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Top 10 Reasons To Vote For Obama

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

For a while, we tried to remain balanced, nitpicking each party's candidates with snarky attacks.

Then John McCain's campaign took a horrendous turn. It wasn't just on the strategic end, although that's what doomed him; rather, there seemed to be a point where he said, "I used to be the type who didn't stoop so low. Now I realize I can't win any other way" or "I want to win so badly I have temporarily lost control of my convictions."

And that's where Obama stepped in.

Now, Obama's no saint, but the reason it was so hard to trash him throughout this campaign is that he made few glaring missteps. Even the missteps the media reported on were exaggerated or the work of some other member of the campaign (yeah, we mean you, Joe Biden), and ultimately, we grew bored with covering the contest. It had been easy to pick on Clinton, Kucinich, Romney, and Bob Dole (man, we miss '96-- that dude was constant comedy.) But once Obama and McCain stepped into the ring this summer, all the drama seemed to fall away. It was like two fighters whose eyes sagged and their trainers had to slap them around: "Hey, go out and get 'em, it's not over yet!" But from then on, it was only potshots (William Ayers = yawn) and the usual droning putdowns ("see, this is a fundamental difference between blah blah blah...")

Ironically, just as everyone seemed to get terribly excited about the race, we lost all interest in it. And it wasn't just because Obama was on a clear path to victory. It just saddened us to watch McCain's desperation grow more and more pathetic and his rhetoric become more hollow with every "my friends" and "Joe the Plumber" reference. McCain entered the campaign as one of the most popular politicians in the country, with a near 70% national approval rating. He leaves it having done a complete 180-degree about-face into irrelevance.

Well, were there 10 examples enough in there? If not, here's our Top 10 Reasons To Vote For Barack Obama Today (assuming you haven't voted already and aren't able to have a Diebold machine and reverse your vote):

10. Obama has energized young people like never before. And studies show young people are better informed on the issues than the over 30 crowd.

9. Even Stephen Colbert had to sort of "break character" and endorse Obama. Yep, it was necessary.

8. A Missouri newspaper, which had called the civil rights marchers "Negro trash" in a front page headline in 1963, endorsed Barack Obama yesterday. If Obama can't help solve the still-lingering racial issues in our union, no one can.

7. After eight years of the worst President in American history, Ralph Nader would be welcome. But you know who wouldn't? A guy who promises to continue the policies of that worst President.

6. After eight years of the worst speaker in Presidential history, a guy who gets knocked for his "good speeches" by a Vice Presidential candidate who ~~doesn't even know what the fuck she's talking about~~ (excuse me, that was impolite) doesn't even know what a Vice President does is going to be much more tolerable.

5. Don't believe the McCain spin: Barack Obama is going to cut taxes on the middle class. He has to-- he knows that not only would conservatives call him on it, but liberals would be right there with them. He won't take away your guns either, unless you own rocket launchers and intend to use them.

4. Because he picked a gaffe-laden candidate with a good heart and the right experience to balance the ticket, while the other guy picked the very personification of a gaffe, a Governor with a thirst for vendettas, love of the worst kind of discourse, and relishes lying in a way that would warm the heart of Richard Nixon.

3. Healthcare for many Americans vs. healthcare for the rich. Social security vs. privitization. Tax cuts for the middle class or a soaring national debt. War in Iran vs. better diplomacy first. Hope vs. cynicism. Experience vs. Ineptness.

2. Sarah Palin. It bears repeating. There is little doubt she will be President before 2012 if McCain is elected. That alone would disqualify her ticket from getting a vote, no matter which party it comes from.

1. We need you. This is a personal plea from all of us. We don't care if you're in Nevada, Oregon, Montana, or here in New York, where Obama will "win anyway." You have nothing better to do today, and that includes eating, working, and using the restroom. That's no joke. And damn it, you get free Ben & Jerry's-- and since you have to vote to get it, it might as well be for someone who at least seems to care about us, no matter what else you think about him. The same can't be said for the other names on the ballot...

That is all. Now go.

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Vote Girl: Disenfranchised

Emily Farris — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:51:00 GMT

If you noticed my absence yesterday, it was because I flew to Missouri early in the morning to do some book publicity throughout the week and hopefully some GOTV around election day.

Considering I was going to be here on November 4, I stopped by the Brooklyn office of the New York State Board of Elections the day before I left to cast an early vote for Barack Obama. I was really, really excited. Not only is voting a pretty emotional experience for me, but for the first time (save voting for a local public advocate candidate) I was going to vote for someone I really believed in, someone who really inspired me.

New York state allows early voting. One simply goes to the Board of Elections in his or her borough, fills out an application for an absentee ballot and is given the ballot on the spot to fill out. I did this in 2004 (I was in Ohio getting out the vote) and though the process was a little tedious, it seemed like an okay system to me. I voted and was on my way to Ohio, bright eyed and bushy tailed, thinking I was going to save the world with my GOTV super powers.

Fast forward four years. I'm not exactly working so hard to save the world, but I am working. So Monday I went into the board of elections around 5 p.m. to vote.

Except, I didn't get to.

There were more people than I expected. How exciting, I thought, all of these people have turned out to vote early. But all of these people were people who'd been waiting there all day. The entire state voter database, apparently, was down.

I panicked. If I couldn't vote today, I couldn't vote. I hadn't filed for an absentee ballot and there was no way I could make it back to New York in time for election day. But I figured I'd try to play it cool, if I wanted someone to help me in the final hour, I needed to be nice, and calm. I put my name on the waiting list (#105), took my application for an absentee ballot and a clip board and sat down.

People were buzzing around. Some worked for the Board of Elections and were trying to calm down potential voters who'd been waiting hours to vote. Others were making announcements to the crowd that the entire system was down and there was nothing they could do.

The clock was ticking. The office closed at 9 and I had some place to be at 7:30.

I very calmly approached the desk and asked if I could just have my absentee ballot and take it with me.

"The system is down."

"Right, but can't I just get my ballot?"

It turned out that unlike on election day, when all of the voter information is printed in books and voters are crossed off after they vote, if you vote early in New York, your information has to be pulled from the database... the computer. With the computers down, there was no way they could pull up my identifying information, there was no way they could confirm if I was a registered voter and there was nothing to prevent me from filling out an ballot here (except that the system was down) and then showing up on election day to vote again.

I tried to look up my voter identification number on my phoneputer, but I, too, was told the database was down. I wondered if this would not have been a problem if I actually carried around my voter registration card.

"Well, can I fill out an affadavit ballot?"

"Nope, that's only available on election day."

"Well, can I leave my application here and can you mail me my ballot?"

"No, you need to mail in your application."

"Yeah, but I'm here and it's here and it's filled out and it's supposed to come here anyway."

"Yes, but it needs to be postmarked."

I was starting to lose my cool. As were some other people in the crowd. One very large man, whose neck fat had worn the edges off of his collar, was pacing and sweating and asking more questions than I was. He looked like he'd come from a very stressful day on Wall Street and this obviously wasn't helping matters.

Another woman was yelling at the clerk. "If I'd have known I was going to wait three hours I'd have gone shopping and had some dinner!"

As much as I wanted to yell, I did what I do best, what I did every semester in the financial aid office: I got weepy. I went to the desk and put on my best (and very earnest) sad face.

"Hi, I understand there's nothing you can do about the computers, but I leave tomorrow at 7 a.m. and I can't not vote in this election. I just can't. It means too much to me. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't vote."

The woman told me to speak to the supervisor. I gave the exact same spiel. She told me she'd take my application, enter it when the system was back up, and mail a ballot to my mom's house.

I'll believe it when I see it.

In the mean time, watch this:

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Wired Magazine Tracking Real-Time Voter Fraud... So You Know Where To Not Vote

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:42:00 GMT

Pictures of "fraud" are boring... so we went with this one instead. Sue us.

Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada and other early-voting states are already tilting the election toward Obama... as long as the machines register their votes, of course.

Seriously, though, this year we'll be able to watch our votes disappear in real time, thanks to Wired's awesome new interactive map...

You can check out the map here... when you do, note the following interesting complaints:

1) A voter in Chicago complains he was challenged by an inspector and asked for proof of residence at the poll.
2) Long lines at the North Miami Public Library.
3) Incorrect votes recorded in Nevada (people-- make sure to double-check your selections, it can't hurt to spend an extra thirty seconds in that booth.)

Also note the map is just getting underway... it will likely be chock full of chaos within the next week...

Have you voted yet? Let us know if you saw or experienced anything unusual, in the comments. ("There was a black man on the ballot!" does not count.)

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We Love Wilco and Voting, And So Can You!

Emily Farris — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:07:00 GMT

You may not know that we're huge, huge Wilco fans. We may or may not have Wilco lyrics tattooed on the back of our neck and Scanner Emily and Scanner Brian may or may not have kind-of sort-of met over a Wilco ticket via Craigslist. We snuck back from camp to see them one night and drove back the same night (6 hours each way). We've even seen them in Amsterdam. If Jeff Tweedy wanted to put a baby in us, we would most definitely let him.

Now, if it's possible, we love them even more, because we also love voting.

Our Favorite Band Ever covered Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" with Fleet Foxes at a show recently, and they're offering a free download for anyone who pledges to vote in the 2008 Presidential Election.

Pretty sweet deal, right?

Right.

It's simple. All you have to do is go here and pledge to vote. Within 30 seconds you'll have the zip file in your inbox. And it's worth it, or so we like to think. And it's virus free. We promise. We're still here, aren't we? Actually, we're here in sweet, sweet musical bliss.

[Wilcoworld via BoingBoing]

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