A Day Frozen in Time, A Nation Thrust Towards the Future

By Max Godnick

I go to a school with six hundred well to do New Yorkers. My peers, and most members of my generation, have been long stricken with a case of apathy.  I never thought that in my adolescence, I would see my generation brought together over politics and history.

Yesterday changed all that. Throughout the day, I could tell I was living out the pages of my grandchildren’s textbooks. Something was different. There was an undeniable energy in the air. People knew something was coming. While they may not have watched the primaries, followed the veepstakes, or seen the debates, they realized that their country was on the brink of a new era; a true turning point in a sometimes negative and drawn out history.

At eleven o’clock, time stopped. Horns honked, pots and pans were smashed, and fireworks were set off. A catharsis was about to begin. I looked outside my window and saw a scene straight out of a movie. People were cheering, strangers were jumping amongst one another, they were chanting, they were elated; they recognized that the world was changing, and they would be at the center of it.

Granted, I live in New York City in a largely African American neighborhood. I bet the scene in rural Idaho looked a lot different. But it did not matter. The country came together for the first time since September 11th,  yet this time, it was in joy and elation rather than tragedy and despair.

Who knows whether Barack Obama will be a successful president. Many questions are still left to be answered. But the world will turn their heads towards America, and look to us in a positive light. Respect, dignity, and awe will grace the ground of the United States. Americans will become truly engaged in politics again. As Obama builds his candidacy, the nation will watch, rooting, or not rooting, for a new day in American politics and culture.

I do not think I will ever see a time like this one ever again in my lifetime. My generation, the “purple youth”, has engaged in its country and culture like I never expected it could. My city can finally unite, shedding racial barriers that have stood strong for hundreds of years, and my country can look towards the future and to a new path.

Politics really do not play such a large role in what happened yesterday and what will happen in the days and years to come. Sure, it is based around the political process, but it is more than that. It is a general consensus that “now” matters. Now is our chance and we must grasp it. Absorb the moment. This is a rare opportunity, that wont be felt again for many years to come.

Counties Counties Counties

Okay, so votes are beginning to trickle in. But lets remember, when it says 1% of precincts reporting…that means that about one district is reporting votes.

So lets look at some of these early states

Indiana: this is looking a lot closer than I had expected. While Mccain holds about a 4% lead now, Obama is running extremely competitive given that some of his strongest counties have not reported any votes yet. Lake County, which houses the African American stronghold of Gary, has not reported anything yet. Once Gary begins to come in, look for this to tighten up significantly.

Virginia: Mccainites, dont get excited. I know there is a 15% lead in Virginia right now, but the only counties that have reported are primarily in the southern region. Obama holds great strength in Northern and Eastern Virginia. Lots of money and attention were put in to Prince Edward county, keep an eye out for that.

We dont have much info on Ohio, but word is that Obama is leading.

The opposite is true for West Virginia, Mccain is leading.

Florida is not realistic right now. Obama holds a huge lead, but only about one county is in.

I’m still going to stick with my projections, but I am very intrigued by Indiana. Obama is over performing.

Be back soon.

Max

The democrats are back to their 1994 swagger and no one seems to realize how much power this party is going to gain. The democrats will likely pick up 60 senate seats and other large gains in the house. So, how much does this election matter? If a senator McCain is elected, don’t expect any legislation to be passed that is anything more than moderately liberal. If senator Obama is elected, expect some wide ranging policy changes probably to the effect of FDR’s New Deal. Regardless of who wins, one thing is clear: the Reagan era of conservatism is dead.

This country has had almost thirty years of no regulations or rules and look where it has gotten us–recession if not depression. Republicans believe that the government that governs least is usually the government that governs best. Mostly because when they are in power, that’s largely true. It’s time for a change and it will either come from a blue congress or completely blue government.

Perhaps the largest impact this race will have is the effects on the judicial system. Lets not forget the fact that the executive appoints judges throughout the nation–from the Supreme Court to Appellate Court. Voters, when you go out there, know you are voting for either conservatism, or liberalism. It’s time for a change. Conservatives of each generation gradually turn into the liberals of the generation that preceded them…so let me ask you this: should we procrastinate necessary reforms in the economy and energy for the next generation the way we did with slavery, women’s rights, and progressivism? Or should we do something about it today so my generation won’t have to pick up the slack for the truly pathetic job the baby boomers have done?

Please please please vote for Barack Obama. We beg of you and ask that you vote for those who cannot such as me. I should not have to pay off the debt of two wars and failures of Bush economic policies when I reach your age. I should not have to worry about my apartment next to the East River in New York being submerged because Washington refuses to admit that global warming is actually happening. I should be forced to watch the White House become a mockery once more. Haven’t we had enough of comedy in the White House? When was the last time in the last eight years that you honestly thought about the executive branch without either laughing or crying? We had Humpty Dumpty for the last eight years. Do we want to solve issues or do we want to put Barracuda Barbie in charge of our nuclear codes.

You decide. For once though, think about our future, and not your golden years.

Boy did I choose a good year to become a political junkie. I pity the budding pundits who came before me, those who were in my position in 2004, 1996, or 1976. Sure all elections are influential, but this one, this was something else. First black credible candidate, first woman credible candidate, a primary season that treated each state like it was the deciding factor, a come from behind primary victory for Mccain, a heated veepstakes ending with one of the most talked about vice presidential picks…ever?

And now, after 100 primaries (plus guam, puerto rico, and american samoa), 2 conventions, and 3 debates, I am forced to make my projections of what will happen tomorrow night.

I am by no means in the minority by believing Barack Obama will win. His ground game is too good, his fundraising too high, and his lead in the crucial swing state polls are too great, for John Mccain to squeak out the 270 needed electoral votes.

According to RealClearPolitics, with one day left to go, the swing states are

MT, AZ, ND, MO, CO, FL, GA, NC, VA, IN, NH, NV, and OH

Obama leads by five points or more in CO, VA, and NV He holds smaller leads in FL and OH.

The good news for Obama is that if he can hold on to PA, he only needs to win one of those states to win.

So how big will his win be?

(Click on State or Table Below for Latest Polls and to Change Status)

Joe the Who?

Jon Goldsmith

With the election a few days away now one can only wonder how Joe the Plumber, or Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, will impact the race. Let’s just set the record straight before we talk about his possible impacts.

Some Fact checks:

Rumor: Joe the Plumber stated that he was making between $250,000 and $280,000 a year.

Verdict: According to MSNBC, Court records show that Joe made $40,000 in 2006.

Rumor: Joe is a “Plumber”

Verdict: According to the Associated Press, Wurzelbacher does not have a plumber’s license or apprenticeship.

Rumor: Joe believes that US citizens will be taxed without representation under Obama’s plan, supporting his claim by saying “the last time that happened a couple of guys got together and threw the Brits out.”

Verdict: True. Joe said this during an October interview with NBC Kare 11

Rumor: There is a judgement lien against Joe for failure to pay $1,182 of his Ohio state income taxes

Verdict: True, according to ABC News.

Rumor: Joe is not registered to vote in Ohio for the election

Verdict: True according to Time Magazine

Now on to the impacts. No one can deny that the recent uproar of Joe the Plumber has caused a small increase in McCain’s polling numbers and the energy of his campaign. More important than why, is how is he having such an effect? It’s startling. This man is a walking hypocrisy. Joe the Plumber is not even a Plumber! Joe doesn’t make more than $40,000 and wouldn’t even be affected by Obama’s tax plan, rendering his qualms completely void. Joe can’t even pay his taxes now, which begs the question, “couldn’t Joe use Obama’s tax cut?” Now on to his pathetic attempt at a historical quip. The founding fathers declared that “taxation without representation” was against their natural rights. Let’s break down “taxation without representation” because I think Joe is a little lost here. The founding fathers complaint, largely spearheaded by Ben Franklin, declared that the colonists were being taxed without any representation in British Parliament. Does Joe not have a Congressmen? A Senator? A right to vote? Right to referendum and recall? Joe if you don’t have any of those things, then yes, you are being taxed without representation. You do, however, and let us hope the voters are smart enough to know the difference between a cheap political quip and accurate historical fact.

I don’t think anyone can deny, however, that Joe is making an impact in this race. “Joe the construction workers” and “Joe the bricklayers” have been showing up at McCain-Palin rallies across the country and he has truly energized the working-class base of the Republican party.

Joe has recently declared in another false diatribe that Senator Obama is a socialist because he wants to “spread the wealth around.” Yes, Senator Obama did say such remarks, but they are not socialist. Obama is referring to the graduated-progressive income tax instituted by none other than Theodore Roosevelt, McCain’s “biggest hero.” It’s not socialism to believe that tax breaks for the lower classes will encourage people to spend more money and create more jobs. If the working classes have more money, they can buy the produced goods of the factories they work in; they can buy new cars, groceries, and supplies which guarantees a stimulation of the economy.

Trickle down on the other hand, puts all the wealth in the hands of the richest 1%, believing that with the extra money, the rich will expand their businesses and hire more people to stimulate the economy. The major problem with “trickle-down” is that it doesn’t trickle down enough. Not many of the richest 1% own businesses anymore. The largest growing “1% professions” are just that–professional! Doctors and lawyers make up a vast majority of that 1% and have no business to expand, or jobs to give out. All that they do with their tax cut is buy luxury items, which are more expensive and employ less people to produce.

Believing in tax cuts for the working class is not socialist, its intelligent. Reaganomic tax cuts have been around since the late 80′s with the same result–depressed prosperity. Under the Clinton administration, however, taxes were raised on the upper class and guess what happened? Prosperity. It’s time to go back to the 90′s.

Will Obama Close?

Obama’s up, but supporters are less than
confident.

It’s on the mind of every true blue supporter; will another one get stolen by either fraud or the bradley effect. Democrats remember that the exit polls predicted democratic winners in both 2000, and 2004. And while it isn’t largely spoken of, Ohio in 2004 was stolen just the same way Florida was on 2000. Obama is facing a number of hurdles in his way before he can be president. For those of you who don’t know, the Bradley effect refers to a politician who was the long time mayor of Los Angeles, ran for governor of California, and lost in a huge upset. In the final week, polls showed him up as much as 7 percent, however, a smaller number of voters, especially white voters voted for Bradley than polls indicated.

While much has happened in terms of tolerance since 1982, this specter has been looming over the heads of every democrat. According to some sources such as the New York Times, many think the Bradley effect could swipe as much as 6 percentage points away. If this happens, it will be truly heartbreaking. If Obama is up by any amount higher than 5 points and the  election is stolen by either racism or fraud, americans will lose all faith in democracy. If you thought 2000 made people lose faith in democracy, what will this do? We’ve had eight years of republicans, a failing economy, and no hope. I don’t think anyone can argue that if Obama were white, this election wouldn’t even be close.

Let’s not also forget that Obama is not a fantastic closer, he was pounding Hilary into a pulp and still couldn’t completely seal the deal until the end of the primaries. And lets not forget that McCain is a fighter and has been in this very position time and again. He has been written out countlesstimes only to come back and win. And while it might be somewhat preposterous to say, I think most Obama supporters are thanking the banking gods for delivering them the edge in this election.

Letterman Dissed by McCain, Pailin believes in Witchcraft

Jon Goldsmith

In the latest episode of the election sitcom, it seems that the red characters are getting more dishonest, and just flat out disturbing. John McCain was suppose to appear on David Letterman Thursday night and cancelled at the last minute. Instead of going to Washington, which was the reason he told Letterman he was unable to make the show, he went for another interview with Katie Couric. After, he didn’t rush to Washington, he went back to his hotel, had an extravagant dinner, and went to Washington the following day. The snub didn’t exactly rub Letterman the right way and he followed up his next monologue in an onslought of critcism of the deportment of the republican nominee.

Now if that weren’t everything, a video has surface on youtube in which Sarah Palin is being blessed so she will be protected from witchcraft. Can anyone say anything but wow? I knew she believed in god, and was a highly religious individual, but I never thought that she actually belonged in a different century. It’s nice to know we have someone a heartbeat away from the presidency who would have probably participated in the Salem Witch Hunts.

Even though the economy is headed down the drain, and there is no bailout deal in agreement, at least we have the republican party to cheer us up.