Previously:

Morning in America (November 7, 2011)

“Liberal” schadenfreude is a dish best relinquished cold, very cold (November 11, 2012)

It’s still out there, on a cold and rainy day. It’s gonna stay out there until it gets much colder.

It’s colder. Yep, it’s still up.

And the votes are still being counted. The latest totals, as of this afternoon:

2012 National Popular Vote Tracker

Overall Obama/Romney Vote Shares, 2012 (Includes Third Party Votes)

Maintained by: David Wasserman @Redistrict

U.S. Total

Obama ’12 – 64,558,738 – 50.81%

Romney ’12 – 60,331,728 – 47.48%

Other ’12 – 2,164,118 – 1.70%

California

Obama ’12 – 7,465,913 – 59.77%

Romney ’12 – 4,697,734 – 37.61%

Other ’12 – 326,590 – 2.61%

New York

Obama ’12 – 3,873,650 – 62.65%

Romney ’12 – 2,224,963 – 35.99%

Other ’12 – 84,401 – 1.37%

Missouri

Obama ’12 – 1,223,080 – 44.37%

Romney ’12 – 1,482,387 – 53.78%

Other ’12 – 51,085 – 1.85%

[emphasis added]

A 4,227,010 vote margin – more than a mandate as defined in republican terms. Heh. Fancy that, 47 percent. That was downright prophetic.

Interesting. There’s a slight difference in the Missouri numbers at the Missouri Secretary of State (election night numbers):

President, Vice President (3394 of 3394 Precincts Reported)

Barack Obama, Joe Biden Democrat 1,223,092 44.4%

Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Republican 1,482,397 53.8%

Gary Johnson, James P. Gray Libertarian 43,150 1.6%

Virgil Goode, Jim Clymer Constitution 7,935 0.3

[emphasis added]

From the White House:

President Barack Obama (D): On behalf of the Obama family, Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and me I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.

For us, like so many of you, this is a day full of family and friends, food and football. It’s a day to fight the overwhelming urge to take a nap, at least until after dinner. But most of all, it’s a time to give thanks for each other, and for the incredible bounty we enjoy in this country.

That’s especially important this year. As a nation, we’ve just emerged from a campaign season that was passionate, noisy, and vital to our democracy. But it also required us to make choices, sometimes those choices led us to focus on what sets us apart instead of what ties us together, on what candidate we support instead of what country we all belong to. Thanksgiving is a chance to put it all in perspective, to remember that, despite our differences, we are, and always will be, Americans first and foremost. Today we give thanks for blessings that are all too rare in this world. The ability to spend time with the ones we love, to say what we want, to worship as we please, to know that there are brave men and women defending our freedom around the globe, and to look our children in the eye and tell them that, here in America, no dream is too big if they’re willing to work for it.

We’re also grateful that this country has always been home to Americans who see these blessings not simply as gifts to enjoy, but as opportunities to give back. Americans who believe we have a responsibility to look out for those who are less fortunate, to pull each other up and move forward together. Right now, as we prepare to gather around our dinner tables, there are families in the northeast who don’t have that luxury. Many of them have lost everything to Hurricane Sandy, homes, possessions, even loved ones. And it will be a long time before life gets back to normal for them. But in the midst of so much tragedy, there are also glimmers of hope. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen FEMA personnel, National Guard and first responders working around the clock in hard hit communities. We’ve seen hospital workers using their lunch breaks to distribute supplies. Families offering up extra bedrooms. The fire department advertising free hot showers. Buses full of volunteers coming from hundreds of miles away. Neighbors sharing whatever they have, food, water, electricity, and saying again and again how lucky they are to have a roof over their heads. It would have been easy for these folks to do nothing, to worry about themselves and leave the rest to someone else. But that’s not who we are. That’s not what we do.

As Americans, we are a bold, generous, big hearted people. When our brothers and sisters are in need, we roll up our sleeves and get to work, not for the recognition or the reward, but because it’s the right thing to do. Because there but for the grace of God go I. And because here in America, we rise or fall together, as one nation and one people. That’s something to be grateful for, today and every day.

So to all the Americans doing your part to make our world a better place, it is my great privilege to serve as your President. To all our service members, it is my honor to be your Commander in Chief. And from our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Heh. The beauty of a billboard like this is that everyone else is reminded of the failure of their sentiment long after the election has passed. At least for as long as the billboard stays up. 0-3, baby, 0-3.

We still don’t know who paid for this.

On U.S. 50 westbound, east of Powell Gardens in west central Missouri.

And still counting…

Election 2012: Results

President

[Barack] Obama [D] – 62,615,406 votes – 51%

[Mitt] Romney [R] – 59,142,004 votes – 48%

[emphasis added]

U. S. Senator (3387 of 3387 Precincts Reported)

Claire McCaskill Democrat 1,484,700 54.7%

Todd Akin Republican 1,063,702 39.2%

[….]

U.S. Representative – District 5 (387 of 387 Precincts Reported)

Emanuel Cleaver II Democrat 196,467 60.2%

Jacob Turk Republican 121,437 37.2%

[….]

[emphasis added]

Now what?

Previously: Uh, who’s paying for this? (August 17, 2012)

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) in Kansas City on November 2, 2012.

This morning, via Twitter:

Claire McCaskill @clairecmc

New excitement as I land in DC.Thank you Missouri.And I won’t lie, it’s gonna be fun walking on the floor of the Senate this afternoon. 8:57 AM – 13 Nov 12

I bet it will. With a smile.

Open your mouth, then plant lots of yard signs in empty lots.

Yard signs are still up in empty lots around town.

Let’s hope they keep doing the same things in future elections. Goodness knows, there are plenty of like minded successors.

Previously: Schadenfreude, schoener Goetterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium… (November 11, 2012)

Success! Already getting over three thousand paranoid temper tantrum signatures, at the White House “We the People” petition site:

We petition the Obama Administration to:

Peacefully grant the State of Missouri to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

“…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…”

Created: Nov 10, 2012

Signatures from other states:

Troy G

Corinth, TX

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,632

CAROL i

Painesville, OH

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,631

Michael B

Trinity, AL

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,630

Michael M

Roseville, CA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,628

Dallas T

Mesa, AZ

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,625

[….]

Roxanne L

Quitman, AR

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,484

Ryan J

Kent, WA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,483

Kevin A

Brewton, AL

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,481

Tiffiney C

Cottonwood, AL

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,480

Michael I

Ocala, FL

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,479

A N

Lansing, KS

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,478

Lee C

Halifax, NC

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,477

robert s

Reading, PA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,476

Jim W

Hardesty, OK

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,474

Jessica L

Little Rock, AR

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,475

Tyler D

Poland, ME

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,472

Roy R

Oak Grove, LA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,467

Eric F

Stafford, VA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,466

Jon S

Pittsburgh, PA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,465

Rachel H

Christiansburg, VA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,464

Michele B

Allentown, PA

November 12, 2012

Signature # 3,463

[emphasis added]

And on and on…

Quitman? Really? Heh.

So, do the out of state signers get to vote in Missouri if this gets on the ballot here? Think about that for a minute.

And how. In small town west central Missouri:

The right wingnut cult of the lost cause. The signs are still up in empty lots and in the right of way all over town.

Previously:

Schadenfreude, schoener Goetterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium… (November 11, 2012)

Morning in America (November 8, 2012)

It’s still out there, on a cold and rainy day. It’s gonna stay out there until it gets much colder.

Yeah, right:

Liberal Schadenfreude Is Out of Control

Why gloating after the election is nastier than ever.

By Katherine Goldstein|Posted Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at 8:04 PM ET

….I had just turned 21. My vote for Kerry was the first I’d ever cast, and boy did losing hurt.  But there was no one to around to rub my face in my own misery. In order to do that, someone would have had to call or email me or come up to my red-rimmed eyes and laugh in my face. Given that my immediate family is liberal, modern social media was in its infancy, and I went to a strongly left-leaning college, nothing like this happened. My friends and I consoled each other and moved on, and I never had the experience of anyone reveling in my despair….

Seriously? Obviously a viewpoint stemming from a wealth of experience. 2004 was the writer’s first election. I remember 1968, and 1972, and 1980, and 1984, and 1988, and 2000, and 2002, and 2004, and 2010.

Especially 2000.

Concern trolling coming from the sort of establishment. Please, Flying Spaghetti Monster, make the stoopid stop.

Now I think the yard sign stays up quite a while longer. And I have plenty of replacements.

I don’t think The Onion was able to hack the White House web site. Maybe.

At the White House “We the People” petition site, the usual suspects are upset about the outcome of the election:

We petition the Obama Administration to:

The State of South Carolina to Secede from the Union and form it’s own Government as a Sovereign State

A petition for the State of South Carolina to Absolve its Allegiance to the Union and Declare its Independence as sovereign nation state.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

“…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government

Created: Nov 10, 2012

The funny part? There are a number of signatures from people from other states:

Rachel D

Montgomery, AL

November 11, 2012

Signature # 566

Ryan P

San Antonio, TX

November 11, 2012

Signature # 565

Derrick S

Zachary, LA

November 11, 2012

Signature # 564

George P

Kissimmee, FL

November 11, 2012

Signature # 563

Scott B

Salisbury, NC

November 11, 2012

Signature # 562

Rhonda E

Jacksonville, FL

November 11, 2012

Signature # 559

[emphasis added]

And on and on.

Are they trying to tell South Carolina something? Just asking.

There are petitions for other states, too:

Peacefully grant the State of Michigan to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of New York to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Colorado to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Allow Oregon to vote on and leave the Union peacefully and remain an ally to the Nation.

Peacefully grant the State of New Jersey to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of North Dakota to withdraw from the USA and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Montana to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Indiana to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Mississippi to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW governmen [sic]

Peacefully grant the State of georgia [sic] to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Kentucky to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Florida to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of North Carolina to withdraw from the United States and create its own NEW government

Peacefully grant the State of Alabama to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

Picture New Jersey and New York without FEMA.

North Dakota just elected a new United States Senator. And they want to give that up?

Ditto, Indiana.

georgia is special:

Peacefully grant the State of georgia to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.

just like in 1860 the south secede from the union. 2012 the state of georgia would like to withdraw from the USA

Created: Nov 10, 2012

And it already has 1409 signatures.

Someone in Mississippi needs to work on their cut and paste skills.

Isn’t Kentucky a commonwealth? Just asking.

As if anyone wouldn’t understand what “new” means if it isn’t all caps.

Maybe if the rest of us quietly tip toe away and take our federal dollars with us they won’t notice. Nah.

Is this a great country, or what?

Joplin, Missouri (in red) in Jasper and Newton Counties. Image via Creative Commons License.

The presidential vote in Jasper and Newton Counties (including the City of Joplin) in 2012, via the Missouri Secretary of State:

JASPER [County]

President, Vice President (49 of 49 Precincts Reported)

Barack Obama, Joe Biden Democrat 12,808 28.3%

Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Republican 31,345 69.3%

Gary Johnson, James P. Gray Libertarian 919 2.0%

Virgil Goode, Jim Clymer Constitution 141 0.3%

Total Votes 45,213

NEWTON [County]

President, Vice President (25 of 25 Precincts Reported)

Barack Obama, Joe Biden Democrat 6,425 25.6%

Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Republican 18,179 72.5%

Gary Johnson, James P. Gray Libertarian 397 1.6%

Virgil Goode, Jim Clymer Constitution 79 0.3%

Total Votes 25,080

[emphasis added]

The gubernatorial vote in 2012:

JASPER [County]

Governor (49 of 49 Precincts Reported)

Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon Democrat 19,455 43.2%

David (Dave) Spence Republican 24,215 53.8%

Jim Higgins Libertarian 1,356 3.0%

Leonard Steinman Write-in 0 0.0%

Ronald E. Levy Write-in 0 0.0%

Total Votes 45,026

NEWTON [County]

Governor (25 of 25 Precincts Reported)

Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon Democrat 9,879 39.5%

David (Dave) Spence Republican 14,481 57.9%

Jim Higgins Libertarian 661 2.6%

Leonard Steinman Write-in 0 0.0%

Ronald E. Levy Write-in 0 0.0%

Total Votes 25,021

And in 2008?:

JASPER [County]

U.S. President And Vice President Precincts Reporting 46 of 46

John McCain, Sarah Palin REP 31,667 65.9%

Barack Obama, Joe Biden DEM 15,730 32.8%

Bob Barr, Wayne A. Root LIB 194 .4%

Chuck Baldwin, Darrell Castle CST 123 .3%

Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez IND 311 .6%

Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente WI 0 .0%

Total Votes   48,025

NEWTON [County]

U.S. President And Vice President Precincts Reporting 25 of 25

John McCain, Sarah Palin REP 17,637 69.4%

Barack Obama, Joe Biden DEM 7,450 29.3%

Bob Barr, Wayne A. Root LIB 87 .3%

Chuck Baldwin, Darrell Castle CST 74 .3%

Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez IND 158 .6%

Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente WI 0 .0%

Total Votes   25,406

[emphasis added]

The vote for Governor in 2008:

JASPER [County]

Governor Precincts Reporting 46 of 46

Hulshof, Kenny REP 27,764 58.6%

Nixon, Jeremiah W. (Jay) DEM 18,676 39.4%

Finkenstadt, Andrew W. LIB 507 1.1%

Thompson, Gregory E. CST 425 .9%

Brown, Sr., Theodis (Ted) WI 0 .0%

Serati, Mark WI2 0 .0%

Total Votes   47,372

NEWTON [County]

Governor Precincts Reporting 25 of 25

Hulshof, Kenny REP 15,570 61.9% % Yes Votes Graph

Nixon, Jeremiah W. (Jay) DEM 9,134 36.3%

Finkenstadt, Andrew W. LIB 246 1.0%

Thompson, Gregory E. CST 222 .9%

Brown, Sr., Theodis (Ted) WI 0 .0%

Serati, Mark WI2 0 .0%

Total Votes   25,172

President Obama in Joplin, Missouri on May 29, 2011.

Evidently, if you’re President of the United States visiting an area twice within the last year and a half will lose you votes. The numbers for Governor Jay Nixon did go up, but the overall percentages weren’t that great, either.

Previously:

President Obama in Joplin – May 21, 2012 – commencement speech (May 22, 2012)

Some thoughts on Joplin (June 2, 2011)

FEMA declares Eric Cantor a Disaster Area (May 31, 2011)

President Obama in Joplin – photos and remarks (May 29, 2011)

The GOP and Joplin: No compassion, only gamesmanship (May 25, 2011)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) on the floor of the Senate: calling out Rep. Eric Cantor (r) (May 25, 2011)

Government is not the enemy (May 23, 2011)