- Gothamist greeted Election Day with excitement--and some really, really long lines. Even Tim Robbins had a meltdown at his polling site!
- Bostonist discovered that it's hard out there for a singer when we met The Opera Guy, a classically trained busker, and Jess Tardy, an independent singer-songwriter whose work has appeared on television.
- Seattlest thought that this video of Capitol Hill hipsters literally dancing in the streets -- to Journey, no less -- ought to go into an Election Night 2008 time capsule.
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Results tagged “election2008”
The Globe reports that arson is suspected in a Springfield church fire that happened early Wednesday morning following Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election. Macedonia Church of God in Christ had been under construction and about 75% complete. The predominantly black congregation has pledged to rebuild, although neighbors had protested the initial construction of the church in a residential area. Bishop Bryant J. Robinson Jr., who heads the church, suspects the fire might have been a hate crime.
President-elect Barack Obama has selected Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, reports say. Emanuel was an adviser to the Clinton administration. Our favorite Nantucket-rockin' senator, John Kerry, apparently wants to be the new Condoleezza Rice. John Podesta, Pete Rouse, and Valerie Jarrett are expected to be major players in Obama's transition to the presidency. No word on where Deval might fit in.
Taxachusetts will retain its title, but become a little "greener" and more animal-friendly thanks to the results on the ballot questions in the state. Massachusetts voters said no to eliminating income tax in the state (Question 1), yes to decriminalizing minor marijuana possession (Question 2), and yes to banning dog racing (Question 3). Guess our furry friend helped motivate good turnout at the polls. Will this lead to retired racers toking up? We hope not.
Universal Hub has a map of election-day events reported by readers. Most of the updates focus on wait times (and there are some long lines), though one reader has posted a concerning tale of voters being turned away at polling places. Many folks are sharing their votes online, but Sarah Palin, for one, is keeping her vote under wraps. Maybe she is a maverick. Maybe she is secretly pro-hope. Or maybe she just doesn't like to wash her hands. [Other coverage: Brookline TAB, Cambridge Chronicle, Fark, Globe.]
Malden pre-schoolers voted for Miss Froggy's sugary, recess-friendly platform over Mr. Lion's safety-oriented plan of increasing fire and police protection. The Montessori school in Malden has been running mock elections for 17 years, nurturing future voters.
Bostonist wholeheartedly believes in bribing rewarding our readers for participation in the democratic process, so here’s a list of food & drink freebies available to voters today:
MassDebate (yes, it's as massdebatory as it sounds!), presents opposing sides of controversial local issues. If you have a hot-button topic you'd like to see us cover, or if you want to represent your view on a subject under debate, email us at tips at bostonist dot com. Bostonist does not endorse any opinions expressed in MassDebate.
- SFist asked readers (who weren't busy battling it out over the election) to take a moment to decide what should be done with the city's mammoth Mervyns space after the retail semi-giant decided to call it quits this week.
- Bostonist couldn't get enough of hometown icon (and living embodiment of PC computers) John Hodgman.
- Shanghaiist wonders if any of the 3,000 single men and women who attended this mass matchmaking session hooked up.
In a real shocker, the Boston Globe has endorsed Barack Obama for president "with great enthusiasm." He's called "charismatic" but also credited with "the temperament and the nerves to shepherd Americans through what promises to be a grueling period — and who has the vision to restore this country to its place of leadership in the world." Here's hoping the Globe staffers are right. Whether you agree or disagree, you have two days left to register to vote--for president, and for ballot questions that will affect all of us in Massachusetts. So do it. Do it now.
Greg Melville, Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future
Gail Collins' recent op-ed in the New York Times waxes nostalgic about the old days of the presidential campaign, before we lost Mitt Romney and met Sarah Palin:
This piece by local artist Chaz Maviyane-Davies helped launch the countdown on 30reasons.org, which presents a new reason every day to vote in the upcoming election. So far, Maviyane-Davies' is our favorite, standing out as beautiful, dramatic, and not overtly political. Sign up for daily email updates of new posters--maybe it will help motivate you to register to vote.
Each week Bostonist brings you the best of Boston-based viral videos the internet has to offer.
So in case you haven't heard already, our homeboy Matt Damon's not a big Sarah Palin fan. Maybe he just doesn't like mooseburgers. Or lipstick. Or maybe he's sexist! Yeah, that must be it!
You know how much we love the Globe's fluffy articles about summer homes and houseguests. The concerns of the rich are always amusing. However, it gets even more grating when the Globe turns an unilluminating upper-class lens on issues that actually matter to those of us without millions of dollars. The latest "Globular" travesty is a take on Election 2008 that focuses on that all-important issue: food.
With Teddy and the Clintons behind him, Barack Obama now needs only for the Republicans to shoot themselves in their finely-clad feet--by having an inordinate amount of homes, making light of bombing, not knowing about the economy, and being computer illiterate. Or, since that's apparently not enough, by picking Mitt Romney as VP. Some Massachusetts pols think the Romster would be the kiss of death for the Republican party, and offer up critiques such as "How can you be the party of the people when your two representatives would not know poverty if it sat in front of them?” (Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons) and “We’d tell him to go home, if we knew which home he was coming from" (Massachusetts Democratic Party chair John Walsh). Burn!
A roundup of some Democratic National Convention coverage, from friends DCist and Blue Mass Group:
Senator Edward Kennedy has arrived in Denver and is scheduled to attend the Democratic National Convention tonight, but probably will not speak to the crowd. However, a video tribute to Teddy's career will air.
DCist is in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, which kicks off tomorrow. DCist was too wiped out to attend last night's big Media Welcome Party at Elitch Gardens (though there's some evidence may not have gotten in anyway), but they can tell you that the city of Denver set off an impressive fireworks display over the big bash at around 9:30 p.m. Apart from the actual work of adopting a platform and officially selecting a nominee to run for president, party conventions are more or less one big advertisement, so reporters are treated to an endless parade of parties, meals, and goodie bags.
Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate. More importantly, he notified supporters by text message. Why aren't we on that list? Barack, why won't you text us? We weep. As David Brooks says "I told you so." We don't think Obama-Biden has a great ring to it (too many b's?), but if nothing else, let's hope Biden sets the message straight about non-Confederate Delaware soon.
A money-crush, at least. The Herald reports that Bay Staters gave the most money per capita to Obama's campaign of any state, at $1.583 each. Vermont and Illinois were close, with $1.580 and $1.558 per capita respectively, but nobody ponied up as much dough as we did. The Herald points out that this is a little odd, considering Obama didn't even win the primary here. But apparently we've got enough rich-folks-getting-richer who don't want a president who isn't sure how many homes he has. At least our rich people can count their summer homes on the Cape and across town. Herald commenters, unlike the rest of Massachusetts, do not have much affection for Obama, calling him a "clown" who "squats when he pees." Ah, reasoned debate.