DIXVILLE NOTCH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.
Tanner Tillotson, front center, of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, wins the honor of first voter.
It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election.
Obama's rival, Republican John McCain, won 6 votes.
A full 100 percent of registered voters in the village cast ballots. And the votes didn't take long to tally.
The town, home to around 75 residents, has opened its polls shortly after midnight each Election Day since 1960, drawing national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known.
However, since 1996, another small New Hampshire town -- Hart's Location -- reinstated its practice from the 1940s and also began opening its polls at midnight.
The result in Dixville Notch is hardly a reliable bellwether for the eventual winner of the White House -- or even the result statewide.
While New Hampshire is a perennial swing state, with 4 Electoral College votes at stake, Dixville Notch consistently leans Republican. The last Democrat it picked was Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon in 1968.
President Bush won the town in a landslide in the past two elections: He captured 73 percent of the vote in 2004 (19 residents picked Bush while six preferred Sen. John Kerry), and secured 80 percent of the vote in 2000 (21 votes for Bush, five votes for Al Gore.)
But villagers expected the results to be close this year given Democrats now outnumber Republicans there.
The town picked both John McCain and Barack Obama for the New Hampshire Democratic and Republican primaries in January. McCain ultimately won the state of New Hampshire, while Sen. Hillary Clinton upset Obama there.
Okay, I am gonna admit it, I am getting old. Today is my 37th birthday. Ouch! I AM AN OBAMICAN! I just about died this morning while I watched Meet the Press and heard those words from MY HERO, a real AMERICAN HERO, General Colin Powell. "I am voting for Senator Barack Obama."
I have been feeling like a leper these past few weeks in my very conservative community with my OBAMA yard signs and bumper stickers. Boyscouts came to my home yesterday to sell popcorn door to door and I actually heard their mother mouthing an obscenity under her breath on my doorstoop while she waited for me to open the front door in reference to my OBAMA yard signs. I was shocked that she had the nerve to accept my money after I told her I heard her comments but this is the society we live in today... race, gender, religious prejudice. It is really sad.
I want to let EVERYBODY here know that I am a REPUBLICAN, have voted for a Republican for President in the last 3 elections, BUT NOT THIS TIME, MAYBE NEVER AGAIN after this gutter campaign by McCain. Both my law enforcement husband and I are proudly VOTING FOR SENATOR BARACK OBAMA and I encourage YOU to do so too if you are a member of the middle class, have a child approaching college, or parents that are NOT WEALTHY. Obama's tax plan BENEFITS all three groups while the McCain tax plan narrowly only helps the super rich.
If we let the GOP LIE to us again, we deserve the results! Cutting taxes on the rich has already been done under BUSH 3 times during the last 8 years and it has NOT CREATED ANY NEW JOBS! has not HELPED THE ECONOMY & more importantly has NOT HELPED THE MIDDLE CLASS. My entire family are registered Republicans and for the first time that I can recall, all of us are voting AGAINST THE GOP!
I hate to say it folks, but the grand ol' party has left us all behind! They are only out for one group, their corporate masters!!! The social agenda is the scam they run on us time and again to keep electing them to loot our treasury and rob us blind. I have come to the conclusion that atleast when the liberal Dems place a tax, the money they raise actually goes to Americans to help Americans. The GOP has been outsourcing and privatizing everything but the debt, they corrupt the systems of trade, twist the rules for their rich friends to exploit and we pay the check!
VOTE FOR CHANGE!!! VOTE FOR CHANGE!!! VOTE FOR CHANGE!!!
OBAMICANS 08!!!
I am so sick of it! My Dad served with honor in Vietnam TOO and I NEVER get it thrown in my face as blackmail!
LEARN THE FACTS OR GET OFF THE STAGE!!!
As a CPA, I ask you why should capital gains and dividends have lower tax rates than wages? I know all about the hue and cry about the "double taxation" on corporate dividends yet these same people are silent on the triple taxation on wages! That's right, wages are taxed THREE times. Wages are subject to income tax, wages are subject to payroll taxes (taxed at gross wage amount that do not take into account 401K contributions) and when you retire, your Social Security payments that your payroll taxes funded are subject to income taxes again. Please tell me why a single person making $31,850 in net taxable wages should pay the same effective tax rate as a single person making $349,700 from income other than wages. Think I'm full of it? see for yourself Link
A wage earner in the 25% tax bracket paying 7.65% in additional payroll taxes pays an effective 32.65% in federal taxes. Since payroll taxes are taxed on gross wages, not net income, his effective tax rate is even higher. The person who makes $349K net income from sources other than wages probably has some dividend, capital gains, and tax free muni bond income so he probably pays an effective rate less than the 33% listed by the IRS. So tell me, how is the current tax code fair to workers? If you are interested in real tax fairness, then the only choice is Obama!
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042/
In reference to Palin's failed performance in the softball Katie Couric interview, "It's not that she does NOT know the answer, it's that she DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION!..."
Wow! Someone FINALLY GETS IT RIGHT ON!!!
