It's Finally Here!

After weeks and months of chomping at the bit, I finally got to vote today! Any of you who have even glanced at this blog know who I voted for, but today, that is beside the point (mostly). Because today, there was voting!

I have been voting at my polling place for over eleven years, and I have never seen anything like what I saw today. I went at 11:30, right before lunch, and there were lines and crowds all over the place. And my fellow neighbors were pretty cheery about the whole thing (the bake sale out front may have helped with that. I bought a brownie!).

After voting, and running some errands in my neighborhood, I stopped at the local liquor store to get a bottle of wine for the election party I am going to. The guy behind the counter told me it was the busiest Tuesday he had ever seen. We both figured there would be a lot of celebrating this evening. The woman in front of me was buying bottles of champagne. I happen to live in an extremely blue neighborhood in very blue city in solidly blue state, so there is much hope here.

Even though it looks good for my guy to win, I am actually really and truly impressed in the amount of Americans voting this election. I was raised to believe that voting was important, and I hope that we now have a whole new group of people, young and old, who feel like their voices do matter. That maybe, we can have a say in how and where our government takes us. I am an optimist at heart, so I can't help myself.

So, I hope all of you get out there and vote. And keep voting in years to come. Okay, I can't help myself, I gotta post this pic! Looks like fun!

UPDATE! 1:14am November 4th, 2008: Hooray!! President Barack Obama, our 44th President of the United States of America. I am thrilled.

ENOUGH!!!

Today's flailing about of the McCain campaign has lead me to this. I wasn't gonna go on an angry rant over politics this year. I have made it clear that I am a Democrat, and I am supporting Obama whole-heartedly, but this ridiculousness is really just too much.

Have I shown my hand too early? Too bad. I am sick and tired of the lies and shenanigans going on with the McCain/Palin camp. Today, we heard McCain suddenly claim that things were so bad, so dire, that he, and only he, could go to Washington and save us all! In that shocking moment, he also told us he was suspending his campaign, and asked that Friday's debate be postponed. Because he can't do more than one thing at a time? Or is it because today's polls show him sinking? And now.... NOW, the McCain camp is saying that they want to delay the VP debate as well. I am shocked! (end sarcasm).

I would like to just inject a personal feeling here (I know, why start now?). In all this craziness with Wall Street, McCain is coming off as desperate, while the calm and thoughtful remarks from Obama seem much more Presidential. Obama hasn't been running amok changing, day to day, what he thinks is the next best idea.

And don't even get me started on the continuous lies that Palin has been spewing, over and over on the campaign trail. Selling that plane on e-Bay (lie), saying 'Thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere (lie), and her now well known penchant for banning books and her extreme Pro-Life positions that make most of us blanch. Her extreme notions are apparent in how she runs Alaska as well, as this New York Times article spells out nicely.

As things have gone along, we've seen McCain repeat the Palin lies over and over. Is this because he doesn't know any better? Or because he just doesn't care? Either way, it makes him look bad in my eyes.

So that brings me back to today. McCain cancelled a scheduled appearance on the David Letterman show, citing he was needed immediately in DC, but was caught, by Letterman, recording an interview with Katie Couric instead. In fact, McCain isn't going to DC until tomorrow (Thursday), because he is appearing at the Clinton Foundation event here in New York City tonight. Wow, another lie... are we still surprized by this? Here is David Letterman's reaction to McCain's cancellation, hot off the YouTube presses (Letterman is pissed...).

Honestly people, I can't take much more of this. I'd like to quote one of my favorite lines, one that I say to myself regularly these days: Dear Republicans, I am so sick of your shit!

In closing, I will post this picture, which is currently my beloved wallpaper on this very computer. Vote Obama/Biden!!!!!

Sick Of It!

The Hillary bashing continues...

Ms. Clinton has said she will suspend her campaign on Saturday, endorse Mr. Obama, and ask for party unity, but the television pundits are still kicking her. Today her camp issued this statement: 'Hillary is not seeking out the Vice President slot', but I have heard many TV pundits snarkily say, 'But she will take it if it's offered.'

DUH! And what the hell is wrong with that?!!

This goes back to when she ran for Senate here in New York State. All they could say was, 'She just wants to be President.' SO WHAT?

When Mr. Obama ran for Senate, did people whine about how he wanted to be President? When any number of of men have run for public office, did anyone ever say, 'He just wants to be President?' For the love of God people, what the hell is wrong with wanting to be President? It must be because she, as a woman, has the audacity to have some ambition. I say it again.... What The Hell Is Wrong With That?!!!!?????

This campaign has opened my eyes to a level of misogyny in this country that I had been blind to, and I am angry. Don't get me wrong, I will back Mr. Obama all the way. Anything is better than another four years of a Republican in the White House, as far as I'm concerned, but back the hell off Hillary. When you look at the numbers, she got just as many votes as Obama. She freakin' won one of the very last primaries. Just because people fell madly in love with Mr. Obama, that means that the woman should should just bow down and give up?

Can you tell I'm pissed? Because I am. It's like until Hillary lies down and shuts up, these people will not be happy. And that offends me to my core.

I am still hoping that somehow, Hillary can get the VP nod. I think she would be a great asset to an Obama White House. But we are several weeks away from any such decision, and ultimately I will back Mr. Obama on whomever he chooses. But for the love of God, back off my gal Hillary!!!

*Motivator courtesy of ZenLizzy from the TWoP boards

Pundits and Pollsters and Matthews, Oh My!

After a few years off of politics, I have been sucked back in! I spent a good portion of this past Tuesday night watching the results in the New Hampshire primaries. It was great, dramatic television.

We had heard for days that Obama was the new frontrunner, and that he was going to run away with the primaries. The pundits were reading the polls and speculating based on the Iowa caucuses. But the problem with speculation, is that it is just that, speculation.

I think there were a couple of factors working towards Clinton's win. First of all, the 'moment of emotion' that hit all the papers and was played ad naseum on the news channels, making some true emotion look like some kind of cataclismic event. A moment that I feel like was blown way out of proportion, simply because it happened to a woman. I hate to play the gender card here, but the penises out there seem to be really intimidated by a strong smart woman, and I feel like the scrutiny on her every move, her every fashion choice, her every expression is ridiculous and, quite frankly, made me want to run for President, just so I could tell everyone to shove it.

The other factor was most likely the crankiness of the population of New Hampshire. They, like me, hate to be told what the outcome will be, and I think they decided to take all of the blah blah, and go ahead and make up their own minds. And let's face it, this was a close race. One of the reasons it seemed like such a great victory, is that all those talking heads had decided that Clinton was done. They were in such a hurry to predict what was going to happen, they forgot how seriously the Live Free or Die-ers took their votes. The New Hampshire-ites listened to all the candidates had to say, and gave their votes, I'm sure, in a calm and well thought out fashion.

Now don't get me wrong, I think both Obama and Clinton make good candidates for my party, and I am a long-time Edwards supporter, so I would be happy with any of them making it to the end, but I am so excited that we seem to have an actual race on our hands. Even what's going on with the Republicans is interesting to watch. To have such a wide open race on both sides makes this years election that much more compelling. For all of us to have an actual choice this year can only be good for the country. I am thrilled that Cheney has chosen not to run.

So I watched Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman on MSNBC all night long, mainly because they have the faces I like; Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams and so on. Matthews made it very clear most of the night, without saying it out loud, that he did not want Clinton to win. He was sure she was done. During the Iowa caucuses it was very obvious that he was rooting for Obama. His remarks prompted me to say, over and over, 'Chirs Matthews has lost his mind!'. Olberman was doing a fine job all night balancing out Matthews' very slanted commentary. It ended up making my roommate and I, who hadn't really decided who we would vote for, begin rooting for Hillary. Every time the results fell further to her favor, we whooped it up. It made for a fun evening that could have been another boring night of politics. It re-lit my political fire, and I am looking forward to a spirited campaign from both sides. Hopefully, it has lit a fire under other Americans too.