Election Night is ON
Nov. 4th, 2008 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meimichanThis is how I will keep myself entertained/occupied, and possibly how I will keep you annoyed. :p I'll update this pretty continuously all night.
I possibly should have transferred schools and majored in poly sci instead of chemistry. :p
5:00pm: Election coverage starts. New Hampshire has 1% of polls reporting in. 67% for Obama.
5:50pm: We have received our fourth robocall on behalf of the GOP just TODAY. My family is in the tank for Obama, but if we were undecided, this would seriously push us over the edge to not ever vote Republican.
6:00pm: Polls are starting to close now. Get your drinks ready.
6:35pm: The results are trickling in. KY is most likely for McCain (drink one). Indiana's looking split for now.
6:45pm: Not election related, but apparently I get a birthday present this year. A pretty nice one too-my parents just gave me a Blackberry Pearl. My boyfriend now hates my guts. :p
7:00pm: Polls are CLOSED for KY, IN, SC, VT, GA, FL, VA. KY-McCain. VT-Obama. Indiana-too close to call. My Indiana friends, you must drink.
7:30pm: Polls are CLOSED in OH, NC, and WV. NC-too close to call. Not a big surprise there. Ohio...I'm asking you nicely. DO NOT FUCK THIS UP. WV? I have no hope for this pisshole of a state.
7:45pm: SC is called for McCain. Obama-3 McCain-16
7:56pm: Ken Blackwell is on TV talking about Ohio. For anyone bitter about what happened in 2004 in Ohio, IT WAS MOSTLY HIS FAULT. *flips off TV*
8:00pm: PA has gone to OBAMA! Haha, suckers! IL, NJ, NH, DE, CT, MA, MD, ME, DC called for Obama. TN, OK called for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-34. An assload of polls just closed too-MI, TX, KS, NE, ND, SD, MO, IL, TN, AL, MS, ME, NH, MD, MA, CT, DE, DC, PA, NJ. I think that's all of them? McCain's chances of winning without PA are very fucking low...and lord, I hope I don't eat my words there.
8:13pm: Oh yeah, FL is too close to call. *takes a few drinks* Ohio is still too early to call, since we can't count votes in this state.
8:30pm: VA is now too close to call. *shot* Elizabeth Dole just lost her Senate seat to Kay Hagan. AL is called for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-43. Polls close in AR.
8:36pm: GA goes for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-58.
8:45pm: Geauga County, OH where I live, is 53-46 for McCain. Mom got depressed, Dad and I dropped our jaws-that is fucking close for a county this fucking red.
8:55pm: MO is too close to call. Come on, stop it now!
9:00pm: MI, NY, RI, MN, NY, WI all go for Obama. McCain gets ND and KS. Obama-175, McCain-70.
Polls closing now-MN, WI, NE, WY, CO, AZ, NM, NY, LA, RI.
9:01pm: ARIZONA IS TOO CLOSE TO CALL!!! HOLY SHIT!
9:02pm: Ohio is still too early to call, but Obama is 59% to McCain 40%. HOLY SHIT!
9:09pm: McCain takes AR. Obama-175, McCain-75.
9:25pm: OHIO IS CALLED FOR OBAMA! Fuck yeah Ohio. FUCK YEAH!!! Obama-195, McCain-75.
Seriously, I did. ^_^
9:33pm: NM called for Obama, LA and ND called for McCain. Still dancing in my seat over Ohio, I need a new icon, one with Ohio being BLUE!(edit, see above) Obama-200, McCain-85.
9:40pm: McCain took WV. That state sucks, btw. Obama-200, McCain-90.
I am seriously enjoying myself, but dear lord, I haven't seen election results go this pretty EVER.
I forgot to say this since I was too busy jumping for joy, but without Ohio, McCain LOSES. Obama's taking CA, OR, WA and HI, which is another 80 electoral votes.
If Ohio gets recounted, I will go down and shoot some people in Columbus.
9:56pm: McCain takes TX but not OHIO! Obama-200, McCain-134
10:00pm: Polls closing: NV, UT, ID, MT, IA. IA is called for Obama, Utah is called for McCain. Obama-207, McCain-139.
10:05pm: We switch to The Daily Show Live Coverage with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for some fun.
10:10pm: MS goes to McCain. Abortion bans in SD and CO have FAILED-the one in CO was really ridiculous. Obama-207, McCain-140.
10:23pm: I either added wrong, or McCain lost a state worth 5 EV's. Can't tell at the moment what's going on here yet though. Obama-207, McCain-135. Sorry for my one or two loyal readers tonight. :p
10:38pm: McCain takes SD. Obama-207, McCain-138.
10:44pm: McCain takes NE. Still losing. :D Obama-207, McCain-142
This could all be over at 11pm when the polls close in CA, OR, WA, and HI.
11:00pm: BARACK OBAMA IS PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
CA, OR, WA, and HI have gone for Obama, 284 total. VA projected to go for Obama as well-297.
Holy hell, this election was over FAST compared to the last two.
I am so happy. I am so fucking happy. I'm looking at the party going on in Grant Park right now, and those people are so happy.
I love my country so much for getting to the point where a black man was able to run a legitimate campaign, and be fairly elected the next president of the USA. My parents have been telling me just how this would not have even entered anyone's realm of possibilities when they were my age. Even ten years ago, I'm not sure our country was at the place where this would have been possible.
I think it's also fair to mention that McCain ran the crappiest campaign of all time.
I hope I live to see a woman be elected president. Send the message to another segment of the population that you too, might grow up to be president.
I'm going to have a great birthday. I already have.
11:16pm: Barack Obama takes FL, CO. 333 EV total.
I popped the bubbly. We're celebrating here. :D
11:20pm: John McCain gives his concession speech. His supporters boo when he said he congratulated Obama. You guys stay classy. (please note-I think McCain gave a very good speech, and I saw shades of the senator I once respected, even if I disagreed with him. I think his supporters should have canned it. They just made it worse for him with that, and you could see it in his face.)AZ goes to McCain. 156 EV's total.
11:37pm: Nevada goes to Obama. LAND-SLIDE! 338 EV's. :)
12:00am(Nov. 5th): Obama's speech in Grant Park-at the end of this post. I'm possibly going to keep choking up for a damn long time. Oh yeah...Barack's grandmother died yesterday morning. I just lost it.
I'm also now 26 years old. For the first time, I am so happy my birthday is Election Day. It's been such a great day. I hope that the country actually does become more united. Bush did more to divide us and really polarize the nation over the past eight years than anyone else could have. Dear lord, I hope we can recover from that.
12:47am: I notice that Idaho went to McCain and I forgot to mention it. Whoops. Still 156 EV's for McCain. I am in the mood to PARTY!!!
1:00am: Polls are now closed everywhere. Race over, few people care. AK too early to call. IN, NC, MO, and MT are all still too close to call.
The president of Kenya has declared tomorrow a national holiday. Awesome, I didn't know I was that special! :p
1:40am: AK's 3 EV's go to McCain. MSNBC informs us that Bachman won her re-election, everyone laughed. Or possibly wanted to sob on behalf of MN. Steve LaTourette is the only red US Rep to win in northeast Ohio. Lucky me. *eyeroll* Obama-338, McCain-159. Race still over, nobody interested.
1:45am: 24% of voters are very scared of Obama being president. Well, now you know how I felt when Dubya got (s)elected. Except Obama's not nearly as stupid as that man.
2:08am: INDIANA HAS GONE BLUE! That's on the same HOLY SHIT level as OHIO. Good show, Great Lakes region! Every Great Lake state has gone blue. I knew I loved this region! ^_^ Obama-349, McCain-159. Last time Indiana went blue was in 1964.
3:00am: MO, NC, and MT are all still too close to call. I'm also curious to see how Prop. 8 in CA turned out (it better have failed). I'm starting to get pretty damn sleepy though. Still, I'm pretty pleased that I was able to correctly predict what states would be too close to call(NC, IN, MO). I was not expecting Montana to hold out this long....AUGH! Montana just got called for McCain. :p Obama-349, McCain-162. Not quite a huge landslide, but still damned decisive.
3:25am: Nebraska is VERY CLOSE to splitting its electoral votes (NE and ME are the only two states that do this) based on votes in the congressional districts. I don't think this has ever happened before. NE-02, which is mostly the city of Omaha, is too close to call. McCain-161, Obama-349.
I'm in this for the long haul, obviously, but I confess, it's purely self-serving.
4:00am: A state was apparently called too early without accurately counting all of its early votes. Before you come to Ohio and start shooting people, wrong state. GEORGIA may have been called too early for McCain. 600,000 early voting ballots from the Atlanta area were not counted, McCain's lead is by about 250,000. The Senate race in GA is likely going for a recount.
Proposition 8 looks to be passing with about 60% of the votes counted. To anyone who voted for that...umm, fuck off.
For reasons I cannot even begin to fathom, Ted Stevens, he of 'series of tubes' and seven felony convictions fame, is currently winning his seat. :\
4:30am: The MN senate race is so fucking close that those votes will likely have to be hand-counted. MO and NC are so damn close they're likely busy validating and counting provisional ballots. Those states will likely not be called for a day or two. Unlike 2000 and 2004, they will not be necessary tie-breakers. Thank goodness. I'm out of coconut rum.
I'm pretty much up to see where Prop. 8 in CA ends up. And to see if AK voters come to their fucking senses and boot out Ted Stevens.
5:00am: Four senate seats are still being hotly contested. 54 for Dems, 40 for GOP. MSNBC seems to keep forgetting that there are two Senate seats held by Joe Lieberman and an Independent. There are NOT SIX SEATS OPEN. JUST FOUR. Idiots. Or maybe they need some good coffee.
5:30am: MO and NC-counting provisional ballots. McCain leads in MO, Obama in NC. GA-probably still McCain, but not a given. NE-02 is still too close to call. NONE of these are game-changers. AK is likely to re-elect Ted Stevens, and lord, the comic fodder for Alaskans will be hard to top after this year. MN senate race is headed to a recount, it's within several hundred votes. MI passed medical marijuana and the stem cell research initiatives. Prop. 8 in CA still not called, looks like it's going to pass though, dammit. OH had no ballot initiatives that anyone gave a shit about.
Jason: Walberg is UNEMPLOYED! :D Joe Knollenberg, my rep when I lived in South Lyon, is UNEMPLOYED! I've somewhat hated that guy for awhile now.
6:00am: I'm going to bed. :p
8:00am: Failed at that one handily! :p
9:03am: MO is called for McCain. MO fails at being a bellwether. McCain-173. NC still not called. Al Franken is calling for a recount-he probably lost. Sorry Andy. Ted Stevens likely won his seat back. What is wrong with Alaska? He stands a good chance of getting expelled, and there'll be another special election. OR and GA senate races not called yet either. GA still not fully counted. 538 called this one quite handily. Check out their predictions and compare to their final map. If NC goes Obama, they underestimated, but still, nice going on Nate Silver's part there.
10:00am: Proposition 8 in CA is looking to pass, but it will not be called until the roughly 3 million absentee ballots have been counted. Shades of 2000 right there...DRINK. And hope that CA isn't about to seriously fuck over a lot of people.
11:39am: I just saw Condi Rice give a statement. This was definitely affecting her. Everything else is still too close to call, and since I still remember 2000 and 2004, it'll likely be that way for a day or two.
Sometime later on Nov 5th: Prop 8 is called as passing. That's probably enough to send the election to bittersweet for a lot of us. Also a huge setback.
Record number of women elected to Congress. FUCKING AWESOME! Yes, one of them is Michele Bachman, and that district in MN really owes us a damn good explanation.
MN Senate Election has gone to a recount by MN law-it is within several hundred. We're not gonna know this one until December.
AK Senate has likely gone to Ted Stevens. How do I make fun of Alaska when they've been hell-bent on doing it to themselves?
GA Senate has gone to a run-off. Special election to be held in December.
OR Senate? 9:25pm-called for Merkley(D). Portland took FOREVER to count their ballots.
NC? STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL. Count faster, dammit. Just for the fuck of it, I want to see this one go blue. For the same reason I wanted to see IN go blue. It hasn't happened in fifty years. Ohio? I confess, that one was fucking personal.
North Carolina has gone blue. Well, most likely. Obama-364. Awesome. Too fucking awesome.
There's some House races that are likely to go to a run-off or recount as well.
President-Elect Barack Obama's Grant Park Speech
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
I'll probably update this when NC gets called-according to The Daily Show(I've admittedly had better sources, but Jon did call the election last night, first comedian to ever do that), NC went to Obama,maybe Oregon's senate seatMerkley(D) wins Oregon's Senate seat. The other three senate races will be unknown for quite some time(maybe not AK, but Ted's likely losing it right away again-damn felony convictions). Beyond that, I think I'm pretty much done. I had way too much fun doing this. Best round of power insomnia ever, set a record for longest hours I've gone without sleep-not intentional, btw. I think I also got more comments on this entry than anything else I've ever posted. So thanks for reading and commenting and participating in the democratic process.
I possibly should have transferred schools and majored in poly sci instead of chemistry. :p
5:00pm: Election coverage starts. New Hampshire has 1% of polls reporting in. 67% for Obama.
5:50pm: We have received our fourth robocall on behalf of the GOP just TODAY. My family is in the tank for Obama, but if we were undecided, this would seriously push us over the edge to not ever vote Republican.
6:00pm: Polls are starting to close now. Get your drinks ready.
6:35pm: The results are trickling in. KY is most likely for McCain (drink one). Indiana's looking split for now.
6:45pm: Not election related, but apparently I get a birthday present this year. A pretty nice one too-my parents just gave me a Blackberry Pearl. My boyfriend now hates my guts. :p
7:00pm: Polls are CLOSED for KY, IN, SC, VT, GA, FL, VA. KY-McCain. VT-Obama. Indiana-too close to call. My Indiana friends, you must drink.
7:30pm: Polls are CLOSED in OH, NC, and WV. NC-too close to call. Not a big surprise there. Ohio...I'm asking you nicely. DO NOT FUCK THIS UP. WV? I have no hope for this pisshole of a state.
7:45pm: SC is called for McCain. Obama-3 McCain-16
7:56pm: Ken Blackwell is on TV talking about Ohio. For anyone bitter about what happened in 2004 in Ohio, IT WAS MOSTLY HIS FAULT. *flips off TV*
8:00pm: PA has gone to OBAMA! Haha, suckers! IL, NJ, NH, DE, CT, MA, MD, ME, DC called for Obama. TN, OK called for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-34. An assload of polls just closed too-MI, TX, KS, NE, ND, SD, MO, IL, TN, AL, MS, ME, NH, MD, MA, CT, DE, DC, PA, NJ. I think that's all of them? McCain's chances of winning without PA are very fucking low...and lord, I hope I don't eat my words there.
8:13pm: Oh yeah, FL is too close to call. *takes a few drinks* Ohio is still too early to call, since we can't count votes in this state.
8:30pm: VA is now too close to call. *shot* Elizabeth Dole just lost her Senate seat to Kay Hagan. AL is called for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-43. Polls close in AR.
8:36pm: GA goes for McCain. Obama-103, McCain-58.
8:45pm: Geauga County, OH where I live, is 53-46 for McCain. Mom got depressed, Dad and I dropped our jaws-that is fucking close for a county this fucking red.
8:55pm: MO is too close to call. Come on, stop it now!
9:00pm: MI, NY, RI, MN, NY, WI all go for Obama. McCain gets ND and KS. Obama-175, McCain-70.
Polls closing now-MN, WI, NE, WY, CO, AZ, NM, NY, LA, RI.
9:01pm: ARIZONA IS TOO CLOSE TO CALL!!! HOLY SHIT!
9:02pm: Ohio is still too early to call, but Obama is 59% to McCain 40%. HOLY SHIT!
9:09pm: McCain takes AR. Obama-175, McCain-75.
9:25pm: OHIO IS CALLED FOR OBAMA! Fuck yeah Ohio. FUCK YEAH!!! Obama-195, McCain-75.
Seriously, I did. ^_^
9:33pm: NM called for Obama, LA and ND called for McCain. Still dancing in my seat over Ohio, I need a new icon, one with Ohio being BLUE!(edit, see above) Obama-200, McCain-85.
9:40pm: McCain took WV. That state sucks, btw. Obama-200, McCain-90.
I am seriously enjoying myself, but dear lord, I haven't seen election results go this pretty EVER.
I forgot to say this since I was too busy jumping for joy, but without Ohio, McCain LOSES. Obama's taking CA, OR, WA and HI, which is another 80 electoral votes.
If Ohio gets recounted, I will go down and shoot some people in Columbus.
9:56pm: McCain takes TX but not OHIO! Obama-200, McCain-134
10:00pm: Polls closing: NV, UT, ID, MT, IA. IA is called for Obama, Utah is called for McCain. Obama-207, McCain-139.
10:05pm: We switch to The Daily Show Live Coverage with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for some fun.
10:10pm: MS goes to McCain. Abortion bans in SD and CO have FAILED-the one in CO was really ridiculous. Obama-207, McCain-140.
10:23pm: I either added wrong, or McCain lost a state worth 5 EV's. Can't tell at the moment what's going on here yet though. Obama-207, McCain-135. Sorry for my one or two loyal readers tonight. :p
10:38pm: McCain takes SD. Obama-207, McCain-138.
10:44pm: McCain takes NE. Still losing. :D Obama-207, McCain-142
This could all be over at 11pm when the polls close in CA, OR, WA, and HI.
11:00pm: BARACK OBAMA IS PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
CA, OR, WA, and HI have gone for Obama, 284 total. VA projected to go for Obama as well-297.
Holy hell, this election was over FAST compared to the last two.
I am so happy. I am so fucking happy. I'm looking at the party going on in Grant Park right now, and those people are so happy.
I love my country so much for getting to the point where a black man was able to run a legitimate campaign, and be fairly elected the next president of the USA. My parents have been telling me just how this would not have even entered anyone's realm of possibilities when they were my age. Even ten years ago, I'm not sure our country was at the place where this would have been possible.
I think it's also fair to mention that McCain ran the crappiest campaign of all time.
I hope I live to see a woman be elected president. Send the message to another segment of the population that you too, might grow up to be president.
I'm going to have a great birthday. I already have.
11:16pm: Barack Obama takes FL, CO. 333 EV total.
I popped the bubbly. We're celebrating here. :D
11:20pm: John McCain gives his concession speech. His supporters boo when he said he congratulated Obama. You guys stay classy. (please note-I think McCain gave a very good speech, and I saw shades of the senator I once respected, even if I disagreed with him. I think his supporters should have canned it. They just made it worse for him with that, and you could see it in his face.)AZ goes to McCain. 156 EV's total.
11:37pm: Nevada goes to Obama. LAND-SLIDE! 338 EV's. :)
12:00am(Nov. 5th): Obama's speech in Grant Park-at the end of this post. I'm possibly going to keep choking up for a damn long time. Oh yeah...Barack's grandmother died yesterday morning. I just lost it.
I'm also now 26 years old. For the first time, I am so happy my birthday is Election Day. It's been such a great day. I hope that the country actually does become more united. Bush did more to divide us and really polarize the nation over the past eight years than anyone else could have. Dear lord, I hope we can recover from that.
12:47am: I notice that Idaho went to McCain and I forgot to mention it. Whoops. Still 156 EV's for McCain. I am in the mood to PARTY!!!
1:00am: Polls are now closed everywhere. Race over, few people care. AK too early to call. IN, NC, MO, and MT are all still too close to call.
The president of Kenya has declared tomorrow a national holiday. Awesome, I didn't know I was that special! :p
1:40am: AK's 3 EV's go to McCain. MSNBC informs us that Bachman won her re-election, everyone laughed. Or possibly wanted to sob on behalf of MN. Steve LaTourette is the only red US Rep to win in northeast Ohio. Lucky me. *eyeroll* Obama-338, McCain-159. Race still over, nobody interested.
1:45am: 24% of voters are very scared of Obama being president. Well, now you know how I felt when Dubya got (s)elected. Except Obama's not nearly as stupid as that man.
2:08am: INDIANA HAS GONE BLUE! That's on the same HOLY SHIT level as OHIO. Good show, Great Lakes region! Every Great Lake state has gone blue. I knew I loved this region! ^_^ Obama-349, McCain-159. Last time Indiana went blue was in 1964.
3:00am: MO, NC, and MT are all still too close to call. I'm also curious to see how Prop. 8 in CA turned out (it better have failed). I'm starting to get pretty damn sleepy though. Still, I'm pretty pleased that I was able to correctly predict what states would be too close to call(NC, IN, MO). I was not expecting Montana to hold out this long....AUGH! Montana just got called for McCain. :p Obama-349, McCain-162. Not quite a huge landslide, but still damned decisive.
3:25am: Nebraska is VERY CLOSE to splitting its electoral votes (NE and ME are the only two states that do this) based on votes in the congressional districts. I don't think this has ever happened before. NE-02, which is mostly the city of Omaha, is too close to call. McCain-161, Obama-349.
I'm in this for the long haul, obviously, but I confess, it's purely self-serving.
4:00am: A state was apparently called too early without accurately counting all of its early votes. Before you come to Ohio and start shooting people, wrong state. GEORGIA may have been called too early for McCain. 600,000 early voting ballots from the Atlanta area were not counted, McCain's lead is by about 250,000. The Senate race in GA is likely going for a recount.
Proposition 8 looks to be passing with about 60% of the votes counted. To anyone who voted for that...umm, fuck off.
For reasons I cannot even begin to fathom, Ted Stevens, he of 'series of tubes' and seven felony convictions fame, is currently winning his seat. :\
4:30am: The MN senate race is so fucking close that those votes will likely have to be hand-counted. MO and NC are so damn close they're likely busy validating and counting provisional ballots. Those states will likely not be called for a day or two. Unlike 2000 and 2004, they will not be necessary tie-breakers. Thank goodness. I'm out of coconut rum.
I'm pretty much up to see where Prop. 8 in CA ends up. And to see if AK voters come to their fucking senses and boot out Ted Stevens.
5:00am: Four senate seats are still being hotly contested. 54 for Dems, 40 for GOP. MSNBC seems to keep forgetting that there are two Senate seats held by Joe Lieberman and an Independent. There are NOT SIX SEATS OPEN. JUST FOUR. Idiots. Or maybe they need some good coffee.
5:30am: MO and NC-counting provisional ballots. McCain leads in MO, Obama in NC. GA-probably still McCain, but not a given. NE-02 is still too close to call. NONE of these are game-changers. AK is likely to re-elect Ted Stevens, and lord, the comic fodder for Alaskans will be hard to top after this year. MN senate race is headed to a recount, it's within several hundred votes. MI passed medical marijuana and the stem cell research initiatives. Prop. 8 in CA still not called, looks like it's going to pass though, dammit. OH had no ballot initiatives that anyone gave a shit about.
Jason: Walberg is UNEMPLOYED! :D Joe Knollenberg, my rep when I lived in South Lyon, is UNEMPLOYED! I've somewhat hated that guy for awhile now.
6:00am: I'm going to bed. :p
8:00am: Failed at that one handily! :p
9:03am: MO is called for McCain. MO fails at being a bellwether. McCain-173. NC still not called. Al Franken is calling for a recount-he probably lost. Sorry Andy. Ted Stevens likely won his seat back. What is wrong with Alaska? He stands a good chance of getting expelled, and there'll be another special election. OR and GA senate races not called yet either. GA still not fully counted. 538 called this one quite handily. Check out their predictions and compare to their final map. If NC goes Obama, they underestimated, but still, nice going on Nate Silver's part there.
10:00am: Proposition 8 in CA is looking to pass, but it will not be called until the roughly 3 million absentee ballots have been counted. Shades of 2000 right there...DRINK. And hope that CA isn't about to seriously fuck over a lot of people.
11:39am: I just saw Condi Rice give a statement. This was definitely affecting her. Everything else is still too close to call, and since I still remember 2000 and 2004, it'll likely be that way for a day or two.
Sometime later on Nov 5th: Prop 8 is called as passing. That's probably enough to send the election to bittersweet for a lot of us. Also a huge setback.
Record number of women elected to Congress. FUCKING AWESOME! Yes, one of them is Michele Bachman, and that district in MN really owes us a damn good explanation.
MN Senate Election has gone to a recount by MN law-it is within several hundred. We're not gonna know this one until December.
AK Senate has likely gone to Ted Stevens. How do I make fun of Alaska when they've been hell-bent on doing it to themselves?
GA Senate has gone to a run-off. Special election to be held in December.
OR Senate? 9:25pm-called for Merkley(D). Portland took FOREVER to count their ballots.
NC? STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL. Count faster, dammit. Just for the fuck of it, I want to see this one go blue. For the same reason I wanted to see IN go blue. It hasn't happened in fifty years. Ohio? I confess, that one was fucking personal.
North Carolina has gone blue. Well, most likely. Obama-364. Awesome. Too fucking awesome.
There's some House races that are likely to go to a run-off or recount as well.
President-Elect Barack Obama's Grant Park Speech
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
I'll probably update this when NC gets called-according to The Daily Show(I've admittedly had better sources, but Jon did call the election last night, first comedian to ever do that), NC went to Obama,
