For the record: Dirtdirt.com heartily endorses John F. Kerry for President of the United States of America. If the other fellow, George W. Bush, is re-elected instead, I sincerely hope that he wins by a BUNCH. In fact, either way, I hope whoever wins wins resoundingly. I honestly don't think our democracy could handle too much more in the way of scandalous voting irregularities right now. Folks, if you live here in the United States please remember to vote tomorrow. Pretty please. Even if you live in one of those states (like I do) where the national election is basically a foregone conclusion, make sure your number is counted. And there are always worthwhile, albeit not as sexy, local races to vote on. Funny, isn't it, that even in particularly "conservative" or "liberal" states, let's say Texas and New York, there is still a large amount of dissent. 59% to 37%, liberal to conservative, or conservative to liberal, more or less. Even in Utah the most recent poll has 69% for Bush versus 25% for Kerry. I have to tell you, I really think we should do away with this here Electoral College thingamabob. It is bad enough, what with voter turnout and such, that there is NO WAY the President will have been elected by a majority of Americans, but for the President to not even have been elected by a majority of VOTERS, well, that is just silly. I like the idea of one person, one vote. I like the idea that, even if you live in Utah or the District of Columbia and your vote is wildly outnumbered it still counts as much as a vote in, say, 0hio or Pennsylvania. In New York State politics Dirtdirt.com heartily endorses Chuck Schumer for re-election to the US Senate. Heartily. Chucky does good work, and he does a lot of it. Every time there is anything going on in state politics good old Chuck is right there. Seriously. At least once a week good old Chuck is on the news hollering about un-inspected shipping containers, or cell-phone number portability, or bringing JetBlue to JFK. *** During game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ahem) I was asked the hypothetical "if forced to choose between the Red Sox winning and Kerry winning, which would you choose" question. I was not able to answer. Partly because I was too busy trying to convince some jackass Yankees fan that, even down 3 games to none, and even though they were currently getting beaten 18 to 9, yes, in fact the Sox COULD come back and sweep the final four games of the series. I really want to find that guy now. I swear, when I told him that I believed not only they could but that they WOULD he looked at me with unfiltered contempt, like he wanted to kill me for being such a pathetic, stupid, weak, limp-wristed sissy boy. Who's laughing now, Monobrow McFuckwit? I really really hope that guy remembers our conversation. Anyway, there are a couple of OTHER reasons I had a hard time choosing between Kerry and the Red Sox. One of them is that, by making that choice you are sort of bargaining with the fates, and in the case of the Red Sox I didn't want the fates to get involved. I didn't want there to be any sort of weird deus ex machina. I wanted, and got, a clean no-doubter. I don't really think there is much chance of a clean no-doubter in the Presidential race. There is too much at stake, and are too many variables and there are just too many opportunities for opportunistic fuckery on both sides. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, and I hope so, but I bet Wednesday morning we all don't know who the President is. The other reason I wasn't able to say which I would rather happen, regarding a Sox or Kerry win, is because there is a dark, spoiled angry part of me that doesn't WANT Kerry to win. The mess, the horrible horrible mess that Kerry, should he win, will find himself basically the sole proprietor of is, in my humble opinion, unsolvable. Wouldn't it be better for that particular hand grenade to explode while being held by the guy who pulled the goddamn pin? I don't know. I do want Kerry to win, but at least in regards to Iraq I am sure that it is going to get a lot worse before it gets ANY better. Regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office come January. Granted there are lots of other ways in which I am sure Kerry will be a better President than Bush (see: unlikely to introduce hate/religion based amendments to the constitution, not (as much of) a puppet of oil companies, unlikely to appoint ultra-conservative judge to the Supreme Court, etc. etc. etc.) But, anyway, please vote. Even if you vote differently than I do. Honestly I'd rather it be clean and go against me than ultra-close and go with me.