the buzz log

Among the many historic aspects to the American presidential election of 2008, the Web fundamentally changed how the candidates raised funds and spread their messages. The citizenry educated themselves on the political process at every step of the way and shared their own take on the process via blogs, videos, and images.

So, fittingly, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, Americans turned to the same medium minute by minute, hour by hour. Here now, what was on the minds of the electorate, Election Day, through a Web prism:

Midnight (PT)/3 a.m. (ET)
  • Financial minds seek out "currency converter" and "real-time reports."
  • Sporting minds look up scores on "nfl.com" and "nba."
  • Citizens refresh themselves on "electoral and college" and the "election map," as well as their "polling place" and "where to vote."

3 a.m. (PT)/6 a.m. (ET)
  • Lindsay Lohan is the most-searched personality, followed by Madelyn Dunham.
  • In procrastinators' searches, "am i registered to vote" pushes past "what time do the polls open."
  • "Where do i vote" (+105%) becomes the fastest-moving query.
  • "Bachelorette" couple Deanna Pappas and Jesse Csincak's breakup intrigues many.
  • Barack Obama attracts three times more lookups than John McCain.

6 a.m. (PT)/9 a.m. (ET)
  • Economy, jobs, and love surge to the fastest-moving searches this hour in the form of "scottrade" (+145%), "linkedin" (143%), and "eharmony" (+124%).
  • The inquiries for "electoral votes" updates bump out "lindsay lohan."
  • Besides "election day," voter-related searches include "live election coverage," "exit polls," "election coverage," "provisional ballot," "what are electoral votes," and from an impatient many, "election results."
  • Lookups for "electronic voting machine" blast up.
  • Green Party contender Ralph Nader finally gets some search respect, as does Democratic veep pick Joe Biden.
  • The first craving for "free starbucks coffee" begins, shortly followed by "chick fil a."
  • Traditional media outlets see a surge, including "cnn," "fox news," "good morning america," and "tom joyner show."

9 a.m. (PT)/Noon (ET)
  • Akon becomes the fastest-moving search, after the singer declares he'd reverse-migrate back to his native Senegal if his candidate of choice doesn't win.
  • Among the personalities leaping into the search fray: Cindy McCain and oilman T. Boone Pickens (who funded California's proposition 10 about wind energy).
Electoral influence over the market prompts "dow jones index" lookups.
  • "Black Friday" queries rise 15% on the news that Circuit City will start holiday sales on Wednesday.
  • The impatience simmers as people ask, "who is winning the election." Self-satisfied citizens look for "i voted stickers."
  • The rumor, "keith olbermann fired msnbc," bubbles up. Perhaps Ben Affleck is angling for the gig.

Noon (PT)/3 p.m. (ET)
  • Aimless frittering is called for as Tetris climbs 126%. The national mood turns to chicken pot pie.
  • People are still looking for their "voting locations." Interest in "presidential polls" drops 45%, and demand to know "who is the next president" and "when will we know who won the election" rises.
  • An update on the ABC soap "general hospital" is sought.
  • The online profiles for Karl Rove (especially for his map), Sean Hannity, and Joe the Plumber pop up.
  • New political sources include "twitter" and "fivethirtyeight.com."
  • A clash in concerns tussle with searches for "black panther voter intimidation" and "filibuster proof senate."

3 p.m. (PT)/6 p.m. (ET)
  • "Electoral votes" sag 31% in searches, but still remain in the top five terms, as does "election results." Questions pop about "what is an electoral vote and popular vote" and "what are electoral votes based on."
  • The Detroit Pistons double their buzz, thanks to a line-up shakeout and securing Allen Iverson.
  • "Political dashboard" scrutiny grows 91%. People seek an online visual of "united states map." The results of the "national election pool" cracks the top 300 terms.
  • People seek the results for Indiana and California, particularly Proposition 8.

6 p.m. (PT)/9 p.m. (ET)
  • The East Coast voting booths shut down, but there's still a wait for "poll closing times." People also scroll for details on "state by state polls" and "voter turnout."
  • Dixville Notch becomes the center of online attention as the first hint of Obama's strong win.
  • The movie based on the "Twilight" vampire novel series won't come out until Nov. 21, but obsession sparks searches for the "twilight soundtrack."
  • Tim Robbins draws attention to his voting woes after he posts a video.
  • Searchers pull up Chicago's "metra schedule," perhaps to make what could be a victory rally. People optimistically look forward to "inauguration day."
  • Gone from the ballot but not forgotten in searches: Hillary Clinton.

9 p.m. (PT)/Midnight (ET)
  • America declares its "44th president," aka the "first black president."
  • News of Patrick Swayze involved in an Illinois HAZMAT situation makes for a peculiar spike, as does Australia's efforts to save the endangered Tasmanian devils.
  • The ouster of Elizabeth Dole ripples online, as does the close Minnesota contest with comedian Al Franken.
  • Searches for "mccain concession speech" isn't lost in the outbreak of "obama wins" queries. Hillary Clinton, George Bush, and Michelle Obama all spike.
  • Obama credits those who have supported him, and they too get due search recognition: "obama chief of staff," "obama campaign manager," "anne nixon cooper," "obama's sisters," and more.
  • Once more, people look forward to "inauguration" and look back into "historicity." But, the burning question of the present, "where does the vice president live."

Filed under: Politics, Elections, Presidents

The occasion of a wife's birthday is as good a reason as any for a man to spend a quiet night at home. That justification especially helps when the husband holds the distinction of being the president with the poorest approval rating since Harry S Truman, and the day happens to be Election Day.

The AP reported that George W. Bush stayed "out of sight" and the "White House purposely went dark." The focus however wasn't entirely on who would be No. 44 in the line of succession. Variations of searches for the president popped up the day before the election, including nostalgic look-ups for "bush kerry polls," "bush tax cuts," and the "bush doctrine," which stumped Republican vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin (and many other citizens, it turned out).

The media's focus may have been on who would be No. 44, but outlets such as The Herald took Election Day to revisit the Bush legacy. The Scottish newspaper reminded people of Bush's roots as a "moderate with a message of 'compassionate conservatism,'" hopeful to win over the country as the "first MBA president." Hong Kong's last colonial governor mince few words in calling him "the worst US president," although his faint praise included the assessment that Bush was "perfectly intelligent."

On the domestic front, Washington Post's review verged on eulogy, in which staffers lamented the "series of calamities" that "unfairly maligned" his reputation, and the "real sadness" about the financial upheaval that squandered any chance of legacy achievements in the last 100 days. The Naperville Sun agreed with the Hong Kong politico's assessment on Bush, but called him a "comedian" who "was a good sport." The International Herald Tribune, aka the "global edition of the New York Times," asked six writers to reminisce about "What I will miss about President Bush." Among them: his political acumen in his Texas days, his human decency, his moral clarity, his battle with English, and his wife.

However history judges his terms, Bush did know two things: Whoever follows him needs a transition plan and a blessing. He is providing both. Bloomberg reports both parties have been giving him kudos for taking measures to get his successor off to a "fast start." He also gave a toast to No. 44 at the quiet White House birthday dinner, declaring "May God bless whoever wins tonight." And bless us, everyone.

Filed under: Politics, George Bush, Elections, Presidents

Tuesday will be E-Day, when the lines will be long and the media blitz intense, especially for the biggest three swing states: Ohio (20 electoral votes), Pennsylvania (21) and Florida (27). In the past seven days, voters from all three have turned online to make their final decisions on presidential contenders John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D).

Among the shared searches for McCain:
  • "mccain on snl," "john mccain biography," "john mccain website," "john mccain campaign," "john mccain meet the press," "mccain tax calculator," "support mccain palin," "celebrities for mccain."

Among the shared searches for Obama:
  • "barack obama jokes," "barack hussein obama," "barak obama antichrist prophecy," "barack obama family," "barack obama infomercial," "barack obama speech," "barack obama tax calculator," "barack obama website," "is obama a muslim," "la times obama," "obama assassination," "obama citzenship," "obama for president," "obama gun control," "obama health care plan," "republicans for obama."

Below details what residents in the political trinity have been researching. To review other battleground denizens' searches on Yahoo!, follow these links:
• Virginia and North Carolina
• Nevada and Colorado
• Montana and New Hampshire
• New Mexico and Virginia
• Indiana and Missouri

 

Troop Activity
	Ohio	Pennsylvania	Florida
Obama	86%	83%	80%
Biggest McCain Spike	"mccain.com" (+643%)	"john mccain pictures" (+802%)	"cindy mccain bio" (+659%)
Biggest Obama Spike	"barack obama's father" (+28,879%)	"barack obama's father" (+69,058%)	"barack obama's father" (+32,473%)
Distinctive McCain Searches	"john mccain family," "john mccain daughter," "meghan mccain"	"how old is john mccain," "cindy mccain plastic surgery"	See Pennsylvania
Distinctive Obama Searches	"obama effigy," "obama not us citizen," "obama on abortion," "obama tax cut calculator"	"biden obama," "obama speech tonight," "vote obama"	"barack obama on tv," "barack obama pledge of allegiance," "barack obama quotes," "barack obama tv commercial," "facts about obama," "how old is barack obama," "obama antichrist nostradamus," "obama coal," "obama myspace layouts," "obama rally," "obama terrorist"

Final Offensives: Both sides came to Ohio Nov. 2, Sarah Palin representing the Republican pitch (with a hard hit on the coal issue) and Obama the Democrat one (playing the Dick Cheney card). Live musical accompaniment: Gretchen Wilson stood by Palin, Bruce Springsteen with Obama.
Insider View: Good mood pervates the long lines for early voting. The Plain Dealer abstracts the local blog mood, and also profiles how black churches are moving away from political activism. Obama may be too different, according to McClatchy Newspapers, but Time believes it may all rest on a single county.

 

Final Offensives: McCain hit what he hopes to be the comeback trail Nov. 2. Joe Biden and the Clintons sub for Obama Nov. 3.
Insider View: Pennsylvania governors past and present weighed in on the Early Show. The Republican Party dusted off Reverend Jeremiah Wright for an ad. KYW News Radio points out felons on parole or probation have the right to vote.

 

Final Offensives: Al Gore returned to the scene of the crime on Halloween. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin stumped Nov. 1 (but, naturally, not together). Obama paid a final visit Monday, as did McCain.
Insider View: Despite estimates of six-hour wait times, early voters stuck it out. Governor Charles Crist extended early voting hours last week, a move that some claim doesn't benefit the Republicans. Meanwhile, rather than wait until the last moment, local Democrats filed a lawsuit against the GOP over bad addresses. A Florida State University research talked to NPR about how weather changes an election.

 

curious scenes from battleground states

Filed under: Politics, Elections, Presidents, Barack Obama, John McCain