Elections - What the...!!!!!

When I walked in to my polling place this morning, I noticed two men standing outside the door to the polling stations. One wearing a McCain/Palin t-shirt was talking loudly and negatively about Obama and his supporters. I went inside voted and came out. The two men were still standing by the door and the one McCain guy was still talking loudly about Obama. Here is the law on electioneering at polling stations from justicia.com (http://law.justia.com/california/codes/elec/18370-18371.html):
******18370. No person, on election day, or at any time that a voter may be casting a ballot, shall, within 100 feet of a polling place or an elections official's office: (a) Circulate an initiative, referendum, recall, or nomination petition or any other petition. (b) Solicit a vote or speak to a voter on the subject of marking his or her ballot. (c) Place a sign relating to voters' qualifications or speak to a voter on the subject of his or her qualifications except as provided in Section 14240. (d) Do any electioneering. As used in this section, "100 feet of a polling place or an elections official's office" means a distance 100 feet from the room or rooms in which voters are signing the roster and casting ballots. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. *****
So I asked the McCain supporter if he was a poll worker because I remembered as a former poll worker that poll workers could not wearing political clothing and something prohibiting electioneering near a polling station. The McCain supporter said he wasn't a poll worker and asked me why? I explained because poll workers can't wear political clothing. At which point the other man identified himself as a poll worker and that he had asked the McCain supporter to leave the polling station. At which point the McCain supporter started yelling that I had no right to tell him his beliefs and what he could and could not wear and that if I didn't like it we could take it outside. I said I didn't want to take it outside, only that a poll worker couldn't wear political clothing. He continued to vent at which point I asked him if he was trying to intimidate me. He paused, then continued his rant, urging me to take it outside. Fortunately, I remembered seeing a cop half way down the block. As I exited city hall, the McCain supporter followed me, so I made a beeline for the cop. I started to explain to the cop that this individual had threatened me, when the McCain supporter jumped in and said that I was intimidating him, telling him who to vote for, that he was a fire fighter and he knew his rights. (Me intimidating him? The dude was 6'2" and I'm a whopping 5'8".) I said that's a lie and that I had witnesses at the polling station that could verify that he was threatening me. At that point the McCain supporter finally shut up--for a moment. But then he went back into how I was attacking his beliefs and freedom of expression. The cop said he didn't know the law but if we've both voted the McCain supporter should go to his truck and I should go in the opposite direction. We did so. As the McCain supporter passed the polling station he said something to the poll worker he had been speaking with earlier, then moved on. It turns out the poll worker had been watching the exchange with the cop.
Damn, dude, I thought this kind of stuff only happened to other people and in other states. California isn't even a battleground state. I can't imagine what's happening in other places.
Truly insane.

McCain's running mate - Sarah Palin

First Impressions.

Wow! Suprising! Smart!

Of course she's from Alaska, another big oil producing state. And with all the government corruption up there with Senator Stevens and his bridge to nowhere, one can definately see pay for play politics at its highest form.

By picking someone three years younger than Obama, McCain just made himself the biggest hypocrite possible. Throughout his campaign he's been knocking Obama for his youth and lack of experience - foreign policy and in everything else. Now he picks someone three years younger than Obama. A person who will take over if something happens to McCain. Someone who has less experience than Obama in politics and Washington.

Obama and the editorials should have a field day with this. If McCain says anything about Obama's lack of experience, Obama only has to point out that McCain feels Palin is capable of taking over as commander-in-chief if something should befall him - because that is the primary role of a VP.

Realistic, rational, best-for-our-country thinking aside, I think McCain's camp made a brilliant choice in choosing a female VP. He should've chosen a women perhaps ten years older just for the experience quotient, but still a good move.

I am sure a number of women and maybe some others who were voting for Hillary because she was a woman, will switch their votes. I don't know how many, but there will definately be some.

As long as Palin is a capable speaker and debater she can only help McCain. I don't know enough about her to know if she is or not. Her speech at next week's Republican Convention will be very telling.

The only way McCain's choice for VP will backfire is if during the VP debate, Biden is able to talk circle arounds Palin much like Kerry did to Bush during their first debate. Adding to that train of thought, Obama's camp will need to remind people that if something happens to the elderly McCain, Palin would be the President. Right now.

I don't think it'll draw away the youth vote from Obama who were voting for Obama because his youthfulness in and of itself symbolized change. The reason: McCain is still have an old geezer with conservative ideals and out of touch with the average American and he'll be making policy not her.

This pick will help McCain and keep the race tight. But it will also make some of McCain's most effective attacks against Obama - inexperience - less effective.

****

I think if McCain is elected or even if he fails, four years from now - or eight - she could definately be a top candidate for presidency - if she is capable and not another Dan Quayle. Wow, imagine for the women of this country a Clinton vs. Palin election in 2012 or 2016.

Of course, I've said all this without knowing much about her. Only that she is three years younger than Obama, a woman, governor of Alaska, strong anti-abortionist and has a child in the National Guard. I know nothing about how she runs Alaska. It'll be interesting to learn more.