Reagan Ad Man Uses Pro-Reagan Ad Against McCain

Generation We

By 2016 non-boomers will represent the largest voting bloc in the country. We are ready for change...

Looking to the Future

In his own words...

"A Family Grew Rich on Cotton, and Slaves, and Grew a Great Military Dynasty..."

In Case You're Feeling Complacent

This is what "family values" look like...



This was shot today. In Denver. Don't just get angry. Get five people to vote...

Thanks, Leasa, for sharing.

Palin Pick: "The Most Devastatingly Poor Judgment in Modern Political History"

Discussing media efforts to be "fair and balanced" when the wheels are coming off the cart on one side of the wagon, Andew Sullivan doesn't mince words on this one:

The Vet Who Did Not Vet

Today's Humor...

My Worst Nightmare

MoveOn has put together a great, customized video to drive home how we'll feel if voting somehow slips our mind. I've voted already, so this won't be me... Don't let it be you either!

Palin: VP is Pres' "Team-Mate" and "In Charge of the Senate"

A month before being tapped for the position Palin wondered aloud on national TV what exactly the Vice President did every day. Later she laughed off the comment as a poor attempt at a joke.

In her debate against Joe Biden she gave a confused answer about the VP role.

Yesterday, in an interview with the Colorado NBC affiliate, she tried to answer the question for a 3rd grader who had sent the question in to the station...

Colin Powell Endorses Barack

When You Put Them in a Room Together

Obama and McCain both attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner last night. A fancy-schmancy white-tie affair at the Waldorf Astoria. Here's what those crazy kids had to say about each other...

First, McCain roasts Obama



Then, its Obama's turn

Boy Bands for Obama

An appeal from the youth of America to White Moms who might still be on the fence...


Apparently, we are a YouTube target demographic...

McCain's Letterman Appearance

He finally made it...

Sister Site

The countdown to the election continues, and we can't give up the fight just yet--while the numbers are looking good, the worst thing we can do is begin taking a win for granted. Yet, beginning to look to the future is a good idea, too.

After all, we're not in this to see who wins the pageant, we're in this to change the direction of our country.

With both Obama and Senate Democrats showing commanding leads in many races, we need to be thinking about how we'll expect our representatives to engage the issues that matter after the election. The last thing I want is a far-left pendulum swing that further deepens the divide in America. Rather, one of the things that inspires me about the possibility of an Obama presidency is the possibility his candidacy presents for real dialogue about issues that matter.

I'll keep blogging here in the weeks ahead as we get ready for election day (have YOU voted yet?), but have also launched a sister site to keep the conversation going after the election, and to begin raising issues that we could stand to have a more robust conversation around.



Unlike this site, Middle Ground Matters won't be allied to any one candidate. You'll see I've added a feed to the list on the right, and hope you'll check the new site out, and keep sending me ideas for new topics to cover. While the conversations there may lean left, I'm committed to engaging many voices in hopes of getting them right.

I have really valued the conversation this site has provoked during this election, and hope you'll join me in keeping the conversation going on November 5th and after. That is when the real work of forging a more perfect union begins...

McCain: Protection for Mother's "Health" an Extreme Position

Tonight John McCain made clear that he would not support legislation that allows for abortion to protect the health of the mother. Yet he says that Obama's position (which would support restricting late-term abortion as long as protections were given for the life and health of the mother, and would advocate appropriate sex education, including helping young people understand that sexuality is "sacred") is extreme?!?

Mad McCain

Some highlights from tonight's debate. All the polls give it to Obama, by a lot. McCain, again, just looked ANGRY. This is NOT the guy I want taking the 3AM call.

The video below is short, and not of highest quality (hey it was up within minutes of the debate) but it emphasizes what a lot of people have been noting about McCain's body language. This piece by Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks is worth a read before watching the below.

Can You Vote Early?

I did! I dropped my ballot off today, and the board of elections was hopping. I had to wait in line to drop off my ballot and people were streaming steadily in and out.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has a handy page that lists states with no-excuse early or absentee voting.

All states allow early absentee voting if you will be away from your voting area on election day. You can view dates
and other info about absentee and early voting at electionpreparedness.com.

If you need to find out whether you are registered, where your polling place is, or how to contact your board of elections, go to canivote.org

If you live overseas, votefromabraod.org has all the info you need to request an absentee ballot and make sure your voice is heard.

My friend, Adam, created a Facebook group called, Vote Early, Just in Case to help spread the word. Here are a few of the fun (and scary) facts he collected:

In 2004, 16 million registered voters did not vote and 1/2 million of them would have been dead or in the hospital during the election.

In the next 20 days 94,685 voters will die, if they vote early their vote will leave a lasting legacy.
An additional 178,065 voters will be in the hospital and unable to get out to vote.
224,685 voters will go to the emergency room on election day and might not get to vote.

Roughly 6,575 people die per day
with 20 days until the election that is
131,507 people that will be lost.
of which 72% are registered so
94,685 voters might miss their chance to vote if they don't vote early.

As Adam says "Vote early since lines may be long, something might come up, or you might just kick the bucket before the election."

Yes We Carve

Looking to make your mark on Halloween?

Check out photo galleries, download stencils, and carve away at yeswecarve.com

Obama Supporters Tap Youth to Reach Out

Some creative third-party advertising targeting young Obama supporters to reach out to their elders:

"Talk to Your Parents About John McCain"



Sarah Silverman's "The Great Schlep"

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

The Obama Campaign itself is also getting creative. The below is a screen shot from a popular video game:

The Faith of Sarah Palin

An interesting peek into the religious community that has propelled Palin's political ascendency:

Former Rgan Advisor Predicts Obama Landslide

Barring a dramatic change in the political landscape over the next three weeks, Democrats appear headed toward a decisive victory on Election Day that would give them broad power over the federal government.

The victory would send Barack Obama to the White House and give him larger Democratic majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate — and perhaps a filibuster-proof margin there.

That could mark a historic realignment of the country's politics on a scale with 1932 or 1980, when the out party was given power it held for a generation, and used it to transform government's role in American society.

There's More...

Women Speak out For Obama

Here is a great video with women from all walks of life, including Author Alice Walker, talking about why they support Barack.


Click image to view video

McCain Camp Defends "Supporters"

MSNBC reports

Earlier today, Obama remarked on recent outbursts of "Traitor!" "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!" at McCain campaign events. "It's easy to rile up a crowd," Obama said. "Nothing's easier than riling up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that's not what we need right now in the United States."

In response, McCain senior adviser Nicolle Wallace released this statement, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports. "Barack Obama's assault on our supporters is insulting and unsurprising. These are the same people obama called 'bitter' and attacked for 'clinging to guns' and faith. He fails to understand that people are angry at corrupt practices in Washington and Wall Street and he fails to understand that America's working families are not 'clinging' to anything other than the sincere hope that Washington will be reformed from top to bottom."

"Attacking our supporters is a new low for the campaign that's run more millions of dollars of negative ads than any other in history."

*** UPDATE *** McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers adds in another statement: “Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about. He dismisses hardworking middle class Americans as clinging to guns and religion, while at the same time attacking average Americans at McCain rallies who are angry at Washington, Wall Street and the status quo."

That the McCain camp defends cries of treason and for violence as shows of support goes far beyond the disappointing lack of judgment we've seen in the last month--it verges on the overwhelmingly irresponsible. An African American single mom, so appalled at what she's seen writes

If it matters, I am an African American single mother-This election means more to me than I can find the words to describe. I love this country despite all of our history.

And yesterday, I cried my last tears, after I watch the venomous, vile, and vitriolic display at the McCain-Palin rally unfold over the last few days. I was raised in a Southern Baptist church, and I was taught as a young child when things look bleak and you are backed up against a wall you just let go and let God. We as African Americans have been subjected to the system and have the philosophy ingrained that we have to accept the things that we can not change.

Well here and now damn it--I have cried my last tears yesterday. I am going to fight!

I love the principles that our country was founded on--and I hate what some people are resorting to. And we will fulfill the promise of a More Perfect Union.

May we all fulfill that promise.

A Tale of Two Rallies

How Obama motivates his crowd in difficult times:



McCain's approach:



The folks at FiveThirtyEight.com attended an Obama rally and a Palin rally in Ohio today and offer an interesting account of the contrasts.

Who is Barack Obama?

I've gotten a number of emails in the last few days from people who are hearing from undecided members of their family that Barack Obama still "scares them." The email campaigns and un-truths being spouted at rallies is still unsettling for those who have not yet looked closely at who Barack is. This behind-the-scenes video from the DNC gives you a window into the heart of a man and his family.



I also highly encourage anyone who still has unanswered questions about Barack and his background to read his first book: Dreams from My Father. It was written while he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, long before he ran for any public office and is a poignant and unusually frank narrative from a (now) public official.

You can buy the book at Amazon.com, download it from audible.com (or you can look it up in iTunes). I listened to it on audio book and found it a special treat as Barack narrates it himself--his life in his own words.

For those who like to read the cliffs notes first, there is a summary on Wikipedia.

Michelle on the Daily Show

The Second Debate In a Minute

The Cliffs Notes Version...

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

The Writing on the Wall

Two days ago, NY Times conservative columnist David Brooks called Sarah Palin "a fatal cancer to the Republican party." Her anti-intellectualism, he said is a death knell in times that call for big ideas. He meanwhile praised Obama's running mate, saying:

"[Biden] can't not say what he thinks," Brooks remarked. "There's no internal monitor, and for Barack Obama, that's tremendously important to have a vice president who will be that way. Our current president doesn't have anybody like that."

Brooks predicted Obama would win by 9 points in the upcoming election.

Today, the Washington Post's George Will also threw in the towel on McCain's flailing campaign saying

Obama is competitive in so many states that President Bush carried in 2004 -- including Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Colorado and New Mexico -- it is not eccentric to think he could win at least 350 of the 538 electoral votes.

What You Didn't See After the Debate

As soon as the major networks broke away from the debate floor for their post-game-punditry, the McCains left the building. The Obamas stayed to meet, shake hands, pose for pictures, and joke around with all 80 voters in the room. Thanks C-Span...

A Class Act

Michelle Obama just impresses...



Then there's this act of public service

Time: Why Women Hate Sarah Palin

This bit is a little tongue-in-cheek and a little check-yourself-out-in-the-mirror...

Ah, women, the consistently, tragically underestimated constituency. What the Democrats learned during the primaries and the Republicans might now be finding out the hard way, I learned at my very academic, well-regarded all-girls high school: that is never to discount the ability of women to open a robust, committed, well-thought-out vat of hatred for another girl.

Ouch.

The Real McCain

Thanks to Amanda for passing along this great article from Rolling Stone. It is one of the most in-depth looks at John McCain's life story, from Military Academy to the present, I have seen, and while many pieces of the story will sound familiar, as the subtitle suggests, "a closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty." I've included a few gems below, but the full story is worth the read.
The first 6 pages recount the personal favors and nepotistic deals that characterized McCain's early military career and the womanizing and misogyny that went along with it, once the piece turns to his political career, however, there is some serious food for thought. The author doesn't pretend to be unbiased, so take it with a grain of salt, but notice how differently the same events play with other bits of context...

"A Reformer...?"
In congress, Rep. John McCain quickly positioned himself as a GOP hard-liner. He voted against honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday in 1983 — a stance he held through 1989. He backed Reagan on tax cuts for the wealthy, abortion and support for the Nicaraguan contras. He sought to slash federal spending on social programs, and he voted twice against campaign-finance reform. He cites as his "biggest" legislative victory of that era a 1989 bill that abolished catastrophic health insurance for seniors, a move he still cheers as the first-ever repeal of a federal entitlement program...In this context, McCain's recent record — opposing the new GI Bill, voting to repeal the federal minimum wage, seeking to deprive 3.8 million kids of government health care — looks entirely consistent. "When jackasses like Rush Limbaugh say he's not conservative, that's just total nonsense," says former Sen. Gary Hart, who still counts McCain as a friend.

"Reaching Across the Aisle"
In the aftermath of the Keating Five, McCain realized that his career was in a "hell of a mess." He had made George H.W. Bush's shortlist for vice president in 1988, but the Keating scandal made him a political untouchable. McCain needed a high horse — so his long-standing opposition to campaign-finance reform went out the window. Working with Russ Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin, McCain authored a measure to ban unlimited "soft money" donations from politics.

"Straight Talk Sucker Punch"
The Keating affair also taught McCain a vital lesson about handling the media. When the scandal first broke, he went ballistic on reporters who questioned his wife's financial ties to Keating — calling them "liars" and "idiots." Predictably, the press coverage was merciless. So McCain dialed back the anger and turned up the charm. "I talked to the press constantly, ad infinitum, until their appetite for information from me was completely satisfied," he later wrote. "It is a public relations strategy that I have followed to this day." Mr. Straight Talk was born.

"Steady Hand at the Tiller?!?"
Over the years, John McCain has demonstrated a streak of anger so nasty that even his former flacks make no effort to spin it away. "If I tried to convince you he does not have a temper, you should hang up on me and ridicule me in print," says Dan Schnur, who served as McCain's press man during the 2000 campaign. Even McCain admits to an "immature and unprofessional reaction to slights" that is "little changed from the reactions to such provocations I had as a schoolboy."

McCain is sensitive about his physical appearance, especially his height. The candidate is only five-feet-nine, making him the shortest party nominee since Michael Dukakis. On the night he was elected senator in 1986, McCain exploded after discovering that the stage setup for his victory speech was too low; television viewers saw his head bobbing at the bottom of the screen, his chin frequently cropped from view. Enraged, McCain tracked down the young Republican who had set up the podium, prodding the volunteer in the chest while screaming that he was an "incompetent little shit." Jon Hinz, the director of the Arizona GOP, separated the senator from the young man, promising to get him a milk crate to stand on for his next public appearance...

At least three of McCain's GOP colleagues have gone on record to say that they consider him temperamentally unsuited to be commander in chief. Smith, the former senator from New Hampshire, has said that McCain's "temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him." Sen. Domenici of New Mexico has said he doesn't "want this guy anywhere near a trigger." And Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi weighed in that "the thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded."

"Warmonger"
The myth of John McCain hinges on two transformations — from pampered flyboy to selfless patriot, and from Keating crony to incorruptible reformer — that simply never happened. But there is one serious conversion that has taken root in McCain: his transformation from a cautious realist on foreign policy into a reckless cheerleader of neoconservatism.

"He's going to be Bush on steroids," says Johns, the retired brigadier general who has known McCain since their days at the National War College. "His hawkish views now are very dangerous. He puts military at the top of foreign policy rather than diplomacy, just like George Bush does. He and other neoconservatives are dedicated to converting the world to democracy and free markets, and they want to do it through the barrel of a gun."

...Indeed, McCain's neocon makeover is so extreme that Republican generals like Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft have refused to endorse their party's nominee. "The fact of the matter is his judgment about what to do in Iraq was wrong," says Richard Clarke, who served as Bush's counterterrorism czar until 2003. "He hung out with people like Ahmad Chalabi. He said Iraq was going to be easy, and he said we were going to war because of terrorism. We should have been fighting in Afghanistan with more troops to go after Al Qaeda. Instead we're at risk because of the mistaken judgment of people like John McCain."

This gives you a flavor, but there's more...

Mind the Gap

Obama's lead is opening up everywhere--in national polls that virtually all have him ahead by large margins and in every key battleground state (where he needs two or three, he leads in six or seven). More people trust him on the economy, and despite the slimy last-ditch efforts of the Palinistas, the country is becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of Obama as President.

Tonight's debate was pretty dull. I agree with most of the pundits that this format was rather wretched. The questions were barely so-so at a time when there are lots of big questions to ask--and most of the questions weren't very new (and that question at the end wasn't Zen, it was just irrelevant--Ifill's Achilles' heel question was more pertinent, and that is saying something). Boring as it was, though, it did McCain no favors--he looked weak, and old, and crotchety. He said he'd implement a complete moratorium on new government spending in one breath, an then introduced the idea that somehow the Federal Government could come in, buy up "bad mortgages" for people who are upside down in their loans and resell them to homeowners at the price of their devalued homes (essentially having the rest of us eat the capital loss, I guess) HUH?!?! But Obama's health care plan is evidence of the "big hand" of government?

The election is four weeks from today, and a lot can still happen, of course, but as more and more people see Obama as the one who is steady and calm in crisis, the less opportunity McCain will have to close the gap. I'm sure McCain will try to pull a few more things out of his sleeve in the weeks ahead, but the bluster is starting to fall on deaf ears. For someone who calls so much attention to his record, he's done an awful lot to undermine it and reversed his position a few too many times to be believed...

Stop the Hatemongering

Palin's pit bull attacks on Obama's acquaintance with Bill Ayers is escalating into something much more ugly.

Palin has continued to blame "main stream media" for her poor showing in interviews and is stirring up the crowds:

Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."

It doesn't stop at condescending, though, as Palin has stirred up anger at Obama's loose association to Ayers, the scales are tipping toward violent reaction:

Palin, speaking to a sea of "Palin Power" and "Sarahcuda" T-shirts, tried to link Obama to the 1960s Weather Underground. "One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," she said. ("Boooo!" said the crowd.) "And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,' " she continued. ("Boooo!" the crowd repeated.)

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

I worry that Palin doesn't even appreciate the incendiary nature of her comments. Hailing from a state where the largest African American population rests at 11% (in Fairbanks) and from a town that makes the top ten list of lowest percentages of African Americans (Wasilla has a whopping 1% of Blacks in its population) she may just not get it, but her advisors should (and if she doesn't it bodes badly for her ability to lead in the rest of the country)--this is a dangerous tack to take, and I hope tonight's debate can steer the conversation back to germane topics.

What we are FOR: Family Values...

After Thursday's debate I wrote that one of my biggest take-aways was that we had turned a corner. I believe more and more that comparisons between McCain and Bush, while more stark and true day by day, are less necessary. The McCain camp has chosen a path of slander and smear, but we have a whole lot on our side. Finally, we have a candidate that has a LOT going for him beyond being "not Bush." I'll highlight some key policy excitements in the days ahead in my "What we are FOR" posts, but as a tribute to the Obamas' anniversary on Friday (and in celebration of mine tomorrow), here's a moving video of what our first family might look like. Last week, relationship experts Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks wrote:

One of the greatest benefits of an Obama presidency is hidden in plain sight: the relationship between Michelle and Barack. They provide a great role model of a healthy relationship, at a time when such models are sorely needed.

I think it is high time we stop preaching family values, and start modeling them...

Charge that Obama "Pals Around" with Ayers an Outright Lie

Sarah Palin has launched the McCain camp's latest offensive (and yes, it IS offensive) by dredging up a tired attack that Barack Obama is linked to one of the founders of the 1960s group Weather Underground, calling him unpatriotic for "paling around with" Bill Ayers. The Associated Press has denounced the attack as "racially tinged" and grossly misleading

Her reference was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

Obama, who was a child when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers' radical views and actions.

With the McCain camp announcing an all-out, no holds barred, street brawl to the finish, we'll have our work cut out for us in the weeks ahead to keep the conversation on the issues that matter and avoid the gimmick pitfalls. The end is in sight though, and the electoral map looks better by the day:



Obama=340 Electoral votes McCain=198 Electoral votes

Keep up the good work... Colorado is tightening some so we can't relax just yet.

Letterman's Take on the Veep Debate

Veep Debate Retrospective: Biden's Great Night

I know several of you have hit the site today looking for my take on the debate, and pundits far and wide have had their take on the night's events out since minutes after it ended. I've started writing a response several times only to abandon it as feeling flat, and now I know why.

The inclination was to critique Palin, and there is simply nothing left to say. The range has been exhausted. We didn't see anything new from her last night. I tend to share Geraldine Ferraro's assessment that I'm glad she didn't fall flat on her face. It is bad enough that McCain chose a trophy Veep to stand with him along side his trophy wife; if she had completely melted down it would have done as much to set women back as Hillary did to bring us forward. Palin's journalism teachers and pageant coaches should have been proud of her last night, but I hope the lesson of history our daughters take away is that cute and coy is not enough.

Last night, while everyone's attention was on Palin, Biden methodically stole the show. He was warm, smart, so obviously well versed in issues that matter that while Palin shuffled her deck of talking points he deftly took the upper hand, time and again, without ever coming off in the least bit condescending. Last night Biden helped give us a glimpse of what we get to be FOR in November. This is no longer a battle against the failed policies of GWB; "stop looking back" might have been the only sensible thing Palin said.

The economic catastrophe we've witnessed these last two weeks put the exclamation point on Bush's irrelevance and Palin's perfunctory performance, I think, sealed the deal for us. I worried, rightly it turned out in 2004 that the only Democratic agenda was an anti-Bush platform. It wasn't enough for Kerry, and we've all paid dearly. Last night, Biden reminded me why we should not only be hopeful, but excited this year.

(More later...)

An Exceptional Endorsement

The New Yorker endorsed Barack Obama today in one of the most considered and poignant Presidential endorsements I have ever read. They conclude by saying

We cannot expect one man to heal every wound, to solve every major crisis of policy. So much of the Presidency, as they say, is a matter of waking up in the morning and trying to drink from a fire hydrant. In the quiet of the Oval Office, the noise of immediate demands can be deafening. And yet Obama has precisely the temperament to shut out the noise when necessary and concentrate on the essential. The election of Obama—a man of mixed ethnicity, at once comfortable in the world and utterly representative of twenty-first-century America—would, at a stroke, reverse our country’s image abroad and refresh its spirit at home. His ascendance to the Presidency would be a symbolic culmination of the civil- and voting-rights acts of the nineteen-sixties and the century-long struggles for equality that preceded them. It could not help but say something encouraging, even exhilarating, about the country, about its dedication to tolerance and inclusiveness, about its fidelity, after all, to the values it proclaims in its textbooks. At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness. It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader’s name is Barack Obama.

The work they do to get there is worth the read, though.

Human Rights Campaign Comes Out Against Sarah Palin

You might have seen Sarah Palin's comment to Katie Couric that one of her best friends is gay and that she doesn't judge her for that "choice." Palin's record has a lot of people in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community very worried though, and the Human Rights Campaign sent a group to Alaska to talk to GLBT folks about what it has been like to live under Palin as a Mayor and governor.

Here's what they have to say

Michelle Obama Gets out the Vote

Are you registered to vote yet? Is everyone in your family? Is everyone you know? Voter registration deadlines are looming and if you're not registered, you can't vote. In Colorado the deadline is October 6, and Michelle Obama was in town today working to get out the vote at the University of Colorado.

The crowd of 8,500 people was feisty and fired up after being warmed up by student leaders, the First Lady of Colorado, Congressman Mark Udall's wife, and former Denver Bronco Rod Smith. Smith told the crowd that despite this being the 5th Presidential election in which he is eligible to vote, he never voted until the 2004 election and now has deep regrets about it. "People died so that I could have the right to vote," he said. He assured the crowd that his 18-year old daughter would be voting in this election and urged all of them to vote too. He also recounted how he had been excited to go to the polls in 2004 only to spend his whole time in line talking about football and signing autographs. This year, he said, he was voting early.

When Michelle Obama finally took the stage, the energy in the crowd was electric. The feeling of young people (and not so young people) excited at the prospect of being involved in the political process was palpable. The recurrent refrain in Michelle's speech was "wouldn't it be nice to have a President who understands..."

She emphasized that Barack Obama knows what it is like to grow up with a young single mother who sometimes had to rely on food stamps, understands both the privilege of a higher education and the hard work it takes to get and pay for one. The Obamas have only recently paid off their student loans, she said, and that was only because "Barack has written two best-selling books."

Time and again, Michelle connected her husband's life story to the crowd:

Barack Obama gets it because he's been there... Barack has seen what it is like to struggle.

She also connected herself:

It is not just politics for me, it is personal.

As she talked about building a green economy so that our children can get good jobs and we can leave a cleaner planet for them she reminded the crowd that energy and enthusiasm are great, but that votes are what matter.

We don't want to wake up with regrets the day after election day saying "You know I really liked that Barack Obama."

I heard a lot of young people around me say that her speech was excellent when she finished, many pressed forward to have a chance to shake her hand as she worked a rope line at the end. I hope all of them also registered to vote. Today's paper suggests the voter registration effort is working with an average of 2,000 new voters registering in Boulder every day.

If you're not registered yet, no matter where you live, you can do it here now.


Here are some fun shots from today's rally. My favorite? The T-shirt reading "lipstick is not a vice presidential qualification"

Time to Fix This Mess

On Monday I wrote my take on the fiscal mess we're in. Today, Thomas Friedman echoes my growing concern:

Well, you say, “I don’t own any stocks — let those greedy monsters on Wall Street suffer.” You may not own any stocks, but your pension fund owned some Lehman Brothers commercial paper and your regional bank held subprime mortgage bonds, which is why you were able refinance your house two years ago. And your local airport was insured by A.I.G., and your local municipality sold municipal bonds on Wall Street to finance your street’s new sewer system, and your local car company depended on the credit markets to finance your auto loan — and now that the credit market has dried up, Wachovia bank went bust and your neighbor lost her secretarial job there.

We’re all connected. As others have pointed out, you can’t save Main Street and punish Wall Street anymore than you can be in a rowboat with someone you hate and think that the leak in the bottom of the boat at his end is not going to sink you, too. The world really is flat. We’re all connected. “Decoupling” is pure fantasy.

I totally understand the resentment against Wall Street titans bringing home $60 million bonuses. But when the credit system is imperiled, as it is now, you have to focus on saving the system, even if it means bailing out people who don’t deserve it. Otherwise, you’re saying: I’m going to hold my breath until that Wall Street fat cat turns blue. But he’s not going to turn blue; you are, or we all are. We have to get this right.

It is good and right to be angry at this predicament, but yelling at Congress to vote down the bill is like yelling at the fire department to let your neighbor's house burn. Odds are very good that you'll find your own house in flames.

The Senate votes today. Call your senator's office and tell them you expect reasonable oversight of the Treasury and equity interest for your investment but that you also expect them to vote YES. If they are getting calls from people who don't like it because they don't understand the economics, their job is to do a better job explaining why it is necessary.