2008 elections

A sign thief with a conscience?

adamg — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:49:57 +0000

Alison Rose reports that the Obama sign stolen from her front lawn in March showed up on her front steps last week:

... No note. No "I'm sorry." Just back in all it's (slightly wrinkled) glory. My husband took it inside the house and put it in our curio cabinet, where we keep our one-of-a-kind precious memories. ...

Price set for forging the governor's signature on a phony endorsement

adamg — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:48:08 +0000

PolitickerMA reports Governor's Councilor Kelly Timilty will pay an $8,000 fine for those bogus Patrick endorsement mailers.

McCain actually won three Boston precincts

adamg — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:21:06 +0000

Two precincts in South Boston and one in Dorchester, according to Matt O'Malley, who provides some interesting Boston numbers from this year's election. Overall, of course, Obama won big in Boston - O'Malley says one Roxbury precinct went for Obama by a 99.5 - 0.5 margin.

Bonus fun fact: There is a Harbor Islands precinct, with nine registered voters, none of whom bothered to vote.

Why the ban on dog racing passed this year

adamg — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:57:24 +0000

CW Unbound looks at the numbers, discovers a huge shift in votes in western Massachusetts from the last time voters considered a ban. But why?

Boston vote tallies compared to past presidential elections

adamg — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:47:17 +0000

Chris Lovett posts a chart showing relative increases in voter turnout by ward this year as compared to the turnout in 2004, 2000 and 1996.

As happy as any five men can be

adamg — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:25:32 +0000

Brian Lewandowski expresses his happiness at the news - times five.

Not everybody is happy

adamg — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:16:10 +0000

Jules Crittenden sighs:

... I’m not interested in spending the next four years in bitterness, the way the opposition spent the last eight, and I trust America will still be here at the end of this term. Congratulations, Obama. It is a great country. It is yours to govern now, all hope and change in your hands. Hope and change are great, but try not to change it too much. Because I can assure you, it doesn't get much better than this.

Sissy Wills is not conciliatory:

Detailed local results

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:35:55 +0000

Let's start with Arlington, because, well, Shane Curcuru compiled results for the town. If you know of other, similar Boston-area results lists, post the links here.

Change is in the air - on the 9 bus

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:03:09 +0000

Alicia reports the driver on the 9 bus in South Boston this morning was not grumpy:

... Today, as I breathlessly boarded the bus, while fumbling for my pass, the driver smiled brightly and said, "Good morning!" Completely caught off guard by her greeting, I said, "uh, hello..?"

"Thank you!" she said smiling again, when I pressed my card to the reader and found a seat. Last night, most of the nation collectively sighed in relief and is ready for change. Based on my experience this morning, people are happier already! ...

The drawback to watching MSNBC yesterday

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:53:39 +0000

Sure, they didn't have Princess Leia begging Obi-Wan Kenobi for help like CNN, but they did have Mike Barnicle. Elias winces:

The abiding drawback to working the polls on election day is watching Mike Barnicle run his meat hole by the hour on MSNBC.

After a mere sixty minutes he runs out of sensible things to say and is reduced to decrying the "the 24-7 cable news culture", y'know the one that otherwise keeps the wolf far from Mike's door. ...

About that puppy Obama promised his kids

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:17:06 +0000

Richard Howe wonders if the president-elect would consider a Massachusetts greyhound, since there will soon be plenty of those available.

Joy

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:11:35 +0000

Celebration on the steps of the BPL in Copley Square last night:

Bijan Sabet: Happiness is waking your kids up and telling them that Barack Obama is our next President of the United States.

Lisa: How amazing to be alive when history is being made.

Now the Celtics have to repeat

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:40:24 +0000

Rajon Rondo reports:

I just got back in the locker room. We just got the W in Houston, and I had to blog. OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT! I can't even explain how I feel right now. All I have to say is that we have to repeat, because we have to go back to the White House to meet Obama. ...

And what of Curt Schilling? Schilling reminds us we're all Americans:

... Do I agree with him? Not a lot. Was he my choice? Nope. But we end that 'stuff' now right? Tomorrow we all wake up Americans. Tomorrow the world once again looks at us in complete awe. Never has a country on this planet selected what was once a 'minority' to its highest political position. No free nation has ever done what we just did, again. ...

Huntington Avenue shut as Northeastern students celebrate Obama win

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:26:29 +0000

Channel 5 reports.

BPL Main Branch steps filled with Obama supporters yelling "USA! USA! USA" and "Yes we can!"

Heather: "It's almost like a World Series celebration." Well, yeah, except without the rioting and people dying.

Celebration in Davis Square.

Some initial thoughts on our new president

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:42:54 +0000

Via blogs and Twitter:

David Stephenson: Damn: this computer is only a few months old, and I can't afford to short it out with tears on the keyboard.

Bhyde: Thank you, my fellow Americans!

Megorious: For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.

Paul Levy: A good result, by a very substantial margin (NOTE: Levy was actually referring to the defeat of Question 1, but he lets me know it applies to the national election as well).

Jeff Cutler: Wow and wow and wow.

Chris Devers: after two bitterly even & divisive 50-50 elections, a landslide could be a very, very healthy thing for America.

Obama victory march in Davis Square.

Anthony: I'm really thrilled:

... Our nation is confronting once-in-a-lifetime challenges, so the road ahead is rough. But this outcome makes us far better equipped to face them. I'm proud of us, and not just for the choice we made, but for the impressive numbers of people who turned out. ...

Margalit: Today every candidate I voted for won:

... Today every proposition that I voted for won. Today my entire slate was successful. And today the country finally changed in a way that I believe with all my heart will be the best thing to happen to us since FDR. ...

Superguppy on McCain's concession:

If McCain had shown this much graciousness and class during the campaign - it would have been much closer.

David Stephenson to McCain's booing supporters:

shut up, you scumbags. Your dude lost.