Hard News by Russell Brown

Read Post

Hard News: History is now

1061 Responses

First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 43 Newer→ Last

  • Hadyn Green,

    Palin after voting ...

    Argghhh! that was creepy!. As I played the video a replay came on the TV. Palin in stereo!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Karen Hester,

    My first US general election voting experience:

    * Woke up this morning to NPR listing some early voting results, e.g. of all early votes cast in Florida, 33,000 more were for Obama (from my imperfect memory). Isn't it time they rethought announcing results early? It's not just an East Coast/ West Coast time zone issue. Early results will surely encourage some people, and others will not bother voting. When such a large number of people voted early, there isn't an Election Day so much as Election Month.

    * It's weird that public schools are closed but it's on a workday. Yeah, great for working parents.

    * You can only vote at one place, maybe because they can't handle duplicate copies of the electoral roll thingies which have about six names per page, with photocopied signatures.

    * Within my voting school building, there was one table for my district and one voting machine for my half of the alphabet. The line went out the door and down the block. A friend found there was a back entrance with no queue, so we snuck around and only had to wait 50 minutes (erg) inside. If I had been in another district or had a surname M-Z, I'd have been out of there in half that time.

    * Friendly chatty New Yorkers in the queue. The lady behind us flashed her hidden Obama badge after she'd sized us up, and we chuckled over the voting results of small New Hampshire towns. Many craft types have made cute Obama badges with sequins and pretty textiles.

    * If someone doesn't know the alphabet backwards and forwards, they shouldn't have a job that requires finding names (many unusual) in an alphabetical listing.

    * At your district's desk you sign beneath your signature in the roll and then are issued with a card with your name and a number to give the machine operator. The lady gave me someone else's surname (and didn't correct it when I pointed it out), and gave several of us identical numbers (maybe only one of our votes would have counted). There were more competent staff nearby, who corrected things when we pointed this out.

    * You aren't allowed to bring an NZ friend into the voting booth with you to giggle over the decrepit machinery. They notice the extra pair of legs poking out beneath the curtain.

    * In addition to the Democrat and Republican tickets there are other tickets like Independent and Family Whatsit and Socialist Whosits. Three of these tickets listed McCain and Palin for Pres/VP, and one listed Obama and Biden. Some of the parties didn't even have their own judges or other types running. If the only people on the ticket are from another party, how can the little party be considered to exist?

    * The voting machine operator grinned broadly and shook my hand when I came out.

    * Magical thinking may be at an all time high today. I've dedicated considerable effort to willing favorable results.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 9 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    It's not going to happen, Craig, rest easy.

    Wish I could, Egregio signor. But like any fever, I have the horrible feeling the GOP is going to get a lot worse before the theo-con contagion has run its course. Like Sam F., I have lot of symapthy for McCain the human being. But the campaign he ran was utterly contemptible, -- and the Palin selection was profoundly cynical and unserious -- but he nutroots are already in deep denial. The problem isn't that McCain pimped out everything that people liked about him in the first place and failed to run a campaign anyone outside the base found convincing, but that he didn't go feral enough.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Does anyone know if the live Daily Show coverage is going to be screened here? C4?

    My Sky schedule showed the Daily Show coming on at its usual time of 10.30 tonight, but lasting an hour.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    Question for those of greater knowledge of the US electoral system - Biden is "also running to keep his Senate seat" according to CNN.
    What happens if he wins both the VP job AND the Senate seat? Does he do both?

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Yes, Hadyn, Daily Show and Colbert report coverage tonight on C4, 10.30 to 11.30. Here's hoping that leads to a flood of calls to the station to buy the Colbert Report too.

    Magical thinking may be at an all time high today.

    Most excellent. Most excellent indeed.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby,

    Palin after voting ...

    even she isn't convinced.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    My first US general election voting experience:

    Thanks Karen!

    Does anybody have a perspective on why the American voting process is such an amazing shambles?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Palin after voting ...

    W. T. F. ? I used to need at least half a dozen triple G&Ts (just vaguely wave the tonic bottle in the direction of the glass) to make that much noise and so little sense.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Jake Pollock,

    Raumati South • Since Nov 2006 • 489 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Palin after voting ...

    W. T. F. ?

    McCain is rallying in Colorado and New Mexico. Palin won't even tell people whom she voted for.

    Weirdness.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    What happens if he wins both the VP job AND the Senate seat? Does he do both?

    No. The Governor of Delaware --currently Democrat Ruth Ann Minner, who leaves office in January because she's not allowed to stand for a third term under the state's term-limit law -- would appoint his successor.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Voting machines elect one of their own as President.

    Voting machines decide democracy is a really shit idea, rise up and exterminate the human race. Bet whoever gave that contract to Cyberdine Systems would feel really silly if that happened.

    OTOH, if my 'Obama is the Final Cylon' theory is correct, he's got it in the bag.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    From the NZ Herald US election blog:

    Rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combes cast his vote in NYC, telling AP: "I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I just felt like, Martin Luther King, and I felt the whole civil rights movement, I felt all that energy, and I felt my kids,' he said.

    And it looks like it's going to be a long day of teh stupid on The Herald's Your Views.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Stevens,

    Oh Please Let it all go Obama's Way!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 230 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And it looks like it's going to be a long day of teh stupid on The Herald's Your Views.

    Let me guess - today ends in the letter Y?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    There was a wee worldwide vox pop on CNN last now, three people from three countries in three continents. In Italy they chose to interview a guy on the street who happened to be dressed as a Roman Centurion, and of course he said it would be McCain because he's the only "real American". Thanks a bunch, guys. What, pizza chef Luigi wasn't available?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Harris,

    Giovanni, you've obviously had your satire bone removed. That Cindy piece is innocuous (but the video is hilarious) and the Onion has skewered John and even Obama worse.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report Reply

  • Eddie Clark,

    Paul:

    As someone also stuck at the office with no access to CNN, a good place to watch results is TPM Election Central . Their election map is currently showing poll results, but they fill in real results and they come in. The NY times will also have a decent site - they usually do.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 273 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    BTW, anyone have any idea when we will get a sense on how California's Proposition 8 is breaking? I think this is going to be one case where the support act is going to be more interesting than the headliners, because every poll I've seen suggests that a point or two either way could make all the difference.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    And it looks like it's going to be a long day of teh stupid on The Herald's Your Views.

    Someone just used 'coloured' to describe Obama. I despair. How am I sharing a country with these people?

    Diddy may be kind of a douche, but I'm moved by that quote. (The civil rights movement routinely turns me into a blubbering wreck anyway. It's Pavlovian: play Sam Cooke's 'A Change is Gonna Come' to me and watch the waterworks appear!)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    dressed as a Roman Centurion

    I saw that and thought how weird it was. I wasn't sure he was a real Italian though. I mean where was the big moustache? and he didn't gesticulate enough :)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    IT IS OBAMA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    (Kenya is very proud of him).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    After a very strange exchange between CNN reporters, I really want to find out what "went badly" when the BackStory reporter hung out with another reporter's friend

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 43 Newer→ Last

Post your response…

Please sign in using your Public Address credentials…

Login

You may also create an account or retrieve your password.