It begins! The hysteria on the right is already reaching a fever pitch... and most of us haven't even finished our morning coffee. (Updated below the fold)
There's nothing like the paranoia and blatant racism of the Freepers to make you shake your head. Or bust a gut laughing. This morning, I'm laughing. Why?
Well, a lot of it is schadenfreude. I'm going to gloat, and I don't care. I've been told I'm a traitor, a terrorist sympathizer, and every other nasty thing in the book for the last six years. So bite me, wingnuts.
Also, this is day freakin' one, and the hysteria is so extreme, it's hilarious. Just check out the freeper comments in this thread, sensitively titled Minnesota Sends First Muslim to Congress:MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Voters elected a black Democrat as the first Muslim in Congress on Tuesday after a race in which he advocated quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and made little mention of his faith.
We're all gonna die! We're all gonna die! We're all gonna dieeee! AIIIEEEE!
Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old lawyer and state representative, defeated two rivals, television networks said, to succeed retiring Democrat Martin Sabo in a seat that has been held by Democrats since 1963.
Ellison, who converted to Islam as a 19-year-old college student in his native Detroit, won with the help of Muslims among a coalition of liberal, anti-war voters.
He advocates an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq along with strongly liberal views. While Ellison did not often speak of his faith during the campaign, awareness of his candidacy drew interest from Muslims well beyond the district centered in Minneapolis.
A significant community of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis cast their first votes for him in the crowded September primary. Ellison also was the surprise choice of party regulars.
While Muslim-Americans make up less than 3 percent of the U.S. population and have largely been a non-factor in terms of political power, get-out-the-vote efforts in several Muslim communities could indicate they may become an emerging force.
Roughly 2 million Muslims are registered U.S. voters, and their ranks increased by tens of thousands in the weeks prior to Tuesday's mid-term elections, Muslim groups have said.
COMMENTS:
--The surrender begins....
--Locked and Loaded!!
--As I said on a previous thread...I feels as if I am watching 9-11 again on my TV. Watching America be attacked from within and I am helpless watching. America...what have you done?
--What is it with blacks converting to the religion of those who first made them slaves ,and continue to enslave and kill in Africa?
--The House Dems will fall all over themselves to make Islam welcome in the House. Watch for alterations to the opening prayer.
--WE ARE SO SCREWED UP AS A NATION IT ISN'T EVEN FUNNY!
--Getting ready to go out & buy my burka. I knew it, next we'll have Barrack Hussein O'bama as Prez. This is what the liberals want. But, if we have an immediate w/d from Iraq, like this clown wants, the terrorists will come here, like Bush said & we'll all be dead anyway.
--Congratulations to the burqa-wearing Minnesotans! Good job!
--National suicide has begun.
--Take this to the bank, they will rue the day that they elected a Muslim to our Congress.
--A Muslim is a Muslim is a Muslim.
--Taking my pc and will watch this under my bed.
--buying ammo... and prepared to use it.
Oh... oh my. Sides hurting.
UPDATE: Blogenfreude has more, and a totally awesome graphic.
Overture... cross-post, lights... this is it...we'll hit the heights...)
Shriek! Scream! Aiiieeeeeee!!!!
Quote of the Day
Actually, probably the first of many.
Bob Harris: "It must be puzzling... And here the Republicans thought the voters would greet them as liberators…"
Suggestions Needed
I was speaking with a co-worker this morning, and we both agreed that Bush has gone far beyond Lame Duck status. He was quacking and molting before last night's elections ever occurred; now he'll be lucky if anyone pays the slightest bit of attention to anything he says.
So... we need a new term. What is more Lame Ducky than Lame Duck?
Some Suggestions for the Democrats
1. Don't fall for it. I hope she spits in his lobster bisque.
2. Stock up on Wingnut repellent. The right-wing noise machine has been hammering you nonstop when they held all the power. It's going to double, probably triple, now. Thick skins are in order.
3. Keep your goddamn noses clean. The number one, most important issue that voters stated last night was "corruption." Get the hint? Let the Republicans wallow in filth; it's what they do best. Don't forget who you work for, and keep it in your pants.
4. Grow a pair.
5. Read the blogs. And I don't mean checking out Kos and the other "big" blogs... read the smaller ones, too. *cough*Shakespeare's Sister*cough* Sure, the big boys are good for bringing in the green, but the smaller ones (not that Shakes' blog is small in the slightest) have very active communities. If you want to know what real progressives are thinking and what they want to see from you folks, this is where to be. We're not looking for a book deal. We want Democrats that stand up for what we believe in. There's a handy blogroll to the right if you need some leads!
6. No, really, keep your goddamn noses clean.
7. The time for Republican Lite is over. You wanted to appear centrist so you could get voted in? Fine. You're voted in. Now stop with this "no amnesty" shit, get on board with stem cell research, get your voters some goddamned health care, and stop with this "well, I'm for civil unions" bullshit. See #4 above and start acting humane.
There. Lecture over. Congratulations, and don't let us down.
Now we do the dance of joy.
(P.S. There's a woman named Tammy Duckworth that you might want to be checking out...)
(We are the cross-posts, my friends...)
Good morning
A very different post-election morning, to be sure.
M and I agreed that it makes for a very different experience - waking up on the morning after to find that most of the candidates and issues you supported actually won. There hasn't been a lot of that in the last twelve years or so. Even longer, if you go back to the advent of Ronald Reagan.
The national political landscape was a little too big for me to take in, but the McCaskill/Talent race and the stem cell research amendment were very much on our minds last night. With only ten percent of the returns in and something like a ten point lead, Talent and his family looked awfully satisfied behind the podium last night. The amendment was about in the same position as McCaskill, trailing by ten. "It's early yet," I told M. And we went to bed fairly early. Whatever would happen would happen.
McCaskill won. I can only imagine how this felt for her; I'd heard that this would have been her last foray into politics had she lost. Talent said all the right things in concession - his standard Mr. Nice Guy act - but as he spoke, all I could think of were the vicious character assassination ads against McCaskill run on Talent's behalf by the NRCC. It's one thing to criticize a political record; what Talent did or allowed to be done in his name was personal and flat mean. There is no comparison between the critical ads run by the McCaskill and the vitriol spewed forth from the Talent camp. For that alone, Talent well deserved to lose.
In the earlier days of McCaskill's campaign, when her financial disadvantage compared to talent was becoming clear, it was suggested to me that McCaskill's time might be better spent raising cash in the friendlier metropoli of St. Louis and Kansas City rather than campaigning in the vastness of outstate Missouri. I disagreed: McCaskill was busy laying the groundwork in areas where she knew she was weak, the traditionally conservative areas in the middle and south of the state. That early work paid off.
The stem cell contest ended for the best with the passage of Amendment 2. So much for the efforts of scientist/humanitarians Rush Limbaugh, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Suppan, and Kurt Warner. Look for opponents of the measure to try to hamstring it in the courts anyway they can, the state constitution be damned. I guess activist judges are okay with some convervatives if they're active in the "right" way.
That McCaskill and Amendment 2 succeeded by similar margins - after initially trailing in similar fashion - may make some observers think that the stem cell issue helped McCaskill. Actually, the opposite seems clear to me: Amendment 2 energized a lot of conservative voters who might otherwise have stayed in their warm homes rather than venture out to support Talent. That McCaskill overcame this is a tribute to her campaign...Rush Limbaugh not withstanding.
(Cross-posted.)
Election Night Wrap-Up
Well, it’s 2:30am, and I don’t have a whole lot of energy left to do much of a wrap-up, but as I finally leave for my bed, the Dems have retaken the House, and the Senate rests on the results in Montana and Virginia. Tester should take Montana in a squeaker, if my math is right—the counties left to report don’t appear to have enough votes for Burns to overcome Tester’s lead. As for Virginia, it looks like it’s going to a recount, and the good news is that we’re going into it with the Democrat the presumed winner.
I’m particularly proud of my home state of Indiana tonight, which turned three red seats blue. Congratulations to Ellsworth, Hill, and especially Donnelly, for getting rid of that asshole Chocola after a very nasty campaign.
If you weren’t hanging around Shakes tonight, you missed some fretful nail-biting and some serious fun. And we learned some very important things—like how I wield the radical gay agenda from my feminazi cooter, and how my womb is so filled with socialism and sympathy for terrorists that there’s no room for babies.
Great “Actual Headline” already: Bush disappointed at Republicans' losses. Aww. Can somebody call the waaaaaaambulance for him? And here’s something to look forward to: Tomorrow, Bush will hold a press conference “to urge his opponents to work with him.” White House counselor Dan Bartlett promises that the president will “extend a hand for bipartisan cooperation to work on the issues facing our country,” while White House spinmeister Tony Snow grouses, “Democrats have spent a lot of time complaining about what the president has done. This is an opportunity for them to kind of stand up.” Indeed. I hope they stand up and kick him right in the nuts.
I’m sure I’ll have more to say about the GOP and into what orifices they can shove various bits of schadenfreugasmic goodness tomorrow, when my brain isn’t feeling quite so melty.
As for the victorious Dems, I’ve got only five little words: Congratulations. Don’t let us down.
Speaker Pelosi
(Future)
first woman speaker ever.
You go, girl.
Fierce!
The Virtual Bar Is Open
This post will stay at the top all day. New posts below.
I just got back from voting. Mama Shakes picked me up, so we could go vote together and then go have lunch. First we went to my voting location, where an adorable young guy who looked to be about 19 was working the election with about 10 ancient women, and he assured me with a laugh that he’d make sure there was no funny business with my vote. I voted a straight Democratic ticket.
Then we went to Mama Shakes’ voting location so she could vote, and then it was off to lunch, where we decided it would be totally awesome if Dick Cheney shot himself in the ass while he was hunting today.
Did you know that in Indiana you can’t buy alcohol on Election Day? Well, you can’t! What kind of dumbass law is that?! Today’s the day I most need a drink, bitchez! Good thing I’ve got a bottle of wine in the fridge. Harrumph.
(Btw, is anyone having problems opening the page because of the chat feature?)
High Turnout
A glance at PM election stories shows voters are coming out in record numbers, at least in states with tight races:That’s what I like to see on Election Day—lots of voting!
Virginia: "A state elections official says reports from around Virginia early Tuesday indicated an extraordinarily high turnout for a midterm election- with perhaps 65 percent of registered voters expected to cast ballots. That would double the midterm turnout in 2002." (AP)
Missouri: "Election officials raced across St. Louis to deliver additional voting machines as exceptionally high turnout at many polling places led to long lines and short tempers. . . . 'We've never had this kind of turnout -- ever,' St. Louis Board of Election Supervisors Matt Potter said[.]" (WSJ)
Montana: “'The line for late registration is a good hour wait,' Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Vickie Zeier said at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. 'There are so many people, it’s unbelievable.' . . . Elsewhere in Missoula County, polling places were reporting heavy traffic." (Missoulian)
Tennessee : "Even in rainy Tennessee, officials are noting a nearly 50 percent jump in turnout over the 2002 midterms." (AP)
Brilliant Brad
If you haven't already, stop by BradBlog to catch up on all the voting problems he and his team have been documenting throughout the day.
The Sanctity of Marriage
Sent to me by GoldFishy, who says: "On a day when our nation tries to prove that we even have our crap together and that we really can manage to run our own democracy much less force it on others, the attached image appears on my browser. Really? Britney's sacred union (remember how it's an institution of our society so valuable that it should be protected by amendments to various state constitutions and even the great document that established this nation), is now not worth fighting for? The sanctity of marriage, dying at the hands of Britney and Kevin. I swear, I had nothing to do with it. Neither did my partner (for I refuse to use the word 'husband' until it's recognized by the law). We left it like we found it, and if were able to participate might even leave it better than the condition we get it in."
Right on, brother.
Tuesday Cat Flogging
A man who reportedly believed Republicans were conspiring to steal today's election entered an Allentown polling site, signed in and proceeded to smash the screen of one of the electronic voting machines with a metal cat paperweight, poll volunteers said.Via.
Michael Young, 43, of 375 Auburn St., will be charged with felony criminal mischief and tampering with voting machines, according to Ronald Manescu, chief of investigations for Allentown police.
Police gave no motive, but a source said Young, a registered Independent, believed Republicans had conspired to win the election by using electronic ballots. This is the first time electronic machines are being widely used in a Pennsylvania general election.
"He smashed it with the cat's ears," said volunteer Jim Govostis, who watched the incident unfold at Raker Center, a nursing home owned by Good Shepherd, around 12:30 p.m.
Young, who brought the paperweight with him, then sat down, hung his head and waited for police, who arrested him without incident.
Both Sides are Just as Bad!
Oh, it's election day, it's election day... and of course, the Republicans are doing their best to destroy the democratic process.
"But remember, the Democrats are dabbling in voter fraud, too!" cry the Republicans.
Well... let's take a look:
A public relations battle has broken out with both Republicans and Democrats on the look out for dirty tricks that they can quickly publicize to embarrass the other side.
Democrats, for example, announced that GOP poll workers are handing out “fake and misleading” flyers at polling sites in Prince George’s County, Maryland today.
The flyer says that three leading black Democrats had endorsed both Republican Bob Ehrlich for Governor and Republican Michael Steele for Senate, which is false.
The Maryland Democratic Party also said it had received word that homeless people from Philadelphia have been bused in to do the Republicans’ dirty work.
National Republicans, meanwhile, complained that MikeforMichigan.com - Michigan Republican Mike Bouchard’s Senate campaign web site - was under attack and consequently shut down. “The proper federal authorities will be contacted immediately,’’ said the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
And in Syracuse, New York Democrats denounced a Republican member of the Common Council for trying to deter people from voting for Dan Maffei, a Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Jim Walsh.
“Ryan McMahon, a Republican on the Common Council, showed up wearing a Maffei sticker in the polling place and started trying to convince people coming into vote that they were at the wrong polling place,’’ said an email from the New York State Democrats. “We have to fight extra hard because we are up against people who will say or do anything to win this race, they are that desperate.”
So, let's see here...
GOP poll workers handing out "fake and misleading" flyers that blatantly lie to voters...
Homeless people exploited to do the dirty work for Republicans...
GOP workers trying to trick people away from their polling place while posing as a Dem supporter...
Plus, all the dirty tricks in the links above...
Versus "My website went down!"
Gosh and golly... they're like mirror images, aren't they?
(Okay, that "bussing in the homeless" thing sounds pretty far-fetched, but I wouldn't put it past them.)
UPDATE: Well, what do you know? Not so far-fetched after all. Thanks, TPM. (And Linkmeister!)
Latino Voters Intimidated in Arizona
Nina Perales, a senior poll-watcher for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), called me from Tucson's Iglesia Bautista precinct, where the three men are approaching Latino voters and videotaping them on their way to vote.What does that even mean—keep an eye on the situation? Please continue watching as men harass voters. We’ll be interested to hear your report once the election is over! So. Frustrating.
"As voters are coming out of their cars and walking up towards their polls, one person is videotaping the voter as he walks towards the polling place," she said. Then another person, wearing an American flag bandana and a shirt with the image of a badge ironed or embroidered on it, approaches with a clipboard to talk to the voter. "While the clipboard person is. . .talking to [the voter], the cameraperson comes up and starts videotaping their face," Perales said.
As this happens, the third man -- with a gun visible in a sideholster -- stands next to the voter. According to Perales, he is wearing a shirt with an American flag on it, and camouflage shorts.
The men only approach Latino voters, she said, and noted they have been doing so since early this morning.
Perales' group has contacted the Department of Justice and the FBI. The Feds have asked her group to keep an eye on the situation.
Poll Worker Assaults Voter
A poll worker at the United Auto Workers hall on Fern Valley Road was arrested after he was accused of assaulting a voter, said Lt. Col. Carl Yates, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriffs’ Office.Via TPM Muckraker.
The worker, whose name has not been released, has been charged with interfering with an election and fourth-degree assault, said Yates, who had not other details.
Paula McCraney, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Clerk, said the poll worker was accused of choking and pushing the voter out of the door. Election officials called the police and when an officer arrived, the voter wanted to file charges, McCraney said.
“That about tops off the day,” McCraney said.
More Voting Problems
Colorado: “Democratic party leaders are planning to seek a two-hour extension for voting in Denver, due to massive computer problems which have created long lines, and kept many from casting their vote.”
Missouri: “My wife just came home from voting here in Webster Groves MO. She used the electronic touch-screen voting system. . . She touched Claire McCaskill's picture and the machine recorded a vote for Jim Talent. She then called one of the people running the polling center who helped her correct the problem. My wife then had to call the person over another time after it recorded her vote a Republican again. In her frustration she asked the person who was responsible for the design of this system. The polling person leaned in very close to my wife and whispered, ‘We're f----d’.”
And yet more Ohio, as Crazy Jean Schmidt’s vote won’t scan and it’s captured on camera:
Contempt for Democracy
This is how they suppress votes.
There are many reasons to get rid of the GOP majority,
but most important has to be their manifest contempt
for the democratic process. They don't deserve to win.
THROW THESE FUCKING BUMS OUT!!!
Via Ezra.
