The Final Countdown

Less than 24 hours to go, kids.

It's been a long freakin' year, hasn't it?

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but we were there in Springfield when Obama announced his intent to run. As a former Wisconsinite, I've experienced cold weather in my lifetime, but I can tell ya that was one mother of a freezing day on the square at the Old Capital building. We're all glad we went though. One doesn't get to witness history very often, to say "I was there!"

And tomorrow, regardless of the outcome, we'll all be "there" - where ever "there" is for you.

What are your plans?

Me, I'm getting up as normal, getting the family fed and caffeinated and off to school and work, then I'm going to vote. I'm not really expecting huge lines. Our precinct isn't that dang big. But I'll bring a coffee and a book (reading a great one now - subject of a future post!).

Then off to work myself. I've got a lot to do this week, so the day should go by quickly. After work, we're coming home and doing all our normal junk - running The Boy to his martial arts class, taking out the trash, making dinner, etc.

Finally we can settle down and watch the returns. I think I'll make some pico de gallo for snacking. We've got a fancy, expensive, tiny bottle of champagne in the fridge already. And I've got my Laphroig at hand too. Plus our favorite Wisconsin beer - now in CANS!

Remember, if Obama wins Virginia, he's won it all. You can start celebrating then. If he doesn't, you'll just have to wait a few hours longer.

And, if for some reason you are still undecided or think that Obama is some kind of weirdo liberal nutjob, check out this piece by a former speechwriter for Nixon and Reagan, who's endorsing Obama. He calls Obama a "conservative"! (And if his definitions are right, so am I to an extent. Very creepy.)

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Now playing: Roky Erickson - The Looking Glass Song
via FoxyTunes

Weird Reasons to Vote for Obama #4

Because we can.

There is a thing much talked about in this country, given faint praise by the powers that be, but never truly practiced - grass roots democracy. This year, in 2008, 232 years after the founding of our republic, we the freakin' people are actually going to decide who we want to be President, with our sweat, our time, our words, our actions and our money.

Pretty cool, huh? I've been waiting my whole adult life for something like this to happen. I honestly never thought it would. I didn't think any candidate would ever have the courage to try and play politics in America by truly appealing to and connecting with the people rather than the monied interests.

I know this is incredibly offensive, frightening and/or totally incomprehensible to so many people, especially supporters of candidates that cannot embrace the new and the will of the people, but it looks like for the first time in our history we may actually have a true candidate of the people running for President of the United States.

I'll be buying a bottle of cheap domestic champaign to celebrate come election night, you can count on that! (American made hootch! With a flag pin stuck in the cork!)

Vote Obama!

NOTE: The above rare historical photo is the only known image of Lincoln at Gettysburg. If you squint, you can make him out. Thankfully, he was slightly taller than the average 19th century man. There is no known explanation for the anachronistic appearance of Kermit the Frog in this image. It does not appear on the negative, only on prints. This phenomena has been observed in hundreds of photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Scientists are baffled.

Step Up & Do Something, Senator!

There's a brouhaha a-brewin' in West Virginia over the possible disenfranchisement of independent voters. Seems that if you are an independent and go to vote early, you will not be notified that the touch screen you will vote on is not programmed to let you vote for a Presidential candidate! You have to ask for a Democratic or Republican ticket, as an independent, if you want to vote for President in the primary. And the Secretary of State is saying that two words in the legal code make this okay, that these voters don't have to be told this in advance. Read the whole story over here.

Anyway, there's a simple solution to this problem, which won't be fixed by the WV Sec. of State, obviously:

The Obama campaign has to crack open that ol' war chest and spend some of those millions on advertisements - TV, radio, print - informing the independent electorate of the situation. This'll get media coverage of the situation, too, that it may not otherwise get. They can also approach the elected officials of West Virginia and talk all the legal talk they want to about it, but this is a simple outside-the-box solution. And I bet it'll bring thousands of new voters to Obama, grateful that his campaign tok the leadership initiative on this issue. McCain and Clinton won't.

This is a great "leadership moment" for Obama. Let's see if anything happens.

Vote Obama!

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Now playing: The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Shootout On a CB Channel
via FoxyTunes

Vote! Baby! Vote!

The Obama campaign is set to announce a 50-state voter registration drive. So what? Who cares? Big deal, right?

Right, it is a big deal. Only a candidate sure of himself and of his ability to gain his party's nomination (not to mention aware of of his RESPONSIBILITY to be as inclusive as possible, to help re-energize the American electorate) would dare to sponsor this kind of initiative. Sure as hell, ol' McCrazy won't be doing this. Clinton? She'll probably call it a smokescreen, a trick, an illusion, more phony rhetoric, etc - but the truth is that she is too frightened to ever do anything like this. The last thing her campaign wants is more new voters coming into play, regardless of which party they support, as it will upset her ever shrinking base, making her fragile and unreal claim to hold the lead in this primary season even more untenable.

BRAVO! Senator Obama - if you do this, it will be the finest and most positive act of your campaign to date and, I hope, a brave indication of things to come. This is the LEADERSHIP we need as Americans. (But, if you say you're going to do it, you'd better do it. This isn't like forgetting to pick up the eggs and butter at the store, man, after you said you would, okay?)

Vote OBAMA!