And then, on November 5th 2008, AmericaPANIC ended. We won.

I started AmericaPANIC to fight the good fight against what I saw as the forces of evil - namely the hijacked Republican party and the disgusting and cynical McCain/Palin campaign.

That battle is now over. We have triumphed.

It was encouraging to see Senator McCain give a gracious concession speech last night, even though many of his supporters showed their true colors. And I expect only bad things from Sarah Palin and the GOP coming up. I doubt they've learned their lesson.

And I don't expect an apology.

But now, it's time to move on. I'm not a supporter of the Democrats as much as I'm against the Republicans, but I feel it's now possible to see positive change in DC. And I believe the next few days, weeks, months and years will be truly inspiring under President Obama.

I've started a new blog as of today, a work in progress, and I call it "Soot and Ashes". It's at http://sootandashes.blogspot.com or www.sootandashes.com. Call it a think tank for the regular guy. We'll discuss all the good stuff. Or as I say today:

"A centrist blog hitting on all the good stuff: Politics. Economics. Fiscal Policy. Foreign Policy. Moral Issues. Culture. Investments. Religion. Humor. Life."

It's time to dig ourselves out of this mess.

It's time to hope again.

Peace out.

Even though 48% of Americans wanted to keep their country on a course of ruin, the world celebrates Obama's victory

If the world got to vote, Obama would have won 90% of the vote.

And yet 48% of Americans just don't get it.

I wish those 48% would travel beyond the borders of America, which I doubt many of them do. America should be trusted. It should be respected. It should be admired. It should be that shining city on a hill.

George Bush and Dick Cheney and the Republican Party destroyed that trust and goodwill these past eight years. They destroyed the American brand around the world.

And now, in a moment, that trust and goodwill has been restored. Now let's see if Obama can get it back for good.

Obama Victory Sparks Cheers Around the World

Across the globe, in concert halls and ballrooms, in plazas and beach parties and busy streets, the citizens of the world hailed the election of Barack Obama as a stroke for racial equality and voiced hopes his presidency would herald a more balanced, less confrontational America.

Here's President-Elect Obama's victory speech - November 4, 2008

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

Juan Williams on the Obama victory

AmericaPANIC Congratulates President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama. America thankfully chose hope over fear.

The good news for Obama? The bar is set low. Really, really low.

The bad news? George W. Bush, the GOP (and many of Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress) wrecked America, spent all the money and demoralized the nation.

Thanks to Bush's incompetence and corruption, Obama's got his work cut out for him.

But no matter your politics, I think you can be proud to be an American tonight. This was a race for the ages. And the better man, and better campaign, won.

FLASH: EXIT POLLS HAVE OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS IN A LANDSLIDE

I like giving you tomorrow's news today, so figure I'll give you tonight's news tonight. Just a few hours early.

So, did you all vote?

Join the liveblog over at HousingPANIC at 7pm EST / 12am GMT

Should be an interesting night!

Hope doesn't pay the bills. Hope doesn't fix the problems. But it's a start. And unlike fear and negativity espoused by the GOP, it wins elections

Join us over at housingpanic tonight at 7pm as we liveblog the election results and Obama landslide.

Go vote.

Uh, actually, Americans would like a President who has thought about governing

John McCain wanted to be President all his life. He built up a fake personae, he spent the past eight years running, but I don't think he's ever actually planned to govern.

Which is a good thing. I think the American people sensed that. Because a McCain administration would have been a disaster.

The pursuit of power corrupted John McCain. It turned him into an unrecognizable piece of sh*t. He would have been a terrible president.

And the American people, including the members of his own party, told him to go home.

Build your own map and predict the Obama electoral blowout count

In a total blowout, if EVERYTHING goes Obama's way on Tuesday, his max would be 468 to 70. But that would include a few states like MT and ND, where Obama is close or tied but man we'd be in cats sleeping with dogs stage to see states like those vote for Obama. After all, there's more black people on Obama's bus than in Montana.

But these are strange times.

If on the other hand EVERYTHING goes McCain's way on Tuesday, and people lied to the pollsters, I see him still losing 260 to 278. But that's giving McCain all the close states, like OH, FL and MO.

In the end, Obama will win it and his electoral count will be between 333 and 366.

This race is not even close, no matter what Fox News and Dick Morris would have you believe.

So play around with the map yourselves, and get on record with your prediction.

Besides their own incompetence, incoherence and corruption, there were two big things that destroyed the Republican Party forever.

1) The Internet: Which allowed the Democrats, the party of the people chipping in $25 at a time, to significantly outraise the Republicans - the party of the rich and business

2) Early Voting and Vote-by-Mail: Which allowed poor and middle class working people who couldn't take four hours off on election day to vote (including some poor old people too)

The Republicans successfully restricted voting for decades, since they knew if the masses were allowed to vote they'd never win another election again. And I don't think they ever saw the internet, and internet fundraising, coming. Millions of people giving $10 beat a much smaller group of lobbyists, rich people and companies giving $1000 any day.

The genie is out of the bottle.

And the GOP, unless they radically reform, is dead.

John McCain is going to get destroyed at the polls on Tuesday, and he knows it by now. So will he go out with class and honor, or not?

It's all over now for McCain.

He ruined his reputation. He destroyed his party. And he ran the most cynical, negative and disgusting campaign for the presidency in US history.

So, will he lose with honor, dignity and class, or will he be the mean, spiteful, cynical, negative prick we've had in our living rooms the past few months?

And same for Sarah Palin. It'll be interesting to hear her concession speech, since she really has only one thing on her mind.

2012.

Two days until the election. How about those medical records, Sarah Palin. What? Got something to hide?

[UPDATE - THEY LIED. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE RECORDS. PRETTY AMAZING, HUH?]

Here's Rick Davis, the piece of sh*t lobbyist who ran John McCain's campaign into the ground, explaining why Sarah Palin would not face the press

If you want to know why the GOP will not win a general election for a generation, just look at Rick Davis.

Mean
Arrogant
Corrupt
Stupid
Closed-minded
Ignorant
Afraid
Negative

Why John McCain put an idiot like this in charge of his campaign, I'll never understand.

But I'm sure glad he did.

Serious candidates for President and VP go on Meet the Press. They hold press conferences. They're not afraid to be interviewed by a free press.

And then there's the sad and pathetic case of Sarah Palin.

And Fox News.

This kind of crap should disgust you. Male and female. Left and right. It's wrong. It's un-American. And as of Tuesday, it will not stand. America deserves better. This is a joke.

John McCain should be ashamed of himself, and of his campaign. And Sarah Palin? Well, I think she's simply too stupid to understand.

You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)

Special AmericaPANIC Video Montage - The Downfall of the GOP (and America) 2001 - 2008

America will recover, slowly.

The GOP will not.

Here's an awesome Saturday Night Live sketch with Bill O'Reilly. Oh, wait, hang on. What was that? Huh? You mean this was REAL?

Here's another Saturday Night Live sketch, this one on California's Prop 8 marriage act. Oh, wait, huh? You mean THIS ONE is REAL too?

It is kinda funny that a nation with a 50% divorce rate is going on and on about protecting marriage.

Hypocrites much?

I did enjoy this ad though. Reminded me of the ones for the WWF. Or monster truck pulls. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

Anyone seen George Bush? Maybe at a McCain rally? Or one of the House or Senate races? What, nobody's seen him? Gee, why do you suppose that is?

Oh, that's right, when you and your party wreck a country and devastate the world, I guess it's best to stay out of sight and out of mind.

You do realize that John McCain is running as the REPUBLICAN candidate for president though, right? You know, the party headed for the past eight years by GEORGE W. BUSH. And supported 100% by the likes of SEAN HANNITY and RUSH LIMBAUGH, with its own broadcast news network FOX NEWS.

Come on America. Wake the f*ck up. Show this party the door.

A Presidential Vanishing Act, by Design

WASHINGTON — It’s the week before Election Day. Do you know where your president is?

Probably not, and that is by design. With Senator John McCain lagging behind in the polls and many other Republicans fighting for their political lives, the nation’s top Republican — President Bush — is intentionally lying low this week, and is likely to do so until after Americans cast their ballots to pick his successor.

What future does the GOP have with this base, these few remaining states, and this misguided focus?

* Ignorant
* Uneducated
* Mean-spirited
* Born-again but un-christian
* Closed-minded
* Anti-environment
* Rich
* Big business
* Anti-science
* Incompetent
* Cronyism
* Racist
* Anti-women
* Big spenders
* Massive deficits
* Anti-children (i.e. future generations)
* Arrogant
* Hated and laughed at around the world

I could go on. I'm telling you, if I was the Product Manager in charge of the Republican Party, I think I'd be looking for a new job. They're asbestos. They're Exxon Valdez. They're Chernobyl.

But because I'm nice, here's some repositioning clues for the GOP, if they'd ever like to emerge from the political wilderness. Think of them as Tylenol, after the poisoning. Or Coca-Cola Classic, after New Coke:

* Green
* Pro-science
* Self-reliance
* Cooperative
* Balanced budget
* Anti-spending
* Low-taxes (for all, not just the rich)
* Pro small business
* Pro separation of church and state
* Pro middle-class
* Pro law enforcement and gun control
* Pro constitution
* Pro civil liberties
* Pro privacy

But hey, I'm not holding my breath. The GOP has been hijacked by ignorant fools, born-again nutjobs and corrupt lobbyists. They'll be out of power for a generation, unless they nuke themselves and start over.

The GOP dies this week.

Let's all dance on their grave.

Here's Sarah Palin, who could be President of the United States of America in a few weeks (god forbid), getting punked

Enjoy.

Man, what an idiot.

And then Dick Cheney came out of his cave to make sure McCain and Palin got destroyed on Tuesday

Thanks Dick.

Try not to destroy the country (any more than you already have) these last few weeks, OK?

Folks, when the history is written, I'm not sure the United States of America has ever seen a more destructive, corrupt and downright evil government official than Dick Cheney.

History will be brutal.

And so will his retirement. I see lawyers. Lots and lots of lawyers. For the rest of his life.

Shouldn't George Bush (and Dick Cheney) have given a speech like this one a few months ago? Shouldn't the Republican leadership have demanded it?

The Republicans should have taken care of business and cleaned up their own house, like they did back in '74.

But not once has Bush apologized. Not once has a Republican leader called for Bush's resignation or impeachment. Not once has this corrupt and incompetent administration admitted their faults and their crimes and their mismanagement of the foreign and domestic affairs of the land.

The voters will now do what the Republican leadership should have done months ago.

And because they, the GOP, did not do the right thing, they will be punished, severely. Possibly to never return.

The Republican party, yet again, has lost the trust and respect of the American people.

Good riddance.

History will be brutal.

Serious Question - what's up with the people in the red states?

Here's Dick Morris, who loves high priced hookers, detailing how McCain may win

It's interesting that folks like Dick Morris are even paying attention to the nationwide preference percentages.

Uh, Dick, there's this thing called the Electoral College. After you're done shagging your hookers, you might want to look at it.

(Isn't it fun when GOP weirdos like Dick Hookers Morris and Bill Falafel O'Reilly get together?)

Meanwhile, as Morris previews, watch the dying GOP throw everything they've got at Obama this weekend. Some really, really nasty stuff.

So Sarah Palin said she'd release her medical records. Yet there's just three more days until the election and still no files. Hmmm....

No medical records. No press conference. No Meet the Press appearance. And yet this idiot could still be President of the United States in just a few short months.

43% of the American people are truly hopeless. They'd vote for a turtle if was the GOP candidate.

So, why no medical records?

Got something to hide?

George Bush will likely pardon Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, Harriet Miers, Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld. Should Obama warn him not to do that?

I think if Obama gets the message out now that if Bush pardons any of the criminals in his administration, that Obama won't protect Bush himself against future criminal prosecution.

Pardons? Sure, go ahead, but you'll go to jail yourself Mr. Bush.

Otherwise, you'll see Bush pardon every person who ever worked for him.

Watch for this to be the big story soon, leading up to the Glorious Final Day.

The stench of a loser.

And then, after America was raped, it turned on its rapists

Unfortunately, the rapists run free, and cashed in to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while America burned.

But a slim majority of Americans (finally) wised up, and tossed these discredited hacks and their party overboard, for the time being.

History will be brutal. And these rapists should be hounded for the rest of their lives. Rocks and garbage. Pies to the face. Anything and everything to show them that their smut is no longer welcome in the land of the free and the land of the brave.

And they can spend their loot in hell.

"If Obama loses it will spark the second American Civil War"

"If Obama loses it will spark the second American Civil War. Blood will run in the streets, believe me. And it's not a coincidence that President Bush recalled soldiers from Iraq for Dick Cheney to lead against American citizens in the streets."

-Author Erica Jong, October 2008

Here's McCain advisor and former Sec. of State Lawrence Eagleburger throwing Sarah Palin (Idiot) under the bus.

"I don't think at the moment she is prepared to take over the reigns of the presidency. I can name for you any number of other vice presidents who were not particularly up to it either. So the question, I think, is can she learn and would she be tough enough under the circumstances if she were asked to become president, heaven forbid that that ever takes place?"

"Give her some time in the office and I think the answer would be, she will be [pause] adequate. I can't say that she would be a genius in the job. But I think she would be enough to get us through a four year... well I hope not... get us through whatever period of time was necessary. And I devoutly hope that it would never be tested."

Should Elizabeth Dole, the sleaziest politician in America today, be sued for defamation and slander?

[UPDATE - KAY HAGAN JUST FILED A SLANDER LAWSUIT TODAY AGAINST ELIZABETH DOLE. BRAVO.]

Insinuating that your church-going former Sunday school teacher opponent is an atheist and voicing over "there is no god" at the end of the commercial as if it was her opponent is easily the most despicable and shameless political ad in American campaign history.

Elizabeth Dole is a Republican candidate stooping lower than I ever thought even a Republican could. Although it's not too surprising given that she's married to hatchet-man Bob Dole, and holds the seat of one of the most disgusting Senators of all time, Jesse Helms.

If this is allowed to stand, what's next? Ads that proclaim your opponent is a child molester? With a voice impersonator saying "I like to molest children" while a picture of the candidate is showing?

Shameless. And if not illegal, at least grounds for a civil lawsuit. This is the very definition of slander.

The Republican Party should call for this ad to be taken down, and should apologize on the behalf of its candidate since she doesn't have the sense or the class to do that herself. The US Senate should censure Elizabeth Dole when it reconvenes. Kay Hagan should file suit for defamation and slander. And John McCain should also disavow this ad.

But don't hold your breath for any of that. Since that would be the right thing to do.

Above all, the people of North Carolina should show Elizabeth Dole the door. And they should loudly protest her wherever she goes, for the rest of her life, unless she apologizes. Elizabeth Dole is scum, and she should be treated like scum by all Americans, left, right and center.

Representative Chris Shays, Republican-CT: "He (McCain) has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign"

John McCain - America's Biggest Loser. A scum-of-the-earth politician who has been exposed for the fraud he is.

Nice to see the GOP throwing him under the bus.

Now let's watch the GOP throw itself under the bus.

Just for laughs... here's the worst and most ineffective political ad of all time, thanks to the dying GOP. Enjoy!

He had a dream. And on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, it will finally be realized.

Here's Obama's prime-time ad video in case you missed it

Poor McCain. He just can't compete.