Uppity Wisconsin

The polling place in Middleton was closed around 3 PM due to a bomb threat.  Voters were asked to vote at an alternative polling place, and we have heard that poll workers are seeking an extension of voting time for the poll.

Meanwhile, up here in Downsville, WI, my voting was totally straightforward, with short lines and no problems.

I don't have a lot of time today, nor have I the past six months as I am a financial guy.  However, I feel it necessary based on some polling data to point something out.  John McCain can still win. 

I know, almost nobody here wants to hear that, however it's true.  Here's why.  After throwing out the most Democratic big states- California, Illinois and New York, McCain just might be running even or a bit ahead in the popular vote.  I know most polls don't say so, but with the unusual number of undecides in the other 47 states, there is a possibility that McCain just might be lining up a 2000 Bush type win. 

Now, although I don't think it is the end of the world if McCain wins, because as he pointed out he isn't Bush, I do support Obama just as I supported Hillary Clinton (I stand by that was an unbeatable ticket in either order).  If we really want to make sure Senator Obama wins, it is VERY necessary that the same under 30 vote that showed up in primaries across the country show up on Tuesday.  If those people don't vote, due to overconfidence or because they are studying for mid-terms or their vote just isn't that important, well, then be ready for a much closer election than the polls show.  

This may be one of the strangest tales I have ever brought to the table, Gentle Reader, and yet one of the most fundamental in describing the birth of our Bill of Rights...and most especially the Fourth Amendment.

As many of you know, the new FISA compromise may or may not allow warrantless wiretapping of American citizens on a wholesale scale.

Something you may not know is that a similar debate raged in England (centered around the right of Government to seize the papers of whomever they chose, and use the papers as evidence against those persons) during the reign of King George III—or that it involved scandalous sexual behavior, Benjamin Franklin, the 18th Century version of blogging, and two men who decided to take on the corruption of the Crown...and won.

And because of all that, we have a Fourth Amendment today.

Ready for a tale of liberty and ribaldry?

Then let’s plunge right in, shall we?

So you live in 18th century England, you’re rich...and kind of bored.

What is a gentleman to do?

The nasty news no one's talking about regarding this insane gas tax holiday supported by McCain and Clinton, is that more than 300,000 transportation workers will lose their jobs due to lack of funds.

300,000 mostly white men will lose their jobs. Got that? Paying attention now?

The association also estimates that suspending the tax would divert about $8.5 billion from the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs and already faces a shortfall of $3.2 billion. Taking that tax money from the trust fund could endanger hundreds of thousands of jobs — every $1 billion in highway money supports 33,000 jobs, by one estimate — and would push more maintenance and construction costs onto the states.

Read more.

I know some here, and elsewhere, would poo-poo the idea that the person who holds the title of "Most Powerful Person in the World" should have some relevant experience before getting that job.  Some of those people would even write emotional articles directed at me to shout down my arguments- I'm flattered guys.  They use rhetoric, irrelevant historical blurbs, logical leaps and emotion to promote something that feels good to them.  I think that approach to politics is extremely dangerous.  Frankly, it's not unlike what the neo-cons have done from the other side.  As progressives, we need to have a better approach. 

Back on topic, when we elect a President, we as a people, need to understand what the President's job really is.  First and foremost, it is to keep the nation safe, both from external threats, and internal.  Anybody who seeks that post, in my humble opinion, should have some credentials.  Simply having a vision that feels good isn't enough.  Vision, as wonderful as that is, won't keep me safe.  Would we hire a police chief in our city who has only been a street cop a few years?  Neither should we hire a President that has little or no experience in issues of national security. 

You may have noticed the new polling widget (look over there on your left on the front page) that lets you vote for your favorite presidential candidate. We're doing this with Newsvine , and it gives you a chance to participate on-line in a monthly national poll. You can see the results from Uppity Wisconsin, from the nation as a whole, and if you click on the button that takes you to the NewsVine site, you can look at results a lot of other ways.

Go vote for your favorite candidate. We'd like to know what you think. We'll even let you vote for Republicans. But remember, you can only vote once per month.