I consider myself to be from Wisconsin. My family moved to Madison in 1970. They’re still there.

I skipped my usual summer trip back home this year. In fact, I haven’t been back to Wisconsin since right-wing nut-case Gov. Scott Walker took office on January 3 of 2010. And this past week, Kathy and I decided we would not head back to the Midwest for Christmas.

It isn’t, exactly, that I am boycotting the state (and definitely not boycotting my family). But when I go to Wisconsin, I do my Christmas shopping there, rent a car, go out to eat with friends and family, and buy lots of groceries and stuff—that is, I contribute to the economy of Wisconsin.

This year the revenue will go to Washington; because, with a nearly balancing set of trade-offs for and against a trip home, the Walker Factor has tipped the scale in favor of not going. It’s a protest more than a boycott—my small way of saying, “fuck you, Gov. Walker, for trying to turn Wisconsin into a Republican wasteland.”

It looks like my protest can come to a satisfactory end soon:

Activists pushing to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced on Monday evening that they have collected more than 300,000 signatures for the effort in just 12 days.

To trigger a recall election, Walker’s opponents—coordinated by the group United Wisconsin—need to collect 540,208 valid signatures by Jan. 17, which is 60 days after the campaign launched. Organizers said they are aiming for 600,000 to 700,000 signatures.

I sense some anger towards Walker.

How are Republicans responding? As you might expect. With violence. You know, vandalism, threats of vehicular assault, destroying petitions (here and here)…the usual. And the fun has just begun.

I’m already making plans for a summer trip back home.

Stephen: Supreme court tapes.

David Shuster with Janeane Garofalo The double standard of Republican rhetoric.

Young Turks: IAEA’s questionable report on Iran & nuclear weapons.

Thom: Who’s screwed now that the Supercommittee has failed.

America Occupied:

• Thom: The whole world was watching.
• Newsy: UC Davis pepper spray fallout
• Ann Telnaes: UC Davis Police pepper spray protesters.
• Meet Lieutenant John Pike
• Jonathan Mann: Pow Pow Pow Pow Police State
• Thom: Occupy the highway!
• Pap: Generational income gap is destroying young people financially.

Red State Update: Michelle booed at NASCAR.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly are Worst Person in the World.

White House: West Wing Week.

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Alyona: Black Friday gets headlines as the EU crumbles.

Young Turks: Citadel child sex scandal.

Stephen on The Media.

This Week’s Republican Primary Asylum:

• Newsy: Policy differences emerge within GOP field at latest debate.
• Alyona: GOP Debate—Islamists and Socialists join forces?!
• Gen. Wes Clark: Republican candidates not seen as serious on national security.
• Ann Telnaes: Newt’s all wet.
• Newt’s immigration surprise.
• Liberal Viewer: Michele claims CIA is run by ACLU? WTF????
• Mitt Romney is dishonest on immigration.
• Sharpton: The truth about Romney’s false attack ad on Obama.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”
• Young Turks: On Mitt Romney’s lying attack ad against Obama.
• Mitt Romney’s misleading ad:
• Jon’s best Mitt Romney moments.
• Michele: Buy my book!
• Young Turks: Michele Bachmann is back on the HPV vaccine pseudoscience again.
• Daily Show: Best of Bachmann moments.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain does it again, “What is the Taliban?

Alyona’s Fireside chat: Millions go hungry in the U.S.A..

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Young Turks: CIA gets outsmarted by Hezbollah.

Focus on FAUX:

• David Shuster with Christian Finnegan on new poll that found FAUX News viewers know less about news & current events than people who don’t follow news at all.
• Young Turks: FAUX News viewers most misinformed.
• Ed with Lizz Winsted on proof that FAUX News viewers are dumber than people who don’t watch news.
• Alyona’s Tool Time: FAUX News’ Megyn Kelly and Bill-O.
• Sam Seder: FAUX News’ Megyn Kelly suggests pepper spray is no biggie!
• Liberal Viewer: WTF? FAUX News blames pepper spraying on protesters?
• Newsy: Megyn Kelly gets memed over pepper spray comment.

Young Turks: Glenn Beck goes ballistic over Fallon’s dis of Michele Bachmann.

Alyona: Oregon puts death penalty on death row hold.

Jonathan Mann: Pizza is a vegetable.

Thom: How Wal-Mart killed “mom and pops”.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Here are a few slices of politics for your Thanksgiving feast. There are some real turkeys in here….

Thanksgiving on the right.

TPM: Top 5 Turkeys of Campaign 2012:

Best Thanksgiving day movies.

A conservative cultural warrior explains how to talk about same-sex marriage at Thanksgiving (via MoJo).

Flashback: Sarah Palin’s Thanksgiving Massacre!:

Mac and Cheese virgin Pat Robertson asks, Is Mac and Cheese a “Black Thing”?

Mark Fiore: A cartoonist gives thanks!

Megyn Kelly’s thanksgiving:

Obama pardons some turkeys.

Newsy: Cost of Thanksgiving dinner rises 13%.

Kimmel’s Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cum GOP debate:

Woo-Hoo! It is another evening with some crazy fellows. I’ll try to live blog from the Montlake Alehouse.

5:07: Somehow I expect that tomorrows press will be all about Michele’s white outfit.

5:10: Rick Santorum blames Barack Obama for the economy?!? That’s simply precious.

5:10: Mitt makes a funny! (“Yes, Wolf, its my first name”.) Newt?

5:11 Newt puts limits on “innocent until proven guilty.” If we think you are a terrorist, it doesn’t apply.

5:12: Watch Mitt Romney throughout this debate. Some consultant once told him he needed to be a better listener. Now he makes a show of it, by which I mean, it looks very contrived.

5:17: Ron Paul, crazy as he is, schools Newt on the emergence of the police state.

5:19: Michele Bachmann, feeling her sound bite didn’t get enough headlines last time, rekindles the crazy “Obama outsourced the Justice Department to the ACLU” talking point. Still falls flat, I suspect.

5:21: Mitt agrees with Newt.

5:22: Wait. Rick Perry wants to “privatize the TSA”?!? Isn’t that exactly what we had on 9-11? You know, before George W. Bush enacted one of the largest expansions of the federal government by federalizing airport security?

5:23: My dinner has arrived, and I am having trouble eating the refried beans while Rick Santorum is speaking.

5:27: Cain, “I’m sorry Blitz, I meant ‘Wolf'” Wolf: “Thank you Cain”.

5:29: Huntsman sneaks in congressional term limits in a foreign policy debate.

5:30: Bachmann: “Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism.” Where was she when George Bush was selling his Iraq war?

5:31: Oh my Gawd! Michele uses nuisance in discussing Pakistan. What happened to naive black and white issues and answers?

5:33: Here is a useful metric of how low Rick Perry has fallen: Michele Bachmann points out that his Pakistan “policy” is naive—and she is right!

5:36: Look at Mitt’s hair. It looks like a wig made of black fish line. What the fuck is up with that?

5:39: Huntsman is toast…there is, what looks to be, dandruff on his coat.

5:42: What the hell kind of pin is Newt wearing? Is that a Free Masons pin?

5:51: Cain: “If we pull out of Afghanistan too soon, Iran will help fill that power vacuum….” He should have just said, “9-9-9.”

5:53: Rick Perry is starting his fade-out phase of this debate.

5:56: Bachmann: Obama shuts down U.S. energy independence by stopping a pipeline with Canadian oil (being shipped to Louisiana for export). Right.

6:01: Mitt: “Obama has pursued an agenda of being friendly to our foes and being hostile to our friends.” I mean, yeah…he has certainly been courting Republicans at the expense of his base. Good point Mitt. Not bad for a member of a party trying to harm the U.S.

6:08: Perry has some super Super-committee rage! As only a Commander-in-Chief can have….

6:12: When Rick Santorum answers questions, he always looks like he wants to bite someone’s nose off of their face.

6:25: Rick Perry will shut down the borders within 12 months of “the inaugural.” Congress (and the Supreme Court) might have something to say about that.

6:27: Cain claims terrorists have snuck into the U.S. at the Mexican Border?!? Really? I missed that news.

6:30: Santorum: “trickle down.” Now there’s an UGLY picture.

6:31: Newt is gathering a few flakes, himself.

6:32: Michele’s lipstick is beginning to migrate to the rest of her face.

6:35: Even Mitt is showing a few dandruff flakes. Wait…why aren’t his flakes dyed black?

6:38: Or maybe it’s Santorum’s spittle on everyone else’s coat.

6:44: Wow…CNN allowed a genuine war criminal (David Addington) to ask a question!

6:46: Okay…Rick Perry is officially in babble mode now.

6:52: Mitt Romney just gave America an erection.

6:53: Why does Rick Perry refuse to wear an American flag?

6:54: Santorum is concerned about the spread of Socialism. Well, I suspect Socialism is concerned about the spread of Santorum.

6:59: Mercifully…it ends. It got a little hard to hear toward the end, as the “Occupy Montlake Alehouse” crowd showed up and started arguing about what they really stand for.

I thought this debate was substantively better than the CNBC foreign policy debate. Perhaps this means that the candidates just learned their talking points better.

CNN is trying to make a big deal about Newt’s answer on the “illegals” question. In fact, I think Newt is being savvy and more realistic than most Republicans on this issue.

Please join us tonight for a pre-Thanksgiving evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm, but some folks will show up as early as 5:00 pm to watch the Republican melee debate and eat dinner (not necessarily at the same time). I’ll try to live-blog the debate.

Can’t make it to Seattle? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night. The Bellingham Chapter also meets tonight. And tomorrow the Burien chapter meets.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and six more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s one near you.

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Alyona’s Fireside Chat: SOPA, bought and paid for: .

Senior citizens rap video: Scrap the cap.

Alyona’s Tool Time: Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) wants abstinence only education!

The Republican Primary Asylum:

• Jon: They really cannot decide (via OneGoodMove).
• Mitt and Rick’s Oops
• Ann Telnaes: The fluid dynamics of the Republican race
• Campaign in 100 seconds: Bomb, bomb, bomb…bomb, bomb Iran (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Jon on the foreign policy debate.
• Stephen defends Bachmann against media bias (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Stephen on the accidental Michele Bachmann email.
• Actual Audio: Michele Bachmann knows how to fix the economy.
• Ann Telnaes: Cain and Bachmann on torture.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain, “I don’t know what I’m doing”.
• Jon: Herman Cain’s mental meltdown.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain’s spins his interview disaster.
• The Cain Brain.
• Alyona: Gingrich-style corruption is systemic.
• Young Turks: Newt’s Freddy & Fannie problem.
• Stephen: Newt’s Booze Cruise.
• Barney Frank on Newt the Historian (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Young Turks: Rep. Barney Frank slams The Newt.
• Bad Lip Reading with Ron Paul:
• Mitt Romney: Our vets deserve better.

Patriotic Millionaires meet with Grover Norquist.

Alyona’s Tool Time: Rep. Bachus to combat insider Trading!? WTF?

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Thanks Bank of America!

Greenman: Lone Star State of drought.

Alyona: National voter intimidation campaign.

Roger Ailes is Worst Person in the World.

U.S.A. Occupied:

• Stephen: The removal of OWS protesters
• Thom:
• Olbermann: The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt on the violent scene at Zuccotti Park during the Day of Action
• Sam Seder: Bloomberg lies
• Young Turks: Bloody OWS.
• Mark Fiore: Contagionex.
• Young Turks: 84 year old woman pepper sprayed at Occupy Seattle
• Alyona: 84 year old activist pepper sprayed at Occupy Seattle.
• Olbermann with Occupy Seattle’s octogenarian activist Dorli Rainey on being pepper sprayed:
• Jonathan Mann: This is what a police state looks like.
• Sam Seder: First hand account of the Zuccotti Park raid.
• Thom: Journalists enter at your own risk
• Young Turks: OWS raid media blackout
• Alyona: News blackout
• Daily Show on the class struggle within Occupy Wall Street.
• Olbermann: Special comment on OWS:

Alyona: Do-it-yourself video drones.

White House: West Wing Week.

Gloria Cain is Worst Person in the World.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

It seems to me, the real victim of this season’s bizarre G.O.P. primary season is Mitt Romney.

Here is a guy who has been running for President for a long, long time. He has executive experience. He has business experience. He has lots and lots of money. He doesn’t look like a troll (think Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich). He doesn’t have a “Google problem.” He isn’t a fucking lunatic teabagger (think Michele Bachmann). He lost the suit. He can recite Snoop Dog lyrics. He never worked for Obama.

Yet, here we are with less than two months to the Iowa Caucuses, and where does Mitt stand? Oh…maybe 30%.

A couple months ago, “George W. Bush on Steroids” jumped into the race and became the instant front-runner—until he proved to have the intellectual capacity of George Bush on paint chips. But Romney still couldn’t break out.

More recently he has been polling neck and neck with a serial sexual harasser whose entire platform is a one-word slogan repeated three times. That is, until the heightened scrutiny caused some ideas twirling around in his head to leak out…or not leak out. And still Romney didn’t break out.

And now he is tied (or even trailing) a serial adulterer, who at one time was the most despised man in U.S. politics. And soon people will remember why. And they will despise him even more for being a lobbyist for Freddie Mac. But Romney will still be shunned by 2/3 of a disappointed pack of Republican voters.

That’s gotta sting.

But nothing will sting more than the stain of trailing behind Rick Santorum in the polls—even if only briefly. And I do believe Santorum is next in line for a fling with increasingly desperate Republicans.

It’s Tuesday. Please join us for an evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm; a few folks will show up earlier for dinner.

This may be remembered as “The week that Republicans went for the Newtclear Option.” Here are a few clips to commemorate:

Can’t make it to Seattle? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night. Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets this Thursday. And next Monday there are meetings of the Woodinville chapter the Olympia chapter, and the Shelton chapter.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and six more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s one near you.

The last Republican debate was spectacular—both comedy and tragedy. Here’s hoping tonight’s is equally entertaining.

You can stream the debate here.

Here’s your debate sandbox….

5:05: Mitt Romney SCORES…on the moderator.

5:10: The Paulistias are in force tonight!

5:28: Rick Santorum is asked, “If a Pakistani nuclear weapon goes missing, what do you do?” Rick proffers a complete non-answer. Correct answer for Santorum, “Shit my pants.”

5:30: Act I has concluded. Pretty disciplined debate so far. Lots of Obama bashing. But really, I haven’t heard much in the way of actual foreign policy proposals that differ from Obama’s.

5:37: Rick Santorum promises to surround himself only with people who think like he does. That’s fucking frightening!

5:35: And by asking Newt how he would “think outside the box,” I must assume the moderator means, “after pulling your head out of your ass.”

5:40: Rick Perry can see Mexico from his back porch!

5:41: Cain is no torturer…unless you consider his stint with Burger King and Godfather’s Pizza.

5:42: Cain is no torturer…except for stuff you can rebrand “enhanced interrogation.”

5:42: Michele BELIEVES in torture. I’m suspect that’s one of the things Marcus loves about her.

5:43: Kudos to Ron Paul for smacking down his fellow Republicans over the torture question.

5:44: And Kudos to Jon Huntsman for smacking down his fellow Republican over the torture question. Some things transcend party.

5:45: Mitt and Newt are pro-killing American citizens engaging in terrorism outside the U.S. Still…sounds like the Obama foreign policy!

5:48: Rick Perry is outrage that “cybersecurity can go on”?!?

5:50: Mitt will fix the china problem by, “Number one…acknowledge that they are currency manipulators.” There was no number two.

5:59: End of Act II. I missed the last 5 minutes of this act, so perhaps I missed something new, but I didn’t hear any real solutions (I mean, besides Michele and Herman reinstating torture).

6:02: Michele Bachmann way out-crazies my ability to liveblog about it!

6:04: Shorter Herman Cain on Middle East: “I can’t even put together a coherent sentence about the region, but Obama is doing everything wrong there.”

6:09: Rick Santorum’s understanding of the Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, and unlawful combatants is staggeringly naive!

6:11: Michele Bachmann has been chomping at the bit to get some zinger out about torture!

6:13: And…Michele Bachmann throws in her endorsement for Obama’s policies!

6:19: Wikipedia: “Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.” If I understood correctly, Michele Bachman just argued to reverse Johnson’s vision. Michele Bachmann: Pro-poverty, Pro-racial injustice?

6:24: There’s that “lost nuclear weapon” question for Rick Santorum again. “I’d shit my pants.” Just say it, Rick!

6:28: That’s it?!? Just like that? Sheesh!

Postscript: There were no big winners or losers in this debate. And it wasn’t very entertaining. The most annoying thing was the perpetuation of the myth that the debt is the biggest threat to the U.S. right now. No…that isn’t the biggest threat.

The single biggest threat is the willingness of politicians to put party ahead of the good of the country.

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Veteran’s Day:

• Obama honors veterans at Arlington National Cemetery
• Maddow wishes DeMint a Happy Veterans Day (via OneGoodMove).
• Alyona: The MSM on Veteran’s Day
• Patty Murray calls for passage of her major veterans employment bill.
• Ann Telnaes: Veterans Day at Dover Air Force Base.
• Alyona’s Fireside Chat: The 1% that fights our wars

Prosperity for WA: What does it look like?

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

America Occupied:

• Young Turks: Occupy protester shot with rubber bullets.
• Alyona: Winter comes to the Occupy movement
• Garfunkel and Oates: Save the Rich:
• Alyona’s Tool Time: N.Y.Post.
• Olbermann: The ACORN conspiracy!
• Young Turks: Police attack UCB Occupy protesters
• Alyona: Police beat OccupyCal protesters.

Greenman: Ben Santer crushing the myth of global cooling.

Thom: There are no “free” markets.

Extended Daily Show interview with Bill Clinton.

The G.O.P. Primary Asylum:

• Sharpton: Enjoying the comedy show.
• Pap: The GOP’s search for a hero.
• The Debate in 100 seconds (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Pap: GOP debate filled with STOOPID talk.
• Thom: Republican debate…more than one “oops.”
• Young Turks: Can Romney win the GOP nomination?
• Ann Telnaes: Romney aims for the GOP base.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Mitt Romney, “I’ve got to worry more about ME than anybody else”.
• No Mitt, you didn’t care at all.
• Young Turks: Mitt Romney pretends he isn’t rich
• Hit the road, Mitt.
• Sam Seder: Herman’s secret harassment message.
• Young Turks: Herman Cain’s epic debate fail.
• Stephen on Herman’s Jimmy appearance.
• Maddow: Herman’s excuse (via The Political Carnival).
• Ed and Pap: How much did Cain cost the Koch brothers?
• Keith and Markos on Herman Cain’s statement.
• Young Turks: Rush Limbaugh smears Cain’s accusers
• Herman Cain makes some promises
• Ed: ‘serial’ sexual harasser Herman Cain on Nancy Pelosi
• Young Turks: Cain hurt in polls by sexual harassment charges.
• Sam Seder: Don’t dare ask Herman about sexual harassment at the debate.
• Actual Audio: Herman Cain sure loves the Koch Brothers.
• Jon: Oh! The Hermanity (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• The 12 best Herman Cain pick-up lines.
• Jon on Herman Cain’s growing pile of accusers
• Jon on Brain Freeze (via Political Wire).
• Rick Perry does the post-debate Walk of Shame (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Sam Seder: Why is nobody asking the obvious question about Rick Perry?
• Young Turks: Rick Perry’s EPIC FAIL.
• Rick Perry’s top 10 excuses…
• Conan: On that Perry ad….
• SNL: Rock Perry explains last week’s problem
• Stephen on Rick Perry.
• Perry v. Perry: The ultimate reel (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Alyona’s Tool Time: Michele Bachmann, “No work, no food.”
• An Occupy message for Michele (via Crooks and Liars).
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Here comes The Newt!
• Maddow: The scam that is Newt Gingrich

White House: West Wing Week.

Stephen on SuperPAC issue ads.

Rep. Joe “Dead-beat-dad” Walsh (R-IL-8) Comes Unhinged:

• Rep Joe Walsh yells at his constituents (man…he was much mellower with The Eagles).
• Thom: Breaking down Joe Walsh’s big fat lie.
• Sam Seder: Rep. Joe Dead-beat-Dad Walsh lies loudly at his constituents.
• Alyona’s Tool Time: Rep. Walsh yells.
• Young Turks: Rep. Joe Walsh, “Don’t blame banks!”
• Ed talks with woman screamed at by Dead-beat Joe (via OneGoodMove).

Young Turks: GOP pretend to attack the rich.

Alyona: Drone policy will come back to haunt us.

Rick Santorum nominates his way to Worst Person in the World.

Mark Fiore: SuperCommittee.

Jay Inslee for Washington:

Thom: Why is FAUX “palling around with terrorists?”

Campaign in 100 seconds: Why Obama’s numbers are on the rise. (via TalkingPointsMemo).

ONN week in review: Latest GOP debate concludes with candidates wrestling a pig and slaughtering it, and other news.

About Last Tuesday:

• Lawrence O’Donnell with DNC Chair: Democratic victories.
• Pap: Victory for women in Mississippi.
• Ann Telnaes: Personhood according to Mississippi.
• Olbermann with Markos on the big win in Ohio.
• Maddow: The booze vote
• Sam Seder: “Satan” wins in the Mississippi personhood vote!
• Pap: Corporate money loses in Ohio election
• Alyona: Voters reject Republican extremism.
• Young Turks: Wingnuts get their asses handed to them.

Bill Maher with some New Rules.

Joe Paterno is Worst Person in the World.

Maddow: A Pantheon of Pregnant Pauses:

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Un-fucking-believable, that Joni Balter is. I’m told by journalism insiders that she used to be a young and eager reporter. But with age, and her acceptance into inner-sanctum of the Seattle Times misanthrope society, she has undergone the journalistic equivalent of atherosclerosis that has left her lazy and apathetic. Worse, her written opinions are banal, and lacking substantive intellectual analysis.

Here is a perfect example of lazy and substance-free Balter:

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has got to be joking, but I fear he is not. McGinn actually argues that if only the failed $60 car tab request to voters had been bigger — $80, if only — the poorly hatched plan would have been approved.

No, Joni. That isn’t what he argued. Here are his words:

I wanted a bolder transit package to get rail out to the neighborhoods. The City Council chose to fund a lot of smaller projects. It wasn’t clear to people what they were getting for their money.

Now, look, I am not a Seattle resident and I’m an infrequent consumer of the Seattle Times’ “product” (I mean, unlike Goldy, I hardly ever comment on their editorials…simply because I almost never bother to read their editorials). I don’t really feel compelled to protect McGinn from that fossil we know as the Seattle Times. But Joni’s claim is lazy to the point of being dishonestly misleading. It’s irresponsible.

McGinn was talking about substantive differences, and how voters might perceive a different value in the more extensive package.

Joni refuses to fire her synapses enough to get past the dollar amount.

McGinn is playing chess. Joni is playing checkers tiddelywinks dead.

I am on a bus at the moment, so I may not get a good feed for the debate. If you can, write about what you hear in the thread.

Or if you have poignant comments about Republicans, the Republican field, or the G.O.P. primary…feel free to spew ’em here.

4:53: Something to watch for: Will Herman Cain be positioned away from Michelle Bachmann?

5:37: I just got home, but with no functional television around, I am left looking for live streaming of the debate. No luck so far. Anyone else find a video or audio live stream?

5:45: Found a live stream here.

5:53: CNBC put Newt next to Michele? How long until we start calling her Mrs. Michele Gingrich?

5:55: Ron Paul, “We need to be able to opt out of EVERYTHING!”

6:12: New campaign slogan: “Santorum will bring people together!” Ewwwwwww!

6:17: Tomorrows headline: “Does Rick Perry suffer from early onset Alzheimer’s?”

6:21: Another possible headline for tomorrow: Rick Perry announces he is “withdrawing from the Republican…um…ahhh…ohhh…thing”

6:31: Just thinking about cutting the Department of Energy caused a blackout for Perry. No doubt he’s been thinking about cutting the Department of Education his whole life!

6:50: It’s over! What a snoozer…except for that DELICIOUS part with Rick Perry, seeding comedy shows and comedians for years!

Here it is…in all its deliciousness:

“Mitch McConnell is the one who has had his foot on the neck of this country’s economy….And the polls are now showing that Americans understand that Republicans are willing to sacrifice the health of our economy to have political advantage.”

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA-07) to MSNBC’s Chris Jansing.

I just got to the Ale House, and will provide commentary and results as I find ’em. Feel free to scream, shout, celebrate, and weep in the thread.

7:02: Okay…according to Lee’s twitterfeed here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from all around:

47% voter turnout predicted by Sam Reed.

KY Governors race is a 21% spread for Democrat Steve Bashear.

With 1/3 of precincts reports in Mississippi, Initiative 26 (fetal personhood) is going down 60% to 40%.

In AZ, it looks like Russell Pearce (author of the anti-immigration law, SB 1070) is on his way out…53% to 45% with an unknown percent reporting.

7:12: Pro-union is voting to reject Ohio’s “Issue 2” that would repeal limits on collective bargaining. I mean…if The Twitter can be believed.

7:15: Virginia Senate is currently 22 D to 18 R. It is starting to look like Dems will retain their Senate majority.

7:17: It looks like Republican Phil Bryant wins for Mississippi Gov. Too bad…I heard an NPR piece about Democrat Johnny DuPree last night, and he was very intriguing. Sadly, Mississippi will have to wait to have its first black Governor.

7:24: As an aside…It seems to me that there is some type of metaphor here: Herman Cain reaching up the skirt for America’s genitals. On the other hand, Herman Cain pulling America’s head toward his crotch seems like an even better metaphor….

7:56: Just before WA results start coming in, I’ll shamelessly steal a summary from DailyKos on called races:

• All KY statewide races (D), except Ag Commish (James Comer, R)
• All MS statewide races (R), except AG (Jim Hood, D) & Treasurer (uncalled)
• OH Issue 2 (good guys)
• ME Question 1 (good guys)
• MS Initiative 26 (good guys)

8:15: Very early results from a couple of counties (Franklin, Lewis, Kitsap, some of Pierce):

I-1125 (Kill transportation infrastructure): 52% yes to 48% no
I-1163 (Health care workers): 66% yes to 33% no
I-1183 (Costco’s Law): 62% yes to 38% no

8:26: I-1125 is now down by 1.5% with just under a million votes counted. Tim “Biggest Lie of My Life” Eyman is reportedly already trying to spin this as a “moral victory”. And by that, we mean, he got rich hawking the initiative.

8:30: AP calls I-1183. Get ready to cancel your Costco membership!

8:34: Jane Hague is up over Richard Mitchell 54% to 46% with 28% reporting. Booooooooooo!

8:41: In King County, with 25% reporting, I-1125 is losing 60% 40%.

8:42: For Seattle City council I hear incumbents all the way. Being a Redmond resident, I don’t really care.

8:44: I’m sitting next to Lee, and he is FORCING me to let you know that Initiative 1 in Tacoma (Makes pot possession lowest priority for law enforcement, like a similar thing in Seattle some years ago) is winning big time! [Update: 65% to 35%]

8:49: The other statewide recall this election is in Michigan HD-15, where Republican Rep. Paul Scott is being recalled. I’m seeing tweets that it is very close, but it looks like he has been recalled.

8:52: Dem. Reardon is winning in Snohomish. I’m not really a fan of Reardon, but Hope (R) is one scary motherfucker!

8:54: The most important statewide issue on the ballot this election is I-1125, that would restrict tolling, shut down light rail, and cripple Washington’s transportation infrastructure for years. As the vote trickles in, it becomes clear that the initiative is going down.

8:58: Old news now, but in Arizona, Wingnut author of anti-immigration law, Russell Pearce (R) is outta dare! This election has a certain amount of “extremism will not go unpunished” to it

9:17: In case you were wondering, Sherril Huff will continue to be KC elections director.

9:25: I-1125 is still down, but the margin has narrowed to 51% NO to 49% YES.

9:33: Surprise of the night: I-1125 is losing in Garfield County. Really? Garfield joins King, Snohomish, San Juan, and Jefferson counties? Well, it is only losing by 2 votes out of 864 (so far). But still….

It’s election day! If you haven’t done so yet, drop off your ballot. Then join us for an evening of electoral politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm, but a few folks show up earlier for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle? Tonight there are also meetings of the Tri-Cities chapter, the Vancouver, WA chapter and Drinking Liberally Bellingham. Tomorrow night, Drinking Liberally Bremerton meets.

With 227 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and six more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s one near you.