Tsunami Alert

From Newsweek:

The country seems poised for another "wave" election, where the close seats fall in one direction. "We've not had a leader elected in this kind of environment in our lifetime," said Greenberg. You have to go back to 1930 and 1932 to see two wave elections in a row. At the National Press Club, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer was asked what would happen if the Democrats "only" picked up seven seats, and fell short of the nine they would need for a filibuster-proof Senate. (The Dems currently have 49 seats plus two independents that caucus with them). "Only seven seats!" Schumer exclaimed. "We haven't had that many seats since 1979!"

Now..(ahem)..allow me to humbly review comments made by an astute local observer last May 16:

I just don't get the doom and gloom about November. Because it's getting clearer and clearer that whoever the Democratic candidate is, they are going to win an overwhelming victory...

And again on June 1:

It's going to take a tidal wave of epic proportions to wash away the stench of the past eight years, but that's exactly what's coming: A great big Democratic wave.

"A great big Democratic wave"...Coming your way in just over a week.

Who's "Palin" around with terrorists?

From the Sept. 3 L.A.Times:

[Sarah Palin] has cheered the work of a tiny party that long has pushed for a statewide vote on whether Alaska should secede from those same United States. And her husband, Todd, was a member of the party for seven years.

"Keep up the good work," Sarah Palin told members of the Alaskan Independence Party in a videotaped speech to their convention six months ago in Fairbanks. She wished the party luck on what she called its "inspiring convention."

Great story from Abington

Barack Obama visited Montgomery County today, and thousands showed up to greet him and be inspired by him as we kick the campaign into high gear for the last month leading up to Election Day on Nov. 4th.

This story from today's rally, posted by Kelly of PA on DailyKos, really moved me, as I hope it will you, too:

This picture is of my Pop-Pop. He was born in raised in the segregated south, and served in a segregated Army. Pop is a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam, in which he lost a leg and suffered near-fatal injuries. In the past few years, Pop has suffered heart attacks and a stroke, fell down a flight of steps and broke his neck, and has lost his remaining slivers of eyesight. Life has become quite difficult for Pop-Pop, and following the campaign of Barack Obama provides him with much needed hope and joy.

Today, we took Pop-pop to Senator Obama’s rally. We wheeled him to the front of the section designated for handicapped individuals, and he patiently waited for two hours in his wheelchair to hear Barack Obama speak. After his speech, Senator Obama came down the steps and walked over to Pop-pop. He gestured towards the Purple Heart and Silver Stars that were pinned to his cap, and thanked Pop for his service and for taking the time to come to the event. I could see the tears welling up in Pop’s eyes as Barack spoke. Obama spent a few moments with my Pop-Pop, shook his hand, hugged him, and then moved along to greet other supporters.

As we made our way towards the parking lot, tears continuously slid down Pop-Pop’s face. He was very emotional. He could barely speak. "I just touched the next President of the United States" was all he could say; he repeated that phrase over and over again. The entire encounter between the two of them lasted no more than thirty seconds, but to a man who’s lived through segregation and racism, being able to meet the first viable African American candidate for POTUS was the experience of a lifetime. The joy that Pop felt meant more to my family and I than words can explain.