Sunday November 22st

Readers,

My burns have healed significantly in the last week. However, I have been hindered significantly by the burns on my wrists and the accompanying bandages. My lawsuit against the candle company is expected to settle out of court for an undisclosed amount of money and from this point on all "Polynesian Pineapple" candles will clearly admonish their users that contents may be extremely hot. My lawsuit against Parker Brothers was thrown out in court but you can't win them all. Enjoy the following pictures of my stint in the hospital.


The moustache is coming in strong and I have uploaded a picture of my progress to my moustache page. There are only seven days left to donate so if you like what you see, go ahead and do so. Or you should look at the picture of me in the wheelchair and give me a donation because you pity me. Even if you do not, it's for cancer and you're a terrible person if you don't. But anyways down to business. Today's Daily Topic: THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE RACE


In August, we at the Daily Routine mourned the loss of a great American, Senator Edward Kennedy. And while his shoes are impossible to fill, there is currently a special election race going on in the great state of Massachusetts. The Democratic Primary will be held on December 8th and the General Senate Election will be held on January 19th. Over the past several weeks, The Daily Routine has studied the candidates closely in an effort to determine who is best suited to represent the mighty Bay State.

Much to my chagrin, there is no candidate that can come close to being the Senator that Ted Kennedy was. His combination of charm, dedication, compassion and strength are qualities found in few on Capitol Hill and are impossible to replicate. Currently, there are four Democrats in the race for the nomination: Martha Coakley, Mike Capuano, Alan Khazei and Stephen Pagliuca.

Coakley, the current Attorney General of Massachusetts and the front-runner in the election seems to be a clear favorite. However, she has drawn criticism in response to her statement that she would not vote for any health care bill with the current ban on federal abortion funding attached. In this publication's opinion, this stubbornness scuttles any willingness to compromise on such a divisive issue as health care reform and furthers the growing partisanship of Washington politics. It seems as though Coakley is running because the spot is open, not because she necessarily wants to fill it.

Capuano, the former Somerville mayor and current Congressman of Massachusetts' 8th District, is running second in the polls, albeit by a significant margin. A staunch liberal who sticks to his guns on the issues he believes in, Capuano is known as a fighter in the House of Representatives. However, his fiery personality seems to go a bit too far sometimes, particularly in an incident described by the Boston Globe in which Mayor Capuano attempted to go after three dogs with a baseball bat after they came too close to his children. While Capuano portrays himself as the experienced Washington politician, he sometimes seems oblivious to the happenings that occur there.

Pagliuca is a self-made millionaire who, among other things, is the co-owner of the Boston Celtics. He made his fortune with the high-powered buy-out firm Bain & Co. where, ironically enough, he worked with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for several years. Pagliuca claims that his knowledge of private equity would enable him to tackle problems such as the financial crisis and health care reform. The businessman has failed to raise much excitement and also drew fire for stating he would be in favor of reinstating the draft if the United States' volunteer army ever proved inadequate.

Alan Khazei seems to be the most overlooked candidate. The son of an Iranian immigrant, Khazei's ambitions for public service began in college where he and his roommate conspired to form a domestic public service organization. While their attempts to pass legislation in the House of Representatives were unsuccessful, Khazei went on to found City Year, a Boston-based service organization that has expanded over the years to include 20 cities and 12,500 volunteers. City Year's successes also partially led to the formation of Americorp, a domestic version of the Peace Corp. During his time as head of City Year, Khazei worked closely with Senator Kennedy on service projects throughout Massachusetts. Khazei originally considered running for Senate in 2004 if John Kerry had been victorious in his bid for the presidency. Additionally, Khazei has refused to accept any campaign donations from lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs).

It is for these reasons that the Daily Routine is proud to endorse Alan Khazei in the Massachusetts Special Election. Although Khazei stands about the same on many political issues as most of the other candidates, his passion for public service and his outstanding moral fiber lead us to believe that he could best serve the interests of the state of Massachusetts in the United States Senate. While Khazei stands low in the polls because of his position as a "political outsider," we believe his competency as a politician is equivalent if not superior to that of either Coakley or Capuano.

It is increasingly rare to find a politician that is dedicated so profoundly to helping fellow citizens in a selfless manner and defending the rights that he or she believes all Americans are entitled to. Ted Kennedy was one of these politicians. We believe Alan Khazei can be another.

Regardless of your political preferences or affiliations, I encourage all those eligible to do their civic duty and vote. The democratic process is something that we often take for granted. The recent episodes in Iran and Afghanistan should make us all realize how lucky we are to have a vote that counts.

-ROF

Daily Food: Bagel and Egg Sandwich

Daily Activity: Mario Kart

Daily Song: Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac

Daily Attire: Cardigans

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Kennedy Barred from Communion by Bishop

Daily News No One Should Care About: eBay Outage Halts Holiday Shopping

Daily Life Goal: Elect Alan Khazei

Daily Complaint: Burns

Daily Drink: Gatorade

Daily Television: Family Guy

Daily Movie: State of Play