Famille Du Pentium

This is my final post tonight.  I’m going to bed.  In my local & state elections, Democratic incumbent Jeffrey Schoenberg has beaten his Republican challenger Brendan Appel handily, 79 to 21% for our State Senate position, and CLTV (AKA Tribune Company) has “called” that race.  In my State House district, Republican incumbent Elizabeth Coulson has once again held back yet another “Elect me, I’m a Democrat!” challenger, Daniel Biss – currently 61 to 39%.  CLTV has not called that race, but I’m going to go to bed assuming she’ll win.  Both good news, as far as I’m concerned.

Two state referendums are going the way I voted: The call for an expensive and unneccessary constitutional convention is failing, 67 to 33 percent; and the proposed constitutional amendment (without a convention) allowing the recall of Illinois governors (*cough* Blagojevich *cough*) is winning, 63 to 37 percent.  Again, none of these called by CLTV, but I’m going with them.

Plucky Republican Tony Peraica, having nearly beaten Todd Stroger for the nepotism-filled Cook County Board President a few years ago, tried this time to grab the States Attorney’s title, and has apparently lost.

As of now, Barack Obama is solidly ahead of John McCain, the only debatable point being by how much.  I’ll leave the MSNBC election results post below, rather than calling that race – but I think we have a new party in the White House by the time I wake up.

[UPDATE 1: Yeah, I know I said I’m going to bed.  But before I could log out, NBC officially called Barack Obama the winner of the US Presidential race, with 284 electoral votes.]

[UPDATE 2: CNN just called it for Obama too.  It’s over.]

Oh yeah, about that Chicago cab driver – John Joseph Polachek, running for President, but only in Cook County.  Seems the guy has pulled together 829 votes, including himself.  Hey, don’t get me wrong – I didn’t vote for the guy, I read his Board of Elections filing, and he seems like a kook.  But, kook or not, he did something that not many others would try – he didn’t like the way things are going in America, so he ran for president.  And he got 828 votes more than you and I will ever get.  If nothing else, he’ll have a great story to tell his grandkids

The nifty MSNBC widget will remain in the post below, while I make notes about my own State & Local races here.

CNN has called Illinois for Obama, overwhelmingly – 71 to 28 percent.  Oh yeah, that cab driver I posted about before?  Apparently, he did at least vote for himself.  His current vote count: 1.  CNN is calling Democrat incumbent Dick Durbin for the US Senate race, 74 to 23 percent; and Democrat incumbent Jan Schakowsky will win the the US House 9th District, 81% to Republican challenger Michael Younan’s 14%.  No big surprises there.

No word yet on the Schoenberg and Coulson race, I’ll post here later.

This is my last post before elections.  By the time I sit down at the computer tomorrow, returns will be coming in.  So I will take this opportunity to admonish, cajole, and otherwise pester everyone who reads my blog to go out and vote, if you have not already.

I don’t care if you vote for McCain, Obama, or even this Chicago cab driver who wants to be elected President.  The point is, if you feel strongly about what direction that America should take in the next four years, you have never had a better chance to help steer it in that direction.  At no time in recent history have the candidates for office been more advocative of change in Washington and of America’s leadership place in the world.

So go forth, friends and family, and make history.  I’ll post here tomorrow as the returns start coming in, and compare the results to my vote.

Today is Skokie AYSO’s “Soccerfest”, a tournament that caps the eight-week fall soccer season.  Aaron will be playing three games, each one consisting of two 15-minute halves (no quarters) with a five minute break in between each half.  Then he’ll have a 45 minute break between each game.

He won’t play with his regular season team.  Teams will be randomly set when he checks in (in about 15 minutes from now), and he’ll play with the same team throughout the day.

I’ll take the camera and hopefully post pics after it’s all done.

UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded, available HERE.  Enjoy!