I have decided to move the returns post up here to get Arafat behind us, for once. In the short run, it feels as if we are all giving each other psychotherapy. Some people prefer to believe the worst inorder not to be disappointed. Other keep up a bravura front. I can go either way. [But you don’t flip-flop!-ed. Right!] One thing seems clear so far, that if the close numbers prove to be correct, the polls were pretty accurate. Most of them, as we know, predicted a squeaker.
BTW, kudos to PhP Webhosting. Despite heavy traffic, this site seems to be working pretty well, as opposed to some other political blogs.
1:57p – Oops, server seems to be slowing down.
2:OOp – My detective writer instinct tells me that there is a fair amount of lying going on around the exit polls. False or inflated numbers are being given out for political reasons. It would be a relatively simple thing to do in such a fluid situation. And then later the “informer” just goes “Aw, schucks, that’s what they told me,” giving a nice innocent shrug.
2:15p – In the middle of the election, a disturbing report from Patrick Lasswell regarding voter fraud.
2;28p – Is Hindrocket calling it for Thune in SD? More important – is this a harbinger of things to come when the blogs will be looked to along with or even before the networks to call elections?
2:36 – I keep noticing various bloggers… Power Line, The Corner… urging people to get out and vote. But aren’t they preaching to the choir? I can’t imagine readers of political blogs NOT voting. Am I wrong?
3:37 – I agree with Rod Dreher at The Corner. I can’t get my mind off the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh today. This is the reason we fight and it is hugely depressing to me that the man may have died on the day the American people have deserted the cause.
3:59p – One of our special correspondents has revealed the source of biased exit polls.
4;12 – Florida now will not have its absentee ballot counted until Thurs… Yikes.
4:20p – After this is over, someone ought to track down where these exit polls come from, who does them, who redacts or “scrubs” them, as they say in the parlance, etc.
4:59p – Very weird… The gang on Fox are talking like Dush is losing while the real time votes from Florida show Bush leading comfortably with 12.5% reporting. Fox is projecting Kerry victor in NJ.
5:18p DEMONSTRATION in Amsterdam protests murder of Theo Van Gogh.
5:59p – Fascinating discussion on Fox during which Brit, Bill Kristol, etc. admitted that the exit polls favored Kerry. But some information now indicates the exit polls were in error. Who knows?
6:46p – If you haven’t been checking Horserace Blog, you should be. Interesting early returns from Ohio, which now shapes up as the key state. He also has the best breakdown on the exit poll conundrum. If these exit polls continue to be problematic, we’ll all have a job to do tomorrow – find out how that happened.
7:30p – Your Humble Pundit… I will be on the Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss the election so far in fifteen minutes… 7:45 Pacific. I won’t be making any predictions, I can’ promise you that… but I am wondering about those exit polls.
8:00p – Back from Hewitt. If you missed me, too bad. Here’s what I didn’t say… If Bush wins, he owes his election to two people: Ed Koch (Florida) and DennisThePeasant (Ohio). [Are you kidding?-ed. Of course not.]
8:09p Laker 16 – Nuggest 11 (No, I’m not watching but I get the scores on line. What can I say?)
8:15p The Stem Cell iniative is ahead in Calfiornia. More Arnold clout. If the election goes the way it looks like it’s going who will be the big winners and losers? If Kedwards loses, John Edwards is a footnote. He did nothing for their campaign.
8:34p – Michael Barone is the most knowledgeable political commentator on the air.
8:43p – Susan Estrich claims Ohio will still go Democratic. She seemed angry.
DAvid Gergen on CNN sounds incredibly pompous, talking about cultural dvisions which I don’t think are as operative as he does. Kerry seemed like a phony. That isn’t a cultural division. That’s character.
10:32p – Disputing Ohio, assuming the numbers come in close to where they are now, will make the Democrats seem like soreheads across America. It is a dumb move.
Moreover, with the President winning the popular vote by over three million votes, disputing this election seems deeply weird.
Juan Williams is talking about conspiracy theories on Fox when his man lost by over three million votes. What a creep! The big loser tonight is the MSM.
Juan William is a real jerk. He says KErry shouldn’t concede. Kerry SHOULD concede in order to bring the country together. If he doesn’t he is a hypocrite.
The DEmocrats should concede. To fight on when you have lost the popular vote by three and a half million shows no class and no respect for the people. The reviled Nixon conceded, as we all know, in a much closer election.
No grace from Andrew Sullivan who says Bush was “narrowly elected.” Andrew, he won the popular vote by three and a half million votes. Read your history. That’s not narrow. Bill Clinton never got over fifty percent of the vote.
THe DEmocrats now have the option of self-destructing over implausible challenges, as Michael Barone just said. or of learning and changing.
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