David’s Election 2010 Semi-Live Blog

6:27 am (San Diego Time) – So!  Anything interesting happening in the news today?

The day arrives at last.  All of the policy disagreements, the invective, the endless campaign ads, the rallies… all of that exhausting arrogance and ignoring-the-will-of-the-American-people… it all comes down to today.  I’ve been deliberately quiet when it comes to electoral predictions this year—partly because ohmigod there’s already too much of it out there already, and partly because I don’t want to jinx anything.

But I am very much interested in how this will turn out, and who will be surprised at the end of the day.  I think it’s pretty clear that today marks an inflection point in American politics, however it goes. Time to choose.

6:34 am – a trickle of tweets streaming in as people I follow vote.  Hey, I voted a week ago.  Early voting FTW!

6:38 am – Robert Stacy McCain via Twitter: Final Warning: Polls Are Not Elections.  True statement.  It will be interesting to see how close the polls are to the actual result.

6:43 am – Wondering where the nearest 7-11 to the office so I can buy myself a Slurpee.

6:46 am – Okay, off to work; more later (mostly this evening, I imagine.)

9:01 am – Radio: "Reports of heavy voter turnout at polling places across the country."

4:46 pm – I forget.  How did people follow election returns in the days before Twitter.

5:48 pm – Haven't heard of any sign of big surprises so far; sounds like things are tracking pretty closely to the major nonpartisan predictions models.

6:02 pm – Alan Grayson has lost.  Well done, Orlando.  Well done.

6:12 pm – NBC says it's it's Perry in the Texas Governor race.  I approve this message.

6:24 pm – Looks like the GOP is well ahead in the other statewide races with roughly 4% reporting.

6:44 pm – NPR in typically race-concious fashion…  "Profile Of The Republican Voter – 90% white (10% nonwhite) 60% are age 50 and older 67% conservative…"  Well, it's certainly true that more voters of all colors and creeds should vote against the Democrats.  Room for improvement next time, folks!

10:45 pm – So!  Pretty phenomenal night for the Republicans… thanks more to the president and his congressional colleages than to any brilliance on the part of the GOP.

10:52 pm – Marco Rubio captured well my attitude toward today's result in his victory speech: "We make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican party. What they are is a second chance: A second chance for Republicans to be what they said they were going to be not so long agoWe make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican party. What they are is a second chance: A second chance for Republicans to be what they said they were going to be not so long ago."

10:56 pm – Also, despite the major pick-up in both chambers, several of the more irritating parasites were able to keep their mandibles dug into the public teat… Reid, Boxer… but I can't say I'm sorry to see Feingold sent packing.

10:58 pm – Wow, Megyn Kelly, way to harsh my buzz: "This just begins what many people are saying is the kick-off to the 2012 campaign."  Oh, god.  Do I at least get a few weeks to enjoy the absence of campaign commercials and robo-calls?

11:04 pm – California is officially insane, if that was in doubt.  Boxer and Jerry Brown??  Holy cow. Listening to his victory speech now.  You people are so screwed.  Seriously… please keep in mind that a year from now, when your economy collapses entirely and you're looking for a handout.  Please don't hesitate to piss off.

11:10 pm – Prop 19, the recreational pot initiative has gone down in flames.  (Ah, the pot puns do make it all worth while, don't they?) 

11:18 pm – Okay, enough fun for one night.  Congraulations Republicans, condolences Democrats… and i am off to bed.