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London Zoo: [Closed] The US Election Thread: One Week Out

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  1.  (4005.101)
    Fun with McCain's site....



    and everyone's favorite...


    Perhaps you can have some fun with it. Make your sign here...
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008 edited
     (4005.102)
    Remember -- this was the LAST BIG PUSH -- the last chance for Obama to introduce himself to those undecided low-info voters and he did it in a way that was un-condescending -- and while the message was aimed at them and crafted towards them, it was also very genuine. I think maybe some of the people who potentially could be swayed, if they watched, might have been reassured that it's alright to vote for "That One".

    I hope so.

    This ad falls in line with Obama's strategy of pushing his message to the very end, taking nothing for granted and not giving up on any voter who could be on the fence. No coasting, no long in-held breath waiting for election results on Tuesday, but campaigning until the very last minute.

    On Monday, I'll be going around putting some kind of door-hanger reminded to vote on Obama supporters doors, in the nearby small town of Reed City, Michigan. We're doing it in shifts and mine is on Monday, but some will be doing get-out-the-vote work even on election day.
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.103)
    @Sara
    Well, out here, in the woods of Michigan, I only get 4 stations, including PBS (which didn't air it because they don't sell commercial time) -- cable isn't even available here.

    Obviously other, more populated, areas will have more stations, but some of those will likely be repeats (additional CBS, NBC and FOX stations), so there should have been more than three channels airing it in most places.

    Anyway -- I hope it works. I think it was worth a try.
  4.  (4005.104)
    This is incredibly tempting... anyone up for an Electoral College Pool? Slate's scoring system seems good enough, it'd keep a blowout interesting.
    • CommentAuthorKosmopolit
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.105)
    The other problem for McCain with the "tightening" story is that 10 million Americans have already voted.

    Democratic early voters outnumber Republicans in key states, according to incomplete election statistics, suggesting a surprising break from traditional trends, said analyst.

    Just a week before a historic Election Day, registered Democrats in North Carolina are out-voting Republicans by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, according to official election statistics.

    The state is seen as a crucial battleground for Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.

    The turnout by Democrats also appears to be higher in at least two other battleground states, Colorado and Nevada, whose electoral votes could make the difference for either White House hopeful.

    As of Tuesday, at least 9,813,052 ballots had been cast in 31 states that allow early, in-person or absentee voting without having to provide an excuse. The figures are based on reports from state election officials.


    A record-breaking 33 percent of all U.S. voters are expected to cast ballots early this year, said James Hicks of the Oregon-based Early Voting Center, a nonpartisan voter tracking group affiliated with the Pew Charitable Trust.

    Hicks, who's been working long hours through a "blur of numbers and charts" as November 4 approaches, said this year's turnout is "astronomical" and a high Democratic turnout would be "very unusual."

    "It's just not historically what we've seen -- to have very high levels of Democratic turnout," said Hicks, a self-described election geek. "Traditionally we see white, older, wealthier people turning out for the early vote, and this time we're seeing Democrats, we're seeing minorities -- clearly there are some changes in the demography of early voting."
  6.  (4005.106)
    Posted on Youtube, here it is:

  7.  (4005.107)
    It's an infomercial, but it's very well produced. Some of the music is heartstring-pulling, and some of it could be right out of The West Wing, which I think is kind of the point; this video is there to make the point on an emotional level to people who are effected by that sort of thing. The down-home storytelling, the presentation of Obama as an emotionally accessible problem solver; these seem to be the key points.

    I've been very interested to see what the Obama camp would produce, from an academic standpoint as well as a voter (I work as a video editor). It reminds me of some of the better DVD featurettes - The Obama Campaign DVD featurette. The shots of Obama with his family remind me of Spike Jonze's tragically-unused Al Gore documentary.

    My favorite shot in the video happens around 25'23" to 25'27," a shot of Obama from behind as he steps forward, at first blown out by stage lights; the shot slowed down; a visual metaphor that epitomizes the Obama campaign narrative that identifies Obama as a light in the current darkness. As a visual metaphor, it's quite good.

    As for reality, well, it's 30 minute advertisement, isn't it?
    • CommentAuthorStefanJ
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.108)
    An infomercial, but a lot of people watch those things, and they must be effective for a certain audience because they keep making them.

    A lot of folks who are undecided or leaning McCain might watch this out of curiosity, or to see if he whips out a turban and cackle triumphantly about the Jihad. I think they'll come away less skittery.

    You know, it's going to be really nice to have a president that isn't a fucking idiot.
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.109)
    @StefanJ
    "You know, it's going to be really nice to have a president that isn't a fucking idiot. "

    Keep your fingers crossed... and don't forget to vote. I can think of little worse than for McCain to get in (bad enough), then the old guy have a heart attack or something and leave us with Palin, who makes Bush look like a MENSA member, in comparison.
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.110)
    @blake peterson
    I've never seen the Spike Jonze Gore documentary -- why wasn't it used?

    Yeah I caught the moment you mentioned -- really good visual symbolism. And yeah - -the music was a little West Wing-y and I doubt that was a coincidence.
    • CommentAuthorelricj
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.111)
    For a few weeks I've been just hoping nothing crazy happens. I've been trying to avoid some of the politico hoo-ha, because I felt myself starting to be angry instead of anything else.
  12.  (4005.112)
    @mlpeters:

    Apparently, it was deemed too "intimate" by the chuckleheads running Gore's campaign. No doubt the same people who thought he should be less funny, renounce all the Clinton-era accomplishments and cite more statistics in his speeches.

    Part 1:

    Part 2:
    •  
      CommentAuthorMatt_r
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.113)
    is anyone else like me and just wants to VOTE already? I swear the biggest reaction I have is I no longer care who does what or says what. I have formed my opinion already and am ready to get this thing over with.
  14.  (4005.114)
    No early voting where you're at Matt? If there is, seriously takes like twenty minutes max.
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008
     (4005.115)
    @orwellseyes

    I'm glad you posted links to the Gore video so some people here can watch -- I'm stuck with dial-up, out here in the land that broadband forgot:)

    I think I remember hearing something about the Gore video back around that election -- maybe just after. Gore needed something intimate to show to the people, to counter his "stiff" image and everyone wanting to have a beer (non-alcoholic, or otherwise) with Bush. If the video had brought Gore just a few more votes in key states...

    Gore's biggest problem was all the sometimes contradictory advice given to him by his advisers (probably including Tipper, who I suspect really disliked Bill Clinton) -- and like a smart but awkward and unpopular nerdy kid in high school, he listened too damned much to such advice. I'm glad Obama is more self-assured and self-possessed.

    I voted for Gore, of course, as did most Americans. We should never forget the stolen election of 2000.
    • CommentAuthormlpeters
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2008 edited
     (4005.116)
    There's no early voting here, either, except absentee -- and you need proof you're going to be away, or are ill, or over 65...

    I still care, though -- too damned much. I want this election over with, so hopefully I can breathe a sigh of relief that President-Elect Obama will soon be steering America back into saner waters... or that I should start planning for an escape to Canada...

    Right now, this election has me on edge at all times and has since somewhere in the primaries. In some ways I've been on edge for most of the past (nearly) eight years and I don't think I'm alone in that.
  17.  (4005.117)
    Florydeans buying guns in case Obama wins and makes it harder to buy guns:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71Do4Fj8XU

    It's not too unreasonable, but still odd.
  18.  (4005.118)
    Well, I voted. Mail-in ballots are so damn easy.
    • CommentAuthorE0157H7
    • CommentTimeOct 30th 2008
     (4005.119)
    Somehow, actually going out and voting seems more satisfying. I don't know why for sure, but I think that it's just because it feels more decisive. If what the last eight years needs, it's a succinct and final gesture, a metaphorical slamming shut of the book. I'd be really satisfied with a loud punching mechanism and a ballot on thick cardstock that gave an appreciable amount of tactile feedback and noise when operated.
  20.  (4005.120)
    @ScottS Steal a McCain sign? Get shot.

    Not Guilty my ass.

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