There’s something different about the Twilight fandom. Sure, you have the tell-tale signs of a cult following, considering the thousands of websites and forums dedicated to the books and film alike, the uprising of unofficial conventions, and the 6,000 screaming teenage girls crowding Comic Con waiting for a chance to see their characters come to life. But if you look a little closer, there are more than just a few thousand vampire loving teenyboppers (or as we call them in the Twilight community, “twiboppers”) running this fandom.

Twilight seems to attract a huge age range, mostly girls and women from around age eleven to forty. There are Twilight twenty-somethings, Twilight moms, and Twilight teachers and there are tons of Twilight sites out there that deal with some real-life issues: hisgoldeneyes.com’s Carlisle Would Approve campaign to donate blood, twilight20somethings.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month shirts, and twilightnovelnovice.com’s Election ’08 buzz.

Tiffany Truitt, a middle school teacher, created Novel Novice Twilight: a blog that originated from a Twilight Club she started in her school, but has become a hub for communication not only between fans, but educators as well.

“Our site is a place where Twilight fans can not only get the latest news, gush about their favorite characters, create videos to support Team Edward or Team Jacob, but a place where education is spotlighted. The Twilight series helped me to build strong relationships with my students, it encouraged reluctant readers to dive into an epic, and I am proud to call myself a Twilighter.” Truitt states on the website.

With the release of Twilight looming closely around the corner, you’d think that fans wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. Truitt and Novel Novice Twilight help keep things in perspective. Although a great deal of Twilight’s fans aren’t quite at voting age yet, Novel Novice has had a full blown “Edward versus Jacob” campaign running complete with mud-slinging political ad videos. This campaign does not only attempt to help underage fans feel like part of the election-mania, but to also encourage fans of age to get into the voting mood.

Election News for November 3rd on NNT also included facts about the United States Electoral College and a link to information on both Obama and McCain. Educational and unbiased.

So give Twilighters some credit. They’re a huge online community, and it seems like they’re starting to realize how to use their obsession for good.

Oh, and, don’t forget to vote.

I usually keep this stuff in the OTR blog, but considering the heightened political climate, and the fact that Sarah Palin has made big news over the weekend, I’m going to put it in the main magazine.

Deadspin got a hold of an old sports news video with Sarah Heath (as she was known then) doing the sports highlights for a local news station in Alaska. Despite her wonderful hair, she isn’t very good at this job and the transition to politics seems to have been a good idea.

Decide for yourself:

Barack Obama has confirmed, on his official website and through text message, that he has chosen Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate for the 2008 presidential election.  Senator Obama will make an appearance in Illinois later today, with Senator Biden by his side.

The choice brings a much needed degree of experience and credibility to Obama’s campaign.  Biden’s inclusion should ease the minds of fence voters who are worried about some of Obama’s foreign relations policies.

What remains to be seen however is how Clinton backers will react to the decision.  Many are still torn on Obama, something I find quite astonishing.  A true democratic supporter would get behind a candidate like Obama, an American through and through with, as he touts and I believe, only the nation’s goodwill at the forefront of his personal and political heart.

A true democratic supporter would rally behind the newly formed Obama-Biden ticket, applauding Obama on choosing a mate that will surely increase his chances of becoming America’s 44th president.

On the other side (where the grass is not greener), McCain supporters eagerly await his VP announcement. Personally I hope it’s Lieberman, only because it would give Obama a better chance.  A McCain-Lieberman ticket would be horrifying, with 138 years between them, they are, together, only a few years younger than my country of residence; Canada.

The latest CNN National Poll of Polls (a combined tally of the results of five different surveys) has Obama’s lead at just two percent over McCain.  The poll has no margin of error, and unsurprisingly, lists 14 percent of the polled as unsure.  In order for Obama to widen the gap, he needed to pick a good running mate, one that would bring in the majority of this magical and mysterious 14%.  He’s done that.

Biden will deliver his first speech as VP at the Democratic convention on August 27th.

Now we wait.

(See also: “Hillary wins round 2, shocking the Obama crowd” on Blast’s PSA Blog)

NASHUA, N.H. — Senator Hillary Clinton took an early lead and held on to defeat Senator Barack Obama.

The Associated press was the first to call the race for Clinton, NBC News followed before CNN around 11 p.m.

Obama was hoping to get a boost from college towns, but in the end he came up short.

Former Senator John Edwards finished a distant and disappointing third with about 17 percent of the vote.

Senator John McCain has won among the Republicans, it is projected. Iowa winner Mike Huckabee looks to finish third ahead of Rudy Giuliani

Turnout has been upwards of 70 percent statewide — over 500,000 votes.

McCain gave his victory speech around 9:30 p.m. local time. No word from Mitt Romney. Senator Obama conceded around 11 p.m.

Though he talked about winning and had the crowd cheering "Mich-i-gan" and "Mac-Is-Back," his enthusiasm giving a prepared speech seemed to be lacking … his crowd didn’t seem to mind though.

As the world looks to New Hampshire, turn to BLAST.

Stick with Blast’s political blogs, PSA and Touch of Class for more developments.

Blast’s reporters be updating their stories all night as returns come in and reactions start.

Trevor Timm reported from Nashua, N.H. Blast Magazine staff writers Heidi Buchanan and John Guilfoil and correspondents Colin Vallance, Kellen Rice and Ryan Rice contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — In what could become one of the most spectacular front-runner failures in presidential politics, rivaling that of Howard Dean in 2004 and Edward Muskie 1972, Hillary Clinton is now rumored to be considering whether or not to drop out of the election if she suffers a heavy loss in New Hampshire as she did in Iowa.

Senator Clinton is facing double defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire if current polls are indicative of the way the Tuesday night primary election will swing with Senator Barack Obama currently leading the way in New Hampshire with 39 percent to Clinton’s 29 percent in the most recent polls. (CNN, January 5).

Insiders are rumored to be split on the issue with advisers like James Carville who led her husband’s campaigns “urging her to fight it out through at least February and Super Tuesday, where she has a shot at thwarting Barack Obama in a big state” according to the Drudge Report.

“She can’t take multiple double-digit losses in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada,” laments one top campaign insider told the Drudge Report. “If she gets too badly embarrassed, it will really harm her. She doesn’t want the Clinton brand to be damaged with back-to-back-to-back defeats.”

Officially, Senator Clinton’s campaign has indicated that she has no reason whatsoever to drop out after only one loss. But with her national lead eroding, and fundraising numbers down it, will be interesting to watch how her strategy changes to handle her shattered myth of her inevitability. Given her show of emotion at an event in New Hampshire last night, her patriotism and passion finally showing through her thick skin, the speculation of her withdrawal is likely just that…