I don't know why right-wingers do it all the time but:

Just because there is some case of some other person doing something, does not mean that it is not valid to notice when someone else does it. Ok? It's not an argument, it trumps nothing, and it shows that you lack the ability to reason. That's why answering any criticism of the current occupant by mentioning something the prior occupant did was not useful or smart.

Black voters chose Kerry 88% of the time in 2004. They are choosing Obama 90% of the time in 2008. Doesn't sound like race is the issue here, sounds like most black voters are Democratic and vote for the candidate with a D next to his name.

I wonder if the reason many of these voters have chosen the Democratic party might be because of the institutional, ingrained, both hidden and open racism of many sectors of the R party?

Here in Wyoming (I know, I know, went for McCain), people can register to vote at the polls. There were lines to do that at the polling place I went to, but the wait was only about 25 minutes. The county workers were pleasant and efficient. We filled in little bubbles with black ballpoint pens, and fed our own ballots into the optical scanner.

I wish it was that way everywhere.

Really? It doesn't affect you, so you don't care? You don't care about racism since you're white (surmising)? You don't care about women's rights because you're male? You don't care if Iraqis are getting killed because you're American? You don't care about soldiers getting killed because you're a civilian?

I'm white, hetero, married, and not a citizen of CA, and I care.

Yes! I agree, exactly. Currently "marriage" is a contract to become something akin to an economic unit. The state should only license this union, with all the attendant rights, and churches can marry (or not) whomever they wish.

People would still use married (unioned? Cved? nah, not gonna happen), but they would not get a marriage license.

I hope that happens, and soon. And you know, I don't care if 3 people wish to bond together in this kind of union. Who cares?

Can't be THawk, the grammar is too good. It sounds a lot...suspiciously...like Elephantman.

Hm. If Stevens really leads by a few thousand, and there are only "scores" of votes left to be counted, then he has won. Unless it's lots and lots of scores, which might be better mentioned as thousands, or tens of thousands, or whatever it really is.

There were a few "gonnas" instead of going to, but otherwise she did not drop a single "G". No sing-song, no fake Fargo accent. All of that stuff made her appear even more stupid than she really is. While she is still rather incoherent, taking forever to say nothing, at least she doesn't have that cadence that made me grit my teeth.

Perry looked so rude and officious. I agree, that little grimace, as she experienced his interference, is the most real I have seen her act. Did she immediately say something there about having had press conferences for some time in Alaska? I thought she did, and I bet it was bit of a reaction to that.

I can't stand the woman. I want her to go away. But if they had at least had her sound as she did here, somewhat competent, somewhat less exotic, she might have gone over better.

I read this over on Slate today, and now here on Salon. But I'm not buying it. Without 43% of whites, he wouldn't have won. In fact, because whites are a big percentage of the electorate, I'll bet without 40% of them, he wouldn't have won. Most of his votes (numerically) came from white people, right?

I think this says what we already know, that the Republican party appeals more to white people (and though I am white, I really don't know why). And that, if more of the people the Democratic party appeals to come to the polls, then Democrats will win.

I didn't expect people in Mississippi or Wyoming to vote for Obama, or for any Democrat. It just doesn't seem like a race thing.

White people who voted for Obama can give themselves credit. There were a lot of us. And non-white people are part of the country, too. We can all join together in pride and satisfaction that this coalition was able to elect Obama, can't we?

It seemed more to me that he was sort of saying to her, I know you've had to hear this rant over and over, but still, I'm going to say what I think on the subject once again.

Making elemental mistakes that simple things--like reading the article in question, for example--could clear up.

Once, when I was in the airport waiting for my stepson to fly in, I stopped for a burrito. I never take my purse in, I just put an ID and a credit card in my back pocket, to make it easier through security. When I went to pay, I discovered that the airport restaurant didn't accept Discover, which is what I had extracted from my wallet. The man behind me paid for the meal, because I had jsut told the cashier that I was sorry, that was all I had brought in with me. It was about $10, but I was embarrassed and grateful. I have looked for opportunities to pay it forward ever since.