12:56 Downstairs, in the lobby bar, there is still a decent sized crowd of very well dressed people clutching cold drinks. The general idea is that government as business is back, and it's riding on the backs of women. Though I don't hear much political banter and as far as I can tell, none of the three massive TV monitors over the bar are showing FOX news. Perhaps we've reached the saturation point.
Of politics I mean, not booze. These people look like they have a lot more celebrating to do.
]
12:57 Someone is wearing a cowboy hat, which seems significant given that the
Democrat's party featured fedoras. Who knew politics could be so handy
when choosing an accessory for the night. You think this is a joke?
There are more fine, red leather purses spilling across cocktail tables
than I can count. I might consider trying, but a hotel worker is coming
by to gather the candle holders off of the tables, and I think that
means it's time to go.
12:10 Carly Fiorina is no longer celebrating with her loyal crowd. What is this, you lose, you
go home early. You win, you go home early?
A
tech breaking up the stage in the California Ballroom tells me that the
confetti was banging out of cannons when the polls were closed with
Fiorina at 56 percent of the vote. The stringy bits are still hanging
from the walls and sticking to half empty glasses that sit on beverage
carts. There were trumpets too, playing over the cheers of the crowd.
What it all means to him though, he tells me as he wraps up a
power cord, is job security.
“It's a long time until November, and we throw a lot of
events for Whitman and Fiorina.”
Hear that? Job security: he has it! Which means Fiorina is
already doing what she said she would, namely, creating jobs. Mind-boggling.
11:50
The Anaheim Hilton, where all the beautiful people are! Look at their
shining faces, full of the glory of victory. Is it strange that seeing
so many young Republicans in one place makes me a little jumpy?
11:20 The doors are locked at the Tustin
Banquet Center, and what a quaint spot for an election party it is,
even if there will be no late hour celebrations here. DeVore's campaign
sign is still staked in the planter out front, but I guess DeVore didn't
want to party after the news came in.
10:20 “Yeah! ” says Santana when I asked about spying Matthew Cunningham from Red County.
Santana is very happy with the way this event is going, though he felt a rain drop earlier, and nearly lost it.
“I talk to those guys all the time.”
Santana likens what he's doing at the Voice of OC to a bread
truck in Haiti, because when he shows up to a city, people come running to ask
for help.
He may already be in the lead for Treasure, but that seals it. He brought his
mom.
” It's good to have family around. You hate it when you're younger, but when you're older it's okay.”
Rodenhuis adds that yes, he'll sleep well tonight. “But it's
a long run up to November.”
And while were on the subject of the treasure race…did I
mention that you can hear things when the camera isn't rolling but the news
anchor's microphone is still on?
” Shhharrr..eee? Is it Shhareee?”
Sorry Shari Freidenrich, who only has 16% of the vote for Treasurer. Sorry for everything.
9:40: All right. No one is scraping eyeballs to get in front of
the PBS camera; its all a very orderly process, with news anchors and sound
guys, and things you're not supposed to hear over the microphone. Like when the
sound guy explains the up coming sequence of scenes, “and then bam bam bam,”
and anchor Ed Arnold says, “bam bam bam thank you very much.”I think he wanted to say Ma'ma?
Can someone explain why there are so many cigars here?
And fedoras? And did I see Matthew Cunningham leaving as I walked up?
Please God, let there be a fight for face time.
There will be a camera at the Artist Village in Santa Ana. KOCE meets The Voice of OC for what Editor-in-Chief Norberto Santana, Jr. hopes will be the first, and not the last, collaboration between the two crews.
“Public television is a stalwart of our democracy and KOCE is a wonderful example of how communities can fund programming that sheds light on important issues…Voice of OC is honored to be partnering with such a wonderful organization.”
That's heady stuff, Mr. Santana, but we are talking about a camera among all those men and women boiling over with preliminary poll data just begging for a way to blow it all off in a hot jet of predictions. And how better than in front of a camera, where it actually matters (take a picture or it never happened, so they say) ?
There is stop one for the night. The Democratic Party of OC will be at the Artist Village as well, watching the results come in, snarling at whoever wins over in the red zone.
Which brings us to the GOP Senate candidate…
The California Republican Party is throwing a shindig at the Anaheim Hotel, where Carly Fiorina will be, or so it is rumored, letting everyone know she is the most conservative conservative in the room, while secretly planning her your radical positions are divisive but we need bipartisanship speech, for the big show in November.
Then it's onto to Conservative State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and his stand-alone party. Poor guy, out there in Tustin, at the Tustin Banquet Center, saying, I don't need to party with anyone but me. Because I. AM. A. WINNER. And then he murmurs a quip about Don Henley before singing, it' my party and I'll cry if I want to, as the poll results come in…
Here's to hoping it doesn't get too hairy among the bright lights and engorged egos of PBS.
Keep here for updates in the senate race throughout the night.
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