Much to my relief, my absentee ballot finally arrived in the mail the other day. I had been a bit concerned because I sent an application in for my absentee ballot over a month ago but must have checked the "primary election" box instead of the "general election" one because I was sent a primary ballot a few weeks ago. I panicked thinking I may have lost my chance to vote in the general election. So, I sent in another application with a nice note explaining that I thought I made an error on my original application, that I was not trying obtain two absentee ballots (that would be voter fraud!) and that I did not want to miss the opportunity to vote in this, the most important election in years. Luckily the workers at the New York City board of elections are probably used to eccentrics like me and sent me the general election ballot without question. Whew! I can't wait to drop it in the mailbox!
Apparently it's an epidemic among Republicans. They cannot pronounce the word "Nuclear". I'm sitting here watching the VP debates listening to Sarah Palin say "nucular" a la George W. Bush over and over again. What is it with these people? Not that I think Sarah Palin is the brightest bulb on the tree, but she is trained as a television journalist. Surely her training would have included how to pronounce a simple word like "nuclear". It's pronounced exactly like it's spelled: Nu-cle-ar. Why is this difficult?
If the Bush legacy leaving us at war with our national reputation dragged through the mud, an economy on the verge of collapse and a major American city still in ruins weren't enough of an embarrassment, he has left his "dumbing down" on the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Look it up!They have actually started including this "alternate" pronunciation of the word "nuclear": \ˈnü-klē-ər, ˈnyü-, ÷-kyə-lər\. Ugghhhhhhh!
For what it's worth, I used to use the Merriam-Webster online dictionary for spelling and occasional definitions. But I have recently learned from my speech and ear-training professor, a self described "word nerd," that in terms of pronunciation Webster's dictionary is "a DEscriptive guide NOT a PREscriptive one." Meaning, much to his chagrin, that it reflects the way people actually talk rather than the way they should talk. (Apparently it all goes back to The Great Grim-iss/Grim-ace Debacle of 1963 which made Webster's the laughing stock of lexicographers everywhere. For real.)
Suffice it to say that if John McCain is elected president, Webster's will surely start including the alternate pronunciation "Warsh-ing-ton" for Washington, if they haven't already!
Much was made of Hillary Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention: "Will she be sincere? Will she fully support Obama? Can she motivate her supporters to get behind Barack?" All day long ad nauseum that's all you heard from any of the media outlets. Well, good ol' Hillary hit it out of the ballpark with her speech last night. As you know, I've been an Obama supporter for a long time now, but I have to say I don't think I've ever been more proud of my Senator from New York than last night. And as for any Hillary supporter thinking of voting for McCain over Obama, could she have put it more plainly than "No way, no how, NO McCAIN!" Amen sister.
Also, it was no accident that Hillary's speech coincided with the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. I couldn't help but sing this song all day yesterday as well. I credit School House Rock for teaching me and a generation of kids in the '70s about the plight of Women's Suffrage. Watch it again and really listen to the lyrics. As an adult I'm struck once again by how clever they are. Enjoy.
I've been a bad, bad blogger. A week has gone by without a post from me. Outside of the Countdown to Grad School To Do list which is occupying much of my time and the summer sunshine beckoning outside, all the post ideas I've had lately are political in nature and Scott always warns me not to do political posts "it polarizes people". But then he's a nice mid-western boy who doesn't like to make waves and...well...I'm not.
I had to resist the urge to write a post about my shock and disappointment over Obama aligning himself with the right on four separate issues--all in one week! I wondered who this man was that Republicans claim has "the most liberal voting record" in the Senate. That frustration resulted in a group email to my family. We're all fierce liberals (and Obama supporters) so I thought they might either try to help me understand it or empathize with my feelings. Besides, we often do this in my family--the emails have been flying back and forth since Primary season began. Anyway, a NY Times op-ed piece by Gail Collinshelped me understand where Obama was coming from and at least validated my feelings of confusion and disappointment as it was the number one most emailed item of the day that day, indicating that many other people out there share my feelings.
And this week's hot topic is that stupid New Yorker magazine cover. Honestly, I get the satire, but I think it was in very poor taste and only fans the flames of the right wing lunacy. As my sister Janet stated in her family group email "What's insane is that we have to battle our own team of liberals--this is an easy win for us finally and now we have dopes on our own team causing headaches." Further illustrating the New Yorker's failed attempt at satire, my brother Peter added "If you need to explain your joke, it usually is not funny." Here, here!
Finally, the thing that really drives me nuts in the mainstream media is the time wasted on stories like the New Yorker flap or politicizing the most ridiculous things imaginable. For example, I heard a story on the news the other day hypothesizing who animals would vote for in the presidential election if they could. Supposedly they would vote for McCain because he owns a whole gaggle of pets while Obama owns none. So guess what I got today? An email from an animal-loving friend requesting that I sign an online petitionto urge Senator Obama to adopt a homeless dog. (Hi, Traci!) Frankly, I think Obama would make a lousy pet owner considering his grueling campaign schedule and what will hopefully be a grueling presidential schedule but I'm sure his girls would love it. Anyway, I signed the petition because I love Traci.
Another drab rainy day here in New York (Friday was miserable, too). With little to inspire me on a day like this you're left to endure my random, unrelated thoughts as I sit here with my morning coffee.
Dunkin Donuts Coffee Rules: Scott and I remarked on the recent glut of Dunkin Donuts franchises popping up all over the city (giving Starbuck's and the new CapitalOne bank a run for their money). We noticed yesterday that there is a Dunkin' Donuts on the northbound side of Broadway between 96 and 97 Streets and another one on the southbound side between 95 and 96 Streets, because one shouldn't have to walk too far for a donut. I, for one, am doing my best to keep the new franchises in business at the expense of my waistline.
Idol Overload: Read an article in Entertainment Weekly about the somewhat less than exciting American Idol season this year. The show has become formulaic and predictable. We know what the judges will say before they ever open their mouths, and with sites like "vote for the worst" and "dial idol" even the public has figured out how to manipulate the voting. On top of that, the buzz this morning is that David Archuletta is suffering the effects of an overindulgent stage-father. Mr. Archuletta has been bannedfrom the AI rehearsals and studios with the exception of the live tapings. Poor little David. But then again, maybe it will work in his favor with the voting public.
Mothers Day 2008: My sister and I hosted our traditional Mother's Day brunch/lunch down in Asbury Park. The menu included: Mixed berry yogurt with granola, a selection of cheeses and salumi, vegetable frittata, roasted asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, lamb kabobs with chick pea and cous cous salad and lemon poppy seed cake with fresh berries for desert. Someone once accused our family of being "food obsessed". Yup. We're Italian. Deal. Mom was delighted.
Schadenfreude: I admit I take secret delight in the demise of Republican politicians like Vito Fosellaof Staten Island who was recently arrested for drunk driving, revealed to have a mistress in Virginia and a secret love child--what Saturday Night Live referred to the other night as "the trifecta". Not so much when it's a Democrat. Kudos to Fosella's wife, though, for not standing by his side through the embarrassing press conferences.
Superhero: Went to see the new blockbuster hit, IronMan, on opening weekend at the Ziegfeld here in New York. All the nerds were lined up outside the theatre ahead of time. They applauded after the new Indiana Jones trailer and exclaimed with shock and delight at the surprise scene after the final credits of Iron Man. Gotta love comic book geeks. By the way, I'm as shocked as anyone that I LOVED this movie. (I'm not usually the Superhero movei type.) I highly recommend it.
Scott and I met for dinner in NoHo last night and on the way from the Subway I spied this bit of graffiti art. I couldn't help but think that this image on a wall covering gang tags and spray paint doodles perfectly symbolizes Obama's candidacy. The artwork is that of Shepard Fairey. To call him a graffiti artist is an understatement. With his own design agency and his work gracing album covers and movie posters alike, Shepard has found a way to turn street art into a viable commercial product. Street art is, by its essence, often political and indeed this is not Shepard's first foray into political art as he participated in an art campaign called "Be the Revolution" in 2004 which was a series of anti-Bush, anti-war posters.
You can check out more of Shepard's latest New York street art images here. Also, on his website he credits editor-in-chief of Kotori magazine, Wasim Muklashy, for perfectly putting into words his own feelings on the upcoming election. Among other things, Wasim says:
A man like (Obama) only comes around once a generation…if we’re lucky. A magnetic personality that has been able to inspire an entire new generation of voters, as well as excite children in record numbers that are not even yet of voting age about the possibilities of public service…basically, our senators, our congressmen, mayors, city council-persons, for the next 30-50 years...(snip)...We have a chance and an opportunity here that may never ever come again. An opportunity that can revolutionize this country and modern humankind as we know it. An opportunity to show the citizens of this country and the citizens of planet earth that, no matter how dark, how dismal, how fucked up things can get…there’s always…ALWAYS…hope. You just have to seize the moment…seize the opportunity… take a chance.
As you know I've been sold on this message for quite some time now. Yes, we can.
I regret to report that homophobia has reared its ugly headin a New York City Council race in Queens. Just in time to submit the final candidacy petitions for the May 3 deadline, a horrific homophobic rant attacking openly gay Democratic candidate Charles Ober (pictured) was mailed out to hundreds of Queens residents from the district in which Ober is running.
Among other unoriginal ignorant remarks, the one page typed letter said, "If you do not want your kids to be exposed to this garbage, you need to make sure you vote - and not for Charlie Ober...our kids will be exposed to f-gg-ts holding hands, kissing and running up Myrtle Ave. in a dress." Not surprisingly the diatribe is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and is, of course, anonymous. Coward.
In a refreshing move of bi-partisanship Ober's Republican opponent, Thomas Ognibene, appeared at Ober's side in a press conference to denounce the hateful stunt. I know (firsthand) this kind of attitude is out there, but it's still a little shocking to me that it even happens in modern-day New York. Call me naive.
"A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."
The Reagan Diaries were recently edited by author Doug Brinkley and published by Harper Collins.
Okay, before anyone gets upset over this headline let me first say that I loved Bill Clinton as president. He presided over eight years of peace and prosperity. He is one of the great political minds of our time. His impeachment was unwarranted and the investigation into the Lewinsky affair was a witch-hunt and, yes, a vast right-wing conspiracy. Hillary was right.
BUT...
His role in her campaign has shattered an illusion and leaves me with a lack of respect for the man. He has been disrespectful, undignified and dare I say, unpresidential. He runs the risk of ruining his already shaky legacy and diminishing Hillary's presidential hopes. I firmly believe that his inflammatory remarks in South Carolina caused Hillary to lose so many races on Super-Tuesday and were the deciding factor in my becoming an Obama supporter.
I have tried to keep from Hillary-bashing on here (apart from a little good-natured fun over some cheesy YouTube videos) and I'm not about to start now. But I think Bill-bashing is fair game with some of the things he's been saying. Now, I said nothing about his implied racist Jesse Jackson remarks, I didn't comment on his implication that Obama doesn't love his countryand I let slide his arrogant defense of DOMA the other day, but for some reason this remark really got my goat:
"If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for office...I don't give a riff about all this name-calling that's going on...I've heard them say all these things about [Hillary]. Apparently it's okay to say bad things about a girl."
WHAT??? Damn right it is! We should give Hillary a pass because she's a girl??? Excuse me, but is this 1895? Doesn't Hillary profess to be a feminist? Isn't she always talking about breaking the highest glass ceiling in the country? Now, if he was referring to sexist remarks he should have clarified that, but I'm not sure he's talking about that here. And didn't he just say that if a politician doesn't want to get beat up he, and he did say "he", shouldn't run for office?? And isn't a comment like this inherently condescending and sexist which ultimately diminishes his wife?
Geraldine Ferraro made history in 1984 as the first woman to run for vice president. Not surprisingly, she is backing Hillary Clinton for president and apparently, losing her mind. This week she had this to say about Barack Obama's candidacy to a california newspaper:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
One can hardly expect a political sex scandal to unfold these days without the press weighing in with Dina McGreevey, patron saint of wronged political wives. While I was very upset to learn of Elliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring, nothing can cheapen a political scandal like words of wisdom imparted by Mrs. McGreevey. Here are her profound thoughts on the plight of Spitzer's wife, Silda Spitzer:
I looked at her face and I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, that was me just three years ago.’ I could see the pain in her eyes and I know what she’s feeling and empathize with her.
"Oh my gosh" indeed! I guess Dina McGreevey can rest assured that as long as politicians lead lewd double lives, she will have a calling. Of course any chance to hawk her lame book "Silent Partner" can't hurt either.
I actually attended part of her "reading" and book signing at Barnes & Noble when her book was released. (Yes, I admit it. I had to get a glimpse of her in person. Besides the Barnes & Noble is right around the corner from my house. I mean, seriously, not even a block--closer than the grocery store. I just stumbled in there on the way to buy coffee or something--I swear!) The readings at this Barnes & Noble happen to attract an over-educated, intellectual older crowd reflecting the neighborhood's Jewish roots. Anyway, I think Dina McGreevey's character can best be summed up by the three old biddies I overheard discussing her "reading" after the fact. Here's what they had to say:
(Read the following with over-educated, heavy New York accent. Think Ed Koch.)
Old Biddy 1: It makes you wonder how the two of them ever got together. (referring to ex-governor Jim McGreevey) Old Biddy 2: Yeah--you get the impression she was just arm-candy or something. Old Biddy 3: Yes. And she made several grammatical errors.
I've been trying to figure out all day what to blog about, but I got nothing. So I'll just subject you to my random thoughts and musings of the day.
1. The big story over the weekend is the Obama Sweep in Democratic primaries and caucuses. He now leads Clinton by several states but somehow still lags behind in delegates. The delegate thing is kind of making me crazy. It would be one thing to just calculate the delegates for each state proportionately by the voting percentages, but then you have to figure in super-delegates. What the hell is a super-delegate anyway? Now, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but near as I can figure out these are extra delegates reserved for Washington insiders and elected officials that somehow count more than normal voter delegates and are pledged before the actual primaries. Also super-delegates are not obligated to vote with their constituency. Something about it seems crooked to me. But then if Obama was ahead in the delegate count I'd have no problem with super-delegates. And I freely admit that.
I have to be careful though. I don't want to be categorized as an "Obamamaniac". These people are accused of having a rabid affection for the man the fervor of which could be detrimental to him in the end. There was an Op-Ed piece about it in the NY Times today.
2. The Grammy's happened this weekend, too. Big whoop. This is an awards show I never watch mostly because I don't care about the rapper of the year or the country music album of the year and don't follow popular music much at all, so it's all Greek to me. Who is this Amy Winehouse of which you speak? Oh--but I do know that Obama won a Grammy for spoken word. The man is a brilliant speaker. I watched the Will.i.am "Yes We Can" video today and bawled. Seriously.
Oops. Obamamaniac.
3. The hot topic on all the gay blogs today on the interwebs is the Gays' support of Hillary 2 to 1. The numbers are based on exit polls in California and New York, both states where Clinton won by a comfortable lead, one of which happens to be her home state. Gays were not polled in Illinois where Obama won the primary due probably in no small part to Chicago's sizable gay population. Hillary gavean interview to the Washington Blade (Some of my best friends are gay!) in which she says she talks about gay issues "all the time." She also brings up the unfortunate Donnie McClurkin/Obama connection.
4. It's really freakin' cold here. 11 degrees this morning. With a wind chill of -6.
5. I was invited to the final dress rehearsal of the City Center Encores! reading of the 1970 musical Applause last Thursday.It starred Christine Ebersole, whom you'll recall I LOVED in Gray Gardens. She had the flu which was disappointing. I was there with a dear friend who was involved with the project so I was inclined to root for the success of it. It's not a great show though. For a passionate but unfavorable review of it, check out what the Flaming Curmudgeon has to say. His reviews are often more entertaining than the show he's reviewing. You can also read my extensive commentary in the comments section of his post.
6. With the writers strike Scott and I have run out of good TV to watch, so we started DVRing some cable series which I'm totally getting hooked on: In Treatment on HBO and Breaking Bad on AMC. In Treatment is right up my alley--characters in therapy sessions, very little action but extensive character development, lots of psycho-babble. Breaking Bad on the other hand is a surprise to me. It deals with a seamy drug underworld and has a bit of violence, but I find the very human side of the situation very moving.
7. In other TV news, Scott inadvertently sent me a spoiler today on who the Project Runway final four are. I won't spill the beans, but I like (almost) all of the final contestants. They are all certainly worthy of having a spot at Fashion week.
I was in my car tonight and pulled up behind a cab at a red light. A hooded black youth walking a pit bull mix crossed between my car and the cab. He squatted down behind the taxi as it was stopped and appeared to be fiddling with the bumper. No doubt defacing a license plate thought I--though I am not proud to admit this. Once he rose again and walked away, he revealed a freshly posted "Obama '08" bumper sticker on the back of the cab. While I didn't necessarily approve of his campaign tactics, I had to admire his nerve.
Once the light changed, I pulled up along the sidewalk, rolled down my window and called out to him "Hey, can I get one of those?" He stopped, looked at me and said "A bumper sticker?"
"Yeah," I said.
"You saw who it was for, right?" he asked, almost shocked I could be interested in the same candidate.
"Yeah," I replied, "I cast my vote this morning."
"Oh, cool man. Here, I'll give you the small one, too. I only got one left."
"I'll take whatever you got."
"Okay. Here." He said and unloaded a couple of pamphlets along with the stickers into my car window. I thanked him and was on my way.
As I continued up Amsterdam I couldn't help but think that this little exchange with this stranger was the perfect metaphor for the Obama campaign. One in which "we're choosing unity over division."
Well, if yesterday was Super Sunday and tomorrow is Super Tuesday, that must make today Super Monday. And I'm super, thanks for asking. I'm super because the New York Giants won the Super Bowl--but they're really from New Jersey. And so am I. While I detest football, the macho-bullshit subculture, the excruciating pace of a game played seven seconds at a time, the overweight athletes who are paid the equivalent of the gross national product of a third world country for playing what is essentially an organized game of Kill the Guy with the Ball, I was pleased to see the Giants win. Hometown heroes and all that. I didn't watch the game, mind you, but I did check back to catch the score every once in a while and saw the last minutes or so when the Giants scored their final touchdown and extra point. I saw the end game celebrations and imagined the glee both my father and brother must have been experiencing at that moment. And that felt super.
Tomorrow, our "green" mayor will host a ticker-tape parade for the New Jersey team down New York's famed Canyon of Heroes. Do they actually use ticker-tape any more? And if this parade were to happen after the mayors congestion pricing went into affect anyone driving in from New Jersey to attend the parade would have to pay an additional $8 for the pleasure. Once again this begs the question, won't the paper wasted on a ticker-tape parade kind of undo any environmental benefit that would come from congestion pricing? Just asking.
What's also super is that homophobia seemed to be out of the commercials for the most part, unlike last year. But unfortunately, misogyny was back in. It is, sadly, a staple of sporting event advertising. Several of the morning talk shows discussed how many women were offended by the Ugly Betty style Planters commercial which can be seen here.
What wouldn't be super is if the Super Bowl ticker-tape parade keeps people away from the polls tomorrow on Super Tuesday. Which brings me to the question of whom to vote for in the Democratic primaries. I'll admit, I've been going round and round on the subject. Right now I'm leaning toward Obama over my senator, Mrs. Clinton. His Kennedy endorsements, his campaign of hope and change and his ability to motivate an otherwise apathetic electorate are what's swaying me in that direction. Obama also picked up the endorsements of MoveOn.org and of my former New Jersey Senator, Bill Bradley recently, which also hold some sway with me.
This is not to poo-poo Hillary Clinton's New York Times endorsement, but then I would expect them to endorse her. Their's is a decision based more on black and white facts of policy and experience than gut-feeling. And I'll admit I continue to be impressed with Hillary when I hear her speak. She knows the issues inside and out, she speaks the facts and her policies are based on her experience of knowing how the system works. Yet I feel her polarizing personality and the baggage of the last Clinton administration will create more of the same congressional grid-lock we've had for almost 16 years. The Republicans may not agree on who they want as their nominee, but one thing they can all agree on is how much they hate the Clintons.
As far as policy, the differences between Obama and Clinton are minute. Both would end the war in Iraq, although I applaud Obama's stance against the war from the very beginning. Unlike Hillary, he spoke his conscience on the matter rather than made a decision he thought would be politically advantageous to him when he was up for re-election or ran for president. Hillary's judgement there and in her choice to use her husband as a political bully during her campaign raise serious questions about her leadership to me.
As for healthcare, while I like Hillary's idea of mandatory health insurance, I fear that to get such legislation passed the concept would be whittled away to nothing but a skelatal program that really wouldn't do those who need it much good. As for Obama's plan of reducing the cost of insurance to make it more affordable to all Americans, I fear that once again, the poor, infirmed and under-educated will still not get the coverage they need simply because they don't have the wherewithal to wade through the already mind-numbing confusion that is our healthcare system in this country. Believe me, I know. I had to go through this harrowing experience myself lately. So for me this issue is a draw.
Finally, on tax cuts and the economy, I have to lean more toward Obama because his tax cuts will benefit middle class Americans across the board. Clinton's plan is to create tax cuts for this, that and the other group many of whom fall in the middle income tax bracket. This to me would create more confusion over new tax laws and is essentially unfair to some Americans. For example, additional tax cuts for people with children or who are saving for college really wouldn't benefit me and is a bit "family-biased" in my opinion. It sends the message that if you are single or not producing children you are worth less to society. That rubs me the wrong way.
All this hair-splitting aside, we have two super candidates either of whom would do super things as president. And that's progress.
Remember the movie Election? I loved it. With the tone of the current democratic primary races I can't help be reminded of it. Apparently I'm not alone. My sister sent this. Enjoy the clip!
I found this over at Scott-O-Ramawhose astute observations never fail to impress me. Once again, it's funny because it's true! Or should I say it's SAD because it's true. Click on image to enlarge.
Well, surprise, surprise! Mike Bloomberg FINALLY admitshe is considering a run for president as an independent candidate. It seems a West Side stadium, a bid for the Olympics and congestion pricing were not boondoggles enough to chase in one administration, but now we will be subjected to another billionaire who fancies himself presidential material. He has lied repeatedly for months about his presidential aspirations while quietly collecting poll data in all 50 states. (One wonders why this is the only blatant lie politicians are allowed to get away with, but I digress.) The final announcement as to whether the mayor will sh*t or get off the pot will be made once all the polling data is complete. I can hardly wait.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bloomberg is a bad mayor. I just wish he would be happy with the legacy he's carved out for himself: The Nanny State Mayor. No trans-fats for me, Mike!
Much to my relief, my absentee ballot finally arrived in the mail the other day. I had been a bit concerned because I sent an application in for my absentee ballot over a month ago but must have checked the "primary election" box instead of the "general election" one because I was sent a primary ballot a few weeks ago. I panicked thinking I may have lost my chance to vote in the general election. So, I sent in another application with a nice note explaining that I thought I made an error on my original application, that I was not trying obtain two absentee ballots (that would be voter fraud!) and that I did not want to miss the opportunity to vote in this, the most important election in years. Luckily the workers at the New York City board of elections are probably used to eccentrics like me and sent me the general election ballot without question. Whew! I can't wait to drop it in the mailbox!
