Why Stevens Won

This actually clarifies quite a bit about Alaskans voting for Stevens, thanks Volokh:

It seems nearly certain that Stevens will be expelled, which means he will be replaced, likely -- in heavily Republican Alaska -- by a Republican in the next special election. (The question whether there'll be a temporary appointed replacement, also a Republican, is irrelevant here.) And this prospect was clear at the time of the election as well.

So the choice isn't between getting a Republican crook and getting a Democratic noncrook. It's between getting a Republican crook for a very short time followed by a Republican noncrook and getting a Democratic noncrook. Anyone who generally thinks the Republican Party is better than the Democratic Party (e.g., who wanted Republican control in the Senate, or a Republican minority capable of mounting filibusters, or just as many Republican votes as possible) could thus quite reasonably vote for Sen. Stevens, even if he thought Stevens was a crook who doesn't deserve to be in the Senate. The same is true of anyone who supports government that's as split as possible, given his anticipation of a Democratic victory in many places.

Interesting, although I don't love Volokh's proven willingness to give in to the two party system.

Time to Start Sucking Up...

Lieberman met with Harry Reid today. 

During the meeting in Reid's office, Lieberman rejected a proposed reprimand that included him being stripped of the chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee.

I'm not sure how he got away with that against the most powerful man in the Senate... the conversation must have gone something like this:

Reid: "So you've betrayed our party, endorsed an opposing Presidential candidate, campaigned extensively with this candidate, supported further involvement in Iraq, ran against a Democrat in 2006. This all comes after being our Vice Presidential Nominee on the 2000 ticket. You are now a member of neither party, and I am the Senate Majority Leader. I propose that I strip you of your chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee."

Lieberman: "No."

You go, Joe. 

UPDATE: Mitch McConnell invites Lieberman to the dark side of the force.

Wrapping Up a Few 'Spitzer Case' Loose Ends

ABC reports that prosecutors will not be bringing criminal charges against Spitzer for his little "accident." I'm also not sure why she's still married to him:

The Governor's sex scandal was front page news around the world, as he announced his shame and resignation with his wife, Silda, standing by his side. She remains married to Spitzer and they have been seen walking hand-in-hand in their Upper East Side Manhattan neighborhood.

(Hat tip to Volokh)

Shays' Office

Things are a bit depressing here. We're packing up and throwing stuff out. Hundreds of copies of the Connecticut State Constitution as well as a record of the office numbers of Congressman and Senators who served from 2007-2009 are in a dumpster in Bridgeport, if you're interested. We've also gotten a number of calls asking if Shays will run against Dodd in two years. Interesting idea... The answer, if you were looking for one, is that he has no idea yet. I would predict a victory if he did, though.

Here is the Minuteman article on the Shays/Himes race.

Himes, 42 years old, was born in Lima, Peru and came to America as a 10-year-old boy. He said he was a real beneficiary of the American dream - that with a good education and a commitment to hard work one can succeed.
A graduate of Harvard University, Himes worked as an investment banker for 12 years at Goldman Sachs & Co. in the telecommunication area. He now works for the non-profit Enterprise Community Partners, a housing agency working to alleviate urban poverty.

This guy follows everything Barack Obama does. Another example here; claiming that he is a textbook example of the American dream because he was born in Peru, sort of like Obama. Unfortunately for him, Barack Obama is the first black President, was raised in Indonesia, and actually did remarkable things. Jim Himes is a white guy who happened to be born in Peru. He went to Harvard and is an investment banker with Goldman Sachs. Congrats, buddy, you're just like the President.

Blacks Get the Worst Jobs

The Onion: African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America. In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation's broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis. As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind. The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it. Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, "It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can't catch a break."

(Hat Tip to Glenn Reynolds).

At Least There's That

For all you migrane suffering women out there, you can be comforted by the fact that migraines somehow reduce the risk of breast cancer. It's probably God's way of saying, "Ah, hell - her head hurts as it is, let's let 'er live." Or, on a much more cynical note, God simply wants to keep people alive who wish they were dead. Either way, migraines reduce the risk of breast cancer:

"We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches." Dr. Christopher Li, Head of Study

Ugh, Drunken Communists... Literally

Probably one of the funnier videos post-election. Also, quite unfortunately, one of the more stomach churning ones as well. I like to keep my giggles and near puking moments separate but maybe once a month, I'm up for a video like this.

Also, in his own comments on the video, John Hinderaker over at Powerline makes what I would consider to be the most farfetched assumption of 2008: These are among the many disreputable associations that Obama will try to leave behind as he prepares to assume the Presidency.

And, with that: Goodnight, Moon.

Concession & Victory Speeches

Both speeches last night were incredible. McCain, I think, gave probably his best speech of his campaign. Obama's will most likely go down in civil rights history, next to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream and others. Both videos are posted below. Full text of Obama's speech is here (scroll down a bit), McCain's text is here.

Obama's Speech:

McCain's Speech:

And It Falls... Again

The market took a spill today; the Dow is down 400+ points. Here is a good article about it:

A case of post-election nerves sent stocks plunging Wednesday as investors, again anxious about a recession, began questioning what impact a Barack Obama presidency will have on business and the overall economy. The Dow Jones industrials dropped more than 400 points and the major indexes all fell more than 4 percent.

Proposition 8

California voted in favor of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage:

California voters have approved a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage that overturns the state Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to wed just months ago.

Although Box Turtle Bulletin reports that the No on 8 campaign refuses to concede, citing uncounted absentee ballots.

Take a Peak at the Next Chief of Staff...

Obama offered Rahm Emanuel (D-Illinois) the Chief of Staf position. He is expected to accept the offer, although he hasn't yet. Emanuel has been in office since 2003 and coauthored a book entitled, "The Plan: Big Ideas for America." More information on him is here.

UPDATE: Fox reports that he has accepted the position.

'Grandparents' Metaphor

Oh, and apparently children are safer under the care of their grandparents. Metaphor, anyone?

If you think you’re doing a better job than your parents at child rearing, think again. A new study shows children are less likely to be injured when they are in the care of grandparents.

The study is important because grandparents are a growing source of child care for working and single parents. Some health researchers speculated that grandparents may be out of touch with modern safety practices, and as a result, they worried that children being cared for by grandparents might be at higher risk for injury.

But the opposite appears to be true. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed caregiving and injury data from the National Evaluation of the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program. The program includes information about 5,500 newborns in 15 United States cities during 1996 and 1997, with follow-up over the next three years.

See, because Obama is like the parent, because he is younger, and people think McCain is too old, but really, he's the better pick... and the children are... the citizens... no? Oh, come on! It's a damn good metaphor!

Thanks to Instapundit for the link.

Oh... Congratulations

I realized that I never actually congratulated the Obama camp for the win last night. Didn't mean to sound like a sore loser, so I'll say it now... Congratulations!

Gaza Rockets

I think this is what Ms. Johnson was talking about:

Israeli rescue services on Wednesday reported what a statement called a "massive" cross-border rocket barrage by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, hours after an Israeli air strike, in the first major exchange of fire since a truce took effect in June.

A Dangerous World

Bridget Johnson points out some of the more daunting global possibilities Obama will face. She lists the survival of Israel, a new attempt by Russia to invade Georgia and the Iranian conflict as the most important. I would ad to the list the tentative relationship with China and new Cold War possibilities with Russia.

'I Have a Dream'

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Live Election Coverage

Welcome to the show, boys. Stick around, I'll be updating frequently

• 10:36: Oh, and one final point. We have elected President a black man named Barack Hussein Obama. Can we officially claim racism dead, now? More on this tomorrow, but that statement stands on its own, I believe. Now, I really am going to bed.
• 10:30: That was an awful night. I'm going to bed. 
• 10:22: It doesn't annoy me that Obama won. Well, it does, but what annoys me astronomically more is the ignorance of his voters. That, I promise, is the last time I ever link to a Howard Stern video.
• 10:13: Shays lost. He conceded defeat about 30 minutes ago.
• 10:05: PJM and Instapundit both just called the election for Obama. That shouldn't be a big deal; I did like three hours ago.
• 10:00: Iowa goes to Obama, McCain wins Utah. Oh, and Texas, obviously.
• 9:57: Nevada, Iowa, Utah and Montana are closing at 10. Nevada will be interesting to see.
• 9:54: Things are still going poorly for Chris Shays.
• 9:43: John McCain got West Virginia - no surprises there.
• 9:40: As far as CT state politics go, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney won his reelection bid.
• 9:32: Haha: "Welcome your new overlords." 
• 9:31: A diamond in a pile of poop: McCain just grabbed Louisiana.
• 9:25: If Jim Himes ends up beating Shays in the 4th District, you can expect about 50% of my future posts to be investigating his campaign, as well as his future office.
• 9:23: Fox called Ohio for Obama. That could be the election right there.
• 9:14: Ha. This is what our local news reports. This is what really happened.
• 9:08: Things aren't looking good for Shays in CT. With 28% recorded, he's down 65%-35%.
• 9:05: The popular vote is currently at 50% to 49% in Obama's favor. Wow, really close.
• 9:01: NY, RI, MN, NM, WI go Obama. WY, ND, and MI for McCain
• 8:57: A whole bunch of 'em close in two minutes. More then.
• 8:50: Absentee ballots in Ohio are breaking heavily for Barack Obama (70%). It doesn't worry me too much.
• 8:40: Georgia goes to McCain. To paraphrase Brit Hume: "Republicans can take comfort in the fact that Obama didn't... win... or pull off a huge upset in Georgia. Shit, I need a nap." - It was something like that.
• 8:31: Arkansas went to McCain, obviously. Kerry won his Senate seat back in MA as well. No major news there.
• 8:22: Jeanne Shaheen wins against John Sununu 57% to 40% in NH
• 8:10: Fox News called Kay Hagan as victorious over Elizabeth Dole.
• 8:04: Most outlets gave PA to Obama, although FOX is being stubborn. That's a big story. McCain needs Virginia now.
• 8:03: Biden just got his senate seat back.
• 8:00: Polls just closed pretty much everywhere in the east. MA, DC, IL, NH, MA, NJ and my home state of CT were just declared for Obama - no surprises there. Oklahoma went to McCain, also no surprises.
• 7:55: ABC reports a status quo black turnout. 
• 7:47: South Carolina was just called for McCain, and Virginia appears to be strongly in his favor right now. That is with only 6% in, but it's a start.
• 7:45: I've noticed that I am the only blogger who liveblogs the right direction - newer entries to the top. It makes extraordinary sense.
• 7:35: Fox calls West Virginia for McCain Oh, and much thanks to Glenn Reynolds for his second link of the day.
• 7:33: NBC also reports that, in Indiana, moderates are breaking in favor of Obama 63% to 36%.
• 7:21: This 8-3 lead by McCain could be the last time McCain holds the lead. Hey - I'm not a pessimist, just sayin'!
• 7:03: Setting up shop now, sorry for the three minute tardiness. NBC has already awarded Vermont to Obama and Kentucky to McCain.
  

A Quick Plug

I'll take this opportunity, with the refreshing flow of Instapundit readers, to advertise that I am liveblogging the election tonight. I will be starting at 7:00 PM, EST. Come back for minute-by-minute coverage!

What Now?

Maybe this is a bit preemptive, but with the McCain cause all but lost, what do we look forward to in the next four years?

Really, though, has anyone actually explained how Obama plans on cutting taxes for 95% of the population (despite the fact that only 60% even pay income taxes), exponentially increase spending for education and Medicare, and conduct a phased-withdrawal, resulting in the reoccupation of Iraq by the United States shortly thereafter? I am almost positive that's impossible, especially if we factor in our national debt.