Image totally ganked from
my blogsister, Maryscott.

I just called into HQ to see if any numbers have come in. Early results suggest Maureen O'Connell has won her district.

We'll see how she fares elsewhere.

Use this post to scream with impatience. I'm listening.

Alrighty, this is it. We'll be posting results as they come online. Meanwhile...

...Log Cabin republicans, poor befuddled creatures that they are, cry foul over Maureen's vicious anti-gay literature; they had previously given her $8,000 and volunteered for her. Suckers. (NY Blade)

...A phone call I just placed to Lipris reveals hectic activity in Great Neck. I also hear Port Washington is surpassing expectations.

...Keeler and Pollak are out in the field.

[Update1]: When results come, they'll be posted here.

[Update2]: Just posted a diary on DKos about those illegal republican shenanigans.

[Update3]: It's 8 PM, the polls close in an hour.

[Update4]: Kickass; top of the Rec list on DKos. Polls close in fifteen minutes, and I'm now hearing that Great Neck looks "very good".

[Update5]: 9:04 PM EST, polls have been closed for four minutes. Results will begin trickling in in about fifteen minutes or so.

From Nassau Voter Protection:

Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Sends Out Illegal Order For Election Inspectors to Disregard County Attorney's Letter on Voter ID
Democrats: We're Prepared for the Worst

MINEOLA – With four hours before polls close in the hotly-contested special election between Craig Johnson and Maureen O'Connell, the Republican County Board of Elections Commissioner has taken illegal steps designed to intimidate and suppress voters.

Commissioner John DeGrace has illegally ordered election inspectors to disregard a legally binding court order, as well as the written instructions of the Nassau County Attorney – effectively encouraging Republican poll workers to suppress voting by demanding identification from voters.

DeGrace issued an order on Board of Elections letterhead requiring Election Inspectors to "disregard" the Nassau County Attorney's letter delivered to all poll watchers this morning.

Johnson campaign spokesperson Alex Navarro said, "We're prepared for the worst. Our campaign has deployed dozens of extra voter protection attorneys to at-risk areas, We have real concerns that Commissioner DeGrace is attempting to interfere with the lawful conduct of the last hours of this critical special election."

DeGrace's actions are illegal for two reasons:

1. First, the Republican chair issued the order on official Board of Elections letterhead without informing the Democratic Commissioner, Bill Biamonte. Under law, neither Commissioner can act unilaterally. By issuing orders without informing his Democratic colleague, DeGrace has violated election law.

2. The order issued by Judge Brandveen last night is still in effect while a stay is in effect. Until this stay is lifted in Appellate Court, Judge Brandveen's order is still in full effect. Judge Brandveen's order stated that all polls and all poll workers should have access to the letter issued by the Nassau County Attorney, and requiring elections workers to disregard this law is requiring them to disobey a court order.

There's more:

Resolved: republicans are human garbage. That's pretty much the conclusion after seeing this desperate piece of hateful crap from Maureen O'Connell, wingnut:

Oh, and there's this:

Hateful, desperate, bigoted, un-American filth. That's the republicans for you.

(Hat tip to The Albany Project).

[Update]: Oh wait, there's more. After a republican judge denied their illegal request for blanket I.D. checks, the O'Connell thugs are back in court to try that again. Desperate scumbags.

This just in from Nassau Voter Protection; the above flyer (click to enlarge), clearly pretending to be an official statement from the U.S. Attorney's office, is currently being districbuted in the Seventh District.

Somebody really should call the AG's office.

The Albany Project and other blogs have been reporting the story of robocalls made during yesterday's Superbowl. The O'Connell campaign claims these are a form of dirty tricks. You can listen to audio of such a call here.

Here's why the story doesn't work: contrary to the calls made last year, the ones launched by the NRCC to hurt Democrats, this one is different. It's in fact wholly positive, as this transcript shows:

"Hello, I'm calling to talk about Maureen O'Connell. I'm sorry I'm unable to talk to you personally, but I wanted to remind you that there will be a special election to fill Michael Balboni's vacant seat here in Nassau County. Maureen O'Connell has worked for you as an Assemblyperson and County Clerk. She'll bring that experience to Albany. Please support tax relief, funding for schools, and changing how Albany does business. Please be sure to vote for Maureen O'Connell. Thank you very much."

It's hard to see the benefit to Craig Johnson of ordering such calls, considering that nationwide, under a third of viewers even watched the Superbowl. If the aim had been to annoy people, that goal would have fallen flat, theoretically, in two out of three households. If Craig's campaign had been behind this - and I'm assured they're not - O'Connell should send them a thank-you note.

That leads inescapably to the next conclusion of who is responsible. My guess? The same team that launched the Osama mailer, and that couldn't even get her résumé right, ordered these calls and blamed the other side when they started getting blowback.

Maureen O'Connell, in a letter sent to governor Spitzer on 01.16.07:

A recent Craig Johnson campaign piece quoted you as saying that you need Craig to help bring real reform to Albany. Having looked over your reform agenda, I found that I can easily support it. In fact, as a member of the Assembly, I sponsored or voted in favor of similar reforms.

Newsday quoting O'Connell, 02.04.07:

O'Connell, speaking before a crowd of several hundred cheering supporters at the American Legion hall in Williston Park, called Johnson "a sidekick" to Spitzer and criticized his support for the governor's property tax reduction plan, which she said actually would raise homeowners' taxes.

So what's it gonna be. hmmm?

[Update]: Community Alliance weighs in with a similar argument, though better put than our efforts.

Har.

The Daily News published an editorial today about that Maureen O'Connell flyer; the editorial is the printed equivalent of standing on a table, pointing fingers and laughing.

In a campaign flyer featuring the scary mugs of Osama and Iranian nut job Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Maureen O'Connell makes the laughable claim that she's just the woman to defend New York from terrorists. Tel Aviv, too. She also cites "security expertise" not evident from her résumé as a nurse, lawyer, Assembly seat-warmer and county clerk. [...]

But why would a terrorist-fighter of O'Connell's talents want to waste her time in Albany, anyway? Surely the world would be safer with O'Connell, Maureen O'Connell, Clerk 007, working for the CIA. Or maybe Mossad.

That's gotta hurt.

That campaign lit touting Maureen O'Connell's mission to defend Great Neck from Osama seemingly isn't all she's sending out; quite impressive, I must say.

There's more...

Today's the day we Raise New York. See you there or live, online, right here.

The New York Times: A New York jury handed down a death sentence in a Federal case.

Also in the Times, the battles between the governor and the status quo.

The Albany Times-Union has the budget breakdown.

Molly Ivins has passed away at age 62; The Texas Observer pays tribute to a remarkable woman.

In The Washington Post, traitor Bob Novak warns the republican party about the voters.

Capitol Confidential: Zing! Craig Johnson shoots down Maureen O'Connell.

Robert Greenwald takes a sharp knife to the tattered reputation of David Brooks, pointing out that the latter is both consistently wrong and in a tiny minority.

And lastly, Michael Arcuri votes for, among other things, increasing Pell Grants and spending more money on veterans' health care. And here the nation was breathlessly waiting for action on flag-burning and gay marriage.