What if they held an election and nobody came?
Well, it happened in tiny Pillsbury, North Dakota.

Pillsbury Mayor Darrel Brudevold said voter turnout in the city's primary election usually is fairly high.

"I dare say a half-dozen people usually make it to the polls," he said. That represents about a quarter of the residents in the Barnes County farming community, in southeastern North Dakota.

But on June 10, no one showed up. Not even those on the ballot.

According to Jay Barbree, Space Program reporter for MSNBC, there is an unidentified piece of debris trailing closely behind the Space Shuttle. The image of the debris glinted in the sunlight as it rotated in a way that suggested to me that it might be metallic.

Barbree reported that the debris was first noticed following a standard re-entry check of the Shuttle's rudder.

He also reported that if re-entry is not safe, the Shuttle would have to return to the International Space Station, and the astronauts would have to camp out there until either the Soviets Russians can bring them back three at a time on Soyuz landing capsules, or Endeavour can be launched to get them IN SEPTEMBER!

It started innocently with Jimmy Carter, who gave his Vice President, Walter Mondale, a much larger role to play in his Adminstration than any before him:

Under Carter, Mondale traveled extensively throughout the nation and the world advocating the administration's foreign policy. Mondale was the first vice president to have an office in the White House, and established the concept of "activist Vice President". He expanded the vice president's role from that of figurehead to presidential adviser, full-time participant, and troubleshooter for the administration. Subsequent vice presidents have followed this model in the administrations in which they serve. Mondale established the tradition of weekly lunches with the president, which continues to this day.

Continued...

Barack Obama's string of 11 consecutive primary and caucus victories should have been enough to knock any and all remaining Democratic opponents out of the race for the nomination. It did not.

Hillary Clinton, who had proclaimed confidently that the race would be over by February 5th, kept coming back for more even after it was obvious to anyone who could count delegates and read polls that she had no realistic chance of winning the nomination.

She put her campaign $30,000,000 into debt for her efforts, and even put up more than $11,000,000 of her family's own money. She kept playing a costly, losing game long after almost any rational person would. Why?

Is it because she has a gambling problem?

We are fighting this:

...and this:

...with this:

My Fellow Democrats...

I stand here before you today, with Senator Clinton on one side of me, and President Clinton on the other, and we have something wonderful to share with you about the bruising battle we have just fought for our party's nomination.

About two months ago, after winning several consecutive primary and caucus contests in the wake of Super Tuesday, I received a most gracious phone call from Senator Clinton.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 5.1 percent in March, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend down (-80,000), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Over the past 3 months, payroll employment has declined by 232,000.  In March, employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care, food services, and mining added jobs.  Average hourly earnings rose by 5 cents, or 0.3 percent, over the month.

I was stunned by a quote I just read on MSNBC:

I do not see how two of our largest and most significant states can be disenfranchised and left out of the process of picking our nominee without raising serious questions about the legitimacy of that nominee.

The quote was from not from any pundit or staffer. It was by Hillary Clinton herself!

Dan Gelber is the Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives.

According to his blog:

Today, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman declared officially dead the revote by mail idea. While it was the only option available that would have given Florida Democrats an avenue to host a selection process that was in compliance with DNC rules, it lacked the consensus required to allow it to happen.

From CNN:

In an e-mail sent to Florida Democrats late Monday afternoon, state party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said, "We researched every potential alternative process -- from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections -- but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida."

[...]

"Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn't want to vote again. So we won't."

We've all read the stories of steadfast throngs who have suffered long lines and delays,
and first-person diaries of braving fierce winds in bone-chilling blizzards and rains.

Primary voters far and wide have abandoned dispair this year. They've emerged from their
slumber -- a decades-long funk -- and together they've voted for Hope.

One challenge remains for these Voters Who Hope, and the weather, it seems, may comply.
By discouraging those who cling to the past, our victory may fall from the sky.

We've all read the stories of steadfast throngs who have suffered long lines and delays,
and first-person diaries of braving fierce winds in bone-chilling blizzards and rains.

Primary voters far and wide have abandoned dispair this year. They've emerged from their
slumber -- a decades-long funk -- and together they've voted for Hope.

One challenge remains for these Voters Who Hope, and the weather, it seems, may comply.
By discouraging those who cling to the past, our victory may fall from the sky.

From the New York Times, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg writes on their Op-Ed pages:

I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president.

Short diary here, I know, but just in case you're too obsessed with all the nastiness here tonight on dKos -- were we all up past our bedtimes last night watching the returns come in from Hawaii? -- I thought I'd point it out to you.

Totality began at 10:01 ET / 7:01 PT.

UPDATE:
Totality ended at 10:52 ET / 7:52 PT. So sorry if you missed it.
Events like this are always awesome, no matter how well I understand them.

Australian markets just opened for Tuesday morning trading sharply lower:

AUSTRALIAN shares have taken a battering in early trade today after European share markets plunged overnight on fears of a US recession with investors bracing for a global stock-market crash.

For local share investors, financial horror has firmly set in as their wealth washes away. For retirees, their savings are shrinking as superannuation funds post huge losses.

The S&P/ASX200 had plunged  210 points by 10:12am AEDT to 5376.1, or down 3.7 per cent.  

By 10.42 AEDT, the market had rebounded slightly to 5386.5, or down 193.9 points, down 3.5 per cent.

Here is a list of many Australian stock market indices. As of 7:15 PM ET, they are all down significantly.

Futures markets around the world are also very significantly lower as of 8pm ET.

According to MSNBC:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest and was the first man to drive a tractor across Antarctica to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

More here about the man.

The final Marist Poll before NH:

Barack Obama leads among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire:  After a decisive win in Iowa, Barack Obama is positioned to win the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary.  36% of likely Democratic presidential primary voters including those currently leaning towards a candidate support Senator Obama followed by 28% for Senator Clinton and 22% for former Senator John Edwards.

I was warned about these times of ours a decade ago. Of course, I ignored the warning.

I loved America, my free and democratic America, so quite naturally, I ignored the warning.

I had complete faith in her Constitution and Laws, so unhesitatingly, I ignored the warning.

The next time an old relative warns you about dangerous times ahead, don't ignore the warning,
or you may have to write something like the email I wrote today.

Over the years I have been an utter failure at the art of Turkey-Carving.

I know this is too short to be a diary, but I learned a lot from this video, and I thought others might, too.

NYT Video: How to Carve a Turkey