How Do you Feel?

Landslide Predictions

Here is the predicted McCain Landslide. My guess 18 hours out? The election will end decisively by 11pm PST.  360 – 178. Obama clearly victorious taking out most Republican Congressional seats. Why? The party never atoned for Bush. Instead the Winking Wonderwoman from Wasilla grandstanded Bush values without apology.

Obama wins through superior organization, sensationally effective use of the Internet, the lack of Presidential support for McCain, a decisive end to the war in Iraq, and standing hard on Barack issues.  His superior finance was drawn from the electorate with a risk, but loud message – no lobbyist influence. Barack earned his war chest. McCain drained his from petro-donors and pharma-dollars. Barack thinks as we – enough is Enough!

Two good voting tools. The statistically correct 538 with background here. The interactive LATimes. Mine is 360 – 178. What’s yours?

Why I Still Have a Cavity

We all need dentistry, and we should give our money to causes we believe in, especially locally. But when the professional tells me how I must feel politically when I open my mouth to say Ah, I draw the line. Morning at the strip mall for drilling my teeth, there is a sign on the window. Yes on 8, and I am feeling uneasy, as this is a divisive and discriminatory proposition. 18 XRays later, the doctor finds the cavity. But the horror of his lurking politics exceeds the disease in my mouth. Appointment set. A few days later I feel the lurk. Maybe the image of “drill baby drill” is why I call him. Just remove the sign. He is adamant about his position of “family values”, and no explaining of needing dentistry rather than politics works. In a democracy there are many voices, and he is one, but I pay for this service. So my wife and I talk it out and next day cancel our appointments in protest. Does anyone know of a not-in-your face dentist about politics in Escondido California?

Thinking. Am I the intolerant one? So I play this out. I too have a family. I believe in love. He does too. But our loves differ. Mine comes from tested experience that concludes value in possibility. His comes from untested root belief that values narrowing. Love is generative, and as Socrates says comes from a poor God. I feel no vindication, but conclude I am in the right. 

So my wife and my tooth’s ache. At least our comedians and artists are funnier to ease us than his. In the end it is a free market and we will contribute to the balance sheet of anyone who believes it better to live in a democracy than a republic. Maybe who drills what does not matter.  The bottom line of why I have a cavity is this examination: Who we give money to is a form of political capital. Which merchants deserve our dollars? To give better goods at the lowest rate may not be enough. Seek out to reward those who share your hard-won life beliefs. In this way, they will profit and their business will grow. Their families grow. This has the effect of propagating our common values. You can be part of evolution after all.

Nov 5 update: “I can’t believe people voted for the rights of chickens but not for gays”.

What to do: Evan Handler begin with boycott yet I moved to California to leave the states of intolerance in the South. No self-respecting Californian wants to to become the State of Georgia or Kentucky in this regard. If you talk about putting an embargo on these hoodwinking hotels and discriminatory businesses, it will happen somewhat naturally. My family just jettisoned my placard bearing YesOnH8 dentist. We should use the Internet as open registry of businesses that support YesonH8.