Here is the CliffsNotes version.

Sonal Shah - Confirmed to be a part of the official transition team.

Preeta Bansal - Part of the personnel operations to staff the new administration / Solicitor General.

Neera Tanden - Not sure in what capacity, but will possibly be offered a senior position in the Obama administration.

Subodh Chandra - Might be appointed the US Attorney for Ohio.

Besides these senior positions, a whole list of junior roles are expected to be offered to Desis.

Hrishi Karthikeyan, Nick Rathod, and Dave Kumar, names involved with South Asians for Obama top the list for now.

As we find more information and time, we will keep you posted.

Desis in the new Administration? - Über Desi

In the end it was Barack Obama in a landslide over John McCain. Obama will be 44th President of the United States.

[CNN]

It is but a befitting tribute that we replay the speech that started it all.

Presenting Barack Obama’s keynote speech from the July 2004 Democrat Convention.

Barack Obama President-Elect - Über Desi

Here is how we did it. [link]
1. We decide whether the candidates will win in states that lean towards them
2. Using above mentioned criteria, we pick the tossup states Ohio, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Montana and North Dakota.
3. We add the total delegates and pick a winner

Santosh
The lean states are won by the favorites. No upsets there.
Obama: Ohio
McCain: Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri
Obama: 311 McCain: 227
Winner: Obama in a close election after sweating out the results of Ohio and Florida.

Sidhu
The lean states are won by the favorites. No upsets there.
Obama:
McCain: Ohio, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri
Obama: 291 McCain: 247
Winner: Obama in a nail biter late into the night.

Karthik
The lean states are won by the favorites. No upsets there.
Obama: Ohio, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina
McCain: Montana, North Dakota, Missouri
Obama: 364 McCain: 174
Winner: Obama wins comfortably early in the night.

Anantha
The lean states are won by the Obama in major upsets.
Obama: Ohio, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina
McCain: Montana, North Dakota, Missouri
Obama: 419 McCain: 119
Winner: In a beatdown of epic proportions Obama pwns McCain.

Note: All bloggers are aware of the Bradley Effect and its possible repercussions (or the lack thereof) on this election night. These predictions are strictly for entertainment purposes vonly.

The New York Times has a great viewing guide for the election night. Basically this is what it boils down to:

Conventional wisdom suggests that if Mr. Obama wins, he will do so early, because the polls in so many tossup states — Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida — close early.

America votes, Über Desi predicts - Über Desi

Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.

I agree. With all due respect to the leading candidates, and discounting the rhetoric, there is little difference between either party.

If John McCain wins, he will possibly be faced with a Democrats-controlled House and Senate. Even if the Republicans win back both in 2010, by then McCain will be preparing for re-election which means he will have very little time to push through any of his plans in terms of a legacy. However, he will have the veto pen, which would not bode well for any grand social programs the Democrats have in mind.

On the flipside if Barack Obama wins, he will possibly have an embarrassment of riches in terms of a Democrats-controlled legislature, which at least for the next two years translates to absolute power and we all know, what they say about absolute power.

Observers and voters seem to be divided between the two candidates based on party lines and claim to vote for the lesser evil and therein lies my biggest beef (beef, sacrilegious, I know).

The Republicans insist that Barack Obama and the Democrat party will push America into a socialist era of big government spending. News flash to the Republicans, they are as pro-big government as the other party. Only difference is that they push big spending government programs like agriculture and defense whereas the Democrats push public welfare, healthcare and the likes.

The Democrats, meanwhile, accuse the Republicans of stifling freedom of speech and individual rights in a fascist manner under the guise of patriotism. The Democrats do the same, under the guise of social equality and political correctness.

A lot of Republicans consider themselves to be libertarians, which is true until it comes to social issues like gay marriage and abortion, where to some extent they approve of government interference in private lives. By that same measure Democrats are largely social libertarians, but on the economic side, threaten to run up the taxation of individuals to support social welfare programs, a.k.a, the larger good.

Given this scenario, both parties seems to be polar opposites, yet eerily similar. Barack Obama and John McCain are but figureheads for the ideologies of their respective parties.

Whatever their political affiliations are, both John McCain and Barack Obama are outstanding individuals and, discounting a repeat of Florida 2000, strictly as individuals, America is fortunate that one of them will be President-elect come Wednesday morning. Compared to the field of candidates from the last election, the results of this one seem more palatable (unless of course, your guy is on the losing side).

Even though early voting has started in many states, the big one is tomorrow. The polls almost represent a rivalry clash in sports with both sides donning their respective gear in terms of t-shirts, banners and bumper stickers, talking trash, hopeful for a victory and unwilling to listen to reason. Drawing from another sports cliche, so long as the transition of power happens without bloodshed on the streets, democracy is the winner.

Being largely immune to rhetoric and having been witness to two bitterly contested elections, and witness to the results and subsequent fallout, that is my perspective. Vote (if you can) but don’t fall for the rhetoric. I’m a brown immigrant blogger who cannot vote and I approve this message.

November 4th in perspective - Über Desi

That should’ve sealed the fate of Barack Obama. But this Presidential race has been interesting to say the least. Anantha sends us this beauty of a horoscope, that all but clinches it for Obama. [New India Press]

Stunning change of fortune within a span of 24 hours?? Not surprising, considering the accuracy of this horoscope.

This sneaky operation began in the astrologer ghettos of Coimbatore in South India.

It all began when some fans emailed Obama’s birth certificate to P K Krishnakumar, managing director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd, to have the horoscope made.
‘‘Once we know the time and place of birth, we can have the chart made. Details were given to astrologers without mentioning whose horoscope it was. They all came back with similar observations,’’ Krishnakumar told Express over the phone.

This gem of a prediction states that Obama was born to be a politician, will go through some stressful situations, obtain a top administrative post by the end of this year (***hint hint***), bail out the economy and single handedly eradicate world poverty. Ok, I made that last part up, but everything else will happen as predicted by these soothsayers.

Not content with predictions, these astrologers are also performing homams (prayers) for Obama and claim to be backed by Shashi Tharoor.

So there you have it, our astrologers have predicted that either Obama or McCain will win on November 4th. In the Über Desi poll of polls of astrologers and tantriks, Obama has a slight lead over McCain. The force is strong with “that one”.

Presidential Stars - 2 - Über Desi

These recent events come on the heels of Powell’s rebuke of Islamophobia among some Republican supporters. [UD]

The stickers they were handing out also had the Communist sickle and hammer along with the Islamic crescent. I’m guessing the purported message was: “Obama is a socialist, hence by extension, communist, with ties to radical Islam, hence by extension, also a terrorist”. Besides the blatant Islamophobia, these idiots are also guilty of trying to confuse potential voters by packaging too much information.

McCain supporters confront religious intolerance at rally - Über Desi

I believe his exact words were:

“I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that’s why I’m supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Sen. John McCain.”

Now, given Powell’s stature and the respect he garners on either side of the aisle and among independents and moderates, this endorsement is apparently a big deal to Obama’s aspirations and a huge setback for McCain.

Powell cited the negative tone of McCain’s campaign and his choice of Sarah Palin as running mate as some of the reasons for his support for Obama. Among other things that troubled Powell were some Republicans (not McCain) repeatedly calling Obama a Muslim.

“He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America,” Powell said. “Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?”

That is refreshing to hear coming from a mainstream politician in America. This is not something we’ve heard to date from either the Obama or McCain campaigns. The Obama campaign has always “denied that Obama is a Muslim” and McCain has always “criticized anyone who called Obama a Muslim” as if there is something wrong with being one. But the right answer like Powell says is “he is not, but then again so what if he is”.

This sentiment seems to be catching on even in some sections of the mainstream media. Last week Campbell Brown raised the same question in an op-ed column on CNN.com [via Browsekid]

We’ve all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur. I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else.

Of course, before Gen. Powell (retd.) and Ms. Campbell expressed the sentiment that one’s religion should really not be a factor, a humble blogger from a niche desi blog had raised the same question as early as last year. [UD]

Granted religion tolerance is not a strong point in this nation at this juncture in history, with the tyranny of the majority prevailing. But this problem is further damaged by unwillingness of the (so-called) leaders of this nation to promote religious tolerance. Instead people like Romney choose to either tailor their religious beliefs to align with that of the majority and people like Obama and Bobby Jindal completely wash their hands off any past religious links the majority views in an unfavorable light.

A true leader would’ve said: “Ok, so I grew up practicing so-and-so religious belief including attending their schools. But when I govern this country, I will leave my religion out of the equation and deal fairly with people of all religions and cultures and in doing so will set an example in religious harmony and tolerances for the citizens of this wonderful nation”.

The 800 pound gorilla in the room has always been the question that no one asked: “So what if he is/was Muslim? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.” Ladies and gentleman, I’m happy to announce the 800 pound gorilla has left the building.

Colin Powell endorses Obama - Über Desi

However, there was an odd moment with McCain referring to Obama as “that one”. Not sure if McCain was just being condescending towards Obama or this was McCain’s attempt at making fun of Obama supporters who’ve anointed him as “the one”.

Check out the video

McCain-Obama 2nd debate - Über Desi

Biden sighed repeatedly, attacked John McCain, attacked the Bush administration, attacked the Iraq war, defended Barack Obama and stuck to time tested terms like “fairness” and “equality”. Palin with a perpetual smirk on her face, delivered her canned speeches with aplomb, defended McCain, grew defensive when Biden linked McCain to Bush, dodged the question on whether she supported gay marriages and went about being “folksy” like, you guessed it, George W. Bush. Oh, and she winked and repeated the word “maverick” every 5 minutes or so.

Biden stood out on two occasions:
When he attacked John McCain’s claims of being a “maverick”

When he harkened back to his personal life as a single dad:

Neither committed any major gaffes to hurt themselves, their Presidential running mates or their party. Verdict: Draw, with Biden perhaps winning on points.

Biden-Palin debate - Über Desi

Also, in connection with the same incident between Zardari and Palin, the prayer leader of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad has issued a fatwa against Zardari for flirting with Palin. [NDTV] (tip Sai via email)

Maulana Abdul Ghafar, the prayer leader, seems to be irked by Zardari’s “you’re gorgeous” compliment to US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin during a meeting.
He said the act was un-Islamic and unbecoming of a head of state of a Muslim country.
Maulana also said that Zardari shamed the entire Pakistani by publicly making indecent gestures towards Palin in Washington last Thursday.

Thoughts? Opinions?

SNL refers to Zardari incident plus fatwa on Zardari - Über Desi