But consider this an open thread for me to make comments and for you to make comments.
6:54: Holy shit it’s only 51-48 McCain in Kentucky. And Lunsford, the Democrat, is ahead of Mitch McConnell 51-49. Only ten percent in, but.
7:02: Oh good, CNN has Soledad O’Brien with a touchboard and an old guy explaining exit polls, which are wildly inaccurate (remember 2004?) and pointless. Why can’t they just do a softshoe or something? Meanwhile, BBC Canada has the Beeb coverage, which is sober and sensible, much like a British banker. (Except without the suicidal urges of late.)
7:11: I would very much like to punch Bill Bennett in his smug fat-fuck face. LIBERAL RAAAAAAAGE!
7:16: CNN has some lady reporter appearing as a hologram in the studio. KILL IT WITH FIRE
7:17: …and they made the Princess Leia joke, which is why I didn’t make it. Sometimes this shit is played out before you even start, you know?
7:28: BIG SHOCKING NEWS: McCain only leading in rural counties thus far. I KNOW IT IS SHOCKING NEWS! Wolf Blitzer is so excited to report on this news! He told me so!
7:47: Chill, people. Most of the reporting is coming from rural counties: cities almost always report last because they take more time. Obama is going to WIPE FLOOR in Indiana and probably Virginia as well. (Georgia – I think it’ll be close but not so much a win.)
7:58: WHY THEY CALL SOME STATES AND NOT OTHERS. Even if McCain was ahead, say, 55-45 in Indiana, they wouldn’t call it before knowing how Lake and the other counties that are just Chicago suburbs voted, because those counties have a big enough population and a big enough chance of going heavily and predictably Democratic that they can swing an election all by themselves. Extrapolate this logic to them calling South Carolina for McCain but not Georgia for McCain despite the vote totals. In Georgia they’re waiting to see what happens in Atlanta; in SoCal there’s nothing that is a big deal left that is a big mystery, although of course there could always be a shocker (but there won’t). EXPLAINED!
8:04: Soledad-O explains to us that South Carolina went for McCain because of all the evangelical Christians, what with their ark-building and predilection for stonings.
8:21: I never noticed it before but David Axelrod looks uncannily like a more-shaven version of Toby Ziegler.
8:27: Wait, they are airing commercials for Zack and Miri Make a Porno in the US that cut off the “make a porno” part of the title? LAAAAAAAME.
8:30: New Hampshire called for Obama. The Josiah Bartlet endorsement probably did that.
8:41: CNN finally gets off the fence and calls Pennsylvania for Obama. HA HA FUCK YOU MCCAIN.
8:52: GOP Official Hispanic Guy Alex Castellanos carrying water like a good trooper and explaining how Mitch McConnell or Saxby Chambliss getting their asses handed to them can still be a good thing.
8:55: Only a few minutes until the Midwest reports in and McCain can get some, what do you call them, oh yes, “electoral votes.”
9:02: As McCain gets Wyoming and North Dakota (ooooh, he’s so special), I witness a new talking point being born as Soledad-O and her touchscreen buddy explain to us that of voters who said that race was important in determining their vote, 55 percent voted for Obama. Get ready for every right-wing asshole explaining to you how Obama only won the Presidency because of magical sympathy votes for the black guy. I’m not kidding; you’re gonna hear it.
9:06: Bill Bennett (I hate him so much ARGH) explains that the lack of the Bradley Effect proves that America has “grown up” and that racism doesn’t exist any more. Which is bullshit, because the reason this election is so close is because a significant percentage of Americans were willing to out-and-out say they didn’t want to vote for the black guy rather than feel guilty about admitting that fact.
9:10: Tara Wall, who is a black female Republican I had never heard of before tonight, explains how Republicans can take hope despite an electoral drubbing because Mitch Daniels won the governorship of Indiana. EVERYTHING IS GOOD FOR CONSERVATIVES!
9:21: David Gergen ponderously explains that Obama may not have coattails because Mitch McConnell will squeak out a victory in Kentucky and Saxby Chambliss may yet win in Georgia. Yes, a black candidate who cannot magically generate wins in the Deep South is a lesser being!
9:25: As Hank Williams Junior serenades a roomful of downbeat white people at McCain HQ, Wolf Blitzer promises a YOOOOOGE announcement after the break. Fifty-fifty: Ohio or Florida.
9:36: Ohio goes Obama and the CROWD! GOES! WILD! Meanwhile, Virginia now in a dead heat, Indiana still winnable, and the forces of goodness and light ahead in North Carolina and Florida.
9:39: Total LOL of the night: at McCain campaign HQ, they’ve stopped announcing the states they’ve lost. MCCAIN WILL BE PRESIDENT OF WYOMING, MOTHERFUCKERS!
9:52: Bill Bennett explains that John McCain is a special, special boy for keeping the campaign “so close” when it was a “perfect storm” for Obama to win, what with him being black and being liberal and having an Arabic name all being so awesomely in Obama’s favour and all. John McCain is the bestest!
9:57: Okay, I am going to mostly peace out for an hour while I watch the Daily Show election special. Feel free to continue discussing and commenting in my mostly-absence.
10:07: (it’s a commercial break and Obama has finally pulled ahead in Virginia.)
10:44: Aasif Mandvi’s “report from Al Qaeda HQ” bit was easily the high point of this special, he said as Virginia became more and more clearly Obama territory.
10:49: Charles Ogletree, who was the Obama’s legal mentor at Harvard Law School, is now on and my god he is just killing it – intelligent, naturally funny, getting off good lines at Colbert’s obviously delighted expense. He should be on teevee more.
11:12: Juan Williams is in tears on CNN. Wonderful moment.
11:19: John McCain tries to start the traditional polite concession speech and his supporters BOO the mention of Obama. Stay classy, Republicans.
11:33: Maybe the win is guaranteed now, but size of it still matters; hence, Obama taking Florida? Good news.
11:53: And they are partying like fuck at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Good on them.
11:54: Prop 8 currently passing at 54-46 with ten percent of votes in. Come on, left coasters, fix that shit.
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101 users responded in this post
Please liveblog! Please please. It will give us hope. Or at least distraction.
And by the way, don’t get your hopes up about Kentucky. A huge swath of Lexington has been reported, and it’s pro-Obama.
Yeah, Kentucky’s not likely to go Obama. Indiana is a little more likely (but still probably will go for McCain). Still, right now Obama’s leading 50-49.
That’s with only 3% reporting, but still….
MSNBC is predicting a new House with 261 Democrats and 171 Republicans, and an MOE of +/- 12.
CNN is running very excellent coverage.
Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer are so engaging. I like the fact that they are reporting the election objectively. Unlike FOX News and their decidedly “Republican” leanings.
MSNBC has already called Kentucky for McCain. I’m not entirely sure how they can do that with only 10% of the state reporting in, actually….
I’m watching MSNBC because I’d kill a Fox newscaster.
Virginia is scaring the hell out of me.
OMG!!! FOX News is the dumb and Brit Hume is a douche.
A commentator makes very succinct observations about the record number of young voters black voters at the polls and how it favors Obama and Hume starts talking about the changing scence on the screens behind him.
SLAP!
Having Star Wars flashbacks.
“Help me Barack Obama, you’re my only hope.”
I cannot watch enough tv stations covering the election and read enough on the Internet. Information overload and it just started!
CNN has holograms? MSNBC only has one choice to top them now: Get rid of Chris Matthews, replace him with the Doctor, and move the studio into the TARDIS.
Actually, just get rid of Matthews. Put him and Scarborough into a soundproof box and let them shout at each other.
That CNN ‘hologram’ (a green screen effect with hokey static overlaid on the image) was the stupidest thing I’ve seen a news organization do, EVER.
I call bullshit on the hologram. It’s dynamically inserted green-screen.
Wolf could not see her unless he looked at the monitor.
THAT IS NOT A HOLOGRAM.
You’re lying. Wolf Blitzer is never excited about anything. Ever.
I can see Lieberman on the BBC coverage of McCain. This makes me mad! FUCK YOU TRAITOR-SCUM!
Doesn’t Lieberman look like Emperor Palpatine, or is it just me?
“Yes, my young apprentice, now you know the power of the NeoCon Side!”
The MSNBC.com electoral map has declared South Carolina for McCain, too, despite the fact that it says Obama is leading 57-42 and there are only 0% of precincts reporting.
Huh.
And won’t call Georgia despite Obama being thrashed.
I DO NOT GET IT.
The video of the CNN hologram segment is already on Youtube. That’s under 40 minutes, by my timing. Geezus, the internet scares me sometimes.
Pennslyvania for Obama! Nice knowing ya John!
Just please… keep people in suspense until California polls close so that scared Democrats go out to KILL PROP 8. KILL IT SLOWLY AND WITHOUT MERCY!
That’s all I ask.
I’m worried about them calling PA on exit polls alone.
Evan, me too. I am so not ready to hear PA called yet.
The only thing I can think of for Pennsylvania is if the exit polls are showing Obama having a dominant lead in the rural counties where McCain expected to do well.
Granted, Obama was up 8-10% going into today, so it isn’t that far-fetched… but I’m going to need alcohol. And I live in Utah! ARG!
I don’t drink much and I got some cider and beer on the way home.
AIGH.
In re: Zack and Miri: Yes. The posters up in NYC have the full title. Wide broadcast commercials do not.
Sooner or later, we’ll cut the bridges and declare the revolution.
Well, it’s entertaining.
And the reason CNN used the hologram is because they are beta testing the technology for their corporate sponsor, CISCO Telepresence. I know this because they mention Cisco at EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL BREAK.
Y’know, in some ways, the real winner tonight is Democracy. In other, more tangible ways, the real winner tonight is Obama, the Obamacolytes, and anyone who lives in the fake USA. Does an Obama win mean that the US is more socialist than Canada? If he wins, will Canadians start fleeing over the border to escape Harper?
I just want everyone to know that a vote for John McCain was a vote for homeless kittens. I’ll explain why.
I am emotionally invested in Obama winning. If he loses, I will probably turn to alcoholism. I’ll be a raging drunk, lose my job, my partner, and yes, probably my house. My poor kittens would have to live on the street with me. Cold and alone, while I scrounged for enough change to get a cheap bottle of vodka. That is no life for these kittens.
So remember, if you voted for McCain, you voted for homeless kittens. Jerks…
What Jack said. Twice over.
Us? Flee to the states? Hell no.
We’re more likely to throw a revolution. FUN FACT: Canada has had more revolutions than the states!
I need more computer monitors. There are too many sites going at once and I need to be able to see it all. Damn these limitations.
The BBC don’t have a hologram, but their guy who points at animated maps appears to be standing on a catwalk crossing a bottomless abyss.
I voted Obama around Saint Louis, and was ashamed not to know who/what most of the people and propositions on the ballot were. Luckily the latter were somewhat explained.
CNN is projecting Michigan. Yay Michigan.
As someone who is from Michigan it’s nice to see that my state may have some sense.
Half the state is ultra-conservative, the other half is Detroit.
MSNBC is showing Obama now at 175, McCain at 70. Also, Colorado (where I live) just closed, and a little more than half of our registered voters voted early. So, hopefully there will be something from here soon.
The saddest thing is that I don’t have MSNBC, so I cannot see Pat Buchanan’s tears
I’m watching their feed online. Right now Chuck Todd is on saying that this is looking more like 2000/2004 than he expected, so that’s kind of worrying.
ah, jeez, did not need to hear that. Still, long night
Well, look, if this wasn’t dramatic, people wouldn’t be watching. So, maybe they are just being pessimistic to keep us watching.
I think Stephen Colbert said it best with his opening question during his Jesse Jackson interview:
“So, Jesse, what are you doing now that racism’s no longer a problem?”
The Republican blogger on the BBC (yes, the BBC is filming someone blogging) says that the GOP have given up on Florida.
John Bolton, massive turd that he is, is still trying to call Obama a “radical”. Simon Schama is telling him to STFU.
The only people who use the word “radical” more often than the Republicans are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
SHUT UP JOHN BOLTON, SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP. Also, DIEEEEEE.
MSNBC just called Ohio for Obama.
Oh. My. God.
And the Beeb follows suit!
MSNBC showing Obama at 195 to McCain’s 85.
MSNBC is showing how Obama can still win even if McCain gets Florida AND North Carolina, and Obama still has a slight lead in both those states at 50% polls reporting.
Incidentally, I love the BBC’s coverage.
When they were wondering about whether to call Ohio: “Fox News is NOT good enough.”
That was awesome.
Well, if the current MSNBC projections hold… he’s at 200 right now. If the Pacific States (minus Alaska) hold, that’s 77 right there. Which Keith Olbermann just pointed out as I typed this. Hah!
I was listening to the local NPR station over dinner, and they announced that they projected Obama to take Pennsylvania (yeah, like that’s a shock–why the hell did people keep calling PA a swing state, anyways?).
But anyways. After that, one of the commentators said something like “With Pennsylvania going for Obama, McCain’s lost pretty much any avenue to getting elected.” The other suddenly interjected “He could still make it, in theory.” The first basically rolled her eyes and said “Yeah, right.” It was very clear that nobody thought McCain could win anymore, but they weren’t allowed to actually say so.
You know that map you put up? The rest of the world strongly Obama, America too close to call?
Recolor that motherfucker and put it back up.
NONE of the polls for PA ever showed McCain within striking distance. I’m not sure what the strategy was there.
That presumes they had a strategy beyond HURR OBAMA SOCIALIST TERRORIST BAD MCCAIN GUD HUR HUR HUR.
Frankly, after seeing this campaign, I have to wonder…
MSNBC is calling New Mexico for Obama, but CNN’s online map shows McCain being ahead there. Also, am I the only one suprised by how close Texas is?
Fuck yeah, tonight I can feel proud to be an Ohioan.
exit polls, which are wildly inaccurate (remember 2004?)
Dear Bird:
Please read up on exit polls and how they work.
When exit polls and election results do not match, the election results are fraudulent.
No exceptions.
Especially not when the exit polls fail to match the “real” results only:
A) in favour of the Republicans
B) when Republicans are counting the votes.
C) when there is no physical backup of the votes to allow a recount.
I still feel like it’s too early to use the word “stumblebum” in reference to the McCain campaign, but…
BBC are also calling NM for Obama, in between bouts of Bolton failing to stop talking.
CNN is now projecting on it’s online map that Obama took New Mexico, but when you highlight the state, it shows he is at 37% to McCain’s 52%…This is so much fun!
I noticed the Texas thing too.
Also, why does the title say that you wouldn’t be liveblogging the election, but it appears that you are?
Bolton thinks the BBC are in the tank for Obama, because until Obama has 270 votes, it’s LYING to say McCain won’t win. Go fuck your stupid tache John-boy.
The people at Grant Park in Chicago look a lot more excited than the people at McCain HQ…I wish I was there.
Iowa to Obama!
Chuck Todd is refusing to count Indiana until all the votes are in.
Bolton’s trying to play the “liberal media bias” card. *sigh*
North Carolina is going to make me hork. But I love that so many precincts in my county — where Charlotte is — compose the remaining precincts to report.
AND HE’S STILL TALKING.
John Bolton is now taking on Brad Anderson in the cancer and madness stakes. “America isn’t racist because Obama might win, even though everyone is in the tank, especially the EEEEVIL Commie BBC”. Die.
Woo! Daily Show! I am also here during the commercial breaks in order to say “Woo! Daily Show!”
Best news show on TV.
MSNBC pointed out earlier that Oprah was in Chicago. But Al Gore isn’t. Where is Al?
Oh thank God. Bolton has left the building.
MSNBC says South Dakota has gone to McCain. But it was close. And now the specialists are saying the map is pretty one-sided.
The republican strategist says “I love McCain, but I just don’t see the numbers. We’ll see a lot happen in the next 30 minutes.”
Chuck Todd says “Look how nice and square the counties in Nebraska are!”
Not that it’s a big surprise, but Slate.com has called the election for Obama.
I love these comments.
Put [Matthews] and Scarborough into a soundproof box and let them shout at each other.
I would watch the hell out of this show, and I challenge anyone else to say they wouldn’t.
Pat Buchanan is on MSNBC. So loud. So angry.
but is he crying yet?
@jack: Pat is like America’s lovable racist uncle. I love that guy.
No tears, lots of explanation. Honestly I was distracted and not watching until close to the end. I noticed this loud voice and switched over to see what was going on. Again, I need more monitors for nights like this!
And MSNBC just called it for Obama!!!!!!
And there goes CNN
Obama wins! Obama wins! OBAMA WINS!
I’m dancing! I’m crying! Be glad you can’t see it!
Obama ftw! Woo!
I don’t have to move to Canada! w00t!
…not that there’s anything wrong with Canada. It’s a fine country.
Hear that noise? That’s John Bolton launching his mustache across the room with the sheer force of his rage.
Daily Show declares Obama! It’s now official, because The Daily Show has said it! WOOOOO!
Also, may I express the sentiment of “YEAH!”
And perhaps a hearty “WOOYEAH!” is in order?
But let’s not go overboard.
Best part of The Daily Show/Colbert Report special for me was Larry & Wyatt taking over the shows.
No homeless Kitties! Now I just have to see what happens with Prop. 8 in California. If that doesn’t pass, this will be the best night in a long time for me.
People at the McCain rally have the god-damned audacity to BOO OBAMA’S NAME DURING MCCAIN’S CONCESSION SPEECH. Fuck them, fuck them in their useless, racist asses.
I wonder if Palin blames herself for McCain losing like he has. In a way, I feel bad for her. In many other ways, I will never be able to stop laughing at her.
DUDE…McCain’s cronies are still booing the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect?
They booed him a second time. Pathetic.
On the one hand: WOOHOO!
On the other hand: This means I won’t be moving back to Canada from California anytime soon. Which is sort of a shame, since I miss snow.
Evil- Move to Northern California? Truckee is small and weird, but it gets the snow.
Well, I mean, really, I can’t blame them for booing too much. Since Obama is a Marxist Terrorist Socialist and all that.
Besides, there’s plenty of nice liberal countries for scared Democrats to run too. Most of the real ultra-conservative countries also don’t like white people, so the Republican supporters are kinda screwed.
Yes, We Can. Yes, He Did!
Now, for Proposition 8 to fail…
Second the Prop 8 failing… not looking that good yet, though.
What kind of screwed up state allows a constitutional amendment with a straight majority? I thought Amendment propositions had to pass through the California Legislature first?
Got a few things to say here:
1- John McCain’s concession speech was tactful, respectful, and very appropriate to the circumstances. That those in attendance for it saw fit to twice jeer at the mention of Barack Obama, despite McCain’s obvious discomfort with the first instance of it speaks deeply to the character of the Republican Party, and to the campaign that McCain unfortunately ran.
2- Barack Obama is, in all likely hood, the most eloquent and capable orator to have been elected by the US since Kennedy, if not longer. His victory speech was fantastic.
3- I have a suspicion that the Republican Party may have just had it’s swan song; the differing factions within the party, particularly the Evangelical wing, may entirely begin fighting internally seeking to blame someone for the loss. Combined with the significant defection of more moderate Republicans to the Obama ticket, or to the minor parties, I could easily see a strengthened Constitution or Libertarian party becoming a competitive party as Social or Fiscal conservatives distance themselves from increasingly theocratic GoP base and jump to a party that targets more moderate conservative viewpoints.
Now, I’m no poli-sci scholar or anything… but the particular divisiveness of this Republican race, on a whole, has seemed to have largely alienated the moderate, secular, and let’s say remotely sane wings of the party.
4- IT’S 3:30 AND CNN STILL HAS ALL THEIR FUCKING PEOPLE THERE! WHAT THE FUCK?!
Just for the record, the midwest went entirely for Obama. I know that some people claim that the dakotas are part of it, they’re not. The midwest is any state that plays in the Big-10 conference (MN, IA, WI, IL, IN, MI, OH, and PA). We don’t want anything to do with those other wannabe states.