DUE TO THE LIVE NATURE OF THIS ONE NEWS SPECIAL, WE APOLOGISE FOR THE LACK OF CAPTIONS FOR SOME ITEMS. HELLO AND WELCOME TO THIS ONE NEWS SPECIAL AS AMERICA VOTES FOR ITS NEXT PRESIDENT. OVER THE NEXT HOUR AND A HALF, WE'LL FOLLOW THE UNFOLDING RESULTS AS THEY COME TO HAND AND CROSS LIVE TO THE US FOR REACTION FROM OBAMA AND ROMNEY HEADQUARTERS, WHERE POLITICAL EDITOR CORIN DANN AND US CORRESPONDENT JACK TAME ARE STATIONED. WITH ME IN THE STUDIO ARE POLITICAL ANALYST JON JOHANSSEN AND FORMER US CORRESPONDENT TIM WILSON. LET'S GET YOU UP TO DATE WITH WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR. LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT THE LATEST ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES. NOW, THIS IS THE VOTE THAT'S MOST VITAL. EACH STATE CARRIES A CERTAIN NUMBER OF VOTES BASED ON ITS POPULATION. THE POPULAR VOTE WINNER IN EACH STATE THEN TAKING ALL THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES IN PURSUIT OF THE MAGIC 270 NEEDED TO BECOME PRESIDENT. NOW, THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS WITH THE STATES DECIDED, WHO'S WON WHAT. LARGELY ACADEMIC, AS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES ARE KEY. LET'S JUST EXPLAIN WHY THE CANDIDATES ARE TARGETING SWING STATES LIKE OHIO. IT'S A NATIONAL CONTEST, BUT THE REAL BATTLE IS AT STATE LEVEL. DEMOCRAT STRONGHOLDS ARE ON THE EASTERN AND WESTERN SEABOARDS. FOR THE REPUBLICANS, IT'S STATES IN THE SOUTH AND THE MIDWEST. CANDIDATES HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO SPEND TIME AND RESOURCES IN STATES THEY'RE LIKELY TO WIN OR LOSE BY A SIZEABLE MARGIN. INSTEAD THEY FOCUS ON THE LIKES OF FLORIDA IN THE SOUTH AND MICHIGAN IN THE NORTH ` STATES WHICH CAN SWING TO EITHER CANDIDATE. AND THEN THERE'S OHIO ` A KEY STATE SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S BACKED EVERY WINNING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SINCE 1960. Republicans have never won without Ohio. SO HERE'S THE UP-TO-THE-MINUTE RESULTS OF THOSE STATES. Tim and Jon, the perceived wisdom over the last few days is that Romney may well take the popular vote but that the electoral votes will favour Obama. Why? That situation has been stable for all of this year. the battleground states are important because they are the perfect mix of demographics. Ohio has three big cities, but it also has great rural areas as well. So whoever wins Ohio, it is indicative of where the country is going. What are the keys in this? mbecause of the margin of Obama's victory four years ago, The outer firewall has consisted of Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa and the inner firewall has been Ohio, Nevada or Iowa. We'll keep an eye on Florida. Less than 1% apart there. We knew that Florida would be contentious, but it's the new Ohio. Romney is ahead and likely to take North Carolina, but he is seriously struggling in Florida. Florida is vital for Romney; it is a luxury for Obama. Needs to take states like that before he can even think about Ohio. But that is not happening ` New Hampshire has orally been called for Obama Obama still has another game up his sleeve ` even if Florida does go to Romney. Obama leads by 0.5% in Florida with 87% counted. Romney tried to extend his focus to Pennsylvania. That is overwhelmingly staying with Obama. The point here is that Romney's paths are closing. If they were his arteries, he has got problems. AND OUR US CORRESPONDENT, JACK TAME, WHO'S AT THE MITT ROMNEY CAMP IN BOSTON. It has been an anxious couple of hours. Friends, family and party supporters are gathering year. Results not favouring Romney so far. Supporters are hoping Romney can reverse its fortunes as results continue to come in. No sign of the man himself. He was in New Hampshire last night. He continued his campaign right through election day. Massachussetts this morning. Pennsylvania and Ohio this afternoon. We haven't been told much about his movements so far. He has turned off the cellphone. We are told he is surrounded by family members. We should expect here in the next couple of hours. Some very specific bad news ` he has lost Massachusetts already. And he has also lost Wisconsin. First time in a long time the President and Vice President candidates lost home states. Democrats also regained Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. It has been really interesting to see the lack of excitement about having Romney in town. Walking to the event here tonight, some people who are walking with us had absolutely no idea what was going on. So is not a huge surprise that Romney has lost his home state. So even at home it's still about the swing states. Jack, that Senate result ` how do you think the Senate is going to run? Are the Democrats favoured to hold on to their majority? I think we probably expected little change in the Senate today. It'll be interesting in the next couple of months, whoever comes into government, working with the two houses. it is a strong victory for the Democrats. It has been so tight. Elizabeth Warren's supporters have been standing with people queuing. She spoke at the Democrat Convention. The proof is in the pudding over the next couple of years ` bridging those bipartisan issues and getting legislation through. Mitt Romney was campaigning in a frenzied way right throughout today. Did you look at that and thinkthis was not a confident man who had as secure as he would like? You would look at Pennsylvania and say that. His team were perhaps misguided as to how strong their prospects were in Pennsylvania. Obviously he rated his chances. It is unusual for a candidate to campaign right through election day. But the approach seems a bit scattered. They have pumped so much money into advertising in Pennsylvania. Romney's lost his voice. When you say scattered, I wonder if some of their internal polling... The results are making it seem desperate. They thought they had some momentum in Pennsylvania ` did they target that state? The past the victory through the electoral college made it a whole lot more difficult for Romney to reach 270 than Obama. It became obvious that Ohio wasn't going to go their way. They look to other options to get to 270. They poured that money into Pennsylvania. You would have to question now whether that has worked out for them Thanks, Jack. To you at home, over the next 90 minutes, we'll hopefully know the result. You can get involved. You can also vote. Join our online poll. On our Facebook page, or text 8875 Stay with us. We'll be back soon. JUST BECAUSE... I'M TIRED` I'M TIRED OF BARACK OBAMA AND MITT ROMNEY. WOMAN: THAT'S WHY YOU'RE CRYING? AW. IT'LL BE OVER SOON, ABBY. OK? THE ELECTION WILL BE OVER SOON, OK? (SOBS) OK. 18-year-olds look younger and younger. Let's return to the swing states. Florida is still neck and neck. 91.5% reported. Obama leads by 0.2%. It confirms the late swing to Obama. All the polls reported this. Two weeks before the election, the polls started to return his way. Then, after the hurricane, Obama was seen in a light that he needed to be seen in. 0.2% lead. It's tight. It is within the margin of error that require a recount. The rule is 0.5%. A mandatory automatic recount? A repeat of the 2000 situation? No, because I think will be redundant. They are just a luxury for Obama. You identify those three critical battlegrounds. Nevada is one of those, and as an closed yet. Is Ohio the most crucial? Yes, because of that history ` no Republican candidate has won the election without winning Ohio. More Hispanics in the population now, so demographics are moving away from the Republicans. Those states are so crucial now for the Republicans. They have so few alternatives. Obama has so many paths to 270. The demographics of the US and the Republicans' base are something that we may need to consider, given the way the outcome seems to be shaping. One specific demographic group, the Hispanics, which are overwhelmingly favouring Obama. Immigration policies. Particularly in Florida. WELL, ALL THE ACTION OVER THE ELECTION ISN'T JUST HAPPENING IN THE US. HERE IN WELLINGTON, THE US EMBASSY HAS PUT ON A WEE BASH FOR THE OCCASION. IT'S BEING HELD DOWN AT THE CHICAGO BAR ON THE WATERFRONT, AND FROM THERE OUR DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR JOINS US. We are having fun down here. A little bit of a taste of the US culture. I am here with the US ambassador. You must feel a little bit at home here today. it's a great day. Why is a selection so important for NZ? I wouldn't presume to talk about why it is important to NZ. It's hugely important for US. It has a huge impact on a lot of countries around the world. How reliant are we on the US? That is a question for Ks to answer. The NZ relationship with the US won't change whoever wins. so it is a steady as we go approach with a new and old administration? Many of the diplomats to visit NZ in the last year have been Republicans. Has the US focus changed? We have always been a Pacific nation. That has never changed. We're just rebalancing our commitment. We had Secretary Clinton here. We've had attention of late. Absolutely. The US has a great interest in NZ, Australia and the Pacific Islands. How did you vote all the way from NZ? I voted for weeks ago. I received my ballot in the mail. 30,000 Americans living here. How did you encourage them to vote? We mailed a lot of ballots back for them. Is it hard for Americans to try and engage in the political process living all the way over here? No. It is very easy. Nationwide, it is estimated that about a third of Americans will vote remotely this time. A lot of people have been saying if their candidate is going to win, then they're going to move overseas. What advice would you give those people? We take our politics very seriously. We are very passionate. Then, the day after, we all come back together. Talk of exile tends to dissipate in the morning light. We are going to be here until it is clear who the next president is, which will either be in the next hour or the next four hours. Great atmosphere. Absolutely. Thanks, Jessica. How is your job security affected by any possible change? My job security is fine. I serve the sitting president. So whoever takes office on January 20 will decide whether I stay or go. I don't expect the decision to differ. The word is that you like Wellington, so you would like to stay? I love it. I'd be inclined to stay. Thank you very much, Ambassador. US-NZ relations: you know what they are like under Barack Obama. What would they be like under Romney? The ground would shift underneath them. All aspects of the relationship will become more problematic from John key's perspective. There is a lot of support for Obama in NZ. He's seen as a very benign President, compared to his predecessor. That's an interesting perception. I'm not sure if it is justified ` Pakistan. If you look at who was supporting... Romney's advisors: 70% are Bush-Cheney people. They will sabre-rattle with China. Romney has vowed to accuse China of manipulating currency. That poses problems for a small state in the Pacific that needs to court both the US and China. More protectionist? I think the TPP will remain. Thank you, guys. We'll take another quick break. LOUNGE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS HI. I'M WILL FERRELL ` COMEDIAN, ACTOR, FOUNDER OF FACEBOOK. AND I WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET YOU TO GO OUT AND VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6. I'M NOT KIDDING. HUNGRY? HOW ABOUT A HOME-COOKED MEAL? I HOPE YOU LIKE ANGEL HAIR PASTA. NEED A GUY TO HELP YOU MOVE A COUCH? DONE! I'VE EVEN GOT MY OWN VAN. IF YOU AGREE TO VOTE IN THIS YEAR'S ELECTION, I WILL PERSONALLY GIVE YOU A TATTOO. FAIR WARNING: I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRAW. I'LL DO A DANCE JUST FOR YOU. FUNKY MUSIC PLAYS THAT WAS JUST A TASTE. IF YOU WANT THE FULL BUFFET, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO VOTE. IF YOU VOTE, I'LL EAT ANYTHING YOU TELL ME TO ` GARBAGE; HAIR; HUMAN TOENAILS; UNDERPANTS. WHATEVER. I'LL DO IT. I'M SERIOUS. I'LL DO ANYTHING TO GET YOU TO VOTE. I'LL PUNCH MYSELF IN THE FACE. I DON'T CARE. WHATEVER IT TAKES. JUST GO TO THE POLLS ON NOVEMBER 6 AND VOTE. VOTE OBAMA. IT'S A SLAM DUNK. GUESS WHAT. I MADE YOU THIS. IT'S AN OWL. HOO, HOO! WELCOME BACK AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE MANY, MANY POLITICAL ADS THAT HAVE BEEN RUNNING ON FOR THIS ELECTION. IN FACT THERE WERE 40% MORE ADS IN THIS ELECTION THAN THE LAST ONE IN 2008. RIGHT, LET'S GET YOU UP TO DATE WITH WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR. LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT THE LATEST ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES. NOW, THIS IS THE VOTE THAT'S MOST VITAL. that may be due to California that has just closed. let's look go to social media. It does not just reflect conversation about electoral issues but is shaping them to. the American political TV commercial is a popular art form. This year there are more of them than ever. How do you pay for them? President Obama used social media websites like Facebook. he went back to everyone that voted for him in 2008 and asked for more funds. Social media was the way that he raised it. social media helps you to tell as many people as possible. The Romney used it social media has allowed campaigns to banter and to contest every minute of the election. some say that social media has contributed to the extremism in the selection. the strongest voices other ones on the extreme right and they are the ones that have used social media to talk the loudest. social media is not only a way to communicate but also a way to shape perceptions. when Clint Eastwood went rogue at the Republican convention, talking to an empty seat, the actual president responded quickly on twitter. Obama has been a very angry man, but that Tweet allowed him to betray himself as confident. social media has become an important weapon on the American political battlefield. what is actually happening on twitter at the moment? Following twitter, it often feels like being in a room full of teenagers who are drunk. when you are up on twitter, you have to be short and succinct. Mike Huckabee has said that Republicans have done a pathetic job on reaching out to people of colour. Mitt Romney has yet to concede. But already people are starting to blame. We were talking earlier about the Republican Party and the demographics of the United States. because all the eruption that is overdue in the race has been suppressed by Romney being in parity at the polls but that loss is going to bring all of this bursting into the open. The tea party wing is going to be absolutely septic that another moderate has tanked the second election in a row. his TUMBLR page. this is like a guy who is very far away from the people. This is the argument that the tea party will make. that image reminds me of when LBJ had to resort to making speeches behind fences in the Vietnam era. Romney's campaign was characterised at the beginning by series of gaffes. at the end of that, the first presidential debate comes up, and Romney puts in a good performance. it was interesting and that the real heavyweights in this presidential cycle set this race out. Jeb Bush. they worked out that it was going to be very difficult to unseat this president Romney is the pick to minimise the loss. He was a very poor pick. He was the poorest presidential choice since Bob Dole in 96. he allowed his opponent to define and describe them. this is something Sarah Palin was saying on Fox. Again the knives around at Fox News. You have already written off by the sounds of things. The poll numbers at the bottom are just saying it is very close for Obama to become re-elected. If he were to lose, what are the likely candidates lining up? Jeb Bush, Chris Christie. he will have to make up with his own mates, because he threw Mitt Romney under the bus after Sandy. If he knew something that everyone else knew but didn't want to say. LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT HOW YOU'VE VOTED IN OUR POLL. WE ASKED YOU WHO YOU EXPECTED TO WIN THE US ELECTION. AND THE RESULT. the poll 21 nations was asked which you support, 20/21 came out in favour of Obama. only Pakistan came out in favour Romney. the Conservatives were waving that round that all these socialist Europeans preferred Obama. that suggest the conservative view of what Americans want is not necessarily what .... They have to reset the map. We will have more for you in just a few minutes. (UP-BEAT MUSIC PLAYS) (UP-BEAT MUSIC CONTINUES) Sanitarium Up&Go, with the protein, energy and dietary fibre of two Weet-Bix and milk. I SERVED DURING WWII. I'M THE LAST OF MY BUDDIES STILL HERE, AND I'VE GOT A MESSAGE FOR KIDS, FOR DEMOCRATS, FOR ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT HONEST ELECTIONS. IF YOU LET THE REPUBLICANS DO THIS TO YOU AGAIN, AFTER WE DIE, WE'RE GONNA LOOK DOWN ON YOU FROM HEAVEN AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE A POINT OF WATCHING YOU HAVE SEX EVERY TIME. NO MATTER HOW KINKY. ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE RELATED. THE BEST WAY TO STOP THE GOP FROM STEALING THE ELECTION IS TO MAKE SURE IT ISN'T EVEN CLOSE. ALL: SIGN UP AND HELP IN OUR GOVERNMENT VOTE. SLOW RAP BEAT NOW JOINING US FOR A FEW MINUTES IS CLOSE UP'S MARK SAINSBURY TO TALK OBAMA, BUT FIRST A QUICK LOOK AT THE LATEST RESULTS. as we mentioned before, California has been declared with 55 votes for Obama. the Mitt Romney, your matter is closed. CORRECTION: the map is closed If Obama takes Florida we are over the 270 mark. the South in the heartland is for Republicans. I think we can add blue to California. Ohio, Nevada, Iowa. you said they were the big three. it does not look like Romney's day. it's not over though. The dangers of calling this early. the major networks said they were not going to listen to the chatter on social media. we have got a tweet from President Obama. What has Barack Obama just said? he's confident. You are there in 2004, Mark. The hanging chad. The popular vote went against President Bush. that was one of the most destroyed during item ever had. CORRECTION: extraordinary nights I've ever had no one knew quite what to do. that was the night we all discovered America is quite backward. the only good thing about that night was that I was staying the whole night Christopher Hitchens house what other memories do you have? the thing I will never forget is that my producer were at the Democratic National Convention in Boston at the conference, this guy gets up to give a speech. and we stopped in our tracks. Who the hell is this? There is this tall, lanky black American standing for the Senate. We came back and tried to pitch a story about him. it was the way he spoke and resonated with everyone. we all know how well he speaks. His master of the autocue is superb. It says projected that Obama will win at the bottom of the screen. the big danger was the disenchanted voters who got on the Obama train last time. They do not seem to have been put off. we also have Corin Dann with us right now. the mood must be going through the roof. this place erupted a few moments ago. This place is very excited now. The big thing is when President Obama will arrive. Is anybody else spoke yet? there is mostly just been music and prayers. It is a real party atmosphere here. President Obama may be wanting to wait a bit longer. but just the looks on the faces of the thousands of young Obama supporters. A lot of people have put a lot of time and effort in this campaign. What are they putting this down to? iit is about giving out there in voting. They were so confident almost to the point they were called arrogant. I went to one of their phone banks in Chicago, and they were very slick. They were calling all of the swing states. The ground game was better. A lot of young black voters were still very committed to getting out and voting it was different this time. Last time it was the excitement factor. This time very much about the agenda. They did not like what Romney had. tim: why have they maintain faith despite the rough ride for Obama? I think they could see the economic numbers which are turning. There has been improvement. Unemployment has come down from 10 to 8. he singled out the autoworkers. he will be remembered as one of the best candidates despite the fact he had a good debate. mark: there has been some disquiet in the Republican camp about how well organised that was. As of the party machine that the Democrats ran in the Obama campthat succeeded over the republicans or just the candidate preferences? I think it is both. I spoke to the president of the Chicago Federation of Labour and he was telling me about all the efforts of getting unions in behind the Obama movement. They said were ordered out of such a science now of knowing who to ring and target and the Obama camp has that edge, and it has paid off. Jack Tame is on the satellite right now. much more sombre? Yes, sombre is an understatement. Things are grim here. We have seen people leaving in their masses. I asked the man who is leaving, not your night? I tell you this, America is over, he said. we won't be seeing too many celebrations. Over the last half an hour, the writing has been on the wall for Romney. they've been sitting in the convention hall, that is the big screens and I were watching Ohio come in, they kept switching away. They switched away from Fox News every time there was not good news and put on scenes of Romney playing with his children and happy scenes. is there any word there about when Romney is likely to deliver a concession speech? there has not been. We have limited information about him. we expect them here in the next hour or so to come and address his party faithful a disappointing night for him over the last 24 hours, we have not heard a lot about Mitt Romney's movements. We were sent a press release from his campaign team about his last campaigning event. He stopped in Pennsylvania today in a last-ditch effort to get independent voters. When his plane took off for the last time and he the Boston, all his team members cheered together. Mitt Romney enjoyed a peanut butter and honey sandwich. It was like his last meal. In political terms, in many ways it was. Is there any feeling that the republican movement has become too extreme? I have been talking to people here in Massachusetts Romney was a Republican governor and a strong democratic state tonight. I asked them why it was he was appointed in the first place. They remembered him from 2002 as being a moderate politician he was comfortable crossing the void incorporating with Democrats One of the real problems here they have themis that he has made such a big shift in terms of his positioning. We think back to is Republican primaries when he was up against Rick Santorum. There were much more conservative Mitt Romney really needed to present himself as more of a Conservative. He described himself as being very conservative when in the past as governor of Massachusetts he would not have indicated that. The something for the republican party to consider when they work out what went wrong in this campaign. he has had to reposition himself on the political spectrum, but it has not paid off. Jack, you look older morally right there. I wish you were where Corin is. when you look out into that from behind you, can you describe them? We've been talking about the demographics and the differences between the two parties. You make a good point. So many of this crowd have got a lot of young faces. it is the new younger America coming through. Republican party has a problem on its hands just seeing the energy of the young aides that have been around this place. they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in years to come. is there a sense that the coalition has been solidified four years after Obama created one in 2008? absolutely. The look on the faces just say it all to me. They are justifiably happy. They feel it is crucial for the direction of the country Obama has to deal with this fiscal problem that is looming. The Bush tax cuts are going and spending cuts are going. He may mention that in his speech. It is the number one priority once he gets back in the Oval Office. Thank you very much. We will let Jack wander off to his lonely hotel room. Welcome back. CNN's projected numbers: 265 for Obama; 200 for Romney But according to our numbers, Barack Obama is elected to a second term as US president. What does this mean for his legacy? And also for Americans over the next four years? For the next four years, it is pretty much the status quo. He still has a Democrat controlled Senate. He has a tiny window to try to achieve one more domestic reform ` likely energy. Then he will become a lame duck. There was always the thought that Obama would be a transformative leader. Today's win keeps that alive. If Obama emerges from the next four years unscathed, he probably has two decades of contribution to make. We are currently looking at celebrations in Chicago. the potent symbolism Obama has for other Hispanic, black and white children that anything is possible I get impatient with symbolism. What I am interested in is there are some Supreme Court is becoming available in the next four years. Likely two, Tim. Do you think this result will have an effect on that? That when change the balance of the Supreme Court. That will maintain it. Obama has already made to appointments to the court ` two younger women. So his impact on the court will run for decades. A range of ethnicities in these celebrations. The white middle-class American is a shrinking demographic group. Exit polls in Florida with surveying Latina voters ` 69% went for Obama. In the low 30s Romney. so Romney, in terms of appealing to that demographic... Contrast the minorities with the picture you're seeing now overwhelmingly white. A Romney crowd. What about the Democrat outlook now? Who comes in in four years? You don't see the same depth as you see on the Republican side. There will be speculation around Hillary Clinton's intentions. Stepping down as Secretary of State made sense, creating some distance from this administration. She has been a polarising figure. If she stands in 2016, it's welcome back to the '90s. She has done a very good job. She is a hard worker. But the Republican party has rejuvenation. Here's a wildcard ` Condoleezza Rice. More to come in just a moment. Perhaps a concession or victory speech to come. Welcome back. Celebratory scenes in Chicago. Headquarters of the Obama campaign. His hometown. Barack Obama has been elected into a second term. We talked about the demographics. A lot represented on that screen ` a cross-section of modern America. Each four years, the Republicans are disadvantaged. They have reached the point of no return. They continually obstruct the president's agenda. Here we are ` three elegant, latte sipping men, men writing off a huge section of America. Clearly Barack Obama doesn't necessarily speak to the people who voted for Mitt Romney. There needs to be a way of including those people. But the people who represent them in Congress have to change the tack. That's the funamental problem Let's look at the figures. The breakdown of the electoral college vote. There is just too much celebration happening in the states. Here we go. That is over the 270. 538 is the total ` 54 still to come. 319 may be the final number. It could go as high as 331 with Virginia. Nobody thought he would get that high. He did get 365 last time. First incumbent president to poll lower? Solution get too carried away that it is dark days for the Republican party. Obama has been sanctioned here. First president to be elected with a declined percentage since Roosevelt. Usually either win bigger or you out. Still Florida, Virginia, Nevada and others to declare. What do we see? Degradation from Obama's map of four years ago. Jessica Mutch is with the ambassador. Still going strong? No real allegiances, I imagine? About half of the audience cheered when the results were announced. I think it is an even split. I've been talking to these people and also some experts about ramifications of the results for NZ. Most have been adamant that all stay the same. There will always be a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The Prime Minister was adamant that would not make much difference. We are still aiming for a trade agreement and are on track to do it. The Prime Minister said he would be happy either way, as he would. But from a logistics point of view, we're ready have those relationships, so we can just carry on with this Obama administration. We'll wrap things up after this short break. THE NUMBERS ARE QUITE CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT REFLECT THE POPULAR VOTE. IT IS MUCH CLOSER THAN THIS. the popular vote would be around 47% Romney? but you do have the votes to come from the most populous state of California. Obama may only have a 1-2 point popular vote winner. On the electoral college it looks comfortable, that country remains utterly divided. I have this T-shirt from the last election. This T-shirt is emblematic of just how a lot of people feel about Barack Obama. Those people have not gone away. the other thing it does say is the big criticism of Obama from healthcare right through to his domestic agenda for that for years is that he did not do enough to reach across the aisle himself. It is not enough. You cannot expect the Republicans to just hold their hand. You also have to reach across. the energy might be a prime focus has. It is a big negative for the Republicans. he finds it grubby in the way that Bill Clinton liked nothing better than being on the phone at 2 AM to the last person. it seems that the Republican party will become the party not at all ever. But there might be some bright voices in there to resuscitate by 2016. it is really hard to think that that DNA is just going to switch overnight. You have got to be hopeful on election day. we end on a note of hope for America coming forward. Our election coverage continues on Sunday On Q+A. thank you to make yesterday John Johansson and Tim Wilson we will leave you with some pictures. # I NEVER BEEN TO BROOKLYN, # AND I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT'S GOOD. # DRESSED IN ALL YOUR FANCY CLOTHES. # SNEAKERS LOOKING FRESH TO DEATH. # I'M LOVIN THOSE SHELL TOES. # WALKIN' THAT WALK. # TALK THAT SLICK TALK. # I'M LIKING THIS AMERICAN BOY. # AMERICAN BOY. # TAKE ME ON A TRIP. I'D LIKE TO GO SOME DAY. # TAKE ME TO NEW YORK. I'D LOVE TO SEE LA. # I REALLY WANT TO COME KICK IT WITH YOU. # YOU'LL BE MY AMERICAN BOY. Captions by Richard Edmunds and Desney Shaw. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air.