Election Night, or "It's here! It's here! It's really, really here!"

This is fun. It is. Laptop, food on the way, booze....DirecTV Election Mix. I heart it. I do. I have a bottle of Faretti Biscotti Famosi, and a bottle of prosecco. Politics and booze go together like the Dallas County Commissioner's Court and zany goodness. Like Texas Stadium bathrooms and the power of levitation. Like the Dallas Cowboys and wheels falling off. Like the Mavs and choking. I think you get my drift here. Now, as we wait patiently for both national results and local results, we will make fun of various anchors. 7:00 p.m.: CNN is projecting Massachusetts goes to Obama, as does Illinois, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Three of the four Maine electoral votes to Obama. Delaware goes to Obama, Maryland and D.C. McCain has Oklahoma and Tennessee. Now they're saying South Carolina went to McCain, too. Awww....they've brought out the Tim Russert white board on NBC. Sad. I miss him right now. Electoral count at 7:09 p.m.? Obama 43, McCain 16 From Maggie, who is in New Mexico, and on Twitter: " I need all the networks to call PA before I can believe it" We've broken out the booze. Also, earlier today on HuffPo, several DNC loyals wrote an open letter to Obama, begging him to not concede, no matter what. I want Lester Holt's cool Senate map thingie. Gimme! The DMN is showing early voting has Lupe Valdez ahead of Lowell Cannaday, 57% to 43% 7:30 p.m. Fox and every other place has now called PA for Obama. Electoral votes nationwide: Obama 81, McCain 34 . MSNBC is calling NC for Kay Hagan, not Liddy Dole. How many electoral maps can I have open on my computer? Any of 'em and all of 'em, to quote Sarah P. If McCain loses Virginia, too, it will be very difficult for him to mathematically win, just about everyone agrees - now that lone holdout CNN has projected PA is in the tank for Obama, too. A channel change was demanded when Rudy, Rudy, Rudy began to speak, because me makes me want to stab stuff. Now we changed from NBC, where Nicolle Wallace was speaking about McCain being a something something can't hear cause my ears are bleeding. Ahhh...MSNBC. Chuck Todd is not Tim Russert. Is James Carville looking more and more like a skeleton with glasses? Discuss. I'm following the Dallas County elections here. Can the DMN be any slower updating things? Statewide results, early voting: McCain 52%, Obama 47% Senate: Cornyn 52%, Noreiga 46% 8:05 p.m.: ABC called Georgia for McCain. Electoral votes: 174 Obama, 76 McCain. Obama needs 96 electoral votes to win. 8:25 p.m.: I'm on my third cocktail of the evening. Ohio just called for Obama on ABC. Obama 195, McCain 76 In Dallas County, with early voting and 34 of 708 precincts reporting, Obama 60%, McCain 39%. Statewide, with early voting and 331 of 8,466 precincts reporting, McCain 53%, Obama 46%. Senate, Cornyn 53%, Noriega 45%. Rachel Maddow, via Twitter: "two gwb04 red states have now flipped to blue. it's a whole new world." CNN now says Obama has 195 electoral votes, and McCain 64. John King, "It's looking very grim." OK. While we're waiting on more results, let me float this idea out there: McCain/Palin don't win. Palin goes back to her home state. Ted Stevens resigns. Palin works out a deal where her Lt. Gov. - if she resigns - appoints her to Stevens seat. Plausible? Does it make her more palatable in 2012? Discuss. Statewide results, with 838 of 8,466 precincts, McCain 53%, Obama 46%. Cornyn 53%, Noriega 45%. Dallas County results, with 200 of 708 precincts reporting: Obama 59%, McCain 40%, Rod Dreher's write in candidate, 0.28%. ABC just called New Mexico for Obama. 8:57 p.m.: Current CNN electoral count: Obama 199, McCain 78 CNN: Iowa goes to Obama, Utah and Kansas goes to McCain. New count: Obama 206, McCain 89 State results, 1,713 of 8,466: McCain 54%, Obama 46%. Senate race holding. ABC has a probably more realistic (counting Texas in the tank) electoral projection of Obama 207, McCain 135. CNN refuses to call Texas just yet. It is kinda close, but if Obama carries Texas, I'll YouTube my next drunken singalong. Indiana, North Carolina, Florida and Virginia are crazy close, but Obama is ahead. 9:40 p.m.: We're at 207 Obama, 141 McCain according to ABC. C'mon 270 already. ABC projects South Dakota. New electoral total, 207 Obama, 141 McCain. For an improbable second time in one day, I find myself liking something Rod Dreher wrote. From HuffPo: "The election hasn't been called yet, but McCain and Palin are together in Arizona and have gone to speak privately together." DMN: Voters OK measure to replace Parkland hospital. Chris Matthews is freaking out. "A Black Man! For President! He won! He wasn't appointed! He won!" Swear I won't be surprised if he takes off his shirt at some point. Question: Does Rachel Maddow own another jacket? Dear God help me. First Dreher, now Schutze making me laugh. MSNBC just called it California, Washington, Oregon. Obama 284, McCain 146 The scene at Grant Park is amazing. Spelman College, one student is on the ground, crying. Others are hugging each other, crying. The crowd at Grant Park? Thunderous. Stevie Wonder's "Signed Sealed Delivered" is playing, and everyone is singing along. CNN and everyone else is agreeing. Now the pundits are waxing profound. I'd like to point out that for the first time in what - twelve years? - we know who the president is by 10 p.m. That fact in and of itself makes this occasion worthy of the bubbly I'm about to break out. CNN is showing the reaction to the results in Kenya. Insane. Wonderful. Amazing. NBC: John McCain called Obama a few minutes ago and conceded the election. They're also reporting Colorado went to Obama, putting the total at 306 Obama, 146 McCain. Florida has been called for Obama now. Obama 333, McCain 156. 10:19 p.m.: McCain is on the stage, conceding. His crowd, always classy, boos Obama. We'll hear from Obama by 11 at the latest, I'm betting. There is a hellacious crowd outside the White House. WTF? Are they gonna rush the gate and kick GWB out now? The tally on my DirecTV says Obama 329 and McCain 155. Also, GWB called Obama to congratulate him, and to promise a smooth transation. Now we're just waiting for Obama. The longer we wait, the more prosecco I'm able to drink. The more prosecco I'm able to drink, the more interesting my job performance tomorrow will be. Dallas' Bishop Jakes is on MSNBC, saying Obama won't always be this popular, realistically, because of the job he has to do. He also said he prays for "a return to civility between those that disagree." "I have mourned," he said, of the absence of this civility. Amen. Now Obama comes out to the stage at Grant Park, with Michelle, Malia and Sasha. This is the first family, folks. These two little girls will grow up in the White House. Chills I have. Just look at how happy his family is as they run off the stage. His speech talks of those who took the time to vote - in resounding numbers. "Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America." "Change has come to America." He speaks of McCain's call. No boos. See my post "A Return to Decency," for the reason. Your crowd takes its cues from you, John, so don't be surprised when they boo during your concession speech when you mention Obama. You nurtured that ungracious sentiment. "I would not be here tonight without my unyielding support of my best friend ... my rock ... the love of my life...Michelle Obama." "Sasha and Malia ... you have earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the White House." "I know my debt to them is beyond measure," he says of his family, especially his grandmother. "We may not get there in a year, or even in one term, but I have never been more hopeful that we will get there. We WILL get there." He concedes that things won't go smoothly, but that he will always listen. "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance ..." BTW, according to CNN's political ticker, the foreign markets have reacted immediately to the news of Obama's win. Many are up by at least 2%. "From the world perspective, Obama is perceived as a better candidate and I think they are voting with their dollars," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago. OK. For those of you still saying he's a Muslim, or a Muslin - notice his closing. "May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America." Not Allah. God. So shush. Crowd shots. Oprah is crying. And you can just tell Barack and Michelle Obama love each other, as do the Bidens. And hear comes the rest of the family members, including Malia and Sasha. Adorable. Joe Biden's mother, between Obama and Biden...and then she standing with her son, and Barack with his sister. The two families together - what a moment. And then the president elect, one last time, alone on the stage before leaving it, hand in hand with Michelle Obama. I cannot wait for the next four years.