Blog Master G

Another election year, another Election Day gone by without knowing the results and who will be President of the United States for the next four years. I watched the coverage until 2am last night/this morning, then woke up full of energy at 7am today, eager to see if Kerry’s been holding on in Ohio. And he has, forcing Bush to cancel plans for a victory speech. Keep on cancellin’, Bush.

The current results, according to the San Francisco Chronicle map, stand at 252 electoral votes for Kerry, 254 for Bush. Ironically, Bush seems to have a strong lead in the popular vote with 58,149,401; Kerry holds 54,610,545. Now wouldn’t that be the ultimate karmic feedback if we can pull this off despite trailing in the popular vote?

I’m proud to say that the city of Saratoga Springs favored Kerry 7,017 to 5,353 and that 70% of voters turned out.

The outcome this time around will fall on the shoulders of Ohio, letting Florida off the hook. The current standings show Bush with 2,794,346 and Kerry with 2,658,125. With a difference of just 136,221 votes, there could be up to another 250,000 outstanding votes to count (provisional and absentee ballots), enough to give Kerry the needed edge.

But we may not know for another 11 days, according to election law in Ohio. “Take a deep breath and relax. We can’t predict what the results will be,” Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State, said last night about the tight race in his state.

Honestly, I question the legitimacy of all those Bush votes. Can we really trust electronic voting machines that don’t create paper confirmation and are manufactured by a company that openly supports Bush and last year promised to “deliver (Ohio’s) electoral votes to the president?” Not just that, but wasn’t Florida supposed to be close? The Bush-run state full of electronic voting machines seemed to be too easy a win.

Let’s just hope Bush gets a taste of his own medicine this time around.

“Don’t mourn, organize.”

Vote.

At our small-town polling place this morning, Jen was Voter #95. I was Voter #96. And it’s only 8am. The polls opened at 6am. Voters #97 through 100 were waiting in line while I voted. That’s 50 voters per hour in the first two hours of voting. That’s 2.5 votes per minute. And this is at one small precinct in a city with a population of only 26,000. This is a good sign that we’re well on track to reach my prediction of record voter turnout today.

Vote.

I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked that my vote for Kerry-Edwards was locked and loaded. Here in New York, that means a pulled lever and a red X next to the selection. For New York State Senator, I voted not for incumbent Democrat Chuck Schumer but for Green Party challenger David McReynolds. For the House, I went for District 20 challenger Doris Kelly over incumbent Republican John Sweeney. New York Assembly: Lawrence Ratcliffe, District 110. The two other positions on my ballot, New York Senate (Joe Bruno) and Saratoga County Town Justice, spotlighted unchallenged Republicans, so I abstained.

Vote.

Let’s talk for a moment about the fucked up voting system in this country. Some of the positions on my ballot featured Republcans as Independent, Working Family, and Conservative candidates. So in one case, U.S. House incumbent Republican Sweeney was featured not just once, but three times on my ballot. Ridiculous, if you ask me.

Vote.

I heard on CNN yesterday that in one poll, my age bracket (18-30) favors Kerry-Edwards more strongly than any other age group (it was about 58% to 25% or something along those lines). That’s powerful stuff. Get out the vote. We can make a difference. Young people are the future, so in many ways, this election is more important for us than other age groups. Who’s dying in Iraq? Who will foot the bill for paying down our record deficit? Who will be breathing the polluted air on this earth for the next 50+ years?

Young people.

Vote.

In related news, major props to Dan for his work this week in Palm Beach County, Florida. Among his highlights of the experience: “Having an elderly Republican ‘run’ after me, shouting ‘I’ll break your legs you damn democrat!'”

Vote.

Another shoutout to Shannon and Mike, who are also fighting the good fight with MoveOn.org in Florida.

Vote.

Tomorrow the nation will elect the 44th President of the United States. Or so we hope. The nation didn’t get to choose the last time; the honors went to the Supreme Court in its 5-4 ruling. And, of course, we didn’t know on November 3.

So let’s visualize a Kerry landslide today to seal the victory and leave no doubt in anyone’s mind who the next president will be.

Print and carry your Voter Protection Card to the polls with you to ensure no one interferes with your most important Constitutional right.

Make sure you know where your polling place is. And don’t worry about missing work. Most states require that your employer pay you while you’re voting. This is that important.

The Electoral Vote Predictor 2004 currently shows Kerry with 283 and Bush with 246.

Some fun election predictors:

• Every year since 1936, a Redskins loss means the incumbent loses (Kerry wins)
• More Bush Halloween masks were sold this year (Bush wins)
• The Red Sox won the World Series; this hasn’t happend for 86 years (this means it’s time for change and Kerry wins)
• Since the advent of TV, the taller candidate has won in all cases but two (6’4″ to 5’11” gives Kerry the win)

Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, the most important thing you can do is vote. No excuses.

Tonight marks the deadline for contributing directly to the Kerry campaign. Can you believe we’re a mere 4 days from election day? There’s still time to make a difference.

So bust out your credit card and instead of buying a coffee or an extra drink at the bar tonight or seeing a movie this weekend, donate $5 or $10 or $20 to the campaign. Every little bit makes a difference.

Let’s wake up on November 3 and be proud of the man we elect to the White House.

Donate now!

Then, for a good laugh, check out the list of of 73 candidates on the ballot for President, including a candidate named Reality.

Silly candidate names aside, Project Vote Smart is an excellent resource. Just plug in your ZIP code and learn about all the candidates on your ballot. It’s great to have a resource like this now that I live in a state that doesn’t provide an election booklet.

Yes, Californians, that great booklet we get every election outlining who’s running for what and who endorses them does not exist everywhere. I think New York and every other state that doesn’t offer something like that for its voters should take a queue from California, as with so many other things (no smoking in restaurants, Freedom of Information, etc.).

I predict a record voter turnout that will surpass the 60.8% record set in 1968. My guess: 65% voter turnout (or 142.2 million of the 218.7 eligible voters). Aggressive, yes. But I’m an optimist. This is not your average election.

It is sad, however, that 200 million people watch the Super Bowl every year, but only half that many exercise our most important right in the United States.

Winter inches closer here in Saratoga Springs.

While walking the dogs this morning, I noticed that the fallen leaves in our neighborhood were covered with frost. The temperature has been hovering around 40 degrees all month long, and I’ve noticed sub-40 temperatures on more than one occasion.

Of course, time really begins to fly this time of year. Halloween through Christmas usually happens in a flash, and it will be 2005 before we know it.

Until then, it’s time to bundle up even more. What would we do without modern marvels like central heating systems?

We’d all move back to California every winter.

Take your vitamins.

This week Jen and I started taking Centrum every day for the first time in a few years. We used to be fans, then we were off the vitamins for a while. No reason. Vitamins just fell off our radar.

I must say that I really feel more energetic and alert this week. And it makes sense. I feel that I used to have this level of alertness back when I took Centrum regularly.

And I’m not even a paid spokesman for the company.

Today’s front page of the online version of the Boston Globe says it all:

Last night, of course, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals in the World Series, ending the 86-year Curse of the Bambino.

My next prediction: This isn’t going to be the only victory for a team from Boston this year. Our next victory comes on November 2.

Congrats, Red Sox!

Last Saturday afternoon at Alex and Cati’s pad in Albany, Scary Larry was born…

View all Pumpkin Carving 2004 photos

How awesome is it to watch the Red Sox dominating the World Series? They’re clearly in control of the game, getting the best of the Cardinals at every turn. Pedro Martinez tore it up in last night’s Game 3, which put the Sox ahead 3 games to nil — just a single game away from breaking The Curse.

Will they win tonight? Would the sweeter victory be a four-game sweep? Or would it be more satisfying to lose tonight and tomorrow, then seal the deal back in Boston?

As energizing as it would be for the Sox to win at home — a victory away seems so anticlimactic — something tells me they’d much prefer to win it in 4, not risking a Cardinals comeback akin to theirs against the Yankees.

Go Red Sox! And Foulke the Yankees.

(Thanks, Sarah, for the photo.)

I’m eager to hear how Bush plans to rationalize this one. How the hell do you lose track of 300+ tons of explosives? I don’t own a gun, but I’d imagine that if I did, I’d be damn sure that I’d know where it was at any given moment. I can’t even imagine what 300+ tons of explosives would even look like.

Iraq Explosives Become Issue in Campaign: “The White House sought on Monday to explain the disappearance of 380 tons of high explosives in Iraq that American forces were supposed to secure.”