12:47AM This concludes the regularly scheduled portion of our live blog. As of this hour, we don’t know the vote totals, and Romney has not yet scheduled his concession speech. However, the political class seems united in its view that Obama is the once and future President, and although I might wake up tomorrow and find the whole landscape changed, I don’t think so, for reasons stated below in “From the Barcalounger.” Thank you for participating, and good night. If you have additional comments to make, please feel free, but I am heading off to bed.
12:09AM Best results for Jill Stein and the Greens as of this hour: 1.4% in the great state of ME (Hat tip SFR).
11:50PM From the Barcalounger: The networks having called the election for Obama, the remaining unanswered question is whether the Republican brains trust will attempt to delegitimize the election through court challenges. I’m guessing no and here’s why:
If they were going to do that, they would have started already. When the conservative’s Mighty Wurlitzer is really cranking, Memeorandum is full of right wing bloggers all hammering on the same talking points and narratives. There’s nothing like that tonight. I’m seeing a screw-up or two in PA, but everybody knows all the confusion in that state was caused by a botched Republican voter suppression scheme. If they wanted to use it, there’s even a YouTube of a malfunctioning touch screen flipping a vote from Romney to Obama, but if they haven’t already turned that into the greatest offense against human decency since bread was first sliced, na ga happen.
From first to last, the Republicans really didn’t care about this election all that much. Anybody who remembers 2000 and 2004 can tell the difference. Sure, their consultants took a sh*t ton of money off stupid winger billionaires, so what’s not to like, but the Republicans used to be all about winning. Totally feral. No longer. A shame, really. And poor Nooners. As a prose stylist, there’s nobody to touch her, but Nate Silver beat her like a gong.
* * *
11:33PM Squee!
[Gotta take a quick break and timestamp all this via the twitter, since all the network calls are from banners.]
11:28PM CBS projects Obama win.
11:27PM ABC projects Obama win.
11:26PM CNN projects Obama win.
11:18PM Swing states:
Pink VA 80% counted Obama 47.9% / Romney 50.6%; NC 92% Obama 48.8% / Romney 50.2%
Blue FL 89% counted Obama 49.9% / Romney 49.3%; OH 53% Obama 50.3% / Romney 48.1%
11:10PM VA: “Just looked through the remaining areas out in Virginia. Heavily Dem except for Virginia Beach. I expect Obama to take the lead in the Old Dominion for good in the next hour at most” (NRO).
11:08PM CO: Denver Post calls CO for Obama (twitter). That was fast.
11:04PM USVI: Donna M. Christensen (D) 60.05%; Warren B. Mosler, 17.09%. Damn!!!!
10:49PM The Republicans hang onto the House (ABC). Where revenue bills orginate. Maybe they could get Issa investigating banks instead of the Alchohol, Tobacco, and Firearms administration? Not a chance.
10:48PM OH, FL still trending blue, adding CO and IA; VA, NC trending pink (Times).
10:43PM “Honest opinion from many journalists here in #Boston: Romney would concede very late or maybe even not at all tonigh” (France 24) Hmmm. The Republicans had better crank up the election fraud narrative pretty fast. So far, I haven’t seen that.
10:38PM OH: “Senator Portman tried to pump up the crowd here in Columbus, but they were having none of it. It’s remarkably downbeat here: All eyes are glued to television screens and smart phones, and the aides and staffers aren’t saying anything. A few people are sitting glumly on the sofas, and the general mood is pretty tense” (NRO).
10:32PM WI: Networks call WI for Obama (20% counted). So what happened with that recall thing, anyhow?
10:29PM VA: “More than two-thirds of the vote has been reported in Virginia. At the moment, Mitt Romney leads President Obama by four percentage points, 51 percent to 47 percent. But keep an eye on the Washington suburbs: Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County, where only a tenth of the vote has been reported so far” (Nate Silver). Creative class heartland.
10:25PM “The mood here at the @MittRomney party in Boston is grim to say the least – everyone standing around watching TV, glued to phones, no smiles” (FT tweet on site).
10:24PM Times “Paths to victory” interactive graphic is down. Bad sign for Romney.
10:20PM FL: “More than two-thirds of the vote has been counted, and Obama and Romney are only separated by about 100 votes (AJE).
10:16PM Path to victory: “In case you were wondering, for Romney to win the presidential election from this point, he has to win each of FL, OH, VA, NC, IA and CO” (Guardian). Na ga happen.
10:11PM MO: McCaskill defeats Akin. And so she should, since she put a million bucks into his campaign so he’d be her opponent.
10:10PM CO: 18% counted trending Obama.
10:07PM NH called for Obama; it’s been said NH is a good proxy for OH.
10:04PM PA: What the heck was Romney doing in the last week, wandering about in PA? Did one of the kids get a percentage of the ad money or something? Doesn’t bode well for Romney in OH either.
9:57PM PA: Networks call for Obama, 18% counted (Times).
9:55PM FL: “In every presidential election since 1960, the candidate who prevailed in Florida’s Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, has also prevailed in Florida. There is no guarantee that the pattern will hold in 2012, but the Tampa region is critical in carrying the Sunshine State (which is why the Republican Party held their national convention there this year). More than 80 percent of the vote has been reported in Hillsborough, and President Obama leads Mitt Romney by five percentage points” (538) If this trend continues, the election won’t be close enough to steal.
9:50PM “Pete Marcium of Platteville, WI wrote in his cat’s name for president and wished he could see the look on the ballot counters’ faces when they read that one” (America’s Finest News Source)
9:39PM On the Times map: Trending blue, OH, FL, CO, and PA. Trending pink, VA, NC, WI. If those trends continue, Axelrove can break out the champers. (The Times seems more conservative in its calls and I like that. Slow down. You move too fast.)
9:34PM OH: Sherrod Brown beats Josh Mandel (Plain Dealer).
9:33PM MA: Elizabeth Warren beats Scott Brown (CNN).
9:32PM “With 95 of 148 precincts reporting – plus early and absentee ballots — Grayson led 62 percent to Long’s 38 percent. A win returns Grayson to the U.S. House, where he served one term before losing in 2010 to now-U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, in what is now Florida’s 10th Congressional District.” Grayson sure ended up with an excellent district. Somehow.
9:27PM ME: Just got a “we did it” mail from Angus King. That was fast. I actually shook hands with King in a Bangor coffee shop two days ago — savvy advance work — and requested that if he had the balance of power in the Senate, “not one penny of Social Security cuts”. In his entourage, some long-time local D operatives. Oh good.
9:25PM FL: “Early returns show Obama to win Hispanic-Americans over all by 20 percentage points in Florida, and if he wins that, it’d be larger than the 15-point margin he had in 2008. If Mr. Obama ekes out a win in Florida, this will have a lot to do with it” (Nate Silver). If.
9:19PM Another swath of Red states for Romney, Blue for Obama. No surprises yet (Times map). Though a D pickup in Mourdock (45%) v. Donnelly (48%) in IN with 50% counted might count as a surprise. Thing is, voting patterns aren’t evenly distributed across counties, so only the experts on the ground can be sure what “50%” means pratically….
9:15PM Senate: Guardian polling guru Harry Enten: Ds will hold the Senate. They are winning, or have won, in CT, IN, MA, and MO. IN and MA would be a pickup for the Democrats” (Guardian) I’m betting the Ds, who would’t abolish the filibuster for health care or the stimulus, will abolish it if that’s what it takes to kick the hippies and gut Social Security. Too cynical?
9:14PM NC: “Talk about too close to call: North Carolina is 50%-apiece, with 66% of precincts in, with Romney ahead by about 1,200 votes in total” (Guardian)
9:07PM CO: Many mail-in ballots rejected for signature issues but statistically, seem as expected. Voters notified, eight days to fix. Issue if race is tight (Denver Post).
9:00PM OH: Lake comes in early because of touch screen so fast. Cuyohaga optical scanner so slower; bellwethers (Plain Dealer broadcast).
8:55PM TN Romney EC Romney 67, Obama 64. Still out, swing states: FL, OH, VA.
8:48PM I think the Times front page is the hamdiest map. So far, Red states are going for Romney, Blue states for Obama, and all the swing states are too close to call. I think I’m going to put on some loud music.
8:42PM “Mitt Romney’s internal campaign polling showed President Obama leading Ohio by five points on Sunday, the final day the campaign polled the state, two GOP sources told CNN” (CNN). Interesting if true. What if one of the sources is Christie, and the other is Ryan?
8:41PM OH: “Lake County, a bellwether county that narrowly favored President Barack Obama in 2008, is currently doing the same, according to absentee results. Obama has 51 percent and Gov. Mitt Romney has 48 percent” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
8:30PM FL: “With thousands of Floridians still lined up to vote, the presidential race in the nation’s largest battleground state is as close as can be, according to exit polls showing that President Obama might have an edge. It will take hours for a final winner to be clear — and it could even take days. In Miami-Dade, voters will remain in line in some precincts well past midnight” (Miami Herald)
8:20PM Voting problems: Good national wrapup. “Many of these issues could resurface in the courts after Tuesday, particularly if the race between Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, is too close to call or heads for a recount in states such as OH or FL” (Inquirer)
8:15PM Angus King (Independent) called in ME (AJE)
8:11PM OH nuance: “Though polling stations closed in Ohio at the bottom of the hour, an outcome is not expected for several hours. If Obama takes a commanding lead, it’s worth remembering that vote officials are first counting the early ballots, which were expected to favour the Democratic incumbent. If Romney can sink his teeth into the state’s juicy 18 electoral college votes, it would be a hammer blow to Obama’s Midwestern firewall, and would indicate his vaunted get-out-the-vote operation has stalled” (cannot link directly to text through BBC’s horrible interface)
8:10PM “Breaking: not a single state of any significance has been called for anyone. Relax!” (ha).
8:09PM OK, TN, MS, AL, GA, SC (Romney 82). ME, MA, RI, CT, DE, MD, IL (Obama 64) No surprises. Red for Romney, Blue for Obama. I sure wish I had an animated “paths to victory” map….
7:58PM Provisional ballots in OH. Strong post concludes: “[Romney] presumably needs to hope that he has a comfortable lead in the initial returns tonight; otherwise, he faces the possibility that Obama can catch up by relying on provisional ballots.”
7:53PM Swing counties in swing states: Arapahoe (CO), Polk (IA), Outagamie (WI), Hillsborough (FL), Chester (PA??), Henrico (VA), Hamilton (OH).
7:51PM VA delayed polling results ’til 8PM due to long lines.
7:45PM Polls closed in WV (Romney, duh) and swing states NC and OH at 7:30PM.
7:44PM “Exit polls from CNN indicate that, for the first time nationally, the Latino electorate turned out in a double-digit percentage” (Guardian) “In Virginia, the exit polls shows Obama winning just 34% of the white vote. In 2008, he won 39%. If that sort of slippage continues throughout the swing states, then Obama’s margins will be dangerously thin” (Guardian). OH still too close too call.
7:35PM MSNBC calls VT Obama; IN, KY, WV Romney; OH, VA, NC too close to call. No surprises so far.
7:15PM I wrote in “Mike Check” — twice! Also too they gave me a sticker. I actually like voting here, even if they do use optical scanners; I like it when the volunteers recognize me as they draw a line through my name on the voter rolls.
6:39PM Two more live blogs: BBC and France 24. If we can’t have international observers… Off to vote now!
6:25PM I’m going to ignore this exit poll too, even if the provenance is D-leaning PoliticalWire via Bruce Bartlett, who hates the Rs with all the fervor of an apostate.
6:21PM Mercury entered retrograde at 6:04 PM. Hat tip, aletheia33. Wait! What’s happening to my computer? Connection… Failing… Must… keep… typing…. [urk]
6:10PM “Perfect POLITICO Tweet RT @jmartpolitico A senior GOPer w close ties to Romneyland emails a single word: ‘worried.'” The meta! It b-u-r-r-n-s!!!!
6:09PM San Jose, CA: Five hours into Election Day, poll worker Travis Smith finally realized he was feeding completed ballots into a paper shredder. The Onion, naturally. Had ya goin! (And who in The Onion’s IT Department decided I didn’t need to link to individual snippets?)
6:01PM NJ extended the deadline to submit email or fax ballots to 8 p.m. (WaPo).
5:59PM Polls close in KY and IN at 6:00PM. The Guardian has a handy map of all poll closing times. Our long national nightmare is over. Almost.
5:58PM Adding The Onion Live Blog to the list.
5:52PM I’m going to ignore the first exit poll. Builds character.
5:49PM Obama’s account uses Reddit for GOTV (Guardian)
5:46PM Provenance, detail, and patterns are going to be key on election fraud (not the same as voter fraud) problems. Remember, electronic voting technology is a disaster waiting to happen — but that doesn’t mean that every fat finger episode on every touch screen is a nefarious plot, even in CO. (And if I were going to steal an election electronically, I sure as heck wouldn’t to it by flipping votes where the voter can see. Calm down, my Republican friends.)
5:38PM VA, FL report record turnout. So, enthusiasm! (Guardian).
5:27PM Adding the live blogs I like as reference material: Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN, WaPo. (Suggestions?) The Times has a keen “Words of a Nation” interactive toy on the front page where you can select a word that describes how you feel about the election, or enter your own. I entered “agnotoligated” and used my Philly zip, just for old time’s sake.
4:54PM I just added the closing times of swing state polls at the end of the post. The big one to watch, assuming that you can focus on your clock of choice, is OH at 7:30PM. Of course, all of OH’s votes won’t be counted at once, and may not in fact be counted for weeks (which will matter if the totals are close), but it’s a good first checkpoint, since the conventional, not crazed Republican, consensus is that if Obama wins OH, he wins! But as Nooners says, nobody knows anything. Off to start trawling now.
4:00PM In just a few short hours, we’ll know, or not, which actual or potential war criminal is going to end up looting Social Security! So, drinking games!
But look, I don’t drink (“powerless over”). My understanding is the drinking game rules are of the form:
“Every time you hear ____ take a _____”
Example:
“Every time you hear “at the end of the day” take a “big swig of NyQuil.”
So, readers, please feel free to leave your suggestions for drinking games in comments! But do remember: This is a family blog!
Housekeeping note: On a live blog, I put current material at top, so the most recent material pushes down less recent material. That means that the lead on the main page will constantly change. And I’ll put reference material, like the times that polls in swing states close, and other live blogs, at the end of the post. And if you want to add good sources to track results (especially on the ground in swing states, and preferably not completely polluted by tribalism) that would be great.
3:58PM Hey, is this thing on?
* * *
Swing State Closing Times
FL (7:00pm ET)
NH (7:00pm ET)
OH (7:30pm ET)
CO (9:00pm ET)
IA (10:00pm ET)
NV (10:00pm ET)
Live blogs
Guardian.
CNN.
309 comments
Comments are closed.
every time a pundit or host says any sort of demographics adjective (evangelical, Hispanic, white, senior, etc) take a chug!
Three words: acute alcohol poisoning.
Any time a pundit mentions Nate Silver you have to drink a whole gallon of vodka.
You mean voooodka….
Hahahaha
I think your official liveblog should start at 5:38 pm.
P.S. @Samuel Alexander….LOL!
Heeyyyyy! Lambert way to hold steady for Mike Check. I wanted to go there, but in the end I went ‘substantive’ and voted Green. Not least because Jill Stein is a cool broad, and in the real real world she’d beat the pants off of anyone else trying to be president this election cycle. Well, this election was as zippy as pissing on an electric fence . . . damn glad it’s over.
Marijuana is getting the votes in this cycle too. Get all those folks our of jail, and don’t put any more there who shouldn’t be, say yearn.
If I have a chance, I’ll have some remarks tomorrow on the larger meaning of electoral patterns in 2012; there _is_ a larger meaning, but I want to see final results. On vacation in CenCal, though, so we’ll see if I open my big (pixelated) mouth on that).
Gentleman: Let the selling begin . . . .
Any time one pundit interrupts another with, “Wait, wait, wait… but, here’s the thing!” you have to drink a tiny sip of PBR. This game would likely get you more drunk.
Every time you notice an attempt made by the media to appear ‘impartial’/’non-partisan’ through misrepresenting incoming electoral data, take a swig of absinthe!
Are you trying to KILL me?
I guess I’ll hang out here tonight. Random Thing:
Hello atheists and skeptics!
Please consider joining the Atheism+ movement. The emerging consensus there is that NC is a good source for info on economics, so I need more of yáll to join.
http://atheismplus.com/forums/index.php
Bigots need not apply. Google Elevator-gate for the history of A+.
This isn’t a bad place to hang out, if you can handle crazy antics like discussions of modern monetary theory and 19th century chartalism. Born to be wild!
That was random. And unnappreciated in this quarter.
Having looked at some links about Atheism+ I conclude it to be a tiny collection of irrational, fear-mongering, deluded articles posted by bloggers trying to drum-up hits for their sites. Like you just did. Bye.
Thanks for staying away!
By!
I said something about “Bigots need not apply”, yes?
Whenever there’s an interview with a voter exiting a poll, smile nicely then sip your whiskey. Then smile nicely again.
Whenever Wolf blitzer opens his mouth, we all laugh. That will make for a fun night!
Nice one! You don’t even need a glass to have a good time.
Any time a talking head mentions a third party, drink a beer. You’re significant other will be happy that you had at most 2 beers by the end of the night.
“your significant other”…back to grade school
Can I say “your other significante”.
That sounds cool…
I am significantly othered, and not for absence of the wormwood. Not even a squeak about third parties.
“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were.
After the second, you see things as they are not.
Finally, you see things as they really are,
which is the most horrible thing in the world.” OW.
Every time you hear swing, slap them in the face and tell them how useless voting is…
If I were to take some of you people’s suggestions, I’d end up getting wasted and ranting like some sort of insane Alex Jones fan.
That was not meant to be @ Danny, btw. Sorry! still getting used to where the correct reply button is here.
No worries. Everybody does it.
I would slap Alex too. He screams too much and says too little.
“insane Alex Jones fan”
Isn’t that a little redundant?
Ha!
You dropped the capital “I.” Some sort of transference going on?
I’m going up the country, babe don’t you wanna go
I’m going up the country, babe don’t you wanna go
I’m going to some place where I’ve never been before
I’m going, I’m going where the water tastes like wine
Well I’m going where the water tastes like wine
We can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time
(Canned Heat)
Also, hello FDL peeps! Same athena here.
It would seem that Jane Hamsher’s playing-both-sides hasn’t been real popular with either side. Oops.
I genuinely like Jane and trust her motives completely. I just can’t hang out tonight some place that has a picture of Obama up, referring to him as a progressive. That sort of thing makes me want to Carlin-out on the whole human species. (“I’m not depressed over all this because I’ve divorced myself from the outcome.”)
That said, I *think* she might know what she’s doing playing both sides. I guess I trust her judgment there. She’s pretty darn smart.
Intelligence isn’t the issue. But this should be a fun night of disaster so let’s forget all that! We get O for another 4 and then what? Hillary? Or will Chelsea be ready? Or maybe Andrew the Great. The Emperors may have no clothes but they do have chilluns. And serfs do like royalty. It’s appropriate.
Parties have never held on to the presidency except for Vice Presidents who go on to run at the top of the ticket. Unless you think Crazy Uncle Joe has a chance, then it’ll be some kind of Republican.
Or we will break the streak going all the way back to Washington.
Zombie Marie Antoinette.
Any time a cable network introduces an absurd gimmick to kill airtime–someone appearing via hologram, twitter messages from around the world, a visit to an undecided voter, etc.–eat a piece of leftover Halloween candy.
Felt like a shower to me, cold at first, but great in the end.
DID SOMEONE SAY NyQuil????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf2Wxdk4lAE
Skippy… Coma for 4 years?
Obama Better: Morphine. Drip, drip, drip.
Since I am on my first 48hrs cigarette free I can not drink…..so anytime you hear “momentum” a sip of aged earl grey
Good luck, Dave. It’s hard but worth it.
Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking/smoking/sniffing glue/amphetamines
http://tinyurl.com/2auee4w
Best trick for quitting smoking: don’t fight thinking about it – do the opposite – take a deep breath and give it your full imagination. Gets rid of the urge.
Hey, congratulations. Don’t worry, you will be so far out of your mind in the 48-72 hour stretch that you won’t even notice this low-rent, high-profile Oscar Party!
Try e-cigs – Volcano is pretty good – lots of vaaaapor …..
Is there anyone here that thinks Romney is going to win?
Dunno about here, but there were at least 2 on the NC v. Nate Silver thread.
I notice The Guardian’s US Presidential Coverage is highly pro-Obama today – evidently the paper cannot get enough of neoliberalism in the UK and now has to focus on the hopium coming out of the States – reminds me of its support for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 UK election – this despite its full knowledge of what was contained within ‘The Orange Book’ and the authors of the content therein.
God, I hope Romney wins just to knock the smirk off Mr. Rusbridger’s face – another complete and utter bastard in the mould of Obama.
Guardian was heavily pro-Obama throughout. I didn’t link to them much, but I do trust them enough not to just make stuff up….
Lambert Sir,
As a once loyal reader of The Guardian, the newspaper under its present editor, Mr. Rusbridger has gone down much in my esteem – indeed, the very tax avoidance scams its criticises other businesses for engaging in, it deploys itself – so much for its much vaunted integrity.
Further, since its obsession in getting clicks from the USA, the papers editorial content has gone down hill, the straw that broke the camels back was its hatchet job on Prime Minister Gordon Brown just prior to the 2010 UK election and its support for the Liberal Democrat’s and their leader, a certain Mr. Clegg – one of those that sponsored ‘the Orange Book.’
In a nutshell, the paper has been captured by neoliberal forces – something that irks longtime readers such as my self – its US coverage used to be excellent – basically they require someone like Matt Stoller writing for them, instead we get Oxbridge twits.
Hence my visits to NC to fill the void.
The Guardian,for a paper which purports to have green leaning, gave little to no ocverage to the USA Green and Jill Stien and less ( if that’s possible) to other third party candidates.
Glenn Greenwald got some good critical stuff in throughout the campaign period, worth the read.
Carl Rove is doing the play by play tonite on Fox. Ugh. But mildly disturbing because he is acting so confident and patient. Saying it will be too early to call anything until the end of the night. Just like the Bush camp acted as they stole Florida in 2000.
thanks for the update
espn
e-60
followed by hannah storm interviewing nascar drivers
college football espn2
from kdoc-tv orange county
5:48 a.m.: Jamie the Psychic’s quote: “I am the worst person to call when it comes to politics. I am absolutely ignorant. . . . On my way here, I kept asking my boys [points up above her head], my guys, who is going to win. And they wouldn’t tell me. So today, right now, I’m going to have to go with Obama.” She explains “her boys” are unseen forces who make her predictions. “I’m a parrot.”
I’m going to yoga instead. Every time I hear a Down Dog, I will Breathe.
Smart lady.
I’ll only start drinking if warren gets the senate seat
Bottoms up!
Cheers! Will she write another book once she gets the boot? This time a tell-all on how the political sausage is made.
Any time a candidate says “unsustainable entitlements” — Drink a gallon of Gatorade — you will defo need those electrolytes to get you through the long voyage on Austerity Ark.
Or take a bite of cat food, just to get in the practice.
BTW, anyone know of a good cat food cook book?
Try an old standard: Corned Cat Hash.
Antithesis: Corn Dog Hash in the Michelle Bachmann Cookbook.
Maybe better to start collecting Cat Food Tins in case they run out too. We wouldn’t want to have to eat junk food delivered as Hunger Relief by Walmart and PepsiCo!
Any time you hear deficits don’t matter, ask yourself, who is paying for it. Than go and look in the mirror and say, me.
With a mouth full of cat food.
ZOMG!!!! We owe ourselves money!!!!!
“ZOMG!!!! We owe ourselves money!!!!!”
FAN-TAB-U-LOUS!
Now you are laughing at the global inherited rich and I like that.
We need more people laughing.
Hillarious comments, guys.
Thanks.
Juan Cole says Romney better not win or the rich will get richer, austerity will come to America, and there will be more CO2 pumped into the atmosphere.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/05-5
I don’t get it. I just don’t. Does some kind of reason-destroying force field surround president Obama?
Cole’s right no matter who wins.
Easy call. The House always wins.
“reason-destroying force field . . . Obama” :
Yes. It is flabbergasting.
Whenever you hear nasty comments about people voting Third Party, take a swig of Creme de Menthe and sing “It ain’t easy being Greeeeeen” (really loud and out of tune if possible).
you’ve inspired me to make a grasshopper tonight.
cheers!
Ah, Creme de Menthe! Excellent suggestion. When I vomit later on this evening it will come back up all “minty-fresh.”
PTL for mouthwash when you really need it most!
I make nasty comments about people who are voting period, lady. Take a drink!
Any time someone says Razor Thin Margin, you toke.
Any time someone says 1st debate, you do a line
Ha ha!
When you see the Next Messiah accept his victory, drop a lot of LSD — it will be time to travel far, far away.
I don’t mean to be critical but some of here are against Big Pharma so instead would suggest those special mushrooms that Mother Nature has provide for us.
Those funny little cactus thingies aren’t so bad either…
this is the first election in like 10-15 years that I’m *not* watching endless TV coverage/surfing net/listening to progressive talk radio.
If Romney wins, the democrats might fight him on social security/medicare/medicaid cuts.
If Obama wins, then Romney didn’t win.
I voted Green.
Pretty much where I’m at, too.
Same here. Why watch my country elect a proto-fascist? I might as well watch something else while I can still afford cable.
OK then, here’s a possible stoner version…
Every time you hear a reporter/commentator/pundit talk about “medical marijuana” or “marijuana legalization” take a hit from your one-hitter, joint, or bong. Or if you’re not a toker, you could just eat a bite of dessert or junk food as an alternative (symbolizing “the munchies”).
Junk Food Junkie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLiVeRJTtqo
Reefer Madness, by the Kottonmouth Kings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwNb4SdrWck
Marijuana Legalization On The Ballot: (INTERACTIVE RESULTS) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/marijuana-legalization-results_n_2074168.html
Obama’s thank you note for his voters is already in the mail.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/06/hold-usa-campaign-cliff-idUSL1E8M5EVC20121106
I recall when we used to chuckle at Bush’s “man date”
Ah, “sweetie.” Memories!
Good times. When Bloggers used to called themselves “the reality based community”. And I believed them…
No one could have foreseen! etc.
if people don’t mind watching the election coverage via a computer, I’d recommend checking out France 24 English or Al-Jazeera English.
Same news. No idiotic over-the-top histrionics.
Let me check out France 24 English…
I just flew back from Berlin an hour ago.
The European press is all unanimously for Obama. They think Romney is another George Bush. They were surprised when I told them that Obama also is another George Bush.
i’m as left liberal as they come, but I think that the Europeans, especially the intellectual elites, are giving Obama an extremely generous pass given NDAA, drones, Wall Street, etc.
especially as the US/IMF/World Bank has a big influence on helping funding the various European bailouts and I think there’s some psychology thing going on where Europeans support Obama as a way to cleanse themselves and earn some redemption given their colonial past in Africa/third world.
How about their colonial past in North America?
Aren’t they supporting the *Jelly Donut* to keep the Bears away?
They sure are giving him a pass.
I suppose Europeans can be forgiven for being low-information when it comes to US politics?
“I suppose Europeans can be forgiven for being low-information when it comes to US politics?”
Yes. Americans not so much.
some know and the elites damn well know.
O is an easier sell.
Eiropeans don’t really rate Obama that highly, we just know what a c*nt Romney is.
This.
Again, screw you, Allan.
Take your liber-dystopia and shove it.
It’s not going to work here.
And boy, are your arms tired…
Should have told them Obama has been worse than GW.
I wonder: will we ever find out how many votes Jill Stein had? Or will they totally burry her under the “historicalness” of the moment?
She’ll get one write in vote from me tonight. I live in one of the few states where she didn’t make the ballot (grrr!). I’m going to check the county results later this month to see what they do with that vote.
She got one from me too!
And me.
moi aussi. would be interesting to poll nc readers to see how many voted jill stein.
stein wasn’t on my ballot, but rocky anderson was, as the independent party candidate (in CT). so i voted for him, wanting to register a left-leaning third party vote. stein would have been a write-in. i debated what to do about that, but i ended up deciding to go for someone who was on the ballot.
the working families party of CT rubber-stamped all the Ds. so no votes for them from me.
And me. I made my own yard sign, too.
I mean, I voted for Jill.
and me
I voted for Rocky Anderson & Justice Party. As a write-in. In NY state you could, so I did. Last week by absentee ballot.
Straight Green for me in NY – it’ll be interesting to see how Rozum makes out …
I voted Green for president here in Hawaii (obviously Obama was a shoe-in). But the Greens were beaten out by the Libertarians (3684 to 3057, .87% to .72%).
And me.
At the Savannah polling place, nobody could affirm or deny what I’d heard on the news a week ago: NO “write-ins” permitted if not on the Approved List of the GA Politburo (the news offered an example of a candidate who did make the list: a man with a Basic Bible platform; Jill Stein was NOT on the List).
Since Dr. Jill Stein had not qualified to be even a “write-in” it was too risky to write in Dr. Jill, so I voted for the only Alternative to the Duopoly, who did make it to the official finals in GA: Gary Johnson. Isn’t this a “Hobson’s Choice?” There were many *Uncontested* Republicans on the ballot; “contests” were between a Republican v. a Libertarian. “Incumbents” go on year after year without a fuss. Georgia sucks for any voter outside of the Conservative Force for Reactionary Government. And you can’t risk leaving anything blank, either. The Republican Machine in GA uses any pretense to disappear a ballot that appears to question the status quo ante-bellum.
And, as in the Gret Stet of Louisiana, if you don’t vote, someone will do it in your name somehow. This is the REAL Amurka.
Oh, well.
Sounds like Russe to me ….
“4:00PM In just a few short hours, we’ll know, or not, which actual or potential war criminal is going to end up looting Social Security!”
As Kleptos will always want more
Their Cronys get ready for war
Their force is prepared
And none will be spared
Their slogan is: “Death To The Poor!”
The Limerick King
http://www.flickr.com/photos/expd/8151175588/
Their slogan is: “Death To The Poor!”
“And then they came for me.”
Had to vote for Jill Stein because I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for a President who promised in 2008 to restore the rule of law, but now believes he has the unilateral right to intern American citizens without trial or even to put them on a kill list. Since when did the President become a Monarch? Romney would be just as bad on these issues, if not worse. So, I’m one of those idiots who votes his conscience. Goddamn me.
The upside is that knowing your candidate cannot win takes the tension out of election night.
“The upside is that knowing your candidate cannot win takes the tension out of election night.”
Like being a Cubs fan on Opening Day!
I hadn’t really thought about it before, but I guess another upside is that you’ll never kick yourself for having voted for the person that thew you in the gulag. Hmmm…I wonder if Noam has thought about that?
it dawns on me 20 years ago on election night i was on a redeye from lax to bangkok for vacation when the captain’s voice broke the night to announce a young southern governor named clinton had defeated an incumbent president close to my parent’s age
the man on the street was most fascinated that someone so young (his age) would be elected, something that could not happen in his homeland
mercury has just entered retrograde
Thanks for sharing that
someone’s got to
So has this country. After Obama cuts Social Security we’ll be back to around 1925 or so.
HeadzUp, folks. That “Onion” link Lambert posted at 5:58 is hysterical! Since this entire election is a fraud and a joke, might as well laugh your way through this night.
Skol!
Thanks for the heads up! I got brave and turned on the TV for all of 45 seconds before the stupid burned too bad and compelled me to turn it right back off. I’m officially at the mercy of this liveblog.
Also, I like how none of us are watching twitter for updates or anything. We’re all just…trying to not kill ourselves. lol.
Satan vs Hitler 2012-a-thon.
you might enjoy this website: http://www.obomney2012.com/
“The Elite Choice in 2012”
Thanks!
I actually got flamed/dogpiled out of my primary internet community for outing myself as a Stein voter. First of all, they had no idea there wasn’t really a SS crisis. And then they called me politically ignorant for not understanding that “all this stuff” is what you learn in a basic pol sci class in college, 101 like.
As a general rule, when 20 people are telling me I’m wrong, I’m just wrong. But I REALLY tried to see how I was wrong there, and had to just conclude that I was dealing with a unique case of 20 people being full of crap Obots.
I tell those folks about the bumper sticker that reads:
My other Prius is a drone
and they don’t like me anymore….don’t understand why they can’t get over their cognitive dissonance….
Hey psychohistorian-I printed out that image and taped it to a Prius that was parked next door for an Obot phonebanking phrenzi-thon.
I’m pretty sure my neighbor knows who the perp is… ;-)
That is funny!
Yep, “gallows humor” for real.
“Shocker!!!!! Supreme Court Disqualifies Millions of Votes”
November 6th, 2012
in econ_news, syndication
Written by The Scallion
//Econintersect: By a 5-4 vote the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has ruled that millions of votes cast must be eliminated from election results. The short majority opinion is presented below (after Read More).
/The basis of the unprecedented and astounding order was that as many as 50 million or more votes are unconstitutional because only votes for Republicans are qualified under Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.//
——————————————-
CLICK LINK for Follow-up:
http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2012/11/06/shocker-supreme-court-disqualifies-millions-of-votes
for those on satellite
Starting at 5 p.m. Left Coast time, Al Gore — you know, the former VP, part-time SF resident and winner of the popular vote in the 2000 presidential race — will anchor Current’s coverage. Joining him LIVE in SF will be two ex-Guvs, former Michigan Guv Jennifer Granholm and former NY Guv. Eliot Spitzer, both of whom host their own Current shows.
Got any links on that? I’ve got to get an additional data drip through yet another sense organ…
saw the story on sfgate.com
That main artery straight from the heart, what’s that called again?
i aint gonna stay up to watch it…& ill be disappointed in the morning with whoever wins..
“mercury has just entered retrograde”
please lay off the astrological nonsense. it’s bunk, the gravity of Mercury is infintesmal when compared to the daily tugging of the Moon.
and given the size and scope of the solar system, galaxy, universe, there is some “cosmic” alignment that happens every day.
leave the belief in non-reality-based bunk to the supply siders.
Are you an atheism plus person? (I am.)
If not, please consider joining the Atheism Plus movement! So far, we’re all pro-NC, and I’d like it to stay that way (Hmm…now I’m thinking maybe it would be better for atheism plus to rebrand as “Skepticism Plus?” Coz very smart, very intelligent, very skeptical people CAN be theists.)
Well golly gee, glad you acknowledge that!
My very sincere apologies, Aquifer. FWIW, anti-theist bigotry within the atheist community is one of my Causes in the A+/ S+ community.
You forgot to leave a linky to boost the site traffic from your trolling activity. Just so ya know.
AAAaaand…go screw yourself X3, Allan.
Yes, skepticism plus social justice is POTENT.
It’s very OWS.
please lighten up, there’s a good snarky, just hoping to spark a laff or 2 (it worked), i need these laffs here tonite
I figured you were making a joke, fwiw.
Been outside enjoying the last rays of Colorado sun setting over the Rockies.
“Agnotoligated?” Does that mean Lambert is feeling like a garrotted lamb? Works for me.
More Republicans than Democrats have voted so far, according to Colorado Secretary of State. Which may mean …. nothing.
Agnotology is the science of induced stupidity. So by extension….
Well, that explains my ignorance of the term. I have watched too many campaign ads! And I thought reading “naked capitalism” every day would act as an antidote. Is the damage permanent?
Damage n… not…. p… perman… [urk]
meanwhile looks like biden voted early
from the onion
GREENVILLE, DE—Local election workers confirmed Tuesday that they overheard Vice President Joe Biden repeating the phrase “banged her” and describing salacious details of sexual encounters with various female candidates as he read through the names listed on his ballot. “Banged her, fucked her, boned the shit out of her, got a tug job from that one, went down on her,” said Biden, scanning through a list that included Jill Stein, Cheri Honkala, Karen Weldin Stewart, Cheryl Anne Valenzuela, and nine-time Delaware state Rep. Deborah D. Hudson.
Link!
http://www.theonion.com/articles/poll-workers-overhear-biden-repeating-phrase-bange,30266/
It’s the Onion!
Oh, FFS! I thought you were asking for the link. OK, laying off the shots every time I here “too close to call”…
Has Obama signed any death warrants today, and if so, has this news been made available in the Swing States – could muster a few rednecks to vote for him, such are the advantages of being an incumbent.
Speaking of swing states…
I’ve never felt a need to “rationalize” my vote for Jill Stein in Florida. I’ve made no bones about it – my vote has nothing to do with electing her president and everything to do with a desire to see Obama lose and the Democratic Party destroyed and here’s part of a comment I submitted after reading the transcript of the debate between Swanson and Ellsberg:
I am unafraid of a Romney presidency because I refuse to be afraid. Whatever “worse” he might bring it, is no where near worse enough to succumb to the fear tactics by Democrats who have promised to deliver a milder (by what standards “milder?”) version of the same.
Emma Goldberg famously said that if elections mattered they’d be illegal. It had the ring of truth then but that ship has sailed. That dog don’t hunt anymore. The Rights of Man have now been made illegal and the party most egregiously responsible is the Democratic Party, a point that can not be clearer given Obama’s gleeful celebration and execution of his now codified (NDAA) right to assassinate citizens extra-judicially, sans due process. I’ve been hearing the GOP rail against the New Deal, abortion rights, etc, while trumpeting pro-corporate “free market” neo-liberalism my entire adult life (35 years). That’s not a new message no matter how much the Democrats try to scare us with it. It’s the same old same old. And in those 35 years, have those rights been strengthened? No. The Democrats have had the WH for nearly half of my adult life (Carter, Clinton and Obama) and strong majorities in Congress for more than half of it. The New Deal is weaker, abortion rights are less secure (Obama’s extension of the Hyde amendment, etc) SCOTUS is more conservative and both parties are fully on board (like SCOTUS) with the neo-liberalism that is destroying democracy globally. The Democrats, especially Obama, have willingly compromised while the GOP doubled down on their agenda and have seen it legislated into law by the Obama WH. It isn’t the GOP that made Romneycare Obamacare, it was Obama, who celebrates his betrayal to national healthcare. The Democrats have demonstrated time and time again – and never so strongly as with Obama – that the only changes they are willing to make are changes for the worse. And if Obama wins we will see more of them.
It is not easier to make changes within the Democratic party. It is easier, and necessary, to destroy the Democratic Party from the outside, with third party votes that win nothing. One can not build upon bad to create good, one needs to destroy bad and give good a decent chance to re-establish, based on a clean slate.
I am a classical singer and teach many young aspirants at the University level. When I encounter young singers who’ve developed bad and destructive habits (muscle meomory) I tell them it is not enough to believe they can replace the bad with the good, that first and foremost the old habits need to vanish, to be forgotten so as to establish a neutral condition upon which the old habits no longer can have any influence. Old habits (muscle memory) can not be built upon with any expectation of new results. New results can only fully be achieved when the old habits are GONE, erased, forgotten.
The last time our political culture changed significantly was when the Whigs disappeared.
The modern Democratic party needs to whig-out before any of its pernicious and deadly bad influence can be rectified.
Short of revolution, it’s the clearest way to change our current political culture, in my opinion… it’s not very likely that enough Democrats would abandon the sinking ship they represent in the way Lincoln and his “new” Republicans abandoned the Whigs but it’s more likely than imagining the current Democratic Party changing its stripes from within. That Ellsberg suggests the latter more than disappoints. Weak tea disappoints, desperation and fear infuriates!
Obama is doing a pretty good job of destroying the Democratic party, so at least there’s that. There’ve been plenty of stories about how he has refused the traditional campaigning president’s job of helping downticket candidates; he’s all about himself. And of course his policies are poisoning his party’s brand, hence the mid-term rout in 2010.
Sorry all, been doing some work and following the results as they roll in from the BBC coverage – which with David Dimbleby at the helm – looks like an Obama walk over presently.
One piece of good news is that Elizabeth Warren has won her Senate seat – would like more info on Third Party candidates, particularly Jill Stein – however, its regrettable that Obama is being rewarded with another four years – now for the ‘Great Betrayal’ I suppose – had Romney campaigned as when he was Governor of Massachusetts he may have been in with a chance – obviously the Republican lurch further to the right has not appealed to many – perhaps we are witnessing a sea change, whatever the case, and given his record, ones not looking forward to the Obama/Democrat sellout of its core constituency – trust me, I know what it feels like having suffered Tony Blair long after his sell by date and his heir, Cameron of the ConDem Alliance.
I bid you all good night.
The Onion liveblog is really cracking me up. I can’t help but wonder if whoever’s writing that stuff reads here.
An MIT or Harvard geek Sophomore sucking up to the boys?
Lambert says: “If we can’t have international observers… Off to vote now!”
You and my son, Lambert – I’m very proud of him. According to an Albuquerque Journal halfpage ad – registered voters in New Mexico can vote anywhere on election day, so as he is but now living with me, down we went to my voting place – and he was turned away. ( The ad says ‘you cannot be turned away.’) He was turned away.
So, he is presently driving the 60 miles to the county where he is registered, and I his mum just hope they haven’t caged him. The ad says you can vote even if they have, but Common Cause, are you listening? (we did register our disaffection. )
If I had anything to drink, I would. Poor planning, that. He will try to vote third party, for whom I don’t know. As I said, proud I am.
Heh.
My 9 year old wanted to fire off a heated letter to Nickelodeon over how he could only vote for Romney or Obama on their kids choice voting online thingie. Unfortunately, writing to Nickelodeon isn’t possible, as far as I could figure out. I tried to help him, but there’s no “contact us” type page.
Ha, ha – no “contact us” – says it all, don’t it ….
It does, word, and yeah.
It occurred to me earlier today that I voted for a woman for President. That’s not why I voted for her, but it’s still kind of cool, even if she won’t win.
Word.
Voting third party sooooo eclipses voting for a female president it’s not funny. But still. Holy crap. For the first time ever, I voted for a female president! And it’s completely different from imagining voting for Hillary, too!
And a woman for veep, which I was too young to do in 1984, and too two-party centered to do until now.
Shucks, in central NY the whole damn Green ticket was women :))
http://my.firedoglake.com/principlesoverparty/2012/11/06/why-i-wont-be-voting-for-barack-obama-and-you-shouldnt-either/
A good read. Take a gander at the comments section to view some of the bile spewn by that authoritarian piece of shit TBogg and other Obamabots.
It looks like Obummer is going to win. Here comes the grand bargain. It will be fun, in a macabre sort of way, to watch the Obamabots try and justify all the “entitlement” cuts to come.
“authoritarian piece of shit TBogg ”
LOL!
I honestly really wonder if Klassy from here is TBogg! I replied “NADER” to “Why did Obama cross the road?” and Klassy thought I was being pro-Obama and making a pro-Obama joke! lol.
Now I have to go check the “Make your own jokes!” post comments to see if whoever that is replied when I asked if he was TBogg.
What in the hell would make you say that? I read that thread and that TBogg thing represents everything I hate.
I liked your joke.
I guess it is me if I’m misinterpreted over and over again.
And what gave you the idea that I thought you were being pro Obama?
This is weird.
Sorry if I misread your humor, Klassy.
Thanks, Ms. G.
@ Klassy! Trust me, it is not you.
Yeah, right. lol.
I used to like FDL, but TBogg finally got to me.
weird…can’t get into FDL for last 10 minutes. maybe Holder is shutting it down while TBogg stages a coup.
FDL–me neither.
Sam Wang suggests watching NH if you want an early indication where things are headed, since it is small and tends to report early. We’ll know NH long before OH. Polling averages in NH were about Obama +3. If Obama’s at 3, polls were fairly accurate and Obama is in good shape overall (pace Silver). Obama +1 means a long night; a Romney win bodes well for him.
i watched bill o’reilly just say that america is changing, because there are too many people who are counting on the government to give them things…and thats who the obama administration targeted.
lol.
such sour grapes.
And so factually wrong. Like by 180 degrees. But I guess when the Devil looks just like you, there is no choice but to dress him up as The Devil You Want Him to Be. Sad state of affairs.
Where’s F. Beard?
http://www.theonion.com/articles/live-updates-the-onion-covers-election-day-2012,30262/
Check out the 8:15 pm post.
He got upset when I told him he couldn’t keep saying bigoted stuff about Mormons. I had a more polite formula but the message was that what he was saying was a violation of NC rules and I’d have to put him in moderation if he couldn’t dial that down.
“ECHOCHAMBER!”
lol.
Thanks for the F. Beard update…..I must have been breaking my leg that week and missed his outing.
F. Beard expressed way too much faith and not enough reason, IMO.
I wondered the same thing. Then, a few days ago, saw one of his comments at New Economic Perspectives.
He is an interesting combination of MMT and Bible enthusiast. The latter was fine until he started going persistently after Mormonism. Not just an occasional toad hopping out of mouth comment but persistent on a couple of threads. This was far away enough from the election it could only have gotten worse.
47% – legal, educational, governmental and welfare establishments will elect Obama. Disposition Matrix – you vote for it, you own it!
What are “welfare establishments”, pray tell? I would like you to spell it out.
Won’t the Ultracons be surprised if they are the target of disposition?
All of us will be targets.
Establishments – should be singular, the groups are intermingled “professional” welfare – Pew, Ford, Gates etc – all multi-billion fortunes outside taxation.
Hey Ginnie in NYC
I make things with my bare hands and tools I make, and People in foreign countries buy these things, because, thanks to Bush and Obama, Americans are too poor to afford them, which government tit do you suck on and how long do yopu think you can do this?
Klassy never answered whether or not he was TBogg. Dead end.
But this is funny and will lighten all hearts. Sorry for not remembering the UN that posted this answer about “Why did/didn’t Obama cross the road?”
A: “We must remember not to let actually crossing the road be the enemy of promising to cross the road.”
See above.
I still don’t get why you think I’m that TBogg creature.
Not TBogg. Not even a “he”. Sorry.
But… I posted a few jokes yesterday and they were parodies of the TBogg mindset so maybe this is a compliment!
That appears to be the case, Klassy. (See my comment above.) Nice having you in the Peanut Gallery.
Will Rebecca feel vindicated if her guy wins?
Oh, WOW!
Are you talking about Rebecca Watson?
Only 1 minute until polls close in Colorado. Meanwhile, local channel 9 convened a panel of 12 previously “undecided voters”, who voted today, and asked them who they voted for. 9 picked Obama, 2, Romney and one hapless woman declined to reveal her vote for fear that her family would attack her at Thanksgiving dinner. A secret Jill Stein supporter??
Did Joe Lieberman just lose his Senate seat? If so then maybe this election sh#t isn’t so bad after all…..
That scumbag retired.
Ugh.
But I didn’t know Alan Grayson was running again either. So, good for him.
Haven’t you heard Lieberman is bucking for State? NPR dropped the dime.
Never mind Obama. I had no idea Alan Grayson was running again, but he is and appears do be going quite well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed…
Anyone else have mixed feelings about that guy?
Yeah. He’s pretty solid on domestic issues, has excellent rhetoric. On foreign policy, fatal flaw is Middle East. AIPAC booster. His constituency explains it in part, but it shows he will not dare to lead or educate.
His support for AIPAC is hard to swallow but I doubt his foreign policy stance had much impact, whereas on finance and economy he arguably achieved more than any other congressmen. I hope he wins…
Matt Stoller was Grayson’s policy advisor. Matt might give us some insights there.
Yes, I do wish Grayson wasn’t so supportive of AIPAC.
I have been getting his emails since he was unelected a couple of years ago…..
He says all the right stuff and until I hear him say something that isn’t the right stuff I am going to give him the benefit of doubt. I am not Jewish but was married to one for 17 years so my antenna are finely tuned……
I am glad to hear he is winning in FL. If we can make it to the next Congress it should be interesting.
1. I think anyone in that seat has to be pro AIPAC.
2. Stoller really really enjoyed working for Grayson and Stoller is most decidedly not pro AIPAC (as in he got into politics by being anti war and in particular is not happy with what Israel is doing to Palestinians), FWIW.
Thanks.Since I like Matt and I like Alan, it’s a win-win for me.
Question- Grayson ran in a different district this time-correct? If so, does that particular district need to be AIPAC-massaged like his previous district, or are the constituency demographics different?
OMH,
I am a political newbie, so all this down and dirty stuff is above my pay grade. To answer your question, I think you need to look at the demographics, specifically age. Florida is such a magnet for Jewish retirees that if his district skews older, it probably also is more Jewish.
But in fairness, there is also a generational split. Most older Jews except for the uber leftie Haaretz crowd are pro-Israel. Maybe not rabidly so, but they think defending Israel is important. Younger Jews generally don’t identify with Israel and pretty decent proportion are unhappy about Israel’s posture towards Palestinians.
I’ve lost friends who are Jewish over this issue, not that I’d even argue with them, the fact that they’d get my WASP silence when they brought up Iran was too much for them. So the fact that Grayson would have someone like Stoller in an important role, who was known to be not a fan of American joined at the hip with Israel, says at least that he tolerates dissenting views (as long as his staffers act like good subordinates and still carry his water).
Maybe it’ll come down to Grayson or Lieberman: Take your pick.
The problem, ISTM is that he is a Dem – i.e. tethered to, dependent on, the Dem machine which means that he will be allowed to make lots of prog noises to keep that wing in line but, when push comes to shove, and crucial votes needed, he will be made to sit down and shut up – as Kucinich was re health care. As long as he’s harmless they will tolerate him … They need a poster child for a “left” wing – “see, there’s hope for the Dems!”- Kucinich served ’til he got too annoying, methinks Grayson will take his place ….
Having been a lefty in the “hope for the Dems” camp until long after most had left, it really took a lot of pumice to remove the scales from my eyes – Kucinich “party over principle” in the healthcare debacle finally did it. Just to BE a Dem these days says to me you are willing to be compromised ….
I’m with you, Aquifer. The veil started tearing for me at the end of Clinton Term I. And I was a card-carrying member of a ‘drag the Dems left’ outfit.
It’s easy to dismiss anyone on these grounds. OK, we do have Bernie Sanders (and a freshman Maine senator BTW) but they’re more of an exception that proves the rule.
Alan Grayson made a real difference during his term and no doubt will continue now. He may not be perfect but he made incredible achievements in this toxic political environment, while as an independent it would be extremely difficult to even get elected.
So, unlike the presidential race, I believe his election is a clear win for true progressives.
Please elaborate on his “difference” – and why did the Dem machine not put money in for him, so i understand, in the campaign he lost? He, like Feingold, was left out to dry while they funded guys like Reid- sorry, but if he really is a legitimate “thorn in the side prog”, the Dems would have fully funded a BD challenger in a primary – methinks he may have had his own AF1 moment, but time will tell …
I understand the “logic” – “i can do more good in than out”, but methinks that is self deception – the “good” they do is ultimately superficial and the harm they do, by giving Dems cover for progs is more profound …
Reporting from Arapahoe County – the swing county in the swing state of Colorado – early results show Obama in the lead.
This was actually a joke, Klassy?
“I’ll try again.
Why didn’t Obama cross the road?
F***ing sanctimonious purists. Jill stein has your rainbow colored sparkleponies waiting for you across the road.”
It’s really hard to cross a road when the thing you most desire is to be seen standing in the middle of it.
I’m really scratching my head over Klassy over here.
This is the kind of ideology-enforcing behaviour that is normal for Atheism+ acolytes, by the way. Single-out someone with a difference; try to rally others against that other; snark/invent ‘crimes’/rally to punish – rinse and repeat until demise of other. You should look it up. It’s a classic case study in cult behaviour.
WOW!
Yáll really DO see that A+/ Skepticism Plus is the new OWS, don’tcha?
lol.
Wouldn’t it be a hoot to see Jill Stein pick up enough votes to get us a 3rd party in this country….excuse me..make that a 2nd party in this country.
GO DR. JILL!!!!!
Where can we see her score? I just see red and blue and percentages that don’t equal 100 on the sites I have up.
I wish I could find a popular vote total with the Greens. Readers?
At livestream.com/greenpartyus, they’re running a local race and referendum count on the right side of the screen. I haven’t seen national totals, yet.
Here’s another: http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us/results — you have to select the “all candidates” option on the left side.
Barack Obama 49.2% 44,621,296 ev274
Mitt Romney 49.4% 44,828,420 EV200
Gary Johnson 0.9% 820,476
Jill Stein 0.3% 264,646
Rocky Anderson <0.1% 25,130
Roseanne Barr <0.1% 21,632
Reading over that FDL thread…
GAWD I hate TBogg SO MUCH. He really is almost as authoritarian as they come.
Hate is corrosive…. And I know. Dr. Samuel Johnson said “I love a good hater,” and I am that…
It’s funny because when TBogg posts videos of Romney supporters being dumb, I have the same experience reading the TBogger comment thread as they do watching the Teabagger video. So many fools so proud of being one cave higher.
Athena,
That was intended as a parody of the sort of statements that TBogg types would make– because everything that comes out of their (mouths) is already parody– and nasty and vile. To write such venom and to claim that you care about others is a joke in itself.
I stumbled upon Balloon Juice through of all things, a link through Glenn Greenwald’s column at Salon. He was talking up a fundraiser/calendar thing they were doing. At first it seemed harmless enough– the usual oh those winguts! stuff. Their preoccupation with the Bubba demographic seemed to belie a cluelessness with who really weilds power in this country, but whatever. I wasn’t prepared for the venom directed at anyone who dare suggest third parties, however.
Now, unfortunately I know that TBogg exists. he’s no different than any of those Balloon Juicers.
FDL is a Trojan horse site for progressives. It portrays itself as progressive on various issues and criticizes individual Democrats, but it has never broken with the Democratic party and had up a vote for Obama graphic (not an ad as far as I could tell) on its frontpage. Its community is fairly progressive but its management still remains in the bag for the Democrats.
WHOA, NO.
I kind of know the front page FDL bloggers (sans TBogg and Dayen…and the joke among FDL bloggers is that Dayen is “the Dayen brothers” coz he puts out SO much content. lol) and no, none are covert agents of any sort. FDL is is a source of good.
I’m a little sensitive about all of this. The idea that I’ve unknowingly contributed to planned misinformation hurts my feelers. I R Not CIA. For serious.
I don’t know whether or not FDL gets foundation money from oligarchs. I’d guess not. Could be wrong. But NGO/Foundation money is the only mechanism I can imagine corrupting FDL.
Stir the pot; create wild allegations; play the victim/’hurt’ card.
Classic Atheism+ playbook. Nicely done.
Kindly go screw yourself, Allan. Regarding A+, I haven’t felt this passionately about anything since OWS. And as people here can attest to, I’m notorious about my passion for OWS. Skepticism is what led me here. Morals are what makes me a leftie. You can take your neoliberal libertopia and shove it. Be scared, Allan.
The gig is up.
The internet is going to turn we political 1%ers into the 99%.
PS: we’ve got a lot of hactivists on our side, too.
What the heck was Romney doing in the last week, wandering about in PA?
Somebody on HCN said that some Republican bigwig told him that all the air time in Ohio was bought up. More money than places to spend it.
I’m also tracking The Corner at National Review Online, and if what’s what’s showing up there is an indication of where things are going, it’s Obama.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner
Nice tip. Thanks!
Local news segment showed people still in line to vote at 10 p.m. (Columbia SC). Voters say they were in line 6-7 hours. What about other states?
Hi rivegauche,
I’m out here in Oregon. We vote by mail. This waiting-in- line-for-hours-on-end nonsense seems utterly crazy to us.
I agree, Ray. Glad I only had an hour and 20 min. to wait last Friday. SC doesn’t have “early” voting but one can vote absentee in person or by mail. Just give the reason you can’t vote on election day.
Our ballots arrive in the mail approximately October 16. We have a very well designed “Voter’s Pamphlet” which is published by the Sec. of State and proceeds the ballot. We can fill it out at the dinner table, discuss it with friends and experts and then either mail it in or drop it off at many convenient locations. I dropped mine off this year at the Dems HQ because it was convenient.
Almost all of the horror stories I hear about Ohio, Florida, etc. are impossible issues here.
Right now Greg Palast was being interviewed on Democracy NOW!’s live coverage and he was going over the astonishingly racist harrassment the poor blacks of Ohio have endured this year, while their richer white suburban counterparts are lavished with more precincts and voting booths than they need. It’s a crime what is going on in Ohio right now.
Ray – i dunno, if i were voting for Stein, say, i think i would be a bit nervous dropping it off at Dem HQ – lol
AGREED! Vote by mail. Paper record. Access for everyone…OR even has iPad app for disabled.
The corruption of the voting system in this country would be laughable if it were not so sick.
Thanks for your comment.
I am absolutely aghast at how awful the American voting system is. It’s a national disgrace.
I’ve followed this topic closely since 2000.
I’ve come to find BradBlog, Black Box Voting and Prof. Mark Crispin Miller to be excellent resources on election fraud. There’s plenty of evidence of how this system is rigged for fraud.
flowchart
http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/scenarios?ref=politics
So what is Ms. Market going to do in response to this “election”?
Up, Down, Sideways, Inside Out, Upside Down? ……when do I pull the niggling little bit I need out of my IRA to pay property taxes?
How will it play into the Lame Duck Shock Doctrine event?
That’s MR Market, and don’t you forget it!
Two senate seats go blue where it was unthinkable, most notably E. Warren.
Seriously, methinks until the financial riddle is dealt with… its all just a frog cook off.
skippy… Yes the meta bias injected from birth does burnnnnn… burn hole swaths of humanity… and them selves… in spite.
as of 11 PM the vote from Norfolk Virginia, an Democratic stonghold, has not come it. So, I would say that VA looks very good for Obama.
http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsCTY.aspx?type=PRE&rid=3545232527424045364&osn=0&map=CTY
I just wanna say there have been several comments tonight about Chomsky backing Obama, but I don’t know where the supporting evidence is. On the Green Party livestream feed, Chomsky is listed as a J. Stein supporter.
ginnie – Chomsky indeed supported Stein in the Green primary, but it appears, from what I heard, that he did the “safe state” thing again, as before, in the election, though i do not have a link.
It has amazed and infuriated me, by turns, that “fearless” folk like Zinn and Chomsky can be such chickens when it comes to politics – Stein has pegged it “the politics of fear” and it indeed runs deep. So depressing, don’t know what to do about that, sigh ….
I apologize if I’ve fallen for misinformation regarding Chomsky. I huge puffyheart Noam Chomsky. I wish he could tell me what his trick for staying sane is.
My husband just posted to his facebook page “Megatron wins”.
Cthulu demands a recount!
http://cthulhu2012.com/
Why choose a lesser evil?
CNN calls it for Obama at about, what, 11:11 pm? (EST)
Sam Wang’s timestamps for when networks called it:
http://election.princeton.edu/2012/11/06/comment-thread-3-live-blogging/
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=278559112264913&set=a.108164989304327.10422.100003324782432&type=1&theater
MEGATRON!
Not like any of us thought the owners wanted Obama to win or anything. lol.
The fix has been in for a long, long time.
It was obvious a couple of years ago that most of the ruling class criminals wanted the more effective evil, Obama, in the White House for 4 more years. Obvious to anyone who understood the ruling class’ agenda, which is the imposition of massive austerity on the people. They need a Black “progressive” front man to carry out the reactionary assault on the working class. It’s the only way they could sell it to what has historically been by far the most progressive segment of the U.S. population, the Black working class.
Meanwhile, does anybody else get the feeling that all the networks have gotten together and coordinated their presentations? “Obama must secure his legacy by reaching out to the business community and going for a Grand Bargain deficit reduction.” Coincidence or psyops against the masses?
Also, is there a more vapid human being on the planet than David Gregory? Shouldn’t he be doing shampoo commercials instead of pretending to be a journalist? Don’t get me wrong. Russert was awful. Another court reporter for the Empire. But at least he sold his bullshit with enough personality and faux-seriousness that you could believe it if you turned off your brain for a bit. But Mr. Pantene Pro-V is just an incredibly silly man and it’s hard to imagine that anybody takes him seriously.
Yeah. Sorry (but glad?) you’re here?
Excuse me?
@DiamondJammies
Sorry. Lil hungover here.
I just meant to say I’m sorry you’re having to suffer the things all we disabused masses do. Glad you’re here, but I feel sorry for you like I pity myself.
I got confused because the nice tv man was telling me The American People (that’s me!) are bitterly divided. But then he’s saying all we want is our lawmakers to come together to solve America’s problems. So what is it?
According to Green Party livestream, Gary Johnson runs third in all states except for Maine, where Stein prevails.
So, that means teams Stein and Anderson need to come together?
They should talk.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-07/obama-wins-re-election-with-romney-defeated-in-key-states.html — “BREAKING NEWS”
“Obama Wins Re-election With Romney Defeated in Key States”
By Mike Dorning – Nov 6, 2012 11:17 PM ET
ROUGHT CUT:
//Barack Obama, the post-partisan candidate of hope who became the first black U.S. president, won re-election today by overcoming four years of economic discontent with a mix of political populism and electoral math.
Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney, according to television network projections that show the president winning the electoral votes needed for re-election.
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Obama wins four more years
LIVE • Networks project re-election for the president after major swing state wins
• Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio projections put Obama over the edge
• Republicans projected to hold control of House while Democrats set to take Senate
LATEST
“An intra-channel civil war seems to have broken out on Fox News, as Karl Rove has objected to his employer’s decision to call Ohio for Obama.”
LIVE blog: election results and coverage from the across the US
Presidential election results state-by-state: mapping the votes as they come in
Warren defeats Brown in Massachusetts Senate race
Victory for Democrat Elizabeth Warren brings to an end high-profile and often bitter battle for Senate seat held by Scott Brown since 2010
Florida voters endure long lines at polls as officials predict record turnout
Gay marriage activists hope to make history as four states vote on initiative
Thirty unforgettable moments from the campaign
Ana Marie Cox: From Rick Perry’s ‘oops’, to Joe Biden’s ‘big stick’, via RuPaul and Lena Dunham, here are my highlights of this political crazy season
CNN gets its name in lights with Empire State Building alliance//
Canada’s state radio just interuppted broadcasts to announce Obama’s win (too much voodoo viagra, they have a perma hard on for O) And the forecast is for a horizon full of fiscal cliff. How long before the word ‘austerity’ smarms from the programmer’s song sheet? How will those lyrics enter the public script?
Thank you, Mr. Strether. Fun blog.
Yay! Let’s open a can of gourmet catfood to celebrate! Beef or turkey?
“From first to last, the Republicans really didn’t care about this election all that much.”
Why should they? They’re getting everything they’ve ever wanted. Four years from now Social Security will be a shell of its former self and the richest among us will have such a high portion of the nation’s wealth it will boggle comprehension.
Thanks Lambert.
Just another exciting day in the play pen of society.
Perhaps the key to Obama’s success lies here:
Even a little buys a lot these days.
Yer almost making me wish I voted Romney here, Lam.
As I posted a few weeks ago, Mittster is a forgettable candidate who will do the fastest disappearance act in history for a failed and flawed run at the Presidency. Only thing worth celebrating tonight is the surprising gain in the Senate by the Dems, and not all the winners are of the Joe Donnelly ilk either. Two moronic Repubs who apparently had their races locked up went all medieval on women, and it cost them, merciful Jaysus. Senate definitely will lean more left when it reorganises itself in January.
And, did you ever see such a sea of miserable white faces at the Romney “victory” gathering?
One more thing worth celebrating tonight:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/18718/amendment-64-passes-in-colorado-legalizing-marijuana
Thanks Lambert.
At NC, it looks like we are the 1% of politics (not income though). Sigh! But what else can we be but ourselves?
4 more years of grousing, but I’ll hang tough.
Il faut imaginer Sisyphe heureux.
Steve Earle sang about “… four more years of things not gettin worse” (Christmas time in Washington).
Thanks Lambert, it has been great fun. Sweet dreams!
May I say its a sad day for US democracy that Obama has been re-elected President of the USA – despite the claim’s of Obama’s rabid supporters, his apologists and a fair few posters on these boards – the differences between Obama and Romney were not stark – quite the reverse, you could hardly insert a cigarette paper between them.
I find it difficult that someone who has trashed your Constitution and done so much for the ruling elite can be re-elected President of the USA.
The choice was onerous – what ever those may say about the deficiencies of Romney – and they are/ were legion – at least he was democratically elected to run on a Republican ticket – the Democrat’s, or at least its leadership, saw fit not to afford the people a choice in choosing the Democrat ticket – this augurs ill for the Democrat’s as they lurch further to the right.
Having already witnessed first hand the effects of austerity in the UK, I can assure you what Obama has in store will not be nice.
Once’s only consolation from this Greek tragedy is I hope it represents an inflection point in the development of a political alternative to the two main legacy parties that are and have trashed the US Constitution in their efforts to uphold the stranglehold that your ruling monied elite have over the country.
One takes his hat off to Ms. Stein whom I hope will continue to represent all that is/ was positive about the USA – she is the real hero of this spectacle in how to delude the US electorate into voting for its own economic annihilation.
The ballot measures and state legislative results (well, in many states — WI is depressing) should give you some cheer.
The federal level is broken and will not be fixed for a while.
Thank you Lambert, you are awesome!
From reading these comments, I can see where all the Green votes came from. I voted Blue myself. :-)
Lambert rocks! Thank you Lambert and NC.
Hi Lambert. A post-election note on a race in northern Iowa that was discussed in this diary at Bleeding Heartland, and which you linked to. State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm beat Merlin Bartz, lover of weird paper dolls, by 120 votes in SD 26.
I am a happy person today.
I sometimes think that if only I had known that Margaret Thatcher had coined the phrase “Hope and Change,” I may never have voted for Obama in the first place.
Well, at least we never made actually crossing the road the enemy of promising to cross the road.
(HT to an unknown NC reader)
I think the “Why did Obama cross the road?” meme should live on for forever.