Since I'm now retired, I do not feel the need to argue with bonehead Republicans any more. Frankly, it is a desire to avoid arguing with bonehead Republicans that led to my retirement. Chicken, egg, whatever. I ain't gonna say no nasty things about Bush either. I'm sick to death of even thinking about him. Take your four years and GO.

SO. As of today, I shall ONLY argue with liberals, and only criticize Dumocrats. Consider me not an enemy but a sparring partner to sharpen you for the big fights to come, which I will be happily NOT participating in.

Sigh. Ahhhh. Where's my slippers, and my dawg?

where's that Waterford you promised yourself as a retirement gift?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

the're better for kickin' the dog.

where's that Waterford you promised yourself as a retirement gift?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I just retired yesterday!

Since I'm now retired, I do not feel the need to argue with bonehead Republicans any more. Frankly, it is a desire to avoid arguing with bonehead Republicans that led to my retirement. Chicken, egg, whatever. I ain't gonna say no nasty things about Bush either. I'm sick to death of even thinking about him. Take your four years and GO.

SO. As of today, I shall ONLY argue with liberals, and only criticize Dumocrats. Consider me not an enemy but a sparring partner to sharpen you for the big fights to come, which I will be happily NOT participating in.

Sigh. Ahhhh. Where's my slippers, and my dawg?

Good. Ok. So how did we **** up in Ohio? Did it all come down to Rove's ability to play the hate card with gay marriage bs there? And why didn't Kerry give up on Florida a few weeks ago and throw everything he had at Ohio? Just 100,000 or so more votes there and he would have won the whole deal.

I spent the weekend calling people in Ohio. I did this after a friend of a friend had flown out there on her own dime to register voters. She came back with a bunch of people to call to make sure they got out to vote. I had also volunteered with the Dem party, but they only contacted me about doing canvassing in my own town, which is a joke cause of course my state was strongly going Kerry. I don't know. The Dems seemed to think they were surpassing their goals in Ohio, but obviously their goals weren't high enough. We got our ass kicked on the ground war. Obviously, a more appealing candidate would have probably have done the trick, but still, it seems like we lost purely cause their organization was better than our organization. You were right in your prediction. So why do the Dems suck at it so bad and what can they do to improve?

Since I'm now retired, I do not feel the need to argue with bonehead Republicans any more. Frankly, it is a desire to avoid arguing with bonehead Republicans that led to my retirement. Chicken, egg, whatever. I ain't gonna say no nasty things about Bush either. I'm sick to death of even thinking about him. Take your four years and GO.

SO. As of today, I shall ONLY argue with liberals, and only criticize Dumocrats. Consider me not an enemy but a sparring partner to sharpen you for the big fights to come, which I will be happily NOT participating in.

Sigh. Ahhhh. Where's my slippers, and my dawg?

That's no fun. I like your insight and sparing. Sparing with most of the Libbies here is too frustrating for me, as I think it would a serious thinker like you, when most of the arguments are framed in terms of "moron; stupid; fascist; liar" etc. True ideological debate is great, but that's about 1% of what occurs here, amongst way too much noise. It's like trying to have a serious discussion in the middle of a group of 5 year olds well after their bed time and on a Halloween candy buzz.

You gonna be hanging out with Carville? Seems like he *ought* to retire. Did anyone catch him with a trashcan on his head this time? Or, maybe you can do some huntin with JFK?

Just teasin. I'm envious of your time to go ride now.

Happy R-day Ed. I have to say that lugged steel is a delight to ride, including a lugged steel fork with its extra pound of weight over its soul-less plati-carbon alternative. And don't forget the appropriate Brooks saddle.

I'm glad that you'll still be around to straighten out us lefties when we get too self-absorbed, and hopefully to banter with ScottN like only you two can do. That is pure entertainment on the fly...

I've touted to many of my real-world friends this Kentucky politico on the bike board whose understanding and view of politics has taught me just how little I know and understand about the Process. (OK, here in MultnomahCounty-istan, with our 72% pro-Kerry vote, maybe I don't know the real world.) I send you my best wishes to a content and satisfying retirement, at least until you get drawn back in to the next race that piques your interest. (You'd still qualify for the Waterford, though.) And consider CycleOregon next September to commemorate the bicentennial of Lewis & Clark's amazing trip to the Edge of the America.

And why didn't Kerry give up on Florida a few weeks ago and throw everything he had at Ohio?

I raved to anyone who would listen that Florida was a waste ot time and money, and a lost cause -- it was a long shot to win anyway, but even if we DID it would be by such a small margin that Jeb's boys could and would steal it. Not a criticism of Jeb, just a cold, hard fact. We were NOT going to get those EV's, because we could never win Florida by the 8-10 points necessary to swamp the, shall we say, machinations that would come into play if it were closer. As is, we lost fair and square, as I figured we would with Kerry as the candidate.

Ohio is really two states, and we didn't win big enough in the north to counter the HUGE 'values' voting in the south. Simple as that. We misunderestimated how many of 'them' would turn out, and misoverestimated how many of 'us' would turn out.

Political rule of thumb that everyone (willfully) forgot this year: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER count on newly registered or young Dem voters to turn out. They never have. Never will. Every pro knows that. I think we got pretty pie-in-the-sky on that score this year, and so -- damn it -- did the Great Zogby (among a few others).

I raved to anyone who would listen that Florida was a waste ot time and money, and a lost cause -- it was a long shot to win anyway, but even if we DID it would be by such a small margin that Jeb's boys could and would steal it. Not a criticism of Jeb, just a cold, hard fact. We were NOT going to get those EV's, because we could never win Florida by the 8-10 points necessary to swamp the, shall we say, machinations that would come into play if it were closer. As is, we lost fair and square, as I figured with would with Kerry as the candidate.

Ohio is really two states, and we didn't win big enough in the north to counter the HUGE 'values' voting in the south. Simple as that. We misunderestimated how many of 'them' would turn out, and misoverestimated how many of 'us' would turn out.

Political rule of thumb that everyone (willfully) forgot this year: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER count on newly registered or young Dem voters to turn out. They never have. Never will. Every pro knows that. I think we got pretty pie-in-the-sky on that score this year, and so -- damn it -- did the Great Zogby (among a few others).

Wasn't it Carville that said "what do you call a candidate that relies on new voters...a loser"

That's no fun. I like your insight and sparing. Sparing with most of the Libbies here is too frustrating for me, as I think it would a serious thinker like you, when most of the arguments are framed in terms of "moron; stupid; fascist; liar" etc. True ideological debate is great, but that's about 1% of what occurs here, amongst way too much noise. It's like trying to have a serious discussion in the middle of a group of 5 year olds well after their bed time and on a Halloween candy buzz.

You gonna be hanging out with Carville? Seems like he *ought* to retire. Did anyone catch him with a trashcan on his head this time? Or, maybe you can do some huntin with JFK?

Just teasin. I'm envious of your time to go ride now.

could manage to bait me into it.

'Retire' is a little strong. I'm just not going to be active in the politics business anymore. The kids I have working for me will, however, still be losing elections and shoveling profits my way. I'm joining the ranks of the exploiters!

I'll be devoting my energies to the farm and the (gasp!) rental properties, which I've been ignoring. No life of leisure, but I SHOULD have more time to ride, one hopes on the bright yellow Waterford Scott mentioned.

.) And consider CycleOregon next September to commemorate the bicentennial of Lewis & Clark's amazing trip to the Edge of the America.

We already HAD the damn bicentennial, up in Louisville at the Falls of the Ohio where Lewis and Clark STARTED their little odyssey. Man, talk about different TIME zones ...

Congrats Ed. Nice choice for a retirement rig as well. Remember to keep the wind at your back and the rubber side down.

We already HAD the damn bicentennial, up in Louisville at the Falls of the Ohio where Lewis and Clark STARTED their little odyssey. Man, talk about different TIME zones ...

It's the ultimate drag-your-starving-arse-over-the-Rockies-to-the-upper-reaches-of-the-Snake-
River-to-buy-dogs-rather-than-eat-salmon time zone difference.

But Huck Finn described almost all the magic that L&C experienced at the start of their trip. Sometimes the destination really is the destination. The Columbia ties together the birth of the truly continental United States and the taming of the west by the socialist industrialism lauded by Woody Guthrie. You can even dip your cleated toe into the Columbia and the Pacific at the same time, thanks to the remnants US Army's 19th century coastal defense network and the subsequent creation of state parks.

And a nice yellow Waterford would be duly appreciated by many of the other 1,999 cyclists on the trip.

...a political Yoda for us Libbies!!! :D

It's the ultimate drag-your-starving-arse-over-the-Rockies-to-the-upper-reaches-of-the-Snake-
River-to-buy-dogs-rather-than-eat-salmon time zone difference.

But Huck Finn described almost all the magic that L&C experienced at the start of their trip. Sometimes the destination really is the destination. The Columbia ties together the birth of the truly continental United States and the taming of the west by the socialist industrialism lauded by Woody Guthrie. You can even dip your cleated toe into the Columbia and the Pacific at the same time, thanks to the remnants US Army's 19th century coastal defense network and the subsequent creation of state parks.

And a nice yellow Waterford would be duly appreciated by many of the other 1,999 cyclists on the trip.

"Sometimes a Great Notion." The romance of logging! Wobblies! I love Oregon. Best acid I ever took was in Springfield, September 1974. We were dogging Kesey, ended up over in -- where was it? Up in Corvallis? Some town close by that starts with an 'R'? -- at a Rennaissance Faire that blew some minds. Ahem.

"Sometimes a Great Notion." The romance of logging! Wobblies! I love Oregon. Best acid I ever took was in Springfield, September 1974. We were dogging Kesey, ended up over in -- where was it? Up in Corvallis? Some town close by that starts with an 'R'? -- at a Rennaissance Faire that blew some minds. Ahem.

Ed? A Ken Kesey fan? Serious? I haven't read Sometimes a Great Notion--I'll check it out. My favorite novel from that era is Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone.

Ed? A Ken Kesey fan? Serious? I haven't read Sometimes a Great Notion--I'll check it out. My favorite novel from that era is Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone.

Great book. Stone was a pal of Kesey's. He was 'on the bus,' as it were, ho, ho. The surreal Dog Soldier scenes back in the States were based on the psychedelic shenanigans out at Kesey's place in La Honda. I don't think Bukowski ever made it out there. :)

Either yer wit' us, or agin' us.








Death to Moby Dick.

*(as played by Val Kilmer)
"I'll be your Huckleberry"
have a good one Ole ed. we'll hold the fort down.

and throw around the wit and wisdom and politics...even if the latter is counter to much of what I believe. Otherwise, this place will be one constant shouting match of such meaningless blather.

And I really need your 'Southern'ness here, someone who really understands life below the MD Line. There aren't many here who understand such important things.

Otherwise, I'll just have to crawl back in my hole as there will be no other reason for me to stop by from time to time.

Enjoy your time. Although, as I also have a couple of rentals, I know as do you, that you may not have much time to ride as you would like. My new philosophy for investment properties? Rent-to-Own...down payment when they move in, higher than normal rents, cash-out at the end (after about 3 years) and best of all......the tenants have a buyer mentality and they fix everything. I only hear from them once a month, when they drop off the rent checks. ;-)