We're all gonna rock to the rules that I make -- Election 2008

[RGMike]

This just in: McCain's pal Joe the Plumber? He's not a licensed plumber and he doesn't make $250K:
http://tinyurl.com/4245v7

Not only that, he's not registered to vote:
http://tinyurl.com/4hoe4m

there's also a report that the plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, is related to Robert Wurzelbacher of Keating Five fame. Stay tuned.

Well, turns out he's no relation... but what were the odds that he'd have the same name as someone from a scandal involving McCain? And didn't anyone in his campaign think maybe Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher might not be the best choice for someone to mention 21 times in the debate?

[ggould]

This just in: McCain's pal Joe the Plumber? He's not a licensed plumber and he doesn't make $250K:
http://tinyurl.com/4245v7

Not only that, he's not registered to vote:
http://tinyurl.com/4hoe4m

there's also a report that the plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, is related to Robert Wurzelbacher of Keating Five fame. Stay tuned.

Well, turns out he's no relation... but what were the odds that he'd have the same name as someone from a scandal involving McCain? And didn't anyone in his campaign think maybe Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher might not be the best choice for someone to mention 21 times in the debate?

I read a NY Times article on the guy, and he seems like a real throwback.  The very last statement in the article struck me as racist, but it wasn't identified as such.

In his interview with Ms. Couric, Mr. Wurzelbacher, who voted Republican in Ohio’s March primary, said that his encounter with Mr. Obama had been prompted by his desire “to ask one of these guys a question, and really corner them and get them to answer a question for once instead of tap dancing around it. And unfortunately I asked the question, but I still got a tap dance.”

He added, “He was almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr.”

[Gazoo]

This just in: McCain's pal Joe the Plumber? He's not a licensed plumber and he doesn't make $250K:
http://tinyurl.com/4245v7

Not only that, he's not registered to vote:
http://tinyurl.com/4hoe4m

there's also a report that the plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, is related to Robert Wurzelbacher of Keating Five fame. Stay tuned.

Well, turns out he's no relation... but what were the odds that he'd have the same name as someone from a scandal involving McCain? And didn't anyone in his campaign think maybe Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher might not be the best choice for someone to mention 21 times in the debate?

I read a NY Times article on the guy, and he seems like a real throwback.  The very last statement in the article struck me as racist, but it wasn't identified as such.

In his interview with Ms. Couric, Mr. Wurzelbacher, who voted Republican in Ohio’s March primary, said that his encounter with Mr. Obama had been prompted by his desire “to ask one of these guys a question, and really corner them and get them to answer a question for once instead of tap dancing around it. And unfortunately I asked the question, but I still got a tap dance.”

He added, “He was almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr.”

I'm getting a real Stepin Fetchit vibe from that line too.

[Lightnin' Rod]

The very last statement in the article struck me as racist, but it wasn't identified as such.

The quote definitely walks the fine line, and any candidate that would have been lambasted for saying it.  He could have chosen Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, but from the look of the guy, I'd say he's more a rat-packer than a fan of old musical comedies.  But I am glad the Times chose not to editorialize in the article -- report the quote, let the reader decide.

For some reason, whenever I think of Joe the Plumber, I'm reminded of Blazing Saddles:  "Mongo only pawn in game of life."

[mshray]

The very last statement in the article struck me as racist, but it wasn't identified as such.

The quote definitely walks the fine line, and any candidate that would have been lambasted for saying it.  He could have chosen Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, but from the look of the guy, I'd say he's more a rat-packer than a fan of old musical comedies.  But I am glad the Times chose not to editorialize in the article -- report the quote, let the reader decide.

For some reason, whenever I think of Joe the Plumber, I'm reminded of Blazing Saddles:  "Mongo only pawn in game of life."

That's a great analogy!

[RGMike]

The very last statement in the article struck me as racist, but it wasn't identified as such.

The quote definitely walks the fine line, and any candidate that would have been lambasted for saying it.  He could have chosen Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, but from the look of the guy, I'd say he's more a rat-packer than a fan of old musical comedies.  But I am glad the Times chose not to editorialize in the article -- report the quote, let the reader decide.

For some reason, whenever I think of Joe the Plumber, I'm reminded of Blazing Saddles:  "Mongo only pawn in game of life."

That's a great analogy!

[RGMike]

Joe the Plumber and Drew Remenda -- separated at birth?

[urth]

The latest in the Joe the Plumber saga:

His name's really Sam:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/16/MNQ013J6JV.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1

[RGMike]

The Chron -- no surprise here -- endorses Obama:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/EDLP13H6V9.DTL&type=politics

[Gazoo]

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (MN) accuses Obama - and the 30% of Americans who consider themselves liberal! - of being anti-American:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESdA52S4Dbg

It's taking my every last bit of maturity to not actively wish for her to be publicly punched in the face repeatedly.

Meantime, a San Bernardino GOP club distributes "Obama Bucks": faux food stamps with images of Obama ... and fried chicken and watermelon!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/10/obama-bucks-and.html

Holy shit do I despise what the Republican party has become.  One might call these isolated incidents except that a generation-plus of their politics has created the environment where this kind of idiocy can thrive.  I'm resentful of it.

        

[ggould]

I'm concerned about the increasing rabble-rousing re:ACORN bile the McPalin camp is spewing:

Death threat, vandalism hit ACORN after accusations

[SFGuy]

If you use this: http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard

Obama wins big. Even if you were to say the GOP "steals" Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, Obama wins. The ones with gray means there is no data. Some states would go blue: Hawaii, DC, Maryland and Vermont. The gray that goes red are Idaho and South Dakota.

[mshray]

If you use this: http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard

Obama wins big. Even if you were to say the GOP "steals" Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, Obama wins. The ones with gray means there is no data. Some states would go blue: Hawaii, DC, Maryland and Vermont. The gray that goes red are Idaho and South Dakota.

Yeah I have been following that dashboard for a while.  Obama sure is unpopular in Utah & Oklahoma.

There are currently 18 states where Obama's ahead by more than 8% in the poll averages this is based on - CA, CT, DE, IA, IL, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, VA, WA, WI - and they add up to 253 electoral votes, with 270 being the target.  I don't know if McCain trails by at least 8% in HI, but if it's more than that in all the rest of New England I suspect it's true in VT, and we can throw in Maine where he trails by 7.6%.  Likewise if it's more than that in VA it almost certainly is true in MD.  And for sure it's true in DC, so that makes 273. 

So you can give McCain not only Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, but you can also throw in Missouri, Nevada & even Colorado & it's still not enough.  And he trails in CO by a solid 6%, a state where the Dems have beaten the Reps in 4 straight state-wide elections.

. 

[urth]

A parody of an otherwise mediocre song, and the performance is kinda meh, but the reworked lyrics are pretty brilliant. Worth the watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIc8jdra0o

[RGMike]

Colin Powell endorsed Obama today -- I don't have a link, but seek out the clip from "Meet the Press". It's quite an eloquent endorsement and a sound thumping of the Repugs and the campaign they're running.

Oh, and Palin was actually pretty good on SNL. Or at the very least, she was a good sport.