An Ode to Joe

(To the tune of the "Roto-Rooter" ad song)

Call Joe the "Plumber"
That's the name
And away goes your party
Down the drain!
Joe the "Plumber!"

For a party that's fallen between the cracks.

Quotes of the Day

"This is a total repudiation of the Republican brand. This is a party that is out of touch not only with the American electorate but their own base." - - Former Rethuglican congressman and MSNBC pundit Joe Scarborough, waxing indignant.

"I think, frankly, that we could be on the cusp of a new era." - - Paleoconservative Pat "Pitchfork" Buchanan, in a rare moment of lucidity.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" - - Hackwhackers

The Winking Wasilla Wonderwoman

Now that the McSame campaign has gone belly-up, reports are leaking out of their campaign of Gov. You Betcha's odd behavior and expensive taste. This is to be expected, as the McSame loyalists are pointing fingers at Caribou Barbie as part of the reason for their demise. Here are some choice tidbits:

-- You Betcha greeted McSame senior advisors in her hotel suite during the Rethug convention wrapped only in a towel. Hmmmmmm. Maybe You Betcha was mistaking their visit for an episode of "Big Brother" or an audition for a Hustler magazine spread.

-- You Betcha spent a whole lot more than the reported $150,000 on her glad rags; she also ran up the tab for her husband and kids, prompting a McSame aide to describe the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Nieman Marcus from coast to coast. . ."

One only hopes that we've seen the last of this crew, but with the Rethugs as delusional as ever, that's not likely.

Night To Remember

Courtesy of Huffington Post. . . .

Newspaper headlines announcing Obama's win.

Scenes from the Obama celebration last night. Tears of happiness flowing from Jesse Jackson sums it up.

The reaction around the world that's being broadcast by news organizations is unbelievable; people in China and Japan, Africa, Europe, and South America jumping and shouting, and waving American flags. After eight years of destructive arrogance, they're hungry to love America again and what it stands for.

The Change We Need

Sen. Obama's election as the 44th President was history in the making. Having lived through the civil rights era and seeing racial prejudice even today, we're somewhat in disbelief this morning that America has chosen an African-American as its President, and by a healthy margin. The sheer joy of millions here and throughout the world was clearly visible in watching election night coverage. Obama spoke to at least 100,000 people in Chicago's Grant Park last night, saying:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

While the final tallies in Missouri, Indiana and North Carolina are incomplete, Obama can count on a minimum of 338* electoral votes, winning such Rethuglican states as Ohio, Virginia and Florida in the east, and Colorado and Nevada in the West. Obama appears to have beaten McSame 52 to 46 percent in the popular vote, the first time since Carter that a Democrat has topped 50 percent.

*UPDATE: Indiana (!!) goes for Obama; make that electoral total so far 349. What's going on in North Carolina?

"I Didn't Vote For Obama Today"

It's not what you think. Let's see if you can get through this post without choking up. The majority of voters won't know the pride -- and a burden lifted -- that African-American voters feel in today's election. But we can all celebrate how far we've come.

GO VOTE

This ad began running locally here only a couple of days ago, but it's a powerful message.

Now, go vote.

Classy

Just saw an anti-Obama ad on MSNBC by some sleazy bunch of reptiles calling themselves "The Republican Trust PAC." The ad's content? Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Yeah, they went there in the last 6 hours of the campaign. What a classy bunch.

It'll make the ass-kicking they're going to get tomorrow all the more enjoyable.

"Path to Victory"

"Top Republicans still see path to White House victory."

1) They must not have seen our "Fearless Forecast."

2) In any event, we would like to order whatever it is they've been ingesting.

Fearless Forecast!

After close consultation with our polling firms and independent analysis of our own internal numbers, Hackwhackers is ready to make this fearless forecast for tomorrow's election:

Obama/Biden: 364 electoral votes

McSleazy/You Betcha: 174 electoral votes

Newsworthy notes:

Obama carries most of the "tossup" states (VA, MO, NC, FL, OH) but misses carrying Indiana and Montana by less than 2% (BFD).

The networks will call the election by 10:30 p.m. EST.

Noted Rethugs going down: Rep. Michelle "I See Anti-Americans" Bachmann; Sen. Elizabeth "Niagara" Dole; Sen. "Norm" (Short for "Normally I'm a Republican, Except When I'm Up for Reelection") Coleman; Sen. John "Boo-Hoo" Sununu.

C'mon Virgil, Be Goode!

We nearly fell over laughing at this news item from Daily Kos: Virginia Rethuglican Virgil (Not So) Goode is linked to a gay erotic film. (Pause for a moment) BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Not that there's anything wrong with that. . . but Goode, a turncoat Democrat who switched parties in 2002, has been one of the most reactionary members of Congress, voting with the pro-tobacco group and against the economic well-being of his south Virginia constituents in favor of corporate interests, and in favor of "family values" Rethuglicanism.

(photo: "Not So" Goode railing against "teh gays" at a Christian "Love Thy Neighbor" rally.)

Polls -- One Day to Go

The ABC News/WaPo's daily tracking poll has Obama leading McSame 54 to 43 among likely voters, an increase over Friday and Saturday's numbers. The latest CBS News poll has Obama leading by 13 points, 54 to 41, and the USA Today/Gallup poll has Obama leading by 11, 53 to 42. All of the polls show an increase for Obama since last week.

The similarities in the polls point are striking, even as McSame pours on the fibs about taxes, "socialism" and leadership. His right wing supporters are putting out Swift Boat-like ads in battleground states on the Obama/Jeremiah Wright connection, trying to link Obama with Wright's nutty outbursts. It's all part of the "he's not a real American" innuendo that is failing mightily with the American people.

McSame Throwing You Betcha Under the Bus?

St. Maverick McSame turned in a pretty funny performance in Saturday Night Live's opening skit, with the set-up being McSame and Gov. You Betcha pitching their campaign on the QVC channel. However, Tina Fey's You Betcha was portrayed as an opportunistic climber, selling her 2012 campaign tee shirts and displaying her ambition for bigger things a few steps from McSame. An interesting dynamic, because McSame obviously knew that was in the script, since it had him calling "Sarah, where are you?" off camera.

Does anyone now think the "diva" and "whack job" quotes of McSame's staff referring to You Betcha weren't at least tacitly approved by McSame himself?

Dead-Eye Endorses McSame

In what must be one of the most undesired endorsements short of bin Laden's, Dead-eye Dick Cheney endorsed McSame on Saturday. McSame will be sending Dead-eye a bouquet of poison ivy.

Sen. Obama's reaction: "I'd like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it." Hee hee hee.

Reagan Endorses Obama

Ron Reagan, son of the late President, has "officially" endorsed Sen. Obama. It would be hilarious if he made some TV ads of his endorsement ("Hi, I'm Ronald Reagan and I endorse Sen. Obama for President"). McNasty (a "foot soldier in Reagan's revolution") would go ballistic. Heh heh.