Seriously. Just go do it. Yes, it'll probably involve calling actual people and talking to them on the phone. I know it's scary, that's why you're on the internet instead. But it's far more valuable, and it will make you feel better and it will help the campaign.

Today was my first time ever volunteering for a political campaign. I did phone banking. It was completely different from what I expected. I thought I had to be a mini-Obama, convincing people to vote for him. Here's how it actually works: you get a list of people to call. You get a script to follow. You call, ask if the person is home, ask who they're supporting in the coming election. If Obama, ask if they're willing to volunteer. If McCain, they'll probably hang up on you. If undecided, you ask if there are any particular issues they're interested in (so they can be targeted with specific materials). Then, you tell them a little about why you support Obama (there are talking points if you feel like sticking to the script).

I hate talking on the phone. Like, dread it. I'd much rather see people in person, eye to eye. But this is what it takes to get somebody elected. Right now, they're trying to contact every registered voter in Nevada. Imagine that. The Obama campaign is trying to get in touch with every person registered to vote in NV. That's how they're planning on winning this election. It's unbelievable. I'm in Berkeley, and they said that yesterday they ran out of numbers to call because they had so many volunteers.

Go donate some time. It's good for the campaign, and it'll make you feel better. It's not as hard as you might think.

Hundreds arrested, tear gas, riot police, pre-emptive strikes, and the GOP still can't keep a couple of anti-war protesters from getting into their convention. Pretty good metaphor for their approach to homeland security.

I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen. But, if Obama does pick Clinton there's going to be a lot to look back on that pointed straight at her from the beginning:

1. They hired Clinton's former campaign manager to be the VP's chief of staff. That was interpreted a lot of different ways when it happened, but if Obama picks Clinton, that choice starts to make a lot of sense, no?
2. As recently as last week, the Obama campaign didn't have an office in Arkansas. Again, you can explain it away by saying he did terribly there in the primaries, that the demographics just don't skew for him, if he wins Arkansas it'll be a landslide, &c. &c. Especially when Obama has 16 offices in Kentucky, it seems weird he wouldn't focus on Arkansas at all. But again, if he picks Clinton, doesn't that decision make more sense in hindsight? The Clintons can win Arkansas for him, no need to spend resources in that state.
3. He's expected to hold a rally in Springfield, IL on Saturday. Now, of course, this is where he started his campaign so it makes some sense, and granted holding the rally in Indiana or Virginina might tip his hand a little bit. But Illinois IS Clinton's home state.
4. A lot was made of the fact that the Clintons didn't seem to get a request for personal information to be vetted, but again if he picks Clinton, this could easily be explained by the fact that she's already been vetted. The Obama campaign weren't going to find anything that hadn't already been exposed.

Again, I sure don't have any inside information. But when I started thinking about Obama picking Clinton as his VP, a lot of stories from the past few months started to click in place. Am I missing any others that would point to her being chosen?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/201032.php

Oh well. Telecom immunity is about more than just telecom immunity: it's about how Congress oversees presidential powers. It's about what happens when the president breaks the law. Apparently, the Democratic majority in both houses have decided that when the president breaks their laws, they forgive him. While I had been hoping that, as the leader of the Democratic party, Barack Obama would help to kill this bill, it turns out he's decided to capitulate to the law-breaking of the past eight years. Not only that, but he does so late on a Friday afternoon. It turns out Obama's just as much of a coward as the rest of the Democrats in Congress. As of today, I'll be saving any money I donate to candidates (Tom Udall, for example) who actually believe in our constitution. Sorry, Barack, I can't vote for you any more, either. It's hard to put into words how disappointed I am.