Complete and Utter Disfunction

It's really embarrassing when you think about it.

ILLINOIS
A corrupt governor is accused of trying to sell an appointment to the Senate. The state legislature refuses - and ultimately it is refusal - to do anything about it. They refused to impeach him a year ago. They refused to pass a law removing his appointment powers when he was arrested. They refused to impeach him after his arrest. In fact, they promised they would meet everyday business day, with only holidays off, to consider it. I know for sure they did not work the 19th, 22nd, and 26th. I'm not sure they worked at all last week. In fact, when the governor with a known taint ran for reelection almost every major politician in his party backed him over a credible candidate.

Now the tainted governor has appointed a long retired politician to the seat, retired mostly because he couldn't win a statewide election for a decade or more. The gov had the power because the state legislature refused to do anything about it. Now the Sec. of State won't sign the certification papers although as best I can tell he has no authority to refuse to sign them. The majority party in the Senate won't seat him because they say it isn't valid.


MINNESOTA
Another race is so close that after numerous recounts and challenges the Minnesota Board of Canvassers has declared the Democratic candidate to have won by 225 votes. The sore loser says that about 3 times as many ballot as the margin were improperly excluded from the recount. He vows to challenge in the courts. Discounting the excluded ballots this is election is a practical tie. The state's governor, that must sign the certification papers, is a member of the same political party as the loser. The governor won't sign the papers. The minority party in the Senate say they won't allow the declared winner to be seated.

Tom Toles Dead On

Stick to Milk

For the 5th time Jim Oberweis, now slightly less filthy rich, lost an election. I disagree with this guy on just about everything so I'm happy he lost. What drives him to spend so much of his own money running for all these political offices? Hubris? Nothing else to spend the money on? I don't get it. I assume he will run for the open Senate seat in two years.

History!

There's a lot of work to be done. There's an effective and determined opposition still in place. But for now...

Remember we've elected a man that believes the Constitution is NOT a coloring book.

Remember we've elected a man that won't start wars without just provication.

Remember we've elected a man that will govern with reason and not dogma.

Remember...

YES WE CAN!

Random Thoughts From Election Day

If I believed in a god I would be convinced she wanted Obama to win. He scheduled a huge outdoor rally in Chicago in November. It has been sunny and warm since Sunday. The ground is drying and the rally goers will be comfortable. Clearly Obama has been touched by His Noodly Appendage.


About the rally, the city suggested that businesses have people stay home. I don't know of any businesses that let people have the day off but it feels like a lot people took the initiative themselves. Walking around at lunch time and saw relatively very few people out and about. A lot of those I did see were touristy types taking pictures.


The city announced that people should not drive downtown to the rally. They suggest using remote parking facilities. Like O'Hare!


I can't believe how fully vested I feel in this election. I'm edgy and can't concentrate on anything else. I'm reading all kinds of blogs and comments looking for people's stories of voting and their observations. I'm useless at work. I should have stayed home. If we party too hard tonight I might take tomorrow off.


Mom said it took her 50 minutes to vote in St. Paul, MN this morning. No hiccups. My brother voted early last Thursday.


I voted straight Green Party for the Water Reclamation District. After voting no on retention of judges listed as Not Qualified I alternated Yes/No because voting for judges is Teh Stoopid.


There's a report that more volunteers are showing up at Obama field offices than promised.


For your election night party planning, here's a map of when the polls close in various states. On NPR they said some news organizations are expecting to call the election long before the all the polls close.

Have You Voted Yet?

Let Me Just Remind You

UPDATE:

Of all the things that tomorrow's election is about - economic sanity, competent government, ending a misbegotten war - the most important issue is the Supreme Court. The next president is likely to appoint 2 or 3 justices to the court.

Of all the issues that will come before the Supreme Court - abortion, pay discrimination, corporate liability - one stands above all else. The Unitary Executive. This is the theory of government that the president has unlimited and unchecked powers in a time of emergency and the president has the power to declare said emergency. This is what Bush and Co. have done. They have attacked and undermined our constitutional order beyond anything I ever thought could be possible. And they appointed justices - Roberts and Alito - that would support their view of the world. McCain wants to appoint the same kind of justices.

Not to be melodramatic, but we CANNOT survive that.

See Andrew's endorsement from today. Go read it all.

But we saw in 2006 that, when push came to shove, even McCain acquiesced to the legalization of America's use of the very same torture techniques once used against him. And in this campaign, we have seen how no Republican candidate can escape the logic of bigotry, fanaticism and xenophobia that now grips and motivates the Republican party base. We have also learned, much more importantly, that McCain would appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who would acquiesce to and constitutionally entrench the dictatorial presidency that Bush-Cheney believe in as loyally as Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia. That means we are one vote away from the court ever restraining this unchecked executive. It doesn't matter who that executive is and what party he or she belongs to. What matters is that the controls upon it - controls critical to the endurance of constitutional balance and Baghdadfrancopagettitime individual freedom in America - have been frayed to the breaking point. There is no greater cause right now than repairing that.

If I were to give one reason why I believe electing Barack Obama is essential tomorrow, it would be an end to this dark, lawless period in American constitutional government.

...

Unlike McCain, Obama has never wavered on torture or habeas corpus or on keeping the executive branch under the law. His deep understanding and awareness of the Constitution eclipses McCain's. Coming from the opposing party, he will also be able to restore confidence that what lies within America's secret government - the one constructed by Bush and Cheney beyond any accountability, law or morality - will be ended or cleaned up. He can restore critically needed trust again - and force the Democratic party to take responsibility for a war which we all need to own, and take responsibility for, again.

If you haven't already, go vote tomorrow.


UPDATE II
Let me just expand a little on what I wrote above and this is an argument for Democrats, Republicans, Independatns, Greens, Libertarians, and what not. Americans have a history of electing divided governments. We seem to like the president to come from one party and have our Congress controlled by the other party. But if McCain is elected and appoints judges in the vein of Roberts and Alito then we could expect to see that Supreme Court confirm and uphold the Unitary Executive theory. The Unitary Executive cuts off checks and balances. The President declares something and that's the final word. If that happens divided government means bupkis. I don't want any president, be it Bush, McCain, Obama, Clinton, or anyone else having unchecked power.

Election Night Predictions

Testing... bring the table up.

2008 Predicted Prez Results

	OBAMA	McStaighTalk
EV TOTALS	359	179
AL - 9		9
AK - 3		3
AZ - 10		10
AR - 6		6
CA - 55	55
CO - 9	9
CT - 7	7
DE - 3	3
DC - 3	3
FL - 27	27
GA - 15		15
HI - 4	4
ID - 4		4
IL - 21	21
IN - 11		11
IA - 7	7
KS - 6		6
KY - 8		8
LA - 9		9
ME - 4	4
MD - 10	10
MA - 12	12
MI - 17	17
MN - 10	10
MS - 6		6
MO - 11	11
MT - 3		3
NE - 5		5
NV - 5	5
NH - 4	4
NJ - 15	15
NM - 5	5
NY - 31	31
NC - 15	15
ND - 3		3
OH - 20	20
OK - 7		7
OR - 7	7
PA - 21	21
RI - 4	4
SC - 8		8
SD - 3		3
TN - 11		11
TX - 34		34
UT - 5		5
VT - 3	3
VA - 13	13
WA - 11	11
WV - 5		5
WI - 10	10
WY - 3		3

Is Obama Reading LPCardsFan?

Just the other day I mention a poll showing a close race in Arizona but that I was unaware of Obama spending time or money in the state.

Then comes the briefing.

NOTE TO Obama: A coworker from GA thinks Johnny is going to whip you there. Prove 'im wrong!

NOTE TO Secret Service Types: I don't really think your charge is stalking me but it'd be cool if he was. Please pass along the note about GA. Thanks!

Today's Stat

46% to 44%
McCain's lead over Obama. In Arizona!

I've been quietly wondering to some friends if McCain might actually pull a Gore and lose his home state. I've not heard of Obama spending much time or effort there but with the large number of retirees in the state, McCain's "Social Security funding system is a disgrace" comment could pose a problem for him.

They Still Don't Understand

Here's some interesting speculation. Obama is playing McCain in Pennsylvania, getting him to spend time and money in a state McCain can't win. No real facts in the post but it jives with my theory that Obama learned to play hardball in Chicago politics. Nothing illegal going on there. Just trying to motivate the troops in PA. Just because Johnny McStraighTalk may have made another snap decision that doesn't make sense isn't Obama's fault.

Is Palin Anti - Education?

Sully makes a good point. Why are her young kids on the campaign trail during the school year? I can tell you for a fact that if my parents had ever been in a situation where their job took them away from home for long periods of time I would have been sitting at home going to school.

They certainly aren't intellectual snobs. My father has his high school diploma and has spent his life doing manual labor. Mom has an associates degree and has spent most of her life working as a sales/service assistant in the paper industry. Lower middle income people their entire life but they understood the importance of education on multiple levels. Not only would an education allow one to live a more financially lucrative life but it also gave you a basis to understand the world and to deal with day-to-day life.

UPDATE:
I stand corrected.

...but you don't get to be governor without being smart. Do you think you're intellectual?

Sarah: Yehhh-sss.

"He's a Muslim"

No, Barack Obama is not a Muslim despite how much people on the right like to hint at that rumor.

But if he was, that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Thank you and R.I.P Kareem

Today's Stat

100,000
volunteers are working for Obama. In Florida. I'm trying not to get my hopes up but this could be a freakin' landslide.

Coattails!

Saxby Chambliss is in a fight for his seat. And as the commenters on the thread point out Mitch McConnell, the current minority leader, and Norm Coleman are in tough fights too. I'm not following the Senate races close enough to make a prediction but the Democrats have a shot at a veto proof majority in the Senate. Now whether or not that would be a good thing could be debated.

MI Concession

McCain is pulling out of Michigan. He has canceled a campaign stop next week and his political ads will be off the air by the end of the week.

I think this is a big deal. Michigan is the proverbial heart land of our country's manufacturing. Despite their sports animosities, Ohio and Michigan are intimately connected in the business and work world. A lot of the parts used to build cars in Michigan come from Ohio (and Indiana). McCain is certainly going to continue to campaign in Ohio but if he's not in Michigan talking to their workers there will be less carry over to Ohio.

All else being equal, if Ohio flips to the Democratic category, Obama wins.

A friend of mine (who has friends working on the Obama campaign) is predicting Obama wins 40 states. I think he's way out on a limb here but this is a first step.

UPDATE: West Virginia mine workers walk off the job to SUPPORT OBAMA. Maybe 40 states is possible.

McCain's Suspension

What to say?

Johnny McStraighTalk has been showing his true colors for weeks but yesterday takes the cake. He's in full panic mode and is lurching at any string he can think of to pull himself out of into the mire. Yes, into the mire.

His campaign is slipping and there is no solid footing. His "brilliant" choice for VP has to be kept in a Cone of Silence to keep her safe from the media. Or, more accurately, keep the campaign safe from the repercussions when everyone realizes she's completely incompetent and unqualified.

His poll numbers are falling, in part because of Palin, but just as much because people are realizing Johnny doesn't offer them any thing they want. He offers more war, more unregulated Wall Street greed. He wants to tax your medical benefits, if you are lucky enough to have them, not provide a mechanism for more universal coverage. He wants to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

In short, he is more of the same. But more than that, he is more of Bush's first term.

So what does he do? He jumps at the string dangling from Paulson's $700B Wall Street bailout and pulls himself into the middle of the debate. This will do no good for anyone, but Johnny hopes it will help him by putting himself in the spotlight. Only John "I was once a POW" McCain, riding his white horse, wearing his white hat, can save his campaign the day.

He says he doesn't have time for debates. (A ploy to cancel the VP debate and hide Palin?)

He says he doesn't have time for politics. (Of course, that's exactly what this is.)

He has to save the world. But, he doesn't know how and he can't. He will fling any bit of poo he can find at the wall, hope it sticks, and say he was the hero. That's how he handles every crisis. Every stressful situation. Every challenge to himself. He flies off the handle and does the first thing that comes to mind.

Johnny doesn't have the temperament, the judgement, the patience, the caution, or the skill to handle the presidency.

McCain Suspends Campaign

I'm processing this. There are many angels here. First impression, McCain is panicking and grasping at any straw to make Obama look bad.

As Matt Yglesias said, I'd like a president that can walk and chew gum at the same time.

McCain and Social Security

Obama's ad.

The question is extremely valid.

A Staff Meeting