A Likely Story!

FL Polls Just Closed...

...and I feel like I'm gonna puke.

How's that for a political perspective?

Encouraging feedback from all the voters I encountered today. Did visibility for Betty Castor at 4 different precincts.

Right now NBC talking about electoral votes. Saying FL has a record turnout (well DUH!!) and Glenda Hood feels it might be a long night. Hell, we'll take a long night as opposed to a long month to figure out who's the winner.

I'll admit it right now. I don't get this EV thingie. Just can't wrap my brain around it. I read everything I can about it on the blogs and such, but sorry, doesn't make sense to me. Just my opinion, ok??

Hanging out here for another 20 minutes then up to PBG for the Castor party that we are not supposed to call a (starts with a V) party. Media is supposed to show and film our reaction shots. How's about a shot of me doing a starts-with-a-V-shot? Jager, anyone?

I am so trying to be lighthearted about this, because I just can't post seriously on this subject...4 years of not getting over what happened last time...you have no earthly idea of how knotted up my stomach is...ya don't have a clue, guys. OK, maybe you Floridians do.

At this point all I can say is this...

2 Nov 2000 I sat in shock as I watched the returns. When the Supreme Court 'results' were announced, I cried out of sheer frustration. Those fucking bastards stole our election. And I promised myself next time around I would do better...get off my butt and get active. 537 votes...yeah right.

I kept my promise. How I kept it, well, read thru this blog and you'll see. But I kept it. At this point it's just wait and see....and hope and pray and think positive vibes. Will update when I come home tonite...or tomorrow am...or whenever.

Heading out right now...will try not to puke on the drive north.

[UPDATE]

2:10 Weds am. This is not how I expected things to turn out, obviously. Had to turn the TV off...can't take it anymore. They're calling it for The Liar & Thief. How so many people could pick this guy is beyond me. Have to call it a nite for now.

The Final Countdown

In 2 more days the tide will turn. We WILL win. We WILL get our country back. And I really want to say we WILL have a 'L'...L-word...ok, I'll say it...LANDSLIDE. At least here in South Florida, I feel confident in saying Kerry/Edwards will win by a LANDSLIDE. And in the nation? As long as they win by a comfortable margin, I'll be overjoyed...elated....beyond incredibly happy.

Lot's of work to be done before then. Calling it a night now...getting up at 5 am (please cross your fingers I don't turn my cell alarm off in my sleep) to be in WPB and prep for the Betty Rally at 6:30. Rally at 8, visibility for the rest of the day, and then the Edwards/Castor Rally in Pompano Beach at 9:00pm.

And on Tuesday? Pray all day...and shuttle between the 4 major precincts in my area for visibility. Tuesay night is PARTY time. Victory Party at Abbey Road Grill in Palm Beach Gardens. Media is supposed to be there, lots of my DFA/Castor buddies, some of my K/E buddies.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Two other major announcements tonite.

#1- This is my 200th post. Damn, I've come a long way in so many areas since I started my blog...all good, all good!

#2- HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY 25th Anniversary Paul and Eric :-) Am always awed by the goodness you've shown to others and the millions you've raised to help others. You truly are angels and major heroes in my book and I love you both very much! Mazal Tov!

And So It Starts...

Just got home from work. Will be on vacation until Thursday and there were lots of things to take care of, clients to touch base with, t's to cross and i's to dot. I even managed to write a letter to our division president telling her my opinon of the casual wear tempest at work. Hope I'll have a job when I return on Thursday!

Much more important things to take care of for the next 4 days than dress codes.

Betty Castor has an election to win. Need to help plan a rally for her and musical guest Jimmy Buffett this Monday as well as get lots of visibility stuff planned and executed over the next several days.

John Kerry and John Edwards have an election to win. My prayers and thoughts are with them and all their staffers and volunteers. Will be wearing my K/E paraphenalia as I volunteer for Betty this weekend...we're all one big happy Democratic family at this point.

I've been waiting for this day since 13 December 2000.

Let's get started. I really, truely, honestly want my country back

[Update - Sat am]

Seems I sent my Castor 'Ready,Set,Go' email to those of my family and friends who don't live in FL. Oopss. Sorry...chalk it up to BUI (Blogging Under the Influence). However, if you DO want to drive/fly from IL, LA , CA, KY,CO & UT, I'm not gonna stop you. Since Quinn and Kevin moved out there is plenty of room! And I'll save a Corona for ya :-)

Henry Explains It All

Last week I went to the Beastie Boys concert with Henry...a friend of a friend who I'd met for the first time the day before the concert. We met up in Hollywood that Sunday and spent most of the day hanging out at his favorite bar on the beach, watching NFL, doing Jager shots, and of course talking politics. (I had told my friend Tom the only way I would take Henry with me was if he's a registered voter...lucky for him, he is).

So we're talking about Bush (who Henry and Tim, his other friend) both loathe. And Henry, who is a self-admitted political neophyte, makes the following point.

"While watching the debates, all you had to do was to turn the sound off and see how they acted. One acted like a retarded fool. The other acted like a President. Simple!"

Yeah Henry, if only it WAS that simple.

Early Voting in Palm Beach Co, FL is INSANE!

(Cross-posted from my diary on dKos)

I didn't believe it until I saw it. Lines....all you see is lines when you first enter the parking lot.

Did Castor visibility Saturday afternoon at the Delray Beach Supervisor of Elections office. The line was around the building and had the atmosphere of a street fair. Kerry vols (and voters) vastly outnumbered the Bush vols (only 2) and Bush voters.  Easily 10-15 Kerry Vols...Seniors for Kerry...Jews for Kerry...FDP was there...ACT was there...it was fantastic.  Average time from getting in line to exiting the building was 3-4 hours!

So I decided to early vote on Sunday.  Arrived at my place in line at 11:50...exited the building at 2:28.

You would think that Theresa LePore would have used the last 4 years to figure things out. You would think that she'd come up with a better way than making people play musical chairs all thruout the lobby and down the long, winding hall that eventually led to the actual voting office.  You would think that they would have had more than ONE computer and ONE open phone line to streamline the process of verifying each person's eligibility.

Yeah...you would think!

Plain and simple, this was a clusterfuck.  The majority of people that waited were elderly. In their wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen masks.  They waited patiently and didn't complain.  Several of the people sitting in line - myself included- implored the deputy in charge to let the elderly that were seriously sick or had mobility problems to go to the front of the line.  It was heartbreaking to see what those folks had to endure to vote.

When I got in the actual office, I requested a paper absentee ballot...since the first one I requested several months ago never arrived.  While I waited for my ballot, two voters had machine malfunctions. And one of the workers muttered under her breath 'here we go again'.

All in all, an eye-opening experience.  And something that really didn't need to take so long or be as drawn out as it was if only LePore would have done her job right in the first place.

But of course, that's only my opinion!

Goofy, But Oh Well :-)

This is my AOL IM notice for tonite....yeah, I'm a geek!

nnsd...saw our next President at FAU today...dreaming of Regime Change in 8 more days...
I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!:-)

John Kerry Comes To Boca Raton

(the following is an excerpt from an email I wrote to my blogger buddy Bryan right after seeing Kerry at FAU this afternoon)

OMG Bryan, you would have LOVED being here today!

Just got home and HAD to tell you all about it!

Perfect weather...sunny, low humidity, nice breeze and lots of good times standing in line with tons of K/E
supporters at FAU!

Started out the day by going to early vote in Delray Beach. Got in line at 11:50...walked out the side door after casting my vote at 2:28. Further proof that Theresa LePore has no earthly concept of how to run an election. Am gonna do a diary on it on dKos later on, it was that frustrating!

Got to FAU at 3:30 after dropping off lit down south in Broward Co. Luckily I had snagged a coveted blue ticket at early voting so the line I stood in maybe had 300 people in it...far cry from the 'internet ticket line' that had easily thousands of people in line.

You wouldn't have believed the energy, the happiness, the optimism...what I would have given to have a cell with camera phone so I could have emailed the pix to you real time...it was that cool and more.

This is a day I'll remember for a long, long time...and I just had to share it with you while it
was still fresh in my memory.

Jeb! The Liar

Seems that lying runs in the Bush family...whatta surprise!

Sitting here watching the Bo Sox who are tied at 7 up with that other team. Then a commercial with a serious-faced Jeb! saying how Betty Castor is running a negative ad against Mel Martinez and how Betty Castor refused to act on the Sami Al-Arian issue.

Wake the fuck up, Jeb!

Betty Castor dealt with the Al-Arian issue by the book. Crossed all her t's and dotted her i's. She suspended him while he underwent intense investigation by the FBI and the Dept of Justice. They, not Betty Castor, never found anything warranted against him.

What was found, interestingly enough, were pictures of your brother campaigning with Al-Arian. Seems Al-Arian even made it to the White House. Hmm.

So which is it, Jeb!?? Al-Arian's good enough to help your brother weasel his way into the White House (with the help of the Supreme Court, of course), yet he's a terrorist at the same time???

Why does the Bush family hate the truth???

Pure Energy

I'm noticing so much pure, passion-driven energy in these last days prior to our election. Saw it at the Beastie Boy concert last night...in the news...on the blogs....tons of K/E bumperstickers and signs all over Palm Beach County...and at our Betty Castor meetup tonite.

There is a groundswell out there and my eternal hope is that it will translate into an overwhelming landslide for Kerry...a landslide the likes of which we've never seen before. Maybe not a realistic thought, but it's my blog, dammit, so there! :-)

So many people I talk with want...no, NEED for Kerry and Edwards to win this thing hands down. Starting with the Deaniacs that wanted their country back, so many people that were never political before have become energized...passionate...committed...and are on a mission to do what it takes to return our country back to its rightful owners...we, the People!

This passion is a dynamic feeling. Haven't felt this alive since the weeks leading up to the March primaries and my Deaniac group was in full-swing.

Keep up the good work, guys! We WILL win this thing...we HAVE to...I can't begin to imagine our future if we don't.

Failure is not an option.

Why I Love Jon Stewart & The Beastie Boys

Jon Stewart....tells it like it is on CROSSFIRE. He's even funnier tonite on TDS (THE DAILY SHOW) as he recaps his stellar appearance on CROSSFIRE.

Beastie Boys (who gave a kick-ass concert, I might add) excoriated Bush no fewer than 8 times tonite...they showed the Wil Farrell anti-Bush spoof and repeatedly urged everyone to get out and vote.

The audience was filled with tons of anti-Bush T-shirts and other paraphanelia...it made me feel good to know that I'm not the only one that's beyond passionate about this election.

Music, Democracy, Jager and Politics.

I've had a really great nite!!

This Is Disgusting!

So many newsworthy stories out there...especially in blog-land.

This scares me way more than the possibility that Bush was wearing a wire during his last debate.

Check this out ShreddedBallots. This subject is getting lots of Kosmopolitans riled up as well Kos.

Pre-Debate Funny

Q: Cheney, Bush, Ashcroft and Rumsfeld are in a boat in the middle of the ocean. The boat springs a leak. Who gets saved?

A: America.

(saw this on Emily's blog...Strangechord)

Edwards-Cheney Debate

Cheney is a liar...pure and simple. Evil liar. And Edwards is being waaaay too nice. Go after him, John. How many times in your life do you get to sit across the desk from Evil Incarnate?? Take this bastard down! WTF are you waiting for?

Gotta Love Those Tulane Dems

Every now and then I check out the website for my friend Chris' Democratic Club...the Tulane Dems.

Here's what you get when you click on the link to contribute...TulaneDems

Check it out...

Hope Is On The Way...

First stop, Coral Gables, FL.

Uh Oh....

Watching Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) while drinking Grape Juice.

Yeah...not a wise move

This REALLY pisses me off!

If you are checking in to see how I'm doing with the hurricane, I will warn you this link is political in nature.

Proceed at your own risk.

For my fellow Progressives, click asap!

http://www.on101.com/dishonor2/

Palm Beach Post Declares Betty a WINNER :-)

U.S. Senate -- 3,864 of 6,836 precincts reporting (57%)
Democratic
Betty Castor [D]     402,272    61%    (X)
Peter Deutsch [D]     168,872    26%
Alex Penelas [D]     60,735    9%
Bernard Klein [D]     28,566    4%

www.palmbeachpost.com

YES!!!!!

VOTE Betty Castor for Senate

Primary Day in Florida is finally here.

Manning two precincts for Betty Castor thru-out the day from 7 to 7.

Dr. Arthur 'Art' Anderson is running for Supervisor of Elections against Madame Butterfly...aka Theresa LePore...responsible for the 2000 Presidential Election debacle. And she's up to her dirty tricks once again. Check out www.gregpalast.com

Today is an important day on so many levels.

If you live in Florida, please vote.

It really IS a matter of life and death.

Update- the polls are closed. Wound up circulating between Century Village in West Boca, Our Lady of Lourdes in West Boca, St. Andrews Retirement Community in East Boca (my former polling place) and made two stops at Sugar Sand Park to check on a new Castor volunteer. Saw lots of enthusiastic Betty fans. Also saw some of the candidates I voted for...Ken Eggleston at Century Village...Charna Lazar at Our Lady of Lourdes and Jeffrey Wagner, also at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Just Checking In...

Headed out noonish to leaflet for Betty Castor at the South County Democratic Meetup Building...that's what I call it, not sure what the official name really is.

The place was packed in anticipation of Senator Joe Lieberman's arrival at 1 pm. People were being turned away, parking was a nightmare, and from what I heard, the scene inside the building was sardine-like.

This is WONDERFUL!! To have so many interested Democrats in one place is a wonderful thing, here in the muggy swampland that is Palm Beach County.

I staked out my spot right in front of the entrance and chatted with people coming and going. To all the disgruntled that were turned away, I hit them with my "this is wonderful to have so many Democrats in one area" and you could see the light go on in their head (for some of them) and they agreed that yes, it IS a good thing. But they still wished they hadn't been turned away.

Around 1:30 I decided to leave for home, knowing I'd have to go up to WPB for a later event.

Just as I started to walk away, this official looking car pulls up right in front of me and out pops a Secret Service-looking type of guy.

And then Joe Lieberman gets out and promptly gets his picture taken by a press photographer. On the other side of the car my Representative, Congressman Robert Wexler exits. And they're both standing right in front of me.

So I do what any proud Democrat would do, I walk up, smile, introduce myself and shake their hand.

Liberman is incredibly kind....really good aura about him. He looks very happy and relaxed. And Wexler, who I've never met but have heard wonderful things about, is equally kind if a bit rushed.

Wow....this is really cool.

In one week I've met Howard Dean, Janet Reno, got to see Betty Castor for the 7th or 8th time, and now Joe Lieberman and Robert Wexler. And add to the mix Mike Rios, who I voted for yesterday and met today.

Getting involved and staying involved in local, state and national politics has been one of the best, if not the BEST, choices I've made all year.

And on that note, time to head up to WPB.

Meeting Tom to do more Castor leafletting!

I Voted In Palm Beach County (FL) on Saturday...

...and they goofed it up!

Went in to request an absentee ballot.

There was a 20 minute wait in a nearby hall filled with chairs. When I got to the head of the line, I asked the Police Officer in charge of crowd control (yep, crowd control) what the crowds had been like over the past week.

Wasn't surprised to hear him say there'd been a constant line since day one.

When I entered the inner sanctum of the Elections Office, I asked for an absentee ballot.  Within 10 minutes, I received my absentee ballot envelope...missing a ballot. I guess it really WAS an absentee ballot, huh?? :-)

Can you say oops?  The Election Worker sure did!

I have never seen a staff move slower in my life.  It's not like we have an election every day, ya know. You would  think they would be prepared for a crowd, given what happened in the last election.

So I took my ballot outside to the waiting hall,  read the instructions carefully, voted, made sure all the arrows connected...(yeah...arrows this year...hanging chads last time), signed the back of my envelope, then went back in and waited in line to turn it in.

Stayed glued to the spot while my ballot was verified for a signature and time-stamped...then left hoping and praying that my vote will be counted this year.

And for the record, here's how I voted :

Betty Castor - Senate
Arthur Anderson - Supervisor of Elections
Ken Eggleston - Sheriff
Sharon Bock - County Clerk of the Court
Charna Lazar - County Commissioner Dist # 5
Jeffrey Wagner - County School Board Dist #5
Robert Arnold - Nonpartisan Circuit Judge
Mike Rios - Tax Collector
Gary Nikolitis - Property Appraiser

For the first time in my life, I am able to say not only do I know who all the candidates are, I have met all but two.

Nothing like a botched Presidential election to get ya pissed off enough to get active the next time around!

Howard Dean & Betty Castor

Cross-posted on Daily Kos, sent a personal email to all my buddies and posting here...this will be an awesome event AND I get to meet Howard as well!

Howard Dean is coming to West Palm Beach,FL to support
his newest Dean Dozen Member, Betty Castor.

Please RSVP at www.bettynet.com if you can attend!

Harriet Himmel Gilman Theater @ City Place
700 South Rosemary Avenue
West Palm Beach

Monday, August 23rd
12:00 noon
Free parking in the City Place garage

My Two Cents...

I get frequent emails from MOVEON.ORG asking me to sign and forward petitions to George W. Bush.

Today's request was about joining Senator John McCain in asking Bush to stop the negative Swiftboat Ads aimed against John Kerry.

As always, had to add my two cents...here's what I told our Commander-In-Thief :

'You lied to get into the White House...OUR White House..and your lying continues to this day.

John Kerry SERVED his country in Viet Nam, which is a hell of alot more than you did.

You disgust me.

I want you out of OUR White House and I want my country back.'

Short and to the point, dontcha think??

This Is BEYOND Hilarious!

http://www.n3t.net/humor/Seriously.mpg

Thanks to Quinn for sharing!

I Love Jon Stewart

No...really...I love him!

Any guy that can make me laugh while exposing the current administration for the slimy lying weasels that they are...well...ya just gotta love 'em.

And Jon Stewart fits the bill.