Election day is the worst day for blogging. People should be making calls and knocking on doors instead of blogging. I’m scheduled for a 4-8 shift and, if I can work the logistics with the little guy, I’ll be in the field. If not, I’ll use the OFA tool to make some phone calls.
I voted this morning around 11am. Turnout was heavier than usual according to the poll workers I talked to. On the way out I was exit polled for the first time in my life and the experience was very similar, but not identical to Steven’s experience (see previous article). I was asked my opinion of the Tea Party. Specifically, I was asked if I approved or disapproved of the Tea Party. So, you can expect to hear a lot about the Tea Party in connection with the exit polls. I was a little surprised that they didn’t ask my age or whether I was registered with either party. It was a totally rudimentary exit poll.
What are your observations from your experiences today?
As I said, empty as hell. However, in 2008 I voted around the same time at the same polling place, and only 3 people were ahead of me. So it’s not unusual or anything. There were massive amounts of Boucher signs leading up to the school, with a few Griffith signs. He’s not even running against Boucher, which is perhaps what I hate most about these Republican congresspeople. They know NOTHING about their districts; it’s all nationalized for them. His signs were “STOP OBAMA, Vote Griffith.”
Also, did you see Jerome’s meltdown?
Crash and Burn Day for Dems
I’ve gotta say, I’ve seen some real PUMA outrage before, and a lot of in-party sniping, but he may have just taken the crown.
I also want to take down the bullshit talking about “what the election means.” It means nothing. It’s like these people took their PSCI degrees and washed them down the toilets so they could partake in the national news media wankfest. Elections rarely tell you anything about how the people are feeling, and most people in PSCI know this. Aren’t most bloggers graduates with that degree? Ugh.
That’s what I never understood. Jerome was way more of a PUMA than Hamsher could have ever thought of being. And MyDD was a lot bigger home to PUMAism during the 2008 election season.
Jerome’s been more or less against Obama since the get-go, and myDD hasn’t had the readership that FDL has had. So I guess that’s why.
Besides, I like some authors at myDD on occasion, just like I enjoy dday at FDL.
See, that’s the thing. Dday has the same criticisms that Jane has, but I like dday. It’s the same thing with idiot Republicans going “How come I can’t criticize Obama without being called a racist?” It’s not the criticism, it’s how it’s lobbed. Same with Duncan and digby.
I agree with you!! š Thing is, just MHO, but maybe it’s just Jane’s style that rubs people the wrong way, but really she doesn’t say anything different than DDay. And I generally agree with Duncan & Digby. And they don’t say anything significantly different than our very own Brendan(who I’ve met a time or two .. a few years ago at the Center City Drinking Liberally) .. Brendan is just more in your face about it .. I guess the overriding thing is .. we all want a move more to the left .. we just have different ways and methods of expressing it
But that’s my rub, and in my opinion, BooMan’s. I see dday’s criticism as different than Jane’s, even if the substance of it is not much different. Digby probably has the same ones, too, but where is her focus? It’s on the real enemy. One commenter said Atrios was 95% negative. Really? I don’t see it. Maybe it’s true, but because of the way he criticizes, that’s not my perception.
Jane and Jon Walker’s criticism is different. There’s something smug and untruthful about it. And they’ve poisoned their comment section because of it; I can’t even go over there to have a rational talk without being called a Red Stater or an Obot. That’s why I was upset that dday joined them.
Boo:
So what did you tell them :re your opinion on the TeaParty?
that I do not approve of them.
Random Thoughts:
An ancient, somewhat poorly trained woman handled my activation process because I moved in-town. She did her best and in the end it all worked out.
Cold comfort voting in a deeply blue state, but I did enjoy thinking my vote was at least a fuck-you to the plutocratic slime sucking the life out of our country, aided by their easily herded morons. We must crush them in 2012. I don’t care if Obama is a torturing war-lover, beholden to the infinite network of the security-state apparatus. Younger people need to get together and just obliterate whatever zombie lord the right coughs up.
Also, am I naive to look forward to a simply staggering judgement against BP in the next year?
Fantasy Headline: OBAMA TELLS BP TO LICK BALLS AND THEN TELL HIM HIS SHIT DONT STANK.
I’m at work right now, and most of the day, so I can’t make any calls are “go out in the field”, but I posted this in the other thread, and this seems like a better place for it.
On my way into work today, I noticed that ALL the 4 largest nationally syndicated urban radio programs (Tom Joyner, Micheal Baisden, Rickey Smiley, Steve Harvey) were doing Election Day coverage. At least one of them has all of their usual morning crew personalities calling in from different cities and states to let listeners know what’s going on.
Like I’ve been saying for a while, Af Am are engaged this for this midterm election. The DNC/OfA strategy of concentrating on Af Am voters will work I believe. It’s really all up to the “average” white voter to GOTV. Of course, we won’t know til maybe early Wednesday exact nubmers, but I’m just saying don’t be surprised to hear that Af Am voting numbers for midterm elections increased!
BTW, purely anectodal, but from what I’m reading on the Afr Am blogs, they seem to be seeing more Afr Am voting or “intending” to go out and vote today than last midterms. But like many have said, increased Afr Am numbers won’t do much for the House unfortunately! But people are out there.
Couldn’t swing the field work with no one to watch Finn, so phone calls it is.
I voted early, but I just walked down to my “Leans Democratic” precinct polling station, which typical has 5000-6000 votes. It looked like there were 10-15 voters’ cars in the lot (the workers park in a different area). At 3 PM. Before the school buses roll through. In a working class neighborhood. That looked pretty average or above average for this time of the day.
But early voting was heavier than in 2008.
I would say that if this is typical of North Carolina the results tonight will be unpredictable — bad, good, middling, it will not be what and where we thought the votes would come in.
Today I voted around the same time of day I voted in 2008 in my older-than-average, GOP-leaning district in Central Florida. It was just as busy if not more so this morning than in 2008. Not good news in MY district, but I’m hoping the more progressive precincts are bustling too.
I voted a couple weeks ago in my 75% Republican district in Colorado (no, I am not making that up). But reports from local voting places are huge lines — up to half an hour. It was similar in 2008 — they were all very excited about Palin. But I expect this district, which is very white, at least half military or former military, and trends older — is going to have high participation in every election.
I am getting bombarded with texts and emails today begging me to get on the phone for OFA and get people to vote. That is different than in 2008 — I actually took election day off in 2008 and went door-to-door for the Obama campaign but the number of texts/emails was by comparison a lot fewer. OFA is either in desperation mode or is pulling out all the stops — your pick.
On that note I was very annoyed that in 2008 I was called back after a long day of door-to-door by a desperate volunteer who said the central office in Colorado said we were losing the state and they needed everyone on the phone. Then it turns out we won the state by almost 9%. And I have to tell you that for all those hours I put in I’m not sure I changed a single vote on voting day — everyone I talked to told me they had either voted or were on their way to vote.
In our heavily Republican precinct the turnout is on pace with 2008 from what the poll workers are saying – we voted during a quiet part of the day. Not sure how turnout is in the West End, but every Black person that I know in Louisville is on Facebook making sure that everyone votes. The degree of engagement in my circles is actually higher than in 2008, but I’m not sure how wide that goes. We will see in a couple hours.
Traffic was heavier than 2008 for me in my Brooklyn polling location, but I went at night instead of the morning but the people staffing told me that it had been a busy day as well. Really happy to support Senator Gillebrand and Cuomo today. And exhumed to a lesser extent.