ELECTION DAY!!!!!!

Diddy Combs at a Last Chance rally in Florida he hosted with Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! OR DIDDY WILL KILL YOU! (And possibly Jay-Z ... and yeah, probably me and a majority of The Black Snob's readers. Really. We're not fucking around. Vote. And don't bother asking "who." YOU KNOW WHO!

"The Great Hope Mongerer!" "Hopey McChangey!" Sasha and Malia's daddy!

Don't you want Sasha and Malia's daddy in the White House? Look at their faces! How can you say no to those faces!?!?!

And Michelle Obama (here campaigning her ass of in Colorado yesterday), are you going to DENY her the right to become the full-fledged style, aspirational, successful, talented, smart black woman icon she rightly deserves to be as First Lady? And don't get me started on my dear Hopey McChangey himself, Barack Obama. He's brilliant. He's cool under pressure. He gives a rat's ass about the po' folk (that's all that unfaithful bastard John Edwards asked for when he endorsed him).

And he's going to attempt what has never been done -- fix the healthcare system in the US. And he's not John McCain and those are the official Snob reasons why I'm voting Obama. Obama's bringing the smart back and I'm all for it. End every playground diss of a black nerd. That could be the next Barack or Michelle Obama so STFU, bratty children! You too, overtly negative yet gleefully ignorant black people! All that's over. I'm officially declaring the war against ourselves done. Let's go to war over something meaningful: like making sure our votes get counted by any means necessary. Don't worry about your parking tickets and warrants, people. Or if your home is foreclosed. GO VOTE! THE VOTE KILLERS ARE LYING TO YOU! If you go vote all that will happen is voting. I promise.

And man, I wanted to write something beautiful and meaningful about today, but ... I'm too full of LET'S DO THIS THING! More meaningful perspective later today (along with regular updates after 4 p.m.) on this historic election that is the biggest thing to happen since 1968.

Google Stalking TJ Holmes: His First Time ...

... Voting.

TJ Holmes, who is the same age as me, did not do what I did in 1996 -- which was relish over the fact that I was 18 and now had a say in the political process. Yes. I am a nerd and our sloppy Representative Republic/bootleg Democracy with a dose of socialism is my civic religion. I was ready to say "hell no" to Sen. Bob Dole.

TJ was not. But I forgive him because he's pretty.

PS. Apologizes if the video doesn't run right at first. CNN is still working the bugs out in its player. Why they can't just jack how other video players work is beyond me. If they've got the cash for John King's fancy pants touch screens you think they could bootleg Vimeo or YouTube's technology.

For more TJ Holmes Google Stalking, click here.
For more TJ Holmes pictures, click here.
If you have any TJ Holmes related news or photos shoot a note to The Snob here.

Some Morning Inspiration

I'm running late for work, but I had enough time to put up this YouTube video by Winston-Salem, NC vlogger antioch1432, "The Great Black Vote." On YouTube he writes why he made this video.

I made this video for African-Americans in my church community. A lot of these people either wouldn't vote, or had no interest. Even with a black candidate running they were uninspired. So, I wanted to show the struggles blacks have gone through for this moment to transpire. I'm sorry if it offends some, but we can't deny the past. But we can definitely learn from it, and make it a positive use of our future!

Sent to me by a reader, she wrote how upon watching the compilation she cried. What do you think of the piece and the creator's intent? Also, what do you think of his use of this beautiful Sam Cooke song released in 1963 and came to be a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement? A song I actually prefer over Marvin Gaye's iconic "What's Going On?"

Opinions welcome, as always.

This Public Service Announcement Brought to You By "Extreme Hair of Change For Obama"

Yet another in my growing collection of "Hair for Change." These shots will never, ever cease to amaze me. (And this is one of the better cuts. Props to reader/blogger Anovelista.) This is like when Spike Lee's "X" came out and dudes had Xs carved in their heads. Or the tri-colored Africas or their names. Obama's face in your head is the new cornrows, ya'll!

That said I wanted to address an issue that keeps coming into my inbox. The "can I vote if I have my 'Yes We Can' pin on?" Snob answer?

Yes you ... maybe.

We've got 50 states and everyone deals with what they consider to be campaign solicitation differently. Like in Wisconsin and Florida? Go nuts. Go vote dressed as Obama. Wear a suit spotted with nothing but Obama campaign rising sun symbols. Others, like Texas ... um, leave the hat at home.

It took FOREVER to do the research. Thank God the folks at Positively Barack did the bulk of it for me four days ago.

Laws against campaigning or “electioneering” in and around polling places are pretty much universal, though each state boasts its own specific regulations and varying degrees of enforcement.

The majority of states use language prohibiting voters and poll workers from “distributing,” “circulating,” “posting,” or “exhibiting” campaign materials within 10 to 200 feet of polling places. This is sometimes interpreted as including buttons, t-shirts, hats, and other political garb (often called “passive electioneering”), but is more often restricted to signs, posters, fliers, pamphlets, and the like.

At least 10 states — Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont — explicitly prohibit the wearing of pins, buttons, stickers, labels, or other “political insignia.” (via UrbanLegends.About.com)

Personally, I don't think a T-shirt should count as electioneering. Nor this dude's stupid haircut. Nor "a hat." (Free speech! It's my other religion!) And I'm pretty sure if I asked the ACLU they'd agree with me that these rules were solely created to frustrate overly enthusiastic voters.

But if you want to make sure you're not breaking any rules when you go vote contact your local elections office. They don't make this info easy for you to find. (I was about to go through each state and territory's poll worker instruction manuals until I found that site. That's how much I almost cared. Feel special!) But your local elections office/voter's information peeps SHOULD be able to answer this question for you. Until then, I think I may kick off a 50 state strategy to remove that HIGHLY unnecessary rule from every state. Anyone who feels pressured by an "Original Mavericks" pin doesn't deserve the right to vote.

Also, don't ask people who they're voting for when you get to the polling station. That's illegal too, but that one actually makes sense to me. I don't need some busy body all up in mine asking me about my secret ballot. Bill of Rights! My other other religion.

Also a must read: Icebergslim's The Mother of All Voter Registration Diaries on DailyKos