The Final Countdown

Will things ever be the same again?

~~ "The Final Countdown" by Europe

Well, here we are.

In about 48 hours, we may (or may not) know who our next President will be.

Some of my friends are feeling very anxious and worried about the outcome of this election. While I share some of their apprehension, I feel fairly confident that the blue state firewall will hold for the Democrats and that Hillary Clinton will be our next President. I could be proven wrong, but I really do think our better angels will prevail.

It is obvious to me (and hopefully the majority of Americans) that Trump is unfit for the office. We shall see.

It’s been a brutal campaign and I think we are all a little damaged by it. I have worried about my blood pressure, I have felt anxiety and stress, I have had a hollow feeling in my stomach. I have unfollowed people because I couldn’t stand seeing their posts. I’m sure others did the same with me and I am okay with that. Our Clinton-Kaine sign was stolen from our yard. (Two more are going up in its place tomorrow.) I have seen people who aren’t from the U.S. lecture us about what is going on and have felt anger about that. I don’t totally understand the UK political structure, for example, so I don’t try to lecture them on how they should or should not be running their country. If you don’t have a vote here—and even worse, if you DO, and don’t vote—you can probably just be quiet, okay? We know we’ve got problems and need to work on them. We are also the greatest force for good in the world and have been for many years, and yes, I believe that.

I have seen friends and family members embrace the misogynist, racist bully, and I have felt despair. I have questioned the intelligence and sanity of people whom I hold dear. I have pleaded with those I know to be principled conservatives to think about how that man has treated women and what he says about them.

But at the end of the day, I feel hope and optimism. Why? Because that’s me!

I went to a rally in downtown South Bend on Thursday and saw Democrats coming together and fired up about our chances. I saw a diverse crowd full of positivity and wanting to make things better for ALL Americans.

I believe that the state polls will tell the tale. I believe that the majority of Americans will reject the politics of hate and fear and embrace the politics of inclusion and tolerance. I believe that we will elect the first woman as President of the United States of America and that fills me with awe and joy. I believe that we are still a great country that does good in the world, I believe that we are a generous people, I believe that we feel compassion and empathy and yes, LOVE, for our fellow human beings!

I believe that we all want to see every child in this country have a chance, with health care, proper nutrition, and an education so that they can succeed in this world, and that their race and gender doesn’t matter. I believe that people should be able to love whomever they want to love and that they should not be discriminated against for who they are. I believe in the separation of church and state and that no one should be able to dictate what others should or should not believe. I believe in SCIENCE, goddammit, and believe that we must do everything we can to save our planet. I believe in the power of music to bring people together, to forget our differences and just enjoy the celebration.

I believe.

I’ll check back with you all on Tuesday night. In the meantime, go vote. VOTE, you beautiful citizens! It is your right and you have a voice! Do you understand how fortunate you are??

VOTE!

And so it begins

MILWAUKEE – President Obama has opened the first significant lead of the 2012 campaign in the nation's dozen top battleground states, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, boosted by a huge shift of women to his side.

In the fifth Swing States survey taken since last fall, Obama leads Republican front-runner Mitt Romney 51%-42% among registered voters just a month after the president had trailed him by two percentage points.

The biggest change came among women under 50. In mid-February, just under half of those voters supported Obama. Now more than six in 10 do while Romney's support among them has dropped by 14 points, to 30%. The president leads him 2-1 in this group.

…

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina says Romney's promise to "end Planned Parenthood" — the former Massachusetts governor says he wants to eliminate federal funding for the group — and his endorsement of an amendment that would allow employers to refuse to cover contraception in health care plans have created "severe problems" for him in the general election.

"Romney's run to the right may be winning him Tea Party votes," Messina said in an interview, but he says it's demonstrated that "American women can't trust Romney to stand up for them."

Read the full article here.

When the Republicans started with their bullshit against women, I mentioned that in the 2008 election, women made up 53% of those who voted, and that we were not going to forget this.

Well, right on, Sisters! [fist in the air] We have received your message loud and clear, Republicans, and we are responding accordingly. Millions of women use Planned Parenthood every year, with only a small percentage of that for the purpose of abortions; they do good work in providing basic health care to millions of American women. The threat of cutting off all funds to the organization is seriously not cool. A bill introduced by a Republican legislator in Arizona would allow businesses to require a doctor’s note to show that a woman was using birth control for medical purposes, not for birth control. There is some talk of allowing employers to not pay for birth control if they have a “moral objection” to it. Perhaps they would like to accompany us to our doctors’ appointments to ensure that we don’t discuss anything they deem to be out of line or “morally objectionable.” Or maybe someone from the RNC will observe during my next pelvic exam, just to make sure I don’t deviate from acceptable topics, and so they can get a rundown on the general state of my uterus.

We are paying attention, and we are not liking what we’re seeing. I’m sure that Mittens will pivot to the center in the general election, and he’ll try to say that he didn’t mean it that way, or that he was taken out of context, and he’ll try to pretend that he cares about women’s health. He doesn’t. There is videotape to prove it. Women don’t forget much, or haven’t you figured that out yet, Mittens? We’re listening to what you are saying now. And we’ll be voting in November. You can put THAT in your ballot box and stuff it.