America!: Election Night (Liveblog)

12:36 a.m. Have decided to stay up all night to follow the presidential elections and possibly the death penalty abolition amendment in California as well as other initiatives. I think I will do it a bit impersonally, though not 'journalistically,' because I like reading about the experiences of people who really are Americans instead of the secondary recipients of the joy or the reverse of American politics overseas.

One of my favourite stories so far: A Fox news channel show analyses 'voter intimidation' in Philadelphia. It consists of one member (apparently) of the New Black Panther Party standing at ease before a voting place, and opening the door for an elderly white lady.

Everyone seems to have voted:

From: @MarthaStewart on Twitter.

Those who also voted included Maria Shriver and her daughter, who both happily voted for Obama; Solange Knowles, Whoopi Goldberg, Carmelita Jeter, Chelsea Clinton, RuPaul, etc. Also, Donald Trump; though whether this is an overall loss or gain for democracy it is impossible to tell.

To put it in historical context, the actress Anika Noni Rose reminded people to treasure their voting rights — that her own great-aunt "was the first Black person to cast a vote in her Fla. town. She was cursed and spat upon."

Apparently journalists become caught up in everything, too:

From @campbell_brown on Twitter.

There have been many blunders made, and strange rules or rumoured rules, for instance that one isn't permitted to publish photos of one's voting ballot in twelve states. There are also strange voting initiatives; according to a commenter on Jezebel, Nebraska is voting on an amendment to "declar[e] hunting and fishing a constitutional right." (iammonsterface)

3:21 a.m. To make some use of my education (hopefully without making errors in the English-to-Greek translation), behold η ακμη της δημοκρατίας :
The Huffington Post's rather depressing summary of voter intimidation and other small catastrophes throughout the country.

3:53 a.m. Some schadenfreude may have been felt (by me) now that Wisconsin, the home state of Paul Ryan and host to the collective bargaining rights fiasco under Gov. Scott Walker, has been projected to be for Obama.

3:56 a.m. Out of idle curiosity I have consulted the New York Times's website's former election maps — I was glued to the 2004 map during my first year at UBC so I remember it well — and here is Wisconsin's recent presidential voting record:

2004: 49.76% Kerry / 49.36% Bush
2008: 56.3% Obama / 42.4% McCain

Wikipedia helps with the 2000 and 1996 elections. Based on the figures given I have hastily calculated (warning: not reliable) that in 2000 Bush had 47.69% as opposed to Gore's 47.91%; in 1996 Dole had 38.48% versus Clinton's 48.81%. So it is definitely a Democratic-leaning state.

It also makes me happy that Claire McCaskill has apparently beat Todd Akin for a senator's seat in Missouri. The defeat couldn't have happened to a lovelier soul. In the words of @AlexCarpenter:

"The Rape guy lost" "Which one?" Your party has serious issues if people have to ask "Which one?" #GOP #itstheTwentyFirstCentury

The Greek newspaper I follow on Twitter is keeping up to date, too. It reports, thanks to ABC, a Νίκη Ομπάμα στη Μινεσότα — Minnesota, which Obama did win heavily in 2008 too.

In Colorado, a voter initiative is attempting to legalize weed . . .

4:55 a.m. Michelle Obama writes, reconcilingly: "More than anything, I want to thank you all for everything. I am so grateful to every one of you for your support and your prayers. –mo" (@MichelleObama) She posted the message 16 minutes ago (as of . . . now) and it already has 7,118 'retweets.'

5:17 a.m. Barack Obama has possibly won? (Taking into account votes in California?) He has written:

This happened because of you. Thank you.

At the same time there are early reports that he has conquered in Ohio. And now:

We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you. -bo 

and

Four more years.

5:33 a.m. CNN and other outlets seem to be saying that Obama has won, too . . . !!

5:39 a.m. Defense correspondent for NPR, @larrybarnaby, reports the scene from Romney's headquarters:

Mood funereal at Romney Hq, people hugging, crying.

6:33 a.m. The New York Times online (apparently) calls the election for Obama. Still no concession speech of Romney; the Republicans are, per C-Span feed, watching CNN dourly while the Democrats are dancing, waving flags, holding up four fingers ('four more years!') and listening to music.

6:37 a.m. Worth celebrating: America's first openly gay senator, and a lady, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

6:52 a.m. Chant of "Mitt!" at the Republican headquarters, with whistles. Now "U-S-A." CONCESSION!

6:56 a.m. Mitt Romney is eerily cheerful. "Besides my wife, Ann, Paul is the best choice I've ever made." All righty then. Wives of his sons are apparently all home-tenders while their husbands campaign . . . Now he reconciles with teachers.

"Job creators." Oh, there's the old Romney.

"Governor Romney is conceding the race with a classy speech," writes the NAACP.

7:02 a.m. Loud cheers amongst the Democrats. "Four more years!" is their chant. A video of Edith Childs and the "Fired up? — Ready to go!" chant is played.

7:22 a.m. I'll have to go to university so I can't listen to Obama's speech. But it's been well worth the white night, and I am going to rest contented that the US and the world are safe again for four years! I hope this is not exorbitantly optimistic but rather a prediction of nice things to come — though the absence of new wars and so on is already a very good thing per se.