Did Anyone Notice…

... How Romney got away without releasing his tax returns? Nice work from our free press. The question now is... is this just special Romney treatment, or are the days of politicians releasing tax returns gone forever. Also, too, I'm expecting politicians to start "not letting their campaigns be dictated by fact-checkers." Mitt Romney probably won't win tomorrow, but he may have actually brought "real change" to American politics.

Some Votes Count More Than Others

Here's Politico yesterday:
If President Barack Obama wins, he will be the popular choice of Hispanics, African-Americans, single women and highly educated urban whites. That’s what the polling has consistently shown in the final days of the campaign. It looks more likely than not that he will lose independents, and it’s possible he will get a lower percentage of white voters than George W. Bush got of Hispanic voters in 2000. A broad mandate this is not.
So, if you don't win with non-urban, uneducated white men and married white women... No mandate for you.  Because some votes are more 'merican than others.  Josh Marshall says it best:  Or to be more specific, Obama’s winning but not with the best votes. I mean really, if you can’t win with a broad cross-section of white people, can you really be said to represent the country?

The Embarrassment That Is Florida

I've reached the point where Florida officials have to admit they're deliberately suppressing the vote (cheating) or admit they are completely incompetent and resign immediately. Perhaps it's time to move control of elections to the Federal level, because this is obviously something certain states can't handle.  Let's make Florida Department of Elections a ward of the court - after all, how many times has Florida screwed this up?  There shouldn't be this many different rules (and political games by Republicans) to vote.

UPDATED: NYC Marathon Canceled (Previously Titiled: Not Canceling The NYC Marathon Is A Mistake)

The reasons given for not canceling the marathon seem to be it will be good for morale and that it generates money. Well, I'm not sure how you can count on money when many people can't get into the city and the morale argument seems to only apply to those able to attend the event - not those whose communities are still suffering.  Also, using the police and other city service personnel for anything other than Hurricane relief seems ridiculous - not to mention really bad optics. But I could be missing something.  What do you think? UPDATED:  NYC MARATHON NOW CANCELED

Oh, Look! Mitt Romney Flip Flops On FEMA

The only thing I know about Mitt Romney is that he lies at a rate I've never before seen.  I also know that anyone who claims to know what Mitt Romney will do as President is either lying or delusional.

Governor Markell Declares (Limited) State Of Emergency

Governor Markell orders a mandatory evacuation of coastal areas in all three counties in Delaware as the state prepares for a major hit from Hurricane Sandy. The evacuation order begins at 8pm Saturday, giving residents 24 hours to get out of the storm's path. All evacuations should be completed by 8pm Sunday. The state expected 50,000 people to be fleeing coastal areas.

Republican Senate Candidate: Pregnancy From Rape Is God’s Will

FYI:  Todd "legitimate rape" Akin is not an outlier.  Rep. Roger "some girls rape easy" Rivard is not an outlier.  Sharron "make lemonade out of rape" Angle is not an outlier.  Paul "I agree with Akin" Ryan is not an outlier. As time goes on, I'm rapidly reaching the conclusion that Republicans view the act of rape as god's will.  It's almost as if, and I hesitate to type this, but... it's almost as if they are casting god as the rapist.  It's like these guys view god as a Zeus-like figure.  It's like they are saying that despite the woman's wishes god has decided she should be pregnant so he sent a rapist to fulfill his will.

Let’s Review Romney’s Initial Statements On Libya

Romney may want to argue over the word "terror" now, but that wasn't what he did the night of the attack in Libya. Romney's initial statement on Libya:
“I’m outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi,” the statement read. “It’s disgraceful that the Obama Administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.” The assertion that the administration sympathized with attackers was derived from a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo — before the compound was breached — criticizing an anti-Muslim film that “hurt the religious feelings” of others.
Got that?  Romney was responding to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo - people who were trying to calm a potentially explosive situation.  He wasn't harping on terror.  He didn't call it a terrorist attack.  (Not that he should have at the time)  He was claiming that President Obama's first response was to "sympathize with those who waged the attacks."