Anticipation

It was a feeling like I remember as a child going to bed on Christmas Eve—wondering what lay in store for me in the morning. Eagerly hoping that it would be all I had dreamed of and more. And this time it was.

When I went to bed last night, Obama had won Ohio—a huge coup—and the results were turning in his favor from Virginia. Florida was still too soon to call, but it looked like my own state, North Carolina, was leaning in his direction. While there is still some debate about North Carolina, both Virginia and Florida went for Obama.

So history has been made. And now the work begins . . .

Shameful

With all eyes on the election today, it seems especially pertinent to remind voters of just what is at stake. The NY Times posted an editorial yesterday that aimed to do just that. 

The article looked at what the Bush Administration would try to slip in under the radar during their last 77 days in office (expanding on an earlier post). Among the atrocities Dubya and Cheney and the boys (sorry Condi) are aiming for are your civil liberties, the environment and abortion. Here are some highlights:

• New FBI guidelines—Agents will be allowed to use informants to infiltrate lawful groups, engage in prolonged physical surveillance and lie about their identity while questioning a subject’s neighbors, relatives, co-workers and friends.
• New EPA rule—They are expected to issue a final rule that would make it easier for coal-fired power plants to locate near national parks in defiance of longstanding Congressional mandates to protect air quality in areas of special natural or recreational value.
• Health & Human Services–The department's secretary, Michael Leavitt, is expected, after the election, to extend the so-called right to refuse to a wide range of health care workers and activities including abortion referrals, unbiased counseling and provision of birth control pills or emergency contraception, even for rape victims.
  
  

As Dixville Notch Goes . . .

Per Yahoo News:

Democrat Obama defeated Republican John McCain by a count of 15 to 6 in Dixville Notch, where a loud whoop accompanied the announcement in Tuesday's first minutes. The town of Hart's Location reported 17 votes for Obama, 10 for McCain and two for write-in Ron Paul. Independent Ralph Nader was on both towns' ballots but got no votes.

ADDITION:

Per CNN—It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election.

A Just Reward

So you should vote tomorrow because it is your civic duty and because it is a right and privilege that not everyone enjoys. But if that isn't enough to sway you, how about free cup of joe and/or scoop of frozen milky goodness?

Starbucks is offering you a free cup of brewed coffee. And later in the day you can head over to your local Ben & Jerry's to get a free scoop. Now those are some delicious incentives if I do say so myself.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

Even the Squirrels Want Change

Lighting the Fire

Some of you have expressed a less than enthusiastic regard for the political options available to us this election cycle—I believe it is jokingly being referred to as ELECTILE dysfunction. I get it, no one is 'turning you on' so to speak. I wonder though if it is less the candidates themselves that are turning you off or the whole cabala that encircles our electoral process and our government these days.

I have to admit that there are many days where the whole thing seems hopeless and ridiculous and I have the desire to move somewhere sane (that used to be Canada but then they went and elected a conservative and now I am looking at the space station). Since I only speak English, however, my options in that regard are limited, although I hear wonderful things about New Zealand and I think I could make do down there.

Anyway, back on topic. My advice? Step back from all of the stuff you read and hear (yes even my sainted musings) and think about what is most important to you. Pick the big three issues and think about who best addresses those. And then move on. Do your laundry, eat a snack, imagine your flowers blooming. But just make a decision and stick to it. No more dithering.

Or you can take this quiz:
www.votechooser.com

On a side note, it has been requested by my "Brooklyn"-based reader that I turn my snark toward more celebrity-esque topics from time to time. So prepare yourself for the occasional invasion from Hollywood. After all, they dress better (sometimes) than the Beltway set!

Lean On Me

I am sure you are all dying of anticipation to find out what MY political leanings were according to the Web site I referenced in the previous post, Shut Up Already. As always, I am happy to oblige my faithful readers. Drum roll please! BARACK OBAMA. So there you have it. And just so you know, I am furthest away from Huckabee, although I don't think poor 'ole Mike is getting all the love he wants these days anyway.

(Quick side note: I didn't watch the debates and so I am going to pretend they didn't happen. It is my blog and I can do what I want. Sometimes, even I need to take a break from all things political.)

Moving on, I did come across this video on You Tube this morning and it sort of falls into line with some of the stuff I have been ruminating on of late—the fall of the GOP and how Fox News seems to be going down with that ship as well. (Need a life jacket boys? Psych! Yes I am that juvenile.) See for yourself, but in it Montel Williams schools some of the hosts of the Fox Morning Show (I believe) about focusing on and exploiting the death of Heath Ledger when in the month of January 28 troops died in Iraq. Can't believe I am saying this, but dude has a point. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to hopping on the celebrity news bandwagon. (I have read all about Britney's commitment, Gwen's new pregnancy, Angelina's supposed baby bump and when this freakin' writer's strike will end and how most likely there won't be any more episodes of Pushing Daisies—damn you writer's strike!!!) So I can't cast stones, but my point is we need to take a minute to turn all that off and think about some things that are important.

This is kind of the opposite of stepping outside our little bubble, but I was intrigued by a news item I read from AP about the focus that is being paid to our upcoming presidential election around the world. For instance, the Germans are loving on Obama, some are referring to him as the Black JFK. While many Europeans think Romney and Huckabee are too religious, and McCain is too old. I just find it interesting to see how we and this whole process is being perceived around the world. And of course, I think most of the world is really waiting, as I know I am, to see if the winner of this election can restore the U.S.'s dignity and stature on the world stage. I hope it isn't too late.

I leave you to mull this over this weekend. Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire in the February issue took on "The Brain" aka Karl Rove or the nick name I prefer—Turd Blossom. When asked what trait he (Rove) deplored most in others, he replied . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . "Not being authentic."

WTF.