Worth reading as a sidebar to the post-election fallout: first this - Ana Marie Cox interviews Nicolle Wallace on the most elegant way to lie under a bus - then this, where as predicted the Republican right begins to indulge in an orgy of self destruction and blame, much of which is directed towards Ms Wallace.
From this article, which picks up about half way through:
NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.
And from the bad news department, Proposition 8 passed.
Ohio went for the democrats as predicted, and 338 to 163 makes it a resounding victory. Thank fuck. And it should be noted that McCain who was, prior to the campaign ticket, always a representative of the saner side of the republican party, gave a graceful and impressive concession speech (See also here - "Yes, we will watch John McCain, who is looking down with disgust at his supporters, who are booing and hissing. It is no fun to lose a contest. But good god, his supporters are garbage"). Good for him.
As for Palin, I hope she gets hunted down by a helicopter full of angry moose. Go moose.
Spent tonight at the British Society of Magazine Editors awards. Gongs were handed out, Grazia won the top award, and Felix Dennis recited a poem - so far, so normal - but most people had something else on their minds. Top marks, in fact, to the editor of Vogue, who collected an award at the oh-so-formal event wearing an Obama 08 t-shirt.
Back at the flat, and with polls on the east coast closed for three hours CNN is projecting 174 to 49 in the electoral college and a 52 to 33 senate split with Florida and North Carolina currently impossible to call. Oh, and Arizona, oddly, is also still listed orange. Everything looks fairly good, in fact. But then hardly any of the votes have actually been counted, and for all CNN's fancy graphics (and my, are they fancy - Wolf Blitzer has what appears to be a giant iPod Touch that interfaces directly with the collective mind of America, or something) these are only projections based on exit polls. And polls, as we all know, often suck. Bah. I would check Fox for the view-from-mars polls (they've probably called California for McCain) but Virgin Media doesn't carry it. Damn you liberal media, etc.
And now it's 2am and the exit polls in my brain are reporting 15% drunk, 70% exhausted and 30% no longer able to work out percentage splits, so I'm going to bed. And if things take a turn for the worse overnight, expect me to be grumpy for a while. Like, say, four years.
PS - now they've cut to some country music berk in Arizona with the promise of a "major projection". I'm a sucker, but I'm going to wait for this one.
PPS - this is quite clearly a ploy to make me sit through shitty commercials, and it's working.
PPPS - 2.40am and Ohio projected to Obama after 15% count (<2m), 55% to 44%. CNN describing Republican position as "very bleak". CNBC talking about lines being crossed and the size of margins in the senate rather than the overall result. If this is correct, excellent. Now, bed.