The Fight for Arizona

Here is one thing that was irritating to me about the talking heads this weekend in reference to Obama advertising in Arizona. They all asked if Obama was being arrogant or trying to rub it in by advertising in Arizona. But the truth is his polling numbers are closer in Arizona than McCain’s are in Pennsylvania, Iowa, or New Hampshire. But nobody asked if he was being arrogant by advertising and travelling to those states. And NOBODY seemed to get the irony in this. Yeah liberal media my azz

Si se puede.
And Sedona? LUCKY! I bet the weather is great. But just say “no” to bbq.

That’s it’s potentially a toss-up is the biggest shock. Can’t see Illinois swinging red in any year…

http://www.political-buzz.com/

It’d be such a sweet topping on the cake for Obama to win Arizona! And Georgia, and Indiana, and Missouri, and North Carolina, etc. even though we don’t really need to win any of these states.

Haiku to The Fight For Arizona:
/ we play on your turf
/ and when the game is over
/ dance in your end zone

C’mon Jay. Come to my house in Prescott. Ride my tire swing and eat my BBQ. All I ask is that you admit that McCain’s best friend Gordon Liddy is a terrorist and you are scared to report on it.

Touche sgwhiteinfla. What you have pointed out, by considering those useful tools known as facts, is the irony of this election. While the media re-examines their bias for the umpteenth time this election, nobody seems to point out that despite their apparent bias for Barack, no one has given a closer look to McCain’s associations. The list is long–but do we know about every association that Obama has had since he was in kindergarden? You betcha!

Yes, that “arrogant” Obama does it again. Who does he think he is trying to win a competitive election? I mean, they must have thought he was some of the past Democratic presidential candidates that failed to have some chutzpah when needed.

C’mon Jay. Come to my house in Prescott. Ride my tire swing and eat my BBQ. All I ask is that you admit that McCain’s best friend G. Gordon Liddy is a terrorist and you are scared to report on it.

So many people have early voted and will have voted by the time the eastern states are announced that the effect will be minimal.

That horrible de Rothschild woman is on Greta knocking Obama again. I hope the Democrats shun her.

I also think this will be a squeaker, but Obama will win it. I just hope we know tomorrow night.

I think it would be great if Obama won Arizona, but it won’t really matter in any event. I am reminded of the 2000 race when all the hand wringing was about Florida and the hanging chads there, but in fact, if Gore had won his own state (Tennessee), Florida would not have mattered, the Supremes would not have entered the flawed and controvercial decision to stop the vote, we would not have been subjected to the horror of the Little Bush administration.

Haiku II to the Fight For Arizona:
/ the vast grand canyon
/ has never sunk as low as
/ your douchebag campaign

We’re so excited tonight that pourmecoffee even wrote a haiku! Guys, don’t know if I can sleep tonight. All these months posting on Swampland comes down to one word as Senator Obama said today, “Tomorrow.” It’s almost over. It’s almost begun.

Haiku III to the Fight For Arizona:
/ we have won your state
/ now go to where cindy works
/ and get us all beers

LOL, pourmecoffee.

Haiku IV to the Fight For Arizona:
/ guess what, maverick?
/ new sheriff in town, my friend
/ change to believe in

lonely tire swing
tell us how to wash away
the barbecue stains

John McCain has been a great Senator – his Presidential campaign gives me all the reason I need to return him to the Senate…

Since people like haiku:
…
Fifth of November -
Sarah Palin commences
Field-dressing McCain

Haiku V (Final) to the Fight For Arizona:
/ i drink your milkshake!
/ and i win your home state, too
/ you fail, you betcha

bomb bomb bomb Iran
still a prisoner of war
all press – off the bus

drinking Cindy’s brew,
not enjoying bbq,
sadder Budweiser

i wasnt sure where to publish this, but in the last 24 hours i have gotten a canvasser from the obama campaign at my door verifing i knew where to vote and a way there, a robocall with my voting site info from obama, a door hanger (separate day from the canvasser) with my voting location on it from obama, and a personal call from a phone banker for obama. i live in northeast ohio….that, my friends, is an awesome ground game!!! let us hope it translates into an obama victory…(btw, all i have gotten from mccain is endless robocalls that are truly horrible.)

election night win
denial at the corner blog
k-lo go boom, ha

Folks, I work within strolling distance of McCain’s campaign office in central Phoenix, a mere mile from the Az. Biltmore…a couple of things I notice from the parking lot – his supporters don’t buy American cars any more than Dems do (although they do drive bigger vehicles), and they disobey the building’s no parking laws just like we unreal Americans do…sign on the entrance to the building this afternoon said that they were only doing interviews with Arizona press at that point.

Haiku? Librul elites!

The senior senator from Arizona
Told assembled hacks in Sedona
“You on the tire swing
Get offa that thing!
The BBQ days are now over.”

I can’t bring myself to gloat over McCain’s defeat as much as I am happy for the referendem on Little Bush and the fascist Republicans. I would not have been terribly disappointed in McCain until he turned on himself, joined the Bushies, and took on Palin. Whatever, the train wreck will start to be put back on the tracks tomorrow night.

I can’t predict anything for Arizona, but I can give a snapshot. I live in Tucson and my fiancee and I have already voted for Obama. My future father-in-law is a die hard Republican who watches Fox news religiously and is sincerely afraid of Obama becoming president. He is going to sit out this election because he says his vote won’t matter, Obama will win anyway.

My fiancee’s brother went to vote early on Saturday and had to wait over two hours in the sun. It may be November, but it’s been unseasonably hot here. When polls are closing in the East, people will likely still be in line voting here. That could effect the outcome in Arizona.

Meanwhile, Halperin announces that ‘Palin releases medical records’:

http://thepage.time.com/2008/11/03/palin-releases-medical-records/

…which is fine except she did no such thing. She ‘released’ a letter from her personal physician. Remember when journalism and headlines used to reflect the actual facts of the matter?

http://www.johnmccain.com/Downloads/110308SHP.pdf

I’ve loved the way that Arizona newspaper writers have had as much prominence in this election’s media coverage as Jill Zuckman and Lynn Sweet of the Chicago papers. Oh.

Arizona’s likely to be a squeaker (and thanks for the reporting, Jay) though it appears that many AZ Obama volunteers are going to other states. I do think that the ‘big red states where not many people live’ map (i.e. Mountain Time down to AZ) from 2000 and 2004 is going to change this time round.

AZ is going to be part of a long-term Dem electoral strategy, no matter what. There’s no reason to treat it as sacrosanct this time round, especially with the changing character of the southwest. There’s no mercy rule in presidential elections, nor should there be: there are millions of Democrats in Arizona, and the least the Obama campaign can do is to get them out to vote.

Looks like Ana Marie has been fired as editor of this blog. Or quit.

Remember, remember,
The 5th of November,
McCain, Election and plot?

JNS, I think you raise some really great points regarding Latinos in AZ. The fact is I’ve been surprised that during this campaign more hasn’t been discussed about the Latino population and its impact on the election, especially compared to 2000 and 2004…and its only now that Latinos are the largest minority group in the country.

More importantly, they have shifted from many of the traditional states where Latino populations have centered to states such as Georgia, South and North Carolina. I would say that over the past year many of the immigration raids on illegal immigrants most likely affected many Latinos (those of us who are citizens) to question anything that the GOP says, especially in light of their vocal attacks of immigration. While alot of reports talk about the changing political map for Dems, I’d really like to see a particular look at Latinos in many red states and their impact.

Frog63, what do you mean about AMC? Do you have a link?

Awesome haikus, everyone!

Palin’s your anchor,
Conservatism your ship
We are sinking it.

You old dark blight
I beg be gone from our lands
we’ll serve you no more

I appreciate the fact that Jay Newton-Small seems to be one of the few reporters to notice that the race in AZ tightened before the increased expenditures from both campaigns.
.
Interesting take on the why.

Education and Energy
Font of wisdom
McCain Spent

Education begets research
Research begets progress
McCain Regressing

Energy and Infrastructure
Manufacturing does support
Wealth gained

Manufacturing Exported
Unemployment raised
Foundations fallen

Elephants don’t forget
Stubborn mules
Winning the race

I’m on a roll here

KeillRandor, are you trying to write haiku? If so, three words: five, seven, five.

Bible spiced
Pages sour
Ink fading

I know – but I don’t care – I know the official form, but don’t always stick to it – so sue me :p

Just to prove I can do a proper Haiku:

Palin and McCain
Snow Blizzard and Desert Rain
Have failed their campaign

Obama Biden
The gap behind will widen
Change and hope guide them

Biden and Palin
Apprentices of power
Sorceror or dunce

KeillRandor, don’t give up the day-job just yet. Hallmark may not be quite ready for your work.

Obama McCain
A Leader and follower
In sight of the line

Obama mourning
His Grandmother laid to rest
A new day dawns

Dear God, now we have a haiku troll. Come back, QH, all is forgiven!

Music is my trade
On myspace my music lies
Tunes to pass the time

Time to vote today
The future it’s time to choose
Hope McCain will lose

They started it! Sorry – but when it flows, it flows :p

I’ll try and stay on topic then:
.
Arizona war
A fight for votes there will be
McCain under fire

Democrats will rise
In Phoenix from the ashes
The fire burns McCain

Flagstaff to Phoenix
Decisions are to be made
Elephant or Mule?

I’m going to have to do that from now on – come up with some on-topic haiku for every post in Swampland

pourmecoffee Says:
Haiku to The Fight For Arizona:
/ and when the game is over
/ dance in your end zone
/ And pee on your grave
Nice verse.
–
Haiku: An epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines.
Mhh.
Where is the Japanese!
—-
sgwhiteinfla Says:
” .. But nobody asked if he was being arrogant by advertising and travelling to those states. And NOBODY seemed to get the irony in this. Yeah liberal media my azz ..”
Would you believe it: “That one” taking McCain head on!
Talk of uppity!
It is tempting to think that the radical right-wing media is willfully ignorant. But that is not it. The radicals are playing a somewhat different game from that played by the liberals. And such is the nature of their game – propaganda.

Slowhand Ted Says:
” .. Halperin announces that ‘Palin releases medical records’ ..which is fine except she did no such thing. She ‘released’ a letter from her personal physician. ..”
Something interesting here.
What did such a short letter’ – about ‘excellent health’ – take so long to compose? [Scrutiny is in order here: Maybe the physician and the McCain campaign can't agree on what 'excellent health' means.]

Here are several converting tools for you!drm removeripod transferipod movie converter

Now THAT’S a troll :p

Arizona votes
And choose between two hopefuls
Any spite for McCain?

McCain will nowhere to be seen lets wait D day is just few hours ahead…we will all see.

Off topic, and it is very important: Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post this morning:
.
“Even if John McCain somehow prevails, that won’t change the fact that Obama won all those primaries, or that he won the Democratic Party nomination, or that he raised more money than any candidate in history, or that he rewrote the book on how to run a presidential campaign. Nothing can change the fact that so many white Americans entrusted a black American with their hopes and dreams.
.
We can all have a new kind of pride in our country.”

Comment tonight. For now, GO VOTE!! After that, go make sure somebody else does.

If my precinct with no races in play is any indication, turnout records are going to be completely shattered. Line around the block, easily 4 times longer than I’ve ever seen.

I can’t vote – I’m in the UK… I’ve written 5 pages of US Election Haiku now in Word, though… What do I do with it, though?

Quick question before I vote – Is Barack Obama a Muslim? My Mom forwarded me an e-mail that says he is.

Some battlegrounds new
Will be won and lost today
Every vote counts!

Voting machines
Be careful, select
Vote, it might change

coffee: His middle name is really Steve.

Nate Silver has McCain’s chances at 1.9%!

While McCain has long had a reputation as a moderate on immigration, during the primary season he distanced himself from the 2006 bill he had co-sponsored that offered a path to citizenship.

It’s surprising that this event didn’t earn more press (Kudos to JNS for mentioning it) Certainly his reversal on the “Dream Act” was an early clue that he was jettisoning his whole across-the-aisle meverick persona in order to court the haters. Since that point, he’s never looked back!

http://phd9.blogspot.com/2008/07/flip-flop.html

While we’re waiting in line to vote or afterwards, the polls to close, here’s something to help you pass the time

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04tierney.html?8dpc

Is this yet another iteration? wow. Ok did anybody else see Howard Dean rap Joe Scarborough for parroting GOP attack ads? Priceless!

While we’re waiting in line to vote or afterward, the polls to close, here’s something to help you p@ss the time

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04tierney.html?8dpc

I actually like this format a little better. Now does the carriage return work?

Test

uhmmm no

No format change in Chrome or IE that I can see.

AMC tries to recapture her day/minute/second of glory in today’s NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/opinion/04cox.html

jay,
.
I thought it would come off looking like how it looks when I post over at atlantic or at “the swamp” because I don’t have to sign in anymore. The message box looks different but it still comes off looking the same.

McCain and Palin are
Putting themselves first;
country last

SG and jayackroyd…did MM post at all this weekend?

Andy,
nope
new test
assume

Andy,
.
No he didnt,
.
And we still have moderation on election day
.
Phuck the High Sherriffs!

Guys,
I LOVE the haikus!!! Can you do that every post? Please? You’ve made my bleary-eyed morning.
JNS

JNS in tank
librul east coast elitist
haiku-loving hack

Do not forget the 22 Arizona Native American tribes have become a voting force, too. Most of these tribes endorsed Obama. McCain has never visited any of these tribes and when tribal leaders are in DC, he won’t sit down with them. Navajo Nation alone has a population of bout 300,000. Most of Navajo Nation is still without running water or electricity while the McCains enjoy their 7 or 8 multi-million homes. Over 70,000 Navajos are still hauling water everyday in 50 gal oil drums. Put that in your book!

If John McCain wins
I can say with certainty
that The End is nigh

a freudian slip
that will need no explanation
fellow prisoners

*that needs no explanation