Live-Blogging the Election Eve
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008I’ll be updating this live through the night as information collects (newest scraps at the top)… keep an eye on the news in the left-hand column of my blog site, as well — those feeds were chosen for their accuracy, opinion based on solid research, and clear, concise writing.
- Doug Ross adds illustrations to a simple piece of clarity by Thomas Sowell at National Review Online.
- If you voted on anything in your state in addition to warm bodies to fill chairs yesterday, go to CNN.com to see the results.
- Neil Stevens at RedState.com puts a seal on this drum for the evening:
“Point one: There’s no need to start pointing fingers within the party. This election was on style, not substance. No faction’s to blame, and no policy is at fault. We know this because Obama won. He ran on no ideas at all.
We all went into this together with the wrong idea. We just need to learn how to win again, rather than try to pin the loss on somebody. No, I don’t even blame John McCain and the mavericks like him.
Point two: This isn’t the end of America. Our values are more resilient than Obama is strong. Our civil institutions are stronger than Obama is socalist. Our nation is greater than any one man, including the President. We will endure anything that happens under his Presidency.
Point three: This is no time for ‘purging’ anyone. This it time for regrouping and winning again.
Point four: 1980 didn’t come just because President Carter was that bad. It came because Republicans and conservatives worked hard, prepared for 1980, got a good candidate, and worked within the party for victory.
Point five: 2010 comes before 2012. Let’s focus on getting 435 excellent candidates for the House, 33 excellent candidates for the Senate, and excellent candidates for Governor and state legislator.
Point six: If you’re pushing a candidate for 2012 right now, you’re not to be taken seriously.”
- “It’s a great day in America… I’ve been waiting so long to say that…” -a rather attractive, whimpering young lady being interviewed on camera in Indianapolis. All I can say, is that I have always been proud of what America used to stand for. Now, I have to trade that in so that you can finally feel good? This idea that one person cannot ‘win’ without taking something away from someone else is apparently a correct way to think when you are on the receiving end; this is the epitome of selfishness and amorality. This is the new, legitimized face of the victimhood that is America.
- At least we won’t have as many riot issues since the evil old white guy didn’t win.
- Pundits are extolling the virtues of the Great Obama — but, they say, he will ‘face great challenges because we are a divided nation’… LIKE HELL WE ARE. Saying that is to ignore the fact that Congress (Branch #1), the Judicial System (Branch #2) and the Oval Office (Branch #3) are all controlled now by Democrats — and the most extremely Left-leaning people we have seen in our generation. That’s not ‘divided’; just dangerously unstable.
- Too tired to do anything but lay out clothes for tomorrow — will have to wait until the weekend to have time to start researching what the housing market is in Canada (j/k — I think). Hey, did we ever get any real evidence of Obama’s ‘natural born’ status as an American citizen? Last i heard, the judge didn’t say he was satisfied with Obama’s paperwork — only that a private citizen didn’t have the right to challenge Obama’s eligibility to be a candidate for the Presidency. So… who does have the right to question the legitimacy of this election? Oh… yeah… I forgot to spread the suspension of disbelief around…
- Well, it took NBC to have the balls to ‘call it’ first — at 11PM Eastern, they say the election belongs to Obama. I expect it to take months, not years, before we find we cannot reverse the course of this country’s decline into meaninglessness. When a man promises to lean out of a blimp and throw other people’s money at you, when questioned all you can respond with is shallow platitudes and catch-phrases — despite the knowledge that you are believing in those fluttering dollars and a misguided glee that he is not ‘just another old white guy’ — the voter doesn’t care. Having one of the most liberal and untested talking heads in the country at the helm will indeed be remembered by history — but not in the way that the teaming masses are expecting. The phrase that used to mean ‘the rest will be easier’ has a whole new meaning today: It’s all downhill from here.
- Did you notice that in races where the Democrats are winning, there are seldom reports of problems at polling locations? That must mean that when there are problems reported, it is due to us Republicans attempting to sabotage the votes of the Left.
- A reminder from a month ago (check your pantry, keep your water clean and your powder dry):
Oh, and THIS one from one of my favorite vloggers on the planet (I had to find it again for a buddy I was just IM’ing with):
- More politicians who are openly averse to Capitalism are speaking out about how stupid you are for wanting to own property, and see personal gain in exchange for your hard work. Obama will be the fearless leader who marches us into a new age of Socialism; but he won’t do it alone. Watch how Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) explains that capitalism and property ownership is for small-minded people (h/t to MoonBattery.com):
- If Obama wins, it’s not all bad news. Savor the silver lining. H/t to MichelleMalkin.com and MollyGood.com for this at Akon promises to leave the US if McCain is president:
“If he [Obama] doesn’t get into office, I’m gonna change my citizenship. I’m moving back to Africa. You can hold me to that. I’m afraid to live there if he [McCain] is President. The decisions he makes scare me: he’s making selfish decisions, he’s doing whatever it takes to get into office.”
MollyGood calls Akon ‘a faux thug who repeatedly assaults his concert-goers’ — if he is ‘missed’, it would only be due to his buddies’ poor aim. - CNN.com Election Center ’08 has a page up for mobile users at http://cnnec.mlogic.mobi/ that seems to work fine on the Blackberry and the iPhone.
- Google has helpful page up that will help you find your polling location, and verify your registration: http://www.google.com/2008election/ We have found that it can be helpful to print out your voter registration verification so that poll workers don’t try to tell you that you’ve arrived at the wrong location. This has happened a lot (to me in previous years), and they can be shut up quickly by showing them that you looked it up in the last 24 hours.
- McCain is (finally) taking action against the jerks who are trying to suppress military votes.
“McCain campaign sues over overseas military ballots (HamptonRoads.com): Because many counties in Virginia failed to mail absentee ballots in time to our men and women in uniform stationed overseas, service members are being disenfranchised because they are unable to return their ballots before the November 4 deadline”
Update: thanks for the news from MichelleMalkin.com — the military votes in Virginia will be counted! - Milwaukee police unit specializing in election fraud prevention told to “stay away” from polling places
“A special Milwaukee, WI police unit that practically wrote the book on vote fraud and how to prevent it has been told not to go near polling locations today. … The report found that between 4,600 and 5,300 more votes were counted in Milwaukee than the number of voters recorded as having cast ballots. Absentee ballots were cast by people living elsewhere; ineligible felons not only voted but worked at the polls; transient college students cast improper votes; and homeless voters possibly voted more than once.”
- I wore my Polling Location/Election Day button pin. It says: “LEAVE ME ALONE.” But this was the first election year when I didn’t have to ‘run the gauntlet’. There were a couple of people handing out brochures at the very back of the line; but after that no one tried to block my path to shake hands/kiss babies.
- McCain-Palin Campaign Launches Honest and Open Election Hotline: 866-976-VOTE
“ARLINGTON, VA — The McCain-Palin campaign launched the Honest and Open Election hotline to help citizens learn the location of their polling place, as well as report any instances of irregularities at the polls, including voter fraud, intimidation, violence and electioneering. … In 2004, multiple forms of voter fraud occurred, including voter intimidation, fraudulent registrations, multiple ballots cast and votes bought for money. Already during the 2008 election cycle, a dead woman in Missouri cast an absentee ballot, individuals were arrested for voting twice in Florida and people in Ohio registered and voted on the same day.”A
- And this is why the Republicans didn’t think they could slip by with Mitt Romney at the top of the ticket: Pro-Same-Sex Marriage Mocking the Mormons (Moonbattery.com)
“Liberals are very tolerant of diversity — within the ranks of privileged special interest groups that support their agenda. The rest of us are fair game for bigoted stereotypes. This ad opposed to a proposition to defend the concept of marriage from defilement in California goes after a favorite target, Mormons. The ad might be a little too subtle for moonbats. They should have had the Mormons abduct the lesbians’ adopted child and devour it alive while it wriggled and screamed.”
- Have you seen Barack’s social network? Find out all about his friends and read up on his profile at BarackBook.com (OK, this is just a funny — but it’s a great way to illustrate that Obama’s ‘network’ matters.)
- Sarah Palin has been exonerated at the eleventh hour — those who she has defeated politically in the past were able to keep suspicion of her character on the lips of millions; but were ultimately set aside by a judge.
- Though the predictions of how the Electoral College will shake out have looked gloomy just days ago (311-to-160 in favor of Obama on 10/31), the numbers at http://rove.com/maps/overtime look more even, though it’s still an uphill battle: 338-200, still in favor of Obama.
- Twitter users can follow and contribute to a feed about voter fraud and polling location trouble. There is also a nationwide map of all the reports.
- Fairness Doctrine Watch: Schumer likens conservative opinion to pornography (MichelleMalkin.com):
“Conservatives fear that forcing stations to make equal time for liberal talk radio would cut into profits so significantly that radio executives would opt to scale back on conservative radio programming to avoid escalating costs and interference from the FCC.”
- Update: (RedState.com) This hasn’t been limited to a single polling location, nor apparently a single state. The video below shows the nightstick-wielding man from the FOX news report, and there have been reports of Black Panther wannabes intimidating voters from as far away as Tennessee.
Black Panther intimidation at the polls?; NBPP: “We will be at the polls in the cities and counties in many states to ensure that the enemy does not sabotage the black vote, which was won through the blood of the martyrs of our people” (MichelleMalkin.com)“We warn you, leave Barack Obama alone and leave our babies alone because black people are a spiritual people and a people who are trying to do right, and we will not hesitate to take up our legal rights of self-defense.”
RICK LEVENTHAL: i do not even know where to begin, but we have reached a polling place in the city of philadelphia. one of the two black panthers who was allegedly blocking the door is standing right over here, with an accused us of intimidating voters because we were here with a camera and microphone. he did not answer questions, other people here have confirmed that another person in black panther attire was holding a night stick and apparently the concern was that they were intimidating people who were trying to go inside to vote. a republican poll observer actually called the police, the police were here and we miss them, they came and left. that person called the police is here. why don’t you tell us — step down off the curb, if you do not mind. what is going on here?CITIZEN: we got a phone call that there was intimidation going on. i walked up to the door, two gentlemen in black panther guard, one brandishing a nightstick, standing in front of the door. they closed ranks as i walked up. i am a veteran, that does not scare me. i went inside and found full- watchers, they said they had been here for an hour — i went inside and found poll-watchers, they said that they had said not to let people outside because black people are going to win no matter what. at that point, i spoke to him, we would not get into a fistfight, i said, and i called the police.
LEVENTHAL: the person with the nightstick was escorted away, which i just confirmed inside. but the implication is that you were telling me that the black panthers were there to intimidate white voters from coming to this location?
CITIZEN: anyone who is not going their way, i do not know. someone in front of a polling place with a nightstick, that is intimidating for all voters.
LEVENTHAL: this is the first time i have heard of black panthers being stationed outside of a polling place. the one gentleman who is still here, he is a poll-watcher?
CITIZEN: yes, and he can wear what he wants.
LEVENTHAL: the other person was not allowed to be there with a nice that?
CITIZEN: you cannot stand with a nightstick anywhere, that is a weapon. obviously, you cannot stand around with a weapon menacingly in your hand under any circumstances.
- Flopping Aces reminds us of the Left — Obama’s America:
“Today, my 6yr old little girl Katy got off the school bus ashamed and in tears. I ran out to see what was wrong, and she finally looked up at me, “Daddy, I got some bad news.”
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?”
“No. The kids on bus #9 (pre-teen kids) said that if we vote for McCain they’re gonna drop bombs on our house and our cars and kill us tonight.”This is not fiction, exaggeration, or anything of the sort. This is Barack Obama’s America, a country where people who hear his message of unity go home and teach their kids intimidation and terror. My little girl has never ever ever come home from school with anything shy of an ear to ear smile. Most days she comes running off the bus with her arms wide open. Today, she was ashamed, scared, embarassed, and terrorized.
I told Katy that I’d protect her (not a problem, but I won’t elaborate). I told her our German Shepard mutt and our Rottweiler mix mutt would protect her (they both patrol the house at night, so not a problem or exaggeration), and she was comforted. Some cookies, and she’s fine. That’s a 6yr old.
The 39yr old daddy on the other hand is pissed off to no end. I don’t really think someone’s going to come bomb our house tonight. What pisses me off is that parents (be they Obama or McCain supporters themselves) would be so irresponsible, ignorant, and scared themselves so as to teach their kids political intimidation. That’s not American. That’s chickenshit. That’s a set of parents (if there are two) who are so paranoid that they can’t deal with reality themselves.
Tomorrow’s a big day. As I’ve said before, I will vote for McCain, but I’ll be content with either for President. I’ll vote my way. You vote your way. That’s it. Once you are done, that’s it. You’re American again-not a Democrat or McCain supporter or whatever.
Meanwhile, my little girl (who just got a perfect report card on Tuesday, and talk of being put in an advanced class because she’s teaching other kids) is not afraid. Yes, she cried, and was ashamed of that, and was embarassed, but after the cookies quelled the tears she told me that in their mock election, “I still voted for McCain, Daddy.” Kid’s not only the best reader in the class, but brave.
Me? Well, I’m pissed, and I’m wondering, “If Sen Obama wins tomorrow, what will happen to my little girl at the hands of the other kids, and will all of America become ruled by those who believe power comes best from political intimidation.”
Sarah Palin, and many wonderful women of our generation like her, is simultaneously beautiful, and an organized, and thoughtful, and yes — powerful. We think she must have broken some sort of rule in doing so.
Obviously, these are silly arguments; but that won’t stop the divisive and judgmental cries that Governor Palin is set to rewind all the progress made thus far by the Feminist Movement. Enough, even, for self-identified ‘Feminists’ to rescind Palin’s claim to the gender.
Most of all though, Easterling doesn’t like Barack Obama. ‘I’m scared to death of him,’ she admits. ‘I’m scared of what he stands for, the whole nine yards. He hangs with the terrorists and he lies. He never tells the truth and he’s a flip-flopper. He’s not to be trusted.’
