Since I’ll be out all day hunting down votes, I thought that maybe you could entertain each other…. So, if you have any news about the election, or perhaps a little story about your own voting experience today, please leave a comment for everyone else. And, if you’re like me and you feel all weepy when you vote, you can tell us. We won’t make fun.
Connect
32 Comments
Here is a nice map of the electoral votes. It is pretty reassuring. Check out the animated map.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
Also, a nice story about yard signs in Plymouth at Washington Monthly. It looks like the Wall Street Journal did a piece on Plymouth too. Reminds me of the days growing up in Plymouth / Canton when we would get tanked, drive around, collect yard signs, and put a few dozen in someone’s yard for a pleasant Saturday morning surprise.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_11/005041.php
OK, Linette, Clementine and I are loading up the car and getting ready to go set up camp at our precinct’s polling place… Good luck, everybody… Hopefully, the next time you hear from me, John Kerry will have been elected president.
I’m headed out at 6am to be “visible” with other Kerry people! Then, I’m going to go….VOTE! Yeah. I don’t think anything will feel as good as checking that box for John Kerry and John Edwards. Cross your fingers and toes….let’s take America forward!
I got up early and was first in line to vote at 7 a.m.! I love voting and one of my favorite things about election day as a young girl watching as my dad watched Peter Jennings, was the part of the day when the candidates themselves head to thir home town and cast their ballot. That felt like pure American magic to me. The convoluted volunteers confused about the process this morning was not magic, but I still felt swell with emotion. I even had on a black hoodie, ala Eminem.
Mark thanks for your hard work, it is appreciated and I’m sure your making a difference!
I have mixed feelings right now. On the one hand, there were a lot of punks with piercings and young blacks in hip-hop regalia at Fletcher school, which made me very happy to see the supposedly “apathetic voters’ obviously there in force, skewing pre-election (republican-biased) poll figures. However, I’m in ward 2 precinct 4 (the “student ghetto” north of the construction zone formerly known as the peninsular paper mill), and there was virtually no line for us (as opposed to the wealthier precincts, which had a line 100 yards long). Everyone here lives in secured buildings, so my only option is to go around ringing buzzers and shouting some soundbyte into the intercoms.
Hopefully the rain will let up soon- that’s what really frightens me (that it will keep voters from the polls, i mean, and not that I have a fear of rain).
Saw you down at the polls today. A pretty good turnout for 7 A.M…encouraging for both democracy and Kerry. Seemed like they were understaffed, though. Dave D.
I just waited one hour to vote at Bach School in Ann Arbor. My neighbor who is a poll-worker said that she had never seen lines like this before, so I
i voted early this morning at slauson middle school – it took just under an hour. i have never had to wait so long before. take a book – and a snack. the bathrooms are to the right of the exit! :)
Voted at Pioneer H.S. in Ann Arbor this morning. I was in line at 6:50 a.m. and people kept streaming in. It was like old home week. Neighbors were poll working and poll watching. Neighbors were in line. I didn’t realize my “Vote No on 2” sticker was a “sign” until I was asked to take it off (no way! not on election day! So I turned my jacket inside out).
My new friends in line and I wondered what else is inadmissable in a polling place. Political tatoos? Shouting “Bush is a dumbass?” Singing We Shall Overcome (or Fuck Bush)?
Anyway, it was about an hour to get through the line, which I’m hoping is a good sign for dem GOTV.
Lastly, does anyone else get a little touched at seeing democracy in action? I’m not the flag-toting type patriot, but there is something moving (o.k, so I AM at that HORMONAL part of the month) about seeing 350 people, many of whom know each other, standing peacefully and freely in line for an hour to participate in a process established over 200 years ago.
Of course, if I was in Dallas or was a poor urban voter, my sentiments wouldn’t be nearly so rosey!
back again, just conversing with myself, I guess.
Anyway, I found a story about a guy who got to keep a political T-shirt on in Virginia
http://www.clickondetroit.com/politics/3882945/detail.html
So rules must vary place to place.
af
The family of mark is working hard today. Even Clementine is testing the air:
http://www.ypsirocks.com/M+L+C.jpg
I’m afraid of the rain because I’m made out of sugar.
There was a big line at Holy Immaculate Twinkling Heart of Jesus church on Sweet Road at 7:10 this a.m. I didn’t get out till 8:45. Along the lines of what Alicia said, it was to some degree moving to see a long, peaceful line of burly guys in camo, youngsters in hoodies, malcontent bikers, grandmothers, and everyone in between peacefully waiting for their chance to vote.
I wonder how Mark’s “blood red-eye” is doing? Any news? Did he shield it from the children during Halloween with a pirate’s eye-patch?
I’ll stop breathing into this paper bag long enough to say this really sucks and I think my keyword has got to be “emigrate”. Ive heldout hope so long that I actually lived in a pretty cool and ok country and lookin at that map all night has really taken the heart out of me (as well as prop 2). but Im glad theres people like the the people here that makes it a little more bearable everyday.
I’m feeling very 1861.
If there was a boat leaving for anywhere else I’d certainly get on it, but I really think I’d much rather force the other 49% to board it instead, and leave the United States to those of us that have at least a moderate appreciation for its values and history.
In less lofty thoughts, I’m only in Michigan because I lost my job due to the atmosphere of Corporate malfeseance that Bush instituted post-911, so I feel like I was basically kicked out of the one place in the country where my vote might have made a very big difference.
To reiterate, this morning I could care less about Bush- what bothers me most are the millions of supposed ‘fellow citizens’ that voted for him, and how I’m supposed to be even remotely civil to any of them considering what they’ve done.
Stella – I’m with you. If Ohio goes red, I’m finding a nice Windsorite to date and move in with across the river. I want to live in a place that is a bit more understanding of the troubles of their fellow humans.
Brett – We’re glad to have you in Michigan, but I’m so with you on the having to be civil to people who are so hate-filled that they would vote for that individual presently holding the highest office of the land.
I take solace (very little) in the fact that Michigan, at least, voted for Kerry. *sigh*
In the words of Jon Stewart, commenting last night on the numerous bigoted States who voted to ban gay marriage, “This reminds me of a dream I once had, where I woke up crying.” It was almost funny when he delivered it.
It’s a sad day here in Boston. I’m having more trouble than usual concentrating at work.
Where is Mark? I want someone I trust more than the terribly depressing CNN to say something about what’s going on. Not that what anyone else has to say will be too upbeat, but…
They said on MSNBC that Kerry will make an announcement at 10 am or so. This troubles me.
But I guess the whole thing troubles me.
[steph]
“Kerry loses to bad weather in Cleveland” wouldn’t exactly be a mandate for King George, but Kings don’t need mandates?
Shit, Leighton, he certainly didn’t get a mandate last time and has acted like he did for the past four years. The man has no concept of anything. He’s too busy pushing his ultra-right-wing Religious Right agenda to pay attention to his lack of mandate.
I almost cried myself to sleep last night, but refused to give in that early.
Associated Press: Kerry calls Bush to Concede
http://www.ap.org/
He made his dad look like Nader for 4 years. If he keeps trying it and the failed policies have time to fester, then President Hillary might not be far behind.
Occam’s Razor at work. Fuck. Simple=Stupid?
FUCKFUCKFUCK! If amendment 36 had passed in Colorado the electoral votes would have been split between the candidates proportionately to the vote (as I understood it). I figure Kerry would have gotten 4 of the 9 for his 46% of the vote and Bush would get 5 for his 53% which would have dropped Bush’s 254 to 250 and raised Kerry’s 252 to 256 (based on the numbers I’m seeing at CNN.com). Am I wrong? Was a similar amendment being voted on in any other states? ARRRGH! fuck.
Well. My coworkers are pleased at least.
You can easily tell who voted for G.W.Bush in my office…. they’re the ones running around & grabbing each other’s dicks and saying, “We did it!”
I have “sad face” today.
I’m glad I got my Ambien prescription refilled… Drinking heavily always helps too.
I just got back from a class where I got to watch two girls high-five the Bush win. All I could do was shake my head.
My prime example of the day:
I had to wait politely on an armani suited customer who says ” we’re going to have Texas BBQ tonite in honour of Bush” as he bought 80 bucks worth of prime tenderloin, stupid Nouveau Riche, you dont Texas BBQ filet.
Did anyone else catch the footage of the Republican challengers, men in black, at Cobo who were accused of touching and grabbing absentee ballots being counted, then allowed to walk away?
The question now is whether we turn and run (which I’m tempted to do), or stay and fight for this country of ours. If I were younger, I’d quit my fucking job, go to DC, and set up camp in front of the White House. There should be a million people protesting (not the election, but Bush’s policies) by this evening. Instead, our college students will be drinking like they were members of the Bush family and watching
I heard someone say “we’re about to go from protest to resistance”.
I think that sums up how I feel right now.
I had to listen to some snotty teenagers boast and bellow about how “super” Bush won. I can handle my candidate losing (I’m speculating here), but to listen to some naive kids who spout off their parents’ narrow party line, who don’t dare delve into critical analysis of policy, and who do delve into the shallow projection of our politicians’ character is making me want to cry. Thank God I have a dog to console me (I don’t think she knows yet that Bush was re-elected–it’s kind of like the myth of Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny–should I deprive her of her blissful ignorance? How can I break it to her?). At least we are still relatively free and still alive (subject to change under the current carte blanche regime). Keep in mind that there can be a certain sublime beauty in ugliness. Let’s wallow in it for the next few years.