Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

notes from a close election

I’m sitting just under a bank of television sets that I have to duck to avoid hitting every time I go to stand up or sit down. Producers and editors chatter about the latest results at the curved news desk behind me. It’s an exciting, if a bit nerve-wracking, night.

I’m spending much of my time flipping back and forth and back again between washingtonpost.com and all the other major networks and newspapers. It’s fascinating keeping tabs on who’s called what state for whom and how each news outlet is presenting its information. NYTimes.com has been the slowest at projecting winners: It has Kerry leading electorally 71-67, while CNN has Bush up 193-112.

ABCNews.com has an odd photo illustration (PNG) for its lead graphic that collages together photos of a blurred flag, of Bush and of Kerry. There’s a weird kind of graphic editorializing going on: The photo of Bush has richer color, and the candidate is more sharply cut-out; meanwhile, Kerry is a bit washed out, and the edges of his head are blurred into the background.

WP’s Live Online is hosting an ongoing chat with WP editors all evening, and the editors, in their comments, are being careful to distinguish between results called by the Post and results called by other news organizations:

Arlington, Va.: Personally I’d be surprised if Kerry didn’t start with a lead as that reflects the ABB (anyone but Bush) voters who’ve been standing in line for 4 years now to cast another vote. The fact that the Kerry’s numbers aren’t better and are already starting to fade reflects that the ABB vote is in and now all the DNC has left is the pro Kerry vote. It’s gonna be a long night I think.

Howard Kurtz: Well, Bush is out to a 34-3 lead. But no surprise, since the president was expected to easily carry Georgia, Kentucky and Indiana and Kerry to take Vermont.

Robert G. Kaiser: We should perhaps make clear that Howie is talking about network projections—that’s where his electoral vote numbers come from.

Posted 7:12 p.m., 11.2.2004

Meanwhile, even though Virginia has been called for Bush, I’m still having fun keeping an eye on the live results on the Virginia Department of Election site, where I can break down the latest numbers by district, locality and even precinct.

Also enjoying MSNBC’s “Citizen Journalist” section, which is soliciting photo and narrative submissions from readers.