SOTU Blogathon (3 of 3): Bridging the Political Divide

With images of Cong. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, and Cong. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), we go into our final tweets from tonight's SOTU from President Barack Obama:

1) The White House:  Obama:"I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I'll be right there with you as a citizen."

2) Nancy Pelosi: "Make me feel hopeful for continued progress. Thanks for Obama for all you've done for hard-working American families."

3) Virginia Democrats: Obama:"We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their votes...."

4) Cong. Virginia Foxx (R-NC): "It's clear he doesn't understand the solutions that will get our nation back on track begin w/ American people, not Washington bureaucrats."

5) Cong. Bobby Scott (D-Va): Tonight the POTUS focused on the future and challenged Congress and the next president to go even further."

6) David Corn (Mother Jones): Obama aimed to inspire American confidence. But, he did not call out those who prevent the political system from working."

7) Glenn Kenny (film critic): Disappointed with lack of Bowie mentions/citations (Iconic pop singer David Bowie died on Sunday, we hope to post a tribute to him).

8) Hadas Gold (Politico): Top social moment according to Facebook: President Obama criticizes anti-Muslim sentiments."

9) Zeke Miller (Time): Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC)  during GOP response: "In this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined."

10) Gene Weingarten (Washington Post humorist): Nikki Haley is a vampire.

11) Ben Casselman (538 politics): Nikki Haley seems to be taking on Trump as much as Obama.

http://www.fivethrityeight.com

http://www.nationaljournal.com

http://www.c-span.org

Remembering Nelson Mandela with a Quote from Him

Nelson Mandela died two days ago in his native South Africa.

Former President Bill Clinton said Mandela would ask to speak to Chelsea when he called the White House to ask her if she had done her homework. Chelsea Clinton went on to graduate from Stanford.

Though former Vice President Dick Cheney made disparaging remarks about this remarkable man, he was lauded by politicians on both sides of the aisle in the United States. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) and Cong. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) praised his contributions to ending Apartheid while Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) praised Mandela for being a champion of human rights.

Here is a quote from Mandela:

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

SIDEBAR: Alas, it was a rough night for us as spectators as all four of the teams we were rooting for somehow fell in the NCAA tournament: Cal upset North Carolina, LSU came from two sets down to win over Michigan, Radford University posted a great second set but still fell in straight sets to host Minnesota, and in spite of winning the first set against Utah, the Yale Bulldogs lost to the Utes 3-1.

Oh well............

Election Day by the #s (3 of 4)_ How Obama Won in Virginia

The image above is of Natural Bridge, which is located near Lexington, Va. Though his opponent Mitt Romney fared better in the Shenandoah Valley, with the exception of college towns like Harrisonburg, Obama dominated in the Washington, DC-suburbs, and Richmond. Obama also won in the cities of Roanoke, Danville and Norfolk.


Here is a look at the numbers for my home state:

22,179_ Votes that Obama got in the City of Roanoke, my hometown

14,116- Votes for Romney in Roanoke

19,753- Votes for Romney in Lynchburg, Va., home of Liberty University

15,905- Votes for Obama in Lynchburg, a jurisdiction he won in 2008

60.6-Percentage for Obama in Danville

38.6-Percentage for Romney in Danville

52.2- Percentage for Romney in Halifax County (South Boston)

46.6- Percentage for Obama in Halifax County

260,835- Votes Obama got in Fairfax County

173, 286- Votes Romney got in Fairfax County

81.2-Percentage Cong. Bobby Scott (D-Va) got in his reelection bid

58. 8-Percentage Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) got in his reelection bid

907- Number of votes Romney got in Rich County, Utah

83- Number of votes Obama got in Rich County, Utah