on tuesday dre was in nyc so after work he and i shared a cab back to my place so he could have dinner with the timber family... the girls were really excited to see dre. on the way home he and i started going back and forth about the election, he, like all other former heads of the florida young republicans is pro-mccain, and i was of course backing obama. as we discussed the cab driver interrupted us and joined in and it went something like this...

cabby: i need to say something. i am a russian jew and there are 3 million of us in nyc and i can say, 90 to 95% of us are not voting for obama, you know why? <his voice starts to rise> we fled socialism, that is why we left russia! and obama wants to turn america to a socialist county! <not yelling> we fled it! it is bad! very bad!
me: really, hu? <i now started thinking, crap, this guy is going to kill me, i then glance at dre and he gives me a look like, "shut your fn mouth, this guy is going to kill us both">
cabby: we not voting for mccain, we are voting against obama and socialism!
about 3 mins of silence pass now
cabbby: my son has a small business in florida, and he is voting for mccain... he has to as he knows that obama is going to raise his taxes. he work very hard for his business, it isn't too big, but he doesn't want high taxes.
me: you sure about that? how many people does he have working for him?
cabby: <voice starts to raise> it is construction and that is going to die down if obama gets in office and the economy stays weak!
<dre again looks at me and starts shaking his head>
more silence
me: pull over here, this is us.
<nil starts paying the cabby>
cabby: let me tell you something. you know how obama's wife said she not proud of this country, she not proud to be an american until just a few months ago!?
me: well you don't always have to be proud of your country if they are doing things you don't agree with. the govt doesn't always do the right thing you know?
cabby: <full out yelling now> listen! when i lived in russia and you american's landed on the moon we applauded you, we were proud for you. we always proud of you as you are the greatest democracy in the world! we fled to america, we proud of you! and she. she isn't proud until now! how can she now be proud!?
me: well, i still think he is going to be a great president and i hope you lean to like him when he is elected <i get out of the cab>
cabby: <keeps yelling at me as dre finishes paying him>
dre: <gets out and shuts the door as the cabby speeds off> i just want you to know, i told him your address so he can come and kill you tonight. did you actually want him to kill us both?! why did you have to say the last part and then leave the cab, he really hates you.
me: why do you think i had him drop us off a block away, i didn't want him to know where i lived... i really did think he was going to drive us to some ally and pull a gun. 
dre: i have to say, i totally agree with him and the other 3 million russian jews, obama's wife is anti-american and he is going to ruin this country if he is elected.
<i started laughing as we walked the block and a half to my house>

very funny speeches from the alfred e. smith memorial dinner, obama’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5SWQJWm6Tg and mccain’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAjAtYqczkk. they both have some very good writers.

i had a couple of different non-US co-workers send me the following url, http://www.prosebeforehos.com/word-of-the-day/10/15/al-jazeera-exposes-racism-at-sarah-palin-rally-in-ohio/?red, and both had the same comments, “i had no idea people in america thought like this. ohio isn’t the backwoods, i just cannot believe these are americans. it is astonishing.”  after viewing another co-worker said, “this is why obama is going to lose, pollsters say one thing and will then vote another.” i had heard about this, it is called the “bradley effect” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_effect), hopefully it doesn’t happen this election , but who knows.

so having a front row seat to history is both exhilarating and also really scary. work has been back to back 70+ hour work weeks with stress levels very high, random people totally flipping out and  lots of running back and forth from desk to desk. personally i try to stay calm, but i have been guilty of throwing things at the wall and tv and cursing loudly at random talking heads on the tv… and yes that mean you sarah paulin, you only took on the big oil companies because your state was/is flush in cash! also at least once a day i get what i think are heart palpitations… lucky for my wife and kids if i do die at my desk i think they get an extra 100K in life insurance.