Scott VanDenPlas

It’s that time of year, the congressional break… where our highly respected representatives in Congress come home to their district to be screamed at by angry coordinated mobs of republican operatives, attempting to manipulate the true sentiment of the American people. The sad truth is that things like this are highly effective. They are dramatic, they make the news, everyone sees them. It is somewhat brilliant actually. It got me thinking, what could stop these manipulative astroturf GOP hate mobs?

And the answer is very simple: join them.

The idea is this: you take the hate, you take the rage, and you take that mob right into crazy town. Imagine the following scenario. You are at a townhall meeting with your congressional representative. A mob of rage just floods into the room, and they start screaming about socialized medicine, the government putting its greedy inefficient hands on our precious insurance companies, and all of us drowning in taxes. This is your time to shine, and you join right in. Here are a few suggestions of what you can yell out:

“Why aren’t we investigating the Jews and their connection to 9/11?”
“It just isn’t right, our founding fathers were white and we are white, how can this African citizen claim to run our country?”
“Obama is a racist, this is just another attack on white america!”
“Why are we distracted by health care while Mexicans are flooding into this country, carrying drugs and defiling our women?”
“This is a Christian nation! I will NOT take orders from some Muslim jackass!”

If you have the balls to yell racial slurs, then go for it. It is actually likely that someone in that mob _agrees_ with your sentiment, they may even take it further. Then step back and check out your local news. With any luck, your voice will make it on the air, and the entire mob’s mission of distraction turns into a psychopath filled room of chaos. Have fun.

I just read this article from DailyKos indicating that if the Presidential debate was delayed, the VP debate would need to be delayed as well.

Here’s an idea, switch the debates. Free up the Presidential candidates to deal with the economic crisis in Washington, and let Biden and Palin fight it out. I don’t see why that wouldn’t be an option.

(link fixed)

So I am watching the first part of Olbermann’s interview with Obama tonight, and when it breaks for commercial, I hear “Countdown with Keith Olbermann is brought to you by Amway.”

I nearly vomited my pinko commie liberal tofu all over my urban elitist terrorism supporting Afghan rug. Apparently, I am not the first to notice. (scientology too? for real?)

Amway, who gave $4,000,000 to Progress for America. The same Progress for America that spent $45 million on ads promoting George W. Bush and attacking John Kerry in 2004 (outspending the Swift Boat Veterans)? The same PFA that ran an ad campaign tying Iraq to 9/11 using the father of a flight 93 passenger? And THEN mailed free copies of the movie Flight 93 to thousands of Ohioans in the days running up to the 2006 election? Progress for America’s spinoff, Voter Fund, produced the most expensive ad of the campaign, specifically engineered to disgustingly drape George W. Bush in 9/11 erotica. Watch for yourself:

Amway, who’s founder and former CEO, Richard Devos gave $5,000,000 to the dominionist movement, who believe that god has called them to take over the United States government, with either a “nation governed by Christians, or a nation governed by a conservative Christian understanding of biblical law.” Come on Keith, they are tied to the bat shit crazy philosophies of Alan Keyes!

Here’s the clip of the segue into commercial, the Amway splash screen, and then the immediately ensuing Amway commercial. The quality is poor, but you get the idea. (penguin painters? what?)

Ignoring entirely the questionable business model of MLM, I have to think that somehow, this is a misunderstanding. In the least, you owe us an explanation. Keith, I plead with you. You, of all people, can see this hypocrisy. Please, stop.

I’m not quite sure John McCain knows who he is anymore, either that or he is completely full of shit. Probably a mixture of both.

I caught an interview with him this morning on NPR:

Steve Schmidt, who is running your campaign, has said something kind of simple and understandable. He said that a campaign needs one positive message about its candidate and then one good, strong negative message about the opponent.

I never heard that statement, and I’d have to know who attributed it to him before I would agree with that. We’re not sending any negative message in our campaign. We’re drawing differences in positions between myself and Sen. Obama, which are significant. He wants to raise taxes; I want to keep them low. He doesn’t want to drill offshore or have nuclear power; I want both. I’ve never heard Steve Schmidt say we need a negative message in the campaign.

I’m quoting The Wall Street Journal here.

I’ve run many, many campaigns, and I have never believed that we need a strong negative message. And I’ve been in –-

However, do you not consider it a negative message, though, when a campaign ad goes on TV that blames your opponent, Barack Obama, for high gas prices or –-

I believe strongly that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And he voted for the energy bill that had all kind of tax breaks and giveaways for the oil companies. I believe if you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. And it’s a big problem in America today.

And are you comfortable with ads where your opponent is being compared to Paris Hilton

I’m very comfortable with my campaign. And I strongly recommend that people who don’t find humor in that relax, turn off the computer and go on it and get some fresh air and try to regain some —

Well, Paris Hilton found some humor in it.

Yeah, sure.

Well, I also found some humor in it. I find it incredibly funny that a man of such alleged character has the audacity to give it all away. Yes, John McCain, we are all laughing at your campaign.

Obama and McCain do have one thing in common. The most used word in their blogs is “Obama.” Still think you’re running a positive campaign? I guess I can’t hold that against McCain, since he has no fucking concept whatsoever of what the internet is. Exactly _how_ many technology bills has he voted on in the Senate without ever using a computer?

That is just plain irresponsible.

As a follow up to my earlier posting about the locations for early voting in Chicago… here is a handy map to use for a reference if needed. Remember, you can vote at ANY of these sites, no matter where you live! Pick the one easiest for you!

View Larger Map

From here:

Early Voting Sites & Hours
Chicago voters may use any of these sites for Early Voting, which will be offered January 14 – 31, 2008, for the February 5, 2008 Primary Election. Remember:

1. Bring a government photo ID.
2. You don’t need an excuse or reason to vote early.
3. Use any Early Voting site, no matter where you live.
4. All sites open Mon.-Sat. 9 to 5, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
5. All Early Voting sites in Chicago are fully accessible.

Early Voting Hours:

Monday – Saturday, All Locations, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All sites open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Sundays: Only at Election Board Headquarters, 9 a.m. to noon

Need more info? See below or call 312-269-7900 / TTY 312-269-0027

1st Ward Goldblatts Building 1615 W Chicago Ave
2nd Ward Mabel Manning Library 6 S. Hoyne Ave.
3rd Ward Chicago Bee Library 3647 S. State St.
4th Ward M L King Community Ctr 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
5th Ward Jackson Park Field House 6401 S. Stony Island Ave.
6th Ward Whitney Young Library 7901 S M. L. King Jr., Dr.
7th Ward Jeffery Manor Library 2401 E. 100th St.
8th Ward Olive Harvey College 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.
9th Ward Palmer Park 201 E 111th St.
10th Ward Vodak/East Side Library 3710 E. 106th St.
11th Ward McKinley Park 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
12th Ward Back of the Yards Library 4650 S. Damen Ave.
13th Ward West Lawn Park 4233 W. 65 St.
14th Ward Archer Heights Library 5055 S. Archer
15th Ward West Englewood Library 1745 W. 63rd St.
16th Ward Sherman Park Library 5440 S. Racine Ave.
17th Ward Thurgood Marshall Library 7506 S. Racine Ave.
18th Ward Wrightwood-Ashburn Library 8530 S. Kedzie Ave.
19th Ward 22nd Police District 1900 W. Monterey Ave.
20th Ward Coleman Library 731 E. 63rd St.
21st Ward Woodson Regional Library 9525 S. Halsted Ave.
22nd Ward Piotrowski Park 4247 W. 31st St.
23rd Ward Clearing Library 6423 W. 63rd Pl.
24th Ward Douglass Library 3353 W. 13th St.
25th Ward Chinatown Library 2353 S. Wentworth Ave.
26th Ward Humboldt Park Library 1605 N. Troy St.
27th Ward Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St.
28th Ward West Side Learning Ctr 4624 W. Madison St.
29th Ward Amundsen Park 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave.
30th Ward Portage Cragin Library 5108 W. Belmont Ave.
31th Ward Blackhawk Park 2318 N. Lavergne Ave.
32nd Ward Pulaski Park 1419 W. Blackhawk St.
33rd Ward Independence Library 3548 W. Irving Park Rd.
34th Ward West Pullman Library 830 W. 119th St.
35th Ward Logan Square Library 3030 W. Fullerton Ave.
36th Ward Hiawatha Park 8029 W. Forest Preserve Dr.
37th Ward West Chicago Library 4856 W. Chicago Ave.
38th Ward Wright College – Science Bldg 4300 N. Narragansett Ave.
39th Ward N. Park Village Admn Bldg 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
40th Ward Budlong Woods Library 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
41st Ward Roden Library 6083 N. Northwest Highway
42nd Ward Access Living 115 W. Chicago Ave., Floor 2
43rd Ward Lincoln Park Library 1150 W. Fullerton Ave.
44th Ward Merlo Library 644 W. Belmont Ave.
45th Ward Edgebrook Library 5331 W. Devon Ave.
46th Ward Truman College 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
47th Ward Welles Park 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.
48th Ward Edgewater Library 1210 W. Elmdale Ave.
49th Ward Pottawattomie Park 7340 N. Rogers Ave.
50th Ward Warren Park 6601 N. Western Ave

* The Chicago Election Board site at 69 W. Washington St. is the only Early Voting site with Sunday hours, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Unlike voting absentee, you DO NOT need an excuse or reason to utilize Early Voting. Those who vote early cannot vote again on Election Day. A list of all early voters will be provided to the judges of election prior to the opening of the polls on Election Day.

REMEMBER: If you are registered to vote, you may use ANY site during Early Voting. Voters who wait until Election Day may cast ballots only at their assigned polling places.

Each early-voting site is equipped with touch-screen stations. The touch-screen stations are loaded with every type of ballot.

Pollwatchers are allowed to monitor early voting.

Early voting ballots will not be tabulated until the close of the polls on Election Day.

Last night, on the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert proposed that we close the tainted food gap between China and the United States. He thinks we should fight back, and should do it young. So he introduced the “Crawl It Off” line of “Baby Food Formula” (please note that it is not real food, merely a formula).

I took it upon myself to make a 10 minute photoshop mock up of it, in case you want to print your own stickers and pretend to poison your young ones.

I just caught Michael Moore on Chris Matthew’s Hardball… he is encouraging people who are having a hard time with their insurance carriers to use his name to get things moving. He said to tell your insurance providers that you have spoken to Michael Moore, and that if they don’t help you and your sick child, that he is going to feature you in his next DVD. (Keep a look out on Michael Moore’s website for a new insurance card you can carry to demonstrate this in person)

And as Chris Matthew’s observed, nothing like good old blackmail.

I caught this story off Digg today. This has to be one of the stupidest self admissions I have seen for a candidate in a long time.

“Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family’s hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon’s roof rack. He’d built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.

Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it.
The ride was largely what you’d expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the ”white whale.”
As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ”Dad!” he yelled. ”Gross!” A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who’d been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.”

Yes. Mitt Romney straps his family dog to the car roof for road trips…. for hours at a time. Are you kidding me? Here is my artist’s rendering reenacting the event. I enjoy how the author of that article told the story as if it was a humorous event… as if it was normal to do.