Birthday Boy

A very happy 48th to #44! I'm so off to bake a cake now.

Oh, and if you're one of the ever-hopeful few who still insist that Obama wasn't born in the United States, because "how could he be, with a crazy Muslim name like that? LOL", then here's a copy of his birth announcement in the Honolulu Advertiser from 1961. (Thanks to Bill In Portland Maine at Dailykos. Check out his hilarious daily column, Cheers and Jeers.)

Obamania Forever

Don't forget to go vote, because it doesn't matter who you support if you don't cast a ballot. And by "who you support", I mean "Obama".

Today's Hosseini Article in Washington Post

I've been meaning to write the previous entry on A Thousand Splendid Suns for a few days now, and by coincidence, today also marked the publication of another notable work by Khaled Hosseini, an opinion piece in The Washington Post. He discusses the recent rise in racial tensions, insults, and threats directed toward Obama, voiced by supporters at McCain's and Palin's public appearances--and their apparent disinterest in denouncing such behavior.

Is inaction tantamount to consent? The McCain campaign certainly thinks so when it comes to Obama and incendiary remarks from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. By their own inaction, then, are McCain and Palin condoning these slurs? Or worse, are they willfully inciting the angry and venomous response that we have been witnessing at their rallies? If not, then what reaction are they hoping to evoke by their relentless public suggestions that Obama is basically an anti-American liar who won't put "country first" and has an affection for terrorists? Do they not understand the kind of fire they are playing with?

They may not be directly "inciting" the actions taken by their supporters, but they're pulling very similar stunts themselves, as Hosseini notes. What it boils down to, in my opinion, is that one campaign has class, and one simply doesn't.

It's a never-ending source of entertainment (albeit a disappointing one) to see how low the common denominator really is among the general public.

Does This White Hood Make My Forehead Look Big?

Look out! Just when I made a crack about Mississippi, here comes Florida, moving in for the kill as the most embarassing state. Leading the charge is Marianna Middle School teacher--and coach--Greg Howard.

While explaining to his class what is meant by Barack Obama's trademark slogan, "Change", he scribbled an acronym on the board:

C an you
H elp
A
N igger
G et
E lected?

Honestly, how do people this stupid even make it to adulthood?

If you're wondering, he was suspended without pay for a whopping 10 days and reassigned to an adult education position. Did I mention he's a coach?

Cute as a Button

DemocraticStuff.com has all the Obama items you could ever want. Their button collection is most impressive, with buttons ranging from "Closet Rock Fans for Obama" to "FauxHawks for Obama" to "Yeti Hunters for Obama". Even if you're not an Obama supporter (and shame on you, but anyway...) you will enjoy looking through their inventory.

What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say

"We see America as the greatest force for good in this world. Our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."
-Sarah Palin, at a fundraising event in Colorado earlier today

Obama's terrorist "pal" is Bill Ayers, a founder of Weather Underground. She got this idea from a New York Times article that she apparently neglected to finish reading. Ayers and Obama are acquainted and live in the same neighborhood, but as the article pointed out, "the two men do not appear to ever have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers.”

So, really? This is what McCain and Palin are relying on? They figure that if they throw out the word "terrorist" often enough, then Americans will do the same thing they foolishly did when they bought into Bush's scare tactics. (By the way, if you still don't believe it was foolish, just look around you at the sorry state of affairs, or perhaps at Bush's abysmal approval ratings.)

September 11 ended up working in the favor of George W. Bush, as he was able to play the War on Terror™ card, and McCain and Palin are still riding those coattails. Fortunately, I don't know if it will be enough for them this time. Plus, John Kerry was boring.

I do admire one thing about the Republican party: they are smart enough to do whatever it takes to win, no matter how much they have to whore themselves out. The Democrats don't like to do that, but the result is they lose elections. Republicans know what will play on people's fear and emotions, and they use it. Democrats know what these emotional tugs are, too, but they're too busy feeling good about themselves to use it.

That's What She Said

Sarah Palin is looking remarkably precious tonight. She's wearing her best Strawberry Queen Festival smile, a quarter can of Aqua Net, and--lest it be overlooked--a rhinestone flag pin on her lapel. Ever the thorn in Sarah Palin's side, that witch Katie Couric introduced tonight's coverage. She is likely a plant by the Obama camp.


My live coverage of the debate, in a nutshell:

8:04 Palin drops three big ones, right out of the gate: "hockey mom", "you betcha", and "darn right." Score.

8:08 Biden replies with a snarky reference to the "bridge to nowhere". Zing! Back even.

8:11 Palin uses the phrase "Main Streeters like me".

8:12 Has Biden had an eye lift?

8:15 Palin refers to "East Coast politicians" who apparently oppress energy-producing states like Alaska. You know, the East Coast politicians. The gays.

8:21 Palin is finally asked about energy. She replies by saying that global warming is not really a result of human activity.

8:25 Biden corrects the misinformation that Palin picked up on The 700 Club, namely that global warming is a result of God's anger toward New Orleans.

8:32 Biden is asked if he is in favor of granting benefits to same-sex and heterosexual couples. He replies, "absolutely", while Palin throws up in her mouth. Palin insists that she has "diverse" family and friends, which is true if you count that Eskimo woman who cleans her office.

8:40 Palin is asked about--and dances around the topic of--Iraq. She says it would be a "travesty" to leave now. She does, however, stop short of singing "Bomb Bomb Iran".

8:45 OHHHH NO. She. Didn't. She did. She just said "NUKE-U-LAR". Do we really want 8 more years of "NUKE-U-LAR"?

8:49 Biden asks the million-dollar question: what's so ridiculous about talking to countries with whom we do not have healthy diplomatic ties?

8:51 Palin plays the holocaust card. Really?

8:54 Palin announces that she doesn't think that the Bush administation was a total failure. She is clearly drunk.

9:05 Palin uses terms "maverick" and "Wasilla Main Street" in rapid succession.

9:11 Biden loses one voter (Lowes employee Ray) by mentioning Home Depot.

9:12 Palin uses "say it ain't so, Joe!", "dontcha know?", "God love her", and then sends a "shout-out" to the third graders at Gladdis Elementary School, who apparently earn extra credit for watching the debate. Like they care.

9:14 Palin mentions special needs kids. Trump card!

9:17 Biden names Cheney as the most dangerous VP that the country has ever had. And that's with or without his rifle.

9:18 Palin reminds viewers that Alaska is an energy-producing state. She somehow uses this as a segue to play the special needs card and the soldier son card, one-two.

9:20 Uh oh! Looks like Biden is back in the game. He mentions the death of his wife and daughter. That's sadder.

9:24 Biden professes his love, again, for John McCain. He follows this up with a list of the things that McCain has done wrong, and all the things he doesn't like about him.

9:29 In her closing statements, Palin claims to enjoy the opportunity "to answer these tough questions without the filter of the mainstream media". Somewhere in the audience, Katie Couric wets her pants.

That's What He Said

Here are the leading questions and Senator McCain's answers from tonight's presidential debate. (All answers are edited for length, but they're straight from the Maverick's mouth.)


Q: Do you support the financial bail-out of Wall Street?
A: Dwight David Eisenhower... Normandy... people in my administration will be held accountable... oil.

Q: Are their fundamental differences between you and Senator Obama to what you would do as president to lead the country out of this financial crisis?
A: We Republicans... DNA of bears in Montana... I've got a pen; well, this one's kind of old... I was called "The Sheriff"... I didn't win Miss Congeniality... it was festooned with Christmas tree ornaments!

Q: If they pass the $700 billion bail-out, what will you have to give up in your plans?
A: We tried to build a little ship... defense spending is very important... we have to eliminate 'em!...how 'bout a spending freeze on everything but defense spending and several other areas... I was not elected Miss Congeniality... Maverick... I've got a partner that is a good maverick with me now.

Q: We've seen the lessons of Vietnam, what do you say about the lessons of Iraq?
A: Strategy... has succeeded... winning in Iraq... succeeds... will succeed... our troops will come home, not in defeat... winning.

Q: Should more troops be sent to Afghanistan? If so, how many, and when?
A: You had better be ready to pull the trigger... General Petraeus... strategy... will succeed... I'm going to attack 'em... (Uh oh... Obama just mentioned the time that McCain sang the "Bomb Bomb Iran" song. This might get awkward.) ...Ronald Reagan... I was afraid... Acka men... Ackamenjinad... Akamenijad...

WAIT ONE HOT MINUTE. WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR FLAG PIN, JOHN McCAIN?


That's enough. You get the idea. I hardly care anymore.

Hat Trick

Even the Germans are riding high about Obama! This is Benedikt, a German friend of Garret's who I met briefly while visiting California. And this beautiful piece of work is his homemade Obama hat.






















Lookin' good, Benedikt.

Boo-yah

Well, well, well. It looks like not only has Senator Obama won more states, more popular votes, and thus more delegates, he's taken the lead in the number of superdelegates as well. This officially leaves Hillary Clinton with a negative number of legs to stand on, but I'm sure she'll think of something to keep this thing "competitive" (which it hasn't been for quite some time).

And if she doesn't, the media will. Because nothing is more boring to watch than a party who neatly organizes their primaries with little or no bickering over the rules, elects a single candidate in a timely manner. Snore.

Swan Song

Ok, so Hillary Clinton won today's primary in Pennsylvania, 54%-46% (as of "press time" on this site). Does it really matter anymore? If you haven't noticed, even I have tired of watching the Race for the White House™ these days. Sometimes I can't believe that there are even still enough journalists interested in the race to analyze, analyze, analyze it to death.

Even after tonight's win, Barack Obama is leading with 1,679 delegates to her 1,541. (Who needs you, Pennsylvania?) At this point, all she could possibly be counting on is a win by some sort of backdoor swindling, such as her much-hoped-for "win" in Florida and Michigan, or by poaching superdelegates whose local voters went for Obama. There is no other road but the low road for her now, and while she has every right to stay in the race, it's not even fun to watch anymore.

Inane and Arcane

I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.
-Will Rogers

I've often wondered why a person would want to be a Republican. After all, I disagree with the very basis of their party, and what's more, I don't see how someone could have avoided being completely turned off to it by the current Republican administration. Well, today I got my answer. They didn't want to go to a Democratic County Convention.

You may recall that I was elected as a delegate for my precinct back on March 4. Today was the Williamson County Democratic Convention. We were supposed to show up in order to vote on a delegate (from our precinct) to go to the state convention. Simple enough, right?

No. Registration started at 8:00 a.m. and moved very slowly. The line went all the way through the school. I walked home to get my camera after registering and when I came back, as expected, I hadn't missed anything. A dead horse was beaten brutally and repeatedly until 6:10 p.m., when I left.

I'm too worn out by today's events to write a detailed description. I don't really want to relive it, either. I met some nice people, and parts of it were fun. But HOLY HOWARD DEAN...in terms of getting things accomplished, my junior high student council meetings put these to shame.

Nobody can say Democrats don't know how to dress.

Diana Maldonado is running for State Representative. She was pretty good to listen to.

First of all, see the sign? Well, I hope they will win, but they better get it together first. The second thing I want you to see is the people on stage. They were candidates to be chair of the rest of the convention. This position was for a duration of roughly one hour. The proceedings to elect them took about one hour as well. The result? The same guy who ran the first part of the convention won, and continued presiding over the convention.

I'm not happy. I'm not amused, either.

My boredom helped me to discover that my camera has great zoom. This woman was sitting six rows ahead of me!

Yay! We finally got something accomplished! Jerry is our state delegate.

Much like her presidential bid, Hillary Clinton's balloons are dead.

How Much Do Juno About the Caucus?

Oh my goodness. Here I was, thinking that Ray and I were the lone Democrats in Williamson County--a veritable oasis in a desert of wire-tapping, war-pushing, airport-restrooming Republicans. But the Democratic Party of Precinct 423 reeled in a group of 84 voters. Not too bad for suburbia.

We waited in line ahead of three old Republicans who were there to caucus for Hillary (that is, against Obama). Over a pack of smokes, they complained to one another that "purty soon, you won't even be able to smoke in your car," and one wondered aloud in which unthinkable state it is that you're not allowed to smoke in your car while carrying children. The mouthiest of the three, a crusty woman in her 60s who will henceforth be referred to as "Old Smokey", added, "I'm not prejudiced or anything, but I just have a bad feeling about that Obama."

It was held in the preschool Sunday School room of a local church, a portable building, which meant the room contained chairs that were just big enough for Barbie. The north side of the building smelled of B.O., while the south side stank with the unmistakable smell of onion rings. There were a few adult chairs, and when two came available, I suggested that we take them. Always a Boy Scout, Ray chivalrously noted that there were some elderly people in the room who might enjoy taking a seat instead. "You know who they'll vote for," I whispered sternly. "Tire them out and they'll leave."

We sat.

The procedure was to sign in and indicate your candidate preference next to your name. After a while, the precinct captain announced that Obama had 55% of the support to Clinton's 43% (2 people were uncommitted--not sure why you'd go to a caucus), and we would be electing 12 delegates to attend the Williamson County convention.

The crowd was pretty diverse. There was a nearly equal number of blacks and whites, a handful of Hispanics (I actually would have expected more because our neighborhood is mainly Hispanic), and one woman who might have been Muslim, though it was impossible to know for sure. Many brought their children along, which I liked. There was also a seemingly wide range economically. This was in "stark contrast to the KKK meeting next door on the Republican side", Ray noted.

Old Smokey had a suggestion for the precinct captain every step of the way. (I guess "not being prejudiced" really motivates a person to participate.) When the time came to vote on the 12 delegates, she announced that all the candidates should stand up in the front for her to see, so she could know everyone's gender and race, because she could "tell by looking at them who they're for." Naturally, this pissed off most of the room, but she remained undaunted. I loudly called out that she was "superficial" while pretending that we hadn't been guessing people's votes in the line earlier.

Ray and I both ran for delegate, along with a coworker of mine who had come for Clinton. Apparently, being a teacher is a crowd-pleaser, because she and I were both elected as delegates, and Ray as an alternate. Plus we are all white, so we could count on Old Smokey's vote.

After that came the time to vote on certain resolutions. At this point, Old Smokey had had enough democracy for one evening and called it a night. But on her way out the door, she actually had the guts to interrupt the proceedings and make a "moving" speech about voting for the person instead of along party lines. (You know, such as a white male person.)

The resolutions discussion was a pretty enjoyable part of the night for me, as I love nothing more than to argue with those who already agree with me. Ray, who hadn't eaten dinner beforehand, was slightly less energized, but humored me kindly and agreed to stay until I decided it was my bedtime at 10:00 (hey, I'm old). I chimed in on issues such as voter ID regulations (they disenfranchise), teachers' lack of Social Security income (unfair), workers' right to unionize (for it), and universal healthcare (free appendectomies, anybody?).

It was unlike anything I've had the pleasure of experiencing in Texas. In Hungary, if you don't like something the government does, you can go overturn a phone booth, storm Parliament, or light something on fire. (Usually all three.) In the USA, the ire is somehow dampered by the fact that we have our overly busy lives to tend to, and--unfortunately--don't always have time for that. But this caucus was the refreshing, rare experience of meeting with others who are wholly dissatisfied with the status quo, appalled at the self-serving policies and self-righteous beliefs of the Republican party, and are ready to smoke their asses in November.

If there were another caucus tonight, I'd go do it again.

No Country for Old Men

Yes. I have been waiting to use that title. And I am bound and determined to somehow incoporate "Juno" very soon. "Michael Clayton", on the other hand, is going to be damn near impossible.

I'm watching John McCain on CNN right now, addressing a crowd in Houston. It looks like he's at Bennigan's. He tells the crowd that he is going to find Osama bin Laden and "brang him to justice"...blah blah blah..."Al Qaeda's on the run"..."freedom"...blah blah blah..."I met a mother of a dead soldier"..."make sure that his death is not in vain". You know, that. More of the same.

On a related note, fat pill-addict blob Rush Limbaugh is urging his listeners in today's primary states to go vote for Hillary. He's a cunning one, that Rush.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to start mentally preparing for tonight's caucus at the Round Rock Church of Christ.

There Will Be Blood

According to Hillary, the apocalypse is coming, and someone's going to call up the White House when it does. Who do you want answering the call?

She's up to the old tricks... that is, the old tricks of the GOP. Fear-mongering: I hate to sound trite, but there's no other word to describe it so well.

I've been telling people that I'd be happy enough if she were the nominee, even though I greatly prefer Obama. This ad has changed my mind. I'd probably still vote for her over McCain, but it'd be the lesser of two evils.

Obama Rally at the Texas Capitol

Hooray! We got to see Obama speak at last night's rally, and we were pretty close to the stage, given the fact that we arrived three and a half hours before the speech. He did not disappoint!

Secret Service Ray (who got wanded by a fellow agent when his new bionic arm set off the metal detectors), watching and waiting:


Secret Service Ray's colleagues on the rooftop nearby:


The Travis High School Mariachi Band performed at 7:00, two hours before Obama was scheduled to come onstage:


Obama tells Austin how the cow ate the cabbage:


We were about 35 feet from the stage--not too shabby:


The crowd behind us on 11th Street:


Spanish signs in the crowd:


After the rally, with the Capitol behind us:

We Won't Get Fooled Again: Opportunity Knocks Twice

I may not be swigging cocktails at the Hyatt tonight with Barack Obama, but he won't leave Austin without meeting Amber-neni after all! (Or at least being within a 1/2 mile radius of her.)

Tomorrow night, he will be holding a street rally at the intersection of Congress and 11th Street. You must RSVP here to attend, and even then space is limited, so I'll be arriving very early. Gates open at 6, and the rally begins at 9. I am expecting a huge rally crowd of Hungarian, government-hating proportions. Or let's hope so, anyway.

Opportunity Squashed

Well, now I've blown it. I received an email from Texas Democrats recently inviting me to purchase tickets to a debate watch party at the Hyatt during and after tomorrow night's debate at the University of Texas here in Austin. Ray and I scoffed at the idea of $50 tickets to a party where you hang around a hotel conference room and watch on a television what you could be watching at home for free. (That is, if we had cable.)

Today I get a follow-up email saying that BOTH DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES ARE GOING TO BE THERE. Holy guacamole! Fifty dollars apiece became a small price to pay for the opportunity to fawn over Obama up close and have a long-awaited talk with Hillary Clinton over how to vary the tone of her voice when speaking so as not to sound like Rosie the Robot maid from The Jetsons.

But, as you may have guessed, they sold out. My best chance for meeting the future president (and the former first lady) is gone. I'm now reduced to waiting in the parking lot alone and hoping for the best.

To Caucus We Will Go

One of the good things about living in Texas is that although your state will be no help to a democratic candidate in the general election, you get to double-dip in the primary. First you can vote, of course, and then on election night you can participate in the caucus as well.

Report to your regular polling place on election day (March 4) at 7:00 p.m. to participate in the caucus. You must have voted in the primary, and bring your voter registration with you. As Texas splits its delegates between the primary and the caucus, this is your chance to have additional delegates go for your favorite candidate, Barack Obama.

The Cheese Stands Alone

Obama takes Wisconsin! Hawaii still to go. Hawaii's polls don't close for about 12 more hours, when it finally will be evening there. But get ready for another Clinton ass-handing, topped with grilled pineapples and an apple in the mouth. Viva Obama!



*Edited to delete "and Washington" from the above paragraph. This is why you should not come here for your news, Nick.