Obama Rally Thoughts?

So for those of you that made the trip to Clifton to see Senator Barack Obama last night, what did you think? I was impressed. He seemed a little tired, but he was right on message and the crowd I believe felt the history they were witnessing. I know I did.

It was also a very positive crowd. The best repeated line Obama used was "Don't boo, just vote!" He used that when boos arouse when ever John McCain's name was mentioned. That exemplifies the quality I like most about him, his honor. He does a great job at being a true uniter. He is about being President to everyone, not just the Blue States or the Democrats. That at the core is the most important thing a President must do. That is leadership.

I am please to be voting for a man that I not only agree with on a vast majority of political issues, but whom I respect.

Also, more from James making his final lit drop:

Update #1 From the Campaign Trail

A really good friend of mine, James Czar, is out working for the Obama Campaign's GOTV effort on the Eastside of the City. He'll be out today and tomorrow and will send me some updates as he can. Here's his first. His thought on this photo is the the GOP must be nervous.

One Day More Robo-Call

Again courtesy of Jason Silverstein at McSweeney's:

"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has not accepted Joe the Plumber's friend request on Facebook. We know he's logged on, because we saw he changed his status on Monday. On Tuesday, he joined the group Art Historians Are Saucy. But he still won't accept Joe the Plumber's friend request. He knows it's Joe. Joe uses the screen shot of the two of them together as his profile picture. That's not a uniter. That's the same old liberal-elite politics as usual."

GO VOTE!

I Hear America Singing

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

Whitman

Bite Me Ball at CAC Best Costume Winner

The suit is entirely covered by Obama stickers. Great fun at a great event!

Gangs in the Burbs?

Check out this report from WLWT. I am actually not sure what I think about it, so view it for yourself.

Election Predictions Thread

Well, we've certainly talked this election to death. Time to to put up or shut up: what are your predictions for Tuesday? Here are mine (please remember, these are predictions, not endorsements):

National:

• Obama wins, garnering more than 50% of the popular vote and a total of 282 electoral votes. He wins Virginia, New Mexico, Nevada, Iowa, and the Kerry states. McCain takes the remainder of the "battleground" states, including Ohio and Florida.
• The Democrats pick up 5 Senate seats and 15-20 House seats.
• Steve Driehaus beats Steve Chabot.
• Jean Schmidt beats Wulsin and that other guy.

Ohio:

• Cordray wins the AG race.
• Issue 5 (essentially eliminating payday lending) fails.
• Issue 6 (permitting a casino) fails.
• Justices Stratton and O'Connor hold on to their seats on the Supreme Court, probably by 10 or more points each.

Hamilton County:

• Greg Hartmann is elected county commissioner. Todd Portune also wins, although in a very close contest (probably no more than a 4-point victory).
• Bob Goering is re-elected treasurer and Rebecca Groppe is re-elected recorder.
• Martha Good is elected Clerk of Courts.
• Pat Dewine is elected judge. Judge Nelson is re-elected. The race between Judge Luebbers and Judge Mock is too close to call (that race alone may force the counting of provisional ballots).

City of Cincinnati:

• Issue 7 (banning red-light cameras) passes.
• Issue 8 (re-instituting Council elections through proportional representation elections) fails, thanks to late radio spots and direct mail efforts.

What do y'all think?

Make Your Vote Count

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly in the polling places on Election Day. But if you run into trouble, here's some advice: do everything you can (firmly and politely) to make sure you're permitted to cast a regular ballot. Provisional ballots are second-class ballots, and may never get counted.

Provisional ballots are not counted on Election Day. Instead, they're counted afterwards, and are subject to debate and challenge by the members of the Board of Elections. Moreover, they'll only be counted if the number of provisional ballots exceeds the margin of victory for any given race.

So if you find yourself being offered a provisional ballot for some reason, try to talk the precinct judges into giving you a regular ballot. If you're not successful, then before you cast a ballot, go outside and find someone from a Voter Protection group. Seek out someone from a campaign you're partial to (both the McCain and Obama campaigns will have multiple observers and GOTV personnel in place at most polling places). If all else fails, call the Board of Elections for clarification.

Finally, be prepared for a lengthy wait on Tuesday. But remember, so long as you're in line before 7:30 pm, you will be permitted to vote a regular ballot, no matter how long it takes to get through the line. (If a court orders precincts held open longer and you get in line after 7:30, you will cast a provisional ballot that is kept separate from other ballots (even other provisional ballots), so they can be thrown out if the court's decision is subsequently overturned.) So even if you can't get there until after work and the lines are long, don't fear: your vote will count, so long as you're in line at the right precinct by 7:30.

Obama Rally Details

Here is the link to the offical announcement from the Obama campaign and includes a couple of details that will make things easier for people going:

Change We Need Rally
with Barack Obama

Nippert Stadium
University of Cincinnati
2700 Bearcats Way
Cincinnati, OH 45221

Sunday, November 2nd
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Program Begins: 9:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required but an RSVP is encouraged. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For security reasons do not bring bags or umbrellas. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners allowed.

Public parking is extremely limited. Car-pooling is strongly encouraged. Normal rates will apply at University of Cincinnati parking facilities. For more information click here.

I would advise everyone to pay attention to the no bags, umbrellas, signs or banners rule. It will make it much easier for you and everyone else to get in.

OH-1 Debate

For those who haven't heard, Sunday's Newsmakers program on Channel 12 (11:00 AM) will feature a debate between Steve Driehaus (D) and Steve Chabot (R). Since I just received a mass email from the Driehaus campaign promoting the show, they must think their candidate did pretty well.

And (as Jack reminds us via his robo-call), don't forget to turn your clocks back, or when you turn your TV on to watch Dan Hurley, you'll end up with Dan Marino....

Your Saturday Night Set The Clocks Back Robo-Call

Courtesy of Jason Silverstein at McSweeney's:

"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama doesn't use his turn signal when he merges onto a freeway. I mean, seriously, who the hell does this guy think he is? He just goes. It's not even like he attempts to fit in. And I'm not talking lone-wolf maverick style, either. I mean, this is the kind of driving that gets people killed. Much like the bombs of Bill Ayers that could have killed countless Americans. That's not change, my friends. That's the same old Washington politics as usual."

Saturday comes and goes and John and Sarah still haven't closed the gap. Need lots of prayer work tomorrow to stop the socialist onslaught of That One. Of course, James Dobson is otherwise occupied in San Diego praying for the smiting of The Gay.

One Thousand New Lawyers

Actually, 1,016, to be exact. Yesterday, the Ohio Supreme Court announced the names of individuals who passed the July 2008 bar exam. Congratulations to them all. Swearing-in ceremonies are scheduled for November 17 in Columbus.

Of local note, 65 of the newly-minted attorneys boast the UC College of Law as their alma mater. We should extend particular good wishes to local bloggers Christopher St. Pierre, formerly (?) of Cogitation, and Brad Thomas of the UrbanCincy Blog.

Over the next several months, there will no doubt be much hand-wringing, consternation, and several administrative and faculty meetings at UC. Its overall bar passage rate was 81% (82% for first-time test-takers), which placed it last among all Ohio law schools. This is a significant decline from five years ago: its graduates' passage rate on the July 2003 exam was 86% (87% for first-time test-takers), which placed it second among Ohio's nine law schools.

Over the last five years, the College of Law has restructured part of the first-year student curriculum, as well as the way it teaches commercial law (one of the topics covered by the bar exam). Also, UC has dramatically increased clinical opportunities for its students. While clinics offer students an exciting way to learn the law (often through the actual representation of clients under the supervision of a licensed attorney), one wonders if the higher percentage of students involved in clinics means that students are taking fewer bar courses in their second and third years of law school. No doubt, these will all be topics of conversation at the corner of Calhoun and Clifton for quite some time. A school's bar passage rate is one factor many prospective students consider in choosing a law school, as well as part of the criteria used by U.S. News & World Report, which compiles what many believe is the definitive ranking of law schools.

Congratulations again to all those who passed, and welcome to the practice of law!

Post updated to extend kudos to an additional local blogger. If there are other local bloggers in the "now we're lawyers" club, please let us know in the comments.

Extraordinary Americans In Cincinnati Last Night

Last night, while many were tricking-and-treating, I was privileged to be among a group of individuals who were present for the 2008 William J. Butler Human Rights Award Ceremony.  The Butler Medals, as the awards are known, are awarded through the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the UC College of Law.  My status as a former Urban Morgan fellow (Class of 2003) was enough to get me on the guest list.

This year's honorees were Lt. Col. Yvonne R. Bradley (USAF); Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights; and Thomas B. Wilner, managing partner of the International Trade and Global Relations Practice of Sherman & Sterling.

No doubt you're wondering:  what could three such seemingly disparate attorneys have in common?  The answer:  all three represented Guantanamo Bay detainees.  Lt. Col. Bradley was appointed counsel for Binyam Mohamed, who has consistenly claimed that he was the subject of torture and rendition.  Mr. Ratner has spearheaded CCR's efforts to restore the right of habeas corpus and has organized an army (700 strong) of private attorneys across the country to assist in the representation of Guantanamo detainees.  Mr. Wilner entered the fray in 2002, and was ultimately counsel of record in Rasul v. Bush and Boumediene v. Bush, the landmark cases in which the Supreme Court pushed back on the chief executive's efforts to eradicate "the great writ."

It was an honor not just to be present for the awards ceremony, but also to be among the guests there, many of whom are among the most august members of Cincinnati's legal community.  (I'll not be specific, as it feels a little too much like name-dropping.)  But being at last night's gathering made me proud to be an alumnus of UC Law and the Urban Morgan Institute and prouder still to be an attorney.  Hearing the awardees and the presenters speak reminded me of why I entered the legal profession and push me to be a better, more passionate lawyer and advocate.  

Earlier in the day, the three honorees participated in a panel discussion at the College of Law.  You can view it (well worth the time) on the web here.

Finally, a shout-out to the venue:  the Verdin Bell and Clock Museum on Reading Road.  I'd noticed the building before but didn't know what was there; it's  truly a gorgeous facility.

Dishonest?

Did the Pro-PR camp use Obama's image and implied endorsement dishonestly? I got one of the mailers and I thought the same thing.

Clancy Runs A Distasteful Campaign

I'd had no intention of expressing preferences in any of the local races (particularly any involving the courthouse), but I was infuriated by an ad Patricia Clancy ran earlier tonight.  Perhaps it's been running for some time, but I hadn't seen it before.  Clancy, a Republican, is running against Democratic candidate Martha Good for HamCo Clerk of Courts.

In the ad, Clancy suggests that Martha Good isn't qualified to be the Clerk of Courts.  (Good is, by the way, the only Democratic candidate endorsed by the Enquirer this year.)  Clancy's "evidence":  Good supposedly received negative evaluations from her students at Miami University.  The ad goes on to show college-aged actors saying mean things about Ms. Good.  (The ad is produced in such a way that one might get the impression that the actors are actual students giving testimonials.  They're not.)

How, I wondered, did the Clancy campaign get hold of the evaluations students submit to Miami at the end of the semester?  Those aren't generally made public (at least, not at most schools).  Then the fine print came:  the "evaluations" were culled from a website, "RateMyProfessors," where anonymous students can rate their profs.

The website has no safeguards to ensure that students have actually taken the class of the professor they choose to rate.  Frankly, you or I could create an account and "rate" any professor we wanted to.  And we all know that this kind of website tends to draw angry people; people with something good to say won't generally take the time to search out a website to say it.  And here's a measure of the seriousness of the website:  one of the ratings categories is "hotness."

This is a silly, specious attack ad.  County row office races are often difficult for people to follow intelligently, particularly in a presidential election year.  This is a time that these candidates should be telling us why they're best-suited for the office for which they're running.  Instead, Clancy has chosen to cull together quotes from anonymous (alleged) students at Miami U.  Ridiculous.

Sometimes people have a hard time finding a reason (besides party affiliation) to vote for someone in the races for the more obscure local offices.  But I think this negative, misleading ad will give plenty of folks grounds to vote against Patricia Clancy.  

If you're looking for a reason to vote for Martha, check out the Enquirer's endorsement.  By itself, Dr. Good's pledge to end the tradition of using the Clerk's office as a sanctuary for political patronage is enough to warrant filling in the box next to her name on Tuesday.  Add to it her background and experience with the court system (and her opponent's dearth of legal expertise or experience), and the choice should be clear.

Your Halloween Robo-Call

Courtesy of Jason Silverstein at McSweeney's

"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama talks during movies. During a recent screening of The Dark Knight, Barack Obama irritated several pro-America patrons when he echoed the famous 'Why so serious?' line to his wife, Michelle, who hasn't always been proud of being an American, much like the Joker. He'll raise his voice over Heath Ledger's. And he'll raise your taxes. That's why I'm so serious, my friends, about your vote on November 4."

Obama Update

To update Griff's post:

The Enquirer is reporting that Senator Obama will address a rally to be held at Nippert Stadium on the campus of UC at 9:00 pm. According to an email that UC has sent to students, gates will open at 6:00.

I'll be waiting to see if our local stations broadcast the address live, as they did in 2004 when Bush made a campaign stop here just before the election.

Ain't that America, we're somethin' to see, baby

Ain't that America, the home of the free

What kind of person puts a sign like this up in front of their business (Salem Hardware in Mt. Washington)? Or hangs Senator Obama in effigy on the University of Kentucky campus? Or hangs Governor Palin in effigy in West Hollywood?

Let's just have an election before any more of our ugliness is unleashed. It's quite sad.

But apparently we are still fighting over where Senator Obama was born out in Warren County, so on we go . . . . . . And what clever nefarious people Senator Obama's grandparents must have been to put that birth announcement in the Honolulu newspaper after his birth in 1961 --- you see, they knew, as all clever radical sleepers must, that this newborn would one day run for President against someone born in Panama (Didn't the Senate feel it necessary to pass a sense of the Senate resolution declaring John McCain a "real American" even though he was born in Panama?). But damn, these folks are sneaky. (All those of you who are mouthing the idiocy of Corsi, Berg, and Savage on this point please explain the birth announcement for me.)

Does everyone have their tinfoil hat on today? It is Halloween, after all.

Just Four More Days ---- KNOW HOPE AND VANQUISH NUTTINESS

Be Safe Among The Ghouls And Goblins In Our Midst Tonight!

Obama in Cincinnati on Sunday?

The word I have gotten is that Obama will be doing a large event in Cincinnati on Sunday Night. Anyone have more information on that? Send me an email with the details and I'll post it.

UPDATE: I guess I need to check all of email, I have an email from the Obama media folks and they have this on the schedule for November 2nd:

CHANGE WE NEED RALLY WITH BARACK OBAMA
Cincinnati area, OH
Details TBA

As I get more, I'll let you know.

Down-Ticket Races

Most of the media's attention has been focused on the presidential election. I suspect most people have made their decision in that race by now. But maybe people haven't paid attention to state- and county-wide races yet. To the extent that's the case, I wanted to create a post that pulls together info on the candidates in those races. Be clear: I'm not endorsing anyone; I'm just providing links to the websites and a description of a candidate's current post or position, where I can find it easily. Apologies for the length of the post.

Ohio Attorney General:
Repubican Mike Crites (currently in private practice) is challenging incumbent Democrat Richard Cordray. Cordray Nancy Rogers was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Marc Dann, but is not running to hold it.

County Commissioner (2):
Republican Ed Rothenberg (running without his party's endorsement) is challenging incumbent Democrat Todd Portune.
Independent Chris Dole (a registered Democrat running without that party's endorsement, currently a Crosby Township trustee) and Republican Greg Hartmann (currently Clerk of Courts) are running for an open seat (left open by incumbent Pat DeWine).

Clerk of Courts:
Democrat Martha Good (currently a professor at Miami) and Republican Patricia Clancy (currently a county probation officer) are running for this seat (left open by incumbent Greg Hartmann).

County Recorder:
Democrat Wayne Coates (currently bailiff to Judge Ted Berry) is challenging incumbent Republican Rebecca Groppe.

County Treasurer:
Democrat Steve Brinker (an attorney in private practice) is challenging incumbent Republican Robert Goering, for whom I can't locate a campaign website).

Common Pleas Court Judge (Three Contested Seats):
Democratic-endorsed Norma Holt Davis (currently in private practice) and Republican-endorsed Pat DeWine (currently a county comissioner) are running for a six-year term in a seat that is being vacated by Judge David Davis, who is retiring at the end of the current term.

Democratic-endorsed Jerry Metz (in private practice) is challenging Republican-endorsed incumbent Judge Fred Nelson, for whom I can't locate a campaign website, for a fresh six-year term.

Democratic-endorsed incumbent Judge Jody Luebbers is being challenged by Republican-endorsed Municipal Court Judge Russell Mock for an unexpired term that ends January 1, 2011. This is a mid-term election for a seat initially held by Judge Dinkelacher, who retired from Common Pleas Court after being elected to the Court of Appeals. Alex Triantafilou was appointed to the seat by then-Governor Taft in 2006, but resigned to become HamCo GOP chair before being required to defend the seat in an election.

Update: Post revised slightly to correct a really silly error I made with respect to the AG race.

Early Voting

Today, I went to the Board of Elections and cast an absentee ballot. From start (getting in line near Eighth and Broadway) to finish (getting my "I Made A Difference" sticker), it took about an hour. (I went around 2:00.)

I like voting on Election Day at my precinct, and voted early only because I'm slated to be a poll observer and won't be able to get to my own polling place. I'm a little sad that I won't be able to walk into my polling place on Tuesday.

But one benefit of voting early was getting to chat with some of the candidates, who were working the line (beyond the 100-foot demarcation inside of which political activity is disallowed). The candidates I noticed: Commissioner Pat DeWine (running for Common Pleas Court); Wayne Coates (for County Recorder); and Jerry Metz (for Common Pleas Court). Lots of other candidates had surrogates passing out flyers. Oddly, none of the candidates for Ohio's Second District were present or had any campaign workers in the area. Perhaps they've decided that the campaign will be won or lost in Clermont County, and are ignoring the part of the district within Hamilton County.

The folks at the Board of Elections seemed well-organized and were extremely courteous and helpful.