Vote For Anyone

I spent the majority of today at work...and it's just as well that I did. We were NUTS today! Everyone must have come straight to the Acme from the polls. I worked all day and never really got a chance to get to the polls myself, I'm afraid. We had tons of people, tons of big orders, and tons of OBNOXIOUS people. One woman and her daughter ended up putting back half their order, even though they probably had enough money to cover it! Another bought two orders, the second consisting of Stouffer's meals she had to switch around. She only bought the second one to use these five-dollar coupons that come out of the coupon machine...and those coupons are good until Thanksgiving Day! (Not to mention an order consisting of frozen meals is NOT that expensive.)

I ran a couple of election-themed TV show episodes before and after work. Mike Nesmith throws his green wool hat into California's political ring in the early second season Monkees episode "Monkee Mayor" in order to save the homes of several elderly neighbors. Balki runs for student council in the sixth season Perfect Strangers episode "See How They Run," but campaign manager Larry goes overboard, as usual. Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer run against each other for Pittsburgh City Council in the mid-second season Remember WENN episode "Strange Bedfellows" and learn that politics is a full-time job. Mary Richards finds out what happens after an official is elected...and that the public's choice isn't always the right one...when a particularly incompetent city official appears on her talk show in "His Two Right Arms," the second season finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

School elections and politics are spoofed nicely in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, one of the better later Peanuts specials. Though Charlie Brown is initially nominated for Student President, as suggested in the title, he simply (and not surprisingly) isn't popular enough. Linus steps in as Lucy tries everything from radio programs (how did Snoopy get away with running that show when he wasn't even allowed on school grounds?) to threats to make sure her brother wins. The election looks like a lock, until Linus starts making speeches about his favorite subject, The Great Pumpkin.

And, at press time, Obama is winning the Presidential Race, according to Yahoo!'s home page.