So how’s that whole contraception thing working out for the right? The latest Gallup poll of swing states suggests that it’s not going so well: Obama now leads Romney in these states 51%-42%.




The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Democrats Face Referendums in Govenors' Races

While health insurance reform is the talk of the town when it comes to policy, it's the off-year gubernatorial races that have the politicos buzzing. Why? Well, they help the parties and pundits and the wonks read the tea leaves for the 2010 midterms elections. At the moment, the tea is something of a bitter brew for the Democrats.

In New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) is in serious trouble against Republican Chris Christie. Corruption and an a recession have dogged Corzine, previously a senator and former CEO of Goldman Sacks. He has traditionally self funded his races -- but not this time around. Christie may have more money that Corzine does. And, while Jersey is known for its rough and tumble politics, it's getting uglier than usual in the Garden State. Take a look at this Corzine ad.



Meanwhile, in the land for lovers, the Virgina governor's race is also making headlines. This purple state, won by Barack Obama in 2008 and led by popular Democratic governors for the past 8 years, is seen as a bellwether for 2010. The race is a rematch of the state attorney general race four years ago, when Republican Bob McDonnell beat out state senator Creigh Deeds. Deeds won the Democratic primary against party mover and shaker Terry McAullife, but has been less than sparkling. While polls are close, Deeds has a GOTV problem. His voter mobilization network is not as strong as it should be, and he finds himself having to distance himself from a President whose 2008 coattails were golden.

Deeds has made up some ground thanks to a 20-year-old thesis written by McDonnell while at Regent University. According to the Washington Post,

in his thesis: "The Republican Party's Vision for the Family: The Compelling Issue of The Decade," McDonnell described working women as "detrimental" to the traditional family. He criticized a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing contraception for unmarried couples and decried the "purging" of religion from schools. He advocated character education programs in public schools to teach "traditional Judeo-Christian values," and he criticized federal tax credits for child care expenditures because they encouraged women to enter the workforce.

See some of the news coverage of the thesis:



Both parties are pouring dollars and people into the two states, knowing that pundits and the public will see the outcomes as a first test of of the efficacy of Obama's presidency -- fair or not.

Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Youth Vote Overwhelming in Obama's Victory -- and Coatails to the Democrats

Youth voters (ages 18-29) didn't just rock the vote, they moved mountains this election year. And, as absentee and early voting ballots continue to get counted, the turnout totals continue to rise. CIRCLE now estimates that:

-- 23 million young voters went to the polls on November 4th -- an increase of 3.4 million over 2004.

-- Youth turnout will likely top off somewhere around 52-53 percent. That rivals the 1992 turnout, and will likely fall just short of the all time record of 55.4percent set in 1972.

-- Young voters accounted for 60 percent of the overall voter turnout increase.

-- CIRCLE still estimates that young voters made up 18 percent of the total electorate. This contrasts with the typical voting heavyweight -- seniors ages 65+ -- who comprised 16 percent of last week's voting public.

Take a look at this great electoral vote map, which pictorially shows how the country's youth tilted. Note that it would have been an even more lopsided Obama win if youth voters had anything to say about it. In fact, Obama's staggering 66-32 percent margin among youth voters likely did decide the election. Well, that and the 7-point gender gap in Obama's favor. Women, young people, and the overwhelming minority voter turnout made the difference.

VOTE, Dammit. Voting Early is Even Better.

From all reports, early voting is off the charts this election season. Florida's Republican governor declared an emergency, ordering polling places to stay open later to contend with the hours-long wait at some voting places. Finally, this year, Americans will turn out in record numbers -- in numbers we've never seen before. This is wonderful, amazing, thrilling.

But the sad fact is that many polling places may not be ready for the onslaught -- especially in critical swing states. As a result, anyone who can vote prior to Nov. 4 -- either by registering for absentee ballots or by early voting -- I strongly recommend that you do so. Declare Yourself has a great interactive map about early voting -- find out the rules in your state. You could be living in one of the 31 states allowing folks to beat the rush this week. But, remember that early voting and absentee voting are different things:

No-Excuse Early Voting: Thirty-one states allow voters to cast their ballots early even if they are able to make it to the polls on Election Day. Some elections offices use touch-screen voting machines and others allow voters to submit an in-person absentee ballot (see below).

In-Person Absentee: A form of early voting in which voters go to their county elections office, apply for an absentee ballot, fill it out, and submit it to their election official in person.

Excuse Required: If you can’t make it to the polls on Election Day, four U.S. states and the District of Columbia require a valid excuse to vote early and absentee in-person. Requirements vary by state, but can include military service, college attendance, and sickness.

Celebrities have been out in full force this election season -- and the latest Declare Yourself video is chock full of 'em urging all of us to vote. And I'm telling you -- don't take this one for granted. It ain't over yet, no fat lady has sung -- and it might just be the early voting that gives our man Barack the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The time is now, my friends. Don't miss your chance to be part of history -- and make a change for the better.



Copyright 2008 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

The Rats are Jumping Ship: High Profile Republicans Endorse Obama, McCain Campaign Concedes Key States

People do not like a loser, and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is starting to be a stinker -- if you go by his own party's behavior.

First, well known conservative pundit George Will seems to have had it with The Maverick -- McCain's deer-in-the-headlights reaction to the economic crisis seems to have sent Will over the edge. Then, in the course of a week, Christopher Buckley -- columnist for the Weekly Standard, a conservative handbook founded by his famous father William F. Buckley -- broke ranks and endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. By the way, Buckley got fired for his trouble. How dare he exercise independent thinking!

Then, Gen. Colin Powell, a respected former military man and Bush 43's first secretary of state, came out on Meet the Press for the junior senator from Illinois -- and Rush Limbaugh pretty much called Powell a racist for his trouble. Also this past week, conservative Philadelphia talk show host Michael Smerconish endorsed Obama, live on his WPHT show on Friday (you can listen to his rationale here). Truly, you cannot make this stuff up.

Then, just today, CNN reported that top McCain campaign officials are "making tough decisions" -- pulling campaign staff about of states they no longer see as winnable: Colorado, New Mexico and Iowa. Instead, the campaign is counting on Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and an improbable comeback in Pennsylvania to tip the electoral college balance. In defense, the McCain campaign said: "We see the race tightening both internally and in public polling. We are within striking distance in the key battleground states we need to win." One clearly has to wonder -- what kinda crack are the McCain people smoking?

Frankly, why do they bother to announce this kinda stuff? Talk about scary red flags. Holy smokes, Batman, this campaign's on fire -- and the rats are leaving the ship. Worse, in key states, the McCain campaign is literally giving up the ship.

Lest you think The Zaftig Redhead is becoming overconfident regarding an Obama victory, au contraire. I have no illusions about the dirty tactics and shady voter suppression efforts headed our way. That's why I am encouraging everyone who can to take part in early voting or absentee balloting. This will minimize the impact of these last ditch, underhanded efforts to swing or suppress the vote, and will help to minimize the lines at the polls on election day -- which by all accounts are going to be long. Let's beat them at their own game folks -- for those of you who can, get out there and vote, NOW!

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

CQ: Democratic Money Decreases Republican Chances for Victory

Congressional Quarterly, better known as CQ, has changed several race ratings this week. We've all heard about CNN moving Virginia from the swing-state category into the "Leans Democratic" category, thanks to Barack Obama's newly announced 10-point lead in the commonwealth. But here is the low-down on some House races previously thought out of Big Blue's reach. Not anymore, my friends. Here's the gist, from an Oct. 17th posting on CQ.com:

A worsening political environment for Republicans and a massive infusion of cash from the Democratic Party are causing CQ Politics to change the ratings in two dozen congressional races, all in the Democrats’ favor.

Recruiting and funding candidates in dozens of House districts — many of which had not been competitive partisan battlefields in years — is a continuation of the Democrats’ strategy from 2006, when the party made a net gain of 30 House seats to capture the majority.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which is engineering the party’s effort to grow its majority this year, expanded its efforts to put Republican-held seats in play — and recent political developments and just-filed campaign finance reports indicate that the strategy is producing a bounty of contested races that exceeds the expectations of many Democratic optimists.

DC News Briefs: Lost Relatives, Historic Votes and ... Mani-Pedi's?

A few days ago I did my first DC News Briefs blog, and I find I like the format -- perfect for the latest juicy news from inside the beltway. So, friends, here's another installment of news tidbits direct from our nation's capital -- the strange, the remarkable, the trivial (but interesting), and some things guaranteed to piss you off. Expect this to become a regular feature -- hell, I'll even give DC briefs their own label.

A Record Vote in More Ways Than One: The Oct. 3 House vote on the $700 billion financial bailout package was historic in more ways than one. Aside from the massive socialization of risk/privatization of profits trade off that occurred, it was also notable because all members of the chamber showed up to cast their votes. Shamefully, this marked the first time in five years that the entire body had cast a simple yes or no on a piece of legislation. Way to go, team!

Palin and the Princess: Apparently VEEP candidate Sarah Palin is distantly related to Princess Diana and FDR. But she's not the only one with some presidential DNA -- apparently Barack Obama is related to Dick Cheney, Gerald Ford, and Bush 41 and Bush 43. Damn. McCain's got connections as well -- to Laura Bush, of all people, as well as King Louis VII of France. No wonder the Maverick has delusions of grandeur.

Uncle Sam Gives a Mani-Pedi: Less than a week after the federal government -- um, that would be you and me -- so generously offered an $85 billion bailout to insurance giant AIG, the company held a week-long retreat for its executives at the luxury St. Regis Resort in California, running up an astonishing tab of $440,000. The executives spent $200,000 for rooms, $150,000 for meals and $23,000 for the spa. No wonder AIG needed that additional loan of $38 billion just to make ends meet.

Remember the First Stimulus? October 15 is the last day to file for those stimulus rebates. At last count, at least 4.3 million Americans had yet to claim their $300 to $600 booty. You can find out if you're eligible for the debt-funded windfall on a prior blog I did on the topic. By the way, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is still talking about another stimulus bill -- the House passed a measure just before they recessed, but the Senate failed to follow suit.

Voter Suppression Rears its Ugly Head Again... and Again, and Again: According to an investigation by the New York Times, upwards of tens of thousands of eligible voters in as many as six swing states have been removed from the registration rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that might to violate federal law.

Obama Makes Record Ad Buy: Already advertising at record levels, Barack Obama has scheduled a half-hour commercial for prime time on Oct. 29, six days before Election Day. I guess he's betting that he can lure people from FOX, who will showing the sixth game of the World Series at the same time -- or perhaps, now that Chicago's teams are out of the running, he just doesn't give a crap. The Obama campaign has lined up a 30-minute block of time at 8p.m. on both NBC and CBS -- the latter of which is already pushing back "The New Adventures of Old Christine" to sell the time. The campaign is still working on ABC.


Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Sarah Silverman and the Great Schlep

Beware: some of the language in this video is more than a little off color and also potentially offensive. It is Sarah Silverman, after all. So why am I sharing it? Well, it illustrates the lengths to which many people are going in order to elect Barack Obama. After tonight's debate, you may also be feeling like you'd go the extra mile to ensure that passive-aggressive windbag -- aka, The Maverick -- doesn't get into the White House.

Speaking of travel -- the point of The Great Schlep is for younger Jewish voters to convince their grandparents and other elders to vote for Barack Obama -- and convince them by any means necessary, as Silverman off-colorfully discusses in this video. I would submit, however, it's not just older Jewish voters that need to be convinced that Obama's the Man -- the polls tell us old white folks in general are proving alarmingly recalcitrant to Change. I'm stunned, of course. As such, even us gentiles should think about making The Great Schlep. Here are the basics about The Great Schlep campaign:

When is the The Great Schlep?
Columbus Day weekend from October 11–13, 2008.

How do I go?
Call up your grandparents and tell them to get the couch ready.

How do I coordinate with other Schleppers?
Use the message board on Facebook. Join our group now!

What if I can’t travel, how can I still take part in The Great Schlep?
Download the PDF and give your grandparents a call. Or head over to JewsVote.org where you can send pre-written grandparent-friendly Obama emails and more.




Copyright 2008 (original text only). The Zaftig Redhead.

Latest Republican Scare Tactic: Register to Vote and Put Yourself at Risk for Identity Theft!

Virgina is sure to be a battleground state this fall, with the Obama candidacy putting the state in play for the first time in recent memory. Not to mention the fact that it looks like former Gov. Mark Warner (D) is going to walk away with the state's open Senate seat, which is being vacated by statesman Sen. John Warner (R, no relation). Mark Warner would join Virginia's up and coming Sen. Jim Webb (D) in Congress, representing a state that already has a popular Democratic governor in Tim Kane -- an early Obama supporter and someone whose national stature has risen as his name has occasionally been bandied about in the Veep Sweeps.

Needless to say, all this blue, donkey-shaped confetti floating around the used-to-be-reliably-red state of Virginia has got the state Republican party in a tizzy -- even Virgina Rep. Eric Cantor's name being included on the Maverick's Veep short list hasn't cheered them up. Enter Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeff Frederick, also a member of the state's general assembly, with the latest Republican scare tactic, er -- plan -- to make things go a little more smoothly in the fall.

It all started when three people in Hampton, VA were recently charged with voter fraud. The folks in question -- two 18 year olds and a 22 year old -- worked for Community Voters Project (CVP). As part of the job, they had to meet a daily quota of new registrations. According to the Associated Press, the group is affiliated with the Fund for the Public Interest, which promotes progressive and environmentalist efforts but has no direct ties to the Democratic Party or the Obama campaign. Also important to note, it was the CVP that first discovered the problems and alerted the authorities. According to not only election officials but the police and prosecutors as well, greed was the motivation, not a desire to influence elections.

Note that, while of course innocent until proven guilty, apparently suspicious behavior was noted, investigated and charges were eventually filed -- the system worked. I suspect the real problem is not really about this particular case, but rather about the 140,000 new voters registered in Virginia this year -- most of them Democratic. If they were mostly new red voters, I sincerely doubt Mr. Frederick would be calling for a statewide -- yes, statewide -- investigation.

"If we can't tell the voters that their will is being executed on Election Day, then why do we even have a democracy?" Frederick whined. Yeah, where were you when the victims of the butterfly ballot needed help in Florida, pal? How about their will?

Local registrars are in Richmond, the state capital, for their annual training this week, and they were clear about safeguards that are already in place to make sure fraud is caught -- and the Hampton example seems to support that. It's also a great example of the self-regulating done by third party groups. "I can guarantee you one thing, whoever wins November 4 will win fair and square in Virginia," State Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodrigues said.

But wait -- here's the kicker. The coup de grace. The icing on the cake. Apparently Mr. Frederick is not just worried about voter fraud. Nope, this concerned citizen did not stop there. He used his press conference as a bully pulpit to also share his concerns about third party groups registering voters, and what he believes is the dangerous possibility of identity theft since the registration form asks for social security numbers. Not at all coincidentally, the Obama camp is currently engaged in a huge registration drive in Virginia. I sincerely doubt the timing of the Republican Party of Virginia's press conference was a coincidence.

"If you're not comfortable in giving your social security number, don't do that," said Rodrigues. "The general registrars will follow up with you." Maybe they are supposed to -- heck, maybe they mean to, but do you really think that's what will happen? With all the new registrations they have to process, new voting machines to deploy, and the huge election to prepare for? Or will registrars simply toss your registration form as incomplete, leaving you standing there on Election Day, being told by a poll worker that your name's not on the list -- sorry, come back next time.

I gotta tell you, this latest ploy is ingenious. Scare people away from voter registration drives by telling them it's a sure path to identity theft. Brilliant. Diabolical, but brilliant. Despicable, but brilliant. As far as I'm concerned, there is a special place in hell for people who intentionally try to disenfranchise others simply because they don't like how they'll cast their ballots. This nation is better than that. And this nation is certainly better than Jeff Frederick and his cheap, transparent scare tactics. I can think of no better way to repay him and his state party than for Democrats to run the table in Virginia on Nov. 4.


Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.