Rae Lynn Job resigns, search begins 11/12

As if we aren't outnumbered enough in the state legislature. This release comes from Bill Luckett, director of the Wyoming Democratic Party:

Democratic state Sen. Rae Lynn Job of Rock Springs resigned her position in the Legislature on Thursday, Nov. 6, requiring the Democratic Party to begin the process of selecting a replacement to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of her term.

Sweetwater County Democratic Party Chair Joyce Jansa Corcoran announced today that the Democratic precinct committeemen and committeewomen of Senate District 12 will meet Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. at White Mountain Library in Rock Springs to interview those interested in filling the Senate seat.

Senate District 12 includes roughly the eastern two thirds of Sweetwater County, including part of Rock Springs, as well as the Atlantic City precinct in Fremont County.

The process for filling a legislative vacancy is governed by the Wyoming State Statutes and the bylaws of the Wyoming Democratic Party.

The rules require the precinct committee members of the Senate district to meet and select three finalists for the position within 15 days of Sen. Job's resignation. But, the party plans to hold the meeting this Wednesday.

State party bylaws state that any registered Democrat who lives in Senate District 12 who wants to be considered for the position must either appear in person at the meeting or send a written statement of intent. At the meeting, each candidate will be given the opportunity to present their qualifications and may be questioned by those present.

After all the candidates speak and answer questions, the precinct committee members vote by signed ballot to choose the three finalists. Those finalists' names will be submitted to the county commissioners in both Sweetwater and Fremont counties. Then, the respective county commissions will have five days to meet and vote to appoint one of the finalists to fill the Senate vacancy.

The county commissioners' votes will be weighted by the population of the portion of the Senate District that is in each county, using numbers from the 2000 U.S. Census.

Contact: Joyce Jansa Corcoran, Sweetwater County Democratic Party Chair, 307-371-1633, 307-362-5301; Bill Luckett, 307-631-7638.

UW Active Minds sponsors 11/12 panel discussion on stigma of mental illness

Reducing the stigma of mental illness in society will be the focus of a panel discussion Wednesday, Nov. 12, at noon in the University of Wyoming Union Skylight Lounge.

Active Minds, a registered student organization, and Psi Chi, the UW Psychology Club, will host "Reducing Mental Illness Stigma." Panel members will include individuals who will share their personal experiences of having mental illnesses, along with professionals who work to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Active Minds is the nation's only peer-to-peer organization dedicated to raising awareness about mental health among college students. The organization serves as the young adult voice in mental health advocacy on more than 100 college campuses nationwide.

Trauner's post-election interview on Wyofile.com

While I was wondering about Gary Trauner’s disappearance after the Nov. 4 election, Wyofile’s Charles Pelkey and Reese Jenniges were actually talking to the Democratic Party’s candidate for the state’s lone U.S. House seat. Gary was as gracious in defeat as he was during the campaign. He kept his cool even when faced with TV and radio ads from the Republican Slime Machine.

The victor in the race, Cheyenne’s Cynthia Lummis, said in a post-election interview that she has some trepidations going to a "Democrat city" (Washington, D.C.) She is thankful that she will have the guiding hand of outgoing Veep Dick Cheney. Sure, but first she has to find him. And the proper terminology is "Democratic city," as in the political party that now is in charge and because you need an adjective to define a noun. As in "Obama’s overwhelming victory" or "the Democratic Party’s huge majorities in the House and Senate." Like that. I’d be happy to send Ms. Lummis a copy of Strunk & White’s "The Elements of Style." There’s even an illustrated version.

What follows are a few Gary Trauner quotes from the 11/6 Wyofile interview. Read the entire article at http://www.wyofile.com/democrat_trauner_defeated.htm

Trauner said that he did "pretty much everything I could do in this race."

"Sometimes, there are just obstacles you can't overcome," he said. "Being a Democrat in Wyoming in this race might have been one of those. We did everything and I think we did incredibly well. I don't have any regrets. I don't have any second thoughts."

Trauner said on Thursday that he hopes that Lummis' tenure in Washington will ultimately result in a benefit for the people of Wyoming."

A lot of people told me that they would support me, but they didn't want to send that support to Nancy Pelosi," he said. "That probably cost me quite a few votes. Of course, now we have a member of Congress who not only lacks seniority, but is in the minority there."

"I hope she exceeds my expectations," he added.

Can pro athletes think beyond sports?

Professional athletes are not known for their political acumen. Just look at John Elway -- diehard McCain supporter who campaigned with him in Colorado. He gets points for getting involved. But he's just another one of those rich athletes who was glorious on the field but became a fat-ass golfing Republican upon retirement. And why not? Elway really made out with Bush's tax cuts for the rich. And he stood to make even more dough with McCain's plan for even more tax cuts for duffers. How much money do these people need? Remember Elway refusing to visit with Bill Clinton after the Broncos Super Bowl win? He's only become worse with time.

Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall was a big Obama supporter during the recent campaign. He wasn't the only one, but seemed to be the leader of the pack. Here's how Denver Post sports reporter Lindsay Jones describes an election day interview with Marshall:

Marshall, who has been one of the most out-spoken Barack Obama supporters in Denver’s locker room throughout the fall, said he got to his local voting precinct at 6:20 a.m. He said the process was easy and he was out by 7:10 a.m. It was his first time voting. He wore his “I voted” sticker on his hooded sweatshirt, but because he was shirtless during the interview, he took the sticker and put it on his forehead.

Marshall caused a frenzy Thursday night when the Broncos played Cleveland. Denver went ahead with just 1:14 left on the clock behind a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Marshall. In the end zone, Marshall pulled out a black-and-white glove to celebrate Barack Obama's victory two night's before. His teammate Brandon Stokley intervened, thinking that Marshall's move might penalize the Broncos for delay of game or unsportsmanlike conduct. Marshall was quoted later that he wanted to make the same sort of salute as black U.S. athletes Tommie Jones and John Carlos made at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. As most commentators noted, Marshall's was a good-hearted salute that came at the wrong time for the Broncos.

Maybe so. But it's good to see a pro athlete thinking about something more than himself. I always wonder why we don't see more of that sort of spirit from athletes. Sure, there's basketball great Bill Bradley as a U.S. senator. And everyone remembers Roberto Clemente's ultimate sacrifice when he died flying in earthquake supplies to his native Nicaragua. Sure, there are a few other examples. But most pro athletes are self-absorbed and know little beyond their own playing field.

Marshall thinks beyond the gridiron. I admire him for that.

Hey Gen O voters! Not bad, not bad at all...

I like this Generation O -- "O" as in Obama. I have to admit I'm a bit biased. Chris and I spawned one of its members -- 23-year-old Kevin in Tucson. Good job Kevin! We have another offspring, a 15-year-old pre-Gen O who will be 19 in 2012 and vows to vote for O for his second term.

I talked to Kev a few nights after the election and he was at a friend's house playing X-Box or Wii or one of those many games in which I'm all thumbs. Actually, that's probably a good thing. In Wii, don't you use your thumbs a lot? I'll text Kevin later and ask. Anyway, I was talking to Kev and he was with five of his friends. I asked him how many voted and he said at least half of them did, although one guy was too busy gaming to answer. So let's say 50 percent of these Gen O voters in a cramped Tucson apartment voted and they all voted for O. Not bad. Not bad at all. But -- if all of you had voted, McCain would have lost his home state.

Here are some facts from today's article about Gen O voters in the New York Times Style section.

Mr. Obama’s victory was greatly helped by his young allies. More 18- to 29-year-olds went to the polls this year than in any election since 1972 — between 21.6 million and 23.9 million, up from about 19.4 million in 2004, according to preliminary estimates from the Center for Information and Research of Civic Learning and Engagement. And 66 percent voted for Mr. Obama, according to exit polls by Edison & Mitofsky.

These young voters and those slightly older, who together may forever be known as Generation O, were the ground troops of the campaign. They opened hundreds of Obama offices in remote areas, registered voters and persuaded older relatives to take a chance on the man with the middle name Hussein.

As you can see in the NYT photo, Gen O voters don't all look the same. But two-thirds of them had the same goal, to elect a young guy with great ideas to the highest office in the land. Almost all of the Obama organizers I met were in their 20s and 30s. They came from all over the country and were very focused on the prize. They earned this victory.

Congrats to Kevin and his pals. Keep voting, stay involved, and please finish school sometime soon.

Here's a snap of Kevin taken when he visited us in red-state Wyoming in March....

Obama Internet Army on the march

A McClatchy News Service article on Yahoo News wonders how President-elect Obama will use his "Internet Army" once he gets to D.C.

I'm one of the 3.1 million Americans who signed on with My Barack Obama to make phone calls, knock on doors and donate money. Some of the toughest work was back before the Democratic caucus in March, which is when I signed up. Especially true at my house, with me and my cell phone in one room and Chris and her cell in another. I called for Obama; she called for Clinton.

But phone calling is only part of the equation. This Obama Internet Army may be a key ally to the president once he's inaugurated. According to the McClatchy article:

Joe Trippi offered a more dramatic scenario: "Obama will be able to say these are the 10 members of Congress standing in our way on health care. Basically, it'll be the president and the people united, with some members of Congress in between, which won't be a very comfortable place to be."

A million Obama activists nationwide translate to an average of nearly 2,300 for each of 435 congressional districts. "And if someone in my district had a list of them with e-mail addresses and a lot of good will, I'd pay a lot of attention to them," said Scott Lilly, a senior staffer for Democrats in the House of Representatives for nearly 30 years.

The article does point out that this kind of pressure will work best against moderate "Blue Dog" Democrats. It's not clear what sort of effect it would have on Republican members of Congress in red states. Places like Wyoming. The most active MyBO (we need a better acronym) volunteers in Cheyenne were called on to knock on doors in Greeley and Fort Collins, Colo. Obama strategists figured that was a better use of resources and they were right. Democrats in our county of Laramie voted for Obama. The Republicans voted for McCain. Registered Repubs outnumber Dems by a wide margin and that's what the results showed.

But Larimer County in Colo., home to Fort Collins, went for Obama. Weld County (Greeley) went for McCain but just barely. I haven't looked at the statistics yet, but my guess is that college students and minorities (notably Hispanics) and all the registered Dems and some Indies and at least some Repubs (I know one in Fort Collins) went over to the Obama side. Some southern Montana counties went blue for Obama. Some northern Wyoming MyBO people made the trek to Billings during the campaign.

We all know that Obama can achieve his (and our) goals without any response from Wyoming or its Congressional delegation. Enzi and Barrasso and Lummis are part of the minority. They will obstruct. That doesn't mean I won't write my obligatory e-mails and letters to them. I've been doing that for the past eight years. It just means my P.O.V. will have the same non-effect.

More from the McClatchy article:

What his [Obama] supporters will accomplish in Republican districts is another uncertainty.

"If they're networked into PTA meetings and barbershops and call-in talk shows, they can let people know that their guy isn't doing what we want him to do. That would be an extraordinarily powerful tool," Lilly said.

Barbershops? I can just imagine haranguing Repubs at my local barbershop and then sitting in the chair and asking the barber for "a close shave." But I know what Lilly's talking about. Be active in your community. Speak up. Be part of the progressive team.

Some of the more interesting parts of the article came at the end. It concerns the use of modern technology in the political arena. Remember that Obama's style of instant Internet response and fund-raising was pioneered by Howard Dean in 2004, just four years ago. We may just be seeing the beginning of a huge revolution.

Reform advocates who see the Internet as a tool want to reduce Washington's grip on power by providing universal Internet access to more government deliberations and records. It's an idea that appeals to lots of Obama activists, who can be expected to push for it.

Obama has promised to create a "transparent and connected White House ." He's also promised to appoint a Cabinet-rank chief technology officer to promote openness in federal agencies and help the new president communicate with the electorate. More generally, Obama supports expanding high-speed broadband Internet access, which roughly half the nation lacks.

An easy and popular step toward transparency would be for Obama to reverse the Bush administration's secretive policy on Freedom of Information Act requests for government records. That could be done by declaration, without congressional involvement, noted John Wonderlich , the program director of the Washington-based Sunlight Foundation , which promotes transparency.

Visionaries in the realm of Internet politics, several of them well-known among Obama activists, would like to see Obama go further and use Internet social networks for ideas and collaborative problem-solving.

UPDATE: Just saw the 11/7 post from Chris Hughes about the future of my.barackobama.com. Here's an excerpt:

And the site isn't going anywhere. The online tools in My.BarackObama will live on. Barack Obama supporters will continue to use the tools to collaborate and interact. Our victory on Tuesday night has opened the door to change, but it's up to all of us to seize this opportunity to bring it about.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be a great deal more information about where this community will head. For the moment, let's celebrate this victory and know that the community we've built together is just the beginning.

Gary Trauner, where are you?

Wish that Gary Trauner would come out of hiding and say something. He lost, sure, but he waged a fierce and above-board campaign. That's more than I can say about his opponent, Republican Cynthia Lummis. But I will try not to be a sore loser.

The Democrats won the White House and a bigger majority in the U.S. House and Senate. Three Senate seats are still to be decided. Al Franken is in a recount battle with Norm Coleman in Minnesota. Georgia will stage a runoff between chickenhawk Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic hopeful Jim Martin. And I'm not sure what's happening in Alaska with Ted "The Convicted Felon" Stevens. Democrat Jeff Merkley, a former Habitat for Humanity leader, was announced as the winner in Oregon.

So Gary, come on out and groove in the good feelings of the many Wyomingites who volunteered and voted for you.

Flashback: Dem Convention photos

Had to display these photos, which I just received from fellow Dem and Wyoming state legislator Lori Millin. They say a lot about the enthusiasm of the convention in Denver which spilled over into the presidential campaign. That didn't translate into an Obama win in Wyoming -- not this time, anyway.

Looking back, wish I would have worn my cowboy outfit.

Barack Obama, the writer, headed to D.C.

I haven't yet read Barack Obama's two books. Maybe I should have, since he wrote them and not some ghost-writer. But political biographies, especially those written and released during a campaign, are usually bland and self-serving. They're written to get the candidate elected. At its core, the book is no different from a stump speech at a gym in Paducah. On the other hand, those memoirs written after a stint of public service tend to be a lot more interesting. I have a whole shelf of those, inherited from my father the accountant. My prize is an 1885 edition of Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant which goes into incredible detail about an incredible life.

Toni Morrison likes Obama's writing. And, according to an AP story by Hillel Italie, Obama is a Morrison fan. Last winter, he called up the literary Nobel laureate to ask for her support in his race against Sen. Hillary Clinton. But politics was not first on the agenda. Obama said that Morrison's Song of Solomon had "meant of lot to him." Here's Morrison's post-election take on the conversation:

"And I had read his first book (Dreams from My Father). I was astonished at his ability to write, to think, to reflect, to learn and turn a good phrase. I was very impressed. This was not a normal political biography."

That's high praise coming from Morrison. Song of Solomon is one of my favorite books. Lyrical and strange, a great story with a surprise ending. Some may call it magical-realist but we'll leave that long discussion for another time.

Italie ends the article with a comment that "the vast majority of writers usually vote for Democrats anyway." Maybe that's true in NYC but not in Wyoming. But I know what Italie means. In the summer of 2003, I was at an outdoor concert in Cheyenne. I was wearing my "Poets Against the War" T-shirt. A friend introduced me to a young writer who took a look at my shirt and asked, "Do you know any poets for the war?" I had to think about that.

To have an actual writer in the White House? That seems like a good thing. Writers have an ability to explore the subtleties of an issue. We don't see the world in black and white. We like "gray areas" because that's where the stories are. Is this a good trait for a president? It will be a big change from our current regime. But too much gray can overwhelm you, leave you lost in a fog. Obama's pragmatism should prevent him from getting lost in any fog.
And we'll probably have to wait eight years before another Obama book. He'll be busy in the interim.

Why is Wyoming so darn red?

An article in today's Casper Star-Tribune notes that 65 percent of Wyoming voters cast their ballots for McCain. That is the largest McCain margin of any state save Oklahoma, which came in at 66 percent. Wyoming voted more red than our redder-than-red Rocky Mountain neighbors Idaho and Utah. In Idaho, McCain got 62 percent of the vote and Obama got 36 percent. In Utah, 63 percent supported McCain; 34 percent were for Obama.

Wyoming also sent three Republicans to Congress, with Repub Cynthia Lummis as the new U.S. House member. We'll have a lot of dissecting and transecting of this vote during the next few weeks. We do know that Repubs hate Washington, D.C., especially when the Repubs aren't in power -- especially when the Feds aren't sending us any money. Per capita, Wyoming is one of the top states reaping federal largesse. I ain't complaining, since it does a lot of good in this state in social services, health care, transportation and the arts. Then, I'm a Democrat who doesn't spend his livelong day complaining about the gubment. I spent two years in D.C. during the Clinton years and learned a few things in the process.

We Dems are partly to blame. We're still getting organized, still trying to figure out how it's done. Montana may be able to show us the way. We'll see. Meanwhile, we have to study Gov Dave's modus operandi to see how he does it.

Here's an interesting quote from the Star-Tribune:

Lewis Newman of Casper, a Republican and lifelong Wyoming resident, said he wasn't a bit surprised to see the GOP dominate Tuesday -- but he's not sure it's such a good thing.

It's not healthy for the Republicans to have so much power, Newman said.

"If they took Saddam Hussein and put an 'R' behind his name, he would get elected in this state," Newman said. "Voters don't give two thoughts to who they send back to Washington."

Paul Krugman hopes for "the end of the monster years"

Sometimes other bloggers say things better than you ever could. This comes from a Nov. 5 post on the New York Times blog of Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman:

Last night wasn’t just a victory for tolerance; it wasn’t just a mandate for progressive change; it was also, I hope, the end of the monster years.

What I mean by that is that for the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people. [My emphasis, to note Cheney's Wyoming roots.]

And in our national discourse, we pretended that these monsters were reasonable, respectable people. To point out that the monsters were, in fact, monsters, was “shrill.”

Four years ago it seemed as if the monsters would dominate American politics for a long time to come. But for now, at least, they’ve been banished to the wilderness.

Lessons in here somewhere for WyoDems

When the news about Barack Obama's victory was announced last night, I was in a room filled with Republicans. It was a small room, and there were only three of them, but it seemed as if I was surrounded. J.D. was on the main microphone, Dave was tallying the election results on a legal pad, and Bob sat next to me at the guest mike. Bob was packing, his sidearm jutting ominously from his Cheyenne Police Department holster. Big guy, big weapon -- but he's the police chief and also my state senator. He was the Republican guest and I was the Democratic guest at KFBC 1240 AM in Cheyenne. The TV in the corner was on Fixed News, but even the Fox knuckleheads had to acknowledge Obama's victory when his electoral votes ratcheted up to 297.

"Now I have to listen to Democrats gloat for four years," said Dave, scribbling on his legal pad.

I replied: "There's not that many of us in Wyoming, so it won't be too bad."

I wanted to gloat my ass off. But I was a guest at the radio station, providing some powerful insights into the conversation. Besides, my Republican state senator was packing heat.

J.D. called up the Laramie County Clerk web site to find the local results. One big surprise -- Ward 3 city councilman Pete Laybourn was last in a field of four candidates. In city council races, the top two vote-getters are elected and the bottom two go home. Pete's one of those outspoken rabble-rousers who used to appear at every city council meeting to complain about overspending, potholes, and almost everything else under the sun. He was elected four years ago and reelected in 2006. This time, his constituency thought he'd gone a bit too far when he harassed the new city attorney so badly that she quit after only a few months on the job. Maybe they'd just grown tired of his rants and bad attitude. He can ponder the reasons during retirement. But Pete isn't a retiring guy. He'll be back in his role as citizen complainant as soon as new council members are sworn in.

One of those new council members is outgoing mayor Jack Spiker, who was elected (along with incumbent Pat Collins) in Ward 2. There should be some titanic tiffs between Citizen Laybourn and Councilman Spiker when the new session rolls around.

A couple other surprises in the night's results. A close U.S. House race between Dem Gary Trauner and Repub Cynthia Lummis got worse and worse for Trauner as the night progressed. A slim Lummis lead widened until she was ahead by about 8,000 votes with 130 precincts out of 465 statewide left to report. J.D. turned to the Laramie County Clerk's page and saw that Trauner was ahead of Lummis by about 150 votes. Cheyenne is Lummis's home town! It turned out not to be the only county that came in for Trauner -- Albany, Teton and Sweetwater also went to Trauner. Gary's home county of Teton gave him the biggest margin with 3,990 votes. Albany County voters gave Gary a 2,736 vote margin while Laramie County (LummisLand) voted 20,818 to 18,642 for Trauner -- a 2,176 edge.

But the state's other 19 counties all went for Lummis. Campbell County gave Lummis a 6,500-some vote lead. That did in Gary, who lost by almost 25,000 votes. Lummis rolled out the dirty attack ads in the campaign's last week, ads that appealed to the yahoo in rural Wyomingites. Gary gonna take away your guns! He a East Coast smarty-pants Liberal! Jackson Hole! It seemed to work. Or maybe it was just a combination of events. One good thing is that we worked our butts off for Gary in Lummis's home turf. Almost 21,000 people voted for Gary in the county. We knocked on all those people's doors and called them on the phone. We were out on the streets until 6:30 and then went to the Plains Hotel to party with the other Dems. After awhile, I sauntered over to KFBC to spell my Dem cohort, Ken the Retired Fighter Pilot. I sent Ken over to the party while I faced down the Repubs.

When Ken came back for the late shift at 10, it all seemed decided. The Laramie County Clerk was reporting that District 8 incumbent Lori Millin was losing to Republican Bob Nicholas, who is filling in as Cheyenne's city attorney. The margin was only 19 votes with 100 percent of the precinct's reporting. Damn! I couldn't believe it. Lori is a great legislator and she worked hard to get reelected only to lose to this new guy. While I was elated about Obama's win, I was bummed about Lori. I went to bed disappointed.

This morning in the paper, I see Lori's smiling face on the front page with news that she'd beaten Nicholas 2,438 to 2,271. Close, but it counts. You have to wonder how Lori could be shown behind the night before with all votes counted but be the winner in the morning with even more votes counted.

There are some lessons in here for WyoDems but I haven't yet grokked them. More tomorrow....

"Change has come to America"

Barack Hussein Obama is president-elect

Election Day in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Toddlers 4 Trauner

Gary T in Cheyenne

Latest updates from Election Protection

Getting interesting out there on Election Day. Vote counting may come later than expected. Still, you have to keep on keeping on. Election protection reported this at 10 a.m. (EST):

10 a.m. DEVELOPING STORIES FROM ELECTION PROTECTION

As of 10 am, Election Protection has received over 27,000 calls to the 1-866-OUR-VOTE Hotline since the phones opened at 5:30 am this morning.

VIRGINIA: We have seen the situation on the ground in Virginia change drastically over the past hour. Election Protection is calling for the courts to keep the polls open an additional two hours.

MICHIGAN: There are widespread reports of line lines, lack of ample poll workers and general disorganization, resulting in waits as long as two hours. Machine malfunctions are also contributing long lines and in some cases poll workers administering polling through paper ballots. Some voters are expressing concern over the security of their ballots in these situations.

FLORIDA: We have received multiple reports that optical scanning machines are broken in Tallahassee, Tampa, Broward County and Miami-Dade County.

Don't let them interfere with your vote

Election Day, the most exciting one I've experienced. I'm out working for Gary Trauner today.

If anyone messes with your right to vote, you have lots of options. Your precinct's election judges are there to help. Most judges I've seen in Laramie County know their business. They receive training and get lots of backup. But, if for some odd reason, it's the judge getting in your way, there's also a precinct captain or, in many cases, the captain that oversees the operation of the 4-5 precincts grouped together, as is the case with the Lions Park Community House and the Holiday Inn on Fox Farm Road.

Your county clerk and staff will be busy but you can contact them if you experience difficulties. Contact the Laramie County Clerk at 307-633-4268.

Election Protection provides a national clearinghouse at http://www.866ourvote.org/. The web site also provides a U.S. map. You can click on any state and get crucial information on voting -- and where to turn to for help.

You can also use your Twitter account to report polling place shenanigans. Here are some directions:

If you experience problems at the polls on Election Day(such as long lines, voter intimidation, suspicious behavior, machine malfunctions, registration errors, etc.) you can report it to us via text message or the web by using your Twitter account! (Don’t have one? Click here to sign-up.)
Here is how it works:
1. “Tweets” should include a description of the problem and a hashtag+zip code (ex. #22205). If you know your voting precinct number, it would also be helpful to add that.
2. Include in your tweet a simple hashtag of “EP” + state abbreviation—so if you
are a voter in Virginia, include in your tweet “#EPVA”
3. These tweet-reports will be monitored by the respective state teams on the ground who will confirm the reports and work to resolve any issue.
4. Add #votereport to your tweet to feed live into the Twitter Vote Report website.

My sister at Joe Biden rally in Florida

My sister Molly (with red hair and wearing Obama T-shirt) gets up-close-and-personal with Democratic Party V.P. candidate Joe Biden at a rally in Tallahassee, Florida. Molly is probably the only one of my eight siblings (all Floridians) casting her vote for the Obama-Biden ticket. Go Molly! Gobama! (Who are all those guys in the dark glasses?)

WYO voters turn out in record numbers

Peter O'Dowd reported this on Wyoming Public Radio this afternoon:

The Natrona County Clerk [in Casper] says her office had to request extra ballots to keep up with demand for early voting. Renea Vitto says she saw record turnout in the days leading up to the election. She expects 750 people to cast their ballots on Monday alone. Because residents can register at the polls, Vitto predicts 120 percent voter turnout. She says voters should be prepared to wait up to 20 minutes in line on Election Day.

Statewide, early voting continues to smash records. The Secretary of State says 23 percent of registered voters have already cast ballots. That nearly doubles the average of votes traditionally cast before Election Day in Wyoming.

Poll workers at the Laramie County Court House in Cheyenne reported an average of 700 early voters per day when I was there voting on Thursday. Lines were longer last Friday and I don't know what it was like today. So, if one-quarter of registered voters have cast ballots statewide, that's about 60,000 voters. It's still going to be busy at the polls tomorrow, so get there early. Or go during lunchtime and bring a sandwich.

In Colorado, about half of all eligible voters have cast ballots. In Florida, 4.2 million people have cast ballots. Something like 330,000 voters have been to the polls in Utah. This is one big turnout, with election day still ahead of us.

FMI: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/wpr/

Still time to pitch in for Democrats

I took a vacation day for Nov. 4 so I can get out the vote for Wyoming Democratic candidates. In 2006, I took the day off to be an election judge. In 2004, I was a pollwatcher for the entire day. Not everyone can get a day off, I know. If you can, there are national, state and local candidates who need your help.

For an overview, go to the Wyoming Democratic Party web site at http://www.wyomingdemocrarts.com/

Democrats running for the two U.S. Senate seats are Chris Rothfuss of Laramie, running against Sen. Mike Enzi, and Gillette's Nick Carter, running against Sen. John Barrasso. Contact their campaigns. See what they need today and tomorrow.

Gary Trauner of Wilson is running against Cynthia Lummis for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat being vacated by Barbara Cubin. His well-organized GOTV campaign is ramping up across the state. But there's always room for more.

If there's a Democrat running in your legislative district (not always the case in WYO), call him or her and ask what you can do these last two days.

Finally, we have a presidential race. Sen. Obama will not win Wyoming. He may come closer than any Democrat ever has, but Wyoming is solidly in the McCain camp. But, the race is still close in Colorado, Montana and North Dakota. Cheyenne volunteers spent much of their weekend in Fort Collins and Greeley ringing doorbells for Barack Obama. I know a few people in northern Wyoming who have stepped across our northern border to work with Obama organizers in Montana. Nobody I know has been to North Dakota, but it's still interesting that the race is close there. You may not know this, but North Dakota has a longstanding progressive tradition that goes back 100 years.

Always more to do for Sen. Obama before 7 p.m. Tuesday. Go to www.barackobama.com/.

See you out there on election day!

Vote Republican! Avoid Pelosi Syndrome!

During these final days of the 2008 election, Republicans are pushing ads that portray Wyoming as a reliably conservative state and one that distrusts East Coast Liberals. If you are a born and bred Wyomingite with conservative creds, you are good and trustworthy. If you were born somewhere else -- especially any East Coast state north of Virginia or (worse) California -- and you're a Democrat, you are bad, untrustworthy and probably a Socialist.

The latest Repub ads supporting Cynthia Lummis emphasize these crucial differences and encourage Wyomingites to vote for "real" conservatives whom also are "real Americans" too. A radio ad I heard today in breaks of the Denver Broncos game has some ersatz cowboy narrator (probably an actor!) with a folksy voice. He used all the buzzwords that are supposed to push the right buttons in Wyomingites: "East Coast Liberal" and "out-of-state money" and "unions" and "Nancy Pelosi." When I heard all this, I began to feel a bit sick. So I went to the doctor.

Doctor: Sorry, Mr. Shay, but I'm afraid you have a case of Pelosi Syndrome.

Me: Not Pelosi!

Dr.: I'm afraid so.

Me: What's the diagnosis, Doc? Give it to me straight!

Dr.: First it's the arms and legs, and then the torso. Last to go is the head.

Me: Tumors? Lesions? Cankers? Boils?

Dr.: Worse. Your body turns blue. Hordes of Wyoming Republicans see that you're a Democrat and they set upon you like a pack of ravening wolves. You don't stand a chance.

Me: I'll stay at home.

Dr.: They'll find you.

Me: I'll hide in the mountains.

Dr.: They'll find you no matter where you try to hide.

Me: I'm done for.

Dr.: True, unless....

Me: What, Doc? Give it to me straight!

Dr.: Well, you could fall into line and vote Republican. This is a conservative state, don't you know? It's futile to resist. Vote Lummis. Vote Enzi. Vote Barrasso. Vote McCain. Vote Palin.

Me: Is this my only hope?

Dr.: I'm afraid so.

Me: Any side effects?

Dr.: There's one. First it's the arms and legs. And then the torso. The last to go is the head.

Me: What do you mean, Doc? Give it to me straight!

Dr.: It's called Palinitis. Your body turns red.

Me: But I'll be O.K. as long as I stay in Wyoming?

Dr.: True, but next time you go to a blue state, those Democrats will come at you like a ravening pack of slightly miffed bunny rabbits.

Me: Doesn't sound dangerous.

Dr.: It's death by a thousand little nibbles.

Me: I'll stay home. Who needs blue states anyway? Who needs Colorado or New Mexico or California or New York or Pennsylvania or Massachusetts or Washington or Hawaii or Florida or Virginia or Maryland or North Carolina or....

Dr.: Exactly. If you stay in Wyoming and vote the Republican Party line, you'll live forever.

Me: And what a full life that will be!

THE END

An ominous set of signs -- or coincidence?

So there I was, me and my clipboard and door hangers for Gary Trauner. I was trying to get my bearings in Cheyenne's Precinct 1-1. A shadow began to fall over me, an ominous shadow, fraught with meaning. I turned to look up. Hovering over me were a pair of street signs that sent chills down my spine. I was at the corner of Gop(p) and Lummis. GOP for Grand Old Party and Lummis for Cynthia, Gary's opponent in Wyoming's U.S. House race. Weird. Were these signs a sign? Or just some odd coincidence? We shall find out on election day. Meanwhile, I moved on, knocking on doors for Gary.

LarCoDems gather for election results

The Laramie County Democratic Party will gather at the historic Cheyenne Plains Hotel Round-Up Room on November 4, 7 p.m., to view the incoming results of local, state, and national elections. Members of the media are welcome to attend this gathering for research and reporting purposes. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Bell says: “We are looking forward to a fun and relaxing evening, celebrating all of the hard work that our Democratic candidates and volunteers completed in support of the Wyoming Democratic Party and our platform.”

LarCoDem member Mike Shay says this: "We are looking forward to cheering wildly when the presidential race results come pouring in."

For further information, contact Mike Bell at 307-631-7641.

I have it on good authority that Mike Bell has ordered two cakes for the event. Cake and Fat Tire Amber Ale go great together.

If you're looking for up-to-date results on election night, go to Dave Lerner's Wyoming Network. In 2006, the AP beat Wyoming Network by only a few minutes. Go to www.wyomingnetwork.com.

In Memoriam: Studs Terkel, storyteller

Not much you can say when one of your favorite authors passes away. So we'll let Studs Terkel have the last word:

"Who are the best historians? Who are the storytellers? Who lived through the Great Depression of the '30s, World War II that changed the whole psyche and map of the world, a Cold War, Joe McCarthy, Vietnam, the '60s, that's so often put down today and I think was an exhilarating and hopeful period, and, of course, the computer and technology. Who are the best ones to tell the story? Those who've borne witness to it. And they're our storytellers."

Obama vs. The Cranky Old Guy

From Al Rodgers on Daily Kos

Dick Cheney descends on Laramie Saturday

The Laramie County Democratic Party received a robocall from the Wyoming Republicans this morning. It sounded like a real voice on the line, but that's the strange thing about robocalls -- they come from robots who sound human. The big news from the RoboRepubs was that V.P. Dick Cheney is coming to Laramie tomorrow (Saturday) for an 8:30 a.m. rally for U.S. House candidate Cynthia Lummis and senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso. Despite the cordial robocall, Democrats are not welcomed. Here's the protocol as outlined in a story from the Laramie Boomerang:

The vice president of the United States will be in Laramie Saturday trying to convince voters to get to the polls and vote Republican. Vice President Dick Cheney will participate in a Republican Rally at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Laramie High School. The event will be an RSVP-list event and those interested in attending need to submit their name to the Wyoming GOP Headquarters at (307) 234-9166.

Wonder how you can hold a non-public rally at a public high school? But that's what happened a few years ago when Cheney visited his old haunts at the Wyoming State Capitol. The doors were closed to the common people. Usually Cheney is holding $10,000 a plate fund-raising dinners that are closed to the public due to the fact that not every Dick and Jane can afford $10,000 for a plate of rubber chicken.

“Because Vice President Cheney is a Republican, we are encouraging everybody to support Republican candidates,” said Tammy Johnson, head of the Albany County Republicans. “It is to rally Republicans and to make people excited about getting out and voting.”

I know that Cheney's appearance will encourage Wyoming Democrats to go out and vote for Democrats. None of us want to see another Cheney-like creature in the president's or vice-president's house. Let's just hope he doesn't return to Wyoming once he's booted from D.C.

On Halloween, scare a Republican and vote

This comes from the Tampa Tribune's Tampa Bay Online (also thanks to the bloggers at Florida Kossacks) and it was just too good to pass up. This Halloween, Republicans seem to be scared of voters who are black, college students, college professors, Socialists, community organizers, union members, bloggers and other assorted nogoodniks. When I was voting yesterday in Cheyenne, I saw a few black and Hispanic voters, yet could not identify any social science professors. I was looking for guys with pointy heads and pointy Marx-like goatees. I did see one teacher, but there may have been others. Teachers of all stripes are dangerous, as they are busily feeding our kids nonsense about democracy and equality.

Here are the scary inner (and outer) thoughts of Republicans:

This is the e-mail forwarded by David Storck, chairman of the Hillsborough County Republican Party:

This e-mail was sent to me from one of our Volunteers in the Temple Terrace office. If you think it can help us win this election please pass it on. This election is now in our hands everyone can make a difference. Thanks, Dave

THE THREAT: HERE IN TEMPLE TERRACE, FL OUR REPUBLICAN HQ IS ONE BLOCK AWAY FROM OUR LIBRARY, WHICH IS AN EARLY VOTING SITE.
I SEE CARLOADS OF BLACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY TO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR OBAMA. THIS IS THEIR CHANCE TO GET A BLACK PRESIDENT AND THEY SEEM TO CARE LITTLE THAT HE IS
AT MINIMUM, SOCIALIST, AND PROBABLY MARXIST IN HIS CORE BELIEFS. AFTER ALL, HE IS BLACK--NO EXPERIENCE OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS--BUT HE IS BLACK.I ALSO SEE YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THEIR PROFESSORS FROM USF PARKING THEIR CARS WITH THE
PROMINENT 'OBAMA' BUMPER STICKERS. THE STUDENTS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC TO BE VOTING IN A HISTORIC ELECTION WHERE THERE MAY BE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT.

THE COLLEGE PROFESSORS, PARTICULARLY IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, FOR THE MOST PART HAVE LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE IN THE WORK-A-DAY WORLD. THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN MOSTLY ACADEMIC UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF LIBERAL COLLEGE PROFESSORS. FOR
THEM, A LITTLE SOCIALISM AND ANTI-AMERICANISM IS A GOOD THING. AFTER ALL, IF TERRORISTS ATTACK US, WE MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO PROVOKE THEM.

YOU AND I UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS THE POTENTIAL OBAMA PRESIDENCY PRESENTS TO OUR WAY OF LIFE. THE SUPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH, INTRODUCING UNION INTIMIDATION IN THE WORKPLACE, INCREASED DANGERS TO OUR NATION BY TERRORISTS, CUTTING OUR
DEFENSE BUDGET BY 25%, TURNING OUR TAX SYSTEM INTO A NATIONAL WELFARE SYSTEM AND ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT COULD DRIVE US INTO A DEPRESSION.

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO STOP OBAMA: VOTE !!!-------(AND GET EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO VOTE)ONLY YOU AND I CAN STOP OBAMA NOW ! !SEVEN DAYS TO GO AND WE MUST
ACT IMMEDIATELY..

A PLAN OF ACTION FOR YOU AND I:VOTE. OBAMA IS ADVERTISING ON TV ASKING ALL HIS SUPPORTERS TO TAKE A DAY OFF WORK OR CLASS TO VOTE. CONTACT PERSONALLY EVERYONE YOU KNOW REMINDING THEM TO VOTE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. PARENTS,
VOTING-AGE CHILDREN, IN-LAWS, CO-WORKERS, CHURCH CONTACTS, SCHOOL CONTACTS, BUSINESS CONTACTS. MAKE A LIST AND CONTACT THEM. SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE
ON YOUR EMAIL LIST THAT WANTS TO DEFEAT OBAMA.

YOUR EMAIL IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IF YOU USE IT WISELY AND PROMPTLY. YOU CAN REACH 10,000,000 PEOPLE IN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS IF AS FEW AS TEN PEOPLE ON YOUR
LIST TAKE PROMPT ACTION AND TEN PEOPLE ON THEIR LIST AND TEN PEOPLE ON THEIR LIST...YOU GET THE IDEA.

LET'S ALL PRAY AND WORK AND WE WILL SURELY CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY ON 11/5/08.

David A. Storck Chairman, Hillsborough County Republican Party

Voted early -- by just a few days

I was 39th in line at the Laramie County office building downtown during my lunch break. Thirty-eight other fine citizens casting their votes in advance. I knew two of them -- a local teacher and a friend of a friend. Both in their thirties. The teacher was set to vote for Barack Obama and Gary Trauner. At least I think she was since she voted in the Democratic caucuses in March and I've talked to her about the election since. The guy in the black cowboy hat was voting Republican. How do I know this? The guys in the black hats are always Repubs, right?

This polling place has been averaging 700 voters per day all week. An election volunteer told me that yesterday's count was 778. That's darn good in this county with 37,500-some registered voters. I was hoping that there were other Obama voters in line with me. Not entirely hopeful, but hope springs eternal in the heart of WyoDems.

My wait was just 30 minutes. A lot shorter time than some people waited in Florida and Colorado today. Tomorrow's another day...to vote. Get out there and do your duty for democracy.

Gary T. and Gov Dave -- together at last!

Dems in West on the brink of historic gains

Democracy Corps reports this (with some good news for Gary Trauner in Wyoming):

Democrats are on the brink of making historic gains in swing Mountain West Congressional districts. Four years ago in these 11 targeted districts (AZ-01, AZ-03, AZ-05, AZ-08, CO-04, ID-01, NV-02, NV-03, NM-01, NM-02, and WY-AL), Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry lost by 15 points and Democratic Congressional candidates lost by an average of 23 points. Now, however, a sea change has occurred as Obama is nearly tied with McCain (trailing by just three points – 45 – 48 percent) and Democrats lead in the aggregate vote (50-45 percent in the named Congressional vote). Even more encouraging is the fact that Democratic candidates lead in districts currently held by a Republican (48 – 47 percent).

While partisanship has hardened as we approach Election Day – a typical trend – Obama and Congressional Democratic candidates have made gains with key swing voters, including independent women, moderates, women over 50, union households, married voters, and parents of kids under 18.

With both the Democratic presidential candidate and Democratic Congressional candidates making such major strides from four years ago, we believe this represents a cultural shift. Voters in these districts are now seriously supporting Democrats for federal offices, including president, many for the very first time. This is an important point, because in recent elections, Democrats had made gains at the state level in this region, notably for governor and state legislature, but there remained a gap between state performance and federal performance. This poll shows that Democrats have closed this gap and are now breaking through at the federal level as well.

"Spit, baby, spit!"

Chris was home early from work today. I went by the store to pick up some gruel for dinner. So I was late getting to the scene of the crime.

"You just missed it," she said, as she and the dog and the cat streamed out the front door to greet me.

"Missed what?" I asked.

"Two guys in a blue pickup just came by and spit on our Obama sign."

"No kidding?" I looked at the sign. Seemed a bit damp, but still standing. I'm fond of this particular Obama sign because it's been in my yard since February, about a month before the historic Wyoming presidential caucuses.

As I brought in the groceries, Chris described how two white guys in their twenties pulled their faded blue pickup in front of our house. The driver leaned out of his window and hocked a big loogie right at the sign. The passenger was getting out of the truck when he saw Chris standing in our big picture window. He went back inside. As they sped off, Chris flashed them a peace sign.

"Could have been worse," I said.

"Maybe they were going to steal it," Chris guessed.

I have heard tales of yard signs for Democrats going missing. Barack Obama, Gary Trauner, Jim Byrd, Lori Millin.

But my sign is a lucky sign. It's going to bring victory to Obama in Laramie County. Spit or no spit.

View Lori Millin's VidAds -- and donate

Democrat Lori Millin is running for re-election in Wyoming's House District 8 (my district). She did a great job during her first two years in the Wyoming House. Let's send her back.

Her campaign filmed two ads and posted them on YouTube:

Click here to watch the "Constituent" ad
Click here to watch the "Family" ad

As she notes on her web site: "If you like the ads and want to help put them on the air, please make a donation. They cost $9 each time we run them. Let me know if you like them or which one you like best."