Actually, Obama's lead of more than 7 million votes and rising as West Coast votes are still being counted and 54% to 46% margin are very close to expectations and poll predictions. Rossi is political toast, behind by more than 100,000 votes and increasing. Sound Transit and no new roads was a huge winner. Eyman was rejected in every county in the State except Pierce. Reichert leads slightly with the relatively small Pierce County votes mostly counted but trails in King County by 1.5% with most of the vote yet to be counted. Reichert should be reading the fine print on his apartment lease in Washington DC. Roger Goodman stomped Toby Nixon by 11%. The Cabal of Kemper Freeman, Frank Blethen, the BIAW, Luke Esser, James Vessely, Ted VanDyk, Scott St. Clair, KVI and Sound Politics had their asses handed to them. It was a good night for Americans, Washingtonians and people of good will everywhere. Not so good for conservatives.

In Washington State, Ted, absentee ballots post marked as late as mid-night last night are valid. Nothing Ron Sims or Sherril Huff can do about the several hundred thousand ballots that have not yet been received.

As usual VanDyk demonstrates that he understands neither national or local politics.

RCR,

I am honored to be among such an august lineup - you even spelled my name correctly, which is more than what many of my creditors can do.

Still, I do take marginal exception to being included with the gang at The Seattle Times - I'm still livid at many of the recent changes down at Fairview Fannie, specifically the butcher job done to the editorial page and the fobbing off to the online edition of letters to the editor.

Yet I surely don't feel as though my ass was handed to me - I can still reach around and grab it where it's always been, thank you.

Time prevents detailed and lengthy commentary and analysis. Suffice to leave you with a couple thoughts that a person of your advanced age might appreciate, but that could be lost on political rookies and newbies: 1964 and 1976 were eclipsed by 1968 and 1980 respectively - the tide goes out, but it always comes back in. And the further out it goes, the further in it comes.

In the meantime, I'm off to have some Palin 2012 T-shirts, yard signs, and buttons done up - put you down for some?

The Piper

Piper

Here is a little heads up on 2012 television programing.
"You're watching Alaska Cable Access Channel 2. Welcome to Hockey Talk with your host, Sarah Palin..."

I know, what goes around comes around, but for the moment I'm going to enjoy it.

-Rat

RCR,

Don't gorge yourself at the feast.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

The Piper

I have no idea what RCR and Scott St. Clair are talking about but it's a fun spat to watch. I wonder if Ted Van Dyk will ever change his mind about Sarah Palin? I thought he might mention how much he thought she had enhanced McCain's chances. There's something beautiful about so much loyalty. I can count 10 or a dozen voters who told me they changed their mind about voting for McCain after she was named to the ticket, but never mind that. Geraldine Who? Sarah Who?

.
Despite all the blather about "change", Washington's (and especially Seattle's) one party monopoly was further affirmed and strengthened with last night's vote.

Will Obama's election end the charge of racial discrimination in the U.S. Hardly. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Jeremiah Wright and others depend upon their sustenance for flaming the fires of racism. Obama will be deemed as not black enough. By the way, Obama is NOT an African-American. His black ancestory is of owning slaves, not of slavery.

Beyond that, Obama will not be considered black enough. After all, he is partly white. No, to the liberal, the only way to finally say white America is no longer racist is if an illegimate, total black (no white blood whatsoever) with no father present living in the projects with a crackhead mother, gang member and drug abuser, is "saved" by a bleeding heart liberal through government grants and favors (i.e., the racist white American forced to fund politically correct liberal utopian ideals and fantasies), who attended a black-only college (never considered racist of course)and trained in Communist community organization tactics to "rise above racist whitey America" to the ultimate head of America which happens to be a racist, war-mongering, nation-building, greedy, imperialistic, homophobe, sexist, backwards, nation of idiotic capitalistic, bible-thumping dimwits.

Certainly the dumbned-down degenerate electorate has won the day.

The elite will certainly demand more from the brainwashed indoctrinated masses and your very survival will depend on the hand-outs of liberals who are so compassionate that their own fortunes will be diverted to Swiss bank accounts.

When you are starving and freezing to death because your benefactors have been unable to confiscate and redistribute the wealth of the productive who have left this country and you have no defense against an instrusive government that has taken away all of your freedom, get on your knees and thank the liberals in King County for making your life so much better.

"dumbned-down", eh?

We're laughing at you, Lainie, because laughter is civilized people's proper response to ignorance, bigotry, and hatred.

Thanks for your comments, although some had nothing to do with the subject matter.

Re Palin: I wrote originally that Palin's selection was a Hail Mary by McCain. Romney and Lieberman, for instance, were substantively more qualified to be No. 2 on a national ticket but Palin might be able to bring energy and enthusiasm in a GOP base notably unexcited about McCain.
If it worked, I said, it would be seen as a masterstroke. However, I also said, Palin had the potential for blowing up the campaign if she fell short. She did not blow up the campaign. But she was a handy target for Democrats and media who focused on her shortcomings.

Some of the criticism, frankly, was unfair. She was more highly qualified than Agnew or Quayle, who served in the vice presidency, and of several others historically who were mere placeholders in the job. But she was not up to it this year in that role. I do expect her to play a continuing role, though never to be the presidential nominee.

My views: I will continue to call 'em as I see 'em, even if they do not fit within tidy boxes configured by partisans of any stripe.

Nice historical context Mr. Van Dyk. Hubert Horatio would be pleased.