Assuming that Barack Obama takes California, Oregon, and Washington — a safe bet — he could still lose Florida and North Carolina and he’d still win the presidency.

Steve Scalise beating Jim Harlan in every parish across the board. WWL calling it for him.

Dollar Bill with 62% of the vote. WWL calling it for $B as well.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM NOW, NEW ORLEANS?

1. Yes, it’s cold.

2. Yes, it’s much smaller than you see on TV. (The morning-show set and the kitchen are in the other half of the building.)

3. Angela seems to be fighting off a nasty cold.

4. The station has set up its own Twitter feed from the newsroom.

5. On breaks, the crew is watching the Tyra Banks show. Topic: “How to Spot a Fake Purse.”

No big surprise at McCain in Louisiana, but I’ll bet the numbers were much closer than originally expected. 9 electoral votes for Johnny Mac.

Capitelli and Canizzaro in dead heat with 8% of precincts reporting.

Obama predicted to win Ohio. No Republican has ever won without taking Ohio.

Clancy posted this forecast of the Dec. 6 matchup between Democrat Bill Jefferson or Helena Moreno and the Republican challenger, Joseph Cao:

I agree that overall turnout will be low — probably less than 20 percent overall. However, it very likely will not be the same turnout among black as well as white voters. Historically, in “off” elections such as this, the black turnout drops off precipitously. Let’s say, just for purposes of discussion, that the overall turnout is 17 percent, as you suggest. It likely would be about 12 percent among blacks and 22 or 24 percent among whites. Numbers such as those make it entirely possible for Cao to win, for several reasons.

First, there are some 19,000 registered Republicans in the Second Congressional District who have not yet had a chance to vote AGAINST Bill Jefferson. Most of them, I suspect, are eager to do so — regardless of what happens tonight in the race for president. Second, I doubt seriously that Barack Obama and the Democrats will go to the well for Jefferson. Their majority will already be well estaablished, and they also will want to get as far from a scandal as they can. Third, the national GOP will pour lots of resources into this race because they see an opening — and a chance to get a badly needed “win.” For a relatively small amount of money nationally ($300,000 or so), the GOP can potentially make a statement.

Granted, Cao will have a tough time holding onto this seat in two years, but for now he represents a decent shot for the GOP to win one.

Our Gambit blog audience has made it clear that their favorite WWL reporter is one Mr. Lee Zurik (followed closely by Lucy Bustamante). Neither of them are here (they’re all out in the field - Bustamante’s out covering the Dollar Bill victory[?] party), or I’d buttonhole them and ask them your impertinent questions.

Nevertheless, we’ll share this caricature of CBS correspondent Zurik, slaved over for hours whipped up by blogger/reader Mark Folse:

One of the interesting side stories of this historic day is how different folks acknowledged the moment. Mark Folse wrote earlier today (in response to a Kevin Allman post) about seeing an elderly black couple dressed in their Easter best leaving the voting precinct after participating in what they surely knew was a defining moment in American history. What a beautiful (and touching) moment.

I came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  I was too young to play a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, but I was just old enough to hear about it on a daily basis and to recognize that it was changing America in a powerful, fundamental way. I have had the privilege of getting to know some older black and white civil rights workers from that era, and I have relived their experiences vicariously by listening to their stories.  Yesterday, I called an older friend of mine and left him a message congratulating him on living long enough to see America’s first African-American president elected. Today, I reached out to my sons, ages 26 and 15, to tell them that they are witnessing history — and to take some time to take in the moment.

It’s rare that history is made in a single day. Often it takes months or years for change to occur, and when you’re living through it you often don’t see it coming. Not so today, I told my sons.  I also told them that I love them and am proud of them.  They no doubt thought their old man was just having another sentimental day, but I’m hoping that years from now they will tell their own children and grandchildren that they were very much aware of what was going on the Day American Changed — and that they and their pop acknowledged the moment.

CBS and Katie Couric’s people are being more cautious, but NBC is calling Pennsylvania as an Obama lock. Their numbers: 103 Obama, 34 McCain.