Happy Halloween

... and at the rate I am posting these days, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and so on.

Part of it has been the crush of work which has seen my on 11:00 p.m. conference calls twice this week (thanks!). Part of it's family, hobbies, life and laziness.

But part of it has been due to the fact that there are many political sites out - Huffingtonpost, Daily KOS, ThinkProgress, etc. - there that do a fantastic job and which already echo my sentiment. But since I will be in Finland next week for work and unable to closely follow the election coverage next Tuesday, I thought I would throw in my own early prediction.

To respond to Kate's and others' concerns about jinxing the election, let's face it -- this thing is entirely over. Non-partisan polling is leaning decidedly towards Senator Obama. Obama is a lock in the Northeast (PA, NY, NJ, ME, VT, DE, MD, CT, etc.), the West Coast (CA, OR, WA, HI) and the North Central (IL, IA, WI, MN, MI). Those states alone total 257 electoral votes.

This means that if Obama wins any of the following states, he will win: FL, VA, OH, CO, NV, NM, NC, or MO. And Obama has polling leads in each of those states. He has commanding leads (5%+) in OH, CO, NV, NM and narrow leads in former red states like NC and MO.

Will he win all of them? No. I still believe in the closet racist vote. But there's almost no way for McCain to win/cheat in all of those states.

So if they announce next Tuesday that Obama wins either Florida (2% pt lead) or Virginia (6% pt lead) as is currently expected, then the election will be all but over and we're headed towards a landslide. Even if not, Obama would have to lose the entire "middle" and that seems highly, highly unlikely.

I'm personally predicting a pretty sizable victory for Obama. By my calculations, Obama should end up with around 349 electoral votes -- and upwards of 364 or so if everything breaks his way -- which is more than Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, or GWB got in their first term elections. Which is pretty amazing with all of the racism and false information being circulated these days. It's been so bad recently, that I decided to take a huge break from it all, so maybe it's a good thing I'll miss things next week. Anyway, get out and vote (although you probably already have) and watch CNN non-stop on my behalf.

It's Over

Yes, I know that we still have 19 days until the election, but the fact is that this race is all but officially over: Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.

Fivethirtyeight.com has Obama with a 95% winning percentage. With leads in traditional Republican states such as Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, Obama's lead is almost insurmountable at this point in time. McCain has to produce a video of Obama wearing a turban and a "Free Iraq" t-shirt while raping a white woman. Absent that, November 4 looks to be a landslide victory.

Personally, I have a lot of mixed emotions about the election at this point in time. I am *really* excited that the McCain-Palin combo is not going to be leading our government for the next 4-8 years. I am surprised that this country is actually about to elect a person with brown skin president, although it took a highly educated (Republican translation "elitist" and "well spoken") and superior candidate to do so.

At the same time, I am outraged that we've had to deal with stupid, racist shit like this in the campaign:

And let's be honest, I am also a little nervous as to what's going to happen the next four years since Obama has been handed a huge mess by GW to clean up. Seriously, things are fucked up beyond comprehension and no matter what Obama does, it's still likely to be a mess in four years. Don't get me wrong, I but into his leadership and vision and all that, I just know it's going to be a tough road, even more so with opponents eagerly looking to say "I told you so" when even magic pixie dust couldn't make things right.

And at the same time, I'm kind of sad because I will miss stupid shit like this:



Goodbye Sarah Palin. I'm looking forward to never hearing your voice again.

Palin: Being Gay Is A Choice

Despite all the scientific evidence to the contrary, Sarah Palin still believes that homosexuals choose their sexual orientation. In yet another video clip as a result of her recent interview with Katie Couric (as a side note, how long did she interview her for)

Palin: "I have, one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay."

Translation: "I will now make up a story about a token gay friend. Ewww!"

Palin: "And I love her dearly."

Translation: "And Jesus hates her dearly."

Palin: "And she is not my "gay friend."

Translation: "Now Katie, what is that PC term that folks use to describe female homosexuals? I know I shouldn't use the expression "bull dyke" but it's the only thing I can think of."

Palin: "She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice that I have made."

Translation: Despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, I believe she chose to be gay. I also believe in talking snakes and that men and dinosaurs roamed the Earth together 6,000 years ago. Now mybe if she were cuter and thinner, she would attract a man that would cure her of her 'choice.' Oh well, I'll pray for her."

Palin: "But I am not gonna judge people."

Translation: "But Jesus will. Prepare to burn in Hell, lesbo."

I also love the part where she says "I don't know what prayers are going to be answered and not answered." Whew, that's a huge relief. Because otherwise you would be some sort of God-like entity, which scares me almost as much as you being president does.

I honestly do not believe a single word that this woman just said. Seriously, I thought "thou shall not lie" was one of the Ten Commandments. Perhaps the Wasilla Bible Church changed that commandment to "thou shall not have butt sex with another man."

Anyway ... the whole "gay choice/screw what science says" approach she employs is so Medieval and outdated. Does she seriously believe that? In his comedy CD "Shut Up You Fucking Baby," David Cross has a great bit where he dispels the scenario where someone would choose to be gay (and later discusses the stereotypical, effeminate "gay" voice. Warning: NSFW language):

McCain Solves Health Care!!

Here's an awesome video of McCain espousing his healthcare solution: turn Wal-Mart into an emergency room. I'm fucking serious .... that's really his suggestion, I am not making this shit up.

Whew, I'm really glad we got the health care crisis all figured out. Perhaps McCain will also suggest that Target become a bank or that Red Lobster start issuing commercial paper. When is that going to happen?

Reason # 461 Why John McCain Is A Total Train Wreck

Despite McCain's own proclamation that he is "not an expert on Wall Street” and “not an expert of some of this stuff” [ Ed. note: what "stuff" is he talking about? Finance? Counting money? Come to think of it, when was the last time Johnny actually checked his bank balance or paid a bill? Insane. ], McCain inserted himself into the Wall Street bailout negotiations (a/k/a "Project Lipstick On The Financial Pig"). Despite having little familiarity with the issues and a shallow understanding of financial markets, McCain was able to broker a deal which brought peace and prosperity throughout the land.

Oh wait, strike that last comment. Instead he sided with House Republicans who opposed the bipartisan efforts to solve the financial crisis by instead offering their own plan involving tax cuts and further deregulation. Brilliant.

Seriously, our economy - which is already in dire straits - is going to be seriously fucked if this guy is elected president. Honestly, this is shaping up to be the most important election of my life time. Dear little 8 lb. 6 oz. little baby Jesus ... please, oh please, do not let this dude win.

"Alask's Proximity to Russia Certainly Does Give Me Foreign Policy Experience"

This video is jawdropping. Katie Couric gave Palin an opportunity to defend her widely ridiculed prior claims that Alaska’s proximity to Russia and Canada provides her with some sort of foreign policy experience. My favorite parts:

- "Our next door neighbors are foreign countries — they’re in the state that I am the executive of." Jesus, she talks like a 15-year old.

- She claims that Putin flies over Alaska which, I guess, suddenly makes her Henry Kissinger. Who knew?

God, please let this nightmare end. I promise to be good (I'll even stop stalking Scarlett Johansson). Just, please make this all go away.

Palin, McCain ... Then Pray For Rain

Over recent weeks, much has been made of the fact that Sarah Palin attended 5 colleges over 6 years. So below is a comparison of the educational backgrounds of what will be out next President and Vice President (thanks to VMD for the source):

Barack Obama:
Occidental College - Two years
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joe Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science
Syracuse University College of Law - J.D.

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

Sarah Palin (a/k/a Caribou Barbie):
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general studies
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

And just for shits and grins, here's the Libertarian ticket:

Bob Barr:
University of Southern California - B.A.
George Washington University - master's degree in international journalism
Georgetown University - J.D.

Wayne Allyn Root:
Columbia University - B.A. political science (I don't know who is either but found out that he was in the same class as Obama)

So it turns out that Palin only attended 4 different colleges -- not 5 --- over that fateful 6 year period of time. Obama, on the other hand, only went to Occidental for 2 years before he dropped out. And by my count, Obama and Biden went to as many schools (5 different schools) as did McCain and Palin. Magna Cum Laude vs. 894/899? This all really seems like a wash to me.

Bill O'Reilly, Turd Extraordinaire

When Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy was revealed, Bill O’Reilly derided her parents.

“On the pinhead front, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. The sister of Britney says she is shocked. I bet. Now most teens are pinheads in some ways. But here the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her or even over Britney Spears. Look at the way she behaves,” O’Reilly declared.

Now O'Reilly is singing a slightly different tune now that it is Vice President-nominee Sarah Palin's teenage daughter that is knocked up:

"Now, the latest thing is that people like me don't condemn Palin's family but we condemn other people who, uh, gave birth out of wedlock. I've never condemned anybody who gave birth out of wedlock. Ever in my life. I don't make those kinds of determinations. What I do say and, this nut Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal Constitution makes a deal out of this, I said that Britney Spears and what's her sister's name who's pregnant, their parents were irresponsible - Jamie Lee - because they were running around unsupervised."

Huh? He goes on to say:

"Yeah, I said that and I believe it. It has nothing to do with the Palin situation, okay? So, I mean, it just, it really, it makes me angry. I know what's going on. You know what's going on. Uh, and we're going to have to start making some people pay, you know, we're going to have to start to make some people pay because of the irresponsible attacks."

I love how he just turns it around with the "you know what's going on" comment. Nothing ceases me to amaze me anymore when it comes to these freaks, and it's only the beginning of September.

Uhhh, Hi Folks ...

I've been offline for a long time due to a number of reasons (ill parent, Disneyland vacation, work), none of which has to do with the fact that there isn't a *ton* of politic things to comment upon. I missed so much over the past 3 weeks that there's no way to really catch up.

Of course, the Sarah Palin announcement has dominated the headlines recently. Like most people, I have experience an array of emotions: shock, bemusement, disbelief, relief, glee. More than anything else, I am deeply offended that Republicans actually think (or think that we are stupid enough to believe) that she is a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in an effort to reach out to her disgruntled political base. Really? It reminds me when G.H.W. Bush nominated the Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Thurgood Marshall. While they were quick to point out that the appointment preserved the existing racial composition of the court ("Hey, look, we got another colore..., uhh, African American judge"), they failed to point out that Thomas was undistinguished and thought to be unqualified for the job, and an ideological opposite of the legendary Marshall.

Palin is no Hillary. Not by a fucking longshot. The fact that Republicans are trying to proffer this political trainwreck as a replacement for Clinton is insulting. It's also a political "fuck you" to all the other qualified Republican politicians who are far more qualified than Palin.

I imagine that the Republican VP selection team process went a little something like this:

Staffer: "Okay, let's run through your potential running mates."
McCain: "I want a cookie."
Staffer: "We'll get you that right away, sir, but first the candidates."
McCain: "I was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton."
Staffer: "I am well aware, sir. Let's save that for the speech."
McCain:
Staffer (ignoring McCain): "Okay, candidate #1 is 4 term senator with substantial economic and foreign policy experience and who has a track recor ..."
McCain: "Next."
Staffer: "Alrighty, candidate #2 is a popular governor of a major swing state who has very high approval ratings and who..."
McCain: "Yawn."
Staffer: "Uhh, the third candidate is a former beauty queen but has limited .."
McCain: "Ding, ding, ding .... we have a winner!"

It's not McCain, it's you ....

538

Contrary to logic, John McCain is making this election waaay closer than it should be. Seriously, are we really going to elect the seventy-something candidate that doesn't use a computer or the Internet? Thinking about that distinct possibility seriously makes my head hurt. The only thing which helps me sleep easy at night is the fact the latest election forecast, which predicts that Obama has a 63.5% chance of winning, based on the latest polling numbers.

This comes courtesy of my new favorite political website -- 538 -- which accumulates and analyzes polling and political data in order to provide an objective, statistical assessment of the likely outcome of upcoming elections.

Now, of course, this all goes out the window if some "love baby" pops out of nowhere for Obama (well, it's generally known where a love baby would pop out of, I meant more in the unforeseen sense). I also wouldn't put it past McCain and the RNC to do whatever it takes win, so I am bracing myself for an updated version of the awfulsome Willie Horton commercial, which should be airing any day now. There's a 36.5% chance that they will win while there's a 100% chance that they will pull out all the stops to do so.

"Don't Hope For A Better Life"

Who am I kidding, i fucking love politics. Especially when you are gifted with such fantastic content such as this awesome biographical about John McCain.

Voiceover: "It was a time of uncertainty, hope and change. The summer of love. Half a world away, another kind of love .... of Country."
Translation: "While all the filthy, hippy communists such as Obama were getting stoned and enjoying free-love Woodstock, McCain made decided to serve his country by going to Vietnam and being tortured endlessly."

Voiceover: "... an American, a maverick."
Translation: "A true maverick, like the kind of person that refuses to use a computer or the Internet." (oh wait, perhaps that should be "nutjob").

Voiceover: “John McCain doesn’t always tell us what we hope to hear.”
Translation: "We will never, ever exit Iraq during our lifetimes. Don't even think about it."

Voiceover: “Don’t hope for a better life.”
Translation: "Fuck hope."

Simply awesome. The only thing that would make this better is if he could somehow reincarnate Jesse Helms and make him his running mate.

P.S. Did anyone notice that Jesse Helms died on the fourth of July? How did I miss this? Oh well, rot in Hell Jesse.

BONUS: Check out the armpit sweat stains at 0:18 of the clip. Jesus Christ my man, did you run a marathon before filming that or what?

John McCain "I Hate the Bloggers"

“Now we’ve got the cables. We’ve got talk radio. We’ve got the bloggers. I hate the bloggers. We’ve got all kinds of sources of information.”

The feeling is mutual, dickweed. Please just do us all a favor and simply croak. Much thanks.

Best Regards,
David James

Hey, This Blogging Thing Is Fun!

January 20, 2009. Only 200 more days left to go. I knew this guy was a moron long ago when asked during a televised Reublican debate as to which political philosopher or thinker he most identified with and why, Bush responded, "Christ, because he changed my heart." That's when I knew we would be in for some trouble. But good god, I'm not sure anyone could have predicted how awful the next 8 years would be.

Speaking of God and predictions (hey look -- a segue!), I have to revisit an earlier post where Pat Robertson boldly predicted that would be a recession in 2008. Bold prediction there, Pat. But to his prophetic credit, Robertson suggested that Americans would be paying much more for gas at the pump and that oil would reach $150 a barrel.

Don't get me wrong, I will be the first person to call bullshit on a dubious Pat Roberston claim. But here we are barely halfway through the calendar year and this prediction looks like a mortal lock. The price for a barrel of oil has hit $144 and the average gas price nationwide is around $4.10 per gallon. Nine months ago, gas prices in California were less than $3 per gallon. Now gas is $4.60 per gallon and it's more likely that I will sooner see unicorns running in the streets than the return of $3 gas.

You know, next time we concoct some made up reason to invade another country, perhaps we should choose one with an endless supply of oil. Like "Petrolia" or "Oilrabia." That would make more sense.

Holy. Fuck.

In keeping with the politics theme, I ran across this awesome ad for eMobile (a Japanese phone company), which has a monkey politician stands before a chanting crowd holding up signs calling for "change."

Yes, that's right kiddos, the Japanese have produced a commercial featuring a monkey as an Obama-surrogate selling mobile devices. Fucking obscene.



As much as I love (a) monkeys, and (b) those insane Japanese game shows, this is pretty fucking ridiculous. Previously, a company in Texas was selling t-shirts which read "If Obama Gets Elected Will They Call It The "Black House'?" And we're still in June, boys and girls. This is going to be a long summer.

Sad or Hilarious? You Be the Judge ...

This Daily Kos article perfectly illustrates why McCain is entirely out of touch with modern society and, by extension, would be a terrible President. A simple off-handed question about computers led to the following exchange:

Q: Are you a Mac or a PC guy?

A: Neither, I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get.

What the fuck? Can a current Presidential candidate really be computer illiterate? I cannot fathom that my 5-year old is more fluent around a computer than McCain. Also, good call on disclosing the fact that you depend upon your prescription drug addicted wife to help you with technical matters. Perhaps when you're elected President, you can appoint Rush Limbaugh to your cabinet and they can compare notes as to how they illegally acquired prescription drugs.

So I'm thinking all of this was some sort of joke that McCain played on the interviewer. Or at least I did think that until one of his aides felt compelled to defend his boss' technology illiteracy.

"You don't actually have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country," McCain aide Mark Soohoo said. [...] John McCain is aware of the Internet. This is a man who has a very long history of understanding on a range of issues."

Note to Senator McCain -- computers and the Interweb are not a fad and do not steal your soul. You are an idiot. The fact that you are oblivious to this means you are equally oblivious to an entire generation that has grown up with these technologies. Honestly, computer experience and skills are so basic and fundamental these days that I don't see how anyone is hired for even an entry-level job without them. Even McCain's beloved military uses them (extensively, I might add). Good god, please-oh-please do not let this guy win.

Next blog -- there's good news on the Obama front ...

Grim Wednesday

I am slowly coming to the sad and sickening conclusion that there is a very real chance that John McCain will be elected as our next President. My rationale for my depressing opinion will follow in a separate post, when I have more time to write. But for now, click on the above picture to see his short list of potential VP candidates. I got it from a relatively good source (thanks VMD!), so I'm pretty sure it's authentic.

Raven-McCain 2008!

Obama Takes Wisconsin and Hawaii

Yesterday was more good news for Obama, who won both the Wisconsin Democratic primary and the Hawaii caucuses last night, extending his winning streak to ten consecutive contests and dealing another significant blow to Clinton, whose candidacy now hangs on the outcome in Ohio and Texas. She's lost two of her key aids and is struggling to find her voice and regain momentum. Some have suggested that, for all intents and purposes, this race is over. Pundits have suggested that it's inevitable she go with negative attack ads, but she doesn't want to further increase her own negative approval rating as she could easily be the next Senate majority leader or potentially the nominee in 2012.

If Ohio and Texas do not go extremely well for her, at what point in time does she accept this and move on for the sake of unity and in the spirit of winning in November. I like both candidates, but the last thing I want to see is the two of them tearing each other down and depleting their campaign funds during the primary process. This election is for all the marbles, boys and girls. Let's hope the Dems don't screw it up again (see, 2000 and 2004).

Yes We Can

You might have already seen Black Eyed Peas' frontman Will.i.am's video based on Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech. Directed by Bob Dylan's son, the video also includes Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Common, Herbie Hancock, Tatyana Ali and others as they recite and sing lines from Obama's New Hampshire primary speech over top of the Senator's original delivery, as seen on split screen. It's a bit corny, but I thought it was pretty cool and original nonetheless:



That is, I used to think it was cool and original .... until I saw that he blatantly ripped off the original version from John McCain:



Jesus christ, I honestly don't know how Will.i.am sleeps at night given such outright theft and plagarism. They should call his group the "Black Eyed Thieves!"

McCain/Huckabee 08-- they’re original, not to mention compassionate conservatives!

Potomac Primary

Today voters in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will vote in the region's much-anticipated "Potomac Primary," which is turning into one of the most closely contested presidential races ever. Clinton has a slim delegate lead while Obama has the overall state lead (19-13).

Obama is favored to sweep the vote on Tuesday which will leave him in a virtual dead heat with Clinton. March 4 will be the next big primary date, where voters in Texas and Ohio will cast their votes. Like many Democrats, I've been really divided over the candidates. I mean, once Dodd dropped out, what was the point?

Obviously, I would prefer either candidate over GW fuckwit, but at this point I lean towards Obama, although it's admittedly for intangible descriptors like "hope," "charisma" and "leadership." I also think that Clinton is unelectable, as she would be a lightening rod for the Conservative Right and perceived as a divisive candidate whose moderate record is eerily similar to McCain's. And we saw what happened when "moderate Al Gore" ran against "moderate GWB." Hello eight years of misery.

But if I'm honest with myself, he's really not experienced enough to be president -- he has eight years experience in the Illinois Senate and only two years in the U.S. Senate. And if I'm further honest with myself, I really worry that many voters in this country are still backwards enough to vote for McCain because of his skin color (i.e., pasty white). But I'm getting ahead of myself, there's a nomination to earn first and he's barely half way there.

Arlen Specter, Thy Name is Asshole

When it comes to national affairs, there are important matters for Congress. Like getting the hell out of Iraq. Like balancing the budget and reducing our insane debt.

And then there are REALLY important matters for Congress.

Like maintaining the integrity of professional football.

This past Friday, Senator Arlen Specter called on the NFL to explain why it destroyed evidence from the New England Patriots about a cheating scandal involving the surreptitious taping of other teams.

Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the matter could put the league's antitrust exemption at risk. "Their antitrust exemption has been on my mind for a long time," he said in a Capitol Hill news conference Friday.

And while the CIA's destruction of interrogation tapes is a far more alarming and important issue, Specter instead chooses to focus on the NFL issue. "I do believe that it is a matter of importance. It's not going to displace the stimulus package or the Iraq war, but I think the integrity of football is very important, and I think the National Football League has a special duty to the American people -- and further the Congress -- because they have an antitrust exemption."

Give Specter credit for being able to distinguish between the impending national recession and the Iraq war and a sport. Well done, Arlen, for being able to differentiate between night and day.

Specter went on to overreach the relevance of Congressional involvement by saying, "I don't think you have to have a law broken to have a legitimate interest by the Congress on the integrity of the game. … What if there was something on the tapes we might want to be subpoenaed, for example? You can't destroy it. That would be obstruction of justice."

As noted previously, Specter evidently has a huge hard-on for getting into the shorts of the NFL. Sure, I would rather them waste time focusing on professional sports than, say, wasting billions of dollars "securing our borders" from the illegal immigrants. But, fuck, let's get our priorities straight here. Of course, if Specter is deluded enough to co-author the controversial and implausible Warren Commission report ("Single bullet, fuck yeah!"), then he's liable to believe that unicorns are ticketing his car. Who knows.