Same-sex marriage ban: There's still 2.7 million ballots to count

Holy smokes, here it is nearly five days after Tuesday's California voting on Prop. 8 to ban same-sex marriage and there are still three times as many ballots uncounted as there are people in the entire state of Montana.

Not that Montana is voting on California's Prop. 8. But Big Sky Country is the next largest state in size. And it has a lot of people of the same sex.

Anyway, if there are that many outstanding ballots on the controversial same-sex marriage ban, might they change the successful outcome that's causing people of both sexes to protest so vehemently around town and elsewhere?

The Times' David Lauter, who loves to play with numbers, was not watching the USC game anyway and is a whole lot better than most journalists with figures, has been looking into his whole issue.

And he has the full story now over on the L.A. Now blog right here.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Lock and load: AP video says Americans buying up guns since Obama's victory

This was news to us.

According to this Associated Press video, there's been a big run on guns in the last couple of months and especially since the election of Barack Obama Tuesday.

The stated fear is that he will somehow go along with a large congressional Democratic majority on new firearms restrictions, despite the Illinois senator's professed campaign support for 2nd Amendment rights.

Watch this video. Then let us know what you think? Are you stocking up on weapons? Ammo? Do you know people who are? Do you think this is a legitimate threat?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Barack Obama radio address -- full text and video

This is the complete transcript of President-elect Barack Obama's radio address on behalf of the Democratic Party, November 8, 2008.

(A full video/audio of this address is available at the end of this item.)

On Tuesday, Americans stood in lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen. It didn't matter who they were or where they came from; what they looked like or what party they belonged to.

They came out and cast their ballot because they believed that in this country, our destiny is not written for us, but by us. We should all take pride in the fact that we once again displayed for the world the power of our democracy, and reaffirmed the great American ideal that this is a nation where anything is possible.

This week, I spoke with President Bush, who graciously offered his full support and assistance in this period of transition.  Michelle and I look forward to meeting with him and the first lady on Monday to begin that process. 

This speaks to a fundamental recognition that here in America we can compete vigorously in elections and challenge each other's ideas, yet come together in service of a common purpose once the voting is done.  And that is particularly important at a moment when we face the most serious challenges of our lifetime.

Yesterday, we woke to more sobering news about the state of our economy. The 240,000 jobs lost in October marks the 10th....

Did Cliff Huxtable prepare us for Barack Obama?

Cliff Huxtable thinks his sensible portrayal of Bill Cosby as a hardworking father who cares about his black family, educating and caring for his children, probably played a role in preparing American society for this week's election of its first black president.

Actually, it was the other way around -- Cosby played Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad played his wife in the long-running "Cosby Show" on NBC.

From 1984 to 1992, the show, which portrayed an African American family, was among the nation's most-watched programs.

Our blogging buddy Greg Braxton explores that provocative idea with Cosby over on the Show Tracker blog. Sounds like a master's thesis for somebody someday.

And, by the way, why doesn't Cosby run for something?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press

(UPDATED) Ticket Notice: Sunday shows -- Emanuel, Cantor, Reid

(UPDATED: The ABC and CNN guest lists have been updated.)

ABC This Week: Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff-designate. George Will, Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Cynthia Tucker, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria and former White House adviser David Gergen.

CBS Face the Nation: Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, New York Times' David Brooks and Politico's John Harris.

CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: Sen. Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; former British prime minister Tony Blair; former U.S. Civil Rights Commission member Mary Frances Berry and NBA player Grant Hill; roundtable with Jessica Yellin and Gloria Borger of CNN and Richard Stengel of Time.

Fox News Sunday: Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

NBC Meet the Press: Obama-Biden transition team co-chair Valerie Jarrett; House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.); Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and a roundtable with White House historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newsweek's Jon Meacham and Chicago Sun-Times' Mary Mitchell.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Office of Rep. Rahm Emanuel

Historic Barack Obama front pages by the scores here

As The Ticket reported here the other day, the historic election this week of Barack Obama to the presidency has caused a run on the nation's newspapers, as thousands upon thousands seek souvenir copies of the next day's editions.

Lines at The Times' downtown headquarters in recent days have often run around the block, and extra personnel have been assigned to continue sales of the Wednesday edition on Saturday and Sunday and into next week.

But now for those of you who are into newspaper front pages, there's a new website that's collected scores of newspaper front pages on that day from all around the world. We'll publish a sampling here and on the jump.

The new website is here.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Click the Read more line below to see more historic front pages.

A lone Republican leader defends Sarah Palin while McCain is mum

Yes, it's shocking, we know here at the Ticket. But there is at least one prominent Republican sticking up for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Go figure. Her presidential running mate sure isn't.

The 44-year-old working mom singlehandedly energized the party's base with an electrifying speech and refreshing personality at the Republican National Convention and after.

Between her selection Aug. 29 and the Nov. 4 election, Palin did 132 political events in 105 cities in 25 states. That's not exactly dogging it.

And who's heard any leaks from Palin's camp about the awful mishandling of her media rollout in September?

But in the, what-is-it-now, four days since American voters decisively opted for the younger guy from Illinois, one or two of John McCain's brave aides have been anonymously leaking uncorroborated charges about Palin's personality, knowledge, spending habits, etc., which the media gobbles up, in an apparent attempt to pin the defeat on the female half of the GOP ticket.

Good luck with that. Anyone who saw McCain and Palin work together, saw as the partisan crowds chanted her name during his speech.

Back home in her Anchorage governor's office, Palin defends herself, as The Times' Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston describe in an article this morning.

This issue isn't going away immediately. Love her or leave....

Election over, Jeremiah Wright is talking again, now on media and Obama

Here's a name from the not-so-dim past:

The retired Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose incendiary video sermons caused such a furor last winter/spring when his parishioner of 20 years, Barack Obama, said he'd missed the bad ones and could no more disown his pastor than his own family.

But then Obama did a few weeks later. For a sample video of Wright's past sermons, click the "Read more" line below.

Anyway, in a sermon in Connecticut last night, according to another video just below, Wright suggested that he was a pawn of the media to get at Obama, which sounds kind of like what Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was saying about the media attacking Sen. John McCain through her.

So that can't be right.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Now, click the Read more line to see Rev. Wright's words in action.

Forget Iran, jobs, taxes. What about Obama's first dog, er, First Dog?

President-elect Barack Obama met with part of his transition team Friday to talk about the nation's evolving economic troubles.

But the compelling issue on at least one reporter's mind was, what about the Obama family's promised dog?

The about-to-be-first family's father explained there was a complication because one daughter, Malia, is allergic. And apparently Obama thinks that rules out his professed first choice of a shelter dog.

But the reporter in this video has good news for Obama -- and perhaps soon good news for one particular puppy sitting unknown in a shelter somewhere tonight like a canine Cinderella.

(For a video of Obama's entire first news conference as president-elect, click on the Read more line below.)

-- Andrew Malcolm

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President-elect Obama's first gaffe: A slap at Nancy Reagan

In a hasty and wise bit of damage control, president-elect Barack Obama quickly telephoned former First Lady Nancy Reagan this afternoon to apologize for "a careless and offhanded remark" he made about her this morning during his first post-election news conference.

Obama was asked how he was preparing to take over the White House, what books he's reading, if he'd talked to any ex-presidents. He replied:

"In terms of speaking to former presidents, I've spoken to all of them that are living. Obviously, President Clinton -- I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances."

The passing reference to the former First Lady's alleged interest in horoscopes struck some observers as a gratuitous slap at an old lady at a time Obama was trying to set a positive, professed bipartisan tone for his transition.

The Obama press office received numerous inquiries for explanation and reaction. And this afternoon issued the following statement:

"“President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off-handed remark he made during today’s press conference.

"The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation,” said President-elect Obama Transition Team Spokesperson Stephanie Cutter."

A complete transcript -- and full video -- of Obama's first news conference as president-elect is available here. The complete news conference video is also viewable by clicking on the Read more line below here.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Associated Press