Honest to blog.

I swear I’m going to update you on everything [and there's a LOT of everything] going on in our lives.  Seems like when I work in an office, I fall off of the face of the earth.  Well, I plan to remedy that this week – both by blogging – and also by finishing my stint at 360jmg, the firm I’ve been working at this election cycle.

Here’s what I have to remember to cover in this massive posting I plan on writing this week:

• Becky’s super-secret-surprise-birthday-halloween-costume-party extravaganza
•  The election. I’ve almost purposely avoided blogging about politics this cycle. Most of you know what I think already – and everyone from outside of DC only seems to want to talk to me about it so I can tell them how smart they are and what a DC insider they sound like.  That said, I’m certainly happy that so many of my hitherto apathetic friends seem to get why I dragged Adam here and what I’ve been working for for the last 8 years.
• Baby-ness.  We’re 5 weeks out and I’ve barely even mentioned him here.  I hear you saying to yourself, “Booo! Sandy sucks.”  Agreed.
• TV – all of the new seasons have started and we need to talk about it – including the new Jeopardy theme music. Eww.
• Pictures. I’ve got a TON of pics of everything from the Jimmy Buffett show to my giantness to Heidi and David’s wedding to our new front stoop and basement, to a baby shower – and even this weekend’s party. I’ll upload those bad boys soon.  Pretty hilarious.
• Recent reading – and my book club.
• My job.
• A few more recipes that did not fail.
• An update on Teddy and his bizarre health issues. (Don’t worry, nothing too bad!)
• A request for stroller/baby stuff recommendations.  We have no clue what we need.  You baby mamas and baby daddies out there need to tell us what things you use that you can’t live without!

Ok – so that’s a lot to post about this week.  But I’ll try.

Is anybody even reading anymore, now that I’ve left you without any titillating info for months? If so, let me know I’m not just typing to the wall;)

ABBA? Really?

So Political Wire, via Blender, published a list of the candidates’ favorite songs.  Hmmm…

1. Ready or Not Fugees	1. Dancing Queen ABBA
2. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye	2. Blue Bayou Roy Orbison
3. I’m On Fire Bruce Spingsteen	3. Take a Chance On Me ABBA
4. Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones	4. If We MakeIt Through December Merle Haggard
5. Sinnerman Nina Simone	5. As Time Goes By Dooley Wilson
6. Touch the Sky Kanye West	6. Good Vibrations The Beach Boys
7. You’d Be So Easy to Love Frank Sinatra	7. What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong
8. Think Aretha Franklin	8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin Frank Sinatra
9. City of Blinding Lights U2	9. Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond
10. Yes We Can  will.i.am	10. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes The Platters

Bill Kristol Is Lucky.

…lucky to grace the pages of JackTeddy&Us, that is. And why, you ask, would I ever allot any of our precious pixels to this man? Well, in today’s NYT op-ed section, he makes a fair point. And why, you ask again, would I acknowledge this in any meaningful way? The answer is that his fair point is the point I’ve been making for months now. No, I’m not a liberal-turned-neocon. And no, I’m not excited that the only person willing to give Hillary any credit – let alone column inches – for her incredible, if not historic, victories is a neoconservative pundit who, by the way, serves as one of McCain’s top advisers.

But seriously. Check out today’s NYT op-ed section. [I know not everyone is a reader - but it's a short piece and it presents an opinion that is almost NEVER expressed in media coverage of this race. Take 2 minutes and broaden your horizons!] His article entitled Hillary Gets No Respect tells a lot of truth. Yes, it pains me to say that I agree with Mr. Kristol – and that it may appear to some that I am willing to listen to anyone who validates my own opinions. But, no matter where you stand politically, you’ve got to give Kristol some respect for being a Republican with a brain who is articulate enough to make rational explanations – even if you flat out disagree with most of his opinions. Looks like he and I have found some common ground.

Ain’t No Party Like A DC Party.

Did you watch the Washington Nationals’ opening day at our new stadium? Probably not if you’re from outside of the metro area. If that’s the case, you really only missed one exciting, if not controversial, moment. Listen to the crowd:

Do you think it’s ok to boo the W?

Catching Our Breath.

So we’ve been busy for like a month.  First, we went skiing, then on a Caribbean cruise, then to Florida for Bonnie’s wedding, and back to DC where it was all about Joy’s baby shower – and we were each sick for about a week somewhere in the midst of it all.  This weekend was really our first chance to catch our breath and relax.  Thank you, Easter! The roads were clear, the ‘hood was quiet and pretty, and the weather was unbelievable.

As you can imagine, we’ve got LOTS of pictures to share!  They’re all posted on Flickr – find them in the right sidebar of the blog, or check them out by clicking on the links below.  There’s an option to view them in slideshow format, if you’d like.

Some Pics of Hillary & Barry from the VA Dems Dinner
Ski Weekend with Chuck & Becky
Bonnie’s Wedding

Cruise pics to come in the next couple of days – as well as more blog posts about all kinds of good and exciting things that have happened over the past month. Stay tuned and check back often!

I Guess I’m Not The Only One Who Has Obama Fatigue.

Look, I like the guy. But when you have an alternative like Hillary Clinton, a legislative rockstar, it’s not a tough choice for me.

Listen to the crew’s laughter in the background. Amen.

Obama Is Already President? And God? Really?

Wow. Check out this article. Here are the snippits, but check out the whole thing. It’s short.

On inspiration as the core of the campaign:

“That is not just maddeningly vague but also disingenuous: the campaign is entirely about Obama and his ability to inspire. Rather than focusing on any specific issue or cause — other than an amorphous desire for change — the message is becoming dangerously self-referential. The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is. “
On Obama and supporters talking like he’s a kind of messiah:Obama himself joked about this at a Hollywood fundraiser, as noted in Men’s Vogue:

“When Morgan Freeman comes over to greet Obama, the senator begins bowing down both hands in worship. ‘This guy was president before I was,’ says Obama, referring to Freeman’s turn in Deep Impact and, clearly, getting a little ahead of his own bio. Next, a nod to Bruce Almighty: ‘This guy was God before I was.’”

Health Care.

Monday’s edition of The New York Times contained a pretty interesting op-ed on the Clinton and Obama health care plans. You know, there’s so much talk about how the candidates are so similar that it’s really going to come down to personality – not true. There are real differences that matter. It’s really nice when a reputable publication lays out these differences in a neat little package – and in one page or less.

Here’s the main thesis:

If you combine the economic analysis with these political realities, here’s what I think it says: If Mrs. Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, there is some chance — nobody knows how big — that we’ll get universal health care in the next administration. If Mr. Obama gets the nomination, it just won’t happen.

Click here for the whole article.

Hallelujah Holla Back Y’all.

So The Times endorsed Hillary – and the ed board’s explanation for their choice is really impressive. Here’s a tiny excerpt, but please consider reading the article in full, as it really makes an intelligent case for Hillary and lays out my exact trepidations about Barry. Check it out, dudes.

The New York Times
January 25, 2008
Editorial

Primary Choices: Hillary Clinton

This generally is the stage of a campaign when Democrats have to work hard to get excited about whichever candidate seems most likely to outlast an uninspiring pack. That is not remotely the case this year.

The early primaries produced two powerful main contenders: Hillary Clinton, the brilliant if at times harsh-sounding senator from New York; and Barack Obama, the incandescent if still undefined senator from Illinois. The remaining long shot, John Edwards, has enlivened the race with his own brand of raw populism.

As Democrats look ahead to the primaries in the biggest states on Feb. 5, The Times’s editorial board strongly recommends that they select Hillary Clinton as their nominee for the 2008 presidential election.

Click here to read the whole piece.

Notes to My Future President.

I recorded the second showing of last night’s Dem debate on MSNBC and have been watching it all day.  I’m so bored with it.  Obama is increasingly and off-puttingly smug – and Hillary looks so exhausted that her eyes are close to expressionless unless she’s super fired up about whatever she’s talking about.  I must say that each debate just solidifies my belief that we need to elect Hillary.  Barry just seems like all talk and attitude and Edwards comes across as way desperate.  Hillary seems to be the most realistic, pragmatic, competent choice.  Obama wants to have a great staff to do his bidding.  Not only am I not sure that I trust him to make better decisions for me than I could make for myself – I certainly don’t trust his would-be appointees to make those decisions for me for him!

That said…

Barry:  There are no such things as “often times.”  Your options are “often” and “many times.”  Pick one.  I need my president to express himself in a grammatically correct way.  I’ve missed that for eight years.

Hillary:  Stop saying “black/brown issues.”  I know what you mean and that you’re using that phrasing because it’s the jargon of the communities involved, but it sounds icky when you say it and it weirds me out.

What did you guys think of the debate?  Anything to add?

Point/Counterpoint.

“If you’re a woman, you vote for Hillary because of what it means to women everywhere,” said Chanpong, a sophomore.

Carreon Aguilar, a senior, said: “If I’m supposed to vote for Hillary just because I’m a woman, that’s kind of sexist.”

The above two quotes are from today’s Washington Post article on Hillary and young female voters. Just thought it was interesting.

Booyah.

Ok – I so rarely gt to say this – but – I TOLD YOU SO! I know I’ve been preaching Hillary since 1999 and you’re all sick of me. But tonight I feel vindicated in my belief now that it’s materializing. All the naysayers may have had points, but tonight I don’t want to hear it.  I mean, Jesus – the national media has been infuriating ALL day long.  I just want to bask in her win and ask Obama to shut his pie hole and concede already so I can hear HRC’s victory speech. Seriously.

I’m sure I’ll have more on this tomorrow.

Blahg.

So this is what it must be like when Sandy watches football with me (not basketball, though — she loves hoops!)…

We’re watching CNN’s coverage of the NH primary and while I am interested and care about the result, I can’t focus on the non-stop coverage. My guess is that this is how Sandy feels about a football game about midway through the 2nd quarter.

What’s tough is that I can’t pick a candidate…Sandy’s (and a lot of other people I know’s) strong passion for Hillary is intriguing, but she doesn’t quite do it for me. Barack just hasn’t convinced me that he can do anything other than give a good speech, but who knows what he is capable of. Are the criticisms of him as young and inexperienced (and a minority), the same ones that JFK got or is that just modern spin? I’ve always tried to like Edwards and every time I feel like he’s got me, I hear some story about his life that contradicts his rhetoric. But he seems to care most about America and genuinely seems concerned about poverty and the economy. Not sure what to do with him. I’ve also been really intrigued by Dodd, Biden and Richardson, but obviously none of them are going to be a factor (maybe as VP?)

On the Republican side, I’m torn between wanting McCain to get the nomination (because he is the one Republican I think I could tolerate as President) and wanting one of the wack jobs to get the nomination to make a Democratic victory more likely. Still wish Gore would run and no idea what to think about Bloomberg.

Now to Anderson Cooper and the best team of political analysts on television.

UPDATE: So apparently I’m a Kucinich man with Obama a close second…click here to see who you match up with.

Your Results

You planned to vote for Undecided. Based on your responses, your top candidate for 2008 is below.

Your Top Match
Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich (D) 85.71% match You are number 1,954,257 to use the Candidate Calculator.

Your Other Top MatchesIllinois Senator Barack Obama (D) – 82.14%
Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel (D) – 78.57%
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) – 78.57%

Middle of the Pack

New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) – 75.00%
Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd (D) – 71.43%
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) – 71.43%
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden (D) – 67.86%
Businessman John Cox (R) – 50.00%
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) – 46.43%
Texas Representative Ron Paul (R) – 35.71%
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) – 32.14%
Arizona Senator John McCain (R) – 28.57%
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback (R) – 21.43%

Bottom of the Barrel

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) – 21.43%
Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo (R) – 21.43%
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) – 14.29%
California Representative Duncan Hunter (R) – 10.71%

If I Wasn’t A Partisan, This Might Win Me Over.

Just Say It.

Here are things I wish would be said right now during the debate…

Hillary to Barry: “Look. It will take you three years to learn how to be President. I can go in on day 1 and make things happen. Shut your pie hole, serve at least one term in the senate, and then think about possibly running for president.”

Me to Joe Biden: Will you marry me?

Hillary to Barry: “Hmmmm…who can’t answer the driver’s license question this week? Hypocrite.”

All to Kucinich: “You’re right.  There are no illegal people. Just undocumented people.”