Out of about 10,000 people who participated in DailyKos’s electoral projections competition, I finished in #1625th place. I beat Markos! 84% percentile, just like the GRE!
I got the percentages almost perfectly right, and the Senate right on the dot. Didn’t do so well with the electoral college (damn you Missouri! I did pick Nebraska correctly), or the house though.
Barely beat Chris Bowers of Openleft…always a victory when I beat that pompous ass.
Basically, this is it. The last four years of my life have led up to this day.
From the depression after Bush’s reelection.
From the journey and experiences during my trip around the world.
To the long political organizing of the past year, from Iraq Summer, to Obama, to Sierra Club, all leading up to this day.
Our moment is now. What happens today will define my life, whether the next four years will spent in the wilderness, or we can finally work to fix the problems in today’s world and make progress, rather than trying to merely trying to defend what we have.
Yes we can.
Things have been busy on my front – the main reason that I’ve lately really sucked at making posts and have, generally, been slacking on this site is that I’ve worked every single day for the last three weeks, often 9-10 hours a day, here in Cleveland, Ohio.
I’ll have photos and posts about my experiences here with GOTV and other activities. This morning I went to see Sarah Palin speak at a rally, which wasn’t even full. The attempts at enthusiasm seemed really trite, the crowd looked drained, and Sarah never really seemed to be speaking directly to us (thought I will admit, she does look better in person than on camera).
Oh yeah. VOTE. And while you’re at it, volunteer. Check out this cool widget!
There’s only one candidate who’s Presidential
7:57 – I’m trying to visualize the Vice Presidential debate. My only fear is that Joe Biden will come of as too chauvinist. It’s almost like a setup, where something he says will come out as being offensive to Palin. Kinda like how John Edwards comment about Cheney’s lesbian daughter became the big story about the VP debate in 2004. We shall see.
7:50 – Crowd sounds loud, but then I look, and it looks so timid. This feels like the country fair versus Obama’s professional Disneyland. Well, maybe that’s nit the best analogy.
7:45 – My first impression – she’s a good speaker. Reminds of a mean elementary school teacher, one whom I can just tell doesn’t really know anything except how to talk with authority.
Does that make me a sexist?
7:30 pm – Rudy recap. So all three of the losers came out, though I don’t recall hearing anything about
“party unity” here.
7:26 pm – Doesn’t this speech feel like nothing more than the reshashing of a Hillary Clinton speech? None of the barbs against Obama are fresh, and as a result, they won’t get picked up by the national narrative.
I’m heading to a Democratic Party event tonight to watch Obama’s historic convention speech. Photos and more tomorrow, but tonight, let’s enjoy history being made.
Conversely, I’m really confused by John McCain’s latest TV ad.
Posted in 2008, Congressional, NithinCoca.com, Presidential
Tagged Ads, Barack Obama, General08, John McCain
It’s 2pm here in on the West Coast now. About 14 hours since I found out that Joe Biden was going to be the VP pick. While I was disappointed at first – holding out for Wesley Clarke, Brian Schweitzer or Kathleen Sebelius, I’ve already started to grow from it. And it reminder me of this from my days volunteering for Barack Obama in Iowa.
Joe Biden. Of all the candidates, he always seemed to be the most bitter about Barack Obama. At the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, he started his speech with this condescending remark.
“Hello Iowa and hello Chicago.”
My immediate thought – not an Iowan but not from Chicago either, and surrounded by fellow Iowans – was “shut up asshole.”
However, I did notice one thing about Biden. Off all the candidates, him and Barack were the two straight talkers. And on that case, Biden did beat Barack – he spoke what was on his mind, unfiltered by talking points. To many, this has been his greatest weakness, but as I found out, it made him a formidable opponent.
So much so that, heading into caucus night, the candidate I was most worried about pulling a surprise was not Hillary Clinton or John Edwards, but Joe Biden.
Though it may not show up in the numbers, Joe Biden was, unquestionable, surging in the weeks before caucus night. In a campaign where people were looking for authenticity, Joe Biden was emerging as the only true competitor to Barack Obama for new voters. I wrote about this immediately after the caucuses – about Biden’s unique and unexpected appeal among young voters.
The one thing that strikes me when I talked to youth voters in Iowa was who they were supporting. Few wanted Hillary (hence her 4th place finish with young voters). Many, in fact, were between Obama and JOE BIDEN. Why? Look above. In the end, many of these voters choose Obama, and the ones that choose Biden found him unviable and moved to Obama. Biden doesn’t pander, and he speaks straightforward. He never tailored his messages to difference audience. Compare his rhetoric to Obama’s, you might be surprised.
As I walked around my precinct, a suburban, middle class, mostly white neighborhoods of West Des Moines, I ran into numerous voters who were between Obama and Biden. I ran into young high schoolers who liked Joe Biden because he didn’t speak down to them and seemed incredibly knowledgeable. I pressed them to support Barack as their second choice, but slowly fears began to creep into me that Biden might become viable, and suck away some of Barack’s steam.
Come to caucus night – an incredible story in itself, a day that will be remembered forever in American political lore. The estimated turnout at my caucus was 220 people – and over 400 showed up. Joe Biden did surprise, turnout out almost 45 people, only 15 less than John Edwards. But Edwards just snuck above viability, and Biden did not – sending, as I expected, most of his voters to us. In the end, Obama was 240 people alone, Hillary 110 (only gaining 4 in the second round, versus 35+ for us), and Edwards 65. Though in reality, Biden has about 10%, in caucus math, he got a big 0%.
I’m almost certain this was happening all around the state.
Iowa is the only test-tube we have for Joe Biden because he dropped out that night. But the facts were clear – as people got to know him better, they liked him more. He was hated by few voters, and was the candidate best positioned to break through. If it weren’t for Obama’s incredible turnout operation, he would have broken through.
And in the end, I can see America doing the same. Because in Iowa, victory was bringing together Biden and Obama supporters, both of whom want the same thing – change, and competency in the White House.
It’s 2pm here in on the West Coast now. About 14 hours since I found out that Joe Biden was going to be the VP pick. While I was disappointed at first – holding out for Wesley Clarke, Brian Schweitzer or Kathleen Sebelius, I’ve already started to grow from it. And it reminder me of this from my days volunteering for Barack Obama in Iowa.
Joe Biden. Of all the candidates, he always seemed to be the most bitter about Barack Obama. At the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, he started his speech with this condescending remark.
“Hello Iowa and hello Chicago.”
My immediate thought – not an Iowan but not from Chicago either, and surrounded by fellow Iowans – was “shut up asshole.”
However, I did notice one thing about Biden. Off all the candidates, him and Barack were the two straight talkers. And on that case, Biden did beat Barack – he spoke what was on his mind, unfiltered by talking points. To many, this has been his greatest weakness, but as I found out, it made him a formidable opponent.
So much so that, heading into caucus night, the candidate I was most worried about pulling a surprise was not Hillary Clinton or John Edwards, but Joe Biden.
Though it may not show up in the numbers, Joe Biden was, unquestionable, surging in the weeks before caucus night. In a campaign where people were looking for authenticity, Joe Biden was emerging as the only true competitor to Barack Obama for new voters. I wrote about this immediately after the caucuses – about Biden’s unique and unexpected appeal among young voters.
The one thing that strikes me when I talked to youth voters in Iowa was who they were supporting. Few wanted Hillary (hence her 4th place finish with young voters). Many, in fact, were between Obama and JOE BIDEN. Why? Look above. In the end, many of these voters choose Obama, and the ones that choose Biden found him unviable and moved to Obama. Biden doesn’t pander, and he speaks straightforward. He never tailored his messages to difference audience. Compare his rhetoric to Obama’s, you might be surprised.
As I walked around my precinct, a suburban, middle class, mostly white neighborhoods of West Des Moines, I ran into numerous voters who were between Obama and Biden. I ran into young high schoolers who liked Joe Biden because he didn’t speak down to them and seemed incredibly knowledgeable. I pressed them to support Barack as their second choice, but slowly fears began to creep into me that Biden might become viable, and suck away some of Barack’s steam.
Come to caucus night – an incredible story in itself, a day that will be remembered forever in American political lore. The estimated turnout at my caucus was 220 people – and over 400 showed up. Joe Biden did surprise, turnout out almost 45 people, only 15 less than John Edwards. But Edwards just snuck above viability, and Biden did not – sending, as I expected, most of his voters to us. In the end, Obama was 240 people alone, Hillary 110 (only gaining 4 in the second round, versus 35+ for us), and Edwards 65. Though in reality, Biden has about 10%, in caucus math, he got a big 0%.
I’m almost certain this was happening all around the state.
Iowa is the only test-tube we have for Joe Biden because he dropped out that night. But the facts were clear – as people got to know him better, they liked him more. He was hated by few voters, and was the candidate best positioned to break through. If it weren’t for Obama’s incredible turnout operation, he would have broken through.
And in the end, I can see America doing the same. Because in Iowa, victory was bringing together Biden and Obama supporters, both of whom want the same thing – change, and competency in the White House.