Akkam’s Razor

• Cartype : Carbon Motors - Carbon Motors Corporation is a new American automaker that is developing and will manufacture, distribute, and service the Carbon E7, the world's first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle.
• Voter turnout didn’t set record: Democrats’ passion wasn’t matched by GOP - Turnout in last week's election increased from four years ago but fell far short of some forecasts largely because many Republican voters either stayed home or left blank the presidential section of their ballots.

  In states won by President-elect Barack Obama, turnout was more than five percentage points higher than in states won by Republican John McCain, according to a Globe analysis of data compiled by a pair of researchers who study voting patterns in US elections.

• Psychology of Cyberspace - Article Index -
• Tentacles of Rage: The Republican propaganda mill, a brief history LEWIS H LAPHAM / Harpers Magazine v.309, n.1852, September 2004 1sep04 -
• The New York Times > Week in Review > Image > Dissecting the Changing Electorate -
• Secret Service blamed Palin for sudden spike in Obama death threats | Crooks and Liars - There was a reason, I think, that people were repelled by the ugliness that proceeded from the McCain/Palin campaign this year — common sense, after all, should tell you where this kind of ugliness was heading. It showed up at the polls.

  The problem is finding a way to put out the fuse that they lit.

• Obama’s Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators - Umair Haque - Barack Obama is one of the most radical management innovators in the world today. Obama's team built something truly world-changing: a new kind of political organization for the 21st century. It differs from yesterday's political organizations as much as Google and Threadless differ from yesterday's corporations: all are a tiny handful of truly new, 21st century institutions in the world today.

  Obama presidential bid succeeded, in other words, as our research at the Lab has discussed for the past several years, through the power of new DNA: new rules for new kinds of institutions.

  So let's discuss the new DNA Obama brought to the table, by outlining seven rules for tomorrow's radical innovators.

• Talking Points Memo | The Palin Effect - Palin was a surprising pick– virtually unknown outside Alaska (including, as it turned out, by the McCain campaign itself)– and she lacked experience (a key talking point for McCain). But her effect was supposed to be three fold– a woman and feminist for life, she'd pick up disgruntled Hillary supporters, an avowed Christian, she'd consolidate and energize the religious right, and with her youth and self described Mavericky ways, she'd counter Obama's fresh enthusiasm.

  Two months later? Not so much. The Palin Effect exists– but it's not energizing the base. On the contrary. Of the 70 odd conservative politicians, pundits and newspapers that have turned from McCain to endorse Obama this fall, 38 of them have cited Palin as a significant contributor to the decision. Hover over for quotes, and click on the pictures for links. And enjoy.

• The GOP ticket’s appalling contempt for science and learning. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine - This is what the Republican Party has done to us this year: It has placed within reach of the Oval Office a woman who is a religious fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus. Those who despise science and learning are not anti-elitist. They are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured. And those who prate of spiritual warfare and demons are not just “people of faith” but theocratic bullies. On Nov. 4, anyone who cares for the Constitution has a clear duty to repudiate this wickedness and stupidity.

• Block the Vote : Rolling Stone - In state after state, Republican operatives — the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics — are wielding new federal legislation to systematically disenfranchise Democrats.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Our friends on the right have been talking non-stop about ACORN, and how the 1.3 million newly registered voters, mostly minority and lower-income, are a threat to the integrity of our voting process.  Billmon, writing at dKos, ably establishes how the right will blame ACORN for any GOP defeat.  The Republican’s friends in the media are gladly echoing those claims,  while not mentioning the immense number of voters institutionally disenfranchised via voter suppression by the various national, state, and local Republican mechanisms in advance of the election.  We’re talking about 10-times the voters, some 13 million and counting.  Sadly, GOP vote suppression looks to be below the radar for the press.

• Pennsylvania: Where the Collar Counties Are the Big Dogs | Newgeography.com - Not surprisingly, the Obama campaign hopes to paint John McCain as a right-wing clone of President Bush. If he is successful, then McCain will likely lose the collar counties, and with them Pennsylvania. In a best case scenario for the Democrats, 2008 could mirror Governor Rendell’s 2002 triumph where wins in the collar counties and Philadelphia make up for losses elsewhere in the state.

Popularity: 4% [?]