Derailed

So now that you've all had a day or so to let it sink in, what do you all think about that debate last night?

It's clear that Cheney was basically lying his ass off the entire night. And it's also clear that Edwards has the stones to go toe-to-toe with Darth Veep.

What's really interesting is that Edwards went out there, basically, to talk up Kerry and their plan for America. Meanwhile, Cheney spent basically the entire night either launching ad hominem attacks or repeating the same, misleading catch phrases that he and Bush have been peddling for the last four years. How about Cheney's utter inability to speak to anything that resembled a realistic domestic agenda?

Let's forget about the lie when Cheney claimed that the debate was the first time he had ever met Edwards. How about the "every Tuesday" he's presiding over the Senate bit? How many times do YOU count him presiding over the Senate on Tuesdays since 2001?

The Administration is running scared. All kinds of shit is coming down on them right now. There's that worthless "major policy speech" Bush gave today that, for all intents and purposes, was just a stump speech renamed so the networks would carry it. There's the fact that Paul Bremer came out today to admit that we never had enough troops in Iraq. There's the new CIA report that Iraq was a diminishing threat when we invaded. There's the series of lies that we saw from Cheney in the debate. The American Public is not going to believe their lies for much longer.

The wheels are coming off, folks. The tide, as they say, has turned. The polls are looking good. Big John has the big mo' going into Friday's tilt. We can win this thing. Get out there and volunteer. We've all worked so hard and we only need to work a little harder and we can make sure that truth trumps fiction in 2004.

More on the Debate Polls

Athenae is the best. Here's an enormously comprehensive list of online polls to check in with after the debate tonight. Let's win the spin war again. The GOPers are aware that we're on this, so they'll be fighting back this time. So vote vote vote. We've got to plant the conventional wisdom that Edwards has won this debate.

Just Win, Baby

It's all coming down to that. We've got 28 days. We've got to win. Anything that you are doing to elect Kerry and Edwards, do a little bit more. Host a debate gathering at your house. The Vice Presidential Debate is tonight at 9pm. The next Presidential Debate is Friday at 9pm. Make sure you log on after the debate to vote in the polls at the online news pages (below). Call into your local radio station to talk about how great Edwards was, and how great Kerry will be on Friday. Write letters to the editors of your local paper. Talk about how badly Bush has governed this country, and how much better Kerry will be. Be positive. Be upbeat. Be confident. We will win this, but we need everyone to pitch in and help. Do anything you can during the next few weeks to make us successful. If you aren't in a swing state, try to take a weekend before the election to travel to one to knock on doors or drop lit.

You can sign up to help at JohnKerry.com.

Check the polls tonight:

cbs news
msnbc
abc news
faux news
cnn

Get your friends to vote. Both in these polls and on Election Day. Most registration deadlines have passed, but some, like the one in Massachusetts, are later in the week (10/8).

Let's go, everyone. This is the most important election we have ever faced. Our nation will either turn towards the past - more intolerance, more fear, more debt and deficits - or we can turn in a new direction towards a stronger, safer nation, better alliances around the globe, and a goverment that actually cares about the American people. ALL the American people.

28 Days. Let's win.

(and go Red Sox.)

Bush's Debate

Oliver Willis is becoming a gold mine for these video montages. Here's one showing clips ofBush's performance, in chronological order. So you can see how consistently forceful and coherent he became as he moved through the debate. Um, right.

31 Days, 30 Nights

I think it's come to the point where I've been fully saturated by this campaign. My sleep patterns, while fairly regular, are totally screwy, for the main reason that I never feel like my mind stops working on winning Chester County. I can think of a friend or two who, at this moment, are probably beginning to dream in Spanish. I've begun to dream in the world and language of the Kerry Campaign. And it's not helping me wake up rested. Over the past few nights, I have been dreaming as if I'm actually awake at work, having meetings, and pushing ahead towards Nov. 2. A couple times I've had to sit and think about conversations I remember, to assure myself that they were either real, or only dreams. I'm expecting that this will be the toughest part of this campaign process. I've hit the first major wall. And it's a big one. It seems that my mind isn't exhausted, just single tracked and doggedly turning over the same problems and issues, no matter my state of consciousness. The wall isn't so much something that has knocked me back on my heels, but I can forsee that it will wear me out if I don't get through it. I've never experienced anything like this, and I've always prided myself on having the ability to let go of the issues of the day when I close my eyes at night. Not so much anymore, and FJ is probably chuckling right now.

So. If anyone has any tips, let me know.