Election Night

The state attorney general's office is seeking millions of dollars in fines from a political consultant who sent out an election night "robocall" to thousands of Marylanders suggesting that they "relax" because the race was over, even though polls were still open. Comparing the calls to literacy tests and poll taxes, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said that the calls were made on behalf of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. with the intent of suppressing and intimidating voters in predominantly African-American areas.

Maryland's second-highest court upheld on Monday political consultant Julius Henson's conspiracy conviction in a robocall scheme that prosecutors said was designed to suppress black votes. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals reaffirmed the conviction, writing that the case "presents us with a sad tale. " A judge wrote that Henson "and his collaborators callously attempted to manipulate members of the electorate. " Henson, 64, was found guilty in May 2012 of conspiracy to violate election law by not including an authority line from a robocall used as part of the campaign to elect Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Erhlich lost the election to incumbent Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat.

There are three things you should know about the HBO documentary "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama." First, this two-hour film is the document in all likelihood by which the landmark presidential campaign of 2008 will be known to future generations. Think Theodore White's book on the 1960 campaign of John F. Kennedy, "The Making of the President." Second, the documentary is so skillfully crafted that it will transport many viewers back to Nov. 4, 2008, and they will re-experience what they felt on that emotion-charged election night as the returns came in and it was announced that the nation had elected its first African-American president.

While much is being made of Karl Rove's post-election return to the air this week on Fox, I don't think that's really the news that matters these days at Rupert Murdoch's channel. Reflecting in a way the very post-election GOP malaise that they discussed, both Bill O'Reilly and Rove seemed off their games Wednesday night on "The O'Reilly Factor. " Two of the most self-confident blowhards in American media and political life seemed less confident, less energized, less animated than I have ever seen either when it comes to saying bad things about President Obama.

Outside of Barack Obama, one of Tuesday's biggest winners was CNN, which not only presented the best journalism but also finished first among cable channels in viewers. According to Nielsen's Fast Ratings, CNN was seen by an average audience of 8.8 million total viewers from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. election night. It also had audiences of 4.4 million adults ages 25 to 54 and 2.7 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. That topped perennial ratings winner Fox News, which had an audience of 8.7 million total viewers, with 3.5 million and 1.2 million in the key demos.

Tuesday night's election generated a record-setting political coversation of 28.5 million social media comments, according to Bluefin Labs. The previous high was 12.2 million social media comments made in connection with the second presidential debate, according to the Boston-based firm that specializes in social-media metrics. The first debate drew 11.2 million comments. Not surprisingly, the high point Tuesday came between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. after NBC News, CNN and others projected Barack Obama's re-election.

The aftermath of Tuesday's primary election has again focused anxiety on Maryland's electronic voting system, with candidates angry about delayed results and, in the case of the Baltimore state's attorney race, one claiming up to 10,000 votes are missing. The questions about the integrity of the process are fueled by what seems like a low-tech component of the system — the transfer of data from the voting machines to county boards of election — that led to several cases of election night human error.

The year was 1964 when a future Sun editorial writer stood outside Randle Highlands Elementary School in Southeast D.C. with tears streaming down his cheeks as if a leaky tap had been bolted to his head. The boy did not wish to cry. He didn't feel particularly sad or hurt, the normal reasons why a 5-year-old would be tearing up. But it was the first day of school, the first day entirely on his own without a parent nearby, and what is etched most deeply in his memory of the day is the embarrassment of being seen by his peers as a cry-baby.

One of the most depressing media stories of the past two decades has been the dwindling amount of political coverage provided by network news organizations and their affiliates. The snapshot regularly used to make the case was Election Night, with nonstop, wall-to-wall news coverage in the 1960s pared down to an hour or two in recent years so that the networks would not have to pre-empt dramas, sitcoms and reality TV shows even on the nights Americans went to the polls. But this year, there will be more coverage than ever — even more than there was in the so-called glory years of the 1960s and '70s.

Wedding days: October 13, 2012 and October 27, 2012 His story: Jahantab Sidiqui, 26, grew up in Pakistan and moved to Howard County when he was 14. He is the owner of J.S. Strategies - which is currently managing the campaign for Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger - and lives in Baltimore. His father, Dr. Akhtar Sidiqui is a retired general practitioner and senior vice president at SSSI Corporation. His mother, Parveen Nayab, is a manager at Bank of America. Her story: LaRee McCuan, 29, grew up in Howard County.

President Obama's re-election has caused right-wingers to become completely unhinged. They are purple-faced and apoplectic, convinced that an ignorant horde of government-dependent social leeches have destroyed traditional America and banished God from the country. The craziest comments came from certifiably loony celebrities. Gun-crazy rocker Ted Nugent tweeted that "Pimps whores and welfare brats and their soulless supporters hav (sic) a president to destroy America," while former "Saturday Night Live" goofball Victoria Jackson let loose a series of tweets, saying in part, "Thanks a lot, Christians, for not showing up. You disgust me ... In the Good vs. Evil battle, today Evil won. " Egomaniacal rich guy Donald Trump simply called for a revolution.

Outside of Barack Obama, one of Tuesday's biggest winners was CNN, which not only presented the best journalism but also finished first among cable channels in viewers. According to Nielsen's Fast Ratings, CNN was seen by an average audience of 8.8 million total viewers from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. election night. It also had audiences of 4.4 million adults ages 25 to 54 and 2.7 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. That topped perennial ratings winner Fox News, which had an audience of 8.7 million total viewers, with 3.5 million and 1.2 million in the key demos.

Tuesday night's election generated a record-setting political coversation of 28.5 million social media comments, according to Bluefin Labs. The previous high was 12.2 million social media comments made in connection with the second presidential debate, according to the Boston-based firm that specializes in social-media metrics. The first debate drew 11.2 million comments. Not surprisingly, the high point Tuesday came between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. after NBC News, CNN and others projected Barack Obama's re-election.

Wedding days: October 13, 2012 and October 27, 2012 His story: Jahantab Sidiqui, 26, grew up in Pakistan and moved to Howard County when he was 14. He is the owner of J.S. Strategies - which is currently managing the campaign for Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger - and lives in Baltimore. His father, Dr. Akhtar Sidiqui is a retired general practitioner and senior vice president at SSSI Corporation. His mother, Parveen Nayab, is a manager at Bank of America. Her story: LaRee McCuan, 29, grew up in Howard County.

The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.

Outside of CNN's performance on the night of Iowa caucuses, no one's election-related TV coverage excited me as much as that provided by Politico last week on Super Tuesday. I heard and saw it on C-SPAN radio and TV. Politico had been streaming such coverage, but Super Tuesday was the first time it was carried nationally by C-SPAN. The good news, Politico will be back on C-SPAN tonight with Campaign 2012 coverage starting at 7 p.m. Politico's HD livestream coverage starts at 6:30.

ANN NIXON COOPER, 107 Was lauded by Obama on Election Night Ann Nixon Cooper, the Atlanta centenarian lauded by President Barack Obama in his Election Night speech last year, died Monday at her southwest Atlanta home. She would have turned 108 on Jan. 9. In his 2008 speech, President Obama called Mrs. Cooper an example of "the heartbreak and the hope" of the past century. He noted she was born at a time when women and blacks couldn't vote and lived to cast her ballot for the country's first black president.

ANN NIXON COOPER, 107 Was lauded by Obama on Election Night Ann Nixon Cooper, the Atlanta centenarian lauded by President Barack Obama in his Election Night speech last year, died Monday at her southwest Atlanta home. She would have turned 108 on Jan. 9. In his 2008 speech, President Obama called Mrs. Cooper an example of "the heartbreak and the hope" of the past century. He noted she was born at a time when women and blacks couldn't vote and lived to cast her ballot for the country's first black president.

The year was 1964 when a future Sun editorial writer stood outside Randle Highlands Elementary School in Southeast D.C. with tears streaming down his cheeks as if a leaky tap had been bolted to his head. The boy did not wish to cry. He didn't feel particularly sad or hurt, the normal reasons why a 5-year-old would be tearing up. But it was the first day of school, the first day entirely on his own without a parent nearby, and what is etched most deeply in his memory of the day is the embarrassment of being seen by his peers as a cry-baby.

The state attorney general's office has filed a federal complaint against a political consultant who sent out an Election Night "robocall" to thousands of Marylanders suggesting that they "relax" because the race was over. Julius Henson, a longtime political operative who had been hired by the campaign of Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., acknowledged last week that he was behind the calls after The Sun traced them to his company, Universal Elections. The complaint alleges that Henson and an employee, Rhonda Russell, violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by not identifying who was behind the messages.