Yes we can

Comments

[Spalanzani]

I'm studying abroad this year, and as such I got my voting done a few weeks ago. It's 3:00 AM here but I can't bloody sleep, I'm too excited. Fortunately I've got no class tomorrow (eh, today that is; stupid time).

[Naked Bunny with a Whip]

I'll be glad when all this tedious "voting" is out of the way and we can start talking about what's important: the 2010 midterm campaigns!

[JessicaR]

I'm a big sap so this got to me, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lv-SuDQlk

[Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little]

I can't wait until I have 45 minutes free to watch that!

[Robb]

Meh - been there, seen that, got the podcast.

I'm looking forward to tonight. Returns from most "battleground" states will be in by 6 Pacific, plenty of time to swing my daughter around in a blanket while I watch the results come in. I'm guessing the official pronouncements will start at 6:10ish, with McCain's concession coming at about 7, Obama's speech starting not long after that. Of course, he could be a bit of a jerk & cut McCain off (McCain has certainly earned it), but he'll likely be as magnanimous as he possibly can.

[Roadstergal]

I'm a cynical bastid, but that speech choked me up a little in a few spots.

Voting today was interesting.

I double-checked my polling place online this morning. It's a school just down the street from me (I'm a Bay Area peninsula person). I got in line before the place opened.

It was a cluster from the very beginning. Rather than having a single person at the front of the line to direct people to the right tables, the tables for each precinct were scattered around the gym. I got to one, and it directed me to another. I waited in line for the second, and they shrugged helplessly.

It turned out that one precinct had been directed there, but there wasn't a table/records for that precinct (mine). I went ahead and voted provisionally. It's a little disconcerting, but I don't think they're going to deny my vote - I'm registered, I've lived in that house for over a year. However, the guy behind me, in the same situation, shrugged and left after the second table. That is worrisome. How many people will get frustrated and not vote?

I voted Obama, because I'm not insane, and I voted No on Proposition 8, because I'm not an insecure homophobe.

[bulbul]

6pm EST = 3am CET. Sounds good, at least I get to go to sleep in good mood.
Where are you, Spalanzani, China?

[KnightHawk]

Lately, I seem to burst into tears every time I hear that man talk. I've always felt in an odd middle ground when it comes to our country--on one hand, on paper, in our Constitution, in our hearts, we really ARE the greatest country on Earth. On the other, more or less my entire adult life, Bush has been our president, and I've seen every iota of pride I have in my country bent over a table so a large, pointy object may be inserted.

As cheesey as it sounds, Obama gives me hope. To me he represents the greatest parts of what it is to be an American. He's galvanized me to work for him, to campaign, to call, to knock on doors, to actually, for the first time to believe that I don't have to be ashamed of my government, that it can be a body to be as proud of as my country.

Frankly, I'm hoping when I watch the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert election special tonight (honestly, I feel sometimes they were the only ones who kept me from despair for my country over the years), it will to be to hear Colbert wail over President Obama as Jon does a silly little dance.

......god I sound like a moron in this post.

Love. Peace. Metallica.

[cjmr's husband]

Yo voté!

[elef]

JessicaR - Youtube says that video was removed by the user. So now I wonder - what was it?

[JessicaR]

A really nice photo essay of folks at Obama rallys, it was removed by the user, maybe they didn't want to jinx things. Hopefully they or somebody else will put it back up.

[cyrano]

Yes I did, at about 10:30 this morning.

It was strange, there was almost nobody there. This was in South Jersey. Maybe I hit the tail end of the big pre-work rush?

[Jenny Islander]

Been praying all morning that we aren't wrong about who's going to win. I don't think that Obama is the anointed anything, but I do think that right now he is the only candidate whose stated policies won't increase the sum total of misery and death worldwide.

But let's also pray for the President of the United States, no matter who that turns out to be.

[cjmr]

Based on the length of the hallway going back to the room where the voting machines are set up at our polling place, and the length of the line waiting to get into the building, the people who went to vote on their way to work had to wait in a line 60-75 people long. By the time cjmr's husband and I voted, there were no lines at all. I'm guessing the lines will be filling up again soon.

It's kind of neat, actually, having one's polling place directly across the road from one's back fence...you can watch people going to vote all day.

[Robb]

I don't think that Obama is the anointed anything, but I do think that right now he is the only candidate whose stated policies won't increase the sum total of misery and death worldwide.

Amen to that! He's pretty dang awesome in lots of ways, but let's not be an uncritical mob of Obama fanboys.

But let's also pray for the President of the United States, no matter who that turns out to be.

Way ahead of you - I've been trying to comfort my McCain/Palin Palin/McCain supporting friends by reminding them God will still be in charge, regardless if Obama is elected or not. And I tell them they're bad Americans & horrible Christians if they don't pray for him when he wins.

; )

[hapax]

the people who went to vote on their way to work had to wait in a line 60-75 people long.

oops. I only ordered three pizzas to take with me when I start handing out fliers at my local polling station after work. Perhaps I should pick up a few more...

[bulbul]

Hey cjmr, how nice to see you again :) How are you doing?
I know how you feel - the window in my apartment looks out on a school, i.e. a polling place. Last election, which was in June '06, IIRC, I was watching the people coming and going. When I finally decided at 6pm to put on some pants and go cast my vote, there was nobody coming in or going out and so nobody to ask how to actually get around the playground into the building.

[J. Random Scribbler]

I'm guessing we aren't actually going to see many results at the official poll closing times. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most states allow people to vote if they're at least in line by closing time? Judging by the stories I'm hearing about massive turnouts and long lines, it wouldn't surprise me if results from many precincts are delayed for hours.

I'm glad I live in Oregon!

And, um, on-topic, I remember that acceptance speech. Wow. The Republicans had to announce Palin just to get that speech out of the news.

[cjmr's husband]

Original plan: watch the church across the road, vote when the line is short.
As implemented: wait until Evenstar goes to sleep, go to the store for an hour, and vote when we get back.

(and now: cast the Summon Pizza spell...)

[Yeltar]

I'm not due at work until 9, so I managed to get my voting done during a lull; there had been a short line, they told me, when the work-at-8 folks were in. But it had not been super-busy, they said, and didn't expect to be, as almost 90% of my precinct had voted early or absentee! Wow, that is a lot of people! (Massively R, too. Only one other person on our 6-blocks long street also had Obama signs up. And both were stolen on Halloween.)

I was also very pleased that they finally thought to tape off an area of parking for the voters. My poll is at a high school, so parking is at a premium, and it can be quite a hike for older folks and persons with health issues. Right near the door this time, though. Yay.

But no stickers. NO STICKERS! I felt like a kid who behaved at the doctor's office but didn't get the lollipop. What a rip! They didn't even have shoe polish so I could write "I Voted" on my car window. Harrumph. Such unpreparedness. Shocking.... *smiles*

[Jim]

Somewhat depressingly, except for judges every single race on my ballot had a pre-determined outcome. (A bit less depressingly, the victors will all be Democrats.) Still, I worry. Due to migration (more people of similar political persuasion are living together), gerrymandering and the fact that the two parties differ mostly on a few hot-button issues and are becoming more ideologically homogeneous, fewer and fewer elections are contested. This is not healthy for democracy.

Of course, I live in Chicago, so what's really depressing is that not only are there not two effective political parties competing for my vote, but there's no effective resistance to the Daley Machine within the local Democratic Party. I have stop now. If I go on about this, I'll turn into Scott.

[cjmr's husband]

Pizza accomplished. Alas, this is the only pie this evening :-(

[Karen]

I live next door to the polls, which happens to be my kids' elementary school. As of 5 p.m., 631 people had voted there, which I think doesn't count early votes. My precinct is pinkish, at least for Austin, although we're practically Maoists by the standards of the rest of Texas. And let me echo the cmjr's; it is really cool to be able to watch voting. I used to be an election judge, and would do it again in a heartbeat if professional and family commitments allowed. It really does make my heart swell with pride, seeing all those people vote. Also, it's pretty damn cool knowing that the most important event in the world happens next door to my house.

[Spalanzani]

bulbul: "Where are you, Spalanzani, China?"

I'm in Tokyo. There's actually a city in Japan named "Obama" that's supposed to be throwing a party to celebrate the election and I was thinking of going there today, but it's pretty far away.

[Crazy F]

My entire Political Science class voted, which was really nice to see. I was guessing Pepperdine would have a lower turnout than most schools because the campus Republicans (who have a visible majority) have been demoralized lately. However, leave it to Prop 8 to increase turnout. Also for anyone who doesn't know: Pepperdine was ground zero for this controversy, as is evidenced by our less-than-brilliant law professor deciding to make our reputation for homophobia even worse. Back on topic, the will i am yes we can video made me choke up a little. Just a little. So I get how you feel KnightHawk.

[cjmr's husband]

O is the honorific; "ba" is bar/tavern; "ma" is time or place, so "O-ba ma" must be "happy hour"?

[Caravelle]

Hey Spalanzani, how long are you staying in Tokyo ?

It's two in the morning here, I tried to get some sleep before getting up at midnight but I didn't have much success.
Pennsylvania and New Hampshire called for Obama \o/

[cjmr's husband]

Question from BBC America: [Sarah Palin] is wearing a leather duffel coat. I wonder if it is moose leather. Is there moose leather?

[Amaryllis]

Jim: you want gerrymandering? I'll show you gerrymandering. Consider Maryland's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Congressional districts. It's totally ridiculous, and I say it as a Democrat. We had some nominally contested races, but except for the 1st District, where all the Republicans were segregated, you couldn't really call them competitive.

It may not be good for democracy in general; Maryland and New Jersey (where I grew up) have, um, occasionally succumbed to the corruptions of one-party rule. But tonight, just this once, I want a landslide. This is the year the Republicans don't get anything, from Board-of-Education-At-Large right up to President.

I voted this morning; no lines in my polling place either, in a small, lots-of-elderly-Republicans neighborhood. My daughter is working as a judge at another poll, in a younger, more Democratic-leaning neighborhood, and she says they were really busy there all day.

Of course we also had that horrible slots referendum, which also brought out the voters.

They've declared Maryland for Obama. No real surprise there, but one can't help feeling relieved.

No wait-- what are they saying on TV about the slots question?

Nothing much, still too close to call. Maybe there's hope it'll be defeated after all? But I suppose I shouldn't expect to prevail all down the ballot, so probably not.

[cjmr's husband]

WTOP web site has nothing at all on the MD slots question. I say, if horses aren't enough to keep the tracks open, too bad for the tracks.

[bulbul]

Dammit, almost every polling site is down, even Google Elections Gallery has problems.
BTW, shame on MSNBC for giving platform to prick DeLay and his lunatic ravings.

[cjmr's husband]

cnn.com is working fine.

[MikhailBorg]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ is working very well also.

[hapax]

Polls are closed, back from waving signs at passing motorists. Turnout was dreadful -- I think that there were more of us out electioneering than voting. I heard that early voting was very heavy. Pizza was much appreciated by conservatives and liberals alike.

Next time you see such volunteers from the comfort of your car, folks, slow down and give them a friendly beep -- even if you disagree with their message. They're cold, their backs are stiff, their arms are sore, and they're part of the process of democracy. Encourage them!

And if anyone wants a gen-yu-wine plastic OBAMA / BIDEN 2008 souvenir yard sign, I have just a few, which I'd be glad to mail to the first three claimants.

[cyrano]

Although Tweety did call him on it. "Would you prefer resenter?" or something of that nature.

[cjmr's husband]

BBC just called Ohio for Obama. Unless there is a surprise, that's all he needed.

[bulbul]

So did MSNBC. I'm gonna wait for Florida or North Carolina.
Hapax, how big are those signs?

[hapax]

24 by 18 inches -- flimsy plastic, so they fold or roll.

[Jim]

Amaryllis,

Hey, our politics is more corrupt than yours. It's a matter of local pride.

I'm with you on the landslide. The Bush Administration did all the things that you worry the Republicans will do (ultra-conservative judges, violating constitutional rights in the pursuit of the war on terror), plus they lost the traditional Republicanadvantage in voter perceptions of who was better on the economy and national security.

So how do the Republicans react? They make freaking Rapture Spice their apparent leader in waiting. They are just getting what they deserve.

[Tonio]

I say, if horses aren't enough to keep the tracks open, too bad for the tracks.

A big reason I oppose the slots initiative because it would give the private licensees a third of the take. That's almost as obscene as the racket that the slot owners were running in some Maryland bars a few months back - they found a loophole where they could have slots if they gave some of the money to local non-profits, which received crumbs while the owners stole huge amounts of money out of the state.

I also oppose giving the horse racing industry a share of the take, but that's more on principle. Horse racing has been falling in popularity for years, and the slot machines in Charles Town and Dover cannot change that - they can only provide artificial support to racing, like overpricing stocks. It's as ridiculous as suggesting that the NFL share its profits to keep Major League Soccer afloat. If horse racing lost its support from slots, the business might contract to a reasonable size and achieve self-sufficiency with a smaller but more devoted fan base.

I would support slots in Maryland only if the state owned the machines directly, or if the non-profits owned the machines directly, with no private machine owners involved at all. While I have reservations about government-run gambling, it's still preferable to gambling controlled by private interests.

[cjmr's husband]

The thing I don't get about the horse racing industry:

I have a five year old daughter who likes horses. Why don't I take her to the track?

[hapax]

NPR called Virginia for Obama.

[Hellsau]

Congratulations, President Obama!

[MikhailBorg]

Yes we did.

The BBC, CNN, and MSNBC have given the election to Obama.

[cjmr's husband]

And Jon Stewart calls it. Colbert is putting on blinders.

[bulbul]

Awesome. Congratulations everybody.

[Dash]

Yes, we did!

Do you folks realize Obama basically community-organized the entire United States of America?

[Amaryllis]

Yes he did!

Amazing. I don't think I really believed it, until now.

[Lee Ratner]

I am so happy right now, almost euphoric. I feel really proud to have helped elect such a great man to the Presidency and to take part in the election of the first African-American candidates. Once Ohio was called for Obama, I was in high spirits. I can't really right coherently right now because of the buzz and excitement that I feel.

[cjmr's husband]

You want a buzzkill? Watch McCain's concession speech. Great speech, ugly crowd.

In other good news, Liddy Dole proved that you can't win an election by accusing your opponent of atheism. Even in North Carolina.