This is the Moment

Last week Sweetpea and I waited in this line…

For one of these machines…

To vote for this man…

And his fellow democrats on the ballot.

Then Blane came just as we were voting. We were supposed to save him a place in line but he was a nanosecond too late.

So I waited with him in line all over again.

We talked. We laughed. We made history. But that’s not why we voted for a black man. We’re tired of the lies, the fear tactics, the greed, the theft of our nation’s treasure and blood. We want change and all else Obama brings to this suffering nation. Honor. Respect. Integrity. Hope.

Do this with me. Go vote. Join us.

This is the Moment.

Who Stole Obama?

Some arrogant freak had the nerve to walk into my yard and steal my Obama sign. I wish I could say it doesn’t bother me, I can get them for free all day long. As long as it bothers me, the ignot who stole it has met their goal. To piss me off.

My first reaction besides anger was to wonder who would do such a thing. Is it a bunch of teenage pranksters? That’s what Blane thinks. I’ve probably put way too much thought into what type of person it could be. A racist? A religious zealot?

I’ve also probably put too much thought into what they might think about us. Do they think we support an islamic terrorist who is going to convert America into a communist country?

Too much, I say, because I really need to think more about getting even with the bastard. They don’t won’t see/hear my preference for president? I have a two story house, I could put an Obama banner across the upper half with honking lights and another sign that says, “steal this, bi-otch.”

My sign isn’t the only one missing. All the Obama signs in this neighborhood are gone, gone, gone. The McCain signs are still there.

Okay, I’m going move on, get another sign. But how do I keep that one from getting stolen?

I could spray it down with some mace or pepper, but what if some little kid or a dog happens to wander into the yard and touch it? I guess rigging it with a dose of electricity is not a good idea either (yes, I’d have a hidden camera if I did that).

I could chain it to the tree.

Wrap razor wire around it.

Rig it up with a car alarm that squeals, “You’re assaulting me!” if someone just looked at it funny.

I shouldn’t have to do this, it is my own property we’re talking about here. What do I have to do to practice free speech in my own yard?

Any ideas?

We Raised A Good Son

I made a few calls for the Clinton campaign reminding people who voted in the Texas primary to come out and caucus. Having some election phone bank experience from the ’04 swing state project, I fully expected people to hang up on me. That wasn’t the case. A lot of people were screening their calls, and the minute they heard me say who I was with and why I was calling, they picked up. Some of them had election coverage blaring in the background.

A lot of these people just wanted to talk to somebody, anybody who was on their side. One woman told me she and her husband had been fighting for weeks because they weren’t voting the same. Mostly though, I think they were just happy to hear from a democrat. A real one, not a recorded voice. See, my county is the most republican county in Texas. This may be the only day in their lifetime that their vote in a presidential contest ever actually means something.

That’s a big deal.

For a few weeks now our family has been a little divided. Blane and I broke for Clinton and our son Blane and his wife stayed solid behind Obama.

We made light of it by calling each other up when there was substantial news about our candidates. I’d call Blane and say something like “Vote for Clinton,” and he’d jab back, “O-ba-ma!”

There was never any anger, really, because Blane and I are quite proud of our son for making his own choice and not just going along with who his parents are voting for.

We had a lot of fun being in different camps. I especially liked saying “Yes we can!” in a little kid’s voice. He especially liked sending me poll links showing I was supporting a loser.

Since Blane Jr. is still registered in our precinct, we all got to caucus together. Angela is still registered in her parent’s precinct, so she didn’t get to take part in the family feud.

The big showdown started about 6:30 PM at the local elementary school. We couldn’t enter the building until the last person voted in the primary. The line for democrats coiled in the gym a few times, out the door and a ways down the sidewalk. There were only two voting machines for us. The republicans, on the other hand had several machines, way more than we had, so they didn’t have to wait in line for hours to vote.

The number of machines for each party was calculated by the way people voted in the last election. The republicans got to come out and vote quickly and go home early.

The democrats had to wait outside in the cold. We were all told to get there by 7 PM, when the polls close. It took an additional two hours for people to finish voting in the primary. So, we were out there in a parking lot in the cold for two hours.

The Obama supporters, including my son were on one side, we Clinton supporters were gathered on the other. But still close to each other. I kept calling my son telling him, “It’s not too late!”

But he stayed. I’d guestimate there were about 3,000 people in the parking lot split about half and half. Their side would chant “Yes we can!” and we’d yell, “Yes we will!”

We heckled each other in good fun. “Hey, Obama promised sunshine at the polls!” and “I HOPE it doesn’t get any colder out here!”

And them, “Hillary, pick up that damn phone, the terrists are calling!”

Every once in a while I’d go over to the Obama side to talk to my son. There were a lot of families going back and forth between crowds. I, being so freaking curious would ask people, “You going to vote for Hillary if she wins the nomination?” They said they would. I told them the same, they would have my support.

We finally got out of the cold at about 9PM. Since three precincts were voting, it was pretty full, but well organized. People were confused, they just didn’t understand how the process worked, but no one panicked. I was one of the precinct captains, and I didn’t fully understand how it would all work out either, but in the end, people just signed a paper with their choice and left. Some of us stayed for the actual caucus where the complicated part was. We had to elect chairs, count votes, then use a formula to divide up and elect delegates. It ended at 11PM. That’s 4 hours, 2 standing out in the cold for part of one vote.

Why on earth would someone do such a foolish thing?

Because we knew we were making a difference. For the first time, ever.

And hey, guess what? I got elected to be a delegate and get to go to the county convention on the 30th. Blane Jr. got elected too, but for the other side. The feud continues.

Thinking back about all this, I did not see a single person in a wheelchair at the caucus. The process is not handicap friendly or elderly friendly or people with babies friendly. Anyone working in say, a hospital on the 3-11 shift can’t caucus. Do we want to leave these people out? I don’t.

Our precinct drew up a resolution to end this process and it will be presented at the convention.

Here’s a quote I got in an email from the Clinton campaign after she found out she won three of the four states tonight:

“We’re going to do it for everyone across America who’s been counted out — but refused to be knocked out. For everyone who’s stumbled — but stood right back up. And for everyone who works hard — but never gives up. “

Split Decision

I just finished watching the debates and usually what I do after these things is turn off the tv and write my thoughts.

Overall I found the debate unifying for the democratic party. No huge cheap shots in either direction, but more of “my opponent is a great candidate” and “Bush and McCain are evil.”

I think with so many people voting for both of them, they will just have to do the dream ticket thing. I got the feeling the two of them know something we don’t know. That’s my impression from their behavior toward each other tonight.

Clinton did not appear desperate or grasping in any way. She seemed confident. Her explanation of their differences on universal health care was long overdue.

Obama has to know hers is better, he admits prices for health insurance goes down if more people pay into the system, he said so when he talked about why he would force all parents to buy it for their children.

Now I see more than ever why exactly Obama appeals to younger people, especially those without children. He would let them escape paying into the system during the healthy years when they also don’t have assets to protect and can “risk” getting a half million dollar hospital bill that they will never have to pay.

I have a problem with rounding up votes that way. You are either for universal coverage or not.

So, if there will be a dream ticket, who should be the presidential candidate? I say Obama because that will keep people from wondering if Bill Clinton were running the White House.

For that reason, I may vote for Obama. But I’d have to do a whole lot of hoping and whole lot of believing in the dream ticket idea.

Early voting began this week in Texas, but I’m going to wait until the last day to vote and then caucus that evening. Especially since this race is so close. We get to vote twice in Texas, so each vote is like a half a vote. I could vote for one in the primary and the other in the caucus. Or stay home.

Punk Politics

I’m aggitated that CNN and FoxNews blogs have become the top blogs at WordPress, beating out the unbeatable lolcats. That’s just wrong.

The mainstream media (msm) is out to protect their own interests. They do not want someone like Obama in office any more than they want Hillary in there. The thing is, with Obama they have much more to work with. They have created a frenzy over him, and like rock stars, Obama has no where else to go but down.

How long will it be until someone shouts, “Obama is a sell-out!” (I predict 30 days or less)

It’s starting already. The downward spiral. The thing is, the msm is attacking Obama voters as cultish and mindless. Hey, what did we dislike most about Bush supporters? The same thing. Can’t the msm at least change the fucking story line?

The thing about the msm that has me disturbed is the hatred toward Hillary Clinton. This has trickled down into the blogosphere. No one ever really says why they hate her, only that they do.

I do not bow to hatred. Voting for Obama to get rid of Hillary-hate is saying it is okay to hate.

I can’t believe people have bought into this superdelegate/disenfranchisement thing. It’s white hot. I’m getting emails from the progressive movement to stop this travesty. Tons of them. As if the primary process is fair except for the superdelegate issue.

Now that the progressives have gone ape-shit over this, it turns out Obama spent more money on them than all of the other candidates put together. I wonder if people who gave money to the Obama campaign are aware that their money might have been used to lobby superdelegates?

Change. For Obama to say he wants to move away from the politics of the past while he has half the Kennedy family standing right beside him is a mind fuck. Like I’m not seeing what I see.

But that’s not why I’m voting for Hillary in the primary. I believe her plan for universal health care is better than Obama’s. I’ve followed that issue for over twenty years and worked in health care. Hers is better because it makes everyone pay into the system. We already pay for all people over 65, the sickest and most expensive people to care for (what a relief for the health insurance industry, huh?).

I am also voting Clinton because the msm doesn’t want her to win. Screw them. She’s a street fighter and knows how to beat the crap out of the other party. If she can get there. Republicans know how to beat unbeatable candidates by whipping them in the primaries.

And if Obama wins the primary, I’ll vote for him in the general. He’s a great candidate and wants the same things Hillary wants. Almost.

I still think these two will be on the same ticket. Yes, with the Clinton baggage and Obama’s “bomb Pakistan” and fake accents and all.

Yes, I know this makes me the uncoolest person in the universe. Yeah? So what! (I think Johnny Rotten said that first)

Split Brained Over Politics

I’ve been smitten with Obama since the fall of 2005 when I first heard him speak (I wrote about it here).

I have also always liked Hillary because she was the first politician I ever heard who had the balls to talk about universal health care. That was in the early 90′s and way too close to the cold war. But she did it. And I think the real reason people hate her today is because of that.

I’ve been torn between these two amazing choices until a few weeks ago, when Michelle Obama said she would have to think about whether or not she would vote for Hillary if she were the nominee.

As a lifelong dem party supporter, this stunned me. She would consider voting for McCain? “100 years of war” McCain? This is “I didn’t vote for the war” Obama’s wife.

I could see right there, Obama’s weakness. His Achille’s heel. Michelle Obama.

I also noticed all the favorable press Obama’s been getting, like, everywhere. He is a great scoop. But I don’t trust the manipulative mainstream media. This is the same fear, fear, fear, media that drove people to vote for Bush. The same media that weeks ago made Bill Clinton out to be a racist (c’mon, the dude was the first black president, he has an office in Harlem, does humanitarian work in Africa…) 90% of this media which is owned by what, five major corporations?
Can you trust that?

So I wondered if they were harping on Obama because they think he’d be easier to beat in the general election.

And I wondered if the Obamicans (Republicans for Obama) were crossing over and voting in our primaries because they wanted an easy fight in November. This is a typical Rovian tactic. Crossover vote for the “loser” candidate so you can beat them later.

I just listened to Obama’s speech after the Potomic primaries. Then I watched McCain speak. Back to back. Then I watched the news commentator’s jaws drop. I could see it in their faces. There is no way McCain will beat Obama. Not even with the power of the media. They will have to steal it from him.

When I hear Obama, I tear up. He says things I have been wanting to hear for over twenty years. My right brain goes into overdrive. All will be good. He says college kids they will get $4000 a year to go to college. Not for free though, they will have to do community service for this cash (work in a homeless shelter or a VA hospital), learn a foreign language, or join the Peace Corps. “Yes we can” is sounding more like “yes we will.”

Then my left brain says, wait, he was whining about the Clintons ganging up on him, the republican machine will eat him alive. How’s he going to do all the things he promises? Hillary does things. She, too, wants change. She wanted it first, waaaaaay back when she burst onto the scene with universal health care. And she was around when Bill cleaned up that first Bush mess. We have a big mess to clean.

So I’m stuck back on the fence. The good news is, I don’t think McCain will be able to beat either one of our candidates.

One last word. McCain ended his speech with Obama’s line, “I’m fired up and ready to go.” Did he vote for Obama too?