Traffic Jam

Here's a quick snapshot of the heavy traffic that I got stuck for a few minutes outside of Recluse on my way out to the reservoir on which I'm doing testing:


I love this state,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Los Straitjackets

Sorry this is later than usual, I had to make an emergency run down to Casper.

So Halloween is just around the corner, and this week I've got a trick and a treat for you. Few things scare me more than Celine Dion, and few things rock more than the luchador mask-wearing surf instrumental group Los Straitjackets. Here's a live clip of their version of "My Heart Will Go On" - truly the way the song meant to be played.



That is how I know you go on,
Regis

Mailbag Day!

So I checked the ol' mailbox when I got home after work today and to my surprise it contained a letter from the Cynthia Lummis for Congress campaign.

It was a pretty standard "I'm asking for your vote" affair, but a couple of things jumped out at me:

Apparently the "Wyoming Way" is to fix a problem when we see it. I can only assume that, being the proud Republican she is, Ms. Lummis voted repeatedly for such other notable Republicans as George W. Bush and Barbara Cubin, in apparent contradiction to her claimed valuing of reducing government spending and showing up to work every day. How is voting to continue the problem solving the problem?

There's also a pledge to uphold the values (not rights, but values) in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which is kind of redundant what with the Bill of Rights being a part of the Constitution and all. (And hey, why doesn't she care about Amendments 11 and up? I guess women's suffrage isn't that important of a value?) Since we're talking values, what about cruel and unusual punishment, speedy trials, and habeus corpus in the face of the looming specter of terror? Or do those values only apply to people that don't read the Koran?

But the most striking element of the letter was this paragraph:

For the record (because I still haven't had this clarified), just what are these "Wyoming values" you keep talking about? Are they so unique that they are instilled only in those born within the borders of this great state? That must be the case, since you've claimed again and again that your opponent Gary Trauner - who may not have been born in Wyoming, but chose to make his home here - can't possibly share them. 

The message here is clear: I'm just like you, and my opponent is an outsider that can't possibly understand you. If this sounds familiar, there's a reason. It's just that this is Lummis being "more mindful" of it.

So in answer to your request for my vote, Ms. Lummis, I'm sorry but you aren't getting it. It is my judgement that your Democratic opponent shares my values more than you do.

Lying through my teeth is not one of my Wyoming values,

Regis

Haven't We Been Here Before?

I heard a radio ad this weekend from the NRCC, blasting Gary Trauner as a "typical liberal Democrat" that wants to give amnesty and benefits like social security to illegal immigrants and other such distortions. Ignoring the logical gap there (if illegal immigrants get amnesty, won't they pay taxes like the rest of us and thus contribute to social security?), I occurred to me that this is just business as usual.

Remember the House race in 2006? We had a rubber stamp Republican that couldn't campaign on her own merits, so she started slinging mud. When that wasn't enough and she was dead even in the polls with Trauner, the NRCC came in and slung some more mud for her. It must have been enough, as she won by a razor-thin margin.

We're facing the same damn thing here in 2008, except it's a bleach-blond rubber stamp Republican instead of a brunette rubber stamp Republican. Dammit, we're smarter than this, Wyoming. And we deserve better than Cynthia Lummis.

Those who ignore history get the exciting opportunity to repeat it,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Billy Joel

I know, I know, you're all thinking that Billy Joel is about as commercial as you can get and that I can't stick to the original Hump Day Happy Hour plan, but I don't care. This is "All For Leyna," off probably my favorite Billy Joel album, Glass Houses. It's possible that, with less than two weeks until Election Day, "Pressure" would have been a more germane selection, but whatever.



How can a man take any more?
Regis

Seek Versus Expect

The Casper Star-Tribune had this piece up today, and it's worth a read. It's mainly about Nick Carter's campaign for the Senate seat currently held by John Barasso. But I read something more than just some anecdotes about former prom dates and putting up yard signs - it's about a fundamental difference between the candidates running to represent our state in Washington for the next two, four, or six years.

It's the difference between seeking and expecting votes.

Which candidates are going door to door across the state? Which candidates are showing up at forums in our towns (and then sticking around for a bit to talk face to face with those in attendance)?

Those would be the same candidates that actually have to work for votes: Gary Trauner, Nick Carter, and Chris Rothfuss, all of whom face an automatic uphill battle because they don't have an "R" after their names. After last week's candidate forum at Sheridan College, I overheard a woman I know to be a staunch Republican tell Rothfuss that he had some good ideas, but it was too bad he was "in the wrong party."

This blind allegiance to party (which I've heard each of the three address in some fashion at least once, if not at some length, as a problem that stretches back to the founding of this nation) is an issue, especially when coupled with the staggering advantage that our Republican senatorial incumbents have in fundraising (both Enzi and Barrasso have over 100 times as much cash on hand as their opponents). Limited funds make it harder for these challengers to get their names and messages out - in recent polling, 37% of Wyoming voters said they didn't recognize Carter's name and 55% Rothfuss'. Which is nothing short of a big damn shame.

Should that really be such an issue? Despite the fact that Wyoming has twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats, we've had a Democratic governor for 24 of the last 32 years; current governor Dave Freudenthal won reelection in 2006 with 70% of the vote. Trauner lost to Barbara Cubin by a fraction of a percent in 2006 and is currently polling dead even with Cynthia Lummis.

Clearly this isn't a permanent situation, nor is it utterly hopeless. But if our incumbents don't have to do much of anything to win, why should they do more? Why should they have to reach out to their constituents when it makes no change in the outcome? Why should they seek when they can expect they'll get the votes? They're going to win, right?

It just the people that lose.

-Regis

Brace For Impact

Just a reminder: National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner. If you're even remotely interested in writing, I highly encourage you to check it out and give it a shot. Yeah, 50,000 words in thirty days is a lot, but it can be a lot of fun. And if I can do it, with my amazing dearth of insight and lack of originality, then you probably can too. Oh, and if you join and want a writing buddy, hit me up.

I still have no idea what I'm writing about this year, but that's okay - I was in the same boat last time.

Catch the excitement,
Regis

What We Need More Of...

... is science. And, by extension, Chris Rothfuss. 

I finally got to meet Dr. Rothfuss tonight at a candidate forum for state- and national-level legislative races at Sheridan College, and I was pretty jazzed (it may not have showed so much, as I had just gotten back from concrete testing outside Rock Springs, my day started at five this morning). The guy is clearly smart - he earned a BS in international studies and then a master's in chemical engineering at the University of Wyoming, and then a doctorate and another master's from the University of Washington, and more (just read his bio) - but he can relate to people. He's also got a good sense of humor and a grasp of nuance that involves more than tap-dancing and legalizing around the issue at hand. This is definitely a guy that can get the ball rolling on energy issues.

Even better, he's got the mindset that the people of Wyoming - and the country as a whole - need in the Senate. Dr. Rothfuss isn't interested in a political career, or party interests at the expense of success, he wants consensus. Not just a narrow majority, but 70+ vote consensus that serves the interests of all involved. Neither Democrats nor Republicans (nor Libertarians, or Greens, or Constitutionalists, or whatever) have a monopoly on good ideas, and being able to see and admit that is huge to me.

It's worth pointing out that Senator Enzi - the incumbent that Dr. Rothfuss is challenging in this election - was absent from the event (as was Senator Barasso); he sent a letter that didn't really say much of anything in his place. Interestingly enough, his campaigning vehicle was spotted outside Republican Party Headquarters in downtown Sheridan this afternoon/early evening, which leaves me with one question: if he was in town earlier today, why couldn't he make an appearance? I can't even find a campaign website for him, so we know two things: (1) he doesn't have a public campaign schedule I can check and (2) he doesn't seem to be taking this election too seriously. Which is a damn shame, because if he wins it'll be because his name has an "R" after it and too many people in this state will go off that and that alone. Which isn't to say that he's done a bad job, but color me underwhelmed.

I can also move Nick Carter (he's running against Barasso) into the growing list of candidates I'm actually voting for, instead of against their opponent. He's got a position on (or rather, against) blind party loyalty much like Rothfuss and Gary Trauner, who was also in attendance.

Which brings me to the big surprise of the evening - Cynthia Lummis showed up! Of course, it's just as underwhelming to see her talk in person as it is to hear her on the radio or read about her in the paper. When she was spoke, it felt like I was being talked down to by that aunt that everybody has and doesn't really like; when she didn't, she just sat there with either a valium housewife sort of smile or a regal look at her assembled subjects, I'm not quite sure which. She didn't seem to make any effort to listen to Trauner - who was in fine form tonight and had a couple great jabs that I'll get to later - or W. David Herbert (the Libertarian in the race) when they spoke, and she disappeared as soon as the forum was over. Maybe she had another fundraiser to attend?

Oh, and if you missed it and you're in Sheridan, the forum will be broadcast several times on Channel 14 in the near future, so try to catch it.

End ramble,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - CSS

Here's hoping this delayed post works. CSS has been popping up in Pandora and I've been digging it, so I'll pass "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" on to you.

Music is my favorite mistress,

Regis

A Brief Reprieve

I've got good news and bad news for Cynthia Lummis.

I'm about to leave for Rock Springs to do some concrete testing - yeah, I'm beside myself with excitement. As such, I doubt I'll be able to keep much of an eye on the wacky things that come out of her mouth and campaign, so she gets a break for the next few days, probably through Thursday or Friday. That's the good news.

Of course, I'll comment on anything that looks worthwhile when I get back, so it's really just a short reprieve. Rust never sleeps, or something.

I'll try to get a Hump Day Happy Hour to post automatically, so be sure to come back on Wednesday for that.

On the road again,

Regis

It's Too Easy

...but I'm posting it anyway.

Say what you will about her and the campaign she's running, but Cynthia Lummis isn't doing this by halves: she was absent from a League of Women Voters forum in Laramie yesterday, much like the woman she seeks to succeed is far too often absent from her job in Washington. In fact, both Senators Enzi and Barrasso were also not present; they were represented by campaign staffers and Ms. Lummis was represented by her daughter.

All three of their Democratic opponents - Gary Trauner, Chris Rothfuss, and Nick Carter, respectively - found time to show up.

Are certain parties depending on the good people of Wyoming to vote for them just because they have an "R" after their names, rather than any real effort put forth to win votes on actual merits? This is one entitlement program I'd love to cut.

Look, it's still snowing,
Regis

That Tears It

Senator McCain at last night's debate:

But the point is that I know how to handle these crises. And Sen. Obama, by saying that he would attack Pakistan, look at the context of his words. I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him.I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it. But I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Sen. Obama did. And I'm going to act responsibly, as I have acted responsibly throughout my military career and throughout my career in the United States Senate.

I call bullshit.

Senator, if you have some secret knowledge that nobody else does, you should pass it on. As I understand it, you're pretty cozy with the president. He might be interested.

Or not.

Of course, you could be full of hot air and just saying this in an increasingly desperate bid to get elected. So either you're a liar, or you're too self-centered to put "Country First."

The Straight Talk Express is off the tracks,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Dio

No introduction will do this justice. Prepare to rock!



Ride the tiger,
Regis

Something Positive

This post is long overdue.

I've said for a long time that I greatly prefer to be for something rather than just against something else. And as much as I enjoy taking on things that I disagree with and feel need to be brought to light, it's high time I discussed why I'll be voting for who I'm voting for in Wyoming's congressional race.

My support for Gary Trauner was initially sparked by a sharp dissatisfaction with Barbara Cubin. I had met her back in high school when I went on the Close-Up trip to DC, and my initial impression was one of utter falseness and pandering; we'd been warned not to ask for cookies by our accompanying teacher. Her lackluster record and deplorable attendance over the next several years have resulted in me never once voting for her. But in 2002 and 2004, I was just voting against her, rather than for her opponent. That changed in 2006.

Gary Trauner already had my vote as soon as he started running against Cubin in the last election. But when I got to meet him face to face at a meet-n-greet at Java Moon in Sheridan, I knew that actually I'd be voting for him, and not just against the incumbent.

It's a great feeling, being excited for a candidate. It's less inspiring, and harder to get interested in the process, when you just pick the candidate that's less bad than the other, or just someone else that's bound to do a better job than his or her opponent.

Believe it or not, I consider myself fairly moderate. I'll be the first to acknowledge that neither major political party has all the right or good ideas. A lot of the time, the best course of action is found somewhere between the extremes of views. The nation is supposed to work on compromise, where the interests of all involved parties are met to the greatest extent possible. That doesn't happen with rubber stamps or demonization or focusing on negatives.

Gary Trauner is a guy that will seek balance. If elected, he's not just going to work for the people that voted for him. He recognizes that there has to be a balance whenever governement acts. It has a role, it has a place, but it is neither the end-all-be-all nor the worst possible solution. He's for balanced budgets, for common-sense approaches, and for taking on the underlying cause of problems rather than slapping on a band-aid. And he runs a clean campaign on why you should vote for him, not why you shouldn't vote for his opponent; he doens't resort to labels or the lowest common denominator. He goes door to door and talks to the people he wants to represent. And he isn't buying his seat.

One particular thing I really like about the man is that he's really just asking for a shot. If he gets elected and the people don't like the job he does, then they can vote him out in the next election.

Not to put the cart before the horse, but I doubt that will happen.

So here's how I see the race for Wyoming's seat in the US House of Representatives. On one hand, we have a candidate who's working for your vote, that runs on what he'll do and why you should vote for him, that is making a case to represent the whole of the state. On the other hand, we've got a negative campaign seeking to give us more of what we've had for longer than I can remember - and if you're like me, you don't much care for what we've got right now.

It seems pretty obvious to me, and I hope you agree.

-Regis

Round Two Reaction

Once again, no knockouts but we did see some action tonight. Obama wasn't exactly dazzling, but then he never has been in a debate. He still came across as cool and levelheaded, particularly when viewed next to McCain. At least the senator from Arizona looked at his opponent tonight with something other than a look of utter disdain and disgust, but he largely came across as smug and, for lack of a better way to put it, a prick. Cracks about hair transplants, "did we hear the size of the fine?" and a smartass "thank you" didn't give him an air of respectability. Some more observations:

• McCain seems utterly incapable of subtlety. Obama's repeated comparison of taking a hatchet to the budget instead of a scalpel, McCain's reuse of the already debunked misleading claim that Obama voted to raise taxes 94 times (by the same standard, how many times have you, Senator McCain?), equating military strikes against Bin Laden inside Pakistan - an area that hasn't if the Pakistanis can't or won't act with all-out invasion of the nation as a whole... the last thing we need is another four years of a black-and-white view of the world in the White House.
• The format sucked. Either there wasn't enough time, or there needed to be better enforcing of the time limits. Mics can be cut, you know.
• The way McCain rants about earmark spending all the time, it was kind of odd to hear him admit that there are some earmark projects he considers worthwhile.
• "Nailing Jell-O to the wall?" Seriously? If you're going to make an analogy like that, follow through and don't mush it together with the claim of new proposals that keep popping up. 
• McCain also seems incapable of balance - $18 billion in earmarks versus cutting $300 billion in taxes, the US having 3% of the world's oil supply when we consume 25%.
• How many heros does John McCain have? When you say that Ronald Reagan is "my hero," it's kind of lazy to call Teddy Roosevelt "my hero" as well. 
• Speaking of TR, in addition to "speak softly and carry a big stick," he also said "it always pays for a nation to be a gentleman." Continuation of not talking to "enemy" nations a la Bush is not being a gentleman.
• For crying out loud, McCain needs to stop using Senator Lieberman as an example of bipartisanship. He isn't a Democrat any more, and won't be caucusing with Democrats in the Senate come January.
• Apparently, just knowing there's an increased supply of oil (by, say, drilling offshore) will cause the price of gasoline to come down, regardless of how long it will actually take to get that extra oil flowing. Maybe this is just a mental recession after all.
• It's pretty damn ballsy of McCain to talk about how great his judgement on when we should send our troops in and when we can win without even mentioning his support for and claims of easy victory in Iraq.
• Excellent riposte by Obama.
• I like how Obama sat and focused on McCain while he talked. I was less than impressed with McCain getting up and moving around while Obama was speaking.
• Yes, history shows that countries that are strong militarily need a strong economy. It also shows that you can't win an occupation.
• Contrast this with a consistent emphasis on diplomacy and working with our allies around the world by Obama. Who offers the "steady hand on the tiller?"

There wasn't really a clear winner; I'll give the edge to Obama again, since he was the grownup to McCain's brat. The real loser was the debate format - we need a forum where they have more than sixty seconds to reply, and the ability to actually go back and forth.

Only one more to go (thank God),

Regis

The Debate, Round Two

Just a reminder - the second presidential debate is tonight at Belmont University in Nashville. This time, the focus is on domestic and economic policy. Tom Brokaw is moderating.

Questions remain after last week's showdown: Is McCain too mavericky to look Obama in the eye ever again? Will preemptive victory be declared by either candidate? Can Obama maybe point out that supply side economics don't work? Which candidate is a little bit country, and which is just a trifle bit rock 'n' roll?And when is the damn swimsuit competition?

The fun starts at 7:00 here.

Here we go again,
Regis

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

There were a series of candidate forums in Casper yesterday. I guess they'll be broadcast at a later time (they weren't yesterday, LAME), so for now I only know what the newspapers report. In the mean time, I'm keeping my eyes open for a complete transcript.

It looks like Cynthia Lummis may be planning for a new career in the event she loses the upcoming election to Gary Trauner, given what I can only guess is an attempt at comedy:

Lummis proudly declared her Republican pedigree.

"I believe my party stands for limited government, low taxes, for keeping spending under control, and for balancing budgets," she said. "As a member of the Wyoming Legislature for 14 years, we did exactly that."

While the Republican Party, at the state level, has certainly been a part of Wyoming's current time of success (note: state-level Republicans can still go above and beyond), the Republican Party on the national level has become a Bizarro-style inverse of what it was supposed to stand for. An additional $4 trillion to the national debt is not my idea of "under control." The last balanced budgets we've seen were under President Clinton; George H. W. Bush (aka Bush the Elder) and Saint Ronnie Reagan, that shiningest of stars in the sky of modern Republicanism, never submitted one. And I guess we still have "limited government" after the PATRIOT Act, Bush's expansion of the executive branch, and stuff like No Child Left Behind - but you kind of have to compare it to IngSoc.

Of course, Lummis could just be another mindless Republican rubber stamp in waiting or a complete idiot (not that the two are mutually exclusive), but calling her either would be so much worse than suggesting she's just an aspiring comedienne. So let's give her the benefit of the doubt and go with that, shall we?

So Dubya, Cheney, and a duck walk into a bar,
Regis

You Spin Me Right 'Round

Had I been eating breakfast as I hit CNN on the way to checking today's weather forecast, my desk would be a Cheerio-strewn mess. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds on Sarah Palin: 

"She exceeded expectations that were too low created by people who don't know her record or her abilities."

"She benefited from the media's quick judgment they made of her after a few interviews."

I dunno... maybe if the media had actual access to the candidate than a few interviews to go on, and maybe if Governor Palin got asked more questions which she had to answer (without an "I'll try to find you some and bring them back to you"), then maybe we'd have a better estimation of her record and her abilities. The only reason Sarah Palin didn't get eaten alive last night was the lack of real followup questions. When is she going to hold a press conference?

At any rate, this one's for Tucker Bounds.

I would like to move in just a little bit closer,

Regis

The Vice Presidential Debate

As with the previous debate, here are my observations:

• Sarah Palin comes across as a high school debater. She seemed edgy, except for when she was laying the "I'm so gosh-darned charming and cute, *wink*" routine on with a trowel. Was it just me, or was she kind of hunched over?
• Joe Biden had the calm that Palin lacked. In spades. He could have done without the numerous heavy sighs (I assume they came from him, and not moderator Gwen Ifill), which felt dismissive. Granted, I'd have been doing a lot more than sighing, but still.
• It was actually kind of refreshing when Palin said she would answer the questions her way, not the way that Ifill or Biden or anyone that understands the concept of a debate would. That said, real answers would have been better.
• Kudos to Ifill for calling Palin out when she didn't answer a question. Negative kudos for not doing it again (and again, and again).
• Apparently a McCain administration will be different from the last eight years, and I now know how: this time around, it'll be the vice president that can't pronounce "nuclear."
• John. McCain. Is. No. Maverick. This bears repeating, Joe. 
• Nevermind, John McCain is too a maverick because Joe Lieberman, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney like him. So there.
• Seriously, is it too much to ask for someone that doesn't say "noocyooler?" Really?
• I love Biden's looks of utter surprise when Palin makes questionable claims. I like to think it's his bullshit meter going off.
• "Paying taxes isn't patriotic. Democrats want you to pay more taxes, so they want you to be less patriotic. *Wink* Also, my flag lapel pin is so big it borders on tacky."
• I don't think I heard Biden say "literally" more than twice. I lost count of how many times he said "but the truth is..." Good trade.
• We need to cap our carbon emissions, and we need to drill more oil. Yeah, that'll work.
• Sarah Palin has a large, eclectic family of all sorts of differing views. They're pretty much all teachers. 
• How in blazes can she say "Ahmadinejad" and still say "noocyooler?" For crying out loud!

In the end, Biden looks like a real candidate, while Palin looks like she's totally out of her league but wants to make the grownups like her by talking very seriously and then charming her way into our hearts, *wink*. She did better than I thought she would, which is about as faint of praise as you can get. 

That's the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere,

Regis

Just a Reminder

The single Vice Presidential Debate is tonight. The only big question left for me is, will Sarah Palin answer more questions than she tapdances around? I'm not holding my breath. If she gets really desperate, maybe she'll even pull out a flute.

Pew pew pew,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Toots and the Maytals

I've been having to remind myself all day that today is in fact Wednesday, probably because I had to drive down to Rock Springs on Sunday for some concrete testing. I had the rare pleasure of getting to listen to The Joint, the XM reggae channel, for part of the drive. This week I'm sharing the experience with "54-46 Was My Number" by Toots and the Maytals.

Give it to me four time,

Regis