Right Wing Nut House

1:55 John Kerry won’t concede tonight. Just as well…he worked very hard as did his supporters (although it was the dirtiest campaign in memory) and I can understand how hard it is for him to let go. My guess is after talking to Ted Kennedy (whose brother was involved in the 1960 race where Nixon conceded an election that was much closer than this one), Kerry will concede around noon eastern time tomorrow.

Talk of litigation in Ohio is bogus…not with Bush winning by 130,000. And New Mexico’s margin for Bush will be equally daunting for Kerry lawyers. So, it’s over.

I can’t say I’m happy as much as relieved…and filled with wonder. 120,000,000
Americans went to the polls during an unpopular war and voted for more war. Just enough…barely enough American’s realized the danger we’re in and swallowed all the things they disagree with the President about and voted him back in office.

I think that people will have a LOT less patience with Bush during the next 4 years. They’re going to demand progress in Iraq, a better economy, something done about the cost of healthcare, and serious work done on the deficit, for starters. And they’ll also have minimal patience with Democrats. They’ll want an end to the tomfoolery with regards to judicial nominations and other obstructionist measures.

In short…after 5 decades of basically liberal Democratic party rule, Republicans are going to have to learn to be a majority party and Democrats are going to have to learn to be a “loyal opposition.”

How each party handles their new roles will determine how voters will view them.

GOOD NIGHT

1:25 Jeff Jarvis at NZ Bear came up with a great pledge before the votes were counted:

After the election results are in, I promise to:
: Support the President, even if I didn’t vote for him.
: Criticize the President, even if I did vote for him.
: Uphold standards of civilized discourse in blogs and in media while pushing both to be better.
: Unite as a nation, putting country over party, even as we work together to make America better.

I had been thinking what I would do after the election, especially when the bogus exit polls came out this afternoon. I think that Jeff’s pledge represents the difference between the moonbats and us. I feel pretty confident that I would have done as Jeff suggests and put “country over party”…AND THEN WORK LIKE HELL TO DEFEAT KERRY IN 2008!

12:50 CNN has now called Ohio….a GREEN state, too close to call. They’re the only network not to call Ohio for Bush (do you think if Kerry had a 102,000 vote lead that they’d be calling it a green state?) IA looking good for Bush. Nevada also even though he trails slightly. All of Las Vegas is counted and Bush trails by less than 1000 votes. Nevada will tip Bush within the hour. Michael Barrone just said on Fox that IA is still too close with both dem and rep. strongholds yet to be counted.

12:15 Bush in striking distance in NV, WI, IA. Slightly ahead in NM (I predict NM will put him over the top), slightly behind in MI. I’d have to say that Rove’s strategy of maximizing Republican turnout in Red states is what probably saved Bush. I have a feeling when polls are analyszed tomorrow that Bush will have LOST support among independents and democrats but had a corresponding INCREASE in support from Republicans.

FLASH…FLASH…FLASH…

Bush wins Ohio! Fox news has called Ohio for Bush at 11:20 pm CST. ALL BUSH NEEDS IS EITHER NM OR NV PLUS ALASKA (SHOO-IN) TO WIN!!!!!!!!!

11:15 Bush maintains Ohio lead and gets CO. EV now 246-206 with the Maine 2nd district still up for grabs. Capn’ reports that Kerry lead shrinking in MN now that surburbia starts to roll in. Also, in MI Kerry may have hit his high water mark with votes from heavily dem Wayne cty (Detroit) mostly counted. If so, look for Bush to even MI up and perhaps pull away when the UP vote starts to come in. (HT: Capn’). The Capn’ updates us with news from WI that there also, Kerry’s surge is the result of dem counties reporting.

FLASH…FLASH…FLASH

ABC calls FL for Bush! OH still tilts Bush…as does WI, NM, CO, and NV. If Bush loses OH, it becomes difficult but not unreachable. He would need WI, NM, CO, NV and AK. Bush closing in IA, losing big in MN and still to close in MI.

Somebody get me some maalox.

10:45 Susan Estrich was just on Fox and looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. She was positively glowing as she reported that her talks with Kerry people had convinced her that Ohio was going Kerry. She also says that people in FL urban areas were still standing in line at 10:30 Central time (that’s nuts). She looked about 100% more optimistic than her last appearance about 2 hrs ago. Is she engaging in some desperate wishful thinking or does she know something? Time will tell.

10:25 Bush takes MT and AZ…no surprise. It now comes down to Ohio. If Kerry loses Ohio THERE IS NO WAY HE CAN GET ENOUGH ELECTORAL VOTES TO REACH 270. Bush still ahead in WI but now falling behind in MI. Looking good in NM and OR is still out. Ohio is the ballgame…and Bush still leads there although its very close. If Bush loses in OH, it’s an uphill climb for HIM becaus he’s down big in IA and MN. OH is gonna go down to the wire…and probably no concession from Kerry tonight.

9:55 PA finally goes Kerry. Polls close in CA, WA, and OR which will all probably called immediately for Kerry. EV Count 193 to 134 Bush.

If you haven’t yet tonight…visit Megapundit.. He’s got an excellent, easy to follow chart with vote totals and trends. Right now, Bush doing better in NH (tied at 50%), PA looks lost (59-41 Kerry). BTW, I expect it to come out after the election that MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ocurred in PA…Ed Rendell should be indicted.

9:30 Bushies are upbeat…dems look depressed. Zogby, who went out on a limb and predicted Kerry getting 300 electoral votes may be finished as a national pollster…WHAT A MOONBAT!

9:15 Bush called in AR and MO! Great news! EV has Bush up 193-112. Here’s my take for the rest of the night…
Bush has the rest of the mountain west sown up…AZ, NV, MT, and ID for 22 electoral votes. That would give Bush 219 out of 270 needed to win. IF Bush can hold onto leads in OH and FL (looking good right now) that would give him 47 more EV’s for a total of 266. ALL BUSH NEEDS TO DO IS WIN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING…CO, IA, NM, OR NH OR MAYBE HI!

It’s an uphill battle for Kerry right now as Bush also leads in MI…if he loses there, it’s ballgame and an early night.

9:00 Bush called in MT…no word yet on other states in MT west…
Looking VERY GOOD in MI, bad in PA iffy in NH.
OH and FL still looking good. Bush margin in Rep. counties up MORE from 2000 than Kerry margin in Gore counties. I think Bush should win by 200,000-300,000 votes in FL.

8:40 My old neighbor from MT. Prospect Phil Crane is being swamped by the Kerry/Obama tidal wave (Kerry getting 78% of vote in IL running BEHIND Obama!) Looks like a dem pickup.

Crane ran for President in 1980 and has faded the last few years…he’s old and tired and looks like he’s being put out to pasture. His district was redrawn to include some more blue collar counties which prrobably contributed to his apparent defeat.

8:15 FL looking VERY GOOD for Bush. Still no word for Miami or Dade counties-heavily democratic.

THis is an old political trick. If any shennanigans are going to happen, it’ll be in the big cities like Miami and Orlando…dems wait until they get an idea of “how many votes they’re going to need” and then try every trick in the book to up the vote totals. (Coming from Chicago, I know all about the “graveyard” vote…where in 1960, residents of a graveyard on the south side suddenly came to life, reigstered to vote, and ALL went for Kennedy). Hope our gys are on the ball in Dade county.

8:00 Calls coming fast and furious: Bush takes TX, NE, KS,ND, SD, and WY. Kerry takes NY and RI. Too close in MO, AR, FL, OH, MN, WI, MI, and NM.
Capn’ says watch NJ! May have been called prematurely!

7:35: VA finally called for Bush…(about time guys)

7:30 Bush called in SC. EV 77-74 Kerry. No surprises so far (VA has Bush ahead but big TO in N. VA probably holding the call)

7:15 Bush called in NC! Closer than expected but still comfortable. Bush way ahead in SC…expect that to go red shortly.

7:00 pm: Bush takes OK, AL, and TN. Kerry takes IL, DC, NJ,…EV 77-66 Kerry. VA and SC and NC all look good for Bush. I was right…turnout is making the network’s job difficult.

FLASH…FLASH…FLASH…

Kerry Spot quotes Bush insider:

“About a half hour back, I posted word that a senior Bush campaign official was saying, “Ohio is won, Florida is won, and Pennsylvania is tied.” Then Shannon Coffin noted a White House source saying, “Confident that Bush will win OH and FL, that he will roll in WVa (ten points?) and that Mel Martinez will carry Florida.”

Now some unnamed source is telling Red State is saying “it is over. Bush won. Ohio and Florida are secure.”

A word about exit polls…they take a couple of dozen “key” precincts and average turnout, party reliability, and a few other mundane factors to project a winner. The big turnout here COULD be skewing the computer models and not giving confidence to the networks.

Wishful thinking??? Mebbe…Superhawk VERY NERVOUS!

6:40: Bush leads popular vote 58% to 42%…still no call on VA or NC or SC.
While Kerry was getting closer in VA, no such problems for BUSH in others.
Don’t know what this means…could be a glitch in exit polling due to turnout…could be bad news.

6:30: WV Goes Bush: BIG! Bush had narrow lead in polls prior to election.
EV 39-3 Bush

6:15: GA Goes Bush; Bush 34-3 electoral college

6:00 pm: Polls now closed in KY and IN…President projected winner in both by CNN. Kerry projected in VT. Too close to call in VA and SC.

Not good.