Well, another Election Day is almost history. We here at Top Comments know you've got a wide variety of diaries, media and news you're watching tonight, and appreciate your stopping by here! Bring your observations, results and thoughts and follow me below the slightly crumpled orange "I Voted" sticker after a word from our sponsor...
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In no particular order are my thoughts this Election Night:
By the time this posts, I'll know what the MA results are. I'm hoping against hope that my gut feeling is wrong, and that I'll be cheering on Governor-elect Coakley. It's been a thoroughly depressing election season, because the campaign she ran was tepid at best, and self-damaging at worst. I swear to get more involved, so that never again do we get a candidate this disastrous on the ballot over other, more inspiring candidates, simply because the party machine wanted this.
If I hear one more person tell me how "lucky" I am to live "in a blue state" I am going to scream. We may have an overwhelmingly blue Legislature, but we are NOT a liberal paradise and increasingly our victories are hard-fought.
Speaking of things that make me scream, a friend (of the "both major parties are exactly the same and my vote doesn't matter" persuasion) reacted to a Facebook comment by a second friend who said if you don't vote, you're surrendering your civic right. First friend responded, and I am paraphrasing a longer response, that 'people died in this country to give him a CHOICE, which included the right not to vote and not to tell me he HAS to vote'. So much ignorance and swallowing of the oh-so-trendy apathetic party talking points, I didn't even try (again) to get through to him. At least he DID go, and vote for third party candidates.
I'm incredibly proud of my kids, both of whom know the issues at a developmentally appropriate level, and are proud liberal voters to be. I'm a bit in shock that somehow, without me aging more than 5 years since her birth :-), I have a 2016 first-time voter living in my house. (added at 9:30PM Eastern: said future voter is sitting next to me geeking out over election returns on msnbc. She adores Rachel Maddow :))
So, what's on your mind this election evening? Share in the comments, and as I mentioned above, I understand we're all stretched thin tonight so use this space as a wave-and-get-back-to-it, or as a refuge from the results frenzy, as you need it. Consider it an open thread.
Thanks to BeninSC for most excellent formatting! I'd vote for him any day!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From Puddytat:
I should have been warned to swallow anything in my mouth before reading cborgia's comment on Republican Rock Stars. Now I have a screen to clean. Enjoy.
From greenbird:
gotta do it, whether or not it works. but it SHOULD work. being as it's the Greatest Orange Satan of All Time, amirite ?
greenbird bows in awe to the comment. (Ed.: This remark is actually in the body of kos's liveblog diary, but still worth reading!)
2:39 PM PT: Dixville Notch, NH, does that thing where they vote the night before, and Scott Brown won it 3-2. That is three votes, to two votes. In 2012, Obama and Romney split 5-5-. So think about it -- your entire claim to fame is being the place that reports votes early, and you could only get half the turnout of 2012?
From brillig:
Repeat with me, kids: "Africa is a continent, not a country." As this thread begun by Expat Girl makes clear. From Joan McCarter's diary Kentucky teacher resigns because she was once on the same continent as Ebola.
2014-11-04 Top Comments with Pictures, courtesy of jotter!
Top Mojo for yesterday, November 3rd, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Write your condolences on a $20 bill by BOHICA — 165
2) At least she's not using a ghostwriter. by Bob Johnson — 162
3) These Guys Were Funny as Hell by JekyllnHyde — 144
4) Sad to hear. Many a Saturday morning by OregonWetDog — 138
5) I had no idea he was sick by Chilipalmer — 127
6) Is she on crystal meth? by BenderRodriguez — 119
7) Very sad. n/t by inclusiveheart — 116
8) When They Retired from NPR in 2012 by JekyllnHyde — 114
9) I am so sorry to hear this. by Munchkn — 108
10) Don't drive like my brother! n/t by AmBushed — 104
11) Well when she was part-time Mayor by RobertInWisconsin — 101
12) Retirement just two years ago... by Mark Sumner — 100
13) A shout out to all the GOTV efforts everywhere by jqjacobs — 95
14) Regarding Facebook by quaoar — 93
15) That was the whole Dean v. Rahmbo fight in 2006 by RFK Lives — 92
16) Not so surprising by shaharazade — 92
17) Oh dear. I love those guys by gchaucer2 — 91
18) don't drive like MY brother! by wblynch — 87
19) Many here aren't aware of Confederate tactics. by FishOutofWater — 85
20) I might be showing my age here... by BenderRodriguez — 83
21) Most people would be shocked to discover... by markthshark — 82
22) The will never be replaced by FishOutofWater — 80
23) I am so incredibly proud of how Democrats by ExpatGirl — 80
24) "Shameless Commerce Division" by highacidity — 80
25) Same writers by quaoar — 77
26) Ahhh. Tommy by Mark Sumner — 76
27) Damn. by IndieGuy — 75
28) This is a real shock by Standard Deviant — 75
29) I think we hold both IA and CO by MorrellWI1983 — 73
30) I can't even begin to appreciate the difficulties by ontheleftcoast — 70