9 posts tagged “politics”

I really do love pork, but not this kind.

A reasonable (meaning no holds barred on any candidate) deconstruction of pork-barrel spending from my one of my favorites, Matt Taibbi:

The thing that's really vile about earmarks is how cheaply we all get sold out. Two million of your taxpayer bucks in exchange for a $5,000 donation? Greenlighting a billion-dollar Pentagon boondoggle for a couple of free flights? Hey, if you're going to sell us out, at least fucking bargain. But it's not their money, and they never do.

barack obama: the final throes!

"That's why Giblets is so certain this final crippling blow to the Obama candidacy will be the finalest and most crippling of them all...Giblets doesn't need to wait for "polls" or "data" or "actual facts" when he has the sound judgment of real authentic heartland folk like Chris Matthews and George Will and Hillary Clinton!"

Having the Obamas be our First Family would really make me proud. It's amazing how far this country has come.

Thank you for coming out in the rain and voting. Thank you for exercising your right to vote as though it was something you earned rather than something you're owed. Thank you for coming out in favor of your values, for change, for a helluva interesting election. Good show, yall! Thank you for being the kind of place where the voice is with the people, and we can wake up the next day with new and interesting challenges for everyone. How awesome is that?

Thank you, Massachusetts, for voting in the second black governor in the US who is a KILLA public speaker, like church preacher good. Thank you for not giving in to negative advertisements and scare tactics.Thank you for Christy Mihos, the funniest independent candidate I've ever seen. Dear Christy: please get your own TV show. Preferably animated.

Thanks to voters, for coming right at 7 am when I was still counting ballots. Thank you for waiting in long lines and through broken machines and for the three who ran in, soaking wet, right at 9 to get your vote in. You looked like you had a hard day at work. Thank you.

On a more personal poltics note: thank you to our beloved Montana for electing Jon Tester. Our home state of Virginia, I know you'll do the right thing and confirm Jim Webb, veteran and miltary family man, the guy in his son's jump boots instead of the guy who decorated with a noose.  Thanks to Arizona for denying a gay marriage ban. South Dakota, thank you for voting against the abortion ban. Missouri, thanks for voting your heart to elect Claire.

Thanks to Michael J. Fox for taking one on the chin for all of us. I don't know if you know this, but you're still my hero, and not just for having kicked ass on a hoverboard way back when.

It's cliched, but heartfelt: God bless America. Even if your team lost, let's try to find a way forward from here, shall we?

Blue mass

Tomorrow I'll be working at our local polling place, helping you the voter from 6AM to whenever.  I read today that if you picture yourself voting, you're more likely to go and actually do so. Remember - you don't get to complain if you don't hold up your end of this crazy American experiment.

I can't get this video to embed on Vox, but [this is good].

she can't vote, but you can.

As for me, I want to vote for people who respect the same things I do. A candidate who thinks for their peeps. Someone who wants to give everyone the freedom to marry who we want to, rather than having to hide our true selves away and destroying families and communities in the process. Who thinks kids all deserve an education, soldiers should be protected like the heroes that they are, and someone who admits that we got 99 problems and all, but still believes that there's a better tomorrow.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

You know, like this guy, except he's not running. (right now.)

To busy to blog much right now, but these things have made my infrequent spare time a little more magical:

State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III

Awesomely awesome, and more even-handed and well written than I expected. I think it's been too much political blogs and not enough books about the subject to blame, but Woodward is also a damn fine writer with excellent sources.








Studio techs work their magic remastering Ray Charles and Count Basie. Find it at your local f'ing Starbucks of all places.

Ray Sings, Basie Swings

Update: Deval Patrick won the nomination for governor. In case you were wondering, he's kind of the man, and a huge part of this win is netroots campaigns and donations.

The boy and I worked the Mass. primaries today and it was actually a lot more interesting than I thought. After 15 hours of work, I'm too exhausted to write much. The boy was a warden, which meant he got to boss everyone around, and the insane melee of personality types both visiting and working the polls was an experience I'm unlikely to forget. Especially since we'll be back on November 7th for the election.

Yes, I am voluntarily waking up at 5am and going to work. No, this is not my typical protocol. Someone get me a beer.

blue states vote

1 comment

Ok, ok, so usually I leave the political blogging to Alex, but this is too insane not to mention. Senator George Allen, of Virginia forgets a cardinal rule of modern politics: everything is on the record.

Allen flubs it thusly:

a. insulting a guy in public who is
b. holding the camera to
c. document the whole thing for Allen's opponent, James Webb, and
d. then throws a racial slur or two around (wtf kind of slur is "Macaca", you goon?)

Allen tells S.R. Sidarth "Welcome to America. Welcome to the REAL Virginia." As someone raised and educated in Virginia, I think we should hold this fucker's feet to the fire so that he doesn't get away with it.

Not only is the person Allen's insulting an American, he's from Dunn Loring, Virginia. And went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, aka. the smart kid school. And is currently a student at University of (wait for it) Virginia. If you haven't already seen it, you can watch for yourself.

about to confirm his idiocy

Seriously. Northern Virginia should just be considered part of DC and then everyone could all get statehood together. And if Webb has any smarts, he'll focus on this in an ad campaign targeted at NoVa.