If you’ve ever wondered why people prattle on so much about the importance of keeping religion out of government, make sure you read this entire article, about a group of Catholic bishops who intend to directly and “forcefully” confront President-Elect Barack Obama on the topic of his plans to immediately void some of President Bush’s abortion banning executive orders once he takes office.

We get such gems as:

“Any one of us here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow—die tomorrow!—to bring about the end of abortion,” said Auxiliary Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis.

Ignoring for the moment the complete idiocy of that statement, I’d rather focus on the extremism being put on display here. The article points out the Catholic church is willing to “compromise” on issues like the economy, energy policy, and foreign policy, but that it has to stand firm on the subject of abortion. Does that mean it intends to launch an all-out political war against anybody who supports women’s rights like this? Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: Politics Religion Stupid People

Here’s a huge shocker: Fox News somehow “managed” to land the first post-election interview with Sarah Palin. Aren’t you shocked?

Yeah, neither am I. Go figure — the most biased network that was friendliest to McCain’s campaign throughout this past election cycle getting to interview their favorite VP pick first before the other “real” news networks isn’t much of a surprise. Still, since that’s a Fox News article right there, let’s give it the deluxe snark treatment anyway. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics Stupid People

After Sarah Palin spent weeks trying to tie Barack Obama directly to terrorism via a tenuous link to Bill Ayers, riling up right-wing extremists who openly called for his death, and spending all her energy attacking Obama with cheap shots and lies, it seems she’s experiencing a bit of a backlash now. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

Governor Palin,

I write this evening of the 6th of November with great joy in my heart and a rejuvenated sense of hope and optimism, as more electoral college votes continue to roll in for Barack Obama. He’s now reached 365 total votes in the electoral college, which pretty much classifies his victory a “landslide.”

On behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank you for accepting Senator John McCain’s offer to be his running mate during the campaign. Without your gracious help, Barack Obama might have had a much harder fight. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

I’ve been pretty busy throughout the beginning of this week, including Election Day and the two days surrounding it, so this is my first real chance to sit down and post something about the actual election.

History was made November 4, 2008 when Illinois Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) won the presidential election by a healthy margin of 7% (over 7.5 million more votes than his opponent, Senator John McCain (Republican), received) with a total vote count of 64,085,056 votes[^1]. I offer heartfelt congratulations to President-Elect Obama. I voted for him, donated to his campaign, and canvassed for him on the last weekend to help get more voters to the polls, and I’m thrilled to see the guy I picked win for a change Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

I was impressed by a simple comment today over at fivethirtyeight.com that advised — “vote, don’t gloat.”

That poster is completely correct, and I’ll explain why it’s so vital for you to actually vote Tuesday (your last chance to do so during this election cycle).

Almost every poll shows Obama holding a significant lead in this election cycle. Almost everybody I talked to yesterday as I canvassed in Tallahassee for the campaign said they’d either already voted for Obama or they were going to. Most folks I know personally are going to vote for Obama or already have. And yes, that even includes some traditionally die-hard registered Republicans (I beam with pride every time I see a Republican realize “ugh, our candidate just sucks this time around; I just can’t do this” and throw their begrudging support behind Obama — there really is hope for us all).

Obama’s going to win the popular vote (the feel-good vote) and the electoral college (the vote one that actually makes someone a President Elect).

However, you cannot take that for granted. Your vote for him is insanely important. Here’s why: Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

An amusing, lengthy but worth-your-time video of the antics of the McCain Campaign’s Orlando, Florida office caught my eye about an hour ago, and it raises a lot of really fun questions about this election campaign so far. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

After promising not to bombard “battleground” states with automated phone calls to voters, the McCain campaign is, well, bombarding “battleground” states with automated phone calls to voters.

The second link there is a spiffy little toy that tracks where and how the latest volley of increasingly desperate attacks are coming from the McCain campaign. You can use the site to report phone calls you receive yourself from machines, and by doing this, you’re helping expose these cowards who are afraid to even risk actually talking to a voter. Oh, and lies, too — you’ll be helping to expose lots and lots of lies. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics

PeTA is an irritating group of people. To a small degree, some of what they argue for is actually accurate — modern Americans have little to no business running out into the wilderness with guns to “hunt” animals (because we are an advanced, industrialized nation capable of mass-producing healthy foods), being cruel to animals for the “fun” of it is just bad, and we probably should give a more collective rat’s ass than we do about how feed animals are treated during processing. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: Politics Rants Stupid People

A “fun” trick by the losing candidate (in any election) is to start breaking out hypothetical (or at least “sound bite friendly”) constituents who might be inconvenienced or harmed in some way by one of the winning campaign’s proposals.

This election cycle, it’s “Plumber Joe.” Plumber Joe, who supposedly will be buying a business that will be taxed more by Obama’s tax relief plan than by McCain’s.

Sigh. Did anyone do their homework before they tried this? Does anyone who believes this stuff actually look into it?

Of course not. Here, let me do it for you (courtesy of this article over at the Detroit Free Press)… again

• It turns out Joe has no plumber’s license.
• Joe isn’t in the plumbers union.
• Joe never did a plumbers apprenticeship.
• Joe’s business likely would not be taxed under Obama’s proposal.
• Joe might even get a tax cut under Obama’s proposal.
• Joe doesn’t believe in Social Security.
• Joe’s first name isn’t Joe, it’s Samuel.
• And Samuel hasn’t paid his taxes.

Whoops. Oh, did I mention “Joe the Plumber” is tied rather closely to that old Keating Five scandal? I know, I know… sounds too funny to be true:

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who’s Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating’s son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.

Alas, McCain’s campaigners just keep screwing this up. Read the full story...

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics