More hostage notes: But will you love me tomorrow?

I know I need a small vacation but it don't look like rain; And if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain.

NOV. 2, 2009: Yes. We know. Our newspaper is being quoted and linked to by every major news organization in America. And yes, they are all asking for quotes. And yes. We don't have time.

What they want to know is if we think the race between Doug “Sarah-Fred-Big&Rich” Hoffman and Bill “Barack-Joe-Dede” Owens is a precursor of what is now going to happen nationally.

And the answer is this: Sometime Tuesday night the 23rd Congressional District will turn to the rest of the nation and say, “Tag, you're it!”

——

Much is being made about the fact that Republican Dede Scozzafava is endoring Democrat Bill Owens, rather than Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Hoffman and other Republicans are calling her a variety of things, but we'll use "turncoat" for our more delicate readers.

Ah, let's just remember that Hoffman started all this by endorsing Scozzafava and emailing her a pledge of support before deciding to turn on her. He promised all the party chairs in the 11-county district he would support Scozzafava.

So how do you turn your coat on someone who turned his coat on you?

——

The turnout for Vice President Joe Biden in Watertown today was bad. Like, half-full building. Like, not good. Like, you're kidding me? Like, suppose the Vice President of the Free World came to your town and you couldn't find 400 people to care?

Like, remember in January when it was 6 degrees out and there was four feet of snow on the ground and Gov. David Paterson came to the same building and it was standing room only?

If I were a Democrat, I wouldn't like any of this

——-

All journalists experience a Joe Wilson moment where someone calls you a liar in a room full of other people. But did my moment HAVE to come during Fellowship Hour after church?

Yesterday I was the warm-up act at First Presbyterian Church, providing the greeting and announcements. I began by urging the congregation to “Sit back, relax and enjoy knowing that you are about to experience one hour of a political commercial-free worship service.”

Oh, I liked that joke. And so did the congregation. But while I was shooting my mouth off, supporters of Doug Hoffman were in our church parking lot putting Hoffman fliers in the handles of car doors.

You can imagine the mood of the electorate, having been assured of political commercial freedom only to find they had to remove election fliers to get into their cars.

Several came up to me after church and stuck a flier under my nose as if I was part of some celestial bait and switch.

Hey, look, that's why they call it a “sanctuary.” Inside, you're in the presence of God's mercy. But once you head for home, well, heaven help us all.

——-

During his speech today at the North Side Improvement League, Vice President Biden spent some time saying that a lot of folks, such as former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, are swell people, but they just have different views.

It was a nice touch, in contrast to how the Conservative Party has been talking about Dede Scozzafava. But for anyone thinking Biden was just speaking for the moment, he's been saying nice things about the opposition for 20 years..

Several newspapers ago, I attended a luncheon in Washington, D.C. with a group of South Carolina journalists, all of whom had been invited to the Capitol by the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond. About 10 Senators showed up for the lunch as well, including Dimenici, Warner, Gramm and Biden.

Each Senator took a turn to stand up and shed some light on the inner workings of D.C., but Biden instead went over to Thurmond and hugged him — and while still embracing him turned to us and said, “This man has been like a father to me.”

If they ever make a movie, it might go like this:

Thurmond: “I am your father.”

Biden: “No. No. That's not true. That's impossible!”

Thurmond: “Search your feelings, you KNOW it to be true!”