Just for you, Kelly

Well, as Kelly so nicely pointed out to me, I haven't really gotten back into the swing of blogging regularly since I got back from vacation. This is partly because I've been busy at work (do you know how much catch-up time is needed after missing 3 weeks?), partly because I haven't been sleeping and am chronically tired, and partly because there's so much back-news to write about that I feel slightly overwhelmed. But ask and you shall receive - Kelly wants a post, so a post she shall get.

And it's all about politics.

I'd recap all that's happened while I was away, but I can sum it up pretty easily: The economy tanked. The campaigns went seriously negative. Everyone is unhappy.

Moving on.

The final Presidential debate was earlier this week, and it was easily the most spirited of the three. (Well, I was in Ireland for the first one, but I'm judging by everyone else's opinion.) And here I thought nothing could top Sarah Palin's coy winks and dropped g's. I thought McCain got some hard hits in, but he had a pretty big hurdle to overcome, and with Obama refusing to lose his cool, McCain's attacks didn't have nearly the effect they needed to in order to change the trajectory of the campaign. I thought it was pretty hilarious that McCain tried to portray himself as the one whose feelings should be hurt, claiming that he's denounced everyone who's said anything bad about Obama (uh, except his running mate, who basically called him a terrorist, or his supporters, who DID call him a terrorist and enthusiastically suggested he be killed). And then he proceded to bring up Obama's supposed connection with terrorists and voter fraud, and claim that we ought to know the truth about these "relationships." Yep, way to denounce... uh... what?

Of course, the real star of the debate was Joe the Plumber, usurping Joe Six-Pack as the new conservative icon of middle-class America, who asked Obama to explain why he wants to make Joe suffer under his proposed tax plan. Oh, except he's not actually a licensed plumber. And he owes $1,200 in back taxes. And the premise of his question isn't even valid, because even if he bought this plumbing business he's talking about, he wouldn't be making $250,000 a year, the business would be - putting his actual personal income well below the threshold for Obama's tax increase. Uh, whoops?

If you're interested in how the race is going in my adopted state, it seems like the vast majority of Clinton supporters (myself included) have been converted to Obama. Which is reassuring to see, considering that McCain supporters have proved themselves to be racist and scary, and I don't want that in my state.