10/6/08
Horizon Air at the Santa Rosa Airport shut down its ticket booth and electronic boarding pass machine ten minutes early today, then left the terminal to board the airplane, and then took off... leaving me and two other passengers completely stranded. I wrote a note to the airline telling them TO FUCK OFF AND I WOULD TELL EVERYONE I KNEW ABOUT WHAT A SHITHOLE LEMONADE STAND OF AN AIRPORT THEY WERE RUNNING.
I have a meeting today, as well as another oral surgery appointment, so I had to rent a car and drive the almost-nine hours to Los Angeles. So you don't get a real blog from me aujourd'hui, but you get to throw your hat into this particular ring:
Predict, as of today (one month out), the winner of the presidential election and the electoral votes that winner will have. Use your most accurate gut instinct, not what you want to have happen. Winner gets a small glass snifter of some of my oldest single malt.
Posted by Ian Williams at October 6, 2008 11:56 PMIan - You should email a brief summary of your airline experience to Christopher Elliott's travel column (www.elliott.org). He's a consumer advocate for the travel industry and does an amazing job at resolving disputes, getting people refunds, etc. If nothing else, his column is a great forum for spreading the word that a particular airline, cruise company, etc is offering poor service. It's a great daily read, and he can be emailed at chris@elliott.org.
Obama gets 353 (includes all the current blue leans plus NC, Nevada, Virgina, Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire).
That leaves McCain with 185.
I think McCain keeps IN, MO, and NC and ends up at 200 to the WINNER Obama at 338. The real question is what will the popular vote show. I'm looking for 3-4M over for Obama- 5M would be insane.
Obama 290, McCain 248
Ian: Send that airline story to tips@consumerist.com. Consumerist is an awesome blog.
Obama - 353
McCain - 185
Obama 291
McCain 247Please send to my home address. :-)
obama 375
mccain 163but you can keep your liquor...
Obama 275, McCain 263
It will be a long night of TV.
I will gladly take the prize. I will sit it next to the Dalwhinney.
Cathie's husband would like to say that you can sent the liquor if Cathie winsObama 286
McCain 252
Obama 338
McCain 200NC and IN ultimately won't go blue, but it will be a nailbiter in both states. I'd love it if I were wrong and they both slid over to Obama, though, even if I'm scotchless.
Speaking of scotch, check out the face of the day on andrewsullivan.comhttp://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/face-of-the-d-4.html
Obama 364
McCain 174
Obama 298
A lot of wish fulfillment going on around here! ;) I think McCain will win, but it will be close.
Obama - 278
McCain - 260
Obama 292 (gets all the 2004 blue states plus VA and FL, sadly not NC)
McCain 246
This is the first week I've felt that he will actually win!
I just read this recently, but can't recall where . . . Anyway, an air traveler had some similarly miserable experience, purchased a ticket from another airline on the spot and filed a claim for the cost of the replacement ticket in small claims court. Filing in small claims court costs about $15 and requires minimal paperwork. Of course, it would not be cost-effective for the airline to defend itself, so the airline was a no-show and the plaintiff was awarded the cost of the ticket.
Sorry you had a rough day!!!
Obama 329 - McCain 209
Scotchy, scotch, scotch - rolling in my belly.
Obama wins 269
McCain wins 269The Congress elects Obama, only to have its ruling overturned by a combination of the current administration and the supreme court, who have found some obscure language somewhere that nullifies the congressional decision in cases where either of those running were once members of the House.
They appoint McCain president McCain, he does a surprisingly good job of steering us through the first 100 days of his presidency, knowing that the Congress is out for blood, and he follows their lead. Sadly, 106 days in to his presidency, he dies.
Sara Palin becomes the 45th President of the United States, and immediately grants Alaska their independence. She spends the next two years obliterating Johnson's record for most vetoes, and by 2011, the United States is in full rebellion.
When the civil war begins, the Religious Right will find themselves in a pitched battle with soldiers who have come in from the middle east and a coalition of the willing from Mediterranean countries, including alienated allies like Spain, France and Italy, who have come to liberate the US from its Christian Radical Oppressors. The UK will opt to sit this one out.
Within six months, the US is split into three different zones. The South, which is controlled by a Christian theocracy, the North and midwest, which is controlled by the Muslim "Freedom Fighers" and the west, which will remain in a pitched civil war for six more years. Sara Palin returns to Alaska, is re-elected governor, and they join OPEC.
I love scotch.
Obama 301
McCain 237
Funny. Save only the "I love scotch" part, I had the exact same answer as Sean. Just so it doesn't end up being a tie, I'll revise my opinion and say:
Obama 313
McCain 225In lieu of the scotch, if I win I'll raise a glass of 20 year old Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve bourbon in honor of everyone else who participated. ('Course I'll probably do that anyway.)
364 Obama
174 McCainOn January 20 Coastopia goes nationwide
Hey ChrisM,
Great minds think alike, huh? Well, if I win, I'll let you have a taste of my scotch. :-)
I agree with ChrisM & Bud, of course, I'm just going by electoral-vote.com's prejections: 364-174.
To make thinkgs more interesting, (and have an opportunity to not have to share the scotch!) I'm going to place my bet on 337 - 201 and project that Florida goes back over to McCain...
Guess I should have gone with my first instinct ;)
Nice job Bud & ChrisM!