* In Florida, McCain beat Obama by almost 5 points among those who voted on Election Day, but Obama beat McCain by 11 points among those voted early or by absentee ballot.
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Anyone else thinking the republicans are going to spend a lot of energy trying to eliminate early voting ?

Fred Thompson appears to be trying to get the "lethargic" voting block to support him. He's doint it by providing such an accurate role model.

Unfortunately, the GOTV operations in the lethargic block don't work well. They tend to come out months after the election was held, if at all.

Once again Fred is modeling the lethargic type. Show up late having done nothing in preparation, or don't show up at all.

As I understand it, early voting in Georgia has already started. Let's hope the Obama machine has their GOTV operation working overtime.

Yep. No question the Republicans will be working to eliminate early voting. It apparently brings out a bad element among voters - Democrats.

Anyone else thinking the republicans are going to spend a lot of energy trying to eliminate early voting ?

Funny thing is -- it's HUGELY popular in the South, in very red areas. In fact, since I've only lived in blue areas -- DC, California -- I've never had it. But my family in the South all do. And love it.

So I don't expect it to go anywhere. Even if it is killing them.

What do you mean by saying that Hillary "could push off her debt if she becomes Secretary of State?" I read the linked article and did not get that impression.

Since Bill Clinton made millions in speeches just last year, it's hard to feel for Hillary's debt.

Unless somehow he's not able to apply that income at all to help her with her campaign debt.

Why should Ms. Clinton owe Penn a dime? He was one of the main reasons that her campaign went nowhere, so if anything, she should be trying to collect from him, not the other way around. You don't pay a workman for shoddy, poorly done work. You sue the daylights out of him when the new roof leaks and the water damages your belongings.

I wonder how the challenged ballots figure into the Minnesota recount. Assuming, hypothetically, that all challenges are rejected (I assume most will be), does that help either candidate? Or are the original judgments calculated into the numbers they are reporting now?

This Minnesota count must be tortuous for Al Franken. I really feel for him. Could you imagine if he loses by just a handful of votes?

Yes, Olbermann, every American has the right and responsibility to vote --and it does count!

Gee, I wonder if all the other professions who feel voting would somehow compromise their career also didn't vote--like Mental Health Professionals who are supposed to remain neutral with their clients, like Defense Department employees who hated McCain and want the war to end, and so on and so forth..

Sorry, but this issue seems so important. Even in elections where I wasn't thrilled with either candidate I voted, knowing that 'someone' was going to win. To not win is to spit in the face of American Democracy IMO.

Supposed to read: .."to not vote (not win) is to spit in the face of American Democracy".

The St. Paul Pioneer Press shows the Coleman-Franken race even closer -- a 129 vote gap.
http://www.twincities.com/

Fred Thompson was considering a run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, but has instead decided to return to his acting career.

It's good to see a Republican make a choice that is in the national interest.

I cannot believe you actually bothered to post about Hillary's campaign debt.

Are all her campaign clothes back from the cleaners?

I'll bet some of her shoes took a real pounding. Have they been shined?

Does she have enough flowers? Can somebody fluff up the pillows for her?

Would we be talking about this at all if it wasn't poor Hillary? That poor, poor, sainted woman, who came so close to winning it all, except for lying about having been sniped at, and having her husband go ugly-dirty about Obama's race, and talking herself about how 'white people' were her constituency.

And of course she's worth millions, and her husband is up to his eyeballs in cash -- some of it from sources that would make you retch.

But yeah, while we're all losing our jobs and the economy is imploding, let's feel bad for Hillary again. You can never feel bad enough for that woman. Poor dear.

Fred Thompson was considering a run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, but has instead decided to return to his acting career.

What's the difference?

Now that the Star Tribune and some of the major news websites have published pictures of some of the contested MN ballots, my friends and I have new plans for the next election.

I'm drawing a small penis in the margin between the DFL and GOP candidate's checkboxes. Let the recount judges interpret THAT.

Thompson is returning to his acting carrer? I didn't know he had even left.

Do we really believe early voters and absentees are THAT different from the election day population?

A 16 point spread?

A more plausible explanation:
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11433

I suspect not much has changed a year later.