So, I’m watching the debate and I see the ticker at the bottom showing immediate approval ratings from some uncommitted Ohio voters. They’ve done stuff like this before, live, during the debates, but it never struck me before just how fickle that is.

I guaran-damn-tee you there are people watching this thing and using that little graph like an ‘ask the audience’ life line in figuring out who’s actually right, and they’re the ones that are going to decide this election. A good 15% of the voting population, based on previous exit polls, are still making up their mind.

Seems to be a good choice for McCain by what I’m seeing. It’s getting folks that wouldn’t ever vote for a Democrat and have serious issues with McCain into his camp. Tam’s geeked and provides a list of links to other bloggers that think the same way.

On Friday I was thinking the same thing. “Wow, finally, a recognition of actual Republican values.”

Three days later the high has worn off. It’s still voting for McCain any way you slice it. I highly doubt he’s going to be using Palin as an adviser in any real capacity, not after he dropped a deuce in front of the NRA with his call to end the “gun show loophole” nonsense. He’s just pandering to the traditional GOP base with this selection, and that’s all it really is. Pandering.

It’s a nice gesture, but in the end having Palin as VP is only going to net “us” a tie-breaker in the Senate if a vote came that close. That’s not much political clout, really, and I honestly can’t remember the last time that it happened.

Thinking about it, I’m starting to wish that the VP had veto powers equal to that of the President. That would make stuff interesting. I have no doubts that Palin would break ranks with McCain in a Senate vote if she felt it was right, and the same would go for the veto power, if she had it.

That’s the other reason the Palin choice makes sense. McCain likes to play up his “maverick” record and Palin certainly fits the mold there. It’s hard for Obama to sell his “change” message among the moderates out there that’ll decide this election when McCain has managed to break the mold of a GOP party-line voting machine so much that he looks like a Democrat, and Palin has broken off from the current GOP mold so much that she actually looks like a conservative. That’s some change I can wretch over, and believe in, respectively.

There’s only two ways I’ll actually vote for McCain come November 4:

1) McCain better start talking a bit more like Palin on the gun thing, taxes, and spending.
-or-
2) McCain has to promise to give a 2 hour speech at the inauguration. In the rain. Without a coat.

Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter is pregnant.

Seriously.

I think I finally got it.

The LIbertarians are running a Republican, the Republicans are running a conservative Democrat, and the Democrats are running vaporware.

So, I’m out mowing my own when I had a moment of inspiration. I said to myself, “Justin, that’s somewhat clever. Put that on a t-shirt.”

Unfortunately my dreams of starting an internet meme died about 30 seconds after hitting the computer. Somebody’s already crafted the phrase: “Change we can bereave in.”

Damnit.

Kucinich is on the floor of the House right now reading 35 articles of impeachment. He’s been at it for about 2 hours now and he’s on article #19.

I don’t expect anything to come of this.