Election Day Countdown

The Times, They Are A-Changing!

2008-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

CHANGEWEVOTEDFOR.BLOGSPOT.COM

I don't quit that easily. The countdown may have to end, but my work is far from over.

It's been fun, and I thank you all for the ride.

Looking Back and Looking Forward! One Day Into a New Era!

2008-11-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

Firstly, this is how I'm feeling:

Now, what exactly happened last night? I'll be honest, I can't really remember. Here's a rundown of some occurrences last night, both epic and less epic.

--> President-Elect Barack Obama won a decisive, dominant victory last night over Senator John McCain, expanding the electoral map in a way that no Democrat has done since Lyndon Johnson, and winning a majority of votes for the first time since Jimmy Carter.

Of course, amidst all the excitement and wonder of last night (see my Facebook video), Taeggan Goddard managed to present the most compelling thought of the evening: Our first 16 presidents could have legally owned our 44th as a slave.

How far have we come? It's a topic that President-Elect Obama touched on heavily in his fantastic speech last night, telling American history through the eyes of a 106-year-old woman in Georgia, and framing his victory as part of a larger, American belief that anything is possible - YES WE CAN.

Thomas Friedman reminds us that it was Virginia, the state that lended enough weight to the Southern cause to make secession a reality, and was the front line of the Civil War, was the state to put an African-American President over the top.

The Boston Globe heralds a new age of politics in America: grassroots, decentralized, and driven from below.

The Chicago Tribune reminds us that we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth in February, and asks us, today of all days, to look at how far we have come in so short a time: "When [Obama] was born in 1961, African-Americans risked death merely to register to vote in some Southern states."

Five poets frame the campaign beautifully, courtesy of that news source that shall remain the greatest in the land, the New York Times.

And without question, the quintessential story thus far about the outcome of this election comes from two of the finest political bloggers on the map - Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin.

--> Four years after the lead writer of The West Wing called a political consultant named David Axelrod and said, "Tell me about this guy Barack Obama." Two and a half years since the character they based on Obama rose from political abscurity (thanks in part to an inspiring convention speech) and claimed the White House, defeating an older, experienced, maverick Republican senator who ultimately sold out his independence to appease the conservative base. Isn't it fitting that this election would mirror the pretend one so closely?

Both the character and the candidate refused to be defined by their race. Colin Powell noted today that Obama won because "he did not put himself forward as an African-American president." Jimmy Smits' character asserts, "I don't want to be the brown candidate, I want to be the American candidate."

It also turns out that the building that Matthew Santos stands in front of to announce his candidacy, as he tells Americans that "hope is real," was used as one of the backdrops for McCain's convention speech this year. Yeah, you should watch the speech and think about how closely it mirrors Obama's.

Well, the wheel has kept turning, as today we received word that Barack Obama has offered Congressman Rahm Emanuel the powerful position of Chief of Staff. The job is long described on The West Wing as the second most powerful job in the country, and it is fitting that the Matthew Santos candidate would pick the man who Josh Lyman, his chief of staff, was reportedly based on to serve in that post. Emanuel is known as someone who pulls no punches and gets things done. He also reportedly rattled off a list of "traitors" to the Clinton campaign after their reelection victory and screamed "Dead!" after each one as he jammed a large knife into the table. He was portrayed as "The Enforcer" by Rolling Stone, and he is without question the perfect man for the job.

--> Meanwhile, not that it matters, but Sarah Palin's shopping spree turns out to have been a lot bigger than previously reported. Oops.

--> We're still locked in several tight Senate races, as of this posting. Oregon, Minnesota, Alaska, and Georgia are still razor-thin (Georgia being close only in that getting less than 51% requires a runoff). Let's see how those play out.

--> Also, it looks like the California ban of gay marriage will pass.

I'll give you more of a rundown tomorrow or Friday, but right now this is all I can come up with. Just go celebrate!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2008-11-04T18:47:00.001-08:00

http://thepage.time.com/2008/11/04/obama-wins-ohio/

44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! NOW ON TO THE SENATE, THE HOUSE, AND THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY!

Did You Fall On Your Way? It's a Long Way Down! Finally - End of the Countdown! 1 DAY TO GO!!!!!

2008-11-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

We've finally reached that day. 20 months after this campaign began. 154 days since Election Day Countdown exploded into existence and rocked the blogosphere to its very core. All the preparation and the analysis and the guessing and the waiting has finally culminated in this one day! I am so grateful to all of you who allowed me to take this journey with you, and I can't wait to celebrate tomorrow night as returns start coming in.

So where does this take Election Day Countdown? With nothing to count down to, what will I possibly write about? Well, on Wednesday or Thursday I'll post my post-mortem, looking at where I went wrong, where I went right, and just wrapping up this election season and looking forward into what lies ahead. By the end of this coming weekend, my plans for the future of this blog will become apparent. So keep watching the skies...

So what should we look for tomorrow? Well, if you were sitting next to me (although I most likely won't be sitting, more like pacing and jumping and tugging at my hair) watching CNN, you'd get to hear my analysis of what the returns and exit polls mean - my analysis usually consists of CNN's analysis, only about 15 minutes quicker. But here's some things to keep an eye on as indicators, or just interesting races to amuse yourself with:

--> East coast returns. Polls close in Virginia at 7 PM. If Obama is running up the score in the northern part of the state, and McCain isn't absolutely dominating everywhere else, the networks might actually call this one before some of the other states close. Now, the TV pundits will do everything they can to avoid calling the election this early, in order to avoid messing with turnout on the west coast. However, if Virginia goes blue, you can pull out the cigars right there, because this thing is finished. Same applies to Florida or North Carolina or Georgia.

Keep an eye on Pennsylvania. It has a tendency to be closer on the day itself than people expect from polls. Obama needs an enormous victory with record turnout in Philadelphia, and a sizeable majority in the Pittsburgh area. McCain is going to dominate in the middle of the state, but keep an eye on the returns in the Penn State area. Also, look at the suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia - specifically Delaware and Montgomery - which will be great indicators of how Obama is doing amongst moderates and independents.

--> State Races: Kay Hagan vs. Elizabeth Dole for Senate and Beverly Perdue vs. Pat McCrory for Governor in North Carolina are going to be incredibly tight, as will the presidential race. McCain's and Obama's coat tails will be crucial here, depending on if they can get everyone to vote down-ballot. This will be a fascinating state to watch.

Georgia - Saxby Chambliss vs. Jim Martin for Senate looks really close, and if Obama can make this state close (as polls suggest he can) or even squeak out a victory as part of an Electoral College domination, he might be able to put Martin over the top.

Arizona - Can Obama actually win McCain's home state? Probably not, unless McCain voters just stay home, having already given up. And in that case, it'll be part of a larger blowout anyway. It'll also signal a tough reelection race for McCain in 2 years if this is close.

Iowa - McCain's camp keeps claiming that their internal polls show it tied, while every major polling group has Obama leading in double digits. Are they lying, or will this actually turn out to be closer than expected?

California - Proposition 4 and Proposition 8, one to force physicians to notify parents 48 hours before the perform an abortion on a minor and the other to prohibit gay marriage, are both on the ballot, and are expected to be EXTREMELY tight. It'll depend on GOTV efforts by the two presidential campaigns.

Minnesota - Franken vs. Coleman for Senate will be fascinating. There's a strong third-party candidate, but it's unclear who he's drawing votes from, as polls continue to conflict, showing both major candidates with decent leads. Let's see who's right.

--> Turnout. Of course, that's the name of the game. However, unlike past years, Democrats hold an ENORMOUS advantage amongst voters who have already cast their ballots. Thus, McCain can win a decent-sized majority of votes on Election Day itself and still get his ass kicked.

--> Volunteering. And by that I mean, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WATCHING CNN OR CHECKING BLOGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY???? POLLS ARE STILL OPEN, YOU TWIT! GO VOLUNTEER AT A LOCAL OFFICE, MAKE PHONE CALLS, KNOCK ON DOORS, YELL AT YOUR FRIENDS TO GO VOTE!!!! In all seriousness, all of this advice on what to look for ONLY takes effect at 8 PM local time. Before that, I don't want to hear a peep from you.

This is what we're fighting for:

The polling booth is not a forum for your ideological grievances. Tomorrow is not an excuse to whine about the two-party system. This is for choosing a president. Pick someone who can and will govern this nation effectively and with the support and consent of the population of the United States. On Wednesday, go right ahead and try to tear down the two-party system; I'll be right there with you. But tomorrow, that's all we have to work with. Spoiler votes tomorrow will just increase general hostility to your cause of expanding the proportional system of our democracy.

Remember, 270 and 60. That's what we're after. Now go make it happen, one vote at a time!

Ted Stevens Sent to Prison, Plans Escape Using "Series of Tubes!" 1 Week to Go!

2008-10-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, gentle readers. Because I know that my trifle of a 68-point list of reasons to vote for Senator Obama wasn't enough for you, I'm back to provide you with more up-to-date political insight. And away we go...

--> The big story of the day is Senator Ted Stevens' (R-AK) conv iction on all 7 counts of corruption, due to his lying about receiving free renovations to his house. Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was banking on being acquitted to have any chance of victory in a tight re-election campaign against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. Now, the U.S. Senate can most likely bid adieu to its ultimate coot.

Stevens faces up to 35 years in prison. He plans to appeal by email, putting his message into the tubes, so that it goes in and gets in line. Remember, the internet is NOT a truck that you can just dump things on, Senator Stevens. Perhaps, in your soon-to-be plenty of leisure time in Alaska, you can spend your golden years learning how to blog and using eBay.

--> Not to be outdone, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) also managed to make the news today. The Democrats' contender for "ultimate coot" is apparently facing expulsion from h is Chairmanship of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Apparently, Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided that Byrd is past his prime (about 3 decades past his prime), and Reid will attempt to ease Byrd out of his leadership position. Honestly, Byrd could probably use the rest.

EDC would like to make a humble suggestion to all the TV programming directors who undoubtedly read this blog: create a sitcom about Robert Byrd and Ted Stevens. Byrd, a retired Senator, and Stevens, a convicted felon just released from prison, are forced to share an apartment in New York City. Together, they come to terms with their place in the modern world, and learn a thing or two about each other in the process. In the season finale, they decide to run for the White House together, to "get those kids off our lawn." It's the feel good story of the decade, and would be terrific for fall sweeps. I call it Senators in Paradise. Might be better as a made-for-TV movie.

In all seriousness, John McCain does actually benefit from all this. Byrd and Stevens certainly make McCain look like a spring chicken.

--> And speaking of "get off my lawn, you darn kids," a 50-year-old Ohio man reportedly shot a 17-year-old boy in the arm with a .22-caliber rifle for attempting to steal his John McCain lawn sign. Honestly, people take this election stuff way too seriously.

--> In real news, Governor Charlie Crist (R-FL) today attempted to hand Florida's crucial 27 electoral votes to Senator Barack Obama. With the Democrats already establishing a huge advantage across the country thanks to early voting, Crist moved today to expand Florida's early voting hours from 8 hours per day to 12.

Who would stand in line for 12 hours to vote, you ask? These people. So when you're in line on Election Day, waiting to vote, and consider complaining or even giving up because of the wait, consider how you'd like to compare to residents of Georgia.

--> John McCain, despite all his struggles, did receive a surprising, crucial endorsement today from the world-famous Joe the Plumber. Samuel Wurzelbacher agreed that "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel," clearly demonstrating why Ohio voters will have no problem electing him to Congress in two years. Also, let's note that this McCain rally took place at a "flag store." Now that's what I call manufactured patriotism.

--> You know that the election is a week away when the campaign's influence on professional sports is the subject of multiple news stories. First there is the controversy over Barack Obama's half-hour primetime special tomorrow night, which reportedly pushed the start of the World Series game back 15 minutes. It's even become a McCain talking point, trying to appeal to angry, undecided baseball fans of the ironically swing-state teams in the World Series. Unfortunately for him, a Fox executive today refuted that claim, explaining that the Obama TV buy will merely eliminate the (incredibly annoying) pregame show, not actually delay the start of the game. So I'm sorry, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but we won't get a chance to hear your amazing analysis on how the "keys to the game" are "playing better than the opponent."

In other ridiculous news, the owner of the Miami Dolphins is apparently planning to rush the sale of the team in order to avoid President Obama's expected tax increases for the super-duper wealthy. Someone should remind Mr. Huizenga that the Democrats are not proposing a suck-tax, so the Dolphins will probably be fine either way.

--> And finally, some metaphorical justice:

1) The Straight Talk Express gets a flat.

2) The campaigns handle weather differently. McCain melts. Obama fights.

More tomorrow.

Update: I've decided on the official mechanism for determining if you have been following the election too closely. I can spell Joe the Plumber's last name without looking it up. Now return to your business.

The Reasons to Pull the Lever!

2008-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

With one week left in this historic campaign, I felt that it was time for me to create the quintessential list of reasons to vote for Senator Barack Obama. For all the discontent and desire for change and frustration you may be feeling, there's still a decision to make when you step into that booth. This is merely a cheat-sheet to help express how you're feeling. I hope that my readers will pass this list along to their friends, because my reasons are not the only ones out there. I hope to hear why you, my loyal EDC readers, are going to pull that lever. What causes you to make your decision? Here are my reasons:

1. America deserves a leader with charisma, a leader that can inspire us to action in the face of so many great challenges that await our nation in the 21st century.

2. America deserves a leader who treats Americans like adults - who believes that political game-playing will never be as effective as rationally and eloquently explaining your position and detailing how America can overcome its challenges.

3. Wasn't 8 years enough?

4. Sixty years from now, when we sit by our (possibly atomic) fireplaces and explain American history to our grandchildren, let's be able to say the phrase, "Ted Kennedy lived to see the day when all Americans would have healthcare coverage."

5. Three of the most liberal Supreme Court justices are going to retire in the next four years. They need to be replaced by young, liberal lions in order to merely keep the current balance of the court.

6. McCain's answer at the Saddleback Megachurch forum to which Supreme Court justices he would have not nominated: "Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, Justice Souter and Justice Stevens."

7. McCain's vision of the perfect Supreme Court: Roberts-Alito-Thomas-Scalia-Kennedy-Thomas-Alito-Scalia-Thomas.

8. Roe v. Wade

9. It's time to end our addiction to oil

10. The best way to end our addiction to oil is not to drill for more oil.

11. $150 billion invested in green technologies over the next 10 years.

12. 5 million new green jobs.

13. A President who realizes that service to your country can be more than just being in the military - sounds like a good thing, right?

14. We deserve a White House (and a ruling party) that doesn't differentiate between pro-American, real parts of the country and anti-American, fake parts. Well, maybe except for the proud state of Wehatetheconstitutionstan.

15. Joe Biden understands the conflict in Iraq, understands the need to balance civil liberties with respect for the law, knows how to work the DC legislative process, and is ready to serve as President, should anything happen (God forbid).

16. President McCain means at least a decent chance that America will wake up to find itself ruled by President Palin.

17. A bipartisan commission found that Governor Palin used the powers of her office to settle a personal score. With the Bush Administration, the Vice-President would just shoot people in the face. Palin might actually tell other people to do it for her.

18. After months of using "the experience argument," McCain picked a running mate who was the mayor of 5,000 people just two years ago.

19. Two years ago, Barack Obama was a United States Senator.

20. Six years ago, Barack Obama was an Illinois State Senator, representing a district larger than Alaska.

21. Shooting animals from helicopters is wrong. Period.

22. The selection of a running mate with no foreign policy experience, very little domestic policy experience, and no understanding of national political debate demonstrates that John McCain has no respect for the American people, and believed that Hillary Clinton supporters could be duped into believing that Sarah Palin was just one of them.

23. Divided government over the last two years has sucked. I want Washington to actually start accomplishing things for the American people.

24. The first presidential debate.

25. I want to beat these people.

26. Because, like Aaron Sorkin, I want to take back the word "elite."

27. As demonstrated by his stunt-tastic decision to "suspend his campaign," John McCain cares considerably more about political appearances than real policy results.

28. As demonstrated by his ability to win over several crucial swing votes in the U.S. House of Representatives in order to pass the bailout bill on its second try, Barack Obama demonstrated that he both is able to and wants to get things done.

29. I am sick of hearing the word "socialism" thrown around by Republicans like a football. A Republican administration just became the most socialist regime in American history, so you can stop pinning that tail on the donkeys.

30. Alan Greenspan believes that John McCain's tax cuts are stupid.

31. The vice-presidential debate.

32. We are not a nation of whiners. It's time for us to rise up and be a nation of winners once more. I also don't want a President who thinks that we're just whining when something goes wrong.

33. In the midst of the greatest financial crisis of our lifetime, I'd prefer to not have a president who "don't know much about the economy."

34. Community organizers deserve respect, because they work hard for low wages to try to improve the lives of the disenfranchised and the underprivileged.

35. When he got his law degree, Barack Obama could have gotten a high-paying job on Wall Street. Instead, he went back to Chicago and helped disenfranchised workers.

36. John McCain already has nine houses; I merely want to give the Obamas their second.

37. The second presidential debate.

38. I'd like a little bit of international diplomacy, please. With a side of respect.

39. Colin Powell says you should.

40. Barack Obama will follow Osama bin Laden to the cave where he lives.

41. Hillary Clinton says you should.

42. Senator Casey (D-PA): "John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush more than 90% of the time. That's not a maverick, that's a sidekick."

43. Governor Paterson (D-NY): "If [McCain is] the answer, then the question must be ridiculous."

44. You can make less than $5 million in one year, and still be rich. It'd be nice to have a president who gets that.

45. Senator Obama is extremely popular with our crucial allies overseas.

46. The third presidential debate.

47. The Prime Minister of Iraq agrees with Obama's plan for withdrawal.

48. Iraq.

49. From now on, let's just invade countries that actually threaten our national security, or if it's a humanitarian crisis where military force is required.

50. Afghanistan.

51. "Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran?"

52. Sending cigarettes to hostile foreign nations is not appropriate diplomacy.

53. "John Bush is his own man." - Tom Ridge

54. Czechoslovakia doesn't exist anymore.

55. Computers do exist.

56. Let's be honest, regardless of your political affiliation, Inauguration Day will be really amazing with the first African-American President of the United States being sworn in, and then giving the brilliant speech that we all know is coming.

57. I want a President who deserves better than having sewage plants named after him.

58. Temper, temper.

59. This seal is nicer than our current one.

60. I want to see these three women cry.

61. Did I mention that eight is enough?

62. When the President needs advice, and he picks up the phone, I want the call to go to Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, or Ted Kennedy.

63. I don't want that call to go to Karl Rove, Rudy Giuliani, George Bush, or Mitt Romney.

64. Working families deserve a tax cut. Enormous oil corporations do not.

65. The Rededication of the Lincoln Memorial is coming up next year. Come on, it's obvious which candidate should be speaking there.

66. I'd like to spend the next four years with my president calling me "my fellow Americans," not "my friends." I'm not his friend and I don't want to be.

67. Senator Obama is the only candidate in this race with a degree in constitutional law.

68. Growing up raised by a single mother on the south side of Chicago, Senator Obama has a personal understanding of both the underprivileged and privileged sides of our society, and how to balance their interests.

69. Senator Obama is the only person in this race to offer a legitimate proposal on how to deal with rising education costs.

70. Senator McCAin says that he "shares a common philosophy" with George W. Bush.

71. With a large Democratic majority in both the House and Senate, a Democratic president could actually pass significant legislation, and could immediately start working to dig us out of this hole.

72. The priorities of an Obama Administration? Financial regulation reform, tax reform, energy reform, and healthcare reform. I'd take those accomplishments for a four-year term any day.

Yeah, it's just an arbitrary number.

What are your reasons? Please comment below.

Real post to follow tonight! I'll actually be looking at a branch of government besides the executive - NOT TO BE MISSED!!!

All About Pennsylvania! 11 Days to Go!

2008-10-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

After a week of non-posting, I'm sure all of you are at a point of near-desperation for political news, being that this is surely your only news source. Well, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer.

--> The electoral math of this race is looking more and more painful for Senator McCain and his slim hopes to pull this one out of the bag. Let's look at where some of the key states are for the Republican ticket:

--> Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa - basically given up, as recent polls all confirm a double-digit lead for Obama.
--> New Mexico - given up.
--> Colorado - still hoping but many campaign officials are acting like this one is already over.

Now, let's pause for a moment. John Kerry finished with 252* electoral votes. Add in Iowa, New Mexico, and Colorado, and Obama get 273.

That's right, ABOVE the threshold for winning the presidency.

Thus, with those expected losses ALONE, even if McCain takes every swing state (many of which show Obama with moderate leads anyway), Obama wins.

--> It is with this in mind that McCain's campaign has decided to go for the Hail Mary pass as their only option (thankfully they have John Elway with them on the campaign trail today). John McCain and Sarah Palin's ONLY HOPE for victory now rests in Pennsylvania. Even Tom Ridge today affirmed that McCain needs PA to have any hope. A surprise, comeback victory here, to capture its 21 electoral votes, might actually give them a chance on election night if all other swing states go their way. And by swing states, I don't just mean Ohio and Florida anymore. This list also includes Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Nevada and Virginia.

Turns out that Obama's expand-the-map strategy worked.

--> And speaking of Tom Ridge, former Republican governor of Pennsylvania and prospective running mate, he also went on to suggest fairly explicitly that McCain would be in better shape had he picked Ridge instead of Palin. The finger-pointing and blaming has already started in full force within the Republican ranks, and this is merely the most recent, notable example.

--> Of course, Pennsylvania is in some ways still a battleground. I don't mean in the sense that McCain really has a chance here. I mean that it's really violent. On Wednesday night, a 20 year old woman volunteering in Pittsburgh for the GOP reported being attacked by an enraged Obama supporter. She claimed that the man punched her in the head, robbed her at the ATM< href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/p_136090.html">carved a "B" into her face to "teach her a lesson for supporting John McCain." This horrifying news captured both campaigns' attentions, as Senator Obama expressed concern for the victim while both McCain and Palin called to check on her.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a scary example of a person whose lie spiraled out of control. Earlier today, the woman admitted to having made the entire st ory up; she was neither robbed nor attacked, and the wound may have actually been self-inflicted.

I would like to remind all political junkies: Halloween may be coming up, but your face is not a pumpkin.

--> Just one week after I warned Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) about the wisdom of calling all of his constituents "racist," it appears that the veteran legislator has gotten his comeuppance. A new poll released today shows him facing a startling 13-point deficit in a race that was supposed to be a blowout in the other direction. Murtha has served his district for 38 years, and to see him as likely the only incumbent Democrat to lose their seat in Congress this year will be relatively depressing.

--> On the brighter side (and by bright I mean depressing for Republicans), Alan Greenspan announced yesterday that his free-market ideology was flawed. Dear God we really are in a changed world. Alan Greenspan just claimed that capitalism isn't perfect.

--> Another really weird story that isn't getting noticed by the mainstream media but once more makes John McCain look like a liar: in 1985, Senator McCain sat down WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS with General Augusto Pinochet, the brutal dictator of Chile and "one of the world's most notorious violators of human rights." I think you know what it's time for:

--> Senator Barack Obama is actually in Hawaii right now, visiting his ailing grandmother. We wish her a speedy recovery.

--> And finally, one of the best SNL sketches in quite some time:

Why We Fight

2008-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers -- "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."

- Governor Sarah Palin, 2 days ago

Do we need leadership in this country that distinguishes between "real" Americans and "fake" Americans? Between parts of the country that are "anti-American?" I cannot begin to describe how offensive I find these comments. How do you define what pro-American is? These talking heads seem to identify "Republican" with "American," and frankly there are two sides of the political debate here in the United States.

Although, after listening to what the other side has to offer over the past few months, I'm starting to feel like there's two sides to this debate in the same way that there were two sides of the McCarthy hearings.

Longer post coming in the next two days. I just thought that it would be nice to share my disgust. This election is no longer an argument between two competing viewpoints on what direction to take this nation. The very fiber of our nation's morality is at stake. I want moral issues to start becoming part of this race again - moral issues like how people get away with saying things like this, here in what is supposed to be a beacon of freedom and democracy? Because I seem to be on a Sorkin binge lately, I must note that comments like Palin's really sound a lot like the crazy conservative talk show hosts featured in the penultimate episode of Studio 60. Does "treason jingle" ring any bells?

Below-Average Joe, Playing Defense, and Obama Explains the Birds and the Bees! 18 Days to Go!

2008-10-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

But first, a debate recap:

Yes, I swear it's unaltered. But we're not done with our post-debate roundup.

--> One small detail that I missed from Wednesday's electrifying policy showdown was John McCain's discussion of small business taxes. Thankfully, Michael Kinsley caught it for us:

“Fifty percent of small business income taxes are paid by small business.”

— Senator John McCain, during the third presidential debate, October 15

Kinsley goes on to argue against the basic premise of helping small businesses so much, but I'll leave that one to the economists. This is a political blog, and we are not in the business of real world problems here.

--> Also, the "Joe the Plumber" phenomenon simply won't die. He was on the cover of the New York Times today. And it turns out that his characterization at the debate was n't all that accurate. Well, for starters, his name isn't Joe. And he's not a plumber. So right off the bat, the nickname isn't all that fitting. Plus, he owes over $1000 in back taxes. He's registered under the wrong last name. And, to top it all off, he's related to Charles Keating.

This was still a fairly interesting example of how both candidates shamelessly flaunt themselves as friends of blue-collar folk. It's odd that, if you judged solely based on presidential campaigns, you'd think that every American drank a six-pack every night, owned a rifle, sat at the dining room table with their spouse and talked about their financial troubles, struggled to put their kids through college, and had some sort of medical condition that wouldn't be covered by their health insurance. Those are the people that every bit of this campaign (on both sides) has been directed towards. And while those categories may be large, and certainly needing help from the government, they're not the only people in the country. I'd love to hear more from either side about what they're going to do for blue-collar Americans, white-collar Americans, collarless Americans, rich, poor, healthy, sick. Our campaign has become an empathy contest, instead of a discussion of concrete policies and what their impacts will be.

--> Meanwhile, on the business of connecting with Americans, Sarah Palin will join her alter-ego on SNL this Saturday. It's truly going to be a must-see cameo, followed by a must-change-the-channel poorly-written episode. Why do people actually watch that show anymore?

--> United States Congressman John Murtha (D-PA), however, truly seems to understand his constituents. Representing an older, more traditional district in Western Pennsylvania, one would assume that he would be...evasive of the issue that some of his constituents remain hesitant to vote for a black candidate, or at least apologetic. Instead, Murtha gives the media some good old fashioned straight talk:

"There's no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Kudos for Murtha for pointing out the moral failings of the voters that keep electing him, and good luck on Election Day!

--> Of course, fear certainly trumps empathy (and even race) in today's political culture, and no one plays with fear better than the Republican National Committee. They sent this mailing into North Carolina and Nevada in an effort to get McCain into the White House before anyone notices that their pants are on fire.

--> However, in today's edition of EDC, Senator Barack Obama is the obvious winner of Empathy Champion (otherwise known as President-Elect). A few weeks ago, I was rather startled to find an email in my college mail account from Barack Obama entitled, "It's Time for the Talk." Well, despite my confidence in the existence of a stork and my confusion as to why an elected official would take such an interest in one's personal life, I decided to click the email and discover what Barack had to say. Luckily, the message was about politics, not sex. The campaign is urging college students (already well-informed and decisively pro-Obama) to sit down with their ignorant, uneducated family members and explain to them the facts of life, or at least political life. More specifically, you should talk to any older relatives who aren't already on the Democratic bandwagon, hit them with a sledgehammer, then take their identification and pose as them at their polling place in a crucial swing state on Election Day. At least, that's what I think the message was; I got bored after I lost hope that Senator Obama would explain to me where babies come from.

--> Meanwhile, the Obama campaign, apparently convinced of their lead in national and battleground state polls, has decided to start expanding into non-traditional battlegrounds like West Virginia, Georgia, North Dakota, and Kentucky. Of course, the Kentucky and Georgia buys are more likely directed towards propping up Democratic Senate candidates Bruce Lunsford and Jim Martin than actually winning the states' electoral votes. However, the move represents a large degree of confidence that we are headed for an Election Night landslide.

Reportedly, in the final 10 days before the election, after confirming the likelihood of winning all 50 states, Barack Obama will utilize his massive campaign war chest and begin running ads in Canada, Spain, and Pakistan, mostly as a way of mocking his opponent. The campaign also considered dropping leaflets about the candidate on Cuba, but decided that the move might accidentally spark a panic of an impending invasion (no reason to give that away just yet).

--> And speaking of mocking, EDC would like to leave you in a lighter note today, urging you to watch the videos of Senators Obama and McCain, face to face for the last time before the election, speaking at the historic Al Smith Dinner in New York City last night. West Wing fans will recognize the dinner as the title/subject of a season 7 episode, and wonder whether Obama and McCain had a showdown in the kitchen before heading on stage. Non-Sorkinites will have to be content with enjoying the surprisingly hilarious comedy stylings of the next President of the United States and the next still-just-a-senator-from Arizona of the United States.

--> Also, you might appreciate this news about Will Ferrell apparently being inspired by Josh Brolin. $5 says that the show starts, "My fellow Americans. can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen."

Oh yeah, and you NEED to watch the greatest interview of all time, courtesy of Jon Stewart and Richard Lewis.

The Final Nail in the Coffin? Live-Blogging Debate Finale! 20 Days to Go!

2008-10-15T17:58:00.001-07:00

I am pumped for this. This is McCain's last chance to change this race. Unfortunately, the format of this debate doesn't lend itself to a game-changer. He could try to be nasty and call Obama out on the Ayers stuff, but being angry and aggressive to a person sitting at a table right next to you tends to not play well with independents. Regardless, I'd expect McCain to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Obama tonight. If we see the kitchen sink - Ayers and Wright - we'll know how desperate Senator McCain truly is. It'll be a sign of how negative he'll be willing to go in these final weeks.

9:01: Oh, Bob Schieffer. So clearly the best of the moderators. Throwing down the gauntlet early, as he promises that if the candidates don't ask each other follow up questions, "I will."

9:03: And once more, unsurprisingly, we start on Wall Street. McCain has said that people are angry 4 times in the last minute, possibly as a subtle defense of his vocally racist rally attendees.

After Obama's well-detailed remarks, McCain overtly refuses to ask Obama a question, and goes instead into an anecdote about Obama meeting "Joe the Plumber." Obama counters that Joe's misconceptions about his tax plan probably come from a McCain campaign ad. Bam. So far, both candidates are coming across as extremely well-prepared and much more intelligent than past debates.

McCain continues to insist that Senator Obama is going to take "Joe the Plumber's" money. He also doesn't understand why Obama wants to raise anyone's taxes right now. One wonders if McCain understands the relationship between tax revenues and government spending...we could be in for quite a deficit under President McCain.

Much like the last debate, McCain suggests that businesses will outsource jobs to Ireland with its 11% business tax rate. Move over, India and China. Fear the Irish!

9:14 Bob Schieffer takes both candidates to task on deficit spending, demanding that the answer to the reality of their proposals. Obama takes the debate towards the ideological difference between his and McCain's opinions on "investing in the American people."

McCain takes a page out of Sarah Palin's book and blatantly refuses to answer the question, going back to the last question. And you thought we had nothing to learn from her...

He also replays some more of his greatest hits, referring to that DoD deal on a jet that he stopped (and mentioned in every debate).

9:21 McCain gives an incredibly snappy answer directly to Obama, declaring, "I am not President Bush; if you wanted to run against him, you should have done it 4 years ago."

He also asserts (again) that he is aiming for a "new direction." Then Obama talks about his maverick tendencies in breaking with the Democratic Party. Is it just me or did the campaign roles just reverse?

Nope, back to reality - Obama takes a jab at Fox News. And then calls McCain out on being a "vigorous supporter" of President Bush on core policies.

McCain has "the scars to prove" that he stood against his own party. He then smiles eerily at Senator Obama, and asks, "You wanna know how I got these scars?"

9:26 Schieffer is the best moderator ever. Once again he demands that the candidates answer for their negative campaigning, right here, face to face.

McCain gives the excuse that Obama refused his town hall request. To paraphrase Jon Stewart, Obama didn't want to play Monopoly, and so McCain punched him in the crotch. McCain asks why Obama didn't repudiate Congressman Lewis' remarks, and why he gave up on public financing.

This is it. Showdown time.

Obama cites McCain's 100% negative ads. And then pivots BEAUTIFULLY, towards the need to not worry about "candidates' hurt feelings" and that candidates "should be made of" the legitimate issues and policy debates. He sneaks in a hit on McCain's desire to "change the subject," and portrays himself as the guy that cares about the issues that matter to people. Well done, Senator.

McCain counters with Obama's "unprecedented" amounts of money in negative attack ads, and pretends that his campaign has been about real issues.

OBAMA CALLS THEM OUT! He defends Lewis, and wonders why Palin didn't ask those at her rallies to stop. It was an "inappropriate comparison," to be sure. But once again, Obama pivots towards the "serious differences" in their policies.

McCain is "proud of the people who come to our rallies." And seems to accuse Obama of discounting the patriotism of veterans at McCain's rallies, though I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.

Obama once again calls for vigorous debates, but warns against calling each other "bad people." McCain brings up Ayers, and says we need to know the facts. Also brings up ACORN, and I wonder how a REPUBLICAN gets off accusing a DEMOCRAT of the greatest voter fraud in history????

Obama wonders why Bill Ayers, Professor of Education, has become the centerpiece of McCain's campaign. Explains very carefully how he and Ayers ended up on the same committee, and declares decisively that Ayers has nothing to do with him or his political career.

Moving on to ACORN. Says it was the fault of volunteers who forged names, having nothing to do with his campaign.

Now we look at the larger issues of who he surrounds himself with. One thinks of his respect for the Lincoln biography, "Team of Rivals," as he talks about the bright legislators and advisors who have shaped his thinking.

McCain continues to harp on the "started his campaign in his living room" nonsense. He sounds more and more non-grammatical as this debate goes along.

9:40 Bob Schieffer deserves a medal. Asking about the choices of running mates, and how those decisions demonstrate certain characteristics. Great, great question.

Biden versus Palin? I wonder who wins this debate...
Biden fights on the side of working families, shares our core values, is a great legislator with a long list of accomplishments.

I can't wait to hear how McCain thinks that we've "gotten to know Sarah Palin." She saw corruption and she resigned? Why didn't she do something about it instead. McCain insists that she's a reformer, a "breath of fresh air." Riiiiiight... "Oh, and by the way..." Great segue into special needs children, McCain. Didn't see that one coming.

Obama dodges the question of whether or not Palin is ready to be Commander-in-Chief. He does, however, point out that McCain's spending freeze wouldn't allow for increased funding of research into Autism.

McCain insists that "spending more" isn't the answer; instead, we need transparency, accountability, and reform. Because all of those things will help fight autism, right? ...Right?

9:47 Schieffer! I hope he runs for President. A great question on the empty promises of "ending our dependence on foreign oil."

McCain ignores the climate-change side of the issue, and focuses entirely on the national security side.

Obama focuses us on the future of our economy. Borrowing money from China to buy oil from Saudi Arabia isn't a workable economic model. Growing the auto industry and growing solar, wind, and geothermal energies is the way to go.

McCain asserts that we must drill now. Doesn't really explain why, other than that we can.
He also attempts to accuse Obama of not understanding the Latin American labor situation, and Obama promptly calls him out on it, showing off his Columbia education by discussing the details of Colombia.

9:56 And once more, McCain decides that his best strategy to win this debate is to repeat all the talking points that lost him and Palin the last 3. Now he's riffing (briefly) on sitting down with Chavez without pre-conditions.

Now we move on to healthcare. Obama claims the ability to lower costs and expand coverage. Thankfully, he's not lying, because it's entirely feasible.

Obama announces, "0," as "Joe" comes up again. Not a bit of taxes on healthcare benefits. McCain has been staring at Obama, mouth agape in surprise, for upwards of 20 seconds. Obama even offers him a 50% rebate if Joe offers his employees healthcare. Now he digs back into his bag of old tricks, and hits McCain again on his $5000 tax credit versus taxing healthcare benefits.

Best moment of the debate:

This has been the best debate so far, by far. Both these guys bought their game, but while Obama's game has become increasingly presidential throughout this race, McCain sounds dottering and bitter. He also won't let this idea of Obama "spreading the wealth" go quietly into the night. Nor will he retire his really awkward "gold-plated Cadillac insurance policies" phrasing, which obviously won him so much support in the last debates. He's also completely lying about the realities of healthcare coverage.

McCain still tries to frame this debate as government getting in the way of you doing it yourself. Classic ideology clash, but it's not gonna help McCain as long as Obama explains his stance carefully. Obama quotes the Chamber of Commerce as he undermines McCain's logic.

10:07 Schieffer brings up the under-appreciated issue of the Supreme Court (gotta love this guy). McCain refuses a litmus test, even on the Roe v. Wade issue. He also ABSOLUTELY 100% DISTORTS THE FACTS ON HIS GANG OF 14 ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Hold on, before I get to that, McCain just claimed that Obama voted not to confirm Justice Breyer, when Obama was 33 and still in Illinois. I think he meant Alito, or maybe this is just another one of Grampa Simpson's history lessons. McCain clearly pieced his history together "mostly from sugar packets." Now, as for the bi-partisan compromise, Republicans were trying to outlandishly end the ability of the Senate minority party to filibuster, and Democrats wanted to stop them. 14 members of the Senate avoided this showdown, but the Republicans were completely in the wrong on that issue, and McCain has no right to claim that the Democrats were trying to merely "block a majority vote."

Also, if anyone noticed, McCain just called Obama "Senator Government."

Obama, roughly agreeing with McCain, demands that his Supreme Court appointments be intelligent and thoughtful people, because there can be moral people on both sides of the abortion debate.

As the debate shifts to abortion, McCain calls out Obama for voting "present," and for standing in favor of partial-birth abortion. McCain's eyes go wide as Obama disagrees and tries to tell the truth. Obama voted against "life-saving treatment for infants" because there was already a law on the books, and it was because the bill contained no provisions in cases to save the mother's life that Obama voted against banning partial-birth.

McCain continues to use Obama's "eloquence" as an attack against him. I hate that sounding smart seems to connote lying in his eyes.

10:16 Schieffer, asking the last of his great line of questioning, wonders how our massive spending has failed to improve our quality of education.

Obama gives a history lesson, a classic Democratic talking point, looking to the need to invest in education in order to grow the economy in order to keep our nation strong and safe. And stressing the "safe" side of that, Obama calls for "an army of new teachers."

Ah, but just in case he sounded like he was erring on the side of government, Obama throws in a reference to parental responsibility.

But just in case anyone missed Obama's education platform, McCain is going to repeat it for him, stressing the need for charter schools and merit pay for teachers (exactly what Obama said 40 minutes ago). McCain, of course, accuses Obama of wanting to "throw money at the problem."

So, let me get this straight. McCain just said that he wants to increase education quality by doing away with qualifications and certifications for teachers? "Hey you! Want to teach? Here's a ruler, have fun."

Obama reprises his role as friend of the little guy and friend of local needs, focusing on the importance of local control of local school districts. He also reminds everyone that McCain completely agrees with him on two main points (probably because of the ear-piece that Obama's wearing that connects directly to my microphone...don't you see that hump on his back?).

And just in case Obama hadn't won the vote of every last college student yet, he hits McCain on believing that affordable college is a "special interest."

For the second time in this debate, McCain seems to suggest that Palin's child has Autism. Unfortunately, it's Downs Syndrome, but hey, it's not like the difference makes any difference to Senator McCain.

10:28 Now, we get our final statements (following a creepy, over-extended McCain laugh). McCain sounds tired and drained in this final statement, almost beaten. He doesn't have the feeling behind these words that he's had in the past, just like he's going through the motions.

Still, this was easily his best debate so far. It's a shame he lost it anyway.

Obama focuses the "risk" on embracing the same failed policies of the last 8 years, not any suspicion of his character and background. Also emphasizes "coming together," and echoes McCain by expressing the honor of serving.

I lied, Bob Schieffer's mom is the coolest. McCain is quite the jokester, faking to go around the table the wrong way (I thought he was falling at first).

Tom Brokaw declares "Joe the Plumber" is the winner. Great free advertising (assuming that's the name of his business, that is).

Terrific debate; McCain failed to change people's minds about Obama (although he started very strong), but both candidates looked much stronger than they had in their past two encounters.

IT'S OVER 9000, and "Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn About Unrepentant Terrorists!" 21 Days to Go!

2008-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

--> Yesterday, the Dow continued its magical mystery tour by confounding all experts. After the biggest slump in the history of the stock market, the Dow climbed 936 points on Monday - its largest increase in history. This comes after the international community has announced increased cooperation in heading off this crisis. The stock market rally comes as great news to American investors, terrific news for American workers and their bosses, and fantastic news for John McCain. In the same way that the GOP has made its living off of fear-mongering about terrorism, the Democratic brand has thrived this election year thanks to fears of global depression. The less people are thinking about how to pay their bills instead of how Osama bin Laden is going to get them, the better McCain will do in the polls.

--> To be fair to Senator McCain, he apparently "loves being the underdog." The problem, of course, is that if you're still the underdog on November 5th, that means that the other guy already won. At a certain point, you can't remain the underdog and still win. Let's hope that Obama has some fear of the underdog, otherwise he will not survive (enter catchy trumpet part).

--> His 2nd place status certainly hasn't lowered McCain's spirits (at least not publicly). Foregoing the pre-debate tradition of lowering expectations, McCain forcefully declared, "I'll whip Obama's you-know-what!" I must say, it might just be a Freudian thing, but seeing the words "whip" and "Obama" come out of McCain's mouth so close together made me do a double-take upon my first glance at the article. Anyone who read my last entry might not be too surprised at my (sub)conscious association of McCain's campaign and racism.

Eh, so much for subconscious:

This too.

--> On the bright side, McCain revealed today that he actually doesn't care about the Ayers issue. Funny, neither do any other Americans - maybe McCain can relate to the middle class after all. Of course, the Senator insisted on stating his position in classic Gone With the Wind form: “Very frankly, Dana, I don’t give a damn about an old unrepentant terrorist." I'm pretty sure that's how that movie ended, but I did fall asleep in the middle of the film - the South losing the Civil War isn't really an M. Night Shyamalan-level twist.

--> For anyone who's spent the last few weeks living in a cave (lookin at you, Osama), McCain's campaign is sort of floundering. That reality was no more apparent than in today's announcement that the campaign plans to offer extra incentive to Florida volunteers (because apparently merely getting McCain elected isn't good enough - talk about an enthusiasm gap). The Florida GOP is offering a chance to meet McCain or Palin to their best phone bankers and canvassers, and gas gift cards to any particularly eager supporters (or desperate people who are willing to sacrifice political ethics for filling up their SUV).

It looks like you can count Republican Governor Charlie Crist out of the competition. He doesn't even plan on doing much at all for McCain between now and Election Day - quite a sign of confidence.

--> It's also increasingly obvious that the GOP is concerned about their chances of holding any seats in the United States Congress. The RNC is considering tapping a $5 million line of credit in order to help save some of its incumbents who haven't quite drowned yet. Although they insist that money won't be pulled from the presidential efforts, Republican leaders have to think very hard about who is beyond help, and who might actually survive thanks to a timely influx of cash.

--> As it turns out, there might be one Democrat that a Republican candidate can beat this year. One would have thought that when Florida voters replaced disgraced Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL), they might have brought a bit of moral integrity to the state's 16th Congressional District. And while I suppose an extramarital affair is farther up the morality scale than pedophilia, I'm not sure how much comfort Florida voters will find in that fact.

Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL) reportedly agreed to pay $121,000 to a former mistress, as well as offering her a $50,000 per year job, in order to prevent her from suing him. This allegation certainly puts his political career in jeopardy. We'll see how this one plays out, but in this anti-Republican national climate, even an affair might not be enough to defeat a Democratic incumbent.

--> Meanwhile, Senator Barack Obama continues to utilize his campaign as a way of reaching out to young voters. And even Senator Obama knows that the best way to connect with college students is through video games (I'm sure he would receive confirmation were he to visit his alma mater now). With this in mind, the Obama Campaign has purchased advertising space within the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise. So as gamers race their cars through cities, they may very well pass billboards like this one:

I'd imagine that the Obama campaign's next move will be to start inserting Obama as a promising QB to be drafted in Madden NFL 2009.

--> Finally, I know there's nothing you readers would rather read than a look into the mind of Levi Johnston.

Philadelphia Hockey Fans Reject The GOP While McCain Compares (somewhat) Favorably to Segregationist! 23 Days to Go!

2008-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

--> Friday's big news was the release of Alaska's Branchflower Report. A bipartisan state legislative committee found that Governor Palin "abused her power" by firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The report determines that Palin used her power as governor to pursue a personal vendetta against a state trooper. I can't imagine that anyone would still feel that she's capable of serving in the office of Vice-President. Then again, this news probably won't have any effect on the election polls, or even Palin's personal favorability ratings. After her continued public demonstrations of incompetence, anyone who still supported her would probably not be swayed by...facts.

The McCain campaign certainly did its part to get to the bottom of this investigation. McCain and Company came to a rational, unbiased determination that the bipartisan commission appointed by the Republican-dominated Alaska State Legislature was completely partisan and was serving as an organ of the Obama Campaign. For those keeping score, that makes the New York Times, the Alaska State Legislature, and the Truth all biased towards Obama.

Thus, McCain's unbiased investigation (released hours before the real report) determined conclusively that Sarah Palin did nothing wrong, and that everyone should simply stop asking questions. Thank you for uncovering the real truth, John McCain. Your commitment to honesty is unparalleled.

--> Meanwhile, Sarah Palin returned to her native land on Saturday night - a hockey rink. Expecting a warm reaction for "America's #1 Hockey Mom," campaign officials were apparently surprised that an arena filled with Philadelphians was not kind and respectful to the Republican VP candidate. Palin entered the ice, posed for pictures, and dropped the ceremonial first puck, only to be met with sustained booing for all 90 seconds that she spent on the rink.

The campaign really should not have been surprised by the response. And not just because Philadelphia sports fans are famous for booing everyone - they've turned against their own MVP shortstop, and even hurled snowsballs at Santa (at least according to legend). It's because the state of Pennsylvania has become increasingly futile territory for GOP presidential efforts...

--> After days of reports that Obama is starting to pull away from McCain in PA, some have begun to question the wisdom of McCain's continued presence in the state. Why not devote extra resources to real battlegrounds like Ohio and Florida? However, McCain is holding firm, and stubbornly plans on competing til the bitter end for the state's 21 electoral votes.

--> The electoral math continues to look really bad for the McCain Campaign. Palin even scheduled a bus tour through West Virginia, a state that looked unwinnable for Obama just one month ago. This is the final 3 weeks of the campaign - a Republican spending time in a state like West Virginia is not a good omen.

--> Speaking of bad omens for the GOP, the Ghost of Conservatives Past has decided to haunt John McCain. Christopher Buckley, son of the great Conservative lion William Buckley, has decided to endorse Senator Barack Obama after deciding that the authentic John McCain has gone the way of the dinosaur. When the heir to your entire ideology turns against you, it might be time to take a look in the mirror and wonder where you went wrong (hint, it was when Steve Schmidt convinced you to substitute an unqualified person that reeks of gender pandering for your running mate).

--> Another reason to look in the mirror: when you show up at your political rallies, and realize that everyone is there cheering for you because they think the other guy is an Islamic terrorist.
I hope that by now everyone has seen this video:

Well, the bigotted, divisive tone of the McCain-Palin rallies has only gotten worse since then:

The racism of McCain's supporters has actually become a campaign issue in itself. It actually got to the point on Friday where Senator McCain himself (admirably) attempted to halt the anger and baseless hatred. At a town hall meeting in Minnesota, a supporter told McCain that he was "scared" of an Obama presidency. McCain stressed that he believes that he would do a better job than Obama, but that Americans have nothing to worry about with Obama, who is a "decent person." Apparently, "decent" wasn't good enough for the crowd, who continued shouting "liar" and "terrorist" about Obama. In fact, one woman claimed that she couldn't trust Obama because he's an Arab. Upon hearing that, McCain retook the microphone and clarified, "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign's all about. He's not [an Arab]."

I give McCain credit for sticking up for his rival on the campaign trail (although it still troubles me that America remains a place where Arab is an insult). I would never accuse McCain himself of this sort of ignorance and racism, although I apparently don't speak for everyone...

--> Representative John Lewis (D-GA), one of the biggest civil rights advocates in congressional history, spoke out on Saturday and, as Taegan Goddard notes, "compared the negative tone of McCain's campaign to that of segregationist George Wallace in 1960s."

Lewis accused McCain and Palin of "sowing the seeds of hatred and division," and immediately generated harsh criticism from the Republicans' campaign. McCain's statement referred to Lewis' words as "shocking and beyond the pale."

Of course, it's not the presidential campaign itself generating this negativity (at least not just them). Just today, the Virginia State Republican Party Chairman Jeff Frederick gave thirty volunteers some talking points on how to convince undecideds they encountered during their door-to-door canvassing. He pointed out that United States Senator Barack Obama and terrorist Osama bin Laden "both have friends that bombed the Pentagon." My reaction to this is similar to past expressions of anger by Carlos Quentin and Kevin Brown, but instead of taking out my anger on inatimate objects, I'll just give you this:

--> To be fair, it's not just Republicans that are tying Barack Obama to Arab terrorists. Hundreds of Rensselaer County, NY residents received absentee ballots this week, only to discover that the Democratic ticket featured a mass-murderer instead of a U.S. Senator. Yes, that fateful "typo" caused hundreds of (thankfully) non-swing state voters to receive the option of McCain-Palin or Osama-Biden. Officials on both sides claim it was an honest mistake. However, I guarantee you that if I typed Obama 1000 times I wouldn't accidentally hit the instead of the b. That mistake is BS. There are several keys in between the correct B and the incorrect S, and I'd like to now demonstrate the infinitely more-likely mistakes that could have occurred if this was an honest typo:
Obama, Ogama, Ovama, Ofama, Ocama, Odama, Oxama, Orama, Oeama, Owama, Otama, Ozama, Oaama, Oqama.

I hate the world. I'll leave you with the comforting thought (at least for Sarah Palin) that even if the GOP loses this year, Governor Palin can still go off and rule this college dorm.

Running Thoughts on Tonight's Debate!!! 28 Days Until the Zombie Invasion/Election!

2008-10-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

9:00 And here we go. Brokaw's first question will probably sound like, "Senator Obama, which generation do you think was the greatest generation?"

This is a great first answer by Obama. Not filled with lots of specifics, but he's surprisingly good at this down-to-earth talking-to-the-people thing.

McCain sneaks in a burn on Obama's refusal to attend town hall debates with him over the summer. 1 minute in, and he's already a jerk.
McCain is getting awfully close to Alan, the questioner. I'd be intimidated.

9:07 McCain declares, unnecessarily bitterly, that Tom Brokaw will not be his Treasury Secretary. Does he know what Ebay actually is?

Obama repeats the "fundamentals" comment again. I think it's falling flatter every time he uses it - it's time to move on. You gotta give him credit, though: he's on message. "95% of you get a tax cut."

9:14 McCain accuses the African-American questioner of not having any knowledge of the economy before this crisis. Maybe that's not what he meant it as, but McCain certainly seems feisty tonight.

Oh snap. "Now I've got to correct a little bit of Senator McCain's history (not surprisingly)." Buuuurrrrn. As Obama attacks McCain's deregulation stance, McCain gets up and starts aimlessly wandering the hall. Now he's sitting again, and what looks like doodling.

Phrases where Obama sneaks in "21st century" are a subtle reference towards him being a man of this century, and McCain being more knowledgable about the 1920s. Then again, I suppose McCain could use that to his advantage. "I know how to avert the Great Depression because I was there!"

9:18 McCain, apparently angry about Obama's "I too have a bracelet" comment from last time, announces, "I too wrote a letter."

The next question...was that English, or just Sarah Palin's mom?
Obama claims "a net spending cut." Fact checkers, sharpen your axes.

McCain knows that the system in Washington is broken. He knows this because he has been there doing the breaking for 26 years.
The peanut gallery in my apartment affirms that McCain walks like "a mechanical teddy bear."

Whoa, both of these guys are left handed.

9:26 Tom Brokaw is not taking any shit from either of these guys. And he gives a hilarious one-liner about their time deficit.

McCain is stuck on Obama's "overhead projector," clearly harkening back to his boyhood school days. I don't think those existed when McCain was in middle school, but the point remains.
Good answer from McCain about "getting to work right away."

9:31 Obama talks about leadership, which of course is my big issue in this election. This country needs a leader, and that's what he gives us. McCain continues to wander around the background. Also a solid answer. Good work.

Obama hits on burden sharing, continuing his theme from his last answer. It's tough to win an election by telling people to do things they don't want to do, but this idea of everyone pitching in to make America better will probably resonate quite well.

9:35 McCain accuses Obama of "wanting to raise taxes." Apparently, McCain sees all liberals as wild animals who have this unstoppable craving/hunger for higher taxes.
Then he acts like a HUUUUUUGE condescending ass and says, "I've got from news for you Senator Obama." Where does McCain come off accusing Obama of being out of touch??

Obama can't let the McCain tax-lies go, and ignores the question for about a minute. Good for him, because I hate when candidates try to hide behind the rules in order to lie.

9:41 McCain laughs at his own joke far longer than anyone else in the room. Then, after answering the question (like Obama did), McCain does exactly what he made fun of Obama for doing - going back to the earlier question.

Brokaw seems very uncomfortable with Section C. It's probably because they're behind him, so he hasn't gotten the chance to stare deep into their soul, as he has with every other member of the audience.

According to McCain, we need to alert the American people to the "danger that climate change opposes." McCain then repeats his favorite line of the night, "We can do it, we can build it." And now, I just realized who John McCain is channeling in this debate:

9:46 Tom Brokaw is being a complete asshole to both candidates, making fun of their inability to stay under time. Then he asks if we should develop a nuclear bomb to fight climate change...

McCain is sooooo condescending in this debate. I hope it doesn't play well with undecideds. He points at Obama and refers to him as "this one"? This isn't the Bozo the Clown Show!

9:51 McCain is absolutely lurking now, with a weird smile on his face. Is he just trying to buy extra screen time in a really creepy way?

McCain wants to reduce "medical errors...as they call them." He is so frickin stupid. I can't stand this man anymore.
McCain makes a joke about his need for hair transplants. It was really awkward. No one in the audience even smirked.
Government mandates scare Senator McCain. Kind of like dark rooms, rectal exams, and loud noises.

Obama now clarifies his position on healthcare, cutting through McCain's web of lies.

9:59 America - better than Jesus? Senator McCain think so.

McCain has a "record that he's willing to stand on." Personally, I'd like to stand next to my record, and not stomp on it. Then again, I don't have McCain's record. If I were him, I'd want to get it out of sight, too.

10:04 Brokaw asks a legitimately interesting question about policy on stopping genocide when it has nothing to do with national security. Obama thinks we are diminished by ignoring cruelty and ethnic cleansing, and although we "can't be everywhere all the time," we can "mobilize the international community."

McCain suggests a "cool hand at the tiller." Then he screams, "You'll get my tiller when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!"

The welfare of our troops is McCain's first priority...right after that other thing. For those of you keeping score, that makes it his "second" priority.

10:10 Obama says no to coddling dictators. I would make fun of this "bold stance," if it wasn't actually contrary to current policy...

McCain quotes Petraeus so much, I think he might just give in and make him his new running mate.

Obama sarcastically compliments McCain for a little too long, and McCain thanks him for the kind remarks.

10:18 Unfortunately, Obama isn't wrong about the surge. It didn't, and still hasn't, worked.

We're now on to Russia, and advocating for including Eastern European countries in NATO.

Obama criticizes our "mischief" overseas. Odd term to say the least.

10:25 McCain gives a hearty handshake to a fellow veteran. Then goes hard on Iran, defending Israel from those extremists who want to "wipe them off the map."
He also strongly advocates joining with our allies, in his proposed "League of Democracies" (not sure how formalized that would be).

And once more, he declares, pointedly, "I am anti-Holocaust." He and Palin keep repeating that line, and it's starting to unnerve me that there might be some question about that issue.

Obama talks about alternative energy as one way to decrease revenues in Iran (and thus hurt them). It's a pretty sideways (but effective) way to make his argument about alternative energy being a national security issue.

10:30 The final question is, as Brokaw notes, really weird. Obama is able to answer it using the word "scrimpin'," so I'm pretty sure he's just the outright winner of the debate.

McCain, like all of us, doesn't know the future. Neither does Obama, but I still think McCain's phrasing is funnier. His dad was away "doing our country's business." He manages to use the strangest phrasing this side of Sarah Palin.

Both candidates give really awkward waves, and the debate concludes.

It's Going to Get Worse From Here! 30 Days to Go!

2008-10-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

As I predicted on Thursday, the gloves are coming off in the worst way. But first, let's take a look at what people think is the current state of the race.

--> Karl Rove now admits that, if the election were held today, Barack Obama would be the next President of the United States, based on current state polls. Thanks a bunch, turd blossom - no wonder everyone thinks you're so smart: you're able to recognize incredibly clear electoral trends mere weeks after the rest of the media does.

--> Meanwhile, that other reputedly brilliant campaign strategist, Sarah Palin, strongly disagrees with McCain's decision to abandon Michigan. In fact, I'm just positive that John McCain will heed her (clearly) well-reasoned advice, and make a U-turn and head straight for Michigan. Because he picked her for her expertise, you know, on electoral issues...and stuff...can we all please just admit now, for better or for worse, that she's in this race because of her breasts? I can't believe that any politician would be stupid enough to say something like this to the press. She won't change anyone's mind, and she's just giving legs to a story that only reflects negatively on McCain and his team.

--> Speaking of Palin, her fantastic debate with Joe Biden on Thursday night managed to pull in exceptionally high ratings. Check out Aden Nak for a fantastic look at how Sarah Palin prepared for her nationally televised confrontation.

--> The big story today is the big story for the next thirty days: things are going to get very ugly. This ugly:
Or this ugly:

Point is, we're talking about hockey-level brutality. It's acceptable in Canada (maybe), but not here. Apparently, the McCain campaign has shifted to virtually 100% spending on negative ads. Which is good, because I never want to hear the words "original maverick," "prisoner of war," or "McCain" again. And trust me, none of us will, unless they're coming out of an Obama ad and being said by the most sarcastic man in the universe. Instead, we'll be hearing about Rezko, Ayers, and Reverend Wright - all of whom are issues that affect Americans (apparently).

The difference between this year and 2004 is that Barack Obama is not going to take this lying down. Obama's campaign started today by releasing an ad attacking McCain for his erratic response to the economic crisis. We're going to see a harder-hitting Democratic nominee for the next month, but hopefully one that can stick roughly to his message of "why is John McCain using all these dirty attacks instead of talking about the things that really matter?"

--> Speaking of dirty issues, the New York Times did a little digging into Obama's relationship with 60s radical (and now respected educational reform advocate) Bill Ayers. They discovered that Obama plays down his ties to Ayers, but that the two men really don't have any close bonds other than living in the same neighborhood.

Of course, the moral of the story isn't what matters, it's the existence of the story about Ayers, which means the Republicans could milk it. Of course, it was published by the New York Times, which is an illegitimate, untrustworthy news source, so of course they can't possibly...I'm sorry, I've just received a memo from the RNC entitled, "The New York Times Sheds Additional Light On The Relationship Between Obama And Terrorist Bill Ayers." Nevermind. It would appear that the Times is only evil when it talks about McCain or Palin.

Palin, speaking yesterday, delivered some really hard hits against Obama, declaring,
"These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes.
This is not a man who sees America as you and I do — as the greatest force for good in the world.
This is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."

I hate you.

I need to call a time out for a moment. Are there still any undecideds out there? And do any of them actually read this? Well, if you are still undecided, I want you to stop and ignore the issues for a second. On a personal level, on the issue of character, John McCain does not deserve to be President of the United States. He's someone who faced these sorts of attacks 8 years ago, complained about them then, and now uses dirty tactics like essentially accusing his opponent of sympathizing with terrorists. He's someone who allows vicious lies to be spread about his opponent, from accusations of supporting kindergarten sex ed to mis-categorizing his entire tax plan as a "tax hike." He even had the audacity and disrespect for the American people to choose a wholly unqualified woman for the office of the Vice-Presidency, merely as a political stunt to lock up his base. Sarah Palin herself even appears to have no respect for law and fairness, as she's deciding to (illegally) ignore all subpeonas on herself and her staff in a legitimate ethics investigation by the Alaska state legislature. John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin is an insult to women, and an insult to all intelligent Americans who believe that, if nothing else, the President of the United States should be ready to do the job. If John McCain has that little respect for all of us, then why should we make him our President?

Okay, that didn't convince you? Fine, go look at the issues. Now you must be either convinced or brain dead.

--> On the bright side, here's (once more) Tina Fey in the role of her life:

Victory (In Michigan), Obama TV, and He Likes to Be Known As the Angry Old Man!! 33 Days to Go!

2008-10-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

Greetings all, and welcome back to another edition of EDC. I am all smiles today, and here's why:

--> Reports today suggest that John McCain has given up his campaign in the great state of Michigan, and will be pulling his staff, stop the airing of his ads, and halt all mail drops. For those of you keeping score at home, that's 17 electoral votes back in Obama's pocket, for a state that was very much in doubt as much as two weeks ago. That was McCain's biggest (and best) hope for winning a Kerry state this year, and now questions have arisen as to how exactly he plans to win at all. I would say that Michigan has officially turned blue again, but I'd argue that Michigan tends to always be blue (and yellow):

Mark Halperin of Time has his own take on what this decision means for McCain. He maintains that for McCain to win, he's gotta pour his heart into winning Pennsylvania. McCain officials list Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, Colorado and New Hampshire. You'll note that 5 of those are trending towards Obama right now, with only Nevada remaining a real squeaker as of current polling. All this means that McCain is in really bad shape, and is looking quite desperate. So long, Republican offensive strategy. The game has clearly changed - McCain can no longer beat Obama, he can only survive Obama.

The Florida GOP actually held a secret meeting yesterday to collectively freak out about McCain's chances in the state. Many Republicans are clearly quite worried about how the campaign is doing (although tonight could certainly shake things up).

Of course, with desperation comes really really angry, negative attack ads, so be on the lookout for some of the slimiest stuff you've ever seen in a presidential race.

--> McCain made it very clear last night what he thinks of Senator Obama. Upon sharing the Senate floor for the bailout vote, Obama stood chatting with his Democratic allies while McCain talked with Lieberman and Martinez (R-FL) over on the other side. Obama took it upon himself to go over and greet McCain. McCain, as is reported here, did not respond too warmly. In fact, he visibly wanted Obama to go away. I wonder if that's how he'll look on January 20th.

--> With the VP debate rapidly approaching (3 hours away now), it's important to keep in mind what's at stake here. Palin's bump to McCain's chances have vanished, and now she's actually dragging him down. Color me surprised that 61% of Americans actually figured out that she's unqualified - she must really be unqualified. Furthermore, she's actually hurting him in every key swing state, as voters realize that this moose-hunter could actually be President some day.

--> Expectations are enormous from this debate, probably the most highly-anticipated VP debate in history. Both candidates are gaffe-prone, but Biden still knows what he's doing, and is expected to be a formidable opponent. Palin's expectations are much more bizarre. Because she's turned into such a joke, she can do anything but trip and fall on her face, and she'll beat expectations. Here's her being interviewed by Katie Couric, as Palin fails to name...a Supreme Court case. Yes, any case at all, as long as she disagrees with it. Here's the video comparing her answer and Biden's:

Speaking of Joe Biden being gaffe-prone, here's a humdinger from earlier this week: "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'look, here's what happened.'" Unfortunately for Senator Biden, FDR wasn't President for another 3 years, and TV wasn't invented yet.

Then again, John McCain managed to screw up his own history in attacking Biden for the mistake.

--> Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a fantastic surrogate for the Obama campaign, managed to give an unfortunately phrased answer to an interview question yesterday. In what was either a mistakenly-candid moment, or a crafty attempt to lower expectations, McCaskill characterized her fellow senator, Joe Biden, as having "a tendency to talk forever and sometimes say things that are kind of stupid.” McCaskill caught herself later, and apologized by saying, "I was probably having a Joe Biden moment myself."

Joe Biden, pictured below having a "Joe Biden moment."

Tonight should be fun.

--> Those of you subscribing to The Dish Network, turn to channel 73 now. You'll probably be greeted with this. That's because Channel 73 is now Obama TV!!!! With round-the-clock Obama, all the time!!! In fact, it's not even varied Obama TV, it's just the same two-minute ad looping over and over again. This is a fantastic demonstration of how advertising has changed in the 21st century - true, this probably won't reach many people, but because it's not costing the Obama campaign that much to do it, it might actually get them enough bang for their buck.

Enjoy the debate. 9 PM eastern.

I Will Make Them Famous, and You Will Know Their Names! 36 Days to Go!

2008-09-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Borrowing the above line from John McCain, I would like to point out exactly who is responsible for voting against the bailout bill in the United States House of Representatives today. No, it's not a perfect bill, but it is a solution that had been negotiated for over a week, and did in fact contain some necessary home-owner protections and other important provisions that are key to getting the economy back on its feet.

You will know their names. These are the congressmen who voted against the Bailout Plan, most of them because they're running in close re-election races, not because they actually didn't think it was important.

I am proud to say, as a Haverford student, that Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA) buried partisan concerns and stood with the Democratic Party leadership to try and bring some relief to this economic crisis.

Upon this news, the Dow dropped 778 points today, an all-time record, putting the stock market below where it was on President Bush's first day in office.

I'm having trouble with a description of how serious this situation is, so for clarity, go watch The Watchmen movie trailer, and get to about halfway where a dark, deep voice mutters, "God help us all."

Yeah, that's me.

Things I Learned From the First Presidential Debate!

2008-09-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

Here are my thoughts (based entirely on what the candidates said):

--> John McCain needs a nicer pen.

--> McCain's repetition of "I didn't win Miss Congeniality in the U.S. Senate" probably implies that he wishes he had more friends.

--> All our companies are going to outsource to Ireland.

--> John McCain seemed eager to hear Senator Obama's "definition of rich," despite his problems earlier in this campaign with defining the mark ($5 million?).

--> A presidential candidate can use the word "festooned," then accuse his opponent of being out-of-touch and elitist.

--> Senator McCain is quite able to describe the Administration's Iraq strategy and make it sound incredibly stupid and inarticulate: "a strategy of going into an area, clearing and holding, and the people of the country then become allied with you. They inform on the bad guys. And peace comes to the country, and prosperity."

--> General Petraeus and Osama bin Laden "have one thing in common." They've both made money from the Bush family?

--> John McCain again put his foot down and declared that he stands firmly against a second Holocaust, a position that surely reinforces how much of a maverick he is.

--> Apparently, a dictator's speech in front of the United Nations doesn't count as a legitimizing propaganda platform, but a meeting with a ruler of another country does.

--> John McCain has a bracelet.

--> "Glasnost and perestroika" - $20 says that there weren't 100 people under the age of 25 watching that debate who actually knew what McCain was talking about.

--> Barack Obama is anti-tea parties, pro-arugula.

--> It's unclear how many people noticed John McCain mutter "horse shit" when Obama accused him of refusing to meet with the Prime Minister of Spain.

--> The evidence of North Korea being the "most repressive and brutal regime on Earth" is that "the average South Korean is three inches taller than the average North Korean, a huge gulag." I believe McCain meant repressive as in physically pushing down on its subjects.

--> Senator Obama, not to be outdone, "also has a bracelet," the difference being that his is in bling form around his neck, and is made entirely of gold.

--> John McCain loves the veterans. Really loves them. And he's going to take care of them. I now can't shake this mental image of John McCain enveloping our armed forces in an enormous hug, and gently kissing them each on the forehead.

--> When not facing the pressures of campaign consultants and advertising requirements, John McCain can, in fact, avoid mentioning his POW experience for approximately 87 minutes.

--> John McCain "knows how to heal the wounds of war," using strategies like coming home and cheating on your wife with a woman 18 years younger than you are.

Big Numbers, Political Failures, and Paulson Finds God (Hint: It's Nancy Pelosi)! 39 Days to Go!

2008-09-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Update (12:20 PM): The debate is on, but apparently, John McCain already won it.

So much to get to, I'm sorry that this entry won't be able to do all these stories justice. Please read the links I attach - they'll give you the information you need.

--> The big story today is the negotiation on the bailout bill. Well, things fall apart. Republicans are definitively against the idea of the federal government bailing out large corporations (it's even written into their platform), so many of them won't be willing to vote for the bill as it stands now. Democrats are largely lined up behind the legislation, even though many of them have serious doubts and want more middle-class protections in it. However, Dems won't be willing to vote for a fairly unpopular bill this close to Election Day without Republican support to protect them. If it's just the Democrats that pass this bill, then the GOP can all vote against it, and then blast the Democrats for passing it in the first place. The Republican Party needs to get on-board in order for this bill to pass - it's no longer about getting 51 votes, it's about political cover.

This comes the day after President Bush held a historic meeting in the Roosevelt Room between himself, Secretary Paulson, Senator McCain, Senator Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, and House Republican leader Boehner. The meeting was supposed to get all hands on deck, but it ended up just emphasizing how far apart everyone is. As the New York Times reports, Secretary Paulson actually got down on one knee and pleaded with Nancy Pelosi to not pull her party's support off the bill. Pelosi remarked, "I didn't know you were Catholic," then continued, "It's not me blowing this up, it's the Republicans." Paulson replied, "I know. I know."

By the way, was anyone else curious why the specific figure requested for the bailout was $700 billion? How does the Treasury Department calculate such a number? Well, a spokeswoman was asked just that, and she explained, "It's not based on any particular data point, we just wanted to choose a really large number." Incompetence, thy name is government.

--> So it sure doesn't seem like John McCain's dramatic announcement that he was suspending his campaign really accomplished anything. In fact, one wonders how he could help the process at all, given that he's NEVER READ THE BILL! Or that he hasn't proposed a single banking bill during this entire Congress, while Senator Obama has proposed five.

And, as it turns out, his campaign is far from suspended. Palin still held a rally yesterday, his surrogates were out in full force, and his campaign ads (which he pledged to take down) are still up in most of the country. Plus, McCain has already instructed TV stations that actually took down the ads to start re-airing them as soon as Saturday!

Thankfully, Senator Obama's campaign has called this desperate move what it is: a cheap political stunt.

The only thing McCain has accomplished is throwing the results of tonight's debate into question. He still won't commit to attending, and will continue to examine the situation based on the results of today's Congressional negotiations (which, and I must stress this, he is not a part of). Obama, although he spent the night in DC to be close to the negotiations himself, is already flying down to Mississippi. It looks like he will go on tonight, the question is if he'll be joined by anyone. I personally think that a two-hour exclusive interview/town hall event featuring Barack Obama, an empty chair, and the entire press corps would be a sight to see, don't you?

I'm still confident that McCain will show. Not because he appreciates the value of having our two potential leaders talk about the issues to the American public, but because he is a shrewd, calculating politician, who no doubt has seen the polling data today suggesting that 3/4 of Americans want the debate to go on tonight.

Also, Mike Huckabee thinks McCain is stupid. Then again, Mike Huckabee wants to be the GOP nominee in 4 years. So, there might be some sort of conflict of interest.

--> By the way, I found the McCain Campaign's suggestion of indefinitely postponing the Vice-Presidential debate to be absolutely insulting. How can they expect the American people to accept Sarah Palin as their VP if they've never ever seen her speak or answer questions?

--> Well, maybe they're justified. After all, two nights of an interview with Katie Couric have certainly demonstrated that Sarah Palin would be better off not speaking at all. Here's her talking about how she can see Russia from her house. Here's her "getting back" to Katie Couric about McCain's lifelong battle for more oversight.

And now, as the Washington Post reports, it turns out that she's far from the reformer that she claims to be (I saw "it turns out" as if we didn't know this already - still it's nice to have even more proof). She has accepted $25,000 in gifts as Governor of Alaska, despite having made "a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda."

--> This of course, all comes after Washington Mutual because the largest bank to fail in this nation's history, as it was seized by the federal government and then bought up in large chunks by JP Morgan.

Sorry, there's no happy/funny anecdote at the end of this story. Serious times call for serious entries, and unfathomable levels of sarcasm and anger.

The debate tonight can, as many events do, change everything. Do watch. It's gonna be a blast.

New Post Coming, Exciting News

2008-09-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

Lots has been going on the last two days, but change is coming - change in the form of my next entry.

In the meantime, I would like to announce to any of my loyal readers that I will now be contributing to a second blog: hcdemocrats.blogspot.com, where I will serve as one of the bloggers for Haverford's College Democrats. It'll probably feature condensed, less sarcastic versions of things I report here, but it may sometimes highlight things I don't get to here.

So, if you just can't get enough of my political trepidations here, feel free to journey inside the Haverbubble and join me there, too.

Bartlet Speaks, Palin Doesn't, and McCain Piles Voters Into His 13 Cars And Drives Them to the Polls for Early Voting! 43 Days to Go!

2008-09-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

--> Today, voting begins. You seem shocked. I know that many of you are merely waiting until the EDC clock strikes 0, but some of you (especially our loyal readership in Virginia, Kentucky, and Georgia) can start early voting today. Experts expect record amounts of early-voting this year, as much as 1/3 of the electorate, which is great because long-lines in densely popualted urban areas are always thorns in the side of the Democratic GOTV effort.

--> In earth-shattering, election-strategy news today, the Obama Campaign announced that it was pulling out of North Dakota. That's right, Obama's 11 field offices will be shut down, and workers redeployed to Minnesota and Wisconsin. I personally think it is fool-hardy to forfeit the 3 electoral votes of the home-state of the winning contestants of both Cycle 5 and Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model, but more and more the electoral map is looking like it did in 2004. Obama has expanded the map to a certain degree, and will probably come closer in places like Georgia and North Dakota than any Democrat has in awhile. However, the only remaining Red States that Obama is targetting are Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa, and Indiana. Still not a bad list.

--> Continuing our theme of surprising news items, today John McCain's chief strategist Steve Schmidt attacked the New York Times for being biased. I'm just gonna pass on this. I think from now on, whenever a Republican operative attacks a credible news organization for printing facts (which tend to hurt their side of the debate), I'm just going to post this:

--> In more irrelevant, why-on-earth-is-the-media-focusing-on-this news, it turns out that John McCain owns 13 cars and Barack Obama owns one (a hybrid at that). To make matters worse, two of McCain's cars are foreign-made. To play devil's advocate here, more Americans own foreign-made cars than American-made. So maybe this is a sign that John McCain understands average Americans better than Barack Obama.

(and yes, this is the only picture I could find of 13 cars - sue me)

You know, I have an idea. Let's just evaluate these candidates on their positions in determining how much they care about ordinary Americans. Barack Obama wants to cut the taxes of 97% of Americans, ensure that everyone has access to healthcare, and recruit an army of teachers so that every American child can go to a public school and get a quality education. John McCain wants to cut taxes for the wealthy and the huge corporations, deregulate healthcare just like the economy has been deregulated, and has no education plan whatsoever. Hmm, I wonder who actually cares about ordinary Americans...

--> Andrew Sullivan notes that it's been 24 days since Sarah Palin became the potential next Vice-President of the United States, and she still hasn't give any sort of press conference or had plans to hold one. This is unprecedented in modern American politics, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't a matter of time before lots of people start wondering, "What are they hiding?"

Maybe she's getting help from this lady:

--> The focus of this coming week will be preparing for the debates, the first of which is on Friday. In the most cliched anecdotes this article could provide, Obama will prepare by playing basketball, and McCain will prepare by taking a nap (so that's what he was doing during the State of the Union).

However, the article does point out something very interesting. Obama's advisors are training him on how to provoke McCain. This is exactly what I would have suggested as well. Obama needs to go into that debate with a laundry list of vicious lies and smears that McCain's campaign has used against him. In one of these debates (not necessarily the first one), the moderators will almost certainly address the negativity surrounding this election, since the attacks have become an issue in themselves. Obama needs to take that opportunity to hammer McCain on all he's said about him, and then ask, "Have you no shame?" If a direct questioning of Mr. Former-POW's political honor doesn't get McCain (known for a hot temper) to lose his cool, nothing will. If McCain has any sort of minor meltdown in any of the three debates, this election is over, and he'll do everything he can to prevent one. It would also be a completely justified question.

--> And finally, Maureen Dowd and I are clearly on the same wavelength. Two of my last three entries have mentioned my firm conviction that no one would be able to handle our current political situation better than Former President Josiah Bartlet, fictional creation of Aaron Sorkin (scribe and resident-genius of The West Wing). Thus, Maureen Dowd did what I of lowly-blogger stature could not - she dialed Sorkin's number, and asked him WWBD? (What Would Bartlet Do?). Sorkin responded, and the result is a must-read.

--> As a special bonus, your quote of the day:

On asked about her brilliant performance as Sarah Palin on SNL:

"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5, so if anybody can help me be done playing this lady Nov. 5, that would be good for me." - Tina Fey

Terrifying Reality!!! 46 Days to Go!

2008-09-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT): "We are literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system, with all the implications, here at home and globally."

Congressional leaders met last night with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. They were informed that, in order to avoid an imminent financial catastrophe, as much as $1 trillion would be needed.

The measure would essentially work like this:

We the taxpayers, in order to form a less chaotic union, establish good credit, insure mortgages, provide for the economy, promote welfare of our banks, and secure the blessings of not-losing-your-house to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish a multi-hundred-billion dollar program to allow the federal government to basically buy all the bad mortgages off of every financial institution in the country.

It would be the biggest federal bailout in human history. It also reflects a bizarre occurrence, where one of the most conservative, free-market Presidents in American history is taking a step that smells distinctly of Marx and Engels. As Jonathan Martin cleverly notes, "We're all Socialists now."

It would also completely derail any plans that either Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain have - you know, just in terms of little policy details like spending and taxing. This changes everything - quite possibly hinders the ability for Obama to invest $150 billion in green technologies or to begin working towards universal healthcare. Also makes McCain's trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy even more ill-advised.

For context on how the two candidates must be feeling right now, go watch the West Wing episode "The Cold" (season 7), when President Bartlet sits the two candidates (both oddly reminiscent of Obama and McCain) and explains to them his plan to send 150,000 soldiers into Asia. When the financial reality of this plan hits them, the Republican candidate remarks, "I can say goodbye to my tax cut. Your education plan is certainly off the table."

The very news of this potential bailout sent stock markets around the world skyrocketing - Britain and China apparently saw their biggest gains in history.

I'll be back with a fuller post later this evening or tomorrow morning. I just felt that I should throw my two cents about this situation into the pot.

Federal Government Takes a Page From Lenin, While McCain Takes a Misused Page From Lennon! 48 Days to Go!

2008-09-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

--> Today, the bleak economic situation took an even steeper downturn. The Dow Jones is already down more than 300 points (as of 1 PM), AIG shares are selling 44% lower, Morgan Stanley is down 15%, and the Mets are down .5 games (I know, I know - not entirely related to Wall Street).

This all follows from the surprising and dramatic announcement yesterday that the Federal Reserve will be purchasing an 80% controlling stake in AIG to prevent complete, worldwide economic disaster. Even more surprising is the fact that this is a Republican, conservative government. George W. Bush and his pals are known for railing against socialized-anything, and believe very strongly in the free-market system. Thus, for them to nationalize a major private corporation, a step reminiscent of the Russian Revolution in 1918, is very indicative of how serious this situation is. By the way, other cases of U.S. nationalization:

federal control over the nation's railroads during World War I (then returned to private ownership after the war)
the Tennessee Valley Authority of FDR's New Deal
Amtrack
nationalization of the airport security industry in response to 9/11
and most recently the buyouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

In other words, this is serious. Barack Obama and John McCain agree. They've spent the last two days talking about nothing but the financial crisis.

--> Barack Obama released an impressive, two-minute television ad today, in which he speaks directly to the camera, without gimicks or graphics, to carefully explain what he plans to do in response to this issue. Can we please stop saying he doesn't use specifics?

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Senator Obama's campaign, though, even as the latest tracking polls show the momentum beginning to swing back to his corner. The Senator's press release on the AIG bailout mistakenly referred to the company as American Insurance Group, instead of American International Group. Of course, this is a typo, and not a policy-relevant one at that. However, I had to try and find something to ridicule his campaign for, because I don't want to be too heavy-handed with the McCain campaign, otherwise they'll cry, "Sexism!" or "Liberal Media!" or "POW!" ... or something.

--> The Associated Press printed an interesting critique on McCain's campaign strategy, which seeks to portray him simultaneously as an experienced Washington hand and as a Washington outsider who's going to shake up the system. It's really quite impossible to be both, but like we've pointed out before, the McCain campaign isn't too concerned with "facts."

--> And speaking of facts, apparently John McCain and Al Gore do have something in common after all: both of them invented something. But while Gore has the audacity to claim the creation of something as vast as the internet, McCain is content to merely take credit for the Blackberry. That's right, the candidate who can't send e-mail is apparently willing to claim responsibility for the Blackberry, according to his top economic advisor. Douglas Holtz-Eakin waved his device around as he declared, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create." Miracle, eh?

And on the first day, McCain created the POW backstory, so that his character could be tested in a properly patriotic fashion. And McCain said it was good. And on the second day, McCain created the slew of vicious lies and attacks on his opponent, fully knowing that most Americans would never fact-check those ads. And though the pundits did shriek with rage, and the liberals did weep, Steve Schmidt said it was good. On the third day, McCain created the Blackberry. And though he tried to rest for a little while after that, McCain spent the next 4 days trying (and failing) to figure out how to use the Blackberry, finally deciding to merely ask his wife to use Google for him.

Because no hilarious statement by a McCain campaign operative goes unmocked, Ben Smith received a message from Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton signed, "Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld, a miracle made possible by John McCain."

--> Given an opportunity yesterday to mock two of his favorite targets, Barack Obama and Hollywood celebrities, simultaneously, John McCain spouted off against Obama's scheduled $11 million fundraiser hosted by Barbara Streisand. McCain insisted, "Let me tell you, my friends, there's no place I'd rather be than right here with the working men and women of Ohio." Then, seeing how well that line had worked, McCain pulled out his acoustic guitar and sang, "A working class hero is something to be." Because we all know that John M cCain loves hippies.

And, like all champions of the working class, McCain then got on his wife's private company jet, and flew to Miami where he hosted a $50,000 per plate fundraiser, and generated $5.1 million for his campaign.

More hypocrisy, lies, deceit, and political intrigue to follow in my next post. Do I know what it'll be about yet? Of course not, but I feel that it's a fair assumption that I'll have some more ammo in that vein within a day or two.

Disaster for Wall Street While McCain Insists the "Fundamentals of [My Campaign] are Still Strong!" 50 Days to Go!

2008-09-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today, to an extent, I feel like Edward Norton here at the end of Fight Club.

It's admittedly really hard to focus on politics today. With all hyperbole set aside, America is now facing its biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Today, Lehman Brothers, a prominent securities firm, filed for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch narrowly avoided complete annihilation by selling itself to Bank of America for $50 billion. In addition, AIG, an "insurance giant," warned that without $40 billion from the Federal Reserve, it may only be able to survive a few more days. This all comes on the heels of the collapse of Bear Stearns and the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

This is that game-changing moment I was warning about all those months ago when this blog started. For all the punditry and predictions that fly around the media during a campaign, it can all go up in smoke when something like this happens. John McCain and Barack Obama can't control the financial markets, but to a large extent those markets will now control their campaigns, and to an extent the results of this election.

--> One important point of note as we head into this crisis, neither Obama nor McCain have really spent much time talking (at all, let alone in detail) about the financial situation in this country, nor have they spoken about what they plan to do about it. Neither of these candidates is an economist (where's Jed Bartlet when you need him?), and it's likely that neither of them really understands the complexities of the market without their advisors walking them through it. Still, they both have a narrative to tell, and will try to frame this crisis within the way they want to play this race.

Obama blames much of this current crisis on eight years of failed leadership - with a lack of consumer protection, loosened regulation, and encouraging enormous CEO bonuses while not protecting middle class Americans. McCain, on the other hand, attacks government bureaucracy and promises to use his new favorite phrase, "shake up Washington," as much as possible when describing what he and Sarah Palin are going to do.

Just an aside here, this is how I'm starting to think that John McCain and Sarah Palin view the federal government:
However, John McCain immediately went out on the stump today, and demonstrated why economics are considered his Achilles' Heel. He argued that despite today's news (and despite the fact that our current situation is very difficult), "THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR ECONOMY ARE STRONG." Team Obama pounced immediately on what would be considered a gaffe from any other candidate, but from John McCain is merely his economic policy. Biden, speaking in Michigan, said, "But friends, I could walk from here to Lansing, and I wouldn’t run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well, unless I ran into John McCain."

And what perfect timing that this would come the day after a McCain economic advisor prints an op-ed in the Washington Post arguing that everyone is exaggerating the current financial crisis, and that people should stop freaking out.

Or, for that matter, mere days after Alan Greenspan argued that the United States can't afford John McCain's proposed $3.3 trillion (not a typo) in tax cuts for the wealthy without cutting just as much from spending. McCain has indeed proposed ways to cut spending: limiting earmarks and pork-barrel items in Congressional legislation. That is indeed a good start, except that all those programs have TOTALED $171 billion since 2001. Oops.

Out-of-touch is once again the order of the day:

7 houses...he thinks.
"Nation of whiners."
Tax cuts for the wealthy that we can't afford.
"I don't know much about the economy."
Voted with Bush 90% of the time.
"Divorced from reality."

If this financial crisis does put the focus of every voter back on the economy, look for Barack Obama to gain significantly on McCain (and most likely surpass him) in the coming days and weeks in tracking polls. Of course, that could all change at the presidential debates. McCain's mission there will to make Obama look inexperienced and unsure of the facts about the markets. If he gets Obama to slip up or say that he doesn't know something, it'll reinforce all the doubts people have about Obama's readiness. Thus, if Obama takes the lead thanks to this crisis (and it is truly bizarre to think about a devestating financial situation in callous, political terms), he could just play defense at the debates (at least on economic issues). On the other hand, it would be in his best interests to keep firing away at McCain over his complete disconnect from the problems of average Americans.

--> This all comes right after McCain's campaign repeatedly took an elbow to the face from the media all weekend. They were called out for blatantly lying:

first for an attack ad claiming that Barack Obama sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate to teach sexual education to kindergarteners, although the bill was merely to warn kids about the dangers of child predators
then for continuing to claim that Sarah Palin fought the Bridge to Nowhere
then it turned out that Sarah Palin never actually "visited" Iraq, she only stopped at the border...oh, and she also never really visited Ireland - that was a fueling stop
then it was discovered that the McCain campaign had been exaggerated those figures of enormous crowds at the McCain-Palin rallies lately
also, it was discovered that Sarah Palin was the earmark que en of Alaska...before she was against them.

--> McCain's ads have actually strayed so far from the truth that Mr. Political-Ethics himself decided to weigh in, and mention that they weren't exactly 100% accurate. That's right, KARL ROVE is concerned with the truthfulness and decency of John McCain's campaign. This is the guy who said, ""Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers."

--> On the lighter side of things, a publishing company sends the McCain campaign a letter offering the Senator one-on-one tutoring in computer literacy from Abby Stokes, author of the book, Is This Thing On? A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers, Technophobes, and the Kicking & Screaming. One wonders which of those three categories McCain fits into.

--> And on the even lighter side, Tina Fey appeared as Sarah Palin (or possibly the other way around, I really can't tell the difference) on SNL Saturday night (while Amy Poehler played opposite her as Senator Clinton). During the season premiere of 30 Rock, I'm going to start a stopwatch to see how long it takes before Alec Baldwin confuses Tina Fey's character with the Republican vice-presidential nominee. I'm setting the over/under at 17 minutes, although based on recent plot developments, it might take longer than that before they're in the same room together.

Off to New York for the Weekend!

2008-09-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

And speaking of New York, a certain Democratic nominee and a certain Republican nominee were there yesterday (clearly wanting to beat me to Columbia's campus in case I came fully armed with the truth - which I always am). Check out what Columbia's own premiere bloggers had to say about the event, which focused on WE-CAN'T-GET-ALONG-BECAUSE-YOU-KEEP-LYING-ABOUT-MY-RECORD...I mean, service.

EDC shall return, stronger than ever, on Sunday.

By then, I expect Sarah Palin to be a skid-mark on the underpants of society.

No Post Today

2008-09-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

Today, as both the candidates can actually agree, is not a day for politics, but instead for reflection.

You can watch John McCain and Barack Obama talk about service at Columbia University, tonight at 8 on CNN (and possibly other channels).