Farewell to October

And thus ends my month of daily posts. Thanks to my loyal readers for following along on this adventure and for any of you newbies out there, thanks for joining in. I hope you decide to stick around and feel free to comment.

Things will hopefully be changing in our political landscape in the next few days, but I am sure I will still find things to pontificate upon. Should the Democratic Party succeed in gaining control, which signs certainly point to at the moment, I will doubtless be disappointed with some of their efforts. That is to be expected,I wouldn't agree with any political party or system 100 percent of the time, probably not even one I headed.

Enjoy your Halloween, and hang in there, only three more days until this roller coaster ride comes to a halt.

Proselytizing

I had an exchange yesterday that left me perplexed, a friend, someone who I never thought would have strong feelings either way politically, informed me that they were clearly in the McCain camp and would never be able to vote for Obama. When I queried the friend as to why they felt that way, the friend said they didn't care to discuss it because they didn't like debating with friends and it would accomplish nothing.

I am torn on how to feel about this. Part of me thinks that the days were people did not talk about politics or religion in polite society may have had something on us today. On the flip side, I feel that a lively discourse not only is good for promoting a full understanding of the issues at hand, but can also be a heck of a good time.

Now I admit that I often cross the line between debating and converting. For that I offer my apologies, but I won't apologize for passionately believing in what I believe. And perhaps that is what perplexes me the most here—not wanting to defend your beliefs. That to me is one of the sacred rights I have as an American.

Down to the Wire

The lease is up and the tenants are going to trash the joint but good before they take off. Sound like a bunch of college seniors after graduation? Nope, it is the Bush Administration taking a hatchet to our environmental regulations before January. MSNBC has the full scoop here, but some details are below:

Many of the rules that could be issued over the next few weeks would ease environmental regulations, according to sources familiar with administration deliberations.

Two other rules nearing completion would ease limits on pollution from power plants, a major energy industry goal for the past eight years that is strenuously opposed by Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups.

Under 10 Minutes

A friend asked me what I thought of Obama's 30-minute message earlier this week. I missed it Tuesday night unfortunately, but I took the time and listened to it this morning. Said friend wanted to know how far I could get before I got misty. Apparently despite my best efforts I have developed a reputation as as softie. I started listening and thought, this will be a piece of cake, I can make it through with nary a tear. And then they highlighted the older black couple and when the wife talked about the husband having to go back to work, so they could afford her medications, I knew it was over. I was good again until the 20 minute mark when Obama talks about how is mom didn't live to see her grandchildren.

So there you have it.

I know they were pulling out all the stops to make this a moving  piece for Obama. The music, the snippets of his speeches (and dang it, if you aren't moved when that man makes a speech you have a heart of stone in my book), and the tales from "real" people did it. I don't know if I think that it will change any one's mind, but maybe the point was to bring it home to those who are undecided (although who these people are and why they can't make up their mind, for the life of me I can not comprehend). I can see where this infomercial might pull that off. 

Because Obama is right, everyone does have a story. And within our own stories, we carry the stories of our parents and grandparents. From my paternal grandparents who didn't finish high school and worked in factories their entire lives, never seeming to realize that there could be more or perhaps never even wanting more, to my maternal grandparents who adhered to a traditional middle class 50's idyllic life on the service, but in retrospect perhaps had darker undercurrents; to my mother whose inability to accomplish her dreams and her frustrations with that were placed on my shoulders to achieve and my father, who with his simple expectations and firmly rooted opinions, perhaps influenced me most of all. Those are the parameters of my story and without them I would not be who I am, I would not be the American I am and I would not vote the way I do. We are all the culmination of our stories and I feel that the time has come to write a new chapter.

What do you think, gentle reader?

So It Has Come to This

For the second time in the last several months, an effigy of Barack Obama was found on a college campus. The first, back in September showed up at George Fox University in Oregon and yesterday it happened at the University of Kentucky (to be be Sarah Palin was hung in effigy at a home in West Hollywood, California).

Read more here, here and here.

Saved by Salon

Just when I was beginning to panic about what I was going to post today, Salon comes along and saves me (thank god there are only two more days in this month—next time I decide to do this post every day for a month thing I am SO picking February and not in a leap year . . .).

First, a clip from The Daily Show where Samantha Bee tells McCain just where he can stick his air quotes for women's health:

And then this, where a hockey mom does a Sarah Palin-inspired version of Don't Cry for Me Argentina. It's a tad long and the middle is hard to decipher in parts, but the beginning and end are best and it can be summed up with this snippet of lyrics: My kid plays hockey, and I wear lipstick/ but I'm a thinker, and you're a dipstick.

TiVo Time

Oh goodie! Time to set the TiVo's gentle readers—Obama is going to appear on Wednesday nights The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Yippee!

Obama By a Nose

While now is certainly not the time to rest on any laurels with a week left until Election Day, there is good news. The latest Pew poll had this to say about the contest between Obama and McCain:

Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 52% to 36% margin in Pew’s latest nationwide survey of 1,325 registered voters. This is the fourth consecutive survey that has found support for the Republican candidate edging down. In contrast, since early October weekly Pew surveys have shown about the same number of respondents saying they back Obama. When the sample is narrowed to those most likely to vote, Obama leads by 53% to 38%.

Just as ominous for the Republican candidate, Obama holds a 53% to 34% lead among the sizable minority of voters (15%) who say they have already voted. Among those who plan to vote early but have not yet voted (16% of voters), 56% support Obama, while 37% support McCain.

In Play

Chuck Todd, MSNBC analyst said this morning (I think it was on Morning Joe, but I haven't found a video link yet) that Arizona was being moved to the lean column for McCain in terms of his chances of taking the state. OUCH! Here's the text from the MSNBC site:

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** Two weeks out: There are no significant changes to this week’s NBC electoral map. Obama continues to hold a 264-163 lead over McCain, which is unchanged from last week. The slight changes: We moved Georgia, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District from Likely McCain to Lean McCain. Also, we almost moved McCain’s home state of Arizona to the Lean column; the state would have been a battleground had McCain not been on the ticket. And keep an eye on South Carolina -- yes, South Carolina. The historic African-American turnout appears to be happening and could make it a single-digit race there. In sum, the political winds are still at Obama’s back. As for the Toss-up states and any that are teetering toward Obama: Colorado, Florida, and Virginia all seem to tilting the Democrat's way, but we haven't moved them yet because all three states have histories of Republican candidates over-performing polls. Unlike other maps, ours is not poll-driven. Polls are only a part of how we make our decisions on our map.

Doing My Part

I saw this over the weekend and in addition had a friend send the Daily Kos link to it This is worth checking out because it just illustrates the crazy notions rattling around in Palin's skull. I mean come on, a bomber is a bomber and thus a terrorist. I don't care if they are in Israel blowing themselves up in a market or in Arkansas targeting an abortion clinic. Same difference in my book.

Sunday Roundup

—I voted Saturday. And if the hour long line I stood in is any indication (and yes, I am assuming that the majority of African Americans will be casting their vote for Obama) then the man is going to win in a walk. And if he doesn't win, it will be because something nefarious has been pulled and there will be thousands of unhappy people who will not take the news lightly.

—John McCain appeared on "Meet the Press" this morning. Brokaw asked him about his endorsements and he mentioned the five former secretaries of state that gave him the nod. that have given him the nod. Except he couldn't remember one of their name and when I just looked up his endorsements, I only found four—Schultz, Haig, Eagleburger, Kissenger. So either he has forgotten one or made one up. Yep, time to go back to Arizona McGrumpy.

—I love David Sedaris. Anybody that can make me laugh out loud reading is a plus in my book. And let's face it, there are many funny things about growing up in the South, some funny ha-ha and some funny painful (I can only imagine how that is multiplied by growing up gay in the South). So for Sedaris to have emerged and be able to laugh about it, is quite a feat. Here's a bit I liked from a recent essay he did for The New Yorker (and yes I am once again going to give my undecided brethern a poke).

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

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.

I mean, really, what’s to be confused about?

For Your Amusement

A friend sent this the other day and it made me laugh. Enjoy!


We've decided we're leaving.
We intend to form our own
country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,
Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and
all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial
to the nation, and especially to the people of the new
country of New California.
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma, and all the slave
states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America 's venture
capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get
to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent
lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of
happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be
pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our
citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people
to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're
apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose,
and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their
children's caskets coming home. We do wish you
success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but
we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.
With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm
control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more
than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent
of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's
quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners),
90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech
industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living
redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven
Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to
cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their
projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S.
mosquitoes, nearly 100percent of the tornadoes, 90
percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern
Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists,
Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the
University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe
Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe
life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or
gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory,
53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent
of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher
morals then we lefties. Wow...takes your breath away..........
By the way, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have
that dirt weed they grow in Mexico .
Peace out,
Blue States

The Hot Lady & the Tiger Woods Guy

Will Ferrell almost makes me think I might miss Bush when he leaves office . . . nope, I was wrong.

Just Make Up Your Mind

I almost forgot about this, but it is too good to pass up. Enjoy!

<

Wynken, Blynken & Nod

I am tired today folks—nothing like a croupy toddler to put a spring in your step (but for a personal moment, there is nothing like said croupy toddle giving you eskimo kisses at 4am to make you smile either). So I am going to blatantly steal for today's post (since I am still doing that everyday posting and have yet to miss a day—yeah me).

A while back I came across an interesting blog, Rebel Dad, for stay at home dads. I read it because my husband is a stay at home dad and I like to pretend that I am getting into his head and seeing things from his side of the fence. This may or may not be effective, you would have to ask him. Anywho, the writer behind Rebel Dad, Brian Reid, also writes a parenting column for The Washington Post. He recently did a comparison of the two candidates stances on some family-related policies. Here's the nut-nut:

• McCain would push for legislation that allows employees to swap overtime pay for comp time.
  
• Obama would allow workers to formally petition for flexible schedules.
  
• Obama would work to make paid sick leave available to all.
  
• McCain would not support paid sick leave, though the comp time proposal could help employees take time away from work without suffering economic difficulty.
  
• McCain would not expand FMLA or push for paid leave.
  
• Obama would expand FMLA and give the states $1.5 billion to begin providing paid leave.
  
• Obama would quadruple the number of children eligible for Head Start.
  
• McCain would work to better spend the $25 billion in early education funding now in place at the state and federal level.
  

Of course who knows how much either one of them will stick to these proposals, but I continue to feel that the United States policies on family leave are beyond backward and the fact that all workers are not given paid sick time is heinous and cruel. But then I am a flaming liberal, what do I know?

Today's Palin

From the Know Your Constitution corner:

Olbermann calls Palin on not knowing what the real duties of the VP are. And it ain't making policy in the Senate.

From the Hockey Mom/Joe Six Pack corner:

The RNC has apparently spend $150,000 to clothe Palin and her family at Saks, Neiman Marcus and Barneys. Not to shabby, does that mean the rest of us "real Americans" get to cast aside Target, Old Navy and other bargain-esque retailers? Hey, I'm all for that. Should I just send the bills to the RNC or McCain personally? I don't think every item of clothing in my house, mine, the spouse's and the spawn's, would equal $150,000 and trust me folks I like to shop. But it's okay, because the RNC swears the clothes will get donated to charity after the campaign is over.

Tarred and Heeled

Today I woke up and found myself thinking that South Carolina wasn't looking so bad after all (my apologies to any gentle readers that live or hold warm places in their hearts for my southern neighbor). Yes, my pride in being a North Carolinian is in serious question this week.

I posted yesterday about the sad and grotesque killing of a bear club in the mountain regions of my state. Later I learned of several other events that have happened across North Carolina in recent days—all election related—that are enough to make you question your neighbors and ponder a new address. 

In Fayetteville, in the eastern part of the state, Obama made a stop on Sunday at the Cape Fear BBQ & Chicken for a meet and greet. Upon entering the restaurant, patron Diane Fanning, 54, yelled, “Boo, socialist! Socialist! Get out of here!” Lovely.

Later the same day, at least 30 car tires were slashed outside of an auditorium where Obama was speaking. Classy.

In Concord, outside of Charlotte, Republican Representative Robin Hayes said on Saturday that "Liberals hate real Americans that work and accomplish and achieve and believe in God." Nice.

Yep, that is my home state, proud in its bigotry and narrow-mindedness folks. And in case you were wondering, I not only work, but I like to think I have accomplished and achieved, and even on my lowest day, I, Broad Minded—a devoted feminist liberal of the leftist bent—will admit to believing in God. Now if you don't mind, I am going to go sit down, drink myself a high-priced latte and contemplate learning Swedish.

Inhuman

This is just wrong:

The Asheville (N.C.) Citizen Times reports, "A dead bear was found dumped this morning on the Western Carolina University campus, draped with a pair of Obama campaign signs, university police said."

For the full story, go here. Hard to be proud of my fellow North Carolinians today.

McCarthyism, Part Deux

This happened several days ago, but it is quite disturbing and deserves a post I think. This is Chris Matthew's of Hardball interviewing Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Matthews zeros in on her McCarthy-esque call to expose her fellow congress members "anti-American views." What is awesome is that this woman is running for re-election and her running off at the mouth has raised her Democratic rival, Elwyn Tinklenberg (really this is the dude's name, he needs all the help this dipshit can throw his way) over $600,000. Sweet.

So my fellow Americans, are you worried that liberals are anti-American?

Saturday Night Palin

Apparently Governor Sarah Palin does at least have a sense of humor. Although the two sketches she appeared in on Saturday's episode of SNL, where brief and didn't require her to do much more than be herself, (something most of the country, admittedly, hasn't seen much of) she at least did that with some grace. So I will give her some credit for that.

And then I heard about an interview that Palin gave to a CBN reporter. In guess you don't know, the CBN is the Christian Broadcasting Network. Yep, that's right folks, Palin won't do a press conference and has only done two interviews with any of the Big Three networks, but she has time for CBN. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. So that credit I extended to Palin in the previous paragraph—gotta take that back. Sorry Sarah.

Style & Substance

Hot damn. Colin Powell just did it. He came out for Barack Obama as president on "Meet the Press." Powell seemed particularly bothered by the exaggeration surrounding Obama's relationship with William Ayers and the Republican parties dismissal of our Muslim Americans, citing a photo essay in which a mother is laying over the grave of her Muslim son, an American born in New Jersey, who died in Iraq. And he said that Obama had style AND substance.

This is a huge coup for Obama. Despite the WMD nonsense the Bush administration foisted on him prior to the Iraq invasion, Powell still has a lot of respect, I think, in politics. I wonder who on the right will be next. First Christopher Buckley, son of the late arch conservative William F. Buckly, and now Powell.

Game Time

A friend sent me this link and it is a fun little game of "what if" to play on a lovely fall day. Enjoy!

www.palinaspresident.us

Powell to the People

Per Yahoo News:

Retired Gen. Colin Powell, once considered a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), now may endorse his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), according to Republican sources. But an air of mystery surrounds Powell's planned live appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," and no one is sure what he will say.

I Would Need Charts & Graphs . . .

And today I have them thanks to a co-worker. This is, believe it or not, from Sunday's Parade Magazine. Go figure.

Obama McCain

If you make  . . .  you'd save— you'd save—

less than $19,000 $567 $21

$19,000 to $37,600 $892 $118

$37,600 to $66,400 $1,118 $325

$66,400 to $111,600 $1,264 $994

$111,600 to$161,000 $2,135 $2,584

$161,000 to $227,000 $2,796 $4,437

If you're in the top 5% of earners . . . 

$207,000 to $603,400 $121 (pay) $8,159 (save)

$603,400 to $2.87 million $93,709 (pay) $48,862 (save)

more than $2.87 million $542,882 (pay) $290, 708 (save)

There you have it in black and white folks. I am going to go out on a limb here and imagine that the majority of my readers fall in the $161,000 and below category, maybe even lower in which case Obama saves you more than McCain on your taxes.

So far as those making more than $600,000, I say fuck them. It isn't going to hurt them to pony up a bit more.

Air Quotes

Here is a snippet of the abortion dialogue between the candidates I missed last night. McCain's air quotes about the "health" of the mother is pretty darn offensive in this little feminist's eyes.

Plumbing the Depths

To steal a line from my spouse "Bob the Builder is pissed that he wasn't mentioned."

But more on that later.

First, could Grampy McCan't have blinked anymore last night during the first part of the debate. I actually found it rather distracting.

McCain showcased a level of animosity last night that I thought was palpable. I would be curious to know what my undecided or GOP-loving readers felt in that regard. I disagree with Salon editor Joan Walsh's take that he was less grumpy than in earlier debates. I think he was worse actually. 

Obama was his usual cool-as-a-cucumber self, even when the subject of his so-called "terrorist ties." McCain's efforts to put Congressman  John Lewis' statement about McCain's rhetoric on the same level as what the crowds have been shouting at McCain/Palin rallies was reprehensible in my eyes. I don't feel one lick of pity for McCain for being called out on inciting violence in his those demented sorts that show up at his campaign events. Face folks, there are some unstable people out there and McCain has been around the block enough times to know this. To act in the manner that he and Palin have without regard for that fact is dangerous and shameful.

And then there was the incessant references to "Joe the Plumber."  Frankly I thought the first awkward reference to this man by McCain was more than sufficient but to keep hammering at it was ridiculous. How the GOP thinks we can get out of this financial mess without raising someone's taxes is beyond me. I know that isn't what folks want to hear, and apparently Palin thinks paying taxes is unpatriotic, but the simple fact is that without more revenue coming in our country is going to head down shit creek even faster than we already are.

Obama was classy when he had the opening to trash Palin, which I think was a good idea. McCain was a little less kind to his longtime colleague Joe Biden. One of McCain's biggest faux pas of the night, in my eyes, was using the word "cockamamie" to describe Biden. Way to just hand that crotchety old man sign around your own neck Johnny.

Apparently by calling it a night at 10pm I missed the one reference to abortion in any of the three debates, but from what I have read thus far, that didn't exactly work out so well for McCain either.

I am glad that the debates are over frankly, a sentiment that I would imagine the McCain camp shares this morning as well. While the GOP and their FOXNews related sycophants might be spinning the debate this morning to say McCain won, I think the rest of the world knows the truth. 

Once Again, I Give You Olbermann

Why should I trouble my pretty head to write something deep and coherent when my MSNBC crush can do it oh-so-much better?

Behold Olbermann on the recent rantings and ravings of the McCainiacs (or you can read the text here)  . .

The Money Grab

Last week's Newsweek had a great article by Francis Fukuyama a professor of international economy at Johns Hopkins University, titled "The Fall of America, Inc." He discussed the damage to the American "brand" that has been done by this most recent stock crisis.

The part that I was most intrigued by came as he discussed the transition in our economy from the Reagan to the Clinton years. Fukuyama highlights a fact that has totally driven me crazy in the last eight years with Dubya in office, but apparently it has its roots back in the Reagan era—today's so called conservatives no longer seem to believe in only spending what they bring in. Apparently this is something that went the way of the dodo during Reagan's tenure when he promoted the idea that any tax cut would stimulate the economy so much that it didn't matter what the government spent, they would be taking in so much.

Psych! What happened is we started the 1990s with a huge deficit due to those tax cuts. Clinton took office, raised taxes and produced a surplus. Cut to Dubya, taxes get cut and we end up with a deficit so huge they have to take down the deficit clock in NYC due to LACK OF NUMBER SPACE!!!! 

So although Cheney apparently told Dubya early on that "deficits don't matter" that's just one more thing that Cheney has gotten horribly, horribly wrong. Why should I even be surprised. And of course here comes McCain yelling that Obama is going to raise taxes (the horror!) and that is going to kill our economy. So what does he want to do? Lower taxes  and freeze spending. Does anyone else see a huge problem here?

A Little Ditty

The Last 100 Days

One hundred days from now George W. Bush will no longer be our president. In a new presidency, the commentators and reporters often look at the first hundred days to get a feel for what the new president will accomplish in his/her tenure; what his/her goals are; will he/she be effective as a leader bringing both sides to the table.

What will the last 100 days of Bush's presidency say about him?

Dangerous Territory

In the past week the McCain/Palin ticket has decided on a course of action that is at the least tasteless and at the most extremely dangerous. I am speaking of the urging/inciting/not dissuading their "followers" to shout out terrorist and worse when they mention Obama. (Caveat—things finally came to enough of a head that Friday McCain did tell one person at a townhall they had nothing to "fear" from Obama and took away the mic when another person said he was a Muslim. McCain said he wasn't—yeah! (not), but then my larger issue is WHAT THE FUCK WOULD IT MATTER IF HE WERE?????)

Let's face it folks, there are many out there who are still extremely bigoted. Even those of us who like to think of ourselves as "enlightened" perhaps harbor moments of shame about our own occasional racist lapses. But the behavior at the McCain/Palin rallies in the last week are shameful.

For those of you who may still be on the fence, these are things I hope you consider. Do you want a candidate that is ok with blatant racism? That is willing to potentially risk a fellow American's very life simply because his skin color is different. In my heart I had hoped we were beyond that; in my head I know that we still have years to go and miles to walk in each others shoes.

One Crazy Bitch

Leave it to a Golden Girl to get some totally hilarious and un-PC zingers in about BOTH candidates. Thank YOU Betty for being a friend . . .

Free Fall

As I have mentioned previously I don't know squat about the stock market. But I am starting to figure out that retirement may turn out to be more than a distant dream. And while it isn't really in my nature to panic, the fact that the market dropped yesterday to below 9,000 at closing and today upon opening sunk even lower has even me taking notice.

What looked for some time to just be our own little homegrown problem seems to be making the global rounds. Some crazy bank stuff is happening in Iceland. And the rest of the world seems to be getting beyond miffed with us for pulling them down. Way to make friends and influence people Wall Street.

And to top it all off, the spouse shares this morning that the top muckety-mucks at AIG just went on a "retreat" that cost over $400,000. Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that my tax dollars just paid for some fat, pasty broker to get a facial???

Is it any wonder that our economy is in a free fall folks? More and more I am starting to wonder if we don't all deserve this harsh bump of reality. But maybe I am just grumpy because I am having a bad hair day.

The Stupid Vote

I think John Oliver about nailed it with the Fucktards and Douchenozzles. Bless his little British heart. No offense to Cubs fans, of course. 

Today's Funny

This made me giggle. And yet also scared the shit out of me . . .

Town Hall Showdown

Again, I did not make it to the end of the debate, which is bad and especially because I think the most interesting thing happened at the end, from what I have heard.

McCain left and Obama stayed to talk with the audience of independents, have his picture taken and shake hands. Interesting.

During the hour I watched I took four pages of notes. Here are the highlights:

• McCain argued about whether the whole financial mess Congress just voted on was a bailout or a rescue. That struck me as the semantics of bullshit.
• Obama got a nice jab in by bringing up McCain's right hand man's connection with Fannie Mae.
• McCain called himself a "consistent reformer." Please. Then he called Obama the most liberal. I for one, don't find that to be a fault. Although that ranking is in question too.
• Tom "Brokejaw" was MAJORLY crotchety last night. Just let the dude retire and go home now folks.
• I thought it was interesting that when Brokaw asked the two candidates to prioritize healthcare, entitlements and energy and say which was their highest priority, McCain was Mr. I Can Do It All. Obama struck me as more realistic by actually a) answering the question and b) acknowledging that we have to prioritize things and that we might not be able to do it all.
• The tall stools were a big mistake for McCain. It was bad enough seeing him walk around, coming off as rather aggressive and antagonistic (more on that later), but he was too short to sit on the stool and have his feet touch the ground, so it made him look more awkward. While Obama looked VERY relaxed casually leaning against it.
• McCain espoused an across the board freeze with the budget to help fix the economy. Obama disagreed (yeah!) saying that was taking a hatchet to fix the problem when you needed a scalpel. Also, Obama commented that Americans don't feel like the people at the top level of income are sharing the burden and won't with the tax cuts McCain wants to make permanent for CEOs, etc.
• McCain and his freakin' commissions idea. Ugh. I don't know what the answer is to fix medicare, but he trouts out the idea of a commission for everything and it is getting old, just like his repeated use of "my friends." I counted at LEAST five instances he said that in the first hour alone.
• The fixation that McCain has on nuclear power as the great fix to our environmental and energy problems is disturbing to me. Good luck trying to build those reactors. Perhaps the first one could go in Arizona?
• I liked that Obama said the environment was the biggest challenge of our time.
• Obama got a good jab in when he referenced government having 30 years to fix the energy/environment problem (I assume he is dating back to the first gas crisis in the 1970s) and didn't. He followed that with saying McCain has been in Washington for 26 of those 30 years. Nice.
• Back to McCain's antagonistic side, his reference to "that one" voted for the Bush/Cheney energy bill and he voted against it. Talk about lack of respect.
• Finally I liked the question about is healthcare a privilege, right or responsibility. McCain said responsibility, Obama said right.

Faker

Who does she think she is—Madonna?

Here is a lovely mash up of Palin with the Fargo-esque accent and sans the chipper you betcha tones. It's short, about a minute and a half.

Phoning It In

Since I know tomorrow's post debate posting will be lengthy and I am feeling lazy, I am going to let Keith Olbermann do my work for me today. It is always good fun to watch him get riled up and last night's special comment was a bit less righteous indignation and a bit more humor. So without further ado, Mr. Olbermann:

Albright Responds

Albright's office sent this statement to Salon:

"Though I am flattered that Governor Palin has chosen to cite me as a source of wisdom, what I said had nothing to do with politics. This is yet another example of McCain and Palin distorting the truth, and all the more reason to remember that this campaign is not about gender, it is about which candidate has an agenda that will improve the lives of all Americans, including women.

"The truth is, if you care about the status of women in our society and in our troubled economy, the best choice by far is Obama-Biden."

That's all there is, there isn't any more.

Who Are These Women?

Let me say first that Shelly Mandell might want to go ahead and say goodbye to her days as the LA NOW chapter president. Something tells me that her fellow members at the state, and certainly at the national level will be none too pleased with her recent cozying up to Sarah Palin at an event this weekend in California. "America, this is what a feminist looks like" my ass. And as for the boos she got when she mentioned she had been a lifelong democrat—for shame to the booers and for shame to Mandell, there is no way you can be for Palin and have truly been a democrat.

But my real ire is reserved, yet again for Mrs. Palin. (I do so wish the woman would just go away, blogging about her is starting to become some sort of unhealthy addiction. I can't not do it, because she keeps acting the fool, but I hate to acknowledge her either. Ugh.)

After Ms. Mandell's lovely introduction, Governor Palin decided to comment on the quote she found on her morning Starbucks cup. I have actually seen the quote before and it is (of course) a personal favorite:

"There is a place in hell reserved for women who don’t help other women.” Madeleine Albright

Except of course Palin got it wrong and said support instead of help. Thus implying that any women who are against her should be going to H-E-double hockey sticks. Oh jeez.

Palin, I wouldn't mess with Albright. Not only is she brilliant, but I think she could kick your ass handedly. I would watch my back if I were you.

The Debate: SNL-style

Wow two posts on a Sunday!!! Gentle readers, if you need to sit down and take a deep breath, I understand, this is after all, unprecedented in the history of Broad minded.

But Queen Latifah's turn as Gwen Ifill moderating the VP debate on last night's Saturday Night Live, was too good to pass up. So let's get mavericky!

Remember the Rebates

This weekend's calendar page (from my beloved The George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown calendar) has this quote:

"We need to counter the shockwave of the evildoer by having individual rate cuts accelerated and by thinking about tax rebates." October 4, 2001

Well we did the tax rebates, twice in fact, and it occurred to me after reading this quote that they did nothing to stave off the evildoer—either the foreign kind which Bush intended or our own internal evildoers.

Our banks and financial systems have crashed regardless. Nice job, Dubya.

The M Word

A co-worker went to the trouble of finding all of Palin’s maverick quotes from the debate, per the transcript:

He has been the maverick. He has ruffled feathers.

A team of mavericks, of course we're not going to agree on 100 percent of everything.

And John McCain has been the consummate maverick in the Senate over all these years.

Also, John McCain's maverick position that he's in, that's really prompt up to and indicated by the supporters that he has.

And I've joined this team that is a team of mavericks with John McCain, also, with his track record of reform, where we're known for putting partisan politics aside to just get the job done.

I think that's why we need to send the maverick from the Senate and put him in the White House, and I'm happy to join him there.

Back-at-cha!

The Wink:

Can I Call You Joe?

And that is how it all began gentle readers.

Listen, I have never claimed to be unbiased. I am a democrat, plain and simple. So yes, I wanted Palin to go down in flames last night. I admit it. Sadly, she did not. But then again she has been cramming for this one test for more than a month now, even a monkey could have pulled that off without looking like an idiot after that period of time. (Jon Stewart made this point excellently last night prior to even seeing the debate, god bless him, and he managed to mention Balki from Perfect Strangers in doing so, now that's a win-win in my book.)

Which made me wonder last night—who was that woman standing up there? I mean which is the real Sarah Palin? The idiot that couldn't name a magazine she regularly reads when asked by Katie Couric or the relatively smooth tap dancer that we saw last night?

I only made it half way through the debate fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you view these things. (Why the freak can't they schedule these things from 8 to 10 pm? I might stand a fighting chance of staying awake, but 11 pm? Never going to happen folks. But I digress.) The first hour was enough to give me a flavor of things I think. LOVED Palin's giant flag pin—just in case you missed the fact that the Republicans are the patriotic party, she wanted to remind you with old glory waving across her entire chest.

Biden came out swinging, saying that the last eight years have been the worst for the American economy. Way to go for the jugular Joe! Palin countered soon there after with a wink. Sweet Jesus people, she winked! This isn't the Miss Cowpoke Pageant, this is the vice presidential debate!

Another thing that annoyed me is the folksy way she was dropping her g's. I have a way of talking and a vocabulary I use among friends and even in this blog, which would not be what I would consider appropriate if I were giving a speech. Apparently, Mrs. Palin does not have those same rules. I know she thinks it makes her cute and approachable. But it just makes my ovaries twitch. I can see all the progress women have made slip away with every 'darn' and 'back to ya' she says.

Back to Biden. I liked how he explained the energy/oil drilling question. I have read in other places those same figures, we have like 3% of the world's oil and we use 25% of the world's energy. So even if we do drill and get stuff (in the next 10 years mind you) we obviously won't be able to fully supply our needs through that. We have to do other means, whether it is nuclear, coal, wind or solar. And yet, as Biden pointed out, McCain keeps voting against some of those other options. Can anyone explain that one to me?

I know this is getting long winded, so let me wrap it up. During the hour I watched I saw Palin evade at least two questions (actually three if you count the time Gwen Ifill re-asked her a question). So while she didn't have any deer in the headlights moments, she didn't really SAY anything either. She ignored the question about McCain's stance on deregulation (one of the big reasons we are in this banking mess today). And all her spouting of the healthcare tax credit is hooey. Five thousand dollars wouldn't even begin to pay for a health insurance policy for me and my family. Ten thousand might come close. Think about it folks, what are you shelling out each month for your employer-provided plan if you are lucky enough to have one? Two hundred or more a pay period for family coverage? So that's four hundred a month, minimum, times 12. Now math ain't my thing but that comes to an easy $4,800 right there and that is with you not having to disclose any medical conditions. Blue Cross isn't going to be so kind should you be purchasing a plan of your own.

In short, yes she is cute and personable, but she isn't bright enough to be second in command of our country. We have already spent eight years being "lead" by someone who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Have we learned nothing?

p.s. What the freak is the Talibani? She said it last night . . .

The Episode Where My Boyfriend Gets Angry

On Tuesday night's The Daily Show, Jon Stewart's facade cracked a bit and his anger came out as he discussed the bailout. It's worth a view:

October's Theme - Vote

Ok. So I signed up for this thing on nablopomo.com and now I am supposed to blog once a day for the entire month. The theme this month is vote, which seemed apropos to me. Don't know exactly what this means, short of I might attract a few new gentle readers. Oh joy!

So what this means, is every day for the next 31 days I will post something, promise, no matter how lame or brief. Feel free to bombard me with suggestions. If you have ever though to yourself "Gosh, self, I wonder what my politically astute, remarkably clever friend Broad things about *insert topic*?" Now is your chance. I am not sure that even I can talk that much . . .