My God, What a MORON!

Palin now says that the press criticizing her is now a violation of HER first amendment rights!

This is the person constantly criticizing Obama, a former professor of Constitutional law at University of Chicago.

The Funniest Thing I Have Read All Day

Hear Me, Barack Obama Supporters! Here's How To Stay Sane Until Election Day

From one of the writers for the Simpsons.

Obama And The Jews

Great article today at The New Republic about how Obama captured the majority of the Jewish vote.

Money Quotes:


"...it would be hard to overestimate the role that Sarah Palin has played in bringing the Jewish vote solidly behind Obama."

"Dov Hikind, the unusual New York State Assemblyman, broke with the Democrats to endorse McCain. But he gets tripped up when queried about Palin. He criticizes Obama for lacking experience, before explaining that, when it comes to Palin, "Experience should not be an issue in this campaign." The Palin selection cut against McCain's best argument, and the consequences for the Jewish vote--as, of course, for the vote in general--have been clear."

Wow, who could have predicted that?
In other news, Obama is strongly considering the Israeli American congressman from Illinois, Rahm Emanual for the position of Chief of Staff.

Finally,

"John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as running mate is the towering example of his poor judgment. Palin's ignorance of public affairs is monumental. Especially disturbing to the Jewish voter should be her willing acceptance of the campaign assignment of demagogy, which has stirred up racism and hate..... McCain's choice of Palin was a bid to the extremists in the Republican party, not the considered choice of a man who puts his country first." (emphasis mine)

-Edgar M. Bronfman, former president of the World Jewish Congress.

And Now For Something Completely Non-Political

My neighborhood, Park Hill in Denver, was just named one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in the United States. I have to say I was not surprised when I found this list at the Gadling travel blog.

The article points out my neighborhood's proximity to downtown and it's connection to public transit. These are important factors as there is a fundamental shift going on in how people consume energy and where they choose to live.

See the rest of the list here.

Will Hits Another Home Run

He had me from his first sentence today: "From the invasion of Iraq to the selection of Sarah Palin, carelessness has characterized recent episodes of faux conservatism. "

Talk about intellectual honesty!

I swear he must read this blog.

The Truth About ACORN

Some on the right have raised the specter of a conspiracy. McCain himself has said that ACORN "is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exposes the truth. The post is long, but worth the read.

Money quotes:

"Federal laws make it a felony for voter registration groups like ACORN to discard registrations even when it believes them fraudulent. So ACORN flagged the forms it considered doubtful and handed them in to the registry. Ironically, it was those flagged forms -- the fruits of ACORN's diligence -- that have been flogged by Republicans as their best evidence of widespread election fraud."

"David Iglesias of New Mexico, [a McCain supporter], was one of seven U.S. Attorneys fired by the White House for their refusal to bring voter fraud prosecutions. "We took over 100 complaints," from the GOP, he told us, "We investigated for almost 2 years, I didn't find one prosecutable voter fraud case in the entire state of New Mexico."

Perhaps this is why McCain himself attended an ACORN sponsored event and said they "are what makes America special."

Palin And Israel, 5 Questions

I just read this article in the Jerusalem post.

I hope the author knows that he will never get an answer, as Sarah Palin has conducted four interviews with right wing nutcase Sean Hannity, but not a single press conference.

Guilty On All Counts!

Republican Senator Ted "series of tubes" Stevens of Alaska found guilty on 7 counts of corruption, faces 35 years in jail.

I guess his definition of a gift did not fly.

Two questions:

1. Will they rename Ted Steven International Airport in Anchorage?

2. When will they tell Sarah Palin what a gift is?

Sanity Prevails In Georgia

I read this article this morning about voter purges in Georgia and I was very depressed. It hit home because it specifically mentioned a voter in Fulton County, where I once lived and most of my family still resides.

Thankfully, I later read in this article that the purge has been overturned.

Georgia is going to come down to the wire in the presidential race and the Senate. That is why Republican voter suppression is in full swing.

How McCain Lost

The biggest flaw in McCain's campaign is not only that it has been virtually all negative, but that it is all been based on fear, innuendo, and the premise that Obama must be a liar.

Think about it. All of the major arguments McCain makes against Obama presume he is a liar. He "palls around with terrorists" when he says he does not, he is a socialist, when he espouses nothing of the sort, and he will raise taxes on everyone, when his proposals clearly say otherwise. These are merely the official attacks brought directly by McCain and Palin themselves, not the ones brought by Fox news and other third party McCain supporters.

By contrast, the case against McCain is based on the assumption that he actually will do what he says he will. He says will not negotiate with Iran. He says he will tax health care benefits. His health insurance tax credit is only $2,500 per person. He supports the continuation of the Bush tax cuts. He supports the vast majority of Bush's policies including social security privatization. All of these are McCain's policies that he has clearly articulated.

I attended both the Obama rally in Denver yesterday as well as his acceptance speech here in August. I spoke with many people, but I never heard a single negative thing said by about McCain. I saw no anti-McCain signs or t-shirts. Obama and other speakers talked briefly about McCain's policies, but no one attacked his honesty or integrity. Needless to say, McCain's events are entirely different.

McCain's attacks that simply dismiss Obama's stated positions as false are not working. It is astonishing to read Obama's positions and McCain's attacks side by side.

It now seems like the majority of independent voters trust Obama and are confident in his temperament. McCain will blame the financial crisis for his defeat, but I think that his problem was that people believed what McCain said about himself, and not what he said about Obama

Intellectual Honesty

I made a reference in my post a couple days ago about intellectual honesty. To me, intellectual honesty in a political context is recognizing your values and beliefs in any candidate regardless of their party.

For example:

I like McCain's idea of a league of democracies, an idea that I had been thinking about for some time before McCain mentioned it. I also agree with McCain on the need for more nuclear power.

I agree with Bush's vision for space exploration, and I only wish he pursued it more aggressively. I like how Bush refers to the boundaries of Israel prior to 1967 as the 1949 armistice lines, rather than as a fictitious "pre-1967 border" that none of it's neighbor's recognized. I even liked Bush's idea, but not his implementation of, the Iraq war, in the way I like the idea of cardiac surgery, but I don't think I would like the results if Bush (or myself) was the surgeon.

I disagree with Obama's support of "clean coal technology," which presupposes it's existence. I object to Obama's promise to accept federal election funding, and then not taking it. He should have never made the promise to begin with. I also disagree with Obama's pledge to continue Bush's "faith based initiatives".

Under Bush, Republicanism and conservatism are a philisophical contradiction. It seems that conservatives and Republicans are now two distinct groups, with a significant number of each supporting Obama.

One can make a very good case against Obama that is both consistent and intellectually honest. The cornerstone of that case would be Obama's comparative lack of experience and perhaps his judgment. Yet, within minutes of Palin's selection, I noted how McCain had lost all claim to intellectual honesty and good judgment. You just can't say with a straight face that Obama is unqualified yet Palin somehow is. Worse, you can't claim that McCain is more qualified than Obama when with Palin on the ticket.

Several conservative commentators have recognized the fact that Palin is wholly unqualified to be President, yet the majority of Republicans and conservatives have refused to publicly renounce her like they did Harriet Myers. The ones that have recognized this fact, like George Will, are being intellectually honest, the rest are just partisan hacks.

Obama In Denver Today

I saw Barack Obama speak in Denver this morning. Here is the Denver Post's picture of the event, followed by my pictures.


Here was the view from where I stood, about half way between the City Hall and the State Capitol.

This is the best close up my pocket camera could get.


These were the crowds behind me. The police estimated 100,000 people were there.

A Unanamous Lie: This Election Is Going To Be Really Close

There are three parties on television who are talking non-stop about the election, the Obama campaign, the McCain campaign, and the media commentators. They are all expressing the same opinion, Obama is ahead, but not by much, so it could go either way.

Yeah right, that's what I am seeing in this chart:



All three are lying. Here is why:

Obviously, the Republicans are still hoping for a miracle of some sorts. Admitting McCain has no chance would also hurt their donations and further hurt the Republicans in congressional races who still have a prayer.

The Obama campaign knows that turnout is the key to victory. If everyone thinks that they have an 8.5 point lead, and a 96% chance of winning, then they will loose a lot of voters who think that the race is already over. This will endanger their prospects if the race tightens, and cut down on the Democratic gains in congress.

Finally, the media has become addicted to the high ratings generated by the last two incredibly close elections. They are still refusing to admit that Obama has enough states to win the electoral college. For example, look at the CNN map. Incredibly, they claim that Colorado is a tossup. Look at the polls:




Obama has been ahead all year long, and his lead has grown steadily the last month, during which time not a single poll has ever shown McCain with a lead. On the other hand, several polls in Indiana, Montana, and North Dakota have shown Obama with a lead, yet CNN claims they are still "leaning McCain". I can't even buy their argument that Florida, Ohio, and Missouri are "toss ups" as Obama is currently holding a clear lead in the vast majority of polls this month.

Of course, it isn't over until it is over, and it is still important that everybody votes, but it is funny to watch everyone on TV struggle to say how close this race is.

Bush's Spokesman and McCain's Advisor for Obama

Reagan Appointee and (Recent) McCain Adviser Charles Fried Supports Obama, and former Bush White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan Endorses Obama. Throw in a couple former Republican Governors for Obama, Bill Weld of Massachusetts and Arne Carlson of Minnesota, and it looks like McCain's ship is sinking fast.

While not as prominent as Colin Powell, these people are more closely aligned with the core of the Republican establishment, at least the ones with a shred of intellectual honesty remaining.

Socialism

"We feel that wealthy people can afford more.....here is what I really believe, when you reach a certain level of comfort, there is nothing wrong with paying a little more"

Guess who said that?



"There is nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate."

-Colin Powell

We Voted!

On Tuesday, October 21st, my wife and I voted for change, not more of the same.

Reality Check:

When A Is Gift Not A Gift

Alaska is now the new frontier for political humor in our country, and I am not just talking about Caribou Barbie.

Take the current federal trial of Alaska Senator For Life Ted Stevens. Consider the $2,695 vibrating Shiatsu massage lounger he receive from an oil company executive. According to Ted, a gift is not a gift if:

1. You don't like it.
2. You claim you have been just borrowing the brand new item from it's actual owner for the last seven years.
3. You intended to pay for it, yet somehow you never got the bill.

I love it! When I join congress, I intend to "borrow" all sorts of things from my supporters. I will probably find some fault with them (I don't like the texture of the leather seats in the jet), and they might just "forget" to send me the bill, so I am off the hook!

Thanks Ted! 60 seats in the Senate, here we come.

Enthusiasm Gap

On Saturday, Obama went to St. Louis, Missouri where 100,000 people saw him speak.

On Monday, McCain landed in Columbia, Missouri, where there was a "crowd" of 15 people.

Actually, it appears some of them were not even there to see McCain:

"Florence Phillips was dropping off her daughter at the airport when another of her daughters, Cheryl Daubin, told her McCain was landing."

If McCain Ran As A Democrat...

The Republican nominee would be campaigning on the platform of:

McCain was not born the United States!

The Republican nominee would run ads featuring the propaganda footage the Viet Cong shot staring McCain.

Republicans would openly be attacking McCain's service record and whispering that he was secretly brainwashed in Vietnam.

The religious right would be beside themselves that McCain was divorced and that cheated on his first wife.

John Hagee would be household name.

What does it mean to be a Republican?

I found these questions toward the end of this post. They are both practical questions for the future of the Republican party as well as rhetorical questions that explain their impending defeat.

Do Republicans support laissez-faire or nationalized banking?


Do Republicans support a balanced budget or half-trillion-dollar deficits?


Do Republicans want a "humble foreign policy" like George W. Bush, or preventive war against countries that pose no threat, like, umm, George W. Bush?


Are Republicans the party of limited government or a vast Medicare prescription drug benefit?


Are they wary of Big Brother or eager to expand warrantless wiretaps?

Do they support Christian values or torture?

Are they the party that believes that cutting-edge technology can shoot a missile out of the sky or the party that believes humans and dinosaurs walked the earth simultaneously?


I would add:

Do they oppose wealth redistribution, or support a mortgage bailout and a $5,000 health care tax credit?

Do they oppose socialism, or support the government takeover of the financial sector?

Do they not trust government enough to run healthcare, or do they trust government enough to secretly decide who to wiretap and torture ?

If The Election Where Held Today...

Actually, it is being held today! In Colorado and in 35 other states that have early voting. McCain can't win without Colorado

Barney Smith vs. "Joe the Plumber"

I saw this guy speak at Obama's acceptance speech in Denver, and he was incredible.

"Taxes are always a redistribution of money. "

Says Colin Powell in his endorsement of Obama. My point exactly.

Complete quote: "Now I guess the message this week is, "We're going to call him a socialist, Mr. Obama is now a socialist, because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have."

Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who paid them, in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there is nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate."

Now let's talk about McCain's $5,000 health care tax credit or his mortgage bailout plan isn't considered redistribution. If McCain's plan mortgage plan was ever enacted, wouldn't that be the ultimate in wealth distribution? Wouldn't I have been a sucker for buying a home I can afford and paying my mortgage every month?

Joe The Plumber and Wealth Redistribution

According to the New York Times, "Joe the Plumber" said: “I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year.” First of all, it is unclear from that statement whether this person wants to buy a business with revenue of over $250,000 or income of over $250,000, although it is a remarkable coincidence that this number is the exact dividing line between where Obama's tax plan is net positive or negative to an individual. Clearly, if Joe has revenue of over $250,000, then his taxable income, after all expenses, will be a fraction of that, and he will be better off under Obama. Also, to purchase a business with annual income of a quarter million dollars, would probably require at least 2 million in cash, but I digress.

Let's say for a moment his income from this business is over $250,000, only then would he be paying an additional %3 more in taxes with Obama's plan, as his taxes on income over $250,000 will rise from %33 to %36. In other words, on any net taxable income beyond $250,000, his taxes would rise all the way up to where they were under Clinton, which if I recall, were pretty good economic times. Just think back to the 2000 debates where the major issue was what to do with our large government surplus.

As the previous link points out, Joe could pay between 0$ and $900 more in taxes under Obama in the scenario he paints. So the worst case for Joe, if his take home income of $280,000, is that his taxes go up by 0.32%. I am sure in such a frightening scenario, earning so much but having to pay .3% more of his income in taxes, Joe will quit the plumbing business and move to Ireland, causing the collapse of the US economy. By the way, are we still talking about an "average Joe," if he has taxable earnings of $280,000 a year owns a business worth millions?

To read or view the original exchange between Joe and Obama, I will refer you to Eric Meadow's blog, who was hot on the trail of Joe even before the debate. Obama's points to Joe were that 1). Joe didn't always earn more than $250,000 a year, and that he would have been able to purchase his business sooner if he had tax breaks when he earned less, and 2). When he becomes a business owner, he will be dependent on the spending of the 95% of people who earn less than $250,000. When those people have more money, his business will do better.

Eric clearly objects to the idea of "Spreading the wealth around," and invokes the dreaded phrase "Wealth Redistribution". My response is that all tax schemes, even flat taxes, are forms of wealth redistribution. A pure flat tax is regressive, so all proponents offer some sort of credit to lower incomes. How much of a credit?, It is all a matter of wealth redistribution. To alter in any way our current taxes (or to leave them alone), are also forms of "wealth redistribution".

There is a legitimate philosophical difference between distributing wealth up, i.e. Reaganomics or the "trickle down effect", and redistributing down, i.e. Obamanomics or"spreading the wealth around." Really, all that Obama is talking about is eliminating the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy (annual taxable income over $250,000). I am in favor of it, Eric clearly is not, but the idea of "wealth redistribution" is hardly an accurate term.

Update: According to this article, the business Joe wants to buy likely doesn't make more than 200,000 a year in income. It also says that his additional tax liability, if earning $280,000 would be $773, less than the $900 I had quoted. The article also points out that one's tax liability is based on adjusted gross income after deductions, which is also quite less than most people's income. I don't think piling on this guy is necessary or even relevant to the discussion, but I do think the point remains that $250,000 in annual adjusted gross income is earning a lot more than the average plumber makes.

Debate Summary

It was McCain's best debate, but that isn't saying much. I still can't believe that McCain keeps bringing up that projector that he mentioned twice in the last debate. The Dow falls by thousands of points since the last debate, and he is still muttering about some projector, which he clearly doesn't understand, like a grumpy old man with a grudge.

And what gives with his "Joe the Plumber" obsession? More on that later. Overall, I thought that Obama was clearly the calmest guy in the room, which is who you want to be president in a crisis. I was actually worried that he was too Dukakis like in his impassioned responses. I would have like to see him get a little offended that McCain says he hangs out with terrorists or that people are shouting "kill him" at McCain rallies.

The Perfect Metaphor

This photo is real, it has not been photoshopped. It is actually a picture of McCain almost walking the wrong way off of the stage after last night's debate.

Wiggum Watch

Sarah Palin, the nation's foremost expert both energy and Russia policy, is unaware that the entire executive leadership from Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy conglomerate, is currently visiting Alaska to discuss doing business there.

You can't make this stuff up!

No Comment Watch

This guy sums it up pretty well.

Money Quote:

"Tina Fey has actually done more interviews about playing Sarah Palin than Sarah Palin has done about being Sarah Palin!"

I would also add that Fey conducted more press conferences as Palin than Palin has.

Why I Hope McCain Brings Up Ayers In The Debate, And So Does Obama

Wouldn't it be nice if your favorite football team had the opponent's playbook weeks before the game? Obama has practically begged McCain to bring up the Ayers nonsense at tonight's debate, and McCain has promised to do so. If he doesn't, he will further disappoint his ever shrinking and disaffected base.

If he does, he will hand Obama the most telegraphed punch since Reagan was asked about his age in the 1980 debate. Obama, who has had months to come up with a reply, will easily be able to do one or all of the following:

1. Discuss how patriotic he is and how much he opposes 60s radicalism
2. Explain how he and others worked with Ayers on the board of an education reform foundation founded by a Republican supporter of McCain. He could even ask McCain to renounce the support of the Annenbergs and every Republican who worked at any organization that employed Ayers.
3. Hammer that fact that Americans are concerned with the economic crisis, and all McCain has to offer is baseless mudslinging.

McCain is down by 14 points nationwide, and voters are rejecting his negative attacks. It is hard to see how dragging out this tired old line is going to shake anything up. More likely, Obama's response, written weeks ago, will shake up McCain.

Obama has skillfully set a trap for McCain, tonight we will see if he is stupid enough to get sacked.

It's Funny Because It's True

Why Obama Is A Liar Who Hangs Out With Terrorists

Obama's tax plan will cut taxes for people earning under a quarter of a million dollars a year. He has surrounded himself with competent, mainstream advisers, and conducted himself in a more stable and coherent manner than his opponents. He has even picked a well respected, mainstream, and highly experienced running mate.

Obama is extremely well educated and articulate, yet he connects voters from Hawaii to Maine. McCain's biggest advantage, experience, and any claim to better judgment was thrown away with the Palin pick. (The, "I was in Vietnam" platform isn't working any better for him than it did for Kerry.)

The McCain/Barbie campaign's only remaining strategy is to paint Obama some sort of extremist terrorist sympathizer who will raise your taxes. Since Obama can't order coffee without mentioning that he will cut your taxes and kill Bin Laden in Pakistan, McCain's only logical position is that Obama must be a liar.

Somehow, I don't think that an angry old man and an attractive dimwit calling their opponent a liar is a formula for victory.

It is about as believable as the picture above.

The Fun Stuff

At this point, the presidential race will be over before the polls close in Colorado, so it is time to look at the fun stuff, the Senate. If you haven't heard, the Dems are looking for a 60 seat majority to be filibuster proof. Better yet, 61 seats so they can throw Lieberman off a cliff.

There are several seats that seemed out of reach only a few days ago. Now, North Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky, Minnesota, and even Georgia seem within grasp.

Is there anyone out there from Georgia that can give me a rundown on where that race stands from a local perspective?

Uh Oh, I Made An Opsy.

I Unlawfully Abused My Authority And Broke the Law....whatever that means....how mavericky of me!

I Declare Me Innocent

Case Closed.

Will Gets It

Those of you who think I am to left of Stalin would be surprised to know that my favorite professor in college was an arch conservative. I took many of his history classes, and even conducted research for one of his books.

These days, one of my favorite columnists happens to be George Will. I enjoy his understanding and application of the lessons of history that is so absent from most commentators. He has opposed the nomination of such unqualified goofballs as Harriet Myers and Sarah Palin, and has strongly criticized Bush's Iraq war.

In his column today, he makes nearly the same point that I made yesterday. Specifically that McCain is campaigning on the platform that Obama is a bad person, and that this election will be decided by a large margin, more similar to the average election of the last century than the two most recent ones.

I wonder, does George Will read Steele Street?

Which Is The Gaffe?

Everyone is talking about McCain's reference to "my fellow prisoners," yet I will give McCain a pass on that as I would my own grandparents if they misspoke.

On the other hand, how can he, with Palin/Putin behind him, talk about Obama upholding "the same standards of clarity and candor"? This is the man who has held a single press conference in the past 56 days, standing next to his VP nominee who has never given a press conference!

Unbelievable and unprecedented!

McCain's Performance Last Night And The New Race

What did I think of McCain last night? The picture above sums it up. He is a cranky and sometimes incoherent old man who clearly disdains Obama.

What we have now is actually a typical race for president where one candidate builds a decisive lead weeks before the election, and the overall result can not be changed by the outcome of a single state.

It is easy to forget that this is how all elections in the last 100 years have been, other than the last two. This was true even in the two closest races of the last century. In 1948 Truman defeated Dewey in the electoral college 303-189. Even in 1960, where the popular vote was within .1%, Kennedy beat Nixon decisively in the electoral college 303-219.

Looking at the current map, Obama is projected to win by 150 electoral college votes. Even as the race tightens, it now looks as if the election results will largely be known when the polls close on the east coast. Only McCain's best effort will forestall a landslide.

By campaigning so dishonorably, McCain will become a footnote in history rather than an elder statesman.

Palin Or Putin?

The press is now barred from even speaking with supporters, let alone the candidate.

I wonder why?

At Least Putin holds press conferences.

Palin Cheats On Her Taxes

Not only does she have the state pay for her entire family's travel expenses, she doesn't even bother to pay income taxes on it, as required by law.

Please Don't Use Google

After the Republican convention, I concluded that the McCain campaign's slogan should be:

"Those guys didn't actually say what they just said, and please don't use Google to check on that."

Now, it turns out that the McCain campaign is denying his role in a key part of the Keating Five scandal that McCain and his spokesman had previously admitted to.

Perhaps I was too narrow in my assessment of their "strategy." It now appears that their new slogan should be: "We didn't actually do what we already admitted to, and and please don't use Google to check on that."

Joe Klein On McCain's New Smear Strategy

McCain and Barbie are done campaigning on "issues" or holding "press conferences" to explain their "positions," their entire campaign strategy is now based on throwing sh-t at their opponent.

Joe Klein of Time magazine was once an admirer of McCain. I think that is why he finds their new "strategy" especially deplorable.

He is one of the first mainstream writers to delve into McCain and Palin's infamous ties to witch doctors, secessionists, and anti-semetic preachers. Now that McCain is actively campaigning on Obama's preacher and "connection" with Ayers, I think it is time to examine McPalin's friends and preachers as well.

On the other hand, with the DOW down 700 points today alone, throwing crap is all they have left. Remember, even if the crap misses, they will still end up smelling of it.

Israelis For Obama

A few weeks ago, my Israeli-American wife sent me a link to this video.

I was thinking about this the other night during the VP debate. Just as Palin was mindlessly blathering talking points about her supposed love for Israel, it struck me that she has never even been there. Not that visiting Israel is necessarily a requirement for supporting it, but she layered it on quite thick for someone who probably couldn't find Tel Aviv on a map. It was especially difficult to believe considering the disturbing ties her and McCain have known anti-semites.

On the other hand, I really understood Biden's statement that 1) He is Israel's best friend in the Senate, and 2) there is no way he would run with Obama if he wasn't convinced of his support for Israel.

I can relate to this statement by Biden on a personal level. Like Biden, there is absolutely no way my wife and I would be Obama supporters if we thought that he would be bad for Israel in even the slightest way. Unlike Palin, I have been to Israel earlier this year, as well as several other times over the past twenty years. I have many family members in Israel related to me both by birth and by marriage. I could make a reasonably good case that I know about as much about Israel as any non-Israeli American.

If you are voting against Obama because you think he will be bad for Israel, you need to find another rationale.

Obama's Amazing Organizing Strength

Two weeks ago, I visited the town of Estes Park Colorado to relax and do some research for my PlanetEye column. I was stunned to notice a Barack Obama field office in this remote mountain town of 5,000 people.

I just read this article about Obama's field organization in Missouri and McCain's comparatively lacking campaign offices there.

The eyewitness report of Obama staffers and volunteers in their field offices says it all:

"They believe Missouri is going blue this year, and they’re working their bodies into the ground to make that happen."

The Funniest Thing I Have Seen All Day

As they say "It's Funny Because Its True"

Hat Tip.

Ass Kickin Chicken

Yesterday, one of my favorite writers, James Fallows said before the debate:

"Joe Biden will be judged on whether he gets anything wrong; Palin, on whether she gets anything right. "

By that standard, both brought in their A game to the debate last night. I also agree with Fallow's post debate analysis that Biden obviously won the debate on it's merits.

It seemed like Palin delivered a coherent pre-written answer regarding energy, in response to questions about every topic. By speaking in English and not drooling, she clearly reassured her base that she is not retarded. This was no small feat for her considering her latest interviews. By not directly addressing most of the actual questions, she did loose points with undecideds.

Biden exceeded expectations too, by being forceful, articulate, and human. For his performance, the Fighting Blue Hen from Delaware earned the title of the Ass Kick'in Chicken.

The race has not changed, and I see Obama building on his strong gains of the last two weeks.

The Big News

Lost in post debate spin is yesterday's announcement by the McCain campaign that they are pulling out of Michigan. More startling for McCainiacs is their new strategy of betting on a win in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Pennsylvania.

Is this a plausible strategy? Looking at the polling, you see consistent leads by Obama in all three states. Minnesota appears to be his best chance as the long term polling chart is at least gradually trending towards McCain. Unfortunately for him, CNN' s latest poll shows an 11 point lead for Obama, a nine point gain over their last poll taken a month ago after the RNC convention was held there.

That compares with Wisconsin, in which Obama has a 6 and 9 point lead in the latest two polls taken last week. Finally, McCain may as well pull out of Pennsylvania, where he has consistently been behind by 5-10 points for months.

Finally, even if McCain somehow pulls off one of those three states, and that is a big if, an Obama win in two of either Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, or of course Florida, still sends McCain back to the Senate. In the case of win in only Colorado and Virginia, Obama would need New Hampshire or Nevada as well. In New Hampshire, "Barack Obama now enjoys a ten point lead"

The math just doesn't work for McCain, and he is running out of surprises to try to change this race.

Long story short, it is hard to imagine McCain pulling off any of those three must win states.

Updated Blog Roll

Check out the "Blogs I Read" column on the right. I have recently updated and resorted it.

Palin Is Offensive To Women

I belong to a family overwhelmingly composed of successful women, few if any would strike you as rabid feminists. I have also had the experience of working with some very highly qualified women. One conversation I once had has recently stood out.

One day a female coworker of mine was upset that a manager seemed to have been promoted solely because she was a woman. In the computer company that I worked at, there were very few women, and it seemed to her like they were far more likely to be promoted to management so as not to seem discriminatory.

This particular woman was, by all accounts, a terrible manager, and my co-worker was appalled that her incompetence reflected poorly on all of the women in the company.

If it sounds familiar, they pretty much made a movie about it, Disclosure. The movie is mostly about sexual harassment, however the other main plot is about the consequences of promoting incompetence in the guise of fairness.

I do imagine that there are many women today who held a passport for years, have heard of the Supreme Court, can name a newspaper that they read, and can speak English without a teleprompter who are very offended at the notion that Palin is qualified to be President.

While watching this disaster can be funny, what we are talking about is extremely serious. McCain is neither young, nor even young for his age. Our country is struggling to fight wars on two fronts while facing an enormous economic crisis. Even more alarming, McCain seems to be ill in some way.

We have no idea where Palin stands on most issues, and based on the few interviews she has given, it is difficult to believe that she even understands many fundamental issues.

It cannot be stressed enough that this is a person who has yet to even hold a single press conference since being nominated nearly five weeks ago! To put this in comparison, such pillars of open government as Ahmadinejad and Putin have regularly held press conferences durring this period.

All Americans should be alarmed and outraged, women especially.

Sarah Palin = Ralph Wiggum

I just read this article in the New Republic, and later noticed this blog post, where the authors attempt to conjure some sort of judicial philosophy into Sarah Palin's nonsensical answer to the question "Do you think there's an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution...the cornerstone of Roe v Wade?"

I am reminded of this exchange in a recent episode of the Simpsons where the dimwitted child, Ralph Wiggum runs for president and is asked about his party affiliation:

Chief Wiggum: Go ahead, Ralphie, you're invited to two parties: one with a donkey, and one with an elephant. Who do you like?

Ralph: Elmo?

[Reporter] Kent Brockman: Ah, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, President Nixon's Chief of Naval Operations. So, Ralph's a Republican!

Lou: Not so fast, Kent. Zumwalt ran for the Senate in '76, as a Democrat.

Chief Wiggum: No, you're thinking of Admiral Hyman Rickover.

Lou: The father of the nuclear navy? As if!

Chief Wiggum: Only one place to settle this! To the offices of the World Book Encyclopedia!

The moral of the story: Don't try to parse the words of dimwitted morons like Ralph Wiggum and Sarah Palin.

Grab Bag For Obama

Anyone who knows how the electoral college works pays scant attention to the national polls.

So far, Obama has been consistently ahead in all of the states Bush won in 2004. As you can see here, Bush won 278 of 538 votes in the electoral college. Obama needs 269 votes for a tie and 270 for a clear electoral vote win, therefore, any 9 votes beyond the Kerry states grabs him victory.

Which states could he win? Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, and Florida each by themselves are enough to put him over the top. Nevada and New Hampshire together would also work.

As it stands now, Obama holds a clear lead in just about all of these states. In CNN's latest polls he is up 9 Points in Virginia alone!



I still believe that it is Colorado that will put Obama over the top, as he has held a consistent lead in the polls throughout the whole contest as well as an Obama landslide in the state caucus. McCain, on the other hand, was crushed by Romney in the Colorado Republican Caucus.

Finally, what would happen in the not so remote possibility of a 269-269 electoral vote tie? It is complicated, but due to an increasing Democratic congressional majority, a tie would almost certainly go to Obama.