Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Our one Prezidunt at this time keeps his focus on the big issues
On the day Barack Obama gave his third daily presser in a row on economic recovery, what did Dubya accomplish? He saved a turkey. No, not Scooter Libby. That pardon is coming in early January. Instead, Dubya continued the annual tradition first introduced by his Poppy (true story - 1989 was the first "official" gobbler un-served). While it's not as much fun as seeing Sarah Palin gobble up airtime with inanities while a turkey went through the wood-chipper just over her shoulder, Dubya's classic shot from a few years back really gets me in the mood to tear into one of those suckers.
Hope your own turkeys are brining, not getting tossed out of a cab in suburban Chevy Chase right about now. Rock on.
Monday, November 24, 2008
And have you looked at Larry Summers' butt lately? Yummy...
I'm in Santa Barbara. And still stunned by the dichotomy of what burned recently in Montecito versus what suffered not so much as a scratch. The canyons up into the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains primarily off East Mountain Drive burned to a crispy moonscape. Blessedly, my in-laws and most of their friends/neighbors were unharmed. On Sunday, the community poured out in force to fill sandbags to then use in protection against the feared flash floods of seasonal rain that may well arrive as early as tonight. If heavy rain spills down from the mountains over the ashen landscape through the countless canyon creeks...well, it could be bad. I drove along the winding, narrow path through the damage on Sunday for a first-hand view. It was so odd for someone unaccustomed to such destruction. Little things caught my eye. Wholly protected houses just up the driveway from burned-out vehicles. The smell of what an unaccustomed Wisconsite might assume was a charcoal grill overwhelming everything once you open the car windows. Beautiful pottery and porcelain address markers warped and scalded by what was surely a hot, hot fire. The sense of loss most assuredly hasn't disappeared for those in the path of the firestorm that now must worry about flooding. What a crazy confluence of risks. The sense of a support structure is nonetheless inspiring to consider.
A quick assessment of Obama's early picks for his Administration. They all seem centrist, qualified and eager. But there's also a certain uptick in hotness. Case in point - Melody Barnes. The Washingtonian named her one of DC's Ten Best Dressed. Rawr. And his Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers will run everything from the Easter Egg Roll to formal State Dinners. With hotness. Today we were introduced to Rob Nabors (the 37-year-old (!) Deputy OMB Director). And there's more cute geeky white guys than at a Dave Matthews concert (Rahm Emmanuel, Timothy Geithner, Peter Orszag). And you thought Obama was just going to be all about coolness...
Hope your own appointees have rockin' brains AND bods today. Rock on.
A quick assessment of Obama's early picks for his Administration. They all seem centrist, qualified and eager. But there's also a certain uptick in hotness. Case in point - Melody Barnes. The Washingtonian named her one of DC's Ten Best Dressed. Rawr. And his Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers will run everything from the Easter Egg Roll to formal State Dinners. With hotness. Today we were introduced to Rob Nabors (the 37-year-old (!) Deputy OMB Director). And there's more cute geeky white guys than at a Dave Matthews concert (Rahm Emmanuel, Timothy Geithner, Peter Orszag). And you thought Obama was just going to be all about coolness...
Hope your own appointees have rockin' brains AND bods today. Rock on.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
After the crash...
The unintentional silence you might have noticed from these here parts over the last handful of days has a story behind it. Even if you don't care, I need to clear the drains. So to speak. My darling daughter pulled my Mac laptop onto the floor by the power cord. Shattered the screen. Made me realize how much I love my daughter because she both is fine and was utterly apologetic. But it also made me realize how much I loved my laptop. Do you know how much it costs to replace a LCD screen on a more than 3-year-old Mac? For me, $1240. Not much scratch if you're passing out loans to Wall Street or the auto industry. But serious cash for a piece of over-used electronics. So I've been pouting while I watch the news in the same fashion that you all have come to expect. Thereby, here's some overdue shots.
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State has more strings attached than Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Will she work hard? Yup. Will she be almost impossible to clear from past controversies? Absolutely. Can Obama do better? I believe so. Will this mend some bridges with Hillary's supporters? Unquestionably. Should we be debating this as the world looks to us to make sense of what a sinkhole we're in currently? No gawddamn way. This one will make two months of transition into 2 years of investigative journalism. Cut the cord, Barack. I hate to say it, but you don't owe the Clintons anything.
Joe Lieberman is still a Democrat. For now. First sign of Iraq War withdrawal and that cat is over the fence.
Ted Stevens lost and Sarah Palin signed a $7M book deal. I'm willing to bet more ink has been spilled on Alaska politics this year since the aggregate timeline of inclusion in the Union in 1959. Expect that 50th Anniversary of Statehood to be Spring Break for Joe the Plumbers cast far and wide next year.
On a personal note - we're headed to Santa Barbara soon with the expectation of being stunned by the damage caused by the recent fires. Our family and friends are fine. But I'll update y'all with some pics and commentary when I get a better gauge of just how crazy it is to see that sort of damage.
Hope you get the chance to hug your own beloved electronics today. Rock on.
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State has more strings attached than Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Will she work hard? Yup. Will she be almost impossible to clear from past controversies? Absolutely. Can Obama do better? I believe so. Will this mend some bridges with Hillary's supporters? Unquestionably. Should we be debating this as the world looks to us to make sense of what a sinkhole we're in currently? No gawddamn way. This one will make two months of transition into 2 years of investigative journalism. Cut the cord, Barack. I hate to say it, but you don't owe the Clintons anything.
Joe Lieberman is still a Democrat. For now. First sign of Iraq War withdrawal and that cat is over the fence.
Ted Stevens lost and Sarah Palin signed a $7M book deal. I'm willing to bet more ink has been spilled on Alaska politics this year since the aggregate timeline of inclusion in the Union in 1959. Expect that 50th Anniversary of Statehood to be Spring Break for Joe the Plumbers cast far and wide next year.
On a personal note - we're headed to Santa Barbara soon with the expectation of being stunned by the damage caused by the recent fires. Our family and friends are fine. But I'll update y'all with some pics and commentary when I get a better gauge of just how crazy it is to see that sort of damage.
Hope you get the chance to hug your own beloved electronics today. Rock on.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
"Latest CD? Check. Random stuffed animal? Check. OK, let's rock and roll!"
Originally uploaded by emaggie
Thursday, November 13, 2008
If she says "it's time to move on" once more, I put out the challenge to be the first reporter to get up and walk out of the room.
Nine days after the Election, Sarah Palin held her first news conference as a national political figure. She took 4 questions - under 10 minutes of weird smoke and dull-edged attempts to change the subject - before being shuffled off the stage by an especially uninspiring Texas Guv Rick Perry and the dozen of other white dudes surrounding her. The amount of media heat being generated by Palin is a disgrace. Why wouldn't she sit down for questions before she and McCain tanked like an even-more-uninspired Bob Dole campaign? My belief is she's now comfortable that the questions will be all about process. Before the election, some questions might have included actual policy considerations. And we all know how well she does with that sort of thang. This PR campaign after the actual campaign was obviously expected. I'm not surprised at all. It's as simple as considering whether a woman who claims to have only shopped at consignment stores in Anchorage (yea, right) would head back in that direction after getting 13 suitcases worth of high fashion freebies from high-end department stores. Or in less-concrete fashion, Sarah Palin is truly a diva. One of the worst. Just like Mariah Carey. And this election was her "Glitter". Thoughts of a comeback are all divas can focus on when they've been embarrassed by the amount of crap they spout. So I expect we'll see her out there making the same ol' digs at Obama while she frantically searches for a new producer to spin this mess into gold. Good luck with that, Guv. Especially if it continues to look like Ted Stevens will lose his re-election bid and she won't have anything to run for until at least 2010. I'd bet that winter forecast for Alaska would look especially far from that newfound heat right about now, even for a self-professed native.
Hope your own office offers not only a "present" button, but lots of "donation" buttons today. Rock on.
Hope your own office offers not only a "present" button, but lots of "donation" buttons today. Rock on.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Entering a new Era, without the annoying nicknames yet with actual humor? Yes we can.
I've heard a few weird reactions to Obama's first Prez-Elect presser - he was too cautious, he was too deferential, he made fun of Nancy Reagan. But largely, the verdict is sure. He is literally the best thinker on his feet in the game, surrounded by a burgeoning crowd of admirers. I've toned done my elation regarding the events of this week mainly to see how the transition played out. That's over. Barack Obama is an icon that nonetheless feels like a regular dude. His ability to make a self-deprecating moment (how he's a "mutt" just like most "shelter dogs") feel both folksy and poetic - I just can't top him. I won't deny that we're in a full-on turdstorm with crappy newsiness forecast beyond the unlimited horizon. But I challenge every one of you - how do you think the World would be looking at us right now if we'd chosen McCain/Palin? Be careful what you wish for was my regretful mantra after Dubya won in '04. My new mantra - be honest in what you wish for.
One quick review - I chose to run against the grain on Wednesday night and finally caught Oliver Stone's "W." with a mere handful of ironic Seattlites. My rating - a squishy C. Josh Brolin has been deservedly lauded for what he did running a surprisingly short gamut. Thadie Newton does a spot on Condi Rice. Jeffrey Wright is an overly hope-y-ish Colin Powell. No one stinks. But the one oft-repeated comment that I agree with is that it feels like a first draft. Or more accurately, the most rushed picture I've ever seen. Like Stone and his screenwriter cobbled it together over a bagful of FunSize candy, a case of Ketel One and a massive pile of cocaine on somebody's brother's yacht just off the Catalina Islands over a weekend in early June. Don't rent it. See it on cable. In like two months.
Hope your own economic conferences don't include Jim Cramer anytime soon. Or ever. Rock on.
One quick review - I chose to run against the grain on Wednesday night and finally caught Oliver Stone's "W." with a mere handful of ironic Seattlites. My rating - a squishy C. Josh Brolin has been deservedly lauded for what he did running a surprisingly short gamut. Thadie Newton does a spot on Condi Rice. Jeffrey Wright is an overly hope-y-ish Colin Powell. No one stinks. But the one oft-repeated comment that I agree with is that it feels like a first draft. Or more accurately, the most rushed picture I've ever seen. Like Stone and his screenwriter cobbled it together over a bagful of FunSize candy, a case of Ketel One and a massive pile of cocaine on somebody's brother's yacht just off the Catalina Islands over a weekend in early June. Don't rent it. See it on cable. In like two months.
Hope your own economic conferences don't include Jim Cramer anytime soon. Or ever. Rock on.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
"First question, Rahm - where did those pesky Bushies hide all the 'O' keys from our keyboards?"
The morning's big exclusive - Rahm Emanuel accepted the offer to be President Obama's Chief of Staff. Emanuel's always impressed me. Surely in direct inverse proportion to how much he pisses off the withering Republican establishment. He was a major strategery planner for Bubba. He rose through the ranks in the House like a rocket. He's sacrificing something major in terms of his own personal lifeplan by taking a job that is as demanding as any in Washington. But he's the right dood for the job. Kudos and congrats to all involved.
Hope your own job offers include health club benefits today. Rock on.
Hope your own job offers include health club benefits today. Rock on.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
This Bright New Day
He actually did it. Barack Obama will be our next President. I'm still up to my ears in results and analysis, but a few things have become astonishingly clear. I'll offer a shorthand version.
1. Battleground states broke almost entirely for Obama. The more time he spent there, the better he did. Period. Just look at Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida if you doubt my take on the utter shift in the map.
2. The Dems made some gains in Congressional races, but the game didn't entirely change. Regardless, the time has come to jettison Joe the Lieberman to the ranks of truly Independent and powerless.
3. Social conservatives are still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to proferring obtuse and bullshite referendum votes. Prop 8 in California is a particularly galling example. The war ain't over, people.
4. Sarah Palin has already been thrown under the bus, but she is about to be backed over time and time again. The single most stunning inside baseball piece of the day comes from "Newsweek" that includes reporting about her meeting campaign aides wearing just a towel (RAWR!) and how she got staffers to buy clothes for her on their own credit cards. The only person happy about how much of a joke she will forever be remembered becoming - Dan Quayle.
5. It ain't over. Recount in Minnesota's Franken/Coleman race. Runoff in Georgia's Chambliss/Martin race. Cats and dogs sleeping together. Much more to report later.
But the single most interesting tidbit from the avalanche of reporting is the brilliant "get" that David Remnick ("The New Yorker" editor in chief) got from William Ayers yesterday in Barack Obama's neighborhood. Anyone that claims Obama is tarnished by a connection to Ayers has always been full of shite. This little poetic moment of reportage proves it. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
A few final thoughts. I've been an obvious Obama supporter from the beginning. He's a most capable person in the most challenging of times. I don't begrudge those that were not on board. Yet the time has come for the Nation to realize one simple fact - Barack Obama won. He hired the best people, he raised the most money, he benefitted from the news of the day, blah blah blah. Barack Obama will be our next President because he was smart enough and convincing enough to get people to listen to him and vote for him. I am proud of my country today. And damn glad to be able to say that.
Hope you're all looking forward today. Rock on.
1. Battleground states broke almost entirely for Obama. The more time he spent there, the better he did. Period. Just look at Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida if you doubt my take on the utter shift in the map.
2. The Dems made some gains in Congressional races, but the game didn't entirely change. Regardless, the time has come to jettison Joe the Lieberman to the ranks of truly Independent and powerless.
3. Social conservatives are still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to proferring obtuse and bullshite referendum votes. Prop 8 in California is a particularly galling example. The war ain't over, people.
4. Sarah Palin has already been thrown under the bus, but she is about to be backed over time and time again. The single most stunning inside baseball piece of the day comes from "Newsweek" that includes reporting about her meeting campaign aides wearing just a towel (RAWR!) and how she got staffers to buy clothes for her on their own credit cards. The only person happy about how much of a joke she will forever be remembered becoming - Dan Quayle.
5. It ain't over. Recount in Minnesota's Franken/Coleman race. Runoff in Georgia's Chambliss/Martin race. Cats and dogs sleeping together. Much more to report later.
But the single most interesting tidbit from the avalanche of reporting is the brilliant "get" that David Remnick ("The New Yorker" editor in chief) got from William Ayers yesterday in Barack Obama's neighborhood. Anyone that claims Obama is tarnished by a connection to Ayers has always been full of shite. This little poetic moment of reportage proves it. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
A few final thoughts. I've been an obvious Obama supporter from the beginning. He's a most capable person in the most challenging of times. I don't begrudge those that were not on board. Yet the time has come for the Nation to realize one simple fact - Barack Obama won. He hired the best people, he raised the most money, he benefitted from the news of the day, blah blah blah. Barack Obama will be our next President because he was smart enough and convincing enough to get people to listen to him and vote for him. I am proud of my country today. And damn glad to be able to say that.
Hope you're all looking forward today. Rock on.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Maya practices her "treat-worthy" face.
Trick or Treating with Maya in our neighborhood last night was a blast. One of her friends from this summer's dance class hosted a party. After pizza and playtime we meandered for quite a while 'round the 'hood, marveling at the amount and energy of other people doing much the same thing. Say what you will about Seattle. But the people rock. We hope you have at least as much fun as we did. Here's a glimpse in the next few shots. Rock on.
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