Only In New Hampshire

File this story under "You Can't Make This Stuff Up!"

It's too good to just post the link, so here's the full text from the Union Leader:

DOVER, N.H. (AP) -- There's been some sort of confrontation between two notorious New Hampshire inmates in Dover.

Officials say Gary Dodds and Leeland Eisenberg were involved in a jailhouse altercation on Friday.

Dodds is the former congressional candidate convicted of faking his own disappearance and Eisenberg is the man who held volunteers hostage in Hillary Clinton's Rochester campaign office.

Eisenberg says Dodds hit him in the face, but investigators say it's too early to say exactly what happened.

Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi says there's a preliminary report of an act that could be charged under state law as an assault. A sheriff's department investigator plans to interview both men on Monday.

Eisenberg told WMUR-TV in a phone interview that it started as a "silly conversation" about who appoints certain county officials.

"He was asking me questions about the structure of the county government. ... I gave him the answers," Eisenberg said. "He didn't like the answers, he started taunting me and teasing me."

Is this how I will keep myself busy until 2012 candidates start coming, in 2010?  Pathetic!

Update: Foster's has a nice twist on the story, even better than the UL!  

Change Agent

Were you wondering, like I was, how the transition to a new, Presidential brand was going to be managed, or how the old candidate-Obama brand would be replaced.  Wonder no more.  Introducing www.change.gov.  

Brilliant.  There's even a jobs section.  Nice touch, since as of Friday there are hundreds of unemployed community organizers who are chomping at the bit to work in the Obama Administration. 

The Day After

Let the post-mortem begin!  A few weeks ago, Colleen had the brilliant idea to watch the documentary The War Room, about the 1992 Bill Clinton victory.  All throughout, we wondered aloud what was really being said and one behind the scenes in the current campaigns, and were eager to get past the election to learn the real story.  

Voila: Newsweek comes through again.  And we can't wait.  If these early snippets are any testement, this should be juicy.  This is the stuff I love!!  I am so very eager to read more about how rogue Palin really went, who bought what to wear when, and of course, and all that truly useless political gossip.  

Other Monday morning quarter-backing: HuffPo has a final word on the brilliance of Obama's 

branding, which you know I love.  I'm wondering if, in the effort to begin appearing Presidential, we will see all these logos disappear...like Houdini 

magic.  ;-)

And, in a final, full-circle kind of way, my old pal from the days of the NH Primary, Susie, sent me a link to this photo.  It's from an Edwards Town Hall event in Dover in the summer of 2007.  We got there early, and I was letting the twins run around as the advance staff set up shop, until they became absolutely out of control and had to be reigned in.  This campaign has lasted almost 2/3rds of my kids' lives!  

Now what?  Well, it shouldn't be long until local small town Republican community groups start holding their own meetings in the living rooms of Concord, testing the waters for 2012.  

For once, I'm in no hurry for that.

Good Morning, America!

Well, what a difference a day makes!

Greetings from Blue Hampshire!  Is there anything I can say, without getting choked up?  Quite a night last night!

My party was small but spirited.  We never managed to get cable worked out, so we stuck with the NH ABC affiliate mostly, so we could check in on all the state & local races, and supplemented with three laptops.  New Hampshire is now very solidly blue, and we are very psyched for Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter and Senator-Elect Jeanne Shaheen!

In my household, much of the talk of the night was fashion-related.  The shiny blue suit seemed to be all the rage for women:  Carol Shea-Porter, Jennifer Horn (R, who lost NH CD2), and Sarah Palin!  Is shiny the new wool??  

Now, onto the Obama women.  What the HELL was Michelle thinking??  She's so striking and attractive, but that dress was hideous.  It did not flatter her one bit.  Lucky for her, my eyes were on Sasha & Malia.  I LOVE that they always coordinate colors with each other & their mom.  Sasha's dress was adorable.  She's such a spit-fire.  I can't wait to see pictures of her and her new White House puppy.

And, someone please send me a link with a close up picture of their matching necklaces!!  Are they new?  They look to be in the shape of an O.  Is it the Obama Symbol??  When did they get them??

So this morning, I can't look at any pictures of any non-Caucasian person or child without crying.  I loved the shots of Huffington Post of the celebration in Kenya, or the kids from Obama's former schools in Indonesia and Hawaii.

This is truly a global victory.  

Anyone up for a roadtrip to the Inauguration??

Evening Election Edition: 6:00pm

Just after that last post, things got a little hectic.  2pm was database-switch time.  Canvassers were called back, and new voter lists were distributed that would show only those who hadn't voted yet.  They were probably accurate as of noon or 1pm, so to me it didn't seem worth the chaos it caused as we had to swap out lists but keep maps and other info in the canvasser packs.  Just as I was packing up to leave at 3pm, I heard someone lament..."Good, that went ok.  And, we will do it all again at 5pm."  

I got home in time to start some decorating and cleaning.  Sure enough at 4pm a canvasser walked by.  He gave me the thumbs up and I tried to save him the walk to the end of the street by telling him the neighbor's already voted.  At 6pm the phone rang, and I laughed as I reported, "yes, we voted already!"  I've always said that Obama has the superior ground game, but now it's a little bit of overkill. We're all ready for the craziness to stop, and the polls to close.  

Two more hours.  Let's REALLY get this party started!  (How do you like our dessert??)

OK, so an update from Colleen at the office around 5:30pm:  database refresh at 5pm was cancelled and all hands on deck for GOTV phone calls to Dover, Rollinsford, and surrounding area, due to lower than expected voter turn out so far.  

Midday Update: Election Day 2008

Midday update from Durham/UNH NHDP HQ:

We've got so many vols here that parking is getting to be an issue.  The office is in a small plaza with a grocery store, Rite Aid, two banks and a few other small businesses.  Since we are adjacent to the university, the businesses usually get an "after work rush,' starting around 3:30pm.  Too many vols isn't much to complain about at all, so a bunch of us who work at UNH moved our cars onto campus lots to keep the community happy.

My job so far has been to give out canvasser packets as vols come in, and pass the people down the line to get instructions and materials to hit the road.  The message is just this: VOTE.  They are only hitting known supporters and keeping it short & sweet.  A few neighbors close to campus have been complaining about too much attention, so now I'm sending vols further afield. 

In a slow moment earlier, I did data entry as well.  The fancy system of entering voter IDs by cell phone seemed to be overwhelmed by 11am, so we had to enter the ID of folks who've

 already voted directly by hand.  Not difficult at all, and I nice diversion.

As I said, the place is crowded, and while there is enthusiasm and good energy, it's calm.

  Confident.  Even the two women in charge aren't frazzled or exhausted-looking.  The food here is great.  I bought some of my less-attractive Obama cupcakes (photo to come), and there is a huge table of donated goodies, lots of healthy choices, and around noon a yummy shipment of pasta alfredo arrived, in individual containers.  Rumor has it that it was supplied by the campaign.  Thanks, donors!

At 2pm our gears will shift here, and new canvass packets will be printed off & readied for going out. Those who have voted already will be purged, just to keep on the GOTV theme.  

Live, from HQ, it's Tuesday Morning!

Welcome to Election Day, 2008!  

I'm blogging from the Durham/UNH HQ of the NHDP!  I've been assigned a perfect job for an introvert: giving maps & packets out to canvassers.  So far, everyone is pumped.  Canvassing packets are organized by town & ward, so that the GOTV Door Hangers have each voters polling place.  Talk about glossy packets--full color door hangers, fliers, sample ballots, etc.  I'm in chum heaven.

First thing this morning, I checked online for the report from Dixville Notch, NH.  Traditionally, they open their polls at midnight & close them once all registered boters have voted (not long after, usually).  And, for the first time since 1968, a Democrat won!  

I voted with the kids at 8am.  There was about a 20 minute wait, but everything went smoothly.  As expected, I teared up as I filled in the ovals on the paper ballot.  The kids helped me feed it into the ballot box, and off we went.  So, now I'm dedicating the rest of the day to making sure other people vote too.

My old pal JJ (from Team Edwards days) stopped in.  I've been surprised at the age range of volunteers: from age 16 to 60+.  Because this is Durham, the crowd is mostly white.  There have been a few out-of-staters helping out, but not as many as I expected.  Moods are jovial, food is abundant, and all is well in ObamaLand.  

More later!

Chum & Lit III

Just a quick note to say I stocked up on Obama stickers, window clings, and tattoos today for my party.  Got the kids each a GOTV Water Bottle too, 4000 of which were delivered to UNH for GOTV promotion.  I even got a bright orange worker-shirt for Election Day.  They were happy to have me load up; seems that distributing all the booty is actually more work than they need right now.  I was happy to relieve them of the burden.

UNH Students for Obama haven't slept for a while and they are pumped.  And a little frazzled.  There will be a lot of sick kids on Wednesday.  They really need some healthy snacks and a nap.  But they are focused and ready for battle.  I did my best to make sure they follow the UNH solicitation rules over the next 24 hours, and went quietly back to my office.

Is anybody getting anything done today??

One More Day!

Is anybody still out there, reading this?  

One day to go, folks, ONE DAY!  It's been two long years here in New Hampshire, and now it is down to the final hours.  

With the time change, everyone in my house was up early today (Monday). First, I awoke to good news from my brother, who reported via email that he helped my mom fill in her absentee ballot over the weekend.  Despite her memory loss, she hasn't forgotten that she is a Democrat and voted accordingly, without coaching.  Over the years I could never get her to tell me who she voted for directly, but she had her way of making it clear that she has been a Democrat all her life, and having grown up in the Depression, she worships FDR.  And, she despises W.  So, she did her part to keep Massachusetts Blue.

Next task was to work on more party plans.  The USA Blue Jell-O mould is now solidified.  The Obama Cupcakes needed to be frosted, so I did stage one (white background) at 7am.  Blue circle and red stripes tonight.   The kids now like the Obama symbol so much they play I-Spy when we drive around, and can & have drawn it all over the place (appropiate places so far).  I let them stick some campaign stickers in the attic/crawl space.  Annie said "I like the one with Obama AND McCain on it."  Huh? Turns out she got her older white men mixed up: it was an Obama/Biden sticker.  Griffin took two of these & stuck them together, creating "Barack O'Dollars."  

So, I'm taking tomorrow off to help out at the Durham/UNH GOTV Office's Mission Control.  NH doesn't have "early voting," so I'm trying to decide when to vote.  I must bring the kids, so either first thing or after 3pm.  I've never experienced lines in Dover before, but I'm a bit concerned I may this time.  Lines with two 5-year olds...not a good combo.  But I like to build up some anticipation (like two years isn't enough??) and vote later in the day.  So, we'll see.  I may drive by at 8am and see how crowded it looks. 

So, enjoy the last day of campaigning.  I will complete my frosting mission tonight, and I hope to do a few blog entries during the day tomorrow.  Everyone I know who has been reading along here will probably be equally engaged and unable to check in here.  That's OK by me.  I'd rather you all work on GOTV (or GOTfV) than pay attention to little old me!

NOW, it's on to the election finally, to see if Obama lives up to my early prediction of a landslide.

Surrogate Revealed!

Some good old Facebook Stalking has yeilded this information (from the profile of some UNH College Dem student):

"Hillary Today, Howard Dean Thursday, John Kerry Saturday and BILL CLINTON on Sunday!!!"

Stay Tuned!

The Last Hurrah

It's the final stretch now; a week from today we'll have a new president! Wow...This election cycle has lasted nearly two years for us in New Hampshire, and it's almost over. I usually can't get enough of it, but I think I'm ready. Ready For Change.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean will be on the UNH Campus on

Thursday (tomorrow), 10/30/2008.

No word yet on Sen. John Kerry, stay tuned.

So, a few days ago a friend from New Mexico sent me a belated birthday gift. It's an electoral puzzle, with red and blue pieces for each state. You can put your own electoral map together. The night it arrived, I had a dream--too vivid for my own comfort--that it was election night. We were assembling the puzzle at my Election Night Party, as the TV news was calling states. New Hampshire was red! I couldn't believe it, and started having a serious in-dream panic attack that McCain could actually be president. I woke up at that moment, in a bit of a crazed state, but greatly relieved it was just a dream.

Then last night my son found the puzzle and wanted to assemble it. He put it together with some help, all blue, saying "There, that should make Barack Obama happy!" Yes, that would make a lot of people happy.

Oh, and those tattoos: a huge hit. My kids started passing them out at their after-school program. I had to quickly interject that everyone must ask their parents' permission before affixing!

The DNC's Idea of a Spending Spree!

Yesterday, I stopped by the Durham NHDP Coordinated Campaign Office to pick up more stickers and posters for my election party.  Lo & Behold, a new GOTV packet arrived that day!!  More large full-color posters, stickers, and window clings!  Window clings!?!  The stickers were amazing in that they came in an 11x17" sheet with assorted sizes and shapes, with a plasticy all-weather coating to boot!  And, all with the funky tri-color graphic of Obama, and the GOTV message: Vote, Nov. 4th. (So, don't try any dirty tricks and advertise the wrong day!!) Unfortunately, my daughter mistook the stickers for the window cling, and promptly stuck a sticker on the new front door.

The posters were intended to be preserved for the party, but each kid decided to hang one above their bed, even covering some of the new glow-in-the-dark stars we hot-glued on last month.  That is how much they liked these posters.

So here I am today, stopping by the MUB table for the College Dems, thinking I'd seen it all.  When what should appear?  TATTOOS.  Yes, 2" circular temporary tattoos that say, in that Gotham font I adore, "Yes We Can."  I am SO giving these out for trick-or-treating!  

This campaign is over the top in so many ways.  Maybe it's a waste of money, but you can be certain that the Obama will not be looking at leftover millions on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (like John Kerry, 2004).  

And speaking of... while I was at that table, I learned that not only is Hillary in Dover NH today, but DNC Chairman Howard Dean is coming to the UNH MUB soon, Senator John Kerry this weekend, and an as-yet-unnamed/big name surrogate after that.  

Deja Vu, All Over Again

Since I love the Obama graphic ID so much, I am using a different variation of the logo every day, for my Facebook Profile picture.  So, for those of you I haven't had the pleasure of friending, a different logo here too.  This one is for Students for Obama.

During my morning news/blog check routine, a noticed a theme coming from Team McCain that seemed oddly familiar: Beware of One Party Rule!  It was all over the news, and I kept thinking, "where have I heard this before?"  Ah, then it hit me as my morning surfing hit Boston.com: 2006, in the race for Governor of Massachusetts, which was won handily by Deval Patrick.  In the dying days of that campaign, when what's-her-name GOP candidate was tanking, she made a very desperate plea to Mass Voters:  Beware One Party Rule!  She seemed pathetic then, and McCain seems pathetic now.  Patrick took a cool, above the fray attitude, and just ignored her.  It didn't work for her, and it isn't working for McCain.  But nice try.  And another point for lack of creativity for the McCain-Palin ticket.

Also during my morning routine, I got an email from a student, who was cancelling an appointment with me for Tuesday 10/28 because she'd going to be working at an NHDP event, featuring Hillary.  So, further down the email list I found my own "personal" invitation from Team Shaheen:

A Rally for a New Direction with Hillary Clinton & Jeanne Shaheen 

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Doors open at 12:00 PM McConnell Center Gym 61 Locust St, Dover, NH To RSVP: Click here or contact 603-617-2140

I am expecting a lot of student cancellations over the next nine days.  I should make sure I keep Nov. 6th wide open for all that rescheduling (save Nov. 5th for sleeping).  

OK, so now back to slogging through my emails...

Lunchtime update: I can't believe I forgot this...

Last week, Colleen & I spent one lunch hour watching The War Room, starring James Carville & George Stephanopoulos.  We'd always wanted to see it, as we cut our primary & junkie teeth on Clinton vs. Bush, 1992. The parallels to the current race were beyond amazing, but the hair & clothes stole the show for me.  And George was so darn cute!  I highly recommend a watch before Nov. 4th, if you can squeeze it in.

It's STILL the economy, Stupid!

The Lit & Chum Report, Two Weeks Left

If you've been reading FRS for a while, then you know I have an odd fascination (OK, obsession) with campaign signs and chum.  I collect it, and am a sucker for it.  The more unique, the better.  My office holds most of my collection, but a few items are immortalized in the walls of my home.  Gore, Kerry, Edwards, Clinton, and Obama stickers are saved for posterity under the drywall of my quaint little home.

And, you may also recall that I am registered as Undeclared in New Hampshire.  Most people hate the campaign junk mail, but I like it and remain undeclared just so I can get it.  I like to see how the different teams use their resources, how they try to woo the much fought-over independent vote of the Granite State.  So, here's the update on my chum collection and the state of my mailbox.

Chum:  The Obama campaign is a Chum Collector's Dream.  OMG!  Just walking into the new Durham Coordinated Campaign office makes me salivate.  I'm ready to knock down a wall just to add more hidden stuff inside!  Stickers, mostly of non-standard sizes and shaped, in every color, are everywhere.  Wicked cool, full-size posters with coordinated GOTV messages are there, ready to don the walls of your dorm room or apartment (or play room as the case may be).  What all this says to me, is that the campaign has lots of money, and is not afraid to spend it.  (Did the dems finally learn that it's not good to have money left over at the end of a presidential

 campaign?) I especially love the non-

standard shapes/sizes; they are just that much more expensive to produce, making them that much cooler.  And what I really love about the collection is the graphic theme running through it all.  The Obama branding is pure gold; a marketeers dream, executed with brilliance.  

Lit:  This is a bit scarier.  I am getting many full-color scare-o-grams, telling me that Rep. Carol Shea-Porter will insure illegal aliens and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen is personally responsible for NH's high school drop out rate.  The photos are digitized or colorized to make them creepy.  The fear factor is disgusting.  There's no positive Sununu or Bradley message, probably because neither candidate has one.  Curiously, I haven't gotten any snail mail for McCain/Palin.  I am not complaining, I just find it curious.  Actually, I'm not getting any Obama/Biden mail either, but print stuff does keep appearing thanks to those ubiquitous Saturday canvassers (and, yes, there was a line outside the Dover NHDP office last week, with volunteer waiting to sign in!)

For the rest of the campaign--only two weeks left!!--I am gathering as much chum & lit as I can, to be turned into decorations for my party (assuming it's rated "G," and some of it is certainly not!).  Who needs the party store when I have so much good stuff to choose from!

Let's Get The Party Started, II

With this Politico article recently, my thoughts are turning to Election Day plans and my Quadrennial Election Night Party!  I've held one every presidential election since 1992, which featured Hillary's Chocolate Chip cookie recipe and an oh-so-modern connection to the internet via Prodigy! One can only hope that this year, the party doesn't go as late into the night as it did in 2000.

So, now, what to serve? My pal and fellow junkie, Colleen is attempting the Baked Alaska (I am calling it Baked Alaskan, myself).  I will repeat my USA Jello mould, and instead of doing red/white/blue layers, this time I've got all Wild Berry Blue. 

I have my electoral map ready, and am working on quiz questions and prizes.  The kids have picked out their patriotic outfits and can't wait to don the crowns I found. I also went to the party supply and grocery stores this weekend to stock up on supplies.  Believe it or not, I could not find "marble" cake!  Has it gone out of fashion?  I'm going to have to mix chocolate and white cake mixes myself for the biracial effect.  But I did get Oreos!!  What else?  Another colleague & I brainstormed on a napkin at lunch last week (results below), but we'd love to hear your contributions, even if you can't attend. 

• Hawaiian Punch (spiked of course)
  
• Alaskan Crab Dip
  
• Uno's Chicago Pizza, Hawaiian toppings
  
• Budweiser (Cindy's family owns distributor)
  
• Navy Bean Dip
  
• Arizona Ice Tea
  
• Kenyan or Indonesian Food 

It's looking more like a luau with a patriotic twist (or vise versa).  

Now, it's your turn...you are not committed to making or bringing your suggestion. But if you do come, remember that it is a very partisan event.  And no Nader voters, please.  And, theme-related dress is encouraged!  

Better To Be Thought A Fool...

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night, but it was worth it.  Here's the rundown of the evening.

Dinner:  I almost chickened out of dinner, for fear of being out of my league, but I ended up tagging along with our Debate Watch guest analysts (and Brian Lawson now of PolitickerNH) at The New England Center's Acorns Restaurant.  Thanks, Dante for the invitation and encouragement: "you're a junkie, you'll fit right in!"  I'm glad I went.  To my amazement, I was able to keep up with the conversation AND didn't make a big fool out of myself.  Of course, I am pretty sure I was the only flaming, bleeding heart liberal at the table.  But I didn't draw attention to myself (except for gently suggesting that McCain subscribe to the new Google Goggles feature before pulling any more campaign stunts).  Rather like Obama, my goal was to stay cool, refrain from any gaffes, and show superior listening skills.    ;-)  

Pregame:  We were fortunate to have a great crowd at the UNH Watch Event, mostly all Obama supporters.  Somehow I got stuck being greeting, introducer, and techie and wasn't very good at any of those jobs (--a new respect for Advance workers), but we got our analysts back from dinner in time to do their "what to watch for" pre-debate spin, and managed to get the giant screen TV turned on to CNN just as the debate was starting.  

Debate Watch: Joe The Plumber was the star of the show, and students cracked up every time those three words were mentioned.  This audience also was quick to chuckle at all of McCain's stumbles, but especially the "fresh of breath air" comment.  I have to admit that I was bored, and spent my time chatting on Facebook or posting comments on Blue Hampshire.  I love watching all the FB statuses change as Joe The Plumber got more and more play.  My fav was by Aldon Hynes, a blogger in Connecticut: "Joe the Plumber" a new series following "Bob the Builder" (best know for: Can we build it? YES WE CAN!).

Postgame:  Our right-leaning pundits did their job by showcasing McCain's big hits (I'm not Bush....), all of which were in the first 35 minutes.  They didn't cut Obama any slack, not even points for looking calm or always getting back on track to positives.  

I read someplace recently that you can really tell who is winning a debate if you mute the sound and watch it like that.  Seems like a good idea to me, because even though the UNH Pundits didn't talk about it, this debate was all about the non-verbals.  McCain's blinking, eye rolling, tongue-jutting, sarcasm, and evil laugh are all the really big stories the morning after.  So much for looking confident & presidential!  Maybe McCain should have followed my example and keep his feelings to himself.

I think McCain is a bit out of his league.

My Positive Reframe

Ah, the planets aligned themselves in an effort to get me out of that funk.

First, I must thank my dear friends and colleagues who provided the figurative therapist's couches, and let me vent/process my feeling in an appropriate and legal fashion.  And to whomever gave my partner the recipe for that Cosmo cocktail, I am eternally grateful.  A run threw a local corn maze with the family certainly didn't hurt, either. 

Next of course, my gratitude goes to the most disciplined and positive campaign on earth: Team Obama.  A local field organizer responded to my inquiry about "counter viz" for the Palin event in Dover, with a gentle "thanks, but no thanks."  Of course, they would rather focus on the positive and put their staff and volunteers to work for positive change.  (As an aside, check out this new cool tool!)  Man, this huge staff is disciplined, innovative, focused, and absolutely unflappable.  No matter what side you are on, you gotta admit that Obama has run a flawless campaign for nearly two years.  So big, so focused, so on-message, so technologically superior! An extra tip of the hat to THAT ONE himself, for demonstrating how to stay positive and more mature himself in Ohio by putting firm brakes on booing McCain with "Now, we don't need that...we just need to VOTE!."

Thirdly, UNH Students for Obama chimed in to cheer me up with news about a new Durham/UNH field office, AND an Obama visit to NH on Thursday.  If I can't go myself, I will send my minivan full of those students who are working so hard.

And the absolute icing on my new cake is that I will still be co-sponsoring the UNH Debate Watch Event Wednesday evening, and hopefully will be dining with some of the guest analysts beforehand.  Be still my political-junkie heart!!

So, as much as I've always prided myself on seeing all candidates of all stripes, I'm going to use my time off a bit more productively, and skip seeing Palin on Wednesday morning.  

Thanks but no thanks on THAT bridge to nowhere! 

(PS: as much as I hate that the word "Palin" keeps coming up in my spellcheck, I refuse to add it to my dictionary!  So, there.)

I Can't Handle The Truth

After that last post went up on Friday, my day went downhill fast.  What I thought was going to be a lovely lunch with a friend and colleague was the culprit.  And by the start of the long weekend, I was ready for the therapist's couch.  My friend is a McCain-Palin supporter.  And not just a supporter, a volunteer/canvasser/viz worker!

He's a PhD scientist who is months away from retiring, if there's anything left in his account. We've been good friends for eight years.  We bonded over the Bush administration's disdain for scientific evidence and research.  I still love him.  But I just don't understand.  

I'm starting to take this election too personally.

In past elections, I have always been able to keep friendships with people who vote differently with me, especially students--I just LOVE that they VOTE and are engaged!  I even liked McCain, back in 2000, when he was really a Maverick.  

But for me, the difference this time is when it's people I know and respect and love, and who know and respect me.  People who I've "let in" to my life.  If you are just a colleague or acquaintance, I wish you a fair & happy election, may the best candidate win.  If you are someone that I have become closer to on a personal level, I feel betrayed.  

The McCain-Palin ticket represents values diametrically opposed to everything I am and everything believe in, especially the Palin part of that ticket.  I am a lesbian, and an atheist, after all.  I am pro-science, pro-environment, pro-choice (not necessarily pro-abortion), and pro-evolution.  I can't even begin to name all the issues where Sarah & I don't agree.  ("Don't agree" is an understatement, of course.)  She makes my blood boil.  

Here's why I need the therapy: I see a trusted friend's vote for McCain-Palin as a sign the close friend/voter lied to me.  "Sorry, I was just being polite to your face.  I don't believe you should be able to marry or have kids or adopt.  I don't believe in the Scientific Method or the Theory of Evolution.  Drill Baby, Drill!"

So I'm thinking of not going to see Sarah in person on Wednesday in Dover.  Do I really want to be in a crowd that hates me so much? What if I see people in the crowd I know, cheering enthusiastically for the Palin-McCain Administration?  Do I need so much negativity in my life?

I've always had close friends with whom I do not agree or have common values, especially religious ones.  I'm fascinated with how they interpret their religion's texts or teachings, and how those values are put into action, in a rather sociological kind of way.  But when religious and cultural intolerance is used as a tool of hatred, or spreading misinformation, I draw the line.  

_____________________________________________

Maybe, what I really need is for this election to be over already.

There's No Place Like Home

It's like the NH Primary season all over again.  And I love it!

Beside gorgeous weather and peak foliage, there are now four political events going on in the region over the next several days:  

First, Alaska's First Dude Todd Palin is showing up in Fremont NH this weekend at some snowmobiling event, then heading to Maine for more energizing of "the base."

Then, Joe Biden rescheduled his visit to Rochester NH, and is coming on Monday, Oct. 13th at 10am.  This time, though, he hit Columbus Day weekend when most workin' folks have the day off, unless they work at UNH.  So, I will not be in attendance.

Next up, the Hockey Mom herself, Gov. Sarah Palin at Dover High School, Wednesday, Oct. 15th at 10am.  The venue is in the heart of Clinton Country;  I saw Bill there in January of 2001 and Hillary in February 2007.  And let's not forget one of DHS's most famous graduates, Bill Shaheen!  Now, this may be worth taking a personal day for!

Fourth and to me, the most fun, will be the UNH Debate Watch Event, also on Wednesday.  Co-sponsorship has grown to include both the College Dems and College Republicans, so we're reserved a bigger room in the MUB, with room for spill-over into the Food Court area.  Prof. Scala arranged for some faculty "experts" and two political consultants to be on hand for analysis.  I am most excited to meet and hear from Steve Marchand, former mayor of Portsmouth NH.  Every student I talk to has him up on a pedestal, and I've heard wonderful things.  So, now I get to meet the man that, up until now, has just been a Facebook Friend.  

The students have been impressive in their efforts over the last few weeks.  Voter Registration drives on campus have been a huge success, thanks in part to a university challenge between institutions in so-called swing states.  The UNH student leaders on both sides of the aisle have been canvassing, phone banking, tabling, visibility, chalking, voter reg, event planning, and still going to classes (for the most part).  Students for Obama have been working on a float for tonight's UNH Homecoming Parade, and they have some famous actors from the TV show "House" coming to their tailgating at the football game.  (Too bad I don't have any clue about who these people are.)  

In all, they have been super professional, following all the UNH canvassing rules, and playing well with others.  Let's hope they keep this spirit of cooperation up as crunch time finally finally gets here.

Happy Homecoming!

Getting Busy Again

Next week suddenly got a whole lot busier for me here in Durham, NH.

First, my offer to help host the Political Science Dept's Debate Watch Party was accepted.  I pitched in with posters and some advertising, and plan to market my internship program from the sidelines while live blogging and chatting online.

Now this from WMUR:  Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is planning to visit New Hampshire next week, sources tell News 9. Wednesday, October 8, 2008.

Whoa. That could be interesting.

10/09 update from BH: She's coming to DOVER! Someone please invite her to our Debate Watch Party at UNH, pretty please.

NH Breaks Up With McCain

Ken Burns, the well known documentary filmmaker and resident of Walpole, NH, has chimed in on the issue of New Hampshire's fading love affair with Senator John McCain.  

Here's a link to his op-ed piece in The Manchester Union Leader, from this weekend.

While Burns is not hiding the fact that he endorsed Obama almost a year ago, and folks on Blue Hampshire attest to the fact that he's had an Obama sign on his lawn for some time, I do think Burns hits the nail on the head.  

My favorite line is this: If you have to say you're a maverick in your ads, it's clear you're not.

I am betting that "The Making of the President Obama" documentary is already underway!

New Hampshire Updates

Just a quick local update or two...

A third New Hampshire poll came out again over the weekend (I'm working on refinding that link), again putting Obama about 10 points ahead of McCain in the state.  As my friend who has a PhD in Physics once said to me "two points do not make a data set."  So, now we have three points.  There you have it.  

With a very strong incumbent Democratic governor (most people can't even name Lynch's opponent!), two members of the House that are Dems, and a statehouse now dominated by Dems, NH is not turning Blue, it is already Blue.  If Jeanne Shaheen is elected to the Senate (as I believe she will), and Carol Shea-Porter & Paul Hodes fend off their challengers (which I believe they will), Senator Judd Greg will be the Lone Republican in Congress from NH.  That is something.

In other news, Joe Biden was scheduled to appear in Rochester & Manchester NH today.  But, he has cancelled due to the death of his mother-in-law.  It's no surprise that they'd send Joe to these former mill towns, both of which I find depressing as you may already know.  His message & style will fit right in.  He cancelled his only UNH appearance last spring, too, so I've never seen him in person.  I hope that when he reschedules,  he comes at a time when those regular workin' folks are able to attend, and not 10:00 on a Monday morning!

Living Free or Dying in NH

So, I am trying my darnedest to keep a New Hampshire focus on this blog. It's been hard with so much going on, and I don't always keep my promise. But here I shall try.

When I was in DC not long ago, I got a few remarks from strangers about being from New Hampshire with regard to being in a so-called "swing state." The most curious was when a security guard at Reagan Nat'l Airport--an elderly Black man who was checking my ID--commented somewhat skeptically, "New Hampshire, huh? They really like McCain up there, I hear." Very bold of him, I thought. "Don't believe it!" I replied. "They USED to like McCain, before he got all extreme." Then the conversation went naturally to what a freak Palin is. Having just spent a day the the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History examining fossils and meteorites that were millions of years old, I launched into her belief that humans & dinosaurs walked on Earth together. He laughed shaking his head and waving me through, "I hadn't heard that one yet! THAT is a good one."

I passed through and walked toward my gate wondering to myself, "I'm not wrong on this, am I?" My view of the state is that we could not in the past be counted as Red the way the midwest or south is Red. New Hampshire conservatism is not evangelical or religiously based. It's Live Free or Die here--live free of government intervention in particular. Don't tell me what I can do while hunting, motorcycling, on my own property, in my doctor's office, in my church, or in my own bedroom. That is not the same "base" as the one loving Gov. Palin right now. By pandering to that evangelical base, I believe McCain has alienated the more Libertarian, NH-type base (in which I include George F. Will). But, am I wrong? I wondered...

Then, today, along came a new state-wide poll! NHIOP poll puts Obama in the lead in the state! Not just by a hair, but by 10 points! Most interesting to me was this:

Among those who say they will vote for Obama, however, 41% say McCain’s choice
of Palin influenced their decision a lot or some. Only 22% of McCain voters say
Biden influenced their decision a lot or some.

And another poll has similar results; Obama is in the lead by 10 points. The right-wing nut job that is Sarah Palin may have energized McCain's flailing campaign, but she has kissed New Hampshire good bye in the process.

Now I want to know this: what kind of turn out did her recent Manchester rally get?

Women Against Sarah Palin

I was recently asked to guest-blog at a friend's new site, Women Against Sarah Palin.  So, linky linky.  Check out my latest rant.  See you there. 

PS: Google Women Against Sarah Palin.  Jessica isn't the first person to be so inspired!

The Six Million Dollar Man

Ole Miss is pissed and I don't blame them. It's hard to understand how much person-power goes into these major debates unless you've seen them up close. But trust me, it involves all kinds of people and skills, staff at every level, and everything from rewiring buildings to catering to relocating classes and university offices for two or more weeks. New stage sets are designed and custom built. Press and advance staffs set up shop in their temporary home. Secret Service also moves in, takes charge, and does their sweep, all while the institution is trying to go ahead with classes and normal campus life. It takes a village, that's for sure. And it ain't cheap.

The last debate here cost $6 million. Remember the trucked in air conditioning? UNH has learned the hard way that these things cost a lot of money, and now has the smarts to include in that contract that the full costs are paid by the media outlet host. (UNH 2007 was Fox; Ole Miss is ABC). Maybe that's why we only got one debate this last cycle!

Now Team Obama says they're still planning on showing up inMississippi, in their really fast planes, to speak directly to voters. If McCain doesn't show, they're willing to an impromptu town-hall meeting. So, while Mighty Mouse is flying around trying to save to economy in a single bound, Obama puts out more direct communication, talks to the press, and in general, acts presidential.

I say "on with the show" and see who blinks now!

Biting The Hand That Feeds You, reprise

A few weeks ago I forewarned that it just isn't a good idea in the long term to ban press coverage during a campaign--press avails, press conferences, reporters and voters from asking questions of the candidates--all necessary, and all FREE.  

This is why you can't go around pissing off the media when you are trying to run a national campaign:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/23/networks-revolt-against-r_n_128608.html.  (updating quickly, so things may have changed!)  McCain's paid media is pushing lies and getting called on the carpet for it (too many links to pick just one, sorry!).  So one might think that he'd try to compensate for that with free media.  That would be logical, and therefore, wrong.  McCain does seem to be losing his head a bit, doesn't he?

I'm glad the media took the SNL Hillary's advice and "grew a pair."  

Rising To My Own Challenge

Last week I made good on my challenge to myself & my readers to take action this election year, and went down to my local NHDP office (the former Clinton campaign HQ in Dover) to volunteer.  Now that I am an "experienced" volunteer, I felt more confident and was better able to make it clear that I wasn't ready to do phones.  After introductions, tours, and updates, I was assigned a computer and handed call logs to enter info.  

During the NH Primary, I made the calls and marked these sheets, and passed my completed sheets over to a staffer.  The sheets were pretty much the same--voter name, address, number, boxes to check indicating level of support--and they also used the software VoteBuilder.  But one thing was new.  Bar codes!  Whoa.  I felt like George H W Bush when he first saw a grocery store scanner.

This was cool, at least to me.  I got my own hand-held scanner, scanned the voter ID then scanned the results from a sheet that had all the codes on it.  Click, that was easy.  I think I felt cool mostly because during the primary, only paid staffers entered data; I felt like I got a promotion!

So, now I am in DC for work.  On my first night here I had the good fortune to reunite with former UNH College Dems Prez & former Edwards summer staffer, Laura, who is now living in Baltimore.  And when she asked what's new on the NH campaign trail, I told her all about the cool scanner.  Since I never entered data before, I didn't know if she had used the scanners or not.  She did, but not until very close to the Primary.  But clearly the NHDP/Team Shaheen is hip to technology, and well-funded.  Now I want to know who used what during the NH Primary.

And when I get back from DC, I'm spending every Wednesday night between now & the election with my new scanner toy.  My new challenge to myself is to bring someone new with me each week.  Care to join me?  

Feeding My Addiction

In a desperate attempt to feed my addiction of all things political, and after being robbed of a Dover Obama fix Friday, I dragged my kids and my eager 17-year old nephew to Manchester on Saturday morning with the HOPE of catching Barack Obama at the downtown rally. I wanted to see and hear the push-back" against the McCain campaign to prove to myself that dems aren't always wooses (is that even a word?)

Gates opened at 8:30am, we weren't able to head west until 10ish, but the "program" was scheduled to begin at 10:30am. In campaign speak, that usually means that the headliner will be on about an hour later. So we hit Elm Street at 11am, and as we were driving BY Veteran's Park, we heard Obama's voice booming over the loud speaker. WHAT? On schedule?? How can that be??

I parked the minivan in downtown Manch-Vegas and unloaded everyone, and we briskly walked back toward the venue. Just as we had one more street to cross, the throngs started heading toward us. Gobs of them. All leaving just as we were arriving.

We swam against the current enough to check out the goods being hawked, and to see the signs, t-shirts, and buttons of all the lucky and happy on-time people. At the gate, we were told by uniformed and surprisingly chatty secret service agents that we couldn't go in the park (I wanted to show my nephew the set), and that they estimated 10,000 in the crowd. I didn't do any fact checking, but all news accounts I saw later just said, "a crowd of thousands." Apparently, crowd sizes are a touchy subject lately.

I managed to buy an Obama t-shirt from one vendor, and a deck of Presidential Cards from another. The cards are to complement my Dean Deck obtained free at a 2004 debate at UNH. For this new deck, Bush isn't the only Joker. McCain is one, too.

My nephew did a good job of hiding his disappointment, and the kids were rewarded with lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. Mommy/Auntie, however, still needs her fix.

And Now For Something Completely Local

Time to bring it back to New Hampshire!

Yesterday was the official kick-off of the general election for many state-wide races. Tuesday was "primary day" for NH, with Shaheen & Gov. Lynch easily winning their party's trust. So Team Shaheen held a little thank you/kick-off in Dover Wednesday at 4pm at the Jenny Thompson Pool.

It wasn't a huge crowd, but it was decent. Mostly, it was made up of UNH College Dems, Strafford County Dems, local elected officials, and loads of Shaheen grandchildren. Last time I saw the whole family together in person, I think Molly was in middle school! Now the Shaheen daughters are all grown up (and very attractive), and the older daughters have several children. It was cute to see Billy & Jeanne being plain old grandparents before the event.

I attended alone but was happy to run into a few familiar faces I haven't seen since last semester. But NH has finally got fall weather moving in, and I got too cold to hang around. So, I stayed long enough to eat a free hot dog, chat with a few students and friends, hear a good anti-Sununu stump speech, and pick up a larger-than-normal lawn sign. Jeanne Shaheen has definitely picked up a LOT of former Clinton supporters, and they seem to be working their butts off for their new boss.

And onto tomorrow: Supposedly, Barack Obama will be in NH Friday & Saturday. This morning a few websites said he'd be in Dover, but by lunch the Dover event wasn't listed any more. Hmm. So, I'm still going to try to see him this weekend, but I sure hope it's right in my own back yard. Yes, we in NH are still spoiled! What, I have to drive out of my town to see a candidate??

Until I get a confirmation, I will leave you with this little state poll to lift your spirits, if Sarah Palin is still bringing you down.

Late night update (9pm, late for me!): After hours of searching websites and driving through downtown Dover, Seacoast Online/Portsmouth Herald's Michael McCord comes through with the info:  the Dover event is invitation only, for undecided voters.  Try that, Sarah Barracuda!  While I'd prefer to be on the invite list, preaching to the choir Bush-style, might light some fires, but Obama needs to swing some voters.  Now the goal is to see if I can make the Manch or Concord rallies instead.  

Thanks (but no thanks), Sarah Palin

If you think the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party is energized by Sarah Palin, you ain't seen nothin' yet. I'd like to thank Gov. Palin for all that she has done to re-energize the outraged center and left hand side of the spectrum, and especially women!

So, to all those friends of mine who are still reeling from this insulting pic of a VP and, here are some ideas of what you can do with all that angry energy to put Palin back in Alaska, where she belongs:

First and foremost DONATE!! Don't just talk, ActBlue! Or support your favorite candidate directly: Obama, Shaheen, Shea-Porter. Buy a supporter shirt or hat and WEAR IT! Or support your party, or state party. If you are so inclined, donate to a 527 as well (such as moveon.org).

WRITE a letter to the editor of your local or school newspaper. Or post a comment on a news site or blog. DEMAND that Palin answer questions from voters and the press. Remember how appalled people were when Hillary didn't take questions in NH (or some were scripted)? Well, Palin's silence is absolutely unacceptable. And let's move the discussion back to the ISSUES, such as the economy.

VOLUNTEER. I know what you are going to say. "I hate calling/canvassing." I know, me too. So, do something else. Get a lawn sign, offer to do some viz. Put on a bumper sticker. Offer to do office work or something else at your local field office. Bake them something yummy!! Bring them some office supplies.

Help REGISTER NEW VOTERS. I'm sure your local field office has lots of ways you can do this. It's fair & festival season--maybe you can sit at a table and help sign folks up. Remind your family & friends who may be overseas or in the military to get an absentee ballot and send it in!

SPREAD THE WORD. Yes, gossip. We've all read the stories and blogs (Mudflats has become my new personal fav). Forward the links, tell your friends. Fact check things before you forward them, just for your own credibility.

ATTEND any and all rallies, on both sides of the aisle. YES: go see the McCain-Palin scripted events if you can. Get interviewed by local media and tell them Gov. Palin needs to take questions from VOTERS, just as all the other candidates did during the NH Primary, so WE can vet HER!

Just please DO SOMETHING! Don't sit on that anger & outrage. Put it to good use. Do something about it, so that you don't wake up the day after the election (like in 2000 & 2004) and say "I could have done more!"

O, Ye of Little Faith

Panic not, dear friends.  Despite what you may be reading in the MSM, Obama is doing just fine, thanks.  But in case you don't believe me, here are some things to note:

National polls don't matter.  Sounds familiar, right?  Just like in the primary, this is not a national race for the popular votes.  The primary was a race for delegates.  THIS is a race for electoral votes.  Like it or not, the electoral college is what matters.  You can bet that the folks who delivered Iowa and the caucus states are paying attention to the right map.

11 million new registered Democrats.  Yes, 11 million.  That's how many people registered to vote during the prolonged primary season.  Check your favorite recent poll and see if the methodology reflects that number.  Polls have quotas or goals to reach to be scientifically useful, that much I did learn in stats: equal or similar numbers of D, R, I registered voters, control for income, gender, education level.  Sounds fair, unless it's not.  And Team Obama has made registering new voters a major goal of his campaign, and has dedicated major resources to it.  

So, no need to panic.  Just focus.  And stay tuned on exactly what you can do to make a difference!

Palin Overload

So many good emails & posts are coming my way, I'm just going to put links here.  I've posted way to much to my Facebook page already.  But keep 'em coming!  

From my favorite Washington Post OpEd writer, EJ Dionne: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090402842.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

More on the higher education of our elected officials:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/palin-attended-5-colleges_n_124036.html

Wooing women voters, not:http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,7915118.story

On dishing it out but not taking it: http://brendancalling.com/2008/09/04/thin-skinned-at-mccain-hq/

This just in:  McCain staff finally learned how to use Google:  I guess the McCain staff has finally learned how to use Google!!  http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php

OK, just one more lunch time find...or two:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/09/04/moos.nuke.that.word.cnn

Last night, I was sick to my stomach.  Today, between the graphic mix-up and the new-clear word, I'm having a better day.  This is just for kicks (I stoop to a new low):  http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/uselection,0,sarah-palin-affair-big-media-stays-quiet-as-lover-named,43515

Keep the stuff coming, my compatriots!  After 5pm, I'm going on a media black out (family reunion up north, no cell, no internet, no blogs, and lots of hunters).  Wish me luck!

Biting The Hand That Feeds You Free Press

I know I'm veering off my NH Primary-centric blogging mission statement, but there's so much going on that the water cooler at work just isn't big enough to host all the conversations.  And I am feeling rather feisty today.

So I tried to watch some of the GOP convention last night but I quit at 10:15pm.  I made it through Rudy ("noun, verb 9/11").  All the same things caught my eyes: flat visuals, homogeneous audience, zero creativity.  I did finally find some diversity stats (here and here) on the GOP convention delegates:  men outnumber women 2:1, and delegates of color are under 2%...this represents a decrease from conventions past, a huge drop since 2004.  The GOP: moving backwards again...just what our country needs!  As an aside, I was on the NPR website and wanted to hear a story on one of my favorite blogs, Stuff White People Like.  So I searched the four word phrase and what was my number one result?  A story about the RNC!

Call me an elitist (I prefer to be called a thinking person), but I like my candidates for the executive branch to have more than just a bachelor's degree.  I admit that I do favor law degrees especially. Studying law helps you understand, write, and pass laws.   A BA in journalism...sorry, it just doesn't cut it unless it's outdone (by many years) by experience on the national level. And a BA in journalism means you should know how the media works, and what it means to do their job.

Just thinking here...if part of the game of campaigning and getting elected is getting free media (in the form of news coverage beamed directly into my living room or car radio for free daily), blaming the media and in fact insulting them doesn't really help your cause  Dumb move from dumb people.

And just don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of it all.  

Mind The Gap

Adjusting to all four of us being back in school has made for a tough week, although the constant Palin news has kept me going strong.  Today was hardest at morning drop-off, so we decided at dinner to get bedtime back under control and put the twins to bed early.  Whether or not they fell asleep early is another matter.

So, since I had the TV to myself after laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc., I decided that I needed to tune into a bit of RNC just to be fair.  Big of me, huh?  Thank you.  Since I don't have cable (cheapskate!), I am watching on public television.  There's less punditry, thank goodness because they are are blander than hell, and with no commercials.  

First thing I noticed, and I noticed it immediately, is that so-called "enthusiasm gap."  Whoa. The arena isn't close to being full, and those that are there look happy but not even close to what I saw at the DNC.  Then there is the age difference: very obvious.  And does anyone have stats on men vs. women delegates, or delegates of color?  This audience looked awfully white to me.  

But you know me, I tend to focus on some, um, less than political things, too.  So, who the hell designed this set?  The backdrop is bland and two-dimensional, often monochromatic and static.  The whole stage is so 20th century.  It just shows more of how the Republican Party in the US is aging and not keeping up with technology or other trends.  Everything looks dated.  

Look at that, I made it through this far without mentioning any of Hurricane Sarah!  There's just so much going on, I don't know where to start.  While I agree with Obama's strong statement that kids are off-limits, I have to say that if you drag them on-stage, mention them in your talking points, and draw attention to them and their flaws, you should expect some scrutiny.  And you should have the smarts to tell them before the big announcement to clean up their MySpace pages.  

So, now RNC is back on track and we're all waiting to hear from McCain & Palin.  My prediction now is that Palin will do well with a prepared speech.  But once she starts hitting the stump, town halls in other, more gentile parts of our country, and the talkshow circuit, getting asked the same probing questions again and again about her lack of experience, she'll crack.  But she won't crumble.  No, she's a Maverick, right?  They didn't call her Sarah Barricuda in high school for nothing!  Palin is feisty, a fighter.  She'll come out swinging.  And, just like her new soulmate, she has a temper and we're going to see it. She's going to lash out and run her mouth, more likely.  

So while this convention is putting me to sleep, things are about to get very lively!  

  

McCain's Maverick Style is Backfiring

My hat is going off to those doing oppositional research and push-back. I'm so proud of Dems for finally fighting back and fighting hard. Seems like they did more vetting of Sarah Palin than the McCain camp did. Is that Change We Can Believe In?

Here are some fun yet informative things I have run across so far:

• Mudflats
• Progressive Alaska
• Huffington Post: On Vetting (or lack thereof), and on McCain's Decision Making
• CNN now on Palin's unmarried pregnant 17-year old daughter. Tell me, WHO vetted this woman and when?? And are they fired yet??

What's apparent to me is that McCain was desperate to appease two groups: right wing evangelical conservatives, and disgruntled Hillary supporters while pissing off Karl Rove. So, why not go for someone who might appeal to both, right? Wrong. By shooting for both ends, he completely distroyed his credibility with the middle. And in this election, it is going to be all about the middle.

I am heeding the warning of many Dems not to get too giddy over this. The "20 year VP" cycle is funny to me. But, come on. Could this get any more ludicrous? My prediction is that she will drop out within two weeks. Until then, she's going to get eaten alive.

Thank goodness Hurricane Gustav killed the Palin bounce. At least now the McCain staff can catch up on the vetting that they should have done last week.