As one of them pesky foreigners, I don’t think I should say any more than I already have about the US election.
Instead I’m going to link to a bunch of excellent posts from around the blogosphere*. (Edit: OK, and apparently I’m going to comment on them too – couldn’t resist. Please pretend you didn’t read the first sentence of this post).
Good luck to my American friends – I think I’m hoping for the same result as almost all of you! I’ll be at the Canucks-Predators game, but with my ear close to the iPhone ground for updates. If anyone would care to leave comments here as the evening progresses, I’d be very grateful – I’ll see more of the hockey if I just wait for the beep that means a comment has been emailed to me than if I’m constantly refreshing cnn.com manually!
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First up is Ruchi with a wonderful post that literally brought tears to my eyes. “It doesn’t matter if your parents came from Kenya, or India, or North Dakota; you CAN still become president. […] I may not want to be president anymore, but somewhere out there, I know a young child of immigrants is now free to dream big”.
(Although, as Digital Cuttlefish points out, young American atheists are obviously gonna have to wait a bit longer for their chance to be treated as equals president: “No need to watch your language, Or to treat us with respect—Because demonizing us is still politically correct”).
Microbiologist XX also posts about the importance of voting, regardless of where you live. It’s not just about the Presidential ballot! Oh, and also, “If you don’t vote, then you forfeit your right to complain about the government until the next election”. Too right.
Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde shares her experiences as she volunteers for the Obama-Biden campaign in a swing state. “We had lots of pro-Obama responses, with the only exception being some people complaining they had been called TOO MUCH by the Obama campaign. If this is our biggest problem, we are doing ok.” Good luck Dr J!
Todd Oakley injects some evolutionary theory (and a much-needed chuckle) into the proceedings. “A common theme of this blog is to share cases of “linear evolutionary thinking”. These are instances, usually graphics, that illustrate the common conception of evolution as a line of progress, from worst to best”. Click through for this particular example – you don’t need to be a biologist to appreciate it!
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Bonus posts for my Californian reader(s), who are voting on Proposition 8:
DrugMonkey neatly eviscerates the alleged logic of the pro-(H)8 side: “I’m sure there are other classes of arguments and I’d like to hear something that sounds halfway rational. Have any of you Californians heard anything that makes any kind of sense? Because from where I sit, all I hear that makes any consistent sense in any of this is the following: “I just don’t like gay people, in fact I fear and hate them.””
Meanwhile Digital Cuttlefish skewers the proposition in rhyme. “It’s a simple little proposition, Proposition Eight: All we ask is that you join us, as we all discriminate!”
And here’s Ruchi again with “A Heart-felt Speech From The Republican Mayor of San Diego”.
I am very proud that gay couples in both my native and adopted country can marry. I’m therefore wishing for an extra dose of good luck for my anti-prop 8 buddies and blog buddies down the coast…
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Finally, Bob is looking for new topics to keep the blogosphere busy after the election: “We have to save the poor slavering dears by giving them a topic to get excited about”, he says. My suggestion of “football” seems to be working – for now.
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*posts featured here are rendered ineligible for “post of the week” bragging rights. Why? Because I said so…
Thanks for the link love. I’ll be checking out the others on your list.
1. gah! cant wait to cast my vote for obama! 2. you need to get on twitter- instant updates all the time!
Great post collection! I wanted to add one more by Rebecca on Proposition 8.
Thanks all! Please do keep adding links to the comments. Like this one to Okham’s awesome post about how excited he is to see Obama this close to the presidency.
It is so weird to come into work, after getting up early to watch the news and check blogs etc., and to have to start thinking about antibody budgets instead of politics!
I hear you! I have a presentation to give today, but it is tough to think about anything other than the election.
More on Prop 8 from Crystal
BTW good luck with your presentation ScienceGirl!
A colleague just got back from a quick overnight trip across the border to vote in Seattle. He said there were line-ups at the polling station for the first time in living memory. He’s looking pretty happy!
Thanks for these posts. They distracted me as I stress out and mentally tear out my hair…. 🙂
OMG, Cath, you HAVE to read this
Fuckin’ A! Thanks for the link Ruchi! I have gay friends in California and I am thinking about them a lot today.
Setting off over the bridge for the hockey game, good luck all!
in keeping with your requests: obama has taken ohio and pennsylvania! looks like it’s impossible for mccain now.
Ruchi> Thanks for that. Lovely. I am crying. (yes, I am a sap)CAth> election time.. Cnn (being the democratic bastilion that they are) are giving the lot to Obama. THey sane people at bbc are counting votes quicker and still giving the lot to Obama.Or rather, "the lot" – the end result…. after Obama got Ohio and the whole north east corner… McCain seems to take MS/AL/GA/LA/TX but as usual they say the coasts and the north (new) goes to Obama.. Im still staying up though.GO CANUCKS!!! 🙂
Obama is at 207 electoral votes according to CNN. That’s without CA, WA or OR. And it looks like VA is going for Obama (50 to 49). So, it looks better and better all the time.
They are calling it for Obama. HOLY FREAKING CRAP! YAY!!!!
It is time to celebrate!!!
I am still waiting to see if he wins in indiana… if that happens, it’s officially a blowout
THANK YOU all of you for the updates!
OK I don’t know about you guys but I have a bit of a sore head.