Wednesday
Nov052008
Live Blog: That's What We Said --- Game Over...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 2:40
3:11 a.m. CNN projects Arkansas for McCain. Then Wolf gives us the teaser of "more projections" after the break. I hope we don't have to wait 10 minutes....
Obama holds 30,000 to 35,000-vote leads in Virginia and North Carolina, stretching lead in Florida, and within shouting distance in Indiana.
3:07 a.m. James Carville, the strategist behind Bill Clinton's victories, has just put the boot in: "If I was a Republican, I wouldn't be telling the Democrats how to govern. I would be looking inward." The Republican strategist next to him is, with resignation, saying the Republicans forgot how to be fiscally responsible.
Yes, but that would be fiscally irresponsible dating back to 2001. Wonder if the Republicans will reach back that far in their inward review?
3:03 a.m. CNN panel is now discussing what a President Obama will be like. No insights but a clear sign that everyone is now playing out the string.
3:02 a.m. Fox calls Texas (34) for McCain. But they're so dispirited that they are not even colouring in the states on their website map.
3:00 a.m. Obama takes Iowa (7). McCain gets Utah (5) and, belatedly, CNN adds Kansas to the Republican column. Montana and Nevada are uncalled.
CNN's electoral count is now 206-89.
2:59 a.m. It was the way the count ran in Virginia --- lots of rural areas early, lots of cities late --- that produced McCain's advantage. Obama now leads by 15,000 votes.
2:55 a.m. Thank goodness for Ohio saving our anxious wait. Other races are still close: McCain up only 7,000 votes in Indiana with 82 percent returned. Obama up 33,000 in North Carolina with 66 percent in. Florida is 51-49 for Obama with 62 percent in.
2:53 a.m. Hurrah for the BBC! We couldn't figure why their electoral vote count diverged from CNN, but a sharp-eyed (even after five beers) partier noticed that they called New Mexico (5) for Obama.
CNN have now trailed in with their call.
*Said partier interjects proudly that he has had more than five beers....
2:50 a.m. With 78 percent returned in Virginia, Obama is down only 2,000 votes.
Bill Bennett has just declared a "perfect storm" for Obama. I think he's wishing a perfect storm could wash him out of the CNN studios.
2:49 a.m. Fox's Website Headline: "Obama Wins in Ohio, Pa., Delivering Damaging Blow to McCain Hopes for Upset"
As my mother would say, "You think?"
2:46 a.m. Oh no! I look up, unaware that Canuckistan has flipped from CNN to BBC, and I see the Walrus Moustache of John Bolton. You have to hand it to Bolton --- eight years after he served as Chief Bully Boy to ensure that Florida didn't recount votes, he's still being upbeat. Upbeat because he's already revelling in Obama being a doomed Socialist/foreign policy weakling. A fine example of a man who benefits whether he is in or out of power.
2:42 a.m. Wolf, who also realises all the drama is ebbing way, urges viewers "to be John King" and go to CNN.com and change their own maps. (Kinda of like a fictional version of Florida-flipping in 2000)
Emma North/Neurotica Longjohn, unfortunately, mishears and thinks the injunction is "to beat John King".
2:41 a.m. CNN's Campbell Brown (who should change her last name to be a bit more wacky) is almost giggling as she says, "Let's take a reality check. How can John McCain find a way back?" John King, still excited, starts flipping colours on the map in the equivalent of rigging your computer game so Macclesfield win the Premiership (US translation: Detroit Lions win the NFL). He basically lets McCain win everything except the West Coast.
I think he realises how silly this looks but tries to regain himself: "Whatever I've said here, it's important that you still vote. Vote, vote, vote."
2:36 a.m. Celebrity guest Emma North of the BBC is noting that, to appear on CNN, you have to have a wacky name like Wolf or Soledad or Dana Bash. She is considering a change from Emma North to Neurotica Longjohn.
2:32 a.m. CNN, who are now looking like big girls' blouses, still haven't made that call they promised. John King is getting so close to a map of Ohio that he's drowning in blue computer ink, but he can't convince Wolf to make the declaration.
Oh, no, wait. Now (2:34) Wolf makes his shout-out: Obama wins Ohio. Here's a tip, folks: a 10-minute build-up just makes you look a bit silly, lagging behind The Loughborough Echo.
Timing, timing, timing.
2:31 a.m. It's now official: The Loughborough Echo in the East Midlands of Britain have just declared Barack Obama the President-elect.
2:28 a.m. Obama has taken the state that eluded John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000, handing the election to George W. Bush each time. The surprise here is that the call --- in contrast to Florida and Virginia --- came with less than 10 percent of the vote in.
McCain clings on to a 12,000-vote lead with 70 percent returned in Virginia. Obama holds a 51-48 edge in North Carolina. And his lead is down to 51-48 with 55 percent returned in Florida.
But, to repeat, all of these --- if the Ohio projection holds --- are just post-scripts for the race.
Obama holds 30,000 to 35,000-vote leads in Virginia and North Carolina, stretching lead in Florida, and within shouting distance in Indiana.
3:07 a.m. James Carville, the strategist behind Bill Clinton's victories, has just put the boot in: "If I was a Republican, I wouldn't be telling the Democrats how to govern. I would be looking inward." The Republican strategist next to him is, with resignation, saying the Republicans forgot how to be fiscally responsible.
Yes, but that would be fiscally irresponsible dating back to 2001. Wonder if the Republicans will reach back that far in their inward review?
3:03 a.m. CNN panel is now discussing what a President Obama will be like. No insights but a clear sign that everyone is now playing out the string.
3:02 a.m. Fox calls Texas (34) for McCain. But they're so dispirited that they are not even colouring in the states on their website map.
3:00 a.m. Obama takes Iowa (7). McCain gets Utah (5) and, belatedly, CNN adds Kansas to the Republican column. Montana and Nevada are uncalled.
CNN's electoral count is now 206-89.
2:59 a.m. It was the way the count ran in Virginia --- lots of rural areas early, lots of cities late --- that produced McCain's advantage. Obama now leads by 15,000 votes.
2:55 a.m. Thank goodness for Ohio saving our anxious wait. Other races are still close: McCain up only 7,000 votes in Indiana with 82 percent returned. Obama up 33,000 in North Carolina with 66 percent in. Florida is 51-49 for Obama with 62 percent in.
2:53 a.m. Hurrah for the BBC! We couldn't figure why their electoral vote count diverged from CNN, but a sharp-eyed (even after five beers) partier noticed that they called New Mexico (5) for Obama.
CNN have now trailed in with their call.
*Said partier interjects proudly that he has had more than five beers....
2:50 a.m. With 78 percent returned in Virginia, Obama is down only 2,000 votes.
Bill Bennett has just declared a "perfect storm" for Obama. I think he's wishing a perfect storm could wash him out of the CNN studios.
2:49 a.m. Fox's Website Headline: "Obama Wins in Ohio, Pa., Delivering Damaging Blow to McCain Hopes for Upset"
As my mother would say, "You think?"
2:46 a.m. Oh no! I look up, unaware that Canuckistan has flipped from CNN to BBC, and I see the Walrus Moustache of John Bolton. You have to hand it to Bolton --- eight years after he served as Chief Bully Boy to ensure that Florida didn't recount votes, he's still being upbeat. Upbeat because he's already revelling in Obama being a doomed Socialist/foreign policy weakling. A fine example of a man who benefits whether he is in or out of power.
2:42 a.m. Wolf, who also realises all the drama is ebbing way, urges viewers "to be John King" and go to CNN.com and change their own maps. (Kinda of like a fictional version of Florida-flipping in 2000)
Emma North/Neurotica Longjohn, unfortunately, mishears and thinks the injunction is "to beat John King".
2:41 a.m. CNN's Campbell Brown (who should change her last name to be a bit more wacky) is almost giggling as she says, "Let's take a reality check. How can John McCain find a way back?" John King, still excited, starts flipping colours on the map in the equivalent of rigging your computer game so Macclesfield win the Premiership (US translation: Detroit Lions win the NFL). He basically lets McCain win everything except the West Coast.
I think he realises how silly this looks but tries to regain himself: "Whatever I've said here, it's important that you still vote. Vote, vote, vote."
2:36 a.m. Celebrity guest Emma North of the BBC is noting that, to appear on CNN, you have to have a wacky name like Wolf or Soledad or Dana Bash. She is considering a change from Emma North to Neurotica Longjohn.
2:32 a.m. CNN, who are now looking like big girls' blouses, still haven't made that call they promised. John King is getting so close to a map of Ohio that he's drowning in blue computer ink, but he can't convince Wolf to make the declaration.
Oh, no, wait. Now (2:34) Wolf makes his shout-out: Obama wins Ohio. Here's a tip, folks: a 10-minute build-up just makes you look a bit silly, lagging behind The Loughborough Echo.
Timing, timing, timing.
2:31 a.m. It's now official: The Loughborough Echo in the East Midlands of Britain have just declared Barack Obama the President-elect.
2:28 a.m. Obama has taken the state that eluded John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000, handing the election to George W. Bush each time. The surprise here is that the call --- in contrast to Florida and Virginia --- came with less than 10 percent of the vote in.
McCain clings on to a 12,000-vote lead with 70 percent returned in Virginia. Obama holds a 51-48 edge in North Carolina. And his lead is down to 51-48 with 55 percent returned in Florida.
But, to repeat, all of these --- if the Ohio projection holds --- are just post-scripts for the race.
Reader Comments (7)
Either the google map or its AP source stream appears to have died.
I need a new source for window 4 (state by state breakdowns)...
Wolf's decided to liven things up by pretending America goes with a popular vote, rather than an Electoral College. It's 50-49 to Obama folks! Only 320k votes in it!
Democracy Now! is watchable again...
They've given up on results and have started talking politics. The phrase "Obama's Iraq" is already being bandied about.
Bolton is also getting a bit of a George Lucas neck as well. It can go with his brass one.
Daisuke Matsuzaka after a 1267 pitch warm-up session has a Haiku for the evening so far:
$150,000 in Neiman Marcus
5 years in the Hanoi Hilton
Principles swapped for phirric victories
Better angels win the day
50-49 for McCain in Indiana. Bob Barr playing spoiler there with the final 1%. (85% in, source AP)
Also, would someone please deport John Bolton? Or arrest him? Or anything to get him off the BBC? Where's Moonbat when you need him?
look, if we have to have a nutty supporter of the Iraq War on the been can we have The Hitch back? At least he has some domestic principles.
First Alan Partridge moment of the night "I'm here with Erica Jung writer of Fear of Flying...and other books"
By the way, the fact that John Bolton is so defensive could be a good thing, usually when there is a change those it really undermines are usually the slowest to realize or admit what has happened