Blog Buzz: Problems at the Polls, Firsthand Accounts of Election Day 2008, Will John McCain or Barack Obama Win? And Sarah Palin Troopergate Drama
Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:
Pandemonium at the Polls
Even though a record 27 million people voted early this election, bloggers report that long lines are plaguing polling places across the country. And that's the least of the problems cropping up at the polls—voters in Virginia are being turned away and several precincts have ballot shortages already; in Philly and Pittsburgh, voters say there are "busted voting machines." The Election Protection group has already received 9,000 calls and E-mails reporting problems. Conservative bloggers are especially irked over reports that GOP Election Board members are being removed from polling stations in Philadelphia because of their party status. Other bad news from Pennsylvania: Men dressed as Black Panthers are said to be intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling station, and voters in Lancaster have received phone calls falsely informing them that their voting stations were moved. In the same vein, members of the George Mason University community received a fake message purportedly from the university's provost telling them that Election Day had been moved to November 5.
Election Day 2008: Firsthand Accounts
Blog readers are sending in firsthand accounts of their voting experiences from polling stations across the country (and the world, such as one soldier's absentee ballot story from Baghdad). Readers write about long lines and unprecedented turnout and enthusiasm, as well as being the odd man out in predominantly blue or red places. Others explain why this is such a historic day for them.
And the Winner Is...?
Several conservative bloggers think that John McCain still has a chance—Weekly Standard looks at possible paths to a McCain victory, and a HotAir blogger thinks McCain could win the Electoral College but not the popular vote. A RedState blogger thinks McCain will "squeak through," and apparently Team McCain thinks so, too. Liberal bloggers still predict a big Barack Obama win. Greg Sargent at TPM outlines the Democratic candidate's main paths to victory.
Palin's Impeccable Timing
Sarah Palin drama manages to creep into the blogosphere even on Election Day. Alaska's personnel board has released its report of the Troopergate investigation that clears Palin of any wrongdoing. Liberal bloggers point out that three weeks ago, a "bipartisan, independent investigation [by the Alaskan Legislature] that wasn't operated by people who answer to the governor" found that she did violate state ethics. They also criticize the timing—the night before the election—saying that the campaign denied voters the chance to "actually examine the evidence and arrive at their own opinions." Conservative bloggers says the report "completely vindicates" Palin and "her record as a reformer remains intact." The hasty release of her medical records—actually just a letter from her doctor—also meets with disapproval from Andrew Sullivan.
—Gretchen Hannes
Reader Comments
supplemental: Republican Party: 2001-2008
and the threats are continuing: at the top of the screen it says (bipolar disorder) what if you couldn't feel anything?) that sounds like a threat to me. And that is exactly what has been causing the sheer terror the past years are statements that appear totally innocent but mean the devil in them. how does one conquer those? ignore them, and one feels powerless, controlled, manipulated, dejected, depressed, hopeless, and so forth. challenge it by addressing it, and then finding oneself attacked, terrorized, humiliated. anyways, during the Bush administration, i lost our place to live, my daughter
Supplemental: Republican Party: 2001 2008
and during this custody matter, the presiding judge assigned a gal. the assigned gal was the law partner to a city attorney that I had been in litigation against over the years. Another act of (UNETHICAL) conduct that was pushed forward and their conduct covered up/ignored. I complained and another gal was assigned. this time the gal assigned was the wife to my mother's cousin who also, as the gal, had duties that consisted of working with or communicating with the very people that I sued in my civil lawsuit that was wrongfully dismissed by a judge that now presided over the custody matter. The judge would not assign a third gal and I motioned to the chief judge who was the first judge that threatened me with a lawsuit for making a complaint against him. The chief judge denied my motion for removal of the second gal and reassignment of a third. The gal was ordered to do her job. And because I would not cooperate because I was not done with my civil lawsuit against the people the gal worked closely with (a gal that couldn't manage her own children let alone make any kind of decision about what was right for another person's child was also in question) the gal and the court pushed the custody matter foward, with my ex-spouse and his attorney pushing it as fast as they could. my ex-spouse arrived from the state of Ohio and he expected to be done with the trial that began at 9:00 a.m., by 4:30 p.m.. with them out of there and back on the road. (and for anayone to have in their small little minds that it has absolutely nothing to do with anything that I am saying and everything with something else is mentally ill. for example for those that say the banana is yellow. then they say girl went to school. then they say the judge is unethical. and they take all three statements and mix it all up as one and say the yellow science book was shuved under the table.) What kind of talk is that but nonsense?) Something that has proliferated over the years that Bush has been in office and something that has caused extreme pain, sorrow, and terror - almost a real, full-blown civil war. and the last civil war Americans had Lincoln was in the house, attempting to unite the union. well, if an issue did outstand before the civil war, i suppose one would have to create one in order to become the hero to stop one? and how odd, my complaint began with a district judge in 1999-2000 under the democratic Bill Clinton administration, and pushed and neglected and covered up by the republicans upon George Bush's election. and only know maybe people are starting to understand that what happened to me has everything to do with who wins an election. And maybe just not me but with what is happening in each and every person's life that causes them to vote the way that they do. And in this election, towards the end, it seems as if no one was dignified to hold the position of president. everytime one arrived at a decision whom to vote for, it appeared as if the candidate was no better
Republican Party: 2001-2008.
What I personally experienced in the past 8 years: In 2001 - politics was not at the top of my head. I had found myself engaged in legal disputes over what I felt were wrongdoings. and it is not much about the legal disputes but it does have everything to do with the wrongdoings, i.e, I filed a civil lawsuit (pro se) it was not my first pro se law suit and not being a lawyer I experienced the following: I was contending with, what, 4 or 5 professional lawyers. while working on this civil lawsuit I was slapped in the face with a custody modification matter by an ex-spouse whom had never had a problem with me having custody of our two children. When this custody matter began, a district judge dismissed my civil lawsuit while simutaneously taking up the custody motion against me. I believed this to be (UNETHICAL.) The ex-spouse won and they pushed the matter by covering it up - manipulation, trying to get me to automatically stop my complaints against them. During the custody matter, my hired attorney discovered that the lawyers in my civil case had written communication clearly showing that they (conspired) to cause delay in order to prevent me from filing further claims against their clients. I also thought this was (UNETHICAL.) again, they pushed the matter and tried to cover it up via manipulation (as I understand the federal statutes do not stop if manipulation was involved?) At the start of this custody, my ex-spouse's lawyer walked into district court handing to the judge how many pages of allegations that I had not even been given and that the judge had accepted. I believed this to be (UNETHICAL.) How can one argue a case for themselves when they don't even have the all the involved legal paperwork? While being lectured by the same judge that I did not file/serve my paperwork for a child support increase within the required 14 days? (extremely UNETHICAL, BIASED, PARTIAL.) And this was a custody matter that also was started after my daughter received two anonymous packages filled with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes and miscellaneous, causing sibling rivalry in my house and causing my daughter to become frightened when not knowing who left the packages (2001.) This all happened after Bush took office. and granted the packages came after my complaint in 2000 about a district judge sending to me a letter threatening to sue me for me filing a complaint that I had a legal right to do. And after I filed a complaint about a cop that interrogated my 14 year old child without a parent or guardian present, not bringing that in as evidence but later finding it stuffed in a file to the appellate court/tampering with court files. All of my complaints went ignored. As if (MY VOICE) didn't matter. That is where they went wrong because everyone's voice matters and all it takes is one person to make a difference. And regardless how irrelevant they or someone thought I was, I made my voice loud and clear in blogs regarding the wrongdoing.
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