New Haven Independent

6:13 p.m. Amazingly easy to get credentialed as a blogger by the Lieberman campaign. All I had to do was hand them my Baristanet business card and mention that was on assignment for the New Haven Independent. Children (literally) are running the press filing room. A kid who looked about 14 was the one who led me to whoever was doing the credentialling.

When you ask people on Lieberman staff what’s going on with the website, they all say, “We don’t have a website! Our website’s down today!” as if we hadn’t heard. Then you say, “We know. That’s the story. What’s going on with
the website being down?” And they know less than us, or anyone who’s had access to internet or TV for the afternoon.

So far, it just looks like a party waiting to happen. Lots of setting up. Stiff drinks downstairs. Cookies, sodas and bottled water upstairs for the press. Media people taking naps until the polls close at 8.

Sorry, Wrong Numbers

There was a very small blip of excitement here at Lieberman headquarters around 9:30 tonight when the television screen showed Lieberman taking the lead 54-46, with 38 percent of precincts reporting. A cheer went up from a few Lieberman supporters, and reporters snapped to attention. An upset?

Alas, the numbers were reversed just seconds later.

There is definitely a feeling of blood in the water, and the press corps poised for the kill. If this wasn’t going to be the political obituary of a former vice presidential candidate, who would be here? A few Lieberman supporters and the Connecticut press.

Meanwhile, on the subject of internet instability and the Connecticut elections, the secretary of state’s website, which is supposed to be doing live reporting of the precinct tallies, has also been overwhelmed with traffic and has been down most of the night. Was that hacked too? Or maybe the state has the same $15 month hosting plan that Lieberman has.

11:47 p.m. New Haven’s Bill Donahue (pictured), a friend of Lieberman for 35 years, was horrified when he discovered I was a blogger. Bloggers, he maintained, had ruined the election for his candidate. Donahue and I were both perched on the plinth of an enormous column, giving us a terrific view of the stage, and went on to have a very friendly conversation.

Lieberman, who came out at the stroke of 11, used his concession speech to launch his campaign as an Independent. “We’ve just finished the first half and Lamont team is ahead,” he said, vowing to win the game. The crowd responded with chants of “Go, Joe, Joe” and “Six More Years.”

Lieberman made a smiling allusion to his technical difficulties today, inviting out-of-state viewers: “You can go to my website — joe2006.com — when it is unhacked.”