For some strange reason, all we say
is no more than sounds of weak voices,
small and tiny voices, shrill and piping,
each claiming
special knowledge as if their deep opinions were
thoughts that mattered.
I know
they are all veep maggots.

Originally posted at myDD.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed -- hell, I'm probably not even in the top 50%.  That's why I found it so funny earlier in the campaign when I'd go to these web sites that were designed to help me choose my candidate.  According to the way these sites worked, my best choice president would be the person who agreed with me the most -- like I have a clue!  

I don't believe that I always know what is best.  A lot of my political positions are based on my feelings and incomplete information.  For example, I certainly don't know the ins-and-outs of environmental policies and their associated fiscal and public health implications, but I do know I like the idea of wilderness areas and abundant wildlife and I really don't like chemicals in my food and gigantic shopping malls.

I'm a blue-collar working stiff who's barely managed to put a kid through college, lost a couple of jobs to outsourcing, had two strokes and doesn't have very good health care.
I'm gay, too.

Anyway, so I'm supposed to be all worried about Obama throwing me under the bus, I guess.

You know, if that's what it takes to get him elected. . . well, I'm okay with it.

Okay, folks.
Just a few minutes to breathe deep.
Take a break.
Mellow out a little.

The polls will close soon and we can all go Freaking Crazy in the hours and days to come.

But . . . lets chill with some nice stuff.
A few videos, folks.

Friends, I am so sorry.
It's been really painful to be here today.  The candidate diaries are pretty awful.  I've written about this before, and so have many others.  What struck me today, though, was how destructive this is to my spirit . . . and I didn't even have to participate to be damaged.  I just had to know it was going on.  (Yeah, I'm sure it's all my fault for being hyper-sensitive or something.)

So it goes.

Anyway, my spirit was troubled.  So I went to read some Gandhi and some King.  I learned, after the first time I got beat up, that it helps me to think about non-violence when I feel that I'm in an unsafe environment, in a hostile place.  And yes, DKos feels unsafe and hostile.  So, I tried to apply what I was learning about non-violence to the "world of the candidate diaries," to discourse, to discussion, to debate.

This is what I learned.  This is how I'm going to try and act here from now on.  I'm not ready to stop coming here, but I can only keep coming here if I know I'm not hurting myself or others by being here.

Notes toward a non-violent discourse:

I'm appealing to Kos and the front pagers.  Yeah, those leaders.  It'll probably do as much good as appealing to those other leaders in D.C. (Reed and Pelosi) but . . .
hey . . .
consider this

My Strongly Worded Letter

Dear Leaders,

Please clean up this mess.

This will be short, because IT'S NOT A CANDIDATE DIARY.  Sorry . . . did I raise my voice?

I've been thinking a lot about economic stimulus.
This is Not A Good Thing™ because I know nothing about economics.
But I did get that the government would like to give me $800 . . . but they seem concerned that I won't use the money responsibly.

According to the government, using the money responsibly means using it to buy stuff.  It would be irresponsible, I take it, to use the money to pay off my student loan, or make an extra mortgage payment, or buy savings bonds for the grandkids.  

Obviously Americans can't be trusted to Buy Enough Stuff.  I have a solution!

Indeed, it is customary when encountering an outrageous or disgusting comment to post a recipe.  Considering . . .  

What has been going on today on Daily Kos is pretty outrageous and disgusting, at least in my opinion.  I've read things today in various comments that I never expected to see on a progressive site.  

So, my protest is an Recipe Diary.
Post a recipe if you are not happy with the tenor of the day.  We might as well get something out of being here today.

If you are happy with the tenor of discourse, go ahead and post a comment bashing another candidate . . . just so you can stay in practice.

"One of us on this stage will be the next president.  Whoever that is will be a good president -- respectful of the Constitution, committed to solving the health-care crisis, working toward energy independence and ending the war.  Any, given the right circumstances and the support of the American people, could be a great president.  My opponents are all intelligent, highly competant, ethical leaders.  We differ - certainly - on points of policy, we have different personalities. and we vary in our approaches to governance and public service.  The voters will decide among us and I trust them to make the best decision for our nation and the world.

I hope and believe that the voters will ultimately select me as the Democratic nominee.  Not because I am "the best" but because they believe my approach which emphasizes . . . [text omitted] . . . can do the most to restore our nation to greatness.

Thank you.

Just six more hours.

I can visualize it now:  walking down to the car, traveling down Grand Avenue, getting all nervous about a parking place, walking in, gazing around at the others, searching their eyes for a glimmer of understanding, of recognition . . . .

AND NEVER READING ANOTHER CANDIDATE DIARY AGAIN!  
This Iowan will be frickin' FREE.

So, I woke up Christmas morning and had trouble walking.  My left leg was all tingly, numb and heavy.  Figured out eventually that it wasn't just the leg -- it was everything on my left side from face to toes.

I delayed telling anyone ("must have bunged up my back") or doing anything -- didn't want to worry the kids, wanted to avoid medical bills -- in the hopes that it would just go away after I slept a little more.

By the next day, it wasn't any better.  The kids were gone, back on their way to Texas, so I wouldn't mess up their holiday.  I called a friend who took me into the emergency room (I don't have a "primary care physician").  

It was, indeed, a stroke.

I didn't get mail from any of the candidates today.  I feel ignored.

So, for the first time since September 1, 2006, I turned on my television.
 
I am watching channel 5 in Des Moines, which labels itself as "ABC."

Reposted.  Because I wanted to say it again.

Even though I finally decided to support [my candidate] for the nomination, I do think [your candidate] is worthy of your support.  I can certainly grasp why you prefer [your candidate] to [my candidate].  Since there have been so many negative diaries recently about [your candidate], I thought it might be nice to take a few moments and jot down just a few of the things I like about [your candidate]:

The final debates of the pre-Iowa caucus season start this afternoon (1pm central) with the Des Moines Register Republican Debate.  Democratic debate tomorrow same time.  These particular debates have often had a significant impact on the caucuses, so I'm told.

Links follow to streaming, tv coverage, etc.

Even though I finally decided to support [my candidate] for the nomination, I do think [your candidate] is worthy of your support.  I can certainly grasp why you prefer [your candidate] to [my candidate].  Since there have been so many negative diaries recently about [your candidate], I thought it might be nice to take a few moments and jot down just a few of the things I like about [your candidate]:

I moved to Iowa in December 2005 from Houston, Texas.
I thought it might be neat to have "more of a say" in the presidential campaign as an Iowan.
It's been . . . gruesome.

Yeah, how I vote in the caucus really matters.
Before, back in the non-meaningful primary states of Nebraska and Texas, I could pick whatever candidate I wanted without giving it much thought (Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, etc.) because it really didn't matter.

Now it does matter.
Six months of thinking about it has just about driven me nuts.
I took two months off from reading and commenting on Daily Kos, because it was, oddly, not helping my decision making process.
But I've finally got  . . . a plan.  
I know what I will do on caucus night.
So I'm back.

This is not a diary about Larry Craig.
This is not a diary about all the diaries about Larry Craig.

This is not a diary about all the "humorous" diaries about Larry Craig.

It's about my experience reading those diaries.
This is a diary, somewhat personal, reflecting on why reading these "humorous" diaries leaves me feeling uncomfortable here at DKos.

I'm trying to figure out why I don't feel safe.

Hillaphobia (from "Hillary" der. "Senator Hillary Clinton", + "fear", literally "fear of Hillary") is the fear of voting for, aversion to, or discrimination against Hillary Clinton or supporters of Hillary Clinton [see also "hillaroids"].

"Well, just how uncommitted are you?" she asked, a bit snidely.
"Really, really uncommitted," I replied, "I'm so uncommitted right now that on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm a minus 50."