Molly made some phone calls for MoveOn last night. She actually managed to get one person to sit down and listen to her. This is probably a very effective tactic, but it doesn't do much to releave the anxiety of the caller.
I've had a knot in my stomach for weeks.
I don't know what to think, or feel, about the voters in the rest of the country.
The 2000 and 2004 elections told me exactly what to think and feel about 1/2 the voters in this country, and it isn't at all friendly.
I was thinking there should be some sort of party on Tuesday night where eveyone is locked away from TV and internets from 7 to midnight, becuase watching exit polls and results will drive you crazy- better to just wait until the end.
In '04 I had a bottle of champagne all chilled, based on the exit polls, that I was going to bring down to Copley square, and I had to put it back on the rack. I'd rather just go to sleep early on Tuesday and either be elated or disappointed all at once in the morning.
You know, I've heard worse ideas than that. Any other New York area people want to meet up for drinks on election night, in the interests of not thinking about it?
I'm not sure we'll take either House, but if we fail to do so, I'm going to vomit all night.
Imagine the conversation at an unfogged election-night gathering at which thinking or talking about politics is forbidden. Prediction: a lot of twitching.
No, no, you're missing the idea. Tension-fueled heavy drinking, resulting in inappropriate behavior. Hilarity can only ensue.
The 2000 and 2004 elections told me exactly what to think and feel about 1/2 the voters in this country, and it isn't at all friendly.
On these, I could sort of shelter behind the idea that a whole bunch of voters simply weren't emotionally able to vote for someone who seemed like an East Coast urban liberal. I was kind of sad about being such a repugnant pariah myself, but putting it down to a quirk rather than a real reflection of political views was less scary. Here, given that we're talking about a bunch of local races, I don't even have that consolation if things go badly.
10: That's not why you're a pariah.
Dude, I'd drink next Tuesday.
My office is in the same building as the NYC Board of Elections. Election Day is even more nerve-wracking because of that -- we get to watch the election people coming and going all day.
The trick is to talk yourself into being as pessimistic as you can be while remaining functional. Then, when it's not as bad as you feared, you're totally high.
And drink, yeah. Vast quantities. I watched the 1974 election in Britain on acid, but I wouldn't advise that unless you're absolutely sure of winning big.
Though I certainly think more people will cast votes for Democrats than Republicans, by a mile.
Oh, and I might be down for getting drinks, too.
Wait, is this where TLL is supposed to make a joke about Joe's tinfoil hat? Or am I getting personae mixed up again?
Excellent. Who knows, maybe I'll manage to drag Buck downtown. (Not that he reads the blog.)
Speaking of tinfoil hats, that HBO documentary on electronic voting machines airs tonight. It got a good review in the NY Times today.
Whoa! THE MAN is trying to stop me from spreading the word about voting machines.
"THE MAN" s/b "the Unfogged Happy Kitten, that bastard."
The devil assumes many forms, tempting to man.
I watched the 1974 election in Britain on acid, but I wouldn't advise that unless you're absolutely sure of winning big.
I watched the 1994 midterms on mushrooms, and in retrospect I was happy I did, just because giggling is more fun than crying.
I'm not optimistic, y'all.
Neither am I.
So, it kinda pisses me off that the gross problems with the new electronic voting systems have moved from "wild-eyed conspiracy theories" to "respectable topics for major media special coverage" in THE LAST WEEK BEFORE ELECTIONS.
16, 25: I was tripping on Aug. 18, 1991, watching Boris Yeltsin on CNN, standing on a tank to defy the attempted coup.
Heady stuff. It really looked like the world was becoming a better place.
Y'all just need to relax and take some advice from a codger with 40 years of political experience.
1) Win, lose, or draw this time, The Darkness will return, weirder and darker than before.
2) It can always get worse, and it will.
3) However low your expectations, you will still be disappointed.
4) No matter what you may think of your opponents, remember they are human beings. And weep.
I have more. But most of them were stolen by some damn poster printers.
I watched the 1974 election in Britain on acid,
I watched the 1970 one on beer. The results started coming in, people sobered up, sadly. I wish you guys better luck this time
I watched the 1984 election in a bar. I kept on drinking, took a bus home, fell asleep and rode to the end of the line and back, and puked out the bus window right before my stop. It was the first time since my apprentice "chugalug" period that I'd gotten sick (15+ years earlier)..
I don't have high hopes either. I haven't gotten over the 2004 election.
Oh well, at least there's Spitzer. Yay, Spitzer!
I watched the 2004 election at my house with a bunch of other people and got shit-faced drunk on wine. I don't remember the end of the night, but am told I spent it sitting on the couch muttering darkly.
Damn it, now I wish I'd accepted that invitation. If you'll recall, I turned it down because I thought my getting shit-faced would be inappropriate. It's probably still for the best that I wasn't there, though. I was really and truly unfit for public consumption on that election night. Gods, I couldn't even watch the '04 debates without getting plastered.
We prepared for our drunken disappointment in 2004 with a "comfort foods" themed potluck. Cream-based casseroles and the like, but alas, no jello-salad.
I made a killing on the 2004 election, so it was hard for me to be too upset. When the exit polls started coming in midday the "Bush" contracts on tradesports took a nose-dive. I didn't believe the exit polls*, so I jumped quickly on that and picked up several in the high 20s, several more in the low 30s. It was great. Hedging the outcome, the classic strategy: no matter who won that night I was going to be somewhat happy.
*I mustrusted them for entirely the wrong reason. Turns out I'm a lucky dunce, not an electoral genius.
I should note that not only did I get drunk for most (all?) of the '04 debates, I also did a lot of ditching halfway in to go play Civilizations III. I have a distinct memory of saying to Rah during one of them, from halfway up the stairs, something along the lines of, "Mufuckers I'm'na play Russia 'n'm'na get mufuckin Cultural Victory."
I heart RMcMP. muttermutterreligiousrevolutionmyassmuttermutter.
I know I have the sickness when I spend the day compulsively refreshing Political Wire, Hotline, etc.
I didn't drink the champagne I bought in '04, either. By 8PM eastern we'd started on the cheapo single-malt and it only got uglier from there. The next day was even worse.
22. Joe the voting machine thing has gotten so mainstream it was the subject of the Halloween "Foxtrot". I would link, but I am at the library and unable to. For Homeland Security reasons, I'm sure.
Hedging the outcome, the classic strategy: no matter who won that night I was going to be somewhat happy.
Similarly, I bet a friend $100 that the Dems won't take back the House. I'll have reason to be happy either way.
41- Drymala you need to up the ante my friend. $100 isn't enough to make you feel better. Hell, you'll probably blow all that washing away your sorrow in booze. This is like blood money, and if you're going to sell your soul you better at least get a nice payday.
Drymala's far enough in his artistic career that his soul comes cheap. Next stop: boozy days spent writing screenplays for Hollywood!
Yeah, that ship has pretty much sailed.
I'm in an odd position. I detest the Republican party thoroughly,
and see it necessary for them to lose indefinately. *But* I'm still
unsure of voting this time. I'm in TN, and our reps voted uniformly for H.R. 6166. Hell, I'd have been knocking on doors by now, but that vote threw me off the cart. Even if it was a "political" vote, a vote for Ford, JR, and ilk seems rather less than appropriate. Still hopin' you win, though. Not sure it'll matter. I doubt they'll hang the bastards, metaphorically or otherwise.
Plus prayer in schools- WTF is *that* for a Demo campaign?
Dude, you're in Tennessee? Hold your damn nose and vote. If you don't like the military commissions act, it doesn't matter how your reps voted -- it was a Republican bill, and if they don't have control of Congress, that sort of thing will stop happening. I can stay home -- Hillary and Charlie Rangel don't need my vote -- but you need to get out there.
(I'm taking this seriously on the off-chance that it's serious. If you're kidding around, nice one.)
Seriously, as was pointed out in other comments here last week, even if you don't like the individual Dem on the ticket it's worth it to try to throw committee and floor vote control to the Democrats as a party. That individual Dem may be a lout (I don't think Ford, Jr., is a lout, but I'm speaking generally here), but they will be much more likely to vote with the Dems than their Republican rival and they will be contributing to a majority that has the potential to do some real good.
Plus prayer in schools- WTF is *that* for a Demo campaign?
I believe the idea behind supporting that is that he wants people who support that, which is a larger number of people in Tennessee than in Oregon, to vote for him.
So, it kinda pisses me off that the gross problems with the new electronic voting systems have moved from "wild-eyed conspiracy theories" to "respectable topics for major media special coverage" in THE LAST WEEK BEFORE ELECTIONS.
I hate to sound cynical-really, I do- but that might have something to do with the expected results of the upcoming election.
28 is a first rate example of Bob's work, by the way.
28 is why I want to be a member of Bob's cadre.
I come to Unfogged looking for smutty giggling over Pastor Ted's big gay adventure, and all I get is sensible expectations management about the election? For shame, for shame.
52: It's on the art (sub-)thread. Like, duh.
Damn you and your quick reflexes, young Teo.
You might want to check that thread too, Jesus. Or maybe just the post.
Algright. It doesn't take much to push me where I was swaying.
And no, no joke Lizardbreath, it's just so damn hard to hold my nose this time. 6166. Ain't inspiring. Actually, the day after that House vote I told the Ford campaign to go F* themselves. His campaign hasn't been all roses here anyway. But, yeah, I guess
he's sorta-kinda-in-a-marginal-way-but-still-not-really-better-than-Corker.
Huzzah! We win! Or, not.
But yes, to hell with my dainty nose, I guess. But I'll be damned if I see Ford,JR, as the second coming. *Maybe* it's the way it must be. But, really? *That*, *that*'s how we must be?
Yeah, better than Corker, but this guy ain't the second coming of Clinton (who, himself, was a pitiful and shameful sellout of all of us around here.)
And, *of course* it matters how our reps voted. WTF? It makes me ill, to see this. What do we do now? To register anger or hatred, especially hatred?
btw, just to mention I've lurked awhile, I'm that "Tim" who drank too much, once. You really think it'll help if that guy's in office? H.R.6166. Really?
M. le D.
I gotta find my registration card. Dropped behind the speakers.
They mispelled my name 25 years ago:McMarus
Never got in my way, at a quick glance 'r' looks like 't'. But I will probably die in jail when they catch me.
I don't make this shit up, ya know.
I know that I'm voting a straight Democratic ticket, and it's particularly easy this year, since the Republicans on the ballot for state-wide positions are all light-weight losers. I'm still not sure how to vote on the ballot initiatives.
In general, I'm inclined to vote "no" on them all, since I don't like direct demcoracy in principle.
#1 (to allow supermarkets and convenience stores to sell wine) is particularly annoying, since it's being sponsored by a bunch of big chains. I kind of like preserving independent liquor stores, but mainly I object to big corporations using the ballot initiative to get around the legislature. Having said that, the ads saying that allowing convenience stores to carry alcohol will lead to a rash of drunk driving are pretty ridiculous.
Are there others? ANy suggestions for good places to bone up on the details?
I do hope y'all win the majority. Just so I can spend my days elsewise. Wasn't it quite cute when we could all spend our days worrying about Clinton's peckers. Ah, good days...
But really, after H.R 6166, I dunno how a "progressive" could support these guys. And it's the same damn thing here if you vote for them or us. You can rid us of them, or not.
Maybe angry is the only path left. Angry is still a valuable constituency.
But don't ask us to vote for Ford. Fuck Ford.
-d
OMG, I'm overwhelmed by the kitty onslaught!!!! PLEASE, praise
be to the Editors!! I can't take the KITTENS.... the KITTENS!...
aaagh.....
-d
poorman don't need no links!
Now here's a fucking story that should be getting attention on politics and policy grounds. "Ask Republican Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter why he fired a Republican for trying to prevent some of the fraud in Iraq. Then ask him why a conference committee can insert language neither House of Congress approved of, and why Republicans seem to keep doing that. Then vote for a Democrat, they won't let the Republicans get away with these stunts."
Incidentally, don't think I ain't been out there arguing with those
few Republican leaning voters. Thing is, there *aren't* any Republican voters anymore, not anyway in the circles I can hit. There's such hatred out there now I can almost get it. My grandma is voting anti-republican. And she's voted Republican since before I was born. People aren't so damn dumb here, it just turns out they'd be glad to see us all in camps if it would mean we're "WINNING OVER THERE."
So not so good news. No matter what we do, they're gonna hate us. But we can still say "FUCK YOU." And realize.. We Do Not Have To Win Them Over.. The South is, was, and forever shall be, lost. As a son of the south, I'm sorry to say so, but
you can't win here. Exactly because you don't hate blacks, and others. And I hate me for that, hate us all. But it is the way it motherfucking is here. So that's why we lost. Why we will always lose here, why, finally, you gotta regroup, and Canada's not so far (geographically, and far less so, ideologically.)
So that's why I'm leaving. I'll leave it to others to explain why I feel so ashamed to do so.
btw- I predict the Republicans hold the necessary majority. Popular anger has not risen sufficiently to overcome deceit.
M. le D.
or booger, if you prefer.
Howdy Bitch,
(Sorry, just realized I wanted to say "Howdy, Bitch," once in my life. My bad.)
Actually, it's going swimmingly. Turns out, all you hafta do is not drink now and then. Who'da thunkit? Of course, now and then, it don't work, but I still won't vote for Corker. And I graduate.. and others want to give me money! Huzzah!
-M. le Ass
Graduating good, and not drinking now and then good, too. Congrats.
But really, and I mean this with (observing the news) deadly seriousness. In what mindset could *you* vote for Ford, JR? Like I said, I was ready to volunteer here 'til that fatal vote. Might have volunteered. *Now*, I can't even *honestly* ask my family to vote. (They're die-hard Republicans, but are similarly abstaining, and furious at Bush.)
I've been reading Unfogged, Digby, Billmon. Etc. I'm on your side. I believe the Republicans need to be thrashed out of power for at least a generation. I want trials, hell, executions.
But, I don't think these "people" will lead us there. I don't think there's an answer. In the mean time, I've downloaded Piaf's discography. So at least there's a smile.
But Ford is insupportable. "I believe in Gods, Guns, and You."
Uh, well. I believe in fuck you, then.
It's easy as hell to say vote for him, when your vote isn't very explicitly going to support H.R.6166. Otherwise, shit's kinda vague. Perhaps it's only right I'm listening to Sid Vicious now. Fuck us, I feel sorry for the rest of us following this. Hopefully, they'll have the balls we never had.
-d (When I die, I can say I never voted for this. Like that matters.)
So is there anyone there in TN, or otherwise, who can counter me on Ford, JR? Believe me, I want you to. I haven't heard a plausible line yet. (I'm listening to McLean now.. American Pie..
would you believe it's the first song I ever remember, back on my dad's 8-track. Of course, I didn't understand, but I don't think you have to. Nobody ever heard about Central American death squads back then, or at least had the sense to lie to the kids.)
And, yes, I hope music *can* save our mortal souls. I guess what hit me with it, was I could feel it all ending then already. It was always mournful, and I never knew *of what*. America was always something to be mourned, never to be experienced. The references are dated now, I never tried to understand them.
Now you needn't trouble yourself. "Bye-bye Miss American Pie..." It's the song of a selfish generation who never thought to share it with us, and, once they forgot the lyrics, left their children to hum it, blindly. And were afraid to hear it arising from other throats.
You know what sucks? I just had a very clever rebuttal to myself ready to loose.. *but* I haven't quite figured out that clicking on the "X" just loses shit. Oh.
This is why I never post. When I do, it's the end of the damned thread. Which is not what I want. I'm not trolling. I'm just a very dispirited and very angry voter. And very tired. There are only so many years you can spend on Billmon, Digby, et. al, before growing fatally tired. Which I think at least one of the above is beginning to grow, as well.
But tell me how to vote for Ford. It helps no one. I like that he likes Playboy bunnies, I like them too, if from a distance (unfortunately.) But H.R. 6166 doesn't admit much room for argument. If he's willing to vote for that, what the fuck else is there really to say? He's kinda-sorta-but-not-really as awful as Corker?
And if *that's* the future of the Dem party, why the hell bother? Why spend our energy, life, and spirits here? Or elsewhere?
That said, I hope y'all win. On the vague, very vague, chance we won't go attacking another non-aggressive country. But I won't be expecting to see Ford in front of any peace protests.
So.
And I know no one in my family voting
When I do, it's the end of the damned thread.
Not quite yet. I'll advocate voting for the least objectionable candidate. It's not as if voting now entails trudging through ten miles of deep snow up-hill both ways while fending off the wolves, like we had to.
The current crop of nuts are a disaster. The others *may* lead to disaster too but it's not a sure thing.
The alternative, if current trends continue, is some shiny day some general is going to look at his shiny tanks and shiny troopers, and think "You know, I could run this country better than they can, and I have the means to do so".
Having said that, the ads saying that allowing convenience stores to carry alcohol will lead to a rash of drunk driving are pretty ridiculous.
Wait, wait, wait... your convenience stores don't carry alcohol? What on earth do they sell?
They just sell condoms, cigarettes, soft drinks and tylenol. And lottery tickets.
I kind of like preserving independent liquor stores
Which have already gotten squeezed in the past couple of years as MA and RI legalized Sunday sales. Which I was totally for--you'll find me lining up every Sunday at noon--but still, sucks for the smaller businesses. I don't have a say in it, of course, but I do hope Question 1 fails. Whatever MA does in this area, RI will soon follow. In this case, that's a recipe for an even greater flood of mass market cheap Australian wine in stores while small places with decent selections suffer.
I do love the fact that old pharmacies in Providence can sell booze, though.
They just sell condoms, cigarettes, soft drinks and tylenol. And lottery tickets.
They also frequently sell the air freshener for white supremacists, Vanilla Pride.