November 4, 2008

Live-blogging Barack Obama's voting.

FoxNews is covering it live. The main theme at this point is: What's taking him so long? It's been at least 5 minutes. Predictable joke: Is he reconsidering voting for himself? Plausible theory: He's encountering propositions he hadn't read before. (Don't you hate when that happens?) Also: Maybe he has trouble going through with it while being watched. (Was that an attempt at a urinal joke?!) Ah, now we know! They were timing his conclusion with the arrival of Joe Biden. We now see Biden, on the split screen, arriving at the polls in Delaware with his elderly mother. The elderly mother has a snazzy, bright pink jacket.

Obama -- wearing a black suit and an American flag pin -- was accompanied by Michelle -- who dressed in black, a scoop-neck top and narrow pants -- and their 2 little girls -- who wore pink and orange sweatshirts. The older girl, Malia talked constantly to her father as they walked with their paper ballots up to the open-suitcase-on-legs booths. Once at the booths, Malia stuck with Michelle, even when Obama addressed her, seemingly to instruct her about the nature of the ballot. For a while it looked as though Malia was almost shunning her dad, but then the camera pulled back, and we could see the younger girl, Sasha was curled around one leg of Obama's booth, firmly staking out her territory in the dad zone.

It will be fun to watch those adorable girls grow up in the White House... if Obama wins.

45 comments:

EnigmatiCore said...

"What's taking him so long? It's been at least 5 minutes. "

He obviously has yet to be saved by zero.

tomdurk said...

If you knew anything about law, you would know that Chicago has a long list of judges to be voted on the retention section of the ballot, as well as local initiatives. But if you watch Fox, you don't know much.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

This morning, we spotted a flock of turkeys on the Palisades.

Given news accounts of one ACORN, we surmised they are coming out to vote for Obama.

I was not driving… so I presume they made it safely to the polls ;)

http://tinyurl.com/6mgz7u

bleeper said...

Jesus God - is that what we have in store for us - gushing, kneepad wearing bloggers carrying on about how cute the children will be growing up in the White House? What unvarnished puke! And who the hell names their child "Malaria", anyway?

American Liberal Elite said...

I just walked to the polls, voted and walked back. Total elapsed time - 12 minutes.

Beldar said...

The Obamas' young children are indeed cute, but so too are the Palins'.

Unknown said...

Is Joe still not talking? We've heard more from Joe the Plumber than Biden.


I have my own cute girls to think about. My 16 year old said she saw a broadcast ("Channel One") which goes into classrooms where a young women said her family was all going to vote for Obama because he was going to make it less expensive for her to go to college. Well, that would be a miracle.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MadisonMan said...

When I voted this morning, the optical scanner was broken. I'd not seen that happen before. The technician was working on it, and the temporary solution was to put the ballots in a slot underneath the scan slot. I'm guessing that some poll worker will feed the ballots later.

There were a LOT of poll workers this morning, mostly doing line control -- the crush before 8 was pretty intense. The line snaked all around the school cafeteria. I also saw one observer (I didn't ask her for whom she was observing, but I suspect Team O) with a bright yellow OBSERVER name tag.

Unknown said...

Hey tom period, you don't know much yourself. If you pay attention for awhile before you smart off, you'll learn that Althouse can handle more than one channel.

Freeman Hunt said...

It will be fun to watch those adorable girls grow up in the White House... if Obama wins.

Ugh, I hadn't thought of that. I don't mean that it wouldn't be fun to watch them grow up; it would. But I feel bad for any kid growing up under that scrutiny. (Note: I'm not saying that that's a reason to vote against Obama or arguing that he shouldn't have run. Just saying it would be hard to be the President's kid.)

chickelit said...

Bedar said: The Obamas' young children are indeed cute, but so too are the Palins'.

Ann did rise to defend Piper Palin's spit-combing of Trig's hair once.

But I guess the Palin's just don't have that whole Camelot thing going for her.

al said...

Even with all the judges on the ballot it's a 5 minute process. Either retain or not. Personally I always vote not to retain.

I had my cute little girl (well young lady) in mind when I voted this morning. Made voting for McCain that much easier.

bleeper said...

You have to understand the coded racism - young, partially black children are "adorable". Young white children are "punishment" or a "burden". I see that all the time where I live - mixed race children are always "cute", "beautiful", or some other vomit inducing term, while white children are crackers and in the way.

Get used to it - it is soon coming to the media near you. Ah, the subtle racism of low expectations. Show up and you will be adored. Kind of like their alledged father. Bleh!

Ron said...

Live coverage of someone voting? Bore, baby, Bore!

TMink said...

Yeah Ann! When are you going to learn something about the law???? What are you, some law professor? I wish you knew as much about the law as someone who does play by play of horse races! Now there is a job that requires knowledge of the law!



Trey

Minzo said...

"Jesus God - is that what we have in store for us - gushing, kneepad wearing bloggers carrying on about how cute the children will be growing up in the White House? What unvarnished puke! And who the hell names their child "Malaria", anyway?"

You sound like a real bag of laughs. We are grateful for your witty insights on this topic.

MayBee said...

Ugh!
They timed their voting for the liveshot?
Is this the kind of stage management we are going to have to watch the next 4 years?

Meade said...

"Bore, baby, Bore!"

Ha ha ha! Ron rules!

Joan said...

I like the idea of little old ladies in bright pink jackets, going out early in the morning to vote with their sons. That's a lovely image.

The Obama daughters are cute, but theirs is not an easy life. Their father appears aloof, their mother, hard. In person and at home is a different story, of course, but the public persona grows out of the private one.

Minzo said...

"Is this the kind of stage management we are going to have to watch the next 4 years?"

Presidents (and presidential candidates) are stage-managed? You mean they dont just run around and do what they want? Gosh, you learn something new everyday!

Darcy said...

I'm guessing the Obama Channel is here to stay.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It took Obama five mins to stuff a ballot box?

He's not ready to lead!

Minzo said...

What I want to know is- what did he do with his middle finger after he voted?

Original Mike said...

I don't understand. He waited in a polling cubicle for 5 minutes until Biden arrived? That's bizarre.

MM: Where do you vote? Hoyt school?
I sure wouldn't trust a poll worker to feed my ballot through. He'd look at my choices and toss it in the trash.

MadisonMan said...

I vote at the church on Rowley.

I figure there will be one poll worker who extracts the ballots from the slot, one the feeds them in, and one that watches it all. So I think it'll be safe. The number of ballots at the end of the day has to match -- pretty close -- the number given out, doesn't it? I wonder what would happen if you took your ballot and left? Would that cause pollworkers problems later in the day?

MayBee said...

Presidents (and presidential candidates) are stage-managed?

Stage-managed is walking into the polling place with your two well-dressed daughters and your husband/wife coordinated outfits.

Too stage-managed is coordinating the timing with your VP pick in another state so the cable shows can get the split screen. They are sooo together!

TJ said...

"alledged (sic) father"?

You really know how to class up a joint, bleeper.

Ann Althouse said...

"SteveR said...
Hey tom period, you don't know much yourself. If you pay attention for awhile before you smart off, you'll learn that Althouse can handle more than one channel."

Ha ha. Poor tom has his period.

Original Mike said...

I wonder what would happen if you took your ballot and left?

Mental image of voter and poll worker tusseling over a ballot: "But it's my ballot". "But you have to put it in the machine! You'll get me in trouble."

bleeper said...

Any time, folks - typos, no extra charge.

Forthwith, I shall fall in line and "adore" the children of Teh One. Aren't they adorable. And wonderful names, too.

Mustn't come to the attention of our new overlords.

Now where is my gummit check?

TJ said...

Bleeper, no one's asking you to fall in line. But if you can't tell the difference between questioning the legitimacy of Obama's kids and questioning his politics, you should be prepared to get called out for the sad, little jerk that you are.

Anonymous said...

Althouse ...It will be fun to watch those adorable girls grow up in the White House... if Obama wins.

This has to be on the list of Stuff White People Like - Little Black Children.

Beldar said...The Obamas' young children are indeed cute, but so too are the Palins'.

Black kid cute > White/2.87% Eskimo cute.

Scientifically proven.

Chip Ahoy said...

I love it when our hostess laughs. It makes me glee.

This is going to be a fine day. Days like today make me happy to be a U.S. citizen, part of it all, and not just an observer wistfully looking in.

It's like God is watching us duke it out in fluffy mittens, with the whole world watching too, another timed and supremely serene and engaging revolution.

That's if you discount all the noise, of course.

integrity said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim said...

>>>>What's taking him so long?

He was looking for the option to vote "Present"

Pastafarian said...

"It will be fun to watch those adorable girls grow up in the White House... if Obama wins."

Yes, adorable and fun. It makes the whole bit about disastrous socialist economic policies that will shutter our family business much more palatable. I'm glad that ACORN canceled out the votes of hundreds of thousands of us ignorant typical white people, so that we can have four years of adorable fun.

holdfast said...

Will the elder daughter be old enough for some underage drinking scandals by the end of his 2nd term? I assume the media will cove those with the same glee they applied to the Bush twins and Bristol Palin.....

NOT!

Joan said...

And they seem perpetually normal, which I have never said about a politician or their families in my life.

I mean, who hasn't had a former PLO spokesman and his wife babysit the kids? And who hasn't had his kids baptized by a man who hates our country? Who wouldn't bring their kids to hear his preaching every weekend?

I won't even get into the cognitive dissonance between Michelle's kvetching about all the bills they have to pay to keep those kids ($10,000 a year for sports and activities!) while Obama characterizes his proposed tax increase on the wealthy as just "chump change".

Yep, theirs is a normal life.

bleeper said...

Trevor, you know nothing of me. Now go back to bashing Palin's children, and you will be in a long line of liberal haters.

All hail mixed race children, regardless of who they think they baby daddy is.

TJ said...

You make me sad, bleeper. I hope you have more happiness in your life than your comments here reveal.

bleeper said...

Keep reading, sad Trevor. Do your homework. As I say, you know nothing of my life nor my history or my happiness.

TMink said...

Bleeper, I loathe Senator Obama's policies. I cannot imagine voting for him under any circumstances. I think he is a typical lying politician, and without honor. His election will harm this country greatly I fear.

But those litle girls are innocent. It is not appropriate or seemly to criticize them or cast aspersions their way.

Criticize the Senator, and you have my ear and huzzah. Criticize them, and you are on your own, because they are innocents and you make the rest of us look bad.

Trey

Palladian said...

"Get used to it - it is soon coming to the media near you. Ah, the subtle racism of low expectations. Show up and you will be adored. Kind of like their alledged father. Bleh!"

Wait, is this some sort of Obama-isn't-the-real-father Trutherism? Have I missed some development in psychotic loserville?

Maybe you should follow the lead of Andrew "Glutes" Sullivan and start demanding birth and medical records from the Obamas and genetic testing of their children!

Or maybe you should be a man and drop it.

veni vidi vici said...

What's taking him so long? Well, can't you just picture him in there, behind the curtain looking at the ballot, murmuring to himself, "uh, umm, ah, unhh, uh..."

Knowing Obama, that's gotta be worth at least 7-8 minutes right there!

Question: did people have the same warm and fuzzy feelings about the Bush girls? Chelsea Clinton? Amy Carter? Or is this phenomenon of clucking women fawning over young children of the elite only reserved for the likes of JFK and BHO (which incidentally stands for "JFK wannabe", at least where optics are concerned)?

Just wonderin'.