Reactions to story from USAToday

• 

  I Voted for “That One”

  http://superheroesfordemocracy.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/i-vo...
  39 days ago in Superheroes For Democracy Weblog · Authority: 1

  I’m voting I voted for “That One”   We’re coming down to the wire, and, before the weekend hits, I want to make a last-minute plea to everyone to VOTE EARLY.  There is still time to vote early or to vote absentee in most states.  Most states have “No Excuse” absentee or early voting, meaning you don’t need a reason for casting an early ballot.  In other states, you’re supposed to have a reason, but the range of reasons is pretty broad.  In Virginia, for example, the fact that you won’t be able to make it to the polls because of your work hours is a legitimate reason to vote early/absentee. I voted in person in early October, and there wasn’t a line.  There will be lines now, but they still won’t be as bad as they will be on Nov. 4.  And it looks like many places will have in-person early voting for the next two Saturdays (Oct. 25 and Nov. 1).  For more information on voting early/absentee, check out your State Board of Elections web site by looking it up here or use Obama’s early voting assistance web site. “But, Ripley, they won’t count my absentee vote unless there’s a tie!” It is an urban legend that early and absentee votes are counted only in the case of a tie.  They are counted just like regular votes. NPR covered this issue in a voting FAQ earlier this month. Reasons to vote early/absentee: 1. You won’t have to wait in line for God-knows-how-long to vote on Election Day.  I had to wait for almost two hours on primary day this year, and I went relatively late in the morning.  It’s going to be much much worse on Nov. 4. 2. You can do something else on Election Day to help the campaign:  drive other people to the polls, make last-minute calls to remind people to vote, be a poll observer, travel to a swing state where your help is needed more, or do something else to get out the vote. 3. There aren’t enough poll workers. Voting early reduces lines at the polls on Election Day, which not only alleviates pressure on the poll workers, but also frees you up to be a poll worker, if you so choose. 4. There aren’t enough polling machines and the ones we do have are not reliable. In 2004, Ohio became the Florida of the presidential election, with massive problems with their polling machines causing havoc, uncertainty and disenfranchisement throughout the state.  Whether or not these problems cost John Kerry the election is still hotly debated. 5. You will have time to correct any problems with your voter registration. In the unlikely event that there is a problem with your registration, you will still have time to correct it if you vote early.  If you don’t find out about a problem until Election Day, you most likely will have to fill out a provisional ballot, which is counted only once the problem is resolved.  And provisional ballots are more likely to be rejected even though the vote might be valid. 6. Early voting neutralizes voter intimidation, voter caging, and other shenanigans designed to suppress (mostly Democratic) votes.  For information about the range of problems that could happen on Election Day, check out this report from electionline.org and the Pew Center on the States and this report from Common Cause and the Century Foundation. 7. The more people who vote early, the more people will vote. There is a record number of newly registered voters this year.  Many of these first-time voters won’t realize how long the lines will be.  These new voters are more likely to be discouraged by the prospect of waiting in line for hours to vote and are more likely to leave without voting.  This is especially true if the weather is bad on Election Day.  If you don’t vote early for yourself, do it for others! 8. Because it helps the Obama campaign. Early voting is a keystone of Obama’s election strategy, and the campaign has set up a special web site to help people vote.  If you don’t want your data to be added to his database, visit your State Board of Elections web site by looking it up here.   So I can’t stress it enough:  vote early.  Do it for yourself.  Do it for others.  Do it for Obama/Biden.  Do it for America’s future! ~Ripley “Your ass is already on the line. The only question is, what are you gonna do about it?”
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  Polling places with large minority populations in six battleground states lack resources

  http://www.allthingsreform.org/2008/10/polling-places-with-l...
  51 days ago in All Things Reform · Authority: 12

  Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. Image via WikipediaGovernment reform orgs. deliver news on major events within their areas of expertise. From: Voter Action Polling places lack resources, civil rights group saysOct 9 2008 | By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY Polling places in six battleground states, including many with large minority populations, could be overwhelmed on Election Day because officials have not allocated enough voting stations, machines and poll workers, a study released Thursday by a civil rights group warns. Using data from 28 local election offices, the Advancement Project says some precincts with large minority populations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Florida and Michigan could have long lines Nov. 4 unless they provide more machines, stations and staff. Faced with long waits, thousands of voters could give up and go home, the group says. "There are disparities that need to be fixed," says Judith Browne-Dianis, co-director of the Advancement Project. PARTY TARGETS: Voter registration, turnout The problem, says Jon Greenbaum of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is that many counties base allocations on past turnout, rather than current registration and future projections. This year, areas with large numbers of minorities and young people could see a greater increase in turnout because of the candidacy of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. View Entire Article Here >All Things Reform Mobile: allthingsreform.mofuse.mobi >Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 (not toll-free) >US House/Senate Mobile: bit.ly/members >Contact your reps tips: bit.ly/dear >Shortened All Things Reform URL: bit.ly/dw Related articles by Zemanta1-866-OUR-VOTE elections hotline upgraded to handle more callsAct on your legal rights as voters with the Voting Rights Enforcement ProjectYoung voters are engaged and voting for Obama by a 2 to 1 marginKatie Naranjo: Respect Our Vote: College Democrats Launch Nationwide Campaign to Protect Students' Rights [IMG Reblog this post [with Zemanta]]
• 

  The Weekly Rewind

  http://thebushwhackedleague.blogspot.com/2008/10/weekly-rewi...
  52 days ago in The "Bush"-Whacked Administration · Authority: 3

  My fellow prisoners fellow readers… as we embark on the final weeks of the presidential campaign, I urge you to take the time to learn about the issues and not resort to shameful, pathetic name calling and accusatorial statements. The Weekly Rewind starts… right now! Applaud: to proof that the end of 8-years of disaster is coming to an end. Earlier this week “President” Bush created a special council that will guide the transition to a new administration that will start meeting next Wednesday to begin mapping out an orderly handoff to Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain (I’ve said many times that 1/20/2009 can NOT come soon enough, and with this, it’s starting to become official… Whoo-Hoo!) Heckle: to the US economic crisis now branching out to an international economic crisis. We are boned… Applaud: to a record-breaking voter registration drive season. The better news, in eight of the most tightly fought presidential race states (Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico and New Hampshire), is that Democrats added over 800,000 voters to the rolls while republicans lost 300,000. (Cautious optimism is my order for the next few weeks. I’m excited, but not counting my chickens until it’s all over but the shouting… lest I get monumentally pissed on November 5th…) Heckle: to an inane quote from a man on the brink of political obscurity. In an interview with right-wing magazine Newsmax earlier this week, Sen. Lieberman (I r-CT) called Sen. Obama’s worldview “naive” and, when asked if Obama could bomb Iran if it came to it, Lieberman replied, “I worry about that.” (Who the fuck cares what Joe Lieberman thinks? The man is as politically dead as Bush’s legacy. If Dems win the White House, the Senate and the House, his sphere of influence will be as small as Bush’s currently is, if not smaller) Applaud: to more word-fumbling from Palin which, every time it happens, shows she’s not ready for the world stage. While speaking at a San Francisco fundraiser last Sunday, she praised U.S. soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and said; “They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan.” (Huh, how about that. So evidently Palin not only sees Russia from her house – which is a lie by the way – she can apparently see Afghanistan as well. Fascinating…) Heckle: to the continuing incompetence of the Sen. Ted Stevens (r-AK) prosecutors. If they don’t kill the case against him, I’ll be surprised… Applaud? Heckle? Depends? to the start of the new SCOTUS season this past week. One of the first orders of business will be arguments about limiting lawsuits against tobacco companies, and since this Court is very “business-friendly”, my guess is that their ruling will favor the tobacco companies. (but on the plus side, maybe we’ll finally hear from the Silent Justice… though I doubt it) Applaud: to searching for the truth behind the current financial crisis. As House republicans strain themselves in defending deregulation they supported, going as far as releasing a report that reads; “In the midst of the most serious financial crisis in a generation, some claim that deregulation is entirely to blame. […] This is simply not true”, the House Oversight Committee is getting ready to examine the causes of the financial crisis. (Does it merit investigation? Yes. Will it do anything? No) Heckle: to lip service. Earlier this week Vice President Dick “President” Cheney spoke at the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy in Reno. During the speech Cheney made the claim that this administration has championed wildlife preservation… (wait, what? Championed wildlife preservation? Seriously? He said that with a straight face?? This administration has been a wildlife and environmental disaster since they took office and ANY attempt to say otherwise is downright laughable. If you believe that, I have a nice bridge to sell you in Alaska…) Applaud: to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) who said earlier this week that his panel will investigate “extremely disturbing.” claims by two military eavesdroppers that they listened in on private calls to home from American military officers, aid workers and journalists stationed in Iraq.” (Listening in on your own military leaders? WTF???) Heckle: to inane reports that don’t hold water. In their vain effort to preempt a state ethics report on Gov. Palin, the McCain campaign released a report this past week that “clears her of any wrongdoing” in the firing of her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, based on public filings and Todd Palin’s affidavit… (Nothing to see here, move along citizen. Clearing Palin of any wrongdoings based on an affidavit from her husband is ridiculous, even by McPalin standards. That act alone should prompt the state of Alaska to investigate this further…) Applaud: to a NY Times report that ties Gov. Palin to t she dismissed Alaska’s aforementioned public safety commissioner over her family’s dispute about one of his troopers. The report says that the commissioner and his aides were contacted about the office in question “three dozen times” over a 19-month span by Palin, her husband and seven administration officials… Heckle: to dispiriting news from NIE’s. A draft version of the new National Intelligence Estimate comes to the conclusion that Afghanistan is in a “downward spiral” while casting doubt on the Afghan government’s ability to curtail the Taliban’s rising influence. Another NIE report warns that unresolved ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iraq could “unleash a new wave of violence” tjat will reverse all security and political gains achieved over the last year. (And yet McPalin continues to spew forth that Iraq is now a victory and Afghanistan is not vital…) Applaud: to New York Times columnist David Brooks who said earlier this week that Palin “represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party.” (’Nuff said…) Heckle: to a sign of the tumultuous times our nation is now facing. The National Debt Clock in New York’s Times Square can no longer keep pace with the ever-growing national debt that has hit more than $10 trillion under “President” Bush’s watch. A new clock with two extra digits will go up next year. (Keep this in mind; a vote for McCain is a vote for a third Bush term and, in essence, a continuing growth of our national debt. Let’s not mortgage our future the way the market’s been mortgaged off…) Applaud: to whomever punched Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld last week. After heading to the gym following his interrogation in front of House members he was punched in the face at by a man angry at the Lehman failure. (Karma Baby! Would it be wrong if I said I wanted to buy the assailant a beer?) Heckle: to former republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Do I really need to give a reason? Sigh… fine... for writing that McCain should flip-flop and distance himself from the bailout that he voted for. We should mention that, at first, Newt was for the bailout then quickly flip-flopped and tried to tell republican lawmakers to vote against the bailout. (Again; Newt was part of the problem in the republican wipe-out in the late 90’s, why on earth would conservatives listen to a damn word this man says?) Applaud: to Karma, baby! Last month, republican (big surprise, huh?) Louisiana state Rep. John LaBruzzo announced a plan that would pay ‘poor’ women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied. After incorrectly predicting that people would “get excited” about his idea, he’s now been removed from his position as vice chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee. House Speaker Jim Tucker, also a republican, said Labruzzo’s comments “impeded his abilities to help lead critical health-care reform.” (Ya think? The fact he thought people would get excited about this Stalin-esque plan shows that Mr. LaBruzzo has quite a few screws loose… but one can never escape Karma) Heckle: to an ever-disappointed American public. A new Gallup poll shows that a scant 9% of the American public are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States, which is the lowest such reading in Gallup Poll history, easily beating the 12% recorded in 1979. Applaud: to the ever-shrinking presidential approval rating. Another new Gallup Poll shows that “President” Bush’s job approval rating has fallen to the record low of 25%, a mere one percentage point higher than Richard Nixon’s time-of-resignation approval rating of 24% (His legacy is circling the bowl, and there’s little he can do about it…) Heckle: to more disastrous economic news, attributable to the Bush(whacked) Administration. The federal budget deficit hit a new record in the 2008 budget year with a $438 billion shortfall for the budget year that ended last week. The previous record was posted in 2004… smack-dab in the middle of Bush’s 8-year reign of horror. (I know it’s trite, but 1/20/09 can NOT come soon enough Applaud: to being caught in your own web of irony. Heckle: to plans to screw the public with their pants on… again. In order to pay for his health care plan while keeping it “budget neutral,” it was discovered this week that McCain would have to slash $1.3 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid over a 10 year period. Extra heckle to Palin for lying through her teeth at a rally in Florida earlier this week. When asked about Social Security, she said that they will “protect the entitlement programs that Americans depend on.” (And if you believe that, I have a you-know-what to sell you you-know-where…) Applaud:to delicious irony. Which presidential contender said THIS in 2000? “Sooner or later, people are going to figure out if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it.” (If you guessed Sen. John McCain, you would be right… and this perfectly supports my theory that the McCain version 2000 is no where close to the McCain version 2008… he’s aligned himself with Bush and his failed policies and would be a de facto third Bush term. Who in their right mind would want that??? Heckle: to double-standards; presidential race style. Despite criticizing Obama’s “relationship” (a term I use very loosely) with Bill Ayers, McCain is trumpeting an endorsement from Leonore Annenberg, widow of ambassador and philanthropist Walter Annenberg. If you think you’ve heard that name from somewhere before, it’s because the education board that Obama and Ayers sat on is named after him… (ahhh, how I love thee sweet, sweet irony…) And this week’s TOTW was a hard one to determine, as we had plenty of conservative wingnuts spewing off about one thing or another… but we finally decided on one that does a nice job of describing how the current administration feels about people. During a White House press briefing earlier this week, press secretary Dana Perino suggested the Bush administration would oppose any effort to extend jobless benefits and explained their position by saying the best way to help the economy is for unemployed people to simply “get back to work.” Amazing, isn’t it? Why didn’t anyone ever think of that?? Just get back work, then you won’t be unemployed anymore… WOW! Thanks Dana… you schmuck. And because of that, Dana Perino is this week’s Tool… of the Week. A new feature in TBWA’s “Weekly Rewind”, the Un-sung Liberal Champion of the Week. This week the award goes to Oliver Clark. Mr. Clark was the man who posed the second question at this past week’s debate and was insulted (as I would have been) by McCain's condescending response of “You probably never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before this” and responded with a nice-worded post in which he said; “Well Senator, I actually did. I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent person. I have a bachelor degree in Political Science from Tennessee State, so I try to keep myself up to date with current affairs. I have a Master degree in Legal Studies from Southern Illinois University, a few years in law school, and I am currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration from the University of Memphis. In defense of the Senator from Arizona I would say he is an older guy, and may have made an underestimation of my age. Honest mistake. However, it could be because I am a young African-American male. Whatever the case may be it was somewhat condescending regardless of my age to make an assumption regarding whether I was knowledgeable about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.” (Nicely said Oliver. I, personally, was a little taken aback when McCain made that remark as I would have liked to have thought that a fair amount of the American public knew who those organizations were after the Savings and Loan Scandal. McCain, like George Bush, seems to talk to the American people like we are five years old and need everything “dummed down” in order for us to comprehend the issues. I find that insulting, especially since it seems more and more likely that McCain, again like Bush, is the one that needs things dummed-down in order to understand…) All I have, take ‘em as you will…
• 
  http://theangryliberal.blogspot.com/2008/10/rep.html
  55 days ago in The Grey Matter · Authority: 6

  Rep. Brad Sherman says many members of Congress were told that if they didn't vote for the bailout bill then martial law would be the end result. The fear-mongering never stops for this administration. A man is shot three times for wearing an Obama t-shirt. It's getting very ugly to say the least. Voter registration drives have helped the Democrats and hurt the Republicans. Unfortunately, Greg Palast and Robert Kennedy, Jr. have concluded it may not matter, that the fix may already be in. Another thing Greenspan got wrong. In their debate, Palin frequently evoked the image of Reagan, yet it was Biden who was doing to Palin what Reagan did to Carter: remind the voters of prior woe and the need for change. Voters typically seek change by booting out the incumbent party, yet McCain/Palin wish to try the novel approach of convincing us that change will come by keeping the GOP in the White House for four more years. Oh, right, almost forgot, THEY'RE MAVERICKS! Despite what McCain may claim, Obama is the true supporter of veterans.
• 

  McCain Wants To Talk About Dangerous? OK

  http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/10/mccain-wants-to-...
  57 days ago in DownWithTyranny! · Authority: 372

  coattails This morning CBS News reported that Lagging In The Polls, Palin Shifts To Fear Tactics. Can anyone in their right mind take A Know Nothing Winky-Dinky seriously enough to fear the nonsense that comes randomly shooting out of her lipsticked trap? Apparently not in Virginia, where Obama now holds a double-digit lead over McCain. She keeps using words like "dangerous," "fearful" and "afraid" in the increasingly hysterical and desperate speeches the McCain team writes for her and it only reminds voters of John McCain's career-long erratic behavior, hair-trigger temperament, and of the serial hysteria his campaign has degenerated into. USAToday noted that today was the end of a record-breaking registration campaign in half the states in the nation-- record-breaking for Democrats, heart-breaking for Republicans. Democrats have added more than 800,000 voters and Republicans have lost 300,000 in eight of the most tightly fought states in the presidential race: Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico and New Hampshire. Changes occur when voters switch parties or are removed from registration lists because they moved, died or haven't voted in recent elections. No wonder McCain is so desperate and has decided to turn the rest of the campaign into a brutal slash and burn gutter exercise that even Karl Rove says is over the top and even Tom DeLay has qualms about! And like Virginia, Ohio is also slipping further and further from McCain's clammy grasp. Yesterday's Columbus Dispatch reported that Obama is now up by 7 points statewide. If that holds, McCain needn't bother staying up late for the 2 remaining debates. The sweetest part of McCain's nosedive is that he's dragging the entire Republican Party down with him, just the way he did in the special congressional elections in Illinois, Louisiana, and Mississippi, where 3 red districts rejected McCain and his candidates-- running the same kind of viciously negative campaign McCain is doing now-- for moderate Democrats supported by Obama. McCain's coattails look like they will be the most toxic in the history of the Republican Party. In 2006 rubber stamp Republican Randy Kuhl beat security-oriented progressive Democrat Eric Massa 52%-48%. This year the two campaigns have around the same amount of money on hand (Massa- $534,000 and Kuhl $572,000). According to a Republican polling firm, McLaughlin & Associates, January showed Kuhl way ahead, 46-26%. That's a steep hill to climb. Eric has climbed it. Today's release of a Beneson Strategy Group poll has Eric at 47% and Kuhl trailing with 42%. We're seeing results like this on the local levels everywhere in the country. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Al Franken (D-MN) have pulled ahead of incumbent Republican rubber stamps Gordon Smith and Norm Coleman. And national Republicans have virtually written off any chance Elizabeth Dole has for keeping her seat in North Carolina. Politico: "Top Republicans say they have no hope for Dole in North Carolina. 'There’s no point in even counting the votes,' said a top McCain official." They say the only Republican chance for a pick-up in the Senate is if Lieberman makes his jump to their side official. Similarly, there are no Democrats with endangered seats except for Chris Carney (PA) who has been voting like a Republican and deserves to lose his seat; unfortunately, even a reactionary scumbag like Carney will be helped by an Obama landslide. Heavily red House seats that are looking like they will elect Democrats in November include the at-large Alaska seat, currently held by bribe-taking Don Young, but even non-criminal types in the GOP are getting ready to start hunting for jobs on K Street after November. Some of the most likely Democratic prospects (all races where the Democrat is currently polling ahead or even): Charlie Brown (CA-04)- up 5% Alan Grayson (FL-08)- up 4% Parker Griffith (AL-05)- up 5% Jim Himes (CT-04)- dead heat Walter Minnick (ID-01)- up 6%-- and yes, that's Idaho in a district with a PVI of R+19! Betsy Markey (CO-04)- up 9% Frank Kratovil (MD-01)- dead heat Mark Schauer (MI-07)- up 6% Gary Peters (MI-09)- up 4% Ashwin Madia (MN-03)- up 5% (brand new poll) Larry Kissell (NC-08)- up 11% Martin Heinrich (NM-01)- up 6% Harry Teague (NM-02)- up 4% Dina Titus (NV-03)- up 11% Michael McMahon (NY-13)- GOP has given up Dan Maffei (NY-25)- up 1% Steve Dreihaus (OH-01)- dead heat Vic Wulsin (OH-02)- dead heat Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15)- up 5% John Boccieri (OH-16)- up 8% Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03)- up 4% Gerry Connolly (VA-11)- up 31% Gary Trauner (WY-A-L)- dead heat Most district have no polling available. If you're interested in helping your favorite Democrats in House races, there's a People For the American Way contest going on right now, where you can leverage even a small donation for your favorite candidate into a big check. Right now Judy Feder (VA-10), Gary Peters (MI-09) and Russ Warner (CA-26) are battling it out for the top slot, but it's very early going and already Marin Heinrich (NM-01), Dennis Shulman (NJ-05), and Debbie Cook (CA-46) are starting to move up. Click here to take a look. And if you're wondering why Eric Massa took that gigantic jump in the polls, I think this video will help you understand: UPDATE: GOP HOUSE CANDIDATES CRUMBLING I spoke to a friend of mine in Minnesota tonight who told me the GOP has pretty much just thrown in the towel on holding on to Ramstad's seat with right-winger Erik Paulsen. Ashwin Madia has been beating him in the polls and Paulsen is hiding from the press. And it's not an isolated phenomena. Tomorrow's Roll Call paints a grim picture (grim if you're a Republican). Democrats have opened up significant leads in seven marquee House races that are rematches of 2006 contests, according to new polls conducted exclusively for Roll Call. Whether the race involves a Republican who was ousted last cycle and is seeking a political comeback, a shaky GOP incumbent who might be in even greater jeopardy this time, or a Democrat who won an open-seat race in a conservative district, Democrats everywhere seem to be benefiting politically from the recent wave of bad economic news. Democratic Congressional contenders are even leading in districts where Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) trails Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the Roll Call survey. ...In Illinois’ 10th district, marketing consultant Dan Seals (D) led Rep. Mark Kirk (R) 52 percent to 44 percent. In Indiana’s 9th, Rep. Baron Hill (D) led ex-Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) 53 percent to 38 percent. In New Hampshire’s 1st, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) led ex-Rep. Jeb Bradley (R) 50 percent to 41 percent. In New York’s 29th, retired Navy officer Eric Massa (D) led Rep. Randy Kuhl (R) 51 percent to 44 percent. In North Carolina’s 8th district, teacher Larry Kissell (D) led Rep. Robin Hayes (R) 49 percent to 41 percent. In Pennsylvania’s 4th district, Rep. Jason Altmire (D) led ex-Rep. Melissa Hart (R) 54 percent to 42 percent. And in Wisconsin’s 8th district, Rep. Steve Kagen (D) topped former state Speaker John Gard (R) 54 percent to 43 percent. Did you read Glenn's piece at Salon today? He reprised a warning from last summer, warning he's ready to take action on: What is the best course for those who want to battle against these civil-liberties-destroying, rule-of-law-trampling, war-making policies that the GOP leadership pushes and the Democratic Party leadership supports, enables, and/or passively accepts? In a two-party system where blind support for either party will do nothing but perpetuate these policies, how can they be undermined? And some of the Democrats above are that type of Democrats-- nominal Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. There is no reason-- none whatsoever-- to rejoice because of the election of reactionaries like Baron Hill or Jason Altmire. They are useless in important battles and their cowardice and instinctual conservatism moves the Democratic caucus inexorably to the right. Many of my friends are overjoyed that Miss McConnell may lose his seat. No one deserves that fate more. And no one wishes him worse than I do. But his opponent is Bruce Lunsford who will either replace Ben Nelson as the worst Democrat in the Senate or just jump the fence and become a Republican the first time that seems like a promising proposition, the same way Richard Shelby did in 1994. As much as I abhor McConnell, there's nothing in the world that would ever get me to vote for Bruce Lunsford.
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  GObama!

  http://blog.workingclassmag.com/2008/10/07/gobama.aspx?ref=r...
  57 days ago in Working Class Magazine · Authority: 5

  I'm on a quick trip to Florida, and have been pleasantly surprised to see how many of these bad boys I've seen displayed in people's front lawns. Today was the last day for voter registration in Fla along with 20 other states. If you haven't registered yet, do it NOW! Let's show these power,money,war hungry GOP fuckers it's time for change. Click here to register to vote before it's too late.
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  Make Sure You're Still Registered to Vote (Even If You Think You're Safe)

  http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/349824.html
  57 days ago in Scribblings by Lizbeth · Authority: 7

  Today is the last day you can register to vote in approximately 21 states. (Go here for the complete list.) However, stories are pouring out of several states — many of them swing states in the general election — in which "voting list purges" are underway. Ironically enough, the odds of you getting purged from the voting roles seems to increase if you've registered as a Democrat. Mere coincidence I'm sure. Regardless of your party affiliation, and regardless of who you plan to vote for, Project Vote 2008 has uploaded databases containing the the names of voters who've been purged from the rolls in the following states: Colorado Florida Indiana Missouri Nevada New Mexico North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Texas If you live in one of the above listed states, it is urgent that you check the database to make sure you haven't been purged from the voting rolls. The deadline to register to vote in each of these states is either today or later this week. Please do it as soon as you have a few moments. To check your registration status regardless of the state you live in, check the American Democracy Institute Database or via the Obama for America voter registration check. Should you discover that you've been purged or that your name has disappeared from the voter registration databases, immediately call your the proper election authorities (which you can find via this Web site), find out what kind of identification and information you need to rectify the situation, and the physically go where you need to go to re-register to vote. Remember, this is an election where former Republican strongholds are actually "in play" at this point. Regardless of who you're voting for, the general election will be won and lost on sheer numbers and your vote may very well make the difference — whereas it may not have done so in presidential elections past. Make sure you still will have a voice on November 4. ETA: Make sure to spread the link around, regardless of your political stance or who you plan to vote for.
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  Register to vote! And then hang on tight to it!

  http://www.lesbiandad.net/2008/10/06/register-to-vote-and-th...
  57 days ago in Lesbian Dad · Authority: 157

  [I feel compelled to remind us all that the ongoing election season content caveat applies here: nothing directly relating to lesbians or children or lesbians' children appears below, except that we all ostensibly live in a democracy, whether vital or compromised or, as I often tend to think so many things are, a little bit of both. I know, I know: no one comes here first for election news.  You come here probably hoping I'm fixated on something other than the upcoming elections, for once.  But through the dense underbrush of my deadline-driven work, my feeble LD hope these weeks is a two-parter: (1) that regular LD readers will return after Nov 4, if the one or two piano keys being banged here begin to grate on the nerves, and (2) of those that do keep coming back,  maybe somebody will find something they might pass on to someone else they know, (or that they do to someone they know).  My fond hope is that one tidbit of information can be the thing that tips the tipping point.  Or maybe it's not info at all; it's that one morsel of lesbian family love, and it puts a human face -- yeah, my children's faces -- on the abstract issue of gay marriage for them (ever so relevant in AZ, AK, CA, and FL in about a month from now).] Our dilligent Electoral-vote.com Votemaster, Andrew Tannenbaum (who?), has posted this today, and I feel all citizeney (that would be as opposed to “maverickey”) about clipping it and posting it here: …even if you think you are registered, you may not be. Unbeknownst to them, thousands of people have been purged from the voter rolls. Project Vote lists the names and addresses of purged voters in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas (so far). If you live in one of these states, check the list TODAY to see if you have been purged and also check for friends, relatives, and neighbors. For weeks, I (along with many of you, I’m sure) have been reading dreary articles about attempts (by anyone but Republicans?) to foil voter registration.  Intrepid, democracy-loving journalist Laura Flanders asks the question: From reading tests to ID challenges, felon disenfranchisement laws and the endless purging of voter rolls the U.S. is almost alone among industrial world democracies in having no uniform federal voting law. WHY IS THAT? Then she gathered a bunch of really smart people to attempt to answer it.   If that ain’t enough, here, Robert Kennedy, Jr. shows a little of the stuff many of us wished we saw more of on the national stage, getting fired up about stolen votes: His project, with Greg Palast: STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE.  Check out their downloadable comic book-style voter guide, whose subtitle is: “Six Ways They’re Stealing the Election — and the Seven Ways You Can Steal It Back.”  Especially fabulous for the first national election voting set. Yep.  Because the only thing worse than waking up to a November 5th with Proposition 8 passed and McCain/Palin elected would be to wake up with the deja-vu all over again feeling that, gosh, the polls right before the election sure did lead me to believe that we were going to win!  Huh!  WTF just happened? Anyone in the mood for a smelly blast from the past can review RFK, Jr.’s “Was the 2004 Election Stolen,” which ran in Rolling Stone, June 1 2006.  Like your citations thick n’ heavy?  (Or perhaps, got a skeptical friend?)  Well he’s got 208 of them.  (Citations, that is; not skeptical friends.)  You know.  To help erase the doubt that it can’t happen here. Of course all this drama is dramatic only if one has actually hauled their arse to the polling place (or to one’s absentee or by-mail ballot) to actually vote.  And I think we all know, don’t we, that we residents of the US of A do this at a rate lower than nearly every voting citizen in every free voting country except Poland.  Tied for second-to-last (only 54% of us bother) out of 37 noted here at Wikipedia’s Voter Turnout page. Highest turnout, where voting isn’t compulsory?  Malta!  At 94%!  Go, Malta!  I’m sure you’re registered, and going to vote.  But how ’bout pass the info on to someone you know who you think might not be registered. Below are state-by-state deadlines, with links to state registration info, thanks to the USA Today article that Professor Tannenbaum hepped me to, “Both parties target voter registration, turnout.” Please don’t just take my word for it, though, or USA Today’s: check out the info for your state.  And US citizens abroad: here you go. Alabama, Oct. 24  Alaska, Oct. 5 [may also register on Election Day]   Arizona, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Arkansas, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  California, Oct. 20  Colorado, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Connecticut, Oct. 28 Delaware, Oct. 11 District of Columbia, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Florida, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Georgia, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Hawaii, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Idaho, Oct. 10 (this Friday) [may also register on Election Day]  Illinois, Oct. 7 (TOMORROW)  Indiana, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Iowa, Oct. 25 [may also register on Election Day]  Kansas, Oct. 20  Kentucky, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Louisiana, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Maine, Oct. 14 [may also register on Election Day]  Maryland, Oct. 14  Massachusetts, Oct. 15  Michigan, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Minnesota, Oct. 14 [may also register on Election Day] Mississippi, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Missouri, Oct. 8 (this Wednesday) Montana, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  [may also register on Election Day]  Nebraska, Oct. 24 Nevada, Oct. 1 New Hampshire, Oct. 25  [may also register on Election Day]   New Jersey, Oct. 14 New Mexico, Oct. 7 (TOMORROW)  New York, Oct. 10 (this Friday)  North Carolina, Oct. 10 (this Friday)  North Dakota, Oct. 28  Ohio, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Oklahoma, Oct. 10 (this Friday)  Oregon, Oct. 14  Pennsylvania, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Rhode Island, Oct. 4  [may also register on Election Day]  South Carolina, Oct. 4  South Dakota, Oct. 20  Tennessee, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Texas, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Utah, Oct. 6 (TODAY) Vermont, Oct. 29  Virginia, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  Washington, Oct. 4  West Virginia, Oct. 14 Wisconsin, Oct. 15  [may also register on Election Day]  Wyoming, Oct. 6 (TODAY)  [may also register on Election Day] 

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