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.

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.”

Too Much Time on My Hands.

Alright. Adam is in New York with the team tonight – and I’m being really lazy here at home. And surprise! There is NOTHING on television.

Can we just talk about TV for a second?

First of all, I’d like to make a note that I saw my first Christmasy commercial of the year on this night, November 3rd. So, congratulations to Garmin for winning the award for Most Ridiculously Early Christmas-themed Commercial. Isn’t November 3rd a little early to bust out the lyrical parodies of Sweet Silver Bells?

Secondly, we need to have a conversation about the once very exciting Trading Spaces. We all loved the show at its start with good ole Alex McLeod, the cast of would-be-regular designers and carpenters, and, of course, that annoying theme music. Well, like 10 years ago [wow, it's been a long time], Alex got booted [or not] in favor of Paige Davis – who, might I add, was waaay too perky, but she grew on us. Then they began to include a very small number of new designers, very slowly, over many years. Next thing you know, Paige got the axe, the show decided it would be better without a host, the opening graphics and music changed, and they got some new carpenters.

I stopped watching the show years ago. I was never one to watch new episodes in prime time. Instead, it was the type of show I’d watch when there was nothing else on, but, of course, I’d become entranced against my will. But, it seemed like they just played repeats over and over and over for so long that I just lost interest. Plus, the original premise of the show was that neighbors could do anything THEY wanted to each other’s home – but that never really materialized. The reality of the situation was that whatever DESIGNERS were assigned to the houses got to do whatever they wanted. Often the actual homeowners were merely helpers and the design plans weren’t even divulged to them entirely. By the end of my viewing enjoyment, the designers would actually talk to the people whose houses they were decorating to find out what they wanted. Bah!

Now, in my absolute boredom, I saw the old standby in the guide and decided to tune in. Whoa! The only component of the show I even recognized was Frank, the flamboyantly straight old man designer with a soft spot for chickens. EVERYTHING else was different – the carpenters & designers [really new ones I've never ever seen before], the music, the format – everything. It blew my mind. Is this a sign that the show is conforming to what people want? Or does it mean that no one watches it and they’re desperate to make big enough changes to win back an audience? Either way, the fact that I’m over it has been confirmed.

Third – I want to write about last week’s Dem debate, but I’m so frustrated with it that I can’t make myself do it yet. Seriously? Is Dennis Kucinich such a real possible nominee that Tim Russert needs to investigate his personal life and bring more things that make him look wacky to the forefront for the American people to judge? Really? Is it helpful to our party to make an already losing, nerdy, unpopular candidate – who, mind you, is the only truly liberal voice on the dais – look like an absolute whack job by asking him about his UFO sighting? Way to make an effort to further discredit a guy who, aside from giving a different point of view and probably being a pretty nice guy, has probably been getting laughed at since he was nine. Great job. Reinforce the idea that leftist peaceniks are outside-the-main stream crazies. Whatever individuals think about him as a person doesn’t really have much to do with the fact that, in concept, what Tim Russert did was unnecessary, disrespectful, and just mean. He knew that most people think people who claim to have seen UFOs are mistaken and naive and he called out good guy Dennis Kucinich – for what? And I usually like Russert. And Obama. He just kicked the guy while he was down, marginalized him, and laughed at him. What a good guy, that Obama.

Also – does the fact that I’m increasingly drawn to the Science Channel, the History Channel, and Jeopardy mean that I’m turning into an old man?

What Hillary Should Have Said (in :90).

Do I support Governor Spitzer’s plan to issue drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants? Well, that’s a loaded question. When you’re running for president, to say that you support someone else’s plan implies that you would take the same action in their place – which makes lending full support to a colleague tricky.

I admire Governor Spitzer’s effort here. In a country where we have really failed to deal with the long-standing problem of illegal immigration, it is reasonable to assume that we will be met with strong and complicated consequences. One of those consequences is that these people are so afraid of capture and deportment that they hide in the shadows of our society, often letting crime go unreported. They would rather become silent victims than call on the help and protection of our police force, because of their fear of being discovered.

We face another safety issue in that we have illegal immigrants operating vehicles on our roads and highways without proper training and supervision. We don’t want those people driving without a license for the same reason we don’t want US citizens driving without licenses – because these drivers have not been trained, tested and approved to safely navigate our roads. Offering licenses to everyone provides a means by which everyone has the opportunity to learn to drive safely and can be identified on the road by license plates.

Now, if I understand the plan correctly, Governor Spitzer does not just want to issue drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants, but several different categories of licenses simply to help bring these individuals out of the shadows. It would benefit all of us and our national security efforts to provide these folks with identification so that they can be documented and accounted for – not to mention travel and participate in our economy.

So, do I support the governor’s plan? Yes, I see that our national system is broken and in lieu of snapping his fingers and solving New York’s specific problem instantaneously, the governor must take creative steps in the interim. Do I think this is ideal? Absolutely not. But, under the circumstances, I applaud Governor Spitzer for trying his best to find a solution for keeping New York safe when George Bush doesn’t seem to be able to.