“In the long perspective of history, the right to vote has been one of the strongest pillars of a free society. Our first duty is to protect this right against all encroachment.” — Dwight Eisenhower
User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
Let’s do this.
Harris county (Houston) has polling places staying open an hour later because a lawsuit was filed…because they didn’t open on time. That would’ve prohibited folks trying to vote before work. Voter suppression. They tried & lost…if folks who didn’t get a chance to vote this morning show up, again.
Exit polls couldn’t be worse for Republicans. Only voter suppressionists can help them now.
BlueBronc – BTTF II is a good choice, but BTTF III – that was painful.
CC, I hope those exit polls are right.
Talking Points Memo has a nifty election map up. You can hover over each state to see results, as well as see running totals for Senate, House, and Governor tallies.
Poll closings coming up in VA and Fl, 20 minutes, big tells there.
I’m watching MSNBC. They do drive me crazy sometimes… but it’s better (at least for me) than watching the living dead over on CNN.
Against the grain. I prefer MSNBC to CNN, despite the fact that the former employs not-so-crypto-repubs tweetybird and upchuck. I like Maddow because she goes over everything several times in different ways, making sure that even the most politically innocent can understand the often complex connections between characters and times, places and deeds.
CNN reports that in exit polls most voters feel good or great about the economy. If Carville’s dictum still holds, it should not be a great night for Dems. (Not that I’m a skeptic or anything, but I’m betting that the October jobs report gets adjusted downward next month.)
I voted this morning. The turnout was quite impressive to me. I think everyone realizes how important this election is. There are 3 proposals on the ballot here in Michigan. Proposal #1 was for Marijuana legalization Proposal #2 was for Redistricting (or gerrymandering) Proposal #3 was for Voting rights. Republicans here in Michigan were urging voters to vote “no” on proposals #2 and #3. Telling voters to not let Democrats hijack elections. One man formed a PAC called “A Healthy and Productive Michigan” to defeat the legalization of marijuana. One of the big PACs that was funding a lot of the Republican attack ads on Democrats was the “Michigan Freedom Fund” which is backed by the DeVos family. We’ll see how everything turns out later tonight. Michigan Republicans seemed quite nervous to me, especially in the more important state races.
Also, I hate hearing 8 people trying to shriek over each other simultaneously. CNN has a lot of that. Maybe they don’t have that on election night. Anywhat, I’ll probably click CNN every time MSNBC runs the ad of a Mexican singer pitching the all-American Scotch whiskey.
As to fakkks news, if it were printed on paper, at least people would be able to cover the bottom of the birdcages with it.
Mr Pogo, yes I expect the jobs report to be re adjusted down from 250k to 25k.
Dems Gillum, Nelson leading in Pinellas County FL — bellwether! When Trump won there in 2016 I knew it was over
Here’s hoping that the economy is so good that voters found other things to worry about. Never trusted exit polling.
ABC preempting regular programming to cover the results.
Just as an information point, my voting location was the same as each of the last five years, steady but no line. You walk in, get your ballot, vote, scan your ballot and get your “I Voted” sticker. Ten minutes max. We have a steady high voter turnout. Literally the only people who show up to do the lit handout are a couple of organization volunteers. There will never be a “Blue Tsunami” because the voters are Blue Tsunami each election.
Craig,
I like that kind of news. Where do the big blue blocks of votes come from in Florida besides Broward?
Dems overperforming in House races in Florida, at least 2 more seats in play than expected.
Jace, watch Dade County, the Cubans used to vote Republican but their young go Dem.
Also, the massive Puerto Rican vote in Orlando, Orange County, decisive, most are Dems.
Meanwhile, in GA kemp’s voter card called invalid. HAHAHAHAHA !
Pogo – yes. And considering the two were completed together makes it a confusion bowl. MIB I and II are so difficult to rate for me. I tend to go II though. I am about ready to switch off television and go to movies. My shrink supports this as I do not need to be concerned about the horse race, only about the winner’s circle.
Dems leading 15 GOP House seats, 8 more to go for majority.
That seems like it should be doable
I still think that they will get one of two very hotly contested house races here in WA which would be another pick up
Real question is why Medicare fraud criminal Rick Scott got this far. Good riddance.
I’m sticking with CNN – can’t watch MSNBC in the kitchen – but CNN live works on the laptop. I’m liking the results so far. But what’s the deal with KY6? WhoTF are they kidding? But Manchin is munchin’ Fatrick Morrissey. (No typo there, btw).
What’s outstanding in FL Poobah? At 82% the race is tight as Dick’s hatband.
Dana Bash needs to take a shot of tequila. She’s acting like Beto may win there.
If Gillum can hold on as the panhandle votes come in it will be a miracle.
Pete Sessions struggling!
Is Florida slipping away?
Call me stupid but while Florida and Texas are fun and sexy, I’m most interested in Michigan, Wisconsin and PA.
Donna, Donna!
Dallas, Denton & Collin counties show BETO 51%
Cruz 48%
Hang in there Jace, Dade and Broward always finish last.
Looks like Georgia is Georgia and Tennessee is insane.
Sturg, at present it looks like you may be a Beto sage. Bu we’ll be sitting back and looking at your call.
I want to see the little prick Scoot Walker go down in flames.
The CNN discussion about subpoena power is poignant. Gimmee those fucking ta returns you orange asshole.
Pogo,
A Walker loss would be a nice way to top off the evening. What a putz
Dana Bash’s breathless coverage of Repugs ahead when 1% of the vote is in drives me up the fucking wall.
Straight party Dem voters for BETO benefitting others.
Lupe Valdez didn’t run ads or have any signage around here, but she’s within 2 points of Greg Abbott.
Blue wave meets Red wall. Ain’t that America.
There’s no wall. There won’t be one. I’ll turn on the tube at 9:30 pm CST to see results come in.
I’m claiming Gillum and Nelson victors in FL.
No blue wave. Dems will be lucky to flip the house. Trump spins it as a victory and the media plays along.
Jace, sadly I agree.
Could we put the crepe away for a bit?
Kansas Dem gubernatorial pickup in Kansas? Dorothy, WTF is going on?
Just 15 seats away from House impeaching Trump.
11 seats to impeachment.
I blame the damned caravan for BETO’s loss. They couldn’t have waited another month to trek up north? Dammit!
MSNBC keeps showing the fucking senate seat graphic. Who really believed that was in play for the dems? Heitkamp loses – who thought she could win? Cruz just called in TX. No big surprise there. Beto done good – just not good enough.
Now it is up to the western states to make up the difference in the house
Pete Sessions, sayonara bubbala…(btw, screw you).
PA is coming home for Dems. Remember Colin Lamb? 1 of 4 pickups in PA.
At 10:21 MSNBC calls Dem control of the house. Wall? What wall? Now about those tax returns…
They called BETO/Cruz with 30% reporting. 51 to 48 percent
Repugz prolly got that caravan on the move themselves, the fear-mongering bastards.
CNN projects GOP keeps control of Senate, Cruz wins
At least one branch of Congress can now do oversight of Trump.
Yes, but will they?
Gretchen Whitmer (D) declared the winner in Michigan in the governor’s race.
Debbie Stabenow (D) now leading John James (R) in the race for the Michigan senate.
Mueller, your move.
Anne Kirkpatrick wins inAZ, that is worth a shout out.
Looks like Kirkpatrick picks up McSally’s house seat, and early voting shows Sinema just might win the senate seat.
CNN projects Democrats take control of House.
Soon to be installed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler: “Trump is going to learn that nobody is above the law.” (CNN)
Is there anybody dumber than Rick Santorum?
Huzzah for Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland, the first two Native American women elected to the house.
Just watched Nancy Pelosi. Was not impressed. It’s time for a change.
Jace, Sanctorum, dumbest? No one dumber. Mrs P & I were talking about that at 830 PM. EST. He knows losing inside out.
Brat, out. Bwahahahah. (Prick).
So long Brat we hardly knew ye
Aaaaargh
I hate being wrong.
The Obamacare pitch needed a bit more of “drain the swamp,” “russian saboteurs,” and anti-tariff/trade war, especially in rural areas.
So far Scott Walker can’t close the deal on a third term. So sad. Not!
Hey you know what? As Pam and I head off to bed, we’re not in depressed shock like we were two years ago. Some can complain about maybe not getting everything they wanted, but we’re going not going to sleep in a funk on election night and that’s a win.
Travis C,
you got that right. A win is a win and the House is no small deal.
My neighbors and I threw out jason lewis. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar won Senate terms.
Dems picked up 2 new House seats, but yielded one in the formerly Yellow Dog Democrat 8th District. The ripups still could pick up Gov-elect Walz’ seat. If so, it would be a wash.
Only one other ripper has ever won seat out of 8, a 2 year, going back 71 years.
Big night as the House flips, but even though I felt these last 2 weeks that Beto would lose, when he was ahead like at 10:00 PM my hope rose, then sunk. It’s Cruz again. Then after writing here that Rich Cordray had the Ohio governor’s race in the bag, Mike DeWine wins easily. And Stacey Abrams just now is officially conceding on TV. That’s politics. Well, no all-nighter tonight as I have to rest now for my stress test in less than 12 hours. It’s hard for night owls to sleep at night and since I don’t drink I can’t even have a pop or two of Wild Turkey 101 . Well, I gotta go count sheep now. I never should have watched that YouTube video of a heart stress test using the nuclear juice. 4 hours + maybe more…oh well, you can’t stop what’s comin’, as I always say ever since “Ellis” said it to Texas Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in “No Country for Old Men”.
this sure says something about the current political state of affairs:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/dennis-hof-brothel-owner-who-died-last-month-wins-election-n933366
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has won a heavily GOP state legislative district.
Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov on Tuesday in the race for Nevada’s 36th Assembly District, which includes rural communities and large stretches of desert in the southern part of the state. County officials will appoint a Republican to take his place in the seat.
[…]
Hof owned a handful of brothels in Nevada, the only state that allows them to legally operate.
He also starred in the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse” and wrote a book titled “The Art of the Pimp,” akin to Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal.”
but then there is this good news from cbs:
Election 2018: Night of firsts with historic wins for Muslims, Native Americans, women and LGBT candidates
A restful night in bed and wake up to the good news that one chamber is now Blue. A whole lot of happiness is the mix of Dems who won at all levels of government. One interesting note I read yesterday was the possibility of Pelosi taking the Speaker position, then after some period of time resign the position for another Dem to take it. Interesting. She did keep the party focused on health care and deserves a victory lap.
AP at WTSP10news:
The race for U.S. Senate in Florida between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott is too close to call.
As of 4:45 a.m. Wednesday, Scott’s lead is 38,717 votes out of more than 8 million cast – a 0.48 margin.
Under state law in Florida, a recount is mandatory if the winning candidate’s margin is less than 0.5 percentage points.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Scott had about 4,068,686 votes and Nelson had about 4,028,969 votes as of 4:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Scott declared victory in the race late Tuesday night.
Nelson has not publicly conceded. Nelson’s campaign staff said a full statement would be coming Wednesday morning.
Stacey Abrams refusing to concede. After all the dirty tricks pulled by Kemp, she needs to hang in there with a host of court cases. She needs to make sure there is a runoff and he will go into it covered in mud.
At a minimum getting Jerry Nadler in as chairman of House Judiciary is pretty huge.
Interesting statistic about the total popular votes cast for the Senate. They just happened to be clustered in the most populace states.
Senate popular vote:
Democrats: 40,558,262 (55.4%)
Republicans: 31,490,026 votes (43.0%)
Senate seats: Republicans +3
patd
There still might be enough uncounted mail in, provisional etc votes to get to the .05 territory. It’s always Florida, Florida, Florida.
Here’s the Senate problem, same as electoral college: 20 senators from urban states represent half the country’s population, while the other rural half elects the remaining 80.
In evaluating presidential contenders Dems need to factor in who can win the electoral college, not the popular vote. Last night’s results reinforce this. Trump could lose popular vote even twice as much as last time, and still eke out an electoral college victory.
Not if he’s removed from office before then.
Yep BiD but think we probably moved even further away last night from 2/3 of the Senate voting to throw him out.
beware the lame duck
Good morning Trail! Waking up this morning to see that the AZ Senate race is still too close to call with ballots left to count in Maricopa County.
And Clayton Kershaw is still a Dodger, so onward we march!
Well… I’m a happy camper this morning!
Best thought… Pelosi sitting behind trump in his State of the Union speech in January. And for those of you here who don’t like Pelosi…. suck on it…
Travis, get out there and vote some more. Looks good for Tester, remaining precincts mostly Dem strongholds. Don’t see why he shouldn’t be a WH contender.
What RR said Yay Nancy.
post indictments of trumpence, make that president Pelosi
🙂
being next in line after pence in case he’s also indicted (god willing), would that mean she has a conflict of interest and will have to step aside from impeachment activities?
In all the talk about the House and Senate one thing that has mostly escaped the discussion here is that Dems picked up 7 governorships. Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania (46 EVs) are the three that should ring a few bells. Not sure how that will play out in 2020, but if, and that’s a big if, they go blue in 2020 and SFB wins the same other states he won in ’16 SFB will have to flip other states he didn’t win in 2016 or the WH has a distinct blue tinge in 2 years. Ohio is a lost cause – the folks there have drunk the trumpaid and I haven’t seen any indication that they (at least the friends of Mrs. P’s M mom) are of clearer vision than they were 2 years ago, and DeWine’s vote %age was just a schosh less than SFB’s. So because largely of Texas, GA & FL, SFB thinks he’s magic man – and I suspect he has his tailor fitting him for a cape this morning. Magic? let’s say flimflam – it’s more fitting. So I’m sure the dem staff of the Judiciary and Oversight committees are beginning their work in anticipation of the coming of January. All in all I think that it was a pretty satisfying night.
salon:
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-N.C.) predicted Monday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would resign from his post and that a new attorney general would be leading the Justice Department by early next year.
“Jeff probably will step down,” Graham told the conservative talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt, divining that “we’ll have a new attorney general, most likely early next year.”
[…continues…]
[does this mean that they will wait until January when new additional goper senators are sworn in
so that lindsey can become new ag and nikki can ascend to senate?]
FL Senate in mandatory recount territory. I’d really like to see some of those screwy rural counties have to open up their books. Late night GOP surge there seemed suspicious.
Poobah, the panhandle is really more AL & GA than FL. That surge didn’t surprise me since it was driven by panhandle districts that are in the central time zone and you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a confederate flag there.
When I was in Baha Alabama those fellers were called “Boggy Boys”
FL still have 10 days to count provisional ballots and the overseas/military votes still to come in. Secretary of State can’t call for the recount until that happens.
Gillum may have just punched his ticket as a possible Presidential or VP candidate.
Hah, sturg, haven’t heard that term in years. Hearkens back to Niceville,
Very interesting ….
Black women in Florida voted 89% for Hillary in 2016. And we’re supposed to believe that that margin went DOWN BY 7 POINTS in 2018 for Gillum?! Something is up.
This only makes sense if a whole lot of black women moved out of Florida in the last two years.
Goopers only win when when they cheat
I don’t see how when the initiative passed in Fla to let felons vote that both the senate and the gov when to the opposing side
there was quite a down pour in Tallahassee area towards the close of day… that might have accounted for some losses in expected turnout.
which brings me to complain about using campaign funds on last minute tv ads where they would be better spent providing free transportation to/from polls (no matter the party, no strings attached) and for tents to protect those in line during inclement weather (also no matter the party, no strings attached).
Scott Walker lost that makes me happy what a turd
AP (7 Nov 2018) While voters faced some long lines and election equipment glitches, cybersecurity experts say any attempted tampering with the US election system may not be known immediately. (Nov. 7)
Tester looks like he pulled his bacon out of the fire.
I don’t think 2020 is the right time, but having Beto O’Rourke run for the Presidency, but one thing about it would make me happy.
I voted for RFK for his win in the California primary on the horrid night. It would please me immensely to see an Irish Robert Francis on the ticket.
It is still a possibility that Az could have a blue senator
The republicans who left the house were sexual predators not unhappy because they weren’t chairman
TRUMP liar asshole fatass golfing asshole
It was a good night for dems and no amount of spin can make it less so. Sadly many of the big name dems in big races lost. Can’t figure out Florida and as Pogo says Ohio is a lost cause. Nice to see Wisconsin finally turn the page on the Scott Walker era. Any dem running for president is going to have to figure out how to win with out Florida and Ohio and that will be a hard task. Once again the polling was way off the mark in many races so much so that I think that it is becoming meaningless.
the races that were close and the Dems lost all have in common voter suppression either active or passive as in not having enough ballots on election day
Okay this one is really snarky, but it is funny.
I don’t know why I force myself to watch garbage mouth just because he is President. What a totally godawful piss poor excuse for a human being.
…just listened to our president issue threats, attempt to stifle press inquiries, and gloat over the defeats of fellow Repubs who didn’t kiss his ring, in an official press conference. It’s almost like living in Turkey, or at least being led by one.
Congrats to Florida on your new White Supremacist governor!
Bink, I ran around for a while at lunch and heard that idiotic press conference. If he was in a courtroom he’d be held in contempt and fined and jailed for repeated failure to answer the questions he’s asked. And he was citing a poll – he didn’t know whose poll but he thought he saw it on NBC that put the disapproval number for the Mueller probe higher than the approval number? Has he looked at his own numbers?
His balls should fall off; he’s just a dick.
So what was the final tally? How many total house seats did dems pick up?
The power of the purse, the power to subpoena, and the power to impeach. I’m not sure Trump realizes what the house can do, it is not a toothless body by any means.
As I did with Bush, the VI, I do with SFB, I do not listen or watch him. Mute button, channel change or on/off button work well. If stuck such as in the break room I leave. I hate him as much as he hates me. I do not need to be attacked by him and have options to avoid it.
I am home today doing the in sick in bed thing from something that started attacking me Sunday. I am enjoying streaming Elementary (an interesting take on ol’ Sherlock), Americans, My Favorite Martian, Cheers and Frasier. I needed to lay down again and switched to CNN and SFB was talking. With mute on I crawled in and went to sleep. I get up over an hour later and he is still polluting the WH. And the press are still trying to normalize the low intelligence racist. The media just has to up and leave when he plays them.
Jace – I expect SFB to do the shut down the government a few times.
Blue Bronc,
That would not surprise me one bit.
“We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well!” he wrote. “A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.”
how will the lame duck congress react? more like another bird, an ostrich with its head in the ground.
will the senate intel committee protect Mueller’s work in case Mueller is the next to go? sure hope those silent indictments will start making noise soon, NOW, if not sooner.
Oh, in the same press conf. mentioned earlier, trump conceded that American industry needed immigrant labor and that migrants would “be let in”, but still insisted on the need for the wall. He rightly assumes he just needs to say the word “wall” and his base will support him, despite any other reality.
wapo:
[….]
Mueller is looking into Trump’s statements seeking to fire Sessions or force his resignation in an effort to determine whether those acts are part of a pattern of attempted obstruction of justice, according to people close to the investigation.
Earlier this year, Mueller’s team questioned witnessesabout Trump’s private comments and state of mind in late July and early August of last year, around the time he belittled his “beleaguered” attorney general on Twitter, these people said. The questions sought to determine whether the president’s goal was to oust Sessions so he could replace him with someone who would take control of the investigation, these people said.
The Mueller inquiry is overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who also has had strained relations with Trump, but is considered safe in his position for the moment.
NEW THREAD
Apparently so, in tx, az, and our confederate enemies.