Biden's new role: Good cop.

A post-election view of McCain

Terry McAuliffe to run for Virginia governor

Al Franken's odds of winning the Minnesota recount long -- and short

Howard Dean to step down as DNC chair. Who's going to replace him?

Join the Impact - Protest information for upcoming Prop 8 protests

Obama roasts Rahm Emanuel in 2005. Funny stuff. (Via Andrew Sullivan)

As I've been looking into how race affected the results of Prop 8, I have been struck by the history of the uneasy and schizophrenic relationship between sexuality and race.

In March of 2007, Keith Boykin wrote the article "Why Are Whites So Homophobic?" In it, he writes:

Every time a Tim Hardaway or an Isaiah Washington or an unknown black preacher makes an anti-gay comment, reporters call me up and ask why are black people so homophobic. But when high-profile white people make homophobic remarks, nobody ever asks why are white people so homophobic. They should, because the answers to the two questions are related. African Americans are homophobic because white Americans are homophobic. We all live in the same homophobic society, and in this case the prejudice starts from the president on down.

And in January of this year, Obama gave one of his most remarkable speeches. On the day before Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, At one of the premier black American churches where King used to preach, long before he was the Democratic nominee and even longer before he was President-elect, Senator Barack Obama told 2000 worshippers:

If we are honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community. We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them.[Politico]

Just this weekend, on 365Gay.com, Wayne Besen wrote:

I can understand why white gay people are angry. I certainly am. But let’s take a step back and look at this dispassionately. I believe our failure with the African American vote (70 percent voted in favor of Prop. has more to do with education levels than race. In general, people with lower levels of education - of any race - do not vote for gay rights. White people are twice as likely to graduate college as black people. This accounts for the difference by race on Prop. 8.

And then on The Daily Voice Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes:

"No surprise that blacks tipped the scale for California's gay marriage ban" - The painful truth is that Proposition 8 would have gone down to flaming defeat if blacks hadn't backed it in droves. Proposition 8 was the ballot initiative that defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman and embeds that in the California state constitution.

Just one month before the election most polls showed that a majority of Californians rejected the measure. But then something happened. A slew of Yes on 8 signs and stickers popped up overnight on lawns in my neighborhood in the predominantly black Crenshaw area near South Los Angeles. The week before that a well-heeled core of preachers who head fundamentalist leaning, mega and medium sized black churches held a rally and then took to their pulpits and bible thumped their congregations to pass the initiative. It worked. Associated Press exit polls found that seven in 10 blacks voted in favor of the proposition, while Latinos marginally supported it and whites were split.

No one seems to have the complete answer, and everything I try to write to sum all of this up sounds . . . not quite right. We're not going to agree with everyone or even each other, necessarily, but we can, and should, arm ourselves with our shared histories. That's, at least, a place to start.

Politico launches "Politico 44: A Living Diary of the Obama Presidency"

Former Chief Strategist David Axelrod accepts the position of Senior Adviser in the White House. Joins new Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Another call to ease up on the race and sexuality Prop 8 rhetoric

Prop 8 opponents concede defeat

Maureen Dowd forgets that gays took a hit Tuesday night

Below, the South Park view of the Obama win.

Democrats aim for powerful majority in Senate: "Of the 35 Senate seats on the line this year, 23 are held by Republicans. Five Republican senators are retiring . . . North Carolina, where Republican incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole is in danger of losing her seat to Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan. Dole, a first-term incumbent, had been considered a safe seat for Republicans early in the election cycle, but she was targeted heavily by national Democratic Party ads and a CNN/Time poll last week showed Hagan leading by 9 percentage points."

More things to watch as the election results come in: "The media will, of course, get a sneak preview of the results and demographic voting patterns at 5 p.m., when a consortium of TV networks distributes several waves of nationwide exit polling. The first wave of that data is supposed to be kept secret from the general public because it is too unreliable and misleading."

The Huffington Post has a one-stop shop for all your election needs. Tons of maps and stats and info.

CBS News has 10 Questions (and Answers) for Election Day. Including:
1. What Should You Watch For Today?
2. Can Obama Win A Mandate?
3. Can McCain Pull Off A Shocker?
4. What Does Massive Turnout Mean?
5. Can New Hampshire Happen Again?

Believe it or not, this guy over at The Washington Times still likes Bush:"President Bush is far smarter, more articulate and less ideological than his plentiful detractors scream, and, ultimately, he will be judged by history - not by vengeful Democrats, hate-filled Hollywood, corrupt foreign governments, an imploding mainstream media or fleeting approval ratings."

And below, Patti LaBelle sings "He Will Rock You (Obama)"

Tom Toles, copyright 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Social Populism vs Economic Populism

Christopher Buckley on The Daily Show

Democrats could dominate Congress after the election. "The Senate map, for the Republicans, is an ugly mix of tough circumstances, plain bad luck and troubled candidates."

Rising unemployment could signal higher foreclosures in 09

James Kotecki will make your ears bleed, but we have to listen to this so we know how NOT to be.

The Republican Party is breaking apart

Time columnist Joe Klein without a seat on the McCain or Palin planes the past four months. Maureen Dowd got banned, too! "I had had a great relationship with John McCain for 16 years, through columns he liked and didn't like. So at first I thought it was a mistake and doublechecked with the press office."

Trying to assess the state of each candidate's health to understand what it might mean to the presidency

The Power of Powell's Rebuke. "Colin Powell demonstrated his eponymous 'Powell Doctrine' of overwhelming force on Sunday when he endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press. The one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff systematically marshaled his assets to neutralize the Republican endgame strategy, which is to suffuse the air around Obama with a vague mist of terrorism, socialism and 'otherness.'"

Jon Stewart's Jason Jones interviews the current mayor of Wasilla

Steve Kelley, copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate

McCain is funny: “I’m the underdog, but there are signs of hope. I can’t shake the feeling that some people here are pulling for me. I am delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary.”

National Review Writer: Obama Likely Would Have Been Aborted, Had It Been Legal

The Temperament Factor: Who's Best Suited to the Job? Time's lengthy article navigates the places where personality meets challenge.

Interview with Treasury Secretary Paulson: "The steps we’ve taken are absolutely the right steps. They are bold steps. They are strong steps to stabilize the financial markets and inject confidence into the banking system along with capital."

Economists prescribe deeper deficit: Balanced government budget no recession cure. "The financial crisis has rocked the economy's foundations, but it also has opened a window of opportunity for the next president."


Great interview with Madeleine Albright on the candidates' foreign policy views, the mishandling of the Iraq war, and her time as Secretary of State. She says Obama reminds her of Bill Clinton.

Today's Buffet

(Click below to jump the the full size players, or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair, hang out, and watch them in The Media Bar)

Daily Song
This Week's #1
Womanizer
Britney Spears
(check out Pork's review here)







Television
Mad Men (1:24)
I'm starting a Mad Men Marathon this weekend!





Politics
Another tortuously unfunny performance by James Kotecki (00:31)


The Trailer for W.







Music Video
Pink "So What" (3:35)



Daily Song

Television

Mad Men (1:24)

Politics

Another tortuously unfunny performance by James Kotecki (00:31)(click the screen twice to stop)


Movies

The Trailer for W.

Music Video

Pink "So What" (3:35)
Pop 100 Number 1 song

John Deering, copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate

Hilary Rosen calls it for Obama: "There simply are not enough undecided voters in the key battleground states."

Candidates' Neckties: What Their Knots Mean

Cesar Chavez's granddaughter opposes Prop 8:"Rights of women, rights of gays and lesbians and the rights of immigrants are all linked," Chavez said.

YouTube for President?

"From Bill Clinton to John McCain," Senator Barack Obama has proved adept at driving very smart politicians out of their comfort zone, leading them to make comments or embrace tactics that end up backfiring."


Was There Too Much Sex And Profanity In The HBO Presidential Debate?
(Language NSFW)

The Media Bar Is Open!

Thom Skinner's beautiful "We Don't Talk" in today's Daily Song
10-year-old Gabi Wilson singing Alicia Keys on The View (and doing right by the song)
Jennifer Aniston in "He's Just Not That Into You"
James Kotecki flopping miserably as a political satirist
And Lady Gaga's video for "Beautiful Dirty Rich"

(click below if you are in the mood to see the players full size)

Television
Gabi Wilson on The View(5:00)


Movies
Jennifer Aniston's "He's Just Not That Into You"
Based on that book by that Sex and The City writer


Politics

I'm not even sure what this is about because James Kotecki is so God-awful I couldn't focus (click screen twice to stop).


Music Video
Lady Gaga "Beautiful Dirty Rich" (3:08)