October 2008

As I was walking to lunch today, I saw a guy walking his parrot.

While at lunch, I saw a lab/rottweiler mix with unusual coloring: brown and black tiger striping.

After lunch, I saw a guy walking up Lincoln Street and humming a tune with a corn-cob pipe in his mouth. In the corn-cob pipe: a rolled up five dollar bill.

Also on Lincoln, there was a different guy who was dressed as what I can only describe as a Pirate Fairy. He had on pink spandex leggings, a pink skirt, a black shirt with a big skull and crossbones on it, and hanging on his back were (I think) black wings. As I stared at him, trying to figure him out, he grimaced as if to say, “Yes, unfortunately, I am dressed as a Pirate Fairy.”

And we’re about to elect a transformational, half-black President. Gobama!

I watched the Obamercial tonight. Very well done, lots of compelling stories. Not a talking head and a chart, as I thought it might be. I should have known they would put together a pretty slick half hour.

He paid a lot of money for it and I think that’s sad. He and McCain each should have gotten a half hour of free television. Or an hour. We’re electing a President here! Three mostly lousy debates and that’s it? I do kind of wish Obama had taken up McCain on his offer to do a series of town hall debates.

Some people complain about the length of the Presidential campaigns. I’m glad it was as long as it was. It’s the only way Obama had a chance. The country had to get to know him and it took these past 20 months. I think I was ahead of the getting-to-know-him game because I read his books. I can understand why it took others longer. That was the biggest mistake McCain made in picking Palin. Nobody knows her, and a couple months isn’t long enough to get to know her. If she says something stupid, that’s all we know about her. If Biden says something stupid, we let it slide not because of media bias but because we know him.

I hope people watched the Obamercial and that it moved them.

Also, congrats to the city of Philadelphia. I have a feeling that the Phillies winning the World Series makes Pennsylvania more likely to go Obama. Not because there is a connection between the two but because because I have a hunch that a happy, celebratory atmosphere favors the new guy and change.

I Early Voted today. For my man Barack Obama. This was a long time coming. I voted for Obama in the Colorado caucuses and I’ve been on the Obama bandwagon since April 2007.

For the first time in my life, I voted for a Presidential candidate I’m excited about. The only other two Presidential candidates who excited me were Gary Hart in 1984 and Bob Kerrey in 1992. The nominee neither was to be.

After voting, I ate at my old Anthony’s Pizza. Their TVs were showing CNN and CNN was playing an interview with Sarah Palin. (Our fearless Alaskan Moose Slayer has finally stopped hiding from the press.) Here is a great excerpt:

CNN reporter: Governor, is Barack Obama a socialist?
Palin: I’m not going to call him a socialist but as Joe the Plumber has suggested — in fact he came right out and said — it sounds like socialism to him and he speaks for so many Americans who are quite concerned now after hearing finally what Barack Obama’s true intentions are with his tax’n'economic plan.

Then she goes on to typically mischaracterize Obama’s tax’n'economic plan as a scheme to tax families and small businesses, the opposite of what his plan is unless you are talking about families and small businesses that make over $250,000. As anyone who has watched the debates knows.

But I find it amusing that Palin is too chickenshit to call Obama a socialist. Joe came right and said it! But she won’t. She’ll just hide behind Joe. Quite a profile in courage. It’s like the way George Bush hides behind General Petraeus. Who is in charge here? Is Joe the Plumber now our Economic Czar? Did we elect him to something? Will McCain and Palin defer to him on non-economic issues too? Where does Joe the Plumber stand on Iran? On nuclear energy? Maybe we need to find out.

And as a bonus, this afternoon I saw that Palin was asked on Denver’s own 9News what the Vice President does. She said the Vice President is in charge of the Senate. Um, that’s a negative Buck Rogers.

Needless to say, these Palin interviews made me feel pretty good about my vote. I hope Obama wins resoundingly and I hope he can live up to his promise.