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Kids Pick The Next President: Obama

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Published: October 22, 2008

As the kids go, so goes the nation. Well, almost. In the past five presidential elections, the young fans of the Nickelodeon network have only missed the mark once.

So Sen. Barack Obama must like the odds. He is the winner of Nickelodeon's 2008 "Kids Pick the President" balloting.

More than 2.2 million votes were cast in the network's online poll. Obama received 51 percent of the vote (1,167,087), and Sen. John McCain received 49 percent (1,129,945).

In announcing the results, Linda Ellerbee, host of Nickelodeon's "Nick News," says that it's important to take note simply because so many kids voted the way their parents will.

"What really counts is this: They participated in democracy," she adds. "They voted. How can this be anything but good?"

The only time the outcome was off was in 2000, when the kids picked Al Gore, who won the popular vote, over George W. Bush.

OBAMA & BASEBALL: As if there weren't enough distractions in the presidential race, now the World Series has become an issue.

First, there is grumbling from McCain supporters over Obama's purchase of a half-hour of airtime next Wednesday night on Fox, which would delay the start of Game 6 of the World Series (if there is a Game 6) to 8:35 p.m.

Obama also bought a half-hour that night on NBC and CBS and is negotiating with ABC. The Republican National Committee slammed Obama for "putting politics before principle and before our national pastime."

Of course, Fox didn't have to sell him that particular time slot for which they price-gouged a bit ($1 million). And it's not unprecedented: During the Republican National Convention, the NFL and NBC moved up a kickoff time so a night game would end before McCain's acceptance of his party's nomination.

There's another little flap over the Obama rally in Tampa on Monday, when six players for the World Series-bound Rays were guests of honor.

After Obama praised their victories with hugs and smiles all around, McCain accused him of flip-flopping loyalties because Obama is a White Sox fan who said he's temporarily pulling for the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

Obama said, "When you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays, and the Rays showing some love back - you know we are onto something right here."

Meanwhile, at least one conservative radio talk show in Tampa has been questioning whether the Rays players (Jonny Gomes, Carl Crawford, Fernando Perez, David Price, Edwin Jackson and Cliff Floyd) were wrong to mix baseball and politics. Oh, give us a break, please.

STORY TIME: National Public Radio's StoryCorps team is coming to the Tampa Bay area seeking Floridians to share their life experiences. A mobile recording studio will be set up Dec. 8-22 and Jan. 4-18 at locations to be determined.

But first, the public is invited to an orientation meeting at 7:15 tonight at community radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM.

"We hope that people who want to get involved with this oral history project will come to the meeting," says WMNF's Sheila Cowley. The station is working with StoryCorps and will air some of the oral histories. StoryCorps interviews also air on WUSF, 89.7 FM.

The nonprofit project has recorded thousands of stories since it was launched in 2003. Find more information at www.storycorps.com. WMNF is at 1210 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Tampa. E-mail stories@wmnf.org or call (813) 238-8001 for information.

JUST FOR GIGGLES: Check out www.tabloidgames.com for the new online time killer "Palinisms - Ask Sarah Anything." A cartoon Sarah Palin will answer your questions.

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