Putting imaginary brakes on imaginary legislation

Monday, December 29, 2008

Ok, someone answer me this: How can you put the "brakes" on legislation that does not yet exist?

McConnell Puts the Brakes on Stimulus Plan
By Paul Kane
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voiced skepticism today about the emerging economic stimulus plan, applying a brake to Democratic plans to quickly pass up to $850 billion in spending and tax cuts soon after President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.


I find it's always prudent, helpful, and constructive to be skeptical of something one has not even seen yet -- something one will not even see until a new president is in office.

How is the Republican Senate minority leader putting the brakes on a bill that has yet to even be drafted useful to this country? Isn't that a little like trying to eat an apple that has yet to grow on the tree? Or more correctly, already accusing that apple of being riddled with worms?

McConnell specifically called for a weeklong cooling off period between when the bill is drafted and when it is voted on, allowing time to dissect it for signs of "fraud and waste."

Right, because when the House had time to look over the financial bailout they added useful oversight and didn't jam pack it with pet projects. Wait, what? That's right, thanks to an addition from the White House, when the US government directly infuses cash into a firm (as opposed to buying specific assets/finaical products), there are no restrictions on spending that cash for, say, excessive executive pay. The bill also ended up including tax breaks for a fun filled menu of recipients, including, perhaps most strangely, the manufacturers of children's wooden arrows.

Right, so back to the forthcoming Bailout Package Stimulus Plan of 2009. Of course there should be oversight, of course we want to be sure that there are "..some undetermined safeguards to assure the money is being spent wisely.". But to bluster about it now? That is blatant political posturing, and it sets an adversarial tone that leads to an ineffective bill.

An early new years resolutions

1 -- To never stop blogging. (Well, at least to not give up on it now.)

2 -- To never be as dumb as:
- The guy who wrote "Barack the Magic Negro"
- The guy who put "Barack the Magic Negro" on a CD used to campaign for Chairman of The Republican Party.

Next time you hear someone use the words "post racial" be sure to play the video below to wake up and smell reality:

Shoe Update: And there's a video!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The outgoing president is seriously good at dodging things...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Back from the dead

Oooooooook, I'm back. I'm not even going to attempt to cover everything I've missed.

So I'll start with something that Gawker has already covered. I think they missed the funniest parts.

Truly a moment of Zen (TM Jon Stewart):




Excerpt from Bloomberg:

"Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush ducked two shoes thrown at him by an unidentified man during a press conference in the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

Bush wasn’t hit by the shoes, one of which sailed over his head. The president shrugged and said 'I’m OK' after the incident in Baghdad today. 'All I can report is it is a size 10,' Bush said.

In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. The man shouted an Arabic phrase, which an Iraqi present said translated as 'this is a farewell kiss, dog.'

After U.S. troops pulled down a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi bystanders tossed shoes at it, according to news reports at the time.

The man threw the shoes from about 25 feet away as Bush, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, made formal remarks before the signing of an Iraqi-U.S. security agreement. Bush arrived today in Baghdad on a surprise visit.

The shoe-thrower, who was in a group of journalists, was wrestled to the ground and taken away."


First, I love that Bush is ignorant enough not to appreciate the cultural significance of his assailant's actions.

To Reiterate:
"In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect."

This little vignette perfectly illustrates how clueless this administration's leadership has been in Iraq.

A rant I have to share

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Of all places, this is from Gawker's Hills Recap this week. In the episode, three of the show's sleaziest "characters" visited their Grandmother. And the recap author, Richard Lawson, went off with a big dose of perspective that sums up just about everything that makes me feel horribly depressed about The Hills.

Here are Richard's thoughts:

This woman is 84-years-old. So she was probably born in 1924. She was 5 when the markets crashed hugely. She watched as Europe was overtaken by an army of darkness, as millions of people were killed, she watched that war end and the boys come home and booms begin. She saw the suburban 50's crystallize the American Dream into something far too fragile to ever hope to touch. She saw the Cold War terror, the first beating bits of revolution fomenting in the eyes of kids. She watched sit-ins and hosings and great, thundering speeches and witnessed Change, real change, the kind of change rarely seen since. She saw two terrifying jungle wars, a generation in full rise up and demand something different. The entire idea of Who We Are and Why We Are began to blur and change and certain old institutions disappeared forever. And people were scared and people were happy but most of all people felt different. And around her this new spirit bled and muddled into something about drugs and aimless rebellion. Around her that malaise hardened into the darkening, cynical, cocaine-bliss 70's. Which bumped up against the blockish 80's, the suits the money the drugs AIDS Reagan the fall of the economy the fall of the wall Desert Storm. Meanwhile her grandkids had come tumbling along at some point and Clinton came (and came) and a new fattiness spread across the country until that became too much for some people and buildings fell in Oklahoma and then buildings fell in New York and there we went, hurtling headlong back into the desert, our eyes fixed on black, oily windmills. And all of this, all of these years and all of this living and noise and light and hope and fear and change and stubborness and sadness and grit and boredom and brief transcendent moments of life when one fully knows, for a few fleeting seconds, that one is capital A Alive... Well, all of it jumbled together, quiet and loud at the same time, and... And it all amounted to this.

Some dumpy old woman forced to talk to her piece of shit granddaughter on a bench for the fucking Hills.

It's officially official

Monday, December 1, 2008

Hillary Clinton should be formally announced as SoS at 10:40a.m. EST today.

Read the live blog here.

Your Thanksgiving Talking Points

Wednesday, November 26, 2008



It's probably happened to all of us -- you sit down to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and suddenly: BAM! Your tipsy/crazy aunt/uncle/cousin/grandma/grandpa is bringing up politics -- and a small scale red/blue/purple state civil war breaks out in your dining room.

You don't need that! It's Thanksgiving, a day for coming together (much like the pilgrims and the indians...oh...right).

Here is a list of facts and perspectives you can use to douse the flames:

On the transition front, the President Elect chose an economic team headed up by former New York Fed Chair Timothy Geithner

Liberal: Geithner has had first hand, in depth experience with the financial crisis. He has been at the ground level of how the Fed handled Bear Stearns, Lehman, AIG, Citi, etc. As a result, he's knows his stuff and can help navigate the nation through the crisis.

Conservative: See above. Geithner was in the room for all of this mess. He has orchestrated these rescues (which some call "disasters" for the tax payers) -- we don't need someone whose lack of oversight allowed this mess taking charge of cleaning it up.

Happy medium: Yes, it was Geithner, in the Fed Building, with the bailout plan! All dumb Clue references aside (though if you've had enough wine that exclamation may just take care of the tension in the room for you), both sides do agree that Geithner has been an integral part of the financial meltdown thus far. What is yet to be seen is whether his new role will embolden him to take his views on oversight and regulation further, or whether he will continue to be part of the enabling "rescue happy" strategy seen thus far. The key words to highlight are: THUS FAR. Just like claiming Obama is already a fantastic/abysmal president is premature, so is condemning Geithner as the worst thing for the economics of this country since CDS's.

Sarah Palin is still in the public eye, thanks to an incident that did not work out so well for the turkey she pardoned

Liberal: Oh that Palin, killing animals for PR. That woman is a mastermind at keeping herself front and center. How many more animals will need to die between now and November 2012?!

Conservative: Sarah is a home town gal, genuine gal. So there was a turkey being slaughtered (technical term) in the background? Newsflash: that bird your eating (tofurkey excluded) suffered the same exact fate. She let that reality out of the bag, whatever. If you can't deal, stick to stuffing.

Happy Medium: **Defensiveness Alert** Be forwarned, Sarah Palin brings out extreme levels of defensiveness from many conservatives. **Outrage Alert** Be forwarned, Sarah Palin brings up extreme levels of outrage from liberals. If Sarah makes an appearance in your T-day conversation, the best possible way to tame cacophony is to remark that: Palin or no Palin, yes, people should recognize that their food comes from animals -- however, perhaps the manner in which that reality was brought forth was less than respectful. It is then appropriate to remark upon how delicious the turkey you're consuming is.

The Big Three came to Washington, DC in their private planes to ask for our tax money

Liberal: This is the executives' fault! Who flies in a private plane to ask for government money, seriously, who?!?! Oh, wait, about 2 million jobs will disappear? I hope those clowns come back with a real plan like Congress asked for.

Conservatives: This is the plant workers' fault! The freaking labor unions are out of control, hence the failure of the auto industry -- get the $70/hour wages under control. Also, seriously, with the planes?

Happy Medium: First, executives fly in private planes for security reasons among other reasons I've noted before. Second, the $70/hour wage figure is misleading, it was calculated by: adding up GM's total labor, health, and pension costs, and then dividing by the total number of hours worked. In other words, it includes all the healthcare and retirement costs of retired workers (from Portfolio). The average wage is actually $28/hour (again from Portfolio). How to calm the storm? Suggest that everyone wait to see what the three CEO's come up with -- if they can formulate a plan that satisfies law makers, great.


Georgia, Minnesota, Zimbabwe, Jeremiah Wright, Hillary Clinton, Obama's religion, or, god forbid, Bill Ayers.

If any of those issues come up, there is only one way to derail the impending melee: A diversion.

I suggest:
Pretending to choke on your turkey
"Accidentally" dumping part of your plate on the ground for the dog
Getting up to use the bathroom and taking the table cloth with you
"Dozing off" and snoring loudly thanks to all the tryptophan
Diverting the conversation to whether Britney's comeback can last
Commenting on how lovely the freakish floats/balloons in the parade were
Mentioning that print is dead

Or that old standby: Football

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A science geek moment

Tuesday, November 25, 2008




This post had little to nothing to do with politics -- so, I guess it falls in the "and such."

Here is the coolest/scariest article I've seen today:

A Whisper, Perhaps, From the Universe’s Dark Side
...results from a number of experiments have led some scientists to suspect that they are getting signals from a shadow universe of dark matter.

A shadow universe!?!? I thought THIS was the scariest article the NYT wrote today.

Round 'em up

Monday, November 24, 2008

There is so much going on -- in fact, there is so much going on that I feel like we're all in need of something ridiculous. So, after a quick round up of the weekend, I will post some fun.

The run down:

Obama's radio address: It is nice to hear that the President Elect is planning to craft and support programs aimed at creating 2.5 million jobs. I would have been psyched if: 1 - He had hinted a little bit at how this was to be accomplished, and 2 - he didn't frame the current situation quite as apocalyptically.



The Big Three: The CEO's of Chrysler, Ford and GM got sent back to Michigan with homework. They now have to provide a coherent plan for any funding they might receive from taxpayers. I think this is a fair request...I just wish that Wall Street had been held to the same standard. It is undoubtedly more complicated than that -- however seeing billions of dollars handed over to the folks who had a hand in creating this mess time and time again is frustrating. I can't help but think about the factory workers whose livelihoods depend on these three men putting together a cogent argument. I hope that they're successful -- and I certainly don't care if they fly back to Washington in private planes. Of course these men take company planes, given their salaries every minute of their time has to be optimized. Also, what a dumb reason to stick it to the folks back in Michigan -- because their leaders flew in company planes to DC they should have to lose their jobs? No. If the US choses not to support the auto industry it should be because they are hopelessly unsustainable and producing a poor product.

Minnesota: The shennanigans in Minnesota are absurd. At this point I don't think either campaign should win. Instead, I nominated anyone from my friend Meg's family. They're from Minnesota and could do much better than either of the candidates currently making a mockery of the recount system.

Citigroup: Ugh. Just. UGH.

Now, for something ridiculous:

And while we're distracted by hope...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

From the Washington Post:

The Bush Administration Is Close to Changing the Endangered Species Act So That an Agency Can Decide Whether It Will Impair a Protected Species' Environment

The Bush administration is "close" to finalizing a regulatory overhaul of the Endangered Species Act to allow federal agencies to decide whether protected species would be harmed by agency projects, according to the Interior Department.

Going after endangered species...that is something only a lame duck president could get away with. Perhaps the change is worth while and makes sense? Somehow, I can't believe that federal agencies are going to be able to better determine whether a project will negatively affect a species more effectively than species experts.

Dumb science

So this guy, John Ziegler, decided to pay a respected polling operation (Zogby) a "large sum" of money to do a super moronic meaningless poll that he's making into a documentary. Enjoy this clip:



Now, those of you with a scientific background will have a field day with this -- as selecting 12 people from LA and calling that a "representative sample" is less than credible. But, it seems, no one has had more fun in this that Nate Silver, quant geek extraordinare. If you want to get rid of that icky feeling in your gut from that clip, read this.

I don't think this documentary actually means anything. The conclusions that are drawn from it make no sense based on the design of the poll -- and the assumptions are absurd. But, it should get everybody good and riled on Thursday, the most anticlimactic day of the week.

Joe the Senator...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008


Ok, hold on a second...wait for it...wait for it -- whoosh, up I go. I just jumped on the "let's analyze the crap out of the Joe Lieberman decision" bandwagon. It was cookin along pretty fast.

Ok, here's the gist of it:

On the campaign trail this year Joe Lieberman campaigned for John McCain. He followed the campaign script, hitting talking points that made most democrats' blood boil. Here's a quick summary (keep in mind that this was pulled together by the very far left Daily Kos):



Lieberman, undoubtedly, trotted around supporting McCain -- and perpetuating some of the choice pieces of misinformation favored by the McCain campaign. Personally, I believe his involvement began because he thought he had a shot at the Vice Presidency. Actually, he did have a shot at the Vice Presidency. But that's all history now, McCain's advisors (and perhaps McCain himself) felt that they needed someone who represented a more ideologically conservative wing of their own party, and that they needed a cleaner "narrative" (political speak for the equivalent of that tear jerking segment about Olympians that runs right before they take the field, pool, ice, etc); these requirements were met (sort of) in Sarah Palin.

OK, so Lieberman turned on his own party for a shot at the Vice Presidency. And he started campaigning early, earning a famous (awkward) kiss on the cheek from President Bush. But, how did he do as Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee? That should count for something -- as the etched glass pieces of company propaganda that litter my office remind me: "Performance Matters."

There is surprisingly little information available regarding Joe's actions as Chairman. From what I can find, as Chairman, the most consistent words used to describe Lieberman's performance are: calculatingly lazy. In his position he has the opportunity (and responsibility) to oversee the executive office, and he ignored/refused/avoided this directive.

Right, so the good Senator both turned his back on his party and fell asleep at the wheel in his past years as Chairman. So, what did Barack Obama and the dems have to gain from allowing him to keep his chairmanship?

By coming out in support of Joe Lieberman, Barack Obama basically adopted a puppy from the pound. (No, no, for you skimmers -- he didn't actually adopt that puppy he promised, now, go back to your skimming.) Lieberman had gotten himself thrown out of his home and was sitting in limbo, waiting for the seemingly inevitable fatal dose of retribution from "his" party. Instead, he got brought back into the fold; and as a result, Obama is guaranteed silent support from Lieberman at the very least (if not the same convenient apathy around probing the executive branch).

A lot of the publicly stated reasoning behind Obama's magnamity is the "spirit of reconciliation," and the goal of bringing together a government of partisans. I would love to think that is the true reasoning behind the caucus's ultimate decision. However a little niggling thought at the back of my mind can't help but come out: perhaps this is all about the 60 seat, filibuster-proof democratic majority. In that case, this decision is about the ability of a democratic majority to bypass the strong reservations the other party may have about a particular piece of legislation. In which case, leniency for Joe is a move in the opposite direction from bipartisanship.

Me? I chose to be recklessly naive/idealogical/trusting about the motivations behind the caucus's decision to keep Joe sitting pretty. I'd like to believe that the dems wouldn't get all 60 party senators to vote for bad legislation anyway -- and that having that extra vote in their favor when it counts will help get things done. I would also like to preserve my belief in the good intentions of this President...at least until he's actually in office.

Holy SH!T!

Monday, November 17, 2008

So, why the title?

Because Hillary Clinton is our next Secretary of State.

Wow. Wow. I did not think she'd take it. I thought she wouldn't for a few reasons:

1 -- Her agenda is mostly domestic
2 -- Her reputation, and possibly her legacy, will ebb and flow with the public's opinion of the Obama administration.
3 -- Her experience with foreign heads of state is within the role of First Lady. Though I would argue that this experience is valuable -- some, (possibly including Joe Biden) will discount her qualifications.

Regardless, I'm actually pretty excited. Obama seems to be building a colorful cabinet -- and is interpreting Lincoln's example of staffing your cabinet with rivals quite literally. He met with John McCain today, no one really seems to know what the purpose was (and the joint statement is the typical pr nonsense)...maybe he's been offered that National Tech Guru position? (By the way, ouch, Eric Schmidt. Have you no sense of duty? Or would taking a cabinet post derail Google's plans for world domination?)

WHOA

Friday, November 14, 2008

Obama Offers Clinton Cabinet Slot

Huffington Post reports President-elect Obama has offered Hillary Clinton the position of secretary of state:

President-elect Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State during their meeting Thursday in Chicago, according to two senior Democratic officials. She requested time to consider the offer, the officials said.


Wow, I mean...wow. Biden's probably PISSED.

Work for Obama?

Thursday, November 13, 2008


If you dream of moving to DC and helping to create "change," check out the Plum Book. It's a listing of jobs that are up for grabs with the change in administration.

Though, knowing they're out there doesn't actually get you that much closer to these gigs -- you're probably going to need to know someone who knows someone (according to the WSJ).

Also, be advised, DC is hot as hell in the summer.

Baucus white paper out

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Here it is: http://finance.senate.gov/healthreform2009/finalwhitepaper.pdf

I'll update with a good recap once I find one -- it's 89 pages of med speak.

For now, from Market Watch: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/prominent-senator-releases-plan-health-care/story.aspx?guid={CF7DE10B-6631-4B12-9DB8-F80F1BB1FEFA}

Inauguration Tickets

Did you know that you can request Inauguration tickets from any member of congress from your state?

Find out who they are here (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/)-- go to their website, and there will likely be a form to submit a request. Many offices are resorting to lotteries this year because of high demand.

My favorite article so far today

I know I still need to dissect a few more images from that slide show, but in the meantime (aka, while I'm being lazy) here is the best (defined as: eye opening, funny, potentially irrelevant) article I've read so far today:

Here Are Your Assignments
The road to political recovery.

National Review

Favorite quote:
To the House Republicans: remember that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. You cannot pass major bills. Lacking power or entrée to the White House, you cannot raise money from access-hungry interest groups. On the upside, there is less risk of another Abramoff scandal, since you’re not worth bribing. You can regain political support only through the power of your ideas. Your liberation from governing responsibility means that you have the time and flexibility to craft creative policy proposals — just as your predecessors did in past wilderness periods. (Reaganomics owed much to Representative Jack Kemp’s work in the late 1970s.)

I love it! Is a lack of criminal interest the only thing that could prod House Republicans to be productive? I'm actually not convinced that they will be anyway. We'll have to see.

Ooooo, also, keep an eye out for an important position paper on health care coming out today. If I see it I'll post it. Here's the WSJ article mentioning it.

And now, back to the slideshow

Tuesday, November 11, 2008



Based on the way they're pressed up against the bars, it's tough to discern whether these people are there to see the President Elect or whether they're a vigilante crowd out to collect the President. Given the presence of the little girl in the striped shirt, I hope it's option number one.

Quick aside

From the Washington Post article about Michelle Obama's White House tour:

As is customary during transitions, the outgoing first lady led her successor on a White House tour that focused primarily on the upstairs private residence, including three bedroom suites and three living areas. These areas, along with the Oval Office, are subject to redecoration, as opposed to the public rooms. A stop on the tour always of particular interest, Anthony said, is the first lady's sitting room, whose windows afford a direct view of the Oval Office below: "She can really keep an eye on who's coming and going, who's meeting with the president."

Errrr...that must have been awkward in the Clinton administration...

Picture analysis continued...



First, I think this is the first picture I've seen of the White House with a real sense for the scale -- wow. I love how President Bush seems to be giving Laura a "don't worry, it's almost over" pat on the back. Meanwhile, Michelle looks to be wondering who's supposed to go through the door first. And President Elect Obama? He he might be separating himself from the group to make a run for it...

Out with the old



There are so many things I love about this picture. Although, first let me say that I must give a rare nod of appreciation to George W. In his "kid ready for recess" enthusiasm to get out of the office that has been an albatross for the past two years, he and his team have been excessively cooperative.

Of course, I love Michelle Obama's dress -- but let's face it, critiquing her sartorial sense is the purview of http://www.mrs-o.org/ or maybe Samantha, if she got around to it. What I love even more is that on the scale of awkardness (1-10, where 10 is so awkward someone vomits, naturally), this picture only reaches about a 4. The Obamas look genuinley psyched in that "I'm trying to keep this grin from completely splitting my face" kind of way. They look dynamic and alive. Meanwhile, the President and First Lady appear to be passive cardboard cutouts. Given the 8 years they've had, that's friendly enough, I'd say.

The only picture I love even more from the President Elect's visit yesterday is this one:



You see how Bush has his legs crossed away from Obama, but is still leaning into the conversation? Now that is some seriously conflicting body language.

The NY Times' whole slide show from yesterday's visit is HERE. "Analysis" of the rest of the set to come...

Ohhh the Irish

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Isn't it nice to have a a president elect other countries are trying to adopt instead of decapitate?

Great article

If you have some time, check out this article about the Obama campaign. It's long, but facinating...if you're interested in the whole campaign strategy thing.

Also, in a marginally worrisome moment at the mall (yes, the mall) this weekend I thought for more than five seconds about buying this t-shirt.



Thankfully, I got distracted by Sephora and did not make the purchase. Presidents are not sports teams. (Though, yes, Taylor, your spray painted hipster Barack tee from the streets of NYC is a notable exception)

A quick follow up

I didn't get to spend as much time as I'd have liked on my last post -- so here's a quick wrap up.

Though Gillian's facebook post shocked me, now that a little time has passed I'm glad I came across it. I think reading it had two positive outcomes for me. First, it helped me realize that even someone who has a background and upbringing relatively similar to mine can have a vividly different worldview. That may sound naive, but I had thought that the Barack HUSSEIN Obama people lived in areas of the country that are foreign and unfamiliar . So, thanks to Gillian for hitting me on the forehead with that particular 2x4 with "reality" written on it.

Secondly, reading illogical, under supported arguments like Gillian's makes me appreciate conservative republican writings that question and criticize Barack intelligently and thoughtfully. As I've said before, the National Review turns my stomach for the most part -- however I think it is important to keep reading it. Because as I become more and more pulled into Barack's corner, I need to try to keep my feet on the ground and stay somewhat balanced -- or I could end up in my own extreme; on the opposite side from Gillian but just as far up in the clouds.

Through the looking glass

Friday, November 7, 2008

"all you people are binded by this....who cares that he is black, its what his plans for the future of the states are!! He wants to take out capitalism and bring in socialism. he wants to raise taxes on companies And the states already are the second highest in the world!!! thats only going to drive more companies out of the country and leaving more people unemployed pushing the financial crises further down. Bill gate has already moved more than half his money and company to Canada! he is a smooth talker and thats it. he says what you want to hear but does different. Have you ever looked at his voting record in the senate? that should tell you the type of person he really is! you are all uninformed people that see 1 thing and go after it. I will never call him President Barack Hussein Obama! WHAT KIND OF AMERICAN NAME IS that!!!!! Fucking pathetic ass country to vote such a threat to society into office. you all are gonna regret it worse that bush. and then what are you gonna do when the states is in such a huge depression. ask for that change? well that is the change! Good by american dream good by united states of america! come January, good morning United Socialized States of America.

the following has been Taken from www.usawakeup.org

Like Spain, we have just capitulated to the extreme Islamists and the George Soros socialists. The apathetic, and greedy self-interest voter, has made his/her choice. The voter has chosen; European style socialism over the capitalist free market system, Islam over Christianity, bondage over liberty, and punishment of achievement over self reliance. President Bush took the War on Terror to the enemy and his soil; Obama will capitulate and bring the war to our soil, and we will defend our borders with a smaller military. Instead of learning the lessons of other failed socialistic governments, sadly we have decided to join them.

Next time, if there is one, get some facts first before voting for the "black man" to make history. have a real reason to vote...."


I wish I could say that I found this on some random website, from some anonymous person -- perhaps in it for lulz.

But no, this came from facebook -- from someone who I knew, albiet in middle school. Nevertheless, she and I were friends; we went to summer camp together one summer and both rode horses.

The fact that she's someone I can put a face to is irrelevant to her post above, but for me it's consequential because there's now a face on the ugliness spewing forth from some parts of the media and the country about Obama. Though he is a moderate candidate, he seems to incite extreme reactions in people. Both extremely positive, and extremely negative. For the youth vote, at least, this broke down to about 66% for Obama and 32% for McCain. This was my first brush with the even smaller group -- the "Insane Racist" contingency.

Gillian, the author of the post above, is espousing that we should be looking at Obama for his policy. True. However, the flip side of her argument is that we all voted for Obama because he's black. That's actually appallingly creative, an argument I at least haven't seen before (and would not like to encounter in the future).

There are so many ugly parts of Gillian's post that I want to discuss. Weekend fun!!

On a brighter note:

Promising so far...

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Our President Elect has a new website: Change.gov

Already I know more about what typically goes down after a President is elected.

One interesting find I came across:

A transition guide!

At this rate, we'll all be Washington insiders!

Round up

Let's see...so far today:

-The NY Times has debated both Michelle Obama's dress and the the Obamas' choice of canine while simultaeneously pointing out that INDEED young people turned out to vote (about an extra 2 million of us).

All of which are interesting topics, but only one of which is something I see as important (the dog, duh!).

In case you were under a rock on Tuesday (or you're above noticing clothes) Here's the dress:



-Politico has announced that Rahm Emmanuel is indeed taking the Chief of Staff gig. This dude will be, it seems, a bad ass.

-Nate Silver is still freakishly eerily correct in his election predictions. I mean seriously, maybe he hacked those Diebolds...

Actual:


Predicted:


-Meanwhile, over in holo-world, CNN's headline is about a 106 year old voter.

Way to go Ann! Now, CNN, if you could, like, cover Obama's cabinet choices too, that would be cool. Just saying.

-And over at the National Review? Well, they're spending their day debating whether Obama is the "Great Black Hope"...What?!

In news from my own neck of the woods, someone in Cambridge carved a creepily accurate interpretation of Barack Obama's face into a pumpkin. I'll post the pic later, it'll be great.

And now, the hard part

Wednesday, November 5, 2008




Last night was pretty euphoric. After getting horribly depressed by the early polls (please, if only 2% of precincts are reporting don't tell us the tallies yet!), things took a wonderful turn.

Cambridge was pretty quiet, which, given the response elsewhere, was a little disappointing. I was ready for honking horns and chanting crowds. However, as I sat in the local dive bar, with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" as the loud soundtrack to a muted CNN, I felt a tiny portion of how important the moment was. I also realized how precarious President Obama's path will be.

I'v read a few conservative responses today. They range from completely biased, to relatively circumspect. Of course, poking around at the National Review will raise the blood pressure of anyone who leans slightly left -- but these are the people who will be waiting to jump upon every tiny misstep our president elect makes. These are the people who, no matter how hard he works, he'll never "earn" their fair consideration.

Nevertheless, there are far more important obstacles that Obama will need to attack, and my hope is that he'll bring us along for the ride as he did throughout his campaign. I am optomistic that he'll give it a shot -- after all, his announcement to the Obama supporter email list ended like this:

"We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next. "

So, President Obama, as long as you keep me in the loop, I'll listen to Journey's advice.

Yay for voting!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008


As I watched my ballot (paper) slide face down into the voting machine today, I felt a mix of excitement, anxiety, and perhaps hope (I think some of Obama's rainbows got to me).

I'm having little moments of terror that I could have possibly filled in the wrong bubble -- like back in my days of organic chemistry when I wasn't sure that I'd drawn the right molecule. In that case, I typically hadn't. In this case, I'm 99% sure I cast my ballot for Barack Obama (and against repealing the income tax in MA, for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot, and for banning dog racing in MA).

Perhaps this is an inappropriate time to voice this opinion, but with voting behind me I can't help but reflect on how I used to like John McCain. His title of "Maverick," which is a joke now, used to be well deserved. As The Economist pointed out, there is quite a difference between Senator McCain and Candidate McCain.

If John McCain loses today, he loses because he tried his hand at Roveian politics. Incredibly and inspiringly, this method seems to have failed after two elections of success. But perhaps that's because no one, not even those "Joe Six-packs" in the "fly-over states," ever believed McCain to be more than a man working too hard to pour himself into an ill fitting mold. He loses because he took some terribly cynical aide's advice that he should exploit Barack Obama's middle name and stir up a little bit of racism in a country that is already hurting on so many other fronts. He loses because he listened to those same cynics when he picked a VP that fit a narrative better than a job description.

Barack Obama is an exceptional democratic candidate, had McCain done things differently I'm not convinced that the outcome would be much different. I would, however, feel much better about him returning to the role of Senator McCain.

Helpful?

Friday, October 31, 2008

If I were behind in the polls I don't think I'd be calling on this guy...



Whole NYT article about bitter former primary rivals and ex-presidents campaigning for Barack and John here. I think I can see Hillary gritting her teeth...

Your new Halloween Costume

J. Crew is selling Michelle Obama's outfit from the Tonight Show.

I mean, I would be "re-wearable"...

BOTH candidates on SNL??

Errrrr, when I first read that Barack Obama might be on SNL this weekend I was worried (as I was about his Obamamercial and his Daily show appearance).

But now I'm REALLY worried. From Politico:

Happy Halloween! Good Friday morning. On the last weekend of the campaign, Senator McCain will hit “Saturday Night Live,” the campaign confirms. (Hat tip: Marc Ambinder).

Obama and McCain on SNL together? Maybe the first item had it wrong, and it was McCain all along. Or maybe we're headed for comedic brilliance. Who knows?

Ok, so

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I'll get to the reason why I wanted to carve out my own little niche in the interwebs.

At 24 I, along with my peers, seem to have hit a point in life where we're anxious to figure out what we're supposed to be doing with ourselves. I have bounced between a number of different passions and pursuits. Thus far, none have seemed to stick.

One thing I did notice, however, was that throughout it all I've been interested in and casually following the political process in the United States. Then I hit an inflection point.

Not so long ago, the house voted no on HR 3997, the bailout package. I was livid. I could not understand how a group of people who had promised to serve their country had so obviously placed themselves ahead of people they were supposed to be representing. Whether or not you agree with the bailout, the idea of voting no on legislation because you're too chicken shit to handle the heat at home during a reelection is a totally illegitimate. More on this in the near future.

So, then I got pulled full force into the presidential race of 2008. This election cycle has illuminated a number of things for me, insights into this political process and into this country.

This post is already too long. So I'll wrap it up with a little brilliance:

A Tentative Step...

I've tried blogging before. As with my childhood journals, I usually write one post, forget about it, and am somewhat mortified by the content upon re-reading.

For this blog, right off the bat I'm going to admit that there will be many an idiotic statement. At times I will be naive, ignorant, biased, and judgmental. Maybe by admitting these things upfront I will be easier on myself when I return to this post.

Hopefully that won't be months from now, after this has been forgotten.