Message to President Obama and the DNC

Please!

Will the Democrats and all the other causes which bombard us, the faithful, daily with emails (primarily from the DNC) begging for money that we the people are sick and tired of receiving, lay off for a while, already? Really!

How much cash do you think we have anyway? Who do you think reads all those e-mails? Lately, I don’t even open yours, Mr. President.

Please go hammer the doors of the rich! We the people, the grunters, the gofers who do all the down and dirty work: the canvassing, the phone calling, the baking, the making, the driving, the lit drops, the sign installations, the sign pick-ups, the sign recycling, the manning of the polls on E-Day from dark to dark distributing the sample ballots, the reporting, are worn out, and your constant solicitation is aggravating. You don’t believe me? Take a gander at last week.

Please (in case my message is not clear): Lay off for a change. Go lay on the wealthy. Thank you. This word is brought to you from We The People.

And by the way: Please get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan immediately.

From: President Barack Obama [mailto:info@barackobama.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2009 1:23 AM
To: Patricia
Subject: Making history

Patricia --

This evening, at 11:15 p.m., the House of Representatives voted to pass their health insurance reform bill. Despite countless attempts over nearly a century, no chamber of Congress has ever before passed comprehensive health reform. This is history.

But you and millions of your fellow Organizing for America supporters didn't just witness history tonight -- you helped make it. Each "yes" vote was a brave stand, backed up by countless hours of knocking on doors, outreach in town halls and town squares, millions of signatures, and hundreds of thousands of calls. You stood up. You spoke up. And you were heard.

So this is a night to celebrate -- but not to rest. Those who voted for reform deserve our thanks, and the next phase of this fight has already begun.

The final Senate bill hasn't even been released yet, but the insurance companies are already pressing hard for a filibuster to bury it. OFA has built a massive neighborhood-by-neighborhood operation to bring people's voices to Congress, and tonight we saw the results. But the coming days will put our efforts to the ultimate test. Winning will require each of us to give everything we can, starting right now.

Please donate $5 or whatever you can afford so we can finish this fight.

Tonight's vote brought every American closer to the secure, affordable care we need. But it was also a watershed moment in how change is made.

Even after last year's election, many insider lobbyists and partisan operatives really thought that the old formula of scare tactics, D.C. back-scratching and special-interest money would still be enough to block any idea they didn't like. Now, they're desperate. Because, tonight, you made it crystal clear: the old rules are changing -- and the people will not be ignored.

In the final phases of last year's election, I often reminded folks, "Don't think for a minute that power concedes without a fight," and it's especially true today. But that's okay -- we're not afraid of a fight. And as you continue to prove, when all of us work together, we have what it takes to win.

Please donate to OFA's campaign to win this fight and ensure that real health reform reaches my desk by the end of this year:

https://donate.barackobama.com/History

Let's keep making history,

President Barack Obama



Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Monetary contributions to the Democratic National Committee are not tax-deductible.

Obama's Afghan policy affects Virginia governor's race

Why should we, the former impassioned, bother? After all we did last year to elect Barack Obama? When he continues the Bush policies in another country? Our vigor is gone, our enthusiasm, dimmed, by the wishy-washy administration policy of no change after all.

For what? To "defeat" the Taliban? Al-Qaeda? Cockroaches are infinite; they cannot be extinguished.

We continue pouring blood and money into a foreign nation a la Bush.

What change?

What next?

Pakistan?

India?

Mr. Deeds: Here is where many of your Northern Virginia voters are: misled, fed up, and disillusioned anew.

Gwen Ifill on Stage at GWU

(Top) Frank Sesno interviews Gwen Ifill and (right) they watch Eugenie Pete describe what Barack Obama's swearing-in meant to her.


By the Queen of Free

Utterly charming, comedic, uplifting, inspirational, engaging, informative, confident, knowledgeable, and captivating.

Can you tell she is quite likable? Gwen Ifill for public office! (Hey Gwen: I know a Secretary's spot which is open!)

On Thursday night Frank Sesno CNN special correspondent and director of the public affairs project at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs masterfully interviewed Ms. Ifill who had plenty to tell to keep the “sold-out” (seats were free but all taken) listeners (it was taped for radio) on their ears.

She was much more talkative (of course) and animated (of course) than she is on THE shows. She came to promote her new book: The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, and she told a lot more.

The book contains interviews with black politicians and a look behind their scenes: How did they do it? So many, she said, were told “it’s not time for you yet.”

Race ceased to be an issue in last year’s presidential campaign after The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was shut up. She said Barack Obama never wanted to bring up race as an issue but Wright forced his hand.

About President Obama's term so far: He's figured out how hard it is to come to Washington which is "complicated. Every president says he's going to change Washington." And "one thing we all know: Honeymoons end." She said she never thought Obama would be elected. Her predictions "are always wrong," she said.

Two days before Gwen Ifill moderated last fall's vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin (a clip of the "Saturday Night Live" takeoff on the debate was screened during the interview), she fell at home coming down stairs and broke her ankle.

She received hundreds of questions to ask the debaters, "about 99% of them for Palin." She said the key to crafting questions for debaters is to try to steer them from their pat answers and get them into new arenas. As for the 2004 vice-presidential debate, John Edwards was "over-rehearsed and Dick Cheney just didn't care."

When asked about the dearth of female politicians in her book, she said few under age 60 exist, sadly.

She began her journalism career as an intern at the Boston Herald American where a crude note addressed to her about her race led to her hiring. Never one to look back and wallow in self pity, she said she seizes circumstances as opportunities to use for her own betterment.

Later working at the Washington Post and covering the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Ifill said she likely is the only Post reporter to cover that beat who actually lived in public housing at one time.

A clip showed a black lady on Inauguration Day, Eugenie Pete (unsure of name), who caught Ms. Ifill’s attention. She beamed when describing Ms. Pete who was practically unable to speak amid her emotions about the momentous day and what it meant for blacks.

The crowd of about 300 was approximately 20% students (based on a show of hands) with the rest, alumni, a smattering of faculty, and the remainder, interested bystanders. Probably two-thirds of attendees were female. Ms. Ifill graciously answered several questions from the audience.

After the interview we happily partook of varied and delicious desserts and beverages at a reception while Ms. Ifill signed about 250 books.

Thank you, GW! A fitting way to launch Presidents' Day weekend and to recognize Black History Month, too.

Uncover the Coffins

At Monday's press conference the AP reported President Barack Obama said policy change would be considered to possibly end the media ban photographing caskets holding our military dead from Iraq and Afghanistan as they arrive back in the U.S.

In yesterday's Washington Post (p. A-8) Defense Secretary Robert Gates "said he was told that, if media were allowed to cover the fallen service members return to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, many of the service members' families would feel compelled to attend, which would pose a financial hardship for them and slow the return of the remains."

How grotesque: "would feel compelled." And "slow the remains."

What words are there to describe Gates' callousness and total disregard for affected families? He nonchalantly tosses words around with no thought of their impact.

Should not the affected families be allowed to make their own decisions rather than the defense secretary quoting hearsay and making decisions for them?

At this most terrible times of their lives, affected loved ones can stand on their own without the Defense Department exploiting their losses so it can cover up its dead and the 65% who died of "non-combat related" causes. Enough of Defense Department cover-ups!

Would not local communities rush to raise money for Dover expenses for those in need? Those who want to come to praise, salute and honor their war dead? Theirs.

President Obama: Uncover the coverup of the coffins. We want to see them. We want to see how the military treats the return of our human treasures. We want to see the containers holding our dead on their last journey. We want to recognize their bravery and their sacrifices for us. We want to be stung with reality that inside the boxes are remains of troops who lived and whom we glorify.

President Obama: You said "change." The Bush/Cheney regime ended, praise God, on January 20, 2009. Please bring change.

Darling Dangling Dapper Daschle Dashes

Enter Jason who speaketh:

No statement yet but it's happening soon. Personally, I could care less about him not paying his taxes on a driver he employed to take him around town in a car. Nor do I care about Tim Geithner's tax problems or anybody else's tax problems. For heaven's sake, we elected a complete idiot for eight years and somehow he was allowed to escape practically unharmed by the media and now a lowly department head gets the ax grinded into him and has to withdraw his nomination??? We had Rummy issuing torture memos and orders to violate international treaties, and where was Anderson Cooper's outrage then? The VP is holding secret meetings with oil industry lobbyists and never a word said or uttered. Where was the NY Times editorial board then? Oh, yeah the NY Times was too busy employing figure heads who took the notes passed along by the VP's guy pal Scooter and printing them on page A1 all in an effort to appear patriotic. Well where is their patriotism now?

All this has done has poured more blood into the water, just as the stimulus bill is going to be voted on in the Senate. Now, watch every Repub but three or four will vote against the stimulus bill and all will have been for naught. Are we to allow every editorial board in this country the right to veto a president's pick to head an agency? Who sits on the NY Times editorial board anyone? And what exactly is their expertise when it comes to dealing with issues that face the country. The NY Times will be an online only publication in about 10 years, so apparently they're not even good at what they're supposed to be good at! Are we going to allow the minority party to dictate the stimulus bill? The reason why they're the minority party is because a minority of Americans agrees with them. Include them in the discussions, but I would rather see no Repubs vote for a bill than to see half of them vote for it, because in the latter's instance something would definitely be wrong with the final bill.

I suppose it's good to get all of the bad stuff out of the way now. Although, the timing really sucks. The president is going to be speaking to all the networks tonight and instead of talking about trying to reboot the economy and pass his stimulus package, the network anchors are all going to imitate O'Reilly and Limbaugh and try and outmaneuver each other on who can play the best gotcha, inside-Washington parlor game. No wonder good help is hard to find in DC. Who would want to go through this process?

Patricia enters and has her turn:

I am glad! Really! O campaigned on CHANGE and with the treas. sec. and Daschle's IRS problems and all Daschle's connections, I thought this a.m.: What has changed? I say; GOOD RIDDANCE. It was like all his own cronies coming out of the woodwk to talk about how great he is. Oh yeah, if he's so great you mean to tell me he didn't know about the $ due to the IRS 'til Jan.? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. He got caught wi. his pants down and oh no, he paid the IRS and now it looks like he could have put it off even longer! Poor old Tom. I guess he'll now have to forgo the taxis he started taking yesterday to Cap Hill for his limousine. Cry me a river.

Jason replies:

HAHAHA, cry me a river, yes. I don't feel sorry for Daschle. All these public officials should no better. My point has more to do with the media. We just found out that billions of dollars of our money was spent by Wall Street on bonuses and where is the media outrage? You don't see those managers of CEOs getting fired or having to repay the money? Why aren't those people blacklisted like these appointments to be cabinet secretary? It seems that they made mistakes and they have owned up to their mistakes and then some but still they get crucified? This is the kind of thing which led that guy in the Clinton admin to kill himself. It's petty, stupid, and ridiculous at a time when the country needs the best and the brightest to handle our nation's most stressing problems, and the NY Times editorial board is wasting its space on this??? Good thing I never went through with my daily subscription to them. I hope that ten years from now their print addition will be in a museum along with the dinosaurs!!!

Maureen squeaks:

p., relatively speaking, i think i am with jason on this one. m.

DeeDee comes in and adds her two cents:

Daschle knew he has tax problems but didn't take care of it immediately. Why didn't he tell the truth to Obama team? That should solve all the probs from the beginning.

OK, bets?

Patricia exclaims with vengeance:

I totally agree, DeeDee! Like whatzizsis name at Treas. now. Daschle didn't pay the tax since he thought he could get away with it until discovered by the vetting process. You'd think someone wi. that much $ would consider his tax debt a mite, but oh no, those greedy pigs get greedier. Show me to the trough, please, so I can load up some more.

What president has had this much trouble wi. so many Cabinet nominees so early in the game? Oh, oh...I can hear the Washington insider comments growing by leaps and bounds.

DeeDee responds:

Tim Geithner.. oh no, there's another one in line, Obama's choice for Chief Performance Officer..via TPM..

Presidents need to think big, isolate the source of problems and act to fix them. So I think Obama needs to abolish the IRS so his appointees can get confirmed and his program move forward. (Ed's note added later: Abolish the IRS....oh, hahaha, tweedledum and tweedledee, hahaha. Then who would pay for the Fat Cats' Bailouts? hahaha)

Jason fumes and adds a diatribe by Andrew Sullivan which The Editor chose to omit since this is getting lengthy and is anyone still reading?

From Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic: just goes to show what a truly shameful thing that has happened. Now we’ll get an more second-rate nominee who will have no clout to do anything about the uninsured, sky-high insurance rates, prescription drug costs, all of that. All because of petty, Washington politics. It’s a good thing I no longer live anywhere near the place. I would be ashamed.

Patricia's anger is not assuaged:

Yep, Daschle certainly knew the industry all right since it forked over to him $zillions. Line thy pockets, knave! Why, methinks this rings true of Duchess Clinton, TO WIT. Prayeth, what change hath El Presidente Obama wrought with his Knights of Greed?

Jason exclaims as he drives out of sight:

Oh you are going to hang on this one!!!!!
The Politico is reporting that Phil Bredesen, Jim Cooper, Howard Dean, and Bill Bradley are possibilities for HHS Secretary!

Patricia cries:

Show me the noose!

Oh, Please! "Please Donate"

Good grief! Won't these people ever stop?

“Please donate” to Barack Obama. To the man we keep hearing has $30 million in the bank from leftover funds!

Please!

The"asks" came in two emails, no less, on consecutive days. The nerve of those people!

First, David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager, writes asking that we continue, c o n t i n u e, campaign meetings at home. Please! Can we ever get a break? We are supposed to do this for the next four years?

To promote Obama’s platform? Please don't try to kid me it's "our" platform.

“At the house meetings, you'll reflect on our campaign, discuss the future of this movement, and identify some ways to get involved in your community.

"Meeting hosts will report back, and your feedback will be instrumental in guiding this movement through some important and unprecedented territory.”

When I saw the “Please donate” button on Barack Obama’s page, I was stunned. Was this an old page, I wondered, fearing the answer.

”Your donation will support the Democratic National Committee and help recover the enormous resources they committed to this campaign.”

Get real, people! Did not the voters of this nation just send a zillion billion more Democrats to Congress and the U.S. Senate? Another Democrat is busted for bribery, and you are asking us to fund more Democrats? In this economy?

What about the "little people," you know the ones who don't count, the ones in the middle and below the middle who actually need some of Obama's leftover cash? The ones who don’t feed off the public’s tit?

Is it not stupifying that Obama's team has the audacity to send out solicitation letters six weeks after we worked feverishly to elect him, and here he comes asking for more!

How about the big bailout money going to an entity other than the fat banks, and the execs who fly in and fly out like witches on broomsticks crying “poor mouth”?

Why do the taxpayers bailout Citi which forked over big bucks ("multi-millions") to fund Bill Clinton’s latest “global” meeting? (The taxpayers pay the government which pays Citi which pays Bill Clinton who pays Bill Clinton who pays Bill Clinton, and who is Secretary of State and he's not going to wave influence?)

The election’s over, the results are sealed, the people are forgotten to feed the coffers of the corporations, the greedy fat cats who need more and more and more.

What hath we wrought?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Said the little people to the big whigs on the hill,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the air, big whigs on the hill,
Do you hear what I hear?
A change, a change high above the trees
With a bank as big as the sea,
With a bank as big as the sea.”

Said the right wing to the little man,
"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little man
Do you see what I see?
The planes, the planes heading to DC
With the jets carrying GM in our sight,
The banks take the cash with their might.”

Said the little people to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
The cash, the cash going to fatty cats
And there's none left for us, mighty king,
There is none left for us, mighty king.”

Said the voters to the mighty king,
"Do you see what I see?
A child, a child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Freddie silver and gold,
Let us bring Fannie silver and gold,
Let us bring the Bear silver and gold,
Let us bring AIG silver and gold,
Let us bring Citi silver and gold."
And leave the child to chill in the cold.

Said Obama to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
My change, my change coming in the night
I will pray for peace and swing right,
I will pray for peace and swing right.”

Dear Judy Feder

I hope you won't give up. I hope you'll try again. I hope you run against the impermanent Frank Wolfe. You’ve got the spunk, the dynamo, the personality, the smarts to do it. We need you as our representative! Don’t give up! We are proud of you.

Here are some suggestions to put to work in two years:

When you came to the Sierra Club meeting in McLean on October 2 and your aide passed around a “sign up” sheet, no one ever contacted me about coming in to help you. Was the McLean office location announced?

When I visited your campaign office in McLean one Sunday to canvass for you, the staff told me all the walk sheets were gone. How can that be? With so many homes to visit, why were there none? No one asked for my name or contact information.

I took off for the Obama field office on Kennedy Drive to pick up walk sheets and wound up canvassing not only for Obama and Mark Warner, but for Jim Moran who did not need my help.

The week before the election I came by your office on two nights to do whatever I could to help, and no one asked me to sign a sheet or for contact information. The second night someone did ask my name. I assembled walk packets on both nights.

If my contact information was not sought, was it sought from other volunteers?

We all know the incredible organization Barack Obama’s team practiced. Lessons to be learned!

Within 30 minutes on November 2, I received three telephone calls from Barack’s Falls Church office following up my promise to drop lit on Monday night and to work at the polls on Tuesday. These were in addition to all the many telephone calls I received throughout the campaign from Falls Church asking me to help, to call, to canvass, to come to meetings, to blog, to vote, to cook, to whatever! Just come and do it, they implored. In the early stages someone called me weekly, then the calls became more frequent. They were never irritating, just friendly reminders to a political activist who welcomed the calls, that I agreed to help and when could I get there?

We know follow-up and organization are critical and that money talks!

I hope you accept these recommendations in the spirit in which they are sent for I want you to win, and I know you can do it! We need you in D.C.

Sincerely,
Patriciadc

Joy in the World: Mark Warner's Election Night Party

There’s a party going on!

If I closed my eyes I was sure I was at a University of Tennessee football game (back when the school had a team) for the screams and cheers were just as loud and deafening. How happy not to be in Tennessee!

At the McLean Hilton, anywhere from several hundred (the Washington Post) to about 1,000 (my count) to 3,000 to 4,000 (an exuberant reporter who shed his “media” badge to jump in and clap and shriek with the rest of us) attended Mark's party to watch, scream, and cheer (most of) the projections which flashed across huge television screens, one to the left of us (CNN), one to the right of us (MSNBC).

Meanwhile: the media sat glumly behind us on its platform.

Shouts of joy drowned the ballroom when MSNBC projected a state for Obama, then, moments later ear-splitting screams when CNN called the same state for Obama (and vice-versa). Boos erupted when Tennessee was called for McCain, and later, when Sarah Palin's face was screened during John McCain's concession speech.

Off and on the stage: the “senior” senator from Virginia, James Webb; the governor, Tim Kaine; the winner and host of the magnificent buffet, Mark Warner; newly-elected congressman, Gerry Connolly.

Moments after Warner, Webb, and Kaine paraded on the dais for the first time for Senator-Elect Warner's victory speech, here they came again with their families for Gov. Kaine's announcement of a special telephone call just received.

The floor moved, the walls quivered, the lights twinkled and his pearly whites glistened when Tim Kaine exclaimed: AP was calling Virginia for Barack Obama!

The jubilant mass raised fists, shouted, cried, danced, and Gov. Kaine said Virginia’s electoral votes had delivered the presidency to Obama, but it was not Virginia.

An Arab American woman came up to me and sorrowfully asked where I, an Anglo-Saxon, had gotten my "Arab Americans for Obama" sticker which I wore proudly on my dress. I peeled it off and gave it to her who later wore it plastered to her cheek.

I passed Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust who smiled broadly: "It's a great day to be an American." He paused: "It's a great day to be a Democrat!"

To my pal in Blacksburg worried on Monday about the outcome, I said: "Don't you worry, Ann! We 'Communists' in the Great State of Northern Virginia will deliver for Barack Obama!" And we did...with sincere and everlasting joy.




.

Pollwatching in Northern Virginia

Voting went off without a hitch today at my precinct at Tysons Corner where I was a pollwatcher for the Democrats.

When I reported “for duty” at 5:30 a.m., about 100 persons whom I could see in the dark to count, stood waiting for the polls to open at 6 a.m.

By the time I left at 2 p.m. some provisional ballots had been cast, but no serious, not even mild, problems had occurred, other than one of the touch screen machines breaking down twice which was restored to duty shortly thereafter by whom or what? I do not know.

(What happened? How do they know those votes are saved? In pollwatcher school, we were instructed to cast paper ballots when possible, but most people, not realizing I think, the paper trail left by paper ballots, wanted to stand in the longer line for the machines.)

One woman who missed the voter registration deadline of October 6 and had only registered to vote last week, showed up “hoping,” and even she voted by provisional ballot. That she could even submit a vote was an indication of the progressive attitude of voting officials who generally approved every questionable voter.

Two other representatives of the Democratic Party joined me “inside”: an attorney who stayed all day and another pollwatcher. We had three people outside. Throughout the day the Good Providence Democrats brought us doughnuts, coffee, bananas, and paper bag lunches they had made.

In addition to monitoring the voting process, our chief duty was to record the names of voters on the Democratic list whose names were picked up by runners at 9:30 a.m. and at 2 p.m. for submission to the data bank so that the party and volunteers could contact non-voters to urge them to get to the polls before closing at 7 p.m.

No McCain representatives came to pollwatch and from the window, I could see only one McCain supporter outside who didn’t stay long, maybe because those high heels were too high. She was dressed like Cindy McCain, in leather coat and dark hose. She violated the 40’ rule by leaving her “McCain/Palin” stickers on her red coat when she entered the building twice, but no one reported her. If it had not been for the elderly woman wearing a diamond donkey on her chest whom no one criticized at my book, I would have reported Cindy McCain’s violation at Tysons.

Then there was the man who returned for his “I voted today” sticker so he could go to Starbucks, he said, and get a free cup of coffee. This was the same man carrying a Salvatore Ferragamo purse in a bag which he was returning to the store, he said, for his “significant other” who wanted a bigger Ferragamo emblem to show off. “You see what you women make us do,” he laughed. No wonder he needed free coffee!

In the early morning voters told us they waited one hour and 15 minutes to vote, but by lunchtime, lines had vanished.

Without question the most thrilling part of the day was witnessing “Alex,” whom I registered to vote, show up to cast his ballot and seeing my neighbor, a naturalized citizen from China who works for a federal agency and feared for her job security if anyone found out she supported Barack Obama, vote for the first time.

Now it’s time to get ready for the big Mark Warner party down the street. It’s a good thing it’s nearby so I can crawl home.

Happy days are almost here again!

"It's Over," He Said

"I told my staff last week it's done.

"For the first time in my life I voted for a Democrat today (Saturday). I voted for Barack Obama."

We struck up a conversation in a Tysons Corner store, and while I nodded to his words trying to keep a lid on my mouth so not to interrupt him, mentally I sprang to the ceiling and screamed, leaping from one light fixture to another before I floated down to the floor, trying to confine exuberance and enthusiasm.

He was 60 years old, more or less, and out shopping with his mother and wife.

"We didn't need that tax break," he said. "I know I didn't need it. No, I am not discouraged, I am totally livid" he exclaimed, before launching into emphatic criticism about the damage to the Republican party by members of the Republican party.

He leaned over and almost whispered: "You know his grandmother took him out of Indonesia and put him in Hawaiian schools. You know most of the people in Indonesia are Muslim, don't you?" Hhmmmnnn, I hmmmnnnnned.

But you know what? Colin Powell said "so what" if folks are Muslim! Who cares? And if it was so much of a big deal, why'd you go off and vote for him, tell me that! I mused to myself, trying to keep volatility behind closed doors. I had already been attacked at Tysons Corner once for critiquing Ms. Sarah Palin in a song to her by her children, and I didn't want to have another brawl right here in the middle of Tysons Corner.

Meanwhile, up in Long Island, two Republican sisters of a Northern Virginia friend of mine (who is canvassing for Barack Obama right now, and my friend was a Hillary supporter) are voting for the first time in their lives for, that's right, sistah, Mr. Barack Obama!

Happy days are almost here again.

I interrupt this programming to

spend every possible available moment until November 5, 2008 canvassing, calling, cooking, hosting, volunteering, writing, blogging, driving, pollwatching, writing checks for the Democratic cause, namely:

To elect Barack Obama President of the United States

and many other notable Democrats, too, like

1. Mark Warner, candidate for the U.S. Senate (VA)

2. Judy Feder, candidate for the 10th Congressional District (VA)

Please send Judy a check:

Judy Feder for Congress
6816 Tennyson Drive
McLean, VA 22101

3. Jim Martin, candidate for the U.S. Senate (GA) running against the sleeze, Saxby Chambliss who
defeated our own Max Cleland because Max wasn't "patriotic" enough! Max, triple amputee
from Vietnam! That was the Karl Rove - George Buzh duo at work. Let's beat them now! Here's
your chance. Please send a check to:

Martin for Senate
P.O. Box 7219
Atlanta, GA 30357

Thank you. This programming will resume in November, 2008.

Reelin' and a Rockin' in Falls Church

It's the way it is at Obama's headquarters on South Washington Street.

The buzz grows louder. The hum increases. The smiles and energy balloon. The momentum is getting bigger and louder and moving fast!

Every time I walk in the door I am astonished by the number of volunteers who are working the phones, filling out tally sheets, inputting data, welcoming newcomers, turning in canvass packets at 9 p.m. on a weekday night.

And the food! Never have I seen so much at a campaign office. Plates of cookies and vegetables with dip are placed conveniently on tables where telephone calls are made.

Kyle and Jon, both amazingly still standing, run a focused, energetic, fun-filled office, and that's what it's all about, isn't it, Alfie?

You want fun? You want frolic? You want to contribute to the cause? And be around like-minded individuals, brimming with enthusiasm, laughter, and purpose? It's the place to come, to be, to wake up to a new day and, dare I say, change.

I don't know if Chuck Berry is supporting Barack Obama and Joe Biden or not, but Berry's lyrics surely come in handy, and I'll bet he wouldn't mind if I sang a few verses from his tune:

Well, I looked at my watch it was nine twenty-one
'twas at a campaign office havin' nothin' but fun.
We were rollin' reelin' and a- rockin'.
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn


Well, I looked at my watch, it was nine thirty-two,
There's nothin' I would rather do than politick with you.
We were rollin', reelin' and a-rockin'...
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was nine forty-three,
And every time that I would call, the results astounded me.
We were reelin', reelin' and a-rockin',
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was nine fifty-fo'
I said, "You've got to dance Obamaman, go, go, go!"
We were rollin, reelin' and a-rockin' ...
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was ten o-five,
Man, I didn't know whether I was dead or alive!
But I was rollin', reelin' and a-rockin'....
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was ten twenty-six,
I couldn't stop acallin' cuz that's how I got my kicks!
We were reelin', reelin' and a- rockin'
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was ten twenty-eight,
I gotta get my calls in before it gets too late!
We were reelin', reelin' and a- rockin'
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, it was ten twenty-nine,
I had to hold him on the line since he was just so fine,
We were reelin', reelin' and a-rockin'
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, and what to my surprise,
The polls were coming in and they were more than twice John's size!
We were reelin', reelin' and a-rockin'
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Well, I looked at my watch, and it was time to go,
The party leader said, "We ain't callin' no mo'!"
We were reelin', reelin', and a-rockin'
We were callin' and a- rockin' and rollin' till the break of dawn

Cartoon Idea: Democratic VP Choices on Stage

Idea submitted on posting to New York Times August 22, 2008:

Setting: A stage of "Miss America" beauty contestants who are the Democratic VP contenders, standing in bathing suits and drawn proportionately (ht., weight, age, etc.); Obama in suit and tie is crowning the winner who is ? Contestants have their sashes crisscrossing their chests with

Bayh: "Mr. Indiana"
Hillary: "I AM Hillary"
Biden: "Mr. Foreign Policy"
Kaine: "Mr. Virginia" and "Mr. South"
Richardson: "Mr. Latino" and "Mr. West"
Nunn: "Mr. Georgia" and First Runner-Up, "Mr. South"

Who else?
Caption: "There S/He (finally) is..."

Major Mayor Fitness Fenty

The Washington Post carried a story today about Washington Mayor Fitness Fenty. The story is big enough that you might think Adrian Fenty committed a felony, but no, he had a serious biking accident. The story describes witnesses’ accounts of the accident and how Mayor Fenty’s injuries affect his appearance and persona and blah blah blah.

What’s wrong with his image? Why not protect it? I like a mayor (or any elected official, a President?) who’s physically fit and proud of it. I like an elected official to be always dressed up and looking reverential, like he is ready to make a speech or meet someone important, like, like, maybe, somebody like me? I like an official who tries to make a good impression, who cares about his appearance.

Mayor Fenty is always sharp and distinctive. His nicely fitting, tailored suit is consistently buttoned; and he wears a colorful tie. His shoes are polished, and he is cleanly shaven. Rather like Candidate Obama.

Is there something wrong with dressing presidential? Or acting like a president? (Well, most of them anyway.) Is there something wrong with showing respect not only for himself (or herself) but also for the audience?

Wearing a golf hat, sunglasses, and golf shirt shows you are headed for the golf course, not the the highest elected post in the world.

In April I canvassed for Barack Obama in York, Pennsylvania, a day Mayor Fenty also came to town to canvass. There we were in our “glad rags” and there was the Mayor, all fit and proper, suited up, bright tie, nice suit, warm and gracious, greeting us at the gathering spot for canvassers, in a church. He said a few words to the 30 or so volunteers and shook hands with us all.

What struck me in York was Mayor Fenty’s appearance and enthusiasm. Honestly, I can’t recall much of what he said since I was so taken by the moment. And him.

Take a look at other world leaders and ask yourself: Do I want this guy making major decisions which will affect my life and those about me? Or, do I want a golfing buddy?

Image is everything, dearie. And don’t you believe otherwise.

Cartoon Idea: John McCain on the Mountain Top

Cartoon idea being born...DING DING DING...McCain in Middle East wearing sunglasses and hat, standing on Pakistan/Afghanistan mountainous border, in shirt sleeves with aides, Rudi (and mt. goats) standing around, surrounded by troops loaded wi. rifles and helmets... saying something like "Where are we? What time is it?" Then he could be saying something really profound like "After we send troops to India to finish off the Taliban, we'll send a brigade to South Korea to battle the axle (sic) of evil" or some nonsense.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain stands Barack Obama in all his glory tour with a halo above him and saying...saying...you finish it...

Yes, Virginia, there is Another Virginia

Tim Kaine for VP?


In Sunday’s Washington Post Chris Cilliza has Gov. Kaine listed at the No. 1 most likely person Barack Obama will choose as his running mate on the Democratic ticket.

How is that?

Kaine can’t get anything done with the Virginia legislature when Northern Virginia is facing a real emergency with its traffic torment. How long have we been at this now?

He called the legislature into special session in June (which cost $22,000/day, according to the Post) to tackle the transportation nightmare, and what has it achieved? How about a big fat nothing?

Not only is there gridlock on the roads, Dr. Gridlock, but there is gridlock in the Big House!

Yes, Virginia, it’s payback time: The “Rest of Virginia” punishes Northern Virginia for its political tilt the wrong way and for dragging all of Virginia left, young man, that is, whoops, “west.”

Imagine, if you will, electing a Democratic senator to replace a incumbent racist Republican senator, and electing a Democratic governor, and, most likely, another Democratic senator this fall! The nerve of those Northern Virginia Damn Yankees!

Yes, Virginia, there is another Virginia. It’s “Northern Virginia,” and it’s high time for it to secede from the “Rest of Virginia,” much like West Virginia did in 1863. Then, the “Rest of Virginia” can deal with itself and pay for itself, too.

Tim Kaine as VP? Timmy, I hardly knew ye.

O Yo Bama Bro

Hello, just wondering...

Is there a ratio between Obama's giant leap to the middle and his decline in dollars collected? In the decline of passion by those who've worked long and hard for him up to now? In the strides McCain is making, catching up?

Oh yeah, we are just the left, the ones he's abandoned for the middle. His base, the ones he's taken for granted in his march to vote against FISA, "refine" his stance on Iraq, approve the DC handgun lifting, and what else? And what has his shift brought him?

Like any company which neglects its "mission," the initial goal is slowly transformed into another and another, and soon, what was it any way? Has he become a student of the Terry McAuliffe school?

Just wondering, that's all...

Obama OBurnout

Is he like all the others the way my pal Maureen characterizes politicians?

I thought we were voting for "change."

Keenly irritating is his aboutface on FISA, then, perhaps a change of mind about Nafta, then, the child rape execution question, but the worst, the worst, is his waffling on Iraq.

When thousands of us passionately believed he was going to do all within his might to get us out of Iraq quickly, now come the words that, well, maybe he'll see things differently, the closer he gets to office.

Hillary? Calling Hillary! No need to call her since Obama's studying her playbook, but why? She failed in her quest!

Isn't this what she did: Tried to be all things to every body (two words), and turned off her base?

Like thousands of others, I am one of those passionate activists who has traveled from state to state canvassing for Obama, registering voters, making telephone calls, sending in my wee bits of money. Oh, sure, he's got my vote, but my passion has withered, and I am taking a break for now.

George Will at Politics & Prose

From the back row he looked 10 years younger than 67. Wearing a suit and that stern look on an expressionless face. But like all celebrities you see, they always look better in person.

George Will came to promote his newest book, his 13th he said, One Man's America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation, but I don't think the title was ever mentioned, if you discount the cover the Politics and Prose manager held up to show the crowd before Mr. Will spoke.

He said he quickly wanted to get to the topic of the day, and his anxious audience of about 150 persons (SRO; average age: 45) sighed: "Right on, brother!"

George Will doesn't think too much of John McCain: "I am comforted by the knowledge that he doesn't know what he's talking about....I love harping on (him)," which he did often.

About The Candidates: We'll soon know why it's only the third time that a sitting U.S. Senator will become president for U.S. Senators are seldom elected. (Quick: Name the others! Answer at bottom.)

Justice Antonin Scalia "has a sound bite in all his opinions."

Mr. Will agrees with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to grant habeas corpus to the detainees at Guantanamo which he believes should be closed.

"Creationism" is false and should not be taught in school.

The Bear Stearns bailout by the U.S. Federal Reserve was a mistake.

Tony Blair is "a good American."

"It's true that some nations are not ready for a democracy."

Congress will never vote term limits on itself. "Whenever the American people have voted on term limits, they've voted for it."

Barack Obama's biggest advantage is the dysfunctioning Republican Party which "has damaged its brand. When you're in a hole, quit digging....If the Democrats can't win (this year), they have to get out of politics."

He said he said long ago: "Whoever beats Hillary Clinton will be a giant killer, and I do believe that," however, "Obama should be well ahead of McCain by now...but there are 'miles to go before we sleep.'"

He thinks it possible for McCain to win Pennsylvania.

"The most stunning number was the 41 percent in West Virginia (difference that Hillary beat Obama). It is close to Pennsylvania. Obama basically carried state capitols and academic towns (in the primaries). He has some work to do."

He said 40% of voters in 2004 were 60 and older, and 46% of the Republican vote came from "White Christians."

He writes 123 columns annually, and his newest book is a compilation of columns.

You may not agree with him politically, but one must admire his writing style and his command of the dictionary which exceed that of any other public figure around. That he speaks knowingly and was unwilling understandably to bend to any of the arguments presented by 10 or so questioners is reason to applaud his debate.

(John Kennedy and Warren G. Harding were the other presidents to come directly from the Senate.)