Some sad news today, and not just because the new Daily Kos/SEIU poll has Romney up by 4% nationally (and at the 50% mark), or that the latest Gallup poll has Romney and Obama tied among women in battleground states (what the hell’s wrong with you women? I expect more from you than that). No, the truly sad news is that George McGovern is in hospice. Details are not (yet) available, but you don’t go into hospice because you’re expecting a quick stay and then back out again.

“We can confirm that Sen. McGovern is a patient at our Dougherty Hospice House, but we really don’t have any information beyond that point,” Avera McKennan spokeswoman Michelle Pellman said.

The Associated Press reported that his daughter, Ann McGovern of Sioux Falls, said: “He’s coming to the end of his life.” She declined to elaborate.

Good luck, Senator. Wherever you go from here, I hope your journey is a good one.

Tonight’s the big round two debate, of course. As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t think I’ll be watching. For one, thing, I just plain despise hearing anything that comes out of Mitt Romney’s mouth. It’s certainly curtailed my NPR listening lately (thank goodness it’s pledge drive time – more begging, less Romney. Though if Romney wins, I have a feeling begging will be the norm for many American).

So if things go well tonight, I’ll read about it tomorrow. And if they go bad, well, I’ll do what I do the day after an SU football game: avoid the news at all costs.

Being in a very solid Obama state, I haven’t been subjected to the anti-Obama attack ads, but we have a very tight race for Congress here, between current teabagger Anne Marie Snorkle, and the guy she (barely) beat last time out, Dan Maffei, and there’s been a ton of outside money dumped into the race. So there are tons of ads for that one on the air.

I don’t think the election would be a problem, except for the fact that there’s a Green Party candidate in the race who appears to be siphoning off enough votes to throw the election to the teabagger. Kind of a bummer, but whattya gonna do? After all, look how much better off we are since Ralph Nader ran in 2000.

Oh well, back to work.