(CNN) - Votes are still being counted in some states, but conservatives stinging from last night’s losses are planning to get together to plan the movement’s future — and so far, it doesn’t look like that vision includes John McCain.
McCain, who made a poorly-received appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year, was not included on a list of major movement figures invited to next year’s gathering e-mailed to supporters Wednesday morning. More than a dozen conservative leaders made the cut — including McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have also been invited to address CPAC in February, along with McCain’s former primary season rivals Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
“At CPAC 1975, one speech initiated the conservative comeback,” American Conservative Union president David Keene wrote on the invitation to the group’s annual meeting, citing Ronald Reagan’s encouraging words to activists after the “disastrous” post-Watergate election losses of 1974. “CPAC friends, it's imperative that we continue to fight for conservative principles despite recent losses. We face new challenges, but our principles are timeless.”
Last year, McCain faced a thorny reception during a rare appearance at the gathering, as his visit – and even the mention of his name – drew boos from many in attendance.
Romney narrowly beat the Arizona senator, 35 to 34 percent, in the conference’s presidential straw poll of conservative political activists. The result came even though it was clear that McCain, who had addressed the group that week, would be the Republican Party’s nominee — and even though Romney had ended his presidential run there earlier in the conference. The announcement of Romney’s win was greeted by cheers from the crowd, angry over McCain’s past positions on immigration policy.
UPDATE: CPAC Director Lisa De Pasquale said in an e-mail that the list included in the message sent to past CPAC attendees this morning was not complete.
"With the exception of Gov. Palin, who confirmed in early April after having to drop out of CPAC 2008 at the last minute, very few invitations (Jindal and Pence) were sent to elected officials because of the volatility of the November elections," she wrote. "Now that the election has passed, we will begin inviting other elected officials."
There was perhaps no more profound way to slam the door on eight years of the Bush administration than to elect the first African-American to replace him. The symbolism is powerful; the history is breathtaking. We changed a lot more than our political orientation last night. The country finally grew up.
Something stirred us in a profound way. The disillusionment and disappointment of failed polices everywhere you look were the catalysts. Barack Obama was the spark. Watching him in Grant Park last night, it occurred to me that just like Hemingway was born to write and Tiger Woods to hit a golf ball, this man, Obama, was born to do this, to lead.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Here's the challenge facing President-elect Barack Obama as he weighs how to create more jobs: another half-million jobs likely will be lost between now and Inauguration Day.
That's not even counting the 200,000 jobs that economists believe employers trimmed last month, according to estimates from Briefing.com. The October jobs report will be released this Friday.
The unemployment rate is expected to climb to 6.3% from 6.1%, which would match the worst reading of the decade. And economists all seem to agree the worst is yet to come.
At some point next year the unemployment rate is forecast to pass 7%, a level not seen since 1993.
And the job losses of 200,000 or more a month are expected to be the norm, not the exception, in the coming months, as the full impact of the credit crisis is felt more keenly on Main Street.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) - Sen. Ted Stevens, convicted last month on seven federal corruption charges, held a slight lead Wednesday in his race for re-election, with the outcome still to be determined.
Stevens, who has represented Alaska almost 40 years and is the Senate's longest-serving Republican, was leading with 48 percent of the vote. His opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, had almost 47 percent of the vote.
With 435 of 438 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Stevens led Begich by more than 3,300 votes, 106,351 to 102,998.
But, "there's still a lot to be counted," said Gail Fenumiai, director of Alaska's Division of Elections.
She said more than 40,000 absentee ballots, 9,000 early ballots, and many provisional ballots are yet to be tallied. Officials will try to count them over the next 10 days, she said.
Alaska has no provision for a runoff if no candidate gets at least 50 percent of the vote; whoever gets the most votes wins.
Defeated candidates may ask for recounts.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN)– There was a moment last night– this was just before Barack Obama and his family walked onto the stage in Grant Park for his first public appearance as president-elect– when the throngs of people in the park fell almost completely silent.
In one respect this was a product of an explicable glitch in the proceedings. During the long campaign, the timing of Obama’s entrances at rallies was meticulously coordinated– the preliminary orators (usually local government officials and candidates) spoke, the music and its pacing built up with the intention of quickening the pulses of the crowds, and then, at exactly the right moment, Obama, the candidate, would make his entrance.
But by late last night Obama was no longer a candidate, and there was no need to pump up the sense of anticipation, and the evening’s events– the concession call from John McCain, the congratulatory call from President Bush– were being dealt with as they rapidly occurred on a timetable Obama’s staff could not control. So there was some dead time in the park before Obama appeared on the stage.
And the crowd, for just those brief few moments, became all but mute. They weren’t certain what was going to happen next.
What happened next, in the crisp and clear night, was the Obama family suddenly coming into sight. Then, the cheers reached the sky. But in the quiet that preceded...
In that quiet there was the recognition:
Here comes the part of this drama that is unknown and unknowable.
(CNN) - Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman, one of John McCain’s biggest Senate supporters, congratulated Barack Obama Wednesday on winning the presidential election.
"I sincerely congratulate President-elect Obama for his historic and impressive victory,” he said in a statement released by his Senate office. “America remains a nation of extraordinary opportunity and the American people are a people of extraordinary fairness.
“Now that the election is over, it is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer. I pledge to work with President-elect Obama and his incoming Administration in their efforts to reinvigorate our economy and keep our nation secure and free."
(CNN) – The two major candidates in Georgia's hotly contested Senate race both said Wednesday they Are launching runoff campaigns as votes continued to be counted and neither man held a majority.
At midday, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss led Democratic challenger Jim Martin, with Chambliss having 1,838,891 votes or 49.9 percent to Martin's 1,721,087 or 46.7 percent. Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley was credited with 3.4 percent of the vote.
"We're in a runoff," Martin said at a news conference. "This race has just begun."
Chambliss also called a news conference to declare, "We've already hit the ground. We're getting ready for the runoff."
A spokesman for the Georgia secretary of state's office said it will likely be next week before election results are finalized and certified statewide.
An unknown number of ballots from members of the military and Georgians overseas were yet to be counted, scattered precincts in the state had yet to report their totals, voters issued provisional ballots for various reasons had until Thursday to resolve their issues and have their votes counted, and at least one major county in the state was still tallying ballots that had been mailed in, said Matt Carrothers of the secretary of state's office.
(CNN) - After a nearly two-year campaign for the White House, Barack Obama is likely to spend his first day as president-elect out of view from the public.
He will not hold a press conference, campaign aides told CNN, though he is expected to hold one by the end of the week. Obama had joked with reporters earlier this week he would talk to them on Wednesday, though aides quickly said that was not likely.
Instead, Obama will meet with key advisors and begin making decisions about his transition team, including who will serve as his White House chief of staff. Reports say Obama is close to naming Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel to that post, but that has not been confirmed.
UPDATE: According to the pool report, Obama appears to be staying away from cameras. A scheduled photo-op with his family did not happen, and the president-elect did not take his daughters to school, as Obama aides had suggested he would.
He was spotted making a trip to the gym, and he briefly waved to reporters as his car went by.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The election of Democratic candidate Barack Obama as president is a clear message that Americans are ready for change, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday.
"The American people spoke out loudly and clearly that they wanted a new direction for America, and they voted in large numbers for change," said Pelosi, D-California.
She praised both Obama and his opponent, Sen. John McCain, for their "unifying" speeches late Tuesday, as well as remarks made by President Bush on Wednesday morning. Those comments are "setting a tone I think we all should follow," she said.
Pelosi said she spoke with Obama Wednesday morning and gave him "congratulations, best wishes and great gratitude for his success."
She said she is pleased with Democratic gains in the House that will enhance Congress' ability to work closely with the president-elect.
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