US Presidental Elections, Economic Disasters, Gaming and a basket of rats

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If it couldn't get any worse for the Republicans, the inquiry into Palin has revealed that she did abuse her power in the "troopergate" affair - interesting to note that the Alaskan legislature voted unanimously to make the report public. I'm going out on a bit of a limb here as a psephologist and make the claim that the McCain/Palin pretty much can't win. The RCP Electoral College map shows that even if they win all the states that are in doubt, they will still lose - and that would be reversing a trend which is currently 77-26 in favour of Obama in the "toss up" states. This lead is likely to increase as Obama is intending to spend big on the last weeks of the election. Given that the Republicans are largely sunk, there is some sense in Libertarians who normally vote Republican to vote for their favoured third-party; I normally don't make such recommendations given the way that the US electoral system works (first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all), which effectively limits voting choice to the least disliked of two options. But in this case, given that the Republican cannot win, Libertarians should take the opportunity to give the anti-secular moral conservatives a swift kick to the rear.

Last week the Dow fell 18% as emergency G-20 summits are called. National debt in the United States is now $11 trillion and the clock runs out of digits; competing in orders of magnitude, Zimbabwe's inflation rate is 231 million percent. The British strategy is to punish top executives and to purchase preferential shares. Would anyone be terribly surprised if it I pointed out that housingestate prices are falling at record rates?.

Usual D&D 3.x Fantasy Australia game on Thursday. Played a great game of Middle Earth Role Playing on Friday night (thank you Michael) and on Saturday wrote an alternative Fourth Age article for Other Minds entitled "White Hand Rising" (go on, guess what that's about). On Sunday played imajica_lj's Call of Cthulhu game. Thank you for all your very kind comments on Scoundrel's departure. Our household couldn't remain ratless for long and on Saturday, courtesy of a lovely lass named Sarah we picked up three new boys, born on the 14th of August. Welcome to (top-down) Mischief, Calamity and Trouble.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I must have missed the post about Scoundrel! Im sorry for your loss my friend, as you already know I love ratties with a passion.

Like all our rodents they've know they've been loved. The one I feel most sorry for was poor Vagabond who died without our immediate presence.

We as a country are weary and in pain over the financial tatters the Bush Gov't has left us in. Time for a change? We are sick and tired of the Repugs.

Yes, I rather suspect the promise of "four more years" would send a shiver down the spine of many people of the U.S.

Politics usually has a domestic front and an an international front; the Bush era has destroyed any credibility of the Republicans in both. The only angle left is the personal front - and I really don't think McCain is comfortable going for that angle.

I wonder what Obama's second terms is going to be like...

[roadriverrail.livejournal.com]

Yes, I rather suspect the promise of "four more years" would send a shiver down the spine of many people of the U.S.

It would if we had the emotional energy left to shiver. For many of us, a McCain win would be the ultimate insult, the final crushing blow on our path from criticism to opposition to rage to mourning to desolation. I don't even know if I'd be able to feel sad anymore, and I'd probably start looking for a job in Vancouver.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It is young Americans that will make this happen - even to the point of convincing their most conservative elders.

Change has to come. The very thought - let alone the domestic level - in international relations of a President who supports a never-ending war in the Middle East is something that the world cannot live with.

[roadriverrail.livejournal.com]

Nor one we can afford. We stopped being able to afford that little adventure several years ago.

I continue to be optimistic only because, deep down, I aspire to be Gene Kranz, and his motto is mine-- Failure is not an option.

I was simply saying that, if McCain wins, I won't have it left in me to even have fear. My emotional state would be like that of a sick animal with only hours left to live.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Latest RCP compilation has Florida in the leaning Obama camp (i.e., margin of 5% or more).

That brings the total to Obama/Biden 304, McCain/Palin 158, Toss Up 76 (of which 60 is currently in Obama's camp, 16 in McCain's).

The most probable way that the Republicans can win at this point is by massive falsification of the votes.

I wonder which states are using Diebold this year?

[roadriverrail.livejournal.com]

I believe Florida does. We're basically the second most corrupt state in the US after Louisiana, which itself has had the federal government seize control from the state government twice.

In fact, we're so crooked here that we actually had to pass a law requiring our elected officials not discuss business unless they're in a public meeting. Every state has that law now, called a Sunshine Law, named after the Sunshine State.

We're so crooked, the state DOT wanted to kill plans for a high-speed rail so they paid the state highway patrolmen to pull cars over at random and ask the drivers if they thought they were driving in a good location for high-speed rail to be installed. Public fear overturned the project immediately.