A couple of weeks ago the Georgia legislature, in its infinite and abiding wisdom, passed a measure which would allow concealed weapons in bars, parks and on mass transit.  Oddly enough, a number of Atlantans seem to think this is a bad idea - particularly restaurateurs, transit folks and the guy who runs the airport.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and others have urged Governor Sonny Perdue to veto this measure on the grounds that it's sheer idiocy liable to encourage vigilantism, not to mention terribly difficult to enforce the honor system when drinking is involved.  I honestly don't know about the vigilantism argument, but I grok the drunken stupidity one completely.  We get enough club shootings in downtown ATL; I've no idea why the legislature would want to encourage more of them.

What is disturbing, aside from the idea of guns on the buses, or in the airport, or in the punch-drunk clubs at 3 AM, is the fact that it's terribly easy to get a CCW (concealed carry permit) in Georgia.  We're a shall-issue state, which means if you can buy a handgun, you can get a CCW.  You don't even have to take safety training or prove you know how to use the darned thing.

I'm not entirely anti-gun.  They have their places and their uses, but this proposal is a bad idea and Perdue needs to consider much more than his NRA street cred when deciding whether or not to sign this thing into law.

The local NBC station reports that a Georgia woman is requesting that the state court of appeals reconsider her sexual assault case.  The article also indicates her intention to appeal to the state Supreme Court.  It appears she was a student at Mercer University in 2003.  She claims to have been raped there while at a fraternity house.  The original judge in the case:

determined lacerations do not prove rape, and that she had to list her past sexual partners, since only virgins can bring a case for sexual battery in civil court.

I am not aware of any legal virginity requirement* as a prerequisite to pursuing rape charges, particularly when the victim can present corroborating evidence commonly accepted by most courts run by judges of less than 10% Neanderthal heritage - namely, lacerations.

So, it's bad enough this throwback to the 1300s relies on faulty synaptic wiring to reach a conclusion my doormat would know was incorrect, he orders the woman to pay the defendant's legal fees - since, you know, she's not a virgin and therefore cannot be raped.  But the real kicker is this - the defendant in this case is Daniel Day, who happens to be the son of Georgia State Representative Burke Day, whose name you just might recognize from the Days Inn hotel chain.

The defendant's attorney maintains his client's innocence, of course, and suggests the victim was only faking it to extort cash out of the family.  'Cause it's such a fun way to spend your time, taking the stand and testifying in your rape case against the guy who (edited 04/03/08 at 4:30 to add the word allegedly, which I've just realized was forgotten when I first posted) assaulted you, and having to lay out your entire life and sexual history for complete strangers to "ooh," and "aah" and envy you over.  It's like conga-ing barefoot with Pol Pot across a field of broken glass interspersed with rotting meat.  Ooh fun.  Sign me up!

The judge's name is not mentioned in this article, but the victim's is.  Some people just use up entirely too much air for no good purpose.

---

*  I recognize that civil law differs from criminal, and that for a very long time women, and their virginity, were treated, and considered under law, as men's property.  The civil case, in those days, would have arisen from the father's loss of money (in terms of having to provide a larger dowry to form a less favorable marraige, or in terms of thereby being saddled with the care of his damaged goods for the rest of her life).  I am not, however, aware of any such law currently on Georgia's books.  If I am mistaken in this, please let me know so I can begin writing the appropriate letters.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) is such a credit to the state.  I really cannot tell you how impressed I am to find him in the Washington Post griping about the idea of actually having to, you know, work for his paycheck next year.

Kingston's not up in arms about the deterioration of real wages for working people, or the decline of the manufacturing industry causing loss of jobs in his home state, or even, like our own dear state legislature, peeved at the idea that he can't get pre-sweetened tea on demand.  No, he's ticked that he'll be forced to show up for work before 6:30 PM on Mondays and won't be able to leave before 2:00 PM on Fridays once Congress reconvenes on January 4, 2007.

Poor, poor man.  He says his marriage will suffer in his absence.  Perhaps he should ask those of his constituency who work double shifts to make ends meet, or those husbands and wives who pass in the night working opposite shifts because they cannot afford childcare, or those where a spouse accepts a job with constant, unrelenting travel because no other viable option presents itself, for tips on how they make it work, this marriage and family thing, with the constant demands of time away.  At least Kingston has the comfort of a fat paycheck, and a secure pension, and snazzy little fundraisers to break the monotony of the hell-on-wheels that is the long commuting cubicle maze of today's working family.

Kingston maintains time in the district keeps him grounded, that it's too easy to be seduced by the "Mr. Congressman" kowtowing found in Washington DC.  If the siren's song is one he hasn't the fortitude to fight on his own, there exist bloggers who are quite amenable to keeping his feet firmly planted on earth.  Amazingly enough, these bloggers are accessible even from the hallowed halls of Congress.

I empathize with the poor man, being forced to keep a seat warm for more than 1000 hours a year when he'd much rather spend time with his family, or on the lecture circuit, or raising money at fancy dos for his next campaign.  It's terrible, this having to work for a living, a crying shame, a travesty of justice.

Poor Jack.  Poor Georgia, being represented by a man who finds the duty for which he volunteered so onerous.  Maybe next election Mr. Kingston will get what he apparently truly desires: permission to stay home.  Permanently.

You may or may not be aware of the case of Sergio Hernandez.

He's from Cobb County, Georgia (home of the infamous "evolution is just a theory" stickers for science textbooks).  He's either 21 or 22 years old.  He impregnated a 15 year old.  After the family obtained a restraining order at the girl's request (because she feared him), he broke in, kidnapped her and the baby at gunpoint from her mother's home, and fled to North Carolina, where he was apprehended.

The man is in custody.  This, in my view as a parent, is a good thing.  If my 15 year old child were taken from my home at gunpoint and other members of my family threatened with death if they attempted to intervene, I don't believe I'd be disposed to welcome the "alleged" felon into my family.  I believe I'd be inclined to think he belonged in jail for a spell (where I tend to think most kidnappers should idle for at least a while), regardless of whether my underage child had ever consented to a sexual relationship before filing for and receiving a restraining order.

Jim Wooten at AJC's Thinking Right, however, writes in today's column:

Is he serious?  I don't know; he sounds serious.  If so, he might as well "promote marriage" between female victims of sexual assault and their oh so magnanimous rapists.  This girl is a child - 14 when the relationship began with the 20 or 21 year old (presumably, at the time). I wonder if Mr. Wooten has ever heard the term "statutory rape," which is defined according to the official Georgia Code:

Aside from the issues of multiple violations of a duly issued restraining order, kidnapping of two minors at gunpoint, and interstate flight (which, were the girl a wealthy Buckhead deb instead of, well, not, would probably be sufficient to put him away for some time), if Hernandez was 21 when he impregnated this girl, he owes the state a minimum of 10 years.

Marriage, really?  Should Nicole Simpson simply have sucked it up and remarried OJ?  Should Elizabeth Smart just have submitted to a forced plural marriage?

Consenting to sex, once or even many times, does not mean a female abdicates her right to make any and all other decisions for herself, including whether or not she wants to run away with a man whom she clearly fears.  And, particularly in the case of minors unable to  legally consent (that would be people under the age of 16 in Georgia, remember), it is the state's responsibility to protect both the minor's and the parents' interests from sexual predators who would prey upon them, assault them, threaten to kill their families, and forcibly remove them from their homes.

Or perhaps Mr. Wooten was making a joke.  If so, he's just as funny as Michael Richards.

In his infinite wisdom, Georgia state Rep. Bobby Franklin prefiled House Bill 1 (HB1) for the upcoming General Assembly legislative session.  Such an innocuous title, HB1, but that's because they have not yet come up with a title that appropriately masks the intent to use women as breeding stock in appropriately pious terms.

HB1, you see, proposes a ban on all abortions, at any time, for any reason.   It includes no exceptions, not for rape, not for incest, not for health, not even to save a woman's own life. 

In addition to asserting that the State of Georgia knows life begins at conception (which, last I checked, was still up for debate in terms of sentience), Franklin suggests several findings of fact:

(6) Studies have shown that women who have had an abortion require psychological treatment of such symptoms as nervous disorders, sleep disturbances, and deep regrets, with 25 percent of one test group of women who have had abortions visiting a psychiatrist while only 3 percent of a control group did so;

(7) Another random study showed that at least 19 percent of women who have had an abortion suffered from diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, with 50 percent suffering from many, but not all, symptoms of that disorder, and 20 to 40 percent of the women studied showed moderate to high levels of stress and avoidance behavior relative to their abortion experience;

(8) Approximately 60 percent of women who have had an abortion and who reported post-abortion trauma also reported suicidal tendencies with 28 percent actually attempting suicide, of whom half attempted suicide two or more times;

As relates to the mental health aspect, correlation does not prove causation between 2 variables.  This is both  a widely accepted scientific standard and a fundamental tenet of the practice of accurate science.  It is as likely that women with existing mental health problems are more likely to seek and abortion as it is that abortion causes mental illness.  It is equally as likely that some third, unmeasured variable contributes (either equally or in some measurable part) to both mental illness and the likelihood of abortion.  On cannot reasonably infer cause from this presentation - just because A frequently accompanies B, does not mean A actually equals B.

(11)  Most couples find abortion to be an event which shatters their relationship, causing chronic marital troubles and divorce

So can marital infidelity, or having the in-laws move in for a few months, or a move, or the prolonged illness and subsequent death of a loved one, or being out of work for a period of time, or deciding you just can't take the snoring any more - I don't see the GGA moving to outlaw any of those in favor of protecting Georgia's marriages.  And I bet plenty could use a law forbidding the in-laws from moving in.

(12) Abortion exploits women, treating them and their children as mere property, and abortion is contrary to feminist values, and the great suffragette Susan B. Anthony referred to abortion as 'child murder';

Correction: if the decision of whether or not to abort is left to me and my doctor, the state is treating me like a sentient, adult human in full possession of my faculties and able to make my own medical decisions for my own health and well-being.  If, on the other hand, the state insists that I cannot terminate any pregnancy under any circumstances, ever, it is treating me as nothing more than a baby-factory, worth only so much as the children I can spit out.  Which sounds more like property to you?

(15) The practice of abortion has caused the citizens of this state an inestimable amount economically including, but not limited to, the costs and tax burden of having to care for individuals and their families for the conditions cited above, as well as a significant reduction of the tax base and of the availability of workers, entrepreneurs, teachers, employees, and employers that would have significantly contributed to the prosperity of this state. (emphasis mine)

Ah, truth in advertising at least; buried in the fine print, but still.  Abortion is bad because it means women produce fewer workers who can pay more taxes and consume more goods to support political fat-cats and corporate CEOs in their quest for more wealth.  Women who have abortions are bad because they refuse to contribute to the tax base as often as biologically possible.

In other words, women are only as good as the last taxpayer they birthed.  Otherwise, they should probably just shut up, submit to their husbands and try to stay out of therapy.

This is a terrible law on a number of levels.  South Dakota sort of surprised conventional wisdomers by defeating a similar law in the recent elections.  If Georgians seriously want to be viewed as equal citizens, and not backwards, uneducated, secret Ned Beatty-lovers, we'll need to do the same.  Passing such a bill, codifying forced pregnancy, makes us no better than the Chinese, who require abortions.  Both treat women as inconvenient, ancillary chattel to be worked around - like some sort of absurd lamp in the middle of a room, turning it on when absolutely necessary, but otherwise cursing its exasperating unwieldiness.

"We got our clock cleaned," the spokesman for Democrat Mark Taylor's failed gubernatorial bid told a friend at Taylor's Buckhead campaign headquarters. It was the day after Taylor was trounced by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, and the Democratic soul-searching had already begun.  (AJC)

In an election year when Democrats nationwide swept into the once sacrosanct offices of Republican incumbents, Georgia Democrats were well and truly spanked.  They took no new seats, barely held onto the ones they had, and lost vacancies to the GOP.  They're now looking for ways retool the state party, hoping to hit the ground walking in 2008.  I, internationally respected political strategist that I am -

Sorry, had to get my tongue out of my cheek.

---

I have some unsolicited advice.

1)  Prove you exist.
Yes, cogito ergo sum, but that doesn't matter much in the world you inhabit.  It's all well and good to have a statewide party blog that has seen exactly one update since July of 2006, or a website boasting one update since August 2006, but it's not exactly visible.  I take that back - it's not all well and good.  It's downright bad, smacking of disinterest and lethargy.  Better to have no blog or website at all than one you can't be bothered to update even when you're trying to convert the state.  Update your electronic media regularly - and tell people it exists, for pete's sake.

Do the same for your candidates, whom the state party largely left out to dry this year.  After I finally figured out what my new congressional district is, I googled for the Democratic challenger, whose name I did not know and had to locate, and eventually found his website.  Took me the better part of a day - and, I'm very interested in politics.  Your average citizen is not, and will not take the kind of time I did to find someone if they don't show up on the first page of Google after a three-word search.

You don't exist if we can't find you.

2)  Clean yourself up and get out of the house.
I have no idea where the local arm of the party is, how to contact them, or if they even exist.  And I'm a person very interested in politics.  Establish a local presence in every congressional district or county, and publicize that you're there.  Really, take an ad out in the local news and local access cable, post it on library and church bulletin boards, call folks (who aren't on the do not call list) and invite them to come.  Provide childcare so working people can attend without having to pay a babysitter; provide coffee, juice and a plate of cookies.  Make the meeting like going to a friend's house (or have it actually in someone's house), so people feel comfortable and invited and want to come back.

You can't expect to be asked out on a date if you won't get out of the house.

3)  Hit the road.  Now.
I've never met my Congressman, my governor, either of my Senators, or even my state representatives.  They all happen to be Republican, of course, but I've never met a Democrat looking to hold the office, either.  I remember growing up in the suburbs of Memphis, I met Ed Bryant once or twice a year at one dinky little event or another.  He was a nice man.  I liked him.  He is also an extremely conservative Republican, but I was predisposed to him because I had actually met the man.  Since he was the incumbent, and everything with us seemed fine, and I wasn't terribly interested in politics at the time, voting for the guy I had met, and liked, instead of some other guy I didn't know seemed a pretty rational choice.

Lots of people aren't going to vote for you if they don't know who you are, so now that you're out of the house it's time for a road trip.  Go to the dinky fairs and festivals.  Hang out at the town squares.  Check out some of the local theatre.  Sit in on some public school board meetings.  Have coffee with locals.  Let them get to know you personally, and like you.  Start now.  Maybe next election when they're at the polls they'll think, "Well, I met Democrat X twice last year at the Onion Festival and Bob's BBQ, and Republican Y probably couldn't find my town on a map.  I liked Democrat X, too."  Maybe they'll give you a shot.

The car won't go anywhere if you don't get in and drive.

4)  Don't be disingenuous.  Be articulate.
"I'm a good person and I'd like a chance" will get you in the door, but it won't get you invited to stay for dinner.  This is a pot luck dinner, and you've got to bring something to the party to be asked to stay.  Don't attack Republicans for things they didn't, exactly, do.  Focus on what they did, or did not, do and how that affects the average voter.  Don't attack the opposition for things they - didn't quite - do, and don't try to fudge your record to make it look like you sponsored or supported something you did not.

Come armed with facts, not platitudes, and use them, forcefully.  Stop being coy about what you want, or don't want, for Georgia in general and your constituents in particular.  Formulate your platform, believe in it, and give the people a reason to believe in it, too.  Hire a good speech writer and researcher who shares your vision, and believes in it, and will write with all of the passion you feel.  But remember that you are the candidate and you have to follow up.

We want honesty in government, not just sound bites on TV.

5)  Remember who your boss is.
I am.  My neighbor is.  The woman down the street with 15 cats?  She's your boss, too.  Find out what matters to us, not to the folks in DC, or New York, or Oregon or even in the next county.  Yes, there will be some overlap, but if you want to represent us, you've got to work for us, and you can't do that if you assume we want all of the same things they want.  I'll just about guarantee you we don't.

You'll never really know what we want, either, if you don't get out of the house, hit the road, and talk to us, which leads us to...

6)  Money
A political dirty word and a political reality, we all know you need money to finance a viable campaign these days.  Here's an idea, though, in addition to those $500 per plate shindigs you like to hold downtown, host a $20 per plate event at the local Lions or Rotary club.  People who could never afford the big gala, or who simply aren't interested in dealing with downtown Atlanta, might be persuaded to attend something relatively inexpensive and local.  I know you probably can't get the really big names for these sorts of things, but contact every Southern Democrat you know and ask.  The worst they can say is no.  And if they're on board with Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, they might say yes.

And speaking of Howard Dean, ask him for money.

7)  Hold on to your volunteers, people.
After I finally found the Democratic congressional challenger, I wrote him an email.  To give credit where it's due, he wrote me back.  He did.  Not some mailbot with a canned response.  I appreciated that.  We emailed back and forth a couple of times, and I finally asked him if he needed any volunteers for anything.

I didn't hear back from him.

If you get a volunteer, put him to work immediately, even if you have to make something up - which you shouldn't have to do.  As the longshot underdog party in a state that barely knows you exist, you should have plenty of legitimate work for people to do.  If you let a volunteer slip away, you lose not just one activist, but their family and friends, their connections and their community.  And then you lose the election.

Besides, you need the volunteers to tell people you exist, to get you out of your own house and into other people's homes, to navigate the road for you, to tell you what they and their neighbors really care about, and to find you some money. 

Volunteers aren't just for phone banks anymore - they're the lifeblood of your party and you are hemorrhaging.

---

That's it.  I've been thinking about this for a few months, watching your dormant websites and waiting to hear from a candidate who would bother to ask me, personally, for my vote.  No one ever did.

Shorter Kiosan:  Get out and personally ask people for their votes.  Sitting back and waiting for them to come to you obviously isn't working.

 

Update:  Amy at Georgia Women Vote has some thoughts on the matter, as well.

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Okay, it's almost 2:00 am and I'm about to give out.  But really, who can call CNN liberal when its commentators lob softballs at Sen John McCain (R-AZ) like , "maybe Americans support the war, but don't like the way it's played out."  Give me a break.  I don't even self-identify as Democrat and that comes off as entirely lame.  If that's the best Larry King has, he really needs to stick with asking Madonna why she wants to adopt African babies.

---

Georgia Governor:
96% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 57.7%
Mark Taylor (D): 38.5%

Essentially a "stay the course" state this year, Georgia incumbents, both Republican and Democrat, lead in their races.  There are only about 3 of the latter, two of whom were targeted by Republicans but maintain slim margins.

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  52.0%
Davis (D):  45.3%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.6%
Mahoney (D):  49.6%

Florida House - 22nd:
Shaw (R):  46.9%
Klein (D):  51.1%

---

Ohio Governor:
78.16% Reporting
Blackwell (R):  37.57%
Strickland (D):  59.61%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  44.92%
Brown (D):  55.04%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district according to CNN.

---

Missouri Senate:
3335 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  47.4%
Claire McCaskill (D):  49.4%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  50.1%
Against:  49.9%

* Predominantly urban counties not reporting yet.

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting
Bob Corker (R):  51.5%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  47.2%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  83.5%
Against:  16.5%

---

Virginia Senate:
99.63% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.56%
Jim Webb (D): 49.23%.

Fewer than three thousand votes separate Allen from Webb.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.17%
Against:  41.83%

Heavily Democratic districts reported to be those still uncounted.

---

**  Candy Crowley - "now the Democrats have a microphone," but they still can't actually do anything.  I'll admit they're hamstrung with regard to overall policy, but - as of yet - there's no law saying they have to fund Bush's game of Battleship.

**  Larry King - Virginia could take a month.  Amy Holmes (presumably that's the spelling; CNN didn't bother to put it up, as far as I could see) says "yeah."

**  They still have Montana for Tester.

**  Ooh, Jeffrey Toobin says Virginia might not be decided for a month.  Back when the democracy was actually functional, we usually has to wait a bit for results.  I'm okay with that.

**  Toobin notes: Democrats are still enraged about Florida."  Jeffrey, I hate to break it to you, but it's not just Democrats.  And we wouldn't be "enraged" if those damned "activist judges" hadn't stopped the recount and denied Americans their franchise because they mistakenly thought expediency more of a constitutional imperative than accuracy.

!! Talent (R-MO) concedes, maybe.  Who the fuck knows since CNN cut him off.

 

Holy hell, CNN says they think McCaskill won.  I can't believe Blitzer managed to choke that out without double-taking the teleprompter.

Greenfield says there was that Katrina thing too, not just Foley and Iraq.  He's such a gent.

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Well, hot damn, it's past midnight and the election ain't over yet.  Somebody let WaPo know they were off by just a tad.

---

Georgia Governor:
94% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 57.9%
Mark Taylor (D): 38.3%

Essentially a "stay the course" state this year, Georgia incumbents, both Republican and Democrat, lead in their races.  There are only about 3 of the latter, two of whom were targeted by Republicans but maintain slim margins.

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  52.0%
Davis (D):  45.3%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.6%
Mahoney (D):  49.6%

Florida House - 22nd:
Shaw (R):  46.9%
Klein (D):  51.1%

Look, if you want to know about Katherine Harris, she's lost.  She lost before she entered, and her freaky campaign only compounded that.  If you're a Kitten fan, then I don't know what to tell you.  There's quite a bit I could say about the chica, but once the certifiably crazy person has undeniably lost the race, making gratuitous fun of her sort of loses its appeal.  She has a book coming out.  You can read that if you really need a fix.

---

Ohio Governor:
78.16% Reporting
Blackwell (R):  37.57%
Strickland (D):  59.61%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  44.92%
Brown (D):  55.04%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district according to CNN.

---

Missouri Senate:
3009 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  48.0%
Claire McCaskill (D):  48.7%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  49.7%
Against:  50.3%

* Predominantly urban counties not reporting yet.

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting
Bob Corker (R):  51.5%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  47.2%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  83.5%
Against:  16.5%

I think my cousins in Tennessee may have disowned me.

---

Virginia Senate:
99.47% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.36%
Jim Webb (D): 49.43%.

Fewer than three thousand votes separate Allen from Webb.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.17%
Against:  41.83%

Heavily Democratic districts reported to be those still uncounted.

---

**  Larry King to Barack Obama (D-IL), "Let's say the Senate is very close, or tied, or whatever."  Whatever?  Maybe Larry should stick with interviewing the gum-smacking Britney Spears about her break up with K. Fed.  Maude, I don't know of anyone really following this election who's saying "whatever."

**  Candy wants closure.  Wah.  Go to bed, wake up, and find out then along with the rest of us.

**  Montana doesn't list its results online.  CNN is showing Tester significantly ahead of Conrad.

**  Who the fuck is this Amy apologist?  She doesn't appear to own a single original thought, and she hasn't the Q rating to claim them as her own.

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Well, hot damn, it's past midnight and the election ain't over yet.  Somebody let WaPo know they were off by just a tad.

---

Georgia Governor:
93% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 57.2%
Mark Taylor (D): 39.0%

Essentially a "stay the course" state this year, Georgia incumbents, both Republican and Democrat, lead in their races.  There are only about 3 of the latter, two of whom were targeted by Republicans but maintain slim margins.

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  51.9%
Davis (D):  45.4%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.6%
Mahoney (D):  49.6%

Florida House - 22nd:
Shaw (R):  46.9%
Klein (D):  51.1%

---

Ohio Governor:
78.16% Reporting
Blackwell (R):  37.98%
Strickland (D):  59.21%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  45.32%
Brown (D):  54.64%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district according to CNN.

---

Missouri Senate:
2466 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  50.1%
Claire McCaskill (D):  46.4%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  48.4%
Against:  51.6%

* Predominantly urban counties not repoting yet.

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting (Shelby County still not reporting)
Bob Corker (R):  54.7%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  43.8%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  84.7%
Against:  15.3%

---

Virginia Senate:
99.26% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.36%
Jim Webb (D): 49.44%.

Fewer than three thousand votes separate Allen from Webb.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.18%
Against:  41.82%

Heavily Democratic districts reported to be those still uncounted.

---

**  Larry King to Barack Obama (D-IL), "Let's say the Senate is very close, or tied, or whatever."  Whatever?  Maybe Larry should stick with interviewing the gum-smacking Britney Spears about her break up with K. Fed.  Maude, I don't know of anyone really following this election who's saying "whatever."

**  CNN continuously states a difference of 1% or less results in an automatic recount, if the candidate requests it.  The clauses contradict themselves.  Either it's automatic, or the candidates must request it.  CNN is nothing but muddy on which it is.  Either way, Allen has called it a night and will await the recount.

!!Hastert (D-IL and probably reelected) (Lame Duck Speaker) concedes Democratic majority!! 

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Georgia Governor:
85% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 58.0%
Mark Taylor (D): 38.3%

Essentially a "stay the course" state this year, Georgia incumbents, both Republican and Democrat lead in their races.  There are only about 3 of the latter, two of whom were targeted by Republicans but maintain slim margins.

Dammit if the amendments didn't make it through.  I would really prefer to be able to make my own decisions regarding hunting on my land.  Thanks, Georgia voters, for taking that out of my hands.

Hey, when Sonny gives you your $100K tax break, let me know.  I'd love to blog about it.  Seriously.

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  51.8%
Davis (D):  45.4%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.7%
Mahoney (D):  49.7%

Florida House - 22nd:
Shaw (R):  46.9%
Klein (D):  51.1%

---

Ohio Governor:
53.86% Reporting
Blackwell (R):  38.49%
Strickland (D):  58.68%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  45.91%
Brown (D):  54.04%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district according to CNN.

---

Missouri Senate:
1956 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  51.3%
Claire McCaskill (D):  45.1%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  47.4%
Against:  52.6%

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting (Shelby County still not reporting)
Bob Corker (R):  55.1%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  43.4%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  86.1%
Against:  13.9%

---

Virginia Senate:
97.67% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.47%
Jim Webb (D): 49.33%.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.23%
Against:  41.77%

Heavily Democratic districts reported to be those still uncounted.

---

**  South Dakota likely to defeat abortion ban

**  Rove had to call Bush to tell him Republicans would lose the House.  'Cause you know he couldn't be bothered to keep up with real elections on his own.

** Congratulations, Nancy Pelosi, on cracking the marble ceiling.  Women all over the US, regardless of party affiliation, should be proud to see a woman in that position - particularly women who think Condi (Dr. Rice), smart and accomplished though she is, is considered by the administration as anything other than window dressing for Bush.

**  Ken Mehlman (Chair, RNC) continues to deny reality.  Apparently he accepted the waterboarding equivalent of his own robocalls in order prove they didn't cause brain damage.

!!Hastert (D-IL and probably reelected) (Lame Duck Speaker) concedes Democratic majority!! 

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Georgia Governor:
85% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 58.6%
Mark Taylor (D): 37.6%

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  51.6%
Davis (D):  45.7%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.8%
Mahoney (D):  49.6%

Florida House - 22nd:
Shaw (R):  46.9%
Klein (D):  51.1%

---

Ohio Governor:
53.86% Reporting
Blackwell (R):  37.39%
Strickland (D):  59.65%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  45.08%
Brown (D):  54.88%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district according to CNN.

---

Missouri Senate:
1628 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  51.7%
Claire McCaskill (D):  44.7%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  46.9%
Against:  53.1%

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting (Shelby County not reporting)
Bob Corker (R):  55.0%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  43.5%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  86.4%
Against:  13.6%

---

Virginia Senate:
96.81% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.68%
Jim Webb (D): 49.12%.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.26%
Against:  41.74%

---

**  CNN projects Heath Shuler (barely D) winner in North Carolina's 11th.  This would make 7 pick ups in the House based on their current projections - west of the Mississippi not in yet.

**  Blitzer goes out on a limb and prject Dems will control the House; stil 3 seats away from Senate.

**  Bennett and Watts surmise Bush will discover the veto.

**  Paul Begala, possibly expecting armageddon, calls President Bush a "nice man."

**  Bennett interrupts Carville to inject made-up claptrap.  Carville says "excuse me for speaking first, Mr. Bennett.   I haven't interrupted you all night." 

!!Negron (FL 16th) concedes!!  Blitzer says "Wait, we haven't called that one yet!"

Results Updates (roughly every 30 minutes until I give out):

Georgia Governor:
76% Reporting
Sonny Perdue (R): 59.9%
Mark Taylor (D): 36.3%

---

Florida Governor:
Unknown Reporting
Crist (R):  51.2%
Davis (D):  46.1%

Florida House - 16th (Foley):
Negron (R):  47.8%
Mahoney (D):  49.6%

---

Ohio Governor:
WEBSITE DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE!
Blackwell (R):  37.72%
Strickland (D):  59.41%

Ohio Senate:
DeWine (R):  45.34%
Brown (D):  54.64%

Space (D) way ahead in the 18th House district.

---

Missouri Senate:
1085 of 3734 Reporting
Jim Talent (R):  53.8%
Claire McCaskill (D):  42.5%

Stem Cell Funding:
For:  45.8%
Against:  54.2%

---

Tennessee Senate:
% Reporting (Shelby County not reporting)
Bob Corker (R):  54.7%
Harold Ford, Jr (D):  43.8%

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For:  86.3%
Against:  13.7%

---

Virginia Senate:
94.31% Reporting
George Allen (R): 49.67%
Jim Webb (D): 49.12%.

Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment:
For: 58.26%
Against:  41.74%

---

**  CNN has Iraq veteran Tammy Duckworth (D) trailing never-served-but-knows-about-war Pete Roksam (R) in Illinois 6th, with less than 20% reporting.

**  Bill Bennet insists nobody's really ticked off at Bush.  Santorum's probable loss is just an anomaly.  And he's married to Morgan Fairchild.  He does admit that people are dying in Iraq.  Shocker!

**  Introduced by John Kerry, Deval Patrick accepting governorship of Massachusetts.

** Lieberman accepts Senatorship for Connecticut.

!!Lamont (CT) concedes!!