Wait, let me get this straight....

[complain jane]

There's an electoral map calculator on CNN and you can screw around with different scenarios of who wins which state and see how the electoral votes add up.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/

So according to this, if McCain wins every single tossup state, Obama still wins.

I mean, is this thing right?

Seriously? McCain should go home and go to bed, no?

[iiibbb]

1. If Obama wins VA... it's over.

[Blarch]

3. and Penn.

[iiibbb]

6. If VA goes Obama, I take it as a certainty that PA will have.

[Blarch]

2. Not.

[sandnsea]

4. He really only needs PA & CO

Provided he wins NM & IA, which are pretty much a lock, he only needs PA & CO to win. He could lose all the swing states, Virginia and Nevada - and still win.

[SmokingJacket]

5. If McCain wins all the tossups, plus VA, NV, and NM

He can win.

[complain jane]

8. But I'm just saying according to this map.... which doesn't have NV or VA as tossup states

On this map they're blue

[SmokingJacket]

10. Oh, I know...

He DOES have to get some light blue states in order to win. There will have to be a "dramatic reversal" or two, plus a strong and consistent push for him in ALL the tossup states.

Pretty unlikely, IMHO, but not impossible.

I'm still nervous!

[complain jane]

13. I'm nervous too but only

because I've never wanted a candidate to win so badly plus I don't trust the Republicans.

The whole map could be blue and I'd still be nervous and I think that's healthy.

It keeps me insisting that the people I talk to make sure they are at the polls early early early.

[dana_b]

9. I can't see him getting NM, maybe the other two

I think Obama is up by 7-8 points in NM.

So to the OP, yeah, it looks like they winning.

[KansasVoter]

7. I am worried about PA....but that makes people mad here!

[dajoki]

12. I live in PA...

and it doesn't make me mad. I am not so much worried about my state, I think we will win it, but I don't trust the voters who gave us a repub state legislature and two terms for Tom Ridge and pRick Santorum.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. It really depends on your definition of "tossup". By the way CNN has that map laid out, yes.

But a lot of news organizations have any state that's polling within 10 or even 15 points as a "battleground" or "tossup", especially if Obama is leading in the polls there, just to promote the "close race" narrative.

270towin is an easier to use tool I think, but the good part of the CNN one is the listing past winners.