Politics
evolvingthoughts | November 4, 2008
At the time of writing the vote was evenly split four ways between A Moose, Immanuel Kant, Saul Kripke, and any Four Dimensionalist. Beat the tie now by voting.
[Hat tip to Leiter]
clock | November 4, 2008This is an uber-liberal enclave in NC, so more than 80% excited voters already voted early. Still, it was hard to find parking this morning.
jstemwedel | November 4, 2008 ... and, if that philosopher is Brian Weatherson, you'll get a detailed consideration of cost, benefits, and rational strategies like this one:
Voting is a lot like playing an n-player Prisoners Dilemma with the other people who (loosely speaking) share the values that underlie your vote. I'm taking values to be defined loosely enough here that it includes most people who vote the same way you do. You'd prefer that all of you vote to all of you not voting. Given turnout rates in the U.S., that's pretty much always the difference between winning and losing. But conditional on what the other…
pharyngula | November 4, 2008
You know what to do. Get out there and vote.
I'm going to be squeezing in a long day working as an election judge at my local polling place (and I'm hoping that I will be very, very busy with a large turnout), in addition to taking care of teaching. If it's a little quiet around here, don't worry — it's just that today is the culmination of a lot of anxious agonizing.
At the very least, I'll be back online after the polls close. Until then, tell us about your voting experiences — may they all be routine and boring.
gregladen | November 4, 2008In some states, Republicans have been telling people that Democrats vote Wednesday. No. Today is the last day you can vote.
In some states, Republicans have been telling people that if you are a student, you will be arrested or your parent's tax status will change or you'll be turned away if you try to vote where you go to school. This is not true. Students get to vote where they go to school.
And so on. Vote today.
Unless you are a Republican. Then, the only moral thing you can do is sit home and wait it out because we don't like you any more. You went too far over too many lines…
pharyngula | November 4, 2008How can we lose? We're Democrats, I'm sure we'll think of a way!
One easy way would be if you don't get out and vote. So do it, already.
By the way, my wee little brother Jim also got together with Roy Zimmerman on his 50 47 state tour, and got a picture to prove it.
I was also told that Jim tried to watch Expelled, and fell asleep halfway through it.
laelaps | November 4, 2008I didn't vote in the 2000 election. I was only 17.
I didn't vote in the 2004 election. I forgot to register.
This morning I woke up at 5:30, got myself together, and walked across the street to the polling place. There was already a line. I felt no sense of inner conflict as I shuffled through the dry and dusty corridors of the basement towards the booths. I grew up in a Republican household, a conservative by association, but since then I have seen the destruction the Bush administration's policies have wrought. For me there was only choice that was not only logical, but that I could be…
oracknows | November 4, 2008As hard as it is to believe, it's finally here.
Election Day.
After two years of painful, annoying, surprising, infuriating, and, on rare occasions, uplifting campaigning, it all comes down to this: Voters, alone in little booths, casting ballots that will decide which direction our nation goes for the next four years. I know that there were times when you (and I) thought this day would never come. The length and intensity of American Presidential campaigns have turned into more of an endurance contest than anything else, a two year Iditarod through the wasteland, not to mention a test of…
razib | November 3, 2008Since the voting has started in New Hampshire, my predictions...The popular vote for President will be:
Obama 52%
McCain 47%
Other 1%
The electoral college & Senate outcome map are below. I think he Democrats will fall short of 60, but Georgia will go to a runoff as neither candidate will reach 50%.
Please note that I'm just guessing based on polls.
drorzel | November 3, 2008Kevin Drum is amused by a historical comparison:
THEN AND NOW....In 2004, everyone complained that John Kerry was an old-media plodder who didn't react quickly enough to conservative attacks. What a dunce! In 2008, everyone is praising Barack Obama for keeping his composure and not letting conservative attacks knock him off his message. What a cool customer!
It depends a little on which part of 2008 you're talking about, of course. If you troll through the recent archives of liberal political blogs, you won't have any trouble finding dozens of posts wailing and moaning about the fact that…
grrlscientist | November 3, 2008tags: Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin in her own words, politics, satire, humor, streaming video
Sarah Palin's greatest hits: Proof that all a woman needs to succeed in America is a pretty face and a tight ass [5:46]
grrlscientist | November 3, 2008tags: Sarah Palin, Prankin Sarah Palin, politics, satire, humor, streaming video
Sarah Palin is as stupid and gullible as she is arrogant and .. erm, intellectually gifted -- don't forget this when you are standing in the polling booth tomorrow [6:02]
pontiff | November 3, 2008A common refrain among members of the left in the United States in the last two presidential elections has been that if the right wins then they would "move to Canada." This was, of course, recently one-upped by Tina Fey who quipped that if McCain-Palin won this year, she would "leave the Earth." Today I spent way to much time trying to figure out where the right would say they are going if the left wins. Anyone?
gregladen | November 3, 2008Now that we are getting closer and closer to a close, we have recent data to work with, and some of the adjustments I've been making earlier are no longer needed. I am still taking a cautious approach, and in this analysis, Obama has exactly 270 votes. Have a look:
I'll probably do at least one more of these.
In the mean time, GOTV! (if you are a democrat, otherwise ignore this message)
hrynyshyn | November 3, 2008Given than John McCain is now relying on non-Euclidean geometry to construct a scenario in which he prevails on Tuesday, I think it safe to pour to cold on water the hyper-optimism now coursing through progressive America.
Yes, Barack Obama's victory will be cause for celebration. It will be a good thing if for no other reason than his presidency will represent an unprecedented sea change, one that signals to the country and the rest of the world that the 21st century has finally arrived, seven years delayed but hopefully not too late. Regardless of Obama's real capacity to effect change,…
gregladen | November 3, 2008President: Barack Obama
US Senate: Al Franken
US House Third District: Ashwin Madia
US House Sixth District: El Tinklenberg
Minnesota Supreme Court and Appeals Court
Seat 3: Anderson
Seat 4: Gildea
Appeals Court judge
Seat 16: Stoneburner
Other Judges: No opposition, so no vote from me.
Constitutional amendment: Increase state sales tax by 0.375% to pay for environmental and cultural programs.: YES
(Please note, not voting in this is a "no" vote (in case that matters to you).
Minnesota House District 47A: Denise R. Dittrich
District Court races (contested)
Seat 14: Maybe Luke R.…
gregladen | November 3, 2008One of Norm [Coleman''s] neighbors had an interesting run-in with one of Norm's ex-girlfriends .... This neighbor heard crashing sounds downstairs while he and his family were upstairs. He came downstairs and confronted the woman. She was drunk and thought she was trashing Norm's house. The police came and arrested her. According to this neighbor the police report of this incident was buried-- He had a hard time getting his insurance company to cover the damages.
I don't know, I'm just saying. And linking.
jstemwedel | November 3, 2008I've been thinking about the Electoral College, that mechanism by which voters in the U.S. indirectly elect their president. More precisely, I've been wondering whether small modifications in the system might make a significant difference.
When the polls close on Tuesday night and the votes are tallied, the next President of the United States will not be chosen on the basis of which candidate received the most votes cast. Rather, each state (and the District of Columbia) will tally its votes, and whoever wins within each state (or the District) gets all of its electoral votes.
Except for…