The internet stifles originality. Well, what I mean is, the internet stifles my ability to think I’ve got any originality.

On election night, mulling the debacle of the Republican presidential campaign and the party’s wrecked state, a potential GOP slogan for the next run popped into my head: “Dumb and Plumber in 2012!”

I giggled and ran to Google. I typed “dumb and plumber” as fast as I could with one hand, since the other one was busy patting me on the back.

Alas: Hundreds of hits. From all over.

Commenters on big publications and blogs I’d never heard of had been using the phrase for McCain/Wurzelsomething or Palin/Wurzelsomething for days and even weeks.

And it was older than those political pairings. The Sunday Mail of Glasgow, Scotland, used “Dumb and Plumber” in a headline in 2002 for a story about a real plumber. (As of this morning, “dumb and plumber” incites 3,920 hits.)

Hell, the damn line was so prevalent, I’ve accepted the likelihood that I got it from reading one of those posts in the first place.

Crushing as this experience was, my quest for sloganeering immortality continues.

And, though Google tells me otherwise, hell if I don’t believe “Dead Balls Era” still has a shot…

Just on MSNBC: Sally Quinn predicts Obama’s daughters will most likely attend Sidwell Friends….

How predictable.

Photographs by Darrow Montgomery; slideshow by Ted Scheinman

Republicans, feeling down and out? Democrats, tempted to gloat? Check this out.

You gotta read down to get to the point where this outfit claims its contribution to Obama’s win: “Our consistent work played a major role in turning public sentiment against the war, and that sentiment helped lay the foundation for the Obama campaign’s success.”

Please keep passing on press releases claiming decisive roles in the election

Statement from United for Peace and Justice on the Election of Barack Obama
November 7, 2008

New York, NY — What a moment! On November 4th, the voters of this country came out in massive numbers to cast their votes for change. The election of Barack Obama was the greatest repudiation of the Bush administration’s policies we have seen in these long years of struggle, and what a relief it was.
Read More “It’s Not Obama’s Victory, It’s Mine. And Mine. And Mine. (Pt. II)” »

* Read our complete election coverage or re-live the day in photos.

* New York Times recaps Obama’s morning after.

* Slate explains what happens now for the “gay couples who entered into legal marriages in California before the amendment passed.”

- WaPo’s Eugene Robinson tells us why we all lost it on Tuesday.

- In case you missed the Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom question—I love this reaction: “Really. Ralph Nader. What was that.” Also, since when has Nader invoked Uncle Sam?

- But Craigslisters are really clamoring for yesterday’s Post. Incidentally, if anyone has an extra copy, drop me a line.

* And in this newspaper:

- The fussy food issue! Tim Carman on the obsessive chef, Jule Banville on food stylists and a high-class chocolate chip, Ruth Samuelson on fake food allergies, and Mike DeBonis on the region’s fussiest menus.

- Tricia Olszewski on the latest in film.

- I shop at the nation’s newest pro-life pharmacy.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

According to Traci Hughes, D.C. Police spokesperson, no one was arrested for overly celebrating last night.

Think about it: You were honking your horn, screaming Yes We Can, effectively closing down 14th and U Streets, jokingly referring to the First Dude as “The Second Dude,” and getting hammered. How much would it suck to end up in the back of a police car?

I know that the police were out in force. But they essentially were just crowd control. And I’m not sure a drum circle is a violation of any law.

Can we still call Barack Obama’s election a “civil rights victory” if the majority of black voters in California and Florida threw gays and lesbians under the bus?

Read More “What Civil Rights Victory?” »

Please pass on any other press releases claiming decisive roles in last night’s win

THE HIP-HOP VOTE PROPELS BARACK OBAMA TO THE WHITE HOUSE

New York, N.Y. – November 4th, 2008 – In a sweeping and historical victory tonight, Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the United States of America. The largest voting constituency to usher in this progressive leader for change was the hip-hop vote, 18-35 year olds who are brand loyal to hip-hop culture. In consistent and telling numbers, exit polls in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Connecticut conducted by major television networks reported that 18-29 year olds voted in record numbers making their voices heard for Barack Obama.
Read More “It’s Not Obama’s Victory, It’s Mine. And Mine. And Mine.” »

Read More “Photos: The Celebration” »

After a long day, my camera battery died approximately ten minutes after I took these shots. But, never fear, I am told there are plenty more images on the way.

Read More “14th and U Streets, 11:30 p.m.” »

I’ve lived in two other cities where citizens broke into spontaneous celebrations: Kansas City after the Royals won the 1985 World Series and Houston when the Rockets won the 1994 NBA Finals (and again in 1995). But neither of those felt as joyous and genuine as the crowds that jammed up the intersection at 14th and U streets last night. It was as if eight years of pressurized steam was being released in one night. I’m no Darrow Montgomery, but here are a few snaps from the evening, from Busboys & Poets and from the streets.

Read More “Scenes from Shaw on Election Night” »

Courtesy of a friend who apparently doesn’t give a damn about his ANC representation:

Definitive evidence below the jump.

Read More “Improbably, I Receive a Write-In” »