Return of the Countdown! 128 Days to Go!

Sorry for the delay on returning to action, guys. My computer has been messing with me, and using the old desktop was something I've been trying to avoid. However, political insanity is calling me, and I must answer the call.

--> As most of you probably know, I'm now packing heat. At least, the Supreme Court assumes I am, and has no problem with it. Five of our illustrious justices (the 4 Ultra-Cons - Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts - and Anthony "Vote Where the Wind Takes Me" Kennedy) chose to uphold our individual right to bear arms. The early impact of this decision would seem to suggest that the Supreme Court sides with McCain and not Obama. However, the larger picture is that this may very well take the issue off the table for the fall election, limiting the ability of Republicans to suggest that Democrats will take away their guns. In the end, we can all rest easy knowing that bitter Pennsylvanians can loosen their collective grip on their guns. Now we just have to get them to stop clinging to religion.

--> Former Supreme Commander of NATO Wesley Clark (D) went after McCain's military credentials today, a move that may quietly position him better for the VP slot on the Obama ticket (I mean, how could a bland, white name like "Clark" not help improve sounds-like-Iraq-Hussein-Osama's image?). Key quote: “I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.” It's odd, albeit not surprising, that this phenomenon of military service has developed. Apparently, being a soldier makes you qualified to command the whole army. I know that there is some logic to it (understanding the psychology of war, relating to the troops, etc.), but command ability and combat ability are significantly different. It seems that the last presidential election, and the attacks on John Kerry's 3 Purple Hearts, affirmed that military service is not off-limits in a campaign.

--> This week, obviously inspired by the new high school Lincoln-Douglas topics, Senate Republicans will re-introduce the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. With a Democratic majority in Congress, this has absolutely no chance of passing, but Republicans are obviously worried about the approaching election, and have discovered that they can rally the conservative troops by pretending to advance their agenda. The interesting part of this bill is two of its co-sponsors: Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA). Both are ultra-conservatives, but the former solicited sex from a male police officer in an airport bathroom and the latter was a preferred customer of a DC prostitution ring. Not exactly poster boys for the family values crowd (especially Craig, who clearly wasn't planning on making an honest man of that police officer).

--> Having already played Muhammad Ali in film (see the picture above Barack), Will Smith is already auditioning for the role of Barack Obama in any future bio-pic. The key, Smith notes, is his big ears (and yes, he made this joke himself; this isn't my humor, although I would have gone there anyway). My suggestion for other casting: Smith plays the cocky, smooth-talkin Senator from Illinois opposite Tommy Lee Jones as his white, stiff sidekick: Hillary Clinton. Let's be honest here, who doesn't want to see those two reunite? I've already stated plainly that No Country for Old Men would have been a better film with Will Smith sitting next to Tommy Lee Jones as a sidekick in all those scenes. So I guess, building on this theme, that Michelle Obama would have to be played by either Linda Fiorentino or Rosario Dawson. Plus, John McCain would have to be played by this guy:

Wait for October of this year, when John McCain swallows Hillary Clinton, who then blows him up from the inside.

--> New York Times columnist and EDC favorite Frank Rich today wrote a scathing editorial about John McCain (surprised?). The "news" here is that Rich unfortunately made a mistake: the character's name is SpongeBob SquarePants, not SquareBob SpongePants. Yup...this really is all that I have to say negatively about Frank Rich.

--> Governor and Evil-Spock Impersonator Bill Richardson (D-NM) made an oops the other day. Despite being one of the strongest Obama surrogates on the campaign trail, and a major voice in the immigration debate, he proceeded to priase Senator McCain's record on immigration. That's right, he used the adjective "good" to describe it.

More tomorrow, as EDC continues its quest to get back on track.

Raise Your Hand and Say Here

I'll make this simple: post a comment if you're still regularly or semi-regularly reading this blog, just so I have a sense of who's still here.

They Want Their MTV, Vacation Time, and A True Manly Man! 131 Days to Go!

Hey all, sorry about the less-than-daily posting lately; I've been quite busy, and because the level of news every day is inconsistent, I can't guarantee that there will be enough to write about every day. That being said, there's plenty to discuss here.

--> Obama campaign manager Plouffe revealed their top secret strategy today: let Bob Barr beat John McCain. Apparently, the Dems believe (and rightly so) that Barr can suck enough support from McCain in reddish states like Alaska and Georgia that Obama could make a strong play for them. They're not wrong, as I mentioned this about 2 weeks ago. Just another example of why I should be managing presidential campaigns ;-).

--> The Democratic National Convention planning is apparently not going smoothly, largely because of their efforts to make the convention the "greenest ever." Making the event green means that, among other things, the celebratory balloons will be biodegradable. Just a thought, maybe we should protect the earth by just not dropping balloons at all. Then again, I'm sure the lack of excitement at the GOP convention will do that job for us.

--> MTV, reversing its policy that has stood since its creation in 1981, has decided to accept political advertising on its stations. Obama is already planning a major buy, because we all know that what he really needs to focus on is the youth vote. Seriously, he should be running ads on TV Land, Lifetime, and CBS, not MTV and Nickelodeon - he already has the Rugrats vote in the bag.

--> Republican Senator Gordon Smith (OR), in a tough re-election fight with Jeff Merkley, decided to take the only course available to a responsible, loyal party member: pretend that John McCain doesn't exist and that he is closely aligned with Barack Obama His new TV ad demonstrates that he and Barack Obama are best friends, go fishing on weekends, and gave each other friendship bracelets with their initials on them. When McCain heard that Smith was ignoring him, he ran to his best friend and gave him a big hug (see below). If the best strategy that a Republican can come up with this year is to pretend that he's a Democrat...well... Obama fixed the situation, by releasing a statement that he actually supports Merkley.

--> Actually, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) came up with a better strategy in his new ad. In this one, Cornyn demonstrates that he should be re-elected because he drinks beer, works hard, and could probably wrestle a bear. Being completely out of sensible policy ideas, we're not surprised that Cornyn has decided to make this election a testosterone contest, trying to make Texas focus on how good his impression of a cowboy is (George Bush does a good one, too). He better thank his lucky stars that Rudy Giuliani wasn't the Republican nominee.

--> Robert Novak reports that former Secretary of State Colin Powell (R) may very well end up in Barack Obama's camp. Still bitter about his exit from the Bush Administration, and sensitive to attacks on Obama's race, Powell seems to be entertaining the idea, if not seriously considering it. That would be a huge endorsement, as there's pretty much no one with greater military credentials than Powell.

--> Senator John McCain (R-AZ), despite being immersed in the intensity of a full scale presidential race, has found the time to relax: the weekend. In fact, he has had a grand total of ONE weekend event since February 7th. Of course, we're not surprised that a 72 year-old man needs time to rest during the week. In fact, McCain has already informed reporters that, when elected, he plans on taking frequent naps during the day. He will also call the leaders of hostile nations, such as Iran and North Korea (although he will NEVER, EVER MEET WITH THEM), and urge them not to bomb us on Saturdays. Much like Monroe and Roosevelt issued official doctrines on foreign policy, the McCain Doctrine will dictate that Saturdays are "McCain's personal time." Also, the Situation Room will now be outfitted with a massage chair (thanks, Brookstone).

--> Political strategist Stephen Baldwin, while being interviewed by Fox News, stated bluntly that calling John McCain another term of George Bush is "the most stupidest thing he's ever heard." I guess Bush's grammar is infectious.

Unity, Disappointment, and Electoral Help From Osama! 134 Days to Go!

Tons of ridiculous news to get to today, so I must jump right in, because it is my sworn duty to poke fun at anyone with any sort of power (part of my 9-point plan to claim control of government).

The Veepstakes Rolls On Today:

--> Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), breaking the unwritten rule of not saying what he said, which was: "If the candidate asks me to be vice president, the answer is I got to say yes. But he's not going to ask me. Unlike most other people, I'm being straight with you. If asked, I will do it. I've made it clear I do not want to be asked." Unfortunately for Biden, asking for the VP spot is a sure way to not get it. Later in the press conference, Biden stood up and yelled, "I LOST THE GAME!!!" (By the way, I and everyone else reading has now lost the game). Also, my respect level for my own blog just went down the crapper.

--> John McCain is reportedly upset that his top 3 preferences for VP are unavailable/unacceptable to his party and/or the country. McCain was reportedly surprised that Larry, Moe, and Curly have long since passed on to the afterlife.

In all seriousness, there are very good reasons why McCain's apparent top-3 can't be chosen:

* Tom Ridge - former governor of PA, Catholic, moderate: what's not to like? Unfortunately, he's pro-choice. The party's conservative base would kill themselves if it wasn't a sin.

* Jeb Bush - Governor of a huge swing state with a presidential-sounding name, I can't imagine why Americans would have a problem with a guy named Bush in the White House again in 2009?

* Senator Mel Martinez (FL) - another swing stater, this one with a really helpful ethnicity...it's a shame that he can't constitutionally be President, having come to America at the age of 15 from Cuba. I'm told that he actually came over at the same time as El Duque...and is currently in better shape to pitch, too.

--> In more election news, it's possible that a dark horse has emerged in the contest to become John McCain's running mate. Based on recent statements by chief strategist Charlie Black, it seems that the political figure that can best help the Arizona Senator win this election is this guy:

Yes, that's right. In an interview with Fortune Magazine, Black claims that a terrorist attack on U.S. soil between now and the election "would certainly be a big advantage to [McCain]." Talk about playing on fear tactics! A Republican strategist suggesting that dead Americans would help get his candidate elected? Aren't 4,104 enough?

There are words I should use to describe this Charlie Black guy, but I'm not allowed to say them on TV. There are in fact 7 words I should use in this sentence, but I feel that this blog should remain child-friendly. Besides, if you want to hear those words, go listen to someone who knew how to say them. Rest in peace, George Carlin.

Other News of the Day:

--> Conspiracy theorists, start your engines. For the 5th time in the last 35 years, the President of the United States will be a lefty. Both Obama and McCain seem to favor their left hand (although that's about all McCain does with his left side), as have many over the last few years. With only 10% of the population being left-handed, that's a large coincidence for such a high-proportion of presidents to swing that way. Any lefties reading this blog, I respectfully request that you bring up my query at the next meeting.

--> The two titans of the Democratic Party, Obama and Hillary, plan on making their first joint appearance of the campaign this coming Friday. The chosen location: Unity, New Hampshire. Of course, the decision on the town has nothing to do with its odd name; in fact, both candidates got exactly 107 votes from the town during the primary. Symbolism aside, this is an important first step in getting Hillary supporters on board. Future stops are being planned across the country, as Obama promotes his agenda of name-appropriate locations. They include a joint appearance with Karl Rove in Accident, Maryland (a real place); and a meeting with Fidel Castro in Questionable Diplomacy With An Old Man, Florida (I can't imagine how the Spanish came up with that colony's name). This joke is getting old, but if you're interested in bizarre city names, check out this link.

My computer is acting weird, so this will have to hold you until tomorrow. I hope you've enjoyed this edition of All These People Are Insane.

Mr. Obama is Dragged to Washington by Activist Liberals! 135 Days to Go!

Most of the public's knowledge (or lack thereof) of the filibuster comes from watching the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In this classic film, Jimmy Stewart plays a man appointed to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, who comes face to face with political corruption.

The movie's triumphant climax features Jefferson Smith (Stewart) filibustering dramatically on the floor of the Senate; he cries, "I find that if I yield only for a question or a point of order or a personal privilege, that I can hold this floor almost until doomsday. In other words, I've got a piece to speak, and blow hot or cold, I'm going to speak it."

As his filibuster drags on, and Smith's voice becomes hoarse, he urges his colleagues, "Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And, uh, if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again!"

Few movies wow their audiences with dramatic political intrigue. Fewer still do so without adding in some explosions and violence towards the end (get to the 1:45 mark in the linked video to appreciate this comment). But this classic movie generally causes the filibuster to be considered a heroic act of political idealism.

Let's set the record straight on filibustering. Our federal government allows filibustering by a Senator (and only in the Senate) as long as they do not yield the floor, and the filibuster can only be forced to an end if 60 Senators (3/5) vote to do so. Surprisingly, current Senate rules do not force a Senator to continuously speak on the floor if he/she wishes to filibuster. Now, one must only indicate that they are filibustering, and this prevents the Senate from moving on to other business until 60 Senators vote for cloture. The ability for a super-majority to end a filibuster only was created in 1917, with Senate rule 22, at President Woodrow Wilson's request (at the time, it required a 2/3 vote for cloture). Before this rule, filibustering practices had gotten out of hand; in the 46 years following Rule 22, only 5 clotures were voted for, so the rule did not have too much effect.

In the 1960s, Southern Democrats filibustered and delayed several important pieces of civil rights legislation, and so in 1975 the Democrat-controlled Senate voted to limit the necessary number of Senators to end debate to 60 (down from 67). However, the filibuster remained an important safeguard for the minority party in the Senate to control their Congress. Strom Thurmond (then D) set the filibustering record of 24 hours and 18 minutes against the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

The filibuster has been used much more in recent years, probably as Congressmen decided that their constituents wouldn't notice the shifty political maneuvering going on in the Capitol. In the 1960s, no Senate term had more than 7 filibusters. In this decade, no Senate term has had fewer than 49. Increasingly, filibustering itself has become a political issue...

In 2005, Democratic leaders in the Senate threatened to filibuster several of President Bush's judicial appointments, notably Priscilla Owen, because they were, well, crazy. To deal with those crazy, minority Democrats, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R) proposed to enact legislation to end the filibustering of judicial nominees. This proposal became known as the Nuclear Option.

On May 23rd, a group of 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans rode to the rescue, led by John McCain (R-AZ) and Ben (no Bill, no Ben) Nelson (D-NE), calling themselves the Gang of 14. Agreeing that limiting the filibuster rules would be a blow to democracy, these centrists came to a compromise. The Democrats agreed to let three of the controversial nominees through, and to only filibuster future judicial appointments in "extraordinary circumstances" (John Kerry tried to filibuster Justice Alito's nomination, but failed because no one else thought Alito was that extraordinary). The Republicans agreed to prevent changing the Senate rules (which only required a majority), and to protect the filibuster rule.

So what does all of this have to do with our election this year? Well, several months ago, long before he was a serious contender for the White House, Barack Obama made a promise to MoveOn.org: he would support Chris Dodd's proposed filibustering of any bill that grants retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies involved in the illegal wiretapping of American's phones. Well, this issue has come all the way around. House Democrats passed the bill on Friday, complete with the provision to give a "get-out-of-jail-free card to phone companies." Obama declared that he opposes the idea, and will "work in the Senate to remove this provision." Unfortunately, this isn't good enough for MoveOn.org. They're calling on all their members to pressure Obama to honor his pledge. We'll see how this plays out in the Senate, but I think filibustering is a fascinating topic, so I wanted to devote this post to laying out the background behind it.

Other News of the Day:

--> NBC News announced that Tom Brokaw will become the temporary host of Meet the Press until after the November election. This is the right move - finding a permanent replacement for Russert is going to be quite difficult, and a seasoned hand like Brokaw will keep the show relevant until a new host can be found.

--> Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) announced that he strongly opposes Senator Nunn serving as Obama's running mate, based on Nunn's perceived hostility towards gays. Frank is probably concerned that Nunn will ban him from serving in Congress, so I really don't blame him. In all seriousness, this is a major problem for Nunn, and Obama could very well be making a huge mistake if he takes Nunn onto the ticket.

I hope the weekend treated you all well. I'll hopefully be back tomorrow.

McCain Pledges to Buy America Flowers and Obama Targets Javelin-Throwing Swing Voters! 136 Days to Go!

Today features a few fantastic polls (especially by the unbiased, expert Fox News), media targeting, and a brand new, more presidential look for Obama.

--> Fox News released a poll yesterday showing that Obama carries a narrow national lead over John McCain, 45% to 41%. More importantly, the poll asked voters to answer the really critical questions that face our nation today. According to the poll results, 64% of voters believe that John McCain "loves America a great deal," while only 48% believe that about Obama. McCain has spent many years wooing this country, courting her with chocolates, pork-barrel spending, and his awesome, evil robot suit (be sure to watch until the end to understand this reference). By the way, I just realized what the evil, McCain/Terminator reminded me of in that video:


Thank you, Futurama, for this one:Anyway, I'm glad to see Fox again asking the critical questions of this race. Tune in next week, as they ask voters which candidate they expect to hug more puppies.


--> It is interesting to note that presidential elections for years to come may well come down to contests between Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Just as the Baby Boomer generation came of age during the disappointment of Carter and the popularity of the Gipper, our current generation of young people has been largely angered by George W. Bush and inspired by Barack Obama. These competing generations may well decide this election, and Senator Obama is currently losing white voters born between 1944 and 1958 by a good 18%.


--> With no more Super Bowls between now and Election Day, the Obama Campaign is instead contemplating (expensive) ad buys during the Olympics. It's a large viewing audience, and it will demonstrate how Obama's fundraising advantage will play out against McCain. Speaking of which...


--> John McCain and Barack Obama each raised $22 million in May, tying them for the first time all year. Obama's operations have been running in overdrive this past month, and he should reestablish his advantage in June, but he needs to significantly out-raise McCain to justify his decision to opt out.


--> Just for those wondering, if Obama wins such a decisive victory in November that America is renamed Obamaland, don't worry: we will have a new presidential seal ready to go on Day One. The Obama Campaign today announced a new, spiffy logo for the candidate that will be displayed at his more formal, presidential events. Here it is:

It looks pretty nice. For those of you wondering, "E Pluribus Unum" is a shitty slogan, so Obamaland will be replacing it with "Vero Possumus," which, for those of you not fluent in dead languages, means "Yes We Can."

By the way, not to go on a rant here (not?), but what's the deal with Latin being used as important slogans? Yes, Latin makes you sound important and educated, but talk about ELITIST. No one has even spoken the language in 1500 years, you liberal intellectual. Why not put slogans in useful languages, like "Si, Podemos!"? Some day, the Latin on money is going to be changed without us realizing it, and it'll be part of a vast government conspiracy to tell the Romans that the time has come to rise up and take over. To come out in front of this problem, I urge all of you to lock any Ancient Romans in your neighborhood in concentration camps. Yes, you too, Brutus.


--> Anyway, because apparently the new website (reported here a week ago) wasn't doing enough to defend Obama from vicious lies, Mike Bloomberg is now on the case, speaking out yesterday that the Jewish community needs to put a halt to the rumors of Obama having pro-Muslim leanings. In case anyone was wondering on what policy opinions Bloomberg would bring as a possible running mate, he is apparently against fear-mongering and divisiveness, and for honesty. Republicans were reportedly dismayed at this news, and removed him from their shortlist of possible VPs.


--> Paul Newell, a long-shot candidate running against NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D), has decided to unveil his new advertising campaign, portraying him as a Jewish Barack. I think this one is its own joke, so I'm not gonna add my own thoughts. All I'm gonna say is that making yourself sound MORE Jewish doesn't make you more electable.

EDIT: I sincerely apologize for confusing the facts here. I originally wrote that Silver was a Republican, which I forgot was incorrect. And while I did realize that Silver is himself a Jew, I was making a stupid, generic joke about possible disadvantages that Jewish candidates can face (how many Jews have been in the Oval Office?). I apologize for compromising the political integrity of this blog with a comment that should be left to Comedy Central. I have nothing against either Newell or Silver, and I hope that this blog is not taken any more seriously than what it is: my own sarcastic, not-very-serious thoughts on an election process that is often times hilarious.


That's all for today; more intriguing polls, Barney Frank thoughts, and useless pontificating tomorrow.

Breaking News: Obama Loves America and Plans Lincoln Impersonation! 138 Days to Go!

--> Today, Barack Obama told his supporters that he will opt out of public financing, and instead his campaign will rely on private donations. Basically, this means he can raise more money than any candidate ever. He already has more than 1.5 million donors - if each of them gave an average of $200, then that's $300 million to work with, whereas public financing will only get McCain $85 million. McCain has already committed to accept public financing, so now this puts pressure on him to either be grossly outspent or to back out of his promise. Obama had made a similar, if vaguer, promise, but his rationale is apparently that the public financing system is broken anyway, and opting into it would only allow the Republicans to exploit its loopholes against him.

--> McCain is going to try to make a campaign issue out of this decision, already claiming that this demonstrates that Obama is a "typical politician." Unfortunately for them, most voters don't care about the fundraising elements of campaigns. It tends to be flag pins and Swift Boats that get voters' attention.

--> More bad news for McCain - Obama released his first major ad buy of the general election today, running this ad in 18 key states. It talks about his humble backgrounds, and how his mother and grandparents instilled core American values in him. It's a way to divert attention from the fundraising decision, and to generate further confidence in his patriotism. The states he's targetting: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Besides the usual swing-state suspects, Obama's campaign is casting a very wide net into normally Republican territory. McCain is going to be run very thin by this campaign, both in terms of money and energy.

--> Obama has long talked about how he admires the Lincoln biography, Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The biography focuses on how Lincoln brought together his biggest adversaries within the party, and brought them into his administration. There's a great article about this subject in Time today, which continues to lead me to believe that he's at least somewhat interested in bringing Hillary Clinton into his White House, most likely as VP. He seems to like the idea of keeping his opponents close, and that would certainly be an effective way of doing it.

Short post today; yesterday's took a long time. I'll have more tomorrow.

American Idolization, Sex and the City, and Other Relevant Pop Culture! 139 Days to Go!

Today, here at EDC, we'd like to bring you a special feature (thanks to Harrison for introducing its main focus). For the last few weeks, pundits (and any normal people who have been watching) have noticed the distinct excitement gap between McCain's supporters and Obama's supporters.

Case in point: Tuesday, June 3rd, the night that Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination. That historic night witnessed a can't-miss speech by Hillary Clinton vowing to fight on, a powerful rallying cry from Barack Obama, and a wheezing, sputtering mishap from John McCain. Besides the fact that whichever advisor told him to give a major address the night that Obama clinched the nomination should be fired, McCain's event could not have been any more of a hilarious side-by-side contrast with the Obama event. First, Obama:

Here, we have excitement, energy, a screaming crowd of 14,000 people, and a passionate speech on the future of this country (with no particular focus on John McCain). Now, the McCain event:

I can't find a picture of it, but it was an event filled with, literally, dozens of people. In all seriousness, there were a few hundred people there, listening to a completely lackluster speech, forced audience laughter, and awkward, nervous, old man laughter. Plus, the strangest backdrop ever used on a campaign event.

The contrast is inescapable; the excitement gap is literally tangible. McCain is going to have at least three formal debates with Obama, and unless he undergoes a style-makeover, he simply won't look presidential next to his opponent. That's why he wants the less formal town hall-style debates. Also, if McCain can't excite his base, and his conservative supporters, he has little chance of beating Obama in terms of turnout at the polls (which really is the name of the game).

I do have a better example of the enthusiasm gap. Many of us remember the Youtube sensation, Obama Girl. For those who haven't heard, her song, I've Got a Crush on Obama, has had millions of views, and was even discussed at a CNN Democratic debate.

Pros of Obama Girl: Attractive girl, pretty good voice, catchy song, pretty well-made video - probably entices a few people to vote for Obama, or at least take another look at him.

Cons: It generated a ton of copy-cats that are all shitty.

Thankfully, John McCain has his own musical backup. The McCain Girls are taking America by storm, and like most storms, Americans are responding accordingly: running inside, possibly hiding in the basement, and praying that the storm misses them and their loved ones.

Their videos, McCainiac and It's Rainin McCain, have become incredibly "popular," on Youtube, with the latter getting over 1,800,000 views. However, if you judge how many of those viewers reacted positively by the ratio of good video responses to negative ones, then there are 1,775,000 angry people out there, and 25,000 morons.

Problem #1: These women are simply not as attractive as Obama Girl. It's a pretty hilarious comparison. They could probably try wearing tight t-shirts with a picture of their candidate on them, but then again, I wouldn't want them to.

Problem #2: These women don't know how to write lyrics. Here's a critique of a few of them:

--> "According to our sources, McCain should get the vote." - I question whom these sources are, and how credible they are. Have the McCain Girls been getting anonymous calls for Karl Rove? How are we to believe these sources, probably the same ones spreading rumors about Obama hating the American flag?

--> "In the 2008 election, the forecast calls for rain." - Now, maybe I'm missing the figurative nature of this line, but rain would actually limit voter turnout in a lot of key, rural areas that McCain needs to win.

--> "For the first time in history, it's gonna start rainin' McCain." - False. In actuality, there was a freak McCain downpour in the Arizona desert in 1982. Scientists still question its cause to this day.

--> "I'm gonna go out and let my self get - absolutely John McCain." - Now I really don't understand this. All they're doing is taking the original lyrics and sticking "John McCain" in place of random adjectives or nouns.

--> "He tought every angel to rearrange the vote, so that each and every American could find John McCain." - Not even a chance of deciphering this one. The best I can do is that he's involved in the Diebold Corporation and the GOP's attempts to program electronic voting machines to cast false votes for the Republican nominee. As for the second half, if McCain's idea of a Presidential campaign is Where's Waldo, then he's got some big problems to worry about.

--> Also, notice how none of these lyrics rhyme, except when "John McCain" is rhymed with "John McCain."

--> "Talking straight talk on the Straight Talk Express, changing Americans' lives." - Amazingly enough, John McCain has probably not changed anyone's life while on his bus tour, unless you count that guy whom his bus hit while making a right on red. By the way, the Straight Talk Express only goes 25 miles an hour, and always drives with its left blinker on.

--> My absolute favorite: "McCain can cut you with his knife, slice you up and slice and dice, if you challenge his candidacy." - This as one of the Girls brandishes a knife menacingly at the camera, then goes to work cutting her own wrists. I know he's down in the polls, but suicide is not the answer. Also, threatening people to vote for you probably isn't either. However, I do love the connection between this line and the discussion of Obama's comments regarding bringing a gun to a knife fight, because this is a knife fight after all. This even plays into the stereotype of McCain being an angry person. I absolutely love it. I may make a shirt out of this line.

--> "I'm voting like I've never voted before." - That much is obvious; if you'd voted before, you'd understand some key features of the democratic process, such as not threatening people into voting your way with a knife. Also, you'd probably actually know some things about what John McCain stands for, because all I get from these videos is that he's pro-knife killing, and apparently wants to fight some more in Vietnam.

--> (Referring to the White House) "It's a hard warm place of mystery; touch it, but can't hold it." - I have no idea what this line means. Hard and warm? You can't hold it? I guess that makes sense, as the Secret Service would probably tackle you before you could wrap your hands around the building. Does this mean that power is fleeting? I don't think these girls are that deep.

Problem #3: These Girls have no idea how to make a video. Observe:

--> The bouncing head of John McCain (around 1:32) and the enormous head of John McCain (around 0:48) are simply not appealing. Use a slightly better background.

--> And speaking of backgrounds, apparently, the woman on the left actually has chameleon powers. Word of advice: don't wear tight blue pants when you're standing in front of a blue screen. At :43 seconds your pants become the American flag, at 1:05 your entire body becomes the American flag, and at 1:17 you become Vietnam. Unless this is some sort of statement, you're an idiot who really shouldn't be allowed near, or in front of, a camera.

--> In "McCainiac," there's a 6 second segment starting around 1:07 where the Girls begin wandering aimlessly around the screen, apparently lost. This is probably their take on McCain's impending senility, and, through interpretative dance, they have tried to express his confusion as to why his house is suddenly white.

--> And then we come to the cream of the crop: the Girls create a robotic, incredibly evil-looking, Terminator-like John McCain that apparently can fly because it has rockets instead of legs. They even gave it what looks like an eye patch, but may be a targetting device. Either way, there's a difference between looking tough and presidential, and looking like a cross between Robocop and the Terminator. Also, making him hold an American flag doesn't make him look less evil, it makes him look like a conquerer.

Problem #4: The McCain Girls also can't sing. The three of them sing on every verse, but it's not harmony, it's more of a "yell at roughly the same pitch so it makes us sound stronger." Words of advice: when you're going off key, singing louder doesn't help, it makes it worse. Spirit doesn't make your performance better. I would unleash this guy on you, but I don't think you'd be let inside the set.

So, in conclusion, they can't sing, can't make videos, can't write lyrics, and aren't going to attract any new voters. God bless you ladies, and keep on fighting.

Other News of the Day:

--> Obama declares that the wives are off limits in the campaign. He says he will not attack Cindy, and is disappointed that John McCain hasn't spoken out against the attacks on Michelle Obama. You mean a candidate wants to have a campaign without mindless, irrelevant distractions? Where am I?

--> Obama and Hillary Clinton are planning a joint appearance next week to begin fulfilling their commitment to party unity. Of course, the next 7 days will feature a ton of speculation and arguing over the possibility that she'll be named his running mate at the appearance. Chances are she won't be, but that won't stop the pundits and the blogosphere.

--> John McCain flip-flops in a key swing state - another brilliant strategy move. This one is on drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. There's currently a federal moratorium on drilling there, but McCain has decided that he wants to help out the struggling oil companies. Best of all, a week ago, Florida Governor Charlie Crist said, "I am not" in response to being asked if he was dropping his opposition to the drilling. However, yesterday he decided to change his mind in order to help out McCain. Stupid, stupid move for both of them. This is a wildly unpopular position for Floridians, and it's possible, as Taegan Goddard points out, that McCain just lost himself Florida, which I have pointed out repeatedly is a must-win for him.

--> Apparently, according to a new article in Us Weekly, Barack loves Michelle because she likes Sex and the City and she shops at Target - truly the foundation of any successful marriage.

Super Poll Bowl!! Tons of fun to report today.

--> Quinnipiac releases polls today of the big three swing states: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. No candidate has won the White House in 50 years without winning two of the three. The poll shows Obama up 47% to 43% in Florida, 48% to 42% in Ohio, and 52% to 40% in Pennsylvania.

--> Perhaps even more interesting in these polls is the total African-American support that Barack receives. Unprecedented levels of support in that demographic could push Obama to a big win - his worst showing is in Ohio, where he still wins all but 6% of the black vote (he wins in PA 95% to 1%). John Kerry did "terribly" among African-Americans in 2004, winning 84% in Ohio. If Obama wins a close election, it will be because African-Americans came out in record numbers, and overwhelmingly chose the first African-American nominee.

--> Kentucky's Senate race (not reported on before by EDC because it shouldn't be close unless the GOP is in deep trouble) is a statistical tie, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) leading Bruce Lunsford (D) 50% - 46%. If this is accurate, Election Day will be a very long night for Republicans.

--> A poll commissioned by NARAL demonstrates that, when voters are given accurate, unbiased information about McCain and Obama's respective positions on abortion, Obama's national lead grows to 53% - 40%. This is an issue where many voters are misinformed about McCain's solidly pro-life leanings, and it's an issue that Obama will certainly talk a lot about (especially if Hillary or another woman is his running mate).

Picture of the Day:

I know this was a long post, but thanks for reading all the way through. You're welcome, Bitches.

Surprise Endorsement, McCain's Wish-List, and Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics! 140 Days to Go!

Lets get to it. Yesterday, Barack Obama gave a passionate speech in Michigan (obviously one of his prime targets) about America's future; I urge you all to check out the video of it, if you can find it. But he was in Michigan for a more important reason:


--> Surprisingly, Senator Obama picked up the endorsement of Former Next-President Al Gore, only 3 months after it would have mattered. Of course, Gore could be a big force in this race, with such a strong following. Chances are, he won't be interested in serving as Obama's running mate, but he would be a major player on environmental policy in an Obama presidency.


--> According to insider, anonymous sources (EDC's favorite), John McCain has expressed a private preference on his choices for running mate. If he had his way, he would apparently choose either former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge (R) or Senator Joe Lieberman (R...I mean D...I mean I). Of course, he (and the rest of his party) is pretty sure that he couldn't get away with either of these choices. Both would bolster his views on security and national defense, but both are pro-choice, and Lieberman is liberal on most social issues. The evangelical base of the GOP would lose their minds, and not show up at all in November. Of course, either of these picks (especially Droopy) would reinforce McCain's image as a bipartisan politician. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.


--> Tony Schwartz passed away yesterday at the age of 84. While the average citizen would probably not know who he was, he was the architect of one of the most effective attack ads in history, "Daisy." Made for the Lyndon Johnson presidential campaign, it depicted a little girl picking flowers peacefully, when suddenly a nuclear countdown starts, and a zoom-in on her pupil depicts a nuclear explosion when the countdown reaches 0. The implication of the ad was that you couldn't trust the nutjob conservative Barry Goldwater (R-AZ: sound familiar?) with his finger on the button. Of course, it was aired only once, but its impact was a major factor in Johnson's landslide victory. Watch the ad here. When you see ads this fall trying to scare you into voting against either Obama or McCain, think of Tony Schwartz and then feel free to wet your pants.


Poll Bowl:

Time for another installment of my presentation of meaningless statistics that probably have no bearing on the eventual outcome of this race, but can give us a rough view of what this race looks like now, at least in terms of the Electoral College.


--> A new poll shows Obama with a BIG lead in Ohio, 50% to 39%. This is a big turnaround from Public Policy Polling's last Ohio poll, but if Obama has that big a lead in Ohio, McCain is in serious trouble. He absolutely needs Ohio - Obama doesn't. Remember that the inept John Kerry won 252 electoral votes. If Obama holds all of his states (and really only Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania could possibly be in danger), he only needs a few more states to win this thing. Ohio itself would give him victory. A combination of Missouri and Colorado would also do it. Or Iowa, Colorado, and New Mexico. Or Virginia and Iowa. Obama doesn't even need to contemplate Florida to give himself a win. McCain desperately needs Florida, and probably also needs to hold Ohio in order to have a chance to win, since Obama seems favored in Colorado, Iowa, and New Mexico.

--> Speaking of swing states favoring Obama, Virginia is very tight, as Rasmussen shows Obama with a narrow lead, 45% to 44%, over John McCain. This will be a huge battleground, which is why there's been so much speculation that Obama might pick either Governor Tim Kaine or Senator Jim Webb as his running mate to help with this state. If Obama can pull off a win in Virginia, it might be all but impossible for McCain to stop him without winning both Ohio and Michigan (and then some).

This'll be a fun race. There will be more tomorrow. For now, I'm off to work.

Hillary Rides Again and Historians Try to Pre-Write History! 141 Days to Go!

Let's get right to the news of the day.

--> First off, a pet issue of mine: the Electoral College. Not just because I find it interesting, but more because it's incredibly ineffective. First of all, representation isn't proportional. As any 6th grade math student could tell you, if you assign votes proportionally to each state based on their number of Congressmen, and then add 2 to each state, the ratios change. Tiny states like Idaho with its 3 electoral votes thus have more sway per vote than states like New York.

More importantly, the current system causes most states to be ignored. Presidential candidates have no reason to spend time in: California, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island, or Vermont. In short, that's well over half the union. Why campaign in states that are obviously going to go for one candidate or the other? These voters are disenfranchised because of who they live with. Republican voters in New York have absolutely no say in who the next President will be, just as Democratic voters in Mississippi have no say. Their votes, in the end, count for nothing.

So, how do we correct this problem? There's really two options.

1) A constitutional amendment eliminating the Electoral College and changing the election system to popular vote (or something of that nature). That's what Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) has in mind. He's introduced legislation to end the Electoral College, institute requirements of offering absentee voting and voting machines that use a paper trail in every state, and set up a system of rotating, regional primaries. All of these are fabulous ideas, but the problem is getting it done. This requires a constitutional amendment - something that's happened only 27 times in our history. Eliminate the Bill of Rights, and that's only 17 times. Two of them cancel each other out (18 and 21), so that's 15. Three (13, 14, and 15) happened as a direct result of a bloody civil war, so that's 12. The 27th Amendment actually took 202 years to ratify after it was initially introduced (a legislative aide in Texas rediscovered it and began a crusade that took a decade to complete). It takes a long time and a ton of political will power to pass a constitutional amendment, so that may not be the best bet for this new system to take hold. Luckily, there's a second option.

2) The National Popular Vote Plan. Under this system, bills will be passed in state legislatures across the country that dictate that those states will assign their electoral votes, not to the winner of their state popular vote, but to the winner of the national popular vote. Once enough states pass this legislation to equal 270 electoral votes or more, it will go into effect, and essentially eliminate the Electoral College. The institution itself will still exist, but it won't matter; presidential elections would henceforth be decided by the will of the people. So far, it's been signed into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland, and been passed by houses in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Here in New York, the bill is currently co-sponsored by my own representative, Assemblywoman Sandra Galef. If you agree that this is an important issue, write to your representatives in the state house and tell them that you care about electoral reform.

--> A new book about Barack Obama will be hitting shelves in a few days, this one entitled The Faith of Barack Obama (from the man who brought you The Faith of George W. Bush). Obama's faith has been under fire this whole race so far; from accusations of being a Muslim to controversies surrounding his pastor. This book, which appears mostly positive, could certainly sway some disaffected, anti-McCain evangelicals into the Democratic column this summer. Key to Obama's success will be his ability to win over new voters (Republicans and independents). Of course, McCain plans on doing the same thing, courting angry Hillary Clinton supporters. He's spent the last several days attending fundraisers and meetings with her supporters, and praising her incessantly. Of course, he did also have to cancel a fundraiser with a Texas oilman who once joked about his opponent for governor getting raped. Probably not the best way to win over female voters.

--> Which brings us to an interesting topic: how Hillary Clinton has become a

larger than life figure in this campaign, and has actually reinforced her own legacy since leaving the race, even without doing anything. Both candidates, eager to get her supporters in their column, have spent the last week praising her, talking about how she broke barriers and inspired women across the country and around the world; how she will be instrumental to the work of this country for years to come; how she will always be remembered as a powerful figure for change. Perhaps as importantly, she now holds the keys to one of the biggest swing votes in this election - white women. Obama would do well to put her on the ticket, or at least make her a central member of the campaign, but at the same time, she may be hesitant to tie her now-expanding legacy to a specific candidacy, which would reinforce memories of her as the runner-up.

--> Historians apparently have come to the conclusion that John McCain has the same chance of winning this election as Herbert Hoover in 1932. Factoring in GDP, economic woes, two consecutive Republican terms in office, and the cyclical nature of elections, they seem to believe that this election should be a blowout for Obama. We'll have to see about that, but I suppose it's never too early to start writing the history books (especially after that mad rush on the post-Election Day history textbook deals that always occurs on November 5th).

--> Insiders start to predict that Sam Nunn is the front-runner for Barack Obama's running mate. Nunn has a very interesting background: senator from Georgia for 25 years, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee for 8 (sandwiched by Barry Goldwater and Strom Thurmond in that role), Eagle Scout, etc. He's a fairly conservative Democrat, supporting school prayer, requiring a balanced budget, and the death penalty. However, he was one of the few senators to vote against the Gulf War. His questionable stances on the issues of gay marriage and gays serving openly in the military (he used to be against the latter, but now believes in reexamining the issue) may cause some angst amongst liberals in the party, but he's a foreign policy powerhouse who will bolster Obama's credentials, and most likely put Georgia in play. Jimmy Carter, for one, believes Obama should pick him.

--> Former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle is joining the Obama team as the prospective chief of staff for whoever the VP candidate will be. Could be a sign that it'll be Hillary, but then again it could be the opposite - a sign of unity before Barack rejects Clinton as his running mate.

--> Concerned about incoming Republican attacks on Michelle Obama, the campaign has hired Stephanie Cutter, John Kerry's communications director, as her advisor. This demonstrates that she will certainly be in the fight this fall, and like attacks on Hillary in 1992, it may backfire for McCain.

--> Prospective VP candidate Bobby Jindal supports teaching intelligent design, and Newt Gingrich thinks he's the right man for the job.

More tomorrow. Off to work now.

GOP Senators Added to List of Endangered Species! 142 Days to Go!

As promised, today EDC brings you our outlook on the key Senate races this year. Traditionally, the power of the incumbency is key to keeping Congressmen in office; in normal years, incumbents get reelected 90% of the time. However, with such an anti-GOP climate across the country, the time is ripe for the Democrats to take back the strong Congressional majority they held throughout much of the 20th century. Today we highlight the key Senate races that you should watch in the coming months, and pay attention to especially on Election Day. The key is that the Democrats, as of last month, held a HUGE cash-on-hand advantage of the Republicans: $37 million compared to $19.4 million. This means that Democrats can pour money into key battlegrounds, while the Republicans have limited opportunities to do anything but play defense on their own seats.




--> Virginia - currently held by retiring Senator John Warner (R): Most likely the Democrats' best chance of a seat changing hands. Popular former-governor Mark Warner will be running against less popular former-governor Jim Gilmore. This will be a premiere battleground, but with the increasingly populous northern suburbs favoring the Democrats (and having led to the election of Democratic Governor Tim Kaine and Democratic Senator Jim Webb), Warner should have little trouble succeeding Warner (no relation).




--> Colorado - currently held by retiring Senator Wayne Allard (R): Another great chance for the Democrats to gain a seat. The Democrats have nominated Representative Mark Udall, and the Republicans countered with former Congressman Bob Schaffer. Polling shows Udall with a comfortable lead, and with limited money to work with, the Republicans may sacrifice this seat in the end.




--> New Mexico - currently held by retiring Senator Pete Domenici (R): An incredibly purple state, all three congressmen ran for this seat. The Democrat, Rep. Tom Udall, is Mark's cousin, and is also favored by recent polling to win this seat as well, especially after his opponent, Rep. Steve Pearce narrowly defeated Rep. Heather Wilson, leaving him weaker for the general election matchup.




--> Alaska - currently held by Senator Ted Stevens (R): The former President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Ted Stevens has been around the Senate longer than any Republican in history. Unfortunately for him, Alaskans may be getting sick of him. He'd be 91 by the end of his next term. Also, he's the master of pork-barrel spending; try Googling "bridge to nowhere," and notice how 211,000 pages come up referring to Stevens' proposed plan to build a $398 million bridge to an island of 50 people. Although he's barely had any serious opposition in the past, he'll be running against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, and Chuck Schumer (chairman of DSCC - Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) plans to pour a lot of money into this tight race to send Ted Stevens back home on the truck he came in on.





--> New Hampshire - currently held by Senator John Sununu (R): Sununu actually has a fascinating family history, especially his father (of the same name), who served as George H.W. Bush's chief of staff and governor of New Hampshire. He'll be running against former governor Jeanne Shaheen, whom he beat by only 4% back in 2002. New Hampshire has suddenly turned into a prime target for Democrats, since two years ago when both Republican congressmen were knocked out of office. Shaheen has been favored in early polls, and it's tough for Republicans to pour money into a race in New England that they're not expected to win.





*** That would be 5 seats gained already. The Democrats are clinging to a slim majority, and their ultimate goal is to reach that 60 seat majority that eliminates any obstructionism from the Republican minority. Alaska will be very tight, but the other four already mentioned are pretty safe bets for pickups. Lets move on to the other possibilities.









--> Minnesota - currently held by Senator Norm Coleman (R): Is there any state that could elect a former writer for SNL? Well, if professional wrestling doesn't disqualify you, I suppose sketch comedy doesn't either. Coleman won this seat in 2002 in a squeaker after his opponent, Paul Wellstone (a leading progressive in the party), died in a plane crash two weeks before the election. Wellstone was actually one of 11 Senators who voted against both the Gulf War and the use of force in Iraq in 2002. Former VP Walter Mondale took his spot on the ballot, but wasn't able to pull off an emergency victory. Al Franken is now trying his hand at unseating Coleman. This one should be tight, as both candidates are New York-born Jews (although only one wears that on his sleeve...guess who). Having the GOP Convention in the state could boost Coleman.





--> Maine - currently held by Senator Susan Collins (R): Collins is one of the few Republicans left in New England. Her mostly moderate stances may save her, but people thought Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) was safe in 2006, and he still fell under the wave of anti-GOP sentiment. Congressman Tom Allen is her opponent, and the northeast has tended to favor the Democratic Party lately, so expect Schumer to make this a priority after Republicans start to try and curb their losses by pouring money into seats they think they can save (such as this one).







--> Oregon - currently held by Senator Gordon Smith (R): Another moderate Republican in a Democratic state, meaning he'll be a top target. The Democrats nominated a heavyweight to fight him - State Speaker of the House Jeff Merkley (who won after a surprisingly impressive challenge by activist Steve Novick , whose hilarious ads utilized his left hook as a catchy slogan). The dynamics of this race should be similar to those of Maine, with Democratic challengers running against the Republican Party, not their opponents.







--> North Carolina - currently held by Senator Elizabeth Dole (R): Wife of the ex-candidate for President, Dole is not the most popular senator in the country, and is facing a tough challenge by state senator Kay Hagan. The Democrats would love to get rid of Dole, and may put some serious money into this race if polling shows it close. So far it's a question mark. The silver lining for Dole: even if she loses, at least she's sure that her husband has the help of his little blue friend.









--> Mississippi - currently held by Senator Roger Wicker (R): Wicker was appointed by Governor Barbour on New Year's Day to fill the vacated spot of former Senator Trent Lott. Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove will be the Democratic nominee, and is a very strong candidate to compete for what is essentially an open seat. This is another example of how successful Schumer's DSCC philosophy has been - he has recruited genuinely strong candidates for seats all across the country, even those that weren't expected to be competitive. This will be another one to watch throughout the summer, and on election night.

Obama's Ants Go Marching, Senators in Scandal, and Gun Beats Knife! 143 Days to Go!

Tons to get to today, as the world keeps spinning, so EDC will keep reporting. This backlog, unfortunately, means no new element of the campaign will be featured today, but I will try to get to the Senate tomorrow as my Father's Day gift to our readers, because, in a way, EDC is your child, whom you have raised since...I'm just gonna get to the news, now.

News of the Day:

--> Barack Obama may have a new supporter among the community of African-American political figures (yes, there are indeed some that haven't endorsed him). The key is that this one is from across the aisle. While he has already donated money to the McCain campaign, General Colin Powell admitted that he may end up casting his vote for Barack Obama. Of course, he made these comments in Canada, so this may be a strategic ploy to fool our enemies to the north into a false sense of security...at least before Operation Human Shield commences. Yes, in this allegory, the part of Colin Powell will be played by Isaac Hayes.

--> If you see tons of people in wearing Obama pins and waving registration forms at you this weekend, don't panic. It's just a part of the campaign's first wave of volunteers, 3,600 to be precise, who are being deployed to 17 states for the next six weeks. For the record, I was sent an email by the Obama campaign two months ago suggesting I apply for one of these "Obama Organizing Fellowships." So be grateful I'm here educating you virtually, and not banging down your door demanding that you waive your rights to electoral privacy immediately.

And speaking of Obama campaign-related violence, it turns out that these Obama fellows will be armed...

--> With guns. That's right, forgetting his healing, above-the-fray spark and turning instead to the tough battle he needs to wage in order to win back the White House and this country, Barack Obama referred to the tough attacks that he will face from the GOP as follows: "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun." The McCain campaign immediately attacked the remarks as a sign that Obama's pledge of "new politics" is already in the past. Of course, he never used that phrase, but it'll be an interesting dynamic we'll see throughout this campaign as the GOP tries to paint Obama far from heralding the new age of political discourse that his supporters expect.

--> So it appears that there may be a quiet, behind-the-scenes race among the Democrats in Congress for the role of Secretary of State were Obama to be elected. Right now the competitors appear to be Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Senator John Kerry (D-MA), and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). Kerry was the first to endorse Obama of the three, and this favor may pay off for him 7 months. Biden has a ton of foreign policy experience, and his active role on the campaign in the coming months may make him Obama's go-to guy on affairs of international intrigue. Dodd is a bit of a darkhorse, but he has his own problems to worry about...

--> Back on Thursday, here at EDC we broke the story (you know, after ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox, Huffington, and every other journalist out there) about Jim Johnson resigning his post on the Obama VP-search committee. Of course, I didn't mention why. Allow me to explain. He was given favorable mortgage terms by Countrywide Financial. Apparently, this is a bigger deal than I thought, because now Portfolio.com has broken a story that VIP loans were procured from this company by several government officials. Notables on the list included former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Bush Cabinet member Alphonso Jackson (HUD) and Clinton Cabinet member Donna Shalala (Health & Human Services), and two U.S. Senators: Kent Conrad (D-ND) and, you guessed it, Chris Dodd. These guys may face legal problems, but at the very least this is a political problem for the two elected officials. Luckily, neither of them are running for re-election this year. This may be an issue this year, however, due to both their proximities to the Obama campaign. Conrad was one of the first officials to endorse Obama during the primary (in fact, the first not from Illinois). We'll see how this plays out.

--> Talks between the two campaigns over the proposed town hall debates have broken down. The Obama camp was hesitant to begin with to give the cash-strapped McCain (whose wooden posture plays better in small, more informal audiences) free coverage and the McCain camp believed that their candidate's superior experience would shine through especially in that setting. Obama's proposal is still for 5 debates: the 3 normal debates, an in-depth foreign policy debate in August, and a town hall debate on 4th of July weekend; this would be the most in a modern campaign.

No New Post Today...144 Days to Go

I will return to our regular programming tomorrow, but today I would like to pause, as EDC remembers the greatest political reporter in a generation, Tim Russert, who died of a heart attack at the age of 58 today. For the last few years, he has been one of the only voices remaining in the mainstream media who has been committed to asking the tough questions.

This blog, and many blogs like it (and better than it), would not exist today were it not for the tireless journalism of Russert, who was able to dig for the tough answers when politicians were hesitant to give them.

You will be missed.

Running Mates, Cornhole, and Lou Dobbs on the March! 145 Days to Go!

Lots of news today, so today will be a more generic post, going over the big stories over the past 48 hours, and updating you on some of the topics we've already introduced.



VP UPDATE:


--> A day after hearing that Governor Ted Strickland (OH) is not interested in running with Barack Obama, we finally learn why. Turns out, he has other plans this summer: hosting a cross-state cornhole tournament. No, we're not kidding. So I guess when we say that the Vice-Presidency isn't worth a "bucket of warm piss," we can apparently also deduce that cornhole ranks somewhere in between John Nance Garner (VP to FDR) and piss.



--> Correction on Bobby Jindal: I had initially listed his full name as Robert (assumed that Bobby was a nickname). I apologize, Governor, I now realize that your real name is Piyush Jindal. And with all the focus on strange names with Barack Hussein Obama, how about President Piyush in 8 years? Jindal actually has a fascinating background, including a 1994 experience where his friend at Brown was possessed by the devil, and he was attacked by Satan. Here's another interesting look at this guy, who very well may be our next Vice-President (or at least our next Republican President).



--> James Carville (cajun style) gives his own suggestion for Obama's running mate: Al Gore. Carville's reasoning: "If I were him, I would ask Al Gore to serve as his vice president, his energy czar, in his administration to reduce our consumption and reliance on foreign energy sources. That would send a signal to the world, to American people, to Congress, to everybody, that America's getting serious about this horrendous problem that we face." Not a bad idea, but I think Al Gore can get serious about global warming, and even serve as the Obama Administration's point man on the issue, without being Vice-President again. I don't see why he'd want the job back. He's more powerful as Nobel Prize winner.

*****TIME OUT*******

I would like to commemorate, here and now, the first instance of Election Day Countdown's use of the phrase, Obama Administration. I will try to keep this to a minimum, to avoid superstitious backlash.

****Ok, back to normal*****

--> The Obama campaign announced that Jim Johnson will step down from his post on the VP-search committee. Guess it's all up to Caroline now. The news media is trying to make this a story (campaign official resigns in disgrace, etc.), but it's really not important. He was advising one facet of the campaign, and his legal troubles have nothing to do with the race or the candidate or any issues anywhere near his work.


Other Election Rumblings:



--> Lou Dobbs (shown left declaring war on the middle class - also the only time he will ever be referred to as "on the left") is apparently considering running for governor of New Jersey. Now I don't need to tell you this is an awful idea; Lou Dobbs is out of his mind, and has no business running for any political office, even if it is New....OK, maybe this isn't such a bad idea. After all, if McGreevey (proud graduate of Columbia University) can have an extramarital affair with an Israeli man whom he appointed head of Homeland Security despite having no qualifications, then I guess it's not so hard to be governor of New Jersey. Good luck, Mr. Dobbs. There is no better way to save our nation from wetbacks and St. Patrick's Day than getting to the heart of the illegal immigration problem: New Jersey state politics.





--> Fox News has found its favorite new target, and here's a hint: it's not the French!! No, it's none other than Haverford visiter Michelle Obama. Not only is she apparently a terrorist spy (and you really should read that link, because it applies to this picture of the day at the bottom), but she has now been referred to as Barack's "baby mama." Of course, there's no way this could be construed as racial, because I can't even count the number of times that Fox has referred to Laura Bush as Dubya's baby mama. Also, President Clinton shall henceforth be known as Hillary's sugar daddy.

--> The Obama campaign, worried about ongoing lies and vicious rumors swirling around the blogosphere, has decided to respond by starting their own website designed entirely to combat these lies. Besides debunking claims of Islamic faith and Michelle calling someone "whitey," the site goes on to explain that the Easter Bunny isn't real, the Tooth Fairy is just your parents lying to you, and global warming is the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." In completely unrelated news, James Inhofe has announced that he will be stepping in as Barack's new campaign manager.

Poll Bowl: Our ongoing (and newly innaugurated) segment where EDC presents you with what we deem to be the relevant polls of the day. What defines relevant? Here's an example: Idaho polls - not relevant. Ohio polls - relevant. Of course, all polls should be taken with a grain of salt. Here we go.

--> Qunnipiac shows Obama up by only 6% over John McCain in New Jersey, 45% - 39%. In the end, New Jersey tends to hold their noses and vote Democratic, so I don't think Obama is too worried about this state.

--> University of Wisconsin shows Obama up big over McCain in that state, 50% - 37%.

Liberals to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right, Here I Am, Stuck in the Almost-Far Right With McCain...146 Days to Go!

I wanted to delve a little further today into John McCain's libertarian problem. Libertarians have always been a strong segment of the Republican Party. Their ideals are best exemplified by Grover Norquist, who claimed, "I want to get [government] down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." Libertarians believe in small government, non-intrusive government. Many of them are pro-choice and against federally banning gay marriage, because they see this as an intrusion into our lives. People should be free from government interference - economically, socially, etc. However, the last 8 years have done quite a bit to isolate Libertarians from the focus of the Republican Party. George W. Bush's administration has been anything but "small government." From promoting government dictation of social values, to imprisoning citizens in secret, to the USA PATRIOT Act, government has gotten bigger, not smaller, and much more fiscally irresponsible (biggest debt in history, etc.).

Enter Rep. Ron Paul, by some measures the most conservative member of the U.S. Congress in the last 70 years. A pro-life former gynecologist, Paul entered the 2008 GOP Primary to represent the increasingly marginalized, Libertarian side of the GOP. His base of hardcore supporters (and yes, they are building gated communities of Ron Paul supporters) shot him to the top of the primary field in such important metrics as Youtube searches, web searches, and straw polls. In all seriousness, he did have a great deal of success in online fundraising, setting the American political record for money raised in a single day ($6 million, to be exact). However, he never broke into the mainstream, and never gained the traction some thought he might in the primaries, maybe because the IRS is so popular. After McCain clinched the requisite number of delegates, Paul effectively ended his bid, and went back to running for Congress.

But that didn't mean the Libertarians would be satisfied by McCain's Bush-like policies. As the Arizona senator tries to rally the base, Libertarians have proven resistant to his charms. In fact, in April Paul's supporters out-organized the Republican Party establishment at the Nevada State Convention, and actually won more than half the delegates to the National Convention, before the GOP abruptly ended the proceedings, and decided to reconvene at a later date. And Ron Paul has continued to win votes in the last few primaries; despite McCain's lock on the nomination, 16% of voters in Pennsylvania decided to record their protest by voting for Paul, who wasn't even running anymore. Now, it appears that, after failing to acquire a key speaking spot in the Twin Cities at the GOP Convention, Ron Paul is planning his own convention across the street on the Tuesday of convention week. A rival convention competing for attention with the GOP itself? I love it. Paul continues to deny any efforts to run as a third party candidate, or endorse Bob Barr, but he continues to make trouble for the Republicans with one of their core constituencies. This is the equivalent of hippies protesting the Democratic Convention, and we all know how well that turns out (see left).

You haven't heard much about this yet, because the media is obsessed with the two-man horse race. But the Libertarian Party and Ron Paul are the wildcards in this race. If it looks close heading to the finish, look carefully at Barr's poll numbers, and how much publicity he's been getting. A lot of Republicans are sick of the way their party has been going, and may lodge a protest vote against McCain to demonstrate this frustration. Barr could very well be the Republican's Nader this year. Most Democrats have learned their lesson about 3rd party candidates - this might be the GOP's turn.

By the way, check out Nader's site. His design honestly terrifies me. I don't like to associate my President with grey skies and lightning.

Other News of the Day:

--> Ted Strickland (referenced here at EDC) declared yesterday he is absolutely not interested in seeking the Vice-Presidency.

--> Meanwhile, the Obama campaign mulls 20 names as possibilities for running mate. You'll notice my article only listed 8. I listed the most well-known of the options there. Perhaps in a few days I'll mention the other guys. It's quite possible that both Obama and McCain will choose running mates not on either of my lists.

--> Obama is a busy man, but he still has time for Scarlett Johansson. Enjoy this one, folks. If I'm devoting this blog fully to American politics, I will probably not get another chance to post a picture of someone attractive. Just thought you should have the heads up on that one.

--> I would post more news here, but it's distracting when the news is accompanied by Scarlett Johansson. And so we wait...

--> The tone of the campaign shifts again today, with McCain reminding Pennsylvania voters that Obama thinks they're bitter, and Obama engaging him on Iraq. Apparently, McCain doesn't think it's "too important" when our troops come home.

That's all for today, check back tomorrow as I engage the Senate. With Dems clinging to a slim majority, they're looking to expand, while the Republicans, one seat away from a majority, are trying to...not lose too much.