hey lisa — maine too close to call — i sure as hell hope equality wins over fear.

quick explanation re: ME
which is good? yes or no?

Currently it’s 51.58 NO and 48.42 yes…it’s gonna be close, hand recounts probably?

A nail biter, dammit! I sure would like to see the no vote pull ahead sharply.

A No vote = a vote for equality

Now, NYTImes say YES (reject marriage equality) ahead…

Very tense…And whats wiht the GOP victories? Things are weird

I live in Portland. In Cumberland County, which represents close to 1/4 of the state’s population ‘No’ is winning handily, but in most of the other counties, ‘yes’ has the edge.

old fashioned voting machines (with paper trails) or those newfangled electronic gop owned company machines

Thanks. haven’t been following it frankly. I just assumed marriage equality would play well in ME.

It plays well in liberal enclaves like Cumberland County and Knox County. Portland the largest city and Bangor the 3rd largest city are passing it, but Lewiston the 2nd largest is not.

It just seems profoundly sad that people care enough about hurting other people that they will go out to a poll booth and vote to destroy their happiness like that. What god could possibly be worthy of worshipping who hated his creations enough not to want them to live happily?

A lot of “No on One” people did cast absentee ballots prior to the election, so that might bring the numbers around.

Its a shame we have this ? to begin with..This is where separation of Church and State fails miserably.

It has been neck and neck for a while, maybe the last few hours of reporting will prove equality and liberty are still hallmarks of this country

Maine allows early voting starting Oct 1, so there’s still hope formthose ballots, that’s true

If the yes votes win this will end up being decided in Maine’s Supreme Court on constitutional grounds

Hi everyone. This is my first post here. Naturally, I’m disappointed. More so about the fact that people’s rights can be put up to a popularity contest than anything else. I’m really tired of being a second class citizen in this country. Geez, even the Belgians have more rights than the so-called ‘land of the free’. Can someone talk me down?

Yes (Anti-Gay Marriage) 52% 201,944
No (Pro-Gay Marriage) 48% 187,964
66 percent reporting

hi chrisphoenix and welcome.

If the voters do repudiate the law, couldn’t it be challenged in Court…? Didn’t the ME Supreme Court already rule in favor of civil unions and the State Legislature just codified it…?

Thanks & hi, Suzanne.

The time has come for marriage equality. I am hoping for proof that it can survive a ballot challenge but even if Maine does not turn out the way we hope the tide is turning.

Still got my fingers crossed for No on 1.

Aloha, Suz…! Do you have the LLN honors tonite…?

Those damn Belgians!

No, Maine’s Court has not weighed in at all. Maine was the first state to legalize gay marriage without a court order.

And now the fundy bigots are going to fuck it up.

indeed i do ct

At least they don’t waffle on civil rights.:)

I am thinking a yes vote would bring court challenges almost immediately. Recent decisions from other states affirming the rights of same sex couples have already set a precedent

But at least in Maine there are going to be more things you can legally smoke pot for.

I am hoping that even if ‘yes’ wins that will trigger a court decision. As a Unitarian out lawing gay marriage is a violation of my religious rights.

Thanks, all – especially the laugh, Kelly. The only reason I was made aware of Belgian gay civil rights is because I’ll be visiting next month, and my company has a divisional hq in Brussels.

I guess my main point is, why do we have the 14th Amendment if this kind of crap can happen here? I mean, if we want to talk about choice in lifestyle, anyone can pick and choose their religion – I was born gay, and I know that as much as I know that my eyes are brown. What gives? Yet religionists don’t even have to pay taxes.

I know! I actually have friends in Belgium, in both Brussels and Oostende. They are QUITE charming, lemme tell you.

Thanks for letting my bad Belgian waffle joke slide…

LOL, ratfood! Loved the pun! :)

If the GOP loses Maine will Tweety start Calling the East Coast the Left Left Coast?

Look, I KNOW Bob feeds you some of your lines. Sometimes, you shouldn’t listen to him, and just write your own material. :)

Yay, I am vindicated!

Excellent point…! I hope it doesn’t have to go to court…! I’ve enjoyed the few trips to Brussels that I’ve made when I was stationed in Germany…!

I’m a sucker for puns – and double entendres. Do it all the time at work. Flies right over their heads. :)

Actually the good stuff is Bob, everything else is me.

With that Bob and I bid you all adieu. I hope to wake to news that No on 1 has triumphed.

Yeah, I’m glad Rachel Maddow featured this web site tonight (she mentioned it in prior broadcasts, but didn’t check it out till tonight). I’m glad I found you all, and I appreciate the warm welcome. Good to know I’m not alone :) With that, time for some rest, so I’ll bid you all good-night.

*waving g’nite to the leaving sleepyheads*

nite rf!

And I’m seeing that it looks like Owens defeats Hoffman in NY-23.

Teabagger Fail! Seat goes Dem first time since the Civil War.

Its hard to marginalize Gay, Lefties etc as out of touch with America if we can carry a state like Maine nothing against Maine but it is no Hollywood or City of Sin Like New York its as small town Real America as Sarah’s hometown is. Ok Sarah’s hometown is the Meth Capital of Alaska.
Sorry on second thought comparing Maine to Sarah’s hometown of Meth Heads, Alaska independence party members like Todd and anti Witch, anti Python Spirits religion (Sarah’s Church ) is unfair to Maine.
Heck its unfair to Hollywood and New York City.

on a side note, Mr Bruce von Pfancipahntz our kitty got a new shave

Portland Maine is as progressive as any place in the country. Head up north though and it can be ‘Deliverance’ country. And I’ve lived here all my life, born and bred.

Good night and welcome!

Kelly, it’s looking good according to TPM:

Owens D 49%
59,630
Scozzafava R 6%
6,706
Hoffman C 45%
55,166
87% reporting

The north is pretty Catholic/French?

I wonder how my pet race, the heathen/pagan GOP Queen candidate for city council is going?

Evenin’ Lisa and Firedogs,

Bink in the Boiler room is already laying out how a recount will work – apparently Maine is recount friendly – campaign staff have already been directed to verify final numbers with Town Clerks – yes, it’s that close.

Ms Lisa, your link to Mr Bruce doesn’t work and I would love to see your boy -

While the north is Catholic/French, it’s the deep interior of the state, Millnocket, Piscataqua County, that is inbred Yankee, faux libertarian.

I spent a week near Lubek, actually in Campobello (Welshpool) this summer. The people seemed really nice and very liberal in Lubek. Is this so?

Try now, I thought I had unblocke dit..http://www.facebook.com/Lalisa.Derrick?ref=profile

There’s a Pagan Pride Project? Who knew?

Lubec is probably quite liberal. Most of the coastal tourist towns are. Washington County as a whole though is pretty right wing. Lubec only accounts for 1800 of the 32,000 people who live in Washington County.

Pagan Pride is a natinwide group, they put on events in every area where there are chapters. We have a bog fair every fall in the Los Angelels area

Good evening firepups.

Owens in good shape. Nothing else going well for liberals/dems.

I beg to differ. Two centrist to conservative Dems ran away from their progressive base and lost votes. The Owens victory is far more significant then the governor races. The No on One results are so far disappointing but could lead to a court case that would up hold the law and slap down the ‘people’s veto’.

Thank you,
and my apologies for misspelling Lubec — the sunsets are so beautiful there!

CNN says Owens concedes!

That will make the teabaggers howl – he was supposed to have lawsuits and stuff I’m sure, since Acorn probably stole that seat from him! /snark

This is waaay too close. I was praying for a 3:2 repudiation of the neo-Inquisition, but I guess that’s not going to happen.

New national spin. NY 23 is meaningless, NJ and VA are all that matter.

This should be spun as an enormous repudiation of teabaggerdom but we know that’ll never happen.

-G

Heh, So ya pop in over here, eh…? Just after I tucked ya in at the Beach Haus, Ma’am…! ;-)

Is this a racist Pagan group lots of the Racists like Norse Myths now its Fashionable.

Hey Betsy,
Nice to see you!

Owens ….or Hoffman concedes??? Wasn’t the Democrat Owens leading?

I love that area. Eastport is a lovely but sad little city that deserves better.

In addition Garamendi is leading in CA-10…though early results are closer than expected.

As a witch, I had to do an extra dose of due diligence on this guy-they are not the racist Odinist–more just jolly drinkers. They have had people of all racists and ethnicities in their group.

Perhaps, but they have the Best Lobster Roll Ever!!!

TPM says Hoffman conceeds.

YES! I was just giddily typing and put the names in wrong order.

Hoffman – INSANE TEABAGGER, OUT
Owens – CRAPPY BLUE DOG, IN

thx !
checked him out on FB – what a gorgeous boy, you are so toast :D

‘night everyone, gonna check some numbers one last time and hope I wake up in a country where equality means something

mad progressive love and sweet dreams y’all

Anyone know how 71 is doing in Washington state?

Shhh! Reading Cassie blog about her virginity was just too much for my poor heart.

They have had people of all racists and ethnicities in their group.

Ya meant ‘races’ right…? ;-)

Hoffman concedes. Owens [D] wins. The tip of the spear wasn’t very sharp.

Turnout is generally very low today/tonight.

That means it turns into a GOTV contest. Corzine and Deeds ran as Republican-Lite. Deeds went so far as to say he’d opt out of a public health insurance program if he had the opportunity.

That sucked the enthusiasm out of the progressive/liberal contingents in VA and NJ. I understand the feeling: “Hmmm. I can go vote for a plutocrat or a plutocrat wannabe.” It’s tough to get enthusiasm to go vote for lesser of two weevils.

So, many of our folk stayed home. The GOTV didn’t and couldn’t. The real shame is the effect that had on tickets down the ballot. If I had been running the GOTV for Deeds I would have masqueraded as working for progressive House of Delegates candidates.

The Cannery had the most fabulous Lobster rolls. And the town art gallery had a wonderful exhibit with a Wyeth painting that stunned me. We went for gas for the boat, and stayed most of the afternoon.

It definitely raised my eyebrows at first glance, M’dear…! ;-)

Night and thanks! I love our Mr Bruce! and thanks for the props to my genetic results!

I wish I knew whether to be happy or angry about that. I’d dearly love for the GOoPers to run Rightards in lots of purple districts in 2010.

They may still do it.

iirc WA is a vote by mail state and the results will dribble out this week

Just so she doesn’t ever do with her vote what I did with my first vote in 1972.

@ all of you

OK, I stand corrected.

I thought Oregon was the onliest vote-by-mail state?

Good

i heard they recently switched over to all by mail like oregon.

The TeaBagger lost But Sarah, Glen Beck they anointed him the Tea Baggers will lose clout I expect a recount.

Yikes, yes! My brains is a little addled… here’s the Village Voice article http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/pagan_rites_for.php

Very in depth. I kinda hope he wins despite the GOP thing because he’s well, a different type…

Okay. That news might trickle down here to New Mexico by 2010 or so.

We can request by mail (and send it in) an Absentee ballot here in the Isles…

We can do that here in NM, and we always have early voting sites.

Hey, did you have a piece of that gamma ray burst umpty-zoo bazillion light years out?

I don’t claim credit for Owens victory, but my wife is very happy that Owens won, ….an honorable person BTW I know personally to those saying he’s something close to Attila The Hun….because I would have gone up and down streets in 23rd district towns, punching people out had they voted for that scumbag Hoffman! Luckily my phone calling is “unlimited” because I called EVERY person I could think of today to get them and their neighbors off their asses and vote against this evil in our midst…What do they call themselves?…who knows??? let’s just call them “The Evil in Our Midst.” Anyway, VA and NJ can be excused for stupidity but at least the NY23rd knows better than to vote for evil.

Thanks for spending election night wiht me!

thanks for having us lisa — i always enjoy spending tuesday nites with you — and i do love your posts, even those that are not tues nite :).

I’m not sure if Gemini tracked it or not…?

I used to live in Maine and it is not a surprise that they would take a freedom away from people they just do not understand. I am for same sex marriage, but knowing the rednecks up there, they would think it is a threat.

Covan

WA state resident here; yes, all but one county in Washington now votes by mail. Still, there are results coming in, and at last report 71 was holding a narrow lead. In other good news, Initiative 1033, which would have gutted the state’s tax base, is going down in flames. Also, the county that is home to Seattle rejected giving the commissioner’s job to a right-wing fundamentalist ex-TV reporter.

In California, the anti-equality vote (Prop 8) reversed all court decisions and legislation. It seems the only way to get Prop 8 reversed is to get the public to support the reversal in an election. The CA Supreme Court held that the voters can strip civil rights in a majority vote. It has been done many times before.

Thanks for this update, Ducky! I could use a little good news.
Actually, King Co, WA has finally switched over to all-mail balloting, too.

AP reporting (via Yahoo) that Maine has rejected same-sex marriage (iow, Yes on 1 won.) Poop. So disappointing. Here’s hoping WA will at least keep its new Domestic Partnership law.

FunnyWheelieDiva

It’s a depressing setback. Lots of hard work led to at least a close vote. Here’s my take on the strategies for guaranteeing civil rights:

http://daisybrain.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/seme-sex-marriage-the-maine-event/