I think the convention is to wait for the polls on the West Coast to close before conceding even if it’s a blowout where everyone knows it’s over long before, ala 1984.
It’d depend on the particulars, but if it’s clear he has no chance of winning, he’ll concede the night of the 6th or the morning of the 7th. Neither is likely to happen in my opinion, but I don’t see reason to think he’d do something out of the norm. And unless I’ve missed something, concessions carry no legal weight and only matter in terms of sportsmanship. So I guess the idea here is that the OP bets Obama is a big baby.
as partisan and mean as this election has been neither party wants to drag it out over anything less than a few thousand votes between winning and losing. the R’s know that if they do the D’s will just do it next time etc…etc…
And both men I think respect America enough that once it’s clear they lost they will own up and concede. 240+ years of a smooth transition of power in one of the most powerful nations in the world is to important I think to let party labels get in the way. I think this holds true from the highest party officials down to the local election folks who really matter and count/report the votes.
But damn, I hope no matter who wins that someone has the balls to do some Election reform in the next 4 years. This early voting mess, long lines, and unlimited campaign money is just going to get worse… someone needs to stop this madness now.
Election particulars are up to the states. I don’t think there’ll be energy for a federal push for such.
I’m sure that Obama, knowing what’s important to the electorate, will do so at an appropriate time; just as soon as Michelle has the perfect outfit picked out.
I agree the source and amount of money has to be reigned in but the early voting mostly alleviated long lines where we’re from. There’s a consensus that this was a bad thing?
Stay classy.
Just so we understand, this “conceding” thing isn’t legally meaningful. Everyone knows that, right?
“Concession” is just the speech you make when you know you’ve lost. If it’s close, and later evidence proves you jumped the gun, you still get to be President.
I agree.
I think this is going to be a long drawn out affair similar to or worse that 2000.
Not so sure. Florida and Ohio are total disasters, voting wise, people standing in line forever, and some of them are bound to just give up and go home. So Obama not only has to win, but he has to win with such a margin that a battalion of Republican lawyers can’t sue their way to the White House.
Of course, if its all too fucked up, we just hand it over to the House of Representatives to decide. That would be, like, totally legal and constitutional.
Actually, it would really only be handed to the House if things at the state level WEREN’T screwed up. One way or another every state is going to send their electors. If push comes to shove a state legislature would do whatever it took to see to it their state gets its EVs - preferably, of course, the electors of the right party (and let’s be honest, the places where the shenanigans are likeliest to take place are GOP-run. The simple fact is that voter suppression is a Republican strategy.)
The only way this gets handed to the House is an honest-to-God 269-269 tie. Which is not entirely impossible; 538 figures it’s about a 300-to-1 shot.
Or one or more faithless electors on the winning side voting for a third party candidate giving, say, a 269-268-1 result. Which, admitedly, is probably even less likely than an out and out tie. Although if were an actual elector on a side that had reached the 270 minimum, I’d be awfully tempted to do just such a thing to see what happens. This is one of the many, many reason that I’ll never be chosen as an elector.
Thank you, that was calmative. Now, all I have to do is worry about the state legislatures, where intelligence, equality, and fairness simply abound.
(No, seriously, I mean it, your point is well taken…)
Irrelevant question. Obama’s not going to concede on Election Night or at any time thereafter. Romney, I expect, will concede late on Election Night.
And head out on the Comeback Trail, already in the lead for the nomination in 2016!
There have been recent stories about long lines in Ohio for early voting, but early voting is not only very different from election day voting, but it will also probably reduce election day problems. In my city, early voting began October 2 at the Board of Elections office only. In Ohio generally, I’m pretty sure that’s how it works: there is one, or in big cities, just a few locations for early voting, so lines can be long. On election day, obviously, there will be many locations open.
1.6 million people in Ohio have already voted. I think that might cut down on the lines tomorrow.
Yes, in my state estimates are that 2/3 of those likely to vote already have. I waited perhaps all of 15 seconds when I went the first day it was open. Tuesday should be relatively easy for those left compared to some of the effort required in years past.
From your lips to the Ears.
I think the experience of the Gore campaign in 2000 makes it likely that either candidate will wait until its absolutely inevitable that the other guy has 270+ electoral votes before conceding. There isn’t really any disadvantage to waiting to concede, and in the off chance that a situation develops like in 2000 where the results are really in doubt, its to a candidates advantage not to have to try and call “backsies” on a previous concession.
IIRC, we saw some of this in 2004, Kerry/Edwards waited until Wendsday afternoon to concede, hoping on the very slim chance that something would develop to cause a recount in the close, but not that close, race in Ohio.
That said, they won’t wait any longer then that to concede either. Unlike legislative elections (like Al Franken’s election to the Senate in 2008) there isn’t really any advantage to postponing the inevitable either. And drawing it out past the point where everyone can see its over just makes the Candidate look silly.
So I’d say unless we end up with a situation like 2000, where the results hinge on a couple hundred votes in one state, the loser won’t concede any later then Wendsday evening.
This is my personal theory, because I figure he has got to be EXHAUSTED. There’s nothing fun about being the POTUS no matter your party. Sure, he’s running for re-election and all but I suspect - if he’s normal, anyway - the thought of losing brings with it the thought of relative freedom – or at least a hell of a lot more freedom than he has now.
Pigs will fly out of my anus and sing halleluja.