Chicago: home of the President of the United fucking States

Guys, I'm going to go ahead and call it at 3:30 CDT.

I bet someone called it halfway through Obama's speech at the 2004 Dem convention.

Hey, did you guys see the names on the sample ballot that the voting folks use to show how to vote? There was one section "Chicago Arts Commissioner", and the choices were Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy -- the whole thing had some good lolz.

not lulzy:

the old man election judge who looked at me and hissed "you're all voting for obama, aren't you. you should be voting mccain"

i tried to call that hotline jenny's working for and it put me on hold forever so i had to get off.

hay does anyone have any tickets for 2nite!!! ive changed my mind and now i want to go

The proper response is "Step aside, old man. You're on the bus or you're under it."

also may i recommend a downtown stop w/ free drinx!!!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=14889794956

WHOA. That's fucked up!

Jenny had some interesting stories of shenanigans in Indiana - like the Republican poll-watcher who was asking people who they were voting for, and asking to see their licenses in an effort to disqualify them based on their addresses.

man, I would have outed his bullshit right there in line, I live for that stuff

obv xp to Amanda

i glared at him and then loudly told another judge what he said
her response: "he's mean"

that's why i called the hotline.

Oh man, I wish I could have met that fucker.

Lemme at him!!

he's old, fat, seated and sitting at the nursing home at sheridan and chase

(not a resident, at least not that i know of)

I bet Joe Biden will drop in at that Q-Tip listening party.

Anything can happen -- Joe Biden was at my high school last night!

Joe Biden thinks that sweater brings out your eye color nicely.

http://barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com/

Joe Biden doesn't know that I have been wearing this very sweater since I was in the high school he was at last night.

Amanda, I shared your horrible experience with Jenny and she said to email here: http://www.nationalcampaignforfairelections.org/page/s/sharestory

I learned last night that there's a law in Canada that forbids the media from talking about election results at all until all off the polls have closed nationwide. In last month's election, this meant that bloggers were all on top of the story for hours before the media could legally announce anything.

this is obv a pretty new measure - but most (but not all) bloggers kept quiet as they feared going to jail.

This show talked about the election -- from what they said, it sounded like some Canadians living abroad (on foreign servers) covered it.

lol @ my sister sending me a someecard

http://mail2.someecards.com/filestorage/soto_59.jpg

i got a good amount of work done today so i am now feeling more interested in leaving the house tonight, though probably only to a bar that is nowhere near downtown ... anything brewing?

the hideout is having a party that i will stop by
same with danny's

i wanted to leave work early but i was told that i have to stay "at least" until 5:30

;_;

basically i want everyone to come to a bar near my house, where i will probably hang out for about an hour or so before i go home, leaving everyone else at the bar

ok?

theenks, but no theenks

dudes m@x is hanging at the election party w/college pal who worked on the campaign which might mean he will be touching the hem of his garment or something o_O

I think matttttt, margs, and I might be at Small Bar for a while. Or I might be there by myself. Who the hell knows?

IM SO EXCIIIITEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ COSIGN

i was beaming when i left the polling place

ppl in my neighborhood are CIVICALLY INVOLVED. everyone is wearing stickers, and a v v pretty 20 y/o girl was walking down the street chanting O-B-A-M-A. it was annoying, but whatever, she was cuet and the sun is shining

ugh fuck me why tf is tmobile not working!!! i cant get a call through at all

i have to admit that sitting here covering the late shift in a quiet, windowless office is sort of an anticlimactic way to spend the warmest, most beautiful, most historic election day of my lifetime so far.

:(

fuck it our celebration is that we ordered a pizza

just got back from drinking outside in this glorious weather! Now we are going to stay in and await what is hopefully the good news...we also just ordered a pizza, it is that kind of night.

Also have an expensive bottle of wine in the wings. by "expensive," I mean not two-buck-chuck.

three bucks here, pal

can someone give me some interesting election news please? i am at a computer that is too slow to load any fancy infographics and i want info.

I've got one bottle of good Champagne that I've had stowed away for about five years, and I'm gonna get it out tonight.

Talking Points Memo has some info.

Amanda, I don't think there's any real news yet, and probably won't be until polls start closing at 7 est.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so excited you guys!

i went there and there was a giant map that refused to load and some shit about robocalls in florida.

just get me outta here! i was so excited all day and now i feel like i am wearing a muzzle. no likey!

Meantime, Obama returned from a rally in Indiana to play a pickup game of baskeball at a Attack Athletics, a West Side gym. As is is custom before a big election, Obama likes to play ball with Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan.

He will spend the evening watching returns at the Hyatt Regency on Wacker Drive before moving a few blocks south to the rally in Grant Park later tonight.The stage where Obama will deliver either a victory or concession speech is simply adorned with a series of American flags in front of a blue wall. It's a far cry from the Greek columns and highly stylized backdrop the campaign used at the National Convention in Denver.

Traffic around the park has been re-routed, and there is no parking for miles around the site. Once spectators get here, there's only one way in, through an entrance at Congress and Michigan Avenue. The park doesn't open until 8:30 p.m. but long lines are expected. Once inside, people will be directed to one of two locations in Grant Park.

View Map Of Grant Park

Ticketed guests will go to Hutchinson Field. Inside, the speakers' podium is flanked by two large panes of bulletproof glass. Most of the ticketed guests will stand to the side of the podium; only the most important VIPs will get a position in front of the podium. Everyone has to pass through metal detectors.

The rest of the public can watch the action on video screens set up on the north side of Grant Park in Butler Field.

Right now, all streets around Grant Park are closed. Right now, drivers are unable to park on the street anywhere from Lake Michigan to the Kennedy/Dan Ryan Expressway, and from Cermak north to the Chicago River. People are encouraged to take public transportation.

ahhhhh news
thank you

nothing on local broadcasts, most 5:00 news broadcasts are just doing regular news with some election stuff up front, only channel doing election-only is fox (I#@)$(@#)$)

Yeah this is going to be fun. I'm rooting against Elizabeth Dole extra hard. There is no Dole!

A bunch of Ohio ppl yelling cheering and hugging at Small Bar, and quite a few smiling happy ppl on the streets during the walk home. Happy election everybody!