Thanks for all your good work, Paulie. It's natural to worry but don't lose your health in the process. I believe it's going to be all right this time.

Ya know, Paulie, I was thinking about you as I drove home from the Doc today. You work in an area that has a much more-resistant constituency if I understand correctly where you are. I would understand you losing sleep: you are busting your brains out trying to at least get in candidates who will not WORSEN things for people already struggling. And the hope is that they will devise a way to make it better.

There are too many who WILL be hurting in coming times who are desperately clinging to the spectres of the old way because they are afraid to look at what "might"/will happen next as their lot too. For those ones, have compassion and show a kind and intelligent face, for eventually, as we are all in this soup more-deeply, they will be understanding more of what you have meant in your efforts.

I do not envy you the hard work of the demographics. But thank you for stepping up for that hard work. Some people eventually will think to thank you.

Sen Smith's win will be good for Oregon.

After two years of over-reaching by an Obama administration, aided by Pelosi and Reid, and three new Liberal SC justices, the 2010 elections will be a repeat of 1994, when Clinton and the Demos demolished their good works with HillaryCare etc. Then, the people will have had enough of one-party rule, and will put the Congress and Senate back in the hands of Repubs. Divided government is the best government.

Then Sen Smith can bring back some more pork for Oregon. Sen Merkley would be a junior 2 year old in the minority party.

We need our fair share of Pork! We have real needs that must be addressed: - more bike lanes - more Light Rail everywhere - a new bridge to somewhere (Vancouver, WA) with Bike lanes, light rail lanes, commuter bus lanes, HOV lanes

Sen Smith can bring home the pork.

We need his seniority in Wash DC. I long for the days of Hatfield and Packwood, Sen Appropriations and Sen Finance!

"Gordon Smith, the son of an Eisenhower administration official and heir to a food processing company, Smith grew up in the ritzy D.C. suburbs and today lives on Bethesda'a aptly named Country Club Road. In a profile entitled "From Profits to Politics, the states largest newspaper described him as a guy who "unabashedly enjoys spending" his millions on Ferraris, mansions and "weekend trips to New York to window shop."

Author David Sirota

Imagine how little sleep right-wing Republicans are getting these days.

The reign of error is coming to an end....

Hi Paulie,

Congratulations on your achievement of the state of hyper-consciousness. I've been enjoying this awareness enhancement since the first Tuesday night of November, 2000. Because of my courage to see the vote count then through to end, I was awake until mid-December. It was a truly an out-of-body-and-mind experience, and apparently much like the methods perfected by the CIA with their infamous MK-Ultra Project. I was, in fact, being turned into a tortured zombie well in anticipation of the opening of the Guantanemo Arms Hotel.

So why not take advantage of your altered state of awareness? Here's a perfect horror film to watch in the depth of the darkest night when you are just certain that dreadful monsters are invading and body snatching the denizens of the American Dreamland. "Free For All" is an ironic title, of course. Apparently the GOP thinks it is free to cheat, lie, steal and defraud the public, as long as it is in "the public's interest***". Enjoy the movie. It'll help make sure you never sleep again!

*** I'm reminded here of H.L. Mencken's observation: "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it… good and hard."

Oregonian, I feel the same way. I think about, and drive by, all the flyers me and my co-volunteers have put up and placed all over Portland. All the folks we have spoken to and signed up, the signs we have made and waved on busy intersections, the meetings to discuss strategies etc.. I do worry about all the folks with their heads in the sand as well: the folks who have decided to vote yet again for a war-monger, a bailout barron, a patriot act, NAFTA and FISA supporter. An off shore driller, dirty coal burner and corporatist extraordinaire:MCBAMA.

Ralph Nader will be speaking on Mon 10/20/08, 7.30 PM in the Bagdad. It is not too late to vote in your best interests!

Paulie, night cramps in calfs can be serious signs of blood clots. Get it checked out!

Regarding our little area of Oregon, Lynn Howe should see much success, but I'm afraid that Olney has not run any type of effective campaign in his attempt to unseat the incumbant.

As to the projected $2BB state shortfall - well yes we DO know how we got there. It has more to do with a Kitzhaber and Merkley led spending of $1.8BB in surplus on NEW Programs last session than anything at the federal level.

The industrial-phamaceutical complex has lots of things to help you. You can be drugged to sleep or given an assortment of anti-depressants to make you feel better.

I used to feel the same way. I believed in the Democratic Party. Why didn't the Democrats sue Florida after the 2000 vote and challenge the entire electoral system? Why isn't there a single high-profile Dem speaking out about vote fraud? Why did Kerry order all of the volunteers who went to Ohio and were ready to challenge the 2004 results county by county to stand down? Why did Pelosi immediately declare impeachment off the table when the Dems won in 2006? Why did the Dems lead the charge for the $700B bailout of Wall St, being led by old Nixon-Bush crony Hank Paulson?

You should be sleeping fine, because you still believe the system actually works for people like you. It doesn't. The system is owned and operated by people who get paid $200M for a year's work, even if they perform so badly that wouldn't have lasted a week at Burger King. And what did your generation really do over the last 35 years to keep these people from gaining such control over our once-great democracy?

That barrista has every right to be snotty. The two generations before her endulged in an orgy of materialism and waste that has practically ruined any chance she has of enjoying the lifestyle you took for granted. Kids these days know they've been screwed and they know they're being lied to.

Seriously, how much of a difference do you think Obama is really going to make? He supported the FISA bill, supports globalist trade agreements, supports 'trickle down' bailouts for bankers... Yeah, I'm voting Obama because I can't stand having another blathering idiot being the Kermit in the American Muppet Show for another four years. I don't really want Miss Piggy a heartbeat away from the Presidency either.

Tell it, Iris!

Ted: Everything you said I agree with, up to your voting Obama. If we never create a sizable vote against the single, corrupt corporate party with two heads, then we will never have leverage over them. They will always say that we have "no other place to go", since they are evil and insane, but less evil and less insane.

"I’m going to provide some of the many, many reasons you shouldn’t vote for McCain:

He’s raised twice as much money from Wall Street than his opponent. He voted for every Iraq war appropriation bill he faced. He refused to be photographed with San Francisco’s mayor for fear it’d be interpreted that he supported gay marriage. He voted against single payer health care. He supports the death penalty, the Israeli war machine, and the fence on the US-Mexican border. When asked if “there’s anything that’s happened in the past 7 1/2 years that the U.S. needs to apologize for in terms of foreign policy?” he responded: “No, I don’t believe in the U.S. apologizing.” He voted to confirm Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State and to reauthorize the Patriot Act. He…uh-oh. Sorry, I messed up and gave you some of the many, many reasons you shouldn’t vote for Barack Obama. My bad… "

Mickey Z, Myth America: A Stand-up Tragedy

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