I'm Joe Montibello, and I'm running for Selectman. I’m a family man living and working in Exeter, and I am concerned with the future of the town. Politically, I’m a progressive who believes that the purpose of local government is to put the will of the people into action.

The town can’t afford to just listen – it has to ask the people what they need and make every effort to provide it. The Board of Selectmen needs to seek feedback from the residents, so that everyone can be represented fairly. Giving some citizens a simple way to get their ideas to the Board of Selectmen – the attached postcard – is one way to encourage more participation among the people.

I support the articles regarding our police and fire departments, as well as the Healthcare District change. We need to reserve judgment on the Great Dam until a full study is complete, but I’m hopeful that we can find a way to generate power there, reducing our reliance on public utilities. I list my stances on all the warrant articles on my website - http://selectjoe.wordpress.com.

One of the most important issues in this race is not on the ballot. At the deliberative session, citizens voted to remove from the ballot a question about hiring two new positions in the Finance Department. I believe that these positions are needed, but the vote to remove the warrant article was the voice of the citizens. Reversing that kind of decision is a bad precedent to set. I’ll oppose it if elected.

Thanks for your time. I’d appreciate your vote.

Joe Montibello
Exeter, NH

Since I am not the most technically adept, I'm going to assume that the more expert on the web will update online events in the comments.

The tenor of some of the comments both on Bluehampshire and on Lincoln Memorial Preview suggest to me that some people are feeling let down by success. That's actually a rather common reaction. We anticipate that success will leave us elated, but it's actually failure that's more energizing.

SOURCE:Associated Press

Published: December 19, 2008

Updated: 05:02 pm

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Democrat Al Franken holds a 262-vote lead in Minnesota's Senate recount, and the state canvassing board has wrapped up its work deciding disputed ballots.

Franken took the lead from Republican Norm Coleman today and steadily increased it. The board was handling almost entirely Coleman challenges and rejecting most of them.

Here, and in 9 other battleground states nearly 1,600 have signed up to volunteer in the critical 96 hours before the election.

We're putting out names down for the last 96 hours because we worry this race could be much closer than the polls predict.

Will all of the hard work and long hours be enough?

With your help, it will be.

Click here to Volunteer in the final 96 hours

Here are a couple of reasons why we shouldn't take anything for granted.

* Record turnouts are expected on Election Day, but it's unclear if polling places are ready for the deluge of new voters. With long waits and new voting technology in several states, polls can't predict how voters will react.
* Polls -- even exit polls -- got it wrong in 2004. Not much has changed: On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, the polls showed Barack Obama up by 8.3 points in the average of all state polls. The media had started to write off Hillary Clinton and declare Obama the winner. By the end of the day, Hillary Clinton was declared the winner with a margin of victory of 2.6 points. The campaign that was supposed to be "over" went on for another five months.

SOURCE: Tampa Tribune Online

Text Of Forwarded E-Mail

Published: October 30, 2008

This is the e-mail forwarded by David Storck, chairman of the Hillsborough County Republican Party:

This e-mail was sent to me from one of our Volunteers in the Temple Terrace office. If you think it can help us win this election please pass it on. This election is now in our hands everyone can make a difference.

Thanks

Dave

Former President Bill Clinton, speaking in Florida at an Obama rally, made the point that this election cycle is unique in that the nation had the opportunity to observe the major candidates make two, rather than one, presidential decisions. He was referring to their response to the collapse of the Wall Street bubble in addition to the normal selection of the Vice Presidential candidate. But, Clinton was wrong. There were actually three presidential-caliber decisions and, to give him credit, Clinton did mention the other one in an other context--i.e. the execution of the campaign itself.

Obama presented himself as an expert executor, not just a policy wonk.

The Associated Press

AP once again will be the only news organization on election night collecting the vote for the media and delivering it to newspapers and broadcasters.

The press release goes on to explain

The more than 500 AP reporters, editors, videographers, technical support personnel and other staffers involved in covering the presidential, congressional and state elections and counting the votes will be joined and assisted on Nov. 4 by an army of 4,600 local reporters, known as stringers, who will fan out across the country to collect vote results from county clerks and phone them into four regional election tabulation centers -- two in Spokane, Wash., a third at AP headquarters in Manhattan and a fourth in Brooklyn.

But who are they?

You can help National Public Radio spot the efforts of independent groups to sway voter opinion. These groups aren’t part of any campaign but make no mistake about it, they use “push polls”, robo-calls, and all sorts of advertising in print, radio and television to help the candidate of their choice.

NPR’s Peter Overby has been doing stories on this activity and NPR has set up a web page where you can report what you’ve seen and heard. You can see that page here.

The ultimate goal is to make sure we all know who is behind this stuff. If one of these groups crosses your path and you think that a little more transparency would help the political process , we hope you’ll let NPR know. To see the stories Peter has already done, you can go this page about the Secret Money Project.

I ask that question in all seriousness and not just because John McCain actually owes the start of his political career to a Walter Mitty sort of guy, Darrow "Duke" Tully, the publisher of Arizona's largest newspaper when McCain arrived in Phoenix. A profile in the Arizona Republic outlines the particulars:

I have to admit to a persistent affection for any important person who answers one of my many importunate missives in detail. There aren't many. But Richard Nixon is one and John Kenneth Galbraith is another.

Galbraith wrote back that I was right about much economic analysis being flawed because the data collection and the models developed are static and, therefor, an inaccurate representation of a dynamic system--one that constantly changes over time. I don't remember what I wrote Nixon or what he wrote back, only that I'd decided that his most significant action and the least reported was cutting the strings between the dollar and the gold bars in Fort Knox--significant because in one fell swoop both the Soviet Union and South Africa saw the store of gold which fueled their repressive regimes rendered virtually worthless. As a result, if these nations wanted to be considered as equals on the global stage, they had to adjust their behavior and become more supportive of human and civil rights. Nixon set the stage for the fall of the walls.

Make a difference this summer as a paid canvasser for the New Hampshire Democratic Coordinated Campaign and help with one of the nation's most competitive Senate races!

Now hiring individuals to begin immediately to canvass weekday evenings and weekends. Canvassers will be going door-to-door in targeted areas, talking to voters about the issues and identifying support. No fundraising is involved.

Use your summer to do something that matters while gaining valuable job and leadership skills that will last a lifetime, all while helping elect great Democrats from New Hampshire.

Positions ranging from part-time (20 hrs/wk) to full-time (40 hrs/wk).
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Every once in a while, George Will gets something right. His review of Shelby Steele's "A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win," is one of those times. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Nevertheless, for his comparison to Fred Astaire alone, Will deserves credit:

So far, Obama is the Fred Astaire of politics -- graceful and elegant, with a surface so pleasing to the eye that it seems mistaken, even greedy, to demand depth.

See why over the fold.

This email was forwarded to me from a Florida Dem County Chair, and I thought it would be of interest, so am passing it along. I'll add a copy of the referred-to attachment as well (excerpt).

Dear Democrat:
If you haven't already received this it will make you real mad. Open up the attachment and then open the link to Democratic Rep Ron Gelber's exchange. The importance of this it gives us a true picture of the attitude of the Republicans in Tallahassee. You will hear the Republicans mock and laugh at Rep Gilber as he pleads with them not to move the Presidential Primary to January 29. Remember it was a Republican Legislature and the Republican Governor that made this happen. Please forward this to your friends; we need to get the word out.

Chair, Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee
Spring Hill, FL 34611

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
For Immediate Release: March 7, 2008
re: Crist's Concern for Dem Voters

TALLAHASSEE - While Florida's governor plays the role of nonpartisan leader on television, he's a true partisan Republican in real life. During his week-long media tour to "help" Democrats, Crist seems to have conveniently forgotten that he vowed to veto legislation proposed by Democrats to move the primary to February 5th.

Michigan and Florida in Modern Times
by Bob Franken, March 10, 2008 |

Actually, by "We", I mean "Me" but what the hell. By "Opportunity" I mean the chance to be unbound by the old-fashioned ways of solving this idiotic dillema.
About the most adventurous idea they're discussing beyond the traditional voting booth or caucus is a postcard primary.

Wowee-zowee! Is that edgy or what? Actually the word that more comes to mind is "timid". Isn't it time we started thinking outside the ballot box?

Actually, there are some alternatives in plain sight, particularly if you watch Fox network during primetime.

I'm thinking, of course, of American Idol. Instead of a debate, each candidate performs his and her song-and-dance. Rather than passing judgement, Randy, Paula and Simon get to ask some dumb followup question. Following that, the residents of Michigan and Florida vote by phone.
Each must press in a registration number, which is used one then disabled to prevent duplication.

This email was forwarded to me from a Florida Dem County Chair, and I thought it would be of interest, so am passing it along. I'll add a copy of the referred-to attachment as well (excerpt).

Dear Democrat:
If you haven't already received this it will make you real mad. Open up the attachment and then open the link to Democratic Rep Ron Gelber's exchange. The importance of this it gives us a true picture of the attitude of the Republicans in Tallahassee. You will hear the Republicans mock and laugh at Rep Gilber as he pleads with them not to move the Presidential Primary to January 29. Remember it was a Republican Legislature and the Republican Governor that made this happen. Please forward this to your friends; we need to get the word out.

Chair, Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee
Spring Hill, FL 34611

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
For Immediate Release: March 7, 2008
re: Crist's Concern for Dem Voters

TALLAHASSEE - While Florida's governor plays the role of nonpartisan leader on television, he's a true partisan Republican in real life. During his week-long media tour to "help" Democrats, Crist seems to have conveniently forgotten that he vowed to veto legislation proposed by Democrats to move the primary to February 5th.

The recent post All Votes Must Count mysteriously left out the petition website. Please go to the following website to read and sign the petition demanding the DNC not disenfranchise millions of its own voters.

Florida-delegates.com

You can go directly to read and sign the petition here

There is a fast growing movement to make sure Florida and Michigan voters are not disenfranchised. Since my own mother is one of Florida's disenfranchised voters, I have strong feelings about this. (as does she!)

Please read, sign and forward the petition below.

Please keep these facts in mind:

The Florida Democratic primary election ballot had all Democratic presidential candidates listed.
Florida Dems have been disenfranchised, through no fault of their own.
HB537 was written by a Florida Republican to change Florida's primary date.
The Florida legislature has an overwhelming Republican majority.
The state of Florida has a Republican Governor.
HB537 was passed by the Republican-ruled Legislature in May 2007 & legislatively changed the Florida primary date.
The Florida Democratic Party did NOT change this date.
The citizens of the state of Florida did NOT vote on this date change.
This date was, and still is, unalterable by the Florida Democrats.

Passage of Florida legislative bill HB 537 has caused 2.6 Million voters to become disenfranchised. Democrats made up the bulk of those, with 1.7 million voters, an all-time record-breaking turnout. This may have been a manipulation of the legislative process to intentionally influence the outcome of a presidential race. Please help us reinstate the voting rights of Florida Democrats. How you can help: