That Good Night - Election 2004

A Slightly Different Electoral Map

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 06:24:42 -0800

Get Out And VOTE

Tue, 02 Nov 2004 22:20:12 -0800

What are you doing sitting around looking at internet sites? GO VOTE.

Misunderstanding Voting

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 07:22:05 -0800

In this country there is a fundamental misunderstanding of "the vote" and the electoral process. There are far too many "overprincipled" people who view their vote as some kind of holy thing that must remain sacred above all else. People who think that it's somehow wrong to vote for what they consider the "lesser of two evils". Then there are people who believe that the electoral college and the dominance of the two-party system are anti-democratic. These are the people who have a fundamental misunderstanding of American government. America is not a democracy, it's a republic (a democratic republic). Voting is not a holy right, it's a strategic decision. Each state decides how to select electors for the President and presently the states do that by way of a popular vote.

Mosh

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 20:06:28 -0700

Eminem's video is getting a lot of play. Take one, pass it on. The GNN.tv link is getting slow, so if that doesn't work, try here (and read the associated article).

It's also hosted on this site as long as the bandwidth holds out.

Bush Ten Years Ago

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 13:13:22 -0700

Conspiracy theories aren't good for anyone. Still, the contrast between Bush in a debate ten years ago and Bush in a debate ten days ago is stark.

Check out this video to see for yourself.

The O'Krugman Factor

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 12:57:42 -0700

An exploration of all the various tactics that Republicans are trying to use across the country in order to suppress/intimidate Democratic voters.

Democrats aren't doing this. Republicans are doing this. And why? It's because they can't win without cheating and dirty tricks. If you listen to the "shout-out-the-vote" recordings on radio stations, almost all of the Kerry supporters who call tell you to vote for whoever you want but to please, God, get out and vote. Most of the Bush supporters who call just tell you to vote for Bush.

Bush's Weakness Is His "Strength"

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 11:55:10 -0700

Despite his record of failure in virtually every aspect of public policy, Bush has a great deal of support in this coutry, and this election is a lot closer than it should be if it were being decided on the merits. Tangentially, it seems that every time Bush makes a public statement it either is entirely or includes a lie. Are there are examples of things he's said recently that were true?

Nonetheless, Bush's perceived "strength" among the revenge-oriented part of the population (as opposed to the results-oriented part of the population) is one of his biggest weaknesses. Obviously this "strength" is merely stubbornness and arrogance, something that thinking people recognize as a disqualifying weakness in a President.

Good To Be In D.C.!

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 08:50:39 -0700

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the latest at JibJab. It's called "Good To Be In D.C.!" and while it's not as funny as the first, it provides some much needed humor.

Clinton again steals the funniest moment ("What'd I do?"). Anyway, check it out, you won't be disappointed. Alright, you might be disappointed, but whatever.

We all need to take a step back and laugh at just how ridiculous this whole thing is. If two guys with a stupid web cartoon can make people step back and laugh for just a second -- then more power to them. Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people on both sides have lost the ability to laugh at themselves.

Knockout

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 09:32:10 -0800

Pete seems to be busy lately, so I'm cross-posting a little something my journal:

Keith Olbermann's article in MSNBC presents an interesting analysis of tonight's debate. I appreciate his boxing analogy, but have to fault him for calling the final score he offers - Kerry 15, Bush 12 - a "statistical draw." Statistics have a margin of error because they are used to extrapolate conclusions about a population when you have only sampled a portion of that population. Olbermann scored each of the eighteen questions asked as well as the closing arguments, so statistics have nothing to do with the final score. It may be close, but Kerry wins.

Bush's Gestapo Goes North

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 13:30:50 -0700

George W. Bush is coming to Bangor this Thursday, escorted by his brainwashed Secret Service thugs:

People who want tickets will be asked by a campaign volunteer if they are supporters or undecided, and if they would like to volunteer to work on the campaign. Each person will then be asked to fill out a form, providing name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. That information will be given to the Secret Service "for security reasons," Cianchette said.

"In this post 9-11 era, the need for security is so tight that we need to collect that information," he said. "That's pretty standard."

If any nonsupporter gets into the event and stages a protest, that person will be escorted out of the building, Cianchette said.

First of all, I'm tired of hearing about the so-called "post 9-11 era." The world is exactly the same. EXACTLY the same, except that Bush has been a complete failure at preventing terrorism whereas previous presidents have been raging successes.

Colorado instead of Florida

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 09:33:12 -0800

I'm without Internet for a while and posting from a college library, but I thought this article was interesting enough to merit a quick post.

On Nov. 2, Coloradans will be doing more than voting for president. They will also consider Amendment 36, a voter initiative that, if passed, will change the way Colorado's nine electoral votes are allocated.

Most states, including Colorado, award all of the state's electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate obtains the greatest number of votes there. Amendment 36, if passed, would divide up Colorado's electoral college votes proportionately, depending on how many votes each candidate wins. What's more, it declares unambiguously that "the popular proportional selection for presidential election is intended to apply retroactively and thus determine the manner in which our state's presidential electors are chosen and our state's electoral votes are cast for the general election of 2004."

My Flip-flop Bookmark

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 09:33:32 -0800

In a recent article Peter wrote about the labelling of Bush's quote about the war on terrorism being unwinnable. Despite having called it a flip-flop myself, I agree with what he said, and would go further to say that both sides need to lay off the lame jargon and get down to the business of making shit better. I don't even like the phrase "flip-flop." It just sounds dumb.

All the same, I'm offering up a link to an article dealing with both Kerry and Bush's changes of heart.

Can Anyone Say It Better Than Krugman?

Fri, 03 Sep 2004 08:06:47 -0700

Feel The Hate

Some choice quotes:

For many months we've been warned by tut-tutting commentators about the evils of irrational "Bush hatred." Pundits eagerly scanned the Democratic convention for the disease; some invented examples when they failed to find it. Then they waited eagerly for outrageous behavior by demonstrators in New York, only to be disappointed again.

There was plenty of hatred in Manhattan, but it was inside, not outside, Madison Square Garden.

Why are the Republicans so angry? One reason is that they have nothing positive to run on (during the first three days, Mr. Bush was mentioned far less often than John Kerry).

The promised economic boom hasn't materialized, Iraq is a bloody quagmire, and Osama bin Laden has gone from "dead or alive" to he-who-must-not-be-named.

Another reason, I'm sure, is a guilty conscience. At some level the people at that convention know that their designated hero is a man who never in his life took a risk or made a sacrifice for his country, and that they are impugning the patriotism of men who have.

But the vitriol also reflects the fact that many of the people at that convention, for all their flag-waving, hate America. They want a controlled, monolithic society; they fear and loathe our nation's freedom, diversity and complexity.

The contrast between the two conventions was striking. Actually, it's funny because the main subject of both of them was John Kerry. The tone, however, was very different. It's really appalling that the Republican party gets away with so much irrational anger, hatred, religious bigotry and racism. As Krugman said at the end of his article, it makes me very, very afraid.

Bush Promises "A More Hopeful America"

Thu, 02 Sep 2004 20:29:02 -0700

That's all he's got? A more hopeful America? Continuing to hope for jobs that aren't coming back and healthcare we can never afford and peace we don't behave like we want? That must be what he meant. And I don't think he wants to win anymore. I think he's uncomfortable being the president because he's expected to know things and make (correct) decisions and he's not any good at it. It's frustrating to try to do a job you're no good at and that must be why he's so rude and mean to reporters when they ask valid questions.

I think he knows he's in over his head.

Hope is not a plan, it's a feeling you hold on to in order to survive a period where you have no plan or strategy whatsoever.

Shower Sandals/Campaign Scandals

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 09:35:25 -0800

Another double post from my site. Just trying to keep things lively around here.

I ask every customer I deal with at REI if they found everything they came in for. A good portion of the customers that I pose this question to have some 'clever' response, usually that they were hoping to find some made-up item, such as a backpack which reduces the weight of the things packed in it, or a tent that is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. I always try to laugh and give the customer the impression that they are the first person to make such a witty request.