A tidbit from Future of Web Apps: Mullenweg said that, even on their best days, the CNN blogs powered by Wordpress.com get less traffic than the lolcats.
Anyway. Congrats to McCain. He worked hard to get this nomination, and his smile when he announced his arrival at the finish line was adorable. His wife, however, looked like a scary vulture woman.
My boyfriend is at the Democratic caucus right now and I’m jealous.
My newsroom’s ethics policy forbids me from making any sort of public political statement, and in the Democratic caucus in Kansas this year, people actually stand up and are counted, rather than use a secret ballot. I’ve touched on how I feel about the charade of the unbiased journalist but I’d rather not get fired, so I’m staying home tonight.
I could be at the polling site tonight saying, “Yes, America is ready for a president who isn’t white.” Or, “Yes, America is ready for a president who isn’t male.” And those are both important statements and I’m not allowed to make either of them, because someone might think that means The Wichita Eagle isn’t an unbiased publication.
I am, however, allowed to go to the Republican caucus this Saturday where voting is done by private ballot, where I could say, “hey, old white guys do a good enough job for me.”
And of course this election is about much more than race or gender. It’s not helpful to reduce the candidates down to those attributes, I know.
But in an election where I’m frustrated to see that the issues I care about most are not the issues that are being discussed or written about, I don’t have the opportunity to voice my concerns. I don’t have the opportunity to attempt to shape the conversation until the conversation ends on general election day (when I will certainly get my I Voted sticker). Democracy is about process, and I’m not allowed to be part of it.
If change is possible, if we really can, I am not part of that movement tonight.
Sometimes I really question my career choice. I’m no good at concealing how I feel, and I find it nauseating to even try.
I want change.
So I voted. Yay voting. It was the first time I’ve voted on a computer (I’ve always filed advance paper ballots before), and wow, those computers suck. The first one was having problems with its receipt printer, so I got bumped to a second machine, which seemed to be working.
But when I get back home, I find a hangtag on my front door. It’s a nice little note reminding me to vote, offering a free ride to the polls — courtesy of the Kansas Democratic Party — and listing my polling place.
Except that it’s got the wrong damn polling place.
Dutiful employee that I am, I alerted the newsroom first and the Kansas Democratic Party second.
The newsroom reporter’s response: “Interesting.”
The party worker’s response: “Oh. Oh dear. Oh no. That’s not good. Oh dear.”
They’ve drastically cut back on the number of poll sites in Wichita recently. It’s easier than ever to distribute these damn hangtags. And I’d be a little less disturbed if maybe my hangtag had the address of the pre-consolidation location for this neighborhood, but no, it was for a location much farther north. I suppose we’re in the same quadrant of the city but, wow.
Just wow.
Sometimes I think I should reregister as an independent. Democrats are just too embarrassing.
Update: For the few people who are crying dirty trick, I hear a Republican on the other side of town got an incorrect tag from the Democrats, too. And a little after 1 p.m., some volunteers (who looked young enough that they should maybe be in school still, hmm) came through collecting the erroneous tags and knocking on doors to let people know where they’re really supposed to go.
So I’m working election night in the newsroom and I don’t have to go to work until 4 p.m.
And I have to say, I think watching the election results come in is more fun when you can turn it into a drinking game. Especially since my team might actually win something this year. (Go team!)
But my real problem: what to do on a weekday when I don’t have to work? Hmm.
I don’t know if you actually meant any of the section of your speech tonight, Mr. President, but after that, for the first time in your presidency, I didn’t want to kick you in the balls. And I feel kinda good about that. Thanks.
Now make your promises about a more fuel-efficient America happen. Bring down the prices of hybrid/alternative-fuel cars, and I’ll buy one.
“Ray Nagin for President, Anderson Cooper for Secretary of Take No Shit.”
They’ve got my vote.
Especially with President Bush on CNN right now, making cracks about all the times he used to get wasted in New Orleans.
I’ve been thinking that
it would be way awesome if
Al Gore was my dad
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