Bush Campaign Manager Views the Electoral Divide

Bush Campaign Manager Views the Electoral Divide

And the divide appears not to be geographic, but demographic:

"The Bush campaign studied consumer habits in trying to predict whom people would vote for in a presidential election.

'We did what Visa did,' Mr. Mehlman said. 'We acquired a lot of consumer data. What magazine do you subscribe to? Do you own a gun? How often do the folks go to church? Where do you send your kids to school? Are you married?

'Based on that, we were able to develop an exact kind of consumer model that corporate America does every day to predict how people vote - not based on where they live but how they live,' he said. 'That was critically important to our success.'

"If you drive a Volvo and you do yoga, you are pretty much a Democrat," Mr. Mehlman told an assembly of the nation's Republican governors. "If you drive a Lincoln or a BMW and you own a gun, you're voting for George Bush."

This would explain a lot of small, incremental Republican on the margins - a point or two higher in some county or precinct or age bracket...

Fascinating, a little creepy, but probably necessary for Dems to catch up with it.

Dem approached for agriculture post

Dem approached for agriculture post

Now THIS is a neat trick: get points for bipartisanship by naming a barely-Democrat, AND pick up another Senate seat! Too bad it's not Lieberman:

Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska has been approached about becoming agriculture secretary in the Bush administration, according to two sources.

Republican Gov. Mike Johanns would get to choose Nelson's replacement, which could increase the GOP's advantage in the Senate to 56 seats.

It gets worse: while Lieberman would no doubt be replaced by an actual Democrat, the odds of any Dem of any sort winning Nelson's seat in`06 are, uh... slim.

Johanns is term limited and he wants this seat... the trick is appointing a willing place holder who'll step aside without making it look too obvious.

Update: Oh well, whatever, nevermind.

Let the Republicans Have Him

Let the Republicans Have Him:

"Sen. Joe Lieberman (D (sic) -CT) 'respects the presidency and likes being wooed,' the Hartford Courant reports, so 'he's not ruling out a Bush Cabinet appointment.'

'There's no opening the door a crack in Washington; you're in the game or you're not. And while there's no firm - or even flimsy - signal from the Bush team with regard to Lieberman, there is talk among the connected class in Washington that he could be in the mix for several positions.'"

Since it's not close enough that a single vote for control makes a difference, losing the seat of a fake Democrat to an apointee Republican for two years is no loss. The only down side is that the media would play it up as "Bush reaches out" but I don't see how naming a "Democrat" who first won by running to the Repubican incumbent's RIGHT is any sort of reach.

I hope this happens. It'll ease some of my leftover cognitive dissonance from 2000.

I'm from Iowa, it's time to go milk the pigs...

I'm from Iowa, it's time to go milk the pigs...

...and enjoy a steaming hot cup of green tea:

"According to Lipton's product locator, you can buy green tea in Dubuque, Iowa, at that gourmet market known as ... Kmart.

So, who is the real out-of-touch elitist -- John Kerry, for drinking green tea, or Candy Crowley, for assuming that simple Iowa folk couldn't possibly be familiar with the beverage?"

Does she have David Yepsen writing her punch lines? I need to toast them both with a double latte (tall, no whipped cream)

Vilsack vs. Dean

Vilsack vs. Dean

It looks like the DNC fight is coming down to my governor and my first choice presidential candidate. The few, the proud, the 19% are in a quandry here...

The blogosphere seems to be settling into a blame Iowa, kill the caucuses mood. I can understand that. In retrospect, Kerry's caucus win was not just critical, it was the whole ball game. And it was a huge strategic blunder, as Bush proved. The middle of the road has become irrelevant; you WIN by energizing the base. Kerry won Iowa in January by being more "electable," then couldn't win the state in November.

It's not fair that I'm spoiled by being a Key Iowa Party Activist. Everyone should get the opportunity to chit-chat with three presidential candidates in one day, like I did in January 2003. Everybody CAN'T of course. And I like being one of the lucky ones. That's not a good or a fair argument, it's just my own bias.

I have some parochial concerns, too. If Vilsack wins the party chair job, does he stay on as governor? It may be politically incorrect for me to bash the woman who would be Iowa's first female governor. But I've never been a big Sally Pederson fan. Her Democratic Party credentials are thin, I don't understand how one can go from being a Republican donor to a Democratic candidate in six months.

Is it possible to separate the issues of Dean vs. Vilsack and Iowa No vs. Iowa Yes? Having followed both Dean and Vilsack closely over several years, it's clear that Dean would be a better spokesperson and a better person to energize the grass roots of the party. Which, as Karl Rove will tell you, is teh way to win.

Senate May Ram Copyright Bill

Senate May Ram Copyright Bill

"Several lobbying camps from different industries and ideologies are joining forces to fight an overhaul of copyright law, which they say would radically shift in favor of Hollywood and the record companies and which Congress might try to push through during a lame-duck session that begins this week.

The Senate might vote on the Intellectual Property Protection Act, a comprehensive bill that opponents charge could make many users of peer-to-peer networks, digital-music players and other products criminally liable for copyright infringement. The bill would also undo centuries of 'fair use' -- the principle that gives Americans the right to use small samples of the works of others without having to ask permission or pay. "

Last Dispatch from Vacation

Last Dispatch from Vacation

Greetings from the Ancestral Deeth Homestead in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Home cooking and a Packer win make a nice end to vacation. And I got to show my mom how to use eBay too.

Vacation Update 3

Vacation Update 3

Greetings from the den and communication center of the Hotel Jenkins, stop 2 on Vacation.

You know that scene in 2001 Space Odyssey, where the astronaut is running laps around the rim of the space station, and the horizon curves away and seems to last forever?

Imagine that with stores. That's Mall Of America. I was completely lost without my teenage daughter's guidance.

Late afternoon the Gopher-Hawkeye game ended and the Temple Of Materialism began to fill with black and gold shirts, all the out of towners who wanted to See It. I felt like I had taken a wrong turn and ended up back home in Iowa City...

Anyway, this experience is goint to take a while to process and I'm on vacation. Next stop: tomorrow with Mom and Dad.

Hundreds of ballots challenged

Hundreds of ballots challenged

"Frankly, an organized Republican effort was underway to challenge anything that could possibly be challenged -- or outright reject ballots if they could. Why do voters suddenly have to prove themselves not once but twice? Why was there this much effort to find things wrong with people's ballots? We know the answer when we remember that this was a tight election in a heavily Democratic county."

The story of work last week. I didn't want to tell tales out of the office, one of the disadvantages of keeping my name on this blog.

But my friend Emily here saw it all and so I'll share it.

Vacation Update 2

Vacation Update 2

It seems that blogging feels vacation-y to me...

Looks like another clear starry Minnesota night up here on the far far northwest edge of the Twin Cities.

Tomorrow we leave the tranquility of the forest for the ultimate temple of capitalist materialism. Yes, under the iinfluence of my college roomie, his spouse, and my sister in law, tomorrow we will be doing the Mall of America thing. My teenage daughter will no doubt be extremely jealous. Look for a snarky and cynical update tomorrow.

Vote Righteously!

Vote Righteously!

A fascinating perspective from a defeated candidate. In Brad Carson we had the strongest possible candidate in Oklahome against the weakest possible opponent. Here's why he thinks he lost:

"The culture war is real, and it is a conflict not merely about some particular policy or legislative item, but about modernity itself. Banning gay marriage or abortion would not be sufficient to heal the cultural gulf that exists in this nation. The culture war is about matters more fundamental still: whether nationality is, in a globalized world, a random fact or whether it is the source of identity and even political legitimacy; whether one's self is a matter of choice or whether it is predetermined, before birth, by the cultural membership of one's family; whether concepts like honor and shame, which seem so quaint, are still relevant in a world that values only 'tolerance.'

Most voters in a state like Oklahoma--and I venture to say most other Southern and Midwestern states--reject the general direction of American culture and celebrate the political party that promises to reform or revise it. "

The analysis is fascinating. Carson seems to fall into the move to the cultural right fallacy but this conclusion is only implied.

My own conclusion is to fight back, to make this sort of midieval intolerance socially unacceptable just like we did in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. To argue against their basic premises. To reclaim "values" without accepting bigotry and intolerance.

UPDATE: Great discussion of this article at MyDD.

Postcard from the Road 1

Postcard From The Road 1

Greetings from my brother's studio office in the northwoods, with the wonderfully Dylanesque address of Zimmerman Minnesota. I knew I was in Minnesota when I saw lutefisk for sale in the grocery store...

We're out in the woods and the stars are fantastic at night. The vacation mindset is sinking into the brain, especially now knowing that my co-workers are working...

Blogger hits the road

Blogger hits the road

After a month of seven day weeks, and after two years of the 2004 presidential election, it's time for a vacation.

The tank is full and two crates of CDs are loaded. Stay tuned for almost-live updates from the Minnesota Road Trip...

Sifting Through the Ashes of Iowa

Sifting Through the Ashes of Iowa

I know, I know. I'm the political number crunching guy, sitting here in the last state called, one of only three states that switched sides from 2000 to 2004. I should be making some attempt to analyze, right?

Well, sorry, dear readers. As an Election Office Professional it's taken me a whole week just to decompress enough and grieve enough to think.

---

First off the good news. Five Iowa counties switched from Bush 2000 to Kerry: Fayette, Poweshiek, and Winneshiek all have small to mid-size colleges and young voters may have played a role (both increased turnout and Nader collapse). Jefferson is an anomaly. It's home to a large community of transencental meditation followers (really!) who had voted Natural Law Party in recent elections. Looks like they went Democratic after NLP died. Jasper (Newton - Maytag) is industrial by Iowa standards. A less noticable (i.e. didn't switch sides) trend was seen in nearby/similar Marshall County.

Four counties shifted from Gore to Bush: Cedar, Greene, Louisa, and Winnebago. Don't see a pattern here - Cedar is traditionally GOP but went for Gore by two votes after a few hours of fame in 2000 as The Only Tied County In The Nation. Louisa, which I got to know very well in my 1996 race, is pure rural and small town with a growing but largely non-voting Hispanic population. Winnebago is vacation country (Okoboji) up by the Minnesota border.

But these relatively small shifts aren't the story. Three counties seem to tell the biggest stories: Dallas, Pottawattamie, and Sioux.

Dallas County west of Des Moines is the fastest growing county in the state, and Bush picked up about 2/3 of the total increase in the vote to gain roughly 2500 votes on the Democrats. A similar but smaller pattern happened south of Des Moines in Warren County.

Pottawattamie County is on the western border in Steve King's 5th CD and gets most of its media for Big Red Nebraska. It's usually one of the lowest percentage turnout counties in the state. But this year turnout was up and Bush won nearly 80% of the increased turnout. This despite Democrats holding a tough state senate seat and picking up a state house seat last year in a special election.

The REAL story shows in Sioux County and its evil twin Lyon County, up where Iowa corners on South Dakota. These are the two most GOP counties in Iowa. Turnout was way up and Bush gained over 90% or the increase. Which makes sense in a place where he's already getting five out of six votes. Not to mention those two are in the Sioux Falls media market and had been infected for months by the Thune-Daschle Senate race. (I'll take this excuse to note Stephanie Herseth's re-election.)

The pattern repeats in 20-odd counties across the western half of the state: turnout jumps in heavily GOP areas.

These gains were offset by isolated Democratic pickups. Two of the three big campus counties - Story (Ames/Iowa State) and most of all my own beloved People's Republic of Johnson County (Iowa City) - trended to Kerry (in part due to the total meltdown of 90% of the Nader/Green vote). The third campus county, Black Hawk, saw little change from 2000, bit UNI is smaller and Black Hawk is less clearly a College County.

There was a slight Democratic trend in Dubuque and the northeast (Clayton, Allamakee, the aforementioned Winneshiek which all get media from swing state Wisconsin - Kerry ended the campaign VERY nearby in La Crosse, where I was born).

But none of this was enough to overcome GOP trends in the Des Moines suburbs and those big turnout spikes in the west.

Ashcroft Resigns

Ashcroft Resigns

"Sadly, it's not a moment for jubilation. They'll likely find someone who's actually much more competent about throwing away civil liberties and who is more popular."

Conclusions I just don't buy

Daily Kos: Conclusions I just don't buy

More rejection of Dixie Worship:

"While we cannot abandon the South, it is becoming increasingly hostile territory. On the other hand, the Mountain West is trending our way. Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and Nebraska will swing our way before Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia will..."

Gerrymandering in the GIS Era

Gerrymandering in the GIS Era

"Excluding the Texas gerrymander, last Tuesday three incumbent congressmen (two Rs, one D) were defeated; three more open seats changed parties (two previously held by a Republican, one by a Democrat). In only 12 other contests (CA 20, CO 4, CT 2, CT 4, IN 2, IN 8, MN 6, MO 3, NY 29, OR 5, SD AL, PA 6) did the winner prevail by less than 10%. This occurred at a time when a majority of voters believed that the country was on the wrong track and the country is mired in a war that (regardless of one’s opinions on its merits) clearly has not gone as the administration promised.

The causes: the astronomical costs of House races certainly is key—parties find it more prudent to invest their dollars in races for the Senate. More important, however, is the increasingly sophisticated use of technology in House redistricting..."

A normal human being

A normal human being

Back to normal life. First weekend off in two months. And of course it was the Packers' bye week.

So I:

Watched a movie.

Found a bargain. Speakers that aren't the size of a refrigerator, with a subwoofer even.

Rode my bike farther than I ever have.

Burned some CDs. Washed some clothes. Paid attention to my long ignored cats.

And tried to ease the nagging sense of futility hanging over from last Tuesday.

Mosh Pit Al - Class Act

Mosh Pit Al - Class Act

One last easy shot at Mosh Pit Al.

"Two days after his record loss in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Alan Keyes conceded defeat during a radio interview Thursday. But he said he would never congratulate the winner, Barack Obama, because the Democrat stood for 'a culture evil enough to destroy the very soul and heart of my country.'"

---

I just realized there are only FOUR southern Democratic senators left (Lincoln and Pryor in AR, Landrieu in LA and Nelson of FL). Four of what was as late as the 1970s a nearly 100% Democratic bloc.

Realignment is complete...

Oh dear God please No

Oh dear God please No

In an article titled "The Once and Future Hope?" the Washington Post's Richard Cohen leads:

"If you set out to create the perfect Democratic presidential candidate, you would probably choose someone from the South or the border states, since John Kerry lost virtually the entire region on Tuesday, and someone who is comfortable talking the language of religion and values, since John Kerry was not, and someone whose wife is identified with conventional values. Such a person already exists and, as luck would have it, has a name: Al Gore."

This guy's got more lives than Jason has Friday the 13th movies! The one good thing about the Demise of the Deaniacs, I thought, was that Al Gore sank with the ship!

Please, dear God, ANYONE else... ok, anyone else but Joe Lieberman, maybe...

The Kids Did It

The Kids Did It

"If it were up to us, it would be Kerry by a landslide. The future belongs to us, not the moral minority."



Well, I hardly count as among the Us of young people anymore. But it's an encouraging sign that voters 18-29 see through the queer baiting and the fetus worship.

Now the tough part: keeping them alive and un-drafted until 2008...

Why am I even in the same COUNTRY as Alabama?

Why am I even in the same COUNTRY as Alabama?

That Baja Canada map is looking better all the time, even though Iowa doesn't get to be a province:

"It's right there in black and white in the Alabama state constitution. Language providing for segregated schools, authorizing poll taxes, and stating there is no right to public education - a 1956 move allowing the state to close public schools if the feds integrated them.

They voted Tuesday in Alabama to get rid of that Jim Crow language. And it's headed for a recount. Right now, there's a thin majority to keep the segregationist language."

More on this from Ron Gunzberger at Politics1:

"Amendment 2 on Tuesday's ballot proposed cleaning up the state constitution by removing some long-unenforced segregationist provisions that mandated separate-but-equal segregated schools, authorized unconstitutional poll taxes to bar blacks from voting, and specified that Alabamians have no constitutional right to public education (giving the state the power to deny funding to any integrated schools). Governor Bob Riley (R) supported the amendment. On the other side was Riley's likely 2006 primary opponent: ousted Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore -- who touts himself as "The Ten Commandments Judge" -- led the opposition to the repeal, arguing it could open the door to tax hikes in order to improve the state's public school system. The Alabama Christian Coalition also opposed the amendment, explaining that the group wanted "to ensure that reckless trial lawyers and activist judges will not be able to open the floodgates to increase taxes and that private, Christian, parochial and home-school families will be protected." The "tax hike" argument appears to be a red herring, however, as the Alabama Supreme Court already ruled in 1993 that the "no constitutional right to public education" provision was unconstitutional under the US Constitution. Out of 1.4 million votes cast statewide, Amendment 2 appears to have lost by 2,500 votes. However, the state will conduct an automatic recount."

Thought of the Day

"'When you trade your values for the hope of winning, you end up losing and having no values -- so you keep losing.' "

-- Howard Dean

The Best That We Can Do?

The Best That We Can Do?

Look at ya
Yeah, take a look in the mirror now tell me what you see
Another satisfied customer in the front of the line for the American dream
I remember when we was both out on the boulevard
Talkin' revolution and singin' the blues
Nowadays it's letters to the editor and cheatin' on our taxes
Is the best that we can do
Come on

Look around
There's doctors down on Wall Street
Sharpenin' their scalpels and tryin' to cut a deal
Meanwhile, back at the hospital
We got accountants playin' God and countin' out the pills
Yeah, I know, that sucks – that your HMO
Ain't doin' what you thought it would do
But everybody's gotta die sometime and we can't save everybody
It's the best that we can do

Four score and a hundred and fifty years ago
Our forefathers made us equal as long as we can pay
Yeah, well maybe that wasn't exactly what they was thinkin'
Version six-point-oh of the American way
But hey we can just build a great wall around the country club
To keep the riff-raff out until the slump is through
Yeah, I realize that ain't exactly democratic, but it's either them or us and
And it's the best we can do

Yeah, passionely conservative
It's the best we can do

Conservatively passionate
It's the best we can do

Meanwhile, still thinkin'
Hey, let's wage a war on drugs
It's the best we can do
Well, I don't know about you, but I kinda dig this global warming thing...

--Steve Earle

Bush declares victory 'historic'

Bush declares victory 'historic'

"Bush reached out 'to every person who voted for my opponent.'
'To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust,' the president told Kerry supporters."

LIKE HELL.

NEVER.

I can think of no one less capable of unifying the country. His entire term, his entire persona, his entire ideology, is based on divisiveness and enmity, on Machiavellian divide and conquer. And he had the greatest chance any president has ever had to achieve unity and world support, and he contempuously threw it away.

To add insult to injury I have to get rid of the (sic) now...

Speechless

A moment of silence for America, please.

It's here

It's Here

The biggest day in my thing, my work, my world.

Super Bowl Sunday, in terms of advance hype and question of outcome.
Graduation day in terms of the end of a lot of hard work - except the diploma might wind up empty.
And Chrismas morning - except I'm an elf.

Stay tuned...

Countdown To The Recount 2004

Countdown To The Recount 2004

Packers Win One For Kerry

Packers Win One For Kerry

"Ever since 1936, the last home game before the election has predicted the winner. If the Redskins win, so does the incumbent party in the White House; if not, not. This rule has held good for 17 straight elections."

The Green Bay Packers won for the third straight week Sunday, going on the road to beat the Washington Redskins 28-14...

Ahman Green scored two touchdowns on the ground, scoring on runs of one and 11 yards. He ran for 70 yards on 24 carries and also caught four passes for 73 yards.

Brett Favre completed 20 of 33 throws on the day for 289 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. His nine-yard TD pass to Javon Walker extended his consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 33 games...

Candidates look to makepop-culture connection

Candidates look to makepop-culture connection

It may be, though, that all the pop-culture hoopla in the world isn't going to have much effect without a populist candidate to ride the wave. Riding a Harley-Davidson onto the ''Tonight Show" stage notwithstanding, Kerry may not be the man to do that, given that his persona is more patrician than populist...

Springsteen has been at the forefront of mobilizing rock stars touring the battleground states in support of Kerry. Some of the singers, such as Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', probably have a disproportionate number of Kerry fans to begin with. Others, including John Mellencamp and the Dixie Chicks, have had a more diverse fan base.

Springsteen, a Will Rogers figure if ever there was one, has been trying his best to pass the populism on to Kerry...

The voter suppression drive comes into clear view

The voter suppression drive comes into clear view

"Citing a new list of more than 37,000 questionable addresses, the state Republican Party demanded Saturday that Milwaukee city officials require identification from all of those voters Tuesday.
If the city doesn't, the party says it is prepared to have volunteers challenge each individual - including thousands who might be missing an apartment number on their registration - at the polls."

Hm. Wondering how many of those are on the North Side?

Remember, it's not just the vote of the challenged voter: it's the delay, it's the people behind the challenged voter in line. It's the Election Dayequivalent of a filbuster.

And you only filibuster when you don't have the votes...

High Turnout: Advantage Democrats

High Turnout: Advantage Democrats

"Here are two things we can safely say about this election:
1. It will be a high-turnout election.
2. High turnout will benefit the Democrats."

The great demographer Ruy Teixeira looks at the politics of high turnout. Meanwhile, tomorrow, in the most Democratic county in my swing state, we'll hand out our 30,000th early ballot...

RED SOX WIN SERIES

RED SOX WIN SERIES

"No more curse and no doubt about it.

Ridiculed and reviled through decades of defeat, the Red Sox didn't just beat the St. Louis Cardinals, owners of the best record in baseball, they swept them for their first crown since 1918.

Gone was the heartbreak of four Game 7 losses since their last title, a drought - some insist it was a curse - that really began after they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920..."

World Champion Red Sox, 20 wins in a row for the Patriots... NOW all we need is one MORE Boston win. On Tuesday.

The Incredibly Decideds

The Incredibly Decideds

"While the campaigns have been fixated on the undecideds, this election may go down as one that is really about the incredibly decideds. A whole lot of absentee minded people made their choice easily and early.

The number of absentee ballots that have already been sent in is so high that some reports suggest more than 11% of voters have already voted..."

and I swear all of them are here in Johnson County Iowa...

Students Decry Registration Problems

Students Decry Registration Problems

Our standards are better, though not as good as same-day registration:

Reports of college students being discouraged from registering by local officials in a host of college towns are growing more common in the Granite State, where Kerry and President Bush are locked in a tight race. The issue of student eligibility has also been a source of contention in other states, including Virginia, Texas and Maine.

Democrats allege a systematic program of "scare tactics" designed to suppress turnout among one of their key constituencies. Republicans say they will be monitoring out-of-staters at the polls on Nov. 2 to ensure that state election laws designed to prevent voter fraud are enforced.

As timely as you can get

As timely as you can get:

Eminem's new single.

"Imagine it pouring, it's raining down on us,
Mosh pits outside the oval office
Someone's trying to tell us something, maybe this is God just saying
we're responsible for this monster, this coward, that we have empowered
This is Bin Laden, look at his head nodding,
How could we allow something like this, Without pumping our fist
Now this is our, final hour
Let me be the voice, and your strength, and your choice
Let me simplify the rhyme, just to amplify the noise
Try to amplify the times it, and multiply it by six
Teen million people are equal of this high pitch
Maybe we can reach Al Quaida through my speech
Let the President answer on high anarchy
Strap him with AK-47, let him go
Fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way
No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our soil
No more psychological warfare to trick us to think that we ain't loyal
If we don't serve our own country we're patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes, it's all lies, the stars and stripes
They've been swiped, washed out and wiped,
And Replaced with his own face, mosh now or die
If I get sniped tonight you'll know why, because I told you to fight."

Vote Supression Watch

Vote Supression Watch

And of course it took the BBC (!) to run with this story:

Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list".

It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

An elections supervisor in Tallahassee, when shown the list, told Newsnight: "The only possible reason why they would keep such a thing is to challenge voters on election day."

The hanging chad of 2004

The hanging chad of 2004

One week from this moment, all of you will know the acronym HAVA, which has been hanging over the heads of election offices suspended by fraying threads. One week from this moment, the acromym HAVA will replace "chad" and "Florida" as the punchline to all jokes about screwed up elections.

One week from this moment, everyone will know what I've known for two years:

"Definitions in the federal law are vague, and voter eligibility ultimately turns on an interpretation of state law that may differ from judge to judge. Analysts say that is a recipe for bare-knuckled legal tactics that could swing the election one way or the other in a close race..."

We absolutely HAVE to win this election

We absolutely HAVE to win this election

"Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has thyroid cancer and has undergone an operation on his trachea in the course of treatment, the Supreme Court announced today..."

What Nina Totenberg was saying between the lines on NPR was: a tracheotomy for thyroid cancer is, in non-medical terms, BAD...

More thoughts on this from someone with more time to write intelligently...

Kerry vs Bush, graphs, close, tied, & overtime likely

Kerry vs Bush, graphs, close, tied, & overtime likely

It's beginning to look like we can count on it coming down to at least 5-10 states not being called on election night, and probably 1-3 states determining the outcome days thereafter (a sytematic study of those 10 states counting and certification of the ballot available anywhere?).

Given it's so close, even if John Kerry by all reasonable accounts looks to be the winner, the Republicans will, at the least, want to tarnish Kerry's victory by creating a sense that it was manufactured, stolen, and what not. So don't expect it to be over 9 days from now, it won't be...

Not again... not again... pity us poor election workers... I need to do laundry sometime before December...

Deja vu all over again?

Deja vu all over again?

I had enough Reagan nostalgia last summer!

President (sic) Bush's campaign, using powerful imagery of prowling wolves, suggests the country under John Kerry would be vulnerable to terrorists in a new television ad that says "weakness attracts those who are waiting to do America harm.''

The ad, reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's "Bear'' ad that was credited with framing the 1984 race...

I've always though Bush Junior combined the worst traits of Reagan and Nixon.

GOP leaves Keyes off its team ad

GOP leaves Keyes off its team ad

Ah, I haven't kicked at Mosh Pit Al lately. With Senator Obama out campaigning for the 2012 or so presidential nomination, it's easy to forget that Keyes still has to be dispensed with.

The glossy promotion, which doubles as an absentee ballot application, is zoned for specific regions in the state and touts "Your 2004 Republican Team." The team roster includes President (sic) Bush, Vice President (sic) Dick Cheney and various congressional and legislative candidates.

But there is no mention of Keyes, whose archconservative views and strident manner have embarrassed many Republicans since he entered the race.

This problem popped up once when I was a staffer. Candidate gets unwanted nomination in no-chance race and becomes an embarrassing albatross. It's messy and it goofs up your straight-ticket pitch. Any answers, however, close the system and can be seen as worse than the original problem...

Red Sox stun Yankees 10-3 to reach World Series

Red Sox stun Yankees 10-3 to reach World Series

"There is no torture this time, no hour of humiliation. Better yet to Boston fans, it's the Yankees left to suffer the memory of a historic collapse..."

Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

Q. What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War?

A. George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War"

Oh, like I have any time to blog

Oh, like I have any time to blog

Sorry, dear readers, for the relative lack of original content. It's too bad that at the very time I should have lots of interesting things to say, I can barely string two sentences together.

Presidential season is the Super Bowl of my ball game. And like the Super Bowl, it's the one ball game everyone tunes in for, whether they have a clue about football or not. That sounds sort of elitist, I suppose. But my thoughts on the minor arcana of local-style politics are probably less important to a Super Bowl audience ("When they move the yellow stripe it's called a first down and... HEY! What the hell happened to Janet Jackson's top?!?")

John Edwards is in town Thursday - I'm working. To extend the sports analogy, I feel like I'm AT the game - but I have the beer concession for the Cleveland Browns' Dawg Pound, and Drew Carey just ordered a round for the whole end zone. I'm so busy passing out brewskis I can't watch the game or even check the scoreboard...

My analysis of this election stays stuck on a few key points: High new registrations among young voters leading to unusually high turnout among a group that has a Bush = Draft perception. The undecideds breaking against Bush. The collapse of Nader into insignificance. The debates making Kerry seem like a plausible President.

All this looks good for Kerry. But I still think Howard Dean would be ten points ahead...

---

From the Too Old To Be Cool Department:

The Happy Days theory holds that the nostalgia curve always runs about 20 years back - roughly one generation. This means it has now caught up with me: My daughter just introduced me to "1985" by Bowling For Soup.

I do get SOME cool points for laughing at the song and myself, and for being smart enough to know how to download it.

Conference to analyze legacy of Godzilla

Conference to analyze legacy of Godzilla



The University of Kansas plans to pay homage to the giant lizard later this month, organizing a three-day scholarly conference for the 50th anniversary of his first film.

“I would like people to take Godzilla more seriously,” said Bill Tsutsui, a history professor at the University of Kansas and author of the book “Godzilla on My Mind,” which discusses the history of the monster’s movies...

Jeb Bush Ignored Felon List Advice

Jeb Bush Ignored Felon List Advice

AH, but they have new EQUIPMENT, so all our problems are solved!

The e-mail said state election officials "weren't comfortable with the felon matching program they've got," but added, "The Gov rejected their suggestion to pull the plug, so they're 'going live' with it this weekend."

A software program matched data on felons with voter registration rolls to create the list of 48,000 names. Secretary of State Glenda Hood junked the database in July after acknowledging that 2,500 ex-felons on the list had had their voting rights restored.

Most were Democrats, and many were black. Hispanics, who often vote Republican in Florida, were almost entirely absent from the list due to a technical error.

The key act in The Stealing Of The Presidency 2000 seems set to repeat itself.

They can't ask me if they can't find me

They can't ask me if they can't find me

Hey, I'm a hidden factor in the polls: the wireless-only voter:

Wireless-only adults are certainly younger than other adults. But beware of concluding that all of the missing respondents are college age. In fact, less than a third (29%) of wireless-only adults are 18-24 - most are either age 25-44 (52%) and many are 45 or older (19%).

We do not have data on the political attitudes of wireless only adults, but their demographic profile suggests a Democratic skew...

In a landslide the missed sample wouldn't matter. But in a squeaker like this...

Poland Has Just Been Liberated

Poland Has Just Been Liberated

Transcript of Presidential Debate, October 13, 2004:

BUSH: Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those ex-a-gger-ations.


Transcript of Bush press conference March 13, 2002:

Q: Mr. President (sic), in your speeches now, you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that?

BUSH: So I don't know where he is. Nor -- you know, I just don't spend that much time on him really, to be honest with you...

Q: Do you believe the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead of alive?

BUSH: As I say, we hadn't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, you know, again, I don't know where he is.

I'll repeat what I said: I truly am not that concerned about him.

Meanwhile, Kerry pulls off the first ever Tony Soprano reference in presidential debate history. But they both booted the "strong women" question at the end and tried to joke it away...

Hundreds of Iowa voter forms rejected

Looks like we're in the papers again:

With time running out, Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett sent letters to 400 voters, telling them their applications were rejected because information they provided could not be verified. He said one way to fix the problem is to register in person, which does not require the same verification according to federal election law.

"These people are very frustrated because they had done what they were required by law to do," Slockett said. "Students feel this is an intentional effort to make it difficult for them to vote. The elderly, some who are handicapped, are angered because they're unable to leave the house. We feel very bad about it."

All this is thanks to HAVE, The Law To Fix All The Florida Problems. So we get a cure that's worse than the disease. And we're just stuck having to follow this law.

Folks, you need to know about this. It's awkward, it's incomvenient, but if you're registering for the first time, wherever you are, the best thing to do is do it in person.

Sky and Telescope - October's Ideal Lunar Eclipse

October's Ideal Lunar Eclipse

We'll miss today's partial solar eclipse here in the midwest, but with good luck and no clouds, we get this in two weeks:

On October 27, 2004, the full Moon will undergo a deep total eclipse lasting for 1 hour 22 minutes, when it will be high in the eastern sky after dark...

time to dust off my telescope.

And I wasted a Monday night on THIS?

And I wasted a Monday night on THIS?

Here lie the Packers, may they rest in peace: Green Bay hasn't seen this much ineptitude since 1991

Favre, Packers have an awful night to forget

"Green Bay, which entered the season with genuine Super Bowl aspirations, clearly rates as the biggest flop in the NFL..."

Kerry Up Big in Iowa - Already

Kerry Up Big in Iowa - Already

"As of the middle of last week, about 270,000 Iowans had requested absentee ballots, Culver said. State Democratic Party officials say Democrats hold a 2 to 1 edge in those requests and an even larger advantage among those who have returned ballots."

The story of my life these days, gentle readers...

Hey, isn't this that impeachment jerk?

Hey, isn't this that impeachment jerk?

W seems to be having some trouble keeping his own people on the ranch:

Bush's problem is that true conservatives remember their history. They recall that in recent years when the nation enjoyed the fruits of actual conservative fiscal and security policies, a Democrat occupied the White House and Congress was controlled by a Republican majority that actually fought for a substantive conservative agenda.

History's a troublesome thing for presidents. Even though most voters don't take much of a historical perspective into the voting booth with them, true conservatives do.

Hmmm. Who's the Libertarian candidate again?

The writer? None other than former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, archconservative wingnut of House Impeachment Committee infamy.

(Shameful trivia: the guy was actually born in of all places IOWA CITY - dad was in Army Pre-Flight school back in WWII)

And you though Kerry and Bush hated each other...

And you though Kerry and Bush hated each other...

A big home run by Ruben Sierra, a clutch 11th-inning hit by Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are playing the Boston Red Sox for the AL pennant.

The grudges and hostilities of politics are nothing compared to The Curse Of The Babe and Bucky Freakin' Dent...

World's Least Portable Laptop

World's Least Portable Laptop

The slow painful decline of the loyal laptop took another sad step today. A couple months ago the screen crapped out. In order to keep flying I plugged in a monitor. This was OK. I replaced laptopping at noon with bike riding , lost a few spare pounds, gained a few spare minutes of a clear head each day.

Then the left click half of the mouse pad stuck. Plugged in a mouse. This was ergonomically awkward, as I was typing under a half-opened dead laptop screen. I may not have been flying, but at least I was GLIDING through the last weeks of the election and looked like I could at least stay in the air till November 2.

Well, this morning the KEYBOARD died. I was spiraling in. crashing and burning 24 days out...

19.99 for a connecter and I plugged a spare keyboard in.

External monitor. External mouse. External keyboard... I now have either a very small desktop computer or the world's least portable laptop.

Unless you count this one.

Reclusive Amish could be thrown into election battleground

Reclusive Amish could be thrown into election battleground

And the All Important Amish Vote story resurfaces:

Republicans like to think Bush can tap into the sect's conservative values. But the Iraq war has been a sensitive topic for the Amish who are pacifists and conscientious objectors...

Youth Tie Bush, Draft Reinstatement

Youth Tie Bush, Draft Reinstatement

The National Annenberg Election Survey found that 51 percent of adults age 18 to 29 believe Bush wants to reinstate the draft. Eight percent said Kerry supports bring back the draft, and 7 percent said both want to. A fourth of those polled said neither candidate favors the idea..

I look at that number and at the record pace of registration here in my college town, and come up with two words of analysis:

President Kerry.

2004 Poll Watcher

2004 Poll Watcher

Check this out, daily poll updates state by state

Right now it's showing Kerry up 295-243...

Oh, I would SO get fired for this

Oh, I would SO get fired for this

"Earlier today, the AP pushed a story to its affiliates with the headline Bush wins election, Republicans keep House/Senate. The story appeared briefly on the WBAY-TV website before it was taken down..."

Those election returns don't just magically appear, you know. Someone has to MAKE them. And TEST them.

And make sure that while TESTING them they don't RELEASE them...

It's the same thing with the Obituary File that every big news organization has. Those glowing Reagan tributes didn't get written in a day. In fact, I remember them getting leaked once...

It's one really big tree

It's one really big tree

I've had remarkably little to say about this election, given my front row seat.

What's happened is the old forest for the trees problem. I'm so deep in the woods that all I can see is one tree. And it's a really BIG tree. And it's being chopped down and turned into paper, and all of that paper is flying into our office...

The sheer BASIC-ness of the questions I'm hearing makes me think this year is a big one. The Big Ones bring out the least engaged people, who naturally have the most basic questions. 1996 was dry as toast because no one ever believed Dole had a chance. 2000 wasn't interesting until AFTER Election day. This feels like 1992.

Except in 1992 there was a different vibe. There was the whole Clinton-change thing, the end of the Cold War, and there was the anti-politics thing that Perot represented. It wa smore volatile, less predictable. This thing has been dead-heat standoff (with minor variation) from the day Kerry clinched the nomination, and I STILL think it's going to come down to the kind of turnout-absentee gruntwork we locals do.

Too good to be true?

Too good to be true?

"Word on the Hill is that Tom DeLay is finished. A downfall that couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. He's always struck me as an evil character from a David Lynch movie..."

So what's waiting in the (right) wings? Sad thing is, not much better... Are there even 218 winnable Democratic districts?

Election Day Anti-Terrorism Plans Draw Criticism

Election Day Anti-Terrorism Plans Draw Criticism

"An elevated national threat warning -- and any actions in response -- could scare away voters, intentionally or not, especially in cities, which tend to vote Democratic. Voting rights advocates worry that fear of terrorism could lead to federal agents and local police being posted at polling places, a tactic that has historically been used in some places to intimidate minority citizens. . . "

Will be interesting to see how many random road blocks and knock-and-taks happen in Florida November 2...

Blue State, Gray State

Blue State, Gray State

We know that since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1965 that the Republican Party consciously and with malice redrew the Free State/Slave State divide. Lee Atwater bragged about it. Karl Rove's perfected its exploitation...

Hm. So why not just let 'em go?

S.C. H.S. Removes 3 Topics From Debate

SC High School Removes 3 Topics From Debate

Administrators at Fort Mill High School decided to remove gay marriage, abortion and stem cell research from the agenda of a planned student debate out of concern that they might clash with a state law on sex education...

Made your minds up, undecideds?

Well, that was a chore even for a politics junkie like me... Not sure what went over worse, Bush's inarticulateness or Kerry's ponderousness.

Early reviews seem to give the thumbs-up to Kerry. But were the undecideds paying attention?

Not even a good you're no Jack Kennedy moment. That's really why you watch these things, you know. Like NASCAR. You're looking for the moment when someone whips out of control and hits the wall. I thought I saw it happening when Bush kept bringing up Poland - but that was just a flashback to Ford-Carter.

Ballot provision may disenfranchise voters

Colorado Ballot provision may disenfranchise voters

The one decent thing to come out of HAVA, and now they mess with it:

"The rule, drafted by Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, says that some voters who cast provisional ballots this November will have only their votes for president counted. No other votes will be counted - not even those for statewide races and ballot issues..."

Botched GOP brochure has Democrats chuckling

Botched GOP brochure has Democrats chuckling

"As our state senator, Ron Longmuir has made our schools his top priority," says the campaign brochure, sent to about 8,400 registered Republican and independent voters in Senate District 12.

In fact, Longmuir is running for his first Senate term...

Says here I'm spozed to chuckle. Chuckle, chuckle.

Ah, fall of an even numbered year. Leaves, pumpkin, cookie cutter Republican campaign lit. Just like the end of daylight savings time means the push-poll calls and the fetus flyers at the Catholic churches.

Klingon is a blue state

Klingon is a blue state

This tops the electoral votes of foreign countries story from the other week for sheer irrelevance:

According to the poll of eight local Klingons, a whopping 75 percent support Kerry. Two Klingons polled--or 25 percent--said they planned to write in Satan.

Of course, on the Klingon home world they play REAL hardball:

"On the home world, if there had been a contested election between Gore and Bush, the honorable thing would be for Gore to kill Bush," explained Khraanik (Earth name: Jason Lewis), a 38-year-old from Southeast Portland...

Obama Touts Democrat Efforts Across U.S.

Obama Touts Democrat Efforts Across U.S.

Well, he must have the furniture picked out, because Senator Barack Obama - we might as well just use the title now - is taking the campaign on the road with stopes this week in Philadelphia, Miami, and in Alan Keyes' back yard, Baltimore.

It's just not a complete week here at the blog without kicking Mosh Pit Al just a little. Lucky for me there's a new poll:

Obama leads Keyes by 51 percentage points according to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll published Sunday. The poll of 700 likely voters found that 68 percent favored Obama and 17 percent supported Keyes...

Jeez, even I didn't get beat THAT bad!

The Packers didn't get beat that bad but they still got beat. Even The Mighty Favre had to stand in awe of Peyton Manning today.

Now THAT's a scary image

Now THAT'S a scary image

As the latest attempt to enforce the unenforcable gets under way:

"You will not meet Mayor Ernie Lehman standing in line for the keg at a weekend house party. You will not see Iowa City Councilor Dee Vanderhoef smoking a cigarette on the front porch. You will not get the chance to dance with Councilor Connie Champion in the basement..."

Hm. MAYBE Regenia Bailey. And definitely Brandon Ross if we could have got him elected...

New Day Rising

New Day Rising



I see more sunrises these days. More out of the post-equinox spot on the calendar than out of any change of habits. (Nerd alert: post-equinox means sunbore is coming soon)

Husker Du's "New Day Rising" is an extremely simple song. That's the whole lyric. Just the phrase "New day rising" repeated over and over. It's hopeful, it's forward looking, it's atypically positive for that band (leave the CD on to hear stuff like "59 Times The Pain" and "Terms of Psychic Warfare"). It can be taken personally, spiritually, even politically. (I heard a lot of politician-walk-on-stage music last January, but even Smells Like Dean Spirit wouldn't have strolled to the podium blaring Husker Du...)

And it'll DEFINITELY wake you up in the morning.

Why tilt at a windmill? Because.

Don Quixote was always my guy, champion of windmill tilting. The grand futile gesture that somehow NEEDS to be done, even when the chances of victory are nil, is priceless.



If you look at the map you see that there's a lot of states that just aren't flashing. In the polarized America of 2004, birds of a feather are flocking together more than ever and there is less and less competition. We swing staters are getting all the love, while the rest are left out.

So if you're in, say, a Big Red state, why even bother? Isn't it just a futile gesture?

Yes. It IS a futile gesture. And its's important to do in part BECAUSE it's a great, grand, futile gesture.

Because in doing so you are saying NO.

No. I do not approve of the direction of this country. No. I do not believe in this war. No. I do not believe in the divine right of kings or the inherent right of the rich or the self-appointed holy to control our lives. No. You will not do this with my approval but with my explicit opposition.

And you are saying YES.

YES, I believe we can do better than we are. YES. I can see hope even if we can't win today or tomorrow or for ten years.

It's less risky than standing down a tank on Tiananmen Square but it's just as right. Tilt at that windmill.

The ghost following Kerry

The ghost following Kerry

Last December, Dean was derided by the political establishment on both sides of the aisle when he said that the capture of Saddam Hussein "has not made America safer." At the time, Kerry said Dean's statement "is still more proof that all the advisers in the world can't give Howard Dean the military and foreign policy experience, leadership skills, or diplomatic temperament necessary to lead this country through dangerous times." On Monday at NYU, Kerry put himself firmly in Dean territory when he said of Hussein's removal from power and subsequent capture, "We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure."

For Kerry, the ghost of Howard Dean, presidential candidate, speaks truth. The war with Iraq was a mistake, and it is making this country -- and the world -- less secure. Acknowledging that is a sign of leadership.

Sigh... Well, I guess half a loaf... But remember, he's ELECTABLE!

Oh, to transplant the exitement, the wheels-about-to-rock-off buzz that was The Dean Thing... that was FUN. Kerry just feels like Necessary Work. Which I hope will get done.

What it REALLY feels like... it feels like an arranged marriage, where the parents intervened, split us up from Our True Love, and shotgunned us to the person who would cement the family alliance. Or maybe it doesn't, I have no frame of reference for that. But it's a good line anyway.

Vote Policies Impeding Students

Vote Policies Impeding Students

Voting-rights activists claim that officials nationwide unfairly discouraged or prevented college students from taking part in the electoral process. "They're challenged when they get to the polls; they're told that their financial aid will be revoked or find that polling places are miles away," said Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. "This is an affront to our principles of democracy."

Glad we do better than that around here. Come on down and vote today. And get registered if you're not.

yes this means you

Just in Time for Halloween

Just in Time for Halloween

"President (sic) Bush masks have been outselling John Kerry masks by a 57% to 43% margin at BuyCostumes.com..."

But what's important is: which mask is SCARIER?

sticker of the day

sticker of the day



I slapped this up on the door a couple weeks after the Big Move Out. WHAT'S STOPPING YOU is good all purpose common sense advice. Needed it then. Still do sometimes.

There's also a large red number 9 on my door but that is of less significance unless you like Side 4 of The White Album. And a cartoon from my neighbor remining me to take my keys.

Chafee Takes the First Step

Chafee Takes the First Step

"Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) said Monday he plans to support his party in November but may write in a candidate instead of voting for President (sic) Bush...

Chafee said the party's direction in the future will determine his political career as well. He said he's "not OK" with the conservative platform from the Republican convention, but would not say if he'd consider switching parties in his next election in 2006..."

Moderate Republicans used to fly across this nation in great swarms. Just like passenger pigeons...

It would be a nice trade for Alexander from Louisiana. And I can never resist an excuse to do that "President (sic)" thing...

However, do the little old ladies at the polls a favor and skip the write in, they have to tally your Mickey Mouse and Ficus Plant "statements" at the end of a very long day.

Bob Dylan coming to UI

Bob Dylan coming to UI

I'm so upset I can't even think of a clever lyrical reference. I'll settle for an obvious one. You've got a lot of nerve, Bob, showing up in my town four days before the presidential election...

On October 29th I'll barely have enough spare time to play "Desolation Row," let alone take an evening for a concert! Is this some kind of cruel joke?

Wide gap among poll results mystifies campaigns, pundits

Wide gap among poll results mystifies campaigns, pundits

I hate hate hate linking to the Washington Tmes but this headline caught the problem halfway well. But the real issue seems to be buried at the bottom of the inverted pyramid:

One factor is that, with the proliferation of polls, people are increasingly reluctant to participate. Mr. Taylor said that to have 1,000 respondents, it will take about 4,000 or 5,000 calls over a two- to three-day period.

Throw in unlisted cell phone only folks like me while you're at it...

The fundamental problem with polling is you can't make people answer and you can't make them tell the truth. What used to be a margin of error factor is now a fundamental flaw. Almost sad to see a once-great science going the way of the iceman and the slide rule, and we may finally be to the point where the cliche "the only poll that counts is on Election Day" comes true.

and I HATE losing to the Bears...

I'm An Adult Now (?)

I'm An Adult Now (?)

Sometimes my head hurts and sometimes my stomach hurts
And I guess that it won't be long
'Til I'm sitting in a room with a bunch of people whose necks and backs are aching
Whose sight and hearing's failing who just can't seem to get it up
Speaking of hearing, I can't take too much loud music
I mean I like to play it, but I sure don't like the racket
Noise, but I can't hear anything
Just guitars screaming, screaming, screaming
Some guy screaming in a leather jacket
Wooah!

'Cause I'm an adult now
I'm an adult now
I've got the problems of an adult
On my head and on my shoulders
I'm an adult now

This song came out when I was a lot younger. I thought it was funny then. I think it's funnier now:

It's closing in on 1 AM and my downstairs neighbors are having a loud party and playing music that is abrasive even by my low, low standards. All I can do is step back, look at myself, and laugh. What the hell, it's Saturday night. And it beats the previous neighbors who complained when I walked across the floor wearing shoes.

Maybe I should hit `em with a Ramones tribute early tomorrow morning. I deserved that a few times...

The Dead Ramones would be a good name for a punk rock group, it's offensive AND it pays tribute to two influences at once...

Did Karl Rove dodge the draft?

Did Karl Rove dodge the draft?

Karl Rove escaped the draft for nearly three years at the height of the Vietnam War using student deferments...

AAAAAAGH! Nam Nam Nam NAm NAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Now, I consider Karl Rove a poisonous evil slug but he's at least officially a Behind The Scenes Guy (in this case that means Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain). And are skeletons in the closet of a Behind The Scenes Guy fair game? Hey, that's one of the reasons I am a Behind The Scenes Guy!

I suppose if the behind the scenes guy hogs the limelight, he's fair game, but what's the point of bashing the guy for doing what everyone (except for some bizarre reason John Kerry) did? Wasn't all this settled back when we read Bill Clinton's "I loathe the military" letter (first thing I ever liked about the guy) and after that he WON TWO ELECTIONS? With more votes than the other guy, even?

Maybe we should just file this in the bulging GOP Hypocrisy file...

NOVEMBER ELECTION CANCELLED

NOVEMBER ELECTION CANCELLED

"Nation's voting machines made in Florida- And they don't work!"
-Weekly World News

Does this mean I don't have to go to work tomorrow?

UPDATE 9/18: My boss is skeptical.

Bye Bye Johnny

Bye Bye Johnny

"Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones, has died at the age of 55..."

Survivors include a whole buncha drummers.

Looks like tonight's playlist will have to be LOUD.

Tonight's playlist

Tonight's playlist

Ride along computer cowboy
To the city just in time
To bring another system down
And leave your alias behind

Trans is the album that separates the Neil Young obsessives from... well, normal humans. Been spending the evening using my beat up but faithful laptop to overthrow the government (by strictly legit electoral means of course) in a cowboyish way.

I wanna rock and roll this party
I still wanna have some fun

Sheryl Crow is probably not Cool enough to buy at Championship Vinyl but so what. The line catches me because the only party I've been to lately is the kind with donkeys (not pin-the tail). And too many of my fellow donkeys have forgotten how to rock (look who they nominated).

You can climb a mountain
You can swim the sea
You can jump into the fire
But you'll never be free

Thy lyrics to Nilsson's lost classic do not capture the mood, you need the music. Most people including me know this as "that song from Goodfellas" in the coked-up, about to be busted "last day as a wise guy" sequence. Whenever I have a crazy day with way too many things in it, I hear this in my head. I need to make a CD of that whole sequence for driving and/or Italian cooking:

"Jump into the Fire", Nilsson

"Memo from Turner" and "Monkey Man", the Rolling Stones

"Magic Bus", the Who

"What Is Life", George Harrison

"Mannish Boy", Muddy Waters

And the best closing credits ever:

"My Way" by Sid Vicious.

Don't forget the razor blade for the garlic.

JS Online: Moore poised to be state's first black representative

WI: Moore poised to be state's first black representative

Well, looks like the Wisconsin results were far more interesting than our school board election. Milwaukee's sending an African-American woman to Washington. Cool. Meanwhile in the Republican senate race, they rejected the "Right Russ" rich car dealer and went with the Save The Fetuses (fetii?) guy. So we can stop worrying about Feingold, he's safe.

And Marion Barry made another comeback in DC: Insert punchline here ______________________________

Low stakes for me tomorrow

Low stakes for me tomorrow

For the first time in about forever I have an election tomorrow in which I have nothing invested emotionally. Of course, I hope the school levy passes, but I didn't do any campaigning for it, and we have two school board candidates for two seats. Not expected to be a nail-biter.

So tomorrow is just a long day at work. But that school levy is stil important.

And I still regret the one election I missed, the 1992 school board race which had less that 1 percent turnout. Ruined my perfect attendance streak.

Packers 24, Panthers 14

---

good thoughts

The best rummage sale ever

The best rummage sale ever

Back in one piece from my home town trip during which I made the single best rummage sale purchase ever. Five pairs of new jeans (including three sets of Levis 501s) for the pittance of $17. I'm set for jeans now for the next several years, barring large weight fluctuations. That's not to mention the Box Of Electronic Parts for five bucks which included more useful stuff than junk (although to be honest I have no use for an electric dog collar).

The Parental Computer is in business and the parents have had the On and Off lesson. Youngest Brother shows up next week to provide the next set of help. They have more computer than I have which is hardly fair given their user level ("This is a mouse"). I'm going to be in the market soon. The screen on Faithful Laptop is dying and I'm going to be working so much I might actually be able to afford a new machine...

I've been in political news warp so not much to report. Wisconsin has its primary Tuesday and I saw lots of yard signs, none of which seem to include those nasty words "Democrat" or "Republican."

Last calm before the storm

Last calm before the storm

I'm off the air for the weekend and up to Wisconsin for Mom's birthday Saturday. It was her birthday for a long time before it was 9/11. My present is free consulting as I help set up my folk's first computer (!)

This looks like the last break; when I get back I start the seven week marathon to November 2. Longer, if it turns out like Florida...

Majority of countries prefer Kerry than Bush

Majority of countries prefer Kerry than Bush: survey

This was what I was looking for yesterday: Apparantly Red China is a blue state.

Kerry emerged favourite in 30 countries and on average, beat his Republican rival by more than a two-to-one margin -- 46 percent to 20 percent. The only countries where Bush was preferred in the poll were the Philippines, Nigeria and Poland.

Of course, it has as much relevance as Kerry's "Democrats win when the Redskins lose the Sunday before the election" theory. Except, that since Washington plays the Packers on Halloween, that's actually important.



Just because I'm thinking about it, here's a link to Pat Metheny. If I was still a DJ I'd play him today as a mysterious dedication to an unnamed listener. Doesn't fit the usual format (All Loud All The Time) but so what.

And after two months I've more or less given up on the pretense that Xavier and Dylan are "guest" cats.

Seeing myself in cinema

My alter ego - found in film!

I've always loved "High Fidelity", and found myself identifying strongly with John Cusack's lead character:

Using his on-screen narration as a form of therapy and musical pop culture references as philosophy, Rob sulks around his cave-like pad full of second-hand furniture and concert posters, re-cataloging his endless LP collection and waxing huffy about his breakup to the audience. Then he has an epiphany: He'll track down those Top Five breakup girls and try to figure out what he keeps doing wrong...

But now, in the past few days, two of my best friends have independently come to the conclusion that I am NOT John Cusack. Rather, I am Jack Black:

Barry : How about the Jesus and Mary Chain?
Barry's Customer : They always seemed...
Barry : They always seemed what? They always seemed really great is what they always seemed. They picked up where your precious Echo left off, and you're sitting around complaining about no more Echo albums. I can't believe you don't own this fucking record. (tosses the record to the customer and walks away) That's insane. Jesus.

I will now go work on my Top Five Movie Characters list...

Barry's Customer : Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
Barry : Yea we have it.
Barry's Customer : Well, can I have it?
Barry : No, actually, you can't.
Barry's Customer : Why not?
Barry : God. Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song. Oops, is she in a coma?

There's a record store in Iowa City that reminds me a lot of Championship Vinyl (the store in the movie, if you haven't seen it - and if you haven't stop reading this and go rent it now). I sold a lot of the old vinyl there back when I lived in the one room apartment last spring. Sometimes I'm in there, think about buying something, and ask myself, "is this COOL ENOUGH to buy here, or should I slink into Best Buy instead?" Last thing I got there was the Sugar b-sides album and a couple Nirvana singles, hope that qualifies.

Special thoughts to an old friend today.

Welcome to the 1972 campaign

Records Say Bush Balked at Order

Documents obtained by the CBS News program "60 Minutes" shed new light on one of the most controversial episodes in Bush's military service, when he abruptly stopped flying and moved from Texas to Alabama to work on a political campaign...

Remember about two weeks ago when I said I was getting 'Nammed out?

DIdn't people know this stuff about Bush the first time they elected -- oh, wait. Never mind.

It's not just the press or pseudo-rogue outfits (as if anyone believes any of this is truly "independent" of the campaigns). Today's big quote from Terry McAuliffe: "We know that John Kerry was in Vietnam. My question, Mr. President (sic) , is where were you, Sir?"

First of all, no self-respecting Democrat should EVER call Bush "Mr. President". Second of all, I barely remember the end of Vietnam, I'm 40, and I was a boring precocius little nerd who read newspapers. How many under-40 voters are bored to death? If I had known we were going to have the 1972 campaign all over again, I would have caucused for McGovern! And I doubt anyone is gonna write a book about this one as good as Hunter Thompson's was...

Anyway, Zogby is now saying the W by 11 poll is crap and it's really Bush by 2. Another poll has Bush by 0.9 with a massive 4 percent undecided (see my rant of a couple days back).

A couple more notes in my news potpurri: One headline that ran away from me in another window while I wasn't looking says the rest of the world favors Kerry in a landslide. Which would help if they had any electoral votes.

And another too-good-to-skip Mosh Pit Al moment:

"On Tuesday Keyes did it again, this time by essentially announcing that Jesus would be supporting him (if Jesus, of course, was an Illinois voter). "Christ would not vote for Barack Obama because Barack Obama has voted to behave in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved," declared Keyes..."

So. Please. Both sides. Enough 'Nam.

I, uh, think you can get sued for that...

I, uh, think you can get sued for that...

"Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

-- President (sic) Bush, quoted by the AP

Let's hear it for the undecideds

Let's hear it for the undecideds

Pffffffft! There's my salute to the undecideds.

"Lose the negativity. More specifics, fewer ads, and more debates."

Right. Like anyody so disengaged that they can't decide between John Kerry and George W. Bush is going to sit and watch a debate, or pore over a position paper for "specifics." They'll be reaching for the remote before you can say

"Our three panelists who will be questioning the candidates are..."
CLICK
"Are you ready for some football!?"
CLICK
"Six bachelorettes survived last week, but tonight there are only four roses..."
CLICK
"I baked a coconut cream pie, Gilligan..."
CLICK
"Tinky Winky! Dipsy! Laa Laa! Po! Teletubbies! Teletubbies! Say Hello!"

Anyone who's gonna watch a debate has already tuned in enough that we've got our MINDS MADE UP. The reality is, people who are informed about public affairs have built themselves a worldview, a framework of ideas, and the differences between Kerry and Bush are so vast that the only undecideds left are the truly uninformed.

Not trying to sound elitist or anything. But Objective Paradigm American journalists want voters to act like them. Partisanship is "bad" and neutrality is "good." I for one think informed and passionate partisanship gets a bad rap. One of the reasons we'll see record early voting this year is that so many people have their minds made up.

Live from the road

Live from the road

Greetings fron the Drake student union in Des Moines where I am on a spontaneous roadtrip with my college roomie. We've already been mistaken for brothers once. It's remarkably easy just to walk in anywhere around here on a holiday weekend, the place is more or less deserted.

One of these years I need to get back up to Eau Claire.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday

Get well soon, Bill

Get well soon, Bill

Bill Clinton changed my life in ways I never dreamed, and I'll make no apologies for my deep affection for the man. For me, he'll always be the Real President.

So, Mr. Real President, a young friend of yours in Iowa would like to remind you that hospitals can be fun and that you can have wheelchair races in the hall. Good luck, Bill.

Young Voters Will Decide the Election

Young Voters Will Decide the Election

In my sixth presidential election I no longer qualify. But I like to think of myself as young at heart (living in college student housing at age 40 certainly requires a lack of middle-aged dignity).

More to the point, this means that in the biggest academic, youngest county in a nail-biter swing state, I'm at Ground Zero.

Read the whole thing but I'll give you my favorite nibbles:

"In 2000, one of the main reasons Gore was unable to put Bush away is because he lost the younger voters Clinton had won for Democrats for the first time since the 1970's.

In the latest Post-ABC News poll, taken immediately after the Democratic National Convention, Kerry led Bush 2 to 1 among registered voters younger than 30. Among older voters, the race was virtually tied.

If Kerry is going to win in November, he must continu his success in reaching young voters. Strike that--he must continue to do even more to reach them, even to excite them. Gore ignored young voters in 2000 and paid the price. Clinton openly wooed them and governed for eight years..."

Insert the entire text of Danny Goldberg's How The Left Lost Teen Spirit here. Then ask yourself how much ass Howard Dean would be kicking today.

Words of wisdom from a gal named Chapin

Well the Tori Amos kick is off for now. Nothing against her but I've found myself rolling down the road renewing a long lost relationship with one Mary-Chapin Carpenter.

She was just after my late-80s country radio era but close enough that I was still paying attention. I grabbed the CDs out of GOP Convention Disgust. Country progressive types are hard to find and I wasn't in a Steve Earle mood so I expected to fixate on:

I sat alone in the dark one night, tuning in by remote
I found a preacher who spoke of the light but there was brimstone in his throat
He'd show me the way according to him in return for my personal check
I flipped my channel back to CNN and I lit another cigarette

But instead my brain zoomed in on

You can speak what’s on your mind
If you’ve got a gambler’s heart
You can be the truth incarnate
You can shoot straight in the dark

If there were true justice in country music Mary-Chapin Carpenter would be filling stadiums and Shania Twain would be waitressing at a Hooters in Daytona.

Plus every time I hear "Down At The Twist And Shout" I remember halftime of Super Bowl XXXI which as we all know had a happy ending. And she didn't even have to flash us.

Hard Right Stays on Convention Sidelines

Hard Right Stays on Convention Sidelines

This is what we're up against, donkey people, that you aren't seeing in Grade A, Prime AHnold and McCain Time. The face of the base of the Republican Party:

Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas told an invitation-only Bush rally for Christian conservatives, "We must win this cultural war." He offered an agenda strikingly different from anything voters will hear from the convention platform, including a proposed requirement that pregnant women considering abortions be offered anesthesia for their fetuses.

Oklahoma Senate candidate Tom Coburn called his race against Rep. Brad Carson "a battle for the culture of America" and "the battle of good vs. evil."

Arizona Rep. John Shadegg got a standing ovation from his state's delegation when he lashed out at filmmaker Michael Moore. Shadegg said he told a newspaper executive that he had made a mistake "when you credentialed kind of the anti-Christ."

"The left wing hates George Bush the most because he believes in God," said Youngstown Mayor George McKelvey, a conservative Democrat who drew applause from Ohio delegates.

Another Republican Senate candidate, Alan Keyes... naah, why bother?