Megorious

The office of President-Elect Barack Obama (boy, that has a great ring to it) officially launched change.gov today to serve as a bridge from the cataclysmic failure that was the Bush administration to the new Obama administration.

Barack Obama is an agent of change but he cannot bring change alone. If people really want to turn this country around it will take a mass social movement from the ground up. There’s no other way it’s going to happen.

Change.gov promotes open government and invites all to share your ideas for change. This is unprecedented in American politics. An incoming administration has basically just put a bottomless suggestion box out for all of the country to use.

“When you choose to serve — whether it’s your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood — you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That’s why it’s called the American dream.”

Additionally, there’s profile information about President-Elect Obama, Vice President-Elect Biden, and the upcoming administration. Plus the Obama-Biden Agenda is laid out — everything from revitalizing the economy, ending the war in Iraq, providing health care for all, protecting America, renewing American global leadership, and more…

You can even apply for a job!

9:29 — Obama takes Ohio — the first red state to go blue. Without Ohio and Pennsylvania I don’t know how McCain could possibly win.

7:30 — I think I just saw a hologram on CNN….

7:08 — This will be sporadic blogging tonight since I’m cooking dinner in the kitchen.

7:00 — I guess I spoke one minute too soon. MSNBC just called Kentucky for McCain, but it’s still a pretty close race. Vermont goes to Obama.

6:59 — I know it’s early but I cannot believe how close Kentucky is. Kentucky! This is a state where McCain should win handily. But the results on CNN right now show it a close race — within three points!

CrazyRidesRockets sent me this email this afternoon:

Busted!

Please view the attached picture that spells doom for Obama and his minions!
Proof positive that he’s a islamocommuniefascistscaryblackman!!!

Please forward to everyone you know who loves and cares about God and America.

My money, my pretzel!

Socialism, indeed…

Back before she was named John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin admitted during an interview on CNBC that she didn’t know what the job of vice president consists of, and even asked “What is it exactly that the VeePee does?” After her nomination, that video came back to haunt her.

During the vice presidential debate with Joe Biden earlier this month, Palin claimed she was just joking during the CNBC interview. Well, it turns out that she wasn’t joking. Sarah Palin really has no idea what the vice president does. Perhaps what’s most disconcerting about Palin’s lack of knowledge in regards to the office that she seeks is the fact that she was stumped by a third grader.

On Monday Sarah Palin sat down for an interview with NBC affiliate KUSA. At the end of the interview Palin was asked a write-in question from local 3rd grader Brandon Garcia: “What does the vice president do?” Palin got the answer wrong.

As The Decider would say: “Is our children learning?” Watch and weep:

Move over Joe The Plumber….

Ed O’Neill reprises his role as Al Bundy from Married with Children in Barack Obama’s most brilliant campaign ad to date. Ed O’Neill probably falls in the tax bracket where he wouldn’t get a tax cut, yet he endorses Obama. Further proof that Obama is the right choice.

How much will you save under the Obama-Biden tax plan? Find out here.

CBS News’ Bob Scheffer moderates the third and final presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack “That One” Obama from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. There will be blood….

Josh and Natalie have joined me at my apartment, both armed with a laptop.

10:33 — I think the winner of this debate was obviously Joe The Plumber. Hands down…

10:31 — And that’s a wrap. McCain says “good job” to Obama. “Good job. Good job. You kicked my ass.”

10:25 — Why does McCain keep mentioning Sarah Palin? She doesn’t have an autistic child, she has a child with down syndrome. Who is he trying to appeal to?

10:21 — Josh Marshall writes:

A lot of the time, when Obama’s talking and they have the split screen, McCain looks like he’s about to explode. Not always, and I’m not trying to be hyperbolic. But he frequently looks like he’s about to snap. Not going nuts, but like he’s seething and just holding it in. Are other people seeing the same thing?

10:20 — According to CNN’s Uncommitted Ohio Voters Graph, McCain flatlines everytime he speaks…

10:11 — ABORTION!

10:03 — “Hey, Joe…” McCain should specify which Joe he’s talking about. Joe The Plumber or Joe Six Pack.

10:01 — Chris just noted in a text message: “McCain is loosing his third debate. It’s bad this time. He has rambled incoherently at least three times.”

9:57 — The excitement died off pretty quickly. I was hoping for punches to be thrown. Literally.

9:47 — Nuclear Power Pants!

9:46 — This debate is harder to blog because it’s interesting and I don’t want to look down…

9:38 — The split-screen format of this debate adds so much dramatic tension.

9:36 — Obama mentions Ronald Reagan. America gets hard.

9:34 — Is McCain going to snap? He seems to be getting more and more irritated with Obama and the debate in general. Is he going to flip out and punch Obama?

9:32 — Obama is calling out McCain on the lynch mob mentality of McCain/Palin rallies and John McCain felt it was necessary to interrupt him. Thrice.

9:29 — I don’t know why McCain continues to wine and bitch about Obama not doing a bajillion town halls with him. After McCain’s behavior and showing in last week’s town hall debate he should thank God that Obama didn’t agree.

9:27 — I wish Obama would make the world’s tiniest violin gesture with his fingers.

9:25 — Looks like Scheffer is raising the stakes early…

9:20 — McCain actually just nailed Obama with his “I’m not President Bush” comment. While he did get in a swipe, he came off as very angry, like an old man trying to send soup back in a deli.

9:15 — Obama has a pay-as-you-go cell phone.

9:11 — “I want Joe The Plumber to spread the wealth around.” Why have they been talking about Joe The Plumber for five minutes?

9:08 — McCain’s flatlining…according to the CNN graph.

9:05 — Could John McCain blink just a little bit more? Is he sending out Morse Code?

9:03 — “It’s good to see you again, Senator Obama.” I don’t think there will be a funnier moment tonight…

9:02 — Bob Scheffer lays down the law. And….FIGHT!

The Second Presidential Debate from Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee, starring Senator John “Maverick! Maverick! Maverick! ” McCain and Senator Barack “Secret Black Muslim Christian Terrorist” Obama; moderated by Tom Brokaw. The debate will have a town hall format.

10:34 PM – McCain standing in front of the teleprompter was classic.

10:33 PM – With the dirty campaign McCain has been waging this week, I’m surprised he didn’t answer the question with something like: “What I don’t know is what everyone doesn’t know: Who is the real Barack Obama?”

10:30 PM – A “Zen-like” question from Peggy in New Hampshire asks: “What don’t you know and how will you learn it?” McCain knows everything. God told him personally.

10:26 PM – McCain: Thanks for serving. Now I’m going to cut your benefits.

10:25 PM – What is up with all the bald men in the audience?

10:24 PM – Only John McCain could answer a “yes or no” question with “maybe.”

10:21 PM – Hey, that was the first time Brokaw tried to cutoff McCain.

10:16 PM — Does anyone else think Osama Bin Laden will miraculously be caught before election day?

10:15 PM – McCain’s response: Not true.

10:11 PM – Did McCain just say that Obama doesn’t have a big stick? Also, it should be noted that Sarah Palin has the same position on Pakistan that Obama does.

10:08 PM – Katie Hamm. Mmmmm ham.

10:07 PM – McCain just mentioned his hero, Ronald McDonald. Oops, I mean Ronald Reagan.

10:04 PM – Obama Doctrine. McCain Doctrine. Sarah Palin won’t have any idea which either one is in the morning.

9:59 PM – Brokaw did it again. He tried to cutoff Obama. Then McCain made some sort of joke that only Brokaw got.

9:57 PM – The story about Obama’s mother arguing with insurance companies will resonate with a lot of people, and, according to the CNN Uncommitted Ohio Voters Dingus®, Obama nailed it.

9:54 PM – I got a sneak peek at the stoplights Brokaw keeps referring to. McCain just ran a red light and I doubt Brokaw calls him out.

9:49 PM – OH MY GOD. Why doesn’t Brokaw just get it over with and go down on McCain? This is incredulous!

9:47 PM – I keep waiting for Brokaw to cutoff Obama again. He seems to do that a lot. Also, according to CNN’s little dingus, women love Obama.

9:43 PM – I just switched to CNN so I could check out their little graph and the bottom of the screen. One thing is certain: they didn’t like the woman who just asked the environmental question.

9:42 PM – McCain: …too many lobbyists working in Washington.
Yeah, and McCain’s entire campaign consists of lobbyists.

9:41 PM – McCain just cut off Brokaw. WTF?

9:38 PM – So that’s how it works: McCain is allowed to lie and Brokaw will let him get away with it.

9:37 PM — This is a pretty boring debate. Let it be known that the town hall format sucks.

9:36 PM – There McCain goes again; lying about Obama will raise taxes despite the fact that independent groups say the contrary.

9:34 PM – I keep waiting for Sarah Palin to run in with a steel chair and hit Obama.

9:33 PM – There goes Obama again, talking about community organizing. I’d think about join the Peace Corps. Would anyone else?

9:30 PM – Where were you on 9/11? I was high in my living room, not eating scrambled eggs.

9:28 PM – Brokaw: We have our first question from the internet.
McCain: What’s that?

9:26 PM – McCain holds his mic with two hands, like it’s a hot cup of coffee on a cold day.

9:23 PM – Overhead at the debate?

9:19 PM – This woman obviously didn’t come up with her own question.

9:18 PM – McCain sent a letter because he doesn’t know how to send email.

9:17 PM – Brokaw is speaking incredibly fast.

9:15 PM – Obama: Honky, please!

9:11 PM – Did Tom Brokaw just chastise Obama?

9:08 PM – McCain just said “my friends” three times. Also, it should be noted that the town hall format favors McCain.

9:06 PM – McCain someone managed to talk about energy independence. He must have trained with Sarah Palin.

9:04 PM – Mr. Clean just asked the first question and it’s on the economy.

9:03 PM – Oh, look, they’ve each got little desks.

9:02 PM – Brokaw’s drunk.

9:00 PM – This should be exciting. The town hall set they’ve assembled looks like a set from Oprah. Expect McCain to get downright nasty tonight.

SNL was considerably better last night. The show started with Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin, Jason Sudeikis playing Joe Biden and a special cameo by Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill.

The 2008 Vice Presidential Debate from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, starring Senator Joe “The Shark” Biden and Governor Sarah “Barracuda” Palin; moderated by Gwen Ifill

Sarah Palin has the upper hand this evening, considering how low expectations are for her following weeks of disastrous interviews. It should be noted that Palin is an expert on Joe Biden — she can see him from her podium. I guess that makes her an expert on Gwen Ifill, too.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Palin started out strong, she had momentum and came off as very folksy, like George W. Bush. But as the debate progressed, her charm and energy were not nearly enough to keep her in the game. Biden slowly gained his momentum and then really started to nail it when they got on foreign policy. Palin was able to hold her on, but there was no substance. Not only did she not answer questions, but she barely addressed them either. Pure fluff. Biden was the winner, hands down.
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Even though John McCain has already won the debate he is putting the country first tonight and going through with it anyway. What a patriot!

The Commission on Presidential Debates has the official rules & debate format.

FINAL THOUGHTS: While many of the pundits on various channels were quick to anoint John McCain the winner, I don’t see it that way. Barack Obama didn’t win but he did stand his ground. Neither candidate knocked this out of the park.

Obama preformed much better than I thought he would. He seemed comfortable, at ease, and presidential at many times.

McCain, on the other hand, didn’t come off as presidential once. He never looked at Obama and he seemed to be condescending, but not in a wise, learned elder sort of way.

I guess you could call it a draw, a tie, whatever. But McCain, who has had two bad weeks in a row, has a lot more to lose from an even debate.

(Live Blogging: McCain v. Obama - Round One)

David Letterman Reacts to John McCain Suspending Campaign
David Letterman was quite perturbed by the fact that John McCain lied to him when the Arizona senator canceled his appearance at the last minute. Keith Olbermann ended up filling in. What really set Letterman off was that instead of rushing back to Washington like he claimed, McCain was doing an interview with Katie Couric — Letterman even had his people patch into the live feed. For the rest of the show Letterman mocked the news that McCain suspended his campaign in order to solve the economic crisis. Craig Ferguson even stood up for Letterman over the McCain snub.

ABC News: McCain: Scrap Friday Debate for Bailout; Obama: The Debate is On
Obama cites his ability to multitask as the reason Friday’s presidential debate should not be canceled.

ABC News: Ole Miss Official Says Debate Cancellation Would be ‘Devastating’
Apparently McCain hasn’t considered the economic impact of canceling the presidential debate. It would be more than a five million dollar loss for the University of Mississippi.

TPM: Despite “Suspension,” Two McCain Advisers Attacked Obama Today
Not only is McCain still running ads in multiple states but his surrogates and advisers are still actively campaigning. What suspension?

Rep. Barney Frank: “We’re trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign.”

HuffPo: Palin Stumped On McCain’s History Of Supporting Regulation
Sarah Palin is completely oblivious. She’ll get back to you, Katie Couric.

TPM: Palin Explains Why Alaska Experience Gives Her National Security Credentials
No one seems to understand what Palin’s saying here.

Gov Track: John McCain missed 738 of 4104 roll call votes (18%) since Feb 4, 1993.

John McCain Record — an informative site where you can enter any issue and see McCain’s record on said issue. Also, three facts about John McCain every American should know.

More: Joe Biden Blasts John McCain

Dennis Kucinich on the economic crisis:
“The double standard is stunning: their profits are their profits, but their losses are our losses.”

CNN: Ron Paul Commentary: Bailouts will lead to rough economic ride
The former GOP Presidential candidate and the only one who did not endorse John McCain seems to understand the economy better than McCain and Obama.

Real Clear Politics: McCain’s Queen of Hearts Intervention by George Will
Conservative George Will isn’t endorsing Barack Obama but he certainly isn’t endorsing John McCain either. Will compares McCain to the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?”

NPR: Why Congress Objects To The Bailout Plan
The Bush Administration is trying to pull one last fast one over on the country ala the Iraq War. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is hellbent on delivering the least beneficial package to the American taxpayer. So far Congress is standing up to them.

AP: Palin bans reporters from meetings with leaders
The McCain campaign banned reporters from Sarah Palin’s meetings with world leaders. So CNN pulled its camera crew in response. It’s obvious that the McCain people only wanted the images, not the substance.

Media Matters: Limbaugh repeats baseless smear that Obama is misrepresenting his ethnicity
On his radio entertainment program yesterday, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Barack Obama is “not black” and that he is misrepresenting himself to the American people:

These polls on how one-third of blue-collar white Democrats won’t vote for Obama because he’s black, and — but he’s not black. Do you know he has not one shred of African-American blood? He doesn’t have any African — that’s why when they asked whether he was authentic, whether he’s down for the struggle. He’s Arab. You know, he’s from Africa. He’s from Arab parts of Africa. He’s not — his father was — he’s not African-American. The last thing that he is is African-American. I guess that’s splitting hairs, I don’t — it’s just all these little things, everything seems upside-down today in this country.

AP: Biden says ad mocking McCain is ‘terrible’
Joe Biden doesn’t necessarily agree with at least one ad Barack Obama approved and ran. Biden called the ad “terrible.” But later he changed his tune after admitting he had not seen the ad in question.

New York Times: McCain Aide’s Firm Was Paid by Freddie Mac
Yet another lie by the McCain campaign has been exposed: Rick Davis, John McCain’s campaign manger, was paid almost $2 million “as president of an advocacy group set up by the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations.” Davis is still on the Freddie Mac payroll, too.

NBC News compares the tax plans of Barack Obama and John McCain...

Newsweek: All the Candidates’ Cars
Barack Obama — the elitist — owns one car. John McCain owns thirteen cars, which is fewer than two cars per house. Now, in McCain’s defense, I doubt he knows that he owns that many. And if asked about his cars, I’m sure McCain would play the POW card: There was a time in my life when I couldn’t own a car. The Hanoi Hilton doesn’t have valet parking. Or something like that….
• CNN has more: Dems seize on McCain’s 13 cars:

the McCains currently own 13 cars — two of which are foreign-made: a Honda and a Volkswagen. That appears to contradict the Republican presidential nominee’s past statements he only buys cars made in America. (Cindy McCain also drives a Lexus and daughter Meghan owns a Toyota Prius, but neither are registered to the McCains.)

Newsweek also reported Barack Obama owns one car: a Ford Escape Hybrid.

In a quickly-arranged conference call organized by the Democratic National Committee, United Auto Worker Union President Ron Gettelfinger — an Obama supporter — said the registration records show McCain is not being truthful with Americans and undermining autoworkers.

New York Times: Pact on Debates Will Let McCain and Obama Spar
In an apparent attempt to make things easier on Sarah Palin, the rules for the vice presidential debate between Palin and Senator Joe Biden have been dumbed down:

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between [Palin and Biden] will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

Salon: John McCain’s hot air
John McCain isn’t as “green” as he says he is. In fact, his environmental record is dirtier than a horse in the mud.

Gawker: Jill Greenberg: Mag Photographer’s Grotesque McCain Trick
The photographer hired to take McCain’s cover picture for The Atlantic was vetted about as thoroughly as Sarah Palin.

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From now until election day I’m going to be sharing some of the daily articles that I read to stay informed. The hope being that the less informed will take the time to educate themselves. I invite others to share their own links, too….

Politico: How John McCain Lost Me
Elizabeth Drew, author of the pro-McCain book Citizen McCain no longer views the candidate is a positive light and now calls him a “panderer.”

Salon: What does Sarah Palin have to hide?
Glenn Greenwald examines the irony surrounded the breech of Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! Mail account by computer hackers and asks what she has to hide.

TIME: The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly on McCain
John McCain either doesn’t know where Spain is or who the Prime Minister of Spain is or both. He may have sparked a small international incident with a US ally due to being confused.
• Talking Points Memo has more on the Spain gaffe.
• Listen to the full interview (the key passage about Spain starts at 2:58).

Crooks & Liars: Palin can’t answer softball question
At her first town hall meeting with John McCain, Sarah Palin can’t answer a simple question about her national security experience.

Omaha World-Herald: Sen. Hagel doubts Palin’s ready
Senator Chuck Hagel (R, Nebraska) became the nation’s most prominent Republican officeholder to publicly question whether Sarah Palin has the experience to serve as president.

TIME: John McCain and the Lying Game
Every politician stretches the truth but John McCain is running a uniquely dishonest campaign and the media isn’t letting him get away with it.

Salon: Sarah Palin’s Wasteful Ways
She poses as a fiscal watchdog, but when Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she grabbed city funds to give her office a pricey “bordello” makeover.

TPM Election Central: Did Palin’s Pay As Wasilla Mayor Really Get Cut?
Sarah Palin cites the pay cut she took as mayor of Wasilla as proof of her reform credentials. But did she really take a pay cut?

Fox News: Biden: Wealthy Americans Must Pay More Taxes to Show Patriotism
John McCain and Sarah Palin have already twisted Joe Biden’s words into something he didn’t say. They are deceitfully omitting the word “wealthy” and claiming that Biden said “raising taxes is patriotic.”

Unlike Sarah Palin, Joe Biden isn’t going around the country repeating the same exact speech over and over and over and over and over and ovary again. This is our Vice President….

“I’m not going to give them hell. I’m going to tell them the truth and they’re going to think it’s Hell.”

The best speech of the night didn’t belong to Bill Clinton or Joe Biden, though they were both phenomenal, it belonged to the man who should have won four years ago: John Kerry.

Fox News never lets US down with its patented fear mongering and Obama trashing. Now they’re incorporating Joe Biden. Apparently Obama + Biden = Osama Bin Laden. Not Babe Domain.

Oddly enough, Fox News has always used the Usama spelling when referring to the terrorist mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. They even used the abbreviation UBL instead of OBL. But for some reason Fox News switched to the Osama spelling. I wonder why?

Fair and Balanced is an anagram for Candied Anal Barf.

Theatrics aside, Biden gave a damn good speech. At one point he almost said “America” instead of Obama. The speech starts around fifteen minutes into the video.

(read the transcript of Joe Biden's speech)

According to ABC News’ deliciously titled Political Punch blog, the Secret Service has been dispatched to the (singular) residence of Delaware Senator Joe Biden to “assume the immediate protection.” NBC News is reporting that Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine are out. Of course no official word has come yet.

Obama will officially announce his running mate via text message some time Saturday morning.

John McCain will officially announce his running mate via telegraph sent from one of his many, many houses some time before his 72 birthday.

If Obama does indeed pick Biden (mayhap his first official presidential act?) then is shows he can and will make the right decisions as President.

I can’t think of anything better than Joe Biden as Barack Obama’s running mate. He’s the best and most qualified man or woman for the job. He comes from the same hardworking background as Obama. Biden not only packs the experience, and would make a great President himself, but he’s brutally honest, too — a rarity in a politician. He wasn’t afraid to call out Rudy Giuliani at a debate earlier this year:

And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency, is here talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani… I mean, think about it! Rudy Giuliani. There’s only three things he mentions in a sentence — a noun, a verb, and 9/11. There’s nothing else! There’s nothing else! And I mean this sincerely. He’s genuinely not qualified to be president.

As far as I know Joe Biden only has one house. Not eight. Or ten. He’d probably remember how many if asked, too.

UPDATE: CNN confirms Senator Joe Biden will be Barack Obama’s running mate.

UPDATE 2: THE UPDATING: I got at text message from Barack Obama. And a random drunk dial from John Edwards.

UPDATE 3: Obama/Biden is an anagram for Babe Domain. Just saying….