Jesse,

I know what you mean. I have to keep my twitter from my work life. I don't want nasty GOP folks to reign down disapproval. And they would.

"Chrysler gave its entire work force the day off to Vote Today!"

The Detroit 3 usually have Election Day off. It's been in the union contracts since 2000 or so. It may differ between salaried and hourly workers and/or union/non-union, but at GM non-union employees get all of the holidays union employees have.

That tweet may be a bit disingenuous.

Here's a nice break from politics. This is by far the best video I've seen of cats chasing a laser pointer:

Cats Chasing Lasers in Dramatic Slow Motion, Caught With a GoPro

Yeah--I think for me, it's what Plei said. I'll be seriously disappointed if Romney wins (or in my state, if McKenna wins) etc. But what I'm actually worried about is my visceral response to the various marriage amendments (Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington). When it got voted on in North Carolina last year (was it last year?) I kind of assumed there wouldn't be a good result...but I was shocked at how much I cried and felt personally attacked and hated, when it was not what I had hoped, even if it was what I had expected. And that's a state that I don't live in and never have! So...yeah.

yep, there are people in my twitter feed saying exactly that. 1999 UAW contract.

Heh, my Twitter is (mostly) my work life!

My extended family includes some Republicans, and I think they are genuinely thoughtful and not all that knee-jerk and probably also a little racist, but I don't know any of that for a fact, because we don't talk about politics.

I talk about it with my mom, dad and sister, but we have the same views. I wasn't on FB for the last pres election, and I have been SHOCKED that a few of my relatives, who are pro-gay and pretty mellow and generally thoughtful, have posted and shared some really nasty anti-Obama, pro-Romney stuff. I mean, I was flabbergasted.

I did NOT engage, and I really didn't post anything anti-Repub until the last week or so, and it was a very few things. I think we've agreed, tacitly, to not engage each other on it, and my great-aunt will like some posts I've made about the importance of voting, even though I know she's voting Romney and she knows I'm voting Obama. It's weird.

I kind of assumed there wouldn't be a good result...but I was shocked at how much I cried and felt personally attacked and hated

It's ugly to see how much you're feared and hated. I still haven't gotten over the ERA not passing. That failure completely informed my political identity. That's why all the anti-woman legislation makes me so angry.

They are if you belong to any of the marginalized groups being marginalized by their politics.

Yeah, but the reason the marginalization is happening is because the issues are being drummed up by people using that as a lever. Joe Normal around the corner, who thinks he doesn't know any gay people, probably didn't give a damn about gay marriage, until the hard-core conservative right seized upon the issue as a way to make political hay. They built it into a huge threat, thundering away on it, until Joe bought into the premise.

Nowadays Joe Normal thinks he's got nothing in common with Julie Brown, the lesbian carpenter who lives two streets down. Because he's been convinced by the pundits and the press that Julie's single-handedly responsible for the decline in western civilization, and if she gets to marry her partner, Joe's daughter will end up walking the street as a prostitute.

And sure, Joe's responsible for his own opinions. But an even bigger part of the blame rests on those who want to build these divides, because it gives them power and prestige.

Think about how much attention Rush Limbaugh continues to get, just because he keeps shooting her mouth off so offensively. He pisses people off, the left gets angry, his listeners rally around, and he makes that much more money.

If we had 50% fewer demagogues in this country, we'd all get along a hell of a lot better.

If we had 50% fewer demagogues in this country, we'd all get along a hell of a lot better.

Yeah. Or if the demagogues picked something else to demagogue about, like which is the best cat breed.

Speaking of SyFy, isn't the Firefly marathon coming up soon? And the reunion special?

The reunion special is also on Sunday, but on Science (the Science channel, maybe?) not Syfy.

meara, the favorite book thing was in a newspaper profile of the candidates, and I was glad to see it because there was virtually nothing else to distinguish between the two. I would not be name a favorite book, I don't think. One of many many many reasons I could not run for office.

Although Game of Thrones would be a fun answer to give during an election. Or something like The Manchurian Candidate.