Christmas Eve Politics Junky Style

So for the first time since I have been able to vote the trends are looking good for my candidates and am I home to bask in the quasi-liberal or at least anti-neo-con glory? No I am half a world away in Central Asia in one of the few countries left on Earth that is pro-Bush, well to be fair the President is pro-Bush, the people I have spoken to seem much brighter than that. Anyway, I would have been more than happy to miss the '04 elections but this one I was really looking forward to. Before you get any silly notions - I did of course vote before I left - but still to be there... Ok enough bitching about poor silly monkey who has to travel to amazing places and meet amazing people anyway I know you aren't feeling bad for me so why bother;)

There is a 10 hour time difference between Tbilisi and Minneapolis. So as we were finishing our meetings for the day and heading to dinner on tuesday, eager beavers were streaming into the polls all over Minnesota and across the country. Falling asleep was hard. It really felt a little like christmas eve - what would santa politics bring? would the grinch steal the election? would I get a Canon Rebel Digital? (oh wait that really would be xmas) anyway it was hard to sleep. I knew that at six am my time the polls would close and that as we were waking up the presents under the tree would begin to appear. The first package: Senator Amy Klobuchar. The next package: my state rep and senator relected. Then some gifts from out of town relatives: Senator Hillary Clinton, Gov Eliot Spitzer, Republicans fall in Rhode Island (although I do feel bad for Lincoln Chaffee), Ohio, etc. One hell of a loot! Early indications on the secretary of state website looked good for all the DFL statewide candidates, news reported Hatch having leads in the early exit polls. We begin to go into present coma - it is 8:30am here, 10:30PM in Minneapolis and everything is falling into place. We break for breakfast - no scrambled eggs and schtolla (sp?) but still good.

Back to the web tearing from CNN, to NYTimes, to the Trib, to the secretary of state's site we obsessively watch every development hoping more and more races will be declared before it is time to leave for the first interview. As we leave for the day Hatch has dropped behind but we are still hopeful, Patty - well we are hopeful but not optimistic, but Tim Walz is looking strong and the national picture is coming into beautiful, beautiful democrat focus.

Coming home at the end of the day (Wednesday morning in Minnesota) and seeing Hatch and Finney had conceeded their respective races and the 6th district called for Bachmann was a little sad but hell we took back the Senate and the House on both the state and federal level - and Rumsfeld is gone - so we are trying to look at it like getting everything but the pony you always ask for and never get - besides like a pony, Hatch may have been better in theory than in practice although I'd take him in a heartbeat over Pawlenty. Besides now since I didn't get the pony maybe Santa will bring the Canon Rebel Digital Camera...what...oh um nevermind...

-A. Monkey