Congratulations

Senator-elect Al Franken.

Sixty votes. NO EXCUSES. Senator, you hold their feet to the fire, and so will we. Both Ds and Rs, man. We have a lot of work to do.
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gwbfarewell@gmail.com

Dear President Bush,

I want to sincerely thank you for ceding your office in a peaceful manner. I'd like to think that perhaps the waning influence of Mr. Cheney. Mr. Rove, Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Addington and Mr. Feith made this all the more likely outcome.

I also want to express my opinion that the biggest mistake of your presidency was your utter ineptitude in uniting this great nation at a moment when even a mediocre leader would have been able to do so. Given how you ascended to the presidency, humility and bipartisanship would have served all of us better.

Thankfully, those days are behind us, and now I, like millions of other Americans, will roll up our sleeves and start to deal with the aftermath you have left us.

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Senator Franken's Coming To Town

Eat it, wingers!
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Go, Titans!

Some more behind-the-butt catblogging, with trappings of the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect.

And, the #1 2008 NFL record-holder and AFC South Divisional Champions... 

THE TENNESSEE TITANS!

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For Mickey

Mickey's one of the guys over at TennesseeFree.com whose every thought traces back to the Council on Foreign Relations.
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CHANGE.GOV

President-Elect Obama,

Thank you for inviting me to share my story. I'll be as brief as possible.

During the George W. Bush presidency, I've lost two good-paying jobs, a home, and a lot of pride in my country.

The first job I lost was due to refusing to steal for a company that had deep Republican support on The Hill; a company that paid the largest-ever fraud settlement to the U.S. Government, at the time (and perhaps since). I refused to steal for them long after this bombshell hit -- and in fact, their stock price ROSE on the news that the settlement was only going to be $1.7 billion. Only...! I was told for at least a year that I was not considered a "team player," because I refused to turn a blind eye to the thefts my management supported and my colleagues were committing. Once all my important assignments were taken from me, I decided to resign, in June, 2003, and seek work elsewhere. Had I stayed another month, I would have likely been laid off, as many other were, and eligible for severance and unemployment benefits. However, the environment was so toxic, I felt I had no better options, at the time.

I was only able to find sporadic, low-paying temporary jobs for the following three years. Then, I secured a very nice temp job with Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, working on their web site. I had no benefits, no vacation or sick days or holidays, but I made about 65% of my former salary from 2003.

I trimmed back -- I sold my 1997 Mustang convertible, and bought a cheap, Chinese scooter. I rode it everywhere, rain, shine, cold, or rain. On really bad (snow, ice) days, I would walk over a mile to catch the bus(es) into work. I'd already lost my modest 1400 sq. ft. home in West Nashville to foreclosure, and moved into a friend's rental condo, saving over $400/month, where I still live. He also lost a job, recently, and I'm trying to brainstorm and work to help him to keep his income at a level where he can keep his two rental investment condos, here.

My cheap Chinese scooter was stolen just months after I started at Peabody, so it was back to the bus. A friend of mine who worked in another part of Vanderbilt would many times give me a ride, which was awesome. Without her, B--- J---R----, it would have been much tougher. However, in a few months, I was able to buy another small scooter, and a year later, a bigger, better, faster scooter. I really liked the idea that I was doing my part to lower our dependency on foreign oil. I still ride both scooters as my exclusive form of transport.

The job at Peabody ended in May, 2008. The college had a need for a web person AND a print person, but could only afford one. The fiscal year ending June, 2008, saw Peabody's print work outsourced to the tune of more than $100,000, and hence my fate was sealed.

As of now, I am still without work, but not eligible for unemployment benefits. Since I was hired through Vanderbilt Temporary Services, they still consider me "available for work," and hence, not "unemployed."

At any rate, I have worked and networked for the Obama-Biden campaign, using the "neighbor-to-neighbor" application, and meeting with local bloggers and campaigners to do what I could. I heartily congratulate you on your election to the highest office in the land. A weight has been lifted from the nation's soul, and I feel like smiling more now than I have in a very long time.

I have hope, and as one of the people you will soon govern, I say, "Yes, we will."

Thank you, and may God bless us, every one.

Taken This Afternoon

Let it sink in.

Smile.

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Yes, We DID.

PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA.

Thank you to all of you who gave of your time and money. You fuckin' rewl.

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Hoist A Pint, My Friends

Heh... I said "my friends." Drink!

I went to FlySauce, and all I got was this lousy IOU!

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Voter Fraud!

Letting children vote, and documenting it with photographs?

Oh, my.

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Swing Voter

Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.

I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I'm white, 55, I live in the South and I'm definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.

I am the dreaded swing voter.

Go read the whole thang.

h/t the blogless HoneyBearKelly.
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Crunch Time

Got free long distance?  Can you make some calls?

Now is not the time to let up.

Tennessee Call Team --

Congratulations on helping make more than 400,000 calls yesterday and smashing our previous one-day record. Thanks to all of you who helped put us over the top.

Unfortunately there's no time to revel in this accomplishment. There are still millions of voters we need to talk to and an election to win.

We've set a new goal of making 500,000 calls today. Can you help us set a new record?

http://my.barackobama.com/call

The Tennessee Call Team alone made 2,700 calls yesterday. I've put us down to make 3,500 today. That's the number of calls our team needs to make to put us on track to hit the national goal of a half million calls. Can you help the team reach its goal?

http://my.barackobama.com/call

Your calls to get out the vote in key swing states couldn't be more important. We've worked nearly two years to build this movement for change, but it doesn't matter unless we're able to convert support for Barack Obama into votes.

Let's go break another calling record today and win this thing.

I made 117 calls to North Carolina from Friday night to Saturday night, and plan to make 200+ by Monday evening.

Get it done. Get Out The Vote!

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Tuesday

Saturday!

Pollster:

fivethirtyeight:

electoral-vote:

RCP:

My prediction:

Note that my map is RCP's map, conceding all the RCP toss-ups, plus Ohio to McCain't.

UPDATE: I was only four states and one congressional district off. So add another 74 EVs to Obama. Feeling very vindicated for making all those calls to North Carolina. 

:lol:

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Godless

I just have to get into this, as it seems to be the season for Republicans to chain themselves to a boat anchor, and hold on for the long ride to the ocean floor.

NOT ONE OF US.

It is the Republican message for 2008. Fortunately, it seems to be falling not only short, but being a net negative for those using it. The voters not already in the GOP boat are rejecting this tactic this season, overwhelmingly, and the polling shows this to be the case.

It's why I encouraged Glen and local yokels to ride that Ayers/Wright/Rezko bomb like Slim Pickens fallin' out of that B-52 over Russia.

It's got FAIL written all over it. 

Why?

We're all Americans. McCarthy does not need ressurection, regardless of Ann-the-Bad-Footnoter's adoration for Joe-the-Commie-Hunter. And we many Americans who do not agree with this worldview of the opposition being the enemy, and not the opposition?  Well, we're actually very, very pissed off about it. And, we're voting like crazed ACORN registrants, EVERYWHERE.

I call it the Bachmann Gambit. It's why Michelle Bachmann has gone from being a sure bet to hold her seat in the MN-6 to being on track to lose by 5+ points -- and that slide happened in the matter of two weeks. I'm just disappointed that Marsha Blackburn didn't try to out-Bachmann Bachmann this week.

"If the Godless Americans PAC threw a party in [my] honor, would [I] go?" Fuck yeah, I'd go. They'd probably have good food, good beer and more than a few good jokes to tell. If I were running for U.S. Senate seat? Absolutely. Why should Americans of any faith -- or of no faith -- be excluded from the political process?

Another Republican who needs to be heard is Saxby Chambliss, of Georgia. With a little encouragement, I think he can take the Bachmann Gambit this weekend.

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Fact Following Fiction?

Synchronicity.

I already talked about the strange alliteration of the McCain't campaign (legally) using a tune by (disgruntled) copyright holders, but this one trumphs that. Oddly enough, after seeing the 30-minute Barackumentary last night, I decided to dig out some old VHS tapes I had made, off-the-air of The West Wing's last season.

Dang.

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Keep Up The Good Work

For Charles.

For America.

Yes, We Will.

h/t digby.
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Pin It To The Minute

A continuation of this post.
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I'm Not Asleep

.. so I watched this, and I really hope Barack Obama's talkin' to this dude.
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I'm Asleep, But

... enjoy this brief, pre-election video. This will probably be 90% of your basis for voting for a presidential candidate, this year.

I Was Brutally Attacked By Obama Supporters!

It was bound to happen.

I was out stealing McCain/Palin signs last night, and I've been riding past a lot of construction sites on the Vino; there's a lot of remodeling going on over in West Meade. Sure enough, I picked up a big-assed nail in my brand new front tire, last night. I didn't have my cell with me, so I set out on foot to Post Rd., and over to Lion's Head, to use a pay phone. I have free towing on both scooters -- all I had to do is call, and they'd take it straight over to ESS for me.

I laid my stolen sign (I only found one!) in the floorboard, and started walking down Hillwood. I was wearing my geeky "optic yellow" safety vest, since it was dark and overcast.

I hadn't gotten 50 ft. from the scooter, and a car stops beside me, its window rolling down.

"Young man, can I offer you a ride?"

"Yes, ma'am -- I'd appreciate it. I just need to go to Lion's Head Plaza to use a phone."

She waves me into her late-model Lincoln. She tells me she was going to Office Max @ Lion's Head to return a printer, anyway.

"Would you mind helping me get it out of my trunk, and carrying it into the store?" Hey, sounds good to me... after all, it's not every night a 60+ year-old lady will pull over to pick up a big stranded guy in a leather jacket.

We pull into the lot, beside the Office Max, which seems a little odd... there's several parking spots close to the door, but whatever. We get out, she pops the trunk. I lift the trunk, and see nothing the size of a printer. Next thang I know, I'm in a choke hold, and I smell chloroform.

I'm a goner.

One of the Office Max people who was leaving for the night saw me laying in the parking lot, and revived me. He asked if he should call 911, etc., but I just thanked him, and asked if I could use a phone. He introduced himself as Amir the Office Max Clerk; I told him I was Jeff the Scooter Guy. He handed over his cell phone, and complimented my haircut, which I thought nothing of -- he was a young guy with a close-crop, too. I call the MTS folx, and tell them where to pick me and the scooter up, and away we go.

When I finally got home, I discovered what Amir and later, Bill the Tow-Truck Driver were talking about:

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So, beware... it could happen to you!
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