A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Polls

Well, here it is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the morning after, Nov. 3.
Our Hip Hop Voter Project Election Night Party was an incredible success. A ton of people, all gathered together, watching the results, drinking cheap drinks, listening to hip hop. Of course, it was also the most incredibly depressing night any of us has ever had.
New Mexico still hasn't declared results, though, clearly, Bush will win. Even last night, Gov. Bill Richardson was still predicting Kerry would pull it out by a percent, I don't know how that will happen. Anyway, keep your eye on the New Mexico Secretary of State's website, which is updating results every 15 minutes. Here, at the Reporter, we have reporters in the field gathering some morning after reporting, which we'll post on our website sometime today. Of course, we'll also have followup next week.
But until then, here are my questions:
1. How could the Dems be taken so unaware by all the new Republican voters?
2. How could we be taken so unawares by the predominance of moral issues guiding this election
3. What is the Left going to do about it?

In speaking with numerous friends this morning, it became clear that something needs to give. We need to get subversive. Maybe we need to start lying, like the Right does, then get in power, then do what we want to do. Because clearly what we're doing now ain't working.
Hey: is it too early to start drinking?

The Longest Day

I voted this morning at about 9:30 am, after radio spots promoting our election night party, the wrap-up of the year-long Hip Hop Voter Project. The lines weren't too long, and I voted extremely quickly—there is a benefit to having written endorsements for all the candidates, amendments and bond issues. I didn't need to read anything. I felt actually a bit choked up, although perhaps that's just the incredible anticipation that's been building. Today feels like the longest day in the world. We're on deadline, and our email is all jammed up, so we're all kind of sitting here, signing off on pages like zombies. The reporters are in the field, keeping an eye on things. A few reports of people getting mixed messages about provisional ballots. There are polling monitors everywhere; some asked me, after I voted, if I'd had any trouble. Actually, it was quite smooth and everyone was extremely friendly and excited. I sure hope we get results tonight here, although yesterday The Secretary of State's Office predicted New Mexico could get held up by 75,000 absentee ballots in Bernalillo. I wish someone would explain to me why early and absentee voting was pushed so hard if it means we won't get results. I know it's supposed to be to create a paper trail, but it really doesn't do that, does it? If they all get electronically scanned anyway? Well, it's hours until polls close anywhere in the country and I wish I had some way to speed up time and KNOW what's going to happen. We've got an office-wide electoral vote pool going on. I'm the only person who predicted a Bush win in my vote. I did that because I figure it might result in Kerry winning, since my predictions usually backfire in one way or another.