• According to Dan Walters, all his serious economist friends are telling him there’s no recession yet, theoreticaly speaking.  He might want to read his own paper, about how the Employment Development Department can’t keep up with the demand for unemployment benefits and everyone calling in is getting a busy signal.  Tip to those who apparently aren’t feeling a recession: use the EDD website.

• In a reversal to the Bush Administration, a judge has ruled that George Bush cannot exempt the Navy from environmental laws regarding the use of sonar within 12 miles of the California coast.  Not that Bush followed the ruling of the judiciary the first time, but…

• There are still high hopes for an end to the WGA strike, and meetings in Los Angeles and New York have been scheduled for the weekend (ostensibly to present the contract), but caution lies ahead, as more foreign imports and reality television are likely to wind up on schedules, and less pilots are likely to be shot.  Of course, this was my point all along, and why I underscored the need to grow the union for the benefit of everyone involved and give everything on television the opportunity to unionize.  But jurisdiction for reality and animation was dropped in the most recent round of talks, and there will be consequences to that.

• Our friends at the SEIU are going to start a $75 million dollar, year-long, national campaign in support of universal health care.  I have to think that this is a positive by-product of the coalition built in California around the ultimately unsuccessful effort on health care reform.  If so, then there was nothing unsuccessful about it.  It’s very exciting to see a full media and ground effort to draw the policy distinctions on health care between the parties, and to advocate for a system that makes sense for working families.

Use this as a repository for everything but the election.

OK, I’m up and ready to rock. Not entirely sure what sort of trouble I’m gonna kick up today, but at least some of it should be interesting.  I’ll be cruising parts of North County with CA-50 candidate Nick Leibham and I’ll be watching at least some of the results at Drinking Liberally San Diego.  There’s another results party hosted by the San Diego Dems in Hillcrest and the Young Dems will be following along in PB at The Shore Club.  So if I can stick to tonic for a while, I might just hop a bit.

In the meantime, snapshots (literal and rhetorical) from polling places around town, any interesting media reports, probably at least one stop at Hillcrest Mardi Gras which has its own results tent (“Cast your vote before you come to the party, then watch the Primary Voting Results in the Mardi Gras Election Tent.”> and…hell I don’t know what else.  Feel free to make suggestions.  But while you’re at it, check in with your own experiences. We’ll try to keep things updated regularly all day and night.

Update 6:58am: Governor Schwarzenegger and McCain will be at a San Diego rally at 1pm. Hangar at Jim’s Air Aviation 2904 Pacific Highway.  Governor at 1pm, McCain newsconference at 1:50pm. Obama‘s campaign will watch results starting at 8pm at East Village Tavern and Bowl (which I love).  Romney folks will be at the Westgate Hotel starting at 8pm in tandem with the official SDGOP party.  And finally, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner will be at SDGOP headquarters today and “available” as president of the No on 93 Campaign. (h/t Capitol Morning Report).

Update 7:33am: Arrived at the polling place around 7:10.  Light turnout, about 5 people ahead of me in line, same number arrived while I was voting.  Precinct head said that something like half the precinct had already voted by mail. I assume that was exaggerated, but given the turnout, who knows.  If there’s more (relatively) early voting, that would likely benefit Clinton.  Or my experience could be entirely anecdotal.  Or I might have been lied to.  And check out the bad picture of Ron Paul signs across the street from the polling place.  Pretty slick. yeah.

Update 8:58am: I’m cribbing some wifi from the UTC Apple Store.  Touring North County polling places with Leibham is at least temporarily on hold as they’ve discovered the realities involved in trying to meet and greet in a congressional district with a ton of permanent absentees and over 1000 polling places- the people aren’t exactly congregating.  Other stuff may come up still, and if nothing else I’ll swing by the McCain event and the parties later.

Update 10:39am: MSNBC just reported that hundreds of people are trying to vote in Virginia only to discover that, surprise, the Virginia primary is next week.  Can I renounce my home state now?

Manuel Perez has been recently announced as a recipient of the 2008 HGSE Alumni of Color Achievement Award….  Mr. Pérez is being recognized for his work, which addresses issues of race and education in ways that offer new frames of thought and practice, and evidences a commitment to promote meaningful strategies to affect change and to improve educational opportunities for people of color.

Manuel Pérez is running to represent the 80th Assembly District in California, a region that stretches from Palm Springs through Coachella to Calexico.   This seat is in play, and though Manuel has excellent company in the Democratic primary, he stands apart.  Manuel Perez represents the new crop of progressives in the Democratic party: a community organizer first/politician second, a scholarship student who came back to the old neighborhood to teach, the proud son of UFW parents who advocates for gay rights and a women’s right to choose.   Harvard Graduate School of Education has reason to be proud.  The volunteers on his campaign know how they feel.

Support Manuel Pérez for the CA 80th AD here.

Barack Obama’s endorsement by the Grateful Dead showed the extent to which he is bringing voters out of the woodwork. Typically in campaigns, you start with 1/3 supporting your side, 1/3 supporting the other side, and 1/3 ready to be convinced. The middle is the battleground (unless you buy into the DLC playbook of pissing off the base to try and win over the other side’s base, which is why no Clinton has won 50% nationwide). The other option is to not buy into the voter pool as a zero net sum game and bring in new people. To date, Barack Obama has excelled at expanding the pool and bringing in young voters and first time voters and boosting turnout.

When it comes to the Grateful Dead, it is almost a joke when it comes to getting Deadheads to care about politics. It might be the least friendly demographic for increasing participation in electoral politics. The Dead didn’t step up against Nixon or any other major threat to America since. But they have been inspired by Barack Obama to come together for a reunion concert to Get Out The Vote. I’m proud to be there and will be updating below the fold, you can listen to a Live stream here (beginning at 7:30 pacific + Dead time).

Talk about contrast. Hillary’s event was a huge pain to get media credentials. Top down, the was seating for less than 100 stanch supporters as part of a simulcast in dozens of cities with her endorsers. Meanwhile, Obama’s grassroots campaign inspired the Dead to get back together and they sold out the Warfield for Obama in less than twenty minutes.

It is now 45 minutes past the start and hundreds are still waiting in line while the bar is stacked five deep.  

Pics from the venue will be found here.