Fate Of The Nation

Courtesy of Huffington Post

Photographer:  Ari Berman/Twitter

Early voting line in Cleveland, Ohio.  Obama's Ohio win signaled reelection announcements, following a sweep through battleground swing states.

A big night on twitter as determined swing state voters toed long lines for hours, and Obama swept through the “up for grabs” portions of the electoral map.

Urgent retweets to various states were passed urging resilience as, at times, the difference in Florida, for example, was reported at little more than 600 people, then 16,000-20,000 votes as the count continued.  By about 8:15 P.M., Democracy Now! reported on their livestream that multiple news sources were identifying Obama as the clear winner, and following victory in Ohio.

The acceptance speech:

Exit polls showed voters blaming George Bush for the economy, ranked number one on voters’ minds, followed by health care, the deficit, then foreign policy.

In historic measures, Washington State and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana and same-sex marriage was legalized in Maine and Maryland, upheld in Washington State, and a proposed ban in Minnesota defeated.

Also a big night for women voters;  in Massuchusetts, long-time consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren beat poster child Scott Brown;  in Missouri, and on Republican turf, Democrat Claire McCaskill defeated rape-diminisher Tod Atkins;  in Indiana, Donnelly beat Mourdock - the one who said pregnancy from rape is something “God intended."

The Republicans maintained control of the House;  the Democrats, the Senate.

Congress will have at least 19 female senators, the largest number in American history, with McCaskill, Baldwin, and Elizabeth Warren in what were considered among the most competitive races, and critical to the Democratic Party’s ability to hold on to the Senate. 

In 2009, the United States was ranked 70th for Women In Government by the Inter-Parlimentary Union.  Rwanda ranks first, in that evaluation, followed by Sweden.

Below, a news coverage clip on Elizabeth Warren’s win: 

More here on the various elections around the country from Democracy Now!

Among progressive third party candidates, the Green Party is reporting results for Dr. Jill Stein here;  I am not seeing anything up yet for the Justice Party.  

You can also check local results for some areas at the County Auditor’s website, including information on how many votes still have to be counted, with links to breakdowns by precinct.

11/8/2012 Editor's Note:

The Green Party election results link originally provided was incorrect and has since been modified.  Please see state Secretary of State websites for the most current results on candidates. 

The total number of female Senators is now determined to be 20.