I've been an Obama supporter for quite some time now and an active participant in his campaign.  I've phonebanked for him.  I donated to his war chest. So imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up feeling conflicted just as I was about to vote in the Potomac Primaries today.

It's the primary season.  It's tense.  It's easy to forget your manners or that we're all on the same side here in the end. In the spirit of lightening things up here a little bit, I thought I'd introduce you all to a songwriter named Johnathan Coulton.

He's a comic genius, and though I'm not a big fan of silliness, when I put this video into the political perspective, it cracked me up.

This is a cross between "Office Space" and a zombie movie which made me think of the Republican Party.  

I've already said that I'd vote for Obama in the primary, so it may not exactly sound like "news" that I'm being won over.  But my decision to vote for Obama in the primary was purely a political calculation.  Until last night, Obama was only the choice of my head.

You see, no matter who I've supported, the Clintons have always had my heart. Now that may be changing.

In the Maryland Primary, I will be voting for Barack Obama because I believe he has the best shot in the General Election.  

There are things that I like in all three of our major candidates, and there are things that give me deep reservations about all three of our candidates.  From this relatively dispassionate position, I have watched the DailyKos descend into a cesspool of vitriol and exaggeration that is being capitalized upon by the right wing media to weaken our party.

I see 2000 happening all over again, where a distorted perspective about a flawed but more than decent candidate led to the selection of the worst President the United States has ever had.

But this is not a plea for us to all play nice and get along.  It's a primary--punches are going to be thrown.  It's a plea for perspective.

I wanted to bring some broader perspective to the issue, and perhaps get the attention of libertarians and business owners who should know better than to support O'Reilly in his jihad.  If you're interested, please click the link and rate it highly so that it will get more attention over there.

I'd like to offer a case study in Maryland, because in the end, while the vote totals were not that close, it could have gone the other way.

I wrote this article, which I hope you'll read in full, but here are some of the highlights.

The Morning Outlook
Woke up at the crack of dawn in Baltimore County to head over to our polling place. Turnout, particularly minority turnout, looked excellent--it's the longest wait I've ever had to vote there. On the other hand, my husband and I usually go later in the day, so this is pretty unscientific.

The Ehrlich presence in terms of signs was strong, Steele's were non-existent. Unfortunately, there were no Cardin or O'Malley signs to speak of either. Bobby Zirkin (our local candidate for state senate) had his people out there in force and they were handing out bright green pamphlets explaining the Democratic ticket here in the great state of Maryland.

"It was a last minute thing, and it's at 9pm at night on a Sunday. I doubt there will be too many people there," I told my crowd-phobic sister, in persuading her and her husband to join us at a rally in Upper Marlboro last night. Famous last words.

In spite of my belief that all political rallies involving Bill Clinton will inevitably start at least an hour late, we got in the car and headed down to Prince George's County early. Early! By the time we pulled into the parking lot, the place was already packed.

Volunteering has been made very easy by the Maryland Democratic Party. The entire Democratic ticket has pooled resources. The focus is Getting Out the Vote (GOTV).

Phone banking couldn't be simpler. The automated system works pretty well, and voters seem less annoyed when they realize you're not a recording. It's easy to fall into a rhythm and bulldoze through it. You can help a lot in just an hour's time.

My blood pressure skyrocketed and I wouldn't let him leave until he had a fist full of flyers, the hotline to find his polling place, and had given me his solemn promise he would get to the polls.

My role-model? The man himself. Check out this awesome profile in the Washington Post. O'Malley's really hustling for votes. He wants it. We all should want it. We have to outwork the other side this year.

Snark alert! I have contempt to spare, so don't become a person, place, or thing on my list. Here are this week's recipients of my scorn:

Today I attended a FANTASTIC Democratic Unity Rally in Randallstown, and I want to write about it while the memory is still fresh and the adrenaline's still high. (Picture and video links included.)

I have contempt to spare, so don't become a person, place, or thing on my list. Here are this week's recipients of my scorn:

Two debates were held in the Maryland Gubernatorial race this weekend. If you didn't hear about them, you're not alone. The last-minute events were put together such that both debates actually occurred on the same day, on a weekend, and the press gave minimal notice to the public. In an election year where Marylanders are already angry that the primary election suffered from glitches that disenfranchised voters, the dismissive way in which the debates were handled is considered by some to be nothing short of a debacle.

Only one of the debates between Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich (R-MD) and Mayor Martin O'Malley (D-MD) was televised, and the challenger dominated.

In case you missed it, here are the highlights.

This weekend one of Maryland's Gubernatorial debates between Baltimore Mayer Martin O'Malley (D-MD) and Governor Bob Ehrlich (R-MD) was played live on the radio. At first blush, O'Malley seemed to be faring well against Ehrlich, hitting all the points, but Ehrlich's brash radio personality had its appeal. It seemed like O'Malley's points were matched by Ehrlich's style.

Oh what a difference the medium can make.

Tonight a debate was televised, and the difference could not have been more startling.

I took one look at it, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Luckily, angry voters from around the state have been calling up the news media and complaining about this, and so I hope it may backfire. But we'll see. Details below.

-----------------------------------------------