The Rielle World

Reading this excerpt from Halperin and Heileman's book 'Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime'. Right now I'm in the middle of the part about the early Edwards campaign and how he met Rielle Hunter. Of course I immediately find this:

There was nothing legit, however, about Hunter’s behavior. It was freaky, wildly inappropriate, and all too visible. She flirted outlandishly with every man she met. She spouted New Age babble, rambled on about astrology and reincarnation, and announced to people she had just met, “I’m a witch.” But mostly, she fixated on Edwards. She told him that he had “the power to change the world,” that “the people will follow you.” She told him that he could be as great a leader as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. She told him, “You’re so real. You just need to get your staff out of your way.” She reinforced everything he already believed, told him everything he wanted to hear.

(My emphasis added.)

Yea, about getting that staff out of your way, John. You should have heeded her advice. You still wouldn't be president now, but you might have a shred of your reputation intact.

Beginning of the end in Minnesota Senate Election Recount (LIVE VIDEO)

The R Word

Matt Taibbi:

It sounds strange to say, but this election season may have done to the word "Republican" what 1972 did for the word "liberal": turned it into a poisonous sobriquet that no politician with bipartisan aspirations will ever again welcome. The Republicans didn't just break the party — they left it smashed into space dust. They weren't just beaten; the very idea of Republican conservatism was massively rejected in virtually every state where large chunks of the population do not believe in the literal existence of a horned devil, and even in some that do.

Good News for New England

With the demise of Chris Shays in Connecticut the Republicans no longer hold a House seat in New England. And more good news from my Undisclosed Location in New England:

New Hampshire women made history Tuesday, too.

For the first time in U.S. history, they make up a majority of the state Senate.

Three more women were propelled to seats in the 24-member state Senate in voting Tuesday, boosting their numbers from 10 to 13.

Maybe things really are changing.

Counting EV's

Yes. We. Did.

"Fired up? Ready to go!"

Why He Didn't Vote for Obama Today

From a TPM Cafe diarist:

I didn't vote. Not for President, anyway.

Oh, I went to the voting booth. I signed, was given my stub, and was walked over to a voting machine. I cast votes for statewide races and a state referendum on water and sewer improvements.

I stood there, and I thought about all of these people, who influenced my life so greatly. But I didn't vote for who would be the 44th President of the United States.

When my ballot was complete, except for the top line, I finally decided who I was going to vote for - and then decided to let him vote for me. I reached down, picked him up, and told him to find Obama's name on the screen and touch it.

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Oh, the vote will be recorded as mine. But I didn't cast it.

Know hope.

This Morning

48 Hours

Barack Obama's beloved Toot died last night. My condolences to the family. Its a shame she didn't make it another 48 hours.

Dancing With The Stars

The Importance of Being A Voter

I read this post at 538 the other day and this particular passage stayed with me. Sean Quinn wrote:

Back at the rally, after the march had left MLK Gardens, I'd gone back for the car while Brett took photos, and I spotted a very old black man in a sharp Sunday suit walking slowly at the very back of the huge march. He hadn't yet arrived at the voting center, and I decided to find him when I got back.

I wanted to go talk to him, to ask him what this moment meant to him. He was a guy who you take one glance at, and know, that guy's seen it all. I wanted a quote. I had my journalist hat on. I thought, this will be great.

So when I got back to the voting location with the car, I went to find him in the line. Eventually I spotted him, and was ready to walk up the few feet between us and introduce myself when I stopped in my tracks.

A young black boy, no more than eight years old, walked up to this man, who was at least eighty. The boy offered the man a sticker, probably an "I Voted" sticker, but I couldn't see. The man took the sticker and paused. Silently, he looked down at the boy, who was looking back up at the man. The man put his hand gently on the boy's head, and I saw his eyes glisten.

Things look good for Tuesday, but Barack Obama won't be President if YOU don't get out and vote for him. Saddle and get after it.

Rewarding Bad Behavior

I decided to go read the blogs at American Conservative Magazine to see what Larison had to say today. He's one of my favorite conservative bloggers and I always get the sense that I'm reading the writing of a thoughtful and deeply intelligent man. After I finished reading I surfed around the site and what did I find? Frances Fukuyama endorsed Obama. 

Here's a little gem from his endorsement:

While John McCain is trying desperately to pretend that he never had anything to do with the Republican Party, I think it would a travesty to reward the Republicans for failure on such a grand scale.

Word.

Comrade McCain

Sprint to the Tape

The Closer

It's powerful.



Know hope.

The Governor Got Hitched

Whoa! Christopher Hitchens:

This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured. And those who prate of spiritual warfare and demons are not just "people of faith" but theocratic bullies. On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity.

That sums up what's left of the Republican Party.

The Granite State Keeping it Real

A Tale of Two Campaigns: New Mexico Style

From this morning's Albuquerque Journal:

John McCain:

The Arizona Republican stood under a giant American flag on Mesilla's historic plaza, telling a crowd of about 3,000 people under a blazing autumn sun that he understands water, land, energy and American Indian issues better than his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
"Sen. Obama has never been south of the border," McCain said, triggering a smattering of jeers from his supporters. "He doesn't know these issues — I do. And I'm proud to be from the West."
McCain, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, was greeted by 1,000 to 1,500 people earlier Saturday in Albuquerque, where he delivered a feisty, 17-minute speech at the Spanish Village on the state fairgrounds.

Barack Obama:

"New Mexico: In 10 days, in just 10 days, you have the chance to elect the next president. You'll have the chance to bring the change we need to Washington," the front-running Democratic presidential candidate told an estimated 45,000-plus supporters who filled floodlit Johnson Field at the University of New Mexico and spilled across the campus and onto surrounding streets.

In two campaign stops in New Mexico John McCain got ten percent of the crowd Barack Obama got in his one campaign stop. The stark difference shown by supporters of the two campaigns is fascinating. People willing to stand in line for hours to see a candidate will probably be willing to stand in line to cast a vote for that same candidate.

Know hope.

Going Viral

The cast from the original ad was reunited for this one. Here's some background. And, now for the original.