The Aftermath

And so it is done, my friends, aside from a last couple clean-up jobs. The Democrats have control of the House, the Senate and the White House. We don’t have a veto-proof majority in the Senate, and it’s unlikely we’ll end up with such once the last four races are settled, but we do have a solid majority.

There’s a lot of work to do, as I’ve mentioned before. We must show ourselves equal to the challenge. The people have put their faith in the Democratic Party and we must live up to their expectations. We must show them that our way, the way of hope, equality, diplomacy and fairness, is better than the way of despair, fear, hate and warfare.

The people have given us a reason to hope. Now we have to justify that hope.

Prop 8 and Prop 102

So America hates gay people. It’s hard to think there might be anything else at work here. Prop 8 in California, which would destroy legal marriages and break up families, passed last night, as did Prop 102 here in Arizona. Both of these are amendments, and so not subject to any court oversight, except by the Supreme Court.

I have some choice words for the people who voted in favor of these bigotted, homophobic initiatives, as well as ones who voted for similiar bills nationwide, including more bills to prevent marriage and a bill in Arkansas to prevent gay couples from adopting children.

Yes, I have some choice words, but you know what? You’ve all heard them before. They’re the same sad, miserable, unhappy words that we’ve all said since before Stonewall.

But here’s my choice words for gay Republicans out there: you done pretending yet? You get it? Your party hates you. Democrats are no angels when it comes to gay marriage, but they do tend to support gay adoption. Obama has said he’d lift “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and let gays serve openly. He’s also at least in favor of gay civil unions nationwide.

The Republicans, on the other hand? They don’t want gays adopting children, they don’t want even civil unions and they certainly don’t want gays in “their” military. In short, they want us to have as few rights as possible. They use us as a wedge issue to get votes. They make denying us equal rights a major part of their platform.

So you gay Republicans get it yet? It doesn’t matter that you favor lower taxes. It doesnt’ matter that you favor a strong national defense. All that matters is you like the same gender, and because of that the GOP hates you and will do everything they can to keep you from getting more rights and to strip away the ones you already have.

You get it yet?

THEY HATE YOU!

Campaign 2008 is Over!

The President-Elect

It’s done.

We won.

Now the real work begins.

小浜市 – Land of Obama!

I don’t know how I missed hearing about this until today, but there’s apparently a place in Japan named Obama. Hilarious! I love the world sometimes, I really do.

Poll – Oh, Like You Can’t Guess What This Is!

My Last, Best Guess

Election Day! I hope all of you who are eligible to vote are going to go out and do so!

Here’s my final guess on how I think the Presidential race will pan out.

360 votes for Obama, 178 for McCain

Now, some explanation.

Despite McCain’s efforts, Obama will win Pennsylvania pretty handily. I expect he’s going to barely win in Ohio as well. Despite Indiana being listed as a toss-up by most people, I think they’re still going to end up going for McCain, same with Missouri.

Meantime, I think North Carolina will barely end up in the Obama camp. I think it will be by less than one percent. Florida will do the same, but probably by about two percent or so.

There’s a bit of wishful thinking with Montana and North Dakota, but not much. Montana has a very popular Democratic governor who has been pushing hard for Obama. As for North Dakota, pollster.com shows Obama up by three points there.

And since I’ll have to explain Nebraska, here we go: I’ve read from a number of sources that there’s a large enough black population in Northern Omaha that they might be able to turn that one and only district in the state blue, thus giving Obama one electoral vote there. I may end up wrong, but I don’t think I am.

Further I think in a lot of the traditionally red states that stay red, the race will be closer than people expect. Watch for narrow victories in Georgia, and possibly even here in Arizona, where I think McCain will win, but by less than four percent.

Mind you, I’m just going by my instincts here. All this is entirely a guess on my part based on things I’ve read and seen. Regardless, the details might end up different from how I describe, but I think the conclusion will still end up the same.

Our 44th President will be Barack Obama.

To-Do List

It’s looking more and more like Obama will be winning the election, and will probably take office with a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. This gives him a chance to make some real change for this country; stuff we’ve been needing since about 1968. Here’s some suggestions for what needs a doin’.

1. An increase to the minimum wage. Yes, we just had one recently. No, it wasn’t large enough. It also needs to be tied into the inflation rate.

2. Universal health care. I’d like it to be government provided, but I don’t expect that to happen. Still, all of us should be able to walk into a clinic and know that we’ll great cared for regardless of how much money we do or don’t have.

3. Reform the military. Shrink it to half its current size! We can do that and still remain dominant in the world, plus we’d save about $350 billion a year.

4. Allow gays to serve in what’s left of the military. There’s no reason for the assinine “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. All it does it cause problems.

5. Nationwide civil unions. If you’re not willing to allow gay marriage, at least provide something that’s the same in every way, shape and form as heterosexual marriage. Having done that, I’m sure the courts will step in and say that if it walks like a duck, etc, and make it so that it has to get called “marriage” instead of “civil unions”. Then the politicians can blame the courts, and everyone gets what they want. Well, except those who are against gay marriage, but they suck.

6. A gauranteed four-year college tuition for all citizens. The better educated people are, they more money they earn, and the more taxes they will pay. The government will make a profit on this notion.

7. Get out of Iraq! The sooner, the better.

8. Try to get Russia into NATO. I can’t think of too many ways more likely to prevent the kind of nonsense we’ve seen from them over the last few months than by getting them into NATO. It’s long overdue.

9. More funding for science in general and NASA in particular. Consider how many kids were inspired to study math and science during the Apollo years. If we want to be back on top in that area, I can’t think of too many better ways to do it.

There’s other things, too. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. This is just a starting list. I’m sure that six months in, I’ll have a new one with more things. In the meantime, this is something to aim for.

A Conservative Arguement for Barack Obama

My favorite token conservative, Andrew Sullivan, has a post up today showing the top ten reasons why true conservatives (those who really stand for what the GOP says it stands for), should vote for Obama. Check it here.

And So it Goes…

There’s been many papers, people and other media outlets who have endorsed Barack Obama’s run for the Presidency. Now comes the latest endorsement. What makes this one particularly notable? It’s from the Anchorage Daily News, a paper which has really done well and come to the national spotlight during this campaign.

From the endorsement:

Gov. Palin’s nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

To me this perfectly encapsulates several good ideas. First there’s the fact that it doesn’t really matter where someone comes from (you listening, left-leaning Arizonans?). What matters is who they are and what they do. Palin may be an Alaskan (she’s spent most of her life there, after all, despite being born in Idaho), but to the ADN that doesn’t matter, nor should it.

They also notice what many of us, including myself, have noticed. The way that Obama, “…displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand.” They’re right. Obama has been cool, calm, and steady during this economic crisis. McCain spent the first couple days running around like a chicken without a head.

Another great point:

Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn’t show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.

Prior to making this blog back in February, I was telling my friends, and especially my mother, who I talk politics with often, that I wouldn’t mind a President McCain. I didn’t want him to be President, but at the time I thought he was centrist enough that I could at least accept it. I also had quite a bit of respect for the man.

Now neither of those things are true. He’s shown himself to be as much of a wingnut as several other members of his party and because of the way he’s handled himself in the campaign, I have no respect for him anymore. It’s sad, cause I wish I still did.

Another point I agree with the ADN on:

On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.

As my father, a former Alaskan who did some work up in the area of the oil fields, pointed out to me, “If you picture ANWR as a football field, you can put a postage stamp in one corner to represent the area of drilling.” Also he explained once that due to the protected nature of such areas if you are driving a vehicle and have the choice between hitting, say, a goose or a person, hit the person. There’s less paperwork. I think he was joking.

Here’s the beautiful summation, to which I have nothing at all to add:

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she’s a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

Why I Don’t Care About Sarah Palin’s Clothes

There’s a lot of good reasons to dislike Sarah Palin. She’s an extreme right-wing conservative, she lies extensively and continues to do so after her lies have been exposed, she has no real experience, she’s intellectually lazy, she’s way out of her depth, she has no clue on foreign policy, she thinks intelligent design should be taught in schools (or at least “teach the controversy, like there is one), and she’s just generally unpleasant, awful and like Bush with tits.

But I don’t give a rat’s ass about the $150,000 spent on her wardrobe. Why?

Well, first, I didn’t pay for it; the RNC did. Second, well, she is a woman and is running for national office. The double-standard with women’s clothing means she can’t get by on just a couple different outfits. Given that she’s never worked at anything higher than the governor’s office (for twenty-odd months), she probably doesn’t have an extensive wardrobe of her own she can wear. So if the RNC wants to drop a sizeable chunk of money on her clothes, that’s fine.

I do find it ironic that someone who makes great noise about standing up for Joe Sixpack, Joe NASCAR, “Joe” the “Plumber” and all the hockey moms is having more money spent on clothes for her than most of those people would earn in three or four, or more, years, but, hey, like I said, she does need to have good clothes.

So let’s stick to fighting about the issues in this election, cause that’s what the GOP doesn’t want us to do! Leave off Sarah Palin’s clothes and let’s get back to talking about what actually maters, cause this sure as hell doesn’t.