Obama to visit his sick grandmother

Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Obama and his family. May his grandmother recover and see her grandson be inaugurated as our 44th President.

Words of Wisdom

This post from Al Giordano over at the field is something that everyone should read. I must admit that too often I have reacted with too much anger at the words of the ignorant. However, engaging them peacefully can certainly be a good way to defuse the situation, and make them remember, if only for a while, their manners and rules of civility.

In other news, today was a pretty good day for Obama. His campaign announced a massive $150 million haul during September, and Colin Powell endorsed him for the presidency. Despite his infamous appearance before the UN that helped lead us to the mess in Iraq, Powell is still a very respected figure in American politics. The right wing attack machine has already geared up, screeching that Powell made this endorsement entirely on race (despite Powell's words that clearly showed otherwise).

We're down to 15 days folks. The end of this chapter of the American story is in sight. 

Game on!

The Return of McCarthyism?

So it has come to this. The wingnut faction of the Republican party (a faction that is entirely too large in that once great party), desperate to take down Senator Obama, has started implying Senator Obama is un-American.

I know Michelle Bachmann isn't exactly a model of sane statesmanship, but she isn't alone. Republicans as high up as Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin have certainly implied how "dangerous" Obama and his associates are.

The facts to dispute their claims are too numerous and too easy to locate to repeat here. After all, this is a blog, not a 1000 page scholarly work.

Instead, I'll focus on the worrisome nature of her comments. This kind of hateful and undemocratic language hasn't been so prevalent since the days of Joe McCarthy. When did being a "liberal" become synonymous with being Anti-American? Without liberal concepts such as liberty, representative government, and basic and inalienable rights, our great experiment in democracy might not have lasted long enough for nutjobs like Bachmann to have the right to spout their gibberish on TV. I'm sure that has never crossed her addled mind.

But things aren't all lost. After that mess of an appearance on Hardball, concerned citizens have spoken with their pocketbook against the hate of Rep. Bachmann. Her opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg, has collected about $60,000 just in the few hours since her tired rant. Us "Anti-American" associates of Barack Obama are doing what we can to make sure she has a bad election night.

In other news, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Denver Post have all given Senator Obama their endorsement. The Trib endorsement is especially of note, as its history and the history of the Republican party are intertwined. This is the first time that the paper has ever endorsed a Democrat. My how the Republican party has fallen.

Click Here to support Elwyn Tinklenberg

Click Here to support Barack Obama

A fun, if pointless, diversion

This is nothing more than a fun diversion, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Cheer up, Senator McCain. At Least Burkina Faso and the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia is pulling for you.

Sadly, expect too many Americans to revel in the fact that they support the candidate that the rest of the world isn't too keen on.

More on that Republican Nuttiness about ACORN

My fellow readers, here is some more defense against the dark arts of Karl Rove and his Fox minions. Please use this, as well the link in my earlier post to defend against any Fox News bs that friends, co-workers, or relatives might blather.

They come at you with ACORN? Use the facts.
They come at you with Ayers? Use the facts (including mentioning G. Gordon Liddy).
They come at you with racist or OBUMMA IS A MUSLIN !!!1! crap? Do your best to keep from insulting them, and use the facts.

It is one thing if McCain was right on the issues. But he is not, and he knows it. The only way he can take this election is by spreading falsities about Senator Obama, by trying to rile up the low information Republicans and tamp down the enthusiasm of the Democratic supporters.

Don't let him and those who support him get away with this.

Thoughts on the Last Debate

Overall, the debate was a good one for Obama, and not nearly enough for McCain to start any sort of rally. Senator McCain got a good line about Bush off, but Obama pivoted pretty well off of it. The William Ayers farce was handled well by Obama, and he just wailed on McCain on the health care and education topics.

Independent voters appear to agree with this, giving Obama a comfortable margin over McCain after the debate. CBS had Obama 53% to McCain 22%, and CNN had Obama over McCain 58-31.

Thus begins the last chapter of this election cycle, the last stretch to that high holy day of democracy, election day. I hope to see you along the way, adding my own thoughts as we head there.

Siggghhhhhhh

The title says it all. I pity these close minded people, I really do. They won't accept common sense, and they are filled with cowardly hate and ignorance.

When the hell did the party of Abraham Lincoln and Robert M. LaFollette, the party of Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower become little more than a Klan rally? It is a dark time for the Grand Old Party, a dark time indeed.