US Automobile sales plunged 32 percent in the month of October to their lowest levels in 17 years. The loss numbers span across both domestic and foreign car manufacturers with GM leading the downward charge with a 45% loss from the previous year, Ford taking a 32% drop, Honda sales dropping 25% and world market share leader Toyota taking a 23% loss. Uncertainty over the economy has kept consumers off of car lots nationwide, while reduced access to credit in order to attain auto loans, a direct result of the financial crisis, has kept those who do want to buy from being able to raise the necessary capital for the purchase.

With so many jobs in the United States directly affected by the health of the automobile industry, these numbers are a frightening reminder of the urgent need to get capital flowing in this country again. Specifically the Midwestern states of Michigan and Ohio, which have already been pummeled by both NAFTA and Globalization, desperately need the auto industry to rebound.

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As promised, I am slowly ( very very slowly) but surely posting videos from the recent Obama Girls of Comedy Tour. This video is from our stop in Ohio where we celebrated a fabulous performance with more fabulous performances at…karaoke! I (like most people who can’t really sing) LOVE karaoke. Music makes people happy.

Did you know that karaoke is a Japanese abbreviated compound word: “kara” comes from “karappo” meaning empty, and “oke” is the abbreviation of “okesutura,” or orchestra. The origins of karaoke are not clear. One story claims that a snack bar owner, when a performer failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. Who knows? I just know that belting out Guns n’s Roses in public makes me feel magical. And I’m guessing belting in public makes this fabulous lady (and everyone around her) feel magical too…

This little Ms. Sassy Pants was the highlight of my comedy trip. (I mean supporting Obama and the election was cool and all, but this lady, this is what America is about!) What an inspiration. Sure, her

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With the Presidential election just one week away, John McCain is going after the vote of an often overlooked group: The Amish. Whether the strategy will prove to be an inspired last minute play or a final act of desperation, with McCain running behind in most battleground state polling, remains to be seen. What’s not in question however is the conservative credentials of a community that is not only against abortion as a part of their religious beliefs, but also against the use of electricity and the internal combustion engine. Particularly given their stance on abortion, the Amish are believed to almost always vote Republican when they make it to the polls. But their voter turnout is unknown given the obvious difficulties of polling a community that doesn’t believe in the use of telephones and is skittish about contact with the outside world.

Probably the main draw of the Amish vote to the McCain campaign is their geographic distribution. The majority of Amish communities are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, all three of which are swing states in this year’s election. However as reported by Benjamin Sarlin on The Daily Beast, the McCain-Palin campaign may have missed the horse and buggy on getting the Amish vote to the polls, with their outreach only beginning now and the voter registration deadline having passed in all three states.

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If you want some political and economic commentary to watch while you drink your coffee try this clip on for size.   Olbermann is pretty reserved (nice for the morning) and he does a good job of juxtaposing the last two economic speeches from our candidates and explaining where the election actually is one week from the big day. Some good points are made I do think. They also talk about Ohio, where I will be voting this election (I leave tomorrow and will bring you awesome Ohio voting coverage!).

takepart to learn how to be an election day volunteer.

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In a rejection of GOP disenfranchisement tactics, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of greater voter access for Ohio voters today. As I mentioned previously on this blog, the efforts by various states to match new registrations against state databases has been fraught with technological problems. Republican operatives have been waging a campaign in Ohio to take advantage of the glitches in the system to try to challenge every newly registered voter whose name doesn’t exactly match state records.

The GOP was requesting that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner turn over the lists of all voters whose registration did not exactly match state records. Their intention was to challenge all of these voters at the polls, thereby requiring them to cast provisional ballots. However, the failure to match is a widespread problem that rarely has to do with voter fraud. As the New York Times points out:

In one audit of match failures in 2004 by New York City election officials, more than 80 percent of the failures were found to have resulted from errors by government officials; most of the remaining failures were because of immaterial discrepancies between the two records.

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It seems the closer we get to the November Presidential election, the higher the tensions are run. In case you needed anymore proof check out the Al Jazeera television report below of a McCain-Palin rally in eastern Ohio. In this fascinating clip a network that clearly has little love for the Republican party talks to people who mostly have little love for the Islamic world painting a scary portrait of the United States after the November elections. Should Obama win, he’ll need to contend with the hatred and ignorance of people like those shown in this video. Should his opponent John McCain triumph it will be in part thanks to the support of these very same people. Check it out:

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While it remains my dream that problems with voter registration, pollworker training, and statewide voter databases be eliminated in every state, I must admit that I’d most prefer that they first be dealt with in swing states. I know, I know swing states get all the attention. The red state voter in Kansas and the blue state voter in California are no less important than the swing state voter in Ohio. And electoral reform should be done for its own sake, not just when it’s convenient for our candidate, right? Right.

Yet, the worst outcome of a troubled electoral process would be if the will of the people was subverted and the aforementioned problems thwarted voter intent. Which is why we ought to pay special attention to problems in the states where the vote will be close.

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Early voting began in Ohio today with a twist. Between now and October 6th, the state’s deadline for registering to vote in the general election, any voter can walk into an early voting site, complete their voter registration, and then cast a ballot. All in the same day. It’s kind of an EDR* special offer. Limited! For a short time only! Enjoy the progressive electoral policy enjoyed by voters in eight states across the country! An Ohio judge upheld the practice yesterday, making way for a week in which scores of homeless people and students intend to take advantage of the opportunity. Republicans opposed the policy, which was the work of Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. But they still encouraged Republican voters to get out there and cast their McCain/Palin ballots early.

takepart Contact your local election office to find out the registration deadline, and whether or not your state has early voting or no-excuse absentee voting.

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An Ohio Mosque was emptied Friday evening by a chemical attack. The Mosque of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton was filled with approximately 300 worshipers, including children, about to sit down to prayer and dinner session to celebrate the last ten days of Ramadan when a “chemical irritant” as authorities termed was sprayed into the building.

A child attendee of the mosque reported to firefighters seeing two men spraying a substance into a window of the mosque out of a white can. The unknown chemical agent caused burning sensations in worshiper’s mouths, throats and eyes and heavy coughing leading to the mosque being evacuated of the congregation. One adult and one child were taken to an area hospital for treatment following the attack. Thankfully no one was killed as a result of the incident.

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In an update to our post about Stephanie Tubbs Jones, I am sad to announce that the Congreewoman passed away yesterday at the age of 58.

She’s had career to proud of, here are some of the highlights:

• Ms. Tubbs Jones co-sponsored legislative efforts to expand health care coverage for low- and middle-income people and of programs supporting the re-entry of convicts into their communities
• She was the author of legislation requiring certification for mortgage brokers and stiffer penalties for predatory loans.
• In January 2005, Ms. Tubbs Jones joined Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, in initiating a challenge (quite rare) to Congress’ ratification of George W. Bush’s re-election. They objected to accepting Ohio’s 20 electoral votes for Mr. Bush and cited voting irregularities
• Ms. Tubbs Jones voted against emergency supplemental financing for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her reason is stated after the jump.

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