tagged w/ Presidential Race
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Let me start by saying that I am humbled by the events of this evening and I could not think of a more fitting scenario in order to make my first post here on the White Rabbit Cult. I am so proud of my country to be able to see through the bigotry and petty lies that have been a constant smear across our television screens this election season and elect the man that truly is the best choice to lead our country out of the narrow-minded past and slingshot it into the open-minded future. This country was hungry for change and their plates shall runneth over. This is a pivotal election that has the potential to change our country for the rest of history.
That being said, I can’t get over the sickening feeling in my stomach that is hindering me from fully enjoying this miraculous event. I am a resident of the state of Arizona, and while I may not like the idea that I am in the minority in this state, I have always accepted it as a simple difference of opinion. I am someone who has always enjoyed political debate and conversations with people of both like and different minded opinions. However, while America as a whole took 1 giant step forward tonight, Arizona took two steps back. The first being the Yes vote on Prop 102 to ban same-sex marriage (more on that in my next post), and the second the nausea-inducing crowd at McCain’s consession speech. What I saw tonight during McCain’s concession speech struck me so deep into my gut that it was hard to get up after hearing it.
I am so ashamed that in the state that I so happily call my home, there were crowds so disrespectful to yell and boo while John McCain was trying to salvage the little honor and dignity he had left after his campaign dragged him through the mud. How despicable and disrespectful do you have to be to tarnish this amazing moment in history with your disgusting bigotry and hate? You people make me utterly sick to my stomach and anyone who reads this blog that may have been one of those aforementioned “hecklers”, for lack of a better word, please, I beg of you to send me your address so I can come and knock on your door and spit in your face to show you the disrespect that you have shown Barack Obama, the President Elect of the United States of America, and the millions of people who dared to dream and believe in hope in times of great peril.
Did you hear Obama’s crowd at the mention of McCain? They cheered. That is what decent people do. Unfortunately, I can no longer call my fellow Arizonans decent people because they just showed to the world that they do not deserve the label. I hope by tomorrow the joy will drown out the sadness, anger, and shame that I feel right now. Even through this all, I guess that’s the difference: I still have hope. Thank you, America. You have made the right choice. Good Night Everyone. Enjoy the new world you wake up to tomorrow.Let me start by saying that I am humbled by the events of this evening and I could not... more
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One of our TV presenters has just suggested that there was a fair bit of evangelical fervour about Barack Obama's victory speech. What really impressed me was that he didn't rev up the crowd.One of our TV presenters has just suggested that there was a fair bit of evangelical... more
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As polls closed on the West coast, the Illinois senator was projected to receive enough electoral votes to pass the 270-vote threshold.
Obama is projected to win California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.
He also is projected to win Virginia, a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since 1964.
As Obama built up a commanding lead over Sen. John McCain, senior aides to the Arizona senator were growing pessimistic about his chances.
When asked if they saw a path to victory, two senior McCain aides said no.
White Rabbit Cult earlier projected that Obama will win Ohio, a key battleground state with 20 electoral votes.
No Republican has won the White House without winning Ohio. Going into the election, polls showed Obama with a 3-point lead there.
Obama and McCain are running a tight race in Indiana as results are tallied in the battleground state.
With about 85 percent of precincts reporting, McCain held a slim lead in the state.
In addition to the presidential contest, voters were making choices in a number of key House and Senate races that could determine whether the Democrats strengthen their hold on Congress.
Former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat, will win a Senate seat in Virginia, White Rabbit Cult projects. He will replace retiring Republican Sen. John Warner.
Incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Republican, is projected to lose her North Carolina seat to Democratic challenger Kay Hagan.
White Rabbit Cult also projects Democrats will win two other Senate seats currently held by Republicans. In New Hampshire, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen will win over incumbent John Sununu, and in New Mexico, Democrat Tom Udall will defeat Republican Steve Pearce.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell held onto his seat in Kentucky.
Delaware voters re-elected Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, to his seventh term.
White Rabbit Cult Eddie Harris said there were lots of long faces in the lobby of the McCain headquarters at the Arizona Biltmore hotel as McCain allies watched returns showing Senate Republicans losing their seats.
McCain and Obama were both expected to be watching the results come in from their home states.As polls closed on the West coast, the Illinois senator was projected to receive... more
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The White Rabbit Cult congratulates President Elect Barack Obama!!!
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People Of Florida… PLEASE READ!!!!
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Should we be surprised by this? Sign of things to come!
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With less than a week till Election Day, any movement in the polls is big news. In the Real Clear Politics national poll average, Barack Obama’s 8-point lead from Saturday has decreased to 5.9, due mostly to a gain in John McCain’s average.
Three major polls have seen a significant squeeze in the past five days, causing this trend. Today, a Rasmussen poll put Obama at a 3-point lead. McCain has gained 3 points in their survey since Saturday and Obama has lost two, putting the race at the narrowest margin this poll has seen since late September.
This followed the drastic squeeze seen in the Reuters/Zogby/C-SPAN this weekend. After enjoying a 12-point lead in their poll last week, Obama’s lead shrunk to around 5 points and held steady there for a few days.
The latest poll to close was Gallup. Their traditional likely voter turnout model has Obama up by three, after having a 7-point lead at one point last week. (Take note: Gallup has multiple voter models. Which one is right depends on who shows up to vote. The other models have Obama up by 7-points today.)
As we’ve cautioned in this blog space before, it’s best to keep up with the state polls too. Remember, the Electoral College doesn’t make decisions based on national mood.
With that in mind, here is graphical snapshot of where the polling lies as shown on the Yahoo! News Political Dashboard. Below, we break out specifics about the 11 battleground states’ most recent polling averages and trends. The data for both is supplied by our friends at Real Clear Politics.With less than a week till Election Day, any movement in the polls is big news. In the... more
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The Republicans are supposed to be praying for a miracle. Perhaps a less supernatural event would be enough for McCain to win. According to a U.S. study rain affects voter turnout by up to 1%. All good right-wing evangelists should be praying for rain on Tuesday!The Republicans are supposed to be praying for a miracle. Perhaps a less supernatural... more
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On the playgrounds of elementary school, one of the worst taunts imaginable is to be told, “you fight like a girl.” Now, in fact, girls don’t necessarily fight “like girls,” while some boys do. But, regardless of gender, why is this style of brawling the object of scorn?
Because it means to turn your face from your foe, close your eyes, and flail about wildly with your fists. Even with a good reason to fight, it means to fight blindly. Even if courageously, it means to fight stupidly. You may, sometimes, actually hit your opponent. But in your violent frenzy, you are sure to hit others you had no need to hit, thereby inspiring new enemies unnecessarily while exhausting yourself to scant purpose. Scant, because all too few of those punches will land on the face you meant to, and maybe had good reason to smack.
Which brings to mind George Bush’s feckless “Global War on Terror.” After 9/11 we had good reason to smack al-Qaida and the Taliban, the radical Sunni Muslim groups responsible for the murder of 3,000 Americans on American soil. A few well-landed jabs guided by a clear-eyed strategy might have finished them off. Instead, our Commander-in-mis-chief turned his head, closed his eyes, and starting swinging hysterically, “fighting like a girl.” As a result, though empowered by the finest military in human history, he grossly misused and abused it, wielding that “fist” with the incompetence of the proverbial schoolgirl, crashing it into brick walls, innocent bystanders, stray livestock and occasionally, yes, the nose of an honest-to-gosh jihadi.
And so, after seven years of flailing, we still haven’t knocked out either al-Qaida or the Taliban, or come to terms with the double-dealing of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, our “allies” who, directly or indirectly, support them. However, we have invaded and occupied Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11), and installed a Shia Muslim dominated government there that is, predictably, pro Shia Iran. Of course, we are now told that increasingly assertive Iran is our new greatest enemy, though that assertiveness is largely a result of our own befuddled, self-defeating policies in Iraq. Hmmm….
All the while, with few exceptions, John McCain and the Congressional Republicans mindlessly cheered every ill-aimed slap in this mockery of a war strategy like a schoolyard mob. This is the “experienced” McCain who told us in 2002 we could just “muddle through” to victory in Afghanistan while we shifted resources to Iraq. Told us that we had to do so because Iraq had WMDs. That Iraq was actively collaborating against us with al-Qaida. That Iraq was behind the anthrax attacks. That occupying Iraq would be easy. That Iraq’s oil wealth would pay for it all. That the Sunni and Shia in Iraq had no history of violent conflict. Of course, since he repeatedly gets his Sunnis mixed up with his Shias, his confusion on this last point is understandable.
But, call ‘em lies, or call ‘em misjudgments, either way, these claims were wrong. All wrong. For thousands of American soldiers and marines, fatally wrong. For a U.S. economy sliding into recession, a trillion dollars worth of wrong. Now, with the limited success of the surge, we’re supposed to hail him as the second coming of Solomon?
Give me a break.
Republican politicians always maintain they are tough on national security. Well, they certainly do talk tough (or “sing tough,” as McCain chortles about plans to “bomb, bomb, bomb,… bomb, bomb Iran”). They publicly flex their verbal muscles at every opportunity like preening, oily body builders. But when push comes to shove comes to oily fracas, they close their eyes, switch off their brains, and “fight like girls.” Which would be fine if we didn’t have real enemies in this world who need a good upper cut to the jaw. On the playgrounds of elementary school, one of the worst taunts imaginable is to be... more
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A stiletto heel in the back? Et tu, Palin? Palin 2012: Sarah Palin vs John McCain in heated campaign counseling with Jim Lehrer. The master mediator tries to uncover the root of the tension with the troubled, Maverick team.A stiletto heel in the back? Et tu, Palin? Palin 2012: Sarah Palin vs John McCain in... more
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The residents of Broward County, Florida have recently received misleading robocalls telling them that they can vote by phone on Election Day, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Friday.
The report didn't provide many details, other than the fact that the voice fallaciously identified itself as Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes.
When asked whether she had heard about the calls, the supervisor's public service director said that she hadn't, and that of course voting by phone is not an option.
The call is just one of a number of dirty tricks being pulled off around the country just before record numbers of voters are expected to turn up at the polls on Election Day.
[Credit: Sarah Lai Stirland]The residents of Broward County, Florida have recently received misleading robocalls... more
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Sarah Palin unwittingly took a prank call today from a Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and telling her she would make a good president someday.
"Maybe in eight years," replies a laughing Palin.
The Republican vice presidential nominee discusses politics, the perils of hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, and Sarkozy's "beautiful wife," in a recording of the call released Saturday and set to air Monday on a Quebec radio station.
Palin campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt confirmed she had received the prank call.
"Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie," she said.
The call was made by a well-known Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel. Known as the Masked Avengers, the two are notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state.
Audette posing as Sarkozy speaks in an exaggerated French accent and drops ample hints that the conversation is a joke. But Palin seemingly does not pick up on them.
He tells Palin one of his favorite pastimes is hunting, also a passion of the 44-year-old Alaska governor.
"I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun," the fake Sarkozy says.
He proposes they go hunting together by helicopter, something he says he has never done.
"Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done," Palin counters. "We can kill two birds with one stone that way." The comedian then jokes that they shouldn't bring Cheney along on the hunt, referring to the 2006 incident in which the vice-president shot and injured a friend while hunting quail.
"I'll be a careful shot," responds Palin.
Playing off Palin's much-mocked comment in an early television interview that she had insights into foreign policy because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska," the caller tells her: "You know we have a lot in common also, because except from my house I can see Belgium." She replies: Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes.
Palin praises Sarkozy throughout the call and also mentions his wife Carla Bruni, a model-turned-songwriter.
"You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife," Palin says. "Oh my goodness, you've added a lot of energy to your country with that beautiful family of yours."
[Credit: AP]
Sarah Palin unwittingly took a prank call today from a Canadian comedian posing as... more
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Ordinarily I would say that a person’s politics should never be a factor in employment, unless the political position would compromise the job performance.
However I have to sympathize with the writer of this letter.
Dear Fellow Business Owners
As a business owner who employs 30 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama will be our next President, and that my Taxes and Fees, will go up in a BIG way.
To compensate for these increases, I figure that the Customer will have to see an increase in my fees to them of about 8%. I will also have to lay off 6 of my employees. This really bothered me as I believe we are family
here and didn‘t know how to choose who will have to go.
So, this is what I did. I strolled thru the parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on my employees’ cars. I have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off.
I can’t think of another fair way to approach this problem. If you have a better idea, let me know.
I am sending this letter to all Business owners that I know.
Sincerely
XXXX
YYYY Corp.
I think it might even be illegal but I have little sympathy for those people. When a we know that a politician’s policies will destroy businesses, then the people who put that cretin in power should be the first to pay for the damages.
I also need to emphasize that this is an emotional response, not a rational one. If the business owner were to ask me I would say that it’s probably illegal even if I am sympathetic to him.Ordinarily I would say that a person’s politics should never be a factor in... more
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Footage of Miss Alaska, Sarah Palin, in the Miss Teen Alien Pageant
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This Electoral College Prediction Tracker looks like fun. You can get your own at The Take Away. This Electoral College Prediction Tracker looks like fun. You can get your own at The... more
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We had to flip it on its side so we can fit it onto the page.
Hope you like it!
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Blaming ACORN for our voter registration system is a classic failure of missing the forest for the trees. Amidst accusations of ACORN putting our democracy in jeopardy, few are asking why private groups are even in the business of voter registration drives. The answer is that the United States is one of the few democracies where the federal government doesn’t assume responsibility for establishing full and accurate voter rolls —- and it just isn’t working.
Each election cycle, scores of generally well-intentioned organizations and individuals register millions of new people to vote, and inevitably accusations of voter registration fraud —- often mistakenly termed “voter fraud” —- follow. Some canvassers submit fraudulent names for extra pay; this is what ACORN has been accused of. Many citizens submit forms with inaccurate information.
Although highly unlikely to impact the actual casting of votes, voter registration fraud is serious —- it wastes all-too-scarce resources of local election offices, balloons voter rolls with fake names and increases the odds of Election Day confusion. Ending voter registration fraud is a big reason for the government to modernize registration.
These problems are part of a much bigger failure in how we run elections. Nearly a third of eligible voters aren’t registered to vote and our turnout rates are among the lowest in the world. That’s why groups like ACORN have to pour resources into voter registration drives every four years instead of focusing on other means to empower people in their communities.
The problem is our “opt-in,” self-initiated voter registration system. Right now the onus is on citizens to update their information, ensure correct spelling and cancel old registrations when they move. Without a parent who votes or a motivated high school teacher handing out voter registration forms, many young people never register or learn the basics of participation —- as if preparation for citizenship weren’t an obvious goal of an effective public school system.
Low voter registration contributes directly to low voter turnout. Once registered, people are much more likely to vote in big elections. In 2004, the U.S. Census reported participation rates of more than 85 percent of registered voters. Four in five registered voters in the 18 to 24-year-old cohort showed up. But even 100 percent turnout of registered voters would leave us with lower turnout than most other well-established democracies.
At the same time, many people are on the rolls more than once and our rolls are cluttered with people who have died or moved. Alaska notoriously has more registered voters than eligible adults.
Implementing a few common sense reforms would go a long way in solving our voter registration problems and lessen the necessity of groups seeking to register so many new voters every four years.
One example is seeking to register every citizen before they reach voting age by following the lead of Hawaii and Florida in allowing 16-year-olds to register to vote, with their names automatically added to the voter rolls when they reach 18. This change would ideally be twinned with systematic registration of young people in high schools and at driver’s license agencies and “voter’s ed” classes on the mechanics of participation in communities. Other sensible proposals include Election Day registration and moving to making voter registration permanent through automatic updates of registration with changes of address.
Blaming ACORN for our voter registration system is a classic failure of missing... more
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Some guy claims he stumbled upon some naked pictures of Barack Obama’s mother, and he’s posted them to the Internet.
No, really. These are unconfirmed… leave us your thoughts!
This gets weirder and weirder every day. Some guy claims he stumbled upon some naked pictures of Barack Obama’s mother,... more
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According to the BBC's Dan Collyns, Peruvian shamen overwhelming support Barack Obama with only a few for John McCain:
As the US presidential election nears, the shamans of Peru have been displaying their own methods for ensuring the success of their chosen candidate.
Peru's shamen send US election vibes
My Quechua is a bit rusty so we'll have to trust the translator. Click the image or the link to see the video.According to the BBC's Dan Collyns, Peruvian shamen overwhelming support Barack... more
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From LisaNova's YouTube channel.
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