HNN Election Night Special: Google Hangout Livechat
11-6-12
HNN hosted a live chat on Google+ Hangout on election night, featuring our publisher and editor-in-chief Rick Shenkman, editor David Austin Walsh, professor of history at McGill University and HNN blogger Gil Troy, professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross Edward O'Donnell, Brooklyn College professor of history K.C. Johnson, and Berkeley PhD candidate Sam Redman.
The conversation covered all the bases -- the election, the campaign, the media, the future, and -- naturally -- Grover Cleveland.
Click here to start from the beginning.
***FINAL UPDATE 11:45 PM***
Rick Shenkman
11:45 PM
Thanks Gil!
Gil Troy
11:45 PM
Thanks David, Rick and HNN for all that you do to forge a community of historians and educate the populace, This is just one of many impressive, creative initiatives you launch, seemingly so effortlessly, but i know the hard work and deep thought that you invest in it all -- keep it up!
Rick Shenkman
11:45 PM
That the GOP lost this election is shocking in the end. This was a GOP year.
Edward O'Donnell
11:44 PM
It's been fun. Let's do another on inauguration day ...
Gil Troy
11:42 PM
Democracy works -- and let's hope that the losers look inward and ask how they could have done better rather than starting rounds of recounts and recriminations.
Samuel Redman
11:42 PM
It suddenly became a lot like political Christmas in the Bay Area. Car horns, traffic jam on the road outside my house on the way to Berkeley.
Thanks for the good conversation, fellow historians.
David A. Walsh
11:41 PM
Well, gentlemen, the election is more or less over, and just slightly less important is the fact that the length of this thread is causing my browser to nearly crash. Final thoughts then call it a night?
Rick Shenkman
11:39 PM
Fox News has now called the election. Now all we need is Romney's concession speech. Will Obama wait for it?
Edward O'Donnell
11:34 PM
If Romney wins pop vote, it will embolden GOP hardliners in short term - eg upcoming sequestration/fiscal cliff.
Samuel Redman
11:30 PM
@David - appropriate that the car horns are blaring in DC, given the consequence of the auto industry for this election.
David A. Walsh
11:27 PM
Romney still leading in the popular vote.
Edward O'Donnell
11:24 PM
OK, now the 2016 campaign begins ...
Samuel Redman
11:24 PM
CNN projects Obama's win 18 minutes later in the evening than 2008.
Edward O'Donnell
11:19 PM
CNN - Obama reelected via Ohio
Empire State Building has just turned Blue
Rick Shenkman
11:18 PM
Both CBS and NBC have called the election for Obama.
David A. Walsh
11:17 PM
I can hear singing and hornhonks in Adams Morgan tonight.
Samuel Redman
11:17 PM
Iowa and Oregon puts it over the top for Obama. Re-elected President of the United States.
Edward O'Donnell
11:12 PM
I agree. It seems there would be a HUGE opportunity for a GOP moderate. I'm thinking of the transition from Goldwater to Nixon.
KC Johnson
11:12 PM
I'm signing out for a bit--am heading to do a Digital chat, but will check back in. Enjoyed the conversation.
KC Johnson left group chat.
Gil Troy
11:12 PM
The contrast between the two conventions optically was stark. It is ironic that Obama, who came to power repudiating the critics who slice and dice America is presiding over the country as the divide between white America and mulitcultural America grows and calcifies. But the Republicans have to figure it out, and there are enough traditional, family values Hispanic immigrants to heal the party.
Rick Shenkman
11:09 PM
@Edward: Looks to me like the GOP will need somebody l;ike Christie whose appeal to the rightwing is based on personal qualities than hard policies. He could appeal to Hispanics and conservatives (once they get over his kind words for Obama). Christie in 2016!
Edward O'Donnell
11:07 PM
Question to all - what will be the takeaway for GOP from the election if the Dem/Obama trend continues? I know we've talked about it a bit but what's the future of the Tea Party faction? Especially when GOP considers the Latino vote?
Samuel Redman
11:04 PM
Colorado for the Republicans in 72, 76, 80, 84 Democrat in 92, GOP again 1996, 2000, 2004 and Obama in 2008. Major demographic shifts in recent years.
Edward O'Donnell
11:03 PM
CNN - Wisconsin for Obama and NC to Romney
Rick Shenkman
11:01 PM
My condolences to Utah Gov. Levitt, who has been slaving away on a plan to take over the government when Romney wins. Err. When he was supposed to win.
Samuel Redman
11:01 PM
CA went red between 1972-1988, but has gone to the Democratic candidate for President ever since
KC Johnson
11:00 PM
On redistricting, yes: the NC gerrymander was nothing short of extraordinary. And, ironically, the Dems' fault for passing a plan (back when the state had a Republican gov.) to strip from the gov the right to veto redistricting plans.
Rick Shenkman
11:00 PM
The Tea Party has now killed the Senate chances of the GOP in two successive elections. I bet they don't get a chance to do it a third time. Party stalwarts will cut them off even if there's blood on the floor. Mitch McConnell doesn't want to be minority leader forever.
Edward O'Donnell
10:59 PM
CNN saying FL looks more and more Blue
Gil Troy
10:59 PM
Whose waiting for the 2016 campaign to start -- it already has -- what was Bill Clinton doing on the campaign trail if not sowing seeds for Hillary, and Time magazine has already crowned Paul Ryan the front runner for 2016 or 2020 depending on how Romney does tonight
Edward O'Donnell
10:58 PM
Polls on the west coast close in <2 min
Samuel Redman
10:58 PM
ID for Romney
CA, WA, OR, HI likely for Obama
Edward O'Donnell
10:57 PM
Agreed on the power of redistricting - can you imagine how Boss Tweed and other kingmakers of the past would have taken advantage of computer technology to micro-design favorable districts?
Polls on the west coast close in 2 min
Samuel Redman
10:54 PM
The worst part is the waiting for the 2016 campaign to start.
David A. Walsh
10:52 PM
One word: Redistricting. GOP control of state houses in 2010 is paying dividends.
Samuel Redman
10:52 PM
And we're down to the battleground states . . .
KC Johnson
10:52 PM
The other interesting downballot result from this election is the strong showing of Dem Senate candidates (there remains an outside shot the Dems could gain a Senate seat), combined with the pathetic performance of the Dems in House races. Of the three areas (Pres, Sen, House), I thought the Republicans had the best chance in the Senate as of, say, 1-2011.
Edward O'Donnell
10:50 PM
they also enjoyed seclusion - transparency is often a good thing, but it's also overrated.
Rick Shenkman
10:49 PM
You are so right!
Gil Troy
10:48 PM
Meantime, Rick, the founding fathers had time to write the Declaration, Constitution, and Federalist Papers -- because they had time for contemplation, and weren't twittering, texting and smsing little dollops of wisdom that preclude building up to the big insight!
Samuel Redman
10:47 PM
Todd Akin now giving his concession speech.
Rick Shenkman
10:46 PM
Let this election be remembered for technology. At present I am 1. watching TV news coverage, using FaceTime, texting, Google +ing, getting alerts from NYT and CNN, and reading NYT homepage updates. This is a far cry from waiting three weeks for election results as the founding fathers did.
Samuel Redman
10:44 PM
My home state of Minnesota just called for Obama.
Edward O'Donnell
10:44 PM
Re Hoover – self-delusion was easier in 1932, in the days before the sophisticated, computer-generated, micro-analysis of electoral attitudes that we now have (e.g. Nate Silver).
Samuel Redman
10:42 PM
Still waiting for quite a bit of vote from Miami . . . people still standing in line
KC Johnson
10:41 PM
I did read the MIT story. FL continues to distinguish itself for its election management style...