Month: November 2004

The Swing State Project has a page with direct links to various swing states’ official result websites. A useful link to have.

First thing this AM, coffee and a TiVo of the Kerry rally in OH that I missed last night. Then out to vote. The SF ballot is six pages long. Something really needs to be done about the proliferation of propositions out here — isn’t this sort of thing what we have a legislature for?

And of course Kerry-Edwards was the first thing I marked on the ballot.

We’re going to watch the returns with some friends in Palo Alto. I have some concerns about the wisdom of driving 50 minutes to watch them, but I’m cautiously hopeful and feeling like company.

Apparently there are voter challengers going on in polling places across the country and I am a little concerned about it, but so far things seem to be under control.

Woke up with Les Miserables – One Day More running through my head. I’m nervous but cautiously hopeful. I refuse to let the various reports of vote disruption and tinfoil hattery to get to me. I can’t wait until tomorrow.

Digby has a good summation of where things stand – worth a read.

A point espeically worth noting:

I also heard Tucker Carlson on the Chris Matthews week-end show say that he thought Kerry would win because people don’t stand in line for hours in the Florida sun to vote because they like a politician. People are willing to stand in line for hours because they are angry.

I read yesterday that an estimated 30% of the Florida vote has been cast in early voting. If true, it only goes to support Digby’s point — people are angry as hell about what was done to us in 2000 and we are not going to let it happen a second time.

I finally got Scott to watch the DVD of Fahrenheit 9/11 last night. I found it extremely depressing; in fact, I cried more waching it this time than I did when I first saw it. Scott, on the other hand, got angry.

Here’s hoping we’re both a lot happier 48 hours from now.

UPDATE: Found the link for the 30% info above. Here’s the full newsbyte:

In Florida, 30% of registered voters said they already had cast their ballots, using early voting sites and absentee ballots. They supported Kerry 51%-43%.

Source: USA Today. Hardy a left-wing rag.

You know, I really wasn’t sure how to vote on California’s Proposition 72, but a NY Times article today really helped clarify my thinking on the process.

Here’s a key point:

[Wal-Mart] says it spent about $1.3 billion of its $256 billion in revenue last year on employee health care to insure about 537,000 people, or about 45 percent of its work force. Wal-Mart says that 23 percent of its employees are not eligible for coverage, but that it covers 58 percent of those who are.

That compares with an insured rate of 96 percent of eligible full-time or part-time employees of Costco Wholesale, the discount retailer that is Wal-Mart’s closest competitor nationwide. Costco employees – most of whom are not represented by a union – become eligible for health insurance after three months working full time, or six months part time.

I have my concerns about the possible negative imact on employers of forcing them to either offer health insurance tor pay into a state pool. The job market out here is still pretty tight and I would hate to see it get tighter. But if Costco can do it and still be profitable, then Wal-Mart’s claims are obviously wrong. My “screw you, Wal-Mart” drive starts to kick in.

I’m going from being on the fence to voting “Yes” on 72.

Side note – I should get off my butt and shop at Costco more.