still hanging in

the house has been won decisively. MO senate seat has been won and conceded. VA senate seat looks pretty darn safe for the dems now.

just watching MT. *ungh*. getting tight there after early leads. but i am starting to hope the dems will take the senate as well.

and this is weird. i've been watching the numbers on MT's elections website, and so that i could keep track, wrote the rough ones down. this is what my list looks like (these are thousands, democrat tester on the left, republican burns on the right):

98 / 83
104 / 90
113 / 100
125 / 115
140 / 132
134 / 127

say what? how did that happen?

[edit] ah, maybe the fact that apparently yellowstone county is doing a recount, according to dkos (not sure why, whether it's the senate race or a local race that's caused it). before they pulled those votes, tester was leading by about 600 votes there. and they're not gonna do the recount now, but in the morning. ok. g'night then.

[edit 2] or not. i can't let this go. :) it's so close! 2500 votes now, with 90% reporting. and indeed, yellowstone county is recounting, because of operator error. i really like the forthrightness of the county elections administrator who said "it was my fault". i also like that the polls stayed open until the last person in line voted just before midnight. overall, montana seems to have its voting procedures under control, and deals with glitches responsibly, instead of disenfranchising voters. go, montana.

bedtime

ok, i'm pretty sure the senate is going to the dems as well -- been watching MT vote counts and only one county remains outstanding, which cannot possibly deliver enough votes to allow burns to catch up to tester. though man, that's a real squeaker. dunno whether close enough for recount; people on dkos are debating MT election law.

VA looks quite safe, with 99.84% reporting:
J H Webb Jr Democratic 1,171,813 49.55%
G F Allen Republican 1,164,667 49.25%

the republicans did not pick up a single seat. this solid overall democratic win is a goodness. and today is for celebrating.

i am not totally thrilled, mind. under the circumstances, considering the things the republicans have done, i am disappointed so many people still voted for the crapweasels. and the US has a whole has shifted so much to the right that i remain deeply uncomfortable and uneasy. but it could have been worse, and maybe it can henceforth get a little better overall.

and now for a parting moment of schadenfreude: 'k(no)tnxbye santorum, blackwell, harris, ney, sweeney, foley, delay, sherwood, weldon. welcome to the first muslim in the house and first socialist in the senate (oh, the freepers must just BURN today).

ding dong

the witch is dead.

and don't flatter yourself. you're no churchill, mr rumsfeld.

*waves to bill*. who woulda thought just last week when we were talking about that, eh? :) now onward to the rest of the agenda (no, i am not holding my breath, but at least some things are now in the realm of possibility).

and he's being replaced with robert gates. huh, that doesn't look like an overnight decision, but points to it being a contingency plan that gives the appearance of an actual shift in white house policy should it become necessary. i wait and see whether it is an actual shift.