Nine

I voted last Wednesday, West Virginia's first day of early voting for the general election this year, but there still are nine days until Election Day and another six days to vote early. There's really no excuse not to vote. Yes, Summers County is a large area and yes, there's only one early voting location – the county courthouse in Hinton – but I'm thinking nearly everyone needs to go to Hinton for something in the two weeks prior to November 4.

I could be wrong, of course. Now that I write that, I know one self-sufficient couple who studiously avoids Hinton, choosing to drive much farther to the next county for their few purchased necessities.

At any rate … early voting has probably been going on in your state, as well, and I hope that – if you're not able to take advantage of it – you'll show up on Election Day and exercise your fundamental right to have a voice in your governance. As money continues to buy politicians and sway the political process, I'd like it even more if you'd vote for candidates who will eventually be part of the process that will overturn Citizens United, which upheld the notion that corporations are people.

We're all tired of the negative commercials these shadowy "people" are airing. It's almost a pleasure to see an ad for a new prescription drug nowadays. (Those were my previous mutable moments.) There's a group here with big money telling out-and-out lies about candidates. They truly are slanderous, and I hope prosecutions are forthcoming.

Nine more days.

Today is the last day of the last weekend of Railroad Days, and it promises to be beautiful – sunny and mild weather and, I hope, sunny and mild people to talk with about the future of this state, and what lies ahead if the Koch Brother-backed candidates are elected. It's been an uphill battle so far.

November 5 truly can't come quickly enough.

On my wishlist

I pretty much have everything I need and want. I'm not pining away for any kind of new this or that stuff. But I would like for a few things to happen, preferably without my having to work too hard at it.

First, always first, is to achieve a weight-loss goal and then maintain it.

I was sooooo close last year. Within 12 pounds. And now it's back to 20+. Which is better than 50+, to be sure, and I'm catching it earlier than I did a couple years ago. Those of you who struggle with weight loss know how much easier it is to put it on than to take it off.

I feel like I'm heading in the right direction, and the election season is almost over, which will help free up my time and energy to get back to basics. And to get back to walking daily.

Next … about that election … I really hope the Democrat message has been strong, persistent and positive enough to retain our majority in the state legislature, add a seat in Congress and keep retiring Jay Rockefeller's seat in the blue column.

Could we be doing better? Always. And there's still time, it's 12 days until Election Day. But now that early voting has begun, it feels like time is running out. I noticed a distinct reduction in the number of political commercials while watching Jeopardy last night. Like two instead of 12.

Finally, it would be great if there were some way to block those commercials completely after you've early voted.

We mute them, unless it's a new one we haven't previously seen. And there actually are a couple we really like, so we watch those with the sound turned up. But mostly the commercials this year have been driven by negativity and funded by buckets o'cash from out-of-state billionaires.

I did a commercial for my Congressman, way back in May, that never ran. It was about insurance, and of course anything that smacks of Something Good President Obama Has Done is off the table here in West Virginia. I'm sad about that, in so many ways.

I also wish …

• my commercial had run.
• my fellow citizens could look past the color of his skin and get to the heart of his character.
• God, guns and gays – and coal – weren't the operative campaign issues for Republicans.

November 5 can't come quickly enough.

You never know

When you're planning a large public event, you never know how many people will show up. How much food should you buy? How much coffee do you need to make? How many plates, cups, napkins, bowls? HOW MUCH FOOD?

We ran out of mac & cheese, slaw and chips last night at our Get Out The Vote Rally and Pig Roast, but there was plenty of pulled pork and soup beans for the latecomers. People just kept showing up, from 5 p.m. until well after 7.

All of us who helped plan it are very pleased, this morning after, with the turnout, the donations, the enthusiasm and the promises to vote for Democrats.

Actually I haven't talked to any of the rest of them, but I feel certain they're happy with the outcome. And I guarantee they're happy it's over and I double-guarantee they're happy (as am I) that Election Day is two weeks from today.

Early voting in West Virginia begins tomorrow. I plan to be there.

What's wrong with this picture?Women in WV make 68¢ for every dollar men make doing the
same job. The national average for women is 15 to 20 cents higher.

We had a lot of fun with a Gender Equality Bake Sale, too, and made our point: As long as women earn less than men for the same work, they should pay less. LOTS of men got it, and paid the men's price for their wives' dessert.

Yes, it was a friendly crowd, but I think some people there had an opportunity to make up their minds after talking with the candidates and hearing a) what the Democratic incumbents have been able to accomplish during their years of service, and b) what the Republican opponents haven't done during their time in office.

We'd love to turn Summers County blue this time. We'd love to keep West Virginia blue. Two more weeks.

Time will tell.

I almost deleted yesterday's post

I'm glad I didn't. Thanks for your comments. Please feel free to continue weighing in.

My husband is a history buff, and he's been saying for a while now what Gingerzingi noted in her comment: "No empire or government is eternal." He phrases it a little differently, saying, "All governments fail."

And they do.

And ours is.

And it's up to WE THE PEOPLE to right the ship.

Elizabeth City, NC, elected a new city council member yesterday. You might not think a small city council race could make a difference, but believe me, this one did.

Mr. King, an East Carolina State University student, lives on campus. He was at first denied the right to run for the seat because he had a campus address. The NC Board of Elections overturned that ruling. In this election, that one decision led to change Elizabeth City and the entire state of North Carolina can believe in.

North Carolina's GOP legislature doesn't even want students voting, let alone running for office and winning elections. Mr. King fought the law and North Carolina – or at least Elizabeth City – won. I like to think this is the pebble in the pond, rippling out to affect others who might be thinking about challenging incumbents in local races.

Because no matter how trite it sounds, all politics is local.

I've been thinking of running for our county's Democratic Executive Committee. The only reason I've backed off is because the incumbents I would have to challenge are doing a fine job. It would be an ego thing for me, and would likely damage two friendships. But your Democratic Executive Committee might need you. Consider running for that position, especially if you find it's difficult to fill the spots. Believe me, sometimes it is!

My Democratic activism is well-placed at the county and state levels with the Federation of Democratic Women (link leads to National FDW website). Every county in the nation should have a local chapter. Some don't, but if yours does, please consider joining and working for Democrats in 2014. Dues are generally nominal, and you'll find yourself working with great women. And maybe even scolding a Senator.

If your county hasn't organized a local group, contact your state federation and ask how you can help get one going.

Like Gingerzingi, I have little tolerance for those who bitch but don't vote.* If Democrats, who traditionally stay home in droves during off-year elections, do so again next year, these United States will continue to decline. The rich will get even richer. The poor will be left to fend for themselves.

Republicans refuse to raise the minimum wage and can't wait to cut government programs which help the needy. They don't want to provide contraception OR abortions. They are at odds with themselves and so help me [deity of your choice] they are at odds with the founding principles of this nation.

Wow. Two consecutive soapbox posts. I guess I hope to inspire and motivate you to do at least two things:

• Get involved locally.
• Vote for Democrats.

And then maybe three more:

• Speak up.
• Speak out.
• Get in the way.

*I recently met a woman who was born in Canada, and has lived and worked most of her life here in the U.S., but has never applied for American citizenship and, thus, has never voted. But she doesn't shy away from expressing her disdain for Democrats and thinks Reagan was a good President. She and I will never be BFFs.

How is it a furlough if they're getting paid?

When my son is furloughed from his newspaper job, as he is for about four weeks a year, he doesn't get paid for that time off. When auto workers are furloughed in order to reduce expenses and improve the bottom line for their companies, they use their personal savings to pay their bills. Or they make arrangements with creditors to pay later, when they go back to their jobs.

If 800,000 federal employees are going to, eventually, get their back pay – a recent unanimous House vote guarantees it – well, then, are they furloughed? Or are they taking an unscheduled vacation?

And if you were on an unscheduled vacation in which you knew you'd get your paycheck, would you be worried or outraged? Would you be protesting or calling your Congressman, urging them to settle this dispute sooner rather than later? Maybe. But probably not.

There's WAY more to this issue than 800,000 furloughed workers getting paid for not working. Things like constitutional amendments and debt ceilings and Supreme Court decisions and health insurance for 17 times more people than those who have been off the clock since October 1.

I'm informed, but I'm certainly no expert about any of this. (She is, though.) I feel helpless and frustrated. I feel like all I can do is rant.

But you know what? That's not all I can do. I can vote. And you bet your ass I WILL vote. I can urge you to vote. I can give you a ride to the polls. I can point out the craziness and insensitivity and selfishness of the Tea Party Caucus, which is mostly responsible for this debacle.

I can look back to 2010, when Democrats stayed home, and I can take a little bit of responsibility for today's budget crisis. We lost the House, and in losing we had no idea what kind of madness would ensue.

And make no mistake: It is madness for 49 members of Congress to hold the United States of America hostage. (Is your Congressman one of them?)

To prevent this from getting worse, Democrats MUST MUST MUST vote for Democrats. I've been holding my nose and doing just that for a couple of offices in a couple of election cycles now. My candidates may not perfectly represent me, but their job is to work for the greater good. I'm a little left of the salad fork – not exactly your typical Dem – and would be known as one of those bleeding-heart liberals in another universe.

I hope and pray that those who vote third-party – and oh, how I've been tempted to do just that – will remember October 1, 2013, when they and all the rest of us began to reap what they sowed when they voted Green or Mountain or Whatever in 2010 and 2012. We can't take back the House by voting third party.

We. Just. Can't.

It sucks to be a grown-up on this issue. I'd love to support the high-minded little guy. But what I want more is to get this country back to taking care of her citizens. The Koch-funded Tea Party crazies aren't interested in doing that at all.

And that's all I need to know to vote a straight ticket on November 4, 2014.

I. Just. Wish. It. Was. Over.

Really, I do. I want to wake up and see that it's November 7 and President Obama has been re-elected and Congress is back in the hands of the Democrats so we can really and truly get some things done.

Normally I don't think all three branches of our legislature should be in the same hands. It's all part of the checks-and-balances that keep one party from running the other one into the ground. I think the past four years have proven that one party can still run the other one into the ground, even when two branches are in one party's control.

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives famously announced in 2010 that his goal was to make President Obama a one-term president. In order to do that, he had to make sure nothing got through Congress that would make the President look good or effective. It's infuriating and wrong-headed and bad for America.

In my not-so-humble opinion. Apologies if you disagree.

I'm 61. I've NEVER seen a Congress so determined to thwart a President's agenda. My Congressman, Nick Rahall, has served for 16 terms. He was in my county for an official event earlier this month and he told me he's never seen a Congress so unwilling to work for the good of the country.

That's pretty serious stuff.

The icing on the cake (mmmm, cake) was when Congress refused to pass the Veterans Jobs Bill. It's not hard to see that passing a bill that would help veterans also would help the President's approval rating. Do they not realize that letting that bill die also helped their DISapproval ratings?

The United States has had the same form of government for its entire history. No other country in the world can make that claim. Every other government has undergone a fundamental change at some time in its development. Are we so very special that we think it's not going to happen to us? Are we truly that arrogant?

For those of you who watch television, and especially for those of you who watch television in a swing state, you have my utter sympathy. I can barely get through an episode of Jeopardy without wanting to throw something at the screen. Just sifting through e-mail after e-mail, asking for money, reminding me to vote, bashing candidate after candidate after candidate, is maddening.

Not that some don't need bashing. But I think we get it.

Soon it really will all be over. I was in our Democratic headquarters yesterday when a local judge walked in and said he was more than a little concerned about the Democrats' prospects. I don't know where this came from, but I said, "Well, we've survived bad Republican presidents before, and I suppose we can do it again."

He HUGGED me! Said that was just what he needed to hear! Now I'm not giving up. I'll be making phone calls and urging people to vote early (and often, heh) and recommending they vote a straight ticket, so as not to leave anyone out. I still canNOT wrap my brain around the idea of any woman voting for Romney or Akin or the latest crazy-talker Mourdock.

When women vote, women win. (Are there any male readers here? If so, speak up! How do you feel about what the GOP is doing to the women you love?) We women have a slight majority IF we get to the polls.

So go, already. Vote. And may the best man win.

Vote, damn it

The voter registration deadline has come and gone in West Virginia. If you didn't register, you can't vote, and don't come crying to me later when your government isn't doing what you want it to do.

If you are registered, don't throw that right away by staying home November 6. There are enough politicians and state legislatures out there already trying to take that right away. They don't need your help, they need you to oppose them.

Voting rights should be EXPANDED, not restricted, no matter your political persuasion. You think your vote doesn't count? There's really only one contest where it could be argued that it doesn't, and that's the Top Job, where the Supreme Court Electoral College determines the winner. (In the current political climate, I question what one wins.)

Every other candidate and issue on the ballot wins or loses because you made the effort to cast a ballot.

Yes, you.

As both of you know, I don't watch much television. I've learned that I'm a happier, saner, nicer person when I don't watch the news, and it's been a while since I've had a favorite, can't-miss program. HBO's The Newsroom would be the most recent qualifier. The West Wing is probably the last. I watch sports – that's my reality TV.  I watched the Democratic convention and I've tuned in to all of the debates.

During campaign season, it's not the programming itself that sends me into apoplectic fits, it's the commercials. Here in West Virginia it appears that the candidates for U.S. Senator and for governor of West Virginia are all running against President Obama.

All. Of. Them.

The Republicans are lumping the Democrats in with the President because, well, they're Democrats, while the Democrats are distancing themselves from him – "I'll stand up to anybody" is one of their oft-repeated and memorable lines – in the name of coal. (Here's a hint, guys: Your war on coal and "Obama's job-killing EPA" is misguided. Natural gas is coal's cleaner, cheaper competition. Nixon – yes, Nixon – started the EPA.)

It's easier than ever – at least for now – to cast a ballot. (It's much more difficult to register, however. Thank you, Patriot Act. And first-time voters may have to show some form of identification at the polls.) With early voting, you can't use the "I'm too busy the first Tuesday in November" excuse any longer. In my county, voting booths are set up in the courthouse beginning next Wednesday and continuing through the Saturday before Election Day.

So vote, damn it.

One more thing: I've heard more than a few people say they'll vote, all right, but they're not going to vote for [fill-in-the-office-of-your-choice – President, Senator or Governor].

I can't tell you what to do when it's just you and that screen. Actually I can, but you don't have to listen to or follow my advice. That's what secret ballots are all about. You can even tell me to my face that you're going to scratch the rooster, but when it comes right down to it, I'll never know whether you did or not.

But if you don't vote for [fill-in-the-office-of-your-choice] you might as well just vote for the other guy. If your candidate doesn't win, you have no way of influencing him/her once s/he takes the oath.

As recently as a month ago, I was one of those. I've been, um, enlightened. I'll hold my nose and vote a straight ticket. I then plan to bombard my Senator and Governor (because West Virginia is, in the end, a blue state until you start talking about the Electoral College) with letters and phone calls and e-mails, reminding them that I'm a constituent, too.

I don't work in a coal mine. I drink water from a well. My government needs to remember that voters like me outnumber coal miners by a wide margin. President Obama's Nixon's "job-killing EPA" is supposed to make the air safe to breathe and the water safe to drink. I think my representatives need to be reminded of that.

(And yes, I know they're not really standing up for miners. It's the coal company owners who fill their campaign coffers. But I'll play along until they take the oath of office.)

10.11.12.

Now there's a once-in-a-lifetime day of the year for ya. Kinda makes me want to write checks. (NOT! I love online bill payment. I still don't love paying bills, but technology makes it a heckuva lot less painful and time-consuming.) And while I would love to be able to compose an entire post about today's date, I just don't have that kind of creativity in me. If I find anything clever out there, I'll link back to it later.

So. Moving on.

The man we said good-bye to yesterday is the first of my first cousins to die. He was 65, definitely not old (and the older I get, the younger 65 looks) in body or mind or spirit, but managed to develop a pretty awful form of cancer a couple years ago.

Most of the funerals I've attended have been for those much older than I. One recent exception stands out, but I didn't know her well. She was the wife of one of my husband's high-school classmates. I've been to funerals for my husband's teachers, his mother's friends, my own parents – the previous generation.

Not my own.

I was the only one of this generation of cousins there, except for his sister, of course. We're all scattered and now that our parents are nearly all gone (one aunt still lives in Illinois) we haven't made much of an effort to get together. The last time I saw any of my cousins was at my dad's funeral.

We simply must stop meeting like this.

I heard over and over and over again what a good man my cousin was. He was an Ohio State Trooper and a Navy veteran and an artist and a father and a grandfather and, even, a great-grandfather. He adored his family, was proud of his service, had an outstanding career and earned the respect and admiration of all who knew him.

I felt good about going. I'm sure some of you (and my husband!) think it's kind of, um, pushing it to drive five hours, stay 90 minutes and drive five more hours, all in one day. I really didn't get tired, though, until I was half an hour from home. So it was okay. It was the right thing to do, and I wanted to go.

To follow up on yesterday's post, I passed one car – ONE – with an Obama bumper sticker. (Amazingly, an older Caucasian male was driving. I thought they were voting for Romney!?)

And if campaign signs did vote, President Obama would be a shoe-in in Ohio. Still, though, the signs weren't plastered everywhere as they were four years ago. I wonder about local ordinances, because I saw several of those walking sign workers Vickie mentioned in smaller towns along the way.

Oh, and early voting has already begun in Ohio. The parking lot at this polling location was packed, with a line of people out the door. There was an Obama-Biden sign placed as close to the site as is legally allowed and Romney supporters were nowhere to be found.

Hope. Change. Forward. Let's get this done.

Four years ago …

roadsides and bumpers were littered with campaign signs of all varieties. Navy blue McCain-Palin (remember them?) stickers were prominent, but not any more so than the Obama sunrise. It wasn't at all unusual to get passed on the highway by someone who either waved in delight or flipped you off, depending on the stickers adorning his or her vehicle. (Trucks sported McCain stickers, while Obama was more popular with the Subaru/Volvo/Prius set.)

Now? Not so much.

I still have three signs to put out (yes, I'm one of those). Obama was the first one up, followed by Chafin (a woman running for Supreme Court) and Wheeler (the former sheriff who, after an eight-year run, sat out a term, per county regulations, and is running again). Who's left? Jeffry Pritt, running for House of Delegates; Nick Rahall, who will most certainly be re-elected to Congress, and … are you ready? … I have a Byrd for Senate sign, which I'm not going to put too close to the road.

Yesterday as I traveled in southern WV and southwest VA I saw lots of Romney signs, a few Obama-Biden placards, one Maloney for Governor and none for Manchin (D-Senate) or Tomblin (D-Governor). I think Republicans will vote for Manchin and Tomblin, but don't want to advertise the fact. I think Democrats will vote for them, too, in fewer numbers than previous elections, and I know the Dems don't want to do much to promote them. They're blue-dog Democrats – far too moderate for my taste, or for that of most Democrats I know.

I'm curious as to what I'll see in swing-state Ohio today. As Ohio (Virginia/Florida/Iowa/Colorado) goes, so goes the Presidency. My cousins are all Republicans. If challenged, I plan to laughingly announce I'm the token Democrat, representing their Uncle John (my dad) and our grandfather Benjamin Harrison Young, who posted a photograph of FDR on the outside of the rude little shack in which our parents all grew up. (Ironically, Benjamin Harrison was a Republican. My grandfather – who died before I was born – must have been something of a rebel in his time.)

Four years ago signs were plentiful, enthusiasm was high, opinions were loud and conversations were heated. This year? Not so much. West Virginians have voted seven times since the 2008 presidential elections; we're about voted out. It's been difficult to get folks excited.

Mr. Wheeler stopped by the other day to make sure he had my vote. During our conversation he said something that brought back a little of that hopey-changey feeling, and made me think people will still go to the polls. What were the words that left such a big impression?

SIGNS

DON'T

VOTE

Today’s the day: VOTE!

Democracy is …

the conviction that there are
extraordinary possibilities
in ordinary people.
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick

My daughter is worried about me. Today being election day here in the U.S., she’s wondering what I’m going to do with myself tomorrow. And for the rest of my life.

I’ve been busy since the most recent blog break began: busy with family illnesses (my dad is being released from the hospital again today, my mother-in-law continues to improve), with family fun (spent Halloween with my youngest granddaughter) and with many new friends working hard to elect a President.

I’ve helped make hundreds of campaign buttons, posters and signs; worked in our local Democratic headquarters; knocked on doors and made phone calls; put myself in situations that were uncomfortble because, for the first time in my life, it really matters to me who gets elected. And I believe my vote counts.

By uncomfortable, I mean I’ve been asking strangers if they’ve registered to vote. If they’re undecided, I ask what their issue is. I’ve done this in red-state West Virginia and in the toss-up states of Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. If they’ve already voted for Obama, I thank them.

If McCain got their vote, I still thank them. Because, while voting is important, it’s even more important to be civil and polite and respectful of individual rights and opinions.

(By the way, McCain may have his Joe the Plumber, but I have Tom the Exterminator. And Greg the UPS Driver.)

My husband and I are having a party tonight. We’re expecting a couple dozen people and a big celebration. We’ve made party favors (of course!), printed electoral maps, made tons o’ food and cued up the victory music.

Let’s hope we get to use it.

Everyone at the party gets a clipboard (with an Obama sticker), pink and blue highlighters (to fill in their electoral maps) and a bottle of M&Ms labeled thusly:

Speaking for myself, I can use a little medicine today.