Obama wins second term

My goal today is to help you follow the election coverage in English as much as possible. I'll be updating this throughout election day, focusing mainly on the results of the election, but also on the language used to report the results.

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I'll be updating this page throughout the day. Look to the bottom of the page for links relating to the language used to describe the election, background on the election and websites for you can go for the latest information.

17:30

Let's finish our election coverage with this news story.

Obama wins re-election, writes new history

AFP

President Barack Obama swept to an emphatic re-election win over Mitt Romney on Wednesday, forging new history by transcending a dragging economy and the stifling unemployment which haunted his first term.

The 44th US president and the first African American to claim the Oval Office, was returned to power after a joyless election which appears to have deepened, rather than healed, his nation's political divides.

"In this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back," Obama said at a triumphant victory party in Chicago.

"We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come," Obama said.

As Obama's victory was confirmed with wins in Ohio and Iowa, large crowds suddenly materialised at the White House, chanting "four more years" and "O-bama, O-bama."

Republican nominee Romney, deflated and exhausted, offered Obama a classy tribute, as he appeared before dejected supporters in Boston, moments after phoning the US leader to formally concede and to congratulate his team.

"I wish all of them well but particularly the president, the First Lady and their daughters," Romney said.

"This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation."

Obama repaid the compliment in his speech, saying the Romney family "had chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honour and applaud tonight."

And in an intriguing aside, the president said he looked forward to sitting down with his former foe to find if they could find common ground to work together.

Once the euphoria fades, the president will face a tough task enacting his second term agenda, after Republicans, who thwarted him repeatedly in his first term, retained control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats kept the Senate but fell short of the 60-vote super majority needed to pass major legislation over Republican blocking tactics.

emphatic – of a win, or defeat which one side wins by a large amount or wins forcefully กระทำด้วยการเน้นหนัก
forge – to work hard to achieve something สร้างอย่างมานะพยายาม
transcend – to be or go beyond the usual limits of something อยู่เหนือ
dragging – causing to slow down;  holding back ทำให้ชะลอ
stifling – to prevent something from happening, in this case for employment to grow
unemployment – the fact of a number of people not having a job; the number of people without a job  การว่างงาน, จำนวนผู้ว่างงาน
haunt – to cause repeated trouble, suffering or anxiety ทำให้กังวล, รบกวน
the oval office – the oval (shaped like an egg  รูปไข่) shaped office of the president in the White House
joyless – unhappy
heal – to make people stop fighting or disagreeing and have a better relationship ทำให้คืนดีกัน
divide – a disagreement between people, especially between people who belong to the same group การแตกร้าว, การแบ่งแยก
remind – to make someone think of something they have forgotten or might have forgotten เตือนความจำ
triumphant – showing great satisfaction or joy about a victory or success, very successful in a way that causes great satisfaction ที่รู้สึกภาคภูมิจากชัยชนะ
victory – winning a competition or a battle ชัยชนะ
materialise – to happen or become real; to come together  ปรากฏ
chant – to keep shouting or singing a word or phrase many times โห่ร้อง, โห่ร้องต้อนรับ, ร้องเพลง
nominee – someone who has been formally proposed for a job, in this case by his party to be president of the US ผู้ได้รับการเสนอชื่อ
deflated – disappointed; feeling or seeming less important; feeling less confident ผิดหวัง
exhausted – extremely tired เหน็ดเหนื่อย
classy – of high quality; showing good character ชั้นหนึ่ง
tribute – something that you do, say, or build to show that you respect and admire someone or something การแสดงความเคารพ ยกย่องต่อ
dejected – having lost their hope or enthusiasm, especially because of having failed at something รู้สึกหมดหวัง
concede – to admit that you have lost ยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้
congratulate – to praise someone about their success, good luck or happiness on a special occasion แสดงความยินดี
challenge – to compete for something แข่งขัน
compliment – something nice that you say to praise someone ชมเชย, สรรเสริญ
legacy – something that someone has achieved that continues to exists after they stop working or die สิ่งที่สืบทอด
honour – to do something that shows great respect for somebody/something  เคารพ,นับถือ, ยกย่อง
applaud – to praise an action, idea, activity, etc. ชมเชย,ยกย่องนับถือ
intriguing – very interesting, especially because of being strange or mysterious น่าทึ่ง, เต็มไปด้วยเลห์, อย่างมีสเนห์
aside – a remark that is not directly connected with the main subject that is being discussed
foe – an opponent or enemy คู่ต่อสู้, ศัตรู
common ground – things agreed on เค้ามูล มูลเหตุร่วมกัน
euphoria – a feeling of great happiness that usually lasts for a short time only ความรู้สึกสนุกสนาน ตื่นเต้น และเป็นสุขอย่างที่สุด
fade – to slowly disappear or become weaker  อ่อนลง,หายไป
tough – difficult to do or to deal with ยาก  ยากลำบาก
task – something that you have to do หน้าที่
enact – to pass into law ออกกฎหมาย
agenda – a list of aims or possible future achievements วาระ
thwart – to prevent someone from doing something that they want to do สกัดกั้น   ป้องกัน
retain – to keep รักษา
House of Representatives – the largest part of Congress in the US, or of the Parliament in Australia and Thailand สภาผู้แทนราษฎร
Senate – one of the two groups of politicians who make laws in some countries, for example in the US, Australia, Canada and Thailand วุฒิสภา
majority – more than 50 percent of a group เสียงส่วนใหญ่
legislation – a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament การออกกฎหมาย
block – to stop something from being done or from succeeding ปิด, กีดขวาง
tactics – particular methods for achieving something วิธีการ  ไม้เด็ด

14:45

Victory speech

Barack Obama delivered a powerful victory speech to his supporters after being projected the winner of the presidential election over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

"We are an American family, we rise and fall together as one nation, as one people," Obama said. "For the United States of America, the best is yet to come."

project – to make a calculation or guess about the future based on information that you have คาดคะเน
nominee – someone who has been formally proposed for a job, in this case by his party to be president of the US ผู้ได้รับการเสนอชื่อ 

Concession speech

Mitt Romney delivered his concession speech just after midnight early on Wednesday.

The Republican candidate told his supporters that he called the president to concede. "I wish all of them well, particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters," he said.

Romney explained, "I ran for office because I'm concerned for America," and added, "Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign." (Reuters photo)

concession – an admission that you have lost  การยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้
candidate – a person who is trying to be elected ผู้สมัครรับเลือกตั้ง
concede  – to admit that you have lost ยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้
concerned – worried about something   มีความกังวล

12:10

Once again, that google election results map I mentioned earlier is really useful. Put your cursor over states like California, Oregon and Washington and you can see why Romney's popular vote margin is shrinking rapidly: http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us/results

margin – the number of votes by which someone wins or leads in an election จำนวนคะแนน
shrink – to become smaller, or to make something smaller หดตัว, เล็กลง

11:55

Notice, from ABC news, that the popular vote has tightened dramatically in the past hour and that Mitt Romney's margin has almost disappeared. That is probably because the first results have started coming in from California and there is much more to come.

tighten – (of an election) to become much closer กลายเป็นแน่นหนา
margin – the number of votes by which someone wins or leads in an election จำนวนคะแนน
disappear – to no longer exist หายไป

11:45 Waiting for a concession speech

Traditionally, once the result becomes clear, the losing candidate concedes defeat. But since the result is based on a projection, not an official result, Mitt Romney is apparently not ready to do that yet. Earlier in the evening, he had said he had only written one speech, a victory speech. Maybe he just needs more time.

traditionally – of a custom, a way of life or a way of doing things that has not changed for a long time ตามธรรมเนียม, ประเพณี ดั้งเดิม ตามที่ปฏิบัติกันมา
concession – an admission that you have lost  การยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้
concede defeat – to admit that you have lost ยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้
projection – a calculation or guess about the future based on information that you have การคาดคะเน
apparently – based only on what you have heard or think, not on what you are certain is true; seemingly ตามที่ได้รู้มา
victory – winning a competition or a battle ชัยชนะ

11:25 Obama wins

It may seem strange that the major US TV networks have now all projected that President Obama has won re-election despite the fact that his challengers still is over one million votes ahead in the popular vote. As you certainly know if you have been following the coverage here, it is that state-by-state electoral vote that determines who wins and, according to projections, Mr Obama now has at least 274 electoral votes, four more than the minimum needed. As for the popular vote, Mr Romney's margin will likely shrink and possibly disappear as votes from big states like California come in.

project – to make a calculation or guess about the future based on information that you have คาดคะเน
challenger – an opponent in competition, in this case, an election คู่แข่ง
popular vote – the vote by the people of a country การลงคะแนนเสียงของประชาชน
electoral vote – (in a US presidential election) the vote by electors, with each state having electors according to how many represenatives and senators they have in Congress. In all but two states, the candidate with the most votes in a state gets all its electors. การลงคะแนนเลือกประธานาธิบดีจากคนตัวแทนที่ได้รับสิทธิ
determine – to officially find out or decide something  ตัดสินใจ  ชี้ขาด
minimum – the lowest possible; the lowest allowed ต่ำที่สุด, น้อยที่สุด
margin – the number of votes by which someone wins or leads in an election จำนวนคะแนน
shrink – to become smaller, or to make something smaller หดตัว, เล็กลง
disappear – to no longer exist หายไป

10:06

OK, you've done your preparation. Try watching the election returns live:http://www.cbsnews.com/2718-250_162-1997/live-coverage-of-the-presidential-election/

10:00

This graphic from ABC is a bit misleading. Yes, Republican Mitt Romney appears to have a lead, but, in truth, the states he needs to win are not going his way. Key states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennslyvania have gone to President Obama and Florida, a state Mr Romney now must win, is very close and many of the votes left to be counted come from areas expected to support the president, e.g., Miami.

misleading – giving the wrong idea or impression and making you believe something that is not true  ซึ่งทำให้เข้าใจผิด, ซึ่งแนะนำไปในทางที่ผิด,
appear – to seem ดูเหมือนจะ, ดูเหมือนว่า
lead – the position ahead of everyone else in a race or competition  ตำแหน่งนำ
key – the most important thing สิ่งที่สำคัญที่สุด

9:45

It's still early, so get in some reading practice:

Click button to listen to Vote glitch and rightclick to download

Vote glitch reports pile up in US election

By Rob Lever (AFP)

WASHINGTON — Voting went smoothly in Tuesday's US elections, except when it didn't.

Some computer problems, as well as human ones, drew complaints across the country as millions of Americans went to the polls.

One Pennsylvania voter highlighted a problem with voting machines on YouTube, complete with video, in which a touchscreen changed his choice from President Barack Obama to Republican Mitt Romney.

"I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted," the man wrote. "I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney."

This was not the first allegation of foul-ups with electronic machines.

In Ohio, some Republicans claimed machines were changing Romney votes to Obama, while Democrats accused Republican state officials of installing untested "experimental" software at the last minute.

glitch – a small problem or fault that prevents something from being successful or working as well as it should ความบกพร่องเล็กน้อย
pile up – to put objects one on top of another, in this case, to increase in amount กอง
glitch – a small problem or fault that prevents something from being successful or working as well as it should ความบกพร่องเล็กน้อย
pile up – to put objects one on top of another, in this case, to increase in amount กอง
smoothly – happening or continuing without any problems โดยไม่มีปัญหา
complaint – when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory การบ่น, ข้อที่ไม่พอใจ
go to the polls – to go to the polling station to vote ไปลงคะแนน, ไปเลือกตั้ง, ไปออกเสียงเลือกตั้ง
highlight – to stress; to made something more noticeable  เน้นย้ำ
initially – at first ในเบื้องต้น
select – to choose  คัดเลือก
assume – to accept something to be true without question or proof ทึกทักเอา, คิดว่าเป็นจริง,
picky – liking only particular things and difficult to please  จู้จี้มาก
allegation – an accusation; a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved ข้อกล่าวหา
foul-up – a problem caused by bad organisation or a stupid mistake ความสับสนวุ่นวาย,ความติดขัด,อุปสรรค

8:50

If you are looking for an easy to use map, here it is from google:http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us/results

8:45

Turnout seems to be quite good this year. Long lines are reported in states where voting was supposed to be finished. In Virginia for example, officials say it may be 11:00 pm (11:00am our time) before they can close. We have seen that voters vote at polling stations, but the actual voting districts are called precincts. You will hear that word a lot tonight.

turnout – the number or percentage of eligible voters who vote in an election จำนวนผู้ออกมาลงคะแนน
polling station – the place where people vote in an election หน่วยเลือกตั้ง
precinct – the lowest-level government division of an area เขต

8:25

electoral vote – (in a US presidential election) the vote by electors, with each state having electors according to how many represenatives and senators they have in Congress. In all but two states, the candidate with the most votes in a state gets all its electors. การลงคะแนนเลือกประธานาธิบดีจากคนตัวแทนที่ได้รับสิทธิ
projection – a calculation or guess about the future based on information that you have การคาดคะเน
popular vote – the vote by the people of a country การลงคะแนนเสียงของประชาชน

8:20

CNN is analysing the demographics of Ohio and we need to add another word to our list: blue-collar. To win the state, President Obama needs to do extremely well in the northern industrial blue-collar area of the state, because Governor Romney will easily win the rural areas further south. The auto industry is in the north and you will recall that President Obama put in a big bailout package for this industry, keeping many companies alive during the recent recession

demographics – data relating to the population and different groups within it  สถิติประชากร
blue-collar –connected with people who do physical work in industry (white-collar refers to office-type jobs) เกี่ยวกับคนใช้แรงงาน
bailout package – a set of actions or programmes designed to help a business that is in danger of failing  การฟื้นเศรษฐกิจ แผนการช่วยเหลือธุรกิจ
recession – a period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot of unemployment ภาวะเศรษฐกิจถดถอย

8:05

As expected, the main focus of the major TV networks and major newspapers is on the swing states, or battleground states. The demographics (see below for an explanation) are very different in different parts of these states, so the early numbers often do not reflect the eventual winner. For example, Romney needs to do very well in rural parts of these states, while Obama needs to build up a big lead in cities.

swing states – US states where the voting appears to be very close and either presidential candidate could win, i.e., the winning vote could swing from one to another
battleground – a place where a battle (a major fight, especially in war, but in this case an election) is being fought or has been fought สนามรบ, แนวรบ
reflect – to show สะท้อน แสดงถึง
eventual – at the end of a period of time or at the end of a process ในที่สุด
rural – connected with the countryside outside big towns and cities  ในชนบท, บ้านนอก

7:55

popular vote – the vote by the people of a country การลงคะแนนเสียงของประชาชน
electoral vote – (in a US presidential election) the vote by electors, with each state having electors according to how many represenatives and senators they have in Congress. In all but two states, the candidate with the most votes in a state gets all its electors. การลงคะแนนเลือกประธานาธิบดีจากคนตัวแทนที่ได้รับสิทธิ

7:40

The major US TV networks are already awarding electoral votes to the two candidates. At the moment, these are projections based on the early vote and on exit polls in which people at polling stations are asked how they voted.

projection – a calculation or guess about the future based on information that you have การคาดคะเน
electoral vote – (in a US presidential election) the vote by electors, with each state having electors according to how many represenatives and senators they have in Congress. In all but two states, the candidate with the most votes in a state gets all its electors. การลงคะแนนเลือกประธานาธิบดีจากคนตัวแทนที่ได้รับสิทธิ
exit poll – a poll taken at or near polling stations questioning voters about how they voted — การสำรวจความคิดเห็นจากประชาชนที่เพิ่งลงคะแนนเสร็จสดๆ ร้อนๆ
polling station – the place where people vote in an election หน่วยเลือกตั้ง

7:00 The first polling stations in the eastern part of the United States are closing. Things should get interesting in a hurry.

6:45am: Let's get started.

Lets add urban voters and rural voters to who I wrote below.

urban – connected with towns and cities เขตเมือง
rural – connected with the countryside outside big towns and cities  ในชนบท, บ้านนอก

Click button to listen to Demographics and rightclick to download

Demographics

One word you are likely to see today is demographics, referring to the various groups in the US population, groups like men, women, young voters, seniors, whites (broken down further into white males and white females), minorities (Black, Hispanic, or Latino, Asian American, etc.) and many more. Generally, Republican Mitt Romney is expected to win a majority of the white vote, but President Barack Obama has a huge advantage among minorities. He is counting on a big vote from women as well.

demographics – data relating to the population and different groups within it  สถิติประชากร
immigrate – to come into a country because you want to live there อพยพ, ย้ายถิ่นที่อยู่, ย้ายถิ่นฐาน, ย้ายไปตั้งรกรากที่ใหม่
play a role – to carry out a particular function or duty มีบทบาท
urge – to advise someone very strongly about what action or attitude they should take ผลักดัน, กระตุ้น
senior citizen – someone who is more than 60 years old ผู้สูงอายุ, ผู้อาวุโส
male – being a man or a boy ผู้ชาย
female – being a woman or a girl สตรี, ผู้หญิง, เพศหญิ
minority – (1) of a part of a population that is different in race, religion or culture form most of the population ชนกลุ่มน้อย (2) involving less than half of a group เสียงส่วนน้อย
majority – more than 50 percent of a group เสียงส่วนใหญ่
advantage – a condition giving a greater chance of success ความได้เปรียบ
count on – to trust somebody to do something or to be sure that something will happen พึ่งพา, ไว้วางใจใน

Election day in the US

My goal today is to help you follow the election coverage in election as much as possible. I'll be updating this throughout election day, focusing mainly on the results of the election, but also on the language used to report the results

Election day voting has now begun in the United States and will continue well into our morning. The first polling station will close in the eastern part of the United States when the time is, for the most part, exactly 12 hours behind Thai time.  First polls in the eastern states close around 7.30am our time, but most are a bit later.

While we are waiting for the results to come in, there is a lot you can do to get ready. I have already done four lessons to get you started. You can find them here:

For an introduction to this year's election and some of the key election vocabulary, click here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/319372/us-election-it-time-to-pay-attention

For background on the "electoral vote" and "swing states", click here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/319487/all-eyes-on-the-swing-states

For a news story two days before the election, click here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/319632/us-presidential-election-the-final-push

For a story on the final day of campaigning, click here:http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/319787/presidential-race-deadlock-advantage-obama

Websites

For listening practice, try this explanation of the electoral college: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H3gvnN468

Here are some websites that you might want to check out to help you follow the results:

http://edition.cnn.com/election/2012/

http://edition.cnn.com/election/2012/results/main

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/

http://www.politico.com/

This website has a large selection of good websites to checkout: http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/USElections/index.htm#.UJjZhW_Mg52

I'm sure we'll find more sites tomorrow.