Hanging By a Chad or Why Didn't I Learn to Spell?

Election Day Plus 10--and counting. Literally.
I keep thinking that 'it will all become clear' but a few final answers may await the individual state's certifying their elections.
Here, that date is December 2nd.
Other states are similar--end of November or after.  

There have been some important sighs-of-relief since we last visited the 2010 election--but many nail-biters left, too.  Most importantly in my neck of the woods:  

• Patty Murray will return to the Senate & Dino will not unleash the lawyers to challenge the results.  He was in the lead only briefly, it turned out, and Patty ended up with a clear margin so we will not need to enter the land of murky innuendos.  The voters have spoken. 
• Rick Larson will return to Congress.  He was not trailing briefly--he was behind for quite some time.  After several early morning, late night checks of the latest results the miracle finally happened!  Larson is ahead! (rub those sleep eyes again!)  By only a few votes, but definitely ahead.  At a slug's pace, Larson kept moving ahead.  It was still a squeaker in the end (less than 5,000 vote difference), but enough for the contender to concede--so we could all let out our collective breath knowing we dodged a bullet.  
• The contended Supreme Court Justice race looks like it will go to the mat--and again, it has been a surprise to watch.  The incumbent was way ahead from the beginning--and stayed there. Dang! But a week after the election the challenger eeked ahead by a skinny few votes. (Rub the sleepy eyes again! Is that right?! He's ahead!!) Again, moving at a slug's pace Wiggins, the challenger, is now almost 5,000 votes ahead. (No sigh of relief yet. The incumbent's campaign has put out a request for 'legal, recount' donations, so too soon to tell if the judge's race winds up in the court.)  

One thing in common to most of the tight races in this state:  the tide was turned when the Elephant-in-the-Room, aka King County, weighed in.  Those of us blue voters in the hinterland always wait expectantly when there are nearly 200,000 votes left to count in the Seattle area--notably blue.  Things can change in a heartbeat--and often do.  It's like being in a fight with the bully when your big brother shows up to save the day. I was thinking all this week, as so many races were hanging by a thread all across the country, that for the red, rural voter it must be excruciating this time--thinking you were going to 'take the country back' & getting the initial sound bytes that your candidate is winning, only to have that reverse when the urban vote weighs in. I understand the urban/rural voting block issue, it just doesn't make for happy campers for the duration of the term.  It think it's that exact sense of disenfranchisement  that has made the Tea Party so popular in my backyard.  At least in my world the rural, red voter feels like someone finally understands them--and many of the returning blue incumbents will not. Even the Elephant couldn't help the initiative battles, though.  It will still be a very painful legislative session, looking under rocks for dollars that aren't there.

Then, of course, there's Alaska. The state that defies logic. This week they began the daunting process of hand counting the nearly 93,000 write-in ballots for US Senator (most assumed to be for incumbent GOP Lisa Murkowski who lost the primary to Tea Partier Joe Miller)--with an entourage of observers deciding which ballots to challenge.  The Alaska elections site now has a separate page for write-in returns, which lists votes for Murkowski, votes for Murkowski, CC ('challenged, counted'), and votes for Murkowski, CNC ('challenged, not counted').  The counting grinds on, and to keep us entertained, Joe Miller's camp is busy in the court room. So far the court has denied a motion to stop the count until 'the spelling question' is settled, and has upheld the opinion that the voter's intent--if clear--is acceptable.  Spelling Murkowski exactly right is not required.  The spelling vs intent case is now moving on to the Alaska Supreme Court while the country looks on.  According to the elections time line, Alaska expects to be finished with the question before the end of the month, barring court gymnastics. I'm thinkin' the GOP Senate minority better finish back-peddling pretty darn quick & be prepared to play well with others when Lisa returns as the GOP candidate they didn't back...
Meanwhile in the related news of political entertainment, George 'the Shrub' Bush has resurfaced mere moments after the election to stump for his new book.  We'd been wondering where he was.  Turns out, he was at the desk with pencil in hand, tongue off to one side.  If you've had trouble remembering life before 2008, watching part (all I could do) or all of the Matt Lower/George Bush interview will help you remember--quickly. Heh, heh.  ("the lawyers told me I could...").
Sarah "Mama Grizzly" Palin's reality TV show is launching this weekend & Sarah is treating viewers to her knowledge & expertise about areas of Alaska that she sometimes refused to visit--even when needed--while she was governor.  (Back to the memories as long as gnats--let's hope she has adequate guides & chaperones cause we know she's directionally-challenged.  'See, there's Russia!') And Todd is such an added bonus!
I admit--I will not be watching.  I have seen some on-line clips & some of the advertising both on-line & on TV.  The frontal lobe takes control after a few seconds and the "must stop" "must stop now" voice kicks in, making the index finger do a reflex click of the remote or the mouse to silence the horror. You shake your head to get the cobwebs out, and ask yourself:  "did I just see a possible contender for the 2012 presidential nomination doing a reality show?!"  Really?!  It's just like thinking that Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert are journalists, or that the president is spending $200 million a day accompanied by a 10th of the total national fleet to take a trip to Asia. Right?!
People know that's not right, right? RIGHT?! Let's see, how do you spell g-u-l-l-i-b-l-e?