Happy Halloween

Have a fun night tonight!

But be careful, and avoid the dark forest. Because you never know where Evil Little Red Riding Hood may be lurking...

Cooper's Not Going Anywhere

To the people who believe that Jim Cooper will be given a position in a new Obama Administration, freeing up his seat in Congress and giving you a chance to run for it, I have this to say.

Short of being offered a Cabinet spot (i.e. Secretary of Something), Cooper's not going anywhere.

Will he have more influence over policy and legislation under an Obama Administration? Absolutely. But he wouldn't need to give up his seat in Congress to do that. In fact, he'd probably have more influence in Congress than in the executive branch. There will be plenty of people competing for Obama's support within the executive branch, while Cooper already has quite a bit of seniority in the House.

I interned for Jim Cooper a few summers ago. He is one of those rare Congressmen who actually enjoys being a Congressman. He's not looking to constantly keep climbing up. He may have been that way back in the 1990s when he ran for Senate, but he's not now. He strikes me as someone who is content to keep his seat in Congress and work on his pet budgetary and financial issues.

The calculus could change if he were offered a high Cabinet position--that would be hard for anyone, even the least ambitious, to turn down. But I think the Metro Council members who are already planning their campaigns are acting prematurely. I don't think Cooper's going anywhere for the time being.

Please, Someone Stop The Stupid

One good thing about this election being over on Tuesday? No more sound bites that make me feel dumber just for reading them:

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."

No sweetie, that's not what the First Amendment says. The First Amendment gives you freedom of speech, so that the government can't put you in prison for what you say. Notice that you weren't arrested for smearing Obama. The First Amendment doesn't say that the media can't question your statements. The Constitution is just so MEAN, I know. And reading it is elitist too.

You Don't Say No To Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson records a very powerful ad against Proposition 8 in California. Insert your own "I have had it with these motherf*ckin' [nouns] on this motherf*ckin' [noun]" joke here.

Feel Good Friday--Happy Halloween!

What better song to get you in the spirit of Halloween than this classic from everyone's favorite "horror" picture show?

This Is Why We Make Fun Of You

A woman named Cindy Jacobs apparently heard the Lord speak to her, who told her to pray for the state of the economy:

For these and other reasons Cindy is calling for a Day of Prayer for the World’s Economies on Wednesday, October 29, 2008. They are calling for prayer for the stock markets, banks, and financial institutions of the world on the date the stock market crashed in 1929. They are meeting at the New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Reserve Bank, and its 12 principal branches around the US that day.

“We are going to intercede at the site of the statue of the bull on Wall Street to ask God to begin a shift from the bull and bear markets to what we feel will be the 'Lion’s Market,' or God’s control over the economic systems,” she said. “While we do not have the full revelation of all this will entail, we do know that without intercession, economies will crumble.”

Ignoring the whiff of anti-Semitic conspiracy theory in there ("The strongman of America lives in New York City," "the stock market crashed on Rosh Hashonah"), this story on its own wouldn't be news. Maybe God really did speak to her, and if not, who am I to judge?

But yesterday, they went ahead with their day of prayer. And like so many things, a picture is worth a thousand words:


That's right. They're praying to (or at least over) a golden calf.

Again, this wouldn't have been a story if they were simply praying on the sidewalk somewhere on Wall Street. As far as I'm concerned, there's no problem with people believing God is speaking to them or with praying in public, just so long as my rights are not encroached upon. But when you do it while simultaneously acting in blatant violation of Exodus...well that's going to raise a few eyebrows.

This is why we make fun of you conservatives. Because you make it too damn easy.

Joe The Plumber Throws McCain Under The Van

Whoops:



Again, it almost makes me feel bad for McCain. ALMOST.

In other news, Joe The Plumber is apparently coming to Nashville in order to advance his 15 minutes of fame. Does that mean he'll soon go from being a plumber to waiting tables in the Gulch?

The Conservatives May Mock It

But I don't care. Let them smirk over how we tear up or get emotional over voting for our candidate, because they'll never know what it's like to have a candidate who's worth pouring so much effort into. Maybe Reagan was worth that for them, I was born in 1986 so I wouldn't really know.

At any rate, this story of a 93-year old South Carolina woman requesting her absentee ballot because she didn't know if she'd last until the election, and mailing it in an hour before her death, really touched me. I wanted to get it out on a bigger platform so I have a diary up on Daily Kos right now.

1, 2, 3.....Awwww!!!

Hey WKRN, you want to boost your ratings? First, don't pre-empt "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and then hire this kid:



Joe Biden is now a homeboy. And I think that's some of the best praise you can get.

An Outrage

I don't read a gazillion blogs a day like I used to over the summer or last year when I got senioritis sometime in mid-September. Law school has somewhat limited what I have time to read or do online. I don't read Katie Allison Granju's blog "Because I Said So" as much as others, so I don't know what her original post said, the one that she's had to unpublish.

But it doesn't matter. This just makes my blood boil:

In the past 24 hours, the post was apparently linked by a particular (self-defined) men's rights video blogger, meaning that when I checked my e-mail this morning, I had dozens of new comments on this old post. At least half of the comments suggested that I should be raped, while others went further, suggesting that I be murdered and cut into pieces. All of them were sexual and violent in nature to some degree, and all of them were directed at me personally, rather than my opinion as a blogger.

It doesn't freaking matter what she said originally. It doesn't matter how much you disagree with someone or how much what they say pisses you off. Threatening to rape or kill someone for what they say is a crime, and I hope she has some way of retrieving the IP numbers of the people who did it, because they should be locked up.

But what pissed me off even further was one East Tennessee Christian-right conservative blogger (whom I will absolutely not link to here) in the comments who seemed to claim that KAG deserved it for saying "hateful" things, that she was "reaping what she sowed."

I've never met KAG, but based on her writing she doesn't sound like a hateful person. Again, I didn't read the original post, but I doubt it was along the lines of "All you conservatives suck and you deserve to die!"

So, no. It absolutely doesn't matter what she said or how vehemently you disagree. Threatening someone with rape or murder as a result makes you a criminal, and saying that one deserves such threats makes you the scum of the earth.

You know, there are groups out there that would agree with this conservative, that a woman who expresses divergent viewpoints should expect to be threatened. We know these groups by names like, oh I don't know, al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

By the way, I've noticed that the responses K.A.G. gets to her blog posts are often full of vitriol. Yes, I know that more trolls come with a larger platform, and that conservatives are feeling awfully frustrated right now and are looking for anyone upon whom they can take out that frustration. But what's with the obsession over K.A.G.'s hair? Conservatives, does it really offend you, does it REALLY threaten your way of life, if a woman has a short haircut? Is it really that big of a problem if a woman decides she wants a haircut that doesn't require as much maintenance, regardless of her sexual orientation? And if short hair is such a threat to America and to Christianity, then where is your outrage over men who have long hair? Just asking.

Ok, Maybe She Is A Diva

Like I said, I don't blame Palin for thinking about her own political future right now as the McCain campaign goes down in flame. It's what any smart politician would do, and it did strike me as sexist that McCain staffers were calling her a "diva" when no one would ever call a man a name like that.

But at the same time, it is in pretty poor taste that she now seems to be openly talking about 2012:



What Palin said, in response to the question of whether she would return to Alaska if she lost this campaign:

Absolutely not. I think that if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender, I think that some of the political shots that we've taken - that that would bring this whole - and I'm not doing this for naught."

Ignore for a moment that "I'm not doing this for naught" is a double negative (Grammar is one of them elitist things that they do in the anti-American states). She is apparently now openly speculating about what she's going to do after the election. If she WEREN'T doing that, then the only proper answer to the question would have been, "We are focused on winning this election." The most hilarious part of this was how the senior McCain aide was "speechless" upon hearing about what Palin said.

She should bear in mind though, that she's not going to be handed the 2012 Republican nomination on a silver platter. The Mitt Romneys and Mike Huckabees of the party, not to mention the younger Republicans like Bobby Jindal, aren't going anywhere.

This is insane. But I love the smell of desperation in the evening.

Proof That My Life As I Know It Is Over

Tonight, I plopped down on the couch, all excited for the annual Halloween showing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." You're never too old for Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt, and the rest of the Peanuts gang, and I was looking forward to a reprieve from the stresses of law school, if only for half an hour.

I had, unfortunately, forgotten about this scene:



It's true, Lucy's signed agreement to not pull the football was never notarized. But as I watched it, I immediately realized that there are other reasons why the agreement could never be enforced. For one thing, there's no consideration for the promise, which you need in order for a promise to be enforceable. Lucy and Charlie Brown would have to show mutual reciprocal inducement--that is, they'd have to both promise to do something. Lucy's signing the agreement not to kick the ball didn't induce Charlie Brown to make a return promise. Also, there was neither benefit to the promisor nor detriment to the promisee.

Furthermore, even if Lucy had gotten her pledge notarized, she and Charlie Brown would not have even had a valid contract to be enforced. There was no mutuality of obligation--Charlie Brown was not bound to do anything.

And as these thoughts occurred to me, I realized that my life as I know it is over. My Contracts class in law school now owns me.

Hey Baby, Wanna Swing My State?

Best. Robocall. EVER. An "overly enthusiastic" staffer for Republican candidate Zane Starkewolf in California's First District:

"Mike Thompson has been a baaaaaad boy. We all said no to the bailout, but Thompson backed Bush. Just like he did with the Patriot act, uhhhhhh, vote YESSSSSSSSS! for Zane."

Here's the audio.

I'd probably be more receptive to a robocall like this than one that just drools nonsense about Obama. At least this is creative, and certainly apropos to Northern California.

In Defense Of Sarah Palin

It kills me to do this.

I'm not defending Palin because I can find redeeming qualities in her. No, in fact, I probably dislike her more than any other Republican, save Bush-Cheney-Karl Rove-etc. I think she's a whackjob and a Christian-Right extremist. I think she's corrupt and abused her power as Governor. I think she's a hypocrite for calling her opponent elitist while getting $150,000 in designer clothes at no cost to herself. I absolutely do not think she would prepared to step in as President should anything happen to John McCain. I would be quite satisfied to see her fade into Dan Quayle-obscurity once this election is over, even though I'm fairly certain she'll be sticking around.

But...

This whole "diva" business rubs me the wrong way. I know this was from a few days ago but I thought about it some more on the five-hour drive back to St. Louis this morning:

A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

Do I think she brought McCain down? Yes, one only needs to look at how McCain's poll numbers started to crash around mid-September to show that it's true. She excited the conservative base, but did so by losing independents and moderates.

But at the same time, it does seem unfair to put the blame on Palin for going out there and being who she is (even if who she is happens to be a whackjob). Who put her in that position? Who dragged her out of Alaskan obscurity into the national spotlight? Who took that gamble?

If McCain and his advisors don't like what she's doing now, they have no one to blame but themselves for starting the chain of events. Sarah Palin didn't hold a gun to their heads and demand to be put on the ticket (as far as we know anyway); the responsibility for the pick lies on McCain and his advisors and upon no one else.

And at this point, can you really blame her for thinking of herself and her political future right now? She may not be all that smart ("Book learnin' is elitist!"), but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the McCain campaign is a sinking ship. Whether or not she caused the ship to sink is irrelevant; she's just trying to get through the shipwreck with as little damage as possible. Again, can anyone really blame her for that?

It looks like this may be the one issue on which I agree with the Tennessee Gorilla Whiners. The only difference is that I'd be happy to see Palin fade away after this, while they apparently don't see anything anti-feminist about charging a woman for a rape kit (because it's a woman doing the charging, after all!). However, there does seem to be something inherently sexist about the "diva" comment.

Things That Make Me Sad

Through the magic of Facebook I got linked to this website that contains pictures and descriptions of every single ride and attraction at Opryland, U.S.A.

It's been eleven years now since Opryland shut down, and I still miss it terribly. I miss the Screamin' Delta Demon and the Grizzly River Rampage the most. One of my only regrets in life is that I never got to go on the Wabash Cannonball.

Opry Mills is fun (especially when you're drunk), but it's a shoddy replacement. Six Flags and Dollywood are too far to just go for the day. And I can't imagine that Bible Park in Lebanon is going to be terribly exciting for anyone who doesn't believe that Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church.

So what are your Opryland memories?

I Still Don't Understand What Happened

I'm still stewing mad over the fact that I drove 4 1/2 hours in an impromptu trip back home to see Vanderbilt get Win #6 at homecoming, and instead witnessed Loss #3.

I saw a completely different football team from the one that opened the season by winning five straight, including a win over then-#13 Auburn on national television. This team looked slow, sloppy, and like they didn't want it at all. The offense was a nightmare--the Achilles' Heel that was the offensive line is starting to rear it's ugly head. The special teams didn't look much better, missing two key field goals and allowing a nasty blocked punt. The defense continues to be a bright spot, but even they were worn out by the end.

I still don't understand quite what happened, but I can take a guess. Throughout the early winning streak, almost all Vandy fans had the nagging thought of "How will we blow it this time?" in the back of their heads. I certainly did. My fear was that after five spectacular wins and getting ranked in the Top 25, they would grow complacent and not even bother with teams like Mississippi State and Duke.

And that's exactly what happened. Vandy actually looked better last weekend against Georgia; they looked like they had their act together but were simply beat by a far superior team. But they didn't even try against two teams that they assumed were worse, and they lost.

So now what? In two weeks, Vandy gets to play Florida. Did you see what Florida did to Kentucky yesterday? That game will be ugly and demoralizing. Our only shot for getting to a bowl at this point will involve a win over Kentucky or over Tennessee. While getting elusive Win #6 over Tennessee would be incredibly satisfying (and it's over Thanksgiving so it'll be another chance for me to witness it), both of those games will be difficult.

I'm not giving up hope on this team just yet. But if we go from 5-0 to 5-7, it'll be proof that this team was "same ol' Vandy" all along, and just got lucky early on.

Here's a crazy idea, one that would never happen but that occurred to me at the end of the Duke game. Phil Fulmer may get fired by Tennessee at the end of the season. If Vandy doesn't cough up some more money for Bobby Johnson at the end of the season, he may very well leave for Clemson. Would it be so out of the question for Vandy to make a play for Fulmer? At least he can recruit. Just throwing that out there.

Well, That's Embarrassing

Newspaper endorsements may not count for all that much anymore, but just as a symbolic gesture, this one has to sting. The main paper in Sarah Palin's home state, the Anchorage Daily News, has made its presidential endorsement, and it's not for the ticket that contains a native Alaskan:

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.

Is this endorsement going to change any minds in Alaska? Probably not. But it just adds to the hilarity of watching the McCain campaign collapse on itself.

More Bad News For The Vols And The Republicans

Your coach is on the hot seat, you can't settle on a starting QB, and you're probably going to get blown out by Alabama tomorrow. How could it get worse?

Perhaps if a mentally deranged McCain volunteer made up a story about being attacked by a black Obama supporter in order to flame racial tensions less than two weeks before the election, and when the hoax was discovered the volunteer was arrested while wearing a UT sweatshirt...


WHOOPS!

I mentioned off-hand yesterday that her "black eye" from the original picture of her looked less like a black eye and more like how my eyes look in the morning if I went out partying the night before and forgot to take off my eye makeup before stumbling into bed. Guess I was at least partially right about that!

In all seriousness though, it seems pretty obvious that this young woman is seriously disturbed and in need of urgent mental help. There's nothing more you can say about this.

Unless...

John McCain's Pennsylvania communications director told reporters in the state an incendiary version of the hoax story about the attack on a McCain volunteer well before the facts of the case were known or established -- and even told reporters outright that the "B" carved into the victim's cheek stood for "Barack," according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

John Verrilli, the news director for KDKA in Pittsburgh, told TPM Election Central that McCain's Pennsylvania campaign communications director gave one of his reporters a detailed version of the attack that included a claim that the alleged attacker said, "You're with the McCain campaign? I'm going to teach you a lesson."

Two conclusions you could draw from this--either someone in the McCain campaign jumped to conclusions WAAAAY too quickly, or this was premeditated act of race-baiting in a swing state that they'll likely lose two weeks before the election.

Either way, it was a breath-taking display of ignorance, willful or otherwise, of this country's history in regards to race. Just a few decades ago, an innocent black man might have gotten lynched over such false allegations. The whole story has whispers of Emmett Till about it. It was the final, desperate gasp of a campaign that has imploded upon itself, one that can no longer win without sparking a lynch mob.

But don't take my word for it. Take Fixed News' word:

If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.

A Vote For John McCain Is A Vote For George W. Bush

But don't take my word for it, take the original President Bush's word:



Oh Will Ferrell, where have you been?

Feel Good Friday--Chinese Democracy Edition

In honor of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" FINALLY coming out, here's some classic G N' R for your Feel-Good Friday:







And my personal favorite...

74% Of American Jews Support Obama

I repeat: 74% of American Jews now support Obama.

Jewish voters nationwide have grown increasingly comfortable with voting for Barack Obama for president since the Illinois senator secured the Democratic nomination in June. They now favor Obama over John McCain by more than 3 to 1, 74% to 22%.

Check it out:



Just a reminder, John Kerry also got 74% of the Jewish vote in 2004. There was never any doubt that Kerry would win the Jewish vote by such a large margin, but as you can see from the graph above, that was certainly in doubt for Obama until about a month ago. Support for McCain began decreasing over the summer, but support for Obama has grown slowly up to this point.

So what's behind this gain? Two things. The first starts with an "e" and ends with "conomy." The second one starts with an "S" and ends with "arah Palin".

The first one's obvious...American Jews are just like everyone else, and are certainly no less immune than any other group to the economic downturn. If we really do control the economy, as the conspiracy theorists claim, then let me say that we're really doing a crappy job of it.

The second reason follows a pattern that we've seen among all sorts of demographic groups. McCain could have picked a moderate to back up his "maverick" image and to shore up the "experience" argument against Obama. Instead, he picked an inexperienced Christian-right extremist. As Jewish voters have gotten to know Obama, and as he picked a foreign-policy heavyweight in Joe Biden for Vice-President, support for the Obama-Biden ticket has solidified. The Republicans tried their best to smear Obama as a Muslim terrorist, but Jewish voters are no longer buying that drek. Obama's the candidate who will pursue a common-sense strategy in dealing with Israel, will restore America's standing in the rest of the world, and will preserve civil liberties and the barrier between church and state here at home.

There was one part of the poll that I'm a little unsure of, however:


To me, it seems quite counter-intuitive that Obama more support among older Jews than among younger ones. Gallup says that it's because younger Jews are more likely to consider themselves "politically conservative" than younger Jews. That's news to me.

But hey, I'll take the "Bubbe and Zeyde" numbers. If it's true that McCain has only 19% support among Jews over 55, then I would advise the Republicans to not waste any more money on Florida, because it's already gone!

UPDATE: I recall how over the summer, one prominent Republican Jew in Nashville told me that Obama would be lucky to get more than half of the Jewish vote. This person can expect to receive a Hebrew Obama sticker like the one on my car in the mail after the election.

Rush Limbaugh To Buy An NFL Team?

I imagine he'll be as good for football as George Steinbrenner has been for baseball:

The conservative radio talker, who’s raking in $38 million a year, tells Page2Live he finds NFL ownership “intriguing.”

The St. Louis Rams, in his home-state of Missouri? Maybe!

“Of course, I am interested in the Rams, but nothing is happening on that front right now,” Limbaugh told me in a recent e-mail. “I have, in the recent past, explored it with various St Louis interests, but nothing is concrete.

It should be noted, another reason he's probably interested in the Rams is that all three of their QBs are white.

Now as a Titans fan, I certainly enjoy laughing at the Rams' misfortunes. But this just seems cruel and unusual. They seem to have finally figured out how to win a game after basically hit rock-bottom. Why screw around with them now unless you are just an awful person?

And does he even have the kind of money necessary to buy an NFL team? $38 million/year is a lot of money, but NFL franchises are worth hundreds of millions, with the best teams edging close to $1 billion. At best, he could probably be a minority owner (Minorities? Oh no, not minorities!).

There was one more tidbit in this interview that caught my attention, about the friends Limbaugh has among NFL owners:

Among his good friends, Limbaugh listed: Robert Kraft (New England Patriots and fellow Palm Beacher), Chris Mara (New York Giants), Wayne Huizenga (Miami Dolphins and Stuart resident), Alex Spanos (San Diego Chargers) and Bud Adams (Tennessee Titans).

I know I can't be the only Titans fan who's really not surprised to hear that Bud Adams pals around with right-wing kooks. But hell, I'll take having my team owned by Big Oil over having it owned by a Comedian any day.

In Soviet Russia...

YouTube video make fun of YOU!!

Really?

Are you sure about it this time? Is Axl happy with everything now? ARE YOU SURE?

After years of delay, Guns N' Roses is finally releasing "Chinese Democracy."

Geffen Records has announced that the band's eagerly awaited album will be released Nov. 23 at Best Buy stores and the retail chain's Web site.

This album was only supposed to come out, oh I don't know, 10 years ago!

Is it going to be worth it though? Are Guns N' Roses still relevant after all this time?

The first single, the title track, was released to radio today. After listening to it...I'm not sure. I think it's the sort of song that could grow on me after awhile. Axl's still got the chops, and Not-Slash has a great solo.

But it's not a classic. It's forgettable. Seriously, this is what took them over a decade?

A Woman After My Own Heart, Part 2

Were either she or her handlers paying attention when she put this scarf on?



What, she couldn't have gotten a classic Hermes scarf at Neiman Marcus?

Personally though, I want this scarf. I have a small collection of donkey jewelry going, so this would make a nice addition.

Also, the RNC said today that the $150,000 worth of clothes and accessories bought for Sarah Palin will be donated to a "charitable cause" after the election. Otherwise known as "Palin 2012".

Baruch Hershel Obamawitz

In Fort Lauderdale, Obamawitz went to the deli with his chaverim Robert Wexler and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz:

“We're gonna get some whitefish,” said Obama.

"You want the whitefish salad?” asked Wasserman Schultz. “Or the whitefish?"

"The whitefish salad, rather,” Obama clarified. “The whitefish salad."

“You ask for whitefish you get the whole fish,” Wasserman Schultz explained.

"I don't need a whole fish,” Obama said laughing.

Obama also got lox, bagels and cream cheese, a black-and-white cookie (appropriate), and latkes.

Wait a minute...

How DARE he order latkes when it's not Hanukkah? He's going to sell out Israel I tell you!

I just hope he ordered a Dr. Brown's black-cherry or cream soda rather than orange juice. What an elitist.

Does Eric Crafton Have Any Hobbies?

Golf? Hunting? Fishing? Restoring old cars? Crossword puzzles? Anything?

Folks, I think we need to find Crafton a hobby. He clearly has too much time on his hands:

District 22 Metro Councilman Eric Crafton intends to reintroduce his bill, which would charge individuals a fee when Metro services are interpreted in other languages.

Crafton has not finalized what the fee will be, but Council attorney Jon Cooper said Metro has spent about $80,000 on interpreter fees so far this year.

Crafton believes a fee should be charged to those who need services interpreted in order to cover the cost to Metro.

“Right now, those people are receiving a service for free,” he said. “Why should my mother have to pay a fee when she calls an ambulance, but someone can receive a service in another language and have it paid by the tax payers?

Councilman Crafton, allow me to say that I really don't think your mother should have to pay a fee when she calls an ambulance. Perhaps that's something the city could address. Why don't you bring it up at the next Metro Council meeting? I'm sure you'll find support across the spectrum for the idea that ambulances are something the city should provide as a public good.

You know, do your job representing your constituents as opposed to just trying to get your name in the paper, build your Republican profile, and waste the city's money.

Won't Someone Think Of The Children?

I just want to back up the latest argument from our friends at Red, White, and Food in favor of allowing wine in the grocery stores in Tennessee. The argument from the liquor lobby that allowing wine would lead to a higher risk of underage drinking is false, as the rates of alcohol offenses by minors are actually higher in states that don't allow wine.

As a current resident of a state that allows grocery stores to sell both wine and hard liquor, I can tell you exactly why that statistic is true.

I've bought wine and liquor here several times, in at least three different grocery stores (it's the only way you can get through law school, really). I'm 22, and I have been carded EVERY SINGLE TIME. Granted, I realize I look like I'm 12, but they card everyone here. They know that alcohol is more widely available, so they take extra precautions to make sure it doesn't fall into the hands of minors.

And besides, it can't be emphasized enough...the kids aren't falling all over themselves to get wine. If you're going to get alcohol as a minor, you get beer. It's cheaper and generally easier to get. That's not going to change even if there are a few bottles of wine next to the beer cooler.

A Woman After My Own Heart

Ok, perhaps Sarah Palin does have one redeeming quality:

The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

As a bona-fide Jewish-American Princess, I can certainly sympathize with wanting to go on a shopping binge when you're having a bad day. Or a bad month and a half, as in Palin's case. I got a gorgeous fall suit from Saks a few weeks ago.

But J.A.P. generally doesn't approve of doing that when you really ought to be using the money for something else like, oh I don't know, running a political campaign. And J.A.P. DEFINITELY doesn't approve of doing that when you're simultaneously trying to paint your opponent and your opponent's wife as the ones who are elitist and out of touch with the average American.

Personally, although I love high-end designer labels as much as the next Princess (Prada in particular), after seeing what Sarah Palin bought with all that money, I'd rather have Michelle Obama's reasonably-priced off-the-rack White House Black Market dress.

Could She Really Be That Stupid?

Apparently.

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me! … [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution states:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

What some of you out there may call "Ivy League East Coast elitism" I call "the very simple request that someone who might have to swear to uphold and protect the Constitution know what the Constitution actually says."

UPDATE: Now with video!

About A Day Late And A Dollar Short

Bob Krumm believes that increased Jewish turnout in places like Florida and Pennsylvania will mean good things for John McCain:

At the state level, Florida and Pennsylvania are where McCain can benefit most from an increased percentage of the Jewish vote. Jewish voters traditionally make up 5 to 6 percent of the Pennsylvania vote. (In fact, this might explain why McCain has dropped out of Michigan since Arab-Americans in the Wolverine State outnumber Jews by a margin of 2:1.)

What Krumm is arguing was my worry until about a month ago. But he's a little late in this analysis. If this were true, you would have seen the numbers for McCain in those states go up as such a large voting bloc broke for him.

Pennsylvania:

The chart for Florida is for some reason not embedding properly, here's the link to it.

If the polls are to be believed, then McCain saw a significant drop in support in both states starting around mid-September. It was around then that the "Palin bounce" started to fade. There's no concrete evidence as to why that happened, but the anecdotal evidence in Florida points to elderly Jews overcoming their reluctance to voting for Obama as a direct result of the Palin selection. Whatever McCain gained on experience and "maverickness" was lost on Palin's extremism. There's nothing to indicate that the trend is any different in Pennsylvania.

(Oh and by the way, don't forget that it's not just elderly Jews who live in Florida. My younger brother goes to school in Miami and is registered there. He will vote for Obama because he votes for whom I tell him to vote. Or else.)

There's one more point that Bob Krumm made that I'd like to address, and that's the subject of Arab-American voters. I don't doubt that they prefer Obama in this election. But I think that like Latinos, this is a group over which Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot. Like Latinos, Arab-Americans tend to be more socially conservative on the "hot-button" issues (i.e. abortion and gay rights), certainly more so than most Jews. George W. Bush got a plurality of Arab-American support in 2000 by appealing to them based on those issues. There are quite a few Arab-Americans in the national Republican leadership, Congressman Darrell Issa of California and Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire come to mind. But because the GOP has to constantly placate the most rabidly xenophobic and paranoid elements of their base, they're shooting themselves in the foot on this one.

Not that I'm complaining. And I'd be willing to bet that it's the economy, not Arab-American opposition, that's driving McCain out of Michigan.

What Do You Even Say

When you hear about something like this?

A dead bear was found dumped this morning on the Western Carolina University campus, draped with a pair of Obama campaign signs, university police said.

Maintenance workers reported about 7:45 a.m. finding a 75-pound bear cub dumped at the roundabout near the Catamount statute at the entrance to campus, said Tom Johnson, chief of university police.

“It looked like it had been shot in the head as best we can tell. A couple of Obama campaign signs had been stapled together and stuck over its head,” Johnson said.

What do you even say when you hear that there are people on the other side who are so ticked off by this election that they would kill a baby animal just to make a political statement?

It does send a chill down your spine. It's a scary thought knowing that there are people like this out there, even scarier than hearing people shouting "Kill him" at rallies.

Question On Missouri Proposition A

(UPDATE, 11/3/08: Thank you to everyone who responded. After giving it a lot of thought, my doubts about this Proposition are simply too strong, and I have decided to vote No on A. You can see the rest of my Missouri endorsements here)

I have a question for any Missourians that might be reading this.

I'm a newly registered voter in Missouri, and I'm aware that there will be more than just the Presidential race on the ballot. I plan on voting for Jay Nixon for Governor and Chris Koster for Attorney General. There are also several propositions on the ballot, and I'm doing my best to research them in order to be a well-informed voter on Election Day.

However, I'm stumped on Proposition A. For once in my life, I really can't decide where I stand on something.

For those of you not in Missouri, Proposition A would increase the tax on casinos by 21%, giving the increased revenue to Missouri public schools. In return, it would eliminate the $500 "loss limit" currently in place for the casinos (meaning that someone in a casino can't buy more than $500 in chips or tokens in a two-hour period). It would also limit the number of casinos in Missouri to the ones already built or being built.

I've seen all the commercials with the kids and teachers and schools in support of Proposition A. It's difficult to see any problems with it, on the surface. How could I vote against the schools? I volunteer with Ready Readers at an elementary school in North St. Louis; God knows they could use more funds.

But I'm seeing major difficulties with this down the line. Casinos are pouring millions behind this proposition, knowing that the increased tax would be more than offset by the elimination of the loss limit. The fact that the number of casinos would be so restricted would eliminate competition. Upon researching this further, it does feel like Proposition A would amount to a big giveaway to the casinos, presented under the facade of funding education, even though there's no guarantee as to how much the schools would actually get.

If there's anyone in Missouri reading this who has any input, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Classy People, McCain Supporters

Really civil and polite too:

Someone slashed the tires of at least 30 vehicles parked outside the Crown Coliseum on Sunday during a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating. The tires were cut while people were inside the Crown Coliseum listening to speeches, said Maj. E. Wright of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

That's right McCain supporters. You can't win on the issues. You can't win on the Ayers thing anymore, that's not sticking in light of the economy. Your only hope now is to intimidate and threaten Obama supporters. Are you going to act like grown-ups on November 5, or will the law-and-order crowd suddenly turn into anarchists?

Seeing how this happened in North Carolina, whoever did this must have gotten advance word of the latest North Carolina poll numbers:

Raleigh, N.C. – Barack Obama is now out to his largest lead yet in a PPP survey of North Carolina, polling at 51% in the state compared to 44% for John McCain. Last week Obama’s advantage was 49-46.

Independent voters continue to move toward Obama in droves. He now has a 51-33 lead with them. He’s also now up to receiving 82% of the Democratic vote. Staying over the 80% threshold there would almost certainly ensure a victory in North Carolina.

McCain now leads among white voters just 55-39, an edge that’s not nearly enough given Obama’s 92-6 lead with black voters. George W. Bush won about two thirds of the white vote against both John Kerry and Al Gore in North Carolina.

It'd be a neat exercise in cognitive dissonance to see if someone (Kleinheider maybe?) could spin these numbers as somehow being bad for Obama. Maybe because he's pulling ONLY 40% of the white vote and is not beating McCain 100-0 in an obviously Democratic year somehow indicates that he doesn't transcend race.

John McCain's Feelings Will Be Hurt

But this was a brilliant sight gag on last night's "Family Guy" (UPDATE: They pulled that clip, am looking for another one):

I Should Go Into Election Law

It's an extremely narrow field and it's probably too difficult to make a living in it, but if nothing else, the events of the past few weeks have given me an answer to the question of what kind of law I want to do. I want to do election law!

Lost in the ACORN madness was a story from today out of California:

Jacoby's arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department late Saturday came after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by people employed by YPM. The voters said YPM workers tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters.

The firm was paid $7 to $12 for every Californian it registered as a member of the GOP.

To me, there's not a huge difference between what this guy was doing and what the rogue members of ACORN did. With ACORN, you had people filling out voter registration forms as fictional characters or celebrities just to get paid. ACORN flagged the forms they knew to be fraudulent, but were still required by law to submit them. It bears repeating, voter registration fraud is NOT the same thing as voter fraud. I could fill out a voter registration form as Angelina Jolie (the resemblance is uncanny, I know), but I wouldn't be able to vote as both Ilissa Gold and as Angelina Jolie. When you register to vote, you have to provide details such as your address and your Social Security number, and mine wouldn't match Angelina's (unless I were to somehow get that information and use it to my advantage, at which point I'd be committing a much more serious crime than voter registration fraud). Voter registration fraud certainly is a crime and I hope they prosecute the people who were fraudulently filling out the forms, but the worst that happens with voter registration fraud is that it clogs up the system. It's not the same thing as ballot-stuffing or otherwise fraudulently voting, which does pose a threat to the sanctity of our democracy.

This case may be a little more serious in that if people don't realize that they were fooled into registering as Republicans, they wouldn't know to re-register as Democrats or otherwise, and might not be able to vote in a primary in the next election. Otherwise, this was just an asshole-ish thing to do.

But it highlights a rather inconvenient truth for the Republicans. While they're out screaming about ACORN, they've got the same thing going on within their own party. And there's evidence that they may be involved in even worse types of voter fraud:

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week.

This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".

In both counties, Republicans are responsible for overseeing elections. Both county clerks said the problem is isolated.

They also blamed voters for not being more careful.

*************************

"I pushed buttons and they all came up Republican," she said. "I hit Obama and it switched to McCain. I am really concerned about that. If McCain wins, there was something wrong with the machines.

"I asked them for a printout of my votes," Ketchum said. "But they said it was in the machine and I could not get it. I did not feel right when I left the courthouse. My son felt the same way.

We recently passed legislation in Tennessee requiring all voting machines to provide a paper trail of votes by 2010. That's the least we can do, it's scary how easily these machines can be hacked. It may have been my "You Are So Nashville If..." entry, but I still don't understand why we'd trust our votes but not our lottery numbers to a computer. It's not just a Simpsons episode...

I'm signed up to be a poll watcher in St. Louis on Election Day. And NO votes will be stolen on my watch, not even the McCain ones (to the extent that there are any McCain voters in St. Louis).

Dear City Of Tampa

Congratulations on making your first ever World Series. Congratulations also on the Buccaneers' recent surge.

I'm sure I don't need to tell y'all this, but you have a gem of a closing pitcher. He's one of the budding superstars of Major League Baseball. He just won you Game 7.

I'm referring, of course, to former Vanderbilt star David Price.

Please be sure to play him when you can in the World Series. After several seasons of Vanderbilt doing great early in the season only to fade down the line, he deserves a shot at a championship. And I guarantee he'll strike out more than a few Phillies.

Thank you,

Commodore Nation

6-0

I once said that the day the Tennessee Titans get an easy win that they don't have to grind out is the day they cease to be the Titans. Ladies and gentlemen, they have officially ceased to be the Titans.

Yes, I know it was Kansas City. A team that had to go with their third-string QB by the end of the game. But they do have arguably one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Tony Gonzalez. And I was worried that the Titans would get caught looking past this game to Indy next Monday night.

But instead, the Titans used this game to make a statement. They set the franchise record with 332 rushing yards. LenDale White and Chris Johnson both had career rushing games with 149 and 168 yards respectively, with LenDale's 80-yard run providing the franchise's longest rushing TD since 1983. Johnson's 66-yard TD kept me from getting killed in my Fantasy weekend against Steven Jackson of St. Louis (on that note, since I'm here...who is this team and what have they done with the Rams?) Hell, even fourth-string RB Quinton Ganther got to see some action, picking up 11 yards (and in the process probably finished off whatever was left of Chris Henry's future as a Titan).

I'm looking forward to next Monday. Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai should be looking forward to seeing plenty of Keith Bulluck and Albert Haynesworth.

I'm Out Of The Loop

I couldn't go to the Obama rally that drew 100,000 people here in St. Louis yesterday because I'm still inflicted with "the plague", as one of my classmates referred to it, and I didn't think that standing outside in the cold for six hours would be helpful (you know, you would think, after four years in Ithaca, the threshold for what I consider to be cold would be a little higher. You would think that, wouldn't you?). I missed Sarah Palin on SNL because I was out celebrating a friend's birthday (amazing how quickly "I'm sick, I shouldn't drink" turned into, "Well, the doctor said I should drink plenty of fluids, and vodka's a fluid, isn't it?"). And I missed Colin Powell's endorsement on "Meet the Press" this morning because....no reason really, I just didn't get out of bed until 11:30.

I'm not sure whether to be upset about being out of the political loop, or to embrace it as a sign of getting back something resembling a life.

Feel Good Friday--Sick Day Edition

I've been deathly sick for about a week now. No fever or anything, I've just been coughing up my guts since last weekend. I had to just suck it up and take cough drops for several days because I was scared to take anything that would have made me tired before my midterm on Wednesday, but now that that's over with, I'm on codeine and loving it! Still coughing though.

So I anticipate that when I go to bed tonight, my dreams are going to look something like this:



Of course, I wouldn't rule out this scenario either:

It's A Sad, Sad World

When the only one willing to confront a Presidential candidate for accusing another candidate of "palling around with terrorists" when he himself pals around with war criminals is a late night talk show host:

Joe The Plumber--The New Joe Sixpack

Your debate round-up, coming from a sickbed somewhere in St. Louis' Central West End...

This may be a minor point, but it's one that is going to stick with me well after this debate is over. McCain demonstrated on two different occasions that he really knows nothing about the woman he picked to be his second-in-command.

Twice, he referenced autism. Twice, he said that Sarah Palin knows about raising special needs children because of that.

Uh, Senator McCain? Baby Trig has DOWN SYNDROME, NOT AUTISM. It may not seem like a major point to you, but they are two totally different conditions. Down's is caused by a trisomy on Chromosome 21, while the basis of autism is not entirely clear yet. The way you treat the two conditions is totally different as well.

I make no secret of my dislike of Sarah Palin. I think she's an extremist, and a dumb one at that. But if you're going to make her your running mate, and entrust her with control over the country should anything happen to you, then for God's sake, get to know her! When you get up on the stage, you should know about her, her family, and her situation. To not do so is just plain disrespectful.

But I guess I shouldn't be giving a lecture on respectfulness to someone who says that special needs children are blessings, but at the same time essentially call their families socialists for sometimes needing help in caring for their children and finding cures. Let's just let the free market handle them!

Otherwise, what more needs to be said? McCain may have recovered towards the end of the debate, but for most of it, McCain sounded like a Jewish Princess who's been told she can't have the Prada bag. Oh bless his heart, his FEELINGS were hurt by some of those ads and some of those mean comments! And while Obama needs to repudiate those comments that hurt McCain's feelings, McCain is just damn proud of those people at his debates who call for Obama to be killed. Obama did the best thing he could have done--told McCain, as politely as possible, to call the WAAAAAAAHmbulance. And by the way Senator McCain, ads criticizing your policy positions are not "attack ads", and someone who's been in politics as long as you've been should know that.

McCain threatened to "whip Obama" tonight on the subject of William Ayers and the Weathermen. But when he brought it up, he fell right into Obama's trap--he handed Obama a perfect opportunity to clearly and articulately lay that controversy to rest. He was so calm and collected about the whole thing that McCain could only sputter in response. It was a beautiful moment.

I don't know if Obama necessarily won tonight. He didn't say anything new. But he didn't need to win. McCain spent most of the debate throwing a hissy fit, and is not going to reverse any trends in this election.

So, in conclusion. Joe Sixpack must be feeling pretty shafted right now. Joe the Plumber is the new bigshot.

Potatoe

You almost feel bad for her. ALMOST.

Here's Your Incentive

Ben and Jerry's usually does a Free Cone Day in honor of Earth Day in April, but in light of how important this election is, they're holding a second one this year, on November 4. If you go to a Ben and Jerry's scoop shop on Election Day with an "I Voted" sticker between 5-8 p.m. (for those of you early voting, it sounds like you can just tell them that too), you'll get a free cone.

If the trends hold up for the next three weeks, then I'd advise all Obama voters to take advantage of this offer. You'll need something in your stomach so that you don't get alcohol poisoning playing the Swing State Game and seeing all those states turn Blue later that night!

If You Want To Think Of It That Way...

I always like getting the Nashville Scene's annual "Best of Nashville" issue, to see what places or events I should check out in the coming year. Something really funny caught my eye this year though, and it confirms that my mind is probably way too far down in the gutter to ever be taken seriously as a lawyer. If you look at the entries on the front page, there's a link to the "Best Brazilian Bikini Wax" page. Look above that--it's under the "Food" category, along with Best Barbecue and Best Buffet.

Category placement FAIL.

Nashville women WIN.

The Great Schlep Is Working!

I agree with Sarah Silverman--if Barack Obama doesn't win this election, I'm blaming the Jews. For real, people named Manischewitz-Guberman shouldn't be complaining that Barack Hussein Obama is a funny name:



I spoke to my grandparents in Florida last week. We had a rather contentious discussion over the weekend of my graduation (five months ago, but wow it feels like that was another lifetime) on the subject of politics. They had both been strongly pro-Hillary in the primary. My grandmother wasn't happy about supporting Obama, but bought into the argument that we needed a Democratic president for the future of the Supreme Court. But nothing could persuade my grandfather that Obama wasn't going to sell Israel down the river and run the country into the ground.

Fast forward five months. They've both committed to supporting Obama. Why? Because Sarah Palin scares them. It took a lot for my grandfather to come around, but that is how big of a turn-off Palin was to a good many people in Florida.

(I should also note that my Nana in Georgia is also supporting Obama and has already early-voted, but that was never in doubt.)

According to CNN, there's more anecdotal evidence that the Great Schlep may be helping push Obama up in Florida, and for the same reason:

When Bender recently returned to his grandparents' retirement community in Tamarac, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale, he was greeted with several surprises. Months of telephone conversations and his trip had paid off: His grandparents told him shortly after he arrived that they were going to support Obama.

The next surprise was that his schlep had generated interest around their retirement community. A lot of interest. So many other seniors wanted to hear about Obama that the venue for a meeting on the subject had to be changed from the Furst's living room to a ballroom in the community's clubhouse.

An hour before Bender started to make his case about Obama on Sunday, groups of senior citizens were staking out space in the ballroom. Soon there were more than 100 people and no more chairs.

Sporting an Obama T-shirt with Hebrew writing on it, retiree Morty Brill said, "The economy, the war, you think you can trust Republicans to fix them?"

If there were any people in the room with reservations about Barack Obama, they kept those doubts to themselves.

As Bender told the crowd that Obama was not a Muslim and that Obama was a staunch supporter of Israel, he was met with heads nodding in agreement throughout the room.

So, if you're Jewish and you haven't done your Great Schlep yet, don't wait any longer! Nu, would it kill you to even call once in awhile? Sarah Palin may have handed us Florida on a silver platter, it's up to us to take it back!

Vetting

Ur doin' it wrong:

William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime.

The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government.

And despite his claims, it seems he was well aware of what his fellow lobbyists were doing:

Virtually everything Timmons did while working on the lobbying campaign was within days conveyed by Vincent to either one or both of Saddam Hussein's top aides, Tariq Aziz and Nizar Hamdoon. Vincent also testified that he almost always relayed input from the Iraqi aides back to Timmons.

Why would someone try so hard to undermine their own country and lobby on behalf of one whom the U.S. considered to be a rogue state and a sponsor of terrorism?

But there was a financial incentive in play as well. During the same period, Vincent was hard at work obtaining contracts with Iraq to purchase and resell Iraqi oil allowed under international sanctions; Timmons would have stood to benefit financially from those contracts.

Is it ever NOT really about oil?

So as far as I'm concerned, McCain can go right ahead and mention William Ayers in tomorrow night's debate. Go right ahead Senator. I dare ya. Who do you say has been palling around with terrorists?

Huh, maybe he's really not the honorable maverick who simply got in way too deep in the type of campaign he didn't sign up for. Maybe this is just the newest manifestation of someone who's spent his whole career lying with dogs and waking up with fleas.

Thank God

I was worried they wouldn't.

Mackenzi Adams, who came off the bench and rallied Vandy to a win over Auburn on Oct. 4, will start Saturday at No. 10 Georgia unless something unusual happens.

But Johnson said Adams will get most of the work in practice this week instead of Chris Nickson and hopefully give a fresh start to the offense.

Not to take anything away from Chris Nickson, but he doesn't have the command of the offense that Mackenzi has shown throughout the season. I don't know if this will be enough to turn our fortunes around in Athens, but it was necessary. Kudos to Bobby Johnson for realizing that Mackenzi is our best hope for now.

Oh and by the way, your Tennessee Titans are now the only undefeated team left in the NFL. How scary is that? But as much as I love Kerry Collins, Derek Anderson just earned back his starting spot in my Fantasy roster.

She Really Is That Dumb

Wow.

The outdoor crowd was so massive that many were unable to hear Palin speak, so about midway through the Alaska governor’s remarks, some of them tried to take matters into their own hands, shouting in unison, “We can’t hear you!”

When that didn’t get the candidate’s attention, they tried a new tactic.

“Louder!” they shouted.

Palin appeared flustered as she stopped reading from the prepared remarks, which were coming across her teleprompter.

“I would hope at least that those protesters have the courage and the honor of thanking our veterans for giving them the right to protest!” she admonished the confused crowd.

Palin’s husband Todd tried to put an end to the awkward episode by approaching his wife on stage and telling her, “They just can’t hear you back there. That’s it.”

How dare those mean hard-of-hearing people in the audience disrupt her from her script? They were obviously plants from the MSM and the Obamunists!

There's only one good comparison I can make:

All That Money For Consultants

And this is the best they can come up with?

The McCain campaign is now broadening their attack on Obama's past association with William Ayers to include Michelle Obama -- even though McCain has repeatedly said spouses should be off limits during the campaign.

The attack? Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers' wife and fellow former Weatherman, went to work in 1984 for the major Chicago-based national law firm of Sidley & Austin, and three years later, Michelle joined the mega-firm as well.

Really? That's it? They're alleging the terrorist connection to Michelle because she worked at the same law firm, a 500-person firm, and they joined it three years apart?

This new line of attack doesn't even allege that they were friends, or even that they knew each other, just that they MIGHT have. That's right, Obama is a terrorist because his wife MAY have been on the same elevator with this woman at one point.

But has the McCain campaign decided that spouses are no longer "off-limits"? Can we ask about Cindy McCain's drug abuse now?

Does McCain Realize It's Over?

Yes, it may be wishful thinking on my part, but I think he is aware of it.

I've ben intrigued all weekend by the events from Friday afternoon, where John McCain told a crowd at one of his rallies that Obama is a "decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States" and that he's "a decent, family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues." The presumably good family-values crowd booed him, outraged at being asked to be respectful (by the way, not trying to out-Godwin the Godwinners, but if you claim that Obama's supporters are like Germans fawning over Hitler, then what would you call McCain supporters calling for his opponent to be killed? Answer that one, William Hussein Hobbs. And yes, you claim your middle name is Howard and not Hussein, but HOW DO WE KNOW?)

Here's the video for a little more context:



Watching this, I have to disagree with those who say that it was a purely classy move, but also with those who would say it's pure hypocrisy coming from someone whose campaign actively pushes these memes. His facial expressions and mannerisms show someone who is in way over his head; who's involved in something that he didn't sign up for.

The pre-campaign John McCain didn't have a whole lot of use for the sort of people who show up at his rallies nowadays. He was, after all, the one who famously called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance," earning years of disdain from the Christian Right. He was also a fierce opponent of the politics of smears and personal attacks, having been a victim of it in South Carolina in 2000. Nonetheless, he started down the road of attacking Obama on those grounds, knowing that it was likely the only way he could win, only to abruptly back off it on Friday.

So what changed his mind?

I think he's aware that it's over. I think he knows that nothing short of Bush suddenly finding Osama bin Laden alive is going to swing this election to him. Obama's lead in the national polls and in the electoral college is looking more and more solid every day.

What he's doing, in my humble opinion, is trying to hold onto his one last remaining shred of dignity. I always try to look for the best in people, and as much as I dislike him, I do believe that John McCain is still an honorable person deep down. Oh, he'll still let Sarah Palin and his surrogates push the angry, dishonest campaign memes. But he's finished doing that himself. He's trying to cut his losses and maintain some small amount of his "maverick" reputation from before, rather than blow it all on a futile effort.

It almost makes you feel sorry for him. Almost.

106-Year Old Nun Will Vote For Obama

Who says Obama underperforms among Catholics and seniors?

Sister Cecilia Gaudette, who last voted for President Eisenhower in 1952, has registered to vote and says she will vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

Although hard of hearing, she keeps herself informed by reading newspapers and watching TV at the convent.

"I'm encouraged by Senator Obama," she says.

"I've never met him, but he seems to be a good man with a good private life. That's the first thing. Then he must be able to govern," she adds.

I'll take this one nun over Sarah Palin's torch-and-pitchfork mob any day!

But here righties, I'll start your talking points for you. This woman obviously hates America because she lives in Rome. Go from that.

Palin Booed In Philadelphia

God bless y'all, Philadelphia sports fans. You never fail to disappoint, although they tried to drown you out with the music this time. Did I call this or did I call this?

UPDATE: Here's a better video:




And the original:



UPDATE 2: Is there any extent to which this woman won't exploit her daughters?

A carpet was laid down and Palin, dressed in a beige trench, walked on to the ice joined by her daughters Willow and Piper. The GOP Vice-Presidential nominee said at an earlier fundraiser that she would stop some of the booing from the rowdy Philadelphia fans by putting her seven year old daughter, Piper in a Flyers jersey. She said, “How dare they boo Piper!”

Ugh

I, along with the rest of the Commodore Nation, am not going to be very pleasant to talk to for the rest of the weekend.

109 total yards of offense. Against the worst team in the SEC. What. The Hell?

The blame for this loss rests solely on Bobby Johnson. Chris Nickson is a fine quarterback, but he should not have stayed in past the second quarter. Mackenzi Adams came in and provided a spark, but by then it was too little, too late. The defense had already been in for way too long. The only reason this game wasn't a blowout was because of the special teams (on both sides).

I know Bobby Johnson wants to "build up Nickson's confidence," but if Mackenzi is not named the starting QB by next weekend, it will put a serious crack into his otherwise great coaching ability. Even in the small amount of time he was in the game, Mac proved himself to be a leader.

Same ol' Vandy came out today. Same ol' Vandy that gets stupid penalties, allows turnovers, and doesn't convert on third down.

On the bright side, someone on the VandySports boards pointed out that we're now in the situation we expected to be in the beginning, had we beaten MSU but lost to Auburn. But that doesn't excuse this loss. Now is the time to forget about the rankings, forget about bowl games, forget about the hype, and just focus on getting that elusive win #6. I'm not too excited about going to Athens next weekend, but we've got Duke at home the week after that. 7-5 or 8-4 could still be attainable at this poitn, but so is 5-7.

Shit, Meet Fan

Oh gosh darnit, you betcha:

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin abused her power as Alaska's governor in the firing of her public safety commissioner, but violated no laws, a report for the state Legislature concluded Friday.

Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Palin's ex-brother-in-law from the state police force was "likely a contributing factor" to Monegan's July dismissal, but Palin had the authority as governor to dismiss him, the report by former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower states.

Click here to see the full report (PDF). In summary, what she did was not technically illegal, but the act of pressuring Monegan to fire Wooten was unethical and an abuse of power.

Before I go on, it's important to emphasize that we already knew that Monegan wasn't fired only for his refusal to fire Wooten. He was also fired because he didn't agree with Palin's policy of branding rape victims with a scarlet "A":

To that end, the campaign released a series of e-mails detailing the frustration several Palin administration officials experienced in dealing with Monegan. The "last straw," the campaign said, was a trip Monegan planned to Washington in July to seek federal money for investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases.

Now, in regards to this latest twist, I can already envision Kleinheider and the conservative bloggers whining about how we mean liberals shouldn't call Palin out for not living the values she espouses, that everyone has moral failings and we all just need to give her a big hug and forgive, and really, isn't this all just a sexist attack on a little lady?

To which I say--there's a difference between trying and failing to live up to one's values, and espousing them while not even trying to live up to them. The former is only human. The latter is what we call hypocrisy.

No, she didn't break the law. But face it--she's a corrupt individual. It's neither sexist nor somehow illegitimate to point that out.

Welcome To The Newest Predator!

When a new season of Predators hockey arrives in Smashville on Saturday (and yes, Nashville Scene editorial staff, the Predators are still here. Sorry to disappoint you!) I hope everyone there will give a big Nashville welcome to the newest addition to the Predators roster, forward Joel Ward, formerly of the Houston Aeros AHL team.

I'll admit, it does make me a little sad to see him in the picture wearing Tomas Vokoun's old number. But he's an exciting prospect for the team. He's 6'2", 205 pounds, adding some size to a team that always seems to lack it. Last year in Houston, he put up 20 goals and 21 assists. Yes, it was the minor leagues, but those numbers are certainly nothing to shake a (hockey) stick at.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, he's also the first black player in Predators history, and one of only a handful of black players in the NHL.

It's another first for the Nashville Predators, who made history in 2003 by signing the first-ever Inuit player in the NHL, Jordin Tootoo. Five years later and I still don't have the damn whistle.

It's an interesting story, to be sure, but of course your ethnicity makes no difference once you're on the ice. Naturally though, the racist assholes on the Tennessean message boards couldn't resist coming out with the idiot "affirmative action" comments. It's really not a good way to welcome someone to your city. I know there's no getting through some of these thick skulls, but...Joel Ward was not signed because he was black, but because he's a good player with great potential. Similarly, Tootoo wasn't signed because he was Inuit, but because he's a human missile.

So I say--welcome to Smashville, Joel Ward! I hope you and the rest of the Predators kick some St. Louis Blooser ass on Friday night. If I didn't have a midterm and a memo due next week I'd be down at the Scottrade Center cheering y'all on.

Go Preds!

What Jeff Woods Said

On how so many other states around Tennessee, such as North Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia are poised for big Democratic victories next month:

Tennessee could have been one of those states. If Democrats can't recruit a serious statewide challenger in an obviously Democratic year, then they ought to fold up their big tent and disband.

It's not that they couldn't recruit a serious statewide challenger; they just chose not to until it was far too late. The name of the game in this state is not to win, but to not rock the boat. Unless it involves Rosalind Kurita, and then by all means, let's repeatedly shoot ourselves in the foot.

Yes, Phil Bredesen does bear a great deal of the blame for throwing every potential challenger to Lamar! under the hypothetical bus. I remain convinced that the name alone could have gotten Mike McWherter near 40% of the vote. But it's not just Bredesen, it's a party organizational problem on the whole.

Feel Good Friday--No More Edition

Have you ever had a situation with a guy (or girl) where you want to tell them how you really feel, and that what they're doing is hurting you, and that you're going to end it if they don't stop; yet at the same time you're afraid to disrupt the status quo and lose that connection you once had?

Yeah...

I'm Taking Tomorrow Off

An e-card I got sent today:


I love the image on this card. The boy is trying so hard to understand what's in the book, and the parents are making it clear that his efforts will never, ever, be good enough and that he is a shande to the family and to his people. And of course, the caption is spot-on.

I began fasting at 5:30 tonight (it technically started at 6:14 but I had to leave early to get to the synagogue in rush hour) and I finish at 7:15 tomorrow night. The crankiness hasn't set in yet, but give it until around noon or so tomorrow. What they try to do is keep you in synagogue all day so that you don't think about it, but I'd just as soon come home and go back to sleep after morning services. We'll see.

Have an easy fast if you're observing it. Otherwise, we'll commence our regularly scheduled sex, drugs, and rock and roll party (with some politics mixed in) on Friday.

Hockey Season's Startin', You Betcha

Gosh darnit:

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the nation’s most popular hockey mom, will join the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers regional search for the “Ultimate Hockey Mom” contest and drop the puck at the ceremonial opening face-off as the home team Flyers host the New York Rangers at the Wachovia Center on Saturday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

Normally, I oppose mixing sports and politics. However, the fact that she's doing this in Philadelphia should provide for some high quality entertainment.

You see, Philly sports fans, frustrated by the futility of their teams every year (maybe the Phillies will break the cycle this year, but I'm not holding my breath), will boo just about anything. They would boo their own mothers. Hell, they even booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game. How can anyone possibly hate Santa Claus, or blame him for their failure to win a championship since 1960?

I fully anticipate Sarah Palin will get booed at the Flyers game. Not because of who she is or because of the fans' political leanings. It's because that's just what they do in Philly.

Most. Boring. Debate. Ever.

It looked like Belmont put on a great show for everyone there. However, the debate itself was actually quite boring. I hardly saw the final third of the debate; law school gossip took over at my party. All I know is that McCain never said "maverick," so now I'm stuck with a bottle and a half of Jack Daniels. The Schlafly Pumpkin Ale was quite good; Schlafly is a much better (not to mention more American) St. Louis beer than Budweiser. But I digress.

One big error I caught early on was when McCain said that no President has raised taxes during a difficult economic period since Herbert Hoover. That's not exactly true, FDR raised taxes quite a bit on the rich throughout the period. And then he raised them again during World War II, while asking Americans to make do without certain goods for the war effort. You know, make sacrifices. It's something that both George W. Bush and John McCain believe you can win a major war without doing.

Who "won" the debate? Of course I think Obama won, I know that comes as a real shocker. He looked at ease in this particular format, while McCain just looked tired and like he was grasping for something to stick. But that's not really the point.

What McCain needed to do, to recover any sort of ground, was to hit Obama hard on the reliable Republican fallback of "God, gays, and guns," plus maybe throw in Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayres for good measure. But what we got instead was a debate about...real issues. About the economy and foreign policy. It wasn't the sort of debate where either candidate went for the jugular, it was actually quite civil. I found it boring, yet refreshing at the same time.

Evidently, this seems to be the style of campaigning that McCain is more comfortable with. But this isn't going to change any dynamics of the race. McCain didn't do anything to really make the case against Obama to undecided voters (a demographic that I don't think can possibly be that big anymore). It may be too late for McCain to make up any sort of ground.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Forget The Debate

The Neiman-Marcus Christmas Book is out. Or as I call it, fashion porn!

I wish I could get either this or this for my Dad for Hanukkah. I think they'd both go well in the new house.

The Rules

My Tennessee-themed debate party starts in an hour, so I've been trying to come up with the rules of our Debate Drinking Game (with Jack Daniels, obviously). I won't be able to do as much as I'd like (I preferred it when they had the debate on Friday so that I didn't have to get up the next morning). Feel free to add your own rules:

--If McCain says "maverick," take a shot.

--If McCain says any variation of "Barack Obama doesn't understand...", take a shot. I don't anticipate him using that line too often since it didn't work too well the last time though.

--If McCain references his being a POW, take a sip of your drink. We can't do shots for both this and for "maverick," I don't want anyone getting alcohol poisoning.

--If Obama says "change," take a sip. That's my shout-out to the two Republicans who may be coming tonight.

--If either of them mention "Music City" or country music, take a sip. If McCain mentions John Rich, take a shot.

--Any other Nashville reference, take a sip.

When Fascism Comes To America...

...it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

So in other words, it will look something like Sarah Palin:

Constantly under the watchful eyes of security, the media wasn't permitted to wander around inside Coachman Park to talk to Sarah Palin supporters. When reporters tried to leave the designated press area and head toward the bleachers where the crowd was seated, an escort would dart out of nowhere and confront him or her and say, "Can I help you?'' and turn the person around.

When one reporter asked an escort, who would not give her name, why the press wasn't allowed to mingle, she said that in the past, negative things had been written. The campaign wanted to avoid that possibility Monday.

But it's ok, because you see, the press is abusing their "privilege" of freedom. So even if Palin supporters say things that are racist and outright murderous, the press can't report that. Fairness and all.

Jewish Mothers For Obama

Easily the best viral video to come out of this election:

Wine In Missouri

The last time I went grocery shopping, I whipped out my cell phone and took a picture of the wine aisle at the Clayton Road Schnuck's grocery store. The nice folks at Red White and Food added it to their growing gallery of pictures of wine in the grocery stores of states where it's legal, proving that it's not so scary, after all. Go check it out.

Missouri has the complete opposite situation from Tennessee. In Tennessee, the liquor lobby is entrenched and seeks to regulate when and where it can be sold, to their benefit. In Missouri, the beer lobby is so powerful that they literally have no liquor laws. They can sell wine and liquor in the grocery stores, they can sell anything on Sundays, and (although I would certainly never test this) it is supposedly legal here for a passenger in a car to have an open container. Unfortunately, Missouri seems to be the last state in the country that hasn't banned smoking in bars, so it's not a complete utopia yet.

Answering The "Elitist" Charge

In its cover story on Sarah Palin, Newsweek gives an excellent rebuttal to the charge that her critics are simply "elitists" who can't empathize with ordinary Americans:

Elitism in this sense is not about educational or class credentials, not about where you went to school or whether you use "summer" as a verb. It is, rather, about the pursuit of excellence no matter where you started out in life. Jackson, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton were born to ordinary families, but they spent their lives doing extraordinary things, demonstrating an interest in, and a curiosity about, the world around them. This is much less evident in Palin's case.

Newsweek effectively sums up something that grates me about Palin, something that I've had trouble putting into words until now. It's not so much the way that she talks or the way that she winks and tries to flirt her way out of questions. It's the way that she embraces mediocrity and revels in her ignorance in the world around her. She truly is a female George W. Bush in that regard.

It is something that annoys me on a personal level. Growing up, I was taught that putting in less than 110% effort in any activity I engaged in was unacceptable. When I was in school, my parents told me that I could only make A's, because B stands for "bad" and C stands for "can't come home" (but they were just joking. Sort of). Both Republican and Democratic politicians have come up from less than privileged means by putting in that same effort.

It doesn't matter so much for being a Governor, nor would it matter if she were running for Congress. But if McCain were to win the election, there's a very real chance that she could become the President of the United States before four years is over. And it does matter for that.

It does matter that a possible president would rather wink at the camera than answer the question.

Nashville Songwriters Against Palin

Nashville songwriter Gretchen Peters, who wrote the song "Independence Day" for Martina McBride in 1994, is not happy that Sarah Palin used the song in her debate entrance last week. Understandable, seeing how the song is about a woman suffering domestic abuse. But she's fighting back in an interesting way:

"The fact that the McCain/Palin campaign is using a song about an abused woman as a rallying cry for their Vice Presidential candidate, a woman who would ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest, is beyond irony," Peters says. "They are co-opting the song, completely overlooking the context and message, and using it to promote a candidate who would set women's rights back decades. I've decided to donate the royalties from 'Independence Day' during this election cycle to Planned Parenthood, in Sarah Palin's name. I hope with the additional income provided by the McCain/Palin campaign, Planned Parenthood will be able to help many more women in need."

Here's the link to donate to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name. In the address field, put the address of the McCain office in Arlington, VA:

McCain for President


1235 S. Clark Street, 
1st Floor


Arlington , VA 22202

I think it's a brilliant idea. See everyone, not all country artists are like John Rich!

I'd Be More Likely To Watch Fox News

If this kid had a show:

Wherein I Praise Something That Comes Out Of Knoxville

I went on the Knoxville News-Sentinel website to laugh at all the UT fans complaining about how their team nearly choked on their cupcake (hey by the way, the Vanderbilt Bandwagon is now accepting Volunteers!), but was instead greeted by this beautiful story about an autistic girl in Knoxville reaching her goal of becoming a Bat Mitzvah.

At a synagogue in Nashville which shall remain nameless, the situation of an autistic girl making noise in services resulted in asking her parents not to bring her to services anymore. It's nice to see that our tribe-members out East don't think that someone should be restricted from Jewish life because they're not "normal." Go read the story.

65 Years In The Making

5-0 for the first time since 1943 (where the season ended after that fifth game due to World War II). 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1950, and only the third time ever. A victory over Auburn for the first time since the 1955 Gator Bowl. One win away from a bowl game (and facing Mississippi State next weekend). All alone atop the SEC East. Virtually guaranteed to move up into the top 15 in the rankings.

You know what, I think Vanderbilt may just have arrived.

When Auburn went up 13-0 in the first quarter after running the ball down Vandy's throat for two drives, I know I wasn't the only Vandy fan to get that familiar queasy feeling in my stomach. "Oh no, we came this far and now we're going to blow it. We're going to get blown out on national television!"

But the Commodores proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that "same ol' Vandy" is no more. They clawed back and shut down Auburn's offense in the second half. They didn't fall apart, they simply readjusted.

One factor that probably contributed to it was the replacement of Chris Nickson with Mackenzi Adams. They are both tough, versatile quarterbacks, but I think Mac made a good case tonight as to why he could be the starter. Yes, I realize that Nickson still isn't 100% recovered from his shoulder injury (and may have made it worse tonight). But Mac showed a command of the offense that made him look like the Second Coming of Jay Cutler. Most telling for me was in the second quarter when Mac got sacked on one play and threw a touchdown pass on the next play. I hope that Vandy didn't get this far just to be distracted by a "quarterback controversy", but Mac was clearly the better QB tonight.

Is Vandy good enough to beat Georgia or Florida? I honestly don't know. But both of those games will come right down to the wire, something you couldn't say in any other season. And there's no reason why Vandy shouldn't beat Mississippi State, Duke, Kentucky, Tennessee, or Wake Forest.

Vanderbilt has finally arrived at the point where no opponent can beat Vandy, only Vandy can beat Vandy. It's an amazing feeling 65 years in the making.

See y'all in December!

O.J. Guilty On All 12 Counts

I was in fourth grade when the original O.J. Simpson trial took place. I remember that I had to go to the office at Percy Priest Elementary to call my mother for something, and she told me that they had found him not guilty, and I went back and blurted it out to the rest of my class. Wow, I feel old.

They just announced that the courts in Las Vegas have found him guilty on all 12 counts for robbery, assault, and kidnapping with a deadly weapon in his attempt to steal sports memorabilia. The reporter on CNN pointed out that even if the judge gives him the minimum sentence for each of the charges, it could be as much as 20 years before he'd even be eligible for parole. At 61 years old, he could very well spend the rest of his life in prison.

Maybe now, the Brown and Goldman families can have some small measure of justice.

So In Conclusion

Feel Good Friday--Read Between The Lines, The Lies Edition

Returning to the 90s theme with a STP song that's been stuck in my head over the last few days:

Just To Add Icing To The Cake

The "Troopergate" investigation will continue!

An Alaska judge refused Thursday to throw out subpoenas for members of Gov. Sarah Palin's administration in the State Legislature's investigation of her firing of her public safety commissioner.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski rejected a request by Palin's Republican allies to shut down the investigation and ruled that the subpoenas were issued properly by the state Senate Judiciary Committee.

As a reminder, Palin claims he was fired simply for being too pro-assault victim for her rape-kit charging tastes.

She Said Nuc-U-Lar

Seven times, by my count. If there is any doubt remaining that she is the female George W. Bush, that should have erased it. Also, she said "There you go again" towards the end. Who told her that was a good idea?

That was my initial reaction. Before I go into the actual recap, I'd like to give a shout-out to Wash U. One of the things I always loved about Cornell was the political activism of the student body. But I'd never seen anything quite like the excitement and the intensity of the Wash U students. Although the law school had its own event for the debate, I ventured out among the undergraduates for several hours to watch all the festivities. Although I felt really old, seeing their excitement (and overwhelmingly pro-Obama leaning) made me very happy and optimistic for the future. I didn't get to meet Chris Matthews, but I did get interviewed by a reporter from the St. Louis Business Journal. Hopefully my shameless self-promoting pays off!

But by way of a recap--I don't think this debate is going to change anyone's mind. Biden did what he needed to do, which was to show off his accomplishments and clarity without talking down to Palin, and Palin did what she needed to do, which was to not have a mental breakdown.

I know this will come as a huge shock to EVERYONE, but I do think Biden did a better job. He was sharp and he knew his stuff. Palin threw out the talking points that she needed to, but she seemed very scripted. Obviously, the McCain campaign couldn't risk letting her go off-script.

Also, some of her statements were very contradictory. She stated that we need less government intruding in people's lives, right after saying in response to the financial meltdown that what the American people want is "massive oversight." Also, on the question of whether she's ever had to compromise a policy position, she answered that she hasn't, because "in Alaska we always find a way to work together." Someone please inform her that putting aside your differences and finding ways to work together are generally what's known as "compromising."

The biggest thing that she did that annoyed me was how she accused Biden of pointing backwards. When accused of promoting the same policies as Bush, she resorted to that answer rather than explaining how they're different. What that means, of course, is that they're not different at all and she couldn't explain it if they were. But when Obama and Biden get to the White House, they'll be under quite a lot of pressure to not "point fingers" by bringing ex-Bush officials to justice. They can't bend though, I'm not waiting 20-30 years to find out exactly what happened the way we had to wait with Nixon.

There were two moments in which I was proudest of Joe Biden. The first came in response to a question over the power of the Vice President. He pointed out that Dick Cheney is the most dangerous VP we've ever had, and he promised to not be like that.

And then there was this:



Everyone in the room with me applauded after this answer. It was genuinely emotional, and fully showed Joe Biden as a normal person. Sarah Palin's inability to respond to the substance of the comment shows that she simply does not have an independent thought in her head.

The insta-polls are all indicating that Biden won the debate by large margins. Here's hoping they're right.

Revenge For 2000

While I'm wary of putting too much stock in swinging Florida in light of the 2000 debacle, the numbers coming out of that state do seem encouraging. Four polls have been done over the last few weeks:

• Quinnipiac: Obama leads 51-43.

• InsiderAdvantage/Poll Position: Obama leads 49-46.

• CNN/Time magazine: Obama leads 51-47.

• Suffolk University showed Obama leading 46-42.

And it has the GOP freaking out:

Florida Republican leaders hastily convened a top secret meeting this week to grapple with Sen. John McCain's sagging performance in this must-win state.

One of the concerns has been the relationship between grass roots volunteers across the state and far fewer paid campaign staffers. Complaints range from not getting yard signs quickly enough to knowing who will speak at events and overall manpower coordination.

The difference between the campaigns is that the Obama campaign is more than happy to let the grassroots organizations work without interference from the campaign. This bottom-up style will be what wins the election for him, and possibly what will win Florida.

Interestingly, there seems to be two reasons for the sudden swing. The economy is one, but the other one?

The Barricuda Lady:

"That was almost insulting. Do they think we're really stupid? ... I'm definitely leaning toward the Democratic side now. Sarah Palin scares ... me." "

Rhonda Laris, Temple Terrace, Democrat (Clinton supporter)

"She is Dick Cheney with a dress on."

Bill Chever, 56, St. Petersburg, Independent Air Force veteran

Also, although it may be a fake news show, the Daily Show last week captured an important shift among another key group in Florida, old Jews in Boca Raton and Palm Beach:



Notice that only one lady is willing to go on the record supporting McCain/Palin, and she admits to being a Fox-watching Republican. A lot of the folks down there may have been leaning towards McCain due to a suspicion over Obama, but the Palin pick gives them pause. Rather than affirming McCain as a maverick, it raises questions about his judgment in picking an inexperienced ideologue. McCain may have played well to the base with the pick, but he's bleeding fence-sitters as a result.

And yes, Michelle Obama does have a nice tuchus.

Fever Pitch On Campus

No, I'm not talking about the VP Debate about to take place at my current school, Wash U, but about ESPN GameDay broadcasting live from Vanderbilt this Saturday. Because while this debate may or may not change the dynamics of the race, you can bet that a Vandy win over Auburn would change the dynamics of the SEC.

In the meantime, here's a great article from ESPN about how Vandy has turned around their fortunes:

Here's their formula: They're tied for first nationally in fewest penalties per game (2.75) and interceptions (10). They lead the SEC in turnover margin (plus-9) and sacks per game (2.75). They're tied for the SEC lead with Georgia in red zone offense (scoring on 16 of their 17 chances) and are second in the SEC in red zone defense (allowing only four touchdowns in 11 chances).

In both of their SEC wins, they either scored a touchdown on defense or set up a touchdown with a big play on special teams.

Simply, this is a well-coached, fundamentally sound football team that believes. And don't think the Commodores don't have talent, either. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson has upgraded the recruiting, and there's a higher caliber of athlete on campus now than ever before.

The red-zone offense is, in my humble opinion, the crucial factor. Vandy fans, how many times can you remember Vandy getting to first-and-goal within the 5-yard line and failing to score even a field goal? For me, it's too many times to count. That's why it's not "same old Vandy" anymore--they're simply not making those mistakes anymore, and when they do, they're not letting it get to them. Bobby Johnson has produced the most disciplined team in recent memory.

Two Concerns For Tomorrow Night

1. Has Sarah Palin so effectively lowered expectations for her performance in the debate that anything short of a mental breakdown on stage will be seen as a victory? Yes, she proved in the Katie Couric interviews that my mother is probably more qualified to be Vice President than she is. But if she doesn't do any worse than that, will it just be shrugged off as par for the course?

I hope not. I hope Joe Biden tears her a new one. But my worry is that she'll just be able to flirt and bat her eyes out of any hard question thrown at her, like she's done in the past.

2. If she does end up humiliated tomorrow night and Biden emerges as victorious, how much will it help Obama? Everyone remembers (well, I wouldn't have been old enough to remember, but I've seen it on YouTube) how Lloyd Bentsen made a laughingstock of Dan Quayle in the 1988 Vice Presidential debate. But the result was simply a jump in Bentsen's personal approval ratings, not a bounce in support for the Dukakis/Bentsen ticket. Granted, by that point Bush Sr. had already established a solid lead in the polls that one debate probably would not have erased anyway, but I don't expect to see an even bigger bounce for Obama. Then again, I'll take solid leads in the swing states over a temporary bounce any day.

All in all, I'm greatly looking forward to tomorrow's debate, and am just praying that I'll be able to get a parking spot on campus tomorrow. "Hardball" will be broadcasting from campus from 4-5 and again from 6-7; look for the crazy girl with the signs.

Completely Gratuitous

I'm with Kleinheider on this one. What was the point of this statement from Gray Sasser, exactly?

“Rosalind will say or do anything to help her floundering campaign. Kurita now sides with the income tax proponents of the Tennessee Republican Party for her personal career advancement and for no other reason. Today, we find that she has cast her lot with Don Sundquist and the income tax wing of the Tennessee GOP. She is so desperate to fund her campaign that she will cozy up to any special interest.”

The primary has been overturned, fairly or not. Now her only hope of winning is to win as a write-in candidate. Do you think that everyone who votes in her district will remember on November 4 a) that they can write her name in and b) how to spell her name correctly if they do? I'd be willing to bet even a majority of Republicans up in Clarksville won't remember that. This election is in the bag now, the TNDP now just has to hope that they take back the Senate so that Tim Barnes can actually be seated.

What was the point of throwing more fuel on this fire? To me, this just looks completely gratuitous. Cheap shots might make you feel all tough, but are generally not a good way to win an election.

It's just bad form, and further proof to me that there really are no grown-ups in charge at the TNDP. I still have no sympathy for Kurita, but the TNDP has continued to bumble this whole situation and it does not bode well for the big elections of 2010.

Oh and by the way...Don Sundquist and the income tax? Someone tell Sasser that it's 2008, not 1998.

What The McCain Campaign Has To Resort To

A pro-Iraq War, pro-McCain organization is actually trying to bribe fraternity members here in St. Louis to hold up their signs for the TV cameras during the VP Debate:

In an email obtained by the Huffington Post, Vets for Freedom field staffer Laura Meyer offered a fraternity at St. Louis University a "sizable donation" - plus free lunch - if it could use their pledges to demonstrate outside the VP debate.

"I was emailing you today," wrote Meyer, "because I am trying to find people who would be willing to hold up signs for a few hours in the afternoon this Thursday outside the VP debate site. It's only for a few hours and you can gain a lot from it.... first off, lunch for any guys who agree to volunteer will be on me. Secondly, they will get lots of media attention! My organization did a similar thing in Mississippi last week and a ton of them were on TV. Meaning, the guys could wear their [REDACTED] gear while holding up our signs and get attention for their frat. Also, they will get to hang out with a bunch of really cool Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

"Lastly, and here's the kicker.... if you guys can get us at least 20 volunteers for those few hours, my organization will make a sizable donation to your fraternity. If you use pledges you could look at it as 'free money and free publicity'. If this sounds like something you may be willing to help us out with, please let me know ASAP!"

First of all, how stupid is this woman? You never need to offer fraternity brothers money to do anything, in my experience. You just tell them that there's going to be free beer--lots of free beer--and they'll show up.

Second, I don't know how it works at Wash U or at SLU, but I know that at Cornell, whole fraternities have been put on probation over less than this. There are very proscribed rules as to what you can and cannot do while wearing your letters within the Greek system, and using them to endorse a certain political candidate certainly wouldn't be allowed.

St. Louis as a city is overwhelmingly pro-Obama, so they must be extremely desperate to find ANYONE to go on TV and hold up a pro-McCain sign. The fact that they're suggesting to the frats that they can just make their pledges do it (a tactic usually reserved for events that no one else in the house wants to participate in) indicates just how desperate they are.

Quick Poll

I found out today that while I'm not going to get a ticket to the Vice-Presidential debate here at Wash U on Thursday, I may be able to get on TV one way or another. Supposedly, "Hardball" is going to be broadcasting from the Quad, so I might get on TV if I can get in there with a funny sign.

So what should my sign say?

A. "I Can See Russia From My House!"

B. "I Have More Foreign Policy Experience Than Sarah Palin"

C. "McSame/Failin' 08"

D. "I ♥ Keith Olbermann"

E. "Go Vandy! Auburn Sucks!" (wait...)

F. "Hi Mom!"

G. Other (give me ideas in the comments)