today's the day

[earendel]

Election Day 2016. It's been a long road, full of twists and turns, and the candidates aren't exactly the shining examples of political rectitude for which we might have hoped. Still, they were the choices of their parties, and now it's up to the people. I'm sure I don't need to emphasize how important it is that everyone vote - no matter who is chosen. Realistically there are only two choices, and it comes down to the person that the voter believes represents the better choice for our nation. My only hope is that the rancor that has been part and parcel of this election will subside once the election results are known.

[SpacemanSpiff]

I voted early today (Virginia does not have early voting, save for absentee ballots). Took 55 minutes. Was a bit unnerving when an elderly gentleman in line nearby with (I presume) his daughter passed out, and had to call for an ambulance. They checked him out, let him vote, and walked him out to take him to the hospital. (No, I don't think it was a ploy to jump line; he legitimately passed out and fell)

And, as long as it takes to vote at our precinct, they run it very well. It just takes time with the Presidential race, plus a local mayor's race that was almost as cantankerous as the POTUS race (thankfully much shorter), city council, school board, Congressman, and two constitutional amendments.

[Pastor Fireball]

I already voted last month, so my job was already done. I drove by the Hamilton County Board of Elections the other day. Citizens were lined up around the block for the final day of early voting. It was like that every day since October 12.

It could be that way at the normal Election Day polling places, as well, but I'm not leaving the house at all today. All I have to do is wait until 7:00, pop a bowl of popcorn, and see how many Americans are brave enough to reject the lying racism (I realize now that's redundant--there is no such thing as honest racism because racism, by definition, is lying about other people based on ignorant and baseless prejudices) and psychopathy of spoiled wheel of Cheddar rolled around under the bed Donald Drumpf.

[Ritterskoop]

Big day for my colleagues at the papers - in a way, I wish i could be there, but it is also nice on election day to carry on the normal business of teaching.

Roomie and I voted two weeks ago at a new location for us, and it was a very good experience. We had six pages of sample ballot with us with everyone checked off ahead of time (lots of judges and state races).

If ours was not such a key state, I really might have voted for Gary Johnson. I've urged distraught traditional Republicans to give him a look.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Interesting prognosticating tool (I'm sure there are many that go for the other candidate as well):

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/1 ... river_home

As AL.com's John Archibald pointed out last week – and many outlets including Sports Illustrated have followed up on in the days since – the outcome of every presidential election since 1984 corresponds with the outcome of that year's Alabama-LSU game.

Alabama has won four of its past eight Election Year showdowns with LSU, and each time a Democrat has won: Bill Clinton took the White House in 1992 and kept it in 1996, and Barack Obama became president in 2008 and won a second term in 2012.

Meanwhile, LSU has won the other four contests. The Tigers won in 1984, and so did Ronald Reagan. George H.W. Bush was elected president in 1988, and his son George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004. LSU won all three of those years' games against the Tide.

[silverscreenselect]

Big day for my colleagues at the papers - in a way, I wish i could be there, but it is also nice on election day to carry on the normal business of teaching.

I really think that a lot of media outlets try to make every election as much a nail biter as possible to keep viewer/reader interest. The 2000 election was their perfect storm.

And if there's absolutely no way they can spin a particular election as being close, then they go in the other direction and try to keep interest alive in whether the winner will "have a historic mandate" or some such nonsense.

[silverscreenselect]

Interesting prognosticating tool (I'm sure there are many that go for the other candidate as well):

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/1 ... river_home

As AL.com's John Archibald pointed out last week – and many outlets including Sports Illustrated have followed up on in the days since – the outcome of every presidential election since 1984 corresponds with the outcome of that year's Alabama-LSU game.

Alabama has won four of its past eight Election Year showdowns with LSU, and each time a Democrat has won: Bill Clinton took the White House in 1992 and kept it in 1996, and Barack Obama became president in 2008 and won a second term in 2012.

Meanwhile, LSU has won the other four contests. The Tigers won in 1984, and so did Ronald Reagan. George H.W. Bush was elected president in 1988, and his son George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004. LSU won all three of those years' games against the Tide.

THE REDSKINS RULE

The Redskins rule is known inside the Beltway and has held true in 17 of 19 cases, in the electoral vote.
Quite simply, if the Washington Redskins win their last home game before the election, the incumbent party will win the presidential election. Only the Obama-Romney election of 2012 and the Kerry-Bush election of 2004 broke the precedent.

The good news for the Democrats is that Washington beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 in their last home game before this year’s election. The bad news the trend didn’t help Mitt Romney at all in 2012, so the Redskins rule has lost a bit of its luster.

http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2016 ... ndicators/

[jaybee]

I will be glad when this election is finally over but I will confess that I will miss Pastor Fireballs descriptive Trumpisms.

[Jeemie]

I will be glad when this election is finally over but I will confess that I will miss Pastor Fireballs descriptive Trumpisms.

Since Trump is likely going nowhere but the White House, you'll be missing nothing.

[elwoodblues]

I will be glad when this election is finally over but I will confess that I will miss Pastor Fireballs descriptive Trumpisms.

Is there any chance that an evil genie saw you post this?

[silverscreenselect]

I will be glad when this election is finally over but I will confess that I will miss Pastor Fireballs descriptive Trumpisms.

Poor Alec Baldwin.

He wants to leave the country, but he's looking at four more years of steady work on SNL.

In the meantime, Kate McKinnon is busy updating her resume.

[elwoodblues]

I will be glad when this election is finally over but I will confess that I will miss Pastor Fireballs descriptive Trumpisms.

Poor Alec Baldwin.

He wants to leave the country, but he's looking at four more years of steady work on SNL.

In the meantime, Kate McKinnon is busy updating her resume.

Kate McKinnon plays lots of other characters. She will be fine.

I just hope the show itself survives. Trump is so thin-skinned he has already criticized them for mocking him after the debates. He is the classic bully who can dish it out but can't take it.