Friday, March 29, AD 2024 5:41am

Election Day and Night Live Blog

So the day has arrived at last.  Our political adversaries are not orcs, but I must say I have been waiting for this day through four long years, and I am as eager to vote against Obama and his party as the Rohirrim were eager to smash the army of Sauron at Minas Tirith.  This is our live blog for this election day and night.  All contributors to TAC are welcome to post on it.  Passions no doubt will be running rather high today, and I will be attempting to keep these words of Abraham Lincoln in mind:

I thank you, in common with all others, who have thought fit, by their votes, to indorse the Republican cause. I rejoice with you in the success which has, so far, attended that cause. Yet in all our rejoicing let us neither express, nor cherish, any harsh feeling towards any citizen who, by his vote, has differed with us. Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in the bonds of fraternal feeling.

1.  5:30 AM CST-Rasmussen and Gallup both have the race 49 Romney-48 Obama.  Rasmussen has party id R 5.8 which is unprecedented.  Republicans normally win with a D-2 advantage.  If the Republicans have an R 5.8 advantage a Romney landslide is in the offing.  Such an advantage would explain why prognosticators are indicating in House races the Republicans are likely to add to their majority.  We will find out soon enough.

2. 5:30 AM CST-Yesterday in a conference call Stephanie Cutler, Obama’s deputy campaign manager warned that supporters should not panic if the exit polls initially go against them because so many of their voters have voted early.  I found this intriguing since exit polls usually favor Democrats.

3.  5:30 AM CST-Polls in traditional bellweather counties in Ohio and New Hampshire point to a Romney win in those states.

4.  5:50 AM CST  As we vote today let’s keep in mind who, after God, we have to thank for the right to vote:

5.  6:05 AM CST  TAC’s David Hartline has a post on National Review Online about what to look for in Ohio voting tonight.  Go here to read it.

6.  7:06 AM CST-I just voted in my town.  Dwight is a Republican stronghold and I would describe the voting I observed as very brisk, heavier at this time than I recall in 2008.

7.  7:30 AM CST-

I am shocked, shocked to hear that Democrats are illegally tossing court appointed Republican poll watchers out of Philadelphia wards so that they can go about stuffing the ballot box for Obama in peace!  Go here to read all about it.

8.  1:00 PM CST-Republicans have won early voting in Colorado.  The Democrats took it by a 2% lead in 2008.  That bodes very well for Romney taking what could be a very crucial state tonight.

9.  4:25 PM CST-Dan Rather, yes that Dan Rather, predicts a Romney victory:

“RATHER: You can lay out a plan that Romney wins this election. And I’ll be honest with you, as I always try to be. Something in my gut tells me that it’s going to be a good day for Romney. But as a reporter, you don’t report your gut. The polls all indicate, yes, Obama, he has several paths to victory, Romney has only one. But I’m reminded of that old saying, “Don’t taunt the alligator until after you cross the creek.”

10. 5:06 PM CST-Fox talking about exit polls, and emphasizing how close they are.  Considering how exit polls tend to lean toward Democrats, that could be good news for Romney.  The Economy is the top issue and by 5 points the respondents give Romney the advantage on that issue.

11.  6:00 PM CST-Kentucky and Indiana called for Romney.  Vermont called for Obama.

12.  6:30 PM CST-West Virginia called for Romney.

13.  6:40 PM CST-South Carolina called for Romney.

14. 6:52 PM CST-Georgia called for Romney.

15.  7:05 PM CST-Lots of calls.  For Obama:  Illinois, DC, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts and 3 of Maine’s 4 electoral votes.  For Romney:  Alabama , Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

16.  7:30 PM CST-Arkansas called for Romney.

17.  8:00 PM CST-More calls:  Michigan is called for Obama and that forecloses one of Romney’s paths to victory.  For Romney:  Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.

18.  8:15 PM CST-Pennsylvania is called for Obama and that forecloses another path to victory for Romney.

19.  8:21 PM CST-Fox is projecting that the Republicans will retain control of the House, which is welcome although no surprise.

20. 8:26 PM CST-A real heartbreaker: Wisconsin is called for Obama.

21. 8:35 PM CST-Donnelly is projected to beat Mourdock in the Indiana Senate race.  This night is not looking pretty in either the Presidential race or the Senate.

22. 8:45 PM CST-Tammy Baldwin defeats Tommy Thompson, former governor of Wisconsin, and the Senate will have its first openly Lesbian member.

23. 9:08 PM CST-Minnesota called for Obama.  It all comes down to Ohio now, assuming that Romney can scrape a victories in Virginia and Florida.

24.  9:10 PM CST-Todd Akin loses his bid for the Senate in Missouri.

23.  8:50 PM CST-CBS calls New Hampshire for Obama.

24.  8:55 PM CST-Warren defeats Brown for the Massachusetts Senate seat.

25.  9:00 PM CST-While taking a beating in the Senate and with the Presidential race not looking good, the GOP may actually add tonight to its huge House margin.  What an odd election.

26.  9:00 PM CST-Romney takes Utah, of course, and Montana.

27.  9:20 PM CST-Obama takes New Mexico and the remaining electoral vote of Maine.

28. 9:45 PM CST-Romney’s final path to victory is to take Ohio, Virginia, Colorado and Florida.  The first three actually don’t look too bad, but Florida looks shaky.  Cue the flashbacks to 2000!

29. 9:45 PM CST-Romney takes Arizona.

30. 10:07 PM CST-Missouri falls to Romney.

31.  10:10 PM CST-Deb Fisher defeats John Kerry to take the Nebraska Senate seat.

32.  10:12 PM CST-It looks like Colorado is going to fall to Obama.

33.  10:15 PM CST-Ohio goes to Obama and he has won re-election.

A stunning and depressing election.  The country has re-elected the worst president in our nation’s history and I fear the consequences to the nation will be grave.  In a democracy a majority of the people ultimately get what they want, and a majority of the people want, incredibly to me, more of what the country has suffered through in the last four years.  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan ran an able race and gave the country a chance to turn away from the path the voters chose in 2008.  That chance has been thrown away and now we will all have to pay the consequences.  More analysis tomorrow and in the days to come.  For now I am turning in and hoping that my dreams are much sweeter than the present grim reality.

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Paul Primavera
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 5:41am

From the 1928 BCP:

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

philip
philip
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 5:46am

In keeping with President Lincolns suggestion I
walk with purpose to the poll. An envelope filled with voter guides. May brotherly love still my heart which so longs for an Obama defeat. If you want, I will give you an update from the parking lot of the polling center.
Just a comparison of 08′ temperament vs. today.

solly gratia
solly gratia
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 6:06am

May God bless America.

thelarryd
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 6:14am

I’ll be going to the polling place in about 30 minutes. I’ll come back and give my impression of the mood and description of the turnout.

thelarryd
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 6:21am

Hey, who knows? If it’s exciting and raucous and overrun with Union thugs, I might even have accompanying video!

Darwin
Darwin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 6:44am

I was at my precinct as it opened today at 6:30. There were nearly 100 people lined up. I live in Delaware County, Ohio, just north of Columbus, which is a GOP stronghold. Here’s hoping we election day voters are enough to swamp the Democrats early balloting electioneering.

Bill Sr.
Bill Sr.
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:05am

An American’s Prayer for Forgiveness
Heavenly Father, we as Americans have lost our way, we have forsaken your love and gone our own way into self indulgence through our desire for personal gratification in every aspect of our lives.
We have lost our grip on your eternal truth. We have chosen comfort over compassion; want over worship, pleasure over perseverance, personal satisfaction over eternal salvation, and now entitlements over personal efforts or sacrifice. Many now depend on the words, power, and promises of “Caesar” more than your eternal word.
We want to come home to you as prodigal sons and daughters seeking your mercy upon us and our nation that we may be forgiven for our many offenses marked by our willingness to permit evil intent and false doctrines espoused by our own leaders to creep into our lives and society.
We have not been vigilant, we have hidden our lamps under the bushel, and we have often remained silent as your tenants were judged unworthy by our authorities. As your word and laws were being removed from public buildings and our schools within the sight of our children we mumbled to ourselves rather than witness our faith to those who deny you. We’ve allowed evil to infiltrate our culture one “benefit” or “right” at a time.
We seek through your mercy and forgiveness that within our nation your truth may at last be saved from corruption by those evil forces that care not for your law or love.
We ask through this prayerful petition that for the sake of all the faithful here and in heaven that you might come to us as did the prodigal’s father and lead us back into your graces and grant that our beloved America may yet be returned to the one nation under God it once was and our founders intended it to be.
Amen

WK Aiken
WK Aiken
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:09am

Hamilton County, Indiana: In line at 5:30 for 6:00 open. The polls opened promptly at 6, at which time the voting machines equally promptly refused to accept the initialization cards of the poll volunteers. For 10 minutes there was panic and stress, until somebody theorized they might be Microsoft products. So they rebooted, and viola, a-voting we did go. This is evidently a county-wide issue, so hopefully the light shone through everywhere else, although I’ve heard tell already of hour-long delays.

Overwhelmingly Republican area, and easily 150 people in line at 6AM.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:10am

Rasmussen has party id R 5.8 which is unprecedented.

I think that is an indication that Rasmussen’s polling should be regarded with reserve. The Roper Center has some historical statistics available on the self-identification of exit poll respondents. Democratic respondents have generally exceeded in number Republican respondents, by a median of 11.5%. As for non-aligned voters, the median figure is 26% of the electorate. One’s single best guess concerning the composition of the electorate would be 39% Democratic, 35% Republican, and 26% non-aligned. The implication of the polls we have seen, which have the number of Democratic respondents exceeding Republican respondents by 20%, 30%, or (in one case) 80% imply a durable shift in the composition of the presidential electorate, which is interesting considering that the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives is almost as large as it ever has been in the last 80-odd years. Usually, a candidate’s support among non-aligned voters does not run more than about 16% ahead or behind his support in the general electorate. I just saw a poll reported in the New York Post which had Romney’s support among non-aligned voters exceeded that in the general electorate by 49%. That is very peculiar and certainly unprecedented in the set of nine elections Roper has polled.

Something very peculiar is happening with this election. Either the relationship among these variables has undergone a phase shift or the samples are junk.

thelarryd
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:30am

OK, here’s the report from SE Michigan, Oakland County, Small Town. From the moment I got in line until I cast my ballot to fire the Marxist by electing the 45th President of the US: about 20 minutes. I was ballot #188. Mood was light, and there were no ruffians at the gate. Which is typical for my town.

Looking forward to watching the results this evening – with adult beverages and unhealthy snacks on hand…

thelarryd
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:45am

I was hoping Larry for a tale of how you had to battle your way through a cordon of Obama Youth in order to cast your ballot!

Sorry to disappoint, Don. There wasn’t even broken glass to crawl over!

Richard
Richard
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 7:47am

Went to the polling place and voted. Same mood as the Wisconsin recall election. Long lines and everyone in a hurry. Seemed like most people were are on mission.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 8:03am

and the breakdown of stable party allegiances among various groups.

Actually, it looks to me as if party allegiances are set in marble (in comparison with election cycles prior to 2000). The thing is, phase shifts in party allegiance have occurred in the past. You can see that in the Roper data for 1976, 1980, and 1984. Most self-identified Democrats given to cross-over voting decamped elsewhere and about 40% of the non-aligned voters chose a side (with Republicans garnering the bulk). This particular phase shift was unsurprising and part of a social process that was ongoing and visible for three decades prior. If we are looking at a phase shift now, it certainly was not manifest in any measure six or seven years ago.

philip
philip
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 8:12am

Update from NW Michigan-

In two hours very positive response from public vs. last year this time. Guides were happily received.

DJ Hesselius
DJ Hesselius
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 8:50am

Voting place was packed. Stood in line 45 minhutes. Never seen it like than on an election year, even in an “on year”. Some people definately on a mission, a few jokes here and there. Others afraid.

Paul W. Primavera
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 9:11am

I went to vote in the northeastern part of Charlotte, NC at about 0920 hours. Turnout was light. There were the usual Democratic supporters – almost all black – right outside the voting place. People inside were nice and cordial regardless of the accident of skin color. One of the record-keeping ladies wanted to assist me when she saw my cane and leg brace for my quadraceps – patella injury. I told her I was OK and then proceeded to where I could cast my vote. I used a cheat sheet from the Mecklenburg GOP. One of the overseers – a black gentleman whose duty it was to activate each electronic voting console prior to each vote – apparently saw it but said nothing. When I was done, he was very kind to give me directions on which exit to use, and I thanked him. It was different than the entrance, and I consdered nothing of it, thinking that perhaps the gentleman wanted to keep ingress and egress traffic separated. But the exit led directly to the large trash bins outside the facility and no one else used the exit after my departure. I was truly most amused. This is indeed quite laughable. That is the best that the Democratic opposition can do – to direct me to the trash. Ha! Ha! I wish that that black man knew that the person whom he apparently favors (a) supports the legal infanticide of the unborn which disproportionately impacts percentage-wise more of those of his own race, and (b) those policies and programs which keep such people – in fact, any people regardless of the accident of skin color – enslaved to the teat of the public treasury. Sad. Very sad. I hope for the best for that man and everyone else: the defeat of Barack Hussein Obama.

Mike the Geek
Mike the Geek
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 9:59am

I trust that the Lord God remains in control, that the world proceeds according to the will of Divine Providence, and that UPS will deliver the extra 10,000 rounds of .223 that I ordered before the polls close this evening…

Elaine Krewer
Admin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:17am

I also voted at about 8:30 a.m local time, in a downtown Springfield polling place. There was no line and no waiting and I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. However, when I tried to vote early last Friday (at the Sangamon County Courthouse) there was a long line of people (I’d say at least 30 people) waiting to get in so I gave up and decided to go on Election Day. I suspect that a lot of people, at least in this area, voted early which reduced Election Day turnout.

Dante alighieri
Admin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:20am

Headed out to vote soon in the People’s Republic of Montgomery County, and will be spending most of the rest of the day at my polling location handing out literature and manning a table. I just drove by to put up signs, and the Democrats have an entire team in place, naturally. Not too busy right now, though it sounded as though it were fairly crowded this morning. As I mentioned in a tweet, I drove by a polling place in central DC at 10 and there was a line down the block. So this is looking like a high turnout election on both sides, and it will come down to who turns out the most.

philip
philip
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:23am

For what’s its worth. Newsmax reporting that Michigan is tied thus far in early morning vote tabulation. Could be a great sign of things to come.

Elaine Krewer
Admin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:24am

And by the way Don, I am feeling much better and didn’t need a barf bag.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:28am

If, God forbid, Obama gets four more years, he can blame himself for the mess he inherits.

Mike,

When the unsustainable inevitably collapses of its own evil you can use the ammo for barter.

I too am stocking up: Scotch Whisky (purely for medicinal purposes). I’m looking at building a home distillery, too.

trackback
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:45am

[…] Election Day and Night Live Blog – Donald R. McClarey, The American Catholic […]

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 10:48am

Prince George’s County, Maryland – About one and a half hours. Roughly the same wait as in 2008. The ballot initiative that’s gotten the most attention is casino expansion, but there’s also gay marraige and the DREAM Act on the ballot.

Dante alighieri
Admin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 11:34am

Pinky – there was a ballot question about casinos? Do tell. 😉

For those outside the Maryland area, we probably were inundated with as many ads on the casino as those in swing states were with presidential ads. The capper was Lavarr Arrington, the former Redskin, showing up in advertisements to shill for the casinos to urge folks to vote for question 7.

I did get a robocall from Mike Huckabee to vote against question 6 (in other words to vote against gay marriage).

Michael in ArchDen
Michael in ArchDen
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 11:52am

Report from the western suburbs of Denver, Colorado, ImportantSwingState.

Arrived at my polling place shortly before the 7 am MST opening, and was 13th in line. Was able to vote against every incumbent, and election judge even correctly pronounced my last name correctly when she announced my ballot cast. Went to my children’s elementary school, which is also a polling place and they had a line out the door, for the 45 minutes I was there for “donuts with dad” Our neighborhood is in the competitive 7th CD, but with a long history of Democrats in the statehouse.

“O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!”

Paul D.
Paul D.
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 11:57am

Out of curiosity, what are peoples voting method preferences, paper or plastic (electronic cards)?

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 11:59am

The “No on 7” ads were funded from OUT OF STATE! They don’t have Maryland’s best interests at heart! The “Yes” ads, I’m sure were funded by well-meaning plain folk who don’t think about things like money. I’ve always wondered, with all the ad time taken up by campaigns, does the movie industry see a drop in revenue for movies released during late-October / early-November? There hasn’t been a spare 10 seconds on DC television that didn’t have a Question 7 ad.

Pinky
Pinky
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 12:06pm

Paul D – I’m not worried about the security of electronic voting. I’m more concerned about a paper ballot being read and lost/damaged/disputed if the election official doesn’t like my choices.

Michael in ArchDen
Michael in ArchDen
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 12:18pm

I’m a paper guy. I was in and out in 20 minutes this morning…just spoke to a co-worker who votes electonically-it took her 3 hours to vote. Some of that can obviously be disparite populations, but some of it is systems needing to be rebooted and user confusion.

Plus at my election site, the person who gives me a ballot gets confirmation from a second judge that my ballot is cast to insure that no ballots disappear. I’d assume it’s easy enough to check, then, that the number of votes cast are close to the number of ballots received…

DJ Hesselius
DJ Hesselius
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:07pm

We’ve always used paper in our area. Not sure when we will get electronic voting, since I think they only recently ungraded (within last ten years) our machines to be the “scantron” ballot type as opposed to “hanging chad” ballot type.

Waiting in line was the longest part. Once I actually got my ballot, I was out in less than 10.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:12pm

Paul D – I’m not worried about the security of electronic voting.

I am. Just another case of introduction of technology for the hell of it.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:13pm

The capper was Lavarr Arrington, the former Redskin, showing up in advertisements to shill for the casinos to urge folks to vote for question 7.

Why can’t they leave it on the bloody Indian reservations?

Elaine Krewer
Admin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:26pm

As an aside, I’m off work today because Election Day is a holiday for Illinois state employees in even-numbered years (presidential years plus the gubernatorial/statewide office years). Apparently this is a holdover from the bad old days when most state employment was political patronage related (Democrat in Chicago but Republican in many downstate communities) and vast numbers of state employees, aware of which side their bread was buttered on, eagerly volunteered to participate in GOTV drives or serve as election judges, poll watchers, etc.

However, now that most state employment is covered by the Supreme Court Rutan decision barring political patronage for positions that are not directly involved in policy making, and especially now that Illinois has early voting, I don’t see why the Election Day holiday is really necessary.

philip
philip
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:46pm

At townhall.com 29,000 + have taken exit polls. 76% voted R 21% for O and 3% Third party.

c matt
c matt
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 1:54pm

On Battlestar Galactica, they used paper. And these people had Faster Than Light drives.

Spambot3049
Spambot3049
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 2:28pm

Voted in Virginia in the pre-afternoon rush. About a 35 minute wait, which the poll attendants said was the shortest all day. (I presume it will pick up in the late hours.)

I wish everyone peace no matter how this turns out.

Rozin
Rozin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 2:29pm

Art says Why can’t they leave [casinos] on the bloody Indian reservations?

Perhaps you haven’t noticed but Leftists love to regressively tax and gouge their low end (and info) voters. (Rich people pay less income tax in socialist and bankrupt Europe than they do here.) They relieve them of income tax but hit them with far more other kinds of taxes fees and desperation come-ons.

Rozin
Rozin
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 2:34pm

As for paper ballots, they have electronic readers for them too in VA and I assume other states. VA offers a choice between regular voting machine and a paper ballot which may also be optically read by a small test scoring machine.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 3:01pm

I voted around 2:15pm. Took me the better part of 45 minutes to get to vote. I have never voted in this precinct before, so I don’t know what it signifies. At least part of the wait is the excessively long ballot for Michigan, with a ridiculous number of ridiculous constitutional proposals.

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Tuesday, November 6, AD 2012 3:29pm

“Another example is Catholics. For ages a solid Democrat group. This began to change with McGovern in 1972. Now, who knows?”

Is there really any such thing as the “Catholic vote” anymore? Catholic pundits like George Weigel would say no. I would be inclined to agree with him.

Donald, voting against Obama in Illinois, is really nothing more than a statement. I am in the same postion here in CA. But it’s a statement worth making.

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