Secrets of the City

psssttt…hey, NRCC, not sure if you noticed but the people are um, like, uh…about to elect a black guy as President.

Next thing they’ll be trying to tell us Keith Ellison is a Muslim.

I can’t wait until this election is over. I hope it is actually over on Tuesday…

El Tinklenberg? what kind of name is El? That sounds Muslim to me.

The NRCC and the senate’s version, the NRSC, along with similar groups from the Democratic party are very divisive.

Taking that local, it’s really pathetic that Norm Coleman, who claims to be a uniter, is currently running to head the NRSC, who puts out some of the most divisive campaign commercials and direct mail pieces in America. Norm’s ran for the position in the past and lost but may have a chance to be Chief A-Hole in America if reelected.

Coleman’s campaign has to be the worst as far as how he’s taken such a strong stance against negativity coming from his own campaign and seemingly handed over the negative slime campaign to the NRSC to do his dirty work. The amount of attack propaganda from them filling my mailbox on a daily basis is shocking but at least they are keeping the post office in business.

I can’t believe I’m coming down on the side of the Republicans but, are we sure they darkened his skin to make a racial statement as opposed to a political party statement? Of course he’s different, he’s a Democrat. From a compare and contrast situation, I think this is just generic “portray your opponent in a negative light”. I’m sure that someone could dig up this technique being used against a white opponent.

I mean, it’s not like Madia has really light skin and you can’t tell he’s a minority under normal circumstances. He’s probably only a couple of shades lighter than me. I just don’t see the point of darkening Madia’s skin to play up racial fears. If someone didn’t get that he wasn’t white before then, then I don’t think they ever saw a picture of him.

Yeah, a lot of racial stuff has gone down in Election ‘08 but I just don’t buy that this is part of that. This seems like a silly issue to latch on to and, furthermore, crying racism about things like this diminishes the impact of pointing out more egregious examples of racism.

And on an unrelated Madia note, he seems like that guy/girl in your high school who always got elected to stuff because he was good at political games but no one really liked him. Basically, he seems like Tracy Flick, but a dude.
And, honestly, after reading up on him and listening to him, I’m only less not impressed with him than Paulsen.

So what’s everyone saying? That having dark skin is a bad thing? Dark skin = mean, evil, scary?

Maybe they darkened it to make Madia look more handsome?

Or maybe every picture used in a negative campaign ad is doctored either digitally or by the fact that the worst possible pictures on earth are chosen for these things.

I like my candidates darker! I want them coffee colored.

As long as they are also Irish.

@derusha: I’m with you on the whole using-crappy-photos-of-your-candidate thing since that’s par for the course.

But you can’t claim ignorance on the issue of darkening faces of minority people to make them look more sinister.

The story’s been picked up by TPM.

So what’s everyone saying? That having dark skin is a bad thing? Dark skin = mean, evil, scary?

No, I think they’re saying that the folks who made the ad are hoping the voters think that.

Mrs. Lungs had the same observation on these ads — she said that they are trying to make Madia (whose parents immigrated to the US from India) look “vaguley Middle Eastern.” Sigh.

They also had an ad that said, in huge text on screen, “MADIA MEANS TAXES.” I think the idea was to plant the seed “Madia, huh? What kind of name is that?”

Hurry, Tuesday. Hurry.

Obviously they were trying to make him look more sinister. Was it racist? Who knows, who cares. It was stupid and insulting.

I’m just weary of all the talk about tactics. While candidates do talk about issues, it seems that all we talk about are tactics and stupid stuff. (Is Obama a citzen? Did his ad people manipulate a picture?)

It’s just a lot of talk by people who’ve already made up their minds. Just vote, already. I’m still trying to make up my mind on this race – Madia v. Paulsen. I may go IP because this campaign was disgusting.

It’s just a lot of talk by people who’ve already made up their minds. Just vote, already.

I would like to, in a bona fide “early voting” (not absentee) system in Minnesota. Other states have done this. Should we? Will we? Your thoughts…

I would prefer they move election day to Saturday/Sunday, and then figure out a way to shorten campaign season.

Why have “election day” if people can vote early? What happens if you change your mind? (Judging from the polls, people have switched around a lot this election cycle.)

Seems strange to me. But I’m willing to be convinced.

To rephrase your question, Why have an “election day?”

Good Question! This time I get to answer, Mr. Teevee Newsguy.

Early votong isn’t for everyone — but if you mind is made up and you have picked your candidate, it helps to releave pressure on the polls on the official “election day,” which in many states now just means the last (not the first and only) day you can vote.

Too many people work multible jobs, have kids to take care, etc, just to pick one day and say “that it.” If we are serious about getting more people to the polls, participating in their government, why not make it easier? A longer voting period would also help the elderly, the ill, the handicapped, etc. avoid the lines without the need for absentee ballots (which also have their place).

That said, Minnesota does a great job at voting, IMHO. I’m proud of our record, and the fine job our SOS (well, MOST of them) have done to make voting as easy and accessable as possible.

votong?

And on an unrelated Madia note, he seems like that guy/girl in your high school who always got elected to stuff because he was good at political games but no one really liked him.

I thought that too, I get a vague “weasel vibe” off of him. I’m still not covinced he deserves my vote, but I don’t like the other guy either. Sigh…

Oh, and Bob, my mom already voted last week by mail in SD. Not so much that she doesn’t have time on Tuesday, but Sioux Falls has a backasswards polling system and she has to drive all the way across town and it’s always super busy after work. I, on the other hand, merely have to walk a block and a half to the Aquila Elementary School.

TPM picked this non-story up? Awesome.

Paulsen comes off as the guy in your neighborhood who’d complain if your house’s siding color was the wrong shade of earth-tone. Madia seems like a political outsider (although I’m not in that particular district) which can at least bring a fresh perspective to the table but may be a drawback in not being familiar on how to grease the wheels of politics.

Mrs. Lungs had the same observation on these ads — she said that they are trying to make Madia (whose parents immigrated to the US from India) look “vaguley Middle Eastern.” Sigh.

He already looks vaguely Middle Eastern.

all their attack ads against Al Franken have been super high contrast as well . . . maybe they’re trying to make him look Jewish.

“El Tinklenberg” is Spanish for “The Tinklenberg.”

Good idea, Jason. Give them one month to campaign and then have voting days maybe Friday-Sunday. We could still have absentee voting, of course.

Minnesota doesn’t have “early voting”? I was not aware of that. Tuesday will be all kinds of crazy, I’ll bet. I live out of state and cast my vote yesterday evening…and still waited 40 minutes in line to do so.

Paulsen comes off as the guy in your neighborhood who’d complain if your house’s siding color was the wrong shade of earth-tone.

EL OH EL!!!

They should make voting day a holiday, or maybe just a half day holiday.

We are all having a lot of fun with Tink’s odd name. If he wins, I’m hoping to see the headline “6th District Goes To Straight To El.”

Joe Sucks weighs in on the idea of altering our election day.

That’s a good idea, kc — makes a lot of sense. Drop Columbus Day. Or maybe combine it with Veteran’s Day?

The whole “darker skin” thing seems ridiculous when Keith Ellison is basically running unopposed in the next district over. The guy actually is a Muslim. And black. A black Muslim. No one cares anymore.

no one cares in the 5th, miller

I am not taking sides here, as matter of fact, I like Madia – and I have met him in real life, the pictures and the ads from HIS campaign lighten his skin by the use of lightning and flash lights. He is actually very dark in person.

now can we all please get over it and move along? the guy IS Indian after all. Some things are not racist until you make a headline out of them.

I don’t think you can apply 5th district rules to the 3rd district.

Some people cared. I remember a lot of hay being made about the fact that Ellison is Muslim, playing up his connection with CAIR and linking the group to terrorists in an attempt to make it seem like Ellison was a bad candidate because he pals around with terrorists. Fortunately, not enough people were swayed by those tactics, and Ellison won anyway.

Jeez, I’m getting a weird sense of deja vu here.

No, don’t combine the day, give us a new holiday. In fact, I wish the federal government would give us 5 or more new holidays.

How about this, we get 5 bank holidays (plus election day) off a year over what we have now. It will stimulate the economy, which we need. While we lose production on those days, Americans always spend lots of money on holidays, so it will put money into the system. That’s what the gov’t wants us to do right now, right? Spend spend spend.

The 5th could run an actual terrorist for congress and as long as he or she got the nod from the DFL, they would win.

Who would doctor photos?

“the guy IS Indian after all“

His parents were Indian, now they and their son are Americans.

I had planned on commenting on the growing diversity of the Minnesota delegation, perhaps this is the right time. Not long ago, only white males with names like Olsen or Anderson need apply. Today we have three women and an African-American (and Muslim, to boot) representing us in Washington. This has all occured fairly recently.

In fact, I wish the federal government would give us 5 or more new holidays.

Don’t state and government workers get enough days off? I currently get 6 days off a year for holidays. No day after Thanksgiving, no X-mas eve, no New Years eve, no presidents day, no MLK day, no Columbus day, no Arbor day. Why do people need a day off to vote?

No one said they needed a day off to vote. It would be a day off for drinking booze, of course.

I got a flier in the mail that basically said, “Don’t vote for Betty because she supported this issue and that issue.” Funny thing is, all the issues that she voted for as represented in the flier I supported. Thus, I guess I should vote for Betty.

Elsewhere in the world, campaign “season” is usually limited to a 6-week period before voting. But if we were to introduce the same in the US, you’d hear shouts about incumbent-advantage, free speech restrictions, etc. Yeah, it would mean a smarter, more efficient, more issue-focused and less expensive campaign season but the village idiots don’t want it that way.

In a show of solidarity, I now plan on a visit to the tanning booth this afternoon.

People need a day off to vote because people are “too busy” to vote. Work + kids = way too busy for some people. If it is a holiday, no kids activities will be planned. Schools won’t have to worry about having strangers interacting with the kids at school. I was reading how someone’s wife has had an out of town meeting every voting day for the past few years. That’s crap.

We need more holidays because you only get 6 holidays a year. I only get 10 holidays, plus a “floating holiday.” Americans do not get enough time off work. I get three weeks a year, which is considered really good. I think it is crap. I want 5 weeks a year (which I will eventually get if I stick around.)

Don’t state and government workers get enough days off? Probably not. We could all use a couple more days off. When a lot of employers merged sick days with vacation to create PTO the number of days off taken by American workers plummeted. There is however, an odd dichotomy between the upper middle class and the lower middle class. The upper middle class works more hours per week ~60 for those making more than 100g’s while the lower middle work 35-40 and make 30gs. And the very wealthy on average(so many outliers in this pool) work much less and earn so much more than those in the professional classes. Sad really.

Sure that sound good but are you proposing that we close every store on election day or 5 extra days a year?

Hell I would like more vacation time but in my job one day away means 2 days digging out when I return. It’s mostly not worth taking vacation for the hell it creates when you return. I have only taken 2 days off since last December.

I say as the closest thing the US has to a Scandinavian republic, we all take August off. It’s too hot to sit in an office anyway.

In a show of solidarity, I now plan on a visit to the tanning booth this afternoon.

heh.

To demonstrate my neutrality in this race (I live in the 6th) I will have some naan for lunch, but dipped in a bland white sauce.

To entice more people to vote, why not offer cake at the polls? Cast your ballot, get a piece of cake. Yum.

I’m suggesting we have holidays, not that we close any stores. While I know that won’t help with getting people in the service industry to vote or get a few days off, it will help the majority of Americans.

They better not close the bars and liquor stores on election day holiday. That’s when we need them the most!

Cake sounds nice. I vote yes to cake.

In related news, this AP story on absentee voting came out yesterday. A taste:

In Anoka County, on the Twin Cities’ northern edge, elections manager Rachel Smith said the number of absentee voters already tops the 2004 record by 35 percent  with days to go. Commuters in fast-growing cities like Andover, Ramsey and Blaine are coming in early. So are snowbirds who winter in warmer states.

In going to buy some really good bourbon for Election Nite. Either way, I’ll want it. Mrs. Lungs likes a good bourbon, too.

Taking the next day off to think about the future of our nation and state (no kidding!) and to maybe get my trees trimmed.

Hey, tree dude! Return my voice mail!

I have a very simple solution to the problem of voting–I don’t know if it was considered. Why not be able to vote online? A person can go on their computer in the privacy of their home or even at work and vote. A mother with small kids or a disabled, sick, or elderly person who has difficulty going to the polls could just go on their home computer and vote. Of course, safeguards such as issueing exclusive passwords would have to be given to each registered voter. It would make it much easier.

I have heard people speculate about online voting, but right now I think things are bogged down in the logistics and concerns about the integrity of the vote.

I recommend Blantons Bob.

Don’t state and government workers get enough days off? I currently get 6 days off a year for holidays. No day after Thanksgiving, no X-mas eve, no New Years eve, no presidents day, no MLK day, no Columbus day, no Arbor day. Why do people need a day off to vote?

I could have written this verbatim…damn private industry!

This video was created specifically for North Carolina voters, but I think it applies to all of us. Go vote.

The number of problems I can envision with online voting makes me think it’s not worth it.

For example, a person could have their abusive spouse stand over their should to make sure they vote as told. At least wit ha polling station they can enter a booth and vote in private.

Thanks, kurtis. That’s what I was thinking, too. It’s usually out of my price range, but what the heck!

October surprise!