A friend of mine wrote to me the other day with her concerns that the "Bradley effect" might well be a factor in the upcoming presidential election.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Bradley effect, here's a brief summary from what my friend located on the web:

"The term Bradley effect, less commonly called the Wilder effect, refers to a frequently observed discrepancy between voter opinion polls and election outcomes in American political campaigns when a white candidate and a non-white candidate run against each other. Named for Tom Bradley, an African-American who lost the 1982 California governor's race despite being ahead in voter polls, the Bradley effect refers to a tendency on the part of voters to tell pollsters that they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate, and yet, on election day, vote for his/her white opponent.

"One theory for the Bradley effect is that some white voters give inaccurate polling responses for fear that, by stating their true preference, they will open themselves to criticism of racial motivation. This effect is similar to people refusing to discuss voting choice at all. If you state you are undecided, you can avoid being forced into a political discussion with someone highly partisan. The reluctance to give accurate polling answers has sometimes extended to post-election exit polls as well. The race of the pollster conducting the interview may be a factor into voters' answers."

The Bradley Effect was largely unheard of at the time, primarily because there were precious few African-Americans holding such an office, and it was most definitely a factor in Tom Bradley's defeat in '82. But that was 26 years ago.

Think of that ... 26 years ago, 1982. I wasn't living in SoCal then, but I remember it well (yes, they do get the news back in Georgia, although events over the past 10 years or so -- and as recently as yesterday -- have made me ashamed of my home state). In the past 26 years, we've seen immense progress towards improved race relations -- not enough progress, obviously, but racism and bigotry are not as rampant as they were in '82.

Of course the Republicans are going to do everything they can to get McCain elected, but there's a huge spotlight on political campaigns in the 21st century, thanks to the internet and a 24/7 news cycle. The public and the media are everywhere (cell phones, hidden cameras, TV, radio). It's going to be a lot more difficult to rig this election than anyone can possibly imagine.

There will always be rednecks and crackers, people who believe in their hearts that anyone who isn't just like them are less than human, don't deserve common respect, shouldn't be allowed to hold a major political office, or even vote. I know this because I am a direct descendant of two people who felt the same way. My father was the worst; I won't go into some of the nightmares he used to conjure or the hideous behavior. Just imagine the worst cracker you ever knew and square that by 100.

Fortunately for me, when I was 11, John F. Kennedy was running for office. (Some of you are too young to remember that his Catholicism was a huge factor in that election, with non-Cathols worried that JFK would somehow cohabit the White House with the Pope. Seriously.) That was my first connection with politics, and it opened my eyes.

(Disclaimer: It didn't hurt that on my 12th birthday, I received a letter from JFK, written on his Senate stationary. Dated December 3, 1960, he wrote, "Dear Miss Blackwell ... I want to thank you for the very friendly message you sent to me after my election to the presidency. I am most heartened by the many expressions of good will which I have received. I am sure that they reflect a broad unity of purpose in our nation. I hope that my record during the next four years will sustain your generous confidence. With every good wish, I am, Sincerely /John F. Kennedy/" It is my most prized possession. I'll try to scan it and upload it to MYBO, but it's been sealed in a heavy wood frame since 1960 and I dare not try to remove it from the matting. And yes, it is his signature; I've had it verified by several authorities. It breaks my heart to read the last sentence and remember the hope, the promise, that his presidency held. Here's a pic I scanned in; apologies for the quality, but I was careless with it in my drunk years.)



Thus began my love affair with the Democratic Party, and politics in general. When the first black student took her seat in my 8th grade class, I was proud that Atlanta had been so progressive in matters of race, thanks mostly to Dr. King's presence, and sad that when I went to introduce myself to her, she shied away from me a bit, likely out of fear of what I might do or say. We became friends, and remained so throughout our school years. I lost touch with her many years ago, but I think of her often.

Now, I want all of you to think of everyone you know. Think of each one of them and ask yourself, "Is this person a racist? A bigot? Does this person mirror my feelings about my country and its citizens?" If the answer for any one of these people is "yes," think about how your own behavior could affect theirs. Could you have a conversation with this person without it turning into "Nazi"? A lot of 'em will blow you off, angrily; it's hard to talk about such deep-seated emotions without getting emotional, and if that's the way he/she is, so be it.

But what about this other person? Maybe he/she would actually welcome a conversation; not a yelling match, but an honest, cordial, even friendly talk? Those are the ones we must reach; those are the ones who are intellectually curious, who can observe and listen at least somewhat objectively.

Hundreds of people out there are indeed racist assholes. But thousands more are NOT racists! We now outnumber them! Names are dropping from the pathetic rolls of the Aryan Nation like gnats around Sarah Palin's mouth. The KKK is nearly dead, and I never thought I would live to see that day.

We cannot control what The Others do. We *can* control what we do when they pull out their bag of transparent tricks. Respond, in whatever forum you might find yourself, but do it without fear and without anger. You can't have a fight if one party won't fight. And that, my friends (I can't believe I just wrote that), is the best way in the world to piss of John McCain.

Wear the world like a loose jacket ~ turn to your Zen place, if necessary ~ and be like BO. Unflappable. Unshakeable. Certain. Affable. Courageous. Aware. Informed. And, more than anything, hope.

Don't let petty distractions into your life (or your mailbox). Don't concern yourself overly much about what The Others are doing and saying ~ yesterday, for the first time, John McCain finally spoke out. A woman at one of his rallies said she'd read all about Obama and flatly stated that he was an Arab. McCain, at long last, earned back about an ounce of his honor by saying to her, "No, ma'am," several times, shaking his head in disagreement. "He's a decent, family man, [a] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about." And for that, John McCain was booed.

This is the greatest and most effective grassroots campaign we have ever seen. Thousands of Democratic and Obama volunteers - people like you and me - are, for the first time in their lives, truly involved in a political campaign. The polls don't reflect Obama's real lead because they're only polling voters who were already registered, NOT the hundreds of thousands of new Democratic voters who have been registered in the past 20 months.

I beg everyone to believe in their hearts and minds, to know with certitude in this: Barack Obama will win this election by a landslide. Know this: Barack Obama will be our next President, and he will be the greatest President in the history of America. Do not doubt yourselves for one moment; we cannot afford such negative thoughts at a time when the future of our country, and the world, rests on the outcome of this election.

Without hate, without fear, walk this historic walk, these last few miles - only 25 more days! - please, walk with me, with millions of others and with Senator Barack Obama as he continues to march into only his second home, the White House.

(I apologize for the length of this post, but these are topics that raise my passion, and for some reason, even though I've been blocked for weeks and I'm sick as a Georgia Bulldog on nasty Tennessee grass (UGA!), I felt the absolute need to write this, if not for me, then for the one person out there who does read it and takes something good away from it.)

NO FEAR!!!!!!!!

I wanna be like BO!

From today's Cincinnati Enquirer:

About one-third of the absentee ballot applications received at the Hamilton County Board of Elections have been ruled invalid because Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign printed a version of the form with an extra, unneeded box on it.

In a narrow interpretation of Ohio law, Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner says many of the McCain forms have not been completed properly. If the box stating the person is an eligible elector -- or qualified voter – is not checked, Brunner said, the application is no good.

Even though the box is unneeded, by not checking it voters are essentially admitting they're not eligible, Brunner said.

"I have not seen a ruling that indirectly impacts voters to the enormity of this since I've been here,'' Hamilton County Board of Elections Deputy Director John Williams said of his nearly five-year tenure at the board.

More than 750 absentee ballot requests in Hamilton County have been invalidated because of Brunner's ruling, Williams said.

Absentee voting begins in 19 days, or on Sept. 30.

If a registered Ohio voter's application is rejected, Brunner said, "We said you have to notify them within 48 hours and we also suggest that (Board of Elections) send them a new application."

That means county Boards of Election must contact tens of thousands of voters and ask them to fill out a new, valid form in time to vote for the Nov. 4 election. The McCain campaign says it mailed out about 1 million of the faulty forms.

"The form contains the necessary requirements and has been accepted in past elections, so this election should be no different,'' Jon Seaton, McCain's regional campaign manager,' said today. "Qualified voters who request absentee ballots should receive them.''

"If I were a voter, I wouldn't be very happy," Brunner said. "I'm stuck with the law. You shouldn't have to check a box."

Brunner insists she would have ruled the same way if the absentee ballot applications were printed by Sen. Barack Obama's Democratic campaign for president.

Regardless, her ruling is likely to be challenged in court.

Williams said he has asked a county prosecutor how to proceed. He said state law does not require a separate box on a form, only a printed statement that the voter is a qualified elector.

"This has been a huge wrench in our operation,'' Williams said.

"There's an enormous time and cost involved,'' Williams said. "If that box was not there, but a four-leaf clover was there, what do you do with that? What if it was a circle that was next to that? What if it was an asterisk? Effectively what she is saying is it doesn't need to be there, but if it's there you need to check it."

Letters will be sent out to everyone whose absentee applications were rejected, with instructions on how to fill out the form properly. Williams wondered aloud what part of the faulty form should be returned to avoid new confusion, and not disenfranchise voters.

Brunner was elected in 2006 on a campaign encouraging fewer restrictions on voters and more improvements in the election process to make the system easier and more transparent following two presidential elections in which Ohio was riddled with problems involving punch-card ballots, touchscreen machines, long lines and registration snafus.

Brunner said state law does not require one standardized form to apply for an absentee ballot. While the Secretary of State prints its own application, the law says it need not be a particular form. A voter can merely send a letter with personal information that identifies him or her as a qualified elector to receive an absentee ballot, Brunner said.

Some county Boards of Election have asked Brunner why they should pay to fix the application error. "The law is clear. The problem is with McCain's form,'' she said. But Brunner said she does not have the authority to order any campaign to reimburse counties for the new mailing costs to fix the problem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read the full story here:  http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/9/11/222157/054

..tr>..table>

Here's the link:   http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html   Bev, 5th Level Goon Goonsquad Aliso Viejo

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I read today that some of Senator Clinton's former staffers are turning to the Palin-McCain - oops - McCain camp, making outrageous accusations about Obama and his campaign.

I cannot t believe that some Hillary supporters are still so angry! Perhaps they belong in the Palin-McCain -- oops -- McCain-Palin camp, the camp of anger and accusations, the camp with no control over its temper or temperament, the camp that boasts one candidate's personal cronyism and "mess with me or you're dead" attitude.

Stay with McCain, ladies. We don't need your petty, negative little invectives or your butts in the chair. Obama is going to win this election, and he's going to win with the support of white women all over this country.

It's April 15th, folks. How many times have you been reminded today? I'm keeping an official count, but keep in mind that I normally listen to music most of the day and that today was a bit unusual.

Started with Rachael Ray at 9AM local time. First mention was just before her show started. There are 3 more references during promos for the upcoming news at 11, so the count is now FOUR.

On to The View at 10AM. Fifth mention was -- you guessed it -- just before Whoopie walked out, and 4 more references during promos ... the count is now NINE and it's not even noon.

I shower at 11, but I've got the news on in the background and cannot keep track so I'm just gonna guess at this one ... maybe ... wow, this is hard. Umm ... okay, just a guess, but I'm thinking there were at least 583 references.

By noon, I have been reminded 592 times to file my taxes before midnight. My refund was in the bank before the end of February. It's called TurboTax. E-file and you get direct deposit refund within 2-3 weeks. Unless you owe; then you wait until April 15th.

But don't we KNOW by now that April 15th is tax day, that our returns have to be postmarked by midnight, that certain post offices will remain open to accommodate late filers (who ARE these people ~ do they do it just so they can get a shot at being on TV????), blah blah blah. Kids even know this shit, that's how invasive the "news" can be.

And I don't even watch the news. Seriously. I read the newspaper every day (the LA Times) because it's more in-depth and I get more information. See? That's how that works. If you read more, you learn more. (I will confess to watching Keith Olbermann, and the Stewart/Colbert combo because they're the most truthful about the news than any other media outlet on the planet, IMHO.)

So enough with the reminders about my taxes. What I need is somebody to remind me to pick up milk on the way home. Put THAT on the news, bitches.

After moving to California in February of 1996, I’d only had this one job for about two days. To get to Orange from Aliso Viejo, you have to take the 5 North, past lots of agri-areas. So I’m tooling along and I look out the window and think to myself, "Why are those sheep out there grazing in colored Hanes Beefy Ts?"

Then I thought, "Well, it makes sense, trying to keep their wool safe from the hot Southern California sun."

Then I realized it wasn’t sheep. It was migrant workers picking strawberries. And it looked EXACTLY like this ad for wool:

Well ... there wasn’t any snow, but you get the picture.

(Mind you, all this happened within about a tenth of a second.)

Hey guys ...

Some of y’all might have already heard that I’m leaving the world of standup comedy for good. It’s not a rumor; it’s true. I didn’t know it, but last Sunday was my last show.

But I thought it might be a good idea to list the Top Ten Reasons I’m walking away.

10.       It’s time to expand my core group of friends to include a few people who aren’t nearly as funny as I am, plus there’s no contests.

9.         It’s not that I’m too high to get on stage ~ the stage is too fucking high for me to get on, and I’m not getting any taller.

8.         I’m tired of watching American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Moment of Truth on TiVO; it takes away all the excitement of the *live* show.

7.         Deleted ~ I finally got off my dry drunk (my fellow friends of Bill W. will understand this one) ~ with my deepest and most sincere apologies to everyone involved.

6.         I like cake, and I’m tired of taking out my teeth. You can eat pudding without your uppers, but you can’t eat cake.

5.         Since I bought that Canon HV20 hi-def 40gb hard drive camcorder, I really hate taking it anywhere beer is served, so I’ve signed up for a workshop at Tall Mouse to learn how to mount it in a shadow box.

4.         Now that I’m permanently retired on disability, I can monitor things down here in South Orange County – very high on the terrorists’ wish list, what with the huge concentration of stupid white people driving SUVs they don’t know how to drive. Or park. Or unpark.

3.         Bill Word, Johnny Dam and Luggnutz all offered me $10K for my complete library of material, so I sold it to all three of ..em, and now I’m going to Hawaii for 3 weeks in September! You guys can sort it out.

2.         I’m really tired of that bitch Britney Spears acting out scenes from my life, and if I get out of the limelight now, maybe she’ll stand a chance.

1.         Because I promised. More people should keep their promises. Earth would be a lot better place to live.

I’m still around, y’all – I’m just not onstage. Those who feel so inclined, please do stay in touch. I’ve met some fantastic people these past couple of years and I don’t regret one minute of it all (except that horrible set I had at the Ice House that one time).

Love to most of you,

Bev

Friday night, May 5th, 2006, 9PM. I'm at the Coronet Theater to see one of my comedy gods, Eddie Izzard, performing his work-in-progress.

I look up, and there's Eric Idle. ERIC FUCKING IDLE! A real, live Python, standing there in front of me. I'm speechless (for the first time in my life). I look up at him -- dude, he's, like, 60 feet tall! -- and finally find my voice enough to say, "Oh, God, I love you." He smirks, but I'm quick enough to pull out my Razr cellphone and switch to camera mode. Since I'm wearing a sling, he takes pity on me and allows me to take a picture (see My Pics).

Then, the show. I'm third row center. Eddie's not a comedian who makes eye contact with his audience, but when I pull out my Razr and snap a shot, he LOOKS AT ME! He laughs and said, "Did you just ... did it come out?" I laugh and say, "No." He says, "Good," then laughs some more. Others in the theater are snapping flash pix, but he's worried about my little Razr.

I love Eddie Izzard. I *adore* Eddie Izzard. So after the show, I hang out around the stage door, and when it opens, a guy motions to some folks that it's okay for them to come in. I blend myself in with them, and BAM, I'm backstage! Boo-ya, playa!

And there's Eddie, not 3 feet away from me. He's short, maybe as short as me, and I'm 5'2" when I'm standing up straight. I ask for a photo, but he declines as there are so, SO many people there (which was absolutely true), but he does give me an autograph.

Now, you have to understand that I don't do autographs. What's the point? I could scribble something on a piece of paper, show it to you and say, "That's John Lennon's autograph." How are you gonna know it isn't? For me to ask for an autograph, that's big. But I don't have anything for him to autograph.

However, I always have my headshots with me, so I pull one out and ask him to sign it. "How absurd," I'm thinking. And he totally GETS it. He laughs again, signs, "Love, Eddie Izzard," and I'm outta there. On Cloud Nine.

I've met two of my comedy gods. Only 5 more to go (the rest of the still-living Pythons, Roseanne and Robin Williams). It's been a good night. And I'm going again next Friday, but this time, I'm not leaving without my photo.

I've always believed that if you smile and act like you know what you're doing, you can get in almost anywhere. So far, so good.