2008 election

I watched Jon Stewart's latest appearance on The O'Reilly Factor today, and O'Reilly referenced Charleston, South Carolina, as a place where Stewart would have to fear, basically, for the safety of his liberal ass. Having lived in Charleston for a few years now, I can say that just doesn't sound right (okay, maybe a few areas after dark in North Chuck, and IOP/Sullivan's Island in broad daylight). I'd also like to point out that Charleston County voted Democratic almost entirely across the board in 2008. The dandy Lindsey Graham and county coroner (obviously a partisan position) were the two exceptions to the trend.

I want it to end.
I'm sick of this election.
please no recounts/courts.

didn't early vote.
wish I could do it online.
don't know if I'll go.

Hope Obama wins
but under no illusions
We're doomed either way

I'm a pessimist.
don't see good future just
grim meathook future

Five times a day I'll still say to someone, "I don't know what I'm going to do if McCain wins." Of course, the reality is I'm probably not going to do anything. What can I do? I'm not going to kill myself. If I didn't kill myself when I became impotent for two months in 1979, I'm certainly not going to do it if McCain and Palin are elected, even if it's by nefarious means. If Obama loses, it would be easier to live with it if it's due to racism rather than if it's stolen. If it's racism, I can say, "Okay, we lost, but at least it's a democracy. Sure, it's a democracy inhabited by a majority of disgusting, reprehensible turds, but at least it's a democracy."

Colin "look, I'm holding a vial of anthrax" Powell endorsed Obama today and in that interview also said the following quote (which doesn't appear to be getting much news coverage )

I was going to add this as a comment in Candace's post about early voting (something that's sadly unavailable in SC), but what the hell—let's make this front page material...

My friends, the fact of the matter is that a vote for Obama (or McCain) in TN won't make a damned bit of difference in the state's electoral outcome. The same holds true in my new home, SC, and most of the rest of the South. If Obama were to somehow gain so much ground as to win TN (currently a McCain lead of nearly 20 points), you can bet he'd have at least 400 EVs.

This is why I think progressively-minded folks in such lopsided states should vote third party. (I certainly wouldn't be doing this as, say, a VA resident.) McKinney and the Greens will get mine. She's on the ballot here and also in TN, I believe. It's not about winning the election, of course; it's about securing public funding for the next election cycle. Five percent of the national popular vote is all it takes for a political party to get in on the game. Yeah, it's a totally rigged game, but you have to start somewhere.

Unfortunately (in a sense) the voter turnout is likely once again to break the previous record this year, so that 5% is going to be much larger in absolute terms. C'mon, you know you want to do it. All the cool kids are doing it!

Early Voting Centers
Any qualified Knox County voter can vote early for the Tuesday November 4th
Federal & State General Election at any early voting center:

Dates: October 15 - 30 (closed Sundays)

Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm thru October 25th

Additional Date & Hours: Starting October 27th thru the last day, October 30th, we are open from 10:00am till 8:00pm - two additional centers will open (see below)
Knox County Courthouse
Room 218 • 300 Main Street

Five Points Village Plaza Shopping Center
2364 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue

New Harvest Park
4775 New Harvest Lane • near Knoxville Center Mall

Halls Recreation Center
6933 Recreation Lane • off Crippen Road

235 W. Young High Pike
next to Wood Realtors

Downtown West Shopping Center
1645 Downtown West Boulevard • Suite 29

Farragut Town Hall
11408 Municipal Court Drive

9625 Countryside Center Lane
across from Food City on Middlebrook Pike in Ball Camp

Two additional centers open October 27-30th

UT Center - Main Floor
1502 W. Cumberland Avenue

Powell Library
330 W. Emory Road

by Zina Saunders. more here and here.

Thursday:

Sen. Clinton repeated her desire for the filly to be victorious – saying to a crowd in Jeffersonville, Indiana saying she was sending in her daughter to place her bets. "I hope that everybody will go to the derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly for me. I wont be able to be there this year – my daughter is going to be there and so she has strict instructions to bet on Eight Bells."

Saturday:

Big Brown hit the wire nearly five lengths ahead of Eight Belles, but moments later, there was heartbreak. While Kent Desormeaux was galloping out Big Brown, Eight Belles fell.
She had fractured both of her front ankles, said the Derby’s on-call veterinarian, Dr. Larry Bramlage, and was euthanized on the racetrack.

both via the Washington Post. Post more if you have them

Since the 3 possible Republican candidates are all running on platforms made up of slightly varied amounts of limiting civil liberties, war, torture, and pigfuckery they're all out of consideration for this endorsement. The one Republican I agree with on several issues is likely a racist nutbag and so he's out also.

On the Democrat side of things, the candidate I most agree with (according to several online tests) has already dropped out and was not going to get many votes anyway. So that leaves Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and between the two I definitely choose Obama.
[more inside]

Cheering supporters? Check. Election returns on the projection screen? Check. Andrea Mitchell and Candy Crowley doing stand-ups? Check and check. In fact, the only piece missing from Hillary Clinton's Florida victory party here Tuesday night was a victory.
[...]
"There are more voters in Florida alone than there are in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina combined," Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle argued in a conference call with reporters Tuesday. This was the same Solis Doyle who last summer committed Clinton to signing the Florida boycott pledge, saying, "We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process, and we believe the DNC's rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role."
[...]
Clinton announced plans for the Florida celebration on Sunday, the same day she held a trio of fundraisers in Florida and accepted the endorsement of the Miami mayor while pressing some flesh for the cameras. On Monday, her campaign claimed the endorsement of Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, while pro-Clinton unions continued sending out mailings in her support.

All of this sounded suspiciously like campaigning. But aides said they were merely trying to protect the people of Florida who, despite the campaign's "scrupulous" refusal to campaign in the state, showed up to vote for Clinton anyway.