I just received a call from a very close friend of mine. She's the one who brought me here to Missouri to work on the Obama Campaign. For those of you who follow my posts, you'll know what a life-changing experience it was. After the election, she's one of the many Obama staffers and volunteers who flooded Georgia to aide Jim Martin in his run-off against Saxby Chambliss. Tonight's call was simple: We need donations to help Jim Martin's campaign.

So of course, I'm on board. Here's the best I can do.

Some may wonder: why help Jim Martin? I think, for those that know and understand who and what Saxby Chambliss is, wouldn't even ask this question. Don't know? I suggest you find out.

We do need your help. It's not necessarily (at least to me) about getting 60 Democrats in the Senate. Though for some, that may be the reason, and reason enough. Whatever your reason, it's important to know that this is not an issue of partisan politics. It's about what's right and wrong. Saxby Chambliss is wrong. He has proven himself unfit to hold public office on numerous occasions. Did you ever find yourself saying such a thing about McCain? This is, in essence, no different.

Just follow this link to lend a hand, and to be convinced (if you're not already) as to why this fight is important.

To all those who help, thank you in advance.

The more I ponder our current situation now that the election has finally passed, and we are transitioning into an Obama Administration, the more I realize how much we're going to have to do in order to fix the mistakes of the Bush years. Things are not as easy as simply making a flick of the pen making things all better. As much as we would like to say, "let's just shut down Gitmo", things are not that simple. ...Well, perhaps shutting down Gitmo itself. But then the lingering question becomes, "what do we do about the detainees?" There are numerous rational and reasonable answers to this question, none of which, I think, is either more right or wrong than another. But Gitmo is just one of many issues that Bush is laying on Obama's administration to clean up. Fair or not, that's the way it is.

Through my pondering concerning such questions, one name kept popping into my head: "Colin Powell". Wait a second. Why bring Powell on board? He's part of the reason we're in the foreign policy and national security mess we're in. True. Undeniably so. Yet Powell's unequivocal rejection of the Bush Administration and its policies and practices makes him, I believe, the perfect candidate to advise Barack over the next four years.

I'm not suggesting Powell for a top, high-profile position. I don't even believe he would take a job like Sec. of State (again) if he was offered. But as a senior adviser, he would be perfect. Having been a part of the Bush Administration during Bush's first term can, if utilized, be a positive in backtracking on such quagmires as Gitmo. Powell has a unique understanding of the way Bush's Administration operated, and thus, a unique understanding of what we could do in order to fix what's gone wrong.

But the best aspect is, to repeat, his unequivocal rejection of Bush's policies and practices, coupled with his full-throttled endorsement of Barack in October.

Giving Powell a role in his Administration, though, would also show Obama's commitment to bipartisanship. Understandably, there are many out there who would reject Powell's involvement as, "they're both black", or "Powell is a traitor to the Republican Party", or some other piece of rediculousness. But such criticism would come from the far-right. And let's be honest. Who's listening to the far right?

Now that the election is over, and for the time being before Barack takes the oath of office, things have quieted down. A lot. Issues and controversies are not longer of the daily (and sometimes hourly) urgency that they once seemed to be. For the next while, I'm going to take a break and just write about my life after the election. I hope that it's not too boring for all of you.

Life is funny. It can bring such interesting turns of events. I'm currently in Chicago, and sitting in Panera Bread at the corner of State & Congress. It's nice. Free wifi is always nice. So is their lack of caring when it comes to just hanging out without buying something (buying food being a luxury I don't currently have).

On Saturday, I'll be heading back to Missouri, and I'll be staying with one of the former NTL's (Neighborhood Team Leaders) from the election. Joplin, Missouri... Boy, who would have ever thought? I certainly wouldn't have. Never in my life did I ever think I would have any connection to the state of Missouri. Of every state in the country, Missouri certainly wasn't at the top of my list of states to either visit or live. And then Joplin, of all places. Deep red Joplin. Definitely not. But I'm going back, after coming here to Chicago to visit a friend. I guess the ultimate question then becomes: why?

I had two choices: either return to Washington state and live on Vashon Island... where I could find no work and do nothing of importance and be far away from my girlfriend. Not to mention the fact that I had moved to Washington only two weeks piror to moving to Missouri to work on the election. I have family there, sure. But I don't have friends. And I don't have connections. I have no network. I have no real possibilities.

Joplin, Missouri, however, offers me the exact opposite. In Joplin, I have friends. Lots of friends, and of course, my girlfriend. I have connections and a network of people to help me if I ever need it. And if there was a time that I needed some help to stay afloat, it's now.

But for all the anxiety and uncertainty for the future, and for what each day will bring past the previous, I don't feel afraid. A lack of money, as fearful as that sometimes makes me, does not trump my excitement for what the future, as unpredictable as it is, may birng. And why? It's because of Barack Obama. It's because, through him and his movement of change, I was able to become a part of the lives of so many other amazing people, and they, in turn, become a part of mine. A part that I know will last for years to come.

I don't know what's going to happen for the next four years. I don't know whether Obama will be a good President or not (though I certainly think he will be, and certainly will be lightyears ahead of what's moving out come January 20th), but I do know that he has provided for me people and a place as unexpected in its coming to me, as the Presidency was coming to him.

Nothing is the same. That's for damn sure. Of course, we all know that. The country is never going to be the same again. And we've all, all of us, said this to ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, our families. But what is not discussed so much, really, is how we as individuals have been changed, shaped, molded and formed as a result of this historic election. For my part, there are many things.

I look at life differently. It's no longer such a stark contrast. There are no longer such clearly defined lines of good and evil, black and white... Over the course of this election, my ideology has been shaped into something that is more of a pragmatic liberalism, than an ideological one.

This, of course, has been so greatly as a result of my involvement here at TPM. Of the openness of opinions here. But also in the decisions that Obama made over the course of the election, and my evaluation and reevaluation of such things. And then, of course, my last month in rural Missouri, speaking with and hearing from the numerous people who often had opinions and ideas very different from my own.

I now feel I have a personal interest and investment in this country, in its future, and in its shaping. Yes, Obama is the President, and yes, he will be shaping things for years to come. But as he always said, the election was not about him. It was about us. It was about me and you. And my personal and direct involvement in his movement has given me, I feel, a responsibility to do more than I had been doing previously. I feel that I owe it to our country, to which I feel so proud, to give back, and to contribute. I can't just sit on my ass anymore. I can't feel satisfied just talking about things. I have a personal stake in everything that happens from here on out. I can't ever forget that.

I spent my last month of the election in the most unlikely of places. Rural, southwest Missouri. A town called Joplin. Red as red can be, believe me. And yet, in a place where I had people openly tell me they would not vote for a black man, I found some of the best and most wonderful friends that a person can find. All as a result of my involvement in the campaign. I met the most amazing girl, too. Just showed up on her doorstep (literally) one day when I was out canvassing, got her to volunteer, and... Well, the rest is history, as they say?

My educational path has also changed. I love the theater, and was majoring in it. But now, I truly want to continue to be involved in politics. Involved in movements like Obama's. I think Constitutional Law is the thing I was to pursue. No, it's not because Obama taught it. I've always had a fire in me for Constitutional Law. But in revent years, that fire had dwindled. If anything, Obama has reignited it.

Yet these are just some of the small ways that I have changed. Some of the small things that I know will never be the same about me. I know I'm not the only one. We've all changed. In big and small ways. And by us, I mean not just the United States. I mean the entire world.

On election night, after the initial party and excitement was over and after the tears had been shed (and many of them from yours truly, for sure), I received a text from a friend. As some of you may know, I spent a period of time in France, in 2007, during their Presidential Election. I met many people there and made friends, one of whom was quite interested in American politics. He texted me, and thanked me, and the United States, for electing Barack Obama.

It's amazing that stories like these are no longer a rarity for me. I have so many in my mind. It is, in a word, inspiring. The pride I feel in my country, and in myself, have never been so great. When Obama said he wanted to bring "change", I had an idea of what he meant, especially politically. Yet I never knew that he would bring such direct change to this average individual. Thank you, Barack. Thank you.

Today, Saturday the 18th, there was a GOTV event here for all the Team Leaders and major Volunteers. The Obama Campaign wanted to train them all for Election Day. The key is organization. As I've said: it's all about the ground game. Always has been, always will be. I was planning to go. I wanted to badly to go. I was one of the few who knew the secret: Jill Biden was going to be there.

My first thoughts? "Holy fucking shit." Jill Biden. Like I always tell my friends, "when Joe Biden says his wife Jill is dropdead gorgeous, he's right and he means it." I wanted so badly to meet her. But at around 9:45 on the 17th, the day before, I was told that I needed to head the office. Out-of-state volunteers were coming to canvass door-to-door from Oklahoma. All the capable volunteers were going to the GOTV training, and I... I was stuck at the office. 

I mean, I didn't object. I was upset. I mean, I wanted to go to the training, and I wanted to meet Jill. But instead, I had to head the office. After two weeks. With only a few hours of sleep. Believe me, it was frustrating. And tiring. And it'll all be worth it when I wake up on November 5th. But you know, it gets tough sometimes. People are jerks. We're all overworked. I feel like I've been working here for months when it's only been weeks. And covering the office while everyone else was at the cool GOTV event with Jill Biden was just... unfair.

Then my cell phone rang. Unknown number. I picked it up.

"Hi, is this Nathan?"

"Yeah, hi."

"Hi, this is Jill Biden."

She was calling me to tell me thanks for the work I was doing. She told me, "it's because of people like you that we're going to win on Election day." And she's right. But not just people like me. People like all of you who have gotten out there and volunteered. All of you who have sacrificed for this. All of you who have put your blood, sweat and tears into this campaign, and into our futures.

I said to her the only thing I could think of at the time, knowing she only had a minute to speak. I said, "Jill, I met your husband at a rally last Friday. Shook his hand. And I wanna tell you. I love you guys. I love you guys. You're awesome. And thank you. Thank you for everything you're doing."

Jill didn't have to do that. I was having a bad day. I missed her event. Her time was constrained. But people, that's what this is about. Barack, Michelle, Joe and Jill are real people, real like you and like me. Sometimes they seem like larger-than-life figures, but honestly? They just want to save this country like we do. Like I know I do.

Hey, Jill? If you ever read this, you need to know how you made my day. You are awesome. Thank you. I know it wasn't a big deal for you, but for me? I think it just gave me enough of a push to get me through these last couple weeks. I can do it. It's not that far off. Change is coming. I can feel it.

So said John McCain on David Letterman. Johnathan Martin reports that,

"Letterman also asked McCain whether Palin said that Obama 'pals around with terrorists.'"

After hesitating for a moment, McCain answered, 'Yes. And he did.'"

Though it is not surprising, one must wonder, "why?" Simply, "why?" It is not as simple as, "it's John McCain." It's not as simple as, "we should expect this." It's not as simple as, "McCain's been doing it all along."

As Bob Schieffer asked of the two candidates, "Are each of you tonight willing to sit at this table and say to each other's face what your campaigns and the people in your campaigns have said about each other?"

I would like to see John McCain say that to Obama's face. I would like him to look Senator Obama in the eye and say, "Senator, you have palled around with terrorists, and you must answer for it." If he can't do that, he cannot make such statements in any other situation, circumstance, or venue.

John McCain is not a hero. He's a lowly coward, and frankly, I am sick and tired of the excuses, of any kind, for the man. He is slime. I know many people may feel this way, and I know many have expressed as much. But I have not. I have felt a reservation to do so. I did not, and still want not, to lower myself to the level of name-calling and hate mongering. And I refuse to do it now. But enough is enough. It has to stop.

I'm here in Missouri, volunteering full-time in order to see that Obama wins the state. Because here's the thing: I don't just want Obama to win. If that was the case, I would feel OK right now. Many out there are seeing the numbers and feeling more reassured. But I don't. This isn't just about winning anymore. It's about sending a message. A message that the kinds of slime and sleaze that John McCain has elicited cannot be accepted in our political discourse. No more. No more.

The only way that we can get that message across is if Barack Hussein Obama, Junior Senator from Illinois, completely destroys John Sidney McCain in a landslide on November Fourth. The only way that's going to happen is if the underdog from day one, the guy no one thought would make it this far, the black guy with a funny name and big ears, crushes the old white Washington insider in a defeat so massive that not a single person can question its authenticity and validity. I refuse to let Barack Obama crawl by with a win. He needs to pass that finish line with enough energy to run another mile.

I refuse to let it stand anymore. I'm asking every one of you, every single one of you, to get out there in these last two weeks of the election, to volunteer whenever you can. Knock on doors, make phone calls, talk to your friends and neighbors. Spread information, education the undecideds. If you do... If we do... Together, we can vindicate ourselves, our choice, our candidate, our country and our future. This is our last chance. And I know that I may be preaching to the choir, but it needs to be said. Help me. Help Barack Obama. Help the United States. This is not a question of whether we can or not. Because all we have to do is listen to Barack Obama, and remember that it's true, as it always has been... Yes we can.

The debates are over. Obama clearly won all three. John McCain "improved" by some metrics, some pundits have declared, over the three debates. Yet he still lost. In this most recent debate last night, as David Gergen pointed out, watching McCain on the split screen was "almost like [seeing] an exercise in anger management." Yet that wasn't really different in any of the three debates. The split screen just made it all the more apparent. And that's where temperament comes in.

Throughout this election, we have seen some extremely negative, and extremely brutal attacks, from all sides of the aisle. In such an unfortunate turn of events, and as a result of feeding the fire, we have seen certain people on one side of the aisle resort to racist, bigoted and ignorant statements and calls, and not only proclaim the opposing candidate as a terrorist, but call openly for his death. "Kill him!" "Off with his head!" (And let's speak not of the fact that such things sound so familiar to those terrorists these same people declare to hate.)

And throughout the entirety of it, Barack Obama has kept his calm, and his cool. He's kept his temper under control, even under hte most trying of times. The worst we have seen him was, if I remember correctly, a statement he made concerning his wife, Michelle, when the "whitey" lies and rumors began to spread. Yet even then, his temperament was intact.

When Obama came under fire for Jeremiah Wright, he did not lash out at the world, but rather responded a speech that has now become iconic, and will surely go down in history as one of the greatest speeches of our generation.

When Obama came under fire for Bill Ayers, he simply said, "listen, I was eight when the Wethermen committed those heinous acts," accompanied by this adorable photo. What more can one say? But these were just the things that got the huge media attention. There were plenty of isolated incidents, there were plenty of smaller, less publicized attacks on him. On his character. His patriotism. His love of country. His entire being.

But never once did he say, "you have no right to ask these questions," as John McCain and his campaign did when anyone tried to question his running mate on anything, even mundane policy  issues. Obama had to walk a tightrope. He had to portray himself as calm, cool and collected leader, but at the same time, as a forceful and decisive one. And he had to avoid being seen as an uppity, angry black guy. We all know that disgusting stereotype.

I know that most people here probably already realize the things I'm saying. There have already been such comments and posts. But now that the debates are over, and especially after Bob Shieffer's brilliant question concerning the tone of negativity that has been infused in the campaign, it needs to be said again. Barack Obama has done something that was practically impossible to do. And he has done it consistently throughout this campaign. He has improved upon what was bad, and enhanced what was good about his conduct in this campaign.

And he has done it through more than most Presidential candidates ever have to. His primary battle with Hillary Clinton was comparable in many ways to a general election campaign. It's heated, contentious tone. It's do-or-die media narrative. It's urgency. Everything. And we need to recognize that. If Obama, as I hope and believe, wins on November fourth, it will be because he has run one of the most brilliant political campaigns in a generation, done it against all possible odds, and more than anything else, kept his temperament calm, collected, and consistent. He is truly a man to be admired.

Cross-posted over at DagBlog.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been commenting or posting anything for a while now. The reason is that I've decided to spend the last month of the election in Missouri volunteering full-time for the Obama campaign. It's a sacrifice I'm willing and happy to make. Missouri is on the point of tipping blue, and I want to see that it actually DOES go blue for Obama on election day. There's no reason that it can't.

About three weeks ago, I moved from Vermont to Washington state, and more specifically, the Seattle area. Both states are hardcore for Obama, so my services were practically unneeded. Missouri, on the other hand, needs all the help it can get. So last Friday, with the help of a friend of mine from school, I hopped on a Greyhound and traveled 48 hours to get here. I arrived at 4:00 in the morning, and promptly got up at 8:30 later that morning and got right to work. Since then, I've been working non-stop, phone banking and door-to-door canvassing, including a straight seven hours of door-to-door yesterday.

I have to say, it's a difficult job. It's also a stressful and frustrating job at times. But it's more rewarding than I can possibly explain. Yes, we're in some hardcore Republican turf here in the southwest of the state. But sometimes, and in increasing numbers, there are people that throw themselves out there in support of Obama. A couple of stories from just the past couple of days...

I was phone banking, and I got a guy who told me he was a lifelong Democrat, and his wife was voting for Obama. But he said, though he dislikes McCain intensely, and he loves the things Obama says, he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to vote for Obama. Why? Because he's black. This man seemed a little ashamed of the way he felt, but he said, being and older man and having grown up in the south, that he had certain prejudices, and he just couldn't help but feel that way. Yet I talked to him. "Yes, I understand the way you feel," I said. Sympathy and understanding go a long way. And eventually, he came through and told me, "You know, I think I will be voting for Obama. You can put me down for that. But don't tell nobody!" His own prejudices were eclipsed by his concern for the country, and for the American people.

Yesterday, when I was out canvassing, a kid of maybe ten years old called out to me and said, "Hey! Who're you?" As soon as I told him I was with the Obama campaign, he went to get his dad, whom he said was an undecided voter. Though his dad refused to talk to me, the kid was enthusiastic just to be able to talk to me. I asked him, "If you could vote, who would you vote for?" to which he immediately responded, "Obama!" When I asked why, he said, "I think the country is ready to have a black President." -- A 10-year-old kid. It puts a real smile on your face.

On my first day of canvassing, I was just walking down a normal suburban street, when a red car started slowly following me. I saw inside that there were two guys and a girl, and the two guys were total rednecks. I don't mean this in a prejudicial way. I went to high school in rural VT/NH. Still, in Missouri, I was a little suspicious and weirded out. Why would they be following me? They stopped their car, and the two guys got out, and asked, "Are you one of them guys registering people to vote?" I told them I was out canvassing for Barack Obama, and they immediately started inquiring how they could get registered to vote in order to vote for Obama. I admit, I was surprised. Even me, I need to stop "judging a book by its cover". Outward appearances just aren't reprisentative of inward feelings.

Although these are a couple of small instances in a few short days, they show, for me, how hungry so many people are for change. People are putting their prejudices aside, and reaching out to others in order to get involved. People are seeing the way that our country's economy is crumbling around us, and they want solutions. I can't stress enough that this all took place in the same county where, on my first day of canvassing, an old man told me, "I ain't votin' for no black man". Racism is quite apparent here. Yet the climate is shifting. Change is in the air.

I will continue to be working every day up through the election on November 4th. On the ground, you can feel the difference being made every day, with every phone call and every door knocked on. I've said before, "It's the ground game people!" Never before has that rung so true for me. Never before have I felt so excited and so enthusiastic for the future. Never before have I felt so strongly that I'm directly a part of shaping that future. Because I am. And so are you. We all our. This is our time. Let's not let it slip away.Yes. We. Can!

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been commenting or posting anything for a while now. The reason is that I've decided to spend the last month of the election in Missouri volunteering full-time for the Obama campaign. It's a sacrifice I'm willing and happy to make. Missouri is on the point of tipping blue, and I want to see that it actually DOES go blue for Obama on election day. There's no reason that it can't.

About three weeks ago, I moved from Vermont to Washington state, and more specifically, the Seattle area. Both states are hardcore for Obama, so my services were practically unneeded. Missouri, on the other hand, needs all the help it can get. So last Friday, with the help of a friend of mine from school, I hopped on a Greyhound and traveled 48 hours to get here. I arrived at 4:00 in the morning, and promptly got up at 8:30 later that morning and got right to work. Since then, I've been working non-stop, phone banking and door-to-door canvassing, including a straight seven hours of door-to-door yesterday.

I have to say, it's a difficult job. It's also a stressful and frustrating job at times. But it's more rewarding than I can possibly explain. Yes, we're in some hardcore Republican turf here in the southwest of the state. But sometimes, and in increasing numbers, there are people that throw themselves out there in support of Obama. A couple of stories from just the past couple of days...

I was phone banking, and I got a guy who told me he was a lifelong Democrat, and his wife was voting for Obama. But he said, though he dislikes McCain intensely, and he loves the things Obama says, he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to vote for Obama. Why? Because he's black. This man seemed a little ashamed of the way he felt, but he said, being and older man and having grown up in the south, that he had certain prejudices, and he just couldn't help but feel that way. Yet I talked to him. "Yes, I understand the way you feel," I said. Sympathy and understanding go a long way. And eventually, he came through and told me, "You know, I think I will be voting for Obama. You can put me down for that. But don't tell nobody!" His own prejudices were eclipsed by his concern for the country, and for the American people.

Yesterday, when I was out canvassing, a kid of maybe ten years old called out to me and said, "Hey! Who're you?" As soon as I told him I was with the Obama campaign, he went to get his dad, whom he said was an undecided voter. Though his dad refused to talk to me, the kid was enthusiastic just to be able to talk to me. I asked him, "If you could vote, who would you vote for?" to which he immediately responded, "Obama!" When I asked why, he said, "I think the country is ready to have a black President." -- A 10-year-old kid. It puts a real smile on your face.

On my first day of canvassing, I was just walking down a normal suburban street, when a red car started slowly following me. I saw inside that there were two guys and a girl, and the two guys were total rednecks. I don't mean this in a prejudicial way. I went to high school in rural VT/NH. Still, in Missouri, I was a little suspicious and weirded out. Why would they be following me? They stopped their car, and the two guys got out, and asked, "Are you one of them guys registering people to vote?" I told them I was out canvassing for Barack Obama, and they immediately started inquiring how they could get registered to vote in order to vote for Obama. I admit, I was surprised. Even me, I need to stop "judging a book by its cover". Outward appearances just aren't reprisentative of inward feelings.

Although these are a couple of small instances in a few short days, they show, for me, how hungry so many people are for change. People are putting their prejudices aside, and reaching out to others in order to get involved. People are seeing the way that our country's economy is crumbling around us, and they want solutions. I can't stress enough that this all took place in the same county where, on my first day of canvassing, an old man told me, "I ain't votin' for no black man". Racism is quite apparent here. Yet the climate is shifting. Change is in the air.

I will continue to be working every day up through the election on November 4th. On the ground, you can feel the difference being made every day, with every phone call and every door knocked on. I've said before, "It's the ground game people!" Never before has that rung so true for me. Never before have I felt so excited and so enthusiastic for the future. Never before have I felt so strongly that I'm directly a part of shaping that future. Because I am. And so are you. We all our. This is our time. Let's not let it slip away.Yes. We. Can!

Cross-posted over at DagBlog.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been commenting or posting anything for a while now. The reason is that I've decided to spend the last month of the election in Missouri volunteering full-time for the Obama campaign. It's a sacrifice I'm willing and happy to make. Missouri is on the point of tipping blue, and I want to see that it actually DOES go blue for Obama on election day. There's no reason that it can't.

About three weeks ago, I moved from Vermont to Washington state, and more specifically, the Seattle area. Both states are hardcore for Obama, so my services were practically unneeded. Missouri, on the other hand, needs all the help it can get. So last Friday, with the help of a friend of mine from school, I hopped on a Greyhound and traveled 48 hours to get here. I arrived at 4:00 in the morning, and promptly got up at 8:30 later that morning and got right to work. Since then, I've been working non-stop, phone banking and door-to-door canvassing, including a straight seven hours of door-to-door yesterday.

I have to say, it's a difficult job. It's also a stressful and frustrating job at times. But it's more rewarding than I can possibly explain. Yes, we're in some hardcore Republican turf here in the southwest of the state. But sometimes, and in increasing numbers, there are people that throw themselves out there in support of Obama. A couple of stories from just the past couple of days...

I was phone banking, and I got a guy who told me he was a lifelong Democrat, and his wife was voting for Obama. But he said, though he dislikes McCain intensely, and he loves the things Obama says, he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to vote for Obama. Why? Because he's black. This man seemed a little ashamed of the way he felt, but he said, being and older man and having grown up in the south, that he had certain prejudices, and he just couldn't help but feel that way. Yet I talked to him. "Yes, I understand the way you feel," I said. Sympathy and understanding go a long way. And eventually, he came through and told me, "You know, I think I will be voting for Obama. You can put me down for that. But don't tell nobody!" His own prejudices were eclipsed by his concern for the country, and for the American people.

Yesterday, when I was out canvassing, a kid of maybe ten years old called out to me and said, "Hey! Who're you?" As soon as I told him I was with the Obama campaign, he went to get his dad, whom he said was an undecided voter. Though his dad refused to talk to me, the kid was enthusiastic just to be able to talk to me. I asked him, "If you could vote, who would you vote for?" to which he immediately responded, "Obama!" When I asked why, he said, "I think the country is ready to have a black President." -- A 10-year-old kid. It puts a real smile on your face.

On my first day of canvassing, I was just walking down a normal suburban street, when a red car started slowly following me. I saw inside that there were two guys and a girl, and the two guys were total rednecks. I don't mean this in a prejudicial way. I went to high school in rural VT/NH. Still, in Missouri, I was a little suspicious and weirded out. Why would they be following me? They stopped their car, and the two guys got out, and asked, "Are you one of them guys registering people to vote?" I told them I was out canvassing for Barack Obama, and they immediately started inquiring how they could get registered to vote in order to vote for Obama. I admit, I was surprised. Even me, I need to stop "judging a book by its cover". Outward appearances just aren't reprisentative of inward feelings.

Although these are a couple of small instances in a few short days, they show, for me, how hungry so many people are for change. People are putting their prejudices aside, and reaching out to others in order to get involved. People are seeing the way that our country's economy is crumbling around us, and they want solutions. I can't stress enough that this all took place in the same county where, on my first day of canvassing, an old man told me, "I ain't votin' for no black man". Racism is quite apparent here. Yet the climate is shifting. Change is in the air.

I will continue to be working every day up through the election on November 4th. On the ground, you can feel the difference being made every day, with every phone call and every door knocked on. I've said before, "It's the ground game people!" Never before has that rung so true for me. Never before have I felt so excited and so enthusiastic for the future. Never before have I felt so strongly that I'm directly a part of shaping that future. Because I am. And so are you. We all our. This is our time. Let's not let it slip away.Yes. We. Can!

In a clip that's been leaked from a not-yet-aired episode of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama, but the machine won't let him. Pretty frakkin' funny. Check it out here!!

You just have to watch the preview. 'Nuff said.

I have been reading people's reactions to the debate, looking at the polls and analyzing them. Looking at things from an historical standpoint. Outside of the normal reasons I've been hearing, such as "McCain was overly aggressive", or "McCain condescended to Obama" or "Independents preferred Obama", etc., which are all completely valid and I agree with, there are a couple of other points to be made.

The first one is one that James Fallows over at The Atlantic, who states the point better than I could:

When the details of this encounter fade, as they soon will, I think the debate as a whole will be seen as of a piece with Kennedy-Nixon in 1960, Reagan-Carter in 1980, and Clinton-Bush in 1992.

In each of those cases, a fresh, new candidate (although chronologically older in Reagan's case) had been gathering momentum at a time of general dissatisfaction with the "four more years" option of sticking with the incumbent party. The question was whether the challenger could stand as an equal with the more experienced, tested, and familiar figure. In each of those cases, the challenger passed the test -- not necessarily by "winning" the debate, either on logical points or in immediate audience or polling reactions, but by subtly reassuring doubters on the basic issue of whether he was a plausible occupant of the White House and commander in chief.

But outside of that point, which in and of itself disqualifies McCain from a win in the debate, is the central theme of this election: change.

As anyone who has paid even a lick of attention to this election knows, McCain ran a campaign the entire summer on the theme of "experience". At the Republican Convention, he officially ceded the theme of the election, abandoning the "experience" message for the one Obama had established from the beginning of his campaign: "change". Though he had used a different word, "reform", the message was clear: this is a Change Election.

The debate was McCain's chance, perhaps his last, to prove that he was the candidate of change, or "reform". Obama, by contrast, had nothing to prove with regards to the message of "change" -- he has been running a campaign on the theme for 18 months. And unfortunately for him, he was not able to do that. The biggest piece of "change" McCain was able to propose was a spending freeze. And that was a failure, because he proposed freezing all spending except military spending. People don't like hearing that education and health care spending would be frozen.

McCain presented himself not as a candidate of change, but as the older, experienced candidate. He presented himself under the old message of his campaign, not the new one. As I said, it was perhaps his last chance to define himself as a candidate of change or reform, and he failed. Where does this leave him? Between a rock and a hard place. In a way, we may look back on this first debate as the time McCain didn't just lose, but gave the election to Obama.

One of the most masterfully edited and synced video I've seen.

Just watch. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

So, is it a metaphor or a simile?

Thanks to Al Giordano for posting this on his website.

Note: This is my second attempt to post this. I waited over half an hour after posting the first and it still hasn't come through, so I'm assuming it didn't go through... Despite the fact that I DIDN'T get an error. Aanyway, here we go?

Just some random thoughts. There's no real rhyme or reason to them, and they don't really have a point. Free association writing? Hah.

So... I leave for a few days, and I come back, and we have an economic crisis on our hands. Hoo boy.

When I left, Obama was down in the polls both nationally and electorally. I get back, and he's completely reversed McCain's gains. Wow. I guess all the nay-sayers and concern trolls look pretty stupid now.

And yeah, how about that economic crisis? The biggest since the great depression? That's what some people are saying. Completely frakked, if you ask me. But the way many of these Wall St. firms and banks had been operating, on top of the policies of recent years, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

It kind of depresses me to think about the political implications of an economic crisis/depression, but in these times, it's absolutely impossible not to. The economy is going to be (as it should) the focal point of the election from here on out. Though I wish we had gotten there without a crisis on our hands.

Still, in the political realm, at least McCain's idiocy with the economy will be (and to some degree has been) exposed. Obama is only doing better in this whole thing because he's not making reckless and shoot-from-the-hip statements concerning everything as McCain is. But I guess we'll just see what happens. If anyone actually believes either Obama or McCain has a sound answer or solution to this problem, they're idiots. Even our own government is fiddling with its thumbs, and a $1 trillion bailout, to put it mildly, puts a damper on a number of other things for the foreseeable future (can we say health care, education, taxes, etc?).

But, on the bright side of things, Obama is now ahead, significantly as I see it. It was bound to happen, but this turn of events pushed things along some. I guess, though, thinking about the next President... I would hate to be them. But it would be like Bush to leave the next President with a war and an economic crisis, wouldn't it? Thanks, Dubya!

Oh, and as for my last post... a) some people need to lighten up and not take everything so seriously, b) some people need to get a sense of humor, and c) some people need to just chill the frak out. It was never meant as a serious, thought-provoking post, or an attempt to dig up dirt on Palin, or make some larger point (she's the real elitist!). If I wanted to do that I would have analyzed the story for its "deeper meanings". (note: if you read this and got upset, annoyed, frustrated or otherwise, read it again and take the advice)

As for me, I made it across the country in three days (give or take a couple hours), and traveled across basically the entire Midwest. I believe the route was Vermont -> Massachusetts -> New York -> New Jersey -> Pennsylvania -> Ohio -> Indiana -> Illinois -> Wisconsin -> Minnesota -> North Dakota -> Montana -> Idaho -> Washington

I guess the tone of this post is a little somber. Perhaps it's just that Washington rain. One thing I will say that's absolutely, completely positive: I'm glad to be back!