I needed a vacation...

So i realize that i haven't posted in about a month. In the past month, I have barely even watched the news or read the paper. There has just been too much to do. With the holidays, and finals, and falling for a Republican, there has just been too much going on in my life. I am ready to join the real world again, so I will do my best to catch up and start posting again. Since I've been gone, I do know that Hillary got the Secretary of State position and Governor Blagojevich got arrested. I haven't been living under a rock, after all...
Anyway, for the one person who might read this, expect new stuff soon.

Still Alive

On the slim chance that anyone reads this blog, here's a message. I'm still alive. Busy with work, and school, and life in general, but still alive. There will hopefully be new stuff soon.

Senate Race Update: 1 down, 2 to go

Okay, this is old news, but I've been busy. Mark Begich has won the Alaska Senate race. On Thursday, Ted Stevens said goodbye to his lengthy career in the Senate. Every other senator that spoke gave him glowing praise, as well. In fact, many of his colleagues who had rallied for his resignation gave very moving tributes to Stevens.

Anyway, Mark Begich, a relatively conservative Democrat, will take over for Alaska. This gives the Democrats (including Lieberman) a 58-42 advantage in the Senate. This means that we still need Franken to win the recount in Minnesota and Martin to win the runoff in Georgia.

As of right now, it appears that Franken has cut into Coleman's lead slightly. However, the end appears to be nowhere in sight, as counting is not expected to be finished and reported until December 5th. Then litigation begins. This one may not be decided until next year.

In Georgia, both candidates are still trying to raise money and jockey for position. The runoff will be hold on December 2, with turnout expected to be much lower than that of the general election. It is arguable whether this favors Chambliss or Martin. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The positive here is that Begich pulled off the victory in Alaska. Besides the obvious Democratic win, there are other advantages to this. Had Stevens been elected, and then subsequently expelled from the Senate, there was talk of Sarah Palin taking over his seat. Needless to say, that could have been disastrous. Entertaining, but disastrous.

Quotes of the Week

Seth Meyers on SNL's Weekend Update:

It's official, for the next four years, it will be pronounced nu-cle-ar.

Barack Obama met with Hillary Clinton on Friday to see if she would be interested in a role in his administration. "Of course," said Hillary. "I'll take president."

Kathleen Parker, in a column entitled "Giving Up on God.":

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

The choir has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.

But they need those votes!

So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.

Short break as writer ties blindfold and smokes her last cigarette.

Conan O'Brien:

The Republican party is considering naming the first African-American chairman in their party's history. Isn't that incredible? That's big news. First African-American, yeah. Yeah, unfortunately, Republicans are having a hard time
finding an African-American who's white.

And since it's been a busy week towards the end of the semester, and I have spent more time reading my textbooks than the newspaper, here's a letter that I wrote to the Waco Trib:

One thing that this year’s election has proven is that the White House can be won without the South. With the exception of North Carolina, Virginia and Florida, southern states were largely irrelevant in the presidential race. Even without these southern battleground states, Barack Obama would have won the presidency hands down.

Some of us are quite eager to “join the Union,” as Dwight Allman, associate professor of political science at Baylor, put it. Others, judging from the blatant racism that has been apparent in Central Texas since the election, are clearly hell-bent on maintaining the world’s image of Texans as a bunch of reckless, arrogant rednecks.

Part of what makes our country so great is that we can disagree with each other and not have civil war break out in the streets. What we cannot do is continue to try to resuscitate the South as it was during the actual Civil War.

A co-worker told me the other day that the South would “rise again.” Without getting into the unspeakable violence that happened in the years following the Civil War, I wonder why there are some who insist on deepening the divide that has already split this nation.

Despite the chance for a fresh start, there are some seemingly “average” people who have chosen to participate in old-fashioned Southern racism rather than listening to reason. It is evident that we have not yet reached total racial equality. To move into the 21st century, along with the rest of the nation, we must let the Old South’s legacy of racism and hate die quietly and find a way to come together.

Palin Book Deal?

Apparently, there are rumors that Sarah Palin is close to being offered a book deal. While I seriously doubt that she would actually be putting pen to paper-- imagine a book longer than War and Peace that never made a single point-- she could make millions from this.

So, that got me thinking. If Palin were to "write" a book, what would the title be. I have some suggestions:

The Audacity of False Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming My Dignity

Dreams from Joe the Plumber: A Story of Fake Plumbers and Socialism

To Kill an Elephant

Of Moose and Men

The Five People You Meet at Neiman Marcus

Sarah Palin and the Order of the Dead Elephant

Her Eyes were Watching Russia (From Alaska, of course.)

The Sour Grapes of Wrath

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Mavericks

Much Ado About Nothin', You Betcha!

The Maverick, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

2012 (Think 1984...she will describe how Obama will destroy society by 2012, and why we should elect her to fix it.)

And here are a few that have already been taken, but would have been perfect:

A Confederacy of Dunces

Things Fall Apart

The Comedy of Errors

Three Senate Races Still Unresolved

As of today, there are still three Senate races that are undecided.

The most surprising undecided race, to me at least, in the Alaska Senate seat. For a while, it looked like Ted Stevens was going to pull it off. Now, however, Mark Begich is leading by a slim, but growing margin. According to Alaska's Secretary of State's Division of Elections, Begich has 138959 votes and Stevens has 137937. As of yesterday, Begich was up by 1022. Counting will resume on Tuesday, and it seems that the precincts which have not been counted are likely to go for Begich. Hopefully, we will know one way or the other then.

In Minnesota, a recount is looking inevitable. Norm Coleman, with 1211565 votes, holds a 206 vote lead over Al Franken, who has 1211359, according to Minnesota's Secretary of State. For right now, Coleman and his supporters are claiming victory, but, with the number of contested votes that are likely to be re-examined, things could change. Unfortunately, this one will probably not have a final result until the middle of December.

Georgia's race between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin is headed for a run-off. Out of 3,752,579 votes in the general election, Chambliss got 1,867,090, Martin got 1,757,419, the Libertarian candidate got 128,002, and write-in candidates got a whopping 68. Since neither Chambliss nor Martin got a majority of the vote, Georgia voters will have to try it again on December 2. Chambliss beat Martin by 109,671 votes in the general election. Hypothetically, if everyone who voted in the general election came out for the run-off, and almost all of the third-party voters voted this time for Jim Martin, he would pull it off. However, I think turnout will be significantly lower for this election, and I'm afraid that many of those who show up will be the Chambliss faithful. Obama gave a lot of down-ballot races a huge boost, so if Obama voters don't show up for Martin, I don't think he has much of a chance. We shall see, however. Check out Jim Martin's official site for ways to help.

If the Democrats take all three of these seats, we will reach the magic number of 60. With wins by Mark Udall in Colorado, Kay Hagan in North Carolina, Jeff Merkley in Oregon, Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, Mark Warner in Virginia, and Tom Udall in New Mexico, the Democrats hold 57 seats, counting Lieberman, which is another story in itself. Depending on how these races turn out, and how the Lieberman issue is dealt with, the Democrats may still be looking at a 60- seat majority when the new Senate comes to order.

Quotes of the Week

Dwight D. Allman, associate professor of political science at Baylor, in a letter to the Waco Trib:

The Civil War is truly over. It’s time for us all to join the Union.

Conan O'Brien:

This is true, according to a new report, I was reading this today in the paper, thousands of pregnant mothers in this country are planning to name their baby Barack. That's true. Yeah, after hearing this, Sarah Palin told Bristol, "Don't even think about it."

Keith Olbermann, on Proposition 8 passing in California:

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Fred Barnes, on Barack Obama:

For the time being anyway, he's a colossus astride the continent, the most commanding political presence since Ronald Reagan. ...He's the star. Republicans are extras. If they attract attnetion, it's likely to be because they've done something the media considers outrageous or dumb.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R- Wyoming):

We've got to stop being the angry white guy party.

Melivin R. Volkert, Hillsboro resident, in a letter to the Waco Trib:

Some folks in these parts like to expound in local public venues on what
wonderful Christians they are. They suggest if other folks were to vote like they do, perhaps they could win the favor of the Lord as well.

Any time a platform based on hope and promise defeats a platform based on hate and fear, it should be celebrated by Christians around the world.

God blessed America after eight years in the wasteland.

Rachel Maddow, on Mark Begich taking the lead over Ted Stevens in the Alaska Senate race:

So, we're not going to elect a convicted felon to the Senate? One glass ceiling not broken in this election, I guess.