A quick follow-up to Abhi’s post about how American voters who happen to be abroad get to participate in the white-hot brown-hot race to official candidacy [Thanks, Devendra]:
That’s right, Bharath Obama took his namesake nation, 71% to 28 [PDF]. Obama also got 100% of Pakistan’s five votes. Bangladesh proved a bit more challenging, but he still won, though the split was a much more competitive 58/42. Meanwhile, he cruised in Nepal: 73% to Hillary’s 27. Considering these results, SAFO truly lives up to its name.
These votes aren’t trivial, since members of the Democratic party who are overseas count as a state under party rules– a state with 22 delegates. Accordingly, the candidates did not take these Americans who are abroad for granted. Obama’s campaign in particular was recognized for being “dedicated” and “extraordinary”. Looks like their efforts paid off.
I do not believe that the Democratic party cannot put better candidates
That was the Bharat mind-set in me. It should say “I do not believe that better candidates than HRC will not seek the Democratic nomination in the future”.
Come on Ardy! Anna is using artistic license to make a larger point – the use of ‘th’ to indicate a softer ‘t’ sound is common in South India, and there is no reason everything should be North Indian normative on a South Asian blog. The spelling ‘Bharath’ is also common in South India, both for the male proper name, where the first vowel sound is not stretched, and for the country, where it is. The context makes it clear whether it should be stretched or not. Hopefully that also answers the question Floridian raised upthread.
However, if you were a constitutional literalist – then the choice was already made back in 1950 – “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” in the first line, right after the Preamble. That argument flies better than efficiency! 🙂
Full Text of Indian Constitution
I thought Hillary’s Xerox comment quite clever. The booing by Obama fans was unfortunate though.
That is why I do not see Democrats ever voting for her again as it would be like going back to a “style of politics” that they discarded.
Well, whether or not HRC has chances down the road is a tough call, what you say makes sense, but, lets say McCain takes it (shudder), I’d say Obama wouldn’t necessarily be as popular as he is now.
Re: e-voting security.
One major vulnerability for e-voting systems that use a display screen (like a CRT or LCD) is that they can be penetrated with TEMPEST (aka van Eck phreaking). A Dutch group successfully demonstrated this on a real voting machine. The risk is still there for internet voting (as for anything else done on a normal unshielded computer) but somewhat mitigated due to the fact that it’s too tedious going around scanning everybody in your neighborhood to see how they voted (unless you’re some sort of stalker figure). It’s a lot easier with a centralized voting system, where you just station yourself nearby and read everyone’s votes, which raises the need for having a Faraday cage around the machine.
The other major weakness with e-voting is how to give a confirmation of the vote: if you vote for a candidate, you’d like to ensure that the machine did not add it to another candidate behind the scenes, but then if the machine gives solid proof of some sort of how the person voted, that can be abused by the voter to sell his/her vote, or it can be abused by the local political rowdy to coerce a vote. The most recent attempt to address this (that I know of) was ThreeBallot, by Ron Rivest, but it was found to be quite tedious to use, and still prone to ballot stuffing. It’s still a developing field, however, so expect some steady improvement with time.
I thought Hillary’s Xerox comment quite clever.
No, in fact it’s not, because in this day in age, with change on the horizon, Obama could steal all his speeches directly to his PDA, or, hell he could use is iPhone to directly download them to his iPHone, then use a 3rd party text-to-speech app to vocalize them directly into his ear and get prompted real-time.
So technically, he could steal speeches without even touching a xerox machine.
Obama is a much more patient person person that I ever would be. I was yelling at the t.v. for him to just take one shot against Clinton. Just ask her whether she could confirm that she’s never used an unattributed line. Tit for tat. There are countless examples that are pointed out in various political blogs. Examples that are even more word for word than the example below. But he didn’t do that.
But funnily enough she “plagiarized” her closing statements that got oh so much applause. It was just brought up briefly on the news stations last night.
Freaking priceless.
Pedantic! Ouch! I am sorry to have led you down streets that follow like a tedious argument of insidious intent.
Well, probably the first order concern with electronic voting as it is today is that there is no way to ensure that your vote is recorded as you cast it (so, vote tampering – and this might not even be malice, as is sometimes alleged against Diebold, this could just be poorly written code). For example, in the one-time scheme that the Dems seem to use, you can publish the entire ballot along with the identifier that is issued right at the moment of voting (not the earlier one), and then everybody can verify that their vote was recorded as they cast it (without anybody being able to match this up with individuals), while simultaneously verifying that the results match up to the official tally.
pingpong, I heard Rivest give a talk about ThreeBallot, very cute and clever. For a detailed (but slightly dated – 2005) survey of goals of electronic voting, as well as an assortment of cryptographic techniques, look here. There’s obviously a lot of number theory there, but Sections 1, 2, 8,9 and 11 are mostly not technical and quite readable.
Yes. At the very least, if Texas and Ohio don’t pan out as clear victories, she should bow out instead of trying stunts with Florida, Michigan, or the superdelegates. That would destroy her chances of winning in November, as well as ever trying for a shot in the future. If she bows out gracefully (as much as is possible after all this drama), she might possibly have another chance after a one or two-term Obama, or a one-term McCain, who will probably not do such a stellar job.
It’s a real pity that the Times made such a hash of the McCain article. They could have done a more fact-based piece purely on his active conflicts of interest which he claims don’t exist purely because he believes that he is too upstanding for that to be the case (which could be seen as a serious flaw), or if they actually had something concrete, broken an adultery story which might have hurt him among that fraction of the population who cares about these things. Instead, they probably helped him nail the liberals-are-scum fraction of the voter base, and as far as base republicans are concerned, family values seem to be consistent with heterosexual adultery, divorce, gambling, and drugs (only prescription), so maybe, old mack might just have got the “virility bump”.
The Iseman probably did cometh, but absent any evidence, it is just a long day’s journey into night for the grey lady.
58 · Rahul said
I believe that was the province of a certain Nebulous Conversation-Starter Party of One, no?
59 · Rahul said
I guess now I know why they call him Mack.
Relax Chachaji, I was just indulging in sarcasm at someone raising such a trifling of a matter through absurdity. i.e. using my artistic license at absurdity 🙂 I could care less about the ‘t’ and the ‘th’ since I am too much to a transplant and a north Indian only by the accidence of birth.
I did think about the constitutional aspect and it obviously goes back to the unfairly imposed north Indian flavor of Indian politics in the first few decades which you are very well aware of.
Though if you really think of it, someone could say – Bharat(h) comes from the king who was a north Indian king 😉
Insightful post, Anna.
And did you know Vicky Iseman’s middle name is Babe-ram-off? Maybe I should think about that career with the NY Post…
Three things:-
a) I’m surprised that Obama got only 76.5% of the vote in Indonesia, and not, say, 100%, given that he’s a local boy there as well (in addition to Illinois and Hawaii).
b) Thailand seems to have a lot of on-ground organization; loads of live election-centers.
c) And finally, I’m glad to see that Dem-American-ex-pats in good ol’ Singapore have sticked to the city-state’s reputation for efficiency and have sent in exactly 100 votes. This makes all those percentage-share calculations easy.
Seriously though, does anybody know how a city/country gets a voting booth? I find this entirely fascinating; not often do we see a globalized election process, as it were.
Good read in the current NYRB: Darryl Pinckney discusses Obama and reviews Shelby Steele’s A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win. Time to update your theory Shelby!
Poor Shelby, he gets the Paul Ehrlich award.
after this latest attempt at “smearing” Obama (see drudgereport) I’m quite ready to say a big F-you to the Clinton campaign. I expect the republicans to pull this, but good lord, I must ask them — have you no shame? these folks really are desperate aren’t they? their response of “this image isn’t divisive” is hilarious, because everyone knows exactly why this image was put out there. they had nothing to do with those ‘muslim’ emails, but they’re reinforcing it with this now. UGH, infuriated.
addendum: yes, I’m well aware there’s nothing wrong at all with the picture at all. visiting dignitaries, and others, often wear local attire, etc. but the non-denial on the part of the clinton campaign, points at a play at people’s prejudices.. not unlike what happened in S. Carolina. looks like the obama camp has hit back, but I can’t help but think a better response might be to say “yeah, so what?” and let it pass. sigh, looks like we’re in for 8-9 months more of these kinds of non-scandal scandals
drudge is also reporting that the nytimes is set to report 2morrow: “Clinton now unleashing ‘kitchen sink’ fusillade against Obama.” since the debate, i was concerned clinton would bow out gracefully a la nixon in ’60 (he refused to challenge kennedy’s voter fraud b/c it would prove too divisive) if for no other reason that she wants to stay viable for ’12, but now i can rest a little easier.
mccain’s got a bad hand to play with (slowing down economy, unpopular war) and his only shot is that the clintons choose to tear the party apart with their long established use of racism, xenophobia, voter suppression and fraud. the only thing missing is their misogyny but one more bubba “bimbo eruption” and i’m sure we’ll see that too.
It’s all irrelevant now, people! Nader is in the hizzouse!
if for no other reason that she wants to stay viable for ’12
Hillary “Dirty Trick” Clinton knows it’s 2008 or bust
Awww, who doesn’t long for the kind, honest, lovely days of Nixon?
HRC has probably missed the boat on this campaign. There were legitimate criticisms about Obama to be made early on about how he doesn’t walk the walk, but it’s mostly likely too late now. And propaganda like this (if indeed the Clinton campaign did it as part of their strategy; so far, the only person who has said it is the sludge report – NY Post, are you reading?), apart from being totally disgusting and legitimately turning people off, are probably of limited or no value in rousing the democratic base/independent voters who normally vote in primaries.
rahul, you innocent little puppy, the dem base doesn’t sip cappucinos while reading eugene o’neill plays. ohio is a funky place, kinda like the balkins. if she pulls that out she can justify staying in, maybe take PA, and make her case even though she’ll certainly not have the will of the people, though its closer than the easier-than-monica press would have us believe. obama’s an unvetted unpatriotic secret muslim with terrorist ties (ayres) who’s agrier than jesse jackson and sold coke, she’ll argue that the republicans will argue…and therefore can’t win the general. obviously, i’m biased since i’m hoping for this, but it does seem to be going that way.
unfortunately, if obama survives the assault (which i think he will), since what does not kill you make you stronger, he’ll be unstoppable.
There were legitimate criticisms about Obama to be made early on about how he doesn’t walk the walk, but it’s mostly likely too late now.
exactly. instead, the clinton campaign chose not to walk the walk, and talked the talk, by making statements of “it’ll all be wrapped up by Feb. 5th” they chose to be more about rhetoric, speeches, and empty words.
i agree. surely, as a card carrying member of the alpha-dog group that chose to use the country as its lamp post, you should recognize puppies.
Umm, that is generally called miscalibrating the strength of the opponent. But, carry on, let me not spoil the party.
Yelp!
rahul, while we all know what type we’ll find on a streetcorner with a lamppost, the pack i run with tend to shit anywhere, knowing that some cappuccino drinker carrying the new york times will clean up after us.
Not streetcorners, manju, I said country. But you’re right, I should’ve said world.
I thought they read the Le Monde or The Guardian. But, in any case, I am sure they carry a copy of The National Review to clean up with.
The puppy pees in the brook.
I think Obama should’ve responded, “Yes, we scan.”
Where are we in the five point attack plan? Point two? Good grief. She’s lost the plot.
I think Obama should’ve responded, “Yes, we scan.”
only after he points out Hillary’s campaign message, “Change we can bereave in”
79 · Manju said
Manju, you of all people, are finally acknowledging that “progressives” clean up after you “conservatives?” How about actually walking the walk, and compensating us for the negative externalities that you alphas have been showering on us for eight years now? You gasbags have warmed the earth a little too much for my taste. 😉
Take back the methane [sips decaff skim latte :P]!
sips decaff skim latte
Studies have shown that making a latte emits more CO2 than making a whisky and cigar. A decaf skim is worse, imagine the energy going into decaffing and deskimming 🙂
well, port…that’s just some civil disobeience aimed at pooper-scooper laws. at the end of the day, shit takes care of itself.