Obama will lose the White Vote big in 2012

[Retrograde]

24. They sort of did, at least one lesson

They don't actually report vote totals as a rule, since most places can't release them that quickly - they report the results of exit polls, and generally ignore mail-in votes. In 2000 they reported the poll results (led, IIRC, by a Bush cousin) when they thought the polls closed, but forgot that one section of Florida was on Central time and thus the polls hadn't closed there, which is why they initially retracted, and the first preliminary results made it look like it was too close to call, which was when Gore retracted his concession. Then there were the Harris shennanigans, the Brooks Brothers demonstrations, the hanging chad debacles and the court cases. I watched a lot of the whole mess from abroad.

This year I expect a lot of provisional ballots to be cast in states that have been trying for voter repression, as well as a larger number of early voters where states allow it which should skew exit polls. I don't know how and when all states count absentee or mail-in votes: my state encourages voting by mail and according to the county registrar's website my votes for the June elections have already been counted.

The GOP learned one big lesson in 2000, though: he who shouts first and loudest is usually the one heard.