My Predictions

Thus far I have been wrong with one prediction and that was the Congressional 11 race. Perhaps I let my cynicism talk too much there.

My prediction for North Carolina is looking good, it has yet to be called but Obama leads.

The Oregon senate race is yet to be called but Merkley is ahead and heavy Democratic districts are what is left to be counted.

Alaska has yet to be called, but convicted felon Ted Stevens is leading.

We have a recount in Minnesota which may not be called until December at the latest.

And we have a runoff in Georgia for senate.

Voted

I showed up at the polls around 6:50 this morning. I was the eight person in line. I looked behind my and there were around 15 people waiting this morning.

It went smoothly for myself and it seemed to have gone smoothly for everyone else once the doors opened.

I voted for Barack Obama for President.

Now comes the waiting game.

Election Night Predictions

With only 5 days to go until the election I have decided to make my predictions now.

Pennsylvania District 10- Carney vs. Hackett

I believe that this will be called very early on. Chris Carney will defeat Chris Hackett by at the very minimum 9 points. Hackett is down in polling and he has not really gotten anywhere. There are still many Mesuer folks who won't back Hackett due to the bitter primary fight.

Predicted Winner: Chris Carney (D)

Pennslyvania District 11- Kanjorski vs. Barletta


Early on I was considering voting for Lou Barletta because I frankly do not like Paul Kanjorski. However; Barletta failed to rise above being a one issue candidate. I know there will be people who disagree with me on this, but that's my opinion of him. I don't believe he is a bad guy. I just believe he needs to not hammer that one issue. I actually, to a degree, agree with him. We need stricter crackdowns on illegal immigration. Penalising businesses that use illegal labor is a great way to start. But I digress. I believe that Barletta will win by a slim margin within 3-5 points. I do believe that Kanjorski has a chance, but it will be very slim if Kanjo wins. In that scenario it will be in the margin if 2-3%. No matter what this race is getting called later. I believe this is the last race of Kanjorski's career. He will either lose the general election or he will lose the next primary.

Predicted Winner: Lou Barletta (R)

Electoral Vote: Pennsylvania- Barack Obama vs. John McCain

I believe that it will take about 90 minutes for the state of Pennsylvania to be decided after our polls close. Turnout will be tremendous in our state particullary in the Pittsburg and Philadelphia areas. I don't believe that John McCain will be able to pull an upset win in Pennsylvania. I do not want to come off as overconfident or cocky, but based off my analysis of the election in our state and state polling, I believe it is safe to say that Barack Obama will carry Pennsylvania with a margin of at least 4%.

Predicted Winner: Barack Obama (D)

General Election: Barack Obama vs John McCain

The election will be called by 12 am. At the earliest, and I don't see it this happening, it will be called at 11 PM. The winner will be Barack Obama. It may be possible for John McCain to pull an upset, but I do not see this occur. Barack will win the popular vote by at least 3%. His margin in the electoral college will be great. Barack Obama will win all of the Kerry states, no doubt. I believe Barack Obama willd definitly win the following states.

Virginia-13 electoral votes
Colordao- 9 electoral votes
New Mexico- 5 electoral votes
Iowa- 7 electoral votes
Nevada- 5 electoral votes
North Carolina- 15 electoral votes
Florida- 27 electoral votes
Ohio- 20 electoral votes

That would give him a total of 353 electoral vote to 185.

I believe that Barack has the chance at pulling upsets in Georgia, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Indiana, West Virginia, and Missouri

My prediction is based off of current electoral and national polling. In addition I am basing my prediction off of analysis of what is being reported about early voting. In the key states such as Colorado and Florida, the early voting turnout is seemingly positive for the Democrats.

We will see the largest number of voters turnout in American history. That is without a doubt.

Predicted Winner: Barack Obama (D)

The Senate

I am going to do a brief rundown for my predictions of the Senate races. I will only include the toss-up seats and open seats. Those candidate who are crusing to re-election are not gonna be counted.

Virginia: Marker Warner (D) will win
North Carolina: Kay Hagan (D) will unseat Liddy Dole (R)
New Hampshire: Jean Shaheen (D) will unseat John Sununu (R)
Oregon: Jeff Merkley (D) will unseat Gordon Smith (R)
Minnesota: Al Franken (D) will unseat Norm Coleman (R)
Alaska: Mark Begich (D) will unseat Ted Stevens (R)
Mississippi: Roger Wicker (R) will defeat challenger Ronnie Musgrove (D)
Kentucky: Mitch McConnell (R) will barely defeat challenger Bruce Lunsford (D)
Colorado: Mark Udall (D) will defeat Bob Schaffer (R)
New Mexico: Tom Udall (D) will defeat Steve Pearce (R)

The great upset of the night will be Jim Martin (D) defeating the despicable Saxby Chambliss (R) in Georgia

The Democrats will achieve the fillibuster proof majority.

They will have exactly 60 Senators.

That's How I See It

Another Conspiracy Theory Bites the Dust

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday night rejected the suit by attorney Philip J. Berg, who alleged that Obama was not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency.


This was one of the many conspiracy theories that have been circulating about Barack Obama. Thankfully the judge had the reason to see that this claim was nothing more than complete horseshit.

Berg claimed that Obama is either a citizen of his father's native Kenya or became a citizen of Indonesia after he moved there as a boy.

Obviously this had as much backing as the BS claims that Obama is a Muslim and the only dark and seedy lies that the Right Wing have been spreading.

With regards to the Muslim rumor, and Colin Powell said it well, so what if he was a Muslim? What would that matter? How would it be any different than him being a Jew, a Buddhist, etc. The vicious lies that Obama is a Muslim amount nothing more to racism. It is fear-mongering on part of the Right Wing. Since the Far Right's agenda has little to no appeal to Americans now, they have to resort to more lies and deciet than usual to scare Americans.

The Right Wing thinks you're dumb.

Don't let them fool you.

That's How I See It.

This Is Just Absurd

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Wednesday rejected the idea that she has launched negative attacks against Barack Obama.

Oh really?

Associating him with terrorists isn't a negative attack? Slamming his views on abortion isn't a negative attack?

She is quite honestly full of it. The McCain/Palin campaign has been disgustingly negative.

And you know why?

Because short of vile hatred and deceit they have nothing to offer the American people. They realize they cannot win this election based off of the economy. So they go for the negativity and the mud slinging.

They obviously are so cynical that they believe that Americans will fall for this.

Guess what.

They are not.

Palin and McCain have tried the Ayers attack and it is not working.

Know why?

Because the issue of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers will not fix the economy. It will not end he Iraq war. It will not help the millions of Americans who are hurt by this economy are not going to be helped.

From a CNN Poll:

Obama's connection to William Ayers matters to you...

Great Deal 23
Somewhat 14
Not Much 11
Not At All 51

That 23% is also about the same number of who President Bush is still doing a good job.

Go figure!!!

That's How I See It!

Very Clever Video

This political ad from MoveOn.org is very clever and funny!

McCain Volunteers Vandalize My Bumper Sticker

Yesterday a volunteer from the McCain campaign wrecked my Obama '08 bumper sticker on my car.

There was at least one McCain volunteer in our neighborhood yesterday around noon. My mother had just gotten home from work around 12:30. She came in, furiously, and said "Go look what they did to your car, because this better be a joke."


That's what I found. My bumper sticker was half way torn off and a McCain/Palin pamphlet was placed under it. This person actually went about 5-10 feet into my yard to do this crap.

I went around my block and bumper stickers were placed on all of my neighbor's porches. Including my own.

My father and I drove around the area looking for the guy, I asked around and the folks in the neighborhood who saw him say that he was around in a ten minute time span.

No luck so we did go to the Police. They couldn't really do much since we had no ID on the person who did this. But the officer we spoke to told us to call 9/11 if we see another trespasser like this on our property. We will and I am keeping my eye out.

I went to the Luzerne County Republican Headquarters on the Square to voice my complaint. They were nice, but tried to convince me that it must have been some prankster in my neighborhood. That is bull. I know and understand that the McCain campaign itself does not condone such actions, but this could not have been anyone else but an individual with immediate access to those pamphlets. Not a pamphlet was missing from a home on my street or immediate area.

Whoever did this was a McCain volunteer with those pamphlets.

I did get a replacement for my bumpersticker.

But these actions do not speak positively at all. The actions of this individual does represent the McCain campaign.

We all know what a fit there would be if an Obama volunteer had done this.

Stay Classy John McCain...

This moment totally and utterly disgusted me. John McCain has no respect or class.

OJ Found Guilty

O.J. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping here late Friday, 13 years to the day after the American football legend was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

He faces 15 years up to life in prison.

Like a good number of people I do believe that he got away with murder. At least now he will not be a free man.

I remember thirteen years ago when he was acquitted. I was six years old. It was my birthday. I remember playing with a Matchbox car set that my parents gave me for my birthday. My mom was watching the trial on TV. I still remember when they came out and acquitted him. I still recall how upset my mother was. She immediately got on the phone with either my dad or my grandmother and was talking about how wrong this all was.

And just a few hours ago when we all found out that he was found guilty on multiple charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

VP Debate

Tonight at nine PM is the Vice-Presidential debate. Based off of Palin's embarrassing interviews with Katie Couric I cannot help but speculate that Palin will perform poorly. She is clearly out of her league.

Now there is this big hullabaloo over Gwen Ifill's book. It is a pro-Obama book, but it is generally about modern black politicians in general. The book is expected to be released in early 2009. The earliest results for info on this book based off of internet searches has been in July.

I am just shocked, but not surprised, that the right-wing is having a hissy-fit now over this. They had to have known. Of course they try and raise this issue only about twenty four hours before the debate. Deep down they know Palin will embarass herself and the Republican ticket.

My question is, what can Gwen Ifill possibly do to impede the debate? Not allow Palin to answer? She is going to be asking both Biden and Palin the same questions. Gwen Ifill's credibility should not be questioned in this instance. Like I said seeing that information on this book has been avaible has been out since July I find it hard to believe that the McCain campaign didn't come across this. Then again just look at the great job they did in vetting Palin.

This is the latest embarassing take from Palin's interviews with Katie Couric.



Someone as conservative as she is should be able to name one of the many Supreme Court cases that deal with seperation of church and state. Especially the ones that deal with the unconstitionatlity of school prayer.

I can certainly name one Supreme Court that I disagree with.

Gore v. Bush!

Paul Newman 1925-2008

Legendary actor Paul Newman died of lung cancer at his home at the age of 83. In the summer it was reported that his health was failing and in June it was widely reported that he had been suffering from lung cancer.

He was nominated 9 times for Best Leading Actor or Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards. He won in 1987 for Best Actor in a Leading Role in the film The Color of Money.

Joe Biden Coming To Wilkes-Barre

Joe Biden will be in Wilkes-Barre Thursday.

Info:

Nesbitt Park
180 Market Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Thursday, September 25th
Doors Open: 1:00 p.m.
Program Begins: 2:30 p.m.

"Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden will be holding a Community Gathering this Thursday, September 25 at Nesbitt Park in Wilkes-Barre. Doors open at 1:00 PM, and the park is located in Wilkes-Barre on the west bank of the Susquehanna River at the foot of the Market Street Bridge. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis and can be picked up at 211 S. Main Street (Melone Architects) from 1:00 PM-9:00 PM on Tuesday and from 9:00 AM-9:00 PM on Wednesday. However, those without tickets will also be admitted as space permits so feel free to bring along any friends or family members even if they don't have tickets."

Obama in Duryea

http://www.cspan.org/

If you scroll down to the Recent Program section there is a link to watch the video of Barack's speech in Duryea. It was a private event. People in attendance where volunteers, elected officials, and plant workers. I lead the Pledge of Allegiance for the event and sat in the front row to the left side. At the very end of the video you can see me when Barack comes over to shake our hands. I'm wearing a yellow dress shirt and at the end I face towards the camera because I am talking to the gentleman next to me. It was a fantastic speech and I felt he did well.

It is something else to standing next to someone like Barack Obama who can be the next president and especially to have shook his hand twice.

On the personal side I apologize for the lack of attention to my blog and the others. Don't worry will try to comment and post as much as I can. College is going very well, but it is also very demanding. I haven't had the time to update as regularly as I would like. I will do my best to have at least one new update for the week. Ideally every few days. I hope everyone else is doing well.

Palin For VP- Sexist, Hypocrtical, and Wrong

Republicans have been attacking Barack Obama for being inexperienced. They have stated that Obama has not had the experienced needed to be president. That is why they argue that McCain is the far better choice. He has been in politics for a long time.

But he picks Sarah Palin today for Vice-President.

Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Sarah Palin who has virtually no political experience.

She served on city council for two terms in Wasilla and she was later mayor. The town's population, depending on what news service you prefer places the population between 5,000 and 9,000 people.

This guy I know, who has been a Republican for a long time and who has been utterly and soundly convinced that Barack Obama cannot win told me this yesterday upon the announcement.

"You just won this election," he said. He was extremely angry at McCain and disappointed. Later that night as we talked politics he was doing his best to accept Sarah Palin as VP.

Sarah Palin who, if elected alongside John McCain, would be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

McCain has been attacking Obama on Iraq endlessly. McCain has been championing himself as the politician who knows what is right for the conflict. Yet he picks a Vice-President who a year ago had this to say about Iraq.

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq," she said.

John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin is clearly sexist and politically transparent. He only selected her to appeal to women. Mainly to appeal to the PUMA's (Who I contend are not real Democrats anyway, they are put sore losers and they act like pathetic children) and disgruntled Hillary supporters. Anyone who supported Hillary who votes for McCain because of Palin is directly insulting Hillary Clinton and feminism. Sarah Palin is a great candidate for McCain based on conservative issues. She is a creationist and is strongly opposed to abortion. Hillary would shudder if this woman was a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The selection is sexist because John McCain is using Sarah Palin's being a woman to get votes. He is using her gender for a political purpose. If that is not sexist then I don't know what is. He is clearly exploiting her for political gain.

Palin is also facing an ethics investigation.

It is a scandal..."involving the firing of a state police chief and his reluctance to fire an Alaska state trooper, Palin's former brother-in-law who has been involved in a bitter custody fight with her younger sister."

Let's just look at it one last time. The GOP cannot attack Obama for being inexperienced anymore. Obama has served longer in government on a statewide and national scale than Palin. She is also younger than Obama by 3 years. There goes the age argument as well. And if need be Obama's Vice-President nom Joe Biden would be able to lead us if something happens to Obama. I highly doubt that Palin has the ability to lead the country. I have confidence that Biden can take over the office and execute it well.

I do not see this helping McCain in the long run. He already had the PUMA's and the so-called Democrats who would back a warmonger, an anti-feminist, anti-gay, anti-working class candidate such as John McCain. He already had these people.

That's how I see it.

One of the Best Speeches From Last Night

I may be a little biased with this, but I felt Rep. Dennis Kucinich gave one of the best speeches last night at the DNC. Enjoy. He probably had all this energy built up for the past few months!

Joe Biden Confirmed?

All major news media is reporting now at 12:47 AM that Joe Biden has been asked by Sen. Obama to be his running mate and has accepted.

The official announcement is expected to come via text message around 7 am or 8 am in the morning.

Obama and the vice-president nominee will be at a rally tomorrow in Chicago, Illinois where Obama kicked off his presidential campaign.

Obama/Biden?

We shall see tomorrow morning.

But for right now, it seems Biden is the pick.

How Many Houses Do YOU Own?

John McCain has made his latest gaffe.

He was unsure of how many homes he had. How many homes do YOU own?


"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

According to his staff the McCains owns at least four homes. They are located in Arizona, California, and Virginia.

Truth is that he actually owns seven.

Who is the real elitist now? Both Obama and McCain are far wealthy than you or I.

But one of them can't keep track of how many homes he owns.

And that's John McCain. The real elitist.

McCain tried to save himself from the comment he made about people who make $5 million a year as rich.

McCain had this to say.

“I define rich in other ways besides income,” he said. “Some people are wealthy and rich in their lives and their children and their ability to educate them. Others are poor if they’re billionaires.”

So what are you going to do John? Send out the Hallmark Team to judge each family and how "rich" they are in their lives? I'm sure that is going to save Middle America the money they need in tax dollars.

That's how I see it.

Times Leader Voter Panel

In the Sunday paper the Times Leader had a piece about local people becoming a part of the Time Leader's Voter Panel. The Panel would discuss issues important during the election and the election itself. I applied and I'm a part of that panel.

So I'll be in the Times Leader along with about ten other individuals I believe as their Voter Panel.

How Rich is Rich for John McCain?

How about 5 million dollars?

During the forum at Saddleback Church, McCain was asked, "Where do you move from middle class to rich?"

McCain quipped "If you're just talking about income, how about five million?"

The DNC has jumped on this line and issued a great ad attacking him for being out of touch with the average American.

"The video points out that only 1 in 1,000 Americans make $5 million or more a year. Democrats say that McCain's plan to make President Bush's tax cuts permanent would give his own family a tax cut of $370,000, while giving the average middle class family only $319 in savings."

How many multi-millionaires do you know? McCain favoring the rich is no surprise here. So who is the elite one now? I seem to think that the man who favors such large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and the one who doesn't sympathize with middle and lower America as the out of touch elitist.

And that man is John McCain.

A Blog From the Convention

Rita Boyle, the sole Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention, has set up a blog to keep us all informed of her time in Denver.

It was back in January that I met Rita and the other early Obama volunteers. It has been quite an experience for us all being involved in the political process like we were.

I encourage everyone to take a look at Rita's blog. It will be great to have someone locally connected providing us with insight straight from the Democratic National Convention.

Good luck Rita!

Rita's Blog

Will McCain Pick a Pro-Choice VP?

Also would he select a socially liberal VP?

Two men that are speculated to be on his shortlist are former PA Governor Tom Ridge and Senator Joe Lieberman.

They are both pro-choice candidates. Joe Lieberman has scored high on ratings by pro-choice groups.

In 2006 he voted 100% with the interest Planned Parenthood. In 2005 he supported the interests of NARAL Pro-Choice America 75% of the time.

There is no doubt that a pro-choice VP will cause a rift with the more conservative base of the GOP.

However Tom Ridge doesn't agree with that.

“I think that would be up to, first of all, to John to decide whether he wants a pro-choice running mate; then we would have to see how the Republican Party would rally around it,” Ridge said. “At the end of the day, I think the Republican Party will be comfortable with whatever choice John makes.”

McCain now says he is against abortion rights. He didn't take the hardline stance he has now back in the 2000 primaries.

On one hand a pro-choice VP would attract centrist voters. Perhaps even a candidate who has socially liberal positions on certain issues like Sen. Lieberman would attract some liberals.

On LGBT issues Lieberman tends to take a liberal approach.

In 2004 he scored 88/100 by the Human Rights Campaign who are one of the largest LGBT civil rights groups in the country.

He also voted no on the constitutional amendment to ban marriage.

In 2004 Lieberman had this to say

"Although I am opposed to gay marriage, I have also long believed that states have the right to adopt for themselves laws that allow same-sex unions," his statement read. "I will oppose any attempts by the right wing to change the Constitution in response to today's ruling, which would be unnecessary and divisive."

On the issues of guns he received an F from Gun Owners of America in 2007. In 2006 based off of lifetime ratings the NRA gave him an F too.

How would the conservative base of the party feel about someone who has voted on hot button issues liberally?

I don't believe that many conservatives would be okay with Lieberman. I believe he would be a good choice for McCain, but it would infuriate the hard conservative base to know someone who has voted liberally on gay, gun, and abortion hearts is a heartbeat away from the presidency.

In my research for my blog I could not find where Tom Ridge stood on such issues.

A pro-choice candidate alone would be unacceptable for many Republicans. Especially for the evangelical and deeply religious voters that vote Republican.

Who will John McCain select as his VP? I will have a poll posted with the most likely candidates.

Back Home

I'm back home from vacation. I hope everyone had fun back in the Valley. I know I had fun on vacation. Here's to the rest of the weekend!

I Should Be Back Sometime Today

Hopefully...

Enjoy Damien Rice with his song "Woman Like A Man"

Some profanity in the song.

A Triple Dose of Tom Waits

For all you Tom Waits fanatics out there. One of the best song-writers of all time.

I Don't Want to Grow Up



Downtown Train



Waltzing Matilda

The Great Bruce Springsteen

Here is my favorite Springsteen song. Jungleland.

For Real- Okkervil River

One of the best bands around. Here is some Okkervil River.

Daft Punk From Alive 2007

Who can resist the urge to dance?

Freedom- Richie Havens

Enjoy Freedom by Rich Havens. Performed at Woodstock.

As I Sat Sadly By Her Side- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Day two of vacation.

Enjoy As I Sat Sadly By Her Side by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song- The Flaming Lips

First day of vacation. Here is the music video for The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song by The Flaming Lips.

Vacation

Tonight I'm leaving for South Carolina. I'll be gone until the 16th. I scheduled some cool music videos to be posted while I'm away. I hope that everyone has a safe week. Take care everybody!

Me and Sen. Bob Casey

There I am with Sen. Bob Casey. He was a very friend guy. He spent about 20 minutes shaking hands and talking to people after his speech. I was nervous so I just introduced myself and asked for a picture.

Later in the night my closest friend stopped by and I told her that I got to meet Sen. Casey. She said to me "You probably gave him about 30 policy ideas he should consider". I laughed. Now I wish I wasn't so nervous. I would've loved to have chatted with Sen. Casey for a minute or two.

Pictures from the Opening

Senator Casey takes the small raised platform.


Maryanne Petrilla and Eddie Day Pashinksi


Eddie Day Pashinski and Bob Casey






Sen. Bob Casey arrives (Above).




Eddie Day Pashinski is the gentleman in the suit (Above)

Maryanne Petrilla is on the right (Above)

Opening of the Wilkes-Barre Campaign Office

I went tonight. I showed up around 6:45 and the office was already packed. It only grew as the time went past 7 PM. Many local politicians showed up. I recognized most, but there were some that I did not.

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinksi
County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla

There was also a representative from Paul Kanjorski and a representative for Mayor Tom Leighton.

Senator Bob Casey showed up and he gave a speech. The enthusiasm for Sen. Casey for encompassing and fantastic, but the mention of Sen. Obama's name drew thunderous applause and cheering.

The passion and the enthusiasm in the crowd was immense. With people inside the office and people outside chatting there must have been anywhere from 50-80 people at the peak of the event.

The diverse crowd's passion and integrity is a clear indication that Pennsylvania will be a hard fought campaign. We will do our best to succeed in our home state. I am confident we will see Pennsylvania go blue again.

This has been a historical year for America. We had a Mexican-American, a woman, and a black American amongst the candidates for president. For the first time in our history it became clear that one of the nominees for a major party in the USA was going to be a woman or a black America.

Those of us involved in the campaigns of Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama have been part of a major moment in history. Those of us involved in the campaign of Barack Obama are playing our part in a historic moment. Nobody will remember us in the history books. Maybe we will forget each other years from now. But we will never forget that moment when we made history.

And we cannot wait to say "President Obama".

We have 88 days to go until Election Day. Let's get to work.

Yes we can and yes we will.

Musharraf faces impeachment

Pakistan's ruling coalition today formally announced moves to begin impeachment proceedings against the country's president, Pervez Musharraf.

I say good riddance to him. I hope they dispose of this man. Most likely he was involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Factions within the Pakistan intelligence service might have been behind the assassination of the country's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, sources within MI5 told Scotland on Sunday last night.

Of course he and his government have done little to stop Al-Qaida.

The US last month complained that "rotten" elements in the Pakistani intelligence service were aiding the Taliban. While the new civilian government tried to comply with US demands by bringing the intelligence service under its remit, the military and Musharraf blocked this.

Musharraf's advisers said he was prepared to "use his constitutional powers" to stop impeachment. Under powers he gave himself, Musharraf can dismiss the parliament - which should, in theory, be followed by fresh elections.

However impeachment is still uncertain.

The coalition may have the numbers required for impeachment, but it is tight. It would need a two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of both houses of parliament. The upper house, the senate, still has Musharraf supporters making up half its numbers. In the lower house, the coalition easily prevails.

Too bad that we won't see Bush and Cheney impeached.

Grand Opening of Obama Headquarters

This is the Grand Opening of the Wilkes-Barre Obama Headquarters. Come meet the fantastic organizers, men and woman, locals and from across the country, who will be the driving force behind the election here in North Eastern Pennsylvania. These are people you want to meet. We have an awesome office with plenty of room to work out of and volunteer in. There will be a volunteer meeting on Tuesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. and the office will be open from 9:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. from then on. Please stop by and show your support and meet the folks that are working for a better America.

Time and Info:
Date:
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Time:
7PM-10PM
Street:
238 Kidder Street
City:
Wilkes-Barre

And We Still Don't Have It Here

Unions in Wal-Mart that is. However they have them now in China.

The first Wal-Mart trade union in China was formed after the company bowed to government demands for organized labor in its stores, The New York Times reported Friday.

There are unions of some form at Wal-Marts in other nations. The clear exception is the United States.

It is widely reported that Wal-Mart mistreats their employees.

As I reported a few days ago Wal-Mart came under fire for warning employees of an Obama victory. Wal-Mart is afraid of the Employee Free Choice Act being passed. It may allow unionization in American Wal-Marts.

As soon as Wal-Mart managers see a potential union, they are supposed to call a hotline, prompting a visit from a special team from Wal-Mart headquarters, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Here is a video clip from the documentary "Wal-Mart :The High Cost of Low Prices"

Another Bankrupt Business

Reading-based department store chain Boscov's Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning and put itself up for sale, Reuters news agency is reporting.

The Daily Show- Obama's Quest

Very funny video about Obama's quest as well as McCain's. There is a funny joke about Wilkes-Barre in the video too.

Wal-Mart Getting Too Political?

That is what the Wall Street Journal is reporting. Wal-Mart seems to be crossing a legal line in an apparent attempt to tell employees how to vote.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized.

At the meeting department supervisors and store managers were warning employees of a Democratic victory in November. Especially if Barack Obama became president.

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who run the meetings don't specifically tell attendees how to vote in November's election, but make it clear that voting for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama would be tantamount to inviting unions in, according to Wal-Mart employees who attended gatherings in Maryland, Missouri and other states.

Wal-Mart denies telling employees how to vote, but some of the people who attended the meetings see otherwise.

"The meeting leader said, 'I am not telling you how to vote, but if the Democrats win, this bill will pass and you won't have a vote on whether you want a union,'" said a Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri. "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote," she said.

Wal-Mart is afraid of the Employee Free Choice Act getting passed and becoming law.

The Free Choice, or "card check," legislation would let unions form if more than 50% of workers simply sign a card saying they want to join. It is far easier for unions to get workers to sign cards because the organizers can approach workers repeatedly, over a period of weeks or months, until the union garners enough support.

And of course what Wal-Mart is doing may be illegal.

Federal election rules permit companies to advocate for specific political candidates to its executives, stockholders and salaried managers, but not to hourly employees. While store managers are on salary, department supervisors are hourly workers.

What Wal-Mart is doing is wrong. It is clear that they are encouraging their employees to vote for Republican candidates in November. They do not want their stores to unionize so easily and thus they are trying to scare employees to vote against candidates who supporting legislatoion such as the Free Choice Act.

Chalk up another reason not to like Wal-Mart.

AC/DC in Wilkes-Barre?

Fans of the Australian hard rock band should be excited. An extensive 18 month world wide tour is gonna happen and it is not kicking off in Australia. The first stop on AC/DC's tour of the world will be in our very own Wilkes-Barre according to billboard.com

No information on tickets, location, or the date and time have been announced. It is safe to assume that the concert will be at the Arena.

And here is the video for Highway to Hell with the late Bon Scott.

Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, the longest serving U.S. Republican senator ever, was indicted on Tuesday on seven counts of making false statements, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

From May 1999 to August 2007, prosecutors said Stevens concealed "his continuing receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value from a private corporation." The indictment released Tuesday said the items included: home improvements to his vacation him in Alaska, including a new first floor, garage, wraparound deck, plumbing, electrical wiring; as well as car exchanges, a Viking gas grill, furniture and tools.

Ted Stevens gained internet infamy for his comments against net neutrality. The Daily Show lampooned a speech he made in the Senate where he called the internet a "series of tubes".

Net Neutrality is "is the principle that data packets on the Internet should be moved impartially, without regard to content, destination or source".

Stevens is up for election and the Democrats are eying his seat up. He has maintained a narrow lead according to Rasmussen Reports. Stevens lead only by about 2% since April. The latest poll of 7/17 shows his opponent Mark Begich with a 9% lead.

Because of Stevens age and the scandal he is involved in, I see it unlikely that he will be reelected. I am confident that the Democrats will be able to take this seat.

Free Obama Buttons

Moveon.org is giving away free Obama buttons. They were also giving away free Obama bumper stickers, but I cannot find the link to that.

Free Obama Button

What I Overheard At the McCain Townhall

After John McCain left the stage to go down in the pit to shake some hands my grandfather and I tried to get up there. My grandfather, who supports McCain, wanted to try and get in there. While we were trying to get through the crowd I overheard a conversation between two people. I need to stress that what I'm reporting is not a direct quote. It is a paraphrase. I do not explicit remember what was said, but I remember the substance of what was said.

"He knows nothing about economics. He knew nothing about economic theory."

I thought the man was speaking about John McCain. I figured it was someone who wasn't won over. Soon I found out that it wasn't about McCain.

"You shouldn't ask a stupid question like that. We should really screen the people that come in here that are going to ask questions and waste time asking stupid ones."

I turned around and they were two young men in their 20s. They also had around their necks credentials identifying them as John McCain volunteers.

The "stupid question" was from a man who asked a question to McCain concerning the gas tax holiday. It was the only economic question asked. Others were about the war, education, the draft, and Israel.

It is rather shameful for two of McCain's volunteers to be openly insulting questioners. Maybe the McCain campaign should screen their volunteers for class and respect.

Some of the people who went to the McCain townhall were utterly disrespectful people. From the shouting of insults and "get a job" to protesters, to this volunteer's arrogant disparaging remarks about a person who asked a question.

Stay classy GOP.

Guess What?

Remember back in the primaries a lot of pundits were saying that Obama was going to have problems with Latinos?

They went as far as suggesting that the Superdelegates should back Clinton because she was winning over the Latinos.

We know that the real reason why Obama was having trouble with Latinos was his poor recognition amongst them. Latinos that were polled also indicated that Bill Clinton was another factor in their voting for Hillary Clinton.

After he became the nominee pundits were quick to point out that Obama needed the Latino vote. That is true, but I remember some of them acting like they were going to flock over to John McCain. I've had two discussions with two guys I know who both said that Latinos were not going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black. Do people still believe racial stereotypes like that? I guess Italians still hate the Irish.

I don't know about you, but I have seen an increase in racism in this area. This is not one of the most tolerant areas. I have heard things about blacks that I didn't expect to hear.

Do people really believe that Barack Obama will "turn over the country to the blacks and turn against whites because of past racism"? I have heard that belief too many times around here.

Well it turns out that Latinos are overwhelmingly backing Barack Obama.

Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters, the nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll found, is at 66 percent versus 23 percent favoring McCain.

Obama's "strong showing in this survey represents a sharp reversal in his fortunes from the primaries, when Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a margin of nearly 2-to-1," according to Pew Hispanic Center associate director Mark Hugo Lopez.

If this trend continues and solidifies McCain will have a problem in states where Latinos make up a strong makeup of the voters.

America has see a lot of talk about race with this election and we have seen a lot of race baiting. I only hope that in the future we get better about race relations.

I was talking to another guy I know who told me Obama can't win the election because everyone voted for him because he is black.

Amazing we can't just get through huh?

The 50th Post Spectacular!

This is my 50th post on my little blog. About time right? I'd just like to share a candid picture that was snapped today of me and my father at the F.M. Kirby Center while we waited for McCain to get onstage.
If any of you read The Weekender, last year he was voted one of the sexiest men in N.E.P.A. Just a nice little fact I like to toss out here and there. =)

Help Dennis Out With the Fight

Sign this petition and show your support in the effort to impeach George W. Bush. Honestly he should have been impeached along with Cheney along time ago.

Friday is the day that Rep. Kucinich gets a chance to present his case to the Judiciary Committee.

After insisting that a full-scale impeachment of the president would distract from the work of Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bowed to political reality this week and the House voted 238-180 to send one of Rep. Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment -- this one charging Bush with lying to the American public about the causes for the war in Iraq -- to the committee.

Congress will probably not proceed with impeachment, but that should not deter any of us that want to see Bush impeached. Kucinich is an American hero for standing up for progressive causes in Congress. I'm proud to have probably been one of the few people in NEPA to have his "Kucinich 2008" bumper sticker on their car. He was my first choice for president, although he was a long shot.

And here is a picture of his wife so that everyone can be happy.

The Protesters

I believe the last one is of Kurt Shotko. He was shouting somethings. The shuffling McCain crowd responded by telling the protesters to "get a job".

Mr. McCain Goes to Wilkes-Barre Pictures

The last one is of Chris Hackett and Sen. Lisa Baker.

Time For a Music Video

Great song by The Hold Steady who I just discovered a few weeks ago. It is off of "Boys and Girls in America" which is a great album. I got their newest album "Stay Positive", but haven't gotten a chance to listen to it yet. So here is "Stuck Between Stations".

John McCain Tomorrow

I will be going to see the Senator speak tomorrow with my grandfather. He will be voting for McCain in the Fall, and he is looking forward to the townhall meeting tomorrow. I like to keep an open mind and I wouldn't pass an opportunity to see a sitting Senator of such prestige as John McCain.

So we'll see how it goes. I'd like to ask him a question. I have a few I'm thinking of. My mother told me that my grandfather has a question as well. If he does I'll keep my hand down so he has a better chance of addressing the Senator.

I'll be taking my digital camera, and hopefully I'll get some good pictures. I'll post them tomorrow as well as a take on the event.

John McCain Is Coming...For Free

Upset that you can't get into the invite only and $250 plate luncheon with John McCain? No worries, he will be at the F.M. Kirby Center Wednesday at 10 am. The doors will open at 8am. There are no details available as to how long it is expected to be or anything else.

Link

"I was against gay adoptions before I was kinda for them"

Two days ago John McCain in an interview came out against gay adoption explicitly.

"I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption," McCain said in reply to a reporter's query.

Asked if those adopting should be a "traditional couple," McCain answered, "Yes."

Florida is the only state in the Union that outlaws gay adoption. There are over 100,000 children in foster care in the United States awaiting adoption.

The idea that gay adoption would be detrimental to children is not supported at all by major medical and psychological organizations. "The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers, among other groups, have expressed support for gay adoptions."

Likewise polling shows a change in American attitude towards gay adoption.

"A 2006 poll by the Pew Research Center found a near-even split on the issue; a 2007 poll by CNN and Opinion Research Corp. said 57 percent of respondents felt gays should have the right to adopt, while 40 percent said they shouldn't."

Now after backlash from the gay and lesbian community John McCain is slightly changing his tune.

"'John McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue. ... He was not endorsing any federal legislation,; a campaign statement said."

The statement also added this

"However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. John McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

What a straight-talker. You say something to pander to your conservative base and then you backtrack to make yourself sound less of a bigot.

Besides an issue like this just further drives home the media-driven myth that John McCain is a maverick. Maybe he was honestly one back in 2000 and before, but not now. A real maverick in the Republican party would've supported gay adoption.

If John McCain and other conservatives believe that having a gay or lesbian parentage would harm a child, I wonder how they feel about religious radicals and fundamentalists raising children. Is not the radical and hateful indoctrination of a child at the very least child abuse? What if someone came out and said "Radical religious fundamentalists should not raise kids because indoctrination would harm the child's growth and social abilities?". There'd be an outrage.

You can defend almost anything by calling it religious. But just being a homosexual? Gosh, you're going to turn that adoptive child into the next Boy George!

Ridiculous.

Utterly Tasteless

There are three billboards that carry this message in Orlando, Florida. It was put up by Business man Michael Meehan. On the website that the billboard advertises there is a promotion for Meehan's song and music video about why people should not vote for Democrats or liberals.

Naturally a lot of residents are offended. They find it tasteless and exploitative.

"'Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed,' resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness News.

'This is a blatant exploitation of that terrible tragedy for political and, perhaps even worse, personal gain,' said Bill Robinson, Orange County Democratic Party Chair.

In addition to Orange County Democrats calling for the billboards to be taken down, the local Republican Party is joining in as well calling it 'inappropriate'."

While Meehan certainly has a right to blame whoever he wants for the tragedy of 9/11, there is no denying that these billboards are offensive, tasteless, and are exploiting the 9/11 attacks. It is a disgusting move by Mike Meehan to do this. Especially if it is to help sell his anti-Democratic song for $5 dollars a copy. He has a right to free speech and I'll defend his right to do this, but it is still absolutly horrible of anyone to use the imagery of 9/11 for gain, profit, or exploitation.

That's how I see it.

The Redskins Keep Their Name...For Now

The Washington Redskins scored a legal victory in the continuing battle over their name. The ruling didn't decide whether or not the name is offensive. Instead the ruling came on a technicality that the plaintiffs waited too long to bring their suit against the team.

"U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly made a similar finding in 2003, but the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2005 that one of the plaintiffs at that time was only one years old when Washington registered “Redskins” as a trademark in 1993. The Appeals Court said the District Court should review its finding in that light.

The District Court found no reason to change it’s findings, noting that the plaintiff in question waited eight years after his 18th birthday to file the suit. However, the court did not rule on the “appropriateness of the imagery,” but on the timeliness of the suit itself."

Hopefully this is the end of the battle. I understand why the Native Americans would bring suit, but I don't believe that the name should be removed. It is not being used in an offensive manner. Maybe I'm a little biased because the Redskins are my team, but we always cannot avoid offending someone. No matter what someone is gonna get offended, and sometimes they have to live with it.

Bisexual Animals

I found a very fascinating article on www.sciam.com. It is about the sexuality of various animal species and how homosexuality plays into their societies as well as ours. A very good read, especially for those who call homosexuality "unnatural". It occurs in over 1,500 species of animals in varying degrees. Just remember, humans are animals too.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species

Jesus Is A Sharpshooter

This church must be desperate for attendance when they are giving out free guns to get teens to show up for Mass. I can certainly think of better things to offer to get teens to show up, but since it is Oklahoma I guess guns is not a dumb idea.

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

They were going to give away one $800 gun to a contest winner. The pastor who was to give the gun away was unable to attend due to an injury. They will give away the gun next year. After the press caught wind of the gun giveaway a controversy naturally came about.

To me it seems hypocritical for a religion to give out a weapon as an incentive. It seems to be in bad taste to do something like this.

Some State News...

HARRISBURG - A state grand jury probe of illegal practices in the Pennsylvania Legislature resulted today in criminal charges against a sitting lawmaker, former legislative leader and current and former staffers of the House Democratic caucus.

"State Attorney General Tom Corbett announced charges against 12 individuals, including former House Minority Whip Michael Veon, Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Beaver, and Michael Manzo, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene."

Does this really surprise anyone?

Atheist Soldier Sues Army Over Discrimination

Army Spc. Jeremy Hall is an atheist, formerly a Baptist, and is suing the Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and others.

His reason?

Discrimination.

"In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization."

According to Hall there were several instances where fellow personnel discriminated against him because of his atheism.

"Two years ago on Thanksgiving Day, after refusing to pray at his table, Hall said he was told to go sit somewhere else. In another incident, when he was nearly killed during an attack on his Humvee, he said another soldier asked him, 'Do you believe in Jesus now?'"

Clearly these two instances are uncalled for. These two incidents certainly harassed Hall. If these events are true, they are unacceptable.

Hall is also claiming that because of his atheism he lost out on getting promoted. Hall is quoted as saying

"I was told because I can't put my personal beliefs aside and pray with troops I wouldn't make a good leader,"

Yet it seems that the military is fine with the personal religious beliefs of officers being promoted via prayer and as an influencing factor in promotions.

Hall is not alone in this suit.

"Michael Weinstein, a retired senior Air Force officer and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is suing along with Hall. Weinstein said he's been contacted by more than 8,000 members of the military, almost all of them complaining of pressure to embrace evangelical Christianity."

Religious discrimination of any form is illegal.

The Pentagon maintain that these instances of evangelizing are rare.

According to this article from a year ago, discrimination against atheists in the military is viewed as acceptable.

"Now the Army National Guard is telling its unit level Equal Opportunity representatives that it is OK to discriminate against atheists. They are using my formal EO complaint as a training scenario in which a Lieutenant files a formal EO complaint against a general officer for claiming that there are no atheists in foxholes."

Atheists are one of the most discriminated and most distrusted minority groups in America. A poll found that a majority of Americans would not consider voting for an atheist. Women, Muslims, blacks, and gays were more likely to be elected than an atheist.

I have personally experienced such discrimination and most of it stems from ignorance about atheism. It is not a belief in nothing. Most atheists believe in an ethical reasoning of some sort. Myself, I consider myself a Humanist when it comes to ethics and morality. I do have beliefs. I simply reject the notion of a higher power. That is what atheism is. However; in America and other places, atheism is seen as a dangerous way to live.

Maybe one day we can all get along.

Like We Needed A Survey

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.

Getting rid of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) would be the right step towards equality in the military. The notion that having open gays will deter the ability of the armed forces is plain silly.

The study is not just a bunch of liberals either grasping at straws.

"The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton's policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation."

"To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations."

There we now have a comprehensive study to back up efforts to repeal the law.

As Barry Goldwater allegedly once said

"You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

The Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. I didn't get a chance to see the fireworks this year in Kirby Park although I went last year and it was a great site.

Instead this year it was a family cookout. Food was great as always.

My job this year was setting off the fireworks for the kids. I love fireworks, but next year I need to make sure I go on the trip to get the fireworks. My brother and dad didn't get many good ones.

Enjoy the weekend everybody!

The Buzz About WALL-E

It is being hailed as a masterpiece, one of the greatest sci/fi films of all time, and perhaps the best CGI movie ever made.

As of posting it has a weighted ranking of 9.1/10 on www.imdb.com where it ranks #6 amongst the 250 Greatest Movies of All Time, as rated by users of The Internet Movie Database. It is ranked higher than movies like Schindler's List and Star Wars.

Is it that good?

If I could I'd give it a 12/10.

It is is a remarkably excellent film. The film is visually gorgeous. The scene where WALL-E attaches himself to a space ship that is going through space is the most majestic scene in the film, and one of the most beautiful in a movie that I have seen. I love how they also incorporated live action into the movie.

The film is mostly without any dialogue. For the first thrity minutes or so there is virtually no dialogue and most of the dialgoue does not occur until the last twenty minutes or so. Even then it is sparse.

The film is a message film, but I don't believe it is a political message. It is a human message. This is a science fiction film. A lot of media that is sci/fi whether it be a movie, book, or comic often has a message. I dare say a warning. It takes an issue and makes it a hyperboyle. In WALL-E the hyperboyle is obesity, consumerism, and not caring about the earth. The movie is NOT saying anything about global warming or alternative fuels. It is telling us that we need to be more human and not lose the things that make us human.

Of course some commenators make take issue with that and turn it political. Some already are if you look at some more far-right movie reviews. They seem to do this with any movie that has something in it that can be contrived as political and it is often a pathetic attempt at film analysis. I remember that Bill O'Reilly had some talking heads on when Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out. There was one talking head that claimed Lucas was making a political statement in the scene where Yoda and Palpatine duel in the Senate.

Aside from all that, WALL-E is an amazing cinematic experience. The humor is intelligent and tight with jokes for everyone. I am so glad that there was no cheap low-brow humor in it. No crotch jokes, no jokes about farts or other bodily functions. I cringe at how stupid humor can be in movies. Not that there's anything wrong with a good bathroom joke. They just have become so overdone, that most aren't even funny.

The soundtrack is amazing as well. It is haunting, moving, and exciting. Stay for the end credits. They are wonderfully animated and you get to hear an awesome new song that Peter Gabriel did for the end credits. I love Peter Gabriel and was excited when I heard he did a song for the movie. Here's the song brought to you by YouTube.



I plan on seeing WALL-E again. Mostly because it is such a great movie.

And also because he is so god damn cute.

Are They That Afraid of Him?

Why is the GOP afraid of Bob Barr? Should they be?

After all he is just the Libertarian nominee and they don't get anywhere on the national scale, especially in a presidential run.

If any early polling is an indication yes.

If Bob Barr is attracting the Ron Paul voters as he says he is...then yes.

According to a poll done by InsiderAdvantage, Barr is polling at 6%.

No chance at winning, but just take a look what it does to McCain and Obama.

McCain 44%
Obama 43%

If that poll is any indication, Georgia may be a state that the GOP has to defend. The demographics make it a possibility for Obama with its high black population and a high number of young voters.

In 2004 Georiga went 57-41 for Bush.

I haven't come across any other state polls, but the polls show every indication that Barr is getting votes that McCain is failing to get which helps Obama.

Apparently this may have caused a GOP Senator to confront Barr and tell him to quit.

Barr said a GOP senator recently approached him to ask that he drop his White House bid, a request that has come from more than one Republican since he received the Libertarian Party nomination in May. The senator’s plea­ fell on deaf ears. (­Barr would not reveal the lawmaker’s identity).

“What they say is, ‘It’s not that we disagree with what you’re doing, Barr. It’s not that we don’t understand. We do understand, and we actually agree with what you’re saying, but we don’t want to vote against a Republican because that might help the Democrat,’ ” Barr said of the talks he has had with those who want him to quit.

Bob Barr is claiming that he is attracting Ron Paul voters and it should not be surprising that he is. Bob Barr and Paul are essentially on the same platform of Libertarianism.

Say what you want about Ron Paul supporters, but they can raise a lot of money for Bob Barr and that will be a benefit for not only Barr, but for Obama as well.

If McCain cannot win over these Republicans and independents who are going to go Barr, then he is going to have some tight electoral battles where he shouldn't.

We'll see how this one goes.