Two Days...

We're at the end of the two day mark and it was an interesting day, indeed. We went doorknocking in Marshalltown and Megan had a close encounter with a bunny broiler - well, not really, but a bunny skinner we call Malachi. Seriously. The good news is that little Malachi's parents are voting for John Kerry. Still got the creeps.

We are 3 points ahead out here in Iowa. And we're hearing good things all over the country, despite what those national polls say. AND the Green Bay Packers won over the Redskins (See the Strange Bedfellows post from before). So we're seeing some positive signs all over the place.

I'm pretty beat, but we're in the final stages. But as my crew coach used to say, "Do your thing and don't worry about anyone else. I know it'll hurt. I know it'll be hard. But if you do what you're trained to do, focus on the task at hand - I promise you won't feel any pain when you cross the finish line." Yup. Rowing applies to everything, people. Especially in these last days. As I liked to say, "We've passed the 500 meter mark. Now the race begins. Let's go."

So, I leave you all to peruse the pictures from yesterday's rally. Mama's tired and is hosting a Halloween party in the hotel room. Guests can only come if they wear a costume using the materials in their hotel room. Pretty inventive, considering how crazy this week has been. Whee-ha.

Super Saturday. Seriously. Three days?!

So as I have said before, they like to "spring" nice "events" on us. Neeat.

So on this particular Super Saturday, we found out that we were having a rally in front of the Capitol. Super Neeat.

But those of us fortunate enough to find ourselves in the state of Iowa - yes, I said fortunate, dammit. It is exciting as hell here and the folks are very nice - except for a notable few (whom you usually find at rallies) - but we are spoiled out here. You think I'd be sick of rallies, but it beats being in the office.

Anyhoo, we were visited by Bon Jovi (again), Ashton Kutcher (Call me Kutch!), and The Senator himself, John Kerry.

After some interesting "field work" (can you say visibility patrol?), got to enjoy some of the event up close as I attempted to find our signs (they were behind the crowd of us).

Surprisingly, Ashton Kutcher is awesome as a surrogate. He's from Iowa, his dad worked in a factory, his mom is a teacher - he talked for a long time about his poor roots out here in Iowa - and how he voted for Bush the first time. He said he was there to right his wrongs and that he was "punked" into thinking Bush was just a regular guy like the rest of us. And he was there so that our taxes could be lowered and his could be raised. He kicked ass. Bon Jovi is great, as always, and John Kerry was sharp.

Since I've got some more work to do, I'll leave you with these pictures - many of them came out dark because it wasn't so nice out - until John Kerry came out and suddenly, the sun came out. Seriously.

Here's some pics. Enjoy.


Mr. Demi Moore. Well, nah, he's the latest "it" boy, if you will. He's a good kid.




Jon Bon Jovi from the front. Just as nice as the back.






Yeah, man. Rock on!


Extreme close up, but hell, I love this guy. He noticed my hat again, but briefly. The Secret Service were ready to "take me down!" if I tried to get him to sign it. I enjoy my freedom. I shook his hand instead.

It's getting close, but we're on the verge here, folks. Everyone out of their houses, get on the phones, knock those doors. We're gonna change America, people, but it will take all of us.

As Requested...

Wow! My friends actually read this!

If you click on the little button to the left underneath the picture of the monkey, you'll see a link to my pictures from the trail. I haven't really had a chance to change or editorialize (though I might soon) the captions, but you can see all of my pictures there.

Of course, for those who asked:


Lookin' good, Jonny...



And as for the other Johnny:


Satisfied?

Four Days??!!?!

It is official. Election Day is around the corner.

Being in a swing state is fun and exciting. It sure beats seeing it all on the tube in New York. Sure, we're working around the clock to get out the vote, but it makes it hard when there are so many visits by the candidates. Yeah, I'm kvetching, but I'm not being a Yenta about this - I'm just stating a fact. It just feels crazy in these last days, trying to balance between crowd building for events and knocking on doors - and we all know that knocking on doors is going to be the most important thing.

I shall refrain from any anti-Red Sox statements here. Congratulations, BeanTown, now stop bitching and whining about not winning. I'm cool with them winning every 97 years or so. But well met, good work.

Now, onto the exciting stuff.

So we found out two days ago that John Edwards was coming into Indianola today. Neeeeat. That's why I haven't really been keeping up on my blog, but hell, you'd rather have me get them elected, right? So, here's the highlights from today.

We heard that the event would be John Edwards, our own AFSCME International President, Gerald McEntee, and none other than Leonardo DiCaprio. Talk about a random mix. But we were excited, nonetheless. Then - yesterday, we found out Jon Bon Jovi would be added to the mix. Hell yes.

So we quickly do some crowd building in order to hit our 500, but it was on the side of doing walks and phonecalls. But it ended up being an incredible event for many reasons.

For one, we did a pretty good job, if I can say so, in visibility. If you watch the news or look at the pictures, you will see AFSCME green and AFSCME signs all behind the stage. Hell, I didn't learn nuthin' from my McCall days. Visibility, visibility, visibility. It's a mantra for field folks. And it sure felt good looking out upon that crowd of 3,000+ and seeing AFSCME green in every pocket.

Two, the advance girl for the event was awesome. Her mother is a 34 year AFSCME member running for office in Nebraska. So she took extra good care of us. Yeehaw.

Three, it was a fun event. Good way to get motivated for the final days.

And four, I stood directly behind the stage and basically got a very good view of Bon Jovi's butt. Hey, sometimes we get some perks on the trail.

The signs are all around that we are in the fight of our lives - and Iowa is, as I have mentioned before, becoming increasingly important as we head towards Tuesday. It is, as President McEntee said, "the eye of the storm." And I am fortunate and glad to be here, exhaustion aside.

Perhaps you've noticed I haven't mentioned Mr. Titanic yet. Well, I'm a bit confused because as an actor, I assumed he'd be pretty good. But he was fairly lackluster and read from a script. C'mon. Sure, he's come a long way from his Growing Pains days, but I'm sure he could have at least learned his speech before he got up there. Might have made him more effective.

Of course, no one in the crowd was really paying attention to that. Especially the girl who was jumping up and down manically and yelling, "Leo! Leo!"

Turns out he was a diva. Much like Sharon Stone, but that's another story for another time (Yes, Sharon Stone was here in Iowa, and no I did not meet her. I met someone much better instead - Roberta Flack). Anyhoo...

So as I get ready to pack up and leave surprisingly early tonight (gotta catch the time while ya can out here), I leave you with the following pictures from today's rally. In two days, we'll be rallying with Senator Kerry, Jon Bon Jovi, and Ashton Kutcher. Yes, Kutch. Bring the Boss! Either way, we're pleased. It was a good day, indeed.


Here is President McEntee as he pumps up the crowd. My action shots we a little blurry, but I like this image, so deal with it.


Here is the back of Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, he has grown up a lot, but to me, he still looks like a prepubescent boy with facial hair. But I admit, he's still a good looking lad.


Senator Harkin and Governor Vilsack motivate the crowd. They rock. Seriously. I heart them.


Bon Jovi, baby! He played three songs including "Living on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive."


Here's a decent shot. Yes, I have pictures of him from behind. All we want to know is what kind of squats he does so that we can thank whomever taught him them. I will dump them into the photoalbum to the left when I get a chance.

And finally...

John Edwards. I heart him. And I managed to get one of his waters on the stage after the event. I was thirsty, man. Our awesome advance lady gave it to me. Suhweet.

8 Days to go...

The official countdown begins.

I wish I took some pictures today, sorry, been too busy to remember little things like bringing along my camera, taking out my contacts at night, eating - you know, little things like that.

Holy good God, we let weapons of mass destruction slip through our hands. Is anybody surprised?

I think Jon Stewart had it right - "WHAT DON'T I GET?"

I mean, I've been talking to seriously undecided voters and they list their top priorities as security and health care. They clearly don't like George enough to be in his camp, but if you list health care as your second most important issue, then are you kidding me? I mean, even on the war on terror, come on. Let's be clear here, people, Osama attacked us, not Saddam. We went in to Iraq for weapons of mass destruction but the first thing we secure is the oil fields and then let the non-hidden weapons of mass destruction slip through our fingers. We have lost more than a thousand of our sons and daughters and more than 3,000 are amputated, more than 5,000 wounded. We then find out there was no credible link between Saddam and Osama.

I know Saddam was a threat, but doesn't Iran and North Korea already have nukes ready and are beginning to point them at us?

That's just the terror war. Take it from someone who was there on 9/11, saw it firsthand, lived in it afterwards - I do not want us to continue to perpetuate hate in the world.

Healthcare? What healthcare? I can't understand how labor folks who list jobs as their first concern are voting for Bush, hell, I can't understand rank-and-file members even voting for him in the first place. For the Christ, people?

Honestly, what don't I get?

Embassy Suites "Touch" My Ass...

Oh, and when I got back to the hotel two nights ago, they made up my room like I was a new guest. That means that they replaced the pad and pen on the bedside table, the "We care about the earth" card on the pillow of the other bed, and made the pretty towel fluffles in the bathroom.

Um.

Oh, and they added new and nice paper cut outs on the bottom of the trash cans, threw away my personal soap (again), and still didn't replace my TV Guide with this weeks.

Chris, the manager of pep at the lovely Embassy always picks up the phone with a "It's a lovely day over here at the Embassy Suites Des Moines."

A lovely day my butt. Then yesterday night, our keys didn't work in the doors. Hmmm.

On another note, we're exhausted. Going loopy as the final week approaches. Rest assured that while I talk a great deal about baseball and Embassy Suites totchiness that it only makes up a mere 3% of my day, at least. 96% of it goes towards work and John Kerry and John Edwards and the remaining 1% goes to sleep. So yeah, while I might blog about funny, idiosyncratic thoughts, it's mostly because they're the things that stick out in my mind when I'm not thinking Kerry/Edwards. Yeah.

And I'll put up pictures again once I either a) take them or b) get my camera to stop acting like a red-headed stepchild.

Thank the goddess that Jess is giving us some down time this weekend. We'll be using every inch of it.

Strange Bedfellows

So I am doing something I never thought I'd do, I'm rooting for the Cardinals and the Packers.

Delusional? Bitter Yankees fan?

Maybe.

But no, now that the Sox have finally gotten past my boys (I am in a better place about it), I will finally stop hearing the Boston fans bitch and whine. But the curse is the Series, not the Yanks. Remember that folks.

But since this presidential election is much closer and we all predicted that, let's throw in another random thing.

I am rooting for the Cardinals because apparently, when the National League wins the World Series, the Democrats win. I'm not full of crap, check it out.

And even more evidence: if the Washington Redskins win their last home game before the election, the incumbent party stays in power at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Again, check it out.

So yes, everyone can talk about how if Boston wins the series, it'll be a sign of things to come for John Kerry. So based on statistical coincidences, I've found yet another reason to root against them. And as for the 'Skins on October 31st, I'm going with the Packers.

I ain't usually superstitious, but I think the reason the Yanks lost was to take one for the team. Nah, we got outplayed. But isn't it fun to talk about this stuff? I think so.

And the winner of the Totch award, a.k.a. "with a best friend like this..."

No, Megan doesn't win the totch award, though she is a close runner up in this picture. This is one I've been meaning to post, but I've been delayed in doing so, but I find it funny since there are no AFSCME Kerry t-shirts below a large in the office. In fact, you've hit a gold mine if you find a large or an extra large.

But the point of this post is that as it was getting ass-cold out here in the Mid-West, I asked my best friend, Fabs, to send me my jackets and closed-toed shoes.

After she finally found them, she sent them. Supposebly.

I never received them. So I asked her to track them down for me.

She called me up and said, "I've got good news and I've got bad news. Which one first?"

I always ask for the bad news first.

Her reply, "Well, it'll be better the other way around. The good news is that I tracked your package. The bad news is that I sent it to myself."

Yeah. The winner of the Totch Award goes to Fabriana for sending me a package addressed to herself.

Good work, Aguato.

MOTHER!@$# !#@%$

That's cool New York, trash the game.

And what the hell was that!??@!!Q$#%!(#@*$#@*%!@#$

I'm pissed. Sure it's exciting again, but for crying out loud, I'm on a campaign right now! I thought I was going to have an anuerism last year, now I'm worried about a triple bypass!

The way I look at it is this: we can only have one Boston win at the end of October - and I choose John Kerry. Yup. That's right.

I'm going home to sleep now. )*(@&U$%(*@Q&##@a[sjvas'[eq3wjfvjnbawejigpseseslk!

Oh Holy The Christ...it's already Monday?

Okay. So I apologize to anyone that actually reads this. We are officially at 15 days out, which means that it's time to kick ass and take names. I knew this would happen and that I wouldn't get to blog every day, but hell, this is just buh-diculous. It's been a crazy week and I'll bet your patootie that it'll get worse.

So I will attempt, in a very sincere way, to update you all on this week that has been very eventful, stressful at times, sleep-depriving - but fun as hell. I warn you, this might be long, despite my attempt at what my Coro FPNY Class would consider "pithy" (yup, kudos to Friar Junior out there - and I doubt they read it, but Happy Birthday Chi-Chi, Mosh Pierre, and Junior - sorry I missed it). So instead, think of this like a highlights reel.

Oh, I can already tell this is going to be a good one. Feel free to stop back and read it in parts, I will attempt to do it in a consecutive manner from the beginning of the week. Ah, and chances are, I'll be doing this weekly, unless by some chance of the gods, I have a free moment. But then again, I'd rather use that for sleep. But keep checking back, I promise it'll be worth your while. Well, I don't know about that. But I will get some in when I can.

I DON'T CARE IF I'M IN THE MIDWEST, I WANT MY ALCS, DURNIT!
First and foremost (this is for Jaclyn if she ever reads this), working on a campaign during the ALCS playoffs is definitely not the ideal way to watch my beloved Bronx Bombers SQUASH the Red Sox, but hey, I'll take this any way I can. Between watching "Gameday" on my computer, hearing it on the radio, and running out to watch the big plays on color TV in the big room during the game, at least I'm getting my exercise. And yes, I realize that the BoSux have won two games now in a row, but that's just fine with me. It was getting boring watching a sweep, though I did enjoy watching Kerry sweep Bush. This is what October is about.

IF YOU BUILD IT...
So on Tuesday, Phil Robinson stopped by (stop scratching your head), the man who wrote the screenplay and directed "Field of Dreams." I know you all know that movie. "If you build it, he will come." Here's the best part - when he directed the movie out here, it basically created 30,000 jobs in the making of it - which is 30,000 more jobs than Bush has created in Iowa - actually, we've lost something like 28,000 here. Hmmm. Funny. See, anyone can basically do better than the Dubya if they just tried. This would be funny under different circumstances. Except that he's our President. Shudder. Not for long if we have our way.

HE MUST HAVE GOTTEN THAT STATISTIC OFF OF THE INTERNETS.
Wednesday was our last debate and I have to say that with the exception of my bias that the wheel is running and the hamster is dead in Bush's brain, he did decently enough. Of course, I was making a poster at the time and so I was listening to it more than watching it and he sounded angry and defensive. Kerry was a cool cucumber. But this was a wonky debate and after a few nights of no sleep, it sounded like the Peanuts at parts with some good measure of Dr. Evil thrown in: "Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah...education...bloo bloo bloo bloo...health care...wah-wah-wah...education...blee blee blee." And Dubya's answer to everything is education, which is just so amusing, given that he is the epitome of what happens when your parents have the pull to get you into an Ivy League college and in the Reserves during Vietnam when you have the IQ of a bowl of hair. Yes, I know we constantly "misunderestimate" him, but come the hell on. Yes, I'm tired, and I'm sure it's showing in my choice of language, but whatever, the Yankees just lost game 5 (and my sunny optimism isn't gone, it's just hidden under layers of exhaustion).

HEY KID, TRY NOT TO POKE SOMEONE'S EYE OUT WITH THE FREE FLAG AND BROOM THEY HAND YOU - AND WHY ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO MY CAMERA IN CHINESE?
Not only did I get to meet John Sweeney, but Thursday brought a historic event, the first time that John Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry, John Edwards, and Elizabeth Edwards have been together on the same stage since accepting the nomination at the Democratic Convention. That and a 15,000 (estimated) crowd to make the rally the largest political rally in Iowa history, plus butt-cold weather made for an interesting night. I would write more about this, but it was just awesome. We endured the cold and stood for more than 6 hours, but we were right in front, there was AFSCME green in every camera shot, I saw another friend from the McCall campaign, I didn't step on or kill the kid that was standing next to me, and because I was wearing my vintage "Up Kerry" hat from his 1982 Lieutenant Governor campaign I got a smile and wave and a thumbs up from our next president. Well, that's also because Megan shouted "Up Kerry" at an opportune moment, he happened to look over as she was pointing to my hat and he acknowledged it - but he saw it, okay? I was happy with that. Though Teresa Heinz Kerry didn't really know what to make of it until he gave me the thumbs - the hat is bright green when they thought he was an Irish patrician from Boston so while it sounds negative, it actually means "Go Kerry" - love those Irish (that was for you, my little Mahoney Potato). P.S. Teresa is beautiful, the pictures do not do her any justice. Oh, and I had Senator Kerry's chest in my face by the end of the night as he reached into the crowd, and part of Senator Edwards' shoulder and if it wasn't for that damn kid next to me hogging the political spotlight (he's a political junkie at the ripe age of 8), I might not have gotten passed over as the kid ran me over to get to Edwards. So didn't get to shake his hand, but I had his shoulder in my mouth. Eh - what can you do? I got some great pics, though you won't see them since my digital camera decided to flitz out on me and since it's an old-school digital from Asia, the directions aren't in English. Neeeeat. But we got a disposable, we're all good.

Some highlights from the rally: using my ever-present NYC skills to get Staff passes for the AFSCME staff, Marsha throwing American flags into the crowd before realizing that was a mistake, Megan and I doing the butt-dance a la Homestar Runner to keep warm, "Look over here, dreamboat" when Josh Hartnett (yes, the other guy who isn't Ben Affleck from "Pearl Harbor") was on stage, having Alexandra Kerry's documentary camera girl keep her camera in me and Megan's grill for what felt like 2 hours (maybe it was only 3 minutes), and just being there. It was awesome. That's the stuff, man.

WHAT? SHE'S GAY?
Funny how no one talked about Kerry sweeping the debates after the Cheney's got on stage to complain about Kerry citing their gay daughter. Do I think it was offsides for Kerry to include his daughter in the debate? No, but I don't think it was necessary. The question here is: if the Cheney's don't want their lesbian daughter (that they, to their credit, seem to care so much about that the Vice-President publicly disagrees with the President) to be in the spotlight, then why make such a big deal about it?

Patrick Guierro, ED of the Log Cabin Republicans (I really don't understand them), was right - what is more appalling is the use by the Republicans to make homosexuality a wedge issue in the battleground states and distributing outlandish flyers that suggest that homosexuals are anti-Bible, anti-family - like they're anti-apple pie. For crying out loud, it's wrong and they know it. And the funny thing is, it did it's job, didn't it? Now no one is talking about the debates and how Bush is plainly lying on the campaign trail and avoiding Iraq like the plague. Hmm, interesting how the spin goes.

And as far as Sinclair goes with the anti-Kerry documentary, that's just hypocrisy to the max. I saw the guy on CNN saying, "This isn't partisan at all, we've given Senator Kerry the right to come on after the documentary with a group of Vietnam veterans to answer their questions about his record." When they pointed out that not only did they deny Ted Koeppel the right to read the names of the Iraqi dead because it was a "politically motivated move" and that a majority of their higher ups are close to the Republicans and the President, the guy countered with, "What is more appalling to me is that the Senator refuses to sit down with these American patriots who served honorably and answer some questions about his record. These men are American heroes. There's nothing political about it."

Are you kidding me? What about the troops who died in Iraq? Isn't it appalling that you blocked a simple reading of the names of soldiers who died serving our country? Fair is fair, friends. Come on, we're not that stupid. And I seriously think it will backfire. Seriously.

REASON TO HATE EMBASSY SUITES #5862J
Not only have they still not fixed the gym equipment, Megan noticed something missing from her room that I'm sure she will discuss at some point on her blog. Plus, channels have been stuck for days, and that wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't Nick at Nite, you bastards! That's what I come home to! The kids who run up and down the halls and ride up and down the elevators can pound on the grand piano in the lobby, but I can't play an Elton John song quietly. I still don't have a new TV guide, I'm still not getting the turn-down service, and they need new cereal. Am I kvetching too much here? Not if I'm staying in a hotel for more than 40 days. Weak, man. Weak.

MINI-MUFFINS IN GREEN AND WHY YOU SHOULDN'T DRINK WHEN YOU ARE DOING THE CAPTIONS FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DINNER
Our International President, Gerald McEntee, was in town on Saturday because he was emceeing the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner for the Iowa Democratic Party. So we had a rally in the morning with the UAW called "American Jobs are Worth Fighting For." It was a lot of fun - and there were a lot of people there. A sea of green and blue. There are pictures below. Vanessa Kerry was there and she spoke. President McEntee ripped into Bush - he is awesome to listen to. We were motivated, all right. After the rally was over, we marched to the Iowa Republican Party Office and delivered a box of pink slips for President Bush. Nothing like the rush of 500 people chanting "Union" and clogging the streets. Hell yeah. While they marched, I snapped pictures of these adorable kids wearing AFSCME shirts. Since we have shirts that basically go from Large all the way up, this little muffin was wearing an XXXL shirt and he couldn't have been more than 3 and a half feet tall. The cutest little mini-muffin I ever saw.

Meanwhile, back at the dinner...

I learned how to knit! Megan taught me while we sat at will-call for over four hours (we had to set-up early and since we had some time to kill before the event started, we multi-tasked). But we all had a great time. President McEntee introduced the guests: Gov. Tom Vilsack, Vanessa Kerry, and Al Franken. It was fun. The dinner was at the Vet's Auditorium, normally used for sporting events, the stage was in the middle and the tables were set around it, so it was much like theatre in the round. There were folks in the balcony watching and we were on the ground eating during the program - it was a little strange, but interesting. See, they set it up so that there were screens above the stage, like at Madison Square Garden, and they had someone working the captions during the speeches. Parts of it were meant to be serious, but we didn't really know that. Because either they were screwing up the captions or had parts of it on voice recognition or something - try to explain these gems from that evening (yes, I wrote them down, I'm a geek, I know):

"A Gram I winner" for "Grammy Winner"
"evil do ears" for "evildoers"
"Inch sure general see" for "insurgency"
"Air E. Flesh" for "Ari Fleischer," former Press Secretary for President Dumb Ass
"Governor of Pencil" for "Governor of Pennsylvania"
"Pet you lance" for "petulance"
"Cook peace" for "codpiece" - don't ask, it was an Al Franken thing
"S.U. Kansas City it up!" for "SUCK IT UP!" - again, and Al Franken thing
"Pie rat suit" for "pirate suit"
"you night ears" for "uniters"
"Pas shun eight" for "passionate"
"urology" for "ideology"

and my favorite:
"been Dick shun" for "benediction"

The captions were distracting, to say the least. But they were amusing as hell.

After the dinner, we went to Blues on Grand for some blues and drinks before reitiring to Carl's for the nightcap and some darts. Needless to say, some of us might have had too much to drink and if we were lacking for good gossip, we might have gotten our wish this Saturday. Chaz the Quatro, whom we haven't seen in weeks, was in rare form that evening. I had an unexpected guest pass out on my couch, but thankfully so - she was not in a state to drive. It was a late evening, for sure, but it was some fun.

NOTHING LIKE A HOME-COOKED MEAL
So despite a late evening on Saturday into the wee hours of the morn on Sunday, we had a 9am meeting in the office. Neeeat. We were tapped by the end of it. But the good news was that Adam, another member of our staff, had bet Rob (a two-week member of our staff), Jessica, Megan, and I dinner on our Bronx Bombers for game 3. After the Yanks polished off a 19-9 win, we were guaranteed a nice dinner for Rob's last night in town, so we decided to cook. Judy, who is the best, let us commandeer her kitchen for a good part of Sunday night and we had a feast of Maryland crab cakes, garlic mashed potatos, grilled steak, broccoli and tofu stir-fry for the veggies (I still remember Ari's recipe), cookies, and strawberry daquiris - while she also let us do our laundry. Judy rocks. It was the perfect cap to a crazed week and to get us rejuvenated for the upcoming one. And my stomach has never been happier since I got here, not that you needed to know that, but trust me, home cooking makes us all feel very, very good.

Oy. That was my week in a nutshell. It's taken me three drafts before this was finished. And it's sad to think that I have now been in this office more than I've gotten sleep in the last week. But it feels good 'cause we can feel it's making a difference out here. Which is good for all of us.

And now, for the pictures of the week (when my camera was being cooperative). I hope you're all well out there.


This is the Iowa Statehouse and it's gorgeous. In fact, it was used as the model for the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz.


Phil Robinson speaking to AFSCME staff at Council 61 HQ.


"American Jobs are Worth Fighting For" Rally.




Vanessa Kerry at the rally.


Look at these little pooters!


The mini muffins! Note the one in the middle with his little "Jerry for Kerry" sign. Awwww!


The view of Des Moines from the Capitol. Our hotel is about midway on the left.

Ah. That was fun. I'd give you a cookie for getting this far, but I don't have any. And chances are, I'm not in your immediate area. But anyway. Back to work.

And you thought "Bring it On" cheerleaders were bad...

John Edwards in Newton day! This will be a lengthy one. Much to discuss.

So we got up at the butt-crack of dawn to head to Newton, a town about 30 miles east of Des Moines for a big John Edwards rally.

As you can tell by the picture above, we not only had good and decent seats, but it was a very good event.

But for many reasons besides being that close to John Edwards.

For one, Jessica and I were waiting outside this morning for members and as we were there I didn't see just one or two.

I saw three, four, five, six - SEVEN mullets. I tried to take pics, but you can't see them very well in the background. Either way, they were very nice. A skullet, a Pat Benetar Mullet, a Michael Bolton Mullet, and a baby mullet. Oh, Mullet Hunters would be proud.

But beyond that...

We finally entered the gym to see that Megan, Judy, Rob, and other staff members had gotten prime seats right behind where Edwards was going to be. Niiice.

And we sat down stage left, I guess, and we were about seventy-five feet away from where the action was to be. Standing there were the high school cheerleaders. As they got into their cheer:

(clap clap) "Edwards!" (clap clap) "Edwards!" (clap clap) "Edwards!"

I turned to Jess and commented, "It doesn't really matter where you go, cheerleaders are the same no matter where."

So it felt like twenty minutes pass and the cheerleaders are still there and between cheers, they would huddle for five minutes or so and then turn around, do a different set up...

and then do the same exact cheer they just did.

Um.

So we took the liberty of making jibes. C'mon. Even our lost timer, Cindy, had some suggestions for them. Sheesh. My favorite one was where they did a different set and one of them was lifted and she stood there with her arms in a "v" over her head and just stood there until they finished the same cheer and she dropped down. Yes, different, I guess. Of course, if you're gonna be on national TV, you might want to think of some different cheers.

So then finally, the program started. And Edwards comes out, the crowd is electrified, on their feet, and he's got little Jack and Emma Claire with him. We heart him.

So then he launches into his rally stump. Pretty good speech, if you ask me. He's great live. And yes, he is that good looking in person.

I snapped something like thirty pictures. I'll upload them into my photobook soon.

But then after he was done, he opened the floor to questions.

The guy behind us, whom Jess and I made friends with, known as "Johnny Guitar" asked a question. So when he was done, Edwards goes to answer him, and since he was sitting directly behind me, this is one of the pics I got:



But then he was asked a question about the VA and veterans and the troops over in Iraq. Turns out one of our members asked a question:



She's wearing the AFSCME green shirt.

Everything he said just rang true. Know what I mean? I'm convinced that this country would be far far far far better off with him and John Kerry - and today, he really sold it.

But the best moment of the rally was this cutie patootie little girl that was sitting in the seats in front of us. She was adorable, had on a little Kerry/Edwards shirt, and was trying to wave to him all throughout the rally. Finally, her mother, whomever, got her to the edge of the crowd where she raised her hand.

Edwards called on her. He asked her name. I can't remember it, but she told him.

Then she told him, "I'm really nervous."

And he answered, "It's okay, just talk here, talk to me."

And she asked, "Are you John Edwards?"

And he said, "Yes I am."

And she looked up at him and said, "Can I have a hug?"

After we all laughed, he scooped her up and gave her a big hug and a peck on the cheek and I managed to get this picture before everyone in the audience was on their feet:



Adorable.

Great start of the day, really. And then it was back to the office to do phone calling all day for the next two events this week.

Sounds corny, but it's always events like these that makes you feel really good about the things you are doing. It's as good as swinging a voter's mind towards your candidate or registering someone to vote. Gives you hope. And in a job like this, as much fun as it can be, and as crazy as it can be, you sometimes need days like these to keep you going until we win it.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

This is our exercize block. It's the closest we have to functioning gym equipment since the brain surgeons over at the Embassy Suites Hotel Des Moines are the River are so good at getting things done in a orderly fashion.

Basically, there is one piece of equipment in our gym that works out of five. And, we're in Iowa, which means that we're not exactly eating well for ourselves. So I bought this exercize block for us to get our blood flowing. Basically, you put in on the ground and circle it two times. That way, you've walked around the block twice.

Get it?

I thought it was funny.

So anyway, we spent time today with the Iowa Democratic Party and took part of the canvassing weekend that was happening all over the country.

Rob, one of the guys from CSEA out here for a little bit of time, and I went to Ankeny, which is somewhat north and east of Des Moines. We spent most of the afternoon in a trailer park, trying to talk to undecided voters, trying to get them to lean our way. In some cases, they were undecided, but the minute they say that they think President Bush has the right "faith" to guide us through the next four years, we know that's pretty much where they are.

I know I haven't said much about the debate. I'm getting there.

The most interesting trailer we went to was to find this woman, I can't remember her name, let's call her Jane. So we went looking for Jane, the door was wide open and as we approached, I heard some yelling, though I wasn't sure if it was an argument or just talking loud. So Rob gets there, asks for Jane and there's this guy standing near the door and this woman on the couch. They guy answers, "Yeah, she's here." And Rob asks to talk to her. At which point the guy points at the woman on the couch and he goes, "That's her."

Jane was staring at us and goes, "Yeah, that's me."

So then Rob was asking questions, engaging in conversation. And Jane just sat there and the guy answered for her.

Way to go, Ike.

So we left and basically walked away thinking, "They aren't going to vote."

Hmm.

Now as for the debate, I'll say this much. The president was much better tonight than the first night, but I wonder about him. There was that time he attacked Charles Gibson. I mean, it's Charles Gibson for crying out loud. Dubya seemed downright angry and scary and oversimplified everything Kerry said.

My favorite part was when he attacked Kerry, Kerry answered, and then he basically wasn't paying attention when he rebutted the same argument over again. Um, I know it's a town hall, but maybe you should pay attention anyway.

And as for his facial expressions, he was better, but there were still times when he looked like Kerry had gotten under his skin and then responded in kind. Then there were the times where he had that seven minute Florida 9/11 look on his face and I wanted Kerry to punch him in the neck.

But Kerry was on fire again and was calm, collected, and seemed at ease. The president was much better this go round, but I can't wait until Wednesday.

And then Ann Coulter was on CNN with Larry King and boy, I just don't get her at all. Sure, she painted the best face on Bush, but man, the guy is getting desperate. And Kerry is looking good in the meantime. Good week for us. This upcoming week is going to be crazy for us. We've got Edwards in on Monday, Kerry, Edwards and their wives on Thursday, and then President McEntee on Saturday. Phew. Good thing I'm feeling slightly better.

Sicky Sicky Day

That is one tractor. The wheels are bigger than me!

So today I was sicky. I took two swigs of Vicks and piggidy passed out all day.

Apparently there's a bug going around the office. Since we spend 99.9% of our time here...

It's simple math, folks.

Neeeeat.

But I passed out all day and woke up in time to see Ruben Sierra tie the Yankee game against the Twins, watched them win, and then had dinner.

So then I was feeling better. So we went to another part of downtown, which was fun. We went to a nice dinner and decided to try out a club in Des Moines.

So we went to Club 55. I know, I know. I had no idea what we would be dealing with.

So we got there, drinks were cheap, no cover. We sat and found out that two members of the cast of Road Rules were there. Apparently, they were going to all area bars for fifteen minutes. It was interesting. But Jess has a better story about it since she actually talked to them. Long story short, they have our stickers and they're voting for Kerry.

Whoo hoo.

Then it was two birthday girls and their posses coming in, one called "Birthday Tiara" and the other "Birthday Hat." Definitely an interesting situation as one had an extremely short skirt and the other had an extremely low cut top. And they didn't really wear them well, but that's another story.

So we eventually got bored and decided to explore their "two clubs, one cover" option and headed outside to go to Papa's Planet. We then found out that the room attached to Club 55 that had a pool table and an unmanned bar was actually Papa's Planet.

Um, okay.

So we ended the evening, the rest of the crew opting to go to Blues on Grand, and me back to the hotel to sleep when I noticed I had left my cellphone at the club. So we all headed back right before it closed (long story) and the drunk bartender was very nice (and very touchy) and asked if I was going to Club AM. Apparently, after 2, they can't sell alcohol anymore. So when Club 55 and/or Papa's Planet closes at 2am, you buy your drink at Club 55 (or Papa's Planet, whatever) and bring it to Club AM down the street.

Ghiz-et-to.

Needless to say, we went back to the hotel and crashed.

And that is Des Moines nightlife, folks.

"Oh yes it's Ladies' Night..."

AFSCME Women for Kerry Night. A night of fun, freebies, and a screening of "Iron Jawed Angels."

It was fun. And the movie was good.

And I still can't understand why women would be voting for Bush. Seriously.

The most amusing thing I saw in my post-Miami Massacre surfing (that would be the first debate), was this discussion board where people had posted. As usual, you get your rabid devotees claiming their candidate won. Anyone who saw the debate should know that Kerry won fair and square and that Bush lost bieeeegg time.

And yes, I am a rabid devotee, but only on my blog, not on discussion boards. This is MY blog, after all.

Anyway, this woman writes something that sounded like this:

"George Bush clearly won the debate because he will stand up for life. This election is about abortion and the abomination that it is. John Kerry will kill anything. And that is why George Bush beat him Thursday night."

Okay. I know I usually rant.

BUT COME ON.

I respect the right for women to have a choice over their own bodies. Whether that means you are pro-choice or (and here's where definitions count) anti-choice - let's be honest, folks who are pro-choice are NOT anti-life - is your decision. What matters more to me is that you have the right to decide for yourself. I do not want to decide for you.

But what gets me here is that the first debate was on FOREIGN POLICY. Yes, Bush got in a little line about protecting all "lives" but I think at least the point was clear that Kerry is not about killing "everything." The only thing he believes in killing is George Bush's chances of a second term.

And the occasional goose or duck when he hunts.

But besides that, come on, people. Sure I want to talk substance, but Eddie Izzard is right - 80% how you look, 20% what you say - or else explain why the Germans went crazy when John Kennedy said he was a jelly donut?

So here's my thing. You can be a fanatic, but at least be on point, factually correct, and within the subject matter.

Unless, of course, you have your own blog. In which case, feel free to pontificate randomly.

Butter.

But let's be real, people. Are you seriously telling me after two days of bad news for the Bush Administration, like, um, Saddam not having any weapons at all and was actually hindered by the UN sanctions; jobs not going up the way they expected; and growing insurgence in Iraq - not to mention that you got creamed in a debate - that people are still undecided about whether or not this guy can lead?

I hope y'all are getting your non-registered friends registered and convincing folks who are undecided about the right choice for this country. Do it once a day. You'll be surprised what it will do.

Oy vey.

We're officially under 30 days till this election.

The Christ.

We've got events left and right and we're just building and building. Calling and door knocking. Mailing and calling back.

But I found an interesting kernel of information today. Did you know that Ashton Kutcher was studying biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa? Who knew?

I'm fried. And I haven't been sleeping well lately. Serioulsy. But I got me some Vicks nighttime, should take care of that.

And no, I'm not just arbitrarily taking it so I can sleep. I've got a hell of a tickle in my throat and I'm coughing. Where is my COBRA when I need it?

Been on this Ann Coulter kick as of late. Beats the Britney wedding, anyway. But tell me what part of this is okay?



Of all things holy in this world, Ann Coulter, whom we all know to be a vicious hypocrite of her own trappings, should not be allowed near a gun, let alone aim one. But then that would be trampling on the holy 2nd Amendment, right?

Do you sense the sarcasm in my voice? I hope so. I'm laying it on pretty thick.

But I'll leave this short. Hope you're all doing well and GO YANKEES!

A Draw and a Locked Door

So today was an interesting day for lots of reasons.

First, we had a rally near the capitol building to protest Bush's overtime pay cuts. After standing at the intersection and urging drivers to honk (which many did), we marched two blocks north to the Iowa Republican Party Headquarters. As we approached, I noticed someone inside peeking out of a window as we chanted.

Once we parked in front of headquarters, we started chanting, "Hey hey, ho ho, George Bush has got to go."

We tried to go to the front door to deliver letters from union members protesting the pay cut - and found a locked door.

Neat.

So we chanted some more. They were nervous. We kept chanting. Then we tried to deliver the box to the other front door (don't ask, apparently there was need for two). And again, they wouldn't answer. So we chanted some more. After a while, we decided to disperse, but not without leaving this present for them on their front lawn:



Then it was back to the office for mailings and more work. It was then that I noticed that I had blisters on my index fingers from all the copying I did. Who knew pulling stacks of warm copies would do that? Then again, I made something like 11,000+ copies. Oy.

So instead of going to the pub with the party for the debate, we opted for Judy's house to enjoy margaritas, stuffing envelopes, and (this was the most brilliant idea I've ever had) the debate on one tv and another on top with the Yankees game on mute.

Brilliant.

The game wasn't so brilliant, but the debate was interesting. Lots of folks have called me or emailed to get my thoughts. So here they are:

Overall, I think it was a great debate - Cheney is really hard to pin down and I think Edwards did a good job of holding his own.

The only thing that I can really pull out of it is the fact that Cheney is a stronger debater (candidate even) than Bush himself. Which causes one to wonder again about the puppet master thing. I think Cheney was an incredibly strong debater, he was wrong on a couple of things, and Edwards is a charming, charismatic guy who was able to smile his way through some of it, but also was able to do the Clinton “feel your pain” thing.

If I was scoring, I’d call it a draw. Kerry/Edwards still has the advantage since he obliterated Bush in the first debate, but this thing is going to get very interesting come Friday. Both of them did a good job of sticking to message and trading jabs last night, I’d say it’s hard to distinguish a clear winner when the dust settled. I think Cheney scored on the foreign side, Edwards on the domestic, but that was to be expected. There were some surprise shots in there. But there were also a lot of fuzzy facts thrown in.

But here was the one thing I could pick out, despite being distracted at times by the game - and I think Jessi Klein put it brilliantly in her debate blog on CNN:

"I respect Cheney's response about not having further political aspirations beyond being vice president, and that is an advantage in terms of not having any further political agenda beyond the care of this country. But...he already is the president, no?"

I'm not going to do what I usually do, which is rant endlessly about the debates, I think this was a good debate that showed two strong candidates. And I think that the Friday debate will be a very interesting show, indeed. So tune in.

Also, I put a link on the left there for my friend, Ludovic. Check him out, he's got some good stuff to say.

As a random side note, has anyone else noticed the abnormally large Adam's apple that Ann Coulter seems to have? Good call, Megan. Yes, we are aware we are saying she might be a man, baby. And wouldn't that just be the kind of October surprise this celebrity-craved nation needs?

Comments

Okay, I finally was able to change one of my settings so that now anyone can comment, you don't need to sign up.

All the pressure, people. The peer pressure needs to stop.

Thanks to Megan, or PD, for the technical help. Until tonight's debate...

Paper Cuts and Birthdays

I stood at a copier for over seven hours today.

I never want to work at Kinko's. I would not heart inhaling that much toner everyday.

P.S. my digital camera is still being an ignorant poop, so I had to find this picture. Not neat.

But today is Jessica's birthday (she's the boss of me for anyone who is just tuning into this blog). So we had not one, but two cakes, and we're about to go grab a drink at our favorite bar, Lucky's. Oh boy. Crab Rangoon, here we come!

But it's better than the last birthday we had, which was Cindy's, a woman who works here. We were convinced it was her birthday. We made a card for her and everything and I went to deliver it to her and she looked at it and said, "Happy birthday? Happy birthday? It's not my birthday."

Silence.

My coherent answer: "Um, are you sure?"

Her answer? "Yes."

So to make a long story short, we read her information wrong. Her birthday was in March. She registered to vote on September 30, 198something. So instead of reading DOB, we read DOR.

We laughed and had a cake. After all, shouldn't we all celebrate the day we register to vote? Of course, I can't remember mine, but oh well.

We're awesome.

Snapping out of my pensive place...

So okay. The Embassy Suites has officially fixed my door.

But perplexing as it is, I haven't received the "Embassy Touch" (don't ask, that's what they call it), meaning that I haven't received turn-down service since the night that I called in to complain the second time about the door.

I'm confused by our hotel.

But I have also added a link to another blog of my good friend, Michael, in the sidebar. So go visit when you can. He's got the cutest story about his class's picture day (awww, remember those days?) and about how they were urging each other to vote for Kerry. See, even kids get it. Even they are engaged. Which is funny because I sometimes think they can read better than our President but at least they use words he can understand easily.

But I'm psyched because it is officially October and you know what that means...

...Yankee time.

Did you have the impression I was talking about the election? Well, of course there's that. But I'm excited because not only did we score bigger than anticipated last Thursday, it's the playoffs.

So the official word is in, we kicked major butt in the debate, and while everyone is worried about the "Gore effect" where he won the first debate but had his lead erased in a few days, I think this one is going to stick. And while I've already trounced the validity of certain polls, it's good to know that they're moving again in our direction, but here's where I think the first debate made a difference: people are now once again engaged in this election and many of them are going to tune into the next three debates - many of the undecided voters are going to listen in again. So that's positive in the sense that people are really paying attention.

And that's where we'll get 'em.

Meanwhile, I found this amusing quote on CNN a few days ago when the House defeated the ridiculous "let's put discrimination boldly into the Constitution" amendment:

"This is only the beginning, I'm telling you," said Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, stressing that the issue was too important to abandon. "Marriage is the basic unit of society, the very DNA of civilization, and if that civilization is to endure, marriage must be protected," he said.

That's their argument, but this time, instead of refuting that claim with hardcore facts, I think we should just flash this picture:



Mmmmhmmm. This is the future of the DNA of civilization, Tom. Do you want your future to be based on a girl and her carnie?

Didn't think so.

I think we could end the argument right there.

Lately, I've found that Sundays are my favorite days out here for many reasons, but mostly because we take it easier on Sundays than other days. But I know I've gotta enjoy them while I can because I have a feeling that come tomorrow, our nice Sundays might be taken from us. Hell, we're at 31 days out. But here's why I enjoy them:

1. I get a couple of hours to myself on Sunday, which means lounging around in sweats, maybe a nap, maybe even lucky enough to catch a Yankees game on the 5 channels we get in the hotel. Damn hellfire and raining chiggers if I can't at least get to see part of the playoffs.

2. We usually take some time in the evening to play poker. Tonight, I'm learning how to knit. Who says we don't know how to relax in the midst of campaigns?

3. HBO. Not only is it "Da Ali G Show" that keeps us entertained, it's "Family Bonds" night, as well. And in many ways, not only is it my chance to connect with New York again, it will also help me get over my missing New York. I mean, with quotes from the show such as, "You know why he looks up to me? Because I'm not a little bitch," I will most certainly remember why I enjoy being in a state where they actually wave hello to you from their cars in the morning commute.

So I'm off to enjoy my day before it gets down to the wire. Hope you're all doing well.

Sigh. Sometimes you just gotta miss it...

Okay, I admit it.

I know I've been gone for something only like three weeks, but I've been so busy and enjoying my time here to really give it much thought.

Until, of course, we got home at a decent hour one night this week and "Sex and the City" was on.

That did it for me. Ever since, I've been thinking about New York City and dreaming about the fall in Upstate New York. I miss Syracuse every fall, but this year, I also have to add missing the City.

Though I am finding enjoyment in Iowa, this is the truth: there is no place like New York, no matter where you go.

So for the past few days, I've just been thinking about the crisp fall air, the sounds of the city, the places, the family, the friends... damn you, "Sex and the City." I guess that deep down I knew it would happen eventually, just didn't expect the longing for home to hit so quickly and so deeply. This is my most favorite time of the year - and especially in New York.

I mean, look at this and tell me you wouldn't miss it:


Doesn't help that it's not only dry as hell here, but that the temperature dropped dramatically yesterday. Woke up to a 30 degree morning when it was a gorgeous day the day before. Yeah, need my fleece and my closed-toed shoes.

In many ways, it's probably better that I'm here - the excitement is starting to build - and leaving Seattle after watching news reports of another potential, though not as bad in the past, Mt. St. Helens eruption is probably for the better.

But yesterday, I couldn't get this image out of my head:


And that's Green Lakes! I seriously never thought I'd ever miss that place, but I also never thought I'd end up in Des Moines for a little over a month in my life.

Another factor is that everyone here, once they find out that I'm from New York, insist on asking me about 9/11, which I surprisingly don't mind too much about. I mean, we all have stories, but if they want my unique perspective of what it was like, then I am all to happy to tell them about it. The fascinating thing that I find out by talking to them, though, is that while they have some sense of what it must have been like for us that day, they have even less of a sense of what it felt like to experience that compassion and love from the months afterwards - until, of course, our President decided to invade Iraq.

Basically, they are stuck on the tragedy end of it, which we all are, but it seems that we have found a way to move on.... well, our survival and mental states were dependant on us finding a way to move on.

The most fascinating thing is that they sometimes seem surprised at how positive I end the conversation. They seem to want something out of me that I frankly cannot give anymore because that feeling of dread, of sadness, was sucked out of me. So instead of being defensive about it, instead of telling them what happened, I explain to them what I've learned - I think we all have learned something, but in these discussions, I've found that there is a huge difference between those of us who lived through it directly and continued to live and work amongst it, and continue to every day. That's something they cannot immediately grasp. And though I was somewhat rattled at first, I am only too happy to give my account of things.

But I honestly didn't think that in all that talk over the past weeks would make me yearn suddenly for home.

Sigh.

I'll bet Karl Rove is mighty pissed...

I mean, look at him. It would be funny until I remembered that he's actually our presdient. If I were Karl Rove, I would be pissed after last night.

They've been saying it was an important night. So important, it brought up images of Saratoga, Gettysburg, Yoko Ono - and all of those other important events that have "turned the tide." Yet, despite the historical significance the media continues to place on last night's debate, I think we had ourselves a very good debate.

And I'm pleased as punch that it seems that many agree with me: John Kerry was pretty effective in beginning to turn the tide.

My favorite moments of the debate for each of that candidates break down like this:

Kerry: "Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama Bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us."
Bush: "I know Osama Bin Laden attacked us."

Oh good, I was wondering about that.

Bush: "Of course we're after Saddam Hussein -- I mean bin Laden."

Hmmm, very telling.

Kerry: "Well, you know, when I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse? I believe that when you know something's going wrong, you make it right. That's what I learned in Vietnam. When I came back from that war I saw that it was wrong. Some people don't like the fact that I stood up to say no, but I did. And that's what I did with that vote. And I'm going to lead those troops to victory."

How about when Bush told everyone that he was "trying to put a leash" on his daughters?

Kerry's response: "Well, I know. I've learned not to do that, Mr. President."

And the key line from Kerry: "It's one thing to be certain, but you can be certain and be wrong."

You know whom I feel sorry for? Karen Hughes - because she has to spin it that Bush actually won the debate.

Anyone watching will most likely agree: Kerry wiped the floor with Bush.

I haven't seen the president look that uncomfortable since the "what have you done wrong" question. In fact, he looked more than annoyed and frustrated last night - he seemed very out of it. There was that one time he used his 30 second rebuttal and just stared at the camera.

In fact, this is kind of what it sounded like to me:

Kerry: "The president has mislead us into fighting a war that was not the focus of our war on terror."
Bush: "What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "He has allowed nations to actually build up their nuclear arms."
Bush: "No I haven't. What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "I have been consistent in my position that we did not have a plan to win the peace."
Bush: "I don't agree in an International Criminal Court."
Kerry: "He lost sight of Osama Bin Laden."
Bush: "What kind of message does that send?"
Kerry: "You can be certain and wrong."
Bush: "... um ... I don't know exactly what he meant. But I know what's wrong and right. God talks directly to me. So that's why you should vote for me. Vociferously."

Okay, some points for using an SAT word, but other than that, I'd say that Bush was looking a little haggard afterwards.

Look at the body language here:



That's our president after knowing he's just been served.

The excitement at Wellmann's Pub last night was pretty heady. Governor Vilsak afterwards echoed the sentiments of John Edwards: "We just saw the President of the United States - and it was John Kerry."

Let's hope the voters agree. I'm happy that the race is now, more than ever, in swing - and keep tellling your friends to vote and to register friends of yours that aren't. John Kerry showed last night that he's ready to be the president we deserve - and he deserves all the help we can give him.

Back to fun stories tomorrow. Until then, be well.