Sitting in a conference room with members of the editorial and sales staff, I watch Aretha Franklin sing ‘Let Freedom Ring.’  The television I’m watching the inauguration on sports both UHF and VHF knobs, and will likely be a paperweight in a month.  The wood paneling surrounding us probably contains asbestos, and is potentially older than our incoming President.

The decor is reminiscent of a better time in politics.  A time before hard-core partisan rhetoric divided the country.  A time when politicians worked to improve the country despite their affiliation, rather than pushing their party’s agenda first and foremost.

A time that I hope President Barack Obama can resurrect.

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An editorial today on The Capital Times site suggests that Madison should embrace Alderman Mike Verveer’s proposal to restrict sales of cheap alcohol downtown. The CT says:

The truth is that sales of cheap booze should be regulated. It is unlikely that Verveer’s proposal will address every social ill or challenge associated with such sales, but it is the beginning of a rational response — a response that can be tinkered with, extended or otherwise altered as evidence suggests is wise.

I’m sorry, I thought prohibition was overturned in 1933.

For a city that is supposed to be open and liberal, an ordinance governing what types of alcohol can and cannot be sold seems extremely hypocritical.

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As a current Madison resident, today is voting day.  I maneuvered through a traffic jam and slippery streets to reach the Gates of Heaven; my poling place around 9:30 a.m.

As I entered to cast my vote, a woman who was leaving said “Vote Obama!”

“You can’t do that in here’” informed an official.

The other woman did not seem to care.  As I was undecided, and I feel strongly about campainging at the polls, her actions may have cost her candidate a vote.

Law prohibits campaigning within a certain distance of polling places.  This is to keep voters from feeling intimidated.  When I worked on campaigns, it was made very clear this line should never be crossed.

Some people are very vocal about the candidates they support.  Others prefer to keep their vote private.  My top two candidates  are out of the election, and my third choice has yet to enter.  Still, I would never have the gall to profess “Vote Richardson” while leaving a voting area, even if he was still in the race.  It is one thing to support a candidate, and quite another to be obnoxious in a polling place.

For the record, Richardson was still on the ballot in Wisconsin, and thanks to one woman’s actions might have received a vote.

For those in my home state of Wisconsin, it is election day.  Make sure to get out and vote, and vote with your heart.  The presidential contest for both republicans and democrats will be close.  I could see either candidate for each party winning the state.  If you care about America, make your way to the polls before 8 p.m. this evening.

Over the last couple days, Madison has been home to some of the top campaigns for the 2008 presidential election. I’ve had the opportunity to cover each of them for dane101.

Here are my personal thoughts on each candidate, with a link to my article on Dane.

Barack Obama. I decided to fight my way to see him with friends rather than take a press pass for his speech. Apparently about 18,000 other people had the same idea. The entire experience was a bit surreal, like Elvis coming back from the dead to give a performance. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed in his speech. He came off as charismatic and intelligent, but I guess after all the hype I just expected more.

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Comments I’ve heard from normally rational people leading up to the elections:

“I’ll vote for Hillary because I don’t think an african-american can be elected, even in this day and age.”

“A vote for Mike Huckabee is like throwing your vote away. He’ll never be embraced by the country as a whole.”

It’s Super Tuesday, the day where the citizens from 24 states head to the polls to cast a ballot for their favorite candidate. Well, at least that is what is should be. The “who is most electable” variable is already in play, as people right of candidates they do not think they can win the general election in November.

What the hell is wrong with our country?

When did we as a country stop voting for who we believe would be the best candidate to lead our country for four years, and become lemmings that vote for a candidate that “we think can win?” This year started with one of the deepest field of candidates on both sides; yet on the democratic side we are already down to the two that sound most alike.

Iowa had the privilege of leading off the primary season. Rather then follow the latest Zogby poll, they voted for two of the most “unelectable” candidates in the race.

They voted with their hearts, not their minds. They voted for who they believe in, not who has the best chance to win. We saw what happened for years ago when “the most electable” person won the democratic nomination, no one gave a damn about him and he lost to an unpopular president.

As voters in 24 states go to the polls today, all I ask is that you do the same as Iowa voters did. Don’t over-think your vote. Don’t vote for someone because they are the lesser evil, vote for who you see as the best candidate.  If everyone does, the best candidate will win.

In the new political spectrum, the Internet plays a key roll. In 2004, Howard Dean revolutionized the impact of the Internet with his presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy on her web site. Ron Paul actually received some votes thanks to his web presence.

However, this year’s Internet darling is Senator Barack Obama.

Obama pulled in $4 million from Internet donation this weekend. He dominates the MySpace “friends” categories, and has over 200,000 more supporters than Hillary on Facebook. He now has his own YouTube-style site dedicated to videos supporting his candidacy – YouBama. The site’s top videos include George Clooney, a five year old girl, Charles Barkely, and a 20-something named Chris.

There is still a long way to go in the 2008 campaign, but if Internet support is a measure of popularity and votes, Obama has a healthy lead.

Then again, so did Howard Dean.

There are two possible recourses when you hire someone that does not perform the duties they were hired to do. The first and most obvious is to fire them. If you have an employee (or employees) that are a cancer, the top goal should be elimination of that cancer.

The second recourse involves hitting the employee where it hurts most – in the wallet. If they were hired to do a specific job, refuse payment until the job is completed. Suspend pay, and they will respond.

Over 100 days have passed since the Wisconsin State Legislature should have passed a two-year budget. During that time, the members of the Senate and Assembly collectively made over $1.2 million. That seems like quite a bit of money to waste on people that are not doing their job. Personally, I believe each member of the legislature should donate their income to the new budget, as the addition of $1.2 million would solve the current deadlock, and allow Wisconsin to move forward.

Since it would be near impossible to make legislators accountable for their actions by fining them, I vote we recall them all.

It has only taken six years, but a politician has finally figured it out.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, unlike his Republican colleague President Bush refuses to let the terrorists win. Bloomberg was asked Monday about the possibility of terrorists at JFK airport in New York. Bloomberg responded,

There are lots of threats to you in the world. There’s the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can’t sit there and worry about everything. Get a life.

Bush and a handful of Republicans have used the threat of terrorists to change national laws and limit individual rights since the attacks of 9/11. By doing so, the terrorists have been winning by shaping the agenda of our country. It’s about time a major politician steps up against and really fights terrorism.