July 19th is a momentous day in the brief history of TPM-aholics. This group was formed a few months ago to bring together those of us who have come to know one another, after a fashion, at the Cafe, and to utilize theses relationships to help Barack Obama win the White House and Democrats to win across the country. So far, we've hosted results watching parties, purchased virtual beers for one another, and chatted online. But tomorrow is our first organized fundraiser. Members of the cafe will host parties in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Tucson, and Taipei. If you live in one of these places and would like to attend a fundraiser, click the associated link or contact me at xengis@google.com, and I'll put you in touch with the host.

If you don't live in one of these places, you can still participate. At 9:15pm EST / 6:15pm PST / 9:15am in Taiwan, we will have a conference call with Don Bivens, superdelegate and Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, who will speak with us about building Democratic inroads and purple states and offer his perspective on a certain well-known senator from Arizona. If you wish to participate on the call, please sign up for the event, and we'll send you details for calling in.

I also encourage any of you who can't make the events to contribute to our fundraiser by offering a campaign contribution at our fundraiser page.

I would like to officially extend the party invitation to all TPM staff, particular to the main office in New York and to David Kurtz in Austin. While we know that you cannot officially endorse this fundraiser, if you should happen to get lost in Brooklyn and wander in by accident, we promise not to tell.

Finally, I would like to thank in advance all the party hosts--Boo_lala, Chino Blanco, Bademeus, Benjoya, and AM--and my fellow organizers California Paige and Articleman, for helping to pull this off.

PS Please recommend this post to spread the word.

PPS For those of you who read my last post and are nonplussed by my sudden change of sentiment, I assure you that I am not a flip-flopper. My position has evolved over the last 24 hours.

PPPS This event is not supported or endorsed by Talking Points Memo.

PPPPS Just wanted to push it to 4 P's.

I stood by him when he defended his racist minister and threw his dear grandmother under the you-know-what. I dismissed his terrorist connections and shady real estate deals. I defended his FISA cave and his faith-based whatevers. I even excused his bowling. But I have just learned that Barack Obama is anti-humor, and as I am a lifelong member of humoritarian wing of the Democratic party, I have no alternative but to offer my vote to someone else this November.

I know that you Obamanauts will say that it's no big deal. You'll drone on about the war and abortion and the environment and blabbelyblabla. But this party was built on humoritarianism. When Whig candidate Benjamin Harrison's supporters yelled out "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," the Democrats had a witty and memorable rejoinder: "Ripsey Rampsey, Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson Shot Tecumseh." ROFL. We've been the party of funny ever since. The Republicans have Limbaugh, Coulture, and O'Reilly. We have Stewart, Colbert, and Kinky Friedman. Without the funny, we'd be the party of quixotic campaigns, petty bickering, and endless self-examination. With the funny, we're the party of quixotic campaigns, petty bickering, endless self-examination, and the funny.

The sad truth is that the Republicans have been closing the funny gap recently. Funniest primary candidate this year? Squirrel-poppin' Mike Huckabee, Republican. And John McCain is no funny slouch either. "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran."  LOL. That's what I call humoritarian. Even better than "Rumpsey Dumpsey." Or remember this gem: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." I choked on my coffee when I heard that one. Or I would have if I drank coffee. It was more like a dry heave. It is true that G.W. isn't much of a jokester, but he has nonetheless fostered humoritarianism by nobly sacrificing his own gravitas to provide fodder for the stand-ups. Indeed, I suggest that the greatest gains in the history of the humoritarian cause have been made under his administration.

As the Republicans surge, the Democrats cut-and-run. Faced with painfully unfunny nominees like Gore and Kerry (he of the "botched joke"), we take the stealth approach. "Of course," we knowingly assure one another, "I've heard that [insert Democratic politician] is very funny in person." Even Hillary Clinton was rumored to be "funny in person." But Barack Obama? He's anti-funny. Too lofty, too gravitas-y, too--you know--black-y. Yes, I know, he did Letterman's top 10, and he did that stand-up thing during the primary. But really, he shouldn't quit his day job. For crying out loud, the man uses proper grammar. How are we supposed to make jokes about a black man with good grammar?

Last week, the proud New Yorker took a stand. The editors of that citadel of American humoritariansim, whose cartoons have caused liberal elites to chuckle condescendingly for generations, refused to surrender to the anti-funny forces destroying our way of life. And what did the Obamanauts do? They threw the New Yorker under the b-word. LIBERALS THREW THE NEW YORKER UNDER THE B*$&#!!! That's like Hindus throwing the cow under the elephant. I never thought that I would live to see the day. I am ashamed. I am appalled. I am really frigging POed. No, I will never vote for McCain even though he can run in funny circles around Obama. But I cannot in good conscience offer my vote to an anti-humoritarian villain who would deny us our constitutional right to think that things are funny. In protest, I will write in someone with a funny name. Like Barack Hussein Osama.