Vote! Vote! Vote! Like a baby stoat!
Stoat! Stoat! Stoat! Cast a leetle vote!
So now we end a campaign more hysterical than historical
To save our frail republic from a villain most deplorable
He loosed Pandora’s Box of hate, then stood there slyly grinning
And then we all observed too late: He actually might be winning!
But voter, that’s where you come in; You have the final power
To pull us back from the abyss in this, our darkest hour.
So cast that vote and save the day. Let Freedom never flicker.
Get in that line and have your say, then proudly wear that sticker!
Photos, from top: Introducing 'Sybil', by Peter G Trimming, licensed under CC BY 2.0, Instagram, Voted, by Lisa Milas, licensed under CC BY 2.0, Instagram, Please Vote!, by coalybunny, licensed under CC BY 2.0
I’ll be going after work. This year my voting place moved to iPlay America…maybe I’ll work off some frustration on the bumper cars afterward. 😉
Wow, I wish we had some bumper cars close by! That would be awesome.
Dear NTMTOM,
Thanks for the baby stoat and his adorable fellow voters. Please keep the QTE coming so we can make it through this day.
We’re almost there, people.
This morning I awoke to Vote vote vote like a baby stoat stoat stoat playing in my head. NTMTOM, were you messing with my dreams again?
Also, on a sad note, I didn’t get a sticker when I voted and I waited in line for 45 minutes.
I have never gotten a sticker 🙁
Is it bad that I’m annoyed that my Tuesday shows aren’t on tonight because of election coverage? I think I’ll just listen to podcasts all night. (Also, I’m pretty sure they showed what was supposed to be tonight’s Jeopardy episode last night. I thought Alex said it was election day, and later he referred to “yesterday’s” game…when “yesterday” was Sunday. Then I did some googling and found a recap of the game for Monday and it had different people. I wonder if it was just my station…)
Heavy turnout in my ‘hood, too, which is a good thing. This election, while so
unpleasant on all sides, at least has generated interest in the process. For once,
the electorate’s pulse is racing. I’ve never seen the like before. Usually it’s kinda
ho-hum. Percentage voting must be higher than ever. A good thing, whatever the
outcome. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I voted a couple of weeks ago. It’s just a matter of hours now and this nightmare of a campaign will be over! I am on news black out today; the coverage is too nerve-wracking for me!
I could have written this!
Canadian here. Watching the USA today with interest, though! I hope everyone makes the time to vote and makes sound choices. I know who I would vote for if I could, but alas, you Americans have not yet extended your right to vote to us north of your border.
P.S. I’m still sick with the bad cold that I reported on during the Weekend Open Thread. I do not think I have ever been hit this hard with a cold. This is Day 6. You could bring a country to its knees if you could weaponize these germs. Oh, the coughing…..I tried to go to work yesterday, but I’m home from work today. Maybe I could just lie here and cuddle all the baby stoats when its time for each of you to head into the voting booths.
Don’t know if you can find them in your neck of the woods, Birdcage, but Olbas Pastilles herbal cough drops are almost magical. The Sister-in-Law of Evil recommended them to my mom, who has COPD, and me a few years ago and now I always have them in my cabinet. I guess The SILOE isn’t completely evil. 🙂
“The Sister-in-Law of Evil” lol??
I, too have a SILOE but I call her “that crazy, hateful b!tch”. Luckily, she lives too far away and is too broke to visit.
Gosh, Birdcage, that is a drawn-out cold – I hope you’re feeling much better very soon.
Like Amyliz, I’ll not be watching a lot of news today – maybe reading some on the internet? Not sure. My husband and I are going out soon to vote – it’ll be interesting to see how crowded the polling place is. Usually when we go there may be one or two people there – we always go after the work crowd is long finished voting. Then a trip to Costco – that should wile away some hours, keep the mind off the election for a bit. Take lots of deep breaths today – and YES! VOTE!
I’ll while away the day waiting for the plumber – upstairs loo
is leaking water. ???Some good books in the house along with
some good eats should make the day more nearly relaxing.
My SO, now that he has voted, and spoken with other like-minded
folk, has mellowed out a bit, but I’m still wary. Tomorrow could
be a whole different story.
I’ll be thinking of you.
Re the cold: That actually sounds serious if it’s lasted that long. I was in a similar situation years ago and had to see a doctor and take antibiotics.
I agree with Mike, Birdcage! I know several people wh, in the past, thought they just had a bad cold and it was walking pneumonia. Antibiotics fixed them right up!
Antibiotics only work if the pneumonia is bacterial. If viral, no such luck.☹️
Not a doc but sometimes viral infections that last a long time have actually become a secondary bacterial infection. Secondary infections like this are more common than you think and yes, will eventually require antibiotics if doesn’t clear. 2 weeks is about the beginning of “keep an eye on it”.
Yeah, I had the flu several years ago and by the next week I had “borderline” pneumonia that landed me on two different antibiotics.
Also. Could be a sinus infection by now. I was sick for two years from a misdiagnosed sinus problem.
I just had three weeks of some kind of virus/cold and another week of being extremely tired. No infection but a longer than regular bought of whatever it was.
This conversation has reminded me that I should get a flu shot…
Birdcage, you need to go to the doctor! That is too long for a cold! My first thought was “walking pneumonia”. If your cough is “unproductive”, ie. not loosening mucus, then you reeeeally need to go to an urgent care facility. Take care of yourself!??
Birdcage, sorry that you’re feeling badly.
First, there’s nothing better that you can do after checking with your doctor than to sleep this off. Let your body do it’s thing.
Second, just in case my choice doesn’t win, does your couch pull out?
Canadian number deux (two) here. Also watching the USA with keen and vested interest (many family members in WA state and beyond). Go do your duty no matter how long the line is and make wise choices! Best of luck to you all. We Canucks are thinkin’ of ya. 🙂
Some of us ‘Muricans appreciate your kind thoughts.
I think it’s actually “mare cans”…
Kidding aside good luck to all of you across the border! I have to admit I am kinda scared.
It is never too late to apply for statehood!Know what?
I’m laying in a supply of chocolate and ice cream, and I’ve got some mindless knitting, to get me through the election returns. I’ve been nervous before with presidential elections, but it’s never been so bad as this. Can’t wait to wake up tomorrow knowing it’s over (or that I have to move to Canada).
yay come to my house!
Can I bring my 7 cats?
Ooh that would be so great…
Room for 3 more? (1 human, 2 felines!)
I’m in if Dorothy the cat can come with.
I think it would be perfect…furry friends, NTNTOM friends AND chocolate and ice cream…
If it gets too crowded at the other lovely fellow Canadian’s abodes, then you are welcome to bunk at my place– until well, it gets too crowded. 🙂 😉
All are welcome! I suppose we could do a rotation. 🙂
I have never been so anxious, concerned over an American election; it has truly messed me up. Keeping positive and hoping betting odds play correct.
Go, stoats!
Hey! Duckie! How are you doing, did everything go well?
Hope you feel better soon, Birdcage.
I have missed the leetle stoat!!!
I’ll go on my lunch break – I don’t expect there to be a huge line, this is a very small town. (If it is that busy, I’ll go back after work. No worries.)
And I needed the squee over the stoat this morning, thanks!
I just flipped the page on my Grumpy Cat page-a-day calendar…today it says “Vote Grumpy Cat 2016″…maybe I’ll just write her in. 😉
Canadian no. 3 here, I won’t be watching the coverage, way to nerve racking for me but I may take a peek before going to bed. I just hope that, whoever loses, he’ll be reasonable enough to admit it gracefully but I doubt it.
Birdcage, I hope you feel better soon.
Lol, gracefully 🙂
I am pretty sure to whom you are referring and I don’t think he has ever demonstrated any graciousness in his life!
Now, now, folks.
Thank you so much for bringing back the baby stoat, and for your great additional verses!
Very proud of my neighborhood right now. The line to vote is more than a quarter way round the block.
Ricky is disappointed that even as a senior dog, he’s too young to do his bit.
Fantastic post, Mike. You never disappoint!
Voted absentee last week.
I am somewhat of an emotional wreck today – alternating between proud and excited and fearful and nauseous.
Hubby is a Brit but I’m hoping we won’t have reason to use that as a way into Canada (helloo cousins up north!!).
Hang in there, everyone!
You are most welcome to come to Canada.
Thank you, Duckie. We are hoping to join you someday…just not because we are fleeing a facist regime.
Thank you, Duckie. We are hoping to join you someday…in retirement, not due to fleeing a facist regime.
I’m may be joining the exodus to North of the Border. My mom was still Canadian when I was born and Canada just changed their rules of citizenship so it looks like if I want to, I can claim Canadian citizenship. Tomorrow I may be first in line at the Canadian consulate near my home. Either that or if Hawaii decides to secede from the US in the next week or two and go back to being a kingdom, I may just stay there after my vacation. This election has been absolutely horrendous, I cannot wait for it to be over. The vitrolic campaigning over the last few years has reached levels I don’t think we’ve seen in over a hundred years. I know from history, that back in the 1800’s things were really over the top but it seemed to have become more civilized recently. But now, all I can do is just shake my head and try to remember that news organizations (even though they should be un-biased) slant the news 100 ways to Sunday and somewhere in the middle is the truth. I just hope the US can survive this next presidency. Oh and this was my favorite humour piece about this election: https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/north_america/2016-u-s-presidential-election/letter-of-queen-elizabeth-ii-to-american-people/
Some valid points made there.?
Funnily enough, that was from way back when Bush was running – perhaps second time round. Sort of depressing that it still applies.
….”alternating between proud and excited and fearful and nauseous” – that sums me up too!
I felt a sense of real American pride as I left the voting booth this morning which was suddenly replaced with a gut-wrenching “What if so-and-so wins?!?!”.
I’ll be picking up a bottle of wine on the way home….
Smart move, there.
VOTE LIMBERBUTT McCubbins ’16 !!!
Seems I am the only European here. I am sure that the cat in the previous post ist by far the best candidate. Ok, ok, baby ferret will do too. God luck!
Gah! The Leetle stoat! Good thing I voted before looking at the Cute because I think I was unconscious for a few minutes there…
I have a few hours yet before running off to teach. There will be no news allowed in class! Class is over at 9:30 – we can all find out our fate then.
Thanks Canadians for thinking of us! We need all the well wishes we can get.
Great post Mike.
I voted by mail awhile back. Have laid in some supplies and snacks to get me thru a long evening of watching election returns. Am feeling somewhat excited and optimistic after many months of anxiety and terror.
Hope lots of folks voted for this website by virtue of a calendar purchase. Mine is on the way, looking forward to its arrival.
To the individual with the super bad cold….it may be turning into bronchitis or walking pneumonia, it might be time to get a dr appt. Hope you feel better soon, being sick blows.
Have a good day everyone.
Lili
Eight years ago there were some shenanigans about the distribution of voting machines in my state, and my precinct, which normally had at least 10-12 suddenly found itself with only 4. Which, as you can imagine, led to loooong lines. I waited for over 4 hours to vote, and so did a lot of other people — as far as I could tell, it didn’t discourage anybody.
This time, though, I voted by mail, early. Just in case. 🙂 And they gave me a sticker in the envelope with my ballot, so I didn’t have to do without! I was very pleased.
After working past 2 am last night to keep up with the Candidate’s last rally, we had to start working on interviews given before 8:00 this morning. I was (and am) dragging my rear pretty hard, but the Candidate and the Running Mate sound chipper and perky. I often wonder what they feed ’em so they’ll be able to do that!
May the best candidate win, and may every voting precinct in the country proceed calmly and without violence or argument. That’s really what I’m sending my good wishes out to the universe for!
So beautifully said, Laura and I hope you do get a well-deserved rest. I imagine there might be a sort of post partum period after all that relentless activity.
Beautifully put, Laura. There has been so much polarization from both sides that
I have consciously tried to tune out as much as possible the last few weeks. No
matter who wins, it will take a long time for the vitriol to subside. Fasten your
seat belts, there will be turbulence. And then we can seek respite here with the Qte,
bless you Mike. And Dewars, dontcha know.?
I’m in a bit of a tizzy because a friend posted on her FB page some images from the huge Philly Rally last night with Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, etc., and a woman I have a sort of arm’s length friendship with commented on this with “That makes me want to puke”. Now, she knows the woman who posted the rally images, they’re in a group together, and I am so horrified that she would troll (is that a fair use of the word?) my other friend (who is a long time friend) – I find that incivility so disturbing. This is too much.
Democracy shouldn’t make her puke. Text that back.
Thanks, Faye. I figured this would be a good place to get intelligent feedback.
That is something that everyone will have to be prepared for unfortunately…the incivility and perhaps permanent and irrevocable damage to relationships. Not just personal relationships but also connections within communities!!
Very sad.
Need. More. Cute. Medicine…
Here’s some cute medicine…
Here’s some more cute medicine…
Aww Allein that’s exactly what I’m talking about!!
These are wonderful – love that doggie.
When I woke up this morning, my first coherent thought was “vote vote vote like a baby stoat”! That is an especially cute stoat? and I love the poem, too!
School is closed today, for the first time in my lifetime, and I am off to vote soon. In the primary I had to wait in line 45 min, at least triple the amount of time I’ve ever had to wait, and that was an encouraging sign. My county has since rearranged some voting places, and with the schools closed there’s more space at those venues.
This year my students got to participate in “Every Kid Votes”, and the kids’ result has predicted the adults’ result in the last 3 presidential elections. This year the kids elected Hillary by a hefty margin. So we’ll see…
My 4th grade class held a vote for the 1984 election…Reagan won.
One news channel had a report, if anyone is interested.
I’ve missed something here – I didn’t know the Vote like a Stoat was a tradition of some sort. Could someone fill me in?? Pretty please???
It’s a chant that Meg started on Cute Overload back in 2008:
http://cuteoverload.com/2008/11/04/vote-vote-vote/
And then in later years to encourage readers to vote for CO in the Webby People’s Choice awards:
http://cuteoverload.com/2010/04/19/vote-like-a-baby-stoat/
And finally, I picked up the ball in 2010:
http://cuteoverload.com/2010/11/02/vote-vote-vote-2/
I thank you, kind sir, for responding to my plea.
My polling place was busy. I was happy that I could use a paper ballot that was retained even though they used a machine reader. If anything happens there could be a recount.
I have already eaten my celebratory or commiserationtory Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream. There was no room in my freezer.
I plan to watch every second of coverage right up to the bitter/happy end.
I saw Hillary Clinton cast her vote. She walked from the car like her feet hurt! Talk about stamina, she had to have been awake until well after 1:00 am. She voted by 9:00 am. Maybe she never even slept.
I’d pay good money to know if Milania Trump really wants the Donald to win.
I heard that he checked her ballot carefully – God forbid she might’ve pulled a fast one!?
I just saw that on tv! Leaned right over the barrier and looked at her ballot! So he’s controlling, doubtful and suspicious.
Hillary and Bill and Chelsea were up partying with a couple thousand of their close friends, including Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi, at a late rally last night. So her feet probably DID hurt! And I suspect that she’s going on so much adrenaline that she hasn’t slept much if at all; that’s pretty common for candidates at the end of a campaign, from all I’ve seen. Which is one more reason why I could never be a candidate — I need my sleep! In fact, since we had to be up early to transcribe interview, but also have to stick around to transcribe the victory/not victory speech late tonight, several of us just took nice long naps. I haven’t had a nap that felt that good in months.
If you need another vote for “Get thee to the doctor,” Birdcage, you can count mine! Even if it’s a viral problem, they do have some antiviral medications these days. So don’t suffer, go get yourself looked at!
A good US E-Day story, if anyone needs it:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/08/susan-b-anthony-died-without-the-right-to-vote-now-people-are-covering-her-tombstone-in-i-voted-stickers/
Another good E-Day story: Did you know there was one member of Congress, from Wyoming, which along with a couple of other Western states had allowed women to vote before the U.S. did nationally, who not only was female but voted for the Nineteenth Amendment that gave all U.S. women the right to vote? She was the only woman who voted for suffrage for us. More power to her!
Women’s Suffrage! For me the best part of the election was seeing all the women who were born before women could vote zealously make sure their votes were counted now! with a woman running. Doesn’t matter what side you are on if you can’t vote at all.
I’m for full voters rights. I do not like attempts to redraw districts or cast people off the roles in a way to manipulate the vote. Considering how big our country is the amount of voter fraud is very small. Just mho and no partisanship implied. I still can’t believe it was the 1960s before everyone could vote legally despite being turned away repeatedly from trying to register. Shame.
I voted! I love my town – we still use paper ballots and pencils, and they go into a wooden box with a hand crank, and a bell dings to confirm that your ballot has been received.
My clerk at the supermarket was very excited – he’s young and it’s his first time voting.
We also got to vote on gambling, charter schools, better living conditions for farm animals, and legalizing recreational pot.
Last time ours were mechanical machines; you pressed the X next to the names you wanted and when you were done you pressed a button and it would register your vote and then clear the Xs. I saw something about touch screens this time, but that was a different county’s website so I don’t know if that’s statewide or not. Guess I’ll find out in about an hour or so.
We get to vote on whether we want to allow casinos in North Jersey and whether the entire gas tax should be dedicated to the Transportation Trust Fund. And trying to read about how I should vote…I’m just very confused.
Vote early,vote often!
Need a DIY idea to put myself in a politically-induced coma until tomorrow…..
Our election night party is somber/near despair at this point.
I thought about breaking my sobriety but no amount of alcohol can make me feel better right now.
Send help.
…and by help, I mean corgis….a truckload of them.
Bless you, Allein.
Emergency Kittens, if y’all need ’em!
And Allein does it again. Just what the doctor ordered!! ????
I knew I shouldn’t have unmuted my TV.
There’s also http://www.emergencykitten.com. Just reload the page for a random kitten.
God bless you, Allein! I’ve got to sleep and my mind is too jumpy. Kitties are just the thing!?
I got to work and took my I Voted sticker off my coat and put it upside down on my file cabinet.
Regardless of who wins, can we all agree that Early Voting Rocks?. There is no physical way that we could’ve all voted today, or even included the hundreds of thousands who have already voted. The logistics would’ve been insane.
I am a bit depressed this morning. ☹️ Need some HEAVY cute today, Mike. Pull out all the stops!
Working on it even now!