intended to go to Washington but the Israel trip put paid to that. I've had a couple of invites to election night bashes here but my experience of those is that they are so raucous that it is impossible to follow what is going on.

So tomorrow night, ladies and gentlemen I shall be spending the night with you, should you allow me! I'll be hosting a live webchat on here from 11pm until we all get bored. I haven't done one these for a long time but whenever I have hosted one they have been very popular. But this one will be a little different. The software allows me to have 10 co-hosts. I'd like ten people to volunteer to monitor the coverage of a different media outlet.

I will cover the BBC, but I'd like people to cover the following...

Sky News
CNN
Fox News
MSNBC
ABC News
NBC News
CBS News
Bloomberg
C-Span
BBC Radio 5 Live

Each correspondent will then be able to instantaneously type in breaking news from each network for people to comment on. That way, I hope to provide a comprehensive breaking news service as well as an opportunity for instant commentary and analysis.

If you would like to cover any one of the networks above, then please email me by clicking on the contact box above.

Should be fun!

UPDATE: The following are now taken...

CNN - David Boothroyd
Fox -Donal Blaney
MSNBC - Mike Wood
BBC Radio 5 Live - Tony Sharp
Sky News - Mike Rouse
Current TV - Mike Rouse
C-Span - Conand
NBC News - Lindsay Thompson
Betfair - Ari Last
ABC News - David Corrigan
Bloomberg - Peter Ashcroft

34 comments:

Malc said...

Iain,

I'm planning to do the same. Unfortunately, I only have access to BBC, but I'll be surfing US news sites to keep up with that.

Looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

I never knew that in my lifetime, I'd see an African-American as the front runner in such an important election and as the person to beat.

In that respect, Obama has made real history and would always be remembered with fondness, even by those like me who don't care for his policies and his Chicago-style Mayor Daley politics.

Whatever the results tomorrow, African children in diaspora and in Africa would always read about him in the history books.

And more importantly, no more can that excuse be uttered, 'it's because I is black'. I'll never hear rubbish about black youths under-achieving because they're disaffected.

Whatever one thinks of Obama, the lesson from him is clear, with hard work and ambition, you can go places, the world is indeed, your oyster.

For that, I and other Africans in diaspora would always be grateful, no matter the results tomorrow.

David Boothroyd said...

I will volunteer for CNN but I will probably be checking the live election returns on several other websites at the same time.

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Hey, wait a minute! Who's doing Al Jazeera? (less pro-Muslim than the BBC and a lot more interesting.)

Anonymous said...

Iain,

Count me in for Sky News

Mike Rouse

Bill Quango MP said...

I'll do Channel 5 news.
In fact I'll save time and do it now.

"Amy Winehouse has a drink..James Bond's new film is really great.. Madonna still getting divorced.."

Man in a Shed said...

Yep looking forward to it also, but will ahve to get some sleep.

What time do you think we'll have a result ?

( You should run a sweep on the time that one candidate concedes ).

Anonymous said...

Iain, this is quite sad. Parties are too raucous so you'll be staying at home. You don't need to be providing indepth coverage as it happens you know, unless you've been contracted by the BBC, in which case I'm complaining.

Anonymous said...

"Fox News - Donal Blaney".

That will be a bit like Andrew Rosindell fisking a speech by Norman Tebbit!

T England. Raised from the dead. said...

I'm looking forward to the big shock when McCain wins!

Anonymous said...

I cannot think why you want to bother - it seems Obama will win - even if the polls are out (which would not surprise me).

Be prepared for a selfish leftish isolationist America. And if they take their lead from the new president a vacuous America.

And be prepared for more terrorism against America - the terrorists will see in Obama a weak America. They will be encouraged to attack it in order to make it even more isolationist.

Anonymous said...

How will CBS/NBC/ABC be monitored from the UK? Perhaps CNBC will put on MSNBC, but how are the others available; are there going to be interactive feeds on Sky?

Anonymous said...

You have a very strange definition of fun!

Anonymous said...

Obama's not black, he's mixed-race. Something that for whatever reason is frequently forgotten.

Anonymous said...

I will probably try to follow a couple of these media outlets, but wouldn't like to take responsibility for typing in breaking news! If I notice anything interesting that no-one else has picked up I'll comment online via the webchat, though I don't expect I'll stay up too late. I also have family on the east coast so they might pick up some morsels of information.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.55. If only you'd been alive during the Jim Crow laws, your definiton would have made life much easier for the scores of mixed race Americans who were discriminated against.

Anonymous said...

Whatever you think of his politics, Obama is a President straight from Central Casting - mixed race, educated, lean and attractive looking, and able to keep his temper in check.

Like it or not, the guy is a positive model, just like Lewis Hamilton, and they should both be valued for that.

Anonymous said...

I won't be joing you as I got bored with it all some time ago!

T England. Raised from the dead. said...

africanmum said...
"And more importantly, no more can that excuse be uttered, 'it's because I is black'. I'll never hear rubbish about black youths under-achieving because they're disaffected

Let's hope somebody tells Labour!

PS. Anon 1.55, My mixed race friends like to be called light skined not mixed race.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2.18 pm. Since Wikipedia tells me that the Jim Cross laws were only completely repealed in 1965 then I was very much alive - if only 9 years old at the time!

Anonymous said...

I'll do CBeebies - better analysis than the grown up one.

Anonymous said...

"John McCain seems to be narrowing the gap "

I wonder if you listen to FOX news? LoL
(if you do - why?)

I predict Obama wins with a minimum of 325 electoral votes...

Minimum.

I predict the mother of all landslides.

:)

Anonymous said...

PS> This election night is too special to spend it online with you !

This is one of the most important events I will witness in my entire lifetime - I won't be spending it with the saddo's on your blog ! hahaha

;)

No way!


(only teasing)

but I won't be.

Catosays said...

Anonymous said...

Obama's not black, he's mixed-race. Something that for whatever reason is frequently forgotten.

November 03, 2008 1:55 PM

I suppose you could equally as well call him white. Bet he wouldn't like that though!!

Anonymous said...

For reference

http://www.tvpc.com/Channel.php?ChannelID=1522 (MSNBC)
http://www.tvpc.com/Channel.php?ChannelID=1520 (Fox)

are both available online; not sure about the others

Anonymous said...

"I think most people expect Obama to pull it off."

Ooh, you are awful....but I like you.

Anonymous said...

And more importantly, no more can that excuse be uttered, 'it's because I is black'. I'll never hear rubbish about black youths under-achieving because they're disaffected.

Have you any idea how close Obama is to British Royalty?

No ordinary man black or otherwise will ever be allowed to hold any position of REAL power anywhere in the entire world, if the powers that be have anything to do with it. Which they almost always do.

Obama is not a black man anymore then most of us are. He is certainly not an ordinary person, precisely because he is directly related to George Bush and therefore The Queen of England.

Obama was produced for the express purpose of becoming the first presidential member of the establishment with slightly more then a decent sun tan.

If this man can truly seem to relate to the ordinary Black American he must be a much finer actor then Ronald Reagan ever was. If I was an ordinary black American right now, I would be very worried indeed.

The question I would be asking is.

Why does the powers that be want a darker skinned member of the CFR and therefore the corporate aristocratic high masonic establishment, to be the next American president so very much?

Is Obama the American black mans future Kapo in-chief?

Anonymous said...

'landslides' do not matter - in a two horse race for one job a majority of 1 is enough. 270 votes is all anyone needs. 300 or 350 or whatever does not matter.

An important night?

Hardly - we have been there before with liberals in the white house.

And Mr Dale you have my sympathy if you are watching the BBC tonight. They have more people there than the major US networks.

Mind you You may actually find some of the female presenters (even Hugh Edwards) actually orgasming on screen if Obama wins.
And win he should, but the Ferrari garage will be as nothing compared to the BBC if McCain were to win.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6.23 "Obama's related to George Bush & therefore the HM E 2".

Is that right? Is it? I'm related to Pacman so am I automatically related to a cheese sandwich?

Errr.... I love this CFR stuff - it's completely batty. Anyway, must dash Dracula's bringing Joseph K over for dinner.

Pete Wass said...

Well I'm still holding out hope. The battleground state polls are tightening, and a lot of Obama's national vote lead will come from California, New York and Illinois.

If Obama wins, he will certainly be the most self righteous President of my lifetime, even worse than Jimmy Carter. I think he would probably end up being the worst president since Carter as well.

ranting aside, I don't know what time I'll be back in tomorrow, but if I can piggy-back on the neighbouring motel's wi-fi again then I'll look in.

David Boothroyd said...

Fivethirtyeight.com defines a landslide as more than 375 electoral college votes.

Incidentally the two early declaring New Hampshire villages, Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, are in, and both have gone for Obama - straws in the wind but Dixville Notch has not gone for a Democrat since 1968.

DocRichard said...

A Prayer from England
Tuesday, 04 November 2008



Our brothers and sisters

who art in America

Voters be thy name

democracy be thy game

thy will be done

in the White House as it is in Congress

give us this day a glimmer of hope

and forgive us for doubting your good sense

as we forgive ourselves when we doubt our own power

and deliver us from electoral fraudsters

for thine is the Legislative,

the Executive and Judiciary

unless you let it slip through your fingers

through carelessness and inattention.



Ah well, we shall see…

Anonymous said...

i'm from germany and from my perspective obama is much more better than old mccain. i don't really know who will win, but with mccain you have another conservative and arrogant president like bush the world do not like and need.
regardless of which president you will elect, his first official act will be the financial crisis. it will be not easy for both. but obama is a man ready for action and a change.

Anonymous said...

end of tha road 4 atomic bomb n bonbardment decission, it`s tym 4 deplomacy american server in tha handz of repulicans it`s tym 4 change