Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Winners of U.S. Elections: Women, Gays, Latinos, People of Color, Climate, Young People (Losers: Angry White Males, Catholic Bishops, Knights of Columbus)



Well, that was quite a night, wasn't it?  I couldn't be happier to have been proven very wrong about my fears that the Republicans would find a way back into power last evening.  And at the risk of boring readers who are already thoroughly saturated with news commentary, including the many good readers of this blog outside the U.S., for whom our American navel-gazing is surely a bore, I thought I'd simply recap here some of my favorite quips and comments from folks following the election results last evening:



Dear GOP: You can piss off the women some of the time, & the Latinos some of the time, but you can't piss off both all the time.


Obama wins with 75% of the Latino vote.

Lucy Kafanof tweeted (with perhaps a smidgeon of snark),

Weird. Looks like legitimate rape is not having a good night.

On his Facebook page, Waymon Hudson wrote,

Romney can keep his #BindersFullOfWomen... I'll take a #SenateFullOfWomen instead.


PRO TIP: If you'd like to be a member of the U.S. Senate don't say ridiculously offensive things about rape.


Todd Akin's losing. I guess the body politic has a biological mechanism to shut down rather than allow a jerk to win.


The certain consequence of Obama's win is that Obamacare begins in 2014 and 30 million (or so) Americans get health insurance.


THIS JUST IN! it seems that #marriageequality is winning in all 4 States!? THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN A POPULAR VOTE(sorry for the shouting).

At its Facebook page, Matthew Shepard Foundation wrote,

America has now for the first time elected someone who publicly endorses same-sex marriage as President of the United States, and elected its first openly lesbian U.S. Senator, among so many other successes the LGBT community and its staunch allies achieved tonight. Keep using your voice in support of equality for all Americans, you are winning!


40% of voters in CBS exit poll said GOP's position on climate change was important factor in voting other way.

Jon Schwarz tweeted, tongue firmly planted in cheek,

Nate Silver being right brings up the very real and terrifying possibility that climate scientists are too.


BREAKING: Young voters are coming out more than in 2008! We’re 19% of the electorate! via @futuremajority #YouthPower.

In the "Do you think?!" category, Mike Huckabee stated,*

Republicans have done a pathetic job of reaching out to people of color.

And I want to reply with snark, "Oh, so that's what the GOP has been doing to people of color."

After the dust had begun to settle, Jason Linkins tweeted,

Mitch McConnell vows to make Barack Obama a two-term president.

If the news reports I'm reading as the day breaks are correct,

  • Tammy Baldwin has been elected the first out gay senator in the U.S. Senate.
  • Claire McCaskill defeated the odious Todd Akin in Missouri.
  • Joe Donnelly trounced the equally odious Richard Mourdock in Indiana.
  • The odious Joe Walsh went down in defeat to Tammy Duckworth in Illinois.
  • Marriage equality won in all four states in which it was put to ballot tests.**

The graphic: Wapatv in San Juan, Puerto Rico, posted this photograph on its Facebook feed after President Obama's re-election last evening, noting

Barack Obama es reelecto a la presidencia de Estados Unidos, según proyecciones de medios. El propio Obama celebra con la publicación de esta foto en Twitter.

I'm grateful to my friend Juan Buono for reposting it at his Facebook page.

Lots of conservative white male heads exploding this morning: how does one say that in Spanish?  In the voice of a woman and/or a gay or lesbian person?

Wonder what the bishops are doing this morning.  If I were they, I think I'd be on my knees praying for forgiveness for the millions they and their Knights of Columbus bedfellows have been throwing away to attack their gay brothers and sisters, while children go hungry in many places and in need of basic healthcare across the planet.

*Note that in the same broadcast, Rev. Huckabee also predicted that yesterday would be like his slickly organized and eminently hateful "National Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" this summer, with rural voters cramming the polls to vote Mr. Romney and Republicans into office.  Turns out he was wrong.

**Well, I'm not 100% sure that this is the case, as of the time I posted this piece today.  I am reading credible news reports that in Minnesota, the marriage amendment failed, and that marriage equality also won the day in both Maine and Maryland.  Less sure about Washington state.

No, more information: Lila Shapiro is stating at Huffington Post that marriage equality definitely won in Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota, and appears headed to victory in Washington state, where the tallies are slow to be gathered due to mail-in ballots.

No comments: