There are few things in life that make me as happy as Sesame Street makes me. And now, it can make you happy, too!

The Sesame Workshop Video Player.

Kim is mad I don’t post enough. I endevour to fix that; forthwith, a rumor:

Obama has a gay immigrant baby. Pass it on!

I am saddened at the death of Heath Ledger. Like, almost at River Phoenix proportions. The media has treated this as a farce. Heath Ledger dead at 28… must be drugs! Drugs strewn around his room! Rolled up $20, clearly he was snorting! Jesus Christ.

He’s given several interviews over the years saying that playing these dark characters, such intense rolls, was causing anxiety and insomnia. And what’s reported the next day? No illegal drugs. They found six prescription bottles for sleep aids and for anxiety. As someone with sleep and anxiety problems, I’m sure you’ll find 6 similar prescriptions in my apartment, as you start one, doesn’t work, start a different one, etc.. There are also reports out of London, where he was filming the previous day, that he had walking pneumonia.

Which is to say, the media fucking sucks. I don’t want to see images of his corpse. I don’t want to see images of hundreds of reporters and photographers outside his apartment, trying to capture gruesome bullshit for fat fucking house wives in Iowa. And you know what? Neither does his mother, father, sisters, wife, or baby daughter.

I find it fitting that a man who, in his personal life, tried so hard to hide from this bullshit media, will last be seen playing a part with makeup so thick it is a mask.

Obama speaking at Martin Luther King’s church. He was invited to speak before he started running for President, and this speech is beautiful, moving, uplifting, and emotional.

“I am asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington… I am asking you to believe in yours.”

Some of you are in Super Tuesday states. Do it. Do it for me. Please.

Oh, yeah, hi. I made it back OK.

One of the most infuriating things to me about the Hillary Clinton campaign has been how she takes credit for all the good things that her husband did while President. Do you remember the 1990’s? Do you remember the “vast right wing conspiracy” that claimed Hillary was really the one running the country?

Isn’t she kinda, you know, saying she did?

I actually saw a woman in Iowa say on the news that by virtue of being married to Bill, Hillary should know how to be President. She said “The wife of a farmer knows how to run the farm,” which, as Corey pointed out, is asinine since farming is really more of a team sport than an individual career. But OK, let’s run with it — you’re a teacher and your partner is a hedge fund investor. Quick; switch places and see how well you fair.

It infuriates me because, while she say she has “35 years of experience,” she never expands on that point, and instead jumps in to how great things were “during the Clinton years,” which leads to be to believe there’s a bit of coat tail riding going on here. It infuriates me because I want a woman president who stands on her own merits and achievements and she’s just not that candidate.

Maybe we could all jump on the “my partners experience is my experience” bandwagon!

In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers. During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move.

I wanted to post an update letting you know I am alive before someone calls out a search party. I had a lovely post written up last night, but then my laptop crashed, and I was too sick to care. I’m still in New Hampshire; my head cold finally caught up to me.

Yesterday morning: Visibility at 7AM. My favorite moment was when a cop car, in a long line of cars, turned on his blue lights and gave up two thumbs up.

Then on to canvassing. We were the only campaign canvassing, too. We just knocked and asked people if they had voted today; if they haven’t, we offer to take them to the polls or get them a ride.

We did this until 7PM, when we went back to base and started watching returns. Some people were defeatist when only 9% of the precincts were reporting. I reminded them that he was in third place with 9% reporting in Iowa, and to stfu.

I can’t see this as a defeat. I just can’t. We were 2% off. The voter turnout was amazing. My group won 5 of its 6 towns, by narrow margins:

Gilford — I didn’t get a total count
Gilmanton — 11 votes
Alton — 9 votes
Barnstead — 13 votes
Tilton — 1 motherfucking vote.

I feel nothing but pride for having helped out with this campaign. I marched all over Tilton, and I’d like to think I changed some minds, and even if I didn’t, I had a terrific experience. And I gave a phone interview to one of the Pittsburgh papers, so how cool is that?

Chins up!

PS: please send chicken soup and medicine.

I’ve had a day.

So, visibility from 7AM to 8:45AM, back to base and out to canvassing, which was easy, since most people weren’t home. My canvassing partner had gotten a boost earlier when a nice supporter pulled up to his visibility group, rolled down the window, and handed out a tray of yummy hot coco from Dunkin Donuts.

On the way home from canvassing, we spied a lonely Ron Paul supporter standing all by himself on the corner of 140 and I93. We decided to pay it forward, and stopped in to the Burger King to get him a cup of coffee. He was very appreciative, and when we told him we were Obama volunteers, he said “Anyone but Hillary!”

Back to base for some lunch, where Den Mother Deb took one look at me shivering (despite the balmy 42 degrees outside) and pale, felt my cheeks, and swiftly sent my fever and I to bed. She promised to only let me rest for half an hour, but she let me sleep for three. I missed getting to see Michelle talk, but, on the other hand, I stopped feeling like ass. And I need my strength for tomorrow anyway!

We’re having a turf war in downtown Laconia with the Hillary supporters. If one of us is on a corner, they send two people. And they are loud and jerks. Some of them are downright rude. We’ve been instructed not to get in to it, so we don’t respond to their taunts.

However, I’ve discovered I have somewhat of an instigator personality. Invariably, while they are shouting things about how much we suck, I will feel the need to shout at the top of my lungs FIRED UP. Across the street and from the cars always comes the response: READY TO GO. In this way, I have personally convinced at least 4 Hillary supporters this afternoon that they really need to go get a cup of coffee. Because I am evil, I take glee in their greumblings as they walk away.

Then we headed off to Concord.

The line to get in wrapped three city blocks, three to four people deep!

They made the Ron Paul people stop handing out literature to people in the line. Heee.

It was scheduled for 10. The line started moving at 10:20. Almost there!

At 10:40, we get in to the gym, which is just packed. There were at least 2000 people there for an event that didn’t even get underway until 11PM.

I saw David Gregory putting on his makeup in the corner, but resisted the urge to go over and hug him. That might be seen as creepy.

I didn’t have my long lens with me, and I was too far back to get a good shot of the Senator this time, but Jesus was the place pumped. I’ve heard this stump speech 40 times, but damn if it isn’t electrifying every fucking time.

I have my ginger ale and cold medicine and cough drops, and I’m FIRED UP! READY TO GO! back out tomorrow morning at 6:30.

Being in New Hampshire, I realize now that the thing I said two or three megathreads ago was correct. Every single commercial break has had at least three campaign ads. Sometimes, all the commercials are campaign ads. It’s insane, and yet awesome.

I’m branched out of Laconia to Gilmanton. While the Laconia office volunteers are fed a steady diet of pizza, we are getting marvelous home cooked meals for lunch and dinner. John and Deb, our host parents, are letting us use their amazing house (a converted country store) as a base of operations, and have called up everyone they know and asked them to cook up something for us. Amazing soups and chilies and casseroles and the deserts! My Lord, the deserts! We’re begging them to make a cook book.

The roads here are confusing and stupid, mostly because at least half of them are not marked.

So after canvassing in Gilmanton and surrounding areas all day, I head back to Laconia, park my car at the hotel, and walk the two blocks to the Obama headquarters. I pass the Hillary and Edwards offices on this walk, and they are portals of sad. Tonight, I counted 4 staffers in Hillary’s office, and 3 in Edwards’.

We had over 50 volunteers in our office, making calls on cell phones because we are out of land lines, sitting on the floor for lack of chairs, writing on our legs for lack of clipboards.

I have decided that phone banking is the most demoralizing thing ever. It’s absolutely soul crushing to have an 80 year old woman curse you out because she’s gotten “90 calls” over the weekend.

And you know what? Shut it. You chose to live in New Hampshire, where this state fights for its right to be first. Suck it up.

On the other hand, almost everyone has been wonderfully nice at the door. Because, you know, I am standing there. They are even polite when they are going for someone else. Though I do find that the number of people who say “I’m still deciding. I’ll choose in the booth” utterly infuriating. Two days people! How can you not know???

Oh! And everyone here has a dog. EVERY HOUSE. I’m going to stop by the store tomorrow and buy some dog treats to keep in my pocket while canvassing.

I had to buy new warm boots today. My boots weren’t a bulwark against the cold.

I’m headed out with the sunrise tomorrow for visibility, canvassing, more horrific phone banking, and then hitting the rally in Concord.

Fired up!

It took me nearly 14 hours to get to Laconia, New Hampshire from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, due to some of the worst traffic I have ever seen outside of Los Angeles. I checked in to the hotel, checked in to the headquarters, and went to the local watering hole, where I was promptly hit on by a Ron Paul supporter. I was found to be “beguiling,” which is an awfully big word for a drunk.

That’s right, bitches. There ain’t nothin’ I won’t do to see Barack win this shit!

Thank you, Iowa.

THIS. IS OUR. INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

I leave for New Hampshire in the morning, all FIRED UP, READY TO GO.