2012 US Presidential Election Superthread

[joyfulgirl]

Matt Taibbi making sense again.

Election Day Is Finally Here: Tonight Is Going to Suck No Matter What | Matt Taibbi | Rolling Stone

 

[indra]

I'm ready for election night news coverage -- all stocked up on chocolate and vicodin.

 

[Liesje]

I have dog training tonight and I'm the only non-Republican. I already told my dog we just have to suck it up and deal!

 

[anitram]

On CNN now, there is a guy in a virtual senate chamber. Pretty good tackiness to start, let's hope it continues!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

On CNN now, there is a guy in a virtual senate chamber. Pretty good tackiness to start, let's hope it continues!

Just caught the end of it. Very weird. They also have the gimmick of lighting up the Empire State Building. And dancing Christmas lights at Faneuil Hall

When they had the hologram, was that Wolf Blitzer? I can't remember. He always seems to be on the verge of a meltdown, like he's being way too self contained and overcompensating. Now THAT would be entertaining.

Cool-Nashua NH made it onto CNN

Also, John King and Dana Bash got divorced and still have to work together on air. Awkward

 

[cobl04]

So I just watched a video explaining the electoral college - much clearer picture now.

One more question - how is it possible to win the popular vote but lose the electoral college? Or vice versa?

 

[Danny Boy]

One more question - how is it possible to win the popular vote but lose the electoral college? Or vice versa?

Basically by winning states by a large margin and losing states by a narrow margin.

The same way a football team might score the most total points in a season but not have the most wins.

 

[Axver]

One more question - how is it possible to win the popular vote but lose the electoral college? Or vice versa?

You can win the popular vote but lose the electoral college because you won the popular vote emphatically in states that contributed to a minority of electoral college votes, and lost the popular vote narrowly in states that contributed to a majority of electoral college votes.

On a simple level, let's say there are just two states competing for 19 electoral college votes, one with 10 electoral college votes and one with 9. You win the latter state emphatically, say 3 million out of 5 million voters, but you lose the former state in a close battle of 6 million votes, say 2.9 million votes to 3.1 million.

So you get only 9 electoral college votes out of 19, but you won the populat vote 5.9 million to 5.1 million.

 

[deep]

I have dog training tonight and I'm the only non-Republican. I already told my dog we just have to suck it up and deal!

maybe your dog can train them how to lick their wounds

 

[Pearl]

I'll be on my own tonight and texting some people.

My parents will be in another place in the two-family house we live in. Guaranteed there will be a lot of shouting tonight - joyousness if Romney wins, swearing and outrage if Obama wins.

Just saw a CNN report on my iPhone. The economy is the most important issue for voters, which could hurt Obama. Some say he didn't do much or will make it worse if he wins.

I'm psyching myself out for Romney winning to deal with disappointment if it happens.

 

[Axver]

Just catching up on the thread, and this comment struck me:

What's with the lines? I've never had to wait longer than 5 mins, and that's in a country where its compulsory to vote. Are there just very few polling places?

This has always confused me too. I voted recently in local council elections, which at least in Victoria consistently have less polling stations than state and federal elections. So if ever there's going to be a long queue, it's there, and I did indeed have my longest wait ever: a whopping six minutes! The very first time I voted in Australia, at a Queensland state election, there was literally no queue at all.

I can understand though why there is a huge rush and massive queues at lunch and after 5pm in US elections, which just makes me wonder why on earth the US votes on a Tuesday rather than on a Saturday like we do in Australia and New Zealand. I'm sure somebody's once told me some arcane historical reason for it, but if they have, I've forgotten it.

Oh, and I'm surprised to read of some polling stations not being very obviously located. Here, you can't bloody miss them because of all the people for the various parties lingering outside distributing how-to-vote cards (for our preferential voting system).

 

[Pearl]

Crusader and I have remained friends and stayed in contact for awhile, and now chat ever so often. He said it just got in his way of his job and sanity, he thought the childishness of the posters even those that agreed with him rubbed him the wrong way and said it felt very retrogressive...

It's good to know that he had other priorities, and didn't feel intimidated in anyway. Tell him a lot of us in FYM say hi!

 

[deep]

polls have closed in 6 states and Obama is behind
Romney leading in declared states

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I second the "say hi to Crusader" thing !

There were a lot of people at the polling place I went to, but no real line of sorts-people just kinda wandered in and got pointed to the right spots and it was all pretty quick and orderly.

On CNN now, there is a guy in a virtual senate chamber. Pretty good tackiness to start, let's hope it continues!

Oh, CNN .

Anyone else having an Election Party?

We're serving Happy Meals, Chick-fil-A and 40 oz Super Big Gulps... all the nourishment liberals love to hate. I'd invite y'all but you'd never get past the front gate.

Hey, I'm a liberal and I'm eating Wendy's right now and drinking a Dr. Pepper. So nyah .

Seriously, no big parties planned here. Just hang out at home, flip back and forth between election coverage and whatever else might be on TV, and then go to bed at a decent hour tonight 'cause I have to be up kinda early-ish (for me, at least) for work tomorrow. Woohoo. I live the wild life, lemme tell ya.

 

[corianderstem]

Use spoiler tags, deep! Jeez!

Spoiler

I'm totally kidding.

 

[INDY500]

Back to red. Follow us America.

 

[deep]

Romney doing much better than McCain in all the exit polls

 

[LemonMelon]

With 4% of the vote in, Obama has Florida locked up

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I wish they'd announce third party numbers more often and pay more attention

 

[mikal]

I guess Romney's own internal poll had him losing Ohio by 5%.

 

[deep]

I wish they'd announce third party numbers more often and pay more attention

Libertarian = .05 %

 

[deep]

Electoral votes called


Obama 3

Romney 19

 

[anitram]

No, in Indiana we can still discuss personal religious beliefs and God and abortion and morality and choose to agree or disagree -- without the hysterics of the religion illiterate.

Maybe not.

Looks like Mourdock is on his way to being toast?

 

[LemonMelon]

The liberal corner of Indiana is still voting for another half hour.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Libertarian = .05 %

You mean 0.5%?

Found some live readings from politico.

Considering the states at hand, it's not so surprising.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Looks like Mourdock is on his way to being toast?

That'd be a wonderful outcome.

 

[deep]

You mean 0.5%?

Found some live readings from politico.

Considering the states at hand, it's not so surprising.

sorry, right

no disrespect for Libertarians, I went and looked up their results on Wiki, I think their best outcome was 1.something one election, then mostly around .5 percent, and not always going up. I think in preference voting they would get a lot more votes, I know quite a few Libertarian leaning folks that just vote GOP.

 

[deep]

states called so far

Romney winning big !!!

Obama 3

Romney 49

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

cnn just called a bunch of states for obama, so he's just pulled ahead. 64-40.

 

[trojanchick99]

I hate paying attention to Florida returns. I keep getting flashbacks.