Irish bookmaker Paddy Power pays out on Barack Obama victory

I just called my mother and told her "Paddy Power is paying out on an Obama win" she immediately went "Ohhh!?". You tell any Irish person that and they know what it means.

Paddy Powers stay in your country. You do not live here and we do not want your type of government pushed on us.

Any of you pundits think Mitt will win. I'll take you bet.

Won't he feel the fool when he realizes he could have kept all that cash?

Romney has no chance. Paddy Power would never pay out unless the result was a dead cert.

Paddy Power should stick to the Irish elections; they are going to take a beating on this one. Obama is going to be looking for a job come January!

Didn't Paddy Power take the over in the Titanic being unsinkable?

Please, God, that the bookie is wrong or we're gone as a civilized country.

I could say a lot, but I will stick to just one point. In today's "Irish Times" newspaper, the notice by Paddy Power's about this particular bet shows a photo of Obama, with the caption "SORRY ROMNEY - YOU'RE NOT BLACK OR COOL" and it goes on to say they are paying out early on an Obama victory. Now, if the notice were to say "SORRY OBAMA - YOU'RE NOT WHITE OR COOL", I have no doubt but that it would be pilloried as "RACIST". Why the different treatment? In fact, I have no doubt but that the latter notice would not get past the first glance by the Irish Times editorial department. I have just now called the Editor's office of the "Irish Times" and I have asked that they contact me to let me have their comments. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.