Fingers Crossed!

As for me, I voted a couple of weeks ago. I received my ballot by mail from LA County, and handed it in at the American Embassy in Prague a couple of weeks ago, while I was picking up a new passport. It felt good. I'm hoping that next week will be a pretty patriotic one for me, here in the CZ... but, yeah. I've done what I can from here, man.

I plan to spend the weekend kicking back with an IV drip of coffee and a big stack of the past year's New Yorker that were bequeathed to me by a departing colleague. I read a completely brilliant article about General David Petraeus last week, which you can also read online, and I'm really looking forward to a lot more genuine journalism where that came from.

I can also strongly recommend David Sedaris's thoughts (hilarious as usual) on who these mysterious undecided voters are:

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.

Right?!

Dudes, if you can, write and tell me about the atmosphere in the homeland surrounding the big election weekend. I have to say that while I am usually perfectly happy right where I am, I've been feeling a bit sad not to be in the homeland with my compatriots for this one. Tell me how it goes!

Comments

[Jason]

Jaime, the atmosphere is electric! I went to an Obama rally in Leesburg, Virginia last week, and it was awesome! There were thousands of people there, but we all had to process down a street bristling with McCain-Palin signs. Outside the rally, there was a small band of protesters holding up poster board and magic marker signs scrawled with slogans like "Obama is not Pro Life!" and "Experience over retoric!" (sic)

I think some states are experiencing a lot more election year acrimony from ballot initiatives like Prop 8 in California. Personally, I find the idea of amending constitutions by referendum to be dangerous and completely counter to the values of our republican form of government. Why have a legislature at all? Let's have mob rule!

But I digress.

[beth]

right now the word i'd use to describe it is excruciating. this daily show segment kind of sums it up: http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=189163.

i just want tuesday to GET HERE ALREADY!!

[Jaime]

I think what really gets me about Prop 8 and the whole idea of overturning a state supreme court decision with a popular vote is that it seems to me that this is a gross misprision of the whole POINT of the supreme court, which is to interpret the constitution and protect and uphold our freedoms despite the sentiments of the mob.

But, nevermind. If prop 8 passes, it will be a setback, but only a temporary one. Time is not on the side of this particular discrimination, and the right side will win in the end.

[Jason]

Oh my god. Check this out. Apparently, the new line of attack this news cycle is that Obama's anti-semitic. This McCain spokesman should never have been allowed on television. McCain's campaign is a train wreck! What would his presidency look like?

[Jaime]

Jesus Christ. The INCOMPETENCE of it is staggering. I cannot believe how much John McCain has allowed his good name to be completely and comprehensively destroyed by this campaign. Also, giving Obama crap about knowing Rashid Khalidi, or calling him anti-semitic for being willing to support the rights of Palestinians as well as Israelis is simply reprehensible, as is using Khalidi as a token evil Arab that all the knee-jerk plebian rubes can collectively hate. Rashid Khalidi is not anti-semitic, he is a well respected Palestinian historian and scholar, and Israel is not infallible. What a fat load.

I am really looking forward to seeing McCain's walk of shame when this is over. He's earned it.

[Jason]

Jaime, did you read the New Yorker article (also in the latest issue) about the prevalence of teen pregnancy, STDs, and divorce among Evangelicals? It's very good.

[Jason]

Okay, so I hate to be the one to post this, and to be even more obsessed with the election than anyone else on the entire planet, but this is so embarrassing, it almost made me feel sorry for Sarah Palin. It's not her fault really. It's the incompetent McCain campaign staff. I could only get through the first two minutes and twenty seconds.

[Jaime]

Oh god. So embarrassing.

And, you are not the most obsessed about this election; I am.

[Jason]

“And there must be something about San Francisco and he because it’s like I heard on Fox News today, it’s like a truth serum where when he’s there, he seems to be more candid, and remember it was there that he talked about, there you go, the bitter clingers, the cling-ons, all of us, I guess, you know holding on to religion and guns and, um, so something about he being there in San Francisco.”

-Sarah Palin

[Jaime]

OH MY GOD! THAT'S IT! HE'S GAY!!!!! I hope he grows a big Castro-style moustachio!

[Jason]

I know! That "truth serum" she's talking about must be all that HIV+ spooge Obama is guzzling straight from the tools of radical fairies in a cocaine snorting orgy of extreme left liberalism. Astonishing that she sussed all that out from Fox News!

Oh my god. I just voted for That One, and it felt great.

[rcjohnso]

Wow. Just wow.

I'm still expecting to wake up tomorrow morning and see on the news that McCain won.