Notes from Election Central
Here we go again!
8:30 – No numbers yet. Sitting in a sweet spot with lots of plug-ins and within earshot of the table belonging to Ethan Berkowitz and the Party Planner who are interviewing talk bloviator Dave Stieren who is loudly and intently talking about Mark BAGitch (learn the name!) “Every election is about the next election,” he drops the pearls of wisdom on the floor for us to scramble after. Now something about Joe Miller, and the Democrats sending out flyers for Mark Fish the Libertarian candidate, hoping to split the Republican vote. The Party Planner nods in her golden bedazzled headphones. I have had two martinis, and yet it is still not enough.
8:39 – Dave Stieren is STILL talking. It’s like someone sticking a knitting needle in my ear. Whining about Sullivan being called a carpetbagger. Surely there is no human alive who loves to hear himself talk as much as Dave Stieren. I’m quite sure he moans his own name. He’s keeps talking about “being a man” and “as a dude…”
First Results:
Senate:
Begich – 44
Sullivan – 49
Fish – 3.6
House:
Dunbar 39%
McDermott 8%
Young 52% (I seriously do not know who these people are)
Governor:
Clift/Lee (L) 2.98%
Myers Rensel (C) 2.35%
Parnell/Sullivan 45.75%
Walker/Mallott 48.66%
22.9% of the precincts are counted
9:20 – Well, not the results we were hoping for so far, but Walker/Mallott is ahead which is good news.
Also, statewide ballot initiatives for regulating marijuana like alcohol, raising the minimum wage, and protecting Bristol Bay are all winning by comfortable margins so far.
Anchorage prop 1, endorsed by labor is also looking like it might stand and overturn Mayor Sullivans anti-union ordinance 37.
9:24 – The Yes on 2 people have arrived, and that measure looks good right now, up 53-46%. Also the Forrest Dunbar people have come in chanting “Run Forrest Run!” for the cameras.
9:39 – Well, this is not a good night for Dems. It seems to be following the theme of elections across the country. Kind of a bloodbath… Local races are favoring incumbents, and open races are favoring Republicans.
Sullivan 49 – Begich 44
Young 52 – Dunbar 39
Walker 48 – Parnell 46 <——–This is where I’m focusing all my happiness right now.
9:42 – Since Dave Stieren will not shut up, and appears to be choosing and not just a guest, I’m going to go take a quick lap around and see what’s going on.
10:00 – Back from my lap around the room. The No on 1 people are happy and expect victory. I felt a woman glaring into the side of my head and turned to see Cathy Giessel. The Forrest Dunbar people seem in good spirits considering. They are young and enthusiastic.
Snippets of conversations about how people who have never agreed on anything have both voted for Bill Walker. General fury at Matt Claman who appears to be losing a house race which Clare Ross had been running before he convinced her to take the harder Senate race. Now they are both lagging behind Republicans. General consensus that Ross could have won the house seat.
10:08- The radio circus is packing up, and Dave Stieren is gloating about Mark Begich being out of a J-O-B. I don’t know why he spelled it like that unless he’s just showing off that he knows big words. Bear in mind that the returns from the bush are low right now, and will favor Begich. They will also favor continuing the prohibition on marijuana (No on 2). It’s all complicated.
The party planner is now blaming Ethan and Dave Stieren for messing with another media outlets power cords. Dave Stieren just left via the outside doors by my chair. He asked if I’d let him back in. I said sure. Hahahahaha.
10:36 – I am in the beer garden, and so are a lot of other people. I’m sitting at a table with a couple Sullivan signs on it, trying to be inconspicuous. The numbers continue to hold steady with 55% of the precincts reporting. If they stay this way, it will be a really bad night for “Mayor Dan” Sullivan since he will lose both the Lt. Governor slot and his anti-labor ordinance 37. I’m totally good with that.
10:49 -WOW! Chanting was heard outside in the hall, and got louder and louder “Walker Mallott 2014…WALKER MALLOTT 2014!” And then people and more people, and signs, and Alaska flags, and more people until it felt like half the room was pulsing. Smiles and a drum beating to the rhythm of the chant, and cheers. A lot of energy for almost 11pm! Tremendous presence, and a sense of history being made.
10:52 – Now the Yes on 2 people, also looking very happy. YES YES YES, 2, 3, 4! for the ballot initiatives.
Now there is a huge chant of ALASKA FIRST, with a huge Native drum. It’s pretty electric around here all of a sudden!
10:56 – I’m stunned! A fairly large group of Don Young SUPPORTERS has entered the room. Everyone always wants to know “who actually votes for Don Young?” It’s like the “What does the fox say?” of Alaska politics and now we have our answer. These eedjits. *sigh*
11:04 – We’ve got 73% of precincts reporting now. Dan Sullivan is still leading Mark Begich by 5 points but we can assume that rural communities are coming in last, and that early votes were banked hard by Begich field people. So all is not lost, although it’s looking rough.
The Walker Mallott lead has narrowed to 1%. This might actually kill me.
Don Young is being interviewed by Eddie Burke. He’s looking very smug. I just don’t get it… But I never have.
But I do know that this confluence of aggro is likely to open a rift in the space-time continuum. Wormhole alert!
11:34 – I’m guessing that they’re not going to call the governor’s race tonight. There is still only a 1.1% spread and it’s getting late.
Why am I mildly surprised that whitey wingnut would deliberately push our nation to the financial brink to spite our Black Potus? For better or worse,and I have been a vocal critic of Obama,he is our legally elected President for the next couple years.
Who,in their right mind,knew we need less healthcare and more and more guns? Who knew we need less money for infrastructure so the koch bros can have more taxbreaks? Who knew we rilly can’t have it all because the koch bros need more taxbreaks? Who knew we can’t afford to feed and house people we already have,but we can afford to force women to have every fertilized fetus,wanted or not? Who knew kids don’t need a public education,only a religious indoctrination(not a Muslim religion indoctrination)?
There are answers out there,just none having to do with koch bros and taxbreaks.Past time to fry these mofers and get our nation back!!
I do not have the constitution to listen as results dribble in. More power to you. I will take the news when it’s final. Someone has commented that progressive propositions have passed and regressive politicians have been elected. Contradictory, I know. Just think, some people who voted for Don Young also voted to legalize marijuana.
It appears enough Obama HateShit was flung for some to stick and there was not enough, nor strong enough fight back against that.
No fight whatsoever. Just a futile and gutless attempt to convince voters that when it comes to Obama, they’re as republican and republicans. As usual they let ‘hate media’ drive the conversation.
Jeanne: Was the Party Planner inhaling helium from all the balloons? Her morning radio voice always sounds like she is both breathing helium, AND holding her nose, to accentuate that shrill-nasal sound…. UGHH.
I once called in to the radio show to ask Berkowitz if there was a helium pipe leaking in the studio! don’t know if they got it.
The time has come for me to quit calling myself a democrat. I’ll reregister as non-affiliated or an independent, but no longer a democrat and never a republican. I could never be a member of a party that will not disavow lunacy and lunatics. Nor can I continue to remain in a party whose best election strategy was to distance itself from the president. I can accept not winning, but I have no tolerance for a party that cannot speak loudly and forcefully on women’s issues, minority rights, immigration, jobs, healthcare, and all the other issues that sorely need to be addressed.
As for the majority of Alaskan voters who actually bothered to vote who saw fit to return Don Young to Washington, why? Please, someone who voted for him, share your thoughts.
Shane buddy,Has Sullivan promised to take you to Cleveland and let you be his potted plant? You don’t ask for much,do you? Remember yellow water is not suitable for potted plants,not that you’d know the difference. Gonna miss-not.
So I hear that in my house district, Liz Vasquez beat Marty McGee, despite her campaign using… irritating tactics.
They were putting tons of their giant-ass and fugly-as-sin signs in strategic locations, which happened to be RIGHT IN FRONT OF the smaller and lovelier Marty signs, all of which had been there at least a week prior to the shark moving in. FFS.
Also,
*clings to Walker/Mallot projected victory*
and
Come in faster, Bush vote! We need you people the carpetbagger has been steadfastedly ignoring! (I dun care if his wife is Native, she’s not the one on the ballot now is she?!)
Ok Alaska- y’all just let 45% of eligible voters make a bunch of big decisions.
I don’t know the turnout across the country but ours sucks. Period.
I’m gonna get on the no vote, no pfd for adults 18 and over dealie .
Who will join me?
All these terribly independent thinkers and doers who can jump through the paperwork hoops for some “free” money can’t be bothered to learn a bit and go to the polls, vote absentee from home or the like??!! Pffffftttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh how I needed that Pffffftttttt!!!!!!!! of yours.
Post from election day. Hmnn? Okay,I admit I am that post that every stray #$@$ing whitey wingnut mongrel pisses on because they have a nearly unbeatable majority of %$#%ing whitey wingnut mongrel zombies who vote in lockstep to keep the wealthy wealthy and $%#$ the rest of humanity!!! I do not like being THAT post!!!
Did I see the party planner embracing Ohio Dan a couple of days ago? I could swear I did.
All these married guys whose parties need planning….
Maybe it is the ex-party planner whose panties need parting? Oh waot,it’s these fauxknee christian wingnuts who never stray. What was I thinking?
*dammit!*
Mike – you owe me a new keyboard. I just sprayed coffee all over mine. I needed the laugh this morning!
Well, no wonder. It’s really obvious in the pictures . . .
What could we expect, when the entire room slants to the right?
about half the vote is in Begich is down by 7000 votes. this has been an absolute bloodbath tonight.
you’ve never seen a real bloodbath. He may be beat but. Not a bloodbath.
i was refering to nationwide. republicans won all the close senate eats, held on in maine, florida kansas and Wisconsin, and in general will make this country’s next 2 years a living hell.
I’m happy for protecting Bristol Bay and raising minimum wage (!), but one would expect the same voters to be interested in Senator Begich’s senior position/chair of the Appropriations Committee that directly helps Alaska’s infrastructure, and what he does for veterans in our state. His position in the Senate is a perfect partnership with Walker/Mallott in rebuilding Alaska.
It’s a common feature of the 2014 elections that the progressive referenda were passed but the wingnut candidates were elected. Smells like crab shells left in the sun to me.
I feel the same way. Many states passed initiatives to raise the minimum wage and at the same time elected candidates who want to eliminate the minimum wage.
Here in northwest Lower Michigan we returned a Tea Party millionaire to the House despite his having almost always voted against the basic interests of his constituents, many of whom are poor, unemployed or underemployed or elderly. They must have believed the Americans For Prosperity (what a misnomer) ads that appeared all over our television screens about how much this guy has done for his District. Voting to stop the ACA, voting against Medicare, against housing for veterans, against food stamp expansion, and on and on. I’m willing to bet that in Dan Benishek’s four years in the House he has never spoken on the record on the floor for any bill. But he’s going back.
Much like Alaskans sending Don Young back. Either he’s really crazy or he’s senile or both but he shouldn’t be going back to Washington. And it looks like you’ll have a senator from Ohio representing you. He’ll care a lot about anything that really matters to his constituents. Do you think he’ll ever show up in Alaska again?
The Lizard people of Floriduh have spoken as have the Morlocks of old Kaintuck. and Wisconsin.
Or, perish the thought, was it the Dieibolds speaking in their stead?
How will Alaska’s Orcs handle it if it does not go their way?
TBC.