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Home » It’s Election Day!

It’s Election Day!

The New Neo Posted on by

Well, it all comes down to today.

I’m going to be especially busy during the day and early this evening, although I plan to be back at my trusty computer by the time things really get going later tonight. But just in case I’m late to the party, here’s a thread for you to talk about it all.

vote.jpg

Yes, vote. Please. Not that any of you would fail to do so.

Comments

It’s Election Day! — 89 Comments

  1. Jay Cost is predicting 75 +/- in the House and 9 in the Senate. I’ll go with Mr. Cost on this and think there will be 31 governorships.

    Big hope is for Barney to lose to Bielat and Christine to pull a squeaker in VT.

  2. In 2009, Arlen Specter was my Senator and Joe Sestak was my congressman. Now, we’re on the verge: getting rid of both of them in one magical year!

  3. Vote?

    Been there, done that already today – even got the little sticker on my shirt to prove it (my daughter insisted!).

    🙂

    My hope is that this election crashes down on Pelosi & Co. in a manner the likes of which the leftists have never seen, anticipated, or could ever prepare for.

    If our side doesn’t get out and vote this time around within this kind of political environment, hang it up – we’re screwed as apathy has truly won.

    If we do win – and win big(!) – then we have to the figure out how to keep the momentum going for another two years to boot out Obummer in 2012.

    After that – we still can’t sit on our laurels. We need to continue to educate the generally uninformed as to what liberty is all about.

    That thirst for liberty needs to be the undercurrent of all political discussions for the foreseeable future, for only by having a real taste for liberty will the people vote for freedom instead of this damn nannystatism (aka, socialism) we have come to know and despise.

  5. For any California voters who are a bit confused about the best answers on the judges section, here’s a good info site:

    http://www.judgevoterguide.com/

    They also give their standard of criteria, and I like their standards. I don’t know how accurate it is, but other than that, it’s entirely a dartboard exercise. Anything is better than nothing!

  6. I voted right at 7:00AM hoping to see the few Republicans in my district at that time (you know, real working and thinking people). I did not take my “I Voted” sticker to wear as I don’t want to remind the ignorant to go to the polls. Do I feel positive? Are you kidding? Living in east coast South Florida makes one a complete pessimist. We have a wonderful House candidate here – Allen West – and that will hurt me so much if he doesn’t win and his opponent, Ron Klein does. And I’m trying to brace myself for the inevitable bad news.

  7. >>After that – we still can’t sit on our laurels. We need to continue to educate the generally uninformed as to what liberty is all about.>>

    Big Double Ditto on that. More and more I’ve come to the conclusion – starting with the Bell, California mess – that while voters aren’t entirely responsible for having been deceived by certain politicians, they _are_ responsible for not caring and not learning more about their representatives and what the representatives are doing. In that respect, we’re getting what we deserve. I’m also becoming more aware of the “gate keepers”… Dems have learned to use certain positions to “pass through” or block certain segments of regulation. The Secretary of State project pushed through by Soros is one. The selective enforcement of laws by the Attorney General Holder is another, and I suspect there are plenty of other situations where the laws are selectively enforced or unenforced by various members of the Dem party. Judges are another critical means of changing the law – and that needs to change. We need judges who _interpret_ the law, not ones who make laws on their own by their decisions.

    That’s why I posted the link above. I’d like to see every state have such an evaluation site. If you want an activist judge, you could use it as well – though we’d likely be voting for opposites!

  8. Scottie:

    Absolutely. I particularly long to see the fall of “Dirty Harry” Reid, the spineless corrupt wretch of a man that Nevada and America in general could do without.

  9. Kristina – oh, am I ever with you on Allen West. I’m a Florida voter too, but way up in the Clearwater area.

    I will share every bit of pain you feel if West loses. But whatever happens, the Republicans must do everything in their power to keep him prominent in the party.

    You know what I think? Let’s say he loses this year. Guess who we MUST run against Bill Nelson in 2012?

    You got it: Allen West. I believe he would cream Nelson. I mean, who the heck was his last opponent? KATHRYN HARRIS? West would make Nelson, who can barely complete a sentence, look like a chump in any debate.

    All of which is to say, let us not despair if West loses. Lets start getting the message out to draft him for the GOP Senate candidate against Nelson in 2012.

    Deal?

  10. I’m interested to see what happens to my old congressman Bahney Fwank. I’d imagine he’ll squeak by, but wouldn’t it be a delight if something weird happened?

    Here in Georgia, I imagine there won’t be much of a shake-up, but I’d be equally as stoked to see John “they spit on me” Lewis take a powder. Hopin’ for Change!

  11. At 7:00 AM in the northern San Fernando Valley section of LA there was a line at the polling place. First time in my memory.

    I’m hoping that indicates an energized electorate that will send Boxer packing.

    Maybe send Whitman to Sacramento and start to reverse the madness wrought by the state employees’ unions.

  12. Kristina, we’re all with you regarding Allen West. I sure hope he wins.

    I voted around 10:00 this morning. The place was busier than I’ve ever seen it.

    I’m excited and nervous. A couple of weeks ago a local talk-radio station did a poll and Emanuel “Leave it to” Cleaver was only up by five or six points, a huge change in the 20 to 30 points he usually wins by. My life would be pretty much complete if he got beat today.

  13. I’ve been posting this everywhere and it’s my best – my only election day advice, speaking as one who has managed winning campaigns: After you vote, go work a GOTV phone or stand with a sign somewhere. Your local tea party or republican county office can direct you. Even a few calls or a half-hour with the signs helps.

    Don’t feel silly and don’t be shy. The campaign won’t care if you’re new as long as you work the call script or hold the sign and SMILE! Work for whatever not-democratic campaign is close and convenient – getting one candidates’ voters to the polls means more votes for the others.

    Dino Rossi “lost” last time around by less than 300 votes. We have to win by an amount bigger than the “margin of voter fraud.” Add value to your vote – help another conservative or smart independent or pissed-off democrat vote too!

  14. Well, I did my part this morning.

    Hope all of you here have done yours (or will [no excuses now!]).

    And of course, the rest will be up to Everyone Else.

    Remember, folks:
    don’tcountyourchickensuntiltheeggsareoveruntiltheFat Ladysings”DeweyDefeatsTruman”…

    OK?

  15. kolnai – Oh, I so like your thinking about getting rid of Nelson in 2012! Wouldn’t that be a pleasure!

    A Reader in K.C. – I’ve spent time at events here with West and contributed to his campaign multiple times – he is such an honorable man – I can’t say enough about this man and his commitment to doing the right thing.

    When I see the polls full here I get scared because that means Obama-ites have gotten the Stewart-Colbert “Stay in Insanity” crowd out. But I love hearing about everyone else’s polling sites and catching some of all of your positive feelings for the outcome of these midterm elections.

    Oh, and, Neoneocon, I did speak this week with an Independent registered liberal woman friend up in Rochester NY who is voting Republican all the way today with her husband. They work for an airline & have been union members but built up their own local businesses in rental housing and storage units. Suddenly they see all that hard work they put in will be taxed and spent by their government. This year they sponsored a Bali immigrant and gave him a place to live, computer, shoes, etc. – talk about giving back to others and caring – with no desire for pay back for it. So the pundits have that right – the Independents are leaning Republican this year! (At least in my unscientific singular sampling!)

  16. Totally agree on Col West. What a compelling personal story he has. Just the type of courage and integrity that we need in Congress now.

    I’m watching that race as well as Daniel Webster in FL-8 and Southerland in FL-2. Hopefully those races as well as Rubio will go the right way.

    I’m on pins and needles here. It feels a little like the few hours before my first daughter was born.

  18. Oh, kaba, yes! My other favorite is Rubio – what an above board campaign he ran.

    Concept Junkie – 2012 is right around the corner and plot we must! :+)

  19. Kristina,
    I’m an old war veteran and Stage-4 cancer survivor. I STILL get goose-bumps when I hear Rubio talk. I think he must be related to Reagan in some way.

  20. @Kristina – I just hope the Republicans “get it” by 2012. They’ve got 2 years to figure out why they’re winning today. The Tea Party candidates know what’s going on, but I’m still pretty sure that the party leadership does not… or if they do, they are ignoring it.

    The Tea Party made a major strategic decision to not go Third Party. Even though I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, I think it was the only viable option. Maybe the Republicans will figure out what the majority of the country wants them to do, throw out that hapless Michael Steele and put Sarah Palin in charge of the RNC. She’s already doing his job far better than he ever has. I think it’s the perfect fit for her talents and the party’s needs. And most importantly, they need to start governing like Republicans and not Democrat-lites.

  22. I posted this info on the other thread this morning, but others have mentioned that the turnout seems heavy. In my small Connecticut town at 7:20 am this morning, the turnout was about 3x what it was in 2008 at the same time of day.

    Some of the pundits said heavy turnout is in favor of the Repubs, but I wonder in this blue state I live in. I really have no idea, but the turnout was the one thing that really struck me this morning.

  23. BTW…. I would like to thank Neo for making this resource available.

    I read Neo, Richard Fernandez, and the other PM bloggers on a regular basis. I am better informed as a result. I enjoy the intelligence I see displayed by those that comment here. The depth of knowledge and understanding I see displayed here surpasses anything I’ve seen in Washington in recent years.

    Some of you should really consider pursuing some elective office. You are that good.

  24. Need advice.My daughter lives in France and her ballot was not even mailed until Oct. 26TH!!!!Clearly she doesn’t have it in time.We are really mad because you can bet the US government expects her to file taxes on her French earned income(and yes she has had to pay US taxes on it even though it was not very much income) so she should expect to get her ballot in a timely manner. How does one even begin to complain or does she have a longer window to vote?

  25. I voted at 7AM this morning, and the line was already out the door.

    And yes, I voted for Sean Bielat… although, as I’ve been telling people, at this point I’d vote for a purple dinosaur before I’d vote for Barney Frank.

    DiB

  26. Amazingly, Intrade is favoring the Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts. The difference is within the margin of error as defined by the bid-ask spread, but still…

    (I have loathed Deval Patrick ever since he was in the Clinton administration and tried to suppress Constitutional dissent from his actions. And he’s one of Obama’s BFFs. And he’s had a similar track record: a talent for preening that got him elected as the first black chief executive, followed by underperformance in office.)

  27. I have been crippled up and housebound, pretty much, for the last 2 months. It is hard to get ready and leave on any particular day, even this one. But by God, I am going to do it… if I have to go out without a shower and grooming… *gross* So, I will get to it.

    By the way, who are you voting for? *grins*

    You liberal conservatives slay me. Bah! :p

  28. Paul LePage is the heavy favorite for governor (Maine) but alas, it looks like neither of our house reps Pingree or Michaud will get defeated.

    I think Michaud blocked my email address after the health care debacle. I wonder if that is even legal?

  29. I usually vote either at 8:00-8:30 am (before work) or at 6:00 pm (after). I didn’t get an early enough start this morning, so I voted on my way home from work.

    The place where I vote is at my local township building, and it always seems smooth and well-run. In all my years of voting there, I’ve never encountered any problems or witnessed any activity I considered suspicious. I vote twice a year, every year, in both primaries and general elections. There are rarely more than two or three people in front of me in line.

    Tonight there were about eight, which is a lot. I think there were about a dozen in 2008. I asked one of the election people about the turnout, and she said it was very good.

    So I’ve settled in at home, have an adult beverage handy, and am looking forward to the results.

  30. Just finished voting…

    quiet, very hot, very tiny print (hard to see)

    and the two other issues on the back might be missed in all the tiny type noise (one is term limits)

    The worst was how you brought it there, you put it in the machine, you waited as a clock ticks, it says its wonderful you voted. the woman circles your card, and drops it in a slot in back and that’s it.

    the machine could have been doing nothing but shredding papers and playing pretend and you would have ZERO way of knowing or anything.

    Makes voting and outcome a disconnected event…

  31. The machines I use now are all-electronic. No cards to mark. When I first go in the booth and close the curtain, each race has a blinking light. As I push the spot next to the candidate’s name, the blinking light goes out and a steady light next to the name comes on. I can change my vote by pushing the spot next to the other candidate’s name. Then that light comes on and the light by the other name goes out.

    When I’m finished, I push a big green button labeled VOTE. That light comes on and all the other lights go out. (I didn’t see any funny business like the lights changing when I pushed the VOTE button.)

    The whole setup is very much the same as the old mechanical lever machines I’ve used most of my life. Although I do miss the bell ringing when I pulled the big red lever.

    In both cases, voting and outcome are disconnected events. Any method of voting can be tampered with, including old-fashioned paper ballots. You just have to hope that the people counting the votes are honest, and I think they are in most places. But the idea Art was talking about the other day sounds promising.

  34. Just voted here in Scottsbluff, NE. No doubt which party will win. The last Democrat out here was killed by Chief Crazy Horse.

  35. Bob, I shot my first antelope just outside of Scottsbluff in the 80s, I grew up in North Platte..

  36. With 6% Reporting Rubio leads Crist 50 to 29. Rubio’s strength is in the Panhandle. Polls still open here.

  39. Now it’s Coons by 61-36 with 35% of the precincts reporting.

    I will not soon forgive Karl Rove and Charles Krauthammer for their treachery. Fucking elitist bastards.

  41. NRO is reporting that West leads by 9000+ of the 68 000 early ballots. What’s happening in Mass? I would like to go to bed hearing that Barney is in trouble.

  42. I looked at the DE results. What’s interesting is that the Republcian candidate for the House seat is running only about 1 percentage point ahead of O’Donnel. I think that gives you an idea of what she was up against. Factor out the negative national medai attention and she probably does better than the House candidate, but not enough to overcome the overwhelming Democrat advantage. Maybe Castle would have won, but is it worth electing someone who could “turn” like Jeffords and Specter?

  43. I guess we can officially call Delaware a Marxist state now. That clarifies things. File it away for future reference.

  44. I voted yesterday – Oregon is total vote-by-mail…I rather miss going to the polls, though…driving to the drop-box isn’t quite the same…

  46. O’donnell/Coons is a MSM focal point. They have a handful of races they want to be able to talk about while avoiding the bigger tsunami issue.

  48. This election seperates the capitalist from the communist like none other. Pay attention to who are the communist leaning states. They must pay a price.

  50. SteveH:
    What tsunami? I see the Republicans winning the House by a modest amount, and it’s still unclear whether they will win the Senate. I’m not seeing a tsunami at all. It’s more like a ripple.

  51. I’m declaring Pennsylvania as communist. That’s the SteveH projection if affiliates ask. 🙂

  52. SteveH Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    I’m declaring Pennsylvania as communist. That’s the SteveH projection if affiliates ask.

    Oh, crap. Did Sestak win? That’s even worse than I thought. I already turned off the TV.

  53. Came across poll results on some of the channels; they said Obama’s approval is 39% (certainly) plus 17% (somewhat approved). What’s going on? Are these people blind-deaf?

  55. Tatyana, “somewhat approve” means they abhor his policies but can’t say no to his handouts of other peoples money.

  56. Tatyana wrote “Came across poll results on some of the channels; they said Obama’s approval is 39% (certainly) plus 17% (somewhat approved). What’s going on? Are these people blind-deaf?”

    Yes

  57. The numbers in Pennsylvania don’t seem right. Toomey led in nearly every poll but he’s behind by four with 60 percent of the vote counted. I guess that Black Panther drive/intimidation effort really paid off.

  59. Overall a disappointment. Many Rep candidates who were expected to win won, but the Democrats have apparently won or are winning many of the tossups (e.g., VA-11, KY-6). Look for a great deal of focus on the DE Senate race in the media tomorrow, just as was the case throughout the campaign.

    Some of the races really weren’t winable (e.g., Barney Frank), but a number of Dems who could have been taken out survived and likely won’t be as vulnerable in 2012.

  63. Yes, re: rickl and george, it is kind of disappointing – I never expected much out of the Senate, but I actually allowed myself to dream a little big (if that makes any sense) in the House.

    They’re projecting 58. It’s obviously historic is some sense – I don’t think any party has won more than 55 since 1930-something. And it matters. But it is nowhere near enough to chasten the socialists.

    60-65 I would say was the minimum to give the establishment some pause. 70 was the ideal.

    But now we get *slightly* better than 1994? And did you guys see the Manchin margin of victory? And what the hell is Toomey doing so close to losing to Sestak? Are the Democrats that much better at GOTV at the state level? Then imagine what happens in 2012 at the national level.

    I’m happy about all these Republican wins, especially Rubio and Johnson, but this is not, indeed, a “tsunami.” It’s a big ripple.

    Update: Boxer wins. Brown wins. Good-bye, California.

  66. I was wrong about the numbers in the prior post – no party has won more than 60 seats since 1948.

  67. Don’t forget that this is just the start of the battle. Don’t be discouraged if a few repubs did not win. The Dem\Statists did this to us a little at a time and we will take it back a little at a time. This is a good start. I am encouraged. We are slowly righting the ship. Onward soldiers!!! Keep the faith.

  68. Ok, NRO is now saying that Toomey is leading and will probably win (thank God).

    Henry Olson said it looks like +60-62 for the night, which I can live with.

    Isn’t it crazy that Obama has been such a steamroller that picking up 60 seats still feels like a strategic tie?

  69. AP just called it for Toomey.

    Kasich wins governorship in Ohio – that’s big.

    I fear Buck is going to lose CO.

  70. California is beyond redemption. The Republican house will not give them a nickel if they crash.

    That jerk Grayson in Florida got crushed.

    Obama’s old seat may go Republican.

  71. I just read “Congressman Allen West” on NRO.

    Kristina from Florida, you there? This is wonderful news. Whatever else happened tonight, it was absolutely essential to get Rubio and West into Congress. We accomplished that (and a lot more, of course).

    And yes, Mr. Frank, California is beyond redemption. I can’t wait until I’m standing in a bread line listening to Moonbeam give me a fireside chat.

  72. Reid is winning in Nevada. It looks like the Tea Party was too clever by half there and in Delaware. OTOH Kentucky and Florida worked well.

  73. I am not sold on California, they called it way early to me, there will likely be millions of votes yet they call it with them being within 50K votes. They are still running very close.

  74. 1. Very good point about no bailout for CA, Mr. Frank.

    2. I’m not quite as glum as Michael Graham, but I share his pain. I donated to Bielat, and to Angle.

    3. Speaking of Angle, Intrade has all but awarded NV to Reid even though rural counties report late.

    4. Soon after the dust settles, expect some scorekeeping regarding Palin’s net effect on the midterms.

  75. How close is this? 6K votes, this is way closer than anyone is portraying, maybe this is the surprise…

    Boxer (D) 1,242,500 47%
    Fiorina (R) 1,238,740 47%

  76. Holy cripes! FOX is calling Illinois for Kirk. That was most unexpected. It’s almost enough to make up for getting creamed in West Virginia.

    I don’t about everyone else, but my nerves are all centered around Nevada and Washington now. What I’ve seen in Nevada doesn’t look good, sad to say.

    But wow. A Republican in Obama’s seat. Enjoy this moment!

  78. I am well pleased that my gloom-and-doom prediction of this all going to the courts with no clear winner of congress was all nonsense.

    I will happily devour that crow.

    The good part is the Bush Tax Cuts will certainly be extended. Obamacare repeal? That’s going to be a fight….

    The Reid/Angle contest looks like it will go to the courts….

    An excellent night. I’m enjoying a victory scotch right now.

  79. For everyone’s edification, John Podhoretz reports this as being the Tweet of the night, from Patrick Ruffini:

    “The racist teabaggers have elected Marco Rubio, and Susanna Martinez, and Tim Scott, and Nikki Haley, and Bill Flores, and Allen West, and…”

    True that, true that.

  80. It looks like Nevada joins Delaware in what should have been easy Republican gains going Democrat. Lesson do not let the extreme right set the Republican agenda.

    I understand Boehner gave a very restrained speech. I hope becomes the next speaker.

  82. have been easy Republican gains going Democrat. Lesson do not let the extreme right set the Republican agenda.

    Castle, O’donnell’s opponent in the primary, would have voted with the democrats anyhow. Angle ran well against the union-machine candidate Reid.

    The “extreme” right had a good night. It’s a retrenchment. The red has gone infra-red and blue is approaching ultra-violet.

    Lots of Republican governors. The message is: “if you have an “R” after your name, you have to vote like one….

    Overheard in the gym tonight from an obviously hard-line old Democrat voter: “I’m just gonna vote for gridlock now on….. Maybe they will only agree on serious things, y’know, where there is an emergency.”

  83. Most of all, it’s good to live in a country where we can have bloodless changes of power. It’s an extraordinary thing on this earth.

    You can dislike the individual power-holders, but the System, the Constitutionally founded system, that provides these shifts without riots and blood is exquisite. That’s the thing I swore to uphold and defend.

  85. Angle ran well against the union-machine candidate Reid.

    Hey, I’m always willing for my opponent to run well…as long as I win.

    The question afaic is how the Establishment Republican that Angle defeated in the primary would have done in the general election.

    Still, I expected Angle, as the more optimistic candidate, to win a close race.

    Maybe the optimism has been postmodernized out of many of us, even out West.

  86. Gray @ 1:00 AM – I love that observation, and I’m happy you reminded me to not take for granted what we have. You’re absolutely right. Our system is a marvelous thing, and we are lucky to have it. That is also something to be thankful for tonight.

    gs – haha, “…the optimism has been postmodernized out of many of us.” Nice turn of phrase, and perhaps your right. Personally I was not an Angle supporter in the primary (I began supporting Tarkanian, then Lowden). This one really hurts, because it probably is true that Lowden or Tarkanian would have beaten Reid. And these were not exactly Mike Castle-types. All that matters to me is, Would they vote to repeal Obamacare and against cap-and-trade? Pretty clearly, the answers for both candidates were yes and yes. So I don’t see what we gained by going rogue in this case. (O’Donnell is a different story, because Castle was way too squishy).

    On the other hand, I think Gray is right that the lesson here is not that the “extreme” right is somehow toxic. Angle was just not a very good candidate. Lets say, for instance, Marco Rubio was in her place in Nevada. I think he would have beat Reid (though maybe not, of course).

    The lesson is simply that we need good candidates. If an “extremist” like Ron Johnson can win in Wisconsin, or an “extremist” like Pat Toomey can win in Penn., there is no reason at all why an “extremist” couldn’t win in Nevada. Even Angle came very close to beating Reid.

  88. I’m thrilled with Florida electing Rubio and West! What a wonderful night it tis!

    Regretful I still have to see that pointed finger of Reid – how can those Nevadans vote that guy back with their unemployment numbers? I don’t get it!

    California – what a shame.

    We need to assess and regroup. We need to activate the base and get our message of hope and strength for America well articulated.

    Thanks to all the comments here for keeping my sanity intact! It truly gave me hope – to think some of you actually physically suffered to get out to vote today humbles me and makes me proud to be an American.

  89. Kristina: about Nevadians and their unemployment numbers: my thought exactly. How could people be so blind that they buy into “it’s all Bush’ fault” spiel?

    *kolnai:
    This one really hurts, because it probably is true that Lowden or Tarkanian would have beaten Reid.L

    Same story as it was with Thompson and Giuliani in 2008 in race to presidential candidacy. Ah, if only Thompson did not self-destruct… and if he was up against Obama instead of lame mcCain…

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