Daily News Roundup, 11/6/07: Today Is Election Day

Today is Election Day. You will have the opportunity to vote for amendments to the state constitution, and in some cases you'll be able to vote in special elections for various offices and city issues as well. Either way, today is the day for you to get out there and vote if you haven't voted already.

Even though some pundits might paint this election as relatively unexciting, that hasn't stopped some from getting up to the unfortunate business of dirty tricks. Fliers were distributed in Tarrant County with official county government logos, an imprint labeling it as an "OFFICIAL NOTICE," and incorrect and misleading information about the election — they said Election Day was this coming Saturday.

The flier showed up in two predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods within District 9, officials said. Six candidates are running to represent the district in a special election.

The DA's office is investigating, and I for one hope they figure out who did it. I don't know how much hope there is for justice, but the lengths to which people will go to subvert the democratic process are astounding.

In happier news, how about a plant that converts cow manure into natural gas? Here you go, and you're welcome. In Huckabay, Texas, deep in dairy country, captains of environmental industry are exploiting a natural resource with which Texas is blessed and turning it into residential power. The local dairy farmers are apparently also excited about having a place to take the bovine byproduct. The plant just opened Monday and will generated the annual energy equivalent of almost 5 million barrels of oil. That isn't an overwhelming figure, but it is a start, and it illustrates how extant industry and new technology can engage in a symbiotic relationship that produces benefits for everyone involved.

The Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman has an assessment on Senator Hutchison's recent flip-flop on SCHIP, when she suddenly changed her position and voted along with John Cornyn to prevent little kids from getting health care. He thinks that, in the guise of criticizing Congressional Democrats for "playing politics" on the issue, she shifted temporarily to voting along with Cornyn to give him some cover at home, thereby playing politics with the issue. Hutchison has always lined up with the GOP when the pressure's on, and by all appearances she will continue to do so.

If you want more proof that this election cycle is off the rails and headed for totally uncharted territory, consider this: Ron Paul built a one-day fundraising run around Guy Fawkes Day, which marks the anniversary of an attempt to assassinate King James I of England and blow up Parliament in 1605. In common parlance it is referred to as the Gunpowder Treason, and you might have seen a film loosely associated with those events in recent years called V for Vendetta. It seems like a weird day to tie to your online fundraising efforts, but somehow it worked for Ron Paul, who raised over $4.2 million in a single 24-hour period. With gimmicky volunteer-produced YouTube videos that reference a movie and an attempted regicide from the 1600's. Welcome to 2008.

Finally, today: if Stephen Colbert's inability to get on the ballot in South Carolina didn't signal the end of his presidential campaign, the writer's strike surely would have, forcing his show (and thus his election "coverage") into reruns. We would joke a little around the office about who might be taking Colbert's Doritos-fueled run for the White House seriously. Apparently, though, some people were genuinely concerned:

Two prominent supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign in South Carolina called state Democratic Party officials urging them to oppose putting comedian Stephen Colbert's name on the primary ballot, according to party officials and Obama supporters with knowledge of the calls.

Sometimes (and very often, in politics) truth is stranger than fiction. I don't know and wouldn't presume that Senator Obama himself was personally concerned, but someone somewhere sat down for a moment with a very serious look on their face and said, "What are we gonna do about Colbert?" And they needed an answer.

If that isn't reason enough to go vote, I don't know what is.