Joe's grandparents live in Bethlehem, PA, right in the heart of Lehigh Valley. His grandfather, Art, worked at the steel mills until they closed in the 1980s. He likes to hunt, collect Zippo lighters, and build model trains. Once a week he goes to the Moose Lodge, where he's a member, for Buck-a-Burger night, and he tries to get back there for the brunch buffet, too, as he's crazy about the sweet potato fries and gravy. Joe's grandmother, Judy, was a buyer for a chain of stores until Art left the steel mills and they bought a sanitation company that they ran together until Joe's brother Archie took over two years ago. They're both retired now. Judy collects Fiesta Ware and is a master quilter. She used to be one of those crazy, 4 a.m. yard sale shoppers and has amassed quite an assortment of mission-style furniture and other really cool things. Both Art and Judy were staunch Clinton supporters until the primary season ended and they were forced to decide between McCain and Obama.

They chose Obama.

Last night, when we called to wish Joe's grandfather (a.k.a. "Pop" or "Pop-pop") a happy 74th birthday, his grandmother got on the phone to tell us that she got a call from a woman claiming to be Hillary Clinton. "Mrs. Clinton" just wanted Judy (a.k.a. "Grammy") that she'd changed her mind and no longer supported Obama, and that she was throwing her full weight behind McCain. She also got a recorded message informing her that only Republicans were to vote Tuesday; Democrats were supposed to wait until Wednesday. She's been volunteering at Obama headquarters, making phone calls, and found that a lot of other women her age were receiving similar calls. Then Pop grabbed the phone back and told us that he got a call from a guy who told him that if he voted for Obama, he would lose his pension, his social security, and every other source of financial support. He said pretty much everything except that Pop and Grammy would end up penniless in a cardboard box by the river.

It's disgusting to me, this kind of dirty politics. You can read about it on the Internet and hear news reports, but it doesn't ever feel real until you get first-hand accounts like this. We're here in Delaware, which is solidly in Obama's corner and probably was even before our beloved Biden joined the ticket. So I've gotten some fliers and stuff, but no one's been knocking on our door or making calls. We're middle class thirtysomething registered Democrats; I suppose the McCain camp considers us a lost cause.

I'm waiting to vote until Joe gets off work, so we can go together. And I'm not only voting for Obama, I'm finally - finally! - excited to be voting for him. I've always liked Obama and found him to be an inspirational speaker, but what I didn't like was how his camp ran the primary campaign. Once the nastiness of that race was over, and he secured the nomination, I went neutral. He's always had my vote, because I'm a Democrat on just about every major issue, save for the death penalty. I even made Joe wear a blue shirt today just so nobody would confuse him with a Republican. But over the last several weeks, as I've heard Obama speak more solidly about his plans, crystalizing his ideas, watching how he handled the financial crisis as opposed to ol' knee-jerk McCain, I've realized that he's matured as a candidate. I think he's going to make a fine president, someone who can not only turn this country around but also make us proud to be American once again, instead of merely embarrassed.

My friend Ebbie has been volunteering at Obama headquarters in Delaware, which surprised me because he's always crazy busy. But he made the time. When we were seniors in high school and still too young to vote, the two of us, along with one of the Kims, volunteered for Clinton. Mostly light-weight stuff, like making calls or helping out at a rally. On election day, Kim and I worked the polls at our high school, checking in voters. I had a starry-eyed optimism then that my mom likens to the kids who supported McGovern, only our guy one. And then, over the next two years, I watched him fail to deliver on a lot of things he promised during his campaign. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. It was a sobering lesson in partisan politics and how no matter how much a president wants to do, if he doesn't have Congress on his side, it just ain't getting done.

But this guy - Obama - I think he can do a lot of what he wants. This is where his gifts as an inspirational figure come into play. He makes people want to be better and do better, and I'm starting to think YES, HE CAN. YES, HE CAN.

Anyway, I'm excited to watch the results tonight. I'm just hoping we have an uncontested president before my head hits the pillow.

I DVR'd last night's debate because I had a Scrabble date with Joe. I was going to watch it this morning but the minute I went to pull it up I felt this cold dread. So, I deleted it and the post-debate analysis, too. In a way I feel like I'm being an ignorant American - like I should've watched it no matter what. But I know who I'm voting for, and there's nothing that could've been said during the debate that would've changed my mind. So, I'm letting myself off the hook. After all, I'm going to participate when it counts the most: Election Day.

I've been a fan of THE VIEW since Whoopi replaced Rosie O'Donnell last season. And, thanks to the magic box I call the DVR, I'm able to watch it when I want and how I want - fast-forwarding through boring guests or other uninteresting features. Because, let's face it - the best part about THE VIEW is the "Hot Topics" feature - and let me tell you, the closer we get to Election Day, the hotter the topics seem to get.

I used to feel kind of bad for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the staunchy conservative thirtysomething who landed this plum gig after sweating out a few seasons on THE LOOK FOR LESS. I mean, she's adorable, she's got a supersmart brain under that lovely blond hair of hers, and hers is the lone Republican voice at a table full of liberals. Even Sherri Shephard, who recently confirmed that she believes every word of the Bible is 100% true and happened exactly as it is written in both Testaments - even Sherri is Pro'bama. So, you know, it's hard out there for a Rightie.

But.

Over the last several weeks, Elisabeth has been harping on and on about how Obama is tied to terrorists and Other Very Bad People. She sings Sarah Palin's praises every second she gets, going so far as to defend Palin's lack of response when Katie Couric asked her which publications she reads. Lizzie's take? That Palin didn't name any papers or magazines so as not to endorse one over the other. Come on, Elisabeth - do you actually believe that? I mean, really.

Today, though. I swear, I'm not a violent person, but if I could've reached through my television and socked Mrs. Hasselbeck in her pious little mouth? Whoo boy.

Here's a taste:



I think Elisabeth Hasselbeck is officially bad for my blood pressure. (On the flip side: nice job, Miss Sherri!)

There was an Op/Ed piece in a recent Time magazine about how mainstream journalism can take a page from THE VIEW's book. The writer was saying how while no one could confuse THE VIEW with a hard news program, there's something refreshing about how they dissect the election and actually call the candidates on their B.S. One specific example was how Joy Behar asked McCain point blank about the commercial claiming that Obama wanted to start sex ed in kindergarten. Obama's plan calls for age-appropriate education - meaning, that in kindergarten, kids would be taught how to recognize dangerous situations and what to do if someone tries to touch your no-no spots. But the commercial implies that Obama's pushing full-on birds-and-bees instructions to six year olds. Joy asked McCain outright why he lied in this add - and it was the word "lie" that the Time piece praised, since most mainstream outlets would've gone with something softer, like "misleading."

I'd be misleading people if I acted like I had finished licking my Hillary for President wounds, because I haven't. They're still there, and they're still deep. But I do feel like we've watched Obama mature on the campaign trail, and while I'm not entirely convinced he's the absolute best person for the job, he will be getting my vote on November 4th.

And while I respect Elizabeth Hasselbeck's right to support the McCain/Palin ticket, I do not respect the ways in which she's tried to push that ticket from her VIEW pulpit. I also do not respect certain members of my best friend's church who send daily e-mail blasts telling the congregation that if they don't vote for McCain/Palin, they are being bad Christians and will burn in hell.

What I do respect is Barbara Walters' reasonable request for both sides to stop slinging mud and start seriously focusing on the issues. I'm hoping tonight's town hall style matchup will throw both Obama and McCain off their respective games, because I'm tired of soundbite-y answers that have been crafted by teams of people during Debate Camp. Is it too much to hope for candid answers to questions relevant to domestic policy? I want to hear about education. I want to hear about health care. I want to hear real answers coming from real people's mouths, and not the plasticine puppets we've been seeing mouthing passionless phrases they hope will be replayed on the six o'clock news.

In the meantime, I'll settle for a little silence from Elisabeth.

Day four of this disgusting heat wave presses on, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been a virtual hermit this entire time. I cannot stand excessive heat and humidity. And despite blasting the AC 24/7, during the height of the heat I can't get my little ranch house cooler than 74 degrees. There are likely three reasons for this: A) poor insulation in the laundry room; B) no attic fan; and C) the big front window was the only one not upgraded by the previous owner - in fact, the living room feels 10 degrees hotter than anywhere else in the house!

Meanwhile, our front lawn looks disturbingly like the one from AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE. Even if it wasn't an oven outside, I'm seriously allergic to grass and am not supposed to mow it (seriously, the mere smell of fresh-cut grass turns my face puffy and red!). Because of Joe's odd work schedule, he can only cut the grass on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Last week it poured rain like a monsoon, and then by Saturday the heat wave had rolled in. Only now we're so ashamed of the lawn he's going to brave the 100+ degree heat index and take one for the team. Such the mensch, he is.

There's so much going on in my life right now that I can't/don't feel comfortable with writing about yet, but one major thing that's been on my mind is the end of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. I have this friend, Emmett, with whom I routinely argue about the election. He's an Obama man, largely because he doesn't believe in dynasty politics. Emmett, like most Obama supporters, has been calling for Clinton to officially drop out for months now. Of course, I'm guessing Emmett's way is probably more abrasive, as he likes to throw around words like "stupid" - usually in connection with some statistic I've cited - and has made the claim that Obama could choose an inanimate object as his running mate and still clean the floor with McCain. In fact, sometimes he's so abrasive that I end our "friendly" debates with expletives and then ask Joe, "Why do I even bother?" (Apparenly I am a sadist, but that's another post entirely.)

Anyway, I bring up Emmett because I now owe him a homemade baked good, as I was convinced that Obama wouldn't end up the democratic nominee. I really thought that Clinton would pull it out in the end.

Then again, I hadn't counted on the misogynistic news coverage, or the blatant favoratism of Howard Dean, or - most troubling - this pervasive feeling that if you're not for Obama, you must be a racist. There was even this story on one of the news channels - a reporter had gone into a predominantly black high school to see the teens' reaction to the possibility that there could be a black president, and one of the kids said, "You're not allowed to be for Hillary here. If you're for Hillary, they call you a racist." That's so insulting on so many different levels. For one thing, it reduces Obama's entire candidacy to the color of his skin. For another, it underscores this other erroneous belief that Clinton's supporters are only voting for her because she's a woman.

I know this has been hashed and rehashed a thousand times, and I doubt I'm adding anything new to the conversation, so I'll leave it at that.

The thing that got me was Hillary's "exit" speech on Saturday and the media's reaction to it. (If you haven't taken the time to watch it, at least read a transcript, which can be found here.) So I'm watching the speech with Joe, and I'm getting very emotional and teary eyed, and I'm shocked when a vocal throng of her supporters boos at her request to help elect Obama, and it's all very overwhelming and surreal and then she says these words:

Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president. But...

But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.

Let us ... Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.

You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories ... unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.

To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.

Always aim high, work hard and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.

As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead. If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.

Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it ... and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.

And by this time, I'm pretty much sobbing, and Joe's looking at me like I've lost my mind. Did I support Hillary Clinton because she is a woman? No, I supported her because I believed she was the best person for the job. But does it break my heart to see the first viable woman presidential candidate step down? God, does it ever. And if the situation was reversed - if on Saturday we'd watched the first viable African American presidential candidate step down - I believe there would be a lot more public mourning, and a lot more time and press coverage memorializing the loss.

Instead, most of the newspaper reports about Clinton's speech and the suspension of her campaign began with phrases like "finally ended her desperate bid." Even this piece by the New York Times seemed biased and unnecessarily harsh. What's worse is the lack of respect that some hardcore Obama supporters are displaying in the wake of her concession. Where's the graciousness in that? I haven't even bothered to check in with Emmett, bracing myself for the kind of gloating that makes me wonder why we're friends to begin with.

I'm a Democrat, and come November, it is likely that I will be casting my vote for Barack Obama. But I'll do so with a heavy heart, because I do not believe the best candidate got the nomination. I believe that the most charming, most inspiring, most likeable candidate got the nomination, and for the sake of our country I hope he can parlay that into a win.

But if he can't - if John McCain takes the White House - I know who's got my vote in 2012.

From CNN.com: "At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens."


This is just another reason why I'm such a stringent democrat: under President Bush, schools seeking federal funding for sex ed programs were forced to teach "abstinence only." (Fourteen states rejected this approach.) Should Clinton take back the White House, she'd restore the "ed" part of sex ed - meaning teens would get information not only about abstinence, but also contraception and disease prevention. And here's something pretty great about Barack Obama - he's in favor of a sex ed curriculum that begins in kindergarten.

[Edited: the hilarious video clip of Tina Fey's "Weekend Update" bit about Hillary Clinton and the upcoming election is no longer available, because the jackasses at NBC are disputing it as a copyright infringement. Trust me, though - it was super funny.]

[Edited again to add: the clip can be found here. Thanks, noodlesforyou!]


God, how I love thee, Tina Fey!

This post says a lot of what I've been thinking/feeling over the past couple of weeks. Especially the part about misogyny.

I never got a chance to mention that my trip to Chesapeake coincided with the Potomac Primaries. I made a bathroom stop at a 7-11 and heard two men discussing their votes. The one guy goes, "I'm voting for Obama. I don't trust that Hillary. I just don't trust her face." The other guy goes, "She's a bitch. I'm Obama all the way."

My jaw dropped fifty feet. How can you possibly vote for the leader of the free world based on a gut feeling you have about that person's FACE? How can you dismiss a candidate simply because she has boobs?

Why are Americans so damned afraid of strong women?

If Obama's campaign consisted of anything more than soul-stirring rhetoric, I could maybe understand what's going on. Maybe. But the man is all words - and now we're finding out the words aren't even his.

I swore that if Hillary made it on the ballot I'd go back to volunteering at DNC headquarters in Delaware. The first time I did this was when I was 16. I couldn't even vote but I spent most of my free time that election season campaigning for Bill. One of the things I liked best about him was his plan for Americorp, because hello, I was 16 and thinking about how I was going to pay for college.

Then I heard a speech the other night that Obama made about how he planned to make college more affordable. He advocated a plan to award stipends and student loan relief to Americans who gave service to their communities. I thought, "Hmm, where have I heard that before?" Oh, right, that's pretty much the plan Bill ran on in 1992.

I'm wondering if I should get my ass back into the volunteer seat sooner rather than later.

The scariest part is that I'm hearing a lot of Hillary supporters say that if Obama gets the ticket, they're more apt to vote for McCain. McCain prior to this particular election was someone I admired for his more moderate views and sensible approach. But since he threw his hat into the GOP ring, and has had to "prove" his conservatism, he's gotten scary. And to think that democrats would rather see someone who wants to increase the war effort be in office over a candidate for their own party ... it's like, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

I'm going to shut up now.

For the longest time, I wasn't sure which Democratic candidate would get my support. On the one hand, I was one of the many who were moved by Barack Obama's empassioned speech at the 2004 DNC. On the other, I've always admired Hillary Clinton, and have been excited by the prospect of a woman president - especially one who I'm confident would be great at the job.

But after watching the debates, and the behavior of the candidates during primary season, my choice became clearer. Then, today, after receiving this nice bit of propaganda from the Obama camp, I know for certain who's getting my vote.

( You have to read it to believe it. )