88 Comments

1. Doug:

Presidential Interactive Map CNN.com

Nov 4, 2008 - 6:10 pm 2. Doug:

NY Times not ahead of Reality as Far as CNN, which has already called Penn, the better to dispirit Western Voters.

Nov 4, 2008 - 6:46 pm 3. peterike:

Amazingly, the Nets called Penn with 0% of precincts reporting! Not too much bias there. Meanwhile, McCain is 6,000 votes ahead in New Jersey, and it’s called for O. Not that I expected New Jersey.

Florida isn’t looking too good, and there goes the game I think.

Well, I’m not going to suffer the drip drip drip of the next few hours. I’m tuning out for an hour or two and I’ll check in before bed. I don’t need to wallow in a loss, and plenty of time to celebrate if we pull it out.

I’m now putting all my free cash into cornering the market on “Don’t blame me, I voted for McCain” bumper stickers. Sure to be a hit in early 2009!

Nov 4, 2008 - 6:54 pm 4. Doug:

Calling States [Mark Steyn]

I find that Keystone calling a bit premature given that a grand total of no precincts had reported. On the other hand, in good news for the GOP, CNN just put up a graphic showing Susan Collins with 100% of the vote and her challenger with 0%. That’s to say, Senator Collins had “3″ and Loser Boy had “0″. That race might tighten.

Nov 4, 2008 - 6:56 pm 5. wretchard:

Experience the Power of Change, a new MSNBC special featuring Keith Olbermann. Don’t say he didn’t warn you.

Nov 4, 2008 - 6:57 pm 6. Doug:

For Coulter,

a loss = “I told you so!”

a win = “Start Impeachment Hearings to get Palin!”

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:00 pm 7. Clemenceau:

If Ohio just went Blue as Fox predicts I think it’s over, I just can get McCain to 270 with Ohio Blue… your thoughts?

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:26 pm 8. Clemenceau:

Coorection: Can’t get McCain to 270…. Is my math off?

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:26 pm 9. outa my league:

The great Kenyan dream: any black man born in Kenya can become president of the United States of America!

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:30 pm 10. Tony:

IN the City of Brotherly Love, in West Philly we have “Black Panthers” and one of them with a nightstick, providing “security” at the polls. And a local judge issues an order to keep out the Republican poll watchers. Nice, huh?

Tuesday, November 04, 2008
A Repeat of 2004 Philly Voter Chaos, Fraud
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 7:46 AM
GOP Election Board members have been tossed out of polling stations in at least half a dozen polling stations in Philadelphia because of their party status.

A Pennsylvania judge previously ruled that court-appointed poll watchers could be NOT removed from their boards by an on-site election judge, but that is exactly what is happening, according to sources on the ground.

It is the duty of election board workers to monitor and guard the integrity of the voting process.

Denying access to the minority (in this case Republican) poll watchers and inspectors is a violation of Pennsylvania state law.
Those on site are describing the situation as “pandemonium” and there may be video coming of the chaos.

The City of Brotherly Love was roiled in controversy during the 2004 election because of rigged voting machines that showed nearly 2,000 votes for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry before the polls had opened. A man also used a gun to intimidate poll workers at Ward 30, division 11 in 2004.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:30 pm 11. Doug:

Running Like a Well-Oiled Machine, Tony.
You’ll be homesick for Afghanistan yet.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:37 pm 12. Patriot Front:

FOX is calling Ohio for BHO. With only 23% reporting, McCain is down 9 points. No way Obama can lose if he wins Ohio. BHO is also ahead in North Carolina by 2 points at 57% reported.

It looks like it’s over.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:49 pm 13. JavaThread:

My new motto:
“Taxation without representation is tyranny”
– we’re heading that direction

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:50 pm 14. sammy small:

It looks like Obama would have won Ohio without any fraud. But the trend appears to be that the fraud opportunities are being worked with a more systematic approach. This will blossom into a more widespread trend in the next election as successful methods are exploited and expanded. Democrats will continue to reap the benefits, so it certainly won’t be an agenda item at the national level for a long time. The best approach may be if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:50 pm 15. JavaThread:

No make that
“Representation without taxation is tyranny”
– that’s the ticket

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:51 pm 16. Unsk:

Lots of counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania, typically rural, haven’t reported. Still it will take a miracle.

Latino voters supposedly going for Obama 4 to 1. With the Dems sure to make citizens out of 12-14 million new Latinos, America may be lost forever to the Socialists. That could be the key demographic in this election. It probably turned Colorado Blue and had an effect in other states. New Mexico, which went for Bush, is now 40% Latino.

Welcome to the Great Depression 2.0.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:52 pm 17. wretchard:

As the Germans were advancing on Paris, the American Ambassador and a number of French dignitaries went to the shrine of Joan of Arc, reasoning that St Joan would never let the Nazis into the City of Light. But after the fall of France the more far-sighted Allied Generals looked themselves in the mirror and stopped blaming Jeanne d’Arc accepted their defects. Obama has been able to generate more money, media coverage and mobilize more volunteers than John McCain.

Many of those who say “it won’t happen” should remember those who also said “it couldn’t happen”. Like Nasim Taleb said, nobody had ever seen a Black Swan before coming to Australia. In a discontinuity, the conventional wisdom is the least reliable of things.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:52 pm 18. sirius_sir:

Juan Williams on FOX says, no doubt accurately, that the election results reflect a reaction to George Bush. No doubt many smugly bask in their rejection of Bush and will continue to consider that reaction well deserved. But this commentator reminds us that it comes not without price and represents “a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html

I hope Obama is ready.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:53 pm 19. wretchard:

The nice thing about discontinuities is it create mass vacancies in the failed leadership. Extinction clears the deck for success. The worst thing that could happen now is for conventional wisdom to make a big comeback and the same old faces put in charge of the same old failed stratagems. The best thing about the Fall of France is it got rid of Gamelin.

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:55 pm 20. F:

Two thoughts: first, the Republican party largely brought this on itself, starting 3-4 years ago with policies that just plain seemed arrogant. That said, arrogance did not seem to turn off Obama supporters, so maybe that’s not the full picture.

Second, Obama spent more for this win than would have seemed possible a few years ago, and much of the money could well have come from out of the country. Will we ever get this fundraising and wild spending under control, or is this the way of future elections? And does anyone else see this as a hijacking of our political process, or am I being melodramatic about it?

Ok, a third thought: is there more open election fraud (think ACORN) this time around, or have I just forgotten how bad things were in previous elections? F

Nov 4, 2008 - 7:58 pm 21. peterike:

In retrospect, perhaps the biggest failing of the Bush administration is that after election 2000 they did nothing to improve the process. The fraud in that election was massive, and it got worse in 2004. This year it’s something of a joke. Yet they did nothing about it for eight years. Nothing. Now it’s just part of the system.

Having lost that opportunity, and with 20 million illegals likely to be legalized in the next few years, America is essentially now a one party country. Welcome to the dreary world of socialist reality.

It was nice while it lasted.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:02 pm 22. Doug:

Makeover [Mark Steyn]
I like this picture of Sarah Palin voting. Heavy on the Caribou, light on the Barbie. She didn’t need to be dunked in RNC bling. And the more the campaign went on and the more she wiggled free of her minders, the better she sounded. If you’ve got organic style, you shouldn’t be shoehorned into generic campaign issue. If the night goes the way it seems to be heading, the differences between the Governor and the campaign will be one of the most interesting parts of the GOP post-mortem.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:03 pm 23. wretchard:

Having lost that opportunity, and with 20 million illegals likely to be legalized in the next few years, America is essentially now a one party country. Welcome to the dreary world of socialist reality. It was nice while it lasted.

While everyone is legally obliged to accept the results of an election, nobody is expected to accept a political situation as permanent. That’s the definition of electoral democracy. But it all depends on how much people want it. The political refusal to accept a socialist trend is a powerful weapon. The Palestinians for example, have simply been saying “no” for decades. No to everything. If people don’t want socialism, there’s 2010 and 2012. But they have to decide in their hearts that they want to work for it.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:09 pm 24. Doug:

peterike:
Exactly.
Turning a blind eye to lawlessness is not leadership.
Border should have been secured in the wake of 9-ll.
Bubba’s buddies should have been cleared out of all the agencies that they weren’t.
Federal Dollars should not have gone to ACORN, La Raza, and etc.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:09 pm 25. programmers:

I read several conservative blogs every day. There never has been any strong support for McCain/Palin. “Holding my nose and voting for McCain” does not win elections. “Voting for McCain and running quickly to the parking lot to upchuck” does not win elections. Suggesting sitting this one out to teach the Republicans a lesson does not win elections. Attacking the VP pick for inexperience and not being one of the cognoscenti does not win elections. I came to the BC to discuss the fact that I was not happy with the Republicans and talk about who would be the best choice for president. After much discussion with the members here, I decided that the conservative policies were best served by voting McCain/Palin. Too bad some of the other bloggers didn’t do the same thing.

McCain had to defeat the liberals and the conservatives. That is tough to do. Having said all that, I find it preposterous to “call” states for one or the other with only 8 – 10% of the precincts counted. With friends like FOX, who needs enemies?

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:13 pm 26. programmer:

Actually, the above should be programmer, not programmers. My multiple personalities are fighting for control tonight. The Captain is pushing up from the deep id.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:17 pm 27. mika2k1:

Amazingly, the Nets called Penn with 0% of precincts reporting!
==

Obama is leading by 50% in the popular vote in Pennsylvania. Why would anyone consider that a race too close to call?

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:18 pm 28. programmer:

mika2k1,

How can Senator Obama have 50% of the vote with 0% of the precincts reporting? Powerful juju, that!

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:20 pm 29. peterike:

When you look at the stark split between North and South, blue and red, you realize how wise the founders were to devolve most power to the states. It was the prescription for a happy country.

Now, with most power in DC, and that will only increase, it ensures that half the country will be forever cheesed off, no matter who gets elected.

How do we break the grip of DC on the nation? How do we tell the vermin in DC to just get their hands off our business?

I don’t think there’s any going back.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:20 pm 30. Elroy Jetson:

I’m going to take refuge here because this is a blog for critical thinkers.
I brain-washed myself into thinking this was not going to be referendum on Bush. At 10:15 EST, it would appear to be a bad assumption. It is going to have to get worse before it gets better. The blame-game has already started (Palin was the wrong choice for VP, McCain was a bad candidate). The analysis is flawed and reeks of emotions run wild. Not even the second coming of Reagan could have stopped this, I believe.
“Damn the torpedoes, full change ahead!” is what the voters said tonight.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:24 pm 31. mika2k1:

How can Senator Obama have 50% of the vote with 0% of the precincts reporting? Powerful juju, that!
==

Pollsters would disagree.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:25 pm 32. peterike:

Clipping this from The Corner, because it fits. I think our esteemed host will appreciate it.

As we look to the next 2-4 years, we should keep in mind this passage from Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ: “A prophet is the one who, when everyone else despairs hopes. And when everyone else hopes, he despairs. You’ll ask me why. It’s because he has mastered the Great Secret: that the Wheel turns.”

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:29 pm 33. peterike:

And speaking of our host. Mr. Fernandez, you have been a wise, gracious, patient, entertaining and informative host for quite some time. This blog, this sharing of hearts and minds, has been a gift to me, a solace, a community of friends and personalities. I thank you for it.

I’ve never hit the tip jar in the past, because I’m saddled with two kids in college and frankly, money is tight. But I’m going to correct that very soon. I’ve felt guilty about it for a long time now. And what the hell. After the tip jar, the deluge, no? Bring it on.

Well anyway, thank you Mr. Fernandez. And thank you to all the wise and wonderful folks who have made this place my electronic neighborhood.

We live to fight another day.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:34 pm 34. mika2k1:

It’s the economy stupid, and McCain/GOP lost the investor class. Solar stocks started to perk up about a week ago, when it became clear Obama would win. Seems an Obama win was thought to be more positive for the renewable energy sector. Something for the GOP oil pushers to consider.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:36 pm 35. A Conservative Teacher:

Please start reading my blog. I’ve been writing for a while about what it is like to live in a state headed up by a liberal with no leadership skills, and the rest of the nation will soon turn into Michigan. Watch as the economy suffers, and everything is blamed on Bush… for the next 8 years. Watch as everything that goes wrong is blamed on Republicans… even if they have political power. Get used to being in Michigan people- it sucks!

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:37 pm 36. Mike Sylwester:

The popular vote might be close. Right now Obama has about 50% and McCain has about 49%. A final close vote will be a warning to the Democrats and an encouragement to the Republicans for the next four years.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Republicans who would like to run for office. Republican candidates can win in 2010 and 2012.

We Republicans can redevelop our reputations for fiscal prudence and law enforcement.

We can again become the party that is willing to make difficult and unpopular decisions — cutting programs and raising taxes — to try to balance the budget. We can’t oppose all taxes mindlessly. We must advocate tax policies that pay for current expenses.

We can become the party that is willing to enforce immigration laws real-estate laws. We need to stop trying to buy the Hispanic vote by allowing every Hispanic citizen to bring all his relatives from Latin America into the US without visas in anticipation of periodic amnesties. We need to stop allowing every Hispanic citizen to buy a house with a nonsense loan. The Bush Administration tried to buy the Hispanic votes with these methods, and it didn’t work. The Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for Obama anyway. Screw ‘em next time.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:40 pm 37. Steve:

#36 Mike Sylwester:

I doubt the popular vote will be all that close, the west coast should go fairly heavily Obama.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:43 pm 38. Elroy Jetson:

A Conservative Teacher:
Isn’t it weird how a democrat governor can lead a state into oblivion and the sheeple vote the party line anyway? We get who we vote for!

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:44 pm 39. mika2k1:

The popular vote might be close.
==

Not in Pennsylvania.

Obama: 2,137,947
McCain: 1,549,081

via:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapPPA

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:44 pm 40. Elroy Jetson:

Steve,
You’re right. The pollsters might have had this thing right after all.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:46 pm 41. I'm Just Plain Dumb:

Its pretty much over already. Blow out in PA, win in Ohio, possible win in FL and VA for Obama. At least they are making it an early night.

I really wonder what this will mean on the world stage. What will happen in Iraq? What will Russia do? What will Iran do? Hamas do? What will Israel do? So many possibilities. As Slo Joe put it, they will test him.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:47 pm 42. Dr.T:

Looks like we have to stop writing little notes to each other and instead work to find potential winning candidates, then work our butts off for them.
We need a strategist on the order of Newt Gingrich–but hopefully without the ego baggage.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:49 pm 43. programmer:

mika2k1,
Okay, you were right!

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:52 pm 44. sirius_sir:

Watch as the economy suffers, and everything is blamed on Bush… for the next 8 years. Watch as everything that goes wrong is blamed on Republicans…

Nope. Everything is gonna be perfection.

Besides, we got somebody new to blame now.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:53 pm 45. Mike Sylwester:

Dr. T:
<>
==========

My dream ticket was Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich. They sure would have performed a lot better in the debates than John McCain and Sarah Palin did.

McCain was leading until two things happened: 1) the financial crisis began and 2) the debates began. I don’t understand how anybody thinks that McCain and Palin won any of those debates.

Gingrich can win the election in 2012. I foresee four years of continuing financial crisis and Federal-budget chaos between now and November 2012.

Nov 4, 2008 - 8:56 pm 46. programmer:

I think I shall release the monsters of the id for a short time and then reintroduce myself to zazen. I believe I will need a calm mind for the next few months. Time to tend my garden. However, 2010 is another battle.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:04 pm 47. Elroy Jetson:

mika2k1,
Both Pennsylvania and Florida votes look like it’s going to be a landslide. No spinning it.
I just poured myself another big glass of wine. Should have invested in solar and alcohol stocks last week.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:12 pm 48. peterike:

Mike, it wasn’t the debates so much as the Palin interviews with Gibson and Couric. How the McCain campaign was so stupid as to send her into the lion’s den I don’t know. But too late.

Plus the financial crisis. Speaking of which, sort of an odd coincidence, ain’t it? That this thing is building up for YEARS, yet it hits in the month before the election. And funny, but Obama had gotten way more contributions from the likes of Goldman Sachs and so on.

Yeah, a funny coincidence that is.

Some months ago, Wretchard presciently wrote about Obama: “who sent him?”

Well whoever sent him got the job done. I think we’ll learn who sent him soon enough. The world of state capitalism awaits.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:13 pm 49. mika2k1:

Should have invested in solar and alcohol stocks last week.
==

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:23 pm 50. mika2k1:

Goldman Sachs should be spelled Goldman Sucks.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:27 pm 51. cedarford:

Mike Sylwester:
The popular vote might be close. Right now Obama has about 50% and McCain has about 49%.

Nope. The 800-lb gorilla of the California populace has yet to have their popular vote factored in. Leave Texas aside, and Cali is as big in numbers as the rest of Fundie-Land.
*********
Mike Sylwester – Gingrich can win the election in 2012. I foresee four years of continuing financial crisis and Federal-budget chaos between now and November 2012.

Newt’s an ideas guy, not a person tempermentally suited to executive leadership – or with a clean enough past record – to be an acceptable national candidate.
Yes, he is very intelligent and a good strategist. So is Chuck Schumer. It isn’t enough.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:37 pm 52. JAK:

Well McCain just “conceded” and a spontaneous crowd has formed in front of theWhite House. I watched live footage on the CBC and there was a prominent USSR flag on display in the crowd. I don’t know what it all means but I don’t have a good feeling.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:40 pm 53. JAK:

“spontaneous” not “conceded”. There is no doubt that he conceded. Pretty good speech I thought.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:41 pm 54. Dave:

Well folks, I am disappointed of course.
But this is not as hard on me as was the year 1975.

Back then, the c4s, Benjs, Mikas etc were gloating when VN was overrun. My values and efforts were said to have been proven useless
in the new world that was then emerging.

Today? Can anybody tell me what happened to all those progressives that were supposed to have taken my place? We seem to be fresh out of Soviet Evil Empires to kick around.

Don’t know how severe oncoming troubles will be, but my kind of people will still be around after their new wannabe tormentors are
a thing of the past.

The Obamaroids? Bring them on!

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:46 pm 55. peterike:

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

As the clock nears midnight here, who better than E.A. Poe to sign off this grim night.

Well I’m going to have a grand time saying “I told you so” to an awful lot of people these next months. Fat lot of good it’ll do me.

Good luck to our friends in Georgia and Ukraine and Taiwan and Israel and many other places on which the shadow now falls.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:46 pm 56. Mike Sylwester:

peterike:
“Speaking of which, sort of an odd coincidence, ain’t it? That this thing is building up for YEARS, yet it hits in the month before the election. ”
———-

It was the worst possible timing. If only it had happened two months earlier or later!

In the long run, the crisis has been a valuable lesson for us Republicans about the importance of financial prudence. Our party has been mostly bragging about the rise of home ownership when we should have been mostly criticizing the factors that caused that rise.

Our party should have been sounding many alarms more effectively for the past eight years.

The fact that this financial crisis happened at the worst possible time for our party should compel us to assimilate our lessons profoundly. It happened on our watch. We ourselves had been steering for eight straight years when the economy fell into the ditch.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:50 pm 57. elby:

Well, it looks like we’ve elected the first affirmative action president.

The most frightening thing is: the left’s tactics have been rewarded. Such tactics will therefore only increase in intensity. Outright media bias, covering up leftist candidates backgrounds and true beliefs, voter fraud, and personality cults are what we can expect more of in the future.

Obama isn’t going to change anything. He cannot help anyone. He cannot ‘fix’ the economy. People can only help themeselves. That is true, no matter who is president.

Nov 4, 2008 - 9:52 pm 58. mika2k1:

Mikas etc were gloating when VN was overrun.
==

You’re an idiot, Dave. You’ve still not a clue as to my ideological views. Your corrupt commie republicans and their fake war on the “Religion Of Peace” can go shove it. They are worse than useless. They are in bed with the enemy.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:03 pm 59. Semi Cartman:

I don’t like the soviet flag in the crowd. Wrong time, wrong continent, not the attitude I like to see. Identity group analysis. Oprah winfrey, and hordes of empowered women. Same old same old, like
Clinton all over again. What of this semi anonymous chameleonlike candidate? Backed by almost a billion of nameless dollars, and a party establishment that seems to resent the nation itself. This whole scenario gives me the creeps. For the first time ever.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:05 pm 60. trangbang68:

A little immigration thought from ground zero on the Southern Arizona sector. Two weeks ago in Nogales, Sonora , 60 miles south of Tucson, the Federal police shot it out with drug gangs armed with AK47’s and grenades. 10 narco-terrorists were killed. This Sunday in Nogales the Police chief of Sonora State was assassinated with automatic weapons and again grenades. This is war on the US border. Tucson has record homicides this year; this weekend three gunned down on the predominately hispanic south side.
Obama’s mettle will be tested soon and in spades. I’m buying a 12 guage before the year turns.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:06 pm 61. Elroy Jetson:

Sometimes the left wins. The republic lives on therefore we live on to fight another day.
Our enemies will test us to see if we are going to wave the olive branch of diplomacy in response to whatever they may try. If he waves the branch and hides behind the UN, we may be back in 2012 or 2016.
Or he may decide to take the fight to the enemy (after looking at poll numbers) and articulate it like Bush could not.
That was the single biggest failure of Bush’s after 9/11. He refusal to seize the bully pulpit and explain why Iraq was so important. He told us to go shpping instead. Planting a democracy in the center of the Middle East was paramount to the war against Islamic terrorists. Most of us here knew that. The masses did not, and were angry at casualties and prisoner abuses.
It’s going to have to get worse before it gets better.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:10 pm 62. exhelodrvr:

“Gingrich can win the election in 2012.”

He would make a great President, but he is unelectable.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:27 pm 63. Semi Cartman:

The Palestinians for example, have simply been saying “no” for decades. No to everything. If people don’t want socialism, there’s 2010 and 2012. But they have to decide in their hearts that they want to work for it. W -23
The Palestinians, unfortunately, are approaching absolute bottom by any measure of civil society. Stateless, friendless, dependent on their tactical value to others. We on the other hand are in the opposite position, with so much to lose. How much must we lose before we go after the prize with their tenacity? We now have the luxury of electing a president largely for sentimental reasons. Will we admit the consequences?

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:27 pm 64. whiskey:

Semi Cartman — good call on the Empowered Women and Oprah. The “New Girl Order” as it’s called, by Kay Hymnowitz, with its emphasis on fashion, trends, and of course endless status mongering by PC, has one weakness.

It can be overturned by brute force.

As others have noted, Obama did not play by the rules. Raised tons of foreign and illegal cash, no vetting by the media, plenty of scandals still there, and women went for him big time.

The logical response is Identity Politics in reaction. Something that trumps money. Feeds on resentment. Of those powerful, privileged, who have the money and the girls. Recall that the New Girl Order means an endless round of shopping at the mall for designer clothes and Apple accessories. It depends on good times.

One big nuke from the Religion of Peace, and it’s all in pieces. Then it’s the Black Swan, the rise of an angry, betrayed populist movement, that is quite male, the ones who got left out in the New Girl Order.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:45 pm 65. 3Case:

“We now have the luxury of electing a president largely for sentimental reasons. Will we admit the consequences?”

I did not elect him…for unsentimental reasons, so your “we”, to me, is they. To me, the question is,as it has long been, can “they” be responsible? Time will tell. History does not augur well.

Over then weekend the “Can they be responsible?” thought dawned upon me. I realized that the Lott/Hastert/Frist/Abramoff Republicans have been quite irresponsible…and I made peace with whatever the outcome here. Frankly, but for Palin, I may well have sat this one out; my part of my town having been carved off CT’s 5th to render it a Dem seat.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:51 pm 66. peterike:

Go buy the song on Amazon. The best 99 cents you’ll ever spend. For a time when humilty is in order.

My Life (Iris Dement)

My life, it don’t count for nothing
when I look at this world I feel so small
My life, it’s only a season
a passing September that no one will recall

But I gave joy to my mother
and I made my lover smile
and I can give comfort to my friends when they’re hurting
and I can make it seem better for a while

My life, it’s half the way traveled
and still I have not found my way out of this night
My life, it’s tangled in wishes
and so many things that just never turned out right

But I gave joy to my mother
and I made my lover smile
and I can give comfort to my friends when they’re hurting
and I can make it seem better for a while

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:52 pm 67. Jim Nicholas:

Obama did not get my vote. But I now hope he proves me wrong for not voting for him. If it comes to the point where I am saying “I told you so”, it will be with no pleasure, because the events evoking the “I told you so” will themselves bring no pleasure.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:54 pm 68. dnaxy:

Paradoxically, I think this means the end of the Democratic Party. Too many almost-insoluble crises loom for their watch in the next 4-8 years: Iran and its nuclear potential and a bomb going off anywhere; the re-fall of Afghanistan or its desertion by NATO; a malignant transformation of Pakistan; an existential attack on Israel; possible wars in Indonesia, the Philippines, south Thailand; a long depression exacerbated by endless taxes; an attempt at universal health care; dissolution of our borders and runaway immigration; the excruciating difficulties of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Because the liberal mind is nearly always wrong (it’s Third Way and Critical Studies PostModern belief assures this), there is a high probablity that at least one of these crises will be poorly handled. Further, we can’t get the Left to understand that we are in a distributed netwar with a nearly perfect enemy, sharpened after 1350 years of practice, Islam. This must prolong the war. People will look back on Bush’s years as times of relative bliss, albeit gawky.

Nov 4, 2008 - 10:57 pm 69. Eggplant:

dnaxy said:

“Paradoxically, I think this means the end of the Democratic Party. Too many almost-insoluble crises loom for their watch in the next 4-8 years… People will look back on Bush’s years as times of relative bliss, albeit gawky.”

I agree. Unfortunately there’s a small but significant probability that this could also mean the end of the United States. History has shown repeatedly that great nations can unravel incredibly fast. Any silver lining in Obama’s victory will be insignificant compared to the storm that it will bring.

Nov 4, 2008 - 11:06 pm 70. Dave:

3case; My awakening was joining up with the Libertarian Party with visions of sweeping
victories ahead. Since then, I have tried to keep my nose a bit closer to the grindstone.

BTW; One Texas seat went back to the GOP. Texas 22. Had been Tom DeLay’s, went to Nick Lampson in 2006, now back in GOP column.

My original home, Texas 23, remains D but the incumbent, Ciro Rodriquez now often votes in favor on the oil patch.

This election, as disapointing as it may be, is part of normal give and take.

Looks like we may be developing a cadre of solid Rs around which some progress may be made.

And then there is Sarah. Not to mention Bobby.

Nov 4, 2008 - 11:36 pm 71. gumshoe:

Obama has no motivation to
show any steel for Israel,Taiwan,Columbia,
Georgia or Ukraine.

no street cred in it.
don’t fit the narrative.

if he does offer any assistance it will be just like those Senate hearings:

“I,um, apologize for not hearing the introductory remarks…”

Nov 4, 2008 - 11:39 pm 72. Mark:

Nice concession speech by McCain.

McConnell will continue to befuddle Reid.

The Democrats will overreach.

I wish President-elect Obama all the best.

It’s truly a momentous occasion in the history of the country.

We will get a lot of international good-will for a while as a country that actually lives up to some of its ideals of equality and opportunity.

Looks like Coleman is ahead for the time being in Minnesota, but the outstanding ballots are going to be coming in from DFL strongholds, which is not good news.

Nov 4, 2008 - 11:42 pm 73. Benj:

Jesus Peter – you got taste. That Iris song is for the ages – Nice piece about her music and the politics of culture here at FIRST – link below – Iris is a leftish populist – Told a funny story when I saw her live about Merle’s politics…Hang in there man – He’s gonna be your pres too. For real…

http://www.firstofthemonth.org/archives/2005/06/among_the_belie.html

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:34 am 74. Lorenz Gude:

I just got a dose of truther from an anti American here in Australia to remind me of the insanity of much of the left narrative. Somehow I don’t think President Obama will be exposing a Bush conspiracy to bring down the Twin Towers etc. But I should have known Obama’s victory would have brought out this sort of thing immediately. The totalist mindsets at work in the world – the certainty of Islam’s triumph, the certainty of America’s fall and the certainty of Global Warming – are arrayed against America at a difficult time. In the end it will take the best the left and the right can bring to bear to weather this storm. Right now I don’t feel too good about it.

Nov 5, 2008 - 2:05 am 75. Doug:

Thanks for reminding me about Bobby, Dave.
If after all this, the Party again chooses the past over these two new stars,
…well.
Folks like Will, Noonan, and Parker should be jettisoned as the faux-conservative elites they have conclusively shown themselves to be.

Nov 5, 2008 - 3:38 am 76. peterike:

Benj, thanks for the link. Actually, the whole album is amazing. Not a bad song on it.

And here’s hoping your guy is everything you think he is.

Nov 5, 2008 - 5:56 am 77. enscout:

As much as I hate the ideology of the man, I hope – for the sake of fellow Americans and for the world that Obama can walk the talk.

I really think he would do well to jettison Reid & Pelosi.

Now, as far as our media is concerned, may they rot in hell.

Nov 5, 2008 - 6:11 am 78. Stephen:

Many times in this forum the question has been asked “who is Barack Obama?” I was hoping we would find out the answer in some future tome about a failed Presidential candidate, but instead we will get to know this fellow really, really well.

I like mysteries as much as the next guy but I hope this one doesn’t turn into a thriller. Thrillers are an okay genre, but only if you can close the book or change the channel.

Nov 5, 2008 - 9:59 am 79. aconservativeteacher:

Elroy- it isn’t a surprise that people in a tanking Democrat state voted for all Democrats. I teach Advanced Placement Comparative Government, and this has let me learn about other country’s governments. Dictatorships are common- democracies are rare. One-state rule is common- multiparty rule is not. Our nation is about to become less exceptional, and if you don’t like it, they’ll eliminate you- first by cutting off your speech, later in other ways. Power is the ultimate goal. In Michigan, the ‘reason why things are bad’ is because of ‘one chamber is still controlled by the GOP’. It’s about to be ‘the reason why things are bad nationally is that the GOP keeps filibustering…”

Nov 5, 2008 - 12:17 pm 80. Fletcher Christian:

Well, it looks as if my tired little country the UK is going to have to once again take up the burden of leadership against the forces of darkness. “One Stone to rule them all, one Stone to find them, one Stone to bring them all and in the darkness bind them; in the Dar-al-Islam where the Shadows lie”. A black stone, of course.

I hope we can. Maybe the enemy ought to be reminded, somehow, that we can bring about the predictions of the Three Conjectures all by ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, we will be lucky enough to find another Thatcher or Churchill. We don’t deserve it, and neither does the USA.

Interesting times are coming. Pity we’re not Chinese.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:06 pm 81. Karen:

Our nation is about to become less exceptional… I agree. No more of this “the world’s last best hope” stuff. Too many Americans wanted change and change is what we’re going to get. It’s all over but the crying, and there’ll be plenty of that over all the “changes” that will be forced on us. The only question remaining now is if the change will be a slow years-long process or a quick death spiral. I started to say sorry but, no, I’m not even going to apologize for being so pessimistic. We know who Obama and the Dems are and we know exactly what we can expect from them.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:29 pm 82. Doug:

As I was editing the post below by a conservative teacher in California, I realized that my wife and I were 2 more conservative teachers in a one-party state for the 15 years we homeschooled our son in Hawaii.

When we went to public schools in CA, they were near the top in the country. Since then, with the advent first of the NEA, and next one party rule, and unchecked illegal immigration, CA schools now rank at the bottom of the country.

The same thing has happened in Hawaii, although only recently have we witnessed the influx of significant numbers of illegals, so Hawaii’s public schools have yet to reach the depths attained in CA, but the trend has been steadily down since the advent of the NEA.

Obviously not co-incidence that these states’ unionized public schools have trended down together in one-party states.
——————————-

Agency Fee Rebate

Last week I received my agency fee rebate from the CTA. At the risk of repeating myself (I do have over 3500 posts on this blog so far!), several courts have held that I cannot be compelled to pay for a union’s activities that do not relate to union organizing or employee pay, benefits, and working conditions. I pay full union dues each school year, and in about January of the following year an arbiter decides which union expenses are chargeable to me and which are outside of the allowable categories. My percentage of those disallowed charges is my agency fee rebate, and I receive that rebate check from the CTA each fall. Please click on the agency fee label for more details in general, and read this post for more specific information.

I received almost $400 last year; this year I received only $330. These rebate amounts are calculated but by an arbiter paid for by the CTA. CTA is required by law to pay for this, and it seems exceedingly unlikely that they would pay an organization that consistently ruled against their interests. I question the impartiality of the arbiters CTA hires.

The arbiter looks at the expenses for the NEA, the CTA, and the local union, and determines which are chargeable to agency fee payers and which are not. Here are the rebate percentages from last year:
NEA–48.59%
CTA and local–38.7%

Here are the percentages from this year, an election year:
NEA–53%
CTA and local–29.1%

The figures above are percentages that CTA’s hired arbiter calculated are outside of the approved categories.

Given CTA’s expenditures since the summer, I expect that next year’s rebate percentage will be significantly higher in the CTA/local category. Given that I have no reason to trust the American Arbitration Association in this arena, though, there’s no telling.

As I said, I received $330 back. I’m going to spend over half of that by rejoining the Association of American Educators, through which I receive better liability insurance than I would through CTA. I learned about AAE from the California Teachers Empowerment Network, a grassroots organization of teachers who serve to counter and balance the one-sided information teachers get (often from the state union that’s supposed to look out for their interests).

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:31 pm 83. Michael Hoskins:

Fear.

I turn 60 in 12 days. At that time a portion of my retirement planning kicks in; I become eligible for the military medical care benefit (Earned benefit, not an entitlement, not a right) from 24 years active/reserve duty. Since my current income is large enough to qualify for redistribution, will I be able to maintain my savings rate for the 4 or 5 years needed to insure I do not become part of the problem?

Fear, with no adrenalin to help…

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:41 pm 84. Doug:

Karen, indeed you have no reason to apologize for being so realistic/pessimistic.

One need only think of the damage to come from the Supreme Court alone, after BHO’s picks take their seats.

Remember that tired old Constitution contains a “fatal flaw.”

Nothing more needs to be said about that.

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:41 pm 85. Doug:

Michael,
At least you’ll know your money is going to address that “fatal flaw!”

Nov 5, 2008 - 1:46 pm 86. Fletcher Christian:

Doug, I don’t know what fatal flaw you refer to; but there is a hole in its logic, caused by the Founders’ inability to see into the future (for which, of course, they can’t be blamed).

The First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Sounds OK? Then what happens when one of the religions permitted to be freely exercised has as a central tenet the establishment of religion? And as another a ban on criticising its prophet?

Further; the Constitution has a clause (I forget which one) outlawing slavery. What is the practice of dhimmi except slavery? And thus an Islamic state in the USA would necessarily throw away another of the parts of the Constitution.

I am quite sure that many other countries have similar problems with their legal systems. It’s about time that we acted to plug the holes; and the simple solution is to ban Moslems from public office, and preferably to expel them all.

Nov 5, 2008 - 3:20 pm 87. Karen:

Thanks, Doug, your #84. And thanks, Wretchard, for the space to vent. If any practical movement springs up to counter what we’re in for, I’m fully on board but in the meantime, I can’t pretend away the ominous portents.

Fletcher Christian, that’s one of the most ominous for sure – the conflict of Islam and Constitutional guarantees of free speech/no established religion. No doubt, Pres. Obama’s sympathies will greatly enhance the Islamists aims, starting perhaps with banking:

“Brigitte Gabriel: US Treas. Dept. to Host Shariah Compliant Financing Forum”

Nov 5, 2008 - 4:29 pm 88. Ms. Know:

CNN was so liberally biased it was pathetic. They had GOP officials on there, who were conceding for the party to the left-wing illuminati before the election was even over.

Nov 15, 2008 - 10:18 am

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