Just Because It's INCREDIBLY Funny

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Evening trivia question

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

What do Robert F. Kennedy and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue have in common?

(And it's got nothing to do with RFK stadium in DC).

Christmas Vacation

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

The Obama family will be taking their Christmas vacation in the Hawaiian Islands. And I can't think of anyone who deserves a vacation more. Normally, at the end of a long campaign, the candidates (win or lose) take at least a few days off, if not a few weeks. But President-elect Obama hit the ground running.

It's unlikely that President Obama will take an unwieldy amount of vacation time.

In case you are interested:

Carter - 79 vacation days in 4 years
Clinton - 199 vacation days in 8 years
Reagan - 335 vacation days in 8 years (that's almost a whole year!)
Papa Bush - 543 days in 4 years

Winner - Baby Bush - Depending on how you count it, could be something like 900 days...

How about you?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Morning Trivia Answer

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

The answer to this morning's question is that all turned down the salary for their current elected position. Schwarzenegger and Bredesen accept no salary, and Corzine and Bloomberg each earn $1/year.

Morning Trivia

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Besides the fact that they are all male elected officials, what do the following four men have in common?

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R - Governor of California)
Phil Bredesen (D - Governor of Tennessee)
Jon Corzine (D - Governor of New Jersey)
Michael Bloomberg (I - Mayor of New York City)

Answer at lunch time.

Lunchtime Trivia

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Come January, how many states will have all-Democratic Congressional delegations? (Both House and Senate)

How many states will have all-Republican Congressional delegations? (Both House and Senate)

For true political junkies: name them!

Lunchtime Trivia

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Ben Smith is reporting on the write-ins on the Florida ballots.

Hillary won with 234.

Here is the list of those who received one vote each: Abstain, Against All, Alfred E. Newman, Bill Clinton, Bill O'Riely, Bill Richardson, Bobby Bowden, Bugs Bunny, May the best man win, Me, Morgan Freeman, Mr. Bill, Newt Gingwrich, None (Anarchy), Oprah, Pat Buchannan, Ralph Nader, Hilary Bush, Homer Simpson, Jay Plotkin, Jimmy Carter, Joe the Plumber, John Doe, Lieberman, Theodore Roosevelt, They Both Suck '08, Tiger Woods, Tommy Chong, Truman, Weird Al Yancovic, William Crosby and Willie Nelson.

I love democracy...

365/24/7

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

What do those numbers mean?

That Democrats will work hard all year, all day, and all week, to make this country a better place? Well, as Earl might say, there's some karma runnin' around:

Number of Electoral Votes won by Barack Obama: 365
Number of GOP House seats won by Democrats: 24
Number of GOP Senate seats won by Democrats: 7

And what, you might ask, happens if we win in Minnesota or Georgia?

Nothing is ever lost or wasted...

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

I'm a Dave Barry fan. Have been for many years. In his seminal work Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys, he reprinted a column he had written earlier on the Lawn Ranger precision power lawn mower drill team. If you've never read Dave Barry, it pays to start now.

Why do I bring this up?

Because yesterday, Ben Smith had this, from Dave Barry:

Today I received an email from Lawn Rangers co-founder Pat Monahan, with a photograph taken in 2003 when the Rangers marched in the Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade. Joining them on this occasion was an up-and-coming Illinois state senator, seen here participating in the rigorous rookie-training program.

Catching up on Old Scandals

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Scandal 1: Mark Foley. You remember him, as a Congressman, he sent lewd e-mails to underage pages. Here's his quote from today:

"A pedophile is somebody who is having sex with a prepubescent person. I mean, that is an outrage to be called that."

Call me old-fashioned, but if you're a 13-year-old POST-pubescent girl or boy, I'm thinking it's still pedophilia, or at least should still be illegal.

Scandal 2: From USA Today, 12 November, page A3: "A federal task force that wrestled nearly a year on ways to help passengers delayed for hours on planes parked on tarmacs has finalized its recommendations, and none require airlines and airports to do anything."

If you've ever spent a few hours on the tarmac, you know EXACTLY how I felt reading that.

Scandal 3: Remember Scooter Libby? Sure you do. Chris Matthews mentioned in passing last night that Baby Bush has 69 days to fully pardon Scooter. Bush commuted the 30 month sentence, but that's not a full pardon. So here goes:

Online Surveys & Market Research

Banks and the Bailout

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

This is a copy of the form that banks need to fill out to get some of the bailout money, courtesy of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

I don't pretend to understand all the information they're looking for, but is it just me, or have you filled out car loan applications with more questions? Not to mention mortgage applications.

What do Bush and Obama have in common?

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

They both had the honor of debating Alan Keyes.

Two Numbers

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

According to Ambinder, including robocalls, the McCain campaign/RNC reached 30 million voters.

He continues that, using live people, the Obama campaign/DNC reached 68 million.

I have no idea about the validity of the Republican number, but I do know, because I ran a call center, that for a 5 township area, 176 people made slightly 24,410 phone calls from Saturday through Election Day. Therefore, I'm thinking the Democratic number is low!

To all of you who made phone calls, knocked doors, brought food to the sites, and got your people out to the polls: THANK YOU!!! It cannot be said enough -- this would have not been possible without your efforts.

Lunchtime Trivia and Poll Question

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

President-elect Obama promised his girls a puppy. Of all the public promises and proclamations ever made by a politician, this one is one no parent would break.

So what kind of dog should the Obama’s get? Use the comments for breeds and potential names. CNN already took "A pit bull named Lipstick.”

Personally, I’m thinking a hybrid vigor shelter dog. It would bring to light the plight of shelter dogs: millions are killed every year because homes cannot be found for them. In addition, whenever a dog becomes “popular”, like Dalmatians did after the movie 101 Dalmatians, many people go out and get them, they are over bred, and many end up in shelters. It is a great way to merge political action with doing what is right.

SHAMELESS PLUG: My personal favourite charity is Best Friends. You can give money, or take a working vacation there. And yes, Olivia was a rescue. I got her at 11 weeks, 5 pounds, having been kicked so badly she only walked on 3 legs. (She's been running since the day she got here, popped the femoral head right back where it belonged.)

BONUS TRIVIA: According to USA Today (6 November, page 4B) look for the following brands to become popular, based on Obama family preferences:

Hart Schaffner Marx suits
J. Crew clothing
Planters Trail Mix – Nuts, Seeds and Raisins
Black Forest Berry Honest Tea
Nicorette
Ford Escape Hybrid
Basketball

Corrupt Juror

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

As usual, I wish I could make this stuff up.

Remember the Stevens juror who left deliberations because her father died? Well, not true. She didn't want to deliberate, and besides, she had tickets to a horse race in California.

Click here.

For True Political Junkies Only

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

If you saw this subject line in your inbox, would you groan or rush to open it?

Marist Poll: Matchups for the 2012 Presidential Election - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For me, no question. I am so on it....

Unfortunately, here was the email:

Did you really open this email?!
Haven't you had enough?!

You'll be hearing from us soon...but, not this soon.

Best wishes,
Your friends at The Marist Poll

First Job of the President-Elect

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Today, President-elect Obama received his first Daily Intelligence Briefing. The official name is the President's Daily Brief. The way it works is that it's a BRIEFING, but the President can ask for additional information. He can also hear the reports, or read the reports, or ask for stills/video. He can also request information on additional areas.

For the next 75 days (until Inauguration Day, aka "End of an Error") both President-elect Obama, and Baby Bush will have access to identical information.

So, a few things come to mind. I can only imagine what each of the two men want: how much detail? Read himself, or be read to? Words or pictures? While the PDB is serious stuff, and I do not for a New York second discount its criticality: folks, its nickname is the I-N-T-E-L-L-I-G-E-N-C-E briefing.

Does anyone else see the humour potential besides me?

Monday Night Football & the Presidential Election

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

A Reason to Root for the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Here's a good reason to have the NFL game on in your campaign office tonight: the Washington Redskins are playing, and the Redskins have proven to be good predictors of presidential elections.

Dating back to 1936 (when the team was still in Boston), the Redskins have had the uncanny knack for predicting national election outcomes by virtue of the performance on the field.

Here's how it works: if the Redskins win the last home game held before the presidential election, the incumbent party retains the White House (this year that's obviously McCain). If the Redskins lose, the challenging party (Obama) wins. And tonight, the Redskins host the Steelers in Washington on Monday Night Football.

In 17 of the past 18 elections, this has held to be true. The lone exception is the 2004 election, when the Packers beat the Redskins at home. However, in my mind, this only further proves that Ohio was rigged and George W. Bush stole the election in 2004. I'm just sayin'...

And of course if the Redskins win, I will completely disavow this post as rubbish on Tuesday morning.

Public Service Announcement

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

If you live in an affected area, please remember:

Spring ahead
Fall back

Change your clocks before you go to bed tonight.

TV Alert

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Senator Obama on The Rachel Maddow Show
9 p.m. Eastern, tonight, on MSNBC