It's got to end soon. My behavior is disintegrating. I cry at the mention of wolves and polar bears. I burst into tears at the crowds of unemployed men in front of Home Depot hoping to pick up work. I'm drinking too much. I grab food from other people's plates, people I don't even know. I've stopped putting on makeup or exercising or fixing my hair. Sam assures me I still have my looks but he's afraid I've forgotten where I'm keeping them. So we've left the Midwest and come home to Washington and will spend the last 12 days working in Virginia.
In spite of my anxiety, the places we've been spending most of our time in the last five months are looking pretty good. McCain has essentially given up on Colorado, where there will be appearances by the Obamas and Hillary Clinton in the next week. There is intense Latino barnstorming around the state with Governor Richardson and Senator Salazar. About a fourth of the state has already voted and it's expected that 1.5 million will vote early, and this early vote is heavily Democratic. Younger voters are not turning out at the levels anticipated, but last time young voters and Independents were the least prone to vote early.
Take the Kerry states from 2004, add Colorado, Iowa and New Mexico, and it puts Obama with 273 electoral votes. If he should get Ohio -- and pollster.com says it is leaning toward Obama -- that takes it to 306. Montana, North Carolina, Missouri and Indiana are too close to call. And who knows what's actually going on in Florida and Pennsylvania -- even though the polls show Obama with leads and there is no real reason to doubt them. We know there will be a hidden anti-Obama vote, but I have long believed there will also be a hidden pro-Obama vote. It's all beginning to look bluish. Projections of 340 electoral votes don't seem totally crazy anymore.
Now onto another senate race.
My daughter, Willa, says, "You are a one-woman campaign to make DC smokin' hot. Future interns of America will thank you."
It's true that several of the races we've spent time following have a certain sex appeal (see Scott Kleeb and Martin Heinrich), and now I'm adding one more to that list. Nonetheless, I insist my interest in Oklahoma's Andrew Rice has to do with competence not countenance.
If Rice is to beat Inhofe, he has to match Inhofe's TV time in the final 12 days. The campaign's final TV buy is tomorrow morning and they desperately need another $15,000. A contribution of any size will help. Oklahoma is a relatively inexpensive market -- a spot on an Andy Griffith rerun only costs $15. Time on The View sells for $130 per 30 seconds. They can even advertise on the Today Show for only $250.
Inhofe is up by 12 points in current polling but he was up by 22 points a month ago. It's a long shot. No question. Remember, Oklahoma did give Eugene Debs his Second highest percentage vote in the country in 1912. Also, Woody Guthrie and Fred Harris come from Oklahoma. Do it for them.
https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=Tb%2fj2kIF7fJ3Jn5xwfsjNw%3d%3d
This race, like Nebraska, is not on the "likely to win" list. In fact it is on the solid red list. But there has been little polling, and what there has been, shows Inhofe with very low positive ratings. This is the kind of race that can only be won in a total wave year. So if you believe in the wave, this is a place to throw a wish in the water and hope it will wash up on friendly shores.
Andrew Rice and Sam Brown
Andrew Rice, his wife Apple and son Noah.
For more on Andrew Rice, go to:
http://www.andrewforoklahoma.com/free_details.asp?id=45