Elizabeth Warren Wins U.S. Senate Race in Massachusetts

Elizabeth Warren is the projected winner of the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, defeating Republican Scott Brown.

Boston Herald:

“Over the past year, we built something amazing together,” Warren said in an e-mail to supporters moments after polls closed. “We showed the world that we had heart, that we had guts, and that we were willing to get in the ring and fight for a principle — that together we will build a future of growing opportunities for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.

The epic battle for the seat drew record campaign contributions from across the country and ended with a mammoth get-out-the-vote effort and hours-long waits at polls across the state.

News: Meth Vaccine, Ohio, Eric Bodenweiser, Amtrak

The National Organization for Marriage funneled $1.6 million into the Minnesota marriage equality ballot fight. "All told, Minnesota for Marriage raised more than $3.7 million so far this year, much of it from the Catholic Church, affiliated groups and the National Organization for Marriage. That's still far less than the group's opponents."

The Rock dressed up as "The People's Hulk" for Halloween, so the 1% better not make him angry.

Face it, gullibility is charming.

Hurricane Sandy may have permanently altered Fire Island's geography: Predicting "dramatic changes" to the island’s geography, [Fire Island National Seashore superintendent Chris Soller] mentioned several breaches on the far eastern end of the island, with one so deep that it could effectively divide Fire Island into two separate islands."

Always classy, Chris Brown attended a Halloween party thrown by Rihanna, a former girlfriend he abused, while dressed as a member of the Taliban, a group that wants to keep women barefoot, pregnant and uneducated.

Amtrak will hopefully have limited service between NYC and parts of New Jersey tomorrow.

Eric Bodenweiser, a 53-year old member of the Delaware Family Policy Council and GOP candidate for that state's senate, was indicted this week on multiple charges stemming from allegations that he sexually abused a boy from 1987 until 1990, when the boy was 10-13.

This is potentially good news: "Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in California successfully tested the methamphetamine vaccine on rats. When given meth, the vaccinated critters showed few signs of intoxication."

On gay fathers on television: "Thinking about the latest crop of gay dads on television I can’t help but recall a popular chant from the Act Up demonstrations whenever someone was arrested or harassed: 'The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!' The irony is that, too often, the world wasn’t watching then. But now, thanks to these primetime characters, people are definitely watching. They just aren’t seeing much of the truth."

Sandra Bullock and son Louis are potentially the cutest Halloween in Hollywood couple.

Uh-oh. Sorry, Sandy and Louie, but Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka and their twins may actually be the cutest costume winners!

The Vatican loves the latest James Bond flick, Skyfall.

Let sleeping bunny rabbits lie.

The Kardashian clan dressed up as the Bat family for Halloween.

Is Helena Bomham Carter in costume?

The Seattle Times definitely does not approve of anti-gay marriage commercials that claim passing Resolution 74 and legalizing marriage equality will force homosexuality onto school curricula. "R-74 is about a legal covenant of marriage for loving couples and their families. Ignore the shameless scare tactics. Approve R-74," the editorial board wrote in an op-ed called "Anti-Referendum 74 school ad is shameless".

Dan Evans, the GOP governor of Washington State from 1965 to 1977 and a U.S. Senator from 1983 until 1989, came out for Referendum 74. "[The Referendum allowing marriage equality] just seems right and reflects the fundamental value of fairness that we treasure here in Washington," he said. 

Washington Post's The Fix on Ohio: "After reviewing all of the available public polling data as well as talking to operatives in both parties about the private polls they are privy to, we are convinced that Ohio is a 1-3 point race in President Obama’s favor at the moment."

If you're interested, you can travel to Ohio to stump for Mr. Obama.

President Obama today said campaign rival Mitt Romney's "bet is on cynicism".

In addition to endorsing President Obama and Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts gay paper Bay Windows has endorsed openly gay GOP congressional hopeful Richard Tisei. Perhaps tellingl, though, Obama and Warren both got specific blurbs, Tisei's name is just part of a general list of candidates the paper prefers.

Man In Scott Brown Campaign Ad Spreads Homophobia, Anti-Semitism Via Facebook: VIDEO

Scott Brown may want to put more energy into vetting the stars of his campaign commercials.

In a recent ad put out by the Massachusetts senator's reelection campaign, a union worker named George Patriarca blasts Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren for allegedly taking workers made ill by asbestos to court. Her campaign denies his version of events and, as Matt Sledge at The Huffington Post notes, the Boston Globe has called the ad "misleading."

Sledge also points out that Patriarca's Facebook page is littered with anti-gay, anti-Semitic and all around jerky messages, including one in which he calls Warren a "douchebag." He also calls President Obama a "faggot" and in another post, about his time at Brandeis University, Patriarca wrote, "I attended Brandeis… Jew U. Great school. the people, not so much. One thing I learned is that Jews have a persecution complex and they hate themselves. That is why I believe they vote for liberals."

Brown's campaign had no comment, because, really, what can they say? Patriarca's Facebook page, meanwhile, has gone mysteriously dark.

Watch the Scott Brown ad and see some screenshots of Patriarca's Facebook page, provided by the excellent website The New Civil Rights Movement, AFTER THE JUMP.

Scott Brown Names His Model Supreme Court Justice: VIDEO

Take a guess...or a few.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Scott Brown 'Regrets' Racist Behavior of His Staff, But Won't Acknowledge His Own

Scott Brown's campaign issued a statement late yesterday about the racist behavior by his staffers this week:

“Senator Brown has spoken to his entire staff – including the individuals involved in this unacceptable behavior – and issued them their one and only warning that this type of conduct will not be tolerated. As we enter the final stretch of this campaign, emotions are running high, and while Senator Brown can’t control everyone, he is encouraging both sides to act with respect. He regrets that members of his staff did not live up to the high standards that the people of Massachusetts expect and deserve.”

Brown's staffers were seen making Native American 'war whoops' and tomahawk chops in a YouTube video in a face-off with Elizabeth Warren reporters in response to claims made by Brown that she checked a 'Native American' box on a job application to advance herself.

Meanwhile, Brown denied suggesting in his debate that he could tell someone's ethnicity by looking at them.

Here's what he said in the debate: "Professor Warren claimed that she was a Native American, a person of color, and as you can see, she's not."

Today's exchange went like this:

REPORTER: ... the debate that, "As you can see," she's not Indian. Can you tell by looking at someone what their ethnicity is? What's your feeling on that?

BROWN: [Avoids the question, talks about Warren's character, integrity, blah, blah, blah....]

REPORTER: But you're suggesting you can tell by somebody's—

BROWN: I never made that suggestion at all.

Cherokee Nation Chief Denounces Scott Brown's 'Racist' Staffers

The Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation denounced Scott Brown staffers for making "war whoops" and tomahawk chops in a YouTube video which mocked the Native American heritage of Brown's opponent Elizabeth Warren, Think Progress reports:

“The conduct of these individuals goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse,” said Chief Bill John Baker in his statement, “The use of stereotypical ‘war whoop chants’ and ‘tomahawk chops’ are offensive and downright racist.”

Baker called on Brown to “apologize for the offensive actions of his staff and their uneducated, unenlightened and racist portrayal of native peoples,” and said, “A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions.”

Previously...
Elizabeth Warren Responds to Scott Brown's Attacks on Her Race: VIDEO [tlrd]
Brown Staffers Mock Elizabeth Warren with Native American War Whoops, Tomahawk Chops: VIDEO [tlrd]