I never emote, which makes this the exception that proves the rule.

Just chatted on the phone with a distant cousin who used to live in NYC but recently retired and moved back to SC, and when she said she spends all day listening to talk radio, I knew what was coming (she's from the rock-ribbed Republican side of the family). We usually don't mention politics, knowing we disagree violently, but I had thought she'd at least be anti-Palin because she's always loved wildlife, but no. The subject of the financial crisis came up and she said "that rabbit in an empty suit is going to take all our money and give it to the poor people." And this is a college graduate who worked in Manhattan for more than 40 years. I asked where she had heard such a thing, and she said the radio of course, and he'd told it to Joe the Plumber himself. I asked if she really intends to vote for Palin the wolfkiller and she said Palin's her favorite of all the candidates. So we wrapped up the call before things got any more incendiary. But honestly, it's hard to believe some people are so deliberately dumb.

I know a lot depends on how the discussion is framed, but why is the idea of helping poor people such an anathema.

She doesn't have a computer--she's practically legally blind, so she's never had one. And if she did, she'd only read the anti-Obama sites.

Of course she thinks it's going to be her money that Obama wants to give to poor people. There was no way I could give her any facts--she had "the truth" from the talk radio freaks. The last time politics entered our conversation, she didn't talk to me for two years (it was Clinton that time). There's no way to argue with her. But I was really surprised when she said she had no problem with voting for wolfkiller woman.

I'd boast about my own superiority, but I spend all my time at Daily Kos and Eschaton and Crooks & Liars reifying my own beliefs.

carrobin: Your distant cousin is reassured by what she hears on talk radio because it reifies her own beliefs. I have a brother-in-law who listens to Rush Limbaugh every day. The whole show. For him-- and for your cousin-- the world makes sense when viewed through that lens. They don't see it as racist or fear-mongering or hateful. They only hear an explanation of events that makes sense to them, and they only wish to hear more of what they already believe.

I'd boast about my own superiority, but I spend all my time at Daily Kos and Eschaton and Crooks & Liars reifying my own beliefs.

And I with MSNBC and Huffington Post. It's called "cocooning." No joke, that's what they call Fox News and MSNBC.

A couple of friends told me that early voting in Taos took 1/2 hour last week at the out-of-the-way polling place. Not so bad, I guess.

The Clerk who's running (unopposed) for Re-Election was there. Now GARY, do you know - we all agreed she shouldn't have been there. Isn't that a violation of campaigning w/in 100 ft. of a polling place?