The Mainstream Media's continuing attack on Progressive Reality: Election Edition

Narrow victory my foot.   Why hasn't Florida been called for Obama yet?   100% of the vote is in.   Any provisional and absentee ballots will likely favor Obama even more, turning a half percent win into a 1% win, and turning a 303 electoral delegate victory into a 332 delegate mandate (the 2008 mandate was 365 delegates).   And what about the extra Democratic Senate victory in North Dakota of Heidi Heitkamp, turning a +3 (incl. 2 independents) victory into a +4 victory in the critical Senate?

The NYT, like most of the MSM, wants to make a contest where there wasn't one.

I'll see your Ralph Nader, and raise you a Gary Johnson

For 12 years now, progressives have had to live with "what could have been" from Ralph Nader's 1.635% showing in Florida having "tipped the balance" towards Bush, even though later analysis showed Nader might have taken as many votes from Bush as from Gore, and that when a final count was done, it showed Gore actually won the state.   Well, never mind, because now the Republicans have their "Nader" moment, with the .5% showing of Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.   More than Nader, Johnson's showing comes directly from one party, in this case, the Republicans.   .5% is currently the margin of victory of Obama over Romney in Florida.   Sweet justice indeed.

From the record disenfranchisement of blacks in Florida -- 23% - due to felony charges at some point in their lives, to Rick Scott's shortening of early voting, it's clearly a war on likely Democratic voters.   Despite this, people waited for hours in long lines to vote, creating what looks to be a narrow victory for Obama there.

On top of that, a number of Tea Party favorites got tossed out, and several progressive measures - legalizing Marijuana, Gay Marriage, etc. - passed in several states:

Altering the course of U.S social policy, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, while Washington state and Colorado set up a showdown with federal authorities by legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

We also will now have a record number of women (at least 19, 20 when Heidi Heitkamp gets the official nod) in the Senate, including the indomitable consumer advocate, Elizabeth Warren - by an 8% lead, no less, with 2% of the count left to go. ** UPDATE ** 11 of the 12 House seats still uncalled are being led by democrats too.  If they all go to the Dems, it will mean a strong minority of 202 to 233 Republicans in the House, a substantial incursion during a year when most Democrats and Republicans expected little change in the 242 member majority.

See also political analyst Robert Cavnar's excellent analysis here, especially the parts about how low voter turnout (41%) in 2010 was not really reflective of the electorate.  Last night was a much higher turnout and, when the mainstream media starts admitting reality (or even if it doesn't) indicates a much more progressive country than their breathless too-close-to-call ratings baiting would indicate.   Even Obama was moved to awkwardly insert into his acceptance speech, a call to "do something about that" referring to the voter discouragement tactics of the Republican anti-voter Right.   As Cavnar points out, the Tea Party movement is a fringe element that has taken over the Republican Party, marginalizing it and guaranteeing a long-term losing strategy.   If the Republicans run on the reactionary Right in 2016, they will lose even more badly.   By then, the minority shift -- which went overwhelmingly to the Democrats, plus the equally overwhelming women's vote, will ensure the anti-woman, anti-minority party a permanent minority status of its own.   Serves them Right.