Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead (Sort of)

Looks like Sunday alcohol sales will be legal in Georgia, at least in some jurisdictions that actually allowed a vote on the matter. Finally! But not everywhere. In my area, we were not given the opportunity to vote for or against (so I boycotted the election and didn't bother voting - I'm not going to go out of my way and wait in line to answer a one question ballot on SPLOST). I will reward forward thinking and good behavior by going out of my way to buy ALL my beer and wine in those jurisdictions that allow purchases on Sundays. Too bad my county didn't bother putting this on the ballot, but I won't have to drive very far to the nearest city or county that did.

Bad Choices

I'm one of those unenthusiastic voters this year. Voted anyway, renewing my license to complain about the results. The top of the ticket (governor) was particularly unexciting. It was like going to a restaurant and being offered a choice between a vomit milkshake, a turd sammich, or rancid sewer scum souffle. *sigh*

I also didn't appreciate the confusing wording of some of the ballot questions. I ended up voting NO on one of them simply because I couldn't figure out what it meant, and that was after reading it carefully about ten times.

At least today signals the end of the incessant robocalls, endless mailers, and idiotic attack ads. Or maybe not. The Georgia governor's race is likely to require a runoff, insuring that the madness continues for another month. Lovely. Too bad we'll still have the same bad choices on the menu, and they won't smell any better on November 30.

11.4.2008

Here's to the millions of people who helped make history. Yes we can!

Hopes and Fears

It is Election Eve. I've already done my part -- I waited in line for one hour and forty five minutes early last Thursday morning to cast my ballot during Georgia's "advance voting" period. PDM did the same later in the day and waited for two hours and twenty five minutes. That is a lot of time to wait in line to cancel each other's vote!! But only on the top of the ticket. I would be willing to bet that we had a lot of the same choices on the ballot initiatives and other down-ballot items. We're pretty much on the same page about local issues.

I am a high information voter. I've read a lot of articles and blog posts over the last year, from a lot of different sources. The general flavor of the arguments is that Obama supporters tell you why you should vote for Obama, and McCain supporters tell you why you should vote against Obama. It is hope versus fear. The classic battle. Well, you know what? I'll take hope over fear any day. If that means I'm "drinking the koolaid", then pass the pitcher.

A creative endorsement, with nostalgia.

There have been some unusual endorsements so far this election, like Colin Powell, Christopher Buckley, and Scott McClellan. But the one below gets high marks for style and originality! If you can't trust Opie or Richie Cunningham, who can you trust? How about Sheriff Andy Taylor and the Fonz? Aaaaaaaay.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Lies!

Thought for the day: You can repeat a lie over and over, but that doesn't make it true.

I'm tired of bullshit.

Some good sources for cutting through the bullshit from both sides: FactCheck and/or PolitiFact. And there is always good ol' Snopes for those viral emails. Get outraged if you must, but not before you check the facts! No sense getting worked up about stuff that isn't remotely true. Be an informed voter. Policy differences are honest differences, and voters should weigh their choices. But those choices ought to be based on solid, factual information, not innuendo, rumors and lies.

O-Yeah!

Super Tuesday is finally upon us. It is a warm springlike day here in Georgia. Nearly 250,000 people (including me) have already voted in early and absentee voting. We're headed for a record turnout. This is the first time in my 24 years of voting history that (a)the contest hasn't been locked up by the time I get to vote in the primary, and (b)I'm actually excited about a candidate. Both parties have a chance to transcend the "same ol' same old". The Republicans appear to be poised to do just that. I have high hopes for the Democrats to do the same. This is our chance to say NO! to the same old bullshit, divisive, polarizing politics that we've had to endure for too many years. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. I suggest our politicians look for us there, instead of out on the fringes.

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America." - Barack Obama

I was surprised by how I felt after the New Hampshire results came in. I was happy for John McCain, but really unsettled by Clinton's win. That is when it crystallized for me and I knew what I wanted. I had been pondering the candidates logically and was trying to keep an open mind. Apparently, I'd heard enough. My gut made it very clear where my head was really at. And watching the ugliness surrounding the South Carolina primary only made my preference stronger.

This independent voter voted for Barack Obama in the Georgia Democratic primary. I sincerely hope that I will get the chance to vote for him to be the President of the United States in November. I want that bad enough to put my money where my mouth is - I was one of those 170,000 new donors who contributed to Obama's campaign in January. I've never donated money to a politician before, but I believe in this one, and it is time to make a change.

"YES WE CAN!"