Election Result To Be Certified; Votes Moved For Football

Today, Congress plans to officially certify the results of the 2008 election, meeting in a 1 P.M. joint session to get down to counting up the electoral votes. As CQ Politics points out: "Spoiler alert: Democrat Barack Obama wins with 365 votes against Republican John McCain's 173 votes." How many surprises should we expect? Dianne Feinstein predicts "None." And that's pretty good authority, since she's been so full of surprises lately.

About the only wrinkle to the proceedings that has arisen this week was a request from the Florida and Oklahoma delegations to move votes scheduled for today to Friday, so that they could enjoy tonight's BCS Championship between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners. Earlier in the week, Florida Representative Cliff Stearns (no relation to "Bear" Stearns) submitted a request to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that read:

"As you may be aware, on Thursday January 8, the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma will play for the national football championship. Members of the Florida and Oklahoma delegations have expressed interest in attending the game as the congressional schedule allows. However, votes are currently scheduled to continue into Thursday night and Friday afternoon. We ask that you move these votes to either Wednesday and/or Thursday morning to allow Members to attend this historic game."

Stearns wanted votes for Friday afternoon moved? Man, that Florida delegation must have been planning to get tore up tonight!

Anyway, CQ describes today's ceremonial proceedings as "an exercise that has great meaning but holds absolutely no suspense," like, say, visiting Santa Claus, or junior high school graduation, or reading Ben Smith's blog. Once again, I'd have to advise Larry Johnson that now might be a good time to release the "Whitey Tape." What is he waiting for, anyway?

Comments

[TimCunha]

07:35 PM on 01/09/2009

My recent opponent Congressma­n Clifford Stearns (R-FL-06) made headlines [AP, 1/7/09] and became a naionwide joke this week with an embarrassi­ngly inappropri­ate request to Speaker Pelosi to suspend Congress for two days so he could attend the Florida-Ok­lahoma football championsh­ip.

With the economy disintegra­ting, people losing homes and jobs, national security threatened­, water quality at risk, Stearns wanted the national agenda put on “hold” for football.

His absurd request is no surprise. On at least a dozen occasions during last fall’s campaign, Stearns failed to show up for debates with me because he was “doing the people’s business”. Yet, more than once, when he couldn’t find time for serious debate during the day, he had no problem watching football from the UF president’­s box seats that same evening.

To serve in public office requires many personal sacrifices­, large and small; otherwise, public servants only serve themselves­.

Recently Stearns criticized fellow Republican­s Bush and Paulson for inadequate oversight of banks receiving federal “relief” dollars to counter the financial crisis precipitat­ed by systematic deregulati­on—support­ed fervently and consistent­ly by Stearns.

Rather than Stearns’ "football priorities­," we need Congress working overtime, debating bold initiative­s to jump-start the economy, regulate financial markets, create jobs, forestall forclosure­s, restore retirement funds, rebuild crumbling infrastruc­ture, provide quality healthcare for all, and revitalize education.

Stearns’ campaign slogan was “no one works harder for you”—unles­s, that is, there’s a football game.

We deserve better. And, we deserve an apology.

[Topfeeder]

05:15 PM on 01/09/2009

G A T O R S!!!

G A T O R S!!!

G A T O R S!!!

G A T O R S!!!

G A T O R S!!!

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

11:52 AM on 01/09/2009

THE CLASS OF THE NEW GENERATION WILL BE HOSTING THE TOGA PARTY!!!!! R U READY!?

[Enehoa]

11:44 AM on 01/09/2009

It's no wonder DisneyWorl­d is in Florida. The Repug state lives in lala land. The US is at war, our economy is tanking, everyone is unemployed­, and the Repugs want to stop the world for a football game? Out of touch with the real world.

[Topfeeder]

05:14 PM on 01/09/2009

Go Gators!!!
Florida went blue in the last election.
Suk it losers! You're all just jealous that you aren't citizens of The Gator Nation! Whoot!
Obama loves his sports too. He can't get enough of ESPN.
Go Gators!!!

[TheInsomniac]

11:29 AM on 01/09/2009

Where can I get a shirt like the photoshopp­ed one on Belushi? Don't make me go to Zazzle and make my own...

[WilliamL]

11:08 AM on 01/09/2009

Typical Florida.

Considerin­g their role in the wonderous eight years, "oh, sure Florida, whatever is best for you and the needs of your football fans."

Please.

[Topfeeder]

05:16 PM on 01/09/2009

Why thank you and one more thing.....­..........­.......GO GATORS!!!

[LynnTTT]

11:01 AM on 01/09/2009

But didn't the '"new" Democratic Congress do the same think in early 2006? I recall lots of criticism of Pelosi at that time? (And I'm a dyed in the wool Democrat).

[benman]

12:00 AM on 01/09/2009

When Cheney announced the results, did he attach a signing statement?

[Suzanne525]

11:59 AM on 01/09/2009

Ha Ha Ha. Hope it pained him to say those words.

[kellygrrrl]

10:59 PM on 01/08/2009

I must get the Electoral College shirt!

[truth4once]

04:26 PM on 01/08/2009

By all means, let's scedule the work of the senate around a football game. These clowns continue to embarass themselves­, but don't have enough sense to recognize it.

[tempest624]

06:48 PM on 01/08/2009

Stearns is in the House, not the Senate.

[cjk002]

10:01 PM on 01/08/2009

And this is the same guy who protested loudy and bitterly when the Democrats shut down the House for the summer without ending the ban on offshore drilling, complaing that the Dems would rather go on "spring break" than do something about energy prices.

What a hypocrite.

[joycehelene]

04:11 PM on 01/08/2009

It's now offical , BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is the 44th President of the United States. I am extremely happy as we all should be!!

[judyc]

09:02 PM on 01/08/2009

I'm happy with you!

[TheWombat]

10:02 AM on 01/09/2009

Hear, hear. I say everybody should refer to him with all three names to p|ss off all those right wing nutjobs who just the name Hussein as a slur!

Long live Barack Hussein Obama!

[Cil]

10:28 AM on 01/09/2009

I am sooooooooo­ooooooo HAPPY WITH YOU!

AMERICANS DID THEIR COUNTRY GREAT!

BE PROUD AND HAPPY FOLKS, YOU HAVE CREATED HISTORY
IN A HUGE WAY!

[gladys46]

01:56 PM on 01/08/2009

P.E.Obama wins with 365 electoral votes .... that's an interestin­g number !!!

[Freesia2]

10:27 AM on 01/09/2009

It is actually. President for every day of the year. (Except I think this year is a leap year - Happy Birthday to anyone born on February 29.)

[Ignorancedestroys]

11:29 AM on 01/09/2009

2008 was a leap year so expect the next one in 4 yrs and i hope we do thesame then.

[bby328]

01:14 PM on 01/09/2009

Hey we were leaped last year.