PDWV to Distribute Voter Education Literature

PDWV will soon be receiving literature from NoMoreStolenElections to distribute throughout the counties where touch-screen voting is becoming an issue in this election.

The information is in the form of a comic book authored by Greg Palast and RFK, Jr.

Woot! Takes on the Debate

Woot! is a site that sells one item a day, usually for a very good price. Today they take on last night's debate while trying to sell a portable space heater. I've edited out the lines where the space heater is part of the debate (with a speaking part), and the biting satire is brilliant. SNL couldn't have written better. Enjoy!



Tom: From Belmont Park Racecourse, welcome to the second lap of the 2008 Sierra Mist/Pennzoil Xtreme Race for the Presidency. Two weeks ago, the candidates completed the swimsuit portion of the competition, and are now ready to take questions from the American people. From millions of questions posted on the Internet, there were only maybe two good ones. So we brought in a bunch of undecided voters to ask the same questions that were asked in the last debate, since they all missed it. We’ll start with a question for you, Senator Mac, from Paris London of Rome, Texas.

Paris London, voter: My question is about the economy. Oh my God, what the hell are we going to do? What the hell, man? Somebody, for God’s sake, do something!

Senator Mac: My friend, a lot of Americans are angry, confused, and fearful right now. I should know. I’m one of them. People are hurting, and not just those people who deserve it. Why, just the other day, I paid $6.99 for the very same buffet I used to pay $6.49 for. And that was the early bird special. It’s clear that something, anything, needs to be done, no matter how feckless or ineffectual. So I am instructing my subordinates to suspend my campaign until the next question in this debate. It’s time to get serious, my friends.

Senator Bam: While they’ve been living the high life on Wall Street, all the lowlifes are living on Main Street. Things have been positively 4th Street, but a nightmare on Elm Street. We’ve seen 221 Baker Street turn into 21 Jump Street. But look: the thing we have to do is cut the strings on these golden parachutes. I pledge to you that within two years, I will eliminate not only golden parachutes, but every color of parachute besides the red, white, and blue.

Tom: And for our next question, over there in section F, Brad Nair of Bald Mountain, Wyoming.

Brad Nair, voter: Hoo hoo hoo! Section F rules! All right! Listen, Senator Bam, I do a lot of funnycar racing, I run the electric in my house off a gasoline generator, and I drive my SUV from my front door to the garage where I keep my bigger SUV. So the high price of gasoline is really hitting me in the wallet. What are you going to do for me so I don’t have to change my own behavior in any way?

Senator Bam: We’ve got to end our dependence on foreign oil. Every dollar we send to Alberta, Saskatchewan, and other foreign powers gets turned against us in international amateur hockey competition. But look, it’s not going to happen overnight. That’s why we have got to invest in alternative energy sources right now, because we’ve got to recognize that the sun is not going to be there forever. We need to grab that solar power while we can.

Senator Mac: My friends, let me tell you what my friends – not you guys in the audience, my other friends up here on stage – have really done beyond their fancy rhetoric and correct pronunciations of foreign words. Senator Bam voted 38 – no, 125 – no, 497 times to raise the price of gasoline. Approximately every four seconds, Senator Bam votes to raise the price of gasoline. There, he just did it again. And DeLonghi Multi-Position Ceramic Heater has a secret of his own: he’ll raise taxes on 119% of Americans by an average of 900%, and require each household to offer up two goats and three pecks of turnips. Don’t bother looking in his platform for this. It’s not in there. Fortunately, I overheard him talking about it in the men’s room.

Tom: The next question comes from Dale Glenn of Glendale, California.

Dale Glenn, voter: How can you the American people trust any of the candidates given the varying positions you’ve all adopted over the years?

Senator Mac: My friends, this one talks a good game. But when the time came to stand up for America, he voted for a budget festooned with goodies. And if there’s one thing I hate, it’s goodies. In my day, when we wanted a treat, we soaked a piece of stale bread in castor oil and sprinkled nutmeg on it, with a glass of beet juice on the side. If that was good enough for me, it’s good enough for America. And when I’m in the White House, it will be.

Senator Bam: I’ve never wavered in my commitment to the American people to remain fully committed to the American people. That’s the kind of commitment I’m committed to. But look: we don’t need more of the same policies we’ve seen these last eight years. Reality is not a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, where you can go back and see what would have happened if you’d investigated the sound coming from the crash-landed UFO instead of following the mysterious light into the woods. It’s time for a president with the judgment to choose the right adventure the first time.

Tom: Here’s another question from section F, on the subject of healthcare. Let’s hear from Heather Gray of Pantone, Louisiana.

Heather Gray, voter: I am currently spending all of my income on health insurance for myself and my eight cats. Do you have anything really petty and irrelevant to say about lowering health care costs?

Senator Bam: You’re right, health insurance is too expensive. But look: what I would do is, put your health records online.

Senator Mac: I’ve heard of this “online”, my friends, and it sounds like a great place to store your most confidential, personal information.

Tom: I’d like to ask the viewers at home to please, if you’re playing a drinking game, to stop drinking when you hear “my friend” or “but look”, for your own sake and that of your loved ones. Now we’ll turn to foreign affairs. Our next question comes from the Internet, and has to do with Pakistan. Is al-Qaeda up in ur mountns plannin ur massacres, or do all their base belong to Pakistan?

Senator Mac: Pakistan is a real problem, my friends. But the deal is, we have to pretend we like them or we won’t get invited to Bangladesh’s skating party. When it comes to bin Laden, I will stop at nothing to capture him. But if Pakistan asks, you didn’t hear that from me, OK?

Senator Bam: The fact of the reality of the matter is, Osama bin Laden is still out there somewhere. He’s not in Iraq, and he’s not here tonight, so that’s two places we can cross off our list. But look: every breath he takes, every move he makes, every bond he breaks, every step he takes, we’ll be watching him.

Tom: The next question will again come from section F, from a Mr. Pladimir Vutin of Moscow, Idaho.

Pladimir Vutin, voter: Thank you in the name of the motherland. Candidates, the mighty Russian empire was bringing light to the darkness of Central Asia when America was just a bunch of naked beaver-trappers with malaria. How dare you lecture one of the most advanced civilizations on Earth about how to conduct her internal affairs?

Senator Bam: The problem was, Putin went down to Georgia, looking for a soul to steal. But look: he paid for it all with Granny’s caviar money. Russia’s laughing all the way to the bank, or wherever they keep their money in that messed-up country. So until we end our dependence on foreign caviar, Russia wins.

Senator Mac: Our friends in Georgia must know that they have friends in us, my friends. That is why I will always, always stand by those brave, brave Duke boys. They’re just good ol’ boys, never meaning no harm. And they’re fighting the system like a true modern-day Robin Hood.

Tom: And our final question tonight also comes from the Internet, and it has something of a Zenlike quality: what do you not know that cannot be unknown, and when did you know it?

Senator Bam: I’m glad someone has finally asked that. But look: as I travel this nation seeking the votes of Americans, I’m constantly reminded that people need help. Right now, somebody out there has a flat tire. Somebody is trying to reach something on a high shelf, only to find that in America today, reaching high shelves is a right reserved only for the tall. Somebody else has just run out of brown sugar, and may be turning to a neighbor or a relative just to finish the recipe they started. I say, it’s government’s job to give these people a hand. This is the best of America at its worst. This is the highest point of our lowest moment. And it’s time for the beginning of the middle of the end. Thank you.

Senator Mac: Here’s what I know. My friends, our nation faces challenges the likes of which we’ve never seen. The recession. The fuel crisis. The gathering storm over Iran. And the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But with a leader like President Reagan, I’m confident that our nation will see its way through the 1980’s in better shape than ever. And if you, the good people of Arizona see fit to elect me Senator, I pledge to always fight for your interests, against the special interests. Not that you’re not special in your own way. You know what I’m saying. Thank you.

Tom: Thank you to the candidates, and to the horses of Belmont Park. Good night.

Going Forward

Now that the second "debate" is over and done with one thing is clear: McCain has a lot of ground to make up.

We've seen in recent days just exactly how he plans to make up that ground. He and Palin and his surrogates will continue to whip the base into a frothy-mouthed mob that will continue to scream ridiculous asides at rallies and bash the media. The question is whether or not someone will physically bash the media before it's all said and done.

The McCain/Palin supporters are disappointed and desperate. Take this emailer at the National Review Online as an example:

"Well I have gone outside and pulled up my Mcain/Palin sign. This election is over. I will vote for Mcain but I know that come Nov. 5 Obama will be our president-elect.

I feel sorry for Sarah Palin. A once promising career will be permanently connected to the landside loss of John McCain.

I weep for my children and their families."

Others aren't taking it that well even. They're looking for someone or something at whom they can lash out. Before the election that someone is not going to be John McCain, his advisers or Sarah Palin. After the election some will, inevitably, turn on McCain and his advisers and maybe even a few on Palin (expect very few if any). So for the time being, McCain/Palin will blame the media and the crowds will, in turn, take their frustrations out on the media. They are becoming increasingly hostile, and, in my opinion, will turn violent unless some sense is talked into them by McCain or Palin.

The oft-asked question as McCain changes his strategy to full-time negativity is "Will it help him?" For the first time this election cycle I watched the debate on CNN. As I've stated before, I'm a poll junkie. Those little lines at the bottom of the CNN screen do for me what Sarah Palin does for Rich Lowry.

I learned something from those lines last night. The "Uncommitted Ohio Voters (TM)" didn't like it when McCain attacked. The lines dropped like rocks when he attacked Obama. They also dropped when Obama attacked McCain.

Going forward McCain's team plans to attack Obama over and over for the next 4 weeks. It's going to kill him in the end. This election cycle, undecided voters don't want to hear how bad your opponent is. They want to hear how you will respond to the MAJOR issues facing our country and rightfully so. They don't want to hear that your opponent is dangerous so you should elect me.

For the first time in several election cycles I'm regaining my faith in the American electorate. Not because Obama is leading and is likely to be our next President, but because the voters are looking at candidates' positions on real issues and aren't being swayed by fear tactics.

Coal River Mountain Wind Project on CNN

You can now find the story and video on CNN. The first time I looked at it the front page headline read "The Battle over Coal River Mountain". It now reads "Blowing off mountain tops to get coal."

Also, soon-to-be-ex Sen. Vic says of the Coal River Mountain Watch appearance on Decision Makers:

"Now, it's not often that I feel bad for the enviros, but holy smokes did Bray Cary completely destroy and embarrass them."

Then he compared Bray Carey to Andre the Giant. No kidding...Andre the Giant.

Carey said of the "enviros" that they support terrorists (that's right, terrorists) because they want to deep mine the coal rather than blow up the mountain. Now that's class. It's no wonder soon-to-be-ex Sen. Vic liked it: he's that kind of classy guy, too.

The VP Debate - Palin doesn't get the job

Like all the rest of you, we watched the VP debate last night. My gut reaction is that the word "also" now needs to be removed from the English language, and if anyone winks at me today, I cannot be held responsible for what may happen next.

Seriously. Did anyone else find the winking to be completely over the top?

Think about it this way. Basically, Gov. Palin was in a job interview last night for the Vice Presidency of the United States. Which, incidentally, she answered like she was still doing the interview portion of the Miss Alaska contest. "As Vice-President of America, I would like to achieve world peace. Also, Joe Biden is really old. Also, John McCain is a maverick. Also, I am governor of Alaska. Also, I am also a maverick."

Palin refused to answer questions, even when she was blatantly called out for NOT answering the questions. She gave pat, rehearsed responses, shuffled her notes incessantly, and winked into the camera, dramatically on cue. In an attempt to be "folksy," she completely butchered the English language. (God help me, I cannot take 4 more years of "nuQlar." I may go nuclear.) If you were a manager hiring a person for a position at your business, would you HIRE this woman?

I know "Joe Six-Pack," and he's got no business in the White House

Yesterday, in a radio interview with Hugh Hewlitt, Gov. Sarah Palin said that some people are ticked off at the idea of "Joe Six-Pack" being represented in the office of Vice President of the U.S. In response to Gov. Palin's comment, I offer a resounding, "Heck, yeah, I'm ticked!!!"

I know Joe Six-Pack. He lives in the house behind us. He is a 40-yr. old man who is being supported by his elderly mother, stays drunk all the time, and watches TV in his underwear. Do I want him in the White House? I think the question is: Do You?

Pollster Likely Underestimating the Youth Vote

If I'm inundating and annoying everyone with polling information, I apologize. Just tell me and I'll stop. My biggest weakness is that I'm a poll junkie. I can't get enough of reading polls and analyzing the crosstabs.

In that respect, here's something I came across:



This graphic shows the representation of voters aged 18-29 in the 2004 election and compares that to what current pollsters are using to represent that age bracket in their poll numbers. Though it is possible that 2008 turnout among 18-29 will be lower than the 17% from 2004, it is not very likely.

Only R2K/dKos and CBS are polling this age group at that rate. Gallup is including them at as low as 10% of their sample.

If the youth vote turns out to be between 18% and 22% as is projected and backed up by primary exit polls, the current polling numbers could vastly change in Obama's favor.

Update on Voter Suppression in WV

The latest information I have is that Secretary of State Ireland has requested that the spot not be released to a media source who was interested in doing a story about the ad in light of the stories going around about voter suppression scare tactics going on at area colleges and universities.

This begs the question: why doesn't Secretary Ireland want additional media coverage about this important information?

Could it be she has something to cover up?