seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008270474_web...
www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_buck1...
www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-foodstamps17-2008oct1...

No comment. Because if I do comment, my rant might never end.

I really enjoyed the Al Smith dinner bits, but I have to admit to a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. The pleasant sparring and the vicious fear-mongering don't fit together in my brain very well.

I know what you mean, jcurries. But I thought it seemed very cathartic for everyone involved, and they were both very funny. I particularly liked McCain's bit about Oprah calling Obama "the one" but how, as a friend and colleague, he just calls him "that one." And loved Obama's delivery of hearing himself referred to as a celebrity and getting so mad that he "punched a papparazi in the face."

I don't think you need to feel bad for posting the slide-show, saltygoodness! We've all been caught in stupid poses and laughed at them later, I'm sure, and that is a particularly hilarious one, especially when you think about the mutant enemy guy.

Thanks for posting those not-at-all amusing links as well, Mirage. I don't have the energy to find words about them though :(

Here is an interesting article about a second McCain family.

Slipping a bit over the edge there, aren't we?

The Los Angeles Times has also endorsed Obama.

I don't know which is scarier: a member of the House of Representatives equating liberalism with being anti-American, or Pat Buchanan being a voice of reason (sort of) in the update clip below the article.

Oh, and apparently Sarah Palin is going to be on SNL tomorrow night.

I barrack* for Barack and I'm not even American!

*What we Aussies say instead of 'support'....

sam, Pat Buchanan is most definitely scarier. A voice of reason......ekk!

I'm looking forward to Sarah's "shine" on SNL. Wonder how she'll play it? Should be interesting nevertheless.

Colin Powell endorsing Obama. Truly powerful to watch. There are two videos in the article, both well worth watching (especially the first one, where he makes the official endorsement).

Great fun for all involved:

Awesome Palin tribute on SNL

I'm glad they did this skit. While I wouldn't change a thing about previous skits, Palin's a good sport in this one and it kinda relieves some of the tension surrounding the unspoken realization that Tina Fey is more qualified to fill the role of VP than Palin.

I'm rambling. Back to the point. The skit just lightens the tones of things, just as Powell's endorsement accomplishes some of the same. These are warm, welcome gusts of fresh air, badly needed after a period of ugliness in this mother-campaign-drama of dramas.

The weather is lovely. It's going to be a great Sunday.

That was one of the most informative topics I've read in this room to date. Thank you for posting it, catherine.

I often wondered why Powell disappeared from the public light after his stay in office. I wish he was running, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Madhatter. I find him very impressive too, and I felt like he said everything that really needed saying, in a very reasonable and measured way, without any nastiness or pettiness (because we've all had more than enough of that lately, I'm sure). I was particularly glad to hear him say two things. One, criticizing the choice of Sarah Palin without slamming her (because I do think coverage of her has been excessive and nasty), and second, his point about how wrong and sick the allegations of Obama being a Muslim are, not simply because they are inaccurate, but because it shouldn't matter.

I think his reputation took a hit given his role in the Iraq war and the "fabricated" WMDs, and that may be why he's been less front-and-center these days. But his name has been bandied about in the past as a possible presidential candidate, and I remember thinking back then, there's a Republican I wouldn't feel so bad about having in office. Such a dignified and impressive man. I don't know if this will change anybody's mind (I can't think who is undecided at this point...? Not to be condescending, it's just such a stark choice), but I was very glad to hear him speak his piece so eloquently.

catherine, The Daily Show did a bit the other day on undecided voters. (Being outside the US, I can't watch anything on Comedy Central, so can't link it.) Jason Jones and Samantha Bee (ironic because they are both Canadians ;)) were in a room with 8 or 10 undecided voters, asking them what they thought after the last debate and what would make up their minds. JJ & SB became increasingly frustrated and ended up screaming at their 'subjects' about how could they possibly be undecided, when the differences are so obvious.

Interestingly, in the Canadian election last week, almost 50% of voters said they were undecided the day before the election, and it was the smallest voter turnout ever. I think a lot of those people who were undecided were still so on election day and so didn't even bother to vote. Our process took just over a month and was pretty colourless, compared to the US process, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. ;)

samatwich, you can link it :) Here you go:
www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=...

I loved what Powell said about the Muslim thing. (paraphrase) The correct answer is that he's a Christian but the right answer is that it shouldn't matter.
I have been so wishing that someone would say that (you know, besides us little people who post on blogs). I think I forgave Powell for all past transgressions when he said that.

jcurries, I agree about was Powell said about the Muslim issue. I heard the entire interview this morning, and it was interesting how Brokaw kept trying to corner Powell about certain things, including Iraq, the UN, and WMDs, and Powell just refused to be cornered. But I was, of course, particularly pleased about his endorsement and his reasoned support of it. I think his endorsement may have a significantly greater impact, this close to the election, than any other Obama has received, because of the esteem most people hold Powell in. Also, his being a military man may swing some of the undecided military figures away from any leanings toward McCain -- particularly with the idea that Powell just might end up in a position in the Obama presidency. (Powell said he did not want any position, that he had already done his service to the country, but, as Biden said, too, he would consider serving if asked.) Also, Powell's reasoned endorsement also might convince some independents that Obama, despite any lack of experience, is "palling around" with some important, experienced people, who already have gained national respect. So this may end up being a very good endorsement.

Interesting, too, that some conservative-leaning newspapers are now endorsing Obama, primarily because of the Palin factor and because of McCain's lack of reasoned handling of the financial crisis. It's not just those "liberal rags."

Thanks for that link to the daily show, Mirage (and samatwitch for mentioning it). I missed that one, and it did make me laugh. Yes, Canada's election has been pretty much drowned out by the hubbub south of the border. I sometimes think the parliamentary system is more conducive to elections being "issue-based" rather than focusing on personalities or values. Too bad voter turn-out was so low, though. I don't think Stephen Harper is someone to get too complacent about.

I can hear Chris Wallace grilling McCain on Fox news (from my husband's computer in the living room), and his flailing about on robocalls and Ayers is just desperate and painful at this point. Maybe it's just me seeing it this way from my very biased POV, but it feels like he is beating what's left of his reputation to death. It's depressing to watch.

Here's an amazing photo of the gravestone that Powell described.
www.newyorker.com/online/2008/09/29/slideshow_080929_plat...

Thanks for posting the picture, jcurries. I agree with everything you said in your previous post about Powell's statement; I'd guess the Obama campaign felt unable to respond in the same fashion (i.e. why should being a muslim matter?) because it would be spun as an admission that he might in fact not be a christian, rather than being acknowledged as the right thing to say. Kudos to Colin Powell.

And McCain just keeps tightening the noose around his own neck. I only saw this as a sound bite on MSNBC, but McCain, responding to Colin Powell's specific assessment of Palin as not qualified to be VP, much less President, said (paraphrasing from memory) "well she's pro-life and pro-business, and that upsets the liberal feminists".
Would that be the same group (Hilary supporters) that McCain thought would be won over by his choice of a woman?

palehorse, I agree about the Powell endorsement, and thanks for the link, jcurries.

I early-voted in Florida today. I hope to the gods I can concentrate on work again. I've been following daily since January and the Obama campaign is an addiction at this point. Let it be over, already!

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_el_pr/obama_dead_bear

So, so many things wrong in this- that I'll just sit here in my horrified corner and try to calm myself.

This needs to stop. Now.

I hope Obama's grandmother lives to see him elected to the presidency, if her health is indeed in such a critical state that death may be imminent. It would be such a huge shame if she were to die beforehand, not only for her--after all she did to make him what he is--but for the grief that would color the victory, should he win.

Palehorse, I've been thinking about that a lot, too, and focusing my well-wishes her way.
I've been missing my dad so much during this campaign--he would really have loved seeing the Democrats get energized--and it just breaks my heart to think of Obama's grandmother dying before his (I hope) victory.

Mirage, that is truly horrible. I'd suggest you try and focus on the positive, for the sake of your own mental health, because too much of this kind of shit can send you over the edge. As in, it's looking better every day. And every time Sarah Palin opens her mouth, and now, even McCain is shooting himself in the foot with regularity. Hang in there, it's almost over. :)

My feelings exactly, Palehorse. My heart goes out to the Obama family. Also related to what I said above, I caught a little coverage on CNN where someone actually questioned whether or not this was a smart political decision on Obama's part, and just turned it off
ETA: and what jcurries said, as well.

Will this cheer you up a bit, Mirage? It's from huffpo so of course the "Story" is how the McCain camp "silenced" their Muslim spokesperson and wouldn't let him go on the news (when in fact they have no idea really what happened... god, I'm so sick of spin) but if you watch the second video at the bottom of the article, you actually see a whole group of McCain supporters, Muslim and Christian, band together and drive away a couple handing out "Obama is a Muslim" type literature. It's sort of heartening. We're seeing and hearing things through this campaign that are so horrifying, but I hope McCain is right to call these sorts of people "fringe." I think it's very unfortunate that they've been made to feel welcome at all by the kind of rhetoric Palin in particular has been employing, but one can hope that they are nevertheless a small group of wackos.

There are times... like when Michele Bachmann starts talking about pro-America and anti-America members of Congress, when I do wonder how communication "across the aisle" in this country is even possible. And I'm not talking about communication between Democrats and Republicans, because I don't think most Republicans hold views like that. The Big Aisle seems to be between a kind of fevered, ultra-conservative, intolerant and (I hate to say it) very Christian group that holds some insular idea of patriotism as the ultimate value, vs. what I like to think of as the "Real America" ;). But the fact that Obama keeps climbing in the polls in spite of the terrible fear-mongering allegations, the fact that the vast majority of newspapers and an ever-increasing number of Republicans are endorsing him, and the fact that young people are so wild about him, all suggests that this country is going in the right direction.

I am also hopeful that the same people who "don't trust him" will come to do so. I'm thinking of, for example, ex-homophobes I've known who have abandoned their prejudices only when somebody they loved came out and the stereotypes didn't make any sense any more. I'm convinced that most bigotry is ignorance and fear, and that when people get used to President Obama and see (let's hope) that he is working for the good of the country, their views will soften. (Of course... if there's a terrorist attack during his presidency, let the sickening conspiracy theories abound! Sorry...).

The wackos and sickos get a lot of press, but at this point they're kind of helping Obama by making McCain look bad. Just two more weeks!

Catherine, that actually did make me feel better. Thank you!

It should not matter who you support, but if you invoke hate and manufacture ways to promote it, then you are wrong. It would surprise me if McCain’s camp don't jumping at this opportunity – someone made a comment that they might fear alienating their ‘supporters’ which I think is ridiculous because that simply would be scary. Even though I support Obama (and Palin will forever and ever scare me) I think McCain should take it. Much better than this Joe the Plummer nonsense.

I am going to try to faithfully cling to the good in people with all their differences. It used to come easily to me before, now I need little nudge to remind me. *wink*

if you feel bad, just watch the daily show, jon stewart (and his writers) have been on fire lately. i am so glad he's as pissed about the whole "real america" crap as i am. he had sarah vowell on a week or so ago, and they were talking about how every politician comes to new york, visits ground zero, and then after they leave they go back to bashing new york. her comment was well, if new york was american enough for al-qaeda, then it should be american enough for sarah palin.
anyway, here's the link, it's worth watching just because sarah vowell is awesome.

She is completely awesome! I hadn't heard of her before I watched that last week (or whenever it was), and I immediately put her book on my list of things to read.

Stewart's whole show was on this topic last night. Good stuff.

I watched last night's Daily Show while getting ready for work this morning. It's one of the few times I've ever watched Jon doing one of his rants and seeing that he really was angry about the whole 'real America' thing.

Then there was the segment that Jason Jones did in Wasilla. I just kept cringing, especially since I grew up in a small town, not that far from the Alaskan border.

jcurries, I've read a couple of Sarah Vowel's books after seeing her on the Daily Show in previous years. I quite enjoy her.

Just a quick post to say that I saw that Palin believes that the VP is in "control" of the Senate. Which constitution did she read?

All of them that were put in front of her. You know. Also.

I love Jon Stewart, I never miss an episode, he’s funny as well as really intelligent, I adore it when he stumps his 'controversial' guests. I vaguely recall when Colbert used to annoy me, but now I think I got accustomed to his "ways" ;) – especially when Stephen went head to head with Bill O'Reilly and never broke character, man was O'Reilly pissed. LOL

This should be brought up more often:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=magVtjXRA7M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrZkHUD52Qo

a funny:

punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/political-pictu...

Just a quick post to say that I saw that Palin believes that the VP is in "control" of the Senate. Which constitution did she read?

Or that's where she wants to expand the job of the VP. *cringe*

I vaguely recall when Colbert used to annoy me, but now I think I got accustomed to his "ways" ;) – especially when Stephen went head to head with Bill O'Reilly and never broke character, man was O'Reilly pissed. LOL

Ooh, when was that? Mirage, can you link me to the video?

Here ya go ESG ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwLqqEzT6rg

The following is being passed around via email -- it is unsigned, so I don't know where it originates, but it is funny. So, of course, I thought I'd post it:

"Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. It may even include Florida and Ohio, they are seriously considering it. We've given them until Nov. 4th to decide. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country. Since we're dropping the middle states we're calling it United America, or simply the U.A.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. You can take Ted Nugent. We're keeping Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. You get WorldCom. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get Ole' Miss. We get Harvard and 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms, and the highest concentration of pregnant unwed teenagers. Please be aware that the U.A. will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, really we do, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. We'd rather spend it on taking care of sick people, and educating our children.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy Redies believe you are people with higher morals then we Bluies..

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,
Blue States"

Thanks for the laugh, palehorse.

*goes off to find someone to send this to*

That was funny, Palehorse. Thanks!

Thanks--that was funny.

That was good, palehorse.

I don't remember seeing this posted before: Republicans for Obama.

Thank you, palehorse. That gave me a good, hearty chuckle. A bit of that isn't far from the truth.

samatwitch, thanks for posting that link, my friend. Good read.

Thanks, palehorse. I only hope my usually red state goes blue.

My native state and palehorse's will not go blue any time soon. There's only the far inland, land-island of Austin that is blue, where the Texan internal exiles live, along with many other exiles. It's hard for me to explain why why it's impossible to change minds in Texas, since despite growing up and spending my early adult life there I never really understood the mindset myself. They're afraid. That's about all I know.

Barack on Ellen II: Electric Boogaloo

Compare Barack's new moves to Michelle's, plus a bonus pic of little Barack dressed up for Halloween. Fun stuff!

Wheeee! I'm so glad I voted early. I can't stress how good it feels. I accomplished so much at work yesterday. I strongly encourage anyone who can vote early to do so, if you haven't already.

Has anyone here canvassed before? I'm considering doing so this weekend. Not sure if I'm warm and fuzzy enough to react politely to someone I might inadvertently piss off.

ETA: palehorse, i know a few who might appreciate the letter. Loved the last line! Might delete it if I send it to my dad... but I've probably given him a hard enough time this season already.

This story will move you to tears. Beth Broderick: When Do We Vote?

I'm sad this woman wasn't able to witness the outcome of the election. I do hope Barack Obama's grandmother will get better so she can watch and share in her grandson's victory. I often think about that when I reflect on Obama's history. Neither his mother nor his father knew what kind of leader their son would become, nor how far he would take that leadership. That's a true shame. But I bet they'd be so proud of him if they were alive.

I just got through watching Obama's acceptance speech again, and I'm all choked up. I cant see how any individual with a beating heart, no matter their party, wouldn't be moved by it, and convinced of Obama's integrity and sincerity.

I'm this close to getting my conservative Republican parents to sit and watch that speech. In it, Obama did address people like them too. My parents have no idea. They really don't know what he's about since the only info they're getting is from the news soundbites and Republican spin doctors.

And even then, I've realized that they really don't pay attention to much of the news. My dad didn't even know who was Obama's running mate until I told him two weeks ago.

I just don't understand how you can choose not to be informed for an election this crucial. And I won't even get into how apathetic a lot of my friends are. For a while I didn't think I would be able to wrangle anybody to celebrate election night with, but my brother agreed, and hopefully we'll join the Obama campaigners in the festivities. How can anyone not want to celebrate such a historic event as Obama winning the election?

I'm thinking of canvassing too, Laura. I haven't done it yet. I've only done voter registration. Portland is extremely progressive and liberal; most of us love Obama here, so I don't think it will be difficult. It'll mostly be about reminding people to vote and collecting ballots.

We vote by mail here, so we get almost 3 weeks to vote, which means more people vote because it's so easy. And it also prevents fraud because there's a paper trail. When Howard Dean was here, he told us that Oregon is way ahead of the game, and he wishes all states voted by mail. It's awesome that Seattle will be following our lead!

I filled out my ballot on Saturday when I got it, I just haven't turned it in yet. I'm going to deliver it by hand to make sure it gets to its proper destination.

Ron Howard has a funny endorsement video here. He is joined by Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler.

instead of talking about how many people's votes probably won't be counted, because that scares the crap out of me, how about what are all of you going as for halloween? i'm guessing the sarah palin wigs will be sold out in the bay area! thats just about the scariest thing you could be this year.

and who's throwing an election night party?

I haven't done any door-to-door canvassing, but my husband & I made a bunch of phone calls to Nevada. The Obama website has this great system--you tell them where you want to call & what kind of voters (my husband called Latinos b/c he's Mexican & speaks Spanish)--and log the results of your call on the site. It's amazingly easy. And much better than robocalls!

We've been debating about what to do on election night. We were thinking about having a party at our house, but I have this feeling that if Obama wins, I want to be in a public place--I want to celebrate with strangers--you know, get some of that "bringing America together" feeling. I suppose there will be gatherings of local Democratic groups, but I haven't looked into it yet. Of course, that would mean tearing myself away from my computer...

As for Halloween, I'm going to the Dr. Horrible singalong. :)

Palehorse, I was just coming here to link that! I just got it from my brother-in-law and thought it was a hoot!

Thanks to Simon for this article - a light-hearted look at the lefties who will be taking over the White House, no matter who wins. ;)

Everyone's posting such great stuff, I've barely had time to catch up. Palehorse, thanks for that, I just sent it to three friends.

Obama is in Honolulu with his grandmother tonight, it's been all over the local news (more so even than national news).
I don't think Hawaii has ever gone Republican, we're so blue it's insane. Although we're also a little politically schizophrenic, we have a Republican governor who is almost as clueless as Palin.
Evil governor aside, the level of pride here is off the charts. This is such a melting pot and Obama's half sister is part Hawaiian. She's been campaigning for him all year, we're taking nothing for granted, assuming that even our few electoral votes are important.
Peace out, indeed. :)

You mean he's really not an Indonesian Arab from Kenya?

For a hilarious yet harrowing read about what the crazy end of the right wing has been blogging, here's Jon Swift's roundup:
jonswift.blogspot.com/2008/10/great-moments-in-election-y...

I stood in the rain today to vote for Obama. Lots of people were voting despite the weather, and people in the library where the polling was taking place said there had been more than a thousand people a day voting there since Monday. (This is one of the smaller polling places.) I was so happy to be able to cast my vote, and I hope the polls in Florida are correct -- that Obama will win the state by 5%. I'd love to see the state turn blue again.

I hope so too Palehorse! I am so hopeful but also worried with all the news networks reporting how well Obama is doing in the polls that people will think they don't have to vote because it's in the bag.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081025/ap_on_el_pr/joe_mccain911
*ouch* You gotta feel for John McCain ... just a tad. ;)

Silly but fun political entertainment:

Obama/McCain Dance-off

It's under three minutes, courtesy of HuffPo.

Pretty funny video-photoshopping.

Mirage--don't feel bad for McCain. Embarrassing family members are a venerable tradition in politics. :)

I went down to my Obama HQ to volunteer for election day activities, and I got a yard sign and some other things. I was told that the yard sign would likely disappear within minutes, as they are being stolen or burned in people's yards. I was also warned not to put Obama bumper stickers on my car, as people with Obama stickers were having their tires slashed all over town.

Fine crowd, those McCain supporters. They must have a HUGE "fringe element."

re:palehorse. McCain/Palin 'supporters'? Crazy folks that would jump at any whiff of hate. Ashley Todd anyone? We saw how THAT blew up in the haters faces... not to mention how Fox no-news 'spread it high and wide till most weak minds believe it' peeps ran with it without confirmation. Wonder how they will handle that – if they even do. Bet they’d pretend they never did anything.

Appears I'm sailing on a sinking ship. May I add a swansong to our downfall?

In truth, I'm looking forward to this election being behind us so we can get back to normal again. Okay, that came out a bit wrong, but I think you understand my friends.

Cheers!

Well, here's a depressing bit of news about how the banks, who received the largesse in the baliout, are using the money -- and how the administration is facilitating the unpublicized agenda. See it
here.

ETA: Palin is just downright dangerous. She knows nothing about our own constitution, but she thinks she knows something about communism. Now she is saying that Obama's desire to return the upper percentage of the population to the pre-Bush tax rates means that Obama is going to run a communist state. See it here.

Remember when I was talking about how I believe Obama's ideology comes from the Kennedy administration and MLK's civil rights work? Well, you must watch this youtube video.

Abraham, Martin & John

Have you guys seen this interview with Biden. He's fantastic. She's trying so hard to make him squirm & he deals with her so well.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQXcImQfubM&eurl=http://hotai...

esg: I have to admit that (although I know this wasn't the intention) that video makes me nervous because it links Obama w/people who've been assassinated.

This is linked on the black, but it is really funny, and it includes a comment by Jane Espenson.

Sorry, jcurries. I just did not go there in my head (I'm still recovering from oral surgery, cant' think straight yet).

I love the Obama TV shows. Barackula! Obama Goth Night! Goths for Obama! *falls over laughing hysterically*

*snort* www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA-q65xNQA8
who else thinks throughout this clip that the words "damn it, Sarah..." were running through McCain's head as he stuttered his 'praise'? LMAO.

edited for spelling

Heh, heh. Sparks, you so make me laugh! Hope you feeling better there soon:)

What happened to barest & zeitgeist? They haven't been around for awhile.

They're on a tour, jcurries. Looking forward to the pics. Can't imagine what those two have in store.

I believe b & z are vacationing in England. Though I miss them too, I'm glad that they are not checking in with us and are taking the time to really get away on their vacation :)

Egads, only a week to go!!! As for where to spend the evening of the 4th, I'll probably be here at flickr checking in with you guys :)

Oh, that's fantastic. It's a perfect time to vacation (so hard to get any work done anyway!)

If any of you have friends who might forget to vote (I don't think I do :), this is a funny video you can personalize for them--it blames them for McCain winning. This one has my daughter's name in it--I can't figure out how to post a generic one.

www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=2aV93Tq4V0fo3a68lUr_lDQ...

Well, saltygoodness, guess it will just be you and I sporting the teams colors this 4th. I couldn't ask for better company.

Aw, nice to be missed. Thanks, guys. We had a gorgeous holiday (pics in flickr gallery), and a delightful respite from political coverage overload. Everyone we met seemed interested in talking to us about it, though and pulling for Obama, (and confused/fascinated by Palin.) We kept saying how we hoped that a few weeks from know, we'd all get the chance to forget all about her. But a discouraging WSJ article insisted she's the new face of the party and the future fundraising ringer. Maybe she'll run with Elizabeth Hassleback in '12. /shudder.

Well, it's been too long since I posted here. Still following the election closely, so I've got a few links for you ;). Some are a bit old, but hopefully I'm not duplicating anything already posted here.

A quick look at how a few other countries would vote if they had the chance (using proper polling). If anything, I would have thought it would be even more of a landslide here in the UK, but it's not too bad ;). How about a cool little video of Obama on the phones at a field office. And a brilliant re-imagining of those annoying "wassup" adverts, showing how change is needed. With 1.7m views in 3 days, you may have already seen this. :)

Of course, the "Obama is a socialist" thing is ridiculous, but this article from the Guardian deals with it very nicely. Good to see someone bring up the utter hypocrisy of Palin on this point. Another good Guardian article was "Who would God vote for?" (not literally ;). Personally, I was interested in the religiously "unaffiliated voters" - the split was Obama 66% vs McCain 24%.

Here's the Politico article about the infighting in the McCain/Palin campaign. It'll be interesting to see where the Republicans go after this election. The sensible option is to move towards the centre ground to appeal to independents (and become more like our Conservative party). After all, the far right-wing aren't going to vote Democrat. The alternative would be letting the nutters take over the asylum - Palin gets the nod for 2012 and then they get annihilated (again ;). I thought Palin was popular enough with the base for the latter to be quite likely, but this poll would suggest otherwise.

TIME suggests 7 Things That Could Go Wrong on Election Day. I really hope that a complete shambles can be avoided, but I do expect there to be problems. Pieces from HuffPo on Florida and North Carolina. I'm always tempted to compare things to UK elections and on this occasion I will. Time taken for me to vote in the last election - 15 minutes. And that includes twelve minutes walking to and from the polling station. Having to wait for hours to vote is ridiculous. And what is the problem with having a system where you just mark an "X" beside a candidate's name and put the voting slip into a box?

You want more? Probably not, but I marked them, so you're getting them ;). Forget the mainstream media - this fifth grader (and budding reporter) asks Biden the really hard question ;). A homophobic leaflet from Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R), which mentions three policy positions as part of a “radical homosexual agenda” to smear her opponent. Amusingly, I like all three ideas. And I like this story of about three dozen call centre workers refusing to read out McCain's smears against Obama.

Finally, the story about the foiled assassination plot. It might be the first, but inevitably it won't be the last. Sadly, there are many people who will wish to target Obama, whether it's because they think he's a Muslim or a communist or because he's black. For the time being, the security services will need to be ever vigilant. In the longer term, the solution is improving education.

Ok, that was a long post. Excuse any errors, hopefully the links are all right. To end on a positive note, I'll just say that I'm in no doubt that Obama will win. It's a matter of by how much now and whether or not the Democrats can get those 60 seats in the senate (come on Al Franken!). Good night from me. :)

Man, the simple idea of Obama and McCain standing next to each other and condemning such hatred would be a sight to behold and I do not doubt for a second that it would inspire many and calm the rage of those prejudiced.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQmBS9l9kt8
I am hopeful that Obama shall win, however, I am with those who stress that we should not relax until it is over. I wouldn’t have minded McCain winning (much) but in no scenario would I want that Palin nut anywhere near it – so, it ain’t over till the overly-accessorized ‘folksy’ uneducated so-called experienced governor is as far away from Washington as possible.

Remember when I said right up there that I wouldn’t have minded (much) if McCain wins if it weren’t for Palin?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbCWZmghMVA

Yep. That was “blah, blah, blah” of me. I mind. VERY much. Environmental and health safety is NOT a triple ‘blah’ moment - not ever, and especially now. And WHAT is wrong with those people cheering? Have they been exposed to nuclear – eh, sorry- nuke-u-lar (or is it, new-cue-lur?) waste?

GRRR URGH

NotaViking, the Guardian piece on socialism and the McCain-Palin hypocrisy was quite good.

And, Mirage, I echo your revulsion over the "blah, blah, blah" comment and the rousing cheer it received from his audience. I'm really surprised it hasn't received more news coverage.

One of my colleagues at work told me yesterday that his brother in Texas went to vote early, and his vote on a touch-screen monitor was changed from Obama to McCain while he watched. He reported it of course, and the poll workers said they'd "fix it," but who knows how many people didn't catch that? And who knows if they fixed it? I mean, somebody already "fixed it" ahead of time.

Rigged voting machines . . . again. My colleague said that if McCain wins this election, with everybody knowing that it had to be rigged, there would be rioting in the streets. I'll be right out there with them.

www.amazon.com/Put-Your-Party-on-Your-Face/meters/A2JPIXA...

Hi zeigeist! Hope the vacation was a good one.

Sorry for the spelling, I'm whacked on medication.

Vacation was fantastic! :) Good to be back, though, too!

A very interesting analysis of the language that Sarah Palin uses.

Sean Quinn over at FiveThirtyEight posted a great piece On the Road from North Carolina. Don't let me stop you reading the whole thing, but I'm going to copy and paste two sections.

"The thoughtful and soft-spoken Gbenga Akinnagbe (from The Wire) went last, and had a personal observation shared with us offstage about his experience with the British health care system decried in a recent dispatch by Republican volunteer David Goldman. He'd recently sprained an ankle, and the U.S. citizen merely waited an hour on a busy Saturday night in London. He was treated for free, "and all they wanted was my name." "

Bet socialism doesn't sound so bad now ;). Anyway, this next section was the bit I really wanted to share.

"Now I have a confession. Even Brett doesn't know this. I hope it doesn't lessen the professional work we're trying to accomplish in chronicling this historic election on the ground, but if it does, I'll live with it. There is something stirring in America.

Back at the rally, after the march had left MLK Gardens, I'd gone back for the car while Brett took photos, and I spotted a very old black man in a sharp Sunday suit walking slowly at the very back of the huge march. He hadn't yet arrived at the voting center, and I decided to find him when I got back.

I wanted to go talk to him, to ask him what this moment meant to him. He was a guy who you take one glance at, and know, that guy's seen it all. I wanted a quote. I had my journalist hat on. I thought, this will be great.

So when I got back to the voting location with the car, I went to find him in the line. Eventually I spotted him, and was ready to walk up the few feet between us and introduce myself when I stopped in my tracks.

A young black boy, no more than eight years old, walked up to this man, who was at least eighty. The boy offered the man a sticker, probably an "I Voted" sticker, but I couldn't see. The man took the sticker and paused. Silently, he looked down at the boy, who was looking back up at the man. The man put his hand gently on the boy's head, and I saw his eyes glisten.

I didn't ask the man for a quote. I didn't need to. I walked over by myself, behind the community center, and I sat down on a bench next to the track, and wept."

Rachel Maddow announced on her MSNBC show tonight that she will be interviewing Barack Obama in Florida this coming Thursday. Will air at 9 and 11 PM ET.

And Joss Whedon officially indorses Barack Obama on the black.

" Obama. Seriously. I know this isn’t a political forum, but this isn’t a political issue. This is an issue of making Rob Kutner’s book not come true." - Joss Whedon

Woooo! I knew Joss would like that guy.

As for Rachel Maddow interviewing Obama...there are no words for how excited I am to see that.

Rachel Maddow & Barack Obama. My head would explode in delight right now if it weren't already exploding from excruciating post-op oral pain.

I can't wait to watch Rachel interview Obama!! And yeah, I just knew Joss was also an Obama supporter but I was glad to see him bring it up on the Black.

Can anyone find me a link where I can watch the Obamamerical on the web? As always, the west coast will get it 3 hours after everyone else.

Oh, I wish I could help you Esg. It was wonderfully done. I felt myself getting emotional several times. I bet someone will have it up on Youtube soon but if you can wait until it airs the quality will be better. It will definitely be worth the wait.

Here you go ESG:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtREqAmLsoA&fmt=18

and a funny ad by the Obama campaign:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xnk9aqih8o&feature=channel



.

Don't forget that Obama is supposed to be on the Daily Show tonight -- and he's doing a late night rally with Bill Clinton.

And adding my "can't wait" for the Rachel interview tomorrow. She seemed so excited tonight on her show to be flying to Florida.

I thought the Obama ad was well done and very affecting.

ETA: the Obama ad is now up at HuffPo.

A nicely done video, Dr. Seuss-style: The Vet Who Didn't Vet.

Steven Colbert endorses Obama ;)
www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.j...

Less than a week to go!
Having to put up with the robocalls, unwanted "Obama: not who you think he is" mailings from the Republicans ('cause I'm an independent, I guess), and McCain and Palin being all over Pennsylvania in the past couple of weeks (go away!!!) I will be SO glad when it's over and Barack Obama is elected President and I can retire my Palin voodoo doll. Er, I mean I *would* retire it if I had made such a thing which of course I didn't. Heh, heh, what a silly thing to say--it's just a little Halloween decoration, that's all. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

*is very amused by bloodflowers' post*

stephen colbert has been really funny this week, first it was the crying the other night, and then last night's hysterical laughter about palin and mccain.

also, despite being sick with a cold, the husband and i are going to go vote today. i don't expect a line on tuesday, but i live in one of the neighborhoods that gets the old crappy equipment. not that obama isn't going to win my district, in fact he might get 55% of the vote in california, which is huge!

My husband just sent this to me. Andrew Lloyd Webber never sounded so good. :)