Election Day Afternoon Update
Posted: November 6, 2012 Filed under: 2012 elections, 2012 presidential campaign, U.S. Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Josh Mandel, Mitt Romney, Romney mega donors, Scott Brown, the media 39 Comments
Good Afternoon!!
Here’s a fresh thread while we wait for any bits of exit poll results to be leaked. Let us know if you’ve heard any!
I’ve got a few entertaining links for you in case you’re looking for something to read while obsessively waiting for the polls to close in Florida and Virginia (7PM Eastern).
Can you believe Mitt Romney is charging reporters who want to be inside his campaign headquarters tonight when the returns come in?
BOSTON — The campaign of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney appears to be setting a precedent this election year in charging journalists and news organizations for any access to a presidential campaign headquarters on the night of the election.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is locked in a tight race with Democratic President Barack Obama, will be holding his election night gathering at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, where access costs anywhere from $75 for a chair in the ballroom to $1,020 for permission to use the media filing center. Broadcast news organizations will be paying up to $6,500 for workspace.
Obama’s campaign party will be held at McCormick Place, in Chicago, and although his campaign is charging for premiums, credentialed reporters are granted access, which includes a workstation, electrical power and a wireless Internet connection, at no cost.
Romney is ending his historically awful campaign as gracelessly as he ran it for the past year.
But Romney’s money men will be treated like kings tonight.
BOSTON, MASS. —Mitt Romney isn’t going to forget the folks who picked up the tab for his billion-dollar run for the White House tonight.
Roughly 2,000 mega donors and bundlers are flocking to Beantown on Election Day for one last get together —which includes some special perks — according to a source on the ground familiar with the finance teams efforts.Some of Romney’s biggest supporters, including New York Jets owner Woody Johnson; Texan mega donors L.E. Simmons and Ray Washburn; Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute; Bobbie Kilberg, head of the Northern Virginia Technology Council; among others are expected to attend. Nevada gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson may also make an appearance, according to the source….
The festivities kick off with a dinner for the Romney Victory Council at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, just a few short steps from the convention center where Romney’s slated to speak later in the evening. The group, dubbed informally as the “Council of 100,”are those that have raised significant amounts of money and includes many of Romney’s state chair network.
Unlike the press, the mega donors will watch the festivities in style.
Following the dinner, the finance team has organized two massive rooms in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for election night watch parties, one for the victory council and another for the national finance committee members. The finance committee room will include the campaign’s high-end donors of the founding members and partners as well as the bundlers that hit their marks in the“Stars” and “Stripes” programs.
May they all end up crying in their champagne.
Even though Romney will lose badly in Massachusetts, voters are flocking to the polls for the Senate race between Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown.
Lines crawled down hallways of schools, outside firehouses and community centers around Cambridge, Somerville and Braintree just outside Boston.
At the end of the most expensive senate race in Massachusetts history, voters cast their choice as one for the decidedly progressive politics of Warren or the sense of moderation they felt that Brown–who shocked the nation when he won Kennedy’s seat in 2009–had brought to the Senate.
A few more links:
Emptywheel has an interesting post about her day working in “voter protection” at an African American district in Michigan: On the Ground Turnout in MI Feels Like It Did in 2008
At another Michigan polling place: Southfield Twp. voter appears to die, then asks ‘Did I vote?’
TPM: Ohio Viewers Hit By Anti-Obama TV ‘Special’ On Election Eve
The Cleveland Leader reports that Sherrod Brown’s opponent, Josh Mandel got a surprise from some family members yesterday: Josh Mandel’s In-Laws Call Him Out on Anti-Gay Stance in Newspaper Ad
In Franklin County, Ohio Tea Party “observers” from “True the Vote” were “barred from Franklin County polling places.”
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Have you all seen Joseph Cannon’s post on “Last minute Romney scandals?”
http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2012/11/last-minute-romney-scandals.html
Good post over there.
Columbus Dispatch with a kind of “how it’s going” in Ohio voting. They have problems.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2012/11/election-updates.html
I loved that letter to Josh Mandel from his relatives. I hope he is defeated soundly. BTW, from the picture, he definitely looks closeted.
How you can tell Romney is losing: Memeorandum is loaded with stories about Dems tampering with voting and trying to “steal,” get this, Pennsylvania.
http://www.memeorandum.com/
Wil Wheaton @wilw
Remember: If you have ANY trouble voting today, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE and report it. More info: http://bit.ly/Syq5Rb
There’s one that’s popped up on the “new black panthers” too …
25 key counties to watch tonight.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/11/key-counties-to-watch-tonight-148658.html?hp=l1
Goodness, I’ve been watching the CNN live blog on the election and the constantly updated comments are eye-opening. I didn’t realize so many americans have no respect or truth. Truly amazing.
Jeez, that’s pathetic. I couldn’t hang there.
CNN is starting to release exit polls
Exit polls have been so weird the last couple of elections, you’d think they would be more careful.
Beware of the exit polls.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-friend/beware-of-the-exit-polls_b_2082490.html
@CBSPolitics: National Exit Poll: Direction of economy? Getting better: 39%, Getting worse: 31%, Staying the same: 28%
I am thinking at the end of night, we know that billions have been wasted – I mean, Obama is still the President (that’s a plus), but nothing else changes, except senate, which allows us to keep the surpreme court in our corner. The House doesn’t have a say in the surpreme court………and that’s why we need Obama.
The evening news programs in Indiana are reporting heavy voter turnout and long lines. I’m glad I voted early.
Joe Donnelly has been campaigning throughout the day with former Sen. Evan Bayh. Richard Mourdock hasn’t been campaigning with anyone, but is having dinner tonight with his parents, who aren’t saying if they voted for him or not. As of now, Richard is reportedly still on their Christmas card list but that situation remains fluid.
LOL!!
F,yea! LOL
Daniel Denvir / Philadelphia City Paper:
Registered Philly voters required to cast provisional ballots in large numbers
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/177510161.html
Election updates: Many in Columbus, Cleveland told to vote provisionally
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2012/11/election-updates.html
Sorry to be so ignorant, but what does voting provisionally on an election day mean?
It means they’re not sure you’re a legit voter and they might not count your vote unless you can prove it. It’s another slimy way to suppress the vote.
that means that you’re not on the voter list so they let you vote and then check later to see if it’s real or not …
Wow, then it doesn’t matter if you vote? What a way to stiffle the will of the population. UGH.
Sam Wang’s helpful information.
Geek’s Guide to the Election 2012
Romney claims he’s only written one speech for tonight http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/06/1144261/the-thinkprogress-election-day-live-blog/#lbu-1352239748 via @thinkprogress
LATEST UPDATE
5:43 pm
Half of voters more likely to blame Bush for state of the economy
From the exit polls via the AP: “About half of voters say the previous president, George W. Bush, shoulders more of the blame for economic challenges than President Barack Obama.”
God I should hope so 🙂
Great, then if he loses, we don’t even have to listen to his concession speech.
His concession speech will be given by lawyers will announce that they’re letting the Supreme Court sort things out like they did in 2000.
Polls just closed in Indiana but people are still waiting in line to vote.
What networks are Sky Dancers planning to watch tonight? I’ll probably be going back and forth between MSNBC, CNN, and a few local channels.
I was going to try to watch MSNBC but the Parade Magazine crew might take over so I’m going to go to Current TV if it gets unbearable.
PD, I think it’s going to be a very long night. Maybe a long week or more.
All these provisional votes in urban areas of OH and PA are bad news.
I need some headache medication. BBL.
Lord yes, Beata, if you read my voting experience today with the Ass Hole mysinogist ID checker, I just hope I don’t over do the wine. 🙂 Please don’t let it be a long night or a legal nightmare like Florida 2000.
Beata, take care of yourself.
I’m going to stay glued to twitter.
Dak, i don’t know twitter except when I’m pointed to a certain feed. What do you mean? Like a certain place you go, or just trending.
I follow a lot of the reporters and they tweet before the networks announce anything
NPR on the way home from work: a woman fell in the parking lot in Escambia County (Panhandle area – NE FL on the Gulf) & broke her leg. Her husband carried her inside the polling place so she could vote. Then an ambulance took her to the hospital.
I stopped to pick up a couple slices of pizza & basically berated (nicely) 2 employees because neither had voted yet. I’m hoping I convinced the AA man to go vote.
New thread up for Results being reported!!!