obama

First Victories

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Obama takes midnight voters by storm:

The first results are in for the 2008 general election, with the small village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire again performing its tradition of having everyone turn out to vote at midnight and then immediately reporting the results.

And the count is a real shocker, as just read on CNN: Obama 15 votes, McCain six votes — in a place that has only voted Democratic once in the 50 years they’ve been doing this tradition.

He won Hart’s Location, NH by a vote of 17-10, too.

We’re off to a beautiful start, my darlings.

First Victories
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This Is The Time

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Soon, polls will open. Americans will line up and cast their votes. Many of us will be voting for hope, change, and a future while making history.

In light of that, there’s no more fitting song for today than Savatage’s “This is the Time.” I spent a few hours tonight whipping us up a little inspiration:

This is the time,
And this is the place,
And these are the signs
That we must embrace.

The moment is now
In all history
The time has arrived,
And this is the one place to be.

I don’t think there will be another election like this in our lifetimes.

Carpe diem, my darlings. Seize the day for Obama, for America, and for us. Seize it for those who cannot:

Dear Americans, then, whom I have never met, and yet whom I love with all my heart. This is my plea to you. Do it for me. Get out the vote with every bit of strength you have.

Do what we cannot, myself and my friends and all the other Britkids from a thousand different backgrounds, who wait and hope. Because we may not be your fellow citizens, but we are your honorary fellow liberals. And we’re with you.

Seize this day for them, and for yourselves. This is our time. This is our place. This is our moment.

And remember:

Yes we can.

This Is The Time

One Day More

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One more dawn. One more day until an election that could change not just America but the world. Is it any wonder “One Day More” has been thundering through my head tonight?

Do You Hear the People Sing?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.

¡Viva la Revolución!

(Heh. Great minds think alike. Suppose it was inevitable that someone else would have the exact same idea.)

One Day More

This Is Why

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Go here.

Look at the pictures.

I never thought I’d see anything like this in my lifetime.

It’s not just Obama. It’s my heroes – people like Bill Clinton and Al Gore – looking as though they’ve been mainlining hope and purpose.

It’s the tears flowing down regular American faces as Obama gives a speech that hands us not just a dream, but a mandate.

It’s that shot to America’s arm, pulling her back from the brink of death and despair.

You want to know why I’m not worried about handing him the keys to the country?

It’s not just because I agree with his policies. It’s because I know who he’s invited to walk through the door with him. It’s because I know we need both sound judgment and inspiration to get us through these next tough years.

He’ll give us plenty of both.

This Is Why

An Open Letter to Undecided Voters

jacob1 Comment
I wrote this in response to a plea from a diarist at Daily Kos. On the eve of the election, it seems appropriate to post it here.

Dear Undecideds,

I’m a dirty rotten liberal, so don’t listen to me. Listen to my conservative parents, who just voted for Obama:
My father is a decorated Vietnam vet and a lifelong Republican, but after a struggle, he chose Obama for one reason: Iraq. He trusts Obama to end the Iraq war quickly and competently. He couldn’t vote for McCain, who not only refuses to see the wisdom in redirecting our forces into Afghanistan where they’re desperately needed, but wants to start a multitude of new wars. My father served his country with honor and distinction. He despises draft dodgers and pacifists. But he also knows our country can’t afford any more useless wars. That’s why he chose Obama.
My stepmother used to describe herself as a “Rush Limbaugh conservative.” She’s now an Obamacan. She’s the financial hawk of the family, and she believes Obama will do the best job salvaging our economy. She knows that middle-class folks like my parents will suffer under the economic policy McCain advocates. She also knows that our family would not be able to afford health insurance under McCain’s plan. She believes that Obama’s foreign policy is right, and that he will restore America’s standing in the world. McCain won’t. Obama chose a running-mate fully capable of leading this country if necessary. McCain didn’t. She chose Obama because he truly cares about America, and he has the intelligence, the advisers, and the temperament to be the President America needs.
They’re confident Obama is the right choice. So are many other conservatives I’ve heard from.
I chose Obama in the primaries because he is the first candidate that has ever made me believe that you and I, working together, can do as much for this country as he can. When he steps into the Oval Office, you and I are coming with him. Government of the People, for the People, and by the People is not just a catch phrase to him. He believes in it. He believes in us.
We need that kind of hope and power. We need a great American President. That’s why my conservative parents and their liberal daughter chose Obama.
I hope you’ll join us.
An Open Letter to Undecided Voters

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

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When you’re served a premium shot like this:

Barack Obama campaigned earlier in Raleigh, North Carolina, principally relying on the closing-statement speech he unveiled in Ohio on Monday. Today, however, he added a new paragraph.

“[B]ecause he knows his economic theories don’t work, he’s been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book,” Obama said. “Lately, he’s called me a ‘socialist’ for wanting to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can finally give tax relief to the middle class. I don’t know what’s next. By the end of the week, he’ll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

… you’ve just got to chase it down with this:

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Washington State Voting with Kitteh

jacob

Got me ballot. Got me Google. This is the brilliant thing about mail-in ballots: I can sit here and really scrutinize the bastard, make sure I’m not voting for something that’s all sizzle and no substance. Consider this Dana Hunter’s Official List of Endorsements for the 2008 Washington State Election.

Righty-o. In order of appearance:

I-985

Not no but fuck NO. On the surface, it looked decent enough: open the carpool lanes to all traffic during off-peak daytime hours (which Arizona does, and it makes it soooo much easier to get around), along with increased roadside assistance funding and other goodies. But two strikes: the Seattle P-I editors hate hate hate it, and it’s the darling of Tim Eyman. I hadn’t heard of Tim Eyman before tonight. I’ve now heard quite enough. NO.

I-1000

I wrote you two novels on this one a little while ago, so you all know where I stand on allowing terminally ill folks the right to end things with dignity and grace. Hell YES.

I-1029

Well, this one’s proving a bugger. Lot’s of noise against. However, after reviewing said noise, it appears that it’s the screaming of people who don’t want to have to undergo background checks and pay for training before they can care for the elderly. The people against are almost all home care businesses whose arguments sound like Republicon Talking Points 101. And they’re afraid of the scary union!!11!!1! SEIU was a driving force behind this, so of course it’s all about the evil unions trying to impose standards on the free market. Blah. Seriously, even if it costs a little extra, I’d rather the person caring for Grandma is certified and checked. YES.

Onward, ho.

How many fucking Charter Amendments can you stuff onto one ballot? Jeez. Eight of the thrice-bedamned things. This is when being a responsible citizen sucketh mightily.

Except… So far, ProgressiveVotersGuide.org has been with me 100%, so why not trust their judgement here? After cursory review, o’ course. So, the quick-and-dirty:

#1: Experience over popularity contest for Elections Director – sounds good to me. NO
#2: Prohibiting discrimination – duh. YES
#3: Less city council members on assorted committees. No fucking clue. I’m not a local policy wonk, so shall entrust my opinion to those who are. YES
#4: Establishing minimal qualifications – “We think our Sheriff , Assessor and Elections Director should know what they’re doing.” Me too. YES
#5: Improved economic forecasting. Hell, improved anything economic sounds good. YES
#6: More time to review a budget that has – ye gods – gone from the millions to the billions. YES
#7: Make laborious and confusing charter amendment stuff more simple. After what I’ve just been through with it? And I didn’t even have to propose one of these damned things! YES
#8: Removing party identification from some county offices – sponsored by three Republicons. Say no more. These fucktards can run, but they cannot hide. NO

Brilliant. I love that website. Too bad it’s only for Washington State, but I’m sure there’s one like it for yours. Use the power of teh Google and get informed.

Now that we’ve got that nonsense out of the way, it’s on to the super-important stuff: the first President I will ever vote for.

That’s going to be such a hard choice.


President and Vice President of the United States: I’m gonna have to plump for genius. Filling in this bubble feels so amazingly good. Barack Obama and Joe Biden. YES, WE CAN!

(BTW, you know this is a blue state when there’s not one but two Socialist parties on the Presidential portion of the ballot. Wow.)

Now on to the second most exciting part of my evening: I FINALLY GET TO VOTE FOR JAY INSLEE OMG!!11!11!1! Ahem.

United States Representative Congressional District No. 1: Jay Inslee.

Damn, that feels good. Two of my favorite politicians in the entire fucking universe, there.

Governor: No question, no doubt in my mind. Christine Gregoire. Suck it, Dino!

Lieutenant Governor: Well, Marcia McCraw gets brownie points for not being a gutless wonder and actually owning the name Republicon, but still. Brad Owen.

Secretary of State: Shit, this one’s really hard. I swore to myself I’d never vote for a single Republicon, but Sam Reed’s endorsement list is a mile bloody long, and even the ProgressiveVotersGuide.org loves him. Wingnuts hate him. And it is not my policy to punish a man for his party. Crapola. Sam Reed.

State Treasurer: Not really a contest here. When you have two solid candidates, and one of them’s a good solid Dem, and you’re a lefty, you plump for the Dem. Jim McIntire.

State Auditor: Now, I’m tempted to vote for the Dem for two reasons. 1 – he’s a Dem; 2 – I like his last name. But this is not responsible voting. We now consult the oracles. The Stranger and ProgressiveVotersGuide.org both agree: Brian Sonntag.

Attorney General: Strong record of supporting civil liberties, reproductive rights, consumer rights, AND environmental protection vs. anti-abortion Republicon climber who let Dino weasel out of calling himself a Con. No fucking contest. John Ladenburg.

Commissioner of Public Lands: (I know, when we get down into the ballot’s nether regions, it’s about as exciting as watching sheep graze. But this shit’s still important. Stick with me – we’ll get there.) Hey, a biologist! And a Dem!!1! Easy: Peter J. Goldmark.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Hmm. Non-partisan office. Challenger does not appear to be a closet creationist and has assloads of political (former Democratic State Rep) and educational experience. Current incumbant couldn’t answer the questions on the noxious standardized test she forces all students to pass. FAIL. Randy Dorn.

Insurance Commissioner: The Stranger says we should stick it to one of the Founding Fathers. I have a harder time with this – John Adams is also one of my characters. But my John Adams is no fucking Republicon, and the Democratic challenger is an advocate of health care reform and other progressive goodness. Mike Kreidler.

Legislative District No. 45, Position No 1: This is where endorsements matter, because I’ve paid fuck-all attention to local races. I shall plump for the candidate supported by the people I believe in, and when you have one guy supported by a huge swath of organizations out to do good, and one endorsed by nothing but business interests, the choice is simple: Roger Goodman.

Position No 2: Ditto, Larry Springer.

(And yes, I peeked at the issues, too. And yes, the Republicons running are Republicons. ‘Nuff said.)

State Supreme Court Justice Position No. 3: Spoiled for choices here. We have a name and a blank line, and not even my trusty voter guides seem to have this one on the radar. However, Judgepedia gives me enough info to know I don’t need to write in Screaming Rubber Chicken as a protest vote. Mary Fairhurst.

Position No. 4: Judgepedia likes him. Charles W. Johnson.

Position No. 7: Heh. She looked like such an easy shoo-in that her challenger dropped out. Debra L. Stephens.

Court of Appeals etc. etc. No. 5: Judgepedia fails me, but Google shows the only contender was appointed by Gov. Gregoire, and there seem to have been no embarrassing incidents. Good ’nuff. Linda Lau.

No. 6: Holy shit, she’s got an assload of experience. No scandals Google could find. Ann Schindler.

Superior Court Judge Position No. 1: Finally, some competition again! I’ll take the candidate endorsed by NARAL, thanks. Sue Parisien.

No. 22: The lady described as “This badass former federal civil-rights attorney” by the Stranger so has my vote. Holly Hill.

No. 37: I’ll take the candidate who’s rated “outstanding” and “exceptionally well qualified” AND is endorsed by NARAL and Equal Rights Washington. Jean Rietschel.

And, at long last… the final vote to be cast. Prop. No. 1: Mass Transit Expansion. Hell to the YES. Or, in this case, APPROVED.

Fini. A few hours with Google, and I’ve been a responsible voter, choosing people that I think are best qualified for the positions they’re running for (don’t you fucking make me regret that one Republican vote, Sam!) and choosing the right stand on the ballot measures. In the Age o’ the Intertoobz, there is no reason on earth why you can’t do the same.

Kitteh sez: GET OUT THE VOTE! Even if you punk off the rest of the ballot, she’d like you to vote for this man:

They not only share political views, but exquisite taste in columns.

Washington State Voting with Kitteh

A Touch of Crass

jacob

These fuckheads have no shame:

Republican strategist Brad Blakeman, responding to a question about how John McCain could square his opposition to wasteful spending with the RNC shelling out over $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin, said that the real outrage is Barack Obama “taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma.” This is the same grandmother who raised Obama and who is very seriously ill.

This from the party of “family values.”

Using your campaign plane to rush to your dying grandmother’s side is in no way morally equivalent to breaking campaign finance law to tart up Caribou Barbie “because she needs clothes.” The fact that these fuckers thinks it’s worse tells you all you’ll ever need to know about the morality and values of the right wing.

If you feel moved to make a statement, Ratmach at Daily Kos has created an Act Blue page where you can make donations to Obama in his grandmother’s name. [4:19 am Pacific – Act Blue’s server has the blues. Ah, well, there’s always the campaign’s website.]

A Touch of Crass

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

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Indiana. Fucking Indiana. Seriously:

This election is going to be a landslide for Obama. There is a huge tidal wave coming. A stunning new poll today from Indiana shows: Obama ahead in Indiana by 10 points.
Yes, you read it correctly. It is not a typo: +10 Obama in Indiana! A totally republican state where the democrats have not won for decades.

Bloody fucking Indiana, where I once spent a two-week vacation bawling half my family out for their blatant racism. Blood Republicon fucking red Indiana. +10 for Obama.

Hot damn, Hoosiers! Go, you! Woot!

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Obama's Grandmother Seriously Ill

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Not good:

Democrat Barack Obama is cancelling nearly all his campaign events Thursday and Friday to fly to Hawaii to visit his suddenly ill 86-year-old grandmother.

Campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday that Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise him, was released from the hospital late last week. But he says her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious.

Gibbs said Obama would return to the campaign trail on Saturday, though he was unsure where.

Obama events originally planned for Madison, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday will be replaced with one in Indianapolis before he makes the long flight to Hawaii.

I hope she rallies. I want her to see her grandson take the Oath of Office.

If you want to drop her a get well postcard, you can do so through the campaign:

Mrs. Madelyn Dunham
In care of: Obama for America
Honolulu Headquarters
1050 Ala Moana Blvd Ste D2690
Honolulu, HI 96814

Obama's Grandmother Seriously Ill