Rock On

Unity

Today we are all Indian.

Power Back On

Samantha Power, who got caught up in some campaign b.s. back during the endless primary, is getting a job with the transition team. Sure, we can loose the occasional hack to campaign crap, but Power is way too important to let go over little crap.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ha!

Too many jokes...

Page Six is reporting that right-wing agitator and controversy-seeker Ann Coulter's jaw is wired tightly shut.

Must...tell...one.

How Will They Know?

News from FoxNews:

“Hannity & Colmes,” the longest-running program on the Fox News Channel, will soon be without Colmes.

Alan Colmes, 58, the liberal half of the 9 p.m. show, will leave his daily hosting duties at the end of the year, the network announced Monday.

While the network remained quiet about its plans for the political debate program, two people close to the network said that Sean Hannity, 46, Mr. Colmes’s conservative counterpart for the last 12 years, would become the sole host of the hour.

No really, how is this different?

Quote of the Day

"Republicans are going to be to some extent almost irrelevant in the next two years."

Former Louisiana GOP Congressman W. Henson Moore

From a story on the shake-up on K-Street.

More Bail

Could all companies not needing a massive government bailout please take two steps back. Anyone?

Bacon

I present to you Bacon Today. Info you can use.

Your Moment of Zen

Yo Ho Ho Ho...

Piracy is the new news. Robert Farley has booth words and video. For even more cool pirate info, check out this Live Global Map of pirate attacks.

Play at Home

Think you can guess what a voter intended? Thanks to Minnesota Public Radio, you can see the challenged ballots and take you best shot at figuring out who intended to vote for whom.

And before you despair over the state of the American voter, keep in mind these are the dumbest, sloppiest, weirdest voters out of some 3 million voters in this Senate race. Normally these folks don't matter, but with a margin this close, every stray pen mark matters.

I mean, an extra write-in vote for the "Lizard People?" What, is that suppose to be funny?

Al Franken as Senator would be funny. But you know, in a good way.

Via

Let's Do a Deal

As a member in good standing with the liberal agenda, I can make the following offer to my right-wing fellows. We will give up our non-existent drive to bring back the fairness doctrine and drive Rush from the airwaves if you agree to, let's say, health care reform.

What do you say?

Done

Missouri has finally called. McCain won by 3,632 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. Let's all just say a little thank you to fate for the fact that this election didn't come down to Missouri. Who amoung us wanted to wait two weeks.

New World

Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command of a organization dedicated to the violent destruction of the United States and a proud son of Egypt, doesn't think that Obama is black enough:

In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect..."house negroes."

Bad Idea

Should not have done this. Mark my words, Lieberman will screw Obama and the Dems before the term is out. On some foreign policy question, right at a key moment, Lieberman with will repay this kindness. I'm completely sure of this.

Called!

Ted Stevens is done.

Now Alaska only has to account for that whole Palin thing.

Too High a Price

Obama has to give up E-Mail.

I couldn't. Could you?

Best Pirate I've Ever Seen.

I've been treating the fact that piracy has returned to the waters off Somalia like some kind of fluke - imagine, pirates, in this day and age! But news that they were able to snatch a fraking supertanker carrying more than $100 million worth of crude makes this officially serious. Serious means anything that raises my gas prices. Where's the navy? Not just ours, all of them. I'm thinking stopping piracy is a basic function of the navy. Billions of dollars gets spent each year for you to sail around in your fancy boats. There are no wars at sea going on. It's time to use that boat for something other than picking up chicks in foreign ports.

Get on it.

UPDATE: Score one for the Indian Navy.

Job Go Bye-Bye

It's not just Citigroup that's laying people off.

Poor Focus on the Family is dumping people too.

Both banking and mucking around with gay folk's marriages are suffering industries these days.

Via

It's All Crap

But you knew that already. Everything the McCain-Palin ticket said about Obama during the campaign was crap. Crap that they didn't even believe. Cause if they really beleived that Obama was the terror-loving socialist they claim, then McCain wouldn't be meeting with Obama today and Palin wouldn't be looking forward to working with him.

I wouldn't take a meeting with a terrorist-lover. I wouldn't love forward to working with someone who would endanger our nation.

It was all crap.

Go on Now

Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane

Good News

One of the most notable Democratic Party operatives ever, the magnificently named Greg Craig, is going to be named White House Counsel.

She's a Promise in a Year of Election

What Just Happened?

Via Ezra, a really interesting write-up on the financial meltdown. Even the people right there in it could not believe or even understand what was happening. I kid about the whole mattress thing, but this story makes me want to never allow anyone to "manage" my money ever again. I need to read me some Liar's Poker.

Warning

Bush is now a cautionary tale. All would-be invaders and would-be Caesars beware, things can go south for you in a hurry.

Still Here?

Sarah Palin is everywhere. It's like she's getting all those interviews the McCain campaign was denying her, cause she's a idiot. She's still an idiot, still doesn't know anything, but now she's being asked questions that you can be an idiot and still answer, like "how do you feel about..?" and "in the future you will..?"

Dodged a bullet there, American, dodged a bullet.

Numbers Game

I take back some of the bad things I've said about the good State of Alaska. Ted Stevens is now down three votes as more and more late votes come in. THREE VOTES.

UPDATE: 814 Votes! That's got to be a comforting margin of victory these days.

What's It To You?

Olbermann is getting a four year contract extension. He's not going away.

Bonus: You Get a Code Name

The Secret Service code names for the incoming First and Second Families:

Barack Obama - Renegade

Michelle Obama - Renaissance

Malia Obama - Radiance

Sasha Obama - Rosebud

Joe Biden's - Celtic

Jill Biden - Capri

Sure, you have to eat rubber chicken and trudge though the snow of Iowa and give speech after speech after speech and have Sean Hannity tell America that you're a terrorist night after night. But in the end, you get a code name. A really cool code name.

R-Rated World

Joe Scarborough drops the F-Bomb on MSNBC, ironically while trying to bash incoming CoS Rahm Emanuel's heavy use of the word. Ha, Ha.

Look, we live in an R-rated world, filled with sex and violence and most of all, cussing. I hear cussing everyday. So do you. I myself went to the F-Bomb just today, when a tree planting exercise took a wrong turn. The world of politics, filled with competition, high-tension negotiation and people getting screwed with their pants on. Of course it's filled with swearing. Working on a campaign was where I learned my favorite curse of all time "What a cluster f--k" (lots of things get screwed up on campaign.) Everybody curses up a storm in the world of politics. When from time to time it slips out on TV, why do we always act so shocked?

Measuring the Drapes

Changing of the Guard:

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush welcomed President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, to the White House on Monday afternoon.

Bush and Obama held a private meeting in the Oval Office, while the first lady gave the incoming first lady a tour of the residence.

Woo.

Rock On

How's everybody feeling tonight? Missing that certain someone?

New Day

Memo to World

New American President is a black guy:

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave an enthusiastic, if unconventional, welcome on Thursday to the election of Barack Obama, citing among his attributes youth, good looks and a "suntan."

I know it's a new thing, but try and get your head around it.

236

That's the current Al Franken vote deficit. He picked up 100 votes when an error was corrected. Somebody entered 24 instead of 124. For those of you who miss Florida, I give you the great State of Minnesota.

Alaska Makes Me Question...

...Democracy itself.

If you read much about the underpinnings of the American Revolution, you hear a lot about Civic Virtue. If we put the people in charge, are they going to be virtuous enough not to lead us to disaster.

Well, what the hell Alaska? You sent a bad man back to office, knowing full well what he was. Why did you do it? For the pork? If a man gets you enough worthless bridges, do you forgive him anything? Between this and the Palin thing, Alaskan voters are rabidly getting a reputation for bad, bad choices. As it should be. We need to make examples out of some folks, to inspire everyone else.

Have to keep up the civic virtue somehow.

Transistion Time

Can I get a job? Maybe provisional assistant vice-undersecretary of something? This part is really fascinating. Who gets what job. Who's going to be good, who's going to be a disaster. Did everyone pay taxes on their illegal immigrant nanny?

UPDATE: Ok, here's the actual web page for you to apply for a job with the Obama Administration. I'm all talk, but if you want to...

In Other News

Son of a...

Both Al Franken and Charlie Brown are down by just a few hundred votes in their races. Definitely recount territory, but I would much rather they be up a little than down a little.

I cannot believe that the good people of Alaska just reelected a convicted felon to the United States Senate.

Dems are at +5 in the Senate, with a few races left to play out. Time to dump Joe Lieberman.

Prop 8 is winning. Damn. The Supertrain looks like its going to squeak it out. As is redistricting.

Dems pick up at least 20 in the House, with some more races left to finish.

Oh, and President Obama. Wow.

Yes We Can

How We Doing?

5:30 Early result very not surprising. I'm mostly watching MSNBC on the TV and CNN election central on the web. No battle grounds called, except for PA, which got called right away for Obama. So much for that "battleground"

5:40 Libby Dole is toast.

6:02 CNN now has it 174-49 Obama with the 6:00 pm poll closings. No battlegrounds yet, but that looks good. Keep in mind that CA is worth 55.

6:08 Udall wins in New Mexico. The Dems are at +4 in the Senate.

6:24 Ohio! MSNBC calls. Easy night.

6:25 Damn looks like McConnel, that little worm, is going to make it. But he's going to be leading a lot less Republicans in the Senate.

6:40 Who puts Obama over the top? I'm kind of hoping we get to 8:00 pm and CA. But Florida or Virgina could spoil the fun. Take your time counting folks.

7:03 Next round of poll closings. Utah for McCain, Iowa for Obama. You got one hour left to vote in California. Move.

7:11 Last of his kind. Chris Shays is done. There are now no GOP Congressman from all of New England.

8:00 The coast makes toast. Obama is the next President of the United States.

My Story

I voted. Dodged the morning rush at my polling place, so no waiting. One poor bastard was stuck in bureaucratic limbo, not showing up on any of the lists, but everyone else was voting smoothly. Did you know that Allen Keys is on the ballot this year? No, for President. I had no idea. I had to make a snap decision on a Community College bond measure and an adjustment to local utility taxes. I hoped I picked right.

Tell me your voting story.

Today is the Day

This is it. If you haven't already, get your ass to the polls. This is about choosing the path our nation will take. Here and now. No one vote will be enough. Voting is about faith. Faith in each other. It's doing your part, and counting on your fellows, all across the Nation, to do theirs. Tens of millions of little parts, and they add up to something extraordinary. I do not promise you perfection. This is not about salvation, or utopia or paradise. But if you all do what you can do, we can make a better world.

One Day More

Now is your time.

Don't Temp the Thing from on High

Something to keep in mind.

Let's Review

Voter guide is here. Study hard, or just print that sucker out and take it with you.

There's a measure on the ballot in San Fransisco to legalize prostitution. Woo? Maybe. I'm sort of torn. What do you think? Prostitution is your classic victimless crime, until it isn't. All kinds of nasty associated with prostitution, exploited immigrants, nasty pimps and the like.

Still not sure who I'm going to vote for in the Mayor's race. Very unsettling for me.

What are some local issues, you, the loyal readers are considering?

Looking For Drama

There might not be enough drama in the Presidential race to hold your attention for the entire night. But if you're like me, you need to stay up all night Tuesdays, you need some drama to hold your interest. Well, how about the Al Franken race? Polls are very close, with some showing Al up, some with him down, but always very, very close. There's a third party guy whose scrambling the results, and Coleman has had a rash of late-breaking scandals. Gosh darn it, this is where you find drama. And I like it.

Oh and for extra Senate drama, the Georgia race could go to a run-off in December. Georgia law required a run-off if no one get 50%, and a Libertarian is running strong enough to make that happen. The Dems race to get to 60 votes in the Senate could go into overtime.

Two Days

Let's keep it together.

Bring 'Em Home