Blackwell/Bush Tuesday - One Year Anniversary

...and a belated Happy Halloween! Check out the spooky jack-o-lantern below. I carved that one at Andy & Megan's famous Halloween party in Ohio -- hard to believe it was one year ago! Coincidentally, last Halloween was the final campaign event for Bush/Cheney at the Great American Ballpark in downtown Cincinnati. Before joining the rally, Owen Mebillions & Jackie Dough (Cliff Jenkins & moi) protested the Democratic party gathering a few blocks away.

As Billionaires For Bush, we chanted our slogans for the hopeful crowd. Then we marched to the Bush rally and counter-protested the angry liberals outside the main gate. And, of course, we got our wish 2 nights later! Secretary of State Ken Blackwell handed Bush his victory as tens of thousands of Kerry voters were disenfranchised through every possible loophole and manner -- HUZZAH!

As a non-billionaire, I managed to wrangle tickets to the Bush rally (pic below) through my day job for the CEO of IFS Financial Services, a division of Western Southern. Tickets were distributed to employees, who all received an e-mail about the event. The line at the company cafeteria was out the door -- luckily, as the assistant to one of the top officers, I was able to skip ahead (ah, the joys of privilege!).

But not before I had the chance to pretend to be one of the Bush supporters, and eavesdrop on their conversation. My Republican boss was one of the kindest, loveliest people I've ever worked for - but the underlings in that line had their guards down, and I got to hear what they couldn't normally say in the office. It wasn't pretty. It gave me deep chills, just as the throngs at the rally did a few days later. I wasn't able to enter the ballpark, as any anti-Bush chanting or paraphernalia would have gotten us kicked out anyway. Truthfully, I was relieved about that, because those people scared the hell out of me.

I can only imagine how election night in Ohio was perceived by Kerry voters around the country. The friends I made there were not only in shock, but many also privately said they felt ashamed, and responsible that they couldn't pull out a victory. The mainstream media has mostly ignored journalistic coverage and reports on the stealing of the 2004 election in Ohio, and I'm sure they will continue to do so. But most of the people I talked to on the ground didn't have any doubt about that the outcome was predetermined, that the facts surrounding the voting controversies were fixed around that point, and then spun by the national and local Republican party machines.

Anyway, just thinkin' about last year and the amazing energy that rose up to defeat the clowns in the White House. It seems that the true identities behind their ghoulish Halloween masks are finally being revealed by the mainstream press. Let's hope we've turned a corner and this will lead to victory in the House in 2006...AND how 'bout that FOXY Paul Hackett as the new Senator from O-H-I-O??!!!

I miss that Skyline chili