Barack Obama: America's Jesse "The Governor" Ventura?

Barack Obama is President-Elect of the United States of America. At the electoral college level, the vote wasn't particularly close. It may be called a 'landslide.'

At this point, Wednesday morning, Obama won the electoral college, 338 to 163.

In terms of actual voters, the score, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, is Obama 62,521,378 to McCain 55,446,011. That's 52 percent to 46 percent. That may not be quite a landslide victory, but it's impressive.

I've read that it was many young and black first-time voters who tipped the scale.

This isn't the first time that first-time voters and the "politically disheartened" put a leader in office. Ten years ago, Jesse "The Body" Ventura became Governor Jesse Ventura. That was the start of one of Minnesota's more colorful four years.

I'll be quite interested in following the Obama presidency. If nothing else, his taste for huge outdoor gatherings of supporters should make it interesting.

Background:

• "Election 2008"
  CNN (November 5, 2008)
• "Young voters lean heavily toward Obama"
  The Washington Times (November 4, 2008)
• "Jesse Ventura / 'Former Governor Jesse Ventura' "
  Salem State College (April 15, 2004)
• Governor 'The Mind' Ventura"
  PBS (1999)