Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Election Day/Party Thread/Election Night and More

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Democrats who prefer to stay Beyond 495 are invited to a Central Mass Election Night Party.  

Join area Democrats to watch results from the US Senate Special Election Primary. Volunteers and supporters of all campaigns welcome and encouraged to attend. Free parking available next to restaurant.

Join us any time after 8:00 PM at Vive Bene, 144 Commercial Street, Worcester, MA.

Bloggers, BMGers are especially invited.

Are there any other election night parties out there?  Post your election night events here!

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  1. Our family tradition is to close the polls, call in the count to our Ward coordinator and go home to climb in bed and watch the results between our feet.  

  2. ..I’ve been doing the Globe thing, showing my students photos of the 6 candidates and asking if they know the person’s name and job.

    <

    p>They all know who Pagliuca, but few know who he is
    Many recognized Coakley and Capuano, and some knew what they did
    Almost nobody could name Khazei or Brown, much less their job
    Surprisingly, a couple knew that Jack Robinson had run for office several times before.

  3. Voted about 9:00 on my way to work.  Only 60 people had voted in my precinct, probably less than 500 for the entire town.  Not much going on outside in terms of visibility, either.  My guess is we’ll be lucky to top 1800-2000 by the end of the night. That would make for less than 15% turn out.

  5. Okay, maybe not all that often! đŸ˜‰

    <

    p>I went early to my polling place in Alford (where I voted for Alan and put out a lawn sign — at 8 AM, an hour after the polls opened, I was #8 to vote — there will be a very low turnout, so our votes will be very powerful!).

    <

    p>I then went to Lee, West Stockbridge, and Great Barrington. There were Khazei signs, sign-holders, and people wearing Khazei t-shirts at those places. I chatted with several people going to vote and had 100% response, “I’m voting for Alan!”

    <

    p>There was one Coakley volunteer in Lee, and nobody else anywhere (or signs) for any of the other candidates. I did see a couple of Scott Brown signs — one in West Stockbridge (near the post office), and one in Great Barrington (on Stockbridge Road).

  7. Here in Needham, we have a highly contested school repair override vote.  

    <

    p>With the effect that the Senate race is effectively the down ballot race, and some voters are likely showing up undecided who to vote for Senate.

    <

    p>In addition to the ‘Yes on Override’ sign holders, this morning we had sign holders for Capuano, Coakley and Khazei.

  10. Just got back from voting at the High School, where all the precincts vote. About 800-850 folks have voted as of about 1PM — which is pretty good in a town of 14,000 where there is only one item on the ballot. My guess is that the after-work rush will raise the overall total to about 1,750 to 2,000 voters today.  

      • and your high school football team that went to the Super Bowl last Saturday and played a good game in Gillette.  In their only loss of the year, they lost to a fine Austin Prep team.  Way to go Holliston Panthers on a great season.  

  11. Stood at the polls for Coakley from 7-9:30 AM…whomever invented those footwarmers and hot fingers inserts should get the Nobel prize…they worked great…then onto the phone banks…will be so happy when today is over AND WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM AGAIN!!!!!!

    <

    p>Kate and Judy and Justice4All…as always good work for your candidate…we will all toast together a Democratic victory on Jan 19th no matter what happens today!

      • HL, like Bean in the Burbs, really burned bridges in this election. They both went personal, when it wasn’t necessary.  I’m left wondering what they hoped to accomplish.

            • I don’t know how far back you and HL go but if it worth having, it worth patching up.  

              • …and no perceived value in reading further postings from either him or BitB.

                <

                p>He and Bean attacked anyone who didn’t support their candidate. ‘nuf said.

                <

                p>I have to say that I lost a lot of respect for you as well.

                • from people with whom I have a mutually respectful relationship, and let it be said I haven’t lost respect for you.  

                • if I have a photo on my signature line.  

                  <

                  p>Your predilections with regard to my or anyone else’s signature line is of no concern to me.  Your respect ranks pretty low on my things to be concerned about too. Your exhortations about my maturity ranks even lower.  

                  <

                  p>You brought the judgment of petulance and characterized me as being so.  I put it back in your lap. I have no interest in having this kinds of exchange with you.  

                  <

                  p>Next time you complain about two other people who post here, I’ll ignore it instead of asking you about it.  

                • You’re the one that chose to lecture me about holding grudges.

                  <

                  p>It appears that being abrasive and sanctimonious is your new MO. The picture is part and parcel of that. It’s truly unfortunate as you used to have positive things to contribute.

                  <

                  p>As you know. I’m not the only one who finds your recent behavior rude.  Maybe a timeout is in order?

                • You’re the one that chose to lecture me about holding grudges.

                  <

                  p>I assure you lecturing you was not my intent:  “I see. I don’t know how far back you and HL go but if it worth having, it worth patching up.” If you were insulted by that, it’s your problem.  

                  <

                  p>

                  It appears that being abrasive and sanctimonious is your new MO. The picture is part and parcel of that. It’s truly unfortunate as you used to have positive things to contribute.

                  <

                  p>For real? You think this is abrasive and sanctimonious.   You see abrasivness and sanctimony where it does not exist.  

                  <

                  p>

                  As you know. I’m not the only one who finds your recent behavior rude.  Maybe a timeout is in order?

                  <

                  p>You know what?  I don’t care how you find my behaviour and
                  I don’t recall you winning the election for BMG hall monitor.  You could spend more time talkng politics and less time critiqueing my behavioue.  By my count your last five comments are about me.  I’m flatered.  

        • there was nothing personal…just observations…sometimes you can’t help seeing all the way through…no bridges burned…in a primary, if supporting one Democrat over another is burning a bridge, then there was no bridge there in the first place.   Things were said about Martha Coakley by two of her opponents in the heat of the campaign which were neither fair nor true…but she will not hold a grudge…they are on the same team now. Take a lesson. it’s politics…the heat and the kitchen thing comes to mind.

          • You and Neil made personal attacks anyone who even appeared to question your candidate.  It makes you look, well … better to move on.

  13. Here is an email I received, with names removed:

    <

    p>”{I} was visibilitying at the polls in Williamstown, and at Field Park.  Have just come home briefly for lunch, then will go back out until 8PM.

    <

    p>Here’s a report on the morning:

    <

    p>I put up Khazei signs at the polls at 6:45AM–about 8 of them, including hanging some from trees–and we have at least two people at a time covering the polls all day, until 8PM, with the whole crowd between 4 and 8.  The people, so far, are, {9 people mentioned by name} and at least one other person volunteering after voting this AM, but I didn’t get her name.  There may be some others.

    <

    p>There were no other candidates’ volunteers there, and only one (large) Coakley sign, being held for 45 minutes by {someone we know}.  No signs or people for Capuano or Pagliuca.

    <

    p>{Someone} and I stood for an hour at Field Park, 9-10AM, wearing Khazei t-shirts and waving signs.  {He} made his own sign that says “Public Citizen–You be one, too.” on one side, and “Alan Khazei for US Senate” on the other.  He stood in the little triangle in the middle of the traffic circle.  Even brought his dog, wearing a K. t-shirt, but { (the dog)} got too excited and had to go home.  A good number of drivers waved, honked and smiled at us.

    <

    p>Turn out this morning and reaction to our signs:  Turn out at the polls seemed about standard to me, with the most coming between 8 and 9AM, then dribbling over the next hours.  A lot of friends, townspeople came up to us to talk, complained about the lack of information out in the media before the election, and said they were supporting Khazei but wondered seriously about his chances.  

    <

    p>{Two people} and I have been making phone calls–and maybe some other people, too, who would have contacted you.

    <

    p>Weather is decent.  I was hoping it would be harder to get out and around, so that we’d have mostly die-hard Khazei supporters at the polls, but it does make it easier to stand and walk with our signs when we aren’t being drenched or frozen.

    <

    p>OK.  I’m going back around 2:30 to continue the visibilities and will stay until the polls close.  We’ll do another Field Park one at 5-6PM.”

  15. My wife and I are headed home from work to vote for Cap….we had been leaning towards martha….her parents already put two in for Cap. We all live in Methuen.

    • Our precinct may break 500 – very brisk.  Over 300 by early afternoon.  Some Coakley sign holders.  I had planned to do that, but got slammed by a major development on an appellate case that led to a collaborative Writ under G.L.c.211 Sec.3 (severe denial of due process – preliminary hearing converted into a final trial without notice to any of the four attorneys involved, by the judge)  so did not do any sign holding after all.

      <

      p>On my way to take an 88 page Writ of Superintendence to my printer/binder I drove through Lexington and saw more Kazei sign holders than for any other candidate.

      • Didn’t it matter?  Then again, you are such a contrarian that I should have sent you a Coakley postcard.  đŸ˜‰

          • But even if we had….we would still have voted for Martha Coakley…anyway…are you sure you used the right address?

            <

            p>The Arlington Advocate said I lived at 11 Plymouth Street when they ran my Op Ed but we haven’t lived THERE since 1990 !!

  16. Jack Robinson’s gang had a bagpiper as part of their visibility in the North Station foyer this morning. That is certainly one way to wake sleepy commuters!  

  17. at around 10:30 AM. There were quite a few cars in the lot, but only a couple of people voting when I did. Also, if I didn’t know it was election day, you couldn’t tell it by looking at the school. There were no signs announcing a vote and no campaign signs or supporters – at all. At the very least, the city should have put up a sign at the driveway entrance announcing voting today.

  18. Chili’s on for volunteers, watching the news.

    <

    p>NECN just acknowledged the BMG endorsement of Khazei.  Anchor stumbled a bit – “the Blue Mass Group, an advocacy group” –

  19. turnout very low where I am (9-4 in Boston – better known as Roxbury Crossing). At 5:45 pm I was voter #136 and the only person in the room.

  20. I’m new to Somerville so somebody with more experience should chime in for a reading of the tea-leaves… but for whatever it’s worth at 6:36pm in W6 P1 of Somerville I was voter number 680.

    <

    p>There seemed to be a very steady stream of voters just getting out work behind me.

  24. with the kids. They just showed a check-mark next to Coakley, so I guess they have made a call. Can’t confirm with their web site, however.

  27. Called it for Martha at 8:52.

    <

    p>She’s going to win quite handily it looks like as well.

    • in a three-month turnaround.

      <

      p>However, I am gratified to see money-bags Pags go down in flames. You can’t buy a Senate seat when it comes to Democratic voters who care about the seat.

      • What a sad day for the Commonwealth. We once had a Senator we could all be proud of who was a fighter for liberal progressive values, a tireless advocate for health care, and a smart politician who knew how to pass legislation and get things done for our state. With Coakley we get Kerry without the seniority and even less effectiveness. Oh well.

        <

        p>Also I was really surprised to see how badly Jack E. Robinson did, I knew he would lose just not by that much.

        • She hasn’t even been elected!  It is absolutely absurd of you to say such things without her having been on the job for a day.

          <

          p>Give her a chance, I think she’ll surprise a lot of people.

        • That’s the stupidest damn comment I’ve seen in a while. I’m not even saying you have to like Coakley, but to call this “a sad day for the Commonwealth”? A bit drama-queenish, no?

          • Thinking that Mr. Robinson is a viable candidate means one either hasn’t been paying attention or is delusional:

            <

            p>

            During his 2000 Senate run, Robinson’s own website published “The Robinson Report”, a report that explains every incident in his life that he thought might be fodder for attacks. The report included an ex-girlfriend’s restraining order against him (which was dropped), a drunken driving charge (also dropped after he passed a breathalyzer test), and an arrest for failing to pay a speeding ticket.

            The report led to Robinson being disowned by Massachusetts Republican Governor Paul Cellucci and the State Republican Party.

        • I support Martha Coakley as my candidate.

          <

          p>I’m going to send her a list of questions about her positions on civil and Constitutional rights.  Who wants to help craft the questions?  

          • You got the good fight…look onb the bright side…Mike will still serve us in Congress and with your help martha will serve us well in the Senate…we will all win.

            • We need Martha at her best to win in January and serve as our strongest and most compelling voice for the progressive agenda in the Senate.

              <

              p>By the way, I heard Sen Kerry debate Sen “Dr. No” Coburn of Oklahoma Monday about a Republican amendment to the health care bill that would undermine a funding source, Medicare advantage cost savings.  He’s really quite good at it.  I’d like ot hear more of that.

              • I see no reason based on her record, her ignorance of Senate procedure, and which issues she finds more important than others (i.e eliminating Hyde is more important than health care reform) that she is not qualified to fill Ted Kennedy’s shoe. That is my opinion though. To me it is sad that a great Senator, one of the key liberal supporters of the Hyde compromise, and one of the key backers of Health care reform, would be replaced by someone with priorities completely different from his and then distort that memory by arguing she is continuing that legacy. Not to mention her past support of the death penalty, her past support of the Patriot act, and her use of broad prosecutorial power in lieu of respecting civil rights, to me all prove she is an opportunist at best and a moderate-conservative Dem in progressive clothing at worst. We already have one opportunist and he is definitely not effective at helping our state or advancing progressive causes, and now we are adding another one to the ranks.

                <

                p>If the choice is really between Coakley and Brown then I see little reason to vote at all.  

                • wait for someone who will measure up to your superior standards…stay under the covers and sulk on Jan 19th…somehow we will make it without you.

  29. Michael FW’s reports of fanatic support for Khazei in his area seem to have some basis in reality, as Khazei took Alford with 50%.  I looked for a Pagliuca-win town without success — best I saw for him was 28% in Swansea, then 25% in New Bedford and Fall River.

    <

    p>Capuano took Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury along with Boston (so far), Cambridge and Somerville.  Normally if those seven places are one one side and the rest of MA is on the other, they will be joined by Provincetown.  But Coakley took P’town by a 2-1 margin, presumably helped by the MassEquality endorsement and her filing a lawsuit against DOMA as AG.

    <

    p>Total turnout is already at 600,000 with 92% in, so many of us on the predictions thread look very bad.  Multiplying the figure GGW gave for the Niki Tsongas contested primary by ten would have done a lot better.

    • …that MFW is largely RESPONSIBLE for the support that Khazei received in his hometown!  He’s a very good organizer.

  30. You have a nominee who will do nothing in the Senate just like John Kerry.

    <

    p>There will be no major legislation from the pair of them, whether it is in regard to the erosion of our civil liberties: e.g. the rotten practice of employers checking a person’s credit rating before deciding to give them a job or auto insurers rating coverage according to a credit score. ( the poor stay poor, and the rich get richer.) Or putting the funds necessary into rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Or the myriad of other issues that neither of them have the intellect, intestinal fortitude or insight to address.

    <

    p>It is truly a sad day for the Democratic Party. Is this truly the best we could do? And I have voted for and worked diligently for female candidates for a multitude of elected offices, including races where the female candidate had little chance of winning. BIG DEAL that she is a woman!
     

    • your complete lack of faith in someone who hasn’t even been elected yet.  Actually, it goes beyond a lack of faith, you have already sentenced her to a term of mediocrity at best.

      <

      p>Very disappointing.

      <

      p>I have the utmost faith and confidence in our next senator.  However, that doesn’t mean myself and thousands of others won’t keep the pressure on her to live up to the seat she is filling.

    • Let’s get some well written questions on the table with her that require her to think about it and respond for all of the issues you mention.  Clearly she has the intellect.  And now is when she develops the vision.  Let’s give her a hand.

      • An Open Letter to Martha Coakley:

        <

        p>Dear Ms. Coakley:

        <

        p>    As senator, would you forward legislation to make it illegal for an employer to check a prospective employees’ credit history? It is a rotten and cruel practice during these times where a persons’ credit might be impacted by circumstances that are well beyond their control.

        <

        p>Respectfully Submitted,
        Sincerely,
        Wayne J. Wilson, Jr.
        Member, Ward 19 Democratic Committee, Boston
        Delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention
        Alternate Elector, 2000 Massachusetts Electoral College

  31. Given his reputation as some sort of financial wizard, I’m wondering what the realization MoneyPags got for coming in fourth.  

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