First Presidential Debate Makes Clearer What Some of Us Already Knew

During last night's presidential debate, John McCain did an excellent job of projecting the image of a cranky, misinformed, narrow-minded, older straight white guy who can't think beyond his anger at the fact that the world and most of the people on it have changed around him despite his static position of inherited wealth and the power it can buy–most likely while he was napping. He is the kind of guy I would avoid sitting next to at a diner counter or corner bar so as not to ruin a good meal and/or beer with psycho-socio-racial-pathic heterosexist bile that should have been vented to a paid therapist in the Twentieth Century. When pressed by the moderator to answer a specific question about the economy with specific proposals rather than general campaign slogans, he recites the polysyllabic names of former Soviet naval ports, proving only that some cells in his brain containing memories from the 70s and 80s are still alive. He can't pronounce the name of the current, elected leader of Iran and becomes visibly annoyed when circumstances force him to make an attempt. I wouldn't trust him to conduct me safely through any of Philly's rougher neighborhoods after midnight without unnecessary gunfire and bloodshed, let alone to conduct two wars [one of which is completely illegal and counterproductive] in my name and allegedly on my behalf.

In addition to his poor and unsurprising performance in the debate, McCain has previously made clear his intention to prolong the Republican and Christian extremist-orchestrated suspension of our Constitution and Bill of Rights in order to continue the proactive denial of basic human rights to all non-heterosexual Americans, which he did not make any attempt to recant last evening. Before the debate, that was the deal-breaker for me. Now I don't feel so much like a one-issue voter.

I wish Obama would have been a little bit more assertive, but I agree with most of the specific proposals on his web site, which means I'll still vote for him. I suspect at this point he'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar anyways.

How Does One Attempt to Convince a Racist to Vote for Obama?

According to prominent Democrats campaigning with Joe Biden in Northeast Philadelphia, they tell them Obama's mother was white so perhaps he can see both sides of the issue, which in its current mortifying incarnation could determine the next President of the United States. It is also possible that these newly registered Democrats will end up determining the outcome.

Joe Biden Named Vice President-To-Be by Barack Obama

Barack Obama has selected Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate. The selection was made known officially to "key supporters" by SMS text message around 3:00 AM this morning and confirmed on the campaign's web site shortly afterwards, distinguishing Biden as the first candidate for Vice President in the United States to be announced by text message. It is not known if Obama was driving or still at the club at the time he sent the text.

Obama May Have Chosen a Running Mate

With very little time remaining before the Democratic National Convention, President-To-Be Barack Obama is rumored to have chosen a Vice Presidential candidate. It's still a secret though, which leads me to believe that his administration will be much better at providing national security and protecting state secrets than the disasterous Bush-Cheney junta. The International Herald Tribune reports that Obama decided to keep his selection a secret until major campaign donors had been notified first. Expect an announcement on Wednesday. Or, not.

Vote Your Job, Lobby Your Hobby

It appears as though the McCain campaign could be in big trouble in the part of Pennsylvania that James Carville once dismissively referred to as Alabama. I took these pictures on Sunday, July 27, pre-opening night at the Clearfield County Fair in the exhibition area in the main concourse underneath the grandstand where Foreigner headlined on Tuesday evening. It is one of the most prominent places to have an exhibition booth in the entire fairgrounds. The Republicans did not have a booth that I could find—not a smart move if you consider that the fair is one of the the largest annual public gatherings in the area. Clearfield County voted for Rendell and Casey in 2006 but Bush and Specter in 2004. The Democrats are making obvious inroads in this part of the commonwealth in addition to better publicized gains in the suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia. If Obama wins Clearfield County in the general election, it will be an upset but not a surprise.

I think it's worth noting that these guys are actually selling [or requesting donations for the City of Dubois Democratic Committee] Obama buttons, shirts, and lawn signs in a place where folks are accustomed to candidates who give all those things [and not infrequently food, beer, and styrofoam hats] away for free. I'm willing to excuse the cute donkey's unabashed sexism if it helps in any way to spare us another four years of a Republican administration made up of self-serving business cronies. Anyhow, they're not saying we should take away the little lady's right to vote, just that we should show her how to do it. I wonder if the "Vote your job, lobby your hobby" sign is intended as a warning not to vote Republican simply because the NRA tells you to. If you don't have a job, you won't be able to afford a gun or hunting trips, and no Democratic legislator in Pennsylvania in his or her right mind is going to vote to outlaw hunting if you call them after the election and ask them nicely not to.

Here's Why You Might Not Have Seen Many Hillary Canvassers

As part of its election issue coverage, Citypaper has included narratives from undercover reporters they sent to volunteer for the local offices of the Clinton and Obama campaigns. My favorite part was the answer the reporter volunteering for Clinton got when he asked to canvass in West Philly: "We avoid areas where there are security concerns." [DOES THAT INCLUDE IRAQ???, to whence Senator Clinton voted with the Bush-Cheney junta either cynically, willfully ignorantly, or implausibly naïvely to deploy hundreds of thousands of our troops with probably disastrous global consequences.] I wonder if they considered the possibility of being sued à la Food Lion? Don't the Clintons know a lot of trial lawyers? I'm just happy we're not discussing more important issues...