Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Giving up is unforgivable.

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160Comments

  4. 4.

    dmsilev

    Schadenfreude alert:

    ***In convo with Playbook, a top McCain adviser one-ups the priceless “diva” description, calling her “a whack job.”

    Obligatory bit of advice for the McCain campaign: Vetting. It’s not just for pets.

    -dms

  6. 6.

    zmulls

    Reports out of OH are that early voting heavily favors Obama. This is intuitive — newer, younger voters are probably more apt to take advantage of innovations like early voting, and probably lean toward Obama as well. Older voters who are used to "the old ways" will be slower to adopt new paradigms.

    So my first reaction was "don’t get excited — the young folks vote early, and McCain will catch up when Nov. 4 hits and traditional voters hit the polls."

    But I’m thinking about it and wondering if the "Obama is winning" lede will actually depress turnout for McCain voters. Will the notion of rolling vote results (or poll estimates) that make it seem like Obama has it serve to discourage McCain voters from even showing up, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy?

  8. 8.

    Zifnab

    @zmulls: LIES! I was specifically told by the good folks down at NRO that the Obama GOTV effort was a dismal failure. This can only be the result of widespread ACORN induced voting fraud.

  9. 9.

    Comrade Darkness

    Obligatory lolcat capshun:

    Basement cat was given one last chance to repent when teh Beagle of Light descended to give him a stern talking to.

  11. 11.

    Phoenix Woman

    Basement cat was given one last chance to repent when teh Beagle of Light descended to give him a stern talking to.

    "A little over to the left, Snoopy…ahhh, thanks!"

  14. 14.

    Conservatively Liberal

    What I think is pretty cool is Junior Johnson endorsing Obama. I just about shit when I heard that he not only endorsed Obama but sent out an email asking others to help Obama win NC. Junior is one of the best known names in NASCAR and he was a ‘shine runner, even doing some time for it. He says that his wife and him know that they need a good leader in the times ahead, and he has watched Obama calmly deal with everything that has been thrown at him and he was impressed.

    I am a hot rod nut and the old time racers are the guys I love to read about. Junior is one hell of a catch for Obama and you can bet some rednecks heads are exploding over Junior’s endorsement. He carries a lot of weight with the old timers, and that just might swing a few of them over to Obama.

    I am glad to hear that this good ol’ boy is voting Obama.

  15. 15.

    greynoldsct00

    That is not a happy feline.

    Might just be sleepy, looks like dog woke up first… my mother’s dog snuggles with cats all the time

  16. 16.

    lutton

    Red State:

    A previous version of this post was entitled "RedState Endorses Mark Begich, Democrat For Senate, and Ethan Berkowitz, Democrat for House At Large in Alaska." We have changed the title and amended the post to retract the formal endorsement out of respect for RedState Contributors who did not feel they could be associated in good conscience with an endorsement of two pro-abortion Democrats (though we note that Ted Stevens is also not pro-life).

    just look at the link verbage:

    http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/oct/27/redstate-endorses-mark-begich-democrat-for-s/

    (you many need to hover over the link to see it in all its glory)

    Nice spine you’re displaying there. Money before priciples once again, huh guys?

  17. 17.

    Punchy

    That Amy Proctor blog that Cole linked to once awhile back is now cracking me up. It’s like BJ circa 2003/4. Run by a rabid conservative, former military vet, with commenters that are usually pro-Repub (i.e., lots of lies), so us lefties got hammered. But recently there’s been a huge upswing in non-fans just pounding on her lies, stupid talking points, etc. and I wondering if she’ll one day suddenly pull A Cole when she’s been ridiculed and mocked for the 1476th consecutive lie-infested blogpost.

    I never thought it’d be this much fun beating up the weak. thanks for all this pent-up anger, GWB.

  19. 19.

    Laura W

    Might just be sleepy, looks like dog woke up first

    Agreed. That is no lightweight cat. If it did not want to be snuggling with Beagle, it would not be snuggling with Beagle.
    The cat is pissed at the human for putting the damn flash thing in its sleeping face.

  20. 20.

    Conservatively Liberal

    I was just thinking about the Junior Johnson endorsement and how the McCain campaign could dismiss it:

    A felon endorsed Obama!

  21. 21.

    Dennis - SGMM

    From the Let’s You and Him Fight Department, The LA Times:
    Social conservatives fight for control of Republican Party

    …In skirmishes around the country in recent months, evangelicals and others who believe Republicans have been too timid in fighting abortion, gay marriage and illegal immigration have won election to the party’s national committee, in preparation for a fight over the direction and leadership of the party.

    Sic ’em, boys! Show those moderates what Real Republicans are made of. And pass the popcorn.

  23. 23.

    Colonel Danite

    It’s the end of the world!

    "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!"

    – Dr. Venkman (Bill Murray), Ghost Busters

  27. 27.

    D-Chance.

    Megyn Kelly (and the other Fox babes)… just like that ultra-nice ghetto car.

    You’ve seen it. The tricked-out job that looks sleek, looks fast, looks like the kind of car YOU dream about owning and driving. Then, you realize that you can hear it a half-mile away because the stereo system has also been tricked-out and the volume is so ear-piercingly annoying that the car no longer looks so attractive?

    Megyn and her Fox babe cohorts are like that (well, maybe not Greta), definitely cars you’d love to jump into and drive; but the noise box would have to be turned off, if not yanked out… wires-and-all.

  31. 31.

    iluvsummr

    What an adorable pair — the beagle is too cute!

    What do you all think about monkeys working as waitstaff in restaurants (they get tipped in soy beans)?

    My edited comment was marked as spam and deleted!!! Trying again…

  32. 32.

    boonagain

    What about those losers in that ad (none of them successful at all) making fun of Franken?

    I’m so glad wingnuts are devoid of the self-awareness gene.

    that’s what is gonna make next Tuesday (and beyond) so much fun.

  33. 33.

    iluvsummr

    What an adorable pair — the beagle is too cute!

    What do you all think about monkeys working as waitstaff in restaurants (they get tipped in soy beans)?

    Last attempt to post this; previous two attempts got deleted as spam and if this does too, I give up.

  34. 34.

    Comrade Darkness

    Blogmaster, can we get a survey on what time they will call the election Tuesday night? Or for the republicans in denial, Wednesday morning.

  35. 35.

    iluvsummr

    Test — previous three posts deleted as spam.

    I wanted to know what you all think about monkeys working as waitstaff in restaurants…They get soy bean tips.

  36. 36.

    boonagain

    I’m also wanting a contest on when, post-election, McCain will offer an apology for his campaign and the Palin choice.

    I think the Palin choice, in particular, is gonna provide years of fail for the Grand Old Party

  37. 37.

    iluvsummr

    Wow; I’ve tried to post a link to a BBC news article online on monkeys hired as waitstaff in a restaurant in Japan four times now. Each got deleted as spam, so I’m trying it without the link to see if that goes through. The video of them working is great!

  38. 38.

    Comrade Darkness

    believe Republicans have been too timid in fighting abortion, gay marriage and illegal immigration have won election to the party’s national committee, in preparation for a fight over the direction and leadership of the party.

    Well, duh! The last thing they want to do is a) use government to solve problems and (more important) b) have to go out and find some other issues that so easily push the buttons on the automatic foot-soldier-and-wingnut cash machine.

  39. 39.

    Comrade Darkness

    @boonagain:

    Okay, I watched the ad, and I’m really confused. Until the end I assumed it was a pro-Franken ad (and that your link to it was in humor). Sorry, republicans, in the world of Steven Colbert style humor, that ad works *for* Franken.

    Tone deaf, the lot of them.

  40. 40.

    zmulls

    I’m also wanting a contest on when, post-election, McCain will offer an apology for his campaign and the Palin choice.

    That brings up another interesting question. Let’s suppose you’re right — after a devastating loss, McCain is humiliated and embarassed by his embrace of the right wing, and wants to distance himself. He wants to regain the respect of the middle, reassert his maverickiness, and generally get back at the loons who cost him his Presidency.

    Suppose the Senate is 59-41. What are the odds that McCain will blindly go along with routine filibusters on every issue?

    And if McCain decides to sit out filibusters frequently, what will his "but I’m *really* a good Democrat, *really* I am" buddy, Leiberman do?

    Something to consider when obsessing about the magic number of 60.

    (Not sure if Arlen Specter is a surefire filibuster-er either)

  41. 41.

    Brian J

    Does anyone have any idea of what the hell Marc Ambinder is talking about when he says "A Republican congressman from Texas could throw the state to Barack Obama…Developing…."? That seems like a pretty big statement to just leave us hanging with.

  42. 42.

    Cris v.3.1

    @Comrade Darkness: Well, Obama can’t win without Midwestern states, so it’ll certainly have to wait until polls close in the Central time zone. Then you have at least an hour lag before actual results (as opposed to exit polls) start to stack up.

    So I’m thinking the networks have nothing to freak out about. All this hand-wringing from the networks about "how will we keep up the suspense?" is silly. They’re going to be able to stretch the coverage all the way through the end of primetime PST without much effort.

    … though now that I think about it, I realize the networks are facing a Catch-22. They want to prolong coverage, but they don’t want to get scooped by another network.

  43. 43.

    iluvsummr

    —Fifth attempt to post this (previous four deleted as spam because I made the mistake of editing my comment).—

    What an adorable pair — the beagle is too cute.

    What do you all think about monkeys working in a restaurant (they get soy bean tips). Was initially posted on BBC’s site October 6th but a friend just sent it to me.

  45. 45.

    Comrade Jake

    Ambinder’s site has been pretty funny of late. Check out this post, for example.

    He contrasts two views on why the media coverage has been biased towards Obama. The conservative take is that most of the media assumes Obama will win, and want access to the new administration. The liberal take is that McCain’s generally been running a crappy campaign, and that suggesting otherwise would be a bias all its own.

    Outstanding.

  47. 47.

    charles

    For anyone that can’t resist a peek into the RedState bubble, check out today’s front page post on the seven reasons why McCain/Palin are absolutely, without a doubt, going to win on election day.

  48. 48.

    Brian J

    So my first reaction was "don’t get excited—the young folks vote early, and McCain will catch up when Nov. 4 hits and traditional voters hit the polls."

    We don’t to count the chickens before they come home to roost, but if what I’ve been reading is correct, it looks like the early numbers favor Obama so heavily that McCain has even more ground to make up. As TPM said in regards to early voting in Virginia, "The early-vote number from SurveyUSA shows just what a hole John McCain is in. If he loses the early vote in a given state, he has to not only win the vote on Election Day, but win it by a large enough majority to overcome his early-vote deficit."

  49. 49.

    Brian J

    @Brian J: Armbinder updated:

    Ron Paul is on the ballot. And Ron Paul supporters aren’t happy with John McCain…

    That makes sense.

    Perhaps my prediction of a 400-plus Electoral College victory isn’t so far fetched after all.

  50. 50.

    Brian J

    @Comrade Darkness: Well, Obama can’t win without Midwestern states, so it’ll certainly have to wait until polls close in the Central time zone. Then you have at least an hour lag before actual results (as opposed to exit polls) start to stack up.

    Doesn’t Indiana close its polls at 6:00 PM? If we hear stuff out of that state relatively early and it looks good, it’s not going to be a good night for McCain. Clear signs that Obama’s going to win means McCain is almost certainly finished, but even a delayed result showing McCain ahead but just barely means that it’s probably a good night for Obama.

  51. 51.

    jake 4 that 1

    @Dennis – SGMM:

    One gathering, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will be hosted by South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson. In an interview, Dawson said that "moderating our party is what caused us to lose power" in the 2006 elections.

    You know, I kind of thought people rebelled against the crap slinging by the crap masters. Then there was that little hypocrisy thingy with the Party of Purity sheltering a guy who liked to whisper dirty nothings to kids. Nope, the problem is they didn’t push for government morals monitors in every bedroom!

  52. 52.

    cleek

    Blogmaster, can we get a survey on what time they will call the election Tuesday night? Or for the republicans in denial, Wednesday morning.

    i’m guessing the Tuesday before T-Giving. the rest of the month will be filled with lawsuits.

  53. 53.

    Face

    @Comrade Darkness: They’ll be calling it for McCain by 7:39 CST, after he incredibly takes CT, MA, and DC but somehow loses Idaho, Utah, and KS.

    And by 7:41, Bush signs the Executive Order forbidding any investigations of electronic voting machine software.

  54. 54.

    Zifnab

    @charles:

    For anyone that can’t resist a peek into the RedState bubble, check out today’s front page post on the seven reasons why McCain/Palin are absolutely, without a doubt, going to win on election day.

    Today’s unstable world does not bode well for Senator Obama. The instability in the stock market and related job and mortgage fears do not equate with voting for the ING (Inexperienced New Guy.) In an affirmation of Mark Penn’s observation that the strong leader almost always wins the Presidential election, a mid-west hairdresser with no party affiliation told me the country has very serious problems, and that is why she is voting for the strongest leader.

    /falls out of chair.
    Did they just paraphrase Democratic Super Loser strategist Mark Penn? Have they been informed that a) Hillary Clinton lost the primary and b) Mark Penn WORKS FOR SUPER SOCIALIST ANTI-AMERICAN CHILD OF SATAN HILLARY CLINTON?!

    Oh. Wait. Those were notes from 2006. I forgot. Republicans cream themselves over Hillary now. Stupid me. Up is down, left is right, cats and dogs living together… Yeah, I can absolutely see why McCain has this one in the bag.

  55. 55.

    Zifnab

    @D-Chance.: Wasn’t Megyn the girl who posed for Maxim before she got her Fox gig? I can’t wait till they just drop the political angle and rebrand themselves as Sexy News.

  56. 56.

    cleek

    @charles:

    seven reasons why McCain/Palin are absolutely, without a doubt, going to win on election day.

    wow. here’s reason #1, err, #2…

    The Gallup poll after Labor Day has historically been a predictor of the winner of the Presidential election. The person leading in that poll wins the Presidency.

    Gallup 9/1 (Labor Day) O49, M43
    9/2 O52, M42
    9/3 O49, M43

    hmmm…. quick, backpedal!

    The Republican convention, pushed onto Labor Day by the Summer Olympics muddied the waters on this historic fact, but the Gallup poll a week later showed McCain ahead of Obama, predicting the McCain victory

    ah ha! solid proof!

    fucking retards.

  57. 57.

    demimondian

    @Cris v.3.1: In fact, NBC has been quite open about how its anchors will stretch things out. Fortunately, Obama can not get to 270 w/o the voters in the PDT, even if FL, GA, and NC all vote "Sane, not McCain", so the anchors are planning on saying a lot of "Well, this isn’t completely settled yet, but it will take a miracle in California for McCain to actually win the electoral college" until 8:01PT on 11/4/2008.

    Ironically, there are a lot of interesting statewide races in CA, OR, and WA this year — 8 in CA, Merkley/Smith in OR, and Gregoire/Rossi up here (not to mention 985 and 1000 — you Washingtonians are voting "yes" on 1000, right? Do it for me, if not for yourself: I won’t have time to have to move to Oregon if the PV progresses.) So even if the election were called early, I foresee high turnout, even ignoring the amazing early vote totals.

  58. 58.

    Dennis - SGMM

    @charles:
    Pretty funny. Most of the delusional rant seems to be focused on how McCain was stabbed in the back by the media. Funny how anything less than complete adulation toward McCain is now "negative coverage."

  59. 59.

    Brown Man

    It hurt me to read about the skinheads and their plans. As unrealistic as they may have been, just the fact that they are willing to talk about them around other people, and actually have some weaponry was more than chilling.

    Then I read what I wrote the last time this happened at the convention, and I had to think about this a little harder, because I can’t let these people have that much control over what I think about.


    Replacing The Hate I Feel With Hope

  60. 60.

    demimondian

    I felt bad for Megyn, you know. I had thought that all the F*x News anchors were in on the joke, and I didn’t realize that any of them actually believed their lies.

  61. 61.

    Shaggy

    @zmulls:

    Actually, Republicans are generally more likely to vote early than Democrats. In fact, if equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans vote early, it is generally considered to be favorable for the Dem candidates.

    So, if early voting heavily favors Dems, that’s excellent news.

    I just read that for the 10th time the other day on NPR, but I’m sorry I don’t remember the original source for this assertion.

    And omg dat beagly and kitteh r so n luv. Kitteh haz tummy ache, beagly rubz it 4 her

  62. 62.

    Joshau Norton

    I can’t wait till they just drop the political angle and rebrand themselves as Sexy News.

    More like "Foxy and Friends".

    Kind of like (Married With Children) Kelly Bundy’s cable show – "Vital Social Issues ‘N Stuff With Kelly".

  63. 63.

    charles

    …how McCain was stabbed in the back by the media.

    Yup, even if McCain loses, RedState wins. It just proves what they were saying all along about media bias! Bless their hearts, I just wish them the best of luck in the coming hardships of the liberal apocalyptic muslo-reconquistification of America (soon to be known as South Canada).

  65. 65.

    dmsilev

    @demimondian:

    In fact, NBC has been quite open about how its anchors will stretch things out. Fortunately, Obama can not get to 270 w/o the voters in the PDT, even if FL, GA, and NC all vote "Sane, not McCain", so the anchors are planning on saying a lot of "Well, this isn’t completely settled yet, but it will take a miracle in California for McCain to actually win the electoral college" until 8:01PT on 11/4/2008.

    Actually, that’s not true. Go to the election scorecard of your choice, such as this one from the GOS. Give Obama IN, MO, FL, and NC, along with the states that he’s definitively ahead in. Set everything in the Mountain and Pacific zone to "undecided". Obama then has 284 EV, enough to win.

    Since I imagine that the toss-ups won’t be called right away unless we’re truly in blow-out territory, it probably won’t be called right away. But if things are slanted enough, there are enough EVs in the first two timezones For The Win.

    -dms

  66. 66.

    Shaggy

    As of yesterday, 35.4% of early voters in Georgia have been African-American. More than 1.2 million total votes have been cast so far.

    The Obama campaign speculates that if 30% of early votes in Georgia were cast by African-Americans, Obama could win Georgia.

    And just imagine if all those voters also voted for Jim Martin. Saxby Chambliss will then be relegated to whatever circle of Hell is currently accepting wounded-veteran haters. Or maybe a spot on Fox News. Essentially the same thing.

  67. 67.

    Comrade Darkness

    And by 7:41, Bush signs the Executive Order forbidding any investigations of electronic voting machine software.

    Excellent, and that would necessitate the followup poll. How soon before Palin, regretfully and with heavy heart, must take up the mantle of her protege? (and immediately issue an executive order sealing all evidence for the good of the country in reducing distraction in such trying times.)

  68. 68.

    OriGuy

    Today’s unstable world does not bode well for Senator Obama. The instability in the stock market and related job and mortgage fears do not equate with voting for the ING (Inexperienced New Guy.)

    "Hey, everyone! The new sheriff’s a ING…"

  69. 69.

    Brian J

    In addition to Montana, the RNC is buying ad time West Virginia. In mother fucking West Virginia and Montana! Once again, my prediction of a 400-plus Electoral College victory don’t look so ridiculous.

  70. 70.

    lutton

    Doesn’t Indiana close its polls at 6:00 PM

    two time zones, later closes at 7:00 PM Eastern; probably won’t begin hearing until then. But that ends up the same as Virginia. Those two states should be considered ‘leading indicators’ of how the vote is going.

  71. 71.

    Dennis - SGMM

    Today’s unstable world does not bode well for Senator Obama.

    Because today’s unstable world demands that we elect an unstable President to counteract it.

  72. 72.

    Brian J

    Pretty funny. Most of the delusional rant seems to be focused on how McCain was stabbed in the back by the media. Funny how anything less than complete adulation toward McCain is now "negative coverage."

    I’ve been told by several people that I’m so biased and brainwashed because I can’t see how liberal the media is.

  73. 73.

    J.

    OMG, that cat looks just like my Felix! Though I don’t recall him consorting with Beagles. Does your black cat also like to jump on vent hoods? Hmm…

  74. 74.

    Comrade Dread

    Obligatory lolcat capshun:

    "And I will love him, and hug him and squeeze him and call him George…"

  75. 75.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    Best political smackdown I’ve seen in a long time.

    These items should simply whet your appetite for the full post-mortem that we’ll be able to do following next week’s electoral rout. Suffice it to say, the McCain camp will have re-written the book on how not to run a presidential campaign and will go down in history as one of the least competent teams ever assembled.

    Epic Fail, explained state by state and boast by boast.

    Read the whole thing and enjoy.

  76. 76.

    Dennis - SGMM

    I’ve been told by several people that I’m so biased and brainwashed because I can’t see how liberal the media is.

    I blame all those years of seeing Bush referred to (And deferred to) as "a popular wartime president" as well as the fawning coverage of McCain in the early days of the election for making me forget how liberal those media bastards actually are.

  77. 77.

    Dennis - SGMM

    Best political smackdown I’ve seen in a long time.

    Seconded! The Komedy Kwotes from McCain staffers make this a great read. To wit:

    "There are some states were we have really unique opportunities," Davis said, pointing to historically Democratic states like California, Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut.

    Cali-fucking-fornia? Guess they picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

  78. 78.

    Brian J

    I blame all those years of seeing Bush referred to (And deferred to) as "a popular wartime president" as well as the fawning coverage of McCain in the early days of the election for making me forget how liberal those media bastards actually are.

    I just don’t think that these people are very careful when they analyze what they see. It seems like they decide that if they don’t like it, it’s biased. When you add it all up, it seems like a wash, with the news being tilted towards the sensational and the shallow rather than anything overtly liberal or conservative.

  79. 79.

    Dennis - SGMM

    When you add it all up, it seems like a wash, with the news being tilted towards the sensational and the shallow rather than anything overtly liberal or conservative.

    If an attractive young white woman was to disappear under mysterious circumstances this afternoon it would be "What election?"

  80. 80.

    Brian J

    Cali-fucking-fornia? Guess they picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

    McCain has said definitively that they are going to win the state of California. The latest poll out of that state by Rasmussen has him down by 27 points. McCain has also said that he has Obama right where he wants him. Anyone care to square this circle?

  81. 81.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    …Registration figures released last Sunday indicated that the Florida Democratic Party signed up about 250,000 new voters in the first seven months of this year, while the Republicans gained just over 98,000. But Greer said the GOP has a better "get out the vote" operation in the closing days of a campaign.

    "Don’t be concerned about that because they register anything with a heart beat — anything — and our party and these leaders, all of you, have the best turnout-to-vote organization in the nation," Greer said. "They (the Democrats) might register a lot of people but they’re not going to the polls on election day."

    This is why the ground game matters so much.

    We have them outnumbered. Now we have to outnumber them at the polls.

  83. 83.

    cleek

    Anyone care to square this circle?

    how about cubing it ?

    SIMULTANEOUS TAPES OF MICHELLE OBAMA YELLING AT AFRICAN BLOGGERS WILL BE RELEASED TO FOX NEWS 4 TIMES IN A SINGLE ROTATION OF BLOG CUBE. I POSSESS MATH AND SCIENCE PROOF THAT JOHN MCCAIN WILL RECEIVE 168% OF THE POPULAR VOTE USING 4-WAY BLOG CUBE. IT IS NOT IMMORAL TO KILL EDUCATED STUPIDS WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND BLOG CUBE.

    awesome!

  85. 85.

    demimondian

    @Dennis – SGMM:

    "There are some states were we have really unique opportunities," Davis said, pointing to historically Democratic states like California, Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut.

    I don’t see what your issue is? For instance, getting no votes at all in Connecticut would be historic, as it hasn’t been achieved by anyone in any election since George Washington’s first run for president. I’m rooting for McCain on that one; I think his coattails will be tremendous if he manages it.

  86. 86.

    J.

    If cats and dogs can live together in peace, or at least tolerate each other, maybe Democrats and Republicans can too?

  89. 89.

    Brian J

    Politico: 7 days out, Republicans expect to be crushed in historic landslide

    The McCain campaign has not officially given up on VIRGINIA but a top official concedes it is LOST, while maintaining that a PENNSYLVANIA miracle can still get Sen. McCain to 270.

    And in the same PENNSYLVANIA miracle I will get Grace Park, Keira Knightley and Halle Berry in my bed tonight. Along with my wife.

    That’s change that we can all believe in!

    Seriously though, I said a few weeks ago that if we saw the Republicans campaigning in Indiana at this time, we’d know the state was lost. Well, Palin was there recently, but I think the same argument extends to Georgia, North Dakota, West Virginia, or any state that hasn’t gone for the Democrats in at least two cycles. I’m reminded of hearing post-election talk in 2000 and thereafter about Al Gore not putting much effort into Tennessee, his home state, and by the time he realized he was in trouble, it was already lost for him. I’m expecting to see the same sort of outcome in several red states next week. We’re already seeing signs of it by some stating they believe Virginia is lost.

    Even as some polls show some movement for McCain nationally, he’s still not where he needs to be in Ohio, North Carolina, and a host of other states. With Obama’s half hour playing on three major networks tomorrow night, plus at least MSNBC, I think we’re going to see a knockout punch very soon. The last few weeks have been some slight jabs here and there; tomorrow night is the haymaker.

  90. 90.

    Soylent Green

    McCain has Obama right where he wants him, says Redstate today. As in the movie "Little Big Man."

    Men of the Seventh! The hour of victory is at hand! Onward to Little Bighorn and glory! We’ve caught them napping! Sound the charge! We have them on the run! Take no prisoners!

  91. 91.

    Soylent Green

    And in the same PENNSYLVANIA miracle I will get Grace Park, Keira Knightley and Halle Berry in my bed tonight. Along with my wife.

    I’m sure your wife will be pleased to know that you are not a racist.

  93. 93.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    If cats and dogs can live together in peace, or at least tolerate each other, maybe Democrats and Republicans can too?

    Domesticated cats and dogs will live in peace. In the wild, the dogs are generally wanting to kill and eat the cats, especially the larger dogs.

    But anyway, as for Reps and Dems? I can live side by side with people who think the earth is 6000 years old. Who prefer superstition to science.

    But, I won’t be governed by them. That’s where the problem lies. They aren’t competant to run the country. So, in the political arena, I am not interested in getting along with them.

  94. 94.

    Shaggy

    @cleek:

    Dear sir,

    You possess math and science?!?!

    Well, I own history and home economics!

    Your fatal mistake, of course, was talking about blog cube. The first rule of blog cube is you do not talk about blog cube.

    Sincerely,
    An educated stupid

  95. 95.

    binzinerator

    I’m sure your wife will be pleased to know that you are not a racist.

    Yes, no doubt she would give me a hearty attaboy. Right upside the head.

    Huh. You’d think she’d be pleased she would still be included, wouldn’t ya?

    She wouldn’t of course, no matter how sincere my promise to save her some.

    ; )

  97. 97.

    Faux News

    There are some states were we have really unique opportunities," Davis said, pointing to historically Democratic states like California, Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut.

    Pollster.com as of today 10/28/08:

    CA: Obama 55.4% McCain 37.4%
    MI: Obama 54% McCain 38.1%
    WI: Obama 51.4% McCain 41.9%
    CT: Obama 55.8% McCain 34.7%

    Footnote: as a former CT resident I can assure you Joe Lie-berman will NOT be re-elected to the Senate in 2012. If he lasts that long. Watch for a recall initiative in CT in the next two years.

  98. 98.

    Martin

    Since I imagine that the toss-ups won’t be called right away unless we’re truly in blow-out territory, it probably won’t be called right away. But if things are slanted enough, there are enough EVs in the first two timezones For The Win.

    They won’t call the race until PST polls close unless Obama hits 270 without them (possible, but unlikely). One thing the networks learned from 2000 is that if they call before polls close, then they will get hammered for impacting voter turnout in states where polls are still open.

    Of course, screwing AK/HI is acceptable, because they aren’t really part of America on account of their time zones.

  100. 100.

    harlana pepper

    Dayum, that’s cute!

    Voted early this morning in SC. Loooong lines, people, for early voting. Long but patient. It’s hard not to feel veklempt at such a time! I did tear up a little.

  101. 101.

    Mark

    Fox has found a new low… they have Joe the plummer on to say that a vote for Obama is a vote for the end of Israel.

  103. 103.

    Bill H

    In the wild, the dogs are generally wanting to kill and eat the cats, especially the larger dogs.

    Except for the larger cats (pumas, tigers, lions, etc) that eat the dogs.

    …some rednecks heads are exploding over Junior’s endorsement.

    He sponsored Darryl Waltrip, but then offset that a bit by sponsoring Bill Elliott.

  104. 104.

    Comrade Jake

    @Mark:

    Good. The more that asshat is given opportunity to show just how nutty he is, the more people will realize just how much he’s a fucking whack job.

  105. 105.

    Comrade Stuck

    Onward to Little Bighorn and glory! We’ve caught them napping! Sound the charge!

    Shorter redstate. How wingnuts re-wrote history!! (or how we stopped worrying and learned to love us some George Armstrong Custer)

  106. 106.

    DaveA

    New Indiana poll out.

    Gives McCain a 2-percentage-point advantage but the MoE is 4 percentage points, so it’s a toss-up. Good stuff on early voting in Lake County (includes Gary, IN) lower down in the piece:

    The intangible is how dynamic the Obama ground game will be compared to the “old-fashioned” McCain effort. Lake County Surveyor George Van Til told HPI on Monday that he has watched in amazement at 500 people a day waiting patiently in the foyer of the Lake County Government Center in Crown Point last week. “It was double that today,” Van Til said. “They were old, young, black, white, Hispanic. You can see absolute determination on their faces.” He noted that in other elections, delays caused voters to fidget, complain or leave. “These people are waiting patiently. People are unhappy and scared. People just want change.” There were similar stories in Indianapolis, where early voting waiting lines in Washington Township were up to two or three hours over the weekend. Sources told HPI that 2,000 voted at the J. Everett Light Center at North Central HS on Monday. There have been 286,000 early voters this year, compared to 260,550 in 2004. In Indianapolis there have been 80,000.

  108. 108.

    Joshau Norton

    they have Joe the plummer on to say that a vote for Obama is a vote for the end of Israel.

    As George Burns once said:

    "Too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxi cabs and cutting hair."

    I guess we can add "unclogging pipes" to that. If Samuel J. Wurzelbacher is actually doing any plumbing.

  109. 109.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Because I don’t hate you.

    I think you do hate me John. And you should know I’m dying. Luckily, being of moderately good health, I’m dying at one of the slowest possible rates. But I’m dying nonetheless. And now that everyone knows, I expect flowers, candy and sunshine every day.

  110. 110.

    tim serbo

    what do you mean, you don’t hate me? you haven’t yet run a picture of my pet rabbit, have you? humph.

  111. 111.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Fox has found a new low… they have Joe the plummer on to say that a vote for Obama is a vote for the end of Israel.

    Cool, maybe when I get my plumber out this weekend to look at the toilet he can help me figure out some of the downballot races.

  112. 112.

    Face

    since George Washington’s first run for president

    Did GW really "run" for pres? Wasn’t he pretty much just appointed? And for his second term, did anyone run against him, or did they just all agree to let the Washer give it an additional try?

    Anyone here a history nerd buff?

  113. 113.

    Comrade Stuck

    Fox has found a new low… they have Joe the plummer on to say that a vote for Obama is a vote for the end of Israel.

    I hear Joe the Plumber is considering a run for congress himself. We’ve been brainstorming this at the Funhouse (those with actual brains) and have decided to throw in with joe, and will offer him our idea for a campaign slogan.

    Joe the Plumber for Congress — Vote for Me — It’s a shitty job, but someone has to do it!!

    Wha’cha think Joe?

  114. 114.

    phobos

    Shorter redstate. How wingnuts re-wrote history!! (or how we stopped worrying and learned to love George Armstrong Custer)

    Future RedState: Moe Lane repeatedly taunts the "the lurkers" on how Obama has failed to produce an actual working USSA in his first hundred days, therefore his side effectively won.

  115. 115.

    Comrade Jake

    BUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Read the whole thing. It’s short, but packed with win. A snippet:

    I’m sympathetic to Eskew and Wallace, and not just because they’re decent people. They’ve held their tongue from leaking what a couple of McCain higher-ups have told me—namely, that Palin simply knew nothing about national and international issues. Which meant, as one such adviser said to me: “Letting Sarah be Sarah may not be such a good thing.” It’s a grim binary choice, but apparently it came down to whether to make Palin look like a scripted robot or an unscripted ignoramus.

  116. 116.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    but apparently it came down to whether to make Palin look like a scripted robot or an unscripted ignoramus.

    Looks like they decided on a hybrid, scripted ignoramus.

  118. 118.

    Comrade Jake

    @Just Some Fuckhead:

    No shit. You read that piece, and you get the impression that her debate performance was nothing short of a minor miracle.

    I think the best part is how McCain snubbed her on the Straight Talk Express. These leaks are brutal, absolutely brutal.

  119. 119.

    gbear

    This Obama video has probably been posted above but, dammit, I’m at work and don’t always have time to read all of them while I’m sneaking off to see what’s up on BJ. At any rate, here it is…again…probably.

    New thread with more pets please.

  120. 120.

    boonagain

    We really, really need more details about McThuselah snubbing Bible Spice on the bus.

    Wonder if he’s gone all apeshit on her yet?

  121. 121.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Joe the Plumber for Congress—Vote for Me—It’s a shitty job, but someone has to do it!!

    When the economy is stuck in the toilet, you need a snake -Vote Joe the Plumber!

  122. 122.

    greynoldsct00

    Because I don’t hate you.

    Yeah, but we’re not feeling the love either, helloooooo?

  124. 124.

    greynoldsct00

    Did GW really "run" for pres? Wasn’t he pretty much just appointed? And for his second term, did anyone run against him, or did they just all agree to let the Washer give it an additional try?

    I’m pretty sure Congress did the voting at that time; for both of his terms.

  125. 125.

    Blue Raven

    Fox has found a new low… they have Joe the plummer on to say that a vote for Obama is a vote for the end of Israel.

    I wound up standing behind a gent on the street today who had hand-painted "Jews for Obama" onto his backpack. Mind, this is San Francisco, so clearly he’s a delusional libtard.

  126. 126.

    Joshau Norton

    "I’m pretty sure Congress did the voting at that time; for both of his terms."

    GW had an opposition candidate.

    The electoral college chose from a group of candidates. Each college member cast two votes with the candidate receiving the most votes becoming president and the runner-up becoming vice-president. George Washington was elected unanimously receiving all sixty-nine electoral votes. John Adams came in second and became the first Vice-President.

  127. 127.

    Dennis - SGMM

    I’m pretty sure Congress did the voting at that time; for both of his terms.

    The Electoral College was already in place and it elected Washington unanimously in 1789 and again in 1792. Washington was the only president to be unanimously elected by the EC.

  128. 128.

    greynoldsct00

    The electoral college chose from a group of candidates. Each college member cast two votes with the candidate receiving the most votes becoming president and the runner-up becoming vice-president. George Washington was elected unanimously receiving all sixty-nine electoral votes. John Adams came in second and became the first Vice-President.

    I stand corrected. I knew there wasn’t a "popular" public vote

  129. 129.

    Face

    John Adams came in second and became the first Vice-President.

    I’ll be dammed. I didn’t know Adams had the stones to oppose a military veteran. Wonder if GW plastered a bunch of "this guy puts the "Lib" in Liberty" and "Adams is a terrorist" ads in the local newspaper and went all "Iran, bitches!" in their debates….

  130. 130.

    greynoldsct00

    dammit the link looked right before I hit submit; and now I can’t redo it, sorry gang

  131. 131.

    Joshau Norton

    I didn’t know Adams had the stones to oppose a military veteran.

    Hell, he defended the English soldiers that were accused in the Boston Massacre to prove the law should be applied equally to everyone. Like any good rock-ribbed Yankee.

  132. 132.

    Punchy

    Apparently its now SOP to go all fanboy at the GOS when one’s diary becomes recc’d and add an update that reads like "O.M.GOOOOOOOD! I like, just like, can’t believe it! Wow! Thanks all you thousands of anonymous peeps I’ll never ever meet and probably never see again, but if I do, I have no idea what your name is cuz you tag is something retarded like ‘porkchop hubcap’ and ooooooooooooohh, its so nice to have some people who will say nice things to me today for once!"

    /vomit

  134. 134.

    El Cid

    George Monbiot in the Guardian:

    How was it allowed to happen? How did politics in the US come to be dominated by people who make a virtue out of ignorance? Was it charity that has permitted mankind’s closest living relative to spend two terms as president? How did Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle and other such gibbering numbskulls get to where they are? How could Republican rallies in 2008 be drowned out by screaming ignoramuses insisting that Barack Obama was a Muslim and a terrorist?…The spectre of pointy-headed alien subversives was crucial to the election of Reagan and Bush. A genuine intellectual elite – like the neocons (some of them former communists) surrounding Bush – has managed to pitch the political conflict as a battle between ordinary Americans and an over-educated pinko establishment. Any attempt to challenge the ideas of the rightwing elite has been successfully branded as elitism.

  135. 135.

    Comrade Stuck

    Ed Morrissey is rapidly becoming a modern day Joe McCarthy. Or maybe reincarnation is real. He offers this re-cap of a meeting at UofC sponsored by the UofC DSA (Democratic Socialists of AMerica) a meeting attended by a number of democratic candidates for all sorts of elected positions. Anyways, here is Ed with the socialist vapors.

    Barack Obama observed that Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in the 1960s wasn’t simply about civil rights but demanded jobs as well. Now the issue is again coming to the front, but he wished the issue was on the Democratic agenda not just on [Pat] Buchanan’s.

    One of the themes that has emerged in Barack Obama’s campaign is “what does it take to create productive communities”, not just consumptive communities. It is an issue that joins some of the best instincts of the conservatives with the better instincts of the left. He felt the state government has three constructive roles to play.
    The first is “human capital development”. By this he meant public education, welfare reform, and a “workforce preparation strategy”. Public education requires equality in funding. It’s not that money is the only solution to public education’s problems but it’s a start toward a solution. The current proposals for welfare reform are intended to eliminate welfare but it’s also true that the status quo is not tenable. A true welfare system would provide for medical care, child care and job training. While Barack Obama did not use this term, it sounded very much like the “social wage” approach used by many social democratic labor parties. By “workforce preparation strategy”, Barack Obama simply meant a coordinated, purposeful program of job training instead of the ad hoc, fragmented approach used by the State of Illinois today.
    The state government can also play a role in redistribution, the allocation of wages and jobs. As Barack Obama noted, when someone gets paid $10 million to eliminate 4,000 jobs, the voters in his district know this is an issue of power not economics. The government can use as tools labor law reform, public works and contracts.

    The bold areas are Ed’s proof of Obama the Socialist, but read the rest of the article, that apparently Ed did not care to.

    It’s exactly what Obama has been advocating from day of his campaign, and apparently, a lot of voters agree.

    Ed the Red Baiter.

  136. 136.

    Comrade Stuck

    Ed Morrissey is rapidly becoming a modern day Joe McCarthy. Or maybe reincarnation is real. He offers this re-cap of a meeting at UofC sponsored by the UofC DSA (Democratic Socialists of AMerica) a meeting attended by a number of democratic candidates for all sorts of elected positions. Anyways, here is Ed with the socialist vapors.

    Barack Obama observed that Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in the 1960s wasn’t simply about civil rights but demanded jobs as well. Now the issue is again coming to the front, but he wished the issue was on the Democratic agenda not just on [Pat] Buchanan’s.
    —-
    One of the themes that has emerged in Barack Obama’s campaign is “what does it take to create productive communities”, not just consumptive communities. It is an issue that joins some of the best instincts of the conservatives with the better instincts of the left. He felt the state government has three constructive roles to play.
    The first is “human capital development”. By this he meant public education, welfare reform, and a “workforce preparation strategy”. Public education requires equality in funding. It’s not that money is the only solution to public education’s problems but it’s a start toward a solution. The current proposals for welfare reform are intended to eliminate welfare but it’s also true that the status quo is not tenable. A true welfare system would provide for medical care, child care and job training. While Barack Obama did not use this term, it sounded very much like the “social wage” approach used by many social democratic labor parties. By “workforce preparation strategy”, Barack Obama simply meant a coordinated, purposeful program of job training instead of the ad hoc, fragmented approach used by the State of Illinois today.
    The state government can also play a role in redistribution, the allocation of wages and jobs. As Barack Obama noted, when someone gets paid $10 million to eliminate 4,000 jobs, the voters in his district know this is an issue of power not economics. The government can use as tools labor law reform, public works and contracts.

    The bold areas are Ed’s proof of Obama the Socialist, but read the rest of the article, that apparently Ed did not care to.

    It’s exactly what Obama has been advocating from day of his campaign, and apparently, a lot of voters agree.

    Ed the Red Baiter.

  137. 137.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    Ed Morrissey is rapidly becoming a modern day Joe McCarthy. Or maybe reincarnation is real. He offers this re-cap of a meeting at UofC sponsored by the UofC DSA (Democratic Socialists of AMerica) a meeting attended by a number of democratic candidates for all sorts of elected positions. Anyways, here is Ed with the socialist vapors.

    Barack Obama observed that Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in the 1960s wasn’t simply about civil rights but demanded jobs as well. Now the issue is again coming to the front, but he wished the issue was on the Democratic agenda not just on [Pat] Buchanan’s.
    —- One of the themes that has emerged in Barack Obama’s campaign is “what does it take to create productive communities”, not just consumptive communities. It is an issue that joins some of the best instincts of the conservatives with the better instincts of the left. He felt the state government has three constructive roles to play.
    The first is “human capital development”. By this he meant public education, welfare reform, and a “workforce preparation strategy”. Public education requires equality in funding. It’s not that money is the only solution to public education’s problems but it’s a start toward a solution. The current proposals for welfare reform are intended to eliminate welfare but it’s also true that the status quo is not tenable. A true welfare system would provide for medical care, child care and job training. While Barack Obama did not use this term, it sounded very much like the “social wage” approach used by many social democratic labor parties. By “workforce preparation strategy”, Barack Obama simply meant a coordinated, purposeful program of job training instead of the ad hoc, fragmented approach used by the State of Illinois today.
    The state government can also play a role in redistribution, the allocation of wages and jobs. As Barack Obama noted, when someone gets paid $10 million to eliminate 4,000 jobs, the voters in his district know this is an issue of power not economics. The government can use as tools labor law reform, public works and contracts.

    The bold areas are Ed’s proof of Obama the Socialist, but read the rest of the article, that apparently Ed did not care to.

    It’s exactly what Obama has been advocating from day of his campaign, and apparently, a lot of voters agree.

    Ed the Red Baiter.

  138. 138.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    Ed Morrissey is rapidly becoming a modern day Joe McCarthy. Or maybe reincarnation is real. He offers this re-cap of a meeting at UofC sponsored by the UofC DSA (Democratic Socialists of AMerica) a meeting attended by a number of democratic candidates for all sorts of elected positions. Anyways, here is Ed with the socialist vapors.

    Barack Obama observed that Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in the 1960s wasn’t simply about civil rights but demanded jobs as well. Now the issue is again coming to the front, but he wished the issue was on the Democratic agenda not just on [Pat] Buchanan’s.
    —- One of the themes that has emerged in Barack Obama’s campaign is “what does it take to create productive communities”, not just consumptive communities. It is an issue that joins some of the best instincts of the conservatives with the better instincts of the left. He felt the state government has three constructive roles to play.
    The first is “human capital development”. By this he meant public education, welfare reform, and a “workforce preparation strategy”. Public education requires equality in funding. It’s not that money is the only solution to public education’s problems but it’s a start toward a solution. The current proposals for welfare reform are intended to eliminate welfare but it’s also true that the status quo is not tenable. A true welfare system would provide for medical care, child care and job training. While Barack Obama did not use this term, it sounded very much like the “social wage” approach used by many social democratic labor parties. By “workforce preparation strategy”, Barack Obama simply meant a coordinated, purposeful program of job training instead of the ad hoc, fragmented approach used by the State of Illinois today.
    The state government can also play a role in redistribution, the allocation of wages and jobs. As Barack Obama noted, when someone gets paid $10 million to eliminate 4,000 jobs, the voters in his district know this is an issue of power not economics. The government can use as tools labor law reform, public works and contracts.

    The bold areas are Ed’s proof of Obama the Socialist, but read the rest of the article, that apparently Ed did not care to.

    It’s exactly what Obama has been advocating from day of his campaign, and apparently, a lot of voters agree.

    Ed the Red Baiter.

  139. 139.

    AnneLaurie

    Damn, Palin really hates science.

    "If you say you want to prevent birth defects, you mean you want to murder Down Syndrome babies, and probably euthanize adorable little kids with MS or spina bifida, too." I have heard this particular ‘argument’ parroted by a great many otherwise intelligent people, including at least one genuine rocket scientist.

    Someday we might discover a cure for Stupid, but we’ll never be able to conquer the tragedy of Willfully Ignorant.

  140. 140.

    Frank Sobotka

    In 1792, George Washington, John Adams, Aaron Burr, George Clinton, and Thomas Jefferson all contested for the Presidency. The divisions between the strong government Federalists and the agrarian utopia Democratic-Republicans (although not expressed in such naked party terms just yet) were already extant and strongly felt. The hard fought, bitter battle over whether to ratify the Constitution was fresh in everyone’s minds, and it had yet to become the holy script it is now.

    Washington was a very popular figure, the Father of the Nation, but some horrible, really tabloidy stuff was written about him in the contemporary D-R press nonetheless. The other candidates were really contesting for the Vice-Presidency, which was still directly elected then, with Washington as the ‘unifier.’ That said, discrediting him and his unpopular Treasury Department (under Hamilton) was key to who would secure the VP role. Adams, a Washington ally, won after all.

  141. 141.

    Frank Sobotka

    I should state (too late to edit now) that discrediting the Treasury Department was key to Clinton, Burr, or Jefferson winning the VP role. John Adams was always running as a Federalist and Washington ally.

  142. 142.

    demimondian

    @El Cid: Sadly, Monbiot kind of falls down due to *his* own ignorance.

    California has a larger population than any European nation. Why should Washington, D.C. make its educational policy decisions?

    There’s no evidence, Monbiot’s sources to the contrary, that home-schooled children do any worse than other children. Now, that may well be, and to my mind, probably is, a selection effect, but it’s completely contrary to his argument.

    Finally, Monbiot obviously doesn’t know much about US demographics — there’s no evidence that American Fundamentalists are any less well-educated than their secular, or even non-literalist, brethren.

    In short, his screed would fit in really well on RedState.

  143. 143.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    From an article in the NYt’s. What the conservative movement has left in their wake on our Federal Appeals Courts, of which, 1/3 are now Bush appointees.

    WASHINGTON — After a group of doctors challenged a South Dakota law forcing them to inform women that abortions “terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being” — using exactly that language — President Bush’s appointees to the federal appeals courts took control.

    They have been more likely than colleagues to favor corporations over regulators and people alleging discrimination, and government over people who said their rights had been violated. They have also been more likely to throw out cases on technical grounds, like rejecting plaintiffs’ standing to sue.

    The GOP , Party of the People. It’s going to take a while to undo the damage.

  144. 144.

    Atanarjuat

    Well, it appears I’ve just had a comment that I had waiting for moderation ultimately deleted.

    There was not one bit of profanity or invective aimed at anyone here (or something similarly caustic), but simply my own take on "Custer’s Last Stand" as a metaphor to describe McCain’s and Obama’s view toward electoral victory.

    Since the metaphor seems to have offended the host (or one of the other co-bloggers), I simply offer my apology, and I hope that any other comments I may have waiting in moderation are regarded with a bit less severity.

    Thank you.

    Country First.

  145. 145.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    Since the metaphor seems to have offended the host (or one of the other co-bloggers), I simply offer my apology, and I hope that any other comments I may have waiting in moderation are regarded with a bit less severity.

    oh noes , Atan, It was the evil wordpress that ate your homework. It happens to all of us here and has nothing to do with censorship. Profanity on Balloon Juice is considered an art form, or the equivalent of speaking a second language, if you will.

    Besides, you’ve become our in-house pet spoof, so stop your fretting, and bring on the chuckles.

  146. 146.

    lovethebomb

    What is completely astounding is how all the dire predictions of an Obama presidency seem not to have noticed the disaster of the last 8 years under a republican president and republican congress for 6. Can anyone tell me how the American public has such a short term memory?

  147. 147.

    Dennis - SGMM

    Finally, Monbiot obviously doesn’t know much about US demographics—there’s no evidence that American Fundamentalists are any less well-educated than their secular, or even non-literalist, brethren.

    That some states don’t require home schooled children to take standardized tests makes it difficult to assess the overall effectiveness, or lack thereof, of home schooling. I did some Googling and there doesn’t seem to be a study by anyone without an axe to grind – on one side or another – about the subject. Although surveys suggest that roughly half of home schooling parents do so on religious grounds those same studies suggest that the other half do it for reasons that have nothing to do with religion. I believe that parents should have the option of homeschooling. A dedicated parent can give their homeschooled child a lot more attention than a single teacher attempting to teach a class of twenty or more kids with varying abilities. That said, I hope that those parents who choose homeschooling get some guidance as to what their children will be expected to know once they get out into the world.

  150. 150.

    Comrade Darkness

    That said, I hope that those parents who choose homeschooling get some guidance as to what their children will be expected to know once they get out into the world.

    The main issue seems to me to be that the kids risk knowing only a subset of what the parent knows. But in the age of the Internet, cheap books, and interactive learning tools, this is less of an issue. In my other life, I chat with teens from all over, and my personal anecdotal evidence is the home-schooled are ahead of their peers. Not sure if this is self-selection, less distraction from social crap that permeates the physical school day and turns learning into an empty exercise in social conformity, or pressure to prove that you are better keeping their nose to their work, or what, but that’s been my experience. So, I’m cool with it, no matter the reason the parents opt for it. Personally, as attack issues go, this one might as well be dropped by democrats, since it creates polarity without much benefit to anyone. Frankly, I’d recommend going for the co-opt on this one.

  151. 151.

    Conservatively Liberal

    Apparently its now SOP to go all fanboy at the GOS when one’s diary becomes recc’d and add an update that reads like "O.M.GOOOOOOOD! I like, just like, can’t believe it! Wow! Thanks all you thousands of anonymous peeps I’ll never ever meet and probably never see again, but if I do, I have no idea what your name is cuz you tag is something retarded like ‘porkchop hubcap’ and ooooooooooooohh, its so nice to have some people who will say nice things to me today for once!"
     
    /vomit

    I gave up on Kos a couple of years ago because of the stupid rec system/tradition, that stupid rating system for comments and their overabundance of PC Police. Crack a mAnn Coulter or ‘playing hide the salami’ (in reference to prison time for a pol) joke and the PC fuzz hit the fainting couches in droves. Post a diary that has one thing wrong in it and they need even more fainting couches. Make a comment that is not approved and have your words disappear because some people felt the need to judge your words and decide to hide them so others can’t decide for themselves.

    Fuck that static. For being a web site for progressives they sure have some strange ideas on approving what anyone says. I think they should add a stamp to each post that says the GoS PC Police ‘approve of this message.

  152. 152.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    Gives McCain a 2-percentage-point advantage but the MoE is 4 percentage points, so it’s a toss-up. Good stuff on early voting in Lake County (includes Gary, IN) lower down in the piece:

     
    NO NO NO NO NO!
     
    Assuming the confidence interval of the poll is 95%, there is a 68.8 % probability that McCain is leading Obama with a 2% difference and a 4% MoE. If the confidence interval of the poll is 99%, then for a 4% MoE, there is a 74.1% chance that McCain leads Obama. (The confidence interval is not the same thing as MoE). There is no such thing as a "statistical dead heat" unless McCain and Obama are tied in the polls.
     
    /rant

  154. 154.

    ImJohnGalt

    I wound up standing behind a gent on the street today who had hand-painted "Jews for Obama" onto his backpack

    That’s not a trade I’d make, even though they already run the whole world.

    Unless you’d consider throwing in a left-handed pitcher?

  155. 155.

    Conservatively Liberal

    At this moment, however, it is absolutely clear — there is an effort, organized or not, by supporters of Mitt Romney to harm the reputation of Governor Sarah Palin.

    – Original bolding

    According to Erick the Red(neck) in a front page post over at RedBaitState, there is (or is not) a Romney cornspiracy! to take Palin down so she will not be positioned for a run in 2012. I am amazed how they have invested a lot into their empty vessel for 2012 and yet she was a relative nobody just over two months ago.

    There is no careful consideration of her (lack of) knowledge, no in-depth look into her positions, nothing. Nope, she is perfect as is and they (RedBaitState) are ready to savage anyone who dares to speak out against her. What is worse (for them, not us!) is that they are not waiting until after the election to ‘debate’ this issue, they are ready to go for the jugular of anyone who dares to go off-key about Palin.

    The right is in a total mess and I am having the time of my life watching the meltdown. More! More! Ole!

  157. 157.

    Personal Designation

    This does sound lika close race, empty vessels vs jars of clay.

    The meltdown (of both the GOP & DNC) during this priznit cirque duh soleil is like watching Charles Nelson Reilly and Charles Manson put together a bicycle on Christmas Day.

  158. 158.

    demimondian

    @Dennis – SGMM: The big point, in a way, is that parents, like all teachers, vary in their abilities. Some turn out to be great teachers, others, not so much.

    Most states — including California, FWIW — provide significant support to home-schooling parents. Homeschoolers tend to be very passionate about what they’re doing, and so keeping them happy keeps them out of the "real" schools’ hair, and provides cheap patronage to a vocal constituency.

    I’m with Comrade Darkness — and I speak as a member of a teacher’s union — I don’t see any value in this issue. Let’s co-opt it, provide standards which hoom-schooled kids must meet, and go on.

  160. 160.

    Troglaman

    This, and I’m telling the truth, is the beagle having a "Dear God, what have I done?" moment. It started out being a picture of the cute kitty all curled up and asleep. As it was being snapped, the newly arrived beagle pinned the the sleeping kitty. The resulting shit storm was something to behold.

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