Election Day 2008 - Thoughts and Reports

quote:

Originally posted by Glamnerd:
I have to say it... Im worried. I went out on my motorcycle upstate and noticed so many McCain/Palin signs on peoples lawns. It was shocking. This is only 1/2 hour outside NYC. There was not an Obama sign to be seen for miles. Finally one, in Nyack, the 'progressive' town but only one. It got me thinking, are people afraid to put an Obama sign out on their lawn? are they afraid the McCain followers will throw rocks through their windows? I wanted to ride my motorcycle over the lawns and plow down the McCain/Palin signs, but of course I didn't, and then it hit me... I bet a McCain supporter would have drove all over that lawn if it was an Obama sign. And thats why I'm nervous. They will do ANYTHING to win. My Aunt said "I don't know who to vote for this time" , that made me speachless, well for a moment, then I told her what I thought. But that is a very good example of the 'average' person. It made me very nervous.......

Yes, I'm very worried as well. Only 1/2 hour outside NYC has so many conservatives, and even some trannies/ crossdressers from "THERE" are Republicans (I'm not talking about Darla. She is a city girl. They are hiding their elephant nature in their "Hello Kitty" purse and enjoying NYC club land. They are regulars at Rated X, Smack!, BYTE... and they vote for Republican. I'm very worried...

Report from Zuni, NM:

Well, Basil and I voted weeks ago in the city at the Board of Elections since we knew we'd be away. I must say THAT was the best voting experience of my life. No lines, no machines. They handed us the paper ballot and we sat down to fill out in pen, seal it up and go on our merry way.

I just arrived last night here in New Mexico, and after a looooong post-travel slumber, woke up to two faes who just returned from voting for their first time. People are going out in record numbers who never participated in this sham of a system we have ruling the country. It's actually somewhat heartwarming. On the other hand, on my trip out here, I overheard conversations from folks who support McCain and just vomiting up his and Palin's catchphrases like the "spreading the wealth around = socialism" schtick. I wanted to turn to them and say, "Isn't that was taxation means you greedy sheep?"

So, yes. We are on the edge of our rocks out here in the high plains desert! I also must say that I'm glad to be out here on this night where the winds are strong, the moon is high, the sky is endless, the jackrabbits run free, and the coyotes howl through the night. It's quite utopic in its beauty, and quite a metaphor for what many of us are hoping the future looks like after tonight.

*musQrat and i took a lovely walk to our polling place through our hilltop neighborhood. the weather in san francisco today - as in MUCH of the country - is GORGEOUS! and we arrived at our location, the garage of a homosexual neighbor, to find no line and friendly volunteers.
in addition to the important presidential election we had a number of local and state issues to vote on... prop. 8 seeking to ban gay marriage, prop H for clean energy, prop. K to decriminalize prostitution.
we went in prepared and left feeling excited and satisfied.

HOWEVER, on our way to vote we accidentally stumbled into another garage polling place - not ours. there we encountered...
- a grumbling lesbian didn't want to leave her ballot without it being tabulated in her presence. she made a minor scene but left once she realized there was nothing she could do.
- an older white gentleman in a ralph lauren button down and slacks was telling everyone how you can get away with voting twice - once at your local polling place and once at city hall.
the volunteers were adamant that all sorts of precautions against that brand of fraud were in place. "you have alot of trust in this system!," he said sarcastically.
- the frauline of frump who helped us find our way to the correct garage but insisted on taking a bite of her bagel w/ schmear whenever she was ready to speak to us. i think she even had cream cheese in her stringy hair.

like i said... our proper location was much more civilized. GO OBAMA!!!

Walked to work on this beautiful sunny warm day here in Ptown. Only a few people in line at 9AM. Also voted yes on Proposition to make small amounts of pot legal here and no on dog racing. Hope everything goes well everywhere else.

Wound extremely tight right now. I just won't believe it until I see it.

Still, this day is incredible. Hell, this entire RACE has been incredible. It's been quite a ride these past two years, and it's hours away from being over.

It took me an hour to vote this morning, and I saw lines like I've never seen before in my 20 years of voting in this stinking town, including Bill Clinton's first election in '92. This is the election of my generation. It's overwhelming really, and, in its way, a real tear-jerker. We'll all be talking about this for the rest of our lives.

It's 4am here in Barcelona and I just woke up to check what votes are in. Looks real good but still not popping the champagne yet. What station is everyone watching or which one seems to be best coverage?

Ohio is BLUE.
A VERY clear win here.
Welcome to tomorrow.

quote:

- the frauline of frump who helped us find our way to the correct garage but insisted on taking a bite of her bagel w/ schmear whenever she was ready to speak to us.

Priceless, goblin!

Pickles, JD is enjoying watching FOX, cause he says they are withering...but MSNBC is the best for the rest. We're just back from Sweetie's play (brilliant BTW) and halfway through dinner, back to post more soon..

Thanks Moms! I've been watching updates on MSNBC while everyone here is sleeping soundly. Watching the footage of Grant Park Chicago is making my eyes water. Of course Daddy being the sicko that he is is watching Fox. BAH!!!

MORE IMPORTANTLY: Holy crap! Just saw headline pot decriminalization passes in Mass and Michigan ok's medical marijuana.

OMG.

I'm absolutely stunned. Delirious.

It's a brand new day!!!!!! I am so proud of President Barack Obama and of our country!!!

Now I can be proud to be an American again.

Ditto

Seeing Jesse Jackson crying did me in. There is now so much hope for us I believe, now that he's going to turn the white house BLACK!

Listening to all the children in the buildings across the street yell Obama's name out their windows was an amazing moment for me. New world.

Yes We Did!

A small group of us 6 gathered 'round the laptop in the unheated studio on a cold, blustery night, bundled up to watch the results come in for hours. I'll never forget sharing this night with my beloved sisters on this majestic land; more stars visible to the naked eye above than people gathered in Grant Park. Hope and tears of joy, shrieks of new enlightenment; we're all less scared than we were when we woke up this morning. Blessed be, family.

The East Village is ALIVE. I've been hearing intermittent screaming, car honking and cheering since 11.

Has anybody heard anything about the status of Proposition 8 in California?

Yes, watching it on FOX was everything.
Loved watching Carl Rove dissolve into Republican dust before my eyes.

As I just texted Pickles in Barcelona, the streets here in New York (East Village) are insane!
It's now almost 1AM and there are still THOUSANDS of people in the street screaming, blowing horns, insanity.
I just walked Casanova and there are like ten thousand people in Union Square. Maybe more.
I've never seen anything like it.

I'm taking The Empress outside to see it.
Herstory.

Nothing yet Lex. Still crossing fingers!

I'm so jealous. Everyone be sure to go outside even for a minute to soak it up. It truly is a remarkable moment and I wish I could be there to see it firsthand. Raise a glass!

Just got back in.
I tried to text you a pic of Union Square.
Did it work?
(I'm not that good at texting as you know)

Prop. 8 doesn't look so good.

Oh well, one giant step forward.
one back.

Oh god no. Ok well now hopefully we can focus even more attention on it and change that.

DIdn't get pic but it's not you it's T Mobile. Tried to text pics before but couldn't overseas. MSNBC is turning it. I'm living for Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark. Call Richard Pandiscio! Or better yet...DON'T.

OK I just figured out how to do this (in other words Chi Chi showed me).
Here is Union Square at 1:30 AM.

These are from my cell phone.
(I tried texting them to Sammy Jo in Barcelona and Texxx in San Francisco but I'm retarded).

This was just spontaneous.
As soon as Obama won it looked like this.
(and still does)

Pass the tissues please.

Herstory.

Just got off the phone with Basil (he's in Phoenix rehearsing a show). All the puppeteers rehearsing into the night, Barbara glued to CNN on the laptop, when at 10pm (our time), the election was called to Obama. Everything stops. They all run to the laptop to see. Then suddenly realizing they were just two blocks away from where McCain was giving his concession, someone says..."We gotta get out of here!" Lol. Totally ran out to safe, celebratory space.

Exactly, Dadz. Herstory.

Daddy the pics are coming thru now. It REALLY is a new day!!!!

And Ptown went from sleepy little town to loud celebration. And of course smoking our legalized pot in the streets. Hooray.

After voting for Barack Obama for the last 18 years I don't know how to rest.

One reason things will be so different now is because there is going to be a poet as president.

One reason things got to be so different now is because there was a poet running for president.

Now you see how the power of the spoken word is able to change the world.

Feel all that emotion inside you?-that is the second life of a particular person's voice.

Feel that little bit of ease and equilibrium settling in you?-that is nature coming back a little more in to balance.

So, now, does the 21st century actually, really begin.

as soon as the concession and acceptance speeches were made we rushed to the castro where there was a big sound system playing great house music and a giant screen to watch the rest of the election results come in.
as much fun as it was - and it was FUN! - it was still a little bittersweet as prop. 8 seemed to be winning.
waking up this morning to find out that it indeed had won leaves me feeling really sad. i hate feeling like a second class citizen that doesn't have the rights/privileges that others do. and seeing the pictures of the cheering supporters of this measure leaves me thinking, "why is it so important to you to keep us separate in this way?"

sorry if i've quelched the deserved and enthusiastic celebration for obama, but this is a reality too.
now back to more cheering!!!!

It was a really close margin Goblin. So I would not lose sight of the possibility another measure or other act of state government might get it overturned in the not too distant future. Afterall it was legal for the previous five months before this vote.

In New York today everyone is saying "congratulations" as they pass you on the street.
How do they know how you voted?
I've never seen anything like it.
Everyone is just so happy.

Of course we haven't heard from Darla yet...

Oh poor Darla. So sure of herself, just like the rest of them. I'm like Daddy, been gloating over Fox networks loss.

Prop 8 is a disappointment but living here in Massachusetts with our free to marry status hasn't really made me feel any more equal really.

Interesting that a progressive state like California is so behind states like Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut in an issue like this one.

Daddy, something like around 90% of New York County -meaning Manhattan- voted for Obama according to available stats from MSNBC. So there is little chance someone is getting miscongratulated.

Electionn result watch with Sherry Palin

Ms. Palin still looked very confident around 10pm or just drank?