Weekend surprises

Among the surprises this weekend:

We’ve generally felt we’ve been pretty safe from worrying with Vincent about those triple vices: sex, drugs, and drinking. Apparently no more are we going to be immune from worrying about these with him (especially if you include tobacco).

I’ve talked with two different survey researchers who are also immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe about the Georgia and Kosovo wars. I even sent one of them – with whom I argue a little – my blog entry last summer “Georgia on my mind.” Who would have thought?

It’s been one year this week since the May 20 KY presidential primary. On the anniversary of the weekend in which I made calls both for then Senator Clinton and then Senator Obama’s campaigns, at one of many electoral politics polling presentations I’ve been to, I learned that 25 percent of Clinton voters across the country did indeed vote for Senator McCain. And nearly half of those who voted for other Democratic presidential candidates (mainly Senator Edwards – not a very big group), voted for McCain. Apparently racial politics played at least a small role here. Few of these voters “stayed home” (didn’t vote) to protest. And few supporters of other Republican candidates defected (as the Democrats). Readers may recall not only our coverage of the Democratic primary, but also my blog entry from Boston about the pseudo-focus group with wavering former Hilary supporters. Of course, in the end, Obama didn’t need all of the Clinton voters to win relatively easily. Without the financial crisis in the fall and the eventual tide against Governor Palin, these folks could have posed a much bigger threat to Obama.

We’ll see what other surprises – pleasant and unpleasant – await me this weekend. Go Rachel Alexandra (in two hours)! Go, Rockets (tomorrow night). I’m going to go for a swim instead of taking a nap now.

-- Perry