GO VOTE!
by Rob Podell
on November 04, 2008
Seriously. If you have a severe case of carlust, chances are you live in the country that made the automobile what it is today. Get out and vote.
The 57 Chevy with it's insanely patriotic paintjob is about as "rah rah America!" as I could manage, and was found in a gallery of pictures from the
Cheers!
- Rob the SVX guy
Mochi Mochi on November 04, 2008 at 11:50 AM
if know where you need to vote - CHECK before you go there. don't take it for granted - as i did - that things have not changed. and remember, no matter how inconvenient or messed up the process may be today, vote. this may be one of the most historically significant elections of our time. going to the voting booth can be a hassle but its worth it. don't miss out on a chance to be part of that historic decision making process.
i just finished voting and got into work. honestly they don't make it easy to vote. a whole lot of things changed unexpectedly. every time i think i have it figured out there's another hoop to jump through unexpectedly.
there's a polling station one door from my house. everyone in my neighborhood expects to vote there. that's where we have always voted. my neighborhood is filled with old people who don't get around easily. so the polling station at the church is an important thing for my neighbors.
i went there this morning and was told i could not vote there, and that i had to drive to the far side of my district. no one who actually lives on the street where the polling station is could vote there. how much sense does that make?
i don't attribute this to any sort of conspiracy. this is just pure incompetence. driving to the polling station was for me an inconvenience. but for the elderly in my neighborhood it would be an overwhelming challenge. that makes voter turn out a problem. it makes getting to the polling station a challenge - it makes voting an heroic act for some.
voting should be easy and simple. it's not always, but its absolutely worth the trouble. just the satisfaction i got from contributing to this collective decision we are making feels so good. have a great election day and best of luck to us all that our decisions are good ones for everyone here and abroad.
Rob the SVX Guy on November 04, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Yeah... it's def a pain. And it's so flawed. They don't even check IDs here in WI... you just tell them your name and address. What a complete joke.
Steaming Pile on November 04, 2008 at 01:09 PM
What party is your Secretary of State. That ought to tell you whether it's a conspiracy or not. R's have been notorious for the past several decades for a belief that voting should be made difficult and inconvenient, at least in districts thought to be chock full of Democrats.
Just remember who was responsible for the Ohio debacle in 2004. His name is Ken Blackwell, and he tried every trick in the book to disqualify as many new voters in the blue areas of Ohio as he possibly could until the courts told him to knock it off. One example: voter registration forms issued by the Secretary of State's office itself to places like Ohio State University that Blackwell later claimed shouldn't count because they were printed on the wrong weight of card stock.
In the end, it turned out that simply mis-allocating voting machines and having the state GOP challenge everybody who came in the door so that wait time could go as long as eight hours in really crappy weather worked equally well. When pissed-off Ohio voters kicked him to the curb the very next chance they got, he got a job at the Family Research Council. His main function is to go on the cable news shows disseminating their BS talking points. Tell me the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy doesn't take care of its own.
Mochi Mochi on November 04, 2008 at 01:55 PM
the CA secretary of state Debra Bowen is endorsed by the democratic party... this is all just a matter of incompetence and bad planning. you live next to a polling location, but you have to vote across town!? that would be a juicy conspiracy and i can imagine it happening - however not this time, just bureaucratic dumbness, which i tend to assume before i go to the X-files. but thanks for the suggestion, it was helpful in satisfying my curiosity.
Will on November 04, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Oh, spare me the partisan conspiracy theories.
Mochi Mochi on November 04, 2008 at 02:34 PM
Will : "spare me the partisan conspiracy theories" i think that's exactly what i just did :)
Rob the SVX Guy on November 04, 2008 at 02:35 PM
Nah, I'll just add this to it, it makes both sides look awful:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594683847743189197
Now there's a badass conspiracy theory.
Mochi Mochi on November 04, 2008 at 09:11 PM
we just elected a new president. congratulations america you voted in huge turnout at the polls.
Rob the SVX guy on November 04, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Congrats! I still don't trust either side, but I think the better candidate won! Now let's hope he backs up all his jabbering. :P
Cookie the Dog's Owner on November 05, 2008 at 05:20 AM
Love the paint job on that '57!
Steaming Pile on November 05, 2008 at 05:56 AM
@Will - the Ohio situation in 2004 was more than just a conspiracy theory, as is the situation mochi was talking about in California. It speaks to the dire need to revamp the way we choose our elected officials. I would say the federal government needs to get involved, particularly when federal candidates (Congress, President) are concerned. I would be in favor of a ban on any other election on the same ballot. You want to deny gay people their civil rights? Do it in an odd-numbered year.
If you do that, it shouldn't matter where you vote, as long as you do it somewhere in your congressional district. My guess is that turnout in California, for example, was down because (1) Obama won early and (2) logistical considerations, that is, long-ass lines. Once (1) came to pass, it no longer made sense to continue doing (2). Hence, if you didn't get to the polls early to vote against Prop 8, your Republican congresscritter, or whatever, you probably didn't bother.
Brian on November 05, 2008 at 03:57 PM
I F*ing love America!
Obama is a Ford man, he drives a hybrid explorer and used to own a Granada (!). I'm guessing Ford will come back big time as an American version of Toyota. Heck they could start by offering their European cars here stateside.
McCain has quite a few more cars than the Obamas, he drives a Caddy CTS and has a few Hondas and VWs, and Cindy the beer heiress wife actually likes to drift them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncPJMUdwbzo
Steaming Pile on November 06, 2008 at 12:57 PM
@Brian - he also said the Grenada was one of the worst cars Ford ever made. I couldn't agree more. I wasn't old enough to drive it, but I heard enough cursing about it from my Dad to know it was a lemon. Every morning - attempt to start the car (doesn't start), pop the hood, open the air cleaner cover, flick the butterfly valve on the carb, then attempt to start the car again (car starts). Wait ten minutes before driving to make sure the automatic (snicker) choke adjusts itself properly. What a POS.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on November 06, 2008 at 01:08 PM
We always called it the "Ford Grandma", though maybe "Grenade-a" would have been a better name.