- Have you seen Barack's new ad?
- Here are three things you might want to tell those of your friends who aren't yet in the Obama camp.
- Whaddya know, it's June and they already have a tentative budget deal in Lansing.
- I'm on PartyBuilder!
- Did you hear that sprinter Tyson Homosexual set an American record in Olympic qualifying in the 100 meters? Actually it was Tyson Gay, but not according to a far-right news website.
- This credit card advice could save you a bundle.
- Can you believe that were are almost halfway through 2008?
6/30/2008
Bits of Tid: June 30, 2008
How Michigan could tip the election
Since Michigan was first given electoral votes in the 1836 election (before it even became a state!), only once has the Great Lakes State proven to be a deciding state in a presidential election. That is to say, only one election would have had a different outcome had Michigan's electoral votes been gone to the other candidate. That was in the hotly contested (and highly controversial) Hayes-Tilden election of 1876.
While many polls and Electoral College models put Obama as the current favorite to win this year's election, keep in mind that things can change very rapidly. Michael Dukakis led by double digits following the 1988 Democratic National Convention before losing by quite a bit that in November.
There is the very distinct possibility that our state will become the deciding state of the 2008 election. Here I outline some of the ways in which that could happen.
Here are the results of the 2004 election:
Now when we change the map a little bit, we see just how important Michigan will be. In each of the following scenarios, neither candidate has the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Presidency. Michigan's 17 electoral votes would be enough to put either candidate over the top; whoever takes the Wolverine State, takes the White House.
Obama wins Florida:
Obama wins Ohio and Iowa:
Obama wins Ohio:
Obama wins Iowa and Virginia:
Obama wins Iowa, Colorado, and New Mexico:
Obama wins Iowa, Missouri, and Virginia:
Obama wins Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia; McCain wins Pennsylvania
Then there are those cases where Michigan could make or break a tie in the Electoral College.
Obama wins Florida and Iowa:
Obama wins Colorado, New Mexico, and Ohio:
Obama wins Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia:
Obama wins Florida, McCain wins Wisconsin:
There are many, many other possibilities which I haven't outlined here. The point is, Michigan will be very important in this election, and it just might be a deciding state in this contest. Therefore, what we do here in the next 18 weeks could very well determine the future of this country.
6/28/2008
Report: Global warming threatens national security
Let's see what kind of reaction this will get from Republicans who claim to support protecting our nation and oppose illegal immigration:
Global warming is likely to increase illegal immigration, create humanitarian disasters and destabilize precarious governments and could add to terrorism, all of which could threaten U.S. national security, according to an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies.Moral of the story? If you want something done about the serious issues of the day, start with global warming."Logic suggests the conditions exacerbated (by climate change) would increase the pool of potential recruits for terrorism," said Tom Fingar, deputy director of national intelligence for analysis, who testified before a joint House committee hearing Wednesday.
Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia are most vulnerable to warming-related drought, flooding, extreme weather and hunger. The intelligence assessment warns of a global spillover of those troubles: increased migration and water-related disputes, he said in prepared remarks.
Climate change alone would not topple governments, but it could worsen problems like poverty, disease, migration, and hunger that could destabilize already vulnerable areas, Fingar told the committee.
6/26/2008
The Shortest Books Ever Written
Coming soon to a bookstore or library near you?
- A Republican's Guide To Logical Thinking
- A Happy Home Life And Marriage, by Donald Trump
- All-Star Tributes To Regis Philbin
- A Millenium Of German Humor
- Arctic Water Polo
- Banjo Sonatas
- Career Opportunities For History Majors
- Christmas Shopping At The Local Toxic Waste Disposal Site
- Complete List Of American Malls Without A "Gap"
- Deep-Thinking Conservatives
- Honesty In The White House: 1969-1974
- Honesty In The White House: 2001-present
- Household Uses For Plutonium
- Madonna On Formal Wear
- Marcel Marceau's Greatest Speeches
- Mike Tyson's Insightful Thoughts
- Mountaineering The Netherlands
- My Life As A Woman, by Martina Navratilova
- My Secrets And Tips To Make Friends, by Darth Vader
- NFL's Greatest Thinkers Ever
- People Who Saw "Gigli"
- Pitcairn Island Telephone Book (Including Yellow Pages)
- Quantum Physics For Absolute Morons
- Ross Perot's Ear Improvement Manual
- Sainthood In Government
- Satan's Love Letters
- Scottish World Cup Successes
- Staple Your Way To Success
- Successful Trekkies
- Surgeon General's Warning: This Is Not A Book
- Tasty Bile Recipes
- Tasty Sediment
- The ABC's Of Gum Chewing
- The American Medical Association's Guide To Proper Penmanship
- The Amish Phone Book
- The Book With No Title
- The Comic Genius Of Tom Arnold
- The Educational Guide To MTV
- The Gentle Side Of Joseph Stalin
- The Happy Hooker Goes To Our Lady Of Sorrows Convent
- The History Of DARE In Bogota, Colombia
- The Merits Of Gun Control, by the NRA
- The Plan For Prohibition In Ireland
- The Pope's Wife, A Very Nice Nancy
- The Rainy Day Book Of Flicking Dimes
- There's One Born Every Minute (200 blank pages)
- Thesaurus Of Square Roots
- The Total Vocabulary Of Arnold Schwarzeneggar
- The Who's Who Of Great Republican Humanitarians
- The Wit And Wisdom Of Dan Quayle
- Things That Taste Better With Arsenic
- Things You Could Buy At The World Artichoke Festival
- To Tell The Truth, by President George W. Bush
- Understanding Moss
- Unshakeable Principles I Live By, by John McCain
- Volume One of Madonna's Morality Encyclopedia
- Ways To Cross The "T"
- Ways To Give Change For A Penny
- Windows Programming Made Easy
- Why People Are More Important Than Animals, by Greenpeace
- Why Political Correctness Is Not Censorship
- Women Named "Fred"
- Wrath Of The Ant Colony
6/19/2008
Bits of Tid: June 19, 2008
- Someone made an error in judgment and refused to allow two Muslim women on the stage during Obama's rally in Joe Louis Arena the other night. Obama himself called the women and apologized.
This is part of what I like about Obama. He's not claiming to run the perfect campaign and trying desperately to cover this up and denied this ever happened. Instead, like a good leader, he is confronting it, accepting responsibility, and taking the initiative to apologize. Why won't more people in politics do that? - Obama is hitting the airwaves in Michigan and 17 other states this weekend. He's off to an excellent start:
- Congrats to two Michigan bloggers on winning scholarships to Netroots Nation in Austin! I hope to attend a Netroots Nation event in the near future, although this year I won't be able to.
- As you may know, I am the Wednesday night editor of Daily Kos's Overnight News Digest. My most recent edition leads off with three stories of diplomacy.
- What's your ecological footprint?
- We are now fewer than 200,000 minutes away from 7AM on November 4, when polls will be open on Election Day in Michigan.
- As it turns out, my cousin was named valedictorian at her high school!
6/18/2008
Racism at Texas Republican Convention
Seen at last weekend's Texas Republican Convention:
Disgusting, obviously. However, I am not surprised.
You see, they want power. With their party in serious danger of losing the White House, the GOP is desperate to hold on to the office and the power that comes with it.
The problem for them is, they feel they can't attack the content of Obama's character, so they attack him for the color of his skin. They feel that they cannot attack him on policy issues such as the economy and Iraq, so they go after him for not looking like him, for not having an 'American' name.
They can't play to the issues, because they know they would lose. So they play to people's fears and prejudices. What does it tell you that they feel this will actually help them win.
Which is not to say the entire Texas Republican Party or the McCain campaign is officially behind it. These kinds of buttons are sold by private groups, vendors, etc., all the time at Republican and Democratic conventions, meetings, and the like. For instance, I have a button from the Isabella County Dems that says 'pollution is a moral issue.'
Even so, I hope the DNC and Obama campaign call on McCain and other Republicans to denounce this. For them not to do so would signal complicity.
6/13/2008
RIP, Tim Russert
As I'm sure you are, I am shocked that Tim Russert passed away from a heart attack today.
I still remember watching Russert and Tom Brokaw crunching the numbers on the night of the 2000 and 2004 elections. He was at once a keen observer and analyst and also a family man - an Irish Catholic fan of the Buffalo Bills who wasn't afraid of who he was.
Here's a piece from Russert regarding campaign attacks and smears, published on MSNBC.com just hours before his death. Joe Biden and Lindsay Graham were going to appear on Meet the Press this weekend; I'd be shocked if they didn't replace that with a special tribute to Russert.
In a way, Russert's death reminds me of FDR's death from a brain hemorrhage in 1945. Both were titans in their respective fields: Russert in journalism, Roosevelt in politics. Both died suddenly during extroardinary times: FDR during World War II, Russert during an historic campaign season. And of course, both left such enormous shoes to fill. Harry Truman did as good a job as he could have (though he did make mistakes); I wish the best to whomever is chosen as the new host of Meet the Press.
Obama:
I’ve known Tim Russert since I first spoke at the convention in 2004. He’s somebody who, over time, I came to consider not only a journalist but a friend. There wasn’t a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics, and he was also one of the finest men I knew. Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family. I am grief-stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. And I hope that, even though Tim is irreplaceable, that the standard that he set in his professional life and his family life are standards that we all carry with us in our own lives.
6/12/2008
6/10/2008
Labor begins to rally around Obama
No surprise here, the United Auto Workers has endorsed Barack Obama.
"After a historic primary campaign which activated and mobilized millions of voters, our union is proud to endorse Sen. Barack Obama," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. "He has inspired our country with a positive vision for a better America -- and with concrete plans to turn that vision into reality.
...
"On every issue that counts, we can count on Barack Obama to stand with our members, our families and our communities. He has pledged to rebuild America's manufacturing base and to assist the auto industry as we re-tool toward a cleaner, more modern transportation system. "Sen. Obama supports free choice in the workplace; he will fight to deliver quality, affordable health care to every American; and he understands the need to change our trade policies so that U.S. workers and U.S. companies can compete fairly in the global economy.
The UAW is not alone, of course.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is expected to endorse Obama in the coming weeks. Says IAFF President Harold Schaitberger:
If (candidates) stand with us we will stand with them.
Of course, with the nomination having just been settled in the past few days, so many unions haven't had the chance to rally around him. But given Obama's economic plan (among other things), it should be safe to say most of them will back him.
Incidentally, if you didn't catch his speech in North Carolina on Monday, here it is:
6/06/2008
Bits of Tid: June 6, 2008
- In case you haven't heard, the DNC will join the Obama campaign in not allowing lobbyist or PAC money.
- Powerful:
- My computer desktop:
Get yours here. - My aunt was laid off yesterday. In Colorado. And she's not alone. Some 'single-state recession' we're having in Michigan, huh?
- Operation Overlord - also known as the Invasion of Normandy - took place 64 years ago today.
- There will be two people on the ballot for New York's 13th District seat in Congress named Francis Powers. The Republican nominee's son is going to run as a Libertarian.
- How is this for a banished phrase?
Now the Real Work Begins - As if all the work done up until this point wasn't real.
- President Bush is so dumb, he thinks the Stanley Cup is something Chris Osgood puts in his pants to protect himself.
6/05/2008
Champions
Tradition dictates that whenever a team wins a championship such as the Stanley Cup or the World Series, they get to visit the White House several months later. If memory serves me correctly, Stanley Cup champions usually visit around January. Hmmm...
6/03/2008
Our nominee
From my inbox:
It's been a long journey, and we should all pause to thank Hillary Clinton, who made history in this campaign. Our party and our country are better off because of her.On this night, Tuesday, the 3rd of June, 2008, my heart swells with pride for our party, for our country, and for our world.
I want to make sure you understand what's ahead of us. Earlier tonight, John McCain outlined a vision of America that's very different from ours -- a vision that continues the disastrous policies of George W. Bush.
But this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past and bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.
It's going to take hard work, but thanks to you and millions of other donors and volunteers, no one has ever been more prepared for such a challenge.
Thank you for everything you've done to get us here. Let's keep making history.
Tonight, Senator Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
Few can say they have lived as well-rounded and influential life as Barack Obama. The multiracial Obama, whose father hails from Kenya and whose mother was from Kansas, was born in Hawaii and spent time in Indonesia while growing up.
He left law school to work as a community organizer in Chicago to help deal with the needs of troubled neighborhoods. He eventually finished his law school work after having become the first African-American to edit the Harvard Law Review.
He spent eight years in the Illinois Senate before winning election to the US Senate in 2004. In both roles, he has established a track record of success in getting things done and advancing progressive causes.
And now, here we are, in the late spring of 2008. 793 years after the Magna Carta loosened a king's grip on England, 232 years after rebel patriots declared themselves free from the bonds of tyranny, 141 years after the abolition of slavery in this 'Land of the Free,' this party offers this nation - the land of the free, the home of the brave - the chance of a generation.
A chance to elect a real leader. A leader of impeccable character and integrity. A leader of high intelligence.
Someone ready to take on the role of leading all 300 million of us. To be a role model for school children everywhere - living proof that you can be whatever it is you want to be, if only you dedicate yourself. Living proof to all that obstacles are not impossible to overcome.
Early on, I must admit, I was skeptical. He was one of my top picks right from the get-go - along with Edwards and Richardson (I think I would have backed Wes Clark had he run) - but I was not convinced the 40-something junior senator from Illinois was ready for the toughest job in the world, at one of the most critical times in American history.
Winter turned into spring, spring to summer. I paid attention to what our field of candidates - diverse in race, personal background, experience, and policy ideas - had to say about why they were the one for which America has longed.
Wouldn't you know it, that young man - the youngest in the pack - kept convincing me time and time again that not only was he ready for the enormous burden of the Presidency, but that no one else running was quite as ready as him. And so I gave him my support.
And now, here we are. Five months after the Iowa Caucuses, five months before the general election, this primary season has finally come to an end.
We now know that the son of a Kenyan father and a Kansan mother will be the nominee of the Democratic Party - the Party of Jefferson and Jackson, the party of FDR, JFK, and LBJ, and the Party of Nobel winners Wilson, Carter, and Gore - to hold the office once held by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, U.S. Grant, TR, Silent Cal, FDR, Truman, and Ike.
As our nominee, Obama has made history. If elected, he will make even more history.
Far more important, he will work to make the future better for all of us.
So together, let's make it happen.
Bits of Tid: June 3, 2008
"The End" Edition
- :-D
- I kinda figured we might have a presumptive Democratic nominee before we knew who would win the Stanley Cup. Oh well, the Wings will clinch it tomorrow. I hope.
- I found out that my precinct lost a Precinct Delegate seat. I am one of three candidates for two spots instead of three. So I'm in the unusual position of planning a re-election campaign for Precinct Delegate!
- I'm also planning a few other things with regard to this election... so stay tuned!
- If you would keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers, we would appreciate it. She will likely have to undergo a procedure or two on her knee, which has been bothering her for some time. More on that as it develops.
- Remember on New Year's I mentioned that a lot of big events this year would be occurring on a Tuesday? Well, we now have:
- 9 weeks until Primary Election Day;
- 20 weeks until my birthday;
- 22 weeks until General Election Day; and
- 33 weeks until Obama's inauguration.
- From last week's National Spelling Bee:
That kid ended up winning it all, while a 7th-grader from Bloomfield Hills was runner-up. - As I alluded to recently, my cousin will graduate from high school this weekend!
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