The Ghost of Curly Lambeau

If John Kerry is truly a fan of the Boston Red Sox, he should have a healthy respect for dearly departed legends. Ghosts can be killers. Right now, Curly Lambeau is smiling. His team defeated the Washington Redskins in their final home game before the election, and George W. Bush is going to defeat the man who butchered Curly's last name. Call it the Curse of Curly, but Kerry is not going to ever win another election.

UPDATE
Blogs for Bush covers the whole Redskins deal, but I think they miss the influence of Curly's Curse.

The Bin Laden Tape

There has been no discussion of the Bin Laden tape here yet because, frankly, I'm not sure what the hell to make of it yet. My first concern is that the tape is a trigger for something to occur on Monday or Tuesday. I find that especially concerning because my co-workers will be traveling Monday and Tuesday to high profile venues, and I will be traveling to one on Wednesday. Beyond that though, the rhetoric and tone of this video is different from previous tapes. It sounds like a tamer MoveOn.org, anti-Bush type ad. It doesn't have the fire and brimstone talk that I'm used to. I'm not sure if this is a video of a man whose organization is taking a beating, and whose tone is therefore muted but encouraging for his followers and recruits, or if he honestly thinks that he can affect the outcome of this election with his mere words.

Acutally, it wouldn't surprise me if he does think he can influence this election with mere words. To head an international terror network which has inflicted serious damage on the United States, one must have a great ego. On top of that, given his religous mindset, he must think he is a chosen one of Allah. If so, this guy might actually believe that he has the power to make John Kerry President with nothing but his words. I actually hope this is the case, because things could get very chaotic if this is a trigger for an attack. Kerry is no Thomas Dewey, and I fully expect him to use an attack to his political advantage if one were to occur. As heated as politics have become (Al Gore really did a disservice to this country's political process in 2000), that could make the next several months very, very ugly.

Blogger sucks today

For the record.

Packers & Redskins

Well, here we go. I'm plunked down in front of my TV, watching my beloved Packers, conflicted. If the Skins win, the stats say the incumbent wins. If the visitor wins, the challenger wins the election. This sucks. Beer, please!

Michels v. Feingold Update

One trademark of Tim Michels' primary victory was a late ad blitz, and it looks like we'll see that again. I've seen three Michels ads already today, and he has an endorsement from Rudy Giuliani in the ad. I'm getting jacked up about the potential of this race getting very tight by Tuesday. Feingold is a tough opponent, and will be tough to defeat, but it looks like Michels just might be able to make inroads on Feingold.

Tim Michels, the comeback kid?

If Tim Michels defeats Russ Feingold for US Senate, then he truly deserves the "comeback kid" monniker. In the Republican primary, Michels was a non-entity until very late in the race, when he then zoomed past his competitors to win a solid victory. In the Senate race, he has been consistently way behind Feindgold. The RNC even pulled ad dollars out of Wisconsin that were earmarked for Michels. Michels has been funding his campaign out of his own pocket, and his prospects have been dim. John Miller at The Corner is reporting that Michels has been making some huge inroads on Feingold in the polls over the last several days, though. Michels has gone from 13 points down to 5 down in 4 days. This is a race to possibly keep an eye on.

Col. Ollie's Treatment

Well, it looks like Col. Ollie had his lap dance and Spaten this morning. I didn't think we'd see him on this weekend, as he had a tough time of it yesterday. Since his treatments aren't covered by insurance, and we're having trouble covering the costs of it, I'm hoping all of our Salon.com readers will fork out $30 each to help us keep Ollie stabilized. It will be a great show of confidence in John Kerry's national health care plan if you do this. Instead of the government facilitating the transfer of dollars from your pocket to Ollie's treatments, you can cut out the middle man and do a good thing without government prompting. Email me, and I'll tell you who to cut the check to.

Honing in

It appears as though Bush is surging in Ohio and Florida, opening up 4- or 5-point leads in each state. If he wins both Ohio and Florida, along with picking up Nevada and New Mexico, which pretty much looks certain, Bush is re-elected. Then, Wisconsin and Minnesota aren't needed, which is good, because Kerry appears to be surging in those two states. If Bush were to lose Florida, then Iowa, Wisconsin and maybe Hawaii become quite important.

So for now I'm watching Ohio today as Ahnold stumps. This election, as I can see it, can go three ways:
1 . A narrow Kerry win
2. A narrow Bush win
3. A large Bush win, if he captures, WI, IA, FL and OH

We'll know in a couple days. If Kerry captures his narrow victory by taking WI and OH, keep an eye on PN. Looks like a judge said absentee ballots can be counted through 11/10. There has been debate over whether or not military personnel in Iraq could get their ballots here on time. They'll now have a few more days to do so, which will secure their votes. Remember, 70% of military personnel are voting for Bush. And the absentee military vote is expected to potentiall make a difference in PN.

Isn't this fun?

Electoral College, here to stay

The Electoral College will not be abolished, and I say that with certainty. Sorry Gore voters, I know you all want to see that happen, even though he himself started to prepare you for the possibility he may lose the popular vote and win the electoral vote in the waning weeks of the 2000 election. Here’s why.

After the Revolution, we had to somehow develop a national government that was acceptable to 13 very independent colonies. This raised numerous problems, not the least of which was equal representation of the colonies. You see, the smaller colonies were very aware that by joining this new venture, they risked having law and policy dictated to them by larger states. This was one sticking point in the formation of an American government. Several compromises were worked out to alleviate this. In order to ensure that each state had enough say in the process to avoid large states lording their will over small states, the Senate became an institution where all states were equal in power, with each having two Senators a piece. In the House, with its proportional representation, the larger states have their venue with which to start legislation favorable to their situations.

The Presidency presented another problem. First, the Founding Fathers did not have designs on the Presidency being chosen by popular consensus, but they did not desire that the political entities in Congress have a say over the selection of President, either. They feared that a President selected by Congressmen would be beholden to the political whims of those who chose them. The Electoral College was a solution for all of this. The Electoral College put the selection of the President back into the hands of the states instead of the professional politicians in the capitol. Since the states were free to choose electors as they saw fit, it also somewhat insulated the process against corruption. With each state having an electoral vote equal to its representation in the Senate plus the House of Representatives, it also assuaged fears of small states and large states by giving each state a weighted but proportional number of electoral votes. So while, say, Rhode Island would not have as much say in a Presidential Election as a New York, they would not be absolutely steamrolled by the interests of New York, either. Keep in mind that each colony had a working, established government at that time, and most of the interests of citizens of each state were enacted through their state governments, with the national government looking over the interests of the whole.

What has happened since that time? Well, we’ve stopped looking at the world from state perspective, and more from a Federal Government perspective. While this country was designed to work at the most local level possible, it has been natural for eyes to go first to the Federal Government as we have become more and more enmeshed in the outside world. While the argument can and should be made that we ought to look first to our most local branch of government, the plain fact of the matter is we’ve made this transition. The problem with this is that most people no longer understand that their interests can be best protected and furthered through their states. In addition, the President is now chosen by the popular will of citizens. Early in the history of this country, many states did not have popular elections for President. Instead their state legislatures selected electors. We rapidly turned over to popular elections, but that wasn’t how the system was designed. Finally, people just don’t worry much about big states dominating their states anymore, which is a testament to the system.

Okay, now you’re asking yourself, I thought he was going to make the case for why the Electoral College won’t be abolished. He seems to have done the opposite. Well, we need the context of the past to understand what will happen next. Eventually, there will be a big push to abolish the Electoral College and to make the selection of the President a function of the popular vote. There are little efforts towards this almost every year or two, but they go nowhere, but at some point, this issue will reach a critical mass, and there will be a serious effort towards abolition. Here’s what’s going to happen, though. It is going to require a 2/3 majority of states to pass that amendment. Suddenly, every state with electoral representation of less than 15 is going to start opening their eyes to the old fear of small state vs. big state. Abolishing the Electoral College is not in the best interest of any small state, and those small states are going to come to realize they have more to lose than to gain by moving forward with this. Colorado may be the first state to realize this, with its initiative to assign its votes proportionally. If that initiative passes, Colorado will soon learn that it has ceded all influence in Presidential Elections. Because of this reawakening to the old argument of big state influence vs. small state influence, the 2/3 majority will never be reached. Unless we were to move to a point where we abolish states, the Electoral College will not be going away. It seems unfair, but it is probably a fairer system than the Senate, where a coalition of smaller states could block legislation, even though those Senators represent a minority of Americans. But because we do not see the “popular vote” behind the passage of legislation, it is an out of sight, out of mind concept.

My advice is to learn to love this quirk of the American system. Over time it will make you happy as much as it will piss you off. By pushing for its abolition, you are doing little more than pounding your head against a very hard wall.

Defense of the electoral college

Looking for a fun read defending the Electoral College? Ed Meese has a great one over at the Heritage Foundation.

Lincoln the first Log Cabin Republican?

This story is proof positive that we have way too little to worry about in America. The story is about a book coming out next year that makes the claim that Lincoln was gay. Novel concept, but there is no historical way to prove this thesis, so all that is left is a book full of guesses and assertions. And I'm sure it will sell a zillion copies. Meanwhile, that copy of Atlas Shrugged gathers dust on the bookstore shelf.

Post Kerry Madison rally absentee voting

The Governor of Wisconsin estimated that there were 80,000 people at the Kerry rally today. 620 AM WTMJ's (Milwaukee) News Director John Jagler estimated on the air tonight that 10,000-20,000 left after Springsteen played his set. After the rally, an estimated 1300 took part in in absentee voting, half of the estimated turn out. To see how some Madison citizens felt about the rally, check out this link at Channel3000.com (WISC TV).

Who knows a politician better ...

... than the residents of that politician's home state? Let's see here ... North Carolinians can't stand John Edwards. Even the liberals who inhabit Massachusetts can't stand John Kerry. The good folks in Tennessee wouldn't give their state to Al Gore in 2000. But Texans sure do love G-Dub. Why is that?

Hang 10, GOP!!!!

Rasmussen Reports that Hawaii is now up for grabs. I'm guessing that Kerry's ridiculous display of wind-surfing did him in with the wave-savvy inhabitants of the island state.

Grrr. Blogger.

Blogger's been getting hung up a lot on me. Anyone else having that problem and know a solution?

Phil Donahue on Hannity & Colmes

Ummm, I'm surprised Donahue couldn't pull better ratings when he was on TV. After all, the guy is a microcosm of the looney left. He opened up on Hannity & Colmes by saying that the administration is shutting up anyone who disagrees with them, and then in the same sentence said that he was proud to be there exercising his right to dissent. What!? Umm, psst, Phil-I don't see any secret police shutting you up right now as you flap your gums. And when did Phil become plastic man? He was making some scary faces. The one thing I'll give him is that as a former show host, he knows that the segment works better if you take turns talking instead of trying to yell over each other. Mostly.

New Club for Growth Commercial

I tuned in O'Reilly moments ago, and just caught the Club for Growth commercial which portrays Kerry as a flip flopper in part by showing a groom kissing the maid of honor at his wedding, the organist...funny stuff. Funny political commercials-we need more of 'em.

Democrats are anything but

Democrats are well on their way to destroying any semblance of a democratic process in this country. Over the past 15 years, they have been on a crusade to make it easier and easier to vote. On the face, I have no problem with this. There shouldn't be any artificial barriers to voting. Democrats have pushed this so far, however, that they have leveled the natural barriers to voting which are necessary for legitimate elections.

What do I mean by "natural barriers"? Well, a legitimate election is a pretty easy thing to pull off. Every eligible voter is entitled one vote. Of course, human nature being what it is, you need to verify that every voter is who they say they are, and live where they say they do. Seems pretty easy to me. You require that they have a picture ID with address, and you require some sort of proof of residency beyond that ID, and you fill out a little paperwork and sign your name to it. Then, when you vote, you carefully read your ballot and follow the instructions. Bing, bang, boom, you've got accuracy and legitimacy. Democrats have worked to break down those low barriers. You now have situations where people can register without showing ID, and without proving their residency. Instead of a sworn public official doing the registering of voters, partisan interest groups with no accountability are running around doing so. Absentee voting, which is particularly susceptible to fraud, can be done for any reason, because we can't disenfranchise those too lazy to take their civic privilege and right seriously on election day. We are trying to divine the intentions of stupid voters who don't take care to vote properly. It is getting ridiculous.

And the Democrats have the gall to deflect the harsh spotlight for the consequences of such actions. They bring in international observers (which should be an insult to all Americans) because they say attempts by those of us who want an honest election are merely tries to disenfranchise and suppress the vote. NO, that's not it, you fools. Your efforts risk turning this country into a banana republic, where there is no confidence that there is one vote for one person. You've taken accountability out of the system. If observers do anything, it should be to observe your activities from the last 15 years.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you can't put in a little extra effort to register, to stand in line to vote, and vote correctly on election, then you obviously do not respect the gift paid for by the blood of so many of our ancestors.

Wisconsin at high risk of voter fraud

Wisconsin is at a high risk of rampant voter fraud in the Milwaukee and Madison metropolitan areas. The Milwaukee Election Commission tossed out Republicans' protest of 5600 voter registrations which did not match up with actual addresses. After Republicans presented photos of addresses that were vacant lots and food stands, the Commission ruled that they did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the addresses were fictitious. This from a City that for some reason needed almost three times more ballots for the election than it has registered voters.

In Madison, John Kerry is holding a rally/concert that is expected to draw 50,000 to 60,000 people, many from Illinois. After the rally, there will be a march to the City Clerk's office for supporters of Kerry to cast absentee ballots. I see the MSM was not particularly concerned about the legality of the office staying open late for the rally after coordination between the office and the Kerry campaign, and I suspect they will not be very concerned about the fact that it is frighteningly easy to register and cast an absentee ballot in this state. Do not be surprised if Madison ends up with many new flatlander "residents" today who cast a vote in Wisconsin's election.

Bush and the Republicans have been working very hard to tip Wisconsin into the red column, and looks like their efforts in rural Wisconsin may very well do that for them. That is if absolute corruption in the state's two biggest cities doesn't steal away victory for John Kerry.

Wisconsin Newspaper Endorsements

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed John Kerry today, after early indicating it probably would not offer an endorsement. The Journal Sentinel is clearly in the minority of Wisconsin papers, however. The majority which have offered an endorsement have given it to Bush.