The World is About to Change

i'm heading to florida to do my part on the obama legal team. do your part where ever you are. look down the ticket and add to what is about to happen. 25 years from now, make sure you have a story to tell that will make your family proud. vote. campaign. volunteer. DO SOMETHING. it is about as important as anything you can do as a citizen. be an American and be proud.

love to you all,

Jason Pollan

ps
dispatches coming as i can send them.

If you Didn't Hear Already...

There was a McCain campaigner from College Station, TX up in Penn. She was attacked by a black guy (6'4, 200lbs) that robbed her of $60 and when he saw she was a McCain supporter (saw her bumper sticker on the car), he said he was going to make an obama supporter out of her and carved a "B"into her face.

except ....she made it all up. and it is turning out that there were some other members of the campaign staff that were spreading the word to the press a bit too early and with a bit too much detail. How pathetic can you get?

My Favorite Campaign Ad

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

This one has Opie, Andy Taylor, and the Fonz.  

one more...

If you were wondering what this campaign was really about, you may want to hear what some NON-Southerners have to say (up in Ohio) about what is at stake this year.  Are you concerned that 'the blacks will take over?'  somebody is.

Watch This

You might find this interesting.  Some people were handing out stickers claiming Obama is a communist and a Muslim. (really?  a communist?  what year is this?).  Anyway, as you can imagine they had some not so fun things to say about muslims.  Watch the reactions when the guy is confronted by a few Muslim McCain supporters.  It seems no one wants to talk big when they're confronted by the people they're attacking.

Quick Thoughts About Debate #2

Some quick observations:

The format wasn't as good for McCain as he'd hoped. He has physical deformities/limitations due to his being tortured in vietnam. most people know this, but the way you normally see him is via one camera angle and that masks the awkwardness. tonight it was the first time the age difference was really pronounced.

McCain kept stalking around the stage as Obama talked. it seemed awkward. Contrast how Obama sat on the stool when McCain stalked the stage making his comments.

I was a bit surprised that when Obama took a swipe at McCain he didn't refute the attacks. Obama, on the other hand, did this. no reason for that. it was surprising. Also, I thought it was a bit boring. god knows what people that don't follow politics thought.

Huh...funny that this was the format McCain demanded and the old format was the one where he did a better job. i gave the last one to McCain 55/45. this time around i give it to Obama 60/40. i liked the questions that were asked. i just didn't like the missing follow up to make them answer.

Whoa...

WASHINGTON — By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.

Even the AP is calling out McCain/Palin on this one. the one thing that has been keeping Obama from running away with the election is race. there are just a few weeks left and it seems the heat on the dirty side of this race is turning up. expect to hear more dripping with race, the muslim rumor, and various and sundry dirt.

The Biggest Political News of the Campaign Week

You may think it was the VP debates. All i will say is that Palin did FAR better than anyone's worst fears...but that just wasn't enough. to quote a GOP operative 'it helped stop the bleeding'. she lost the debate but accomplished a mission. so...was that the biggest news?

Nope. it wasn't.

It was this. McCain is pulling his Campaign out of Michigan. his threat in this swing state was one of the things making people very antsy 1-2 weeks ago. Obama doesn't win without Michigan and it appears he will.

So Why do we Need that Bailout?

This is the best breakdown i've seen of what exactly happened last week that made everyone think we were going over the edge. This will explain the thing that triggered our leaders to suddenly say 'we may only have days to handle this crisis'. What is amazing is how clear they make what happened last week and how no other media outlet (i saw) explained this. Spend 5min and listen even if you have only a passing interest.

go here to listen to it (it is short):

The Week America's Economy Almost Died

Baseball Playoffs Start Today

National League Race:
Phillies vs. the Brewers. OK, one team is named after making beer. the last time they made it to the playoffs, john McCain was a freshman Senator. the other team is from Philadelphia, the town with (collectively) the worst fans ever (even worse than new york?). how bad is Philadelphia? once Santa Claus was making an appearance at a Phila. eagles game, but had to walk the length of the field to get to his spot. the fans pelted him with snowballs! Phillies suck. Philadelphia sucks. a lump of coal to them!

LA Dodgers vs. Cubs.
The cubs have been around since creation but (famously) haven't won a world series since 1908. a century dry spell is pretty crazy and they're the best they've been in years this year. Growing up, basic cable had WGN and TBS. usually there was a baseball game on in the afternoon so most kids cheered for the cubs or braves. I liked the braves. I don't hate the cubs, but i don't like them. i do suspect their fans have more fun than most, so maybe i'm wrong. Manny Ramirez joined the Dodgers late this season and has been a homerun machine. it is scary everytime he bats, he's so good. I prefer the Dodgers.

that said, i predict the Cubs take it all and go all the way to the World Series.

American League Race:
Boston Red Sox vs. LA Angles of Anaheim. The Angels are Kroger of baseball. I don't even like their name. the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim? Starkville Yellowjackets of Aberdeen! bah. what the hell ever. they have a cool outfielder from Arkansas named Tori Hunter. he's a great guy and has a good story in that his life took him out of a hometown life that saw a few of his buddies get killed. it ends there. Boston is good but not as strong as last year. they have a closing pitcher from MSU named Jonathan Papelbon who's outstanding and, as you may recall, struck out a former Ole Miss batter last year in the last out of the 2007 World Series. He lives down from JasN when he's not in Boston. that's neat. I hope the Red Sox win.

Tampa Bay vs. Chicago White Sox. as a boy i liked the white sox before i knew they were a baseball team. i thought the logo was cool. I liked their players as i got older and i kinda thought liking the white sox (as opposed to the Cubs) was like liking State as opposed to Ole Miss. My favorite player of all time (and the reason i'm a Mariners fan) is Ken Griffey Jr. He plays for the White Sox now. Tampa Bay is a team i have a soft spot for. they've never had a winning season...ever. let alone a season where they won the division or were considered one of the best in baseball (the best?). Their stars aren't super stars and several have been hurt. it didn't matter becuase they win as a team and the stats show it. no big star, just one big team. any team that goes from "Worst to First" is amazing to see. I like the White Sox better in this match but i don't think they're the better team. critical injuries and a hit and miss record will make it tough to beat the Rays who have some crazy lopsided home recrod.

Oh, and the fans swing cowbells at the games.
I pick the Rays to go to the World Series...and win it. They're that good and the Cubs fan whine too much to deserve it. ha!