October 30, 2008

Famous People Say Go Vote!



Don't Argue.

Why Are You Not Done?

Look, the press just isn't saying that Obama is winning. They keep making noise how the race is "closing" that polls are "tightening." Fine, you want a close race, I understand. But you can't then turn around and fault Obama for not putting the race away, like Howard Fineman is doing here. Obama is leading in every poll. Every single one. He's got a huge electoral college advantage, no matter who is doing the EC projection. The press could totally be doing "it's over, next story" type stories. But for a variety of reasons, they are not. But you can't fault Obama for not winning when you won't give him credit for winning.

October 28, 2008

Divided Government?

One of the desperate ploys that McCain has been using as of late is raising the specter of undivided Democratic control of Washington. He seems to be saying, you can let the donkeys have Congress, but don't let them have the Presidency too. Would this really work? If I support the Democratic Congress and their agenda, why would I want President McCain vetoing the bill the Democrats pass? Divided government comes from non-ideological, "personality" voters. People who like McCain, think he's mavericky, but also like their local Democratic congressman. Nobody thinks "I want the Democrats in office, but I wouldn't want them to actually do anything.

October 27, 2008

People You Depend On

Remember that scene in Fight Club, where Tyler Durden warns off the chief of police:

Hi. You're going to call off your rigorous investigation. You're going to publicly state that there is no underground group. Or... these guys are going to take your balls. They're going to send one to the New York Times, one to the LA Times press-release style. Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we haul your trash, we connect your calls, we drive your ambulances. We guard you while you sleep. Do not... fuck with us.

Well, what happens when the very people who the McCain campaign depends on to spread their slimy attacks rebel. An entire call center in Indiana walked out rather than read the crap the GOP wanted to put out. The people who work in call centers are not Republicans. They are not going to get John McCain's tax cut. They are going to get better health care with Obama and worse health care under McCain. If enough of them get wise to the situation and make their stand, the whole system could come crashing down.

I love the smell of political awareness. Smells like - victory!

Senator Toast

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, notable open sore on the legislative process, has been convicted of all counts in his corruption trial. Which is pretty damn embarrassing, considering he's up for re-election in eight days.

Last Week

Just think. This is the last chance for everything. So its time to unleash all the attacks that were too stupid/low/evil to bring out till now.

This the week that they have to top the Obama is a terrorist/socialist.

What can they do to top that?

October 24, 2008

Hi, I'm No on Prop 8





My God, We liberals are hip.

Rise of Bono

U2 remains on track in its quest for global domination. Bono has been hired to write op-ed pieces for the New York Times. Not just a one shot, special celebrity guest pieces. 6 to 10 of them. He's well on his way to save the world. And by "Save" I mean rule the world.

Exodus

Now is the time for all those moderate Republicans who suffered silently for the last eight years to get the hell out of the party. Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld is only the latest to join in. This isn't exactly a profile in courage for these folks. Obama looks strong, and all of these folks are out of office. Still, having a host of Republicans endorse Obama isn't unhelpful when the other guys are running around screaming "terrorist" and "socialist".

October 23, 2008

Guest what?

Thanks, Craig, for the keys to the kingdom.

Here's one of MY favorites: Essayist/comedian David Sedaris on undecided voters:

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

Aren't liberal gay men FUN?

Keep it Close

Ezra Klein flags the media taking the one poll in 13 that shows a close national race. While at this points it's pretty damn easy to paint a picture that shows Obama running away with this, it's actually in no one's interest to show the election as a beat down. Obama doesn't want his voters to get compliant. McCain doesn't want his voters to despair. And the media doesn't want to cover a lopsided affair. They want drama, hard-fought, down-to-the-wire action, very much like the last couple of elections. And so they will get that kind of race, even if they need to invent it out of whole cloth.

October 22, 2008

Worstest

Sarah Palin never fails to disappoint. She continues to be unable to answer even the most basic of questions. She was asked by a third-grader, "what the Vice President does" and got her answer wrong.

And now comes news that the RNC has spent 150 grand outfitting Palin and her family in clothing. Nothing says "working-class gal" like $150,000 worth of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Is it any wonder that the Palin pick has become a massive drag on the GOP ticket? Palin is now the most cited concern that voters have about McCain. The GOP attitude in recent years is that they can spin their way out of everything. All screw-ups, be it bad policy, mis-statements, bad personnel choices, scandal, etc., can just be handled with an aggressive public relations policy. There's never a move to make a real change. Don't change course on the war, fire Roberto Gonzales or admit that you picked the wrong person for VP. Just spin harder. Hell, Larry Craig is still in office, thinking he could spin he way out of a frickin bathroom solicitation conviction. But spin has its limits, and the GOP has found those limits. Those limits are going to absolutely murder them in 13 days.

October 20, 2008

Voter Guide Time

Good God 12 propositions. Good thing you have me to read this crap. Here we go.

Oh and the numbers have reset again. Back to one.

Prop 1 High Speed Rail Bond. SUPERTRAIN! This is your chance to bring in the future. Getting it started, anyway. The Chant recommends Yes.

Prop 2 Animal Confinement. Puts in some basic standards for how we house farm animals. To keep their lives from completely sucking. You know, before we eat them. The Chant recommends Yes.

Prop 3 Children's Hospital Bond. Think of the children. The sick children. The poor, sick children with big eyes and big hearts. Eyes that look right though you. The Chant recommends Yes.

Prop 4 Notification for Abortions for Minors. Again. We are voting on this one again. For like the third election in a row. It loses every time. Help it lose again. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 5
Drug Treatment. Diverts drug users from jail to treatment. Will cut down on the massive California prison population and get some help for those poor drug-addicted bastards. The Chant recommends Yes.

Prop 6 Police Funding. Gang Crimes. No, no, no. This is an attempt to lock in funding for law enforcement to the state budget. Mucking up the process even more. Making it even harder to get a budget. This is all wrong. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 7 Renewable Energy. Sounds good on first blush, but this measure is actually opposed by all the environmental groups and existing alternative energy providers. I'm done taking chances on energy reform in California. Write something everyone signs off on or no deal. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 8 Ban on Gay Marriage. Bans gay marriage. If this passes, my dream of marrying Daniel Craig, taking his name and becoming Craig Craig will die. Don't deny me that dream. Also, don't be an ass. Let folks love each other. And get the tax break. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 9
Victims' Rights. A bunch of stuff for crime victims in the justice system. Warm fuzzy stuff that costs a ton of money and jeopardizes fair trials for the accused. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 10
T Boon Picken's Prop. Alternative fuels. I'm rather suspicious of Texas oil billionaires who want to sell me something. Besides, we are spending our money on trains and sick kids. Oh and vets. Keep reading. The Chant recommends No.

Prop 11 Redistricting. Oh yes. Right now the Legislature draws the districts for the legislators. You see the problem? They draw secure districts where no one loses. We need to stop this. It's not a cure for all our ills, but it's the single best change to the system I know. The Chant recommends Yes.

Prop 12 Veterans Bonds. Yeah. We owe them. The Chant recommends Yes.

I'm exhausted. When do we get the prop that ends props? I'd vote for that.

Rolling

Colin Powell endorses Obama. Um yeah, just take it. Don't quibble.

Obama raised 150 million+ in September.

Most campaigns have to be making hard choices right about now. Spend the last ad dollars in Ohio or Florida? Radio ads or extra money for GOTV? But the Obama campaign doesn't have to make hard choices. They have a staggering amount of money, they can do it all. Run ads everywhere they need to and throw in some extra states just for fun. Buy half-hour blocks of network time to make their case in depth. Put together a massive ground game and a massive media buy. Do it all.

Deadline

Last day to register to vote in California. Hurry up already. There is going to be some historic stuff going down in 15 days. Trust me, you want in on this.

October 17, 2008

Regression

In times of great stress, its not uncommon for people to seek comfort by going back to simpler, more innocent times. Go back to your childhood. Why I nearly cried out for my blanket today at work. The GOP is under a lot of stress right now. Unfortunately the past that they are regressing back to is Hoover and McCarthy.

Not so innocent times, those.

Funny Time Out

In one of the odd features of American Presidential campaigns, both candidates traditionally go to the Alfred E. Smith dinner and give speeches. Funny speeches.



October 16, 2008

Ouch

Hardcore socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is now mocking Bush over joining the socialist revolution. He does have a point.

McCain the Angry



Why is McCain so pissed? Did he expect to run for President unopposed? The man has been a professional politician for over thirty years. He can't take a little criticism on his health care policy? McCain plays craps, Obama plays poker. You can see it on their faces.

October 15, 2008

Asked and Answered

That's my favorite line in courtroom dramas. Tonight it was asked and answered. Obama had answered all the questions and McCain couldn't come up with anything new. Ayers is old hat at this point. ACORN is not a threat to the fabric of democracy. Crys of Liberal, Liberal, Liberal and Big Government ring very hollow in the wake of a 750 billion dollar bailout that McCain himself supported.

And Obama wins all the snap polls. Again.

This summer, McCain was running around demanding that he and Obama hold ten debates. I wonder if he still wants more after three.

And Now...

...A few words from Hayden Panettiere. Not safe for work, unless your work is a lot more fun than mine.

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

October 14, 2008

Should Be. Is!

All though the fall the GOP fall-back horse race talking point has been "Given all that's going on, Obama should be up at least 15 points over McCain"

Well, now Obama is up 14% in the latest NYTimes/CBS poll.

Should be up big. Is up big.

Tis the Season

Yes we Carve

Because everything, even your pumpkin, must serve the cause this year.

October 13, 2008

Tragedy

If Bill Clinton at his worse was some sort of daytime soap opera, John McCain brought low is Goddamn tragedy - Shakespeare or maybe Greek. Noble war hero brought low by the grab for power. And everything he trys blows up. Palin crumbles up a little more each day. He can't win a debate. He trys to smear Obama as a friend of terrorists, but his own crowds turn so ugly he has to back down.

He's doing everything he needs to do, compromised every principal, sold out every ideal. And he's losing anyway.

Tragic.

Just Kidding

Stocks - what an amazing investment.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that today's market isn't based on anything real. Even if it goes in the right direction, these kinds of swings just can't be healthy.

The Mattress Trust is still available. Security you can sleep on.

The Nobel Victor

Paul Krugman has won the Nobel prize in Economics. So now you have to listen to what he says.

October 12, 2008

Swing!

For some reason, I feel that music of the 1930's is an appropriate selection.

Benny Goodman Orchestra - Sing Sing Sing

Reward

The Spanish national team, as a reward for winning the European Championships, received their weight in beer.

Wow.

October 11, 2008

The California To Come

I will welcome the coming anarchy as long as it has a beat.

2Pac - California Love

October 10, 2008

No Joke

Al Franken is fricking winning! Here's the lowdown. A combination of the economy, backfiring attacks, and scandal (for the other guy)

Franken!

End of the World

Stocks are down, um, everywhere. Welcome to the new world. Everybody goes down together.

Spread the word.

The word is "panic"

October 9, 2008

Finish Them!

Kos rallies the troops.

Comrades!

We are taking the banks! We are taking the insurance companies. Soon we, the united workers of glorious America's Peoples Republic will have control of all of means of finance and production.

Capitalism is going down, bitches!

October 8, 2008

*Sniff*

Oh just look at those beautiful electoral map projections. Nevada, Virgina, Florida, all for Obama. Tied in North Carolina. A tear runs down my cheek. Such a wonderful vision.

October 6, 2008

Bit and Pieces

Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley has cut a radio ad for Obama. You may know him as the voice that sings "Oh Death" in O Brother Where Art Thou. Just an amazing voice.

Shakira has endorsed Obama as well. T-Bogg notes her, um, assets.

I figure we take Shakira's Ass and Ralph Stanley's voice and go on tour with Bruce.

That 3 million extra votes right there.

Metaphor

We are going to hear a lot about "taking the gloves off" in this next stage of the campaign. I would just like to note that the main reason that you wear gloves is not to protect the guy getting punched, it to protect the guy who's punching. Your hands are filled with lots of little bones and tendons. Very breakable little things. You can really hurt yourself punching. Most self defense systems put punching with bare fists last on the list of things you do. The gloves, the wraps and the tape you see on boxers and MMA guys is so you don't break your hand hitting the other guy repeatable in the face (Like so).

All of which is say, John McCain is just going to hurt himself with this crap.

The Chicago Way

They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way!

The Untouchables

He might have been born in Hawaii and raised all over, but Obama came up as a politician in Chicago. McCain is growing increasing desperate. He's attacking Obama with vague guild-by-association smears and petty rips on his patriotism and character. So Obama is going to the headwaters of McCain scandal - The Keating Five. Obama very rarely attacks. But his counter-attacks are things of beauty.

Now comes the ugly part.

October 4, 2008

Justice

Kill two people and you go free. Pull guns in an argument over sport memorabilia, your ass is going to jail.

October 3, 2008

Off Topic

In the few interviews Sarah Palin has given, she very frequently ends up in a state of shocking silence, completely unable to answer the question before her. That didn't happen last night, so it was pronounced that she "beat expectations" The fact that these "expectations" were so low as to defy any sense didn't come up. She didn't actually answer any of the questions asked. She has a collection of talking points rattling around in her head, and each time it was her turn some random combination came rattling out. Sometimes it was on topic, sometimes not so much. Asked about the bailout, a energy talking point came out. Asked about Darfur, she said nonsense about not knowing the ways of Washington. The lack of follow-up questions is what saved her. If the format had allowed for follow-up questions, it would have made clear that not only didn't she know what policy to have in Darfur, she has no idea who, what or where Darfur is. When Biden declared that the GOP energy policy was nothing but "Drill, Drill, Drill" she replied that the policy was, in fact, "Drill, Baby, Drill" Zing!

As for Biden, he answered the damn question and answered it well. Not too much talking and no miscues.

All the post-debate polls are giving it Biden by a large margin. There are real limits to the expectations game.

October 2, 2008

Tonight's Debate, Illustrated

Two willy opponents, one experienced and battle tested, the other...not so much. A battle of wit and um, not wit. Knowledge v ignorance. A struggle that will shake the very foundation of democracy! When these two square off for the fate of the Republic it will be a deadly game of

Cat and Moose!



Via

October 1, 2008

Bail!

Bailout bill passes the Senate, pretty easily too. The bailout is a product of the squishy middle, and there are a lot more squishy middle types in the Senate than in the House. And the end of the world is put off for another day. We will see if they put enough goodies in this version to buy off the House on the second round.

Slow Torture

Why is CBS putting out Katie Couric murdering Sarah Palin in dribs and drabs? Now we have her claiming that McCain is fresh and new and Obama is more of the same. Claiming that she reads all newspapers. She can't name a Supreme Court case other than Roe V Wade. Stop the torture! Sarah Palin is completely unqualified for office. Why do we need to learn that slowly? Just put out all the stupid answers out at once, put a stake in her candidacy and let the Country move on. Why humiliate her bit by bit each day with a new clip?

It is up to Joe Biden to end this farce. He's got the only chance of ending this. He has 90 minutes in the spotlight to put her out of her misery. Joe, if you don't give her the mercy she deserves and end her candidacy Thursday night, we are in for five more weeks of this slow torture.

End it Joe. For all our sakes.

Swung

Obama up in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He wins those three and its over. Of course, its not election day, so its not, in fact, over.