so, um, let me get this Allen thing straight.....

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

Um, so control of the Senate comes down to this one race that was decided by a razor thin margin and the the apparent loser is just going to concede instead of asking for the recount he wouldn't have to pay for, because..... um, er, chip chirp chirp...oh, yeah, it's those damn exit polls that don't match up again. I wonder why that is.

I'm really gonna have to think about this one to figure it out.

[gfnrob]

1. He'll concede so those machines remain unscrutinized.

[RoccoR5955]

2. Exactamundo!

[slestak]

3. Bingo.

A recount could raise a LOT of questions in VA -- a state with lots of reports of vote suppression bubbling out during the election.

That's a can of worms they don't want to open.

Plus, the Pukes are probably pissed that Allen ran such a shitty campaign, so they are throwing him under the bus.

[JackBeck]

4. Why have the last four elections had such close decisions?

Is every election from here on out going to be this close?

[SoCalDem]

6. That's a fact, Jack

:)

They Have to be close, so that the pollsters adjust their polls, and the exit polls are not to be believed after the fact.
Remember a weeks ago, the republicans just flat out said "I don;t believe your poll numbers"..That's it../just a statement of disbelief...

and for years now, the central themes of most elections have been on "their" terms...

They are the "with us or 'agin' us folks.. black/white/right/wrong/terra-ist/patriot..

no gray areas at all..

It's worked well for them until this time.

[Janice325]

5. Weren't there robocalls in Virginia?

If so, maybe the Allen campaign had something to do with it, and he wouldn't want any more "dirty linen" aired.
It's just a thought.

[LostinVA]

9. Yup -- and I got one

[TheWraith]

11. Yes, among many other things.

The Allen campaign, despite their tantrum, can't draw too much attention to the race lest it come out that they engaged in a variety of illegal practices including vote supression--and still lost.

[Janice325]

12. Thanks, LostinVA and TheWraith.

I though I'd read that had happened in VA too, bud I just haven't been able to keep up with all the speculation and rumors about what the Repukes tried to do where.:puke:

[unpossibles]

7. I know. I actually was happy when he stonewalled

as much as I want us to have the Senate (and I was confident we would), I want our elctions to be clean first and foremost or we should stop pretending to be a democratic republic.

[napi21]

8. Actually, I'm not that cynical on this issue.

Initially, early Wed. AM I think Allen believed this vote was close enough that he would demand a recount, but as time went on, and those surrounding him explained that because of the DRE's,they can't do a recount like he was used to hearing about. Al they can do is a reprint, and check the cumulative #'s to make sure there was no human errors.

I think Allen gave it some thought, and decided, if he wasgoing to have any political future at all, it would be in HIS interest to wait for the State confirmation of the votes and then concede.

[MacGregor]

10. The recount may also end up outside of that 0.5% state-foots-the-bill margin.

(I think that's right, anyway).

The canvassing and provisional ballots now have, per the SBE site, Webb's lead at nearly 8,900 votes (it hovered around 7,300 most of yesterday) and, by their figures, a 0.38% margin.

[NanceGreggs]

13. Why else would the GOP actually WANT him to concede ...

... without putting up a fight?

"Yeah, Felix, we really don't want anyone looking into this TOO closely, if you get our drift ..."

[Igel]

14. Regardless of what he says now,

he has to wait until the official count is done and certified.

It's politic to say he'll be gracious; whether or not he will be gracious, just as with about 99.9% of all politicians (alas!), depends on the particulars of the situation at the time and how it serves his own perceived interests.