• From New Jersey, Governor John Corzine.
• From Virginia, Governor Timothy Kaine.
• In California, all four of Governor Schwarzenegger’s special election ballot initiatives fail.
• ALL eight Republican school board members in Dover, PA who supported the teaching of ‘intelligent design’ are booted out and replaced by Democrats.
• Also state legislature pickups, the failure of an anti-gay ballot iniative in Maine, and the defeat of a Bush-endorsing Dem in the St. Paul, MN mayoral primary. Go to Kos and MyDD for more coverage.

Mighty fine indeed. Let’s get ready for 2006.

This is a virtually unprecendented move for the SkaroffBlog. In 1988, 1992, and 2000 (in 1996 we endorsed Mr. Dole from Kansas [ed. note - the Slutsky wing of SkaroffBlog endorsed Mr. Dole, NOT the entire editorial staff]) the SkaroffBlog sat on the sidelines choosing not endorse any candidates.

Today is election day and this could be the most important vote of our lives. Therefore, for the tens of thousands of Virginia and New Jersey voters who depend on the SkaroffBlog each day, we offer you this:

America is about to do better. Today is the day where we decide which direction this country will go. Do you want change or do you want more of the same?

We therefore officially endorse Mr. Kaine from the Commonwealth of Virginia and Mr. Corzine of Dirty Jersey. There is too much at stake to not cast a ballot today. If you do not live in VA or NJ there are still important elections happening throughout the country and we ask that you please go out and vote. If you have any questions about where to vote please check out the following links:

For Virginia Voters click here.
For New Jersey Voters click here.

GO VOTE TODAY! This election, November 8th 2005, is the beginning of the end of Republican control of this country and we need to make our voices heard loud and clear- WE DO NOT WANT MORE OF THE SAME.

The Philadelphia Bar Association, as a service to the community, investigates the judicial candidates and publishes their ratings. Here’s their description of the process:

The ratings by the [Bar Association's] 29-member Judicial Commission follow extensive study and investigation by the Commission’s own 120-member investigative division which includes 40 non-lawyer members. Candidates found Recommended satisfied a cumulative review of criteria including qualifications such as legal ability and training, trial experience, character and integrity, judicial temperament, mental and physical capacity and community involvement.

The Bar’s recommendations for Common Pleas and Municipal Courts:

•Judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Vote for not more than 8.)
*Recommended:
Susan I. Schulman (102, 202)
Marilyn Heffley (203)
Leon W. Tucker (104, 204)
Glenn B. Bronson (105, 205)
Ann M. Butchart (107)
Joyce Eubanks (207)
Charles J. Cunningham (108, 208)

NOT Recommended NOT:
Hon. Frank Palumbo
Lisette Shirdan
Hon. Walter J. Olszewski

•Judge of the Municipal Court (Vote for not more than 4.)
All 4 candidates are Recommended

*The numbers in parentheses appear on the ballot alongside the candidates’ names. The 100 series is for Democrats, the 200s, Republicans. Several candidates are listed in both parties; if you vote for them do so in only one party!

The Bar Association’s research was done for last May’s primary, when voters chose candidates for this week’s general election. Note that two of the “not recommendeds” are incumbent judges (Palumbo and Olszewski). It appears that the Bar is willing to make some important enemies when their candidate research leads then that way.

For a peek at the sample ballot, visit the Committee of Seventy, Philadelphia’s long-time elections watchdogs. Not sure where to vote? Use their polling place locator.

It seems likely that this election will come down to the last day, the last county, and the last voter. I will be in Virginia the final weekend getting-out-the-vote. And you should too…If you’ve never done GOTV before, it’s fun, and of course VA is a state that will be integral in helping with ’06 and ’08..ah yes, the big picture.

[UPDATE: 1:21pm]
Hotline has the latest poll number from a Mason-Dixon poll:
General Election
Kilgore 44%
Kaine 42%

Tim Kaine and his campaign may have lost the election this morning in Virginia. It’s incredible to me that after the 2004 Kerry race and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Democratic operatives STILL don’t understand how to stand-up and respond to attacks.

The ad I discussed in a posting yesterday not only questioned Kaine’s position on the death penalty- but it was a hard-hitting, unfair attack that questioned his character (he’s too liberal for Virginia) and made the implication that he supports Adolph Hitler!!!! It was the Swift Boat ad of 2005.

The Kaine campaign did what Democrats always do- they responded with a weak response that offered insight into Kaine’s nuanced position on the death penalty but did nothing to reinforce the idea that Kilgore is an asshole who brought Adolph Hitler into a VA Governors race.

The Kaine campaign botched this race. They had a unique chance to fire back this morning with an emotional appeal that would have made voters question Kilgore’s judgment and whether a man who brought Hitler into a race is trustworthy of being Governor. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY. THIS IS ABOUT EMOTION AND HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE CANDIDATES AT THEIR CORE. PLEASE PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS.

Today is a sad day for Virginia Democrats and I hope they can recover from what seems this morning like an inoperable blow.

You can view the ad here. This is all about GOTV now and we need to get out and turn our voters out. Click here to get down to Virginia and pound the pavement!

“With respect to providing relief under doctor’s supervision, under the proper circumstances, I think we need to provide all medical resources, and that includes what is emerging now with regard to this particular application,” said Forrester, the Republican nominee. “So, yes, I’m very much open to that.”

Said Corzine, the Democratic nominee: “I believe medical marijuana is something that, if a doctor prescribes it, we need to do what is in the best interest of the patient. It’s a tragedy when you’re not giving the best medication to an individual.”

I’m fairly surprised that Forrester would give even a hint of any type of acceptance of marijuana being a Republican. It seems like a foolish attempt to come at Corzine from his left in an attempt to further strengthen his numbers with independents. But Corzine’s agreement neutralized that issue. Hopefully both men are realizing the folly of our so-called War on Drugs and in particular the absurd criminalization of a natural and relatively harmless drug.

It’s a tight race to keep watching. Today’s Farleigh Dickinson poll shows Corzine leading by 8 points, 48-40. The other recent polls (Corzine-Forrester):

Marist (10/5-6): 47-45
Star Ledger (10/3-6): 44-37
Monmouth Univ (9/21-26): 43-34
Quinnipiac Univ (9/20-25): 48-44

To be short: Jerry Kilgore makes me sick. Not only does his physical presence (that fucking orange button down shirt) and his hypocritical, non-sensical rhetoric make me loathe him but now his campaign is running the dirtiest ads that i’ve ever seen.

Please call Jerry Kilgore’s campaign headquarters at (804) 421-9966 and tell them that implicating that Tim Kaine supports people like Adolf Hitler is dirty and misleading.

I hope that Tim Kaine’s campaign is pulling their weak hit on gas prices and putting up an ad that plays equally as dirty. Unfortunately, this is the game we have to play or we will lose in November.

CALL KILGORE RIGHT NOW and please tell your friends to as well!

The ad can be viewed here…

We need to do all we can to make sure that Tim Kaine is the next Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia!