Not merely an homage to ‘Election,’ ‘The Promotion’ grows into something of its own

In 1999, Alexander Payne released Election, his small, deep, near-perfect comedy charting a Midwest high school’s race for student body president. With mathematical precision and a Christ-like empathy for his characters, Payne cracked open a whole world of American ambition and failure, [...]

* McCain gets his delegates
* Huckabee has already conceded
* Rumor has it that Bush will endorse McCain tomorrow
* Obama takes Vermont (no one is surprised)
* Clinton gets Rhode Island
* Ohio and Texas Democratic races too close to call

*  Mitt Romney will endorse John McCain; it looks as if Gore has decided to refrain from announcing an endorsement.
*  Right-wing opposition to John McCain prompts talk of launching an ultra-conservative third party
*  A Justice Department official testified on the legality of waterboarding before a House Judiciary subcommittee this morning, and actually provided an unequivocal [...]

i skated over to the lounge of the covenant manor on 4th and Atlantic and got yelled at about the difference between “turn and face me” and “turn around” by an angry woman sitting behind a plastic table (who thought I was a man because I had my hood on). But I think I showed [...]

…six days to go…
* Reports are starting to accumulate that Rudy is going to withdraw, and endorse McCain
* McCain wins Florida; Hillary also wins Florida, but no delegates
* Delegate count: Obama-63, Clinton-48, Edwards-26, McCain-95, Romney-67, Huckabee-26
* Arlo Guthrie–ARLO GUTHRIE!–endorses Paul. One of these days I’ll present my opinions on Independents and Libertarians, but [...]

…Eleven days to go…
* Kucinich plans to formally withdraw from the race tomorrow.
* Current delegate tally for Democrats: Obama (38), Clinton (36), Edwards (18)
* Current delegate tally for Republicans: Romney (66), McCain (38), Huckabee (26). Thompson has orphaned 8 delegates, Paul has 6, and Giuliani has 1.
* LAT will go back to [...]

Chuck Norris’s craggy yet oddly immobile face has been bobbing over Huckabee’s shoulder for weeks and weeks (really, he looks like an ancient Muppet with malignant melanoma). That’s a good thing, because even though his televised image frightens children, we know that if he’s over there then there is little chance of running into [...]

GET ELECTED TO THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL!
Four seats are open — the even-numbered ones: districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 — on the nine-member panel that calls the shots in Big Town. If you’re feeling lucky and popular or internally driven by a desire for power and/or public service (be sure it’s not just gas), you’ve got [...]

…which is a problem, because all of this caucus activity requires that the Daily Show be in top form.