One Year Anniversary, or, Ralph Is Right

Tacoma, WA -

I cam out tonight to celebrate the one year anniversary of BTB as a political journalist. It was exactly July 2, 2007 when I drove from Quabbin Qountry, MA to Laconia, NH in order to watch then-underdog Barack Obama address a crowd of 350. That rally was my maiden voyage toward reporting what actually happened in politics; and what would be a first step down what has become a fairly long journey of spreading the news.

Back then I cared most about a playlist and a handshake. These days things are a little bit different, but not an event goes by that I don't perk my ears up whenever I hear canned music.

Secondly, I wanted to comment on the news that the Congressional Black Caucus is moving to include menthol flavored cigarettes in the House tobacco regulation bill, which currently consists of mainly food-flavored additives. Well, it needs to be said that Ralph Nader made the same call upon the news of the initial bill, and he deserves credit. He'll get it here at 3Q, where truth grudgingly survives.

Personally, I say smoke 'em if you got 'em. But why get 'em?

Obama Press Conference on Negative Campaigning

Concord, NH –

The Obama campaign held a press conference this morning at their Concord office to talk about the recent charges of negative attacks by the Clinton campaign, more specifically stemming from the incident yesterday involving Clinton’s NH co-chair Bill Shaheen’s remarks about Obama’s past drug use and the implication that Obama may have also distributed drugs at the time.

Two of Obama’s own state co-chairs, Ned Helms and state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, were on hand to deliver remarks about the issue and take questions from the handful of reporters crammed into the Eagle Square office.

“Now is not the time to return to old politics,” Helms asserted, as he charged the Clinton campaign with resorting to character attacks instead of real policy disagreements congruent with Obama’s recent rise in the polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

“They have moved from looking at his kindergarten record,” Helms continued, “to reading his book” to glean information from Obama’s teenage years. “There is no place in the process for smearing character.”

Senator Clark reiterated Helms’ remarks that Obama’s campaign was successful because of his positive message. The voters, she suggested, “are looking for a President who can bring people together.”

Asked by a reporter what more the Clinton campaign could do beyond condemning the statement. Were they pushing for Shaheen to resign?

“That’s a conversation that needs to happen within the Clinton campaign,” Helms replied, before adding that they are not in the business of giving advice to rival campaigns.

Pressed further by another reporter about whether or not that meant that the Obama team believed that the Clinton campaign actually did, if not authorize, at least allow for such comments to be made.

Helms did not confirm that statement, but said “When you see a pattern,” citing the two nefarious e-mails in Iowa and now Shaheen’s remarks, “it doesn’t take a genius to see that there is a thread going on here.” He then added that at some point you just need to say enough is enough.

With that, there were to be no further comments.

Oprah Obama Photo Journal

Manchester, NH -

The following is a photo journal from the Oprah-Obama rally at Manchester's Verizon Wireless Arena. It was kind of a big deal.

At first I thought they were trying to get rid of me when they told me to walk around the side of the building and go in the door marked "press", like I was going to knock three times and be greeted by hired goons. Instead, it was the gateway to the bowels.

Inside the arena, a look at the stage, the podium, and the two chairs for Oprah and Michelle. Oh yeah, and the big banner behind them, in case you missed that.

Worried about getting crappy seats to the event? At least you weren't stuck in the press pen. The gentleman in the blue sweater in the center of the screen is Tim Foley, the Obama New Media Coordinator. The guy on the left is Reid Cherlin, the state Press Secretary, and the guy in the awesome Russian hat was just a volunteer. But still, it is an awesome fuckin' hat.

This is the view of the crowd on the right half of the stage.

This, then, would be the left side.

The crowd doing the wave while they waited for Oprah. The wave made it around about three times. I have to admit, it was pretty cool. Those women holding the signs were also dancing feverishly throughout the course of the pre-event music selection.

JUMBOTRON!!!!

On the jumbotron during the pregame they played a bunch of videos with volunteers and footage from some of the earlier mass rallies.

JUMBOTRON!!!!

Gov. John Lynch introduces the event. The guy in the foreground is Chris from Candidate Photos. He has been a mainstay on the trail this fall, and is a great guy. He is clearly rushing off to get a much better picture than I am getting.

Michelle Obama addresses the crowd in a funky, yet wickedly stylish, black number with incredibly wide sleeves.

Oprah's on!

More Oprah! (I am only using exclamation points to describe her photos!)

Last but not least, Senator Barack Obama sizes up the crowd.

Oprah Obama Attendence

Snow Pond, NH -

For some reason, I have a disproportionately large pet peeve about campaign-produced attendance estimates. The Obama camp is claiming 8500 at tonight's show in Manchester.

I'll probably get in trouble for saying this (just like the last time I was at an Obama event in Laconia, or the time before when I was at a Clinton event in Nashua when I spoke truth to power) but I can't honestly believe there were more than 5500 people there. 5600 if you count press. Maybe even 5700.

Still the biggest NH event in history, I'm sure, but the rectangular sections were 20 wide and 14 tall (280) and there were ten of those full. The triangular sections held about 100, and there were maybe ten of those. Then you had the luxury boxes, the ground floor, and the nosebleeds that were sporadically merely dabbled with people.

I used to teach math to 6th graders so I have spent a lot of time with area and perimeter. I also know how to count and estimate pretty well (once again, key components of the curriculum). Please, campaigns, stop overestimating!

According to the VZW Arena website "end stage concerts hold about 10,050." I would liken this to an end stage concert, and the place was somewhere between one half and two thirds full. Not 85%.

I want to reiterate that this has nothing to do with the Obama camp in particular. Clinton does it. They all do it. My word to the wise, whenever you hear a campaign estimate, take two thirds of it and call it Gold.

I'll have a diary up ASAP. The goal is to pull an all-nighter to coordinate with the news cycle. Concord High's 7:45 start time may be the only thing standing in my way. I've got bourbon. I've got water. I've got some Cabot cheese. I've got the hope of snow making its way north from Manchester toward my bedroom window.

Everything's On Sale!

Snow Pond, NH -

Attention Holiday Shoppers! Get your gear for less!



This is the second round of e-mails I have received from the Obama campaign advertising their line of Obama-related t-shirts, hats, and stickers. But this, obviously, is the first holiday-themed e-mail. Look at those cute snowflakes! Gets me all cuddly inside, makes me crave some hot cocoa and a nice Hope t-shirt!

Yeah, right. I want a bourbon hot toddie and my old wool sweater. But luckily for Team Obama, there are millions of people out there who are suckers for glossy ad campaigns. Why wait for the Sunday paper supplementals when your e-mail inbox delivers for you on a Wednesday morning?

This idea of a political campaign product advertising gives me mixed emotions. On the one hand, it disgusts me. It furthers the trend of over-consumption in our society, and plays us for patsies who can be swayed by pretty colors and minor discounts. Can you imagine someone who Barack's policies are ostensibly trying to help, a young women just out of college with very little income and high debts, putting a t-shirt purchase on her 25% interest credit card because she doesn't get paid for another week and a half? And what if someone has already maxed out on donations at $2,300 and then buys $200 worth of Obama beanies for all of his grandchildren at Xmas? Does that create a legal problem for the campaign?

On the other hand, I have to give it to them because it is a pretty brilliant idea. Where a lot of people would recoil at giving their hard-earned money to a political campaign, even one that they believe in, spending 20 bucks on a t-shirt is normal. Inserting colorfully logoed products helps to bridge the gap between today's consumer society and political activism which, these days, relies almost entirely on how much money you can give to the campaign coffers.

Most important of all, everything's on sale! So not only are you helping to change the political direction of our great nation, you're also getting more for your money. Now don't forget about that summer clearance! And don't get me started on the fact that they have seasonal clothing lines.

Final Prediction, circa 2016:
RNC and DNC Credit Cards. 1% of every purchase goes to the political party you support the most. Get cash back on all purchases from party-endorsed corporations! Save 5% on party donations when you use the card! Your choice of three great designs!

The RNC and DNC Credit Card: Purchase Power to the People

Obama: Voice of a New Generation?

Laconia, NH -

Tuesday night, just before Thanksgiving, was dark, cloudy and cold. The inch and a half of snow on the ground from that morning’s flurries, bright and reflective in my headlights, was all that kept the small state highways East of I-93 in North Central New Hampshire from being dangerously invisible. In other words, for all intents and purposes, winter had reared its ugly head here in the Granite State.

In the place that holds the first-in-the-nation primary, winter historically means crunch time. When you think of the iconic moments of the NH Primary, you don’t think of beautiful summer days on the stump in rural hill towns and seacoast lobster bakes. You think of candidates shaking hands in the snow on city streets and outside of factories, of Ed Muskie allegedly crying in the sleet. When you think of the history of the New Hampshire Primary, you think of winter.

So I found it a little ironic that my first snowy event of the year would coincide with the one candidate who, more than anyone else, establishes himself as the purveyor of the new style of politics. The crusty old snowy primary victories of Al Gore and Richard Nixon, if you’ll believe Obama, ought to come to an end. Washington’s game plan is passe, and a fresh start is long overdue.

If that was the case, then on Tuesday night new met old when the Barack Obama faithful, clad in parkas and wool hats, walked through the gauntlet of advocacy groups standing outside the main entrance to the local middle school and squished into a gymnasium made hot by the cluster of bodies in direct opposition to the cold night air.

The crowd’s chatter was already loud by the time I arrived at 7:45PM for the 8 o’clock event, and the seats were full with nothing but stragglers still walking through the door and looking for a place to tuck in among their friends and neighbors. I set up shop at a table in a roped off area designated for the media, where I would be spoiled with my own electrical outlet and campaign-provided wireless internet. New politics, indeed.

I sat and waited, snapped a few photos of the scene, and then at 8:08 the traveling press came in like the torrent of a dry creek newly flowing with spring rainfall, rushing toward me from the back of the gym looking for the most direct route to get prime position on the press riser.

Within seconds of my noticing their arrival, Paul Hodes, one of New Hampshire’s US Representatives and an early Obama endorser, bounded into the center of the room, took the mic and immediately sought to charge up the crowd. He quickly went through his remarks, handed off to another local politician to say a few more things, and then cue the music for the main event.

The crowd began to rhythmically clap to summon the Senator, and within moments Obama walked on the stage. With his slim figure and smooth voice, which the Red State Update folks recently called “loud”, Obama read from his list of local dignitaries to thank for their presence and, once he was through with that, did something fairly unusual out on the campaign trail. He thanked his field organizers, his interns, and the volunteers who were doing the grunt work to make his campaign successful. These are the people, after all, who make sure the gyms are full when the candidate comes to town.

Obama then ran through the things people in the audience can help. He implored them to fill out supporter cards, become precinct captains, and be a part of something bigger.

The candidate then recounted how when he moved to Chicago after law school “to help steelworkers that had been laid off, it was the best education I ever had because it taught me that people can get together to do great things.”

But before he passed the buck too heavily onto the audience, he gave us a prediction.

“I intend to be so dazzling tonight,” Obama boasted with a grin, “that all of you feel compelled to give all your organizing cards to the organizer.”

With that, he went into his stump speech where he says that people tell him they are taking an interest in his campaign because they want an end to the Bush admin, and are tired of the way things work in Washington.

“We don’t need someone who can play the game better,” he tells us. “we need someone who can end the game plan.”

In addition to a brief overview of his policies, and a touch on the relevant political issues of the day, Obama inferred that people don’t want government to solve their problems, but instead “with all the taxes you’re paying” to merely knock down some barriers.

He brings up the experience question in a negative frame. When people in Washington tell him he needs more time in office, Obama suggests it is because “they want to stew me and season me a little bit and boil all the hope out of me. No thanks.”

This invariably leads to his incredulously bringing up the slurs of “hope monger” and “hope peddler.” Such is the hard knock life for Barack Obama among the pundits he describes.

Ultimately, Obama says he has four attributes that qualify him for the Presidency.

1) Experience of bringing people together to get things done
2) Knowing how to stand up to the special interests
3) The ability to stand up for what they believe in even when its not popular
4) A sense of impatience

None of it, however, stands up to Obama’s main theme, that it is about something larger than himself, and he is just a medium through which the desires of the many are accomplished.

“I want to lead,” Barack said, “but I can’t do it myself. I will not be a perfect president but here is what I can guarantee: I will always tell you what I think. I will always tell you where I stand. I will listen to you even when we disagree. I will wake up in the White House every single morning thinking about how I can make your lives just a little bit better.”

He said that to a standing ovation, but only mixed smiles. It is an uplifting message, but tonight it wasn’t exactly earth shatteringly profound or powerful. People were still standing and applauding when Obama spoke into the microphone over the noise to announce that he would be sticking around to answer any questions people had.

But a funny thing happened while he answered questions about homeland security, nuclear disarmament, and the farm bill. People started slowly trickling out of the gym. Fifteen minutes into the Q&A session, the amount of empty chairs became embarrassingly noticeable. When a pack of fifteen all bolted at once, Obama called them out, and encouraged them to fill out the volunteer cards on their way out the door.

Sensing a lost audience Obama hurried to finish the night, saying that a staffer told him he had time to answer one more question. Obviously, he insisted on two. As is so often the case with political rallies, the questions weren’t short. While all of the journalists, some of the voters, and presumably the candidate himself hoped that the event would find its glad tidings for the evening it just didn’t happen.

To make matters worse, Obama went out of his way at the very end to touch on a few talking points for social security policy. Did he think that the voters cared so deeply about social security that he needed to go over it? Did his handlers work him over so much that he felt obligated to mention the issue at every event no matter what? Or is he just such a wonk that he couldn’t let the night slip by without what he felt was a crucial issue?

All of those things were floating through my mind as I looked down at my cell phone to see the display light showing 9:40PM. I also made a last ditch effort to count the empty chairs in the gym, and stopped at a hundred. A quick internet search showed that the 9 o’clock network offering on the boob tube included a new episode of House. Maybe that is why people left early.

Then again, as I pondered it over Thanksgiving break, maybe these days most people just don’t have more than an hour long attention span for politics. After all there must be a reason why the debates have been whittle down to 60-second sound bytes and campaign commercials have the ability to give a candidate a five to ten point bounce with every significant media buy. The more you talk, the more you risk.

But maybe that is the cynicism Obama is trying to slay. Those who stayed for the full hour and a half, about seventy five per cent of the original crowd, were still buzzing a little on the way out the door. A few dozen lingered on the bleachers to discuss the night’s events and give their impressions of their candidate.

As I walked back up the snowy street two blocks to my car, a group of high school kids drove by me with their heads shoved out the windows yelling “Ready to go! Fired up!” at me and whoever else would listen. Obama’s new politics may not be one-size fits all, but there is no doubt that those who pick up on the message hear it loud and clear.

Pins Schmins

Snow Pond, NH -

Props to this. The Caucus reports on a recent interview where Barack Obama was asked why he doesn't wear an American flag pin on his lapel.

"The truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin," Mr. Obama replied. "Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.

"I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest," he added. "Instead I’m gonna’ try to tell the American people what I believe what will make this country great and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."

He went on to clarify his remarks today.

"But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time.

"My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart. And you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who served. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals and that’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals."

Any time a candidate speaks truth to false patriotism, I applaud it.

Ads and Disguised Attacks

Snow Pond, NH -

The Clinton campaign has unleashed a new ad today, set to air in both New Hampshire and Iowa called Stand By Us. It is potentially controversial because it includes footage of Ground Zero within a general discussion of Clinton's health care record. Hillary's campaign seems to have deftly maneuvered around the 9/11 politicization bullet because of the health care thing. I know I found it pretty distasteful when Bush did the 9/11 ad back in '04, but this time around should be different. You never hear of Clinton trying to over expose that event, so she should get the kind of breathing room that a brow beater like Rudy wouldn't.

Speaking of which, Ben Smith at Politico gives a good analysis on how this message both helps Clinton and hurts Giuliani, who is ripe for criticism over what looks like an iceberg-type problem of relief worker health issues, growing by the day. Though I think he is slightly off the mark when he speaks of the aim toward her Democratic rivals. Here is what Smith says:

ALSO: Two digs. Standing by the 9/11 workers is a shot at Rudy, who bears some of the blame for the failure to enforce safety standards at Ground Zero; and when she says that "almost every candidate is standing up for health care for all," that does sound like a dig at Obama.

The basis, of course, comes from the argument that Obama's plan is not truly universal. But I think it is more of a swipe at John Edwards, who I believe may be the opponent the Clinton campaign fears the most because of his southern roots and the fact that he is the one taking the most pointed shots at Hillary.

Listen to what Edwards said that the debate last week:

What is clear from this presidential campaign is I was the first presidential candidate -- others have followed me now, and that's a good thing --good thing for America.

But I was the first presidential candidate to lay out a specific, truly universal health care plan. And the one thing I can tell you is anybody who knows me -- anybody who knows me knows I will never give up.

What happened in '93 and '94 is that we didn't get universal health care, but we got NAFTA. And when I'm president of the United States, you have my word, I will never pull the universal health care bill. I will put everything I have behind making sure that it's enacted.

And here is what Hillary's ad says:

Hillary stood up for universal health care when almost no one else would, and kept standing until six million kids had coverage. She stood by Ground Zero workers who sacrificed their health after so many sacrificed their lives, and kept standing until this administration took action. She stood by our National Guard and Reserve and kept standing until they received health care they deserved. So now that almost every candidate is standing up for health care for all, which one do you think will never back down?

Edwards: "I will never give up."
Clinton: "Which one do you think will never back down?"

This subtly challenges Edwards on the perception that he has changed his mind too many times. Where was he on health care back in the 90s? Where was he on Iraq in 2002? Clinton wants to be seen as the steadfast Democrat. That may hurt her on Iraq, where Edwards has repeatedly pounded her on not admitting her mistake. But it could be very helpful on issues like health care, where her record is potentially longer and stronger than her main rivals.

In the street it might sound like this.

Edwards: "I'm the man on this now. Ask somebody."
Clinton: "Yo, I don't care where you at, son. Where you been? 'Cuz I been with the 9-11 workers and the children. Now what?"

All I'm saying, until Obama proves that he'll take it to Clinton, she'll be taking it to Edwards and trying to stomp on the sapling before it becomes a tree. Thats how you win in politics. We'll see how spiny Edwards' branches are, and if they are sharp enough to hurt Clinton's tender footsteps. It ain't out of the question, folks.

Since we are talking about commercials, how 'bout this classic. Got Milk?

Obama Speech, Full Text

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: A New Beginning
Tuesday, October 2, 2007, Chicago, IL

Thank you, Ted. Ted Sorensen has been counselor to a President in some of our toughest moments, and he has helped define our national purpose at pivotal turning points. Let me also welcome all of the elected officials from Illinois who are with us. Let me give a special welcome to all of the organizers and speakers who joined me to rally against going to war in Iraq five years ago. And I want to thank DePaul University and DePaul’s students for hosting this event.

We come together at a time of renewal for DePaul. A new academic year has begun. Professors are learning the names of new students, and students are reminded that you actually do have to attend class. That cold is beginning to creep into the Chicago air. The season is changing.

DePaul is now filled with students who have not spent a single day on campus without the reality of a war in Iraq. Four classes have matriculated and four classes have graduated since this war began. And we are reminded that America’s sons and daughters in uniform, and their families, bear the heavy burden. The wife of one soldier from Illinois wrote to me and said that her husband “feels like he’s stationed in Iraq and deploys home.” That’s a tragic statement. And it could be echoed by families across our country who have seen loved ones deployed to tour after tour of duty.

You are students. And the great responsibility of students is to question the world around you, to question things that don’t add up. With Iraq, we must ask the question: how did we go so wrong?

There are those who offer up easy answers. They will assert that Iraq is George Bush’s war, it’s all his fault. Or that Iraq was botched by the arrogance and incompetence of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Or that we would have gotten Iraq right if we went in with more troops, or if we had a different proconsul instead of Paul Bremer, or if only there were a stronger Iraqi Prime Minister.

These are the easy answers. And like most easy answers, they are partially true. But they don’t tell the whole truth, because they overlook a harder and more fundamental truth. The hard truth is that the war in Iraq is not about a catalog of many mistakes – it is about one big mistake. The war in Iraq should never have been fought.

Five years ago today, I was asked to speak at a rally against going to war in Iraq. The vote to authorize the war in Congress was less than ten days away and I was a candidate for the United States Senate. Some friends of mine advised me to keep quiet. Going to war in Iraq, they pointed out, was popular. All the other major candidates were supporting the war at the time. If the war goes well, they said, you’ll have thrown your political career away.

....continued in the comments section.

The Paul Poll Predicament

Concord, NH -

With the Obama campaign making the claim that their poll numbers don't register as high as they should because a relatively high proportion of their supporters are young people whose cell phones aren't used for research, I got to thinking about an alternate scenario on the other side.

In the latest CNN/WMUR poll from September 26, Ron Paul came in at 4%, good for a distant fifth in the Republican field, yet one point ahead of the darling/enigma Mike Huckabee. Given that 4% is essentially the high end of fringe candidacy, it is easy to dismiss Paul as the man for the vocal internet minority. After all, some 44% of voters polled don't even know him. After all, who is Ron Paul?

Yet he has repeatedly won county GOP straw polls, including the two in New Hampshire with over 65% of the vote, and has repeatedly eclipsed fundraising expectations. So what gives?

My theory is that, like Obama's claim that young people don't count in polls because of cell phones, Paul supporters aren't counted for two reasons. First of all, he is also popular among young people with cell phones. Second, his supporters are people who are angry with government intrusion in their lives. In New Hampshire, home of Ed and Elaine Brown, that population is especially high.

These people might have house phones, but if they get a call from a pestering pollster they sure don't answer them. You think that someone who bristles at the notion of a gun permit is going to waste five minute their time answering questions from someone reading off a script? I don't. Watch for the Ron Paul phone poll bounce this January. I'm not saying he's going to win, but if his support remains static I won't be surprised if he doubles his polling numbers at the ballot.

Hangin' with the Cool Kids

Manchester, NH -

Monday was yet another sunny day in the Granite State. Sunny to the point of near-drought conditions across the state, but perfect for Labor Day weekend vacationers. Arguably just as perfect for outdoor campaign rallies, the second of which I attended Monday morning having trading the reigning superstar Clintons for the up-and-coming Obama family.

Highlighting the sunny scene was a group of high school aged girls in the back of the park standing on risers with letters cut out spelling the name of the candidate behind them. They were leading cheers for the crowd.

“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”
“Ready to go!”
“Fired up!”

It was like all those storied I had heard about politics in the 60s and 70s. Sort of like a high school football game. How’s that for Americana.

Introducing the Obamas Monday morning was one of Barack’s highest profile endorsers here in the Granite State, Rep. Paul Hodes. Hodes himself is a rising star in the party as a first-term Congressman and an exciting speaker in his own right. He did the usual candidate intro, setting up the major themes of the speech and drumming up excitement for the principal, but he did it with far more flair than I have seen to date in 2007. Fitting for the candidate who is making his mark with passion and inspiration.

Hodes claimed that Obama “speaks a different language, the language of America.”
He challenged us to elect someone who would make “working in the US government cool again.” Interestingly enough, after hearing the speech I couldn’t help but agree with him. Well, I don’t know about the last part - the IRS will never be cool - but still, it was a good line.

Yet before Barack came Michelle. It was the first time I had heard her speak and she came across, as it is often considered a candidate’s wife should, in a way that softens and normalizes the candidate. She pulled it off in spades.

Michelle had a very girl next door quality to her, she seemed like someone who could just as easily fit in a community leadership role as well as just another mom on the soccer carpool phone tree. She spoke convincingly about her husband’s principles, told a good story about his connections to the South Side of Chicago, and even flubbed a line or two and prefaced her speech by saying she was still “silly” from vacation.

Mrs. Obama also laid out the reasoning for her husband’s Presidential ambitions, always an important piece in the puzzle of choosing a candidate. She said that he “knows we are so close to being united in this country” and wants to be the one who instigates the change in our culture from the bottom up through the government. He wanted to be the one, in other words, to catalyze cheerleaders all over the country. In the hoods and the ‘burbs and maybe even on K Street.

Then came the Senator.

“Are you fired up?”

Honestly, I wasn’t. Not compared to his appearance in Keene a few weeks ago, which had the crowd covered in goosebumps early and often. His speech focused on change, obviously, and honesty. One of Obama’s latest campaign themes stresses accountability and transparency in government. With that change and responsibility, he encouraged the crowd to summon their own sense of mission, to believe in themselves and their values, not to mention his campaign, in order to take control of the country.

He also spent a fair amount of time talking about the special interests and the game of politics. Obama stated his intention to end the current track of electing people who can play the game the best, and instead putting an end to the game plan itself. No more politics as manipulation and money, but rather politics as mission.

“I am my brother’s keeper.”

From here he told the story of his spend-a-day-in-SEIU’s-shoes event, where he scrubbed floors and cleaned sheets with a geriatric nurse in California. The most glowing memory from this day, he said, was that the woman he shadowed expressed that she was proud of her job, and “glad she could be of service to somebody.” She just wanted a little more certainty on health care and retirement. This, he implied, is the embodiment of the true spirit of America.

We are a country of workers and givers after all, we just don’t want to get screwed in the end. And I guess that is true. If we are more secure in our future, then in our day to day lives maybe we can be a little nicer to each other, maybe a little more helpful. Now if we can only stop worrying about terrorist attacks and immigrants.

But what I really came away with after this stop on the trail had little to do with rhetoric and stump speeches. The nuggets that keep bubbling up as the week goes on and I put off writing this article in the name of seeking a bigger and better angle, has to do with what Paul Hodes said. Obama speaks the language of America.

His second line of the morning was this: “Give it up for Michelle Obama!”

A few minutes later, “SEIU in the house!”

He ended the rally not by asking for our votes, but as I said earlier by asking us to “believe in this campaign.” Then just before he walked away from the microphone he left these words to float away into the sunny morning air as he simply said, “I love you guys.”

It may not be important for geriatric America to hear phrases like that. I also fully acknowledge that I am in the vast minority when I say that the words “give it up” are inexorably linked with Naughty By Nature’s Hip Hop Hooray in my mind. Furthermore, I’m sure some people in the crowd may never have even heard the term “in the house.”

But here in Quabbin Qountry, where we recognize realness, it meant something. If a candidate for President hopes to mobilize from the ground up, he has to speak the language of the streets. While Obama may be a decade or so late on that front, he is at least twenty years closer than any other candidate. Whether or not it translates into something on election day is something we will find out in four months. But to paraphrase Lloyd Christmas, I’m sayin’ there’s a chance.

Obama: He's Heating Up

Keene, NH -

I arrived at the Keene Rec Center early this afternoon after a long drive up from Cape Cod consisting mostly of New England's greatest road nemesis, I-495, with the quintessentially Northwestern New England glory that is coolly warm weather and partly cloudy skies, even in mid-August. A decent crowd was brewing up on the lawn outside, where a stage sat at the ready for some speechifyin', and humble placement of folding chairs held the promise of a ready-made overflow crowd. It was another New Hampshire political rally.

But then the rains came. Minutes after my arrival a slow sprinkle turned into a heavy downpour and, while it was fairly obvious that the tempest would last but few minutes, the powers that be made the decision to move the shin-dig inside. The crowds, maybe a third of which had umbrellas, rushed for the doors of the rec center only to wait in line to get inside under an open sky. I gladly took their place under the cover of a large tree canopy with the help of a kind photographer's umbrella and waited about ten minutes until the rain had stopped. Alas, by that point everything was moot and we headed, like lemmings, to the indoor venue where the candidate was slated to appear in a few minutes.

And so I traded the dripping of tree branches onto my head for my dripping hair onto my notepad. Inside was hot and smelled of wet hair, the result of 80+ degrees outside coupled with the sudden onslaught of some 350 people crowding into a small, cement-walled room. It was real humanity, you see, just a bunch of hot sweaty people jammed into a room with a makeshift stage and a ragged backdrop of blankets strung up to cover the ugly cement walls and support a New Hampshire for Obama sign. Jazz music played faintly in the background over a din of chatter that was so politely low that I couldn't even make out any legitimately eavesdropped conversations. Moments later the din became a roar as Barack Obama sneaked onto the stage from the left hand corner of the room.

That is when things really heated up. Just like in Laconia a month and a half ago Obama did the obligatory Granite cuddling, thanking the people for doing such a great job of test-driving the candidates and "kicking the tires" for the rest of the country. Not that we disagree. After his brief entry statements he went into a speech that touched on the issues that he wanted to tackle as President. Interestingly enough, he never mentioned that he actually wanted to do them. He just brought them up and it eventually became crystal clear that he was talking about his platform. This was precisely what I was looking for at the Laconia event last time but found lacking.

He touched on, in this order, health insurance, education, energy policy, economy, war and the restoration of America. Haven't we heard that before? Yeah, from every other Democratic candidate. As usual, it was peppered with witty campaignisms like how Bush "left the money behind for No Child Left Behind." He talked of our energy policy sending billions to oil companies and billions to politically unstable regimes. He even brought up Scooter Libby on the war front saying, "even Paris Hilton got some jail time." Let me tell you, that one brought the laffs.

Yet the first half of his speech could have been summed up in one word: Frustration. In a five minute span I did a quick mental scan of how many times he used the word "frustrated" and I came up with 13, and that was on the low end because I didn't think to do it until I had heard it five or six times already. It was the sort of thing that got the crowd thinking, 'yeah, you're right, I guess I am pretty frustrated. Frustrated with the rising cost of health insurance and the Iraq war and the unchecked power of the Presidential office.' Ah yes, he had them. He had us.

But issues, schmissues, the real draw of the Barack Obama campaign is hope. To paraphrase the great Ross Perot - you know it, I know it, the American people know it. At this point Obama delved into his assessment of our America. According to the Illinois Democrat, we are tired of "slash and burn negative campaigning." We are frustrated with being against something and we "want to be for something." Most importantly, we are our brother's keeper and we're "not on our own, we're in this thing together." Don't let the Washington press corps tell you any different. Enough with their mocking characterizations of naivety and "hope-mongering"! Instead, Barack wants to increase the hope, and he says, "as I travel the country I become more hopeful, not less hopeful...[because] Americans don't want that much. They're willing to work hard and make sacrifices for the future generations."

Obama launched more and more into America's desire to work hard for themselves and the future. We were a country who had lost our way and dammit we were determined to find it, and Barack was the one to lead us there. He continued on in this vein of what Americans wanted and hoped for, and with every sentence the crowd grew louder and his voice rose to match theirs. Passion filled the pipes, feeding the fury, and just like that the seed was planted.

After a brief pause Obama applied the diminuendo to the first half of his stump speech, gradually touching on the solutions to the six problems he had articulated earlier. In the same fashion, he didn't explicitly say that he had the solutions, he just began to talk about them. The rest was up to the crowd to recognize that we could save billions in health care through prevention, that the biggest problem in our schools is an achievement gap for youngsters to be fixed by early education, that a boost in CAFE standards to 45 mpg would take away our need for Middle Eastern oil. He even tossed a joke into the assessment that we need to bolster our infrastructure by saying that we need to "make sure cell phone service doesn't drop every time I drive out of Keene." Oh, and how!

Regarding America's standing in the world, Obama once again brought the passion. He re-hashed his recent tiff with HRC by continuing to cite the MSM's trouncing of his every move as naive, and subtly dismissing Clinton as just being wrong. "I'm not worried about losing a propaganda war with dictators," he said and then quoted JFK, "let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." It was a powerful stroke by Obama, summoning his own inner Rove by taking his weakness and making it into his strength. What is better, it worked. Obama wasn't afraid to give an outline for his negotiating ploy. He wants to go to the UN and say "America's back," and tell world leaders "we want your people to be successful" and that "we want to work with you" on issues like Darfur, AIDS, building schools in the Middle East that taught math and science instead of hate.

"That's who we are." By that point, his speech had turned into an old-fashioned tent revival. His arm was flailing, the crowd was cheering, his voice was raising. I had goosebumps everywhere. I mean everywhere. And for what? The simple premise that we were frustrated and lost. According to Barack Obama we need to be found. O, Amazing Grace.

He closed with a story. It was the story of the Selma, AL to Montgomery, AL marches of 1965, better known as bloody Sunday. He told of his recent visit to Selma, where once upon a time state and local police brutalized a peaceful march of African-Americans hoping to exercise their rights to vote. As news reached beyond Selma, Obama mentioned, a generation of young people said "that's not what you told us about America," and they pilgrimaged by the tens of thousands to Alabama to march alongside their brothers. They marched for a brighter future, so that their children and grandchildren wouldn't have to see on television what they had just seen. He said that he was then just a 4 year-old who didn't even know what was going on, but now he is standing on their shoulders daring to have gone to law school, become a state Senator and, heck, even run for President. Right now, he closed, there is a 4 year-old wondering about his future, and we have to work for him and "if everybody here is nearly as fired up as I am" it could be done. Judging by the temperature of my own impartial skin, I think there is a good shot that they were.

Fight the Power

In my upcoming (seriously, I'm almost done but I have other priorities, too) article on the Obama visit to Keene, it is clear that a major portion of the stump speech touches on the MSM's constant dismissal of Obama as naive and inexperienced. I think it is easy for someone like Obama to harp on that threat as a poor-me pity call for political gain, but the more I witness it the more legitimate it becomes. Especially since the youtube debate, nearly every time the Illinois Senator says something outside of the mold of political convention, it becomes a so-called gaffe due to his inexperience. This clip from a recent Nashua visit made it onto national news and earned a rebuke from the likes of Mitt Romney. Similarly, even harmless discussions with smalltown voters are getting blown up over the pages of the Washington Post and slammed by the Republicans.

I understand that the GOP criticism has much to do with the Fear of a Black Planet, or maybe just a Democratic Candidate, but nevertheless my Fear has more to do with the idea that a candidate's opposition can be so successful at framing their counterpart with the help of the MSM. An establishment media that jumps on the party line, ignores the articulate fringes and vilifies a bold, new approach? Now that is a real Public Enemy.

Guest Blogger - MP Nettleton

An Obama Primer
by Matt Nettleton


His short time in the Senate shows Barack Obama to be a solid liberal. This website fleshes out where he stands on the issues. For the most part, he is in line with how we think. While at that site, make sure you scroll to the bottom where there is a grid plotting each politician's overall viewpoint. Obama actually has the same plot point as Kucinich, which is not quite as far left as Edwards, but way more left than Gore. Pretty interesting. I'll have to go back and see what is bogging down Kuci's leftiness.

Anyway, moving forward, like I mentioned before, Obama's youth spent organizing hints at progressive instincts. He didn't exactly grow up rich either. Per this article in yesterday's Washington Post, it appears he hasn't left these concerns behind.

Another reason I like Obama is the fact that his dad was born a Muslim and that Barack grew up partly in a Muslim country, which should help the US image with moderate Muslims. And the fact that Barack is connected to his Kenyan heritage should win us friends among common Africans, which would be great because currently China is doing a lot of sucking up on that continent (at least to those in power).

Further, I think electing a black President might even invigorate the blacks in our country who feel disenfranchised (see New Orleans, elections in Florida, etc). It would help globally too, because the Soviets published a lot of propaganda about the US keeping black folks down. No doubt these thoughts must linger in some corners of the world.

A pet issue of mine is campaign finance reform. His website doesn't have much on the subject, but I think he'd support tighter soft money laws if Congress could push them through. A quick google search shows that he did make some statements that he would use only public funding if the Republican candidate pledged to do the same in the general election. A little weak sauce, but at least talking about it. He's pushed some other non-money voting bills, though - mostly stuff on making it illegal to use deceptive ads. And I think as far as democracy goes, you have to like the extent of his grassroots fundraising. I give him a C+ on this subject, but elections devoid of big money will probably never exist in this country since the Supreme Court would overturn such a law. Sidenote: did you know that former Nebraska senator Tom Osborne - yes, the legendary Cornhusker head football coach - lost his reelection campaign in part because he refused to accept donations over $1000? His opponent, who was far behind in the polls at first, kept the big money coming in, and was able to pull off the upset, no doubt due in part to immense advertising. I guess it really is low money mo problems in politics.

Then we have the environment. His website again doesn't say much. I think the reason why is that Illinois has a ton of coal (another sidenote: for a great book that takes place in the coal towns of Illinois, try The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder). My guess is Obama doesn't want to upset anyone in his home state (which is a little lame because I doubt he needs southern ILL to carry the state). One telling story on this, though: a few weeks ago, he drew up a bill to increase funding to research clean coal in Illinois. He got a lot of flack from the Sierra Club, and actually voted AGAINST his own bill. Overall, his enviromental voting record isn't great, but he's still on the left - at least looking at some of his votes on http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm. And with a (hopefully) Democratic Congress in 2008, I think the country will move ahead environmentally and push Obama even more in that direction.

My bottom line on Obama: like Bill Clinton, Barack doesn't want to alienate business too much. I'm not totally against him. Do we want stagnant economies like those in Europe? That said, a strong economy should help everyone, which hasn't been happening. I think based on his comments about poverty, Barack would move towards this. He's also for repealing the tax cuts and keeping the estate tax (which he cleverly terms the Paris Hilton tax), which are important steps to equalizing America. He'll end the war, give the US a fresh face abroad, and move towards better access to healthcare . And, then, like I said before, he is Hollywood's guy, which means he'll be a liberal: you never bite the hand that feeds you. In closing, he's kind of stiff and pompous, but I think he'd be a good choice for President. My big worry about him is that his inexperience will rear its head in picking a high level advisor who will do something stupid thinking he could pull the wool over Obama's eyes or picking some newby unfamiliar with arcane procedures, and bring some sort of corruption charges on the administration. That's why I think he needs an experienced guy like Biden, Dodd, or Panetta as his running mate more than a token military or southern guy (not that I'd be against such a choice).


About the Author:
Matt Nettleton is an Americorps volunteer in Alabama, focusing on preparing small businesses for natural or man-made disasters. He is currently assigned to the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Alma mater: Westech '03

Hometown: Stratford, CT

Career Highs: 25 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, 9 turnovers.

Out-FOXed

There is an interesting article in the HuffPost today by Thomas Edsall about the amount of money the top three Democratic candidates took from FOX executives despite refusing to debate on that channel because of it's right wing views. While hardly the world's biggest jolt of hypocrisy, it certainly provides easy hate fodder if you are looking to pile on. Then again, I guess that $30+ Mil from Q2 doesn't grow on trees!

Obama, Not Much Drama

Laconia, NH -

Greetings from the heart of the Lakes Region, where 3Q is coming to you live from Barack Obama's latest appearance in the Granite State. First let me tell you how good it feels to be back in the land of the Free (or the Dying). Relative to my other early-season campaign events from the last cycle (Edwards, Kerry & Clark) this one was much more of a big deal. Whereas, in early August of 2003, Edwards only drew about 30 people, at least 10 of which were homeless and only in attendance for the free hot dogs in downtown Manch-Vegas, today's speech brought together some 350 listeners by my rough estimation. Granted, Edwards was sitting in 4th or 5th place in the polls at that time to Obama's 2nd, I can't imagine an event for anyone other than Mike Gravel bringing so few people together this time around.

I have always been intrigued by the And1 Mixtape Tour that is a presidential campaign. Some of the highlights of Obama's music were sung by such bland Betties as Jack Johnson, recent-era DMB, Bono in a duet of One with some indeterminable woman, the full U2 for Beautiful Day, and best of all Higher Love by Steve Winwood (certainly the favorite) before entering to Think by Aretha, which was solid enough. Even as I write this, The Outfield's I Don't Want to Lose Your Love Tonight is on the radio here at 3Q's Laconia HQ and it begs the question - why didn't he rock that? It's got the coffee shop moving right now. Bring it on!

Obama got started by acknowledging his massive fund raising haul and the great crowds he has been addressing at his urban stops around the country, attributing them not to his own charisma (which he poked fun at) but because of the American people "burning with desire for change." Of course, Barack positioned himself as the candidate who would lead that change. He moved from that to and address of his standard Dem platform, of which creating a national energy policy, getting out of Iraq, bringing people together, not taking PAC fundraising cash, and achieving universal health care garnered the loudest applause by far. He took questions, and in standard candidate fashion failed to answer them directly and instead sought to expand on his positions with a series of knowledgeable talking points. He scored the most when he chatted with an elderly woman about her youth and good looks, and spoke with a 5th grader like a concerned father, encouraging her to do her homework and turn off the TV. The latter received the loudest applause from your resident blogger.

Ultimately, it was a workday crowd of people who took time out of their day to see a candidate they were either supporting or highly interested in supporting. There were no hecklers, no major softballs, and it is too early in the summer for it to have the air of an important rally.
My biggest complaint was with Barack's handshake - a little too flabby for a hardy New Englander like myself. I might send him an e-mail about that. And now, give me leave for the White Mountains, those beefy gems of the Northeast. Three cheers for the Pemi, and until Marlow and Richardson on Thursday, keep your gameface on.

BTB

Live from Goffstown

Rather, the television is live from Goffstown, NH but here in Quabbin Qountry we are just plain alive. Wolf Blitzer looks like he is in a screening room compared to the candidates behind, but I'll believe CNN. I hate to do the same ol'-same ol, but alas here we go with some live blogging.

"I am the Senator from New York. I have seen firsthand the terrible damage" - Clinton echoes Giuliani. Not surprised.

"I opposed this war from the start. I think you're about 4 and a half years too late." - Obama in response to Edwards' barbs. Meanwhile, Hillary is trying to stay as neutral as possible, likely because she knows she doesn't have any capital. She strives to tell people that the real differences are not between the Democratic candidates, but rather between the Dems and the GOP.

Oooohhhh, Wolf just zinged Hillary by asking her whether she regrets her vote having not read the intelligence report. How can you answer that? You can't. Hence, she failed to say "yes" or "no". He comes back and gives the same question to Edwards. Damn, how you gonna not read that? That said, Edwards admits his mistake. He got the first applause of the night of anyone for giving props to Obama for being right from the beginning, followed by a brief speech on the need of honesty after Bush.

I don't know if I mentioned it last time, but Obama really needs to improve upon his stage presence. Granted, he does have the least experience of any candidate, but he really shows it. He pauses too much in his speech, carries on words, stuff like that.

Hillary once again stops short of answering Wolf's question. She ends with a quotation from Barry Goldwater.

"Who's most likely to end the war in Iraq? Who's most likely to lead the way in health care?" - Edwards telling how the main role of President is not to be a legislator, but to be a leader.

As the night went on, I became distracted by other things around the house and my bloggings became less and less common. I hope to recap my efforts later on, but now its push-ups and dessert.

Ahoy,
BTB

DE(bat)ES Nuts!!

All eight of our Democratic presidential hopefuls squared off last night in the first of who knows how many debates down at South Carolina State. Today the press corps came out with a number of "winners" and "losers", so I figured that we should do the same here at 3QHQ. Everyone from The Fix to Slate to Joe Scarboro had their say on the winners and losers. Not that we give a shit. Here is our take.

Obama received mix messages. Many found him reluctant and milquetoast, trying too hard to maintain his status quo as the up-and-comer and drastically afraid to say something stupid when his already-strong momentum is crucial in catching Hillary Rodham in the first two weeks of February 2008. Yet there were plenty of others, like Chris Matthews, who found him sophisticated and deep. Then there was John Edwards who found him "high falutin'" or some such. HRC seemed to get positive reviews across the board, and that comes as no surprise. If you are looking for a careful, intelligent, centrist candidate she is your person. As a result, she will do well in every debate. This one was no different. Edwards was also mixed. He is hard to dislike with his old southern charm and $400 good looks. He also took it to the rest of the big 3 more than any of his compatriots (Barack and HRC, that is), but that awkward pause in the moral leader question certainly didn't help him. While we are on it, I reallllly felt that Obama looked around before raising his hand on the "global war on terror" question. Bush league. That was certainly my biggest critique.

Of the second tier, Billy Rich was the clear loser. He couldn't keep his words under control and he was gesticulating like a Valley Girl. Plus he appeared to be sweating profusely. Dodd was uneventful. Biden did well, but that is no surprise. Biden is a tight dude. Everyone loved his "Yes" answer, and his silver-haired patrician looks, and he certainly has good things to say. He is a longshot to win the nomination, but I presume he will come out of this fray with goodwill from a large faction of Americans. Meanwhile, someone in the blogosphere finally picked up on our friend at BHC's mantra that Kucinich deserves respect on account of his wife. She certainly towered over him on the stage last night. But seriously, Kucinich was arguably the biggest winner of the night from our vantage. He really brought the Quabbin Qabin down with his story about living in the same $22.5K Cleveland house that he bought in the early 90s. Take that, Edwards and Clinton! Imagine if Kerry was in the house. He spoke forcefully about the war, and his pocket Constitution gimmick was endearing, if a little contrived. Lastly, Gravel is a kook and need not be included in any more debates. In other words, bring out the hook!

Speaking abruptly from the Haymarket before it closes, we look forward to more debate. Stay legit.

48 Million Reasons to Be Afraid

Today's Fix posted HRC's modest first quarter earnings at $26,000,000. Yeah, that's in millions, and yeah, that is only since January 20, 2007. The official HRC website reminds us that "in March of 2003, the highest total reported by a Democratic campaign in its first-quarter fundraising report was $7.4 million and the top four candidates combined raised just over $23 million." In other words, we can and will whore like never before! On the same day, Clinton finance chairman Terry "the snake" McAulliffe sets the artificial standards of competition high saying, "I would expect Senator Obama is going to have a comparable amount of money to what we have." Let's hope not.
...
breaking news
...
Even as we speak here at 3Q, rumours have it that Obamamania may have contributed a nearly-identical $21-22M. All this is very disheartening, especially in light of the news that so many states are frontloading primaries on their own terms. Has year-and-a-half-in-advance pocketbook voting replaced the polls in primaries? Poor John Edwards ($14M), and poorer Chris Dodd ($4M)! I guess it shows something that tens of thousands of people are willing to part ways with his money so soon, I just don't know if it is more to do with candidate support or Thomas Tusser. Let's face it, I'd rather spend my money on supporting my local barkeep, or at least buying up conservation land. I am very fearful of this cycle of doom where campaign cash gets tossed around like $100 bills at a Pacman Jones stripper party. Let's make it rain with handshakes and not phone banks.

Instead I will have to stay refreshed with Chuck Klosterman's Final Four bloggings, where the topic of the day is a rant about the McLaughlin Group. More on refreshiness later.

Signing off with a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout,
BTB

The Bodacity of Hope

Just as the melting ice slowly twirls about in my tumbler of Old Pulteney Single Malt, the slowly twisting path of fresh-eyed optimism makes it's way back into the quadrennial path of the Presidency. This isn't to say that John Edwards isn't making a claim to the same exact mantle place, but the clearcut New Hope in this cycle has to be Barack Obama, who just a few days ago formed his Presidential exploratory committee. An excerpt from his exploratory announcement speech sums his wild path to stardom up succinctly when he says, "I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I've spoken to many of you in my travels across the states these past months; as I've read your emails and read your letters; I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics."

So it has come about, the pipe dream of so many has now begun to show the tiniest bit of distant light in the uniquely political way of creating an opening to donate, donate, donate! With that, the Dems now have two monster front runners - Barack and the yet-to-announce Hillary, who had to play a little bit of damage control upon Obama's announcement. She cancelled her own press conference that day, live from Iraq, and spent the next day on a total media blitz. It wasn't any ordinary media blitz, either. Hilly made it clear that she was no Hawk on Iraq. She even went a little gut feeling Bush-y on us, telling NPR yesterday morning that "I was listening for a level of commitment to securing Iraq by the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army and police force that has been missing, and I didn't hear that." Now she and Chris Dodd both are advertising a troop cap, while Obama basks in his anti-war credentials from 2002. There he speaks of Civil War, just as today his team promotes him as a modern-day Honest Abe, an Illinoisan of modest experience but profound judgment. Problem is, he ain't Kentuck.

On the other side of the aisle, most of the noise has come from fringe candidates. The fervent anti-immigration Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has been rumored to announce any day now. His first, his last, his everything is immigration: "There is no doubt that America is facing an illegal immigration crisis. Currently, there are at least 12 million illegal aliens living in America I am absolutely opposed to amnesty or guest worker program in any form." That. of course, being the first line of his website's issues statement. I fully understand that I sound dismissive, but I want to make it clear that I have had very little direct negative impact placed upon my own livelihood by illegal aliens, so I must not have the clear understanding of it that Team T does. I mean, I get paid to teach fractions to 55 kids who weren't born here. I say bring 'em on! Tancredo, meanwhile, lists his favorite activities to be "skeet shooting" and "playing ball".

There is also Dr. Ron Paul (L-TX), who is briefly abandoning his Libertarian roots to battle for the GOP nod in 2008. Congressman Paul is an actual MD, and an OB-GYN to boot! He throws down a weekly column on his official government page and represents the Spring Break/old school cowboy Gulf Coast region of Galveston, TX and the Matagorda Islands. I read a Louis L'Amour book called Matagorda once. It was pretty badass. Let's hope Paul can be replaced on the fringe this year with, I dunno, Sam Brownback. More Brownback, just in case.

In non-Presidential news, Quabbin weather has been Qonsistently Qrapping out on us. All MLK weekend I would hear reports of impending snow and frigid temperatures, only to hear recanted forecasts and see a continuation of 40 degrees and drizzle. It dipped chilly on Wednesday, but here it is half past midnight on Thursday night and the 9pm snow schedule has been pushed back yet again. I left for a run at 8pm tonight hoping to come across some early flurries, but there was nothing in the air but a strange frozen mist that left a crunchy mix of frozen sand on the street. No blanket of snow, and certainly no white reflective covering on the roads. When I hit the Gulf Road wilderness I had to slow to a crawl because I literally couldn't see the ground in front of my feet. But Don't Stop Believin' was my theme song tonight, and I was able to stick it out past the blindness and get in a full run.

While I was out there, and having committed three miles, I started thinking about faith. It was faith of sorts that pushed me through the dark part of my run tonight. While I could not see the ground as I was running, I knew that there would always be something for me to land on because I had done it before, and because I wanted to do it again. I reckon there could have been a cavernous pothole, but I had faith that there wasn't. It was a small faith, but it was enough that I was proud to overcome my hurdle. When you think of the things that people do, and the strength one can gain, it really boggles the mind. On the one hand you have Martin Luther King, Jr. doing his amazing work. On the other you have a bunch of shitbags bent on destroying things. And then you have a Presidential race every four years where people waste days upon days of time watching pundits, write checks for $2,000 as often as they can, and spend hours in the cold waving signs on a November tuesday. None of this happens without faith. Even for the faithless, there are dark country roads and a running log waiting back at home. Everything goes well and I'll hit 35 this week for the first time in five months. I do it on faith that when I am out on the roads in the dark, that I will smell some old smell or remember some old memory that just might trigger some new idea of faith, and that will keep me going on one more run, keep me watching one more hour of convention coverage next July. Who knows, maybe I'll break 17 again. Maybe I'll get a job in the White House. Maybe I'll just pour myself another and worry about how I butchered all those pure and beautiful thoughts I had on the road with the frozen mist propping my hair up like I was some cameo actor in Twin Peaks.

Preparing to Fare Thee Well a couple of amigos,

BTB