“If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you'd pretty much be left with 'Let's Make a Deal.'”
Fran Lebowitz
The latest polling in California shows No on Prop 8 slightly ahead, which is good news. But it's still within the margin of error so the hateful constitutional amendment could pass and marriage equality in our biggest state could end. What's more, the status of all those who have married in California since June would be in jeopardy. Many have assumed that those legal marriages would remain valid even if Prop 8 passes, but legal scolars aren't so sure. Newly married gay couples would, at best, be in legal limbo for a while and may very well find their marriages invalidated.
The fight has gotten very ugly with the haters even resorting to hacking into No on 8 websites to try to keep people from contributing. Towleroad has a nice summary of the battle.
Most of all, they need money. Donate to No on Prop 8 here. Do it today.
North Dakota, Georgia and Arizona are states that should be solidly red by now. All three went for Dubya and Arizona is McCain's home state, for God's sake. Yet the race is razor thin in all three. So, Obama's running TV spots and has a real shot at denying the Republicans three states that they should never have had to worry about. The best part is McCain now has to spend precious resources there, including a campaign stop in Arizona. Even if Obama doesn't win any of them, this diversion of GOP resources can only help him in the other swing states. This is going to be very interesting on Tuesday.
The McCain campaign was right to try to shield Palin from the press, she's a dimly lit loose cannon who's only looking out for number 1. Yesterday she was asked, if she looses on Tuesday, would she run again in 2012 or go back to Alaska. The correct answer to that, of course, would have been some variation on "we're going to win on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to a McCain administration." Not moose-brain Sarah. She let the reporter know she's already thinking about 2012. Watch CNN report it:
Sarah Palin has all but acknowledged that McCain's going to loose and she's begun her next campaign. What a fool. Who in the Republican establishment is going to support her now when she's throwing the party's nominee under the bus a week before the election? Look for some ugly revenge against her to start Wednesday morning.
Estelle Reiner, wife of Carl Reiner and mother of Rob Reiner, has died in Beverly Hills at the age of 94. She was an actress who studied with Lee Strasberg, a recording artist and cabaret singer. An accomplished lady, certainly, but she will always be remembered for her flawless performance of one of the most famous lines in film history. Watch it at the end of the clip here:
I've written a couple of times about Patrick Swayze's struggle with pancreatic cancer and his grim diagnosis last march. The NY Times is reporting today that Swayze is back in form and looking great, filming his new A&E series The Beast. He's packed on 20 pounds of muscle (and anybody who's seen Roadhouse knows how hot 20 pounds of muscle looks on Swayze), and he's working 12 hour days while undergoing chemo. Let me repeat that, 12 hour days while undergoing chemo. He's played some tough guys in movies, but apparently that's nothing compared to Swayze the man. Great news and good luck to him.
Montana, a state that George W. Bush won by 20 points in 2004, is now up for grabs. The RNC has bought air time for commercials this week in hopes of salvaging it's 3 electoral votes for McCain.
McCain is even tanking in his home state. From MSNBC:
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann "we have moved McCain’s home state of Arizona from Likely McCain to Lean McCain, a tip to the reality that Arizona, without McCain on the ticket, would have been a contested battleground. A new poll conducted by a Democratic group found McCain with just a four-point lead over Obama in the state, 48%-44%. This comes on the heels of private polls we have seen that show the presidential contest to be tight in Arizona. In addition, McCain's collapse in Hispanic support is contributing to this downturn here as well. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that our map reflects how things stand right now. Yet, with eight days remaining, McCain is running out of time to change the dynamics of the race."
If McCain wasn't from there, Arizona would look a lot like New Mexico and Colorado, in other words, it would likely be blue.
I have a relative in North Carolina who doesn't quite approve of my being gay and apparently thinks I'd be better off if I magically changed into a hetero. She sent me this email today:
PRAYING IN GOD'S WILL FOR THE ELECTIONS TheCall California - LIVE from San Diego with Lou Engle
Don't miss TheCall on the West Coast at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium as we intercede for one of the most pivotal moments in US history.
It has been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. Therefore on the last Saturday before the nation's election thousands will gather in San Diego for corporate prayer and fasting for the protection of traditional marriage and the soul of the nation - through the upcoming elections and beyond.
"We have adjusted our programming schedules specially to bring programming that urges believers to pray fervently and to vote," says Wendy Alec.
In the midst of international uncertainty, "God still has a holy prescription", says Lou Engle. Multi-racial, multi-generational, and cross-denominational, TheCall California will bring forth a Joel 2 Moment of 12 hours of prayer and worship.
Joel 2: 12-13 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."
If you can make it, register at www.thecall.com and come to San Diego. But if you can't, then tune in to GOD TV, set up a big screen at your home or local church and invite everyone to join together. Whatever you do, don't miss this extraordinary event!
The LIVE broadcast can be viewed on DIRECTV Channel 365, as well as online at www.god.tv/stream.
Tune in to GOD TV for this nation building LIVE broadcast.
Here's my response:
Sherrie, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you sent me this email either as a mistake or as an example of the absurd, ugly, and ignorant drivel that has been going around the internet. Surely you did not think that I would want to pray and fast to ask God to take away marriage rights from gay people when I am gay, married, and a Christian. Emails like this are highly insulting. They insult me, my marriage, my life and my family. The very idea that two adults who love each other and commit themselves to each other with the civil sanction of marriage threatens the "soul of the nation" is ridiculous on it's face and the idea that self-styled "Christians" would spend millions of dollars seeking to take rights away from gays is an ugly corruption of the teachings of Christ. Religion has been misused to promote many evils over the centuries, including slavery, racism, and the subjugation of women. Denying rights to gay citizens is only the latest.
If this is what you believe, you have a right to it, but you do not have a right to insult me. Do not send me anything like this again. I have dealt with fear and ignorance of gay people all my life and have moved beyond it. I am not interested in reading such garbage from an opportunistic preacher who is exploiting bigotry and fear for fame and fortune. If you have some idea that you can convert me, you obviously know nothing about me and are wasting your time. If you send me anything like this again, I will block you. Don't call me about this because I'm not interested in discussing it. Just don't send me anything like this again.
Last night was the season finale of the best show of television, Mad Men. Jon Hamm gets a lot of well deserved attention, but has anyone else noticed how incredibly cute Aaron Staton is? He plays Ken, the crush object of secretly gay Salvatore, played by openly gay Bryan Batt.
The latest polling show Obama with a razor-thin lead in my birth state of Georgia! This is the state that incorporated the Confederate flag into their state flag until a few years ago. This is a state that went for Bush overwhelmingly in 2000 and 2004. This is a profoundly conservative state. When a state like Georgia can be in play, McCain really ought to just pack up his toys and go home.
Do you know who the highest paid person on the McCain campaign staff was during October? None other than Sarah Palin's makeup artist. Who else did you think it was? Her name is Amy Strozzi and she's an Emmy winner for her artistry on "So You Think You Can Dance?" Ms Strozzi was paid $22,800.00 for the first two weeks of October alone. That's $11,200.00 a week. Nice gig, but just how much lipstick does a pitbull need?
Earlier today, I went to the men's room at work and heard an electronic noise coming from one of the stalls. I couldn't quite identify it. Was it a cell phone? No. Walkie-talkie? No. Then it dawned on me. It was a video game. Some guy was sitting on the can in a public restroom at work playing a video game. With the volume turned up. Bill Maher needs a new rule: when you go to a public restroom, do your business and leave. Don't sit there for 45 minutes playing a video game. It's just wrong. And kinda gross.
Time magazine photographer Callie Shell has posted an amazing series of photographs of Barak Obama during the campaign. They're fascinating and illuminating, including this one taken in Columbia, SC (click for bigger version). I actually went to college with Callie Shell at the College of Charleston. We hardly knew each other (I dated one of her sorority sisters. Yes, you read that right, I said sister) but her slightly unusual name rang a bell. It's nice to see she's become such a success.
You remember Marilyn. She's Congress' homo bigot in-chief who was the lead sponsor of the proposed federal Constitutional Amendment to bay gay marriage in 2006. She said that gay marriage "is the most important issue that we face today." It looks like the good people of the Colorado's 4th District disagree. She's been trailing in the polls for a while in this very Republican district and now the cash-strapped RNC has yanked funding from this looser.
We have seen so many stupid little people like Marilyn rise to prominence by exploiting fear and ignorance of gays. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of these fools. You can donate to her opponent, Democrat Betsy Markey,by clicking here.
Early voting has begun in the Lone Star State and I thought I'd slip in and cast my vote early this morning on the way to work. In past years, early voting polling places have been like ghost towns, so I figured I could slip in and out quickly. Was I ever wrong. At 8:00AM, there were lines out the door and there wasn't a place to park. I have two weeks, so I'll go back later. There is so much enthusiasm for Obama this year that I believe voter turn out will break records and he will win by a wider margin that the pundits are predicting.
Hugh Jackman surely loves going to the beach and baring his torso, not that there's anything wrong with that. The man is 40 years old and has the body of a god.
It turns out thatJoe the Plumber, who was the centerpiece of McCain's brilliant comeback strategy, isn't actually a plumber. He doesn't have a plumber's license. Oh yeah, and he's not even named Joe. His name is Sam. I swear it's not me.
Did you watch the debate last night? It wasn't even close, Obama easily won. McCrankypants was like a bratty kid who can't believe somebody's beating him at checkers. I half expected him to stomp out in a huff. All the initial polling bore this out including CNN which gave it to Obama 58 to 32%, and CBS which gave it to Obama by 53 to 22%. McCain's obviously rehersed "Joe the plumber" bit fell flat and seemed disconnected from what was going around. When he blurted out "Joe, you're rich! Congratulations!" Most of America said huh? WTF is he talking about? He wasn't listening to what Obama was saying and responding in kind, so his bits didn't work.
Demeanor counts in a TV debate, of course, and McCain was grinding his teeth, flipping pages on his legal pad and rolling his eyes. He was like your cranky grandfather when you're trying to teach him to use the computer. Given all that, though, this was probably his best debate performance. The bar was that low.
Obama, in contrast, was calm, cool and collected, as always. He was solid and projected a mature, presidential demeanor. When McCain actually went there with the Ayers/Acorn bullshit, Obama explained clearly why there's no substance to it. Does McCain really think he's going to win with that? 99.99% of Americans have no idea what Acorn is or who Ayers is and don't care. They want to know how to hold on to their homes. The idea that some 60s radical is somehow relevant to people's lives today is desparate fantasy.
According to the latest NY Times/CBS News poll, Obama now has a 14 point lead nationally. That's landslide territory, people. I know we shouldn't get cocky and things will almost certainly tighten up as we get closer to election day, but that's a huge deficit for McCain to make up in less than 3 weeks. What 's more interesting is the poll indicates that McCain's ugly gutter politics have backfired. "Six in 10 voters surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president; by about the same number, voters said Mr. Obama was spending more of his time explaining than attacking." So much for the conventional wisdom that negative campaigning works. Look for McCain to dial back the Ayers bullshit. I bet he won't mention it at tonight's debate.
The poll found that the top reasons for voters' rejection of McCain are the economy and his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Miss Congeniality has been a disaster for the ticket. He would be in better shape if he had stuck to his guns, chosen Lieberman or Ridge and told the anti-abortion fanatics to pound sand.
there must be a new McCain economic plan. I guess using his pitbull in lipstick to incite the rapture-ready crowd to scream "terrorist" and "off with his head" wasn't exactly resonating with voters who are wondering how to make their mortgage payments. So today Mr. Straight Talk will unveil yet another miracle plan to fix the economy. Will it be nationalizing the banks? Nah, Bush beat him to that one. Spending freeze? Please, that is so three weeks ago. Maybe buy out all the bad mortgages at inflated prices? People kinda noticed that would cost gazillions. I know, let's allow old folks to get money out of their 401k's earlier! Brilliant fucking idea when nobody's 401k is worth shit. Let's also suspend taxes that fund unemployment insurance! Um buddy, people kinda need unemployment right now. Whatever. This is not going to jump start a failed campaign.
Naturally, the morning shows today were breathless in anticipation of McCain's new plan. "Can he turn it around?" "He's done it before in New Hampshire!" The MSM doesn't want to admit that the campaign is basically over because a close campaign means higher raitings. But Obama has a 10 point lead and has been steadily climbing in the polls for a month now, and there are only 22 days left. McCain and Palin are being forced to campaign in previously deep red states like North Carolina, Nebraska, and West Virginia. I know anything could happen and the Dems should not get over confident, but the idea that yet another new economic plan can turn around a campaign that has been lurching from one bad idea to another is fantasy. Look at the choice people have: Obama is calm, cool, steady, and deeply intellectual. Biden is solid, experienced and obviously ready to step in in a moment's notice, God forbid. On the other hand there's McCain, erratic and flip flopping from one thing to another desperately trying to stop the hemorrhaging. His running mate is a dunce who's manifestly incapable of high office. This election's over.
Has anybody else noticed how hot Shawn Pyfrom has gotten on Desperate Housewives this season?
Here he is in a pic from ABC.com from last night's episode looking all grown up. I love the suits and ties they're dressing him in this year. Now all he needs is a boyfriend, a hot, passionate affair with one of the desperate husbands. Which one? Hmmm, well, Gale Harold is available this year.
Check out Shawn in an elevator. I wish that was me in the red.
The Connecticut Supreme Court today ruled that "gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice." The justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory and that the state's "understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection."
Watch one couple's beautiful reaction (after a brief commercial), but be prepared to get choked up:
I've been a huge Carole King fan since I was 11. Watch her address Pennsylvania voters. She told a wonderful story and ended with some impromptu singing.
So, I watched the Obama/McCain "Townhall" debate last night and all the talking heads on Tee Vee are telling us there were no game changing moments for McCain and since he didn't decisively win, Obama won by default. Interesting, but I don't really agree. I thought Obama won outright. McCain spent the night wandering around the stage, shoulders hunched, like some crotchety old uncle looking for the bathroom. When he spoke, it was with a petulant whine, shocked and mad that people are actually voting for this young whippersnapper. McCain can't hide his contempt for Obama and it shows. The most memorable moment came when McCain was talking about some unnamed bill that was before the Senate at some unnamed time in the past, and because it was "full of goodies," McCain voted against it. "You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one,” he said, gesturing towards Obama, baring his teeth. It was the only time in two debates that he made an effort to engage Obama and he couldn't even speak his name. Here it is:
Obama, on the other hand, appeared calm, solid and Presidential. No whining, no teeth baring, no wandering past the camera like his opponent. His answers were substantial and factual. He only helped himself in this debate. So, this was a double win for Obama. He won on substance and appearance, but he also won because McCain, who is trailing badly, needed a home run to breathe some new life into his campaign and he didn't even come close. This was born out in the initial polling which showed Obama the winner, 54% to 30%. Viewers also felt Obama was the stronger leader, 54% to 43%, and was more likable by a whopping 65% to 28%.
I watched the VP debate last night and I suppose, considering the basement-level expectations of Palin, she did all right. There were no embarrassing screw-ups like the Couric interview, but that certainly doesn't mean she did well. She didn't answer a single question as far as I could tell, and actively ignored many of them. Qwen Ifill was disappointing in that she did virtually nothing to counter Pain's evasiveness. Case in point was the Achilles heel question which Palin took as an opportunity to blather on about her qualifications for office, the exact opposite of the question asked. Biden actually answered but Ifill made no effort to get an answer from Palin (of course, Palin probably doesn't know what "Achilles heel" means). Ifill was burdened by debate rules that forbade follow-up questions, something the McCain campaign rammed through in an attempt to protect Palin.
Overall, Palin repeated memorized buzz words and strung together long chains of colloquialisms. "You betcha, maverick, maverick, maverick, hockey mom, special needs, wink, wink, God bless, reward in heaven." Re-arrange as necessary for any occasion. She was obviously reading from note cards and demonstrated no command of policy. We now know what she was doing in Sedona, memorizing catch phrases like "there ya go again, Joe" and "white flag of surrender."
The most surprising moment for me came during the discussion of gay rights. Did Palin actually endorse full civil rights for gays? I think she got carried away and said more than she intended. Watch for yourself and be prepared for a clarification from the McCain campaign.
I thought Biden did extremely well, demonstrating his great depth of knowledge and experience. He had some great moments debunking the "Maverick" myth and clearly and forcefully taking Cheney to task. I was stunned that Palin talked about expanding the powers of the Vice President (although she was certainly just repeating words put in her mouth and had no real idea what she was saying). Biden countered forcefully and accurately. At another point, Biden's voice cracked a bit when he was talking about his family and Palin, in talking points overdrive, plowed right on as if nothing had just happened. How crass. Palin demonstrated that she can pour on the "gosh darn it you betcha" charm and memorize sound bites with the best of them, but Joe Biden was factual, knowledgeable, intelligent and effective. He also demonstrated a strong ability to connect with people on a personal level while Palin seemed manufactured and plastic. Even considering the low expectations for Palin, this was a big win for Biden.
Here she is at talent. No wonder she lost. Apparently she knows as much about the flute as foreign policy. And the costume! What an abomination! Is that a Simplicity maternity pattern? A waitress uniform from Der Wienerschnitzel?
John McCain met with the editorial board of the DeMoines Register in Iowa recently and was asked about his dishonest ads. He got seriously pissed and the suggestion that he was less than 100% honest. Watch it here.
Notice how quickly he falls back on his POW defense?
CBS released more of Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin including a question about the Wasilla Bible Church's support of an "ex-gay" ministry. Palin responded by revealing that her unnamed "gay friend" is a woman she's known for 30 years. Speaking from a 1957 timewarp, Palin she wouldn't judge her for her "choice" even though it's a "choice" Palin wouldn't have made. She probably thinks that's a kind, Christian thing to say about us fags.
Couric also asked her about contraception, specifically the morning after pill. Without going into specifics, Palin said she's in favor of contraception (maybe she should have shared that with her daughter). She also said she believes life begins at conception so she is not in favor of the morning after pill. Astonishingly, she also said "I haven't spoken to anyone who disagrees with me on that." Seriously? There are millions of Americans who disagree with her on that so she must speak with a pretty narrow range of folks.
Couric asked her about global warming and Palin wouldn't say if she thinks it's man-made or not. Rather, she asserted that it doesn't matter. Call me crazy, but how can this problem be solved if we don't know what caused it?
Couric asked her directly if she would oppose abortion in cases of rape and incest. Palin didn't answer her directly, of course, but blathered on about choosing life. When Couric pressed her, she said that she wouldn't put rape victims in jail for getting abortions. This must be what passes for compassionate conservatism these days.
Maybe the biggest jaw dropper in the interview was Palin's inability to name a single newspaper or magazine that she reads. Couric asked her which news sources she read and she said "all of them." Couric pressed her to name one and she was unable to do so. She couldn't come up with the Anchorage Daily News? USA Today? Time? The Wasilla Bugle or whatever? Anything? Astounding. As Sullivan points out, she claims to be a graduate of the prestigious journalism school at the University of Idaho. She's a journalism major who can't name a newspaper?
