POL: Two Easy Predictions (Va. Senate Race)

[albionmoonlight]

1.) Over the next few days/weeks, politically interested people will suddenly develop a passionate interest in arcane aspects of Virginia re-count law.

2.) In what can only be described as an amazing coincidence, people's deep and passionate opinions about the meaning of obscure Virginia laws will happen to coincide with their political beliefs. People who want the Republican to win will (as an independent intellectual matter) read Virginia law in such a way that it would cause the Republican to win. People who want the Democrat to win will (as an independent intellectual matter) read Virginia law in such a way that it would cause the Democrat to win. People will not be arguing that "I want Party X to control the Senate." Instead, they will be arguing--with deep and passionate conviction--that, say, "Pursuant to Va. Code Section 453.112(b)(3)(ii), the Secretary of State only has the power to extend the re-count deadline if the decision is announced to the Va. Legislature within 10 days--BUT THOSE ARE WORKING DAYS--NOT CALENDAR DAYS! Democracy means NOTHING if the 10 Day period provided by Va. Code Section 453.112(b)(3)(ii) is read to include calendar days!"

I, of course, just made that statute up. But the gist of it is still there. Professional and amateur pundits alike obsessively need to cloak obvious results-oriented decisions with the venire of pseudo-intellectual disinterest.

Pisses me off.

[wade moore]

I'm thinking I won't turn on the local news for the next month. Instead, I'll take a #2 pencil to my eye and save the trouble.

[Bee]

And in the end, the guy with the most votes at the end of the initial count will win.

[Subby]

Nah, it's over. Webb already declared victory.

[Toddzilla]

Geez, it took them over a month to re-count last year's election for Attorney General. With so much at stake, this could take 2 or 3.

[lordscarlet]

I'm thinking I won't turn on the local news for the next month. Instead, I'll take a #2 pencil to my eye and save the trouble.

#2 is pretty soft, I would hunt for a #6.

[Samdari]

Nah, it's over. Webb already declared victory.

He must have read Bee's post.

[Toddzilla]

With a Dem governor and a Dem Secy. of the Commonwealth, it looks good for the Webb victory to hold up. Take that for what you will.

[LloydLungs]

And albionmoonlight essentially sums up politics with this post. Go team! Rah rah!

[kcchief19]

I need to wait until I know who is in the lead and who will benefit before I decide whether 10 days refers to calendar days or working days.

[JPhillips]

I hear Ed Gillespie is demanding that Katherine Harris be brought in to oversee any possible recount.

[Bee]

I hear Ed Gillespie is demanding that Katherine Harris be brought in to oversee any possible recount.


Well...she doesn't have anything else going on...

[JAG]

Very nice post albionmoonlight, very nice indeed.

[Samdari]

In relation to this, I was talking to a coworker today, and he said he saw several people illegally voting yesterday. While in line to get voting cards, he heard them saying they had flown in from California, where they had moved from Virginia, to vote. They still had their Virginia voter registration cards (which apparently never expire??). He was behind them in line, and when they went to get their cards from the inspectors, he piped up and said they should not be allowed to vote, as they lived in California. The inspectors basically told them to mind their own business and let them vote.

Using these registration cards, they could conceivably vote twice in a national election, if the flights were timed properly.

[albionmoonlight]

In relation to this, I was talking to a coworker today, and he said he saw several people illegally voting yesterday. While in line to get voting cards, he heard them saying they had flown in from California, where they had moved from Virginia, to vote. They still had their Virginia voter registration cards (which apparently never expire??). He was behind them in line, and when they went to get their cards from the inspectors, he piped up and said they should not be allowed to vote, as they lived in California. The inspectors basically told them to mind their own business and let them vote.

Using these registration cards, they could conceivably vote twice in a national election, if the flights were timed properly.

That's a lot of time and expense to go through to vote in Virginia elections.

If they really cared that much about helping Allen or Webb win a contested seat, they could have probably done better by taking the money for their two cross-country plane tickets and donating it to Allen's or Webb's campaign.

[JonInMiddleGA]

In relation to this, I was talking to a coworker today, and he said he saw several people illegally voting yesterday. While in line to get voting cards, he heard them saying they had flown in from California, where they had moved from Virginia, to vote. ... Using these registration cards, they could conceivably vote twice in a national election, if the flights were timed properly.

Wouldn't that depend upon whether they had registered in California?

I appreciate your co-workers vigiliance & courage, seriously I admire the heck out of his effort, but there could conceivably be a legitimate explanation too (for their voting, not for the behavior of the poll worker).

[cartman]

Wouldn't that depend upon whether they had registered in California?

I appreciate your co-workers vigiliance & courage, seriously I admire the heck out of his effort, but there could conceivably be a legitimate explanation too (for their voting, not for the behavior of the poll worker).

Yep, by that rationale, Bush should have to vote in DC, and not fly back to Crawford, TX to vote.

[terpkristin]

I'm thinking I won't turn on the local news for the next month. Instead, I'll take a #2 pencil to my eye and save the trouble.

This is why God invented The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
I haven't watched local or national news in ages. I get most of my news from the following sources:
washingtonpost.com for local goings-on
bbc.co.uk for international news
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
sometimes The Colbert Report
sometimes Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Other than that, I've given up on most TV excepting my cartoons. :D

/tk

[Bee]

He must have read Bee's post.

Looks like Allen read it too... :D

From a Washington Post article:
Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) has planned a 3 p.m. news conference in Alexandria to address the results of Tuesday's election, which left him trailing Democratic challenger James Webb by 7,484 votes as of this morning.

All indications from Allen's campaign staff and advisers suggest that the senator would concede to Webb at the news conference. Republican sources said Allen had concluded that no amount of recounting would change the outcome, but members of the senator's campaign staff would not publicly confirm his intentions.