Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

6
Nov

nothing quite sums up obama’s win

   Posted by: The Russian   in Politics

like this series

5
Nov

2008 election roundup…

   Posted by: The Russian   in Personal, Politics

Obama-Biden rocked the nation and the world at large last night with what i would describe as monumental victory. current results are:

electoral college: 349 -163 (without Missouri and North Carolina; too close to call yet.)
vote: 52% - 46%
votes: 63,353,261 - 56,012,314

the map turned out pretty much how i’d called it the day before with the exception of Indiana *shakes fist*. Missouri looks like it’s going to go McCain and North Carolina looks like it’ll go Obama with less than a 20k margin of votes in both states. after a recount, i’m fairly confident that they’ll end up as i had predicted (and by “i predicted” i mean decided based on information of those who know a shitload more than i do). now i just have to figure out what that means for our election pool with the fellas because Indiana threw everyone’s map off.

by CNN’s figures, that means 119,365,575 Americans voted yesterday, in early voting, and through absentee ballots. that’s pretty fucking incredible if you ask me. by current population estimates, that means that 39% of the population made their voices heard in this election. i’d love to see what the youth vote looked like compared to recent elections. i have a feeling we really had a huge impact. finally…

in local news, here’s the breakdown of results for California propositions with my two cents on the ones i really cared about:

1A: High-speed rail Yes 52.2% No 47.8%
-useless. this is way too much money spent when California is in a financial crisis. with a total cost of about $20 BILLION, it just doesn’t seem like the right time. i mean MAYBE if we were talking about a bullet train from L.A. to S.F. that cost $50 round trip and could get me there in about two hours. count me the fuck in, but somehow i doubt that’s what we’re going to get.

2: Farm animals Yes 63.2% No 36.8%
-i’m still convinced this one was mainly about poultry and mainly backed by people who think that animals have the same rights as humans. in the end, it’s food. i’m not going to have a hen as a pet. i’ve never had to worry about the price, quality, or availability of food in California. i fear this initiative is going to burden producers with extra costs and decreased product. if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. in the end it just means i have to pay more at the store starting in 2015. (and screw you Shawn, just because you don’t buy eggs doesn’t mean i can’t enjoy a cheap omelet!) =(

3: Children’s hospitals Yes 54.7% No 45.3%
-i’m all about kids and health and all, but didn’t we just vote yes on this same thing two years ago? where the hell did the money from that go? am i missing something? how can you keep asking for money for the same thing if you’ve either misappropriated or funneled the funds we gave you a couple years ago for something else? this just seems like the ultimate heart strings proposition. i mean who wants to say no to a sick kid. i guess at a total estimated cost of $2 billion, it’s fine…

4: Abortion notification Yes 47.6% No 52.4%
5: Drug offenses Yes 40.2% No 59.8%
6: Criminal justice Yes 30.5% No 69.5%
7: Renewable energy Yes 35.1% No 64.9%
8: Gay marriage ban Yes 52.0% No 48.0%
-this one really shocked me. thought maybe if the country was ready to elect its first african american president that the most liberal state in the union would be on board with the whole gay rights issue. in Los Angeles County, the proposition passed 50.4% Yes to 49.6% No. The entire Bay Area with the exception of Solano and Sacramento Counties overwhelmingly rejected the proposition. i fear that this state constitutional amendment will be a lot harder to deal with in the coming years as sentiments change and the resistant older generations become fertilizer (18-29 = 39% Yes to 61% No vs. 65 and Older = 61% Yes to 39% No). a big fuck you goes out to the overwhelmingly mormon financial support for this proposition. you have your own state to practice your crazy in. leave ours alone.

9: Victims’ rights Yes 53.2% No 46.8%
10: Alternative fuels Yes 40.1% No 59.9%
11: Redistricting Yes 50.5% No 49.5%
12: Loans for veterans Yes 63.4% No 36.6%

4
Nov

Obama is President Elect

   Posted by: The Russian   in Personal, Politics

We did it. We fucking did it. Don’t let the momentum stop. This is our time.

3
Nov

2008 Election - Oscar Style!

   Posted by: The Russian   in Personal, Politics

ok. so here’s my prediction for tomorrow.

3
Nov

2008 california general election - how i’m voting.

   Posted by: The Russian   in Personal, Politics

1A - No
2 - No
3 - No
4 - No
5 - Yes
6 - No
7 - No
8 - No
9 - No
10 - No
11 - Yes
12 - Yes

30
Oct

are we there yet?

   Posted by: The Russian   in Politics

got a little teary eye’d towards the end.

i wonder if this is what America felt like when they elected Kennedy…

24
Oct

Charles Fried, former McCain advisor, endorses Obama…

   Posted by: The Russian   in Politics

it’s moments like this that i’d love to throw my hands up and cheer, but given the past two elections, i’ll refrain till after the eventual recount and final verdict. it’s nice to see the rats jumping ship for one reason or another though.

- - - - -

Charles Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School, has long been one of the most important conservative thinkers in the United States. Under President Reagan, he served, with great distinction, as Solicitor General of the United States. Since then, he has been prominently associated with several Republican leaders and candidates, most recently John McCain, for whom he expressed his enthusiastic support in January.

This week, Fried announced that he has voted for Obama-Biden by absentee ballot. In his letter to Trevor Potter, the General Counsel to the McCain-Palin campaign, he asked that his name be removed from the several campaign-related committees on which he serves. In that letter, he said that chief among the reasons for his decision “is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis.”

- - - - -

Article - McCain Adviser Endorses Obama

23
Oct

American female sentiment?

   Posted by: The Russian   in Humor, Politics

23
Oct

author David Sedaris, on undecided voters…

   Posted by: The Russian   in Humor, Politics

“I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention? To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it? To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.”

21
Oct

Joe Biden on Ellen

   Posted by: The Russian   in Entertainment, Politics

Biden does a good job of supporting the democratic position on equal rights for gay couples and expands on proposed tax policy including benefits for small business.

contrast that to the demeanor and tone from when Ellen had McCain on the show…

i guess it’s ok to to leave your wife who just got into a bad car accident for an heiress that’s eighteen years your junior, but it’s completely immoral and unconscionable for gay couples to be as miserable as straight couples in the ever so holy state of matrimony.