As of about a half hour ago, the AP and all the major networks have called the election for Barack Obama; come January, I'll never have super his name again. (We don't super the president, the pope, or the governor.)
I'm at work, on standby in case they need me (they probably won't), and just trying to stay out of everyone's way. The newsroom's Tension Machine is clearly cranked up to 11, with everyone running around and screaming at each other. Very exciting.
Unlike the rest of Earth, I'm keeping my eye on local ballot measures, and for the most part the results are quite depressing. In Florida, the presidential vote is still too close to call with what appears to be a slight Obama lead, but the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is way ahead.
Colorado, though not yet called, looks like a very likely Obama win; but they're also poised to end affirmative action and define life as beginning at conception. Who are these people?
Massachusetts went overwhelmingly blue in the national election -- but they even more overwhelmingly repealed the state income tax. Seriously, who are these people, and what do they think they're voting for?
Give Arizona and Arkansas credit: they're banning gay marriage and forbidding gay couples from adoption children, respectively, but at least they have the decency to vote Republican.
In other words, like I said four long, long years ago, people just don't base their vote on policy. In fact, maybe it goes beyond that: I don't think the electorate even understands the policies they're voting for.
To sum up: We won, and American democracy continues to be a total and abject failure.
Is "super" what you kids are now calling chiron/the lower third?
MA voters rejected the proposal to eliminate the state income tax.
CO voters did not vote to ban race and gender based affirmative action and also did not pass a proposal that would define human life as beginning at fertilization, which would have effectively giving fertilized eggs the same constitutional rights and protections as people.
So there you go. People aren't as crazy as you think!
It's true the presidency is a popularity contest. Obama's overwhelming victory is because voters are following their gut. People are sensing that we need a new kind of leadership and they see that in Obama. In Seattle people were dancing in the streets! I even saw some fireworks.
"Super" and "lower-third" are interchangeable. (Super has the added benefit of also being a verb.)
"Chyron" is a Kleenex-esque brand name, and it sometimes generates chuckles because it's elderly technology. When people do say chyron they tend to mean full-screen graphics.
Julia, thanks for the heads-up...when I was blogging they must have only gotten word from the rural precincts. Too bad about Prop 8 in California though.
here here, julia. i wanted to punch andrew in the face and put him on fox news for his lack of fact checking an MA prop 1. damn liberal gotcha media. aaaannnnddd, MA decriminalized marijuana possesion. so now you can get high w/ your gay spouse while paying taxes that go straight to mobsters pockets. the graft up here is unbelievable...really.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/election_results/ma_localquestions/