Age of Aquarius?

Instead of looking at the 'bailout catastrophe' as the end of the world, why not see it as the beginning a new world order? Without hyperbole, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to right the egregious imbalance of the 'haves' and 'have nots' or 'haves very little'. First of all, there is no need to rush to pass a troubled, "less than perfect" bill just to appease the fat cats without considering creative, viable alternatives. And that takes time. Time that, in the end, would prove time well spent to come up with solutions that make sense for everybody.

This doesn't mean that Karl Marx would be riding into town, that there would be an automatic redistribution of wealth - although it would be nice, but an equitable solution could bring people at the top, down to earth - well, they'd still be hovering above ground, for sure - and would, at least, give people who are struggling, a sense that their concerns are being addressed, and dealt with.

My hope is that Obama takes a real leadership role in this, has the courage to not cowtow to pressure from Wall Street, but does, indeed, take the principled stand to stand up for Main Street (new buzz words).

I have believed in Obama, the man (not his every stance on issues) as have millions of others, and I have volunteered for him from the very first day he announced his candidacy to run for President, opining that with his ascension to President, we might all rise to become our better selves...that materialism, greed, and abject self-interest would drown in the Swamp of Avarice, and penury would be offered a helping hand. We can see the Age of Aquarius just peeking over the horizon...all we have to do is have the fortitude to not succumb to the forces at the top, to those who want to keep their status quo while not improving ours.

Here is our opportunity to right the ark...the ark that is so lopsided that it is in danger of sinking with the majority going down first while the 'ruling class' at the top claws desperately to try and save themselves by clinging to the rotten starboard rails.

Here's your chance to be heroic, Obama. Be the White/Black Knight that gallops onto stage left, and "saves the day!" Bring all sides together, as you say you're good at, and don't leave the stage until you have brokered a sensible bill. The Age of Aquarius is depending on you.

More From Public Obama Enemy #1

Bill Clinton: Don't 'Overly Parse' McCain Request to Delay Debate

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/bill-clinton-do.html

National Enquirer Coming Through as Predicted!

Ok, the story's breaking as per my post of September 8:
The World Will Be Saved by the National Enquirer

Here's the latest: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/national_enquirer_world_exclusive_sarah_palins_secret_lover_revealed/celebrity/65481

The Enemies List of the Obama Campaign as Compiled by Me

Public Obama Enemy # 1. BILL CLINTON
This is what happens when deep psychological pathology intersects with unbridled ambition and lust for power with a vengeful, reptilian nature with a Rushmore-like ego with a sickening paucity of a moral compass. Here's the disgusting non-endorsement by the spiteful, Bill Clinton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dns6oX4p98

Email conversation between me and my son:

Son: i don't think Clinton understands how much he's hurting his standing with this stuff. i dislike him way more than i dislike his wife.

Me: i never liked the sonofabitch, and now i have nothing but contempt for him. if the clintons think that, if Obama loses, we will rally around her in 2012 (the year the world is supposed to come to an end), they are clearly smoking something very strong. i never understood that thinking 6 months ago, and it doesn't make any better sense now. do they think that no one else will emerge or be worthy to run then?

Obama will win November 4th. Period. The Clintons can start their own country. Maybe they can hook up with the Palins, have Alaska secede from the Union and form some kind of monarchy. Then they can battle amongst themselves. Possibilities abound.

Info re: current EV = Electoral Votes

Also from my polling friend (numbers as of 9/19/08):

Obama: 311 McCain: 227 Others: 0 MoE: 50 (Obama leads McCain by about 1.68 times the MoE)

Critical states: NV(Obama), CO(Obama), NM(Obama), IN(McCain), OH(Obama), PA(Obama), VA(Omaba).

Other states that could shift based on the perception of the debates: NH(Obama), WV(McCain), WI(Obama), MI(OBama), MN(OBama), MO(McCain), MT(McCain)

Obama has more to lose from the debates than McCain, but this is not surprising. When you are in the lead, you have more opportunities to lose.

NOTE:
The meaning of the MoE can vary from poll to poll. When some polls say MoE 4% they mean +/- 4%. That is the %-age for a candidate can be from 4% higher to 4% lower. Their MoE is twice as wide as our MoE.

Some polls use MoE to mean standard deviation. So their MoE means that there is a 68.2% chance that the actual results will lie within their +/- MoE.

BTW: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com has good analytical methodology. I recommend following it as well.

Are you interested in polls and what they mean? Here's some very instructive information.

If you're at all interested in what the hell the polls mean, here is one explanation, from a friend of mine who works in a polling group, when I asked what MoE, margin of error, means. Even I understood it. If you're interested in more explanations, leave me a comment and I'll follow up. Here it is:

MoE is Margin of error. So 293 with a MoE of 45 means it could be as little as 270.5 and as much as 315.5. (NOTE: 315.5 - 270.5 = 45, the MoE). Obama has a margin of error range of 315.5 to 270.5 with 293 (the middle of the range) being the most likely.

OK, ignore that fact that you cannot get a 1/2 vote.

The total EV is 538. So if Obama has 293, then that leaves 245 for everyone else.

No 3rd party candidate is even close to getting anything other than 0 so McCain winds up with the remaining 245.

So this is why we say:

Obama: 293 (middle of the MoE range) McCain: 245 (everything else) Others: 0 (nothing even close) with a MoE of 45.

What does that mean in terms of chances of winning? Well ...

The actual vote will lie within the MoE range (315.5 to 270.5) 75% of the time. This means 25% of the time we are outside the margin going either higher or lower than the MoE range. When the election is this close you can think that 1/2 of those "outside the margin" casses or 12.5% of the time the vote will be above the MoE range. So 12.5% of the time Obama could get more than 315.5 EV.

The same goes for below the MoE range. So 12.5% of the times Obama could get less than 270.5 EV.

This is not exactly the case. The above MoE case is a little less than 12.5%. The below the MoE case is a little more than 12.5%. However for a race that is not a land slide, splitting the 25% into two equal parts for above and below the MoE range is a good enough approximation.

Back to the "good enough approximation":

So 12.5% of the time, it could be higher than 315.5 (Obama wins by an even bigger margin then we expect) and 12.5% of the time it could be lower than 270.5.

Obviously, if it is higher than 315.5 Obama still wins. What about the below the MoE case? Well, Obama has a narrow win at 270. At 269 there is a tie.

What happens if it is a 269 to 269 tie? When no candidate has 270- votes, the selection of the President is made by the house and the selection of the Vice Preside is made by the senate picked from the CURRENT 110th congress membership. Assume that house and senate members vote along party lines.

In the senate each member has 1 vote. Voting along party lines means that Biden would be selected VP, winning by 1 vote.

In the house each state casts 1 vote. States where the membership is split 50/50 would be unable to vote and would cast present (voting for none). For example AZ 8 house members are split 4 D's and 4 R's. McCain's home state would not be able to vote for him. So if the Presidential election where thrown into House and members vote along party lines, Obama wins by 9 votes (with two states AZ and KS not voting for any candidate).

So Obama and Biden both win on a 269-269 tie with McCain.

Anything at or below 268 for Obama and McCain wins.

Now you need 270 to win, so with Obama at 293 with a 45 MoE, we mean that he has slightly better than 87.5% chance of winning IF the election were held today. (Sept. 19)

When you bring in a number of minor technical factors (2nd order effects), the 87.5% win chance becomes about 87.8%.

=-=

So when you lead by the MoE, about 7 out of 8 times you will win.

It turns out that when you lead by 1/2 the MoE you will win about 2 out of 3 times.

And when you lead by twice the MoE you will win about 19 times out of 20

A True Elitist in Commoner Clothing

This woman is a true elitist in commoner clothing who wields her alleged prominent social position like a Sarah Palin moose rifle, and suffers from an extreme sense of self-importance. Read my earlier post of Tuesday, July 8: Hillraisers behaving like Hillbrats Check her out and write her a letter...but make sure the stationary is engraved.

September 16, 2008

Posted: 10:07 PM ET

From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston, Extra

A prominent backer of Hillary Clinton is endorsing McCain.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday, her spokesman tells CNN.

The announcement will take place at a news conference on Capitol Hill, just blocks away from the DNC headquarters. Forester will “campaign and help him through the election,” the spokesman said of her plans to help the Republican presidential nominee.

Forester was a major donor for Clinton earning her the title as a Hillraiser for helping to raise at least $100,000 for the New York Democratic senator’s failed presidential bid.

In an interview with CNN this summer, http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/09/clinton.obama/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCVideo Forester did not hide her distaste for eventual Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him,” she said of Obama in an interview with CNN’s Joe Johns. “I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.”

Forester is the CEO of EL Rothschild, a holding company with businesses around the world. She is married to international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Forester is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York.

Biden Resigning. The Devil Made Him Do It.

Who is the Devil that made Biden resign, you ask? Why, it's that special someone who bought John McCain's soul, Ms. Sarah Palin. See, her last name has the exact same amount of letters as the word 'devil', two letters are the same, and the 'p' looks like an upsidedown 'd'. That's proof enough for me. A She-Devil with lipstick is still a devil. Enough said about McCain and selling himself out for cold, blind ambition, but it is a wonder to watch someone morph into the dark side of himself. If there really is karma, then here's a perfect opportunity to witness it.

So, Joe Biden said something stupid. Here's the whole miserable quote:

“Make no mistake about this,” Biden responded. “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Let’s get that straight. She’s a truly close personal friend, she is qualified to be president of the United States of America, she’s easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America, and quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. But she’s first rate, I mean that sincerely, she’s first rate, so let’s get that straight.”

Ya know what, Joe? Why dontcha just resign and let Hillary back on stage for her close-up. Between the lines, you practically said she was more qualified than Obama, and you said she's a better pick than you. So, seriously, resign. It's easy. It's been done before. You're never gonna be Prez. And, heavens knows, we could use more drama in this ho hum campaign.

Really, just think of it. Biden resigns. Hillary gets a 3am phone call from Barack, "Hill, this is, uh, uh, the 3am phone call you've been waiting for. Get, uh, up, and get your sunny pantsuit self over here. Uh, Biden's, uh, resigned and you're next up...uh, uh, I mean, I should've picked you in the first place but, uh uh, well, hey, that's water under the bridge, so, I'm askin' you, Hillary, will you, uh, uh, be my running mate? This ticket needs a kick in the ass and you're the shitkicker we need. Uh, Uh, just a joke. C'mon, let's take the Gold together." She accepts. Man, that would be AWESOME.

Is it fantasy? It could be fact. Nothing has been stranger or more surprising than this election.

Skip One Starbucks & Donate the Dollars to Obama

Skip One Starbucks & Donate the Dollars to Obama

Target: Very Concerned Citizens

Sponsored by: Money is the Mother's Milk of Politics
Sign this petition and forward to everyone you know: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/skip-a-Starbucks-give-Obama

PLEASE skip just ONE Starbucks drink (sorry Starbucks), and donate that amount to the Victory for Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

It's a little sacrifice to make sure there is enough money to battle the McPain smear machine. Give more, or more often, if you like, but even a little goes a long way.

Thank you, and here's to an Obama victory November 4th!

The World Will Be Saved by the National Enquirer

Never has a tabloid been so crucial in an election...nevermind a Presidential election. Actually, The National Enquirer is my go-to source for all things scuzzy, disreputable, potentially career-ending, but TRUE dirt on celebs and hypocritical politicos. I am placing all bets on The Enquirer to uncover the dirt that matters about Sarah "faux Hillary" Palin. You can run, Sarah, but you can't hide behind a moose (moose cliches already worn out but I hadn't used my cliche allotment yet), or little Trig, for that matter.

I have total confidence that The Enquirer will ferret out, and dole out the dough, to find out the details of Sarah's affair with First Dude's business partner back in the go-go 90's, despite all attempts of the McPains to seal all divorce files. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought that Sarah read Shakespeare in one of her 5 colleges, as this runner-up beauty queen puts Lady Macbeth to shame. But I doubt it. There's so much more one can skew SP with, but I'm not going to expend any more energy on her...I'm leaving that for The Enquirer, and when they do, they should get the Nobel Peace Prize for averting a McPain administration that would have us at war around the planet.

Enough said. I can't wait for the next issue: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/

The PALINdrome Syndrome

palindrome: noun - a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward

Much ado about nothing: Sarah Palin. The 'much ado' part is what's distressing because this feels like a pod blasted into the atmosphere, tumbled to earth, then exploded and brought forth an alien invader in the form of Sarah Palin. Here is where the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, conjures a sort of déjà vu except that Communism is replaced by right wing extremism. Here's a synposis of the movie:

"The theme of the cautionary, politicized film was open to varying interpretations, including paranoia toward the spread of a harmful ideology such as socialistic Communism, or the sweeping mass hysteria of McCarthyism (read: evangelical, right wing conservatism) in the 1950s (in 2008!) and blacklisting of Hollywood (read: blacklisting of anyone who has read a book), the spread of an unknown malignancy or virulent germ (read fear of annihilation by 'nuclear war'), or the numbing of our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity and group-think (read: FEAR). Yet its main theme was the alien (read 'Communist') dehumanization and take-over of an entire community by large seed pods (found in basements, automobile trunks, a greenhouse, and on a pool table)(found in communities in Alaska and red states that are, unfortunately, too numerous to mention) that replicated and replaced human beings (Mission Accomplished in red states...okay, not every single person). And it told of the heroic struggle of one helpless but determined man of conscience, a small-town doctor (McCarthy) (OBAMA), to vainly combat and quell the deadly, indestructible threat. "

Let's hope the election ends as well as the movie. Ok, back to "palindrome". Sarah Palin feels like someone who is both going forward and backward (the 1950's) at the same time. All of a sudden we are thrown back to the post war 50's...over 50YEARS ago... by some small time mayor from a small time town, now a governor of a state with a population less than the south side of Chicago, to a time when everything seemed, on the surface, so black and white. (No racial reference intended while, at the same time, it is quite apt.) Sarah Palin feels like a life threatening virus we have all suddenly contracted, and don't know exactly where we picked it up. Did we not wash our hands thoroughly enough while we were watching the Republican convention? Did we leave the room at exactly the wrong time and the virus jumped through the t.v.? Who knows, but this is a time for heavy antibiotics and the doctor says: don't stop taking them til November 5th.

Cirque du McPain & How to End It

Believe it or not, I'm a little sick of hearing about Sarah Palin. The circus that has become Cirque du McPain has more sky high acrobatics, spin and truth twisting derring-do rhetoric than it is possible for all the bloggers, and the National Enquirer, to verify. I have made a pact with myself that I will leave all the hand-wringing, angst ridden outrage to everybody else; and, I recommend you do the same. It's an energy sucker. We need that energy to stay focused on our task...get Obama elected. We've got work to do and don't need to pay attention to this asinine distraction manufactured by the Republican Rove machine - well, Steve Schmidt machine, a Rove alumni - that would keep us from thinking clearly and strategically.

First of all, get out your wallet. Yes, I know...I've heard it all, "Obama has a ton of money". Fortunately, it's true, and he's sure gonna need it. I don't need to tell you how much the Republicans have and will use every last penny on trying to demonize our man. I just beg you, give til it hurts. This is an investment we can't afford not to make, and come November 5th, when President Barack Obama addresses his legions, you'll be happy that you bought this stock. Better than Google. Donate here: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

The next this thing to do, is VOLUNTEER. Obama has built an extraordinary grassroots field organization (I've been a proud volunteer since the day he announced), and it is people on the ground who are going to make the difference by reaching out to phone bank undecideds, visit battleground states, and eventually, GOTV - Get Out The Vote - the day of the election. Sign up here: http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteer

Look, the McPain's are going to be around no matter how passionately you point out to your friends that, "Can you believe how that bitch (oops) lies about her record? Bridge to nowhere? She should be on it." or "Did you see how she was exploiting little Trig (the names and her family sound like they're straight out of The World According to Garp), carrying him around like a badge?" If you can change the reality of the McPain's, then more power to you. But, if you are a mere mortal worried about the outcome of the election, then stop thinking about them and do something positive.

Here's a way to release your frustration and outrage...have you ever heard of The Primal Scream? Here it is in a nutshell: get yourself in a padded room, think of the McPain's...let the feelings build until you're about to explode, and here's the kicker: let out a good, long blood curdling scream. You'll feel better, honest, and you'll be able to move on, out of the McPain orbit.

Once you've done that, you may read a maximum of two bloggers a day about the idiocy that is the McPain's, and then get to work. Later then.

Excellent editorial from the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090402842.html?referrer=emailarticle

The Stunning Hypocrisy of the GOP and How They Play the Game

Once again, the Republicans are masterfully spinning, what they would ordinarily find so reprehensible, into the proverbial Lemonade/Kool Aid. Can you imagine if one of Obama's daughters were 17, unmarried and pregnant? Or even if one of his, or Michelle's close relatives, were? The idea that having an unmarried, pregnant teen is a real family value that humanizes Palin, and puts her in touch with real families, is stunning in its concept, and the fact that the conservative base is swallowing this sugar-coated faux birth control pill is...well, I can't wrap my head around it.

That said, Dems better take note as so articulately stated in this article: LAKOFF: PALIN APPEALS TO VOTERS EMOTIONS...DEMS BEWARE: http://www.alternet.org/election08/97193

And, I know this notion will raise it's "I told you so" head...that Hillary should have been the VP nominee, cause Sarah Palin probably would never have been nominated as the experience question would have been dead in the water. And, even on the daughter front, Chelsea vs. Bristol, would have made it hard to validate Bristol's fall from grace. But, there would be challenges with any VP nominee, and I believe Hillary would have energized the Republicans in another very ugly way. We were dealt this hand and so be it. By the way, did you notice how much Bristol's boyfriend looks like her dad?

While the spotlight is now on the Republicans, the real final bout of this election will come after the final convention curtain, and now is the time for Democrats to step out of their prissy comfort zone and fight back with cajones. The world is at stake.

Headlines Happening Now...an ongoing drama

ALASKAN GOP FAMILY VALUES
Britney's sister, unmarried mom, Jamie Lynn Spears, was thrilled to hear that Bristol Palin, 17, is unmarried and pregnant, and laughingly admonished Bristol by asking, "What took you so long?! I did it when I was 16!" Jamie turned serious and offered to mentor Bristol, and immediately offered advice, "Hey, why marry the dude, he'll just be a ball and chain for your social life. Oh, I heard your mom was running for Vice President. I'm sure she's so proud that you're making her a grandma at this time. Hey, text me whenever...I'll get back to you as soon my mom relieves me of this little toy, I mean boy."

MITT ROMNEY TO ENDORSE OBAMA
A shock and a shudder rippled through the Republican party, as assumptive nominee for VP, Mitt Romney announced that he would endorse Barack Obama for President siting John McCain's colossal lack of judgment in passing him over for Sarah "faux Hillary Clinton" Palin. He did not throw a hissy fit, however, and maintained his Ken doll affect when he said, "What a senile old coot. That's the last thing we need in the White House...a woman." Romney was immediately informed of Sarah Palin's impending grandparenthood, and released a terse statement: "Congratulations to Sarah Palin for being such an awesome mother."

HA, HA, HA...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING

By NATHAN THORNBURGH/WASILLA

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837862,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
In Wasilla, Pregnancy was no secret
"Well, here's the deal: small towns have their own value systems, and in this situation those values are more a lot more valid than the dispassionate, pushy inquisitiveness that political journalism encourages."

Puhlease. This 'unbiased' journalist is actually spinning that in small towns it's cool to have unsafe, teenage sex, get pregnant, be unmarried, and the press should lay off, and the mother of said pregnant, unmarried teen is McCain's VP choice? This guy should get sober before he writes up his stuff.