Ah democracy, the great equalizer. Just like the rest of the voters who wanted to hit the polls early in Chicago, Oprah Winfrey had to stand in line. She said she was in line for over an hour. She wasn't alone. Jim waited for two hours and one friend of mine, Tif, waited for 3. Sheesh. I wanted to vote early, too, but I had to go to an appointment and had to leave. I'll be voting on super Tuesday like the majority of Americans.
It was sort of odd, wasn't it, when Oprah said she voted, her audience went WILD. As if Oprah's vote is made of diamonds and smells like roses. I think everyone's vote, in this election, deserves a standing O!
It's funny, on today's live show, Gayle King said she was going to photograph her ballot so she could be sure those touch screen booths record her vote properly. This was exactly the plan I devised for myself after a friend of mine, Grace, had a problem with her "X" disappearing consistently out of the box from her presidential choice. Evidently, this even happened to Oprah. Yikes! Careful out there everyone. Confirm that your vote is properly recorded.
Oprah told us all that, "If you haven't voted early, please remember to exercise your right on November 4th." No matter how long this assignment takes next Tuesday, I do it proudly.
"We just wish you the most with this baby girl...the whole country...Welcome Hazel!" I took care of this Oprah mandate asap and took a moment to close my eyes and send Ginny, Matt and Hazel my good thoughts. Felt good. It always feels good to wish others the best. I know that sounds diabetes-inducingly sweet, but I do mean it.
Oprah advised, "So, check out, if you will, the November cover of Shape magazine. Faith Hill is posing in a bikini after three kids." I'm going grocery shopping later. I'll check out the mag in the aisle on my way out. And then, in an odd and uncomfortable moment, during a short interview with Faith Hill on Skype, Oprah had the singer lift her shirt up and show us her abs. Oprah loves studying other peoples' slimness, but this made Hill really embarrassed. I doubt she would have done it if anyone besides Oprah had asked. Would you lift YOUR shirt on Skype if Oprah told you to? I guess I'd have to this year. I shudder to think. Hold on...I'm gonna go do some crunches...
...ok, I'm back. My abs now look exactly like Faith Hill's. (Or at least they will after a little help from Photoshop).
During a conversation with hit-maker, David Foster, the subject of his discovery of Michael Bublé came up. Oprah said it was her fantasy to have Bublé sing at a party. Am I crazy...or don't I remember that she brought the singer to a party that Harpo's neighbors threw on a past show? And then Foster said he also brought Bublé to Oprah's birthday party at Quincy Jones' house. Did she forget that her fantasy came true twice?
Oprah's live show continued with singer Andrea Bocelli. As his new CD Incanto hits the shelves November 4th, Oprah said after we vote on that day, "...go and get the cd..." Okie doke. I'll put it on my list.
Finally...Don't forget, the big sex show is on Monday. I know the set up for these shows tends to be a lot bigger than the actual episode, which tends to be a bit of a let down. (Side note: it's KILLING me not to fill this paragraph with sexual innuendo. The mature side of me is so proud I'm not writing a wink, wink, nudge, nudge kind of paragraph here....the immature side of me just needed to tell you that I really want to.)
Friday, October 31, 2008
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27 comments:
Go mosey over to my blog and innuendo away. I actually welcomed them in my writing today. Go to CD 15.
C.
p.s. What do you think? I started commenting instead of emailing you. I figured it was easier?
My polling place usually offers a choice of paper or touchscreen, and I choose paper every time. The photo tip is a good one, though.
I would totally show my wimpy abs via Skype. And then I would proclaim the usefulness of tummy pooch in my stage combat work. (It makes nice padding for contact punches.) I knew I grew it for a reason! ;-)
I don't usually tune in to O, but get my O-bservations about the show from you. Today I flipped in during Bocelli's singing; why when the whole audience was in darkness was there a spotlight on Oprah and Gale? It's not like Mr. Bocelli could see them. Is this the usual set-up when someone performs on the show?
I love Andrea Bocelli, and wasn't aware he has a new CD coming out. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it!
I always vote on Election Day. Never early and never by absentee ballot thanks to a bad past experience with absentee voting. I can't wait to stand in line on Tuesday.
LO, did you see this? Click on my name to go the the CNN video about Oprah's popularity in Arab countries.
Please, everyone, vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday. Living in Canada is not all it's cracked up to be.
One other thing, if you have a touchscreen machine, photograph your vote as Gayle suggests. It sounds crazy but erring on the side of crazy is probably best when it comes to your vote.
I have never commented before, but today I almost started screaming at the TV at the gym. In many states it is ILLEGAL to bring cameras into the voting booth. Great, now people are going to slowing down the lines on Election Day trying to photograph their touchscreen. I voted early and one person slowed things up by getting into an altercations with the poor election officials who made them hand over their camera phones. Please check your local laws, people!
Not to nit-pick LO, but if I recall correctly Oprah said you "can" go and get the CD, not you "must" go and get the CD. That may make a difference, depending on the rules you set for your project.
I'm very confused, someone please help me? What good does taking a picture of one's ballot do? Since votes are by "secret ballot" how can you confirm that one's individual ballot was counted correctly? I agree that this little revelation by Gayle has done nothing more than guarantee a slow down at the polls and cries of Recount once again.
hey all! good point about the cameras - if they're illegal, i'll pass on doing it.
celia, this is GREAT. i love emails, too. though! :)
yogajen, you crack. me. up.
wandering coyote, i've never actually listened to him before, so i'm looking forward to it.
lms! hiya. yeah, i like the energy of standing in line during election day. i once did absentee, when i was overseas, but never since.
paula, i'm gong to check this out...
american_girl, haha! hey - what do you think about your new pres? your election was BEYOND overshadowed here. we barely heard a peep about it because of the craziness on our own soil.
claire, thx for the heads up!
morepower - she said we "can" go vote and then get the cd. i thought the 'can' was attached to the vote (although she said earlier we should vote, do the point is moot on that one) and not the cd. i'll check my tape again and see what the conditional phrase was exactly! thanks.
anon, i think for the most part, people are worried their vote won't be counted. and because of the ol' hanging chad debacle...we all know too well it can happen that way. i don't think the picture thing is a really good solution, but folks i've spoken to feel the need for confirmation. i hear what you're saying, though, and will not slow down lines. good point.
best to y'all. happy halloween and have a great weekend.
xoLO
I'm with all the people wondering what good it does to have a picture of my own vote. How does that help unless they say NO ONE voted for my candidate? (Which would be so totally impossible where I live. My three year old can sight read the word "Obama," there are so many signs around.)
But what's cracking me up is thinking about waiting in line next to Oprah for an hour! What must that be like? Do you chat or figure she spends her whole professional life chatting and wants time with her own thoughts? Ah, problems I'll never have. So much more fun than those pesky real life ones!
Happy weekend!
O forgetting her fantasy-come true reminded me of a story I heard of William Randolph Hearst. He wanted a certain painting but did not know who owned it or where it was located, so he hired a researcher and spent an enormous amount of money to find it. Eventually the researcher came back and said he had found it. WRH said to buy it no matter the cost, and the researcher told him he already owned it--it was stored in one of his many warehouses.
Does having a lot of money and getting everything one wants do that to a person? Is a person naturally programmed to crave, even if one has no needs or unmet wants?
"As if Oprah's vote is made of diamonds and smells like roses."
You are such a riot! I got so turned off to Oprah when she dressed down James Frey that I just quit watching, but you've given me some perspective and I'm watching her selectively again, because sometimes she IS good. You just have to take her silliness with a grain of salt. Thanks and I'll keep enjoying your blog.
When Gayle mentioned taking a photo I must have been half listening because I clearly understood that she was referring to the 'historic nature' of the vote and wanted to photograph it (as well as having proof that she voted for him). In that case, I think it's a great idea and I wish I thought of it myself when I had voted yesterday morning. I'm in Ohio and I could've totally brought in a camera; there were no signs saying not to. (Just be discrete about it).
LO - Oh, you silly American, Canada doesn't have a president. They have a prime minister and the guy won who has been in power for the past three and a half years so a new party isn't in charge (damn). Check out my blog for all the election details. Or stare at some lint. Either way you'll be able to experience the excitement of that was the Canadian Federal election.
Following is a link to an article I read about election rigging and voting machines which is why I think having some evidence of your vote when using a voting machine isn't a bad thing.(http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9615 and the press conference referenced can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAyEfovA404)
I agree with Clair, check the local laws.
memeGRL, good question. i guess some want to preserve their vote in a historic election? others ... and this doesn't make any sort of sense, accounting-wise, taking into account voting anonymity ... feel as if it's "proof."
dawn-michelle, i had forgotten that story! really good one to bring up, in this case i think. thanks for it!
lin, agreed! and i'm glad you're enjoying. :)
teresa, ooh. ohio! i bet you were BOMBARDED with compaigning. these last few days will probably be nuts in your state! let us know how it goes...
american_girl, i'm mortified. i totally know you have a PM, but i got lost in my own dorkiness. ugh. how embarassing!! :) ooh - thanks for the link. i'll check it out.
best to you all. have a great weekend!
xoLO
hey all: if you have trouble voting, or unexpected problems w/ your vote, you can notify the election board, but you can also report the problems to CNN's voter hotline:
1-877-GO-CNN 08. (1-877-462-6608)
There are several good reasons to bring a camera with you when you vote (though a video camera would be better), and if it's illegal in your area, ask yourself why. As Dr. Phil likes to say "people who have nothing to hide, hide nothing" so why wont they allow cameras.
Voting activist Brad Friedman suggested the following if anything fishy happens with your machine (and tells people to spread this advice around):
Call poll supervisors to observe the problem.
Fill out a problem report.
Refuse to vote on that machine.
Request that the machine be taken out of service.
Get a serial number of the machine if possible (may be difficult in many cases).
Tell other voters in line which machine it was and that they should NOT vote on that machine!
Report it to county/town election office.
Report it to the Secretary of State.
Call local reporters and tell them the story.
Call voter problem hotlines (eg. 866-MYVOTE1 and 866-OUR-VOTE) and report it.
Contact bloggers and Election Integrity websites.
Raise holy hell.
REMINDER: Please bring a video camera/cell phone camera when you go to vote so you can document these problems on video tape, and then upload them to VideoTheVote.org and YouTube!
The other reason Gayle may want to take a photograph is because if she has a photo of her machine showing that she marked an X for Obama, & then the receipt the machine spits out with an X marked for McCain, she has evidence that the machine malfunctioned, and that way the polling official doesn't just assume she screwed up.
Buy the CD, regardless of whether O said you must. He is AMAZING, and you won't regret your purchase.
One reason I understand cameras are illegal in some polling sites is that they can be used to intimidate voters and/or intrude on their privacy. Not that any of LO's readers would do that :>) but it can occur. It's not necessarily because the workers at the polling centers have something to hide.
Yeah I also read that the reason cameras were illegal was because it was voter intimidation but the paranoid side of me just wonders if that's just a convenient excuse. It's not like voting is something to be ashamed of (just the opposite) so it seems odd that people would be intimated by the fear of being filmed. We live with cameras everywhere from the local corner store to the ATM machine so why should the voting booth be any different? And it's not like someone could film who someone else voted for.
But I know a lot of really smart people who are concerned that some of these voting machines may be rigged. There was a major article in Harpers magazine about how the exit polls showed Kerry winning Ohio in 2004, but the machines counted Bush as the winner. Exit polls are the most accurate type of poll because poll takers don't have to arbitrarily decide who likely voters are since you only poll people who already voted. So when the exit polls get it so wrong, there's cause for concern.
In regards to Oprah saying her fantasy would be to have Michael Buble sing at a party, I believe David Foster said that he had indeed brought Buble to a party that Oprah was at, but I think that Oprah replied and said that Buble was there, but he did not sing. And I also think that she could say having Buble sing at a party is her fantasy, even if this has already happened for her. Maybe she just loves him THAT much! :) Just a few thoughts . . .
VOTE on paper. I highly recommend it, even though the election workers always seem miffed when I ask.
My county actually sued the state of Ohio to ban paper ballots and lost(thankfully). My county is also die-hard Republican and people that really do 'clinch to their bibles and guns' so that also encourages me to go paper.
Great info, Morepower. I'm going to cut and paste those resources to my blog and email them to my friends and family.
Gah! This is what I get for not watching the show. Who are Ginny, Matt and Hazel?
Yay for Oprah for voting and going to vote and standing in line just like regular folks.
Also, I noticed that she said to check out the cover of that magazine "if you will". AH HA! You are taking over Oprah!!! WOOT! She'll come back to us soon enough.
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