Liveblogging the returns

I'm too excited for much intelligent discussion today, but I want to chronicle some things. Here goes my first Election Day chronicle/liveblog.

Useful links: IN (cnn), FL (cnn), MO (cnn)

• Aaand Indiana seems to be officially blue, miraculously. Even if no one's calling it, I'm AWFULLY proud of my home state.
  
• 12:17 AM: Thanks from BarackObama.com. I genuinely hope and pray that all this change we've heard about really happens. Seems likely. And this Victory Speech must have been written or helped along by the West Wing dudes. Could it be more moving? And more inspiring? And more hope-provoking? I love that this man won and that we won't have to have a government powered along by fear for eight more years. I'm so tired of being told how afraid I should feel and am looking forward to someone who might tell me what I can look forward to instead. Bless him and his beautiful family and Biden and his family. And all our new Senators and Representatives. It's all very promising for our party and for our country. (I think this election has redeemed that word - not thanks to McCain, but thanks to Obama, who has made it possible for me to be optimistic again. Thank YOU Barack and Joe. Good job everyone for voting!
  
• 12:14 AM: Also, Senate is at 56 for the Dems now. Yay!
  
• 12:13 AM: It's also kind of cool to see Oprah acting like a normal human and basking in Obama's speech like the rest of them. I wish I were in Chicago.
  
• 12:12 AM: On another topic: CA is denying both Prop 8 and Prop 4, thank goodness.
  
• "For those whose support I have yet to earn: I hear your voices and I need your help."
• "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance to make that change."
• AND I hate that I haven't been working for him. Must make that up somehow.
  
• Also, maybe shadows of him becoming more liberal as he takes office?
  
• LOVE Obama. What a good speech already. But seriously, good riddance to Palin. And yay, shout-out to Michelle! She's so classy and great. And he bought his girls a puppy!!
  

• The above screengrab is VERY gratifying.

• fivethirtyeight is predictably happy
  
• Great photo of Barack on the guardian right now: http://www.guardian.co.uk/america
  
• For comparison's sake: Clinton got 370 electoral votes in 1992, 379 in 1996.
  
• I'd like to kindly remind you all that BUSH is finally FINALLY a lame duck! Officially! 11 weeks til the Inaguration! Also, Sarah Palin can crawl back into the hole she came out of. And her daughter has a prayer of a normal-ish life with her baby.
  
• McCain concession speech? Already? Hooray! But BOOOOOOOO for stupid McCainiacs for booing Obama. So declasse.
  
• CNN CALLS THE ELECTION! Time for Champers!
  
• INDIANA IS BLUE THIS MOMENT! AND FOX IS CALLING VA FOR OBAMA!!
  
• Also, human life from conception amendment failing in CO!
  
• Abortion ban in SD fails! Hooray! Thanks to Blume for the update on this vote.
• CNN calls NM for Obama which gives him 207! 63 to go! CA has 55!
• I've just learned that my sister's posse has broken out the bubbly. We're still sitting on ours.
• Will I Am Hologram! Keerazy! I like him.
  
• Vanderburgh County is officially Democratic! Friendly territory again!
• Al Franken is leading in early returns.
• Also Senate standing at 54 for the Dems.
  
• Correction: In IN - McCain 49.5%-Obama 49.4%. OY. 8,000 votes difference.
• 10:22 PM: Looks like Question 2 is strong in MA. Stoners rejoice.
  
• 10:22 PM: Lucy's too nervous (tired) too look.
• 10:19 PM: IN all but tied. 13,000 votes difference. 49.7% McCain-49.2% Obama.
  
• 10:03 PM: More foolhardiness?
  
• 10:01 PM: Switching over to Comedy Central where Jon Stewart (!) and Stephen Colbert (!!) are doing a live (!!!) special!!!
• 9:59 PM: Foolhardiness at this point?
  
• 9:56 PM: Also RIP gay marriage in FL.
• 9:49 PM: I'd like to interrupt out broadcast to say R.I.P. Wilson (a.k.a. Rodan). The wild turkey that lived in my parents' yard (slept on their garage roof every night) for two and a half years was hit by a car this morning. Area children are devastated and the press is covering his memorial service tomorrow morning.
• 9:46 PM: CNN more or less just called the election without calling the election. I'm thinking about that bottle of bubbly, but not until Obama wins a couple more states. It also just dawned on me that Indiana might be taking so long reporting results because they're taking the time to count absentee votes. It's promising. Probably still won't happen, but still. I'm proud of my home state even if they don't go blue. What great strides have been made there!
  
• 9:26 PM: They just called Ohio for Obama!!
• 9:14 PM: I'm starting to feel a little more optimistic.
• 9:06 PM: Also, it looks like a Democratic Senate Majority! Hooray!
• 9:05 PM: It is a GOOD day to be an American. So far, anyway.
  
• 9:00 PM: Even Fox News sounds Democratic tonight. Yay! Other races to be excited about: Franken in MN, Shaheen in NH, ballot measures in MA. BTW, we didn't repeal the income tax in IN.
  
• 8:53 PM: They're talking on CNN about when McCain "made his last stand" and absolutely acting like Obama's going to win. Very encouraging. Here's a roundup: 538.com shows Obama looking okay in VA, but better in FL. IN still too close to call. Okay. We lost Posey County. No surprise there, but the Dems did make a strong showing there. No progress in Vanderburgh and no word yet on Warrick. Generally calling ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NJ, DE, MD, and IL for Obama for a total of 102 electoral votes. PA looking good which would give him 123. 147 to go.
  
• 8:49 PM: I love that Carville is on his cell phone while he's on CNN.
  
• 8:43 PM: HOOOOOOOOOOOLY CRAP Obama is leading 53-47 in Vanderburgh county! 35% reporting!
  
• 8:39 PM: Perry county is official! 60-40 Obama! 100% reporting! Also, CNN is calling PA for Obama. Huzzah!
  
• 8:35 PM: Okay, Posey County's not out of the woods yet, but there's only 70 votes difference right now. That's encouraging.
  
• 8:29 PM: Also this, which Dan found for me. VERY encouraging.
  

  "Democrats are cheered by early numbers showing that Obama holds a healthy lead in Vigo County, a place that one Dem described to us as "the most reliable bellwether county in the country."

  "Vigo has only been wrong on president twice since 1892," this Dem enthuses."

• 8:29 PM: NYTimes has a nifty county map for the whole country with results being posted all the time. It's on the front page right now, but I can't find a good link for it.
  
• OH looking good.
  
• Just heard on CNN - "It's a bad year to be a Republican!"
  
• POSEY FREAKING COUNTY! That's Hostettler country! And it's bright, beautiful blue!! 51%-48%! HOORAY!
  
• I am worried about Virginia. But Florida's looking pretty good.
  
• 8:03 PM: O. also carried Spencer and Perry counties! Amazing! I don't know that we can write off Warrick and Vanderburgh just yet.
  
• 8:00 PM: CNN projecting ME, CT, IL, DE, MD, DC, NJ, MA. That leaves Obama with 77 to McCain's 34. AL, FL, MS, MI, NH, and PA just closed.
  
• 7:49 PM: Sad that Mitch Effing Daniels won Governor in IN again. Not surprised, though. Also, county-by-county coverage of IN here. Also, still no results from Vanderburgh county.
• 7:44 PM: Another photo. There is something WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. How can you call a state with 0% of precincts reporting? I understand that Vermont is safe, but SERIOUSLY.
• 7:43 PM: I've added a warm-fuzzy photo of my (non-voter eligible) hubby and our puppy at my polling place.
• AND VIGO COUNTY! Also known as why both of my congressional candidates lost! Also known as a Republican stronghold! Also known as a bunch of blue collar factory type worker (and farmers) terrified of losing their jobs! (538.com agrees with me that this is a good sign!)
  
• ALSO Dubois County is leaning Obama! That's a deep Republican/Evangelical area!
• Good good good. IN - 12% reporting and McCain is up. BUT Bloomington, Indianapolis, and Gary are all still MIA. THIS IS GOOD. Also, there's a strip of area along the southern border with IL that is SERIOUSLY conservative territory - but the economy, I would bet, has scared them into voting Obama. Very good sign for IN. Wonder how Terre Haute's doing?
  
• The good old Courier & Press is covering Evansville's voting. Here.
• W. T. Eff. with the silly silly "beaming in" on CNN? SO FOOLISH.
• I am PISSED. OFF. that CNN is already making projections. Sure, VT and KY are pretty safe, but did they not learn ANYTHING from the last two elections? Especially 2000? GAH!
  
• Can't believe O. is ahead in IN for the moment. Gives me hope! I do feel a LOT of guilt for not voting in IN this time... But, still there's the absentee ballot conundrum. One of my students is from IN and her ballot got lost, so I wouldn't wnat to feel disenfranchised in that way. It was nice to vote in person for once and know for certain my vote was going to count, even if MA is a foregone conclusion. Many many props to my political buddies in IN for getting out the vote for Obama!
  
• More from 538. Hooray for early voting!
  

  31,268,357 voters have cast votes early in America, which represents 25.3% of the total of all ballots cast in 2004. Nobody doubts we are headed for an absolute record turnout in this election.

• 31,268,357 voters have cast votes early in America, which represents 25.3% of the total of all ballots cast in 2004. Nobody doubts we are headed for an absolute record turnout in this election.
• Pork Chops and stuffing are in the oven. Mashed potatoes waiting to be consumed. Just beginning to watch CNN... "the BEST political team" on TV. (I think Wolf Blitzer is going to give himself a stroke every time he says "BEST." He kind of spits a little.
• 5:25 PM: And now I'm going to start our election night dinner. Unlike McCain and Palin, I like me some Pork. Chops.
  
• 5:20 PM: Nate Silver's (of 538.com) hour-by-hour guide to the returns. Says Silver of my home state:

  The responsible thing to do would be for the networks to hold off until at least 7 PM to project Indiana, when polls have closed in Gary and the northwestern part of the state just across the border from Chicago—where Obama hopes to rack up huge margins among black and working-class voters. If for some reason the state is called before 7 PM for John McCain, that probably means we're in for a long night. If, on the other hand, the state is called for Obama in the first hour after the polls close, that could indicate that the force of Obama's field operation has been underestimated, and that McCain is in for a catastrophically poor evening.

• 5:15 PM: After a little disco nap in preparation for tonight, I'm back at it. Two things from Andrew Sullivan - 1. Even the haters are sure O's going to win. 2. Obama > Kerry.