Overwhelmed

I feel like I can't keep up with this election. My podcast list is overflowing with new political podcasts, the internet is bursting with new articles, and the breaking news on tv seems non-stop. So the blog seems nearly impossible to keep up with all that is going on.

Several women have now come forward to say they were sexually assaulted/harassed by Donald Trump. His response? LIES ALL LIES. Apparently only women who were sexually assaulted/harassed by Bill Clinton could possibly be telling the truth. Trump claimed he had evidence to prove this women were lying. His evidence? There is none.

Today my friend Anna sent me a text with a link to this article: Donald Trump Calls for Drug Test Ahead of Next Debate. Quite frankly you don't have to read the article to get where he is going with this. He thinks that Hillary has been "getting pumped up" with performance enhancing drugs before the debates. I burst into laughter when I read this. My response to my friend's text was simply "Un. Hinged." My favorite response to this outrageous claim?

If there is some performance enhancing drug that gives you decades of commanding policy experience I too would like a hit

— Andy Cobb (@AndyCobb) October 15, 2016

 100%. Give me some of that shit, too.

I can't even get into the mess that is his Twitter account.
Time Magazine really summed up the past week very eloquently:

 Total Meltdown.
There really is no other phrase for it.

Meanwhile, I somehow missed this powerful article in the NY Times last Sunday: Shakespeare Explains the 2016 Election.   The whole article discusses Richard III, and why Shakespeare sat down to write a play that discussed the question "How could a great country wind up being governed by a sociopath?" The last line in the article is what gave me the most pause: "Do not think it cannot happen, and do not stay silent or waste your vote."  Do not think it cannot happen. As Brexit taught us, ladies and gentlemen, the unthinkable can happen.

Can we please all work together to make sure it does not?

Comic relief:

No, I won't give up, no I won't give in, till I reach the end, I'm gonna try! 💥💪 #cobeetryeverything #gocobeego @puppystagrams @petsvideo @corgistagram @babyanimalstagram

A video posted by Cobee The Corgi (@cobeethecorgi) on Oct 5, 2016 at 8:13am PDT

Braggadocious

This is everything.

NY Times Endorsement

The New York Times has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. And everyone should read it. Please take the time to do so here.

Some of my favorite parts:

• "...Mrs. Clinton’s occasional missteps, combined with attacks on her trustworthiness, have distorted perceptions of her character. She is one of the most tenacious politicians of her generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of unyielding partisanship. As first lady, she rebounded from professional setbacks and personal trials with astounding resilience. Over eight years in the Senate and four as secretary of state, she built a reputation for grit and bipartisan collaboration. She displayed a command of policy and diplomatic nuance and an ability to listen to constituents and colleagues that are all too exceptional in Washington."

This has driven me insane, how a lot of people cannot get beyond the fact that she has lied and is "untrustworthy."  She has made mistakes. She isn't perfect. No one is perfect. But somehow the mistakes she made has completely overshadowed all of the amazing things she has done (may of which are outlined in the op-ed).

• "Mrs. Clinton has shown herself to be a realist who believes America cannot simply withdraw behind oceans and walls, but must engage confidently in the world to protect its interests and be true to its values, which include helping others escape poverty and oppression."

YES! Believing we can just build walls and isolate ourselves as a country and continue to be "great" is ludicrous.

• Through war and recession, Americans born since 9/11 have had to grow up fast, and they deserve a grown-up president. A lifetime’s commitment to solving problems in the real world qualifies Hillary Clinton for this job, and the country should put her to work.

I couldn't have said that better myself.

I am looking forward to the subsequent editorial they are publishing tomorrow about how Donald Trump is the worst candidate put forward by a major party in modern American history.

This is it..

So here I am, just about to fall asleep, or I should say, TRY to fall asleep the night before the election. Dixville Notch is 45 minutes away for casting the first ballots of the day. They think for the first time in years, a Decmocrat may be chosen there.
The campaigns are coming to an end, with each candidate having one last hurrah in battleground states. "Undecided" voters are frantically researching online to find out which candidate they are going to vote for. Riiiiiight.

This afternoon I called several voters in Florida and Wisconsin to remind them to vote, ask who they are voting for, and if they needed a reminder of where their polling location was. Some people didn't want to talk to me, others were excited, most I just left cheerful messages for. THe energy in the room was staggering. All of us hopeful for tomorrow. All of us fighting for the same cause, trying to do our bit. I made fast friends with everyone at my table, Most were over the age of 50, women who have volunteered for months. One woman had been volunteering for 2 years. All for Barack. When we parted ways before she went down to her train, she held my hand and squeezed it and said "let's hope."

I am hoping. I am hoping for the future of this country. For the country to regain it's esteem with other countries. For foreigners not to look at us and think "how stupid" but rather "good, they got it right." I am hoping for my niece and nephews, that they can say they kind of remember the first black president getting elected, they remember their auntie meg and nan were crazy passionate about it. I am hoping that anyone who is "undecided" werent swayed by Palin and McCain showing up on SNL tonight. I am hoping that Barack Obama's grandmother is up in heaven looking down on us, knowing that in 24 hours, her grandson will be the president elect. I am hoping that someone will actually kiss me when they see my "kiss me i am voting obama biden" shirt. I am hoping that people wait as long as it takes in line to get their vote counted. I hope that everyone's votes WILL count, that there is no fraud. That the electronic machines work. I am hoping that for the first time since I have been able to vote, my candidate wins. THat my faith in America is restored. That this country isnt basing their votes on religious beliefs and fear, but on the need for change and knowing what and who is right.

Tomorrow is the day.

I dont' know when we will know the results.

I don't know what those results will be.

I can only wait.

And Hope.

Yes we can.