RealPolitix.com – The Non-Partisan Blog about Politics and Technology Archive for October 2008

We’ve released a brand new video on Piryx Labs featuring Representative Mark Strama!

Piryx labs sat down with Texas State Representative Mark Strama. For Strama, reaching voter’s to change the outcome of elections is what the democratic process is all about. His story is humbling, as he recalls his first campaign — working for a Texas legend — to his own eventful campaign for the 50th District. Learn more about Mark Starma at markstrama.com.

Again, We will be releasing new talks and followup segments each week, so make sure to subscribe. If there is someone you think we should feature on Piryx Labs, please let us know.

In my Gmail account there is a thin and pleasant looking “Sponsored Link” banner from the ACLU that is sarcastically asking me if I am a terrorist. Naturally, I click it. (Does that make me a terrorist?) I begin to wonder and make connections between all these stories I am hearing about the NSA, and far overreaching powers of the current Administration.

W. was 5th in the box office in opening weekend!

Through my cynical and critical youth during the “Bush Years”, I developed a bold though sometimes erratic social consciousness. There have been, oh Lord, many-a-times when I have been three sheets to the wind where I have made inappropriate jokes regarding, well, I’m actually afraid to say it…

But dare I say YES, to Barry Goldwater, a conservative and a republican, mind you, who said that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice? When we will wake up and realize the clownishness of this political circus and actually pay attention to the things that are happening in our country?

Christ, do you realize that just me writing this article could, TECHNICALLY (and I also believe, just maybe, potentially) get me taken away in the middle of the night, imprisoned without trial or lawyer indefinitely, with possibility of not being in contact with even family, and waterboarded, or worse?

Yes, this has happened. Yes, this happens. Yes, this is happening. Yes, this will happen more.

I’m going to China and ironically I feel more secure there. Despite the fear we are fed everyday I have never been afraid of terrorists except for one exception (09/11/2001) and have always been more afraid of the US government. Please just don’t give me a hard time at the airport. I love America but I am not a terrorist. I am an anti-terrorist. I believe we, the American People, the Great We, whatever, we should stop terrorizing others, and them, you know, THEM, should stop terrorizing us, especially, because we are decent people, we are just numb, and we have a really big country with lots of resources and lots of people willing to work really hard for a living, well, a lot of us anyways.

And as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that violence begets violence. You cannot fight fire with fire. All that old wisdom is right. Even Star Wars.

I was really, really impressed with Joe Biden at the VP debate. That really isn’t saying much since Sarah Palin is just a bitchy comedic act whose “small town values” make “To Kill A Mockingbird” seem more like “To Kill A Moose.”

But seriously, what he said was something that I really needed to hear to understand American politics, and people in general. To paraphrase: “Never question the motives of people. Only their judgement.”

I love America and that’s why I’m leaving her. America is sick. She is too full. She eats too many cheeseburgers and is clogged with gasoline resin and IKEA furniture. She doesn’t understand the world anymore because she just stuffs herself. Our country has become fat and lazy and it’s no wonder the rest of the world is gaining on us. But why look at it as gaining on us when we should look at is as gaining with us? I guess I hope to learn about the world and come back home to make the world the better place, even if it’s just in my little own way.

Amussing post from TechCrunch:

If you think there is too much noise about the U.S. election now, wait until next week. On Election Day, not only will every media outlet be covering the vote, but so will voters themselves who will have ample opportunity to Tweet, Digg, video, and IM the vote.

Most of these “reports” will probably consist of people telling the world that “I’m voting!” or who they just cast their vote for. Who you vote for used to be a private affair, but no more. It is almost as if your vote does not count, unless you IM or Tweet it. (But don’t worry, it does).

Read the post here: Tweet the Vote. No, Digg The Vote. No, YouTube the Vote. Oh, . . . Just Vote.

Hey Folks! The Piryx October Newsletter hit the inboxes today. We’ve been traveling from DC to California spreading the Piryx mission. It is amazing to hear the amount of enthusiasm out there! So many amazing things have happened since our last newsletter, so make sure to take a look. Thank you as always for your support!

If you missed it, you can see the newsletter here. Make sure to sign up to subscribe. There are more amazing things on the horizon and as always subscribers get the first scoop! You can also use the form to let us know if you would like to Blog or Develop with us.

Okay, so that’s the unofficial name. Last week was the Piryx Launch Party here in Austin, TX at the Headliners Club. It was a great opportunity to bring everyone that has been working on and advising Piryx together and share in the excitement!

Thank you so much to all of those who came. The Piryx Story video (aka Piryx Man) also made its debut, and we are really excited to share it with the public on Piryx.com. The video is below, followed by a quick description:

This is the story of Piryx. We recognize the obstacles the average political entrepreneur faces. A convoluted, slow-moving system that denies entry into the political realm. By making technology accessible to all, Piryx is making these obstacles obsolete. We help you cut through the clutter, so you can concentrate on communicating your message.

Please share it with your family and friends, we hope this story resonates with everyone. We would also love to hear your comments.

Stay tuned, there is more exciting news on the way!

Words never spoken – “Lincoln is up over McClellan by 6 points. It looks like the swing state of New Jersey could be leaning McClellan’s way. This election of ’64 is all over the map” or “The latest tracking poll shows that McKinley is ahead in the swing states and is now up 54-46 amongst late deciding voters.” Or how about, “New polls indicate that Thomas Jefferson could face trouble in the election.” What? Never read about the media and pollster wars of the 1860s? Haven’t come across how the daily tracking polls gauged whether or not Washington could beat the British? Are you sure you haven’t seen a documentary somewhere that showed how Americans were asked whether or not we could win World War II? For as much fun as everyone has looking at polls, they seem in general to have degraded our society. The media is now only focused on making every election into a horse race. If the campaigns can’t be covered as a sporting event then the mainstream press heads home and leaves the C-SPAN cameras to a lonely audience of informed, but vastly outnumbered smart voters.

There is one poll that was released recently though that caught my eye. You will never see this covered in the press and I doubt you’ll hear much about it anywhere either. Back in the spring there was a great deal of talk about how military members were supporting the anti-war Ron Paul and Barack Obama. The evidence was only anecdotal, but the liberals loved harping on it. As someone that has actually served in the military and has scores of friends that are either still serving or have served, I knew I had a better handle on the situation than what some liberals were gleefully touting. Now there is confirmation for my gut feeling. The Military Times is perhaps one of the most read and respected papers among members of our military and their new poll of our troops shows a landslide of support for their fellow warrior, John McCain. The numbers are overwhelming and startling.

When asked for whom they would vote for president the members of our Armed Forces prefer McCain over Obama by 68% to 23%. These numbers hold up across the board with enlisted 67-24 for McCain, officers for McCain by 70-22, males 70-22 for McCain, women by 53-36, the Army 68-23, the Air Force 69-24, the Navy 67-24, and the Marine Corps leads the way once more with McCain at 75% to Obama with 18%. In the 18-34 group its McCain 65-27 and with 35 and over its 70-21. Hispanics are for McCain by 63-27 and other races beside white, Hispanic, or black are for McCain 58-30. Only amongst blacks does Obama do well (79-12) but even that total is far below the 97% he is receiving from black voters in most polls. Is it any wonder why it is so difficult to get absentee ballots to our troops?

Even more telling are the answers to the questions of 1. Who would handle the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan better? 2. Which candidate would better handle military personnel issues such as pay and benefits? and 3. Which candidate would better handle Department of Defense issues such as weapons purchases, the size of the military, and national security strategy? McCain takes all three by higher percentages than even those that would vote for him with 74%, 73%, and 77%, respectively. General Colin Powell may have endorsed Sen. Obama, but this poll shows he is clearly not in agreement with the vast majority of our men and women in uniform. In fact, he said one of his reasons for endorsing Obama was that he didn’t want any more Supreme Court justices appointed by a Republican. Judge Wapner could have used that rationale.

Yes, the Democrats love our military, especially when they can find a veteran to criticize it or endorse one of their candidates. Little attention is paid to veterans that run for office as conservatives, but the media fawns over any veteran that is willing to bash the war or the GOP. Paul Hackett in an Ohio special election in 2005 was the first example (he lost), while others came along in 2006 with mixed results.

It was a pattern that began with Sen. John Kerry stepping up to the podium at the 2004 Democratic convention, saluting, and stating, “John Kerry reporting for duty.” Thankfully veterans pointed out that Kerry literally threw away his medals, testified and lied before congress that our troops in Vietnam were committing war crimes on a daily basis, and that he received three Purple Hearts though his wounds were so superficial that he didn’t even need stitches. Enough about Kerry however. His time has passed. Hopefully the time has passed as well for the media to keep ignoring what our military and veterans have to say about this election. The Commander-In-Chief means a bit more to them when they are actually in harms way than it does to the liberal latte sipper at the coffee shop. Let us hope that the next president that leads them is one that has truly fought for our nation, and not just in a metaphorical manner.

We are excited to announce today that we have launched Piryx Labs!  Piryx Labs will feature talks around Politics, Technology, & Pop Culture from political candidates and community activists from all around the country.

In our first video, we sat down with Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams. A natural raconteur at heart, Williams discusses his growing up, influences, and role as overseer of the nation’s largest producer and consumer of energy. It’s Williams’ Passion, communicated to the viewer in his own unique blend of West Texas charm and down-to-earth humor. Learn more about Michael Williams at WilliamsforTexas.com.

We will be releasing new talks and followup segments each week, so make sure to subscribe. If there is someone you think we should feature on Pirx Labs, please let us know.

Anyone who has been following this election for a while knows the role that parody and comedy has played in it. Saturday Night Live, in particular, with its amusing portrayals of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin has significantly affected the views of those who have viewed the caricatures. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have practically made their careers on skewering politicians and changing the daily political discourse.

Unfortunately, a darker side of technology, and e-journalism in particular, the dreaded chain e-mail, has also changed perceptions of Obama for the worse. In these e-mails, conservative hack jobs posing as journalists post awful rumors calling Obama a closet Muslim, a terrorist, or a rabid Israel-hater who seeks to ruin the Jewish state. Whether he is a Muslim or not is irrelevant to me, we have freedom of religion in this country for a reason, I care about the person. Unfortunately, older voters grew up with perception of black people like Louis Farrakhan. These voters, typically lifelong Democrats, could potentially put the crucial state of Florida in jeopardy should they defect en masse to McCain.

These worries have lead the group Jews Vote to launch The Great Schlep. The goal of the initiative is to have younger Jews, who have shown stronger support for Obama, to visit their elderly Jewish grandparents in Florida and convince them to vote Obama. At the Great Schlep website, Sarah Silverman stars in a video to encourage fellow young Jews into action. In typical Sarah Silverman fashion, an irreverent, potentially offensive, always funny video provides a primer on the goal of the Great Schlep and to recruit followers to the cause. If you haven’t seen the video yet, I highly recommend you check it out. If you want to be bored, you can also check out a response by the Republican Jewish Coalition starring Jackie Mason.

For many reasons, this issue of Jews in Florida and other areas of the country may no longer be the issue. McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, a rabid evangelical, has driven more soft Democratic Jewish voters to doubt McCain. Conversely, Obama’s selection of Joe Biden has reassured many Jewish voters who questioned Obama’s commitment to Israel. Further, with the economic crisis in full swing, Obama has taken leads in many other states that compensate and then some for Florida’s coveted electoral votes, as well as in the Sunshine State itself. Nonetheless, even though Obama might lead now, anything can happen, and every vote matters. Thus I fully support the efforts of Sarah Silverman’s Great Schlep. So, to my fellow Jews, get your ass in gear!

P.S.

You don’t need to go to Florida to help. Phone calls, e-mails, etc. can all have the same impact in convincing skeptics of all kinds. So don’t be lazy (like me), and help make sure your candidate of choice prevails on November 4_th.

Next time: Deconstructing Judge!

It’s good that both sides can take a break from the drudgery of campaigning to have some fun. It’s my opinion that this was the best debate!

Over the next few weeks, if you find yourself behind the wheel of a Nakamura Ikusa GT, cruising around town in the hot video game Burnout:Paradise, you might just want to pull over and gaze at the billboard overhead to catch a vision of the future of politics.  Just off the southern expressway, you* may spy an in game advertisement – a virtual billboard ad of Barack Obama staring down at you, asking you to vote early (but not often we would presume).

Team Obama’s march on cyberspace is not limited to Drifters (Cindy McCain’s Drifting team excluded), Obama in-game advertisements can  be found for a limited time in a wide range of EA games including Madden 09, NASCAR 09, NBA Live 08, Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Pro Street, NFL on Tour, NHL 09, and Skate.

The McCain campaign, in an attempt to not be out interneted, released their own own online gaming offering:  Sarah Palin: Guardian of the Northern Frontier. Enjoy shootin’ those ICBMs!

* you = you are playing this video game on the Xbox live platform and are connected to a network POP in one of the swing states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin.