Politics Daily

Obamas' Glitzy State Dinner Honors Mexico President Calderón (No Crashers!)

Lynn Sweet — 2010-05-20T07:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Electoral College, The Daily FLOTUS with Lynn Sweet

There were no crashers at the glamorous state dinner that President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, hosted for President Felipe Calderón of Mexico and his wife, Margarita Zavala, on Wednesday night. Beyoncé sang and after a day focused on contentious immigration issues, the presidents toasted the close cross-border relationship.

"Tonight we share the bonds we share as neighbors and as friends," Obama said. "We celebrate all that Mexican-Americans contribute to the United States."

The dinner, the coming out for the new social secretary, Julianna Smoot, included 200 guests feasting on a four-course dinner in the East Room cooked by guest chef Rick Bayless, whose contemporary Mexican dishes were well known to Mrs. Obama from her visits to his restaurants in Chicago. Guests were seated at round or rectangle tables of 10; the head table was for 20.

An additional 100 or so guests were invited to join the diners at a spectacular after-party, in a temporary pavilion erected on the South Lawn, a giant lavish venue made up to look like a ritzy nightclub with black walls, black carpet, stunning floral decorations and strings of monarch butterfly cutouts. The monarchs were highly symbolic on the immigration and personal fronts: The butterflies migrate annually from Canada through the United States to Michoacán, Mexico -- Calderón's birthplace. Besides Beyoncé, Mexican singers Rodrigo y Gabriela also performed on the big stage.

Mrs. Obama wore a blue gown with one strap (she wore a one strap number to the inaugural balls) with a silver belt by designer Peter Soronen; Mrs. Zavala was sleeveless in a dress with an Aztec-inspired collar by Macario Jimenez.

The guest list was full of celebrities. Actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg told reporters on her way in she was glad to be back. A frequent guest during the Clinton years, she was on the outs during the Bush administration. The dinner, she said, was "kind of like a homecoming after a long drought."

Comedian George Lopez joked: "I'm sitting with the president. They didn't tell me which country."

Actress Eva Longoria-Parker stopped for a discussion with reporters about the new Arizona immigration law, which both Calderón and Obama have denounced. (Local law enforcement authorities in the state will be able to ask people for papers to prove they are in the United States legally. The Obama White House is mulling a legal challenge to the law.) Longoria-Parker said the dinner was well timed "because of the temperature regarding immigration reform. . . . It's a hot-button issue. . . . So much reform is needed." Immigration is a federal issue, she said, and you "can't have states" making laws of this type.

The guests were White House high-level staffers and people from the worlds of sports, politics, business, government and Hollywood. Each invitee was free to invite a guest to bring along. Olympic gold medal speed skater Shani Davis, a Chicagoan, was there with short-track coach Jae Su Chun. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez brought tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. One of the world's richest businessmen, Carlos Slim, was at the dinner. So were Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and his fiancé, TV reporter Bianna Golodryga; and actress Ana Claudia Talancón.

The Obama White House's first state dinner was on Nov. 24, 2009 and the glitzy event was overshadowed by three crashers, two of whom were reality television show aspirants, Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The fallout from the incidents included Secret Service agents being disciplined, the eventual departure of the White House social secretary Desiree Rogers and toughening up on screening guests outside the White House before they are admitted. The crackdowns on screenings were imposed last year, and Wednesday night guests went through several checkpoints before being allowed to enter.

The White House said the lavish party was paid for with State Department money.

Dinner Menu

Jicama with Oranges, Grapefruit, and Pineapple
Citrus Vinaigrette
Ulises Valdez Chardonnay 2007 "Russian River"

Herb Green Ceviche of Hawaiian Opah
Sesame-Cilantro Cracker

Oregon Wagyu Beef in Oaxacan Black Mole
Black Bean Tamalon and Grilled Green Beans
Herrera Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 "Selección Rebecca"

Chocolate-Cajeta Tart
Toasted Homemade Marshmallows
Graham Cracker Crumble and Goat Cheese Ice Cream
Mumm Napa "Carlos Santana Brut" N/V

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Michelle Obama Celebrates 46th Birthday: Night Out With President, Pals

Lynn Sweet — 2010-01-17T12:07:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, Electoral College, The Daily FLOTUS with Lynn Sweet, Michelle Obama

Last Wednesday, when First Lady Michelle Obama was asked by a group of reporters how she would celebrate her 46^th birthday on Sunday she said, "right now, we don't have big plans that I know of. I think I might go out to dinner with my husband, but I don't know yet. I haven't been invited."

Well, she was invited out by her husband Saturday evening.

President Obama and a group of pals joined Mrs. Obama for a four hour birthday dinner at Restaurant Nora, one of the nicest, upscale, non-pretentious foodie havens in the city featuring "new American" cuisine. Restaurant Nora gets its food from organic growers and farmers who practice sustainable agriculture.

The dinner was the main party for Mrs. Obama. Mrs. Obama's staff feted her with a birthday cake on Friday in the East Wing.

On Sunday, the Obamas went to church services in Washington -- only the fourth time they have been to a church in the city since the start of the Obama administration, which marks its first anniversary on Wednesday.

Later on Sunday, Obama jets to Massachusetts to stump for Democratic Senate candidate Martha Coakley, who has been losing ground in polls as she heads to Tuesday's special election to fill the seat of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) If the seat turns Republican, the Democrats forfeit their supermajority in the Senate -- the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster -- which puts the health overhaul bill and other major Obama initiatives in jeopardy.

The pool report said Obama took his wife out for a surprise dinner, but based on her Wednesday comments, it seems that Mrs. Obama may have had a hint of what was coming. Their daughters, Sasha, 8 and Malia, 11, "appeared," according to the pool report, to not be with the group. The motorcade left at the White House at 6:32 p.m. and arrived at the restaurant, near Dupont Circle, at 6:38 p.m. A friend of mine who happened to be at Nora's said the other restaurant patrons went through security frisks before going to their table. The Obama party was in one of Nora's upstairs dining rooms.

No word on what they ordered. For those keeping a timeline, the main course was served by 8:43 p.m. and deserts came at 9:04 p.m. Mrs. Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, wearing a black pant suit, was the first to leave at 9:40 p.m., with other guests then starting to depart.

From the pool report: "Reporters shouted "How was the party?" and "Was the First Lady surprised?" to a group of unidentified guests. The first question was unanswered, but one woman said the First Lady was indeed "surprised."

"The First Couple exited the restaurant at 10:10 to the loud applause of bystanders. A group of about 50 people gathered at the corner of Florida and R streets and sang "Happy Birthday" as the President and First Lady walked to their car. The First Couple waved at the crowd, and then the crowd cheered again as the motorcade left the restaurant."

Besides Mrs. Robinson, Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife Sharon Malone were in the group. Most of the other guests come from their circle of Chicago friends, many of whom joined the Obama administration: Valerie Jarrett, Senior White House adviser; Susan Sher, the First Lady's chief of staff and Cindy Moelis, director of the White House Fellows program. Eric and Cheryl Whitaker and Mary Nesbitt and wife Anita Blanchard, Chicago friends, came to town for the dinner as did Elizabeth Alexander, a former University of Chicago faculty member now at Yale, who delivered a poem at the Obama inauguration. Also at the table was Jocelyn Frye, Mrs. Obama Harvard Law School classmate and Director of Policy and Projects in the First Lady's office.

Last year, Mrs. Obama spent her 45^th birthday on the Inauguration Special train, making its way from Philadelphia to Washington.

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Electoral College Continues Its Slow Death

Dylan and Ethan Ris — 2009-04-30T08:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Electoral College

We have disturbing news for our readers out there who know that democracy is a good thing ... in moderation.

At some point in the not too distant future, our presidents may actually be elected by popular vote.

See, right now, the people are given a pretty nice say in the whole presidential-election thing, but for obvious reasons they aren't allowed to make that decision for themselves. That's where the Electoral College comes in: a fun group of people who pop up every four years to help the common voters make the decision they really meant in the first place.

For instance, when the voters do something foolish like give a majority of their votes to Al Gore (or, for that matter, Samuel J. Tilden), the Electoral College sets them straight and lets the correct person be president, which is what the people really wanted all along anyway.

But now, there is a movement afoot to circumvent the Electoral College. States are opting to award their electoral votes based not on their own vote totals, but upon the national popular vote. The change would take effect for each state once other states representing a majority of electoral votes sign on.

Yesterday, Washington became the fifth state to join the movement, bringing the total to 61 votes of the 270 needed to undermine the status quo.

It may take a few more years, but the writing is on the wall. Mob rule is coming.

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Barack Obama to be Elected President Today!

David Knowles — 2008-12-15T09:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Barack Obama, Breaking News, Electoral College

Holy crap! Breaking News! Gather round the TV (if you haven't already pawned it)! Tell the kids to high tail it back from school (if your county can still afford to educate children). Why? That shadowy organization known as the Electoral College is ready to make history. At high noon, they're going to officially elect. . . drum roll. . . Barack Hussein Obama as the next president of the United States! Fire up the popcorn. This simulcast hook-up uniting courthouses across the country is must-see viewing.

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Electoral Predictions - Join the Fun

Denise Williams — 2008-11-02T22:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Featured Stories, 2008 President, 2008 Senate, 2008 House, Electoral College, Predictions

So now's the time to tell us who you think will wind up with the most electoral votes on Tuesday (or Wednesday or when the Supreme Court or Congress hears it).

Jump into the comments and let us know how you think the race will pan out. Remember - 270 to win. If you'd like to give your over/under on the Senate and Congressional races as well, feel free.

Does your state have early voting? Share your experiences. Have fun with it and be nice. Its almost over...

Here's some links to the more popular electoral college maps to give you a start:

AOL News (you can make you predictions and come back here)

fivethiryeight.com

Pollster.com

Real Clear Politic s (you can make your own, too!)

CNN (another one where you can make your own)

MSNBC (you can play with this one, too)

My prediction:

Obama 318 - McCain 220
58 Senate Dems and 264 House Dems

See below for more pundit predictions.

Wonder what the pundits have come up with?

From ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

Mark Halperin, Time Magazine:
Electoral Vote -- 349 Obama
Senate -- 58 Democratic seats
House -- Democrats net 28 House seats

Matthew Dowd, former Republican strategist:
Electoral Vote -- 338 plus Obama
Senate -- 8 plus pick ups for Democrats
House -- 17 plus pick ups for Democrats

George Will, ABC News contributor:
Electoral Vote -- 378 Obama
Senate -- 8 pick ups for the Democrats
House -- 21 pick ups for the Democrats

Donna Brazile, former Democratic strategist:
Electoral Vote -- Obama 343
Senate - Democrats 59 plus runoff
House - Democrats pick up 29

George Stephanopoulos:
Electoral Vote -- 353 Obama
Senate -- 58 Democrats
House -- House Democrats pick up 28 seats

Random Pundits reported on AOL News:

Chris Matthews, MSNBC's 'Hardball With Chris Matthews' host
Presidential (Popular ~ Electoral): Obama 52% ~ 338 vs. McCain 46% ~ 200
Senate: 56 Democrats vs. 42 Republicans vs. 2 Others
House: 264 Democrats vs. 171 Republicans

Edward Rollins, GOP strategist
Presidential Race (Popular ~ Electoral): Obama 52% ~ 353 vs. McCain 45% ~ 185
Senate: 57 Democrats vs. 41 Republicans vs. 2 Others
House: 249 Democrats vs. 186 Republicans

Fred Barnes, The Weekly Standard executive editor
Presidential Race (Popular ~ Electoral): Obama 50% ~ 252 vs. McCain 50% ~ 286
Senate: 55 Democrats vs. 43 Republicans vs. 2 Others
House: 255 Democrats vs. 180 Republicans

George Will, Conservative columnist
Presidential Race (Electoral): Obama 378 vs. McCain 160
Senate: 57 Democrats vs. 41 Republicans vs. 2 Others
House: 256 Democrats vs. 179 Republicans

Markos Moulitsas, DailyKos founder
Presidential Race (Popular ~ Electoral): Obama 54% ~ 390 vs. McCain 45% ~ 148
Senate: 58 Democrats vs. 40 Republicans vs. 2 Others
House: 268 Democrats vs. 167 Republicans

More

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Big Turnout Everywhere

Dave — 2008-11-01T15:28:00+00:00

Filed under: 2008 President, Electoral College

Reuters

But uncertainty about the makeup of the new electorate, and whether that high turnout could shatter historic voting patterns or simply reinforce them, casts doubt over opinion polls showing Obama with a solid lead on McCain.

"The question of who turns out to vote is the key to who becomes the next president," said Steven Schier, a political analyst at Carleton College in Minnesota.

Obama is hoping a big boost among new and sporadic voters, particularly blacks and the young, will propel him beyond the total of 56 million ballots for Democrat John Kerry in 2004.

But McCain campaign officials said there is no evidence a higher turnout will fundamentally change the makeup of the electorate -- or, they hope, the outcome on Tuesday.

...

But he said turnout appeared to be higher in all demographic groups, potentially wiping out any advantages Obama gains from an increase in black and young voters.

There is no question that the minority vote will be historic, but there is some questioning about the youth vote, a quadrennial heartbreaker for Democrats, actually showing up this time.

And there is plenty of evidence that the increased turnout is, to confirm the McCain campaign, happening in all demographics. Here is my contribution from a personal observation.

This is from this morning, Warren County Ohio, at the courthouse taken by cell phone. If you can see it the line extends out from the courthouse straight to the end of the parking lot. The line wasn't moving fast or at all. This is an area that regularly votes 70% GOP, esp. in presidential elections. Lots of McCain bumper stickers.

Someone forgot to tell these folks that the election is over, they don't look very demoralized.

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UPDATE: McCain's Big Three

David Knowles — 2008-10-07T13:49:00+00:00

Filed under: John McCain, 2008 President, Polls, Electoral College

Following up on my earlier posts (here and here) on John McCain's new battleground state strategy, the three prizes that he thinks he must have for victory just keep getting more distant.

RCP now has the following numbers for McCain's firewall of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania:

McCain trails in Wisconsin by 6.7%. Last week, the average was 5%.

He's behind by 10.5% in Minnesota. Last week it was 5%.

And Obama has opened up an 11% point lead in Pennsylvania. Last week it was 7.9%

In each of these three contests, the trend is ominous for Team McCain.

More bad news for McCain: In 2008 Democratic registration is up 13% in Michigan, but down 1% for Republicans.

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Electoral Tie a Nightmare for Democracy

Jay Allbritton — 2008-10-06T15:06:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, John McCain, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Electoral College

It takes 270 Electoral votes to become the next president of the United States. But if the Electoral votes come out split down the middle, 269 votes each, what would happen then?

In the event of a tie, the House of Representatives would vote for a president and the Senate would pick the vice president when Congress reconvenes in January.

Andy Sullivan of Reuters examined the possibilities. Under one scenario, if both houses of congress have not determined a winner by the time George W. Bush leaves office, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would have to resign her seat and serve as acting President. Sullivan also mentions several other dramatic possibilities including the involvement of courts and rogue electors. Furthermore, congressional representatives may be put in a position where they have to weigh party loyalty against the will of their state.

As recently as September 19, election stats guru Nate Silver projected the odds of a tie at 3.2 percent. With Obama surging in battleground polling, the number of scenarios that would produce a tie has dwindled. Silver recently looked at scenarios by which a tie could occur.

A new wrinkle to the electoral map, Nebraska's decision to award electoral votes by congressional districts could create or break a tie in any number of scenarios. Obama has a chance at winning a single electoral vote from Omaha, where Republican's voter registration edge is much smaller than in the rest of the reliably red state.

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'New Map' Looks Much Like the Old

Mark Impomeni — 2008-09-21T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, John McCain, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Electoral College

As the presidential campaign winds its way down the home stretch, the electoral playing field that is emerging appears very similar to the final maps of the 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Sen. Barack Obama finds his campaign map shrinking, as states his campaign once boasted that it intended to compete in fall out of reach. Sen John McCain, on the other hand, finds himself on familiar Republican territory, a fact that while comforting, leaves his campaign far less room for error. Despite the attention lavished on the candidates, the hundreds of millions of dollars spent, and the intense focus on the campaign for more than 18 months, precious little electoral territory seems to have changed hands.

In 2000, George W. Bush was elected by the barest of margins in the Electoral College, 271-266, over incumbent Vice-President Al Gore. In 2004, Bush won reelection with 286 electoral votes, representing a switch of only three states from 2000 with electorally tiny New Hampshire going for Sen. John Kerry after voting for Bush in 2000, and New Mexico and Iowa each going for Bush after choosing Gore in 2000. This year, as in 2004, the candidates are finding that flipping states is easier said than done.

The Obama campaign believed that it could fundamentally change the electoral map, with Sen. Obama competing for and perhaps winning states that had not voted for a Democrat for president in a long time. States like Georgia and North Carolina, solid red states, were targeted by the campaign. But those states appear to have solidified for McCain, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing an eight and twelve point lead respectively for McCain in each. Similarly in Virginia, once considered a prime Obama flip opportunity, the race has tilted toward McCain, who holds an average two point lead there with individual polls showing him up by as many as 9 points.

While McCain has been shoring up traditional strongholds, he has thus far not had much success in turning teetering blue states red. Pennsylvania and Michigan represent the best opportunities for McCain to take Electoral votes out of Obama's column. Obama performed very poorly in Pennsylvania during the primaries and didn't campaign in Michigan due to that state's disputed convention delegation. McCain would practically deliver a death-blow to the Obama campaign if he can swing one of the two his way. But here again, Real Clear Politics shows Obama clinging to leads in both, two points in Pennsylvania and about four in Michigan.

Generally, McCain has an advantage over Obama in that all he needs to do is hold on to states Bush won in 2004 to win the White House. Obama needs to make up an 18 Electoral vote disadvantage from that election in order to win. He has opportunities in several states. Iowa, where McCain has never performed well, is almost certain to give its seven votes to Obama this year. New Mexico and Colorado, too, are possible pick up opportunities for him. Besides Michigan and Pennsylvania, McCain has chances in Washington State and New Jersey, where polling averages show him trailing by less than Bush lost each state in 2004. But in the main, the race remains a struggle for a relatively small number of hotly contested states.

Just as in the previous two elections, 2008 may come down to Ohio and Florida. Both have been Republican territory, and both are leaning that way now. The polling averages in each show McCain with leads of three and two points, leads that he needs to maintain to win the election. Obama can steal it away from McCain with a win in either, but he is polling behind where Sen. Kerry did in Florida at this point in 2004 despite the fact that McCain has only recently begun advertising there, and he badly underperformed in the Democratic primary in Ohio. Nevertheless, the race in each state is close enough to guarantee an intense focus by both candidates on the two for the remainder of the campaign.

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Obama Hopes to Shift Electoral Map

Mark Impomeni — 2008-07-08T18:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Barack Obama, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Electoral College

A new poll released by Insider Advantage/Poll Position has supporters of Sen. Barack Obama believing that he can win one of the reddest states in the nation, Georgia. With fifteen electoral votes, Georgia is a very attractive prize for the Obama campaign. If Obama is able to wrest Georgia from Republican hands on election night, it would be nearly impossible for Sen. John McCain to win the White House, and could be indicative of a national sweep for the Democrats. The poll shows Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain in a virtual dead heat in the state, McCain leading 46-44% with six percent undecided. Libertarian candidate and Georgia native, Bob Barr, receives four percent in the poll. The numbers are consistent with Insider Advantage's previous poll results in the state, which showed a 44-43 McCain lead on June 20.

Insider Advantage credits the large African-American population and relatively young voting age with Obama's success in the state. It also notes that Obama is "saturating" the state with television ads, while McCain has little in the way of advertising running in Georgia. The poll also asked respondents if they would be more or less likely to vote for Obama should he choose former U.S. Senator from Georgia Sam Nunn as his running mate. Fifty-one percent said that they would be more likely to vote for an Obama-Nunn ticket.

The Obama campaign believes that it can fundamentally change the electoral map that has held pretty much unchanged for the last two presidential elections. Georgia, however, will be a difficult state to flip. Georgia last voted for a Democrat in 1992, voting to send a Southern governor, Bill Clinton, to the White House. Prior to that, Georgia voted for the Republican three straight elections after voting for favorite son candidate Jimmy Carter twice in 1976 and 1980. Georgia has again been trending Republican in recent years, voting for Dole, Bush and Bush in 1996, 2000, and 2004. Furthermore, intrastate politics in Georgia has been going the Republican Party's way as well. Governor Sonny Perdue is the first Republican governor in the state since 1872 and was easily reelected to a second term in 2006, bucking a national trend favoring Democrats. Both houses of Georgia's legislature have been controlled by Republicans for all of Perdue's tenure, and the state has a majority Republican Congressional delegation, including two Republican Senators.

Despite the positive results in this poll, Georgia is very unlikely to swing to Obama in November. The Real Clear Politics average of polls in the state shows McCain with a near seven point advantage, with over 50% support in two of the last three. Only three polls taken since February have the race at less than a ten point lead for the Republican. Obama's play for Georgia is more likely a feint in a high stakes game of electoral resources allocation than a serious attempt to flip the state. Obama would like to force McCain to spend precious money and time in a state that should be safe for him, thereby opening up more likely pick up opportunities for Obama in other red states. One thing is for sure, however. Obama must take one or more red states in this election to win the White House. But it probably will not be in the deep South.

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On the Need to Win Ohio

Dave — 2008-06-16T22:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Barack Obama, Featured Stories, 2008 President, Electoral College

Obama's captain says he doesn't need Ohio (tip to Weapons of Mass Discussion) to put together an electoral victory. Is this just hot air or is it for real?

The presumed Democratic nominee's electoral math counts on holding onto the states Kerry won, among them Michigan (17 electoral votes), where Obama campaigns on Monday and Tuesday. Plouffe said most of the Kerry states should be reliable for Obama, but three currently look relatively competitive with Republican rival John McCain - Pennsylvania, Michigan and particularly New Hampshire.

Asked about his remarks, Plouffe said Ohio and Florida start out very competitive - but he stressed that they are not tougher than other swing states and said Obama will play "extremely hard" for both. But he said the strategy is not reliant on one or two states.

It's possible, but not smart strategy to ignore Ohio. The issue is that Ohio is just such a middle of the road tipping point state, that it's hard to imagine McCain losing Virginia, but winning Ohio. It just usually doesn't work that way.

Now that is unless Barack can shift the way things are usually done, and apparently they believe that there were a lot of unregistered minority voters who skipped out on 2000 and 2004 and are available to be picked up for Obama. I sincerely doubt this, having lived through 2004, I know in Ohio that in many minority communities voter participation was the highest it ever was.

Here is some relevant data from a study:

[Table 2] Changes in the black share of the vote between
2000 and 2004 varied considerably in individual
states. Nine states witnessed large increases. In the Carolinas--
the home territory of Democratic vice-presidential
nominee John Edwards-it rose from 19 to 26 percent (in
North Carolina) and from 22 to 30 percent (in South Carolina).
The black share also rose substantially in the three
top battleground states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.
Higher black turnout contributed to John Kerry's narrow
victories in Pennsylvania, where the black share of the
statewide vote rose from 7 percent (in 2000) to 13 percent
(in 2004), and in Michigan, where the black share rose
from 11 to 13 percent. In Ohio, which Kerry lost in a close
contest, the black share increased more modestly, from 9
percent to 10 percent. Black turnout was also up solidly in
Arkansas, Virginia, New York, and Maryland.

So Kerry and his team had already done a lot to get the minority vote to the polls. Is there that much more that could be squeezed for Obama? I sincerely doubt it. No I think Ohio will still come back to be one of the major battlegrounds, it's not only smack in the middle geographically and demographically, it also borders two other states, MI and PA, that are likely to be battleground states as well. So I expect I will still have a front row seat.

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Three States Ready to Bypass Electoral College

Christopher Weber — 2008-04-11T12:22:00+00:00

Filed under: 2008 President, Electoral College

This week the governor of Illinois made official a law that some activists hope will become a national trend. Illinois has become the third state prepared to bypass the Electoral College on election day. Along with Maryland and New Jersey, Illinois will award its presidential electoral votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote.

Here's the catch: they'll only do so if other states follow suit and their electoral votes total 270. Why? Well 270 happens to be the number of electoral votes it takes to elect a president.

The new law is part of a national push by the California-based advocacy group National Popular Vote Inc. It's aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2000 election, when Al Gore got the most votes nationwide but George W. Bush put together enough victories in key states to win a majority in the Electoral College and capture the White House.

It's a way to make sure that the candidate who gets the most votes gets into the White House. The group seems to have a strong ally in Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. As a congressman, Blagojevich pushed for a consitutional amendment to get rid of the Electoral College completely.

Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey only hold a combined 46 electoral votes, so they've got a long way to go for meaningful change in the system. Still, as it stands now it's a pretty impressive statement for reform.

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