Liking Clinton Again

Just as some predicted, the wounds inflicted on the Democratic Party by the prolonged primary season have started to heal. All but a few high profile Clinton supporters have gone over to Obama, and most people, including Obama, acknowledge that the long pre-season made Obama a much better debater and candidate. Without that primary season, Obama would never have known the extent of his weakness among Appalachian voters in PA, for example.

So are we ready to like the Clintons again? Bill Richardson is, even if Bill Clinton doesn't feel the same way. And while some grouse that Hillary doesn't seem to be doing much for Obama, I suspect she is being very helpful to him in targeted ways, and being extremely helpful to her Congressional colleagues, buying back a lot of good will with her fundraising talents.

So what about me? Can I like them again? I had been feeling neutral on Hillary, and annoyed with Bill Clinton for his failure to step up for Obama, and then I read this bit in Politico. From th Al Smith dinner, by Jonathan Martin:

And on the former president's odd pledge to avoid campaigning for Obama until after the Jewish High Holidays, McCain "you've got to admire that ecumenical spirit."

"I just know Bill would like to be out there now stumping for Barack until the last hour of the last day," he said. "Unfortunately, he is constrained by his respect for any voters who might be observing the Zoroastrian New Year."

Hillary got a huge laugh at this.

This is a pretty insightful vignette. Bill really wanted Hillary to win. She didn't. For the sake of her career, she needs to get over her loss. But does Bill? In fact, if he got over it faster than she did, wouldn't that be a dog sort of thing to do? That's what loving husbands do. They stay mad for you. Everyone has always wondered at the Clintons' marriage, wondering if its one of convenience, or love. I think now love. He really really wanted this for her, believed that she'd be the best. Why should he have to give that up now? Obama would feel the same way if Michelle were in Hillary's position. This really humanizes Bill Clinton for me.

Dare I admit it? I may yet like Bill Clinton again.

Inside Joke

Who is T&A Lady's favorite world leader?

European Commission President Jose Manuel Beeroso.

Lemme tell ya, I was cracking myself up all the way to work with that one.

DARE to Say No (to McCain)

Check out Partnership for a McCain-Free White House. Now I just hope they re-do that "brain on drugs" ad with the eggs.

A Few More Thoughts

And I won't embarrass myself by enumerating them and then forgetting what they all were.

Betty White, f-in hilarious:



The Reverse Bradley effect. I think this could happen. My only evidence, aside from what I read in the blog-o-net, is that my mom and stepdad in Virginia support Obama.* They would admit it to pollsters on the phone, but my mom has described certain perceived pressures in her neighborhood which would make her reluctant to boast a yard sign for Obama. And George Packer has an anecdote in an article in The New Yorker about voters in southern Ohio about a young man he meets (who answers the door in his underwear actually) who admits to being an Obama supporter, and says he knows others, but wouldn't admit it. The young man didn't go on record, either. I can understand this. I remember in high school that taking an unpopular position (like writing "No Blood for Oil" on your backpack during Operation Desert Storm) could illicit actual anger and derision from other 18 year olds. If you didn't have gumption/chutzpah/brass balls, it could be intimidating. But as Norman from The Wire says, "The sanctity of the voting booth is the cornerstone of our democracy." I just hope my fellow Americans get over it, and do the right thing.

* This isn't shocking coming from my mother. I just hope she isn't annoyed that I have broadcast her preference on the inter-tubes. Like Norman from The Wire, my mother would never disclose who she actually voted for, usually saying, "I wrote in Angela Davis" when I asked her who she voted for.


Some minor ways I am noticing that the economy is way f***ed up: My husband has begun to worry; there were only 3 tables occupied tonight at our local spaghetti joint (called Bottle Running by my son because the above poster is on the wall there) when usually the place is jammed; the parking lot in our office has more spots available, leading to conjecture that there was a layoff in the company on the floor above us. Also my 401(k) is down probably 10%, and that's great news. Awesome timing on quitting my job, huh? I don't think that's what they mean when they say "timing the market."

Unless something incredibly hilarious happens at the wedding I am attending, don't expect any posts this weekend. I am flying to Detroit very early tomorrow. I have to go to a party directly from the airport, and (I've never done this before) so I have to dress nicely for the flight. Usually I am either in work clothes or looking like a hot mess, so I am unusually anxious about this. I have no idea why dressing nicely for a long distance flight freaks me out. Maybe because it is something I secretly criticize other people for doing. What is her deal? Why is she dressed like that?, I hiss, in my mind. I'm mean like that.

And no, I am not drinking.

Two Other Thoughts

Where is all the money? I am referring here to the global economic downturn. Was all that "value" just on paper, or are the super-rich hording their money or what?

Oh shit. I can't remember my other thought.

A Lot of Things Rattling Around in My Head

I am maga-busy these days, making it hard to focus on blogging anything more than a few sentences at a time. So I will stick with what I know, and just blog about all the topics that pop into my head.

• McCain wants to suspend the mandatory age for 401(k) withdrawals. Putting aside whether this is a prudent proposal, doesn't it seem like its extremely micro-targeted? The target group being people who are about to turn 70 and a half, of course. How many of those folks were not going to vote for McCain already, who would be swayed by this?
  
• A haiku for the lady I saw in SF today: Lady on the street/where did your eyebrows go to?/Is your forehead cold?
• Ryan Lizza described Obama as a "left conservative", a phrase coined by Norman Mailer, in a New Yorker podcast I heard the other day. Thought that was interesting, and accurate.
• Just as Bill Clinton was considered our 'first Black President', I think Obama will be considered our 'first female President.' He operates in such an empathic, consensus-building mode of leadership that we haven't seen before. It also has a certain poetic justice to it.
  
• My brilliant kid (the older one) asked the other day where helium comes from. I actually had to look it up. A co-worker suggested I say, "From the Party Warehouse", but frankly the Big Bang** is easier to explain.

** All helium in the universe was created in the Big Bang.

An update on Norbert

No, not Norbert the storm. My mother reports: “At Lacordaire during my tenure (9/1964 to 6/1967), Sister Norbert, O.P. was an RN and our school nurse. She wobbled like a weeble and slowly toddled the halls like a three-toed sloth. She was dubbed 'Sister Morbid'.” Mom offers to check Lives of the Saints, if anyone is interested in the origins. I, for one, am interested.

 

That One

I am sure you have heard that McCain called Obama "that one" during the debate last night. Here's what McCain's campaign had to say in reaction to the, well, reactions:

Nicolle Wallace, a spokesman for Mr. McCain, said in a statement: “I am shocked that at a moment of national crisis, where our economy is on the minds of every single person, I am shocked that they are again proving to be the fussiest campaign in American history.”

Shocked at fussiness? Chick needs to chill out. Try being shocked that this war is still going on, that we just set aside $700 billion for companies whose CEOs may not take the money if it means giving up the golden parachute, that people beat children, that the Cubs made it to the playoffs. There's a lot to be shocked about in this world, but "fussiness" does not cut muster. I don't know how these people keep themselves in such high dudgeon. I guess this is what losing looks like. But doesn't all the shock lose its shock value after a while?

Oh, and for the headline alone.

Your Obama Blog of the Day

Yes We Can (Hold Babies). Adorable.

(Giggle)(Head shake)

From Matier and Ross:

And finally: First, the big new Federal Building in San Francisco was late and over budget. Then workers complained about needing sunglasses and umbrellas indoors to shield them from the glaring sun.

Now comes word about another bit of embarrassment at the $144 million "green" behemoth at Seventh and Mission streets.

Officials recently installed four giant, stainless-steel plaques near the entryway in recognition of the many planners, architects and others who helped make the eco-friendly building possible.

Only it wasn't long before office workers were making pilgrimages to the wall - and snickering at the engraved name of one "Hugh G. Rection."

That plaque is now gone. Of course, so are all the others, temporarily - seems they were installed crooked.

More of Nothing

Debate: Tried to watch it. McCain annoys me too much.

Feeling unproductive? This factoid should make you feel worse: rapper Too Short got his start doing "special requests", which are customized rap songs for individuals. At the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, he claimed to have done about 50,000 special requests when he was starting out. 50,000 individualized rap songs. I cannot write one. I can barely write discovery responses these days. Or emails.

There's a hurricane called Norbert? What are the hell?

Last night, I woke up around 2am to get Q some milk. I don't know if it was something else outside or me walking around in the middle of the night (some windows were open) but a skunk sprayed in our backyard. It was awful. I almost cried. The house was totally infused with skunk funk. And that's on top of all the unattractive boy smells that already permeate my life. I was wishing for a desensitized nose, then, my friends, also. Anyway, now I hate skunks, even if they eat snails.

Observations

I was walking around a mall-like location today, and I was listening to these teenagers talking, and all I could think was, "Man, what a waste of words!" It's like, torrential stupidity. Verbal diarrhea. I won't even worry you with the details. Just trust me.

Check out this cool website 30 Reasons. I like it.

I was wondering today, has anyone gotten an Obama tattoo yet? Yes, is the answer. In fact, a lot of people have.

That's all for now.

Tryna Calm Down

Friend sent this to me, don't know where its from. Very helpful, as I am stressing out big time about this election.

(Congrats Red Sox, now back to my regularly scheduled freak-out)

Hecka Funny

Some dudes have devised an Obama Fist Bumps Photo Booth Fundraiser. Click here to see the photos, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

One other thought: So. Much. White. People.

If you want to feature this awesome photo booth at your fundraiser, let me know. I can hook you up with their erstwhile booking agent.

Get Thee To The Nunnery

Our ol' pal Jay has a piece at the unfortunately named Monkeybicycle.net.

I would go there, Jay, if I were in a study abroad program in Prague.

UPDATE: Jay is no joke. Mr. Scobie reports that he recalls discussing this with Jay at the Old Town Ale House in Chicago in 1992.

VP debate post

Pali did not crap the bed. Sorry for the idiom, mom and mother in law.

This must be the best looking VP debate EVER. Biden is a silver fox. And I know from whence I speak.

UPDATE: Wish I'd seen this before the debate. Thanks Mr. Pat.

UPDATE 2: I just remembered something funny that I heard Hendrick Hertzberg say this morning. He was talking about what he expected from Biden in the debate, and he said that he thought Biden would have all the awkwardness of a happily married man in debating Sarah Palin. He went on to explain (after Dorothy Wickenden [this was in a New Yorker podcast] expressed surprise) that he meant that Biden did not spend a lot of time thinking about how to connect with other women. This is an off-topic point, but that is a really interesting insight into how men understand one another. It might also be a good indicator of whether you have a happily married husband on your hands. In the end, I think Biden did great. He treated Palin like a worthy sparring partner, at least as much as she was McCain's surrogate, and didn't concern himself with understanding her, because, of course, who the hell could?

Various and Sundry

Having little in the way of wit or surplus charm today, herewith is today's blog post:

1. The formal structure of the previous phrasing arises from the fact that I spent this evening writing a, what was it called, First and Final Account and Report and Petition for Final Distribution and For Statutory Compensation. I would say, "Just shoot me" but then some other luckless chap will have to write one for me. It's a probate case.

2. For a good preview of what its like to debate Sarah Palin. I love the phrase "glittering generalities." I think I need to learn to speak in those too.

3. I changed the look of my blog because I was bored with the way it was before. I don't know how to write html so I have to use the blogger templates. A buddy recently recommended typepad (another software "platform" I think is what its called), but I fear change, so I will impotently toggle templates til my brain re-engages with the actual content of this blog, and then the color scheme won't matter again.

He's Everywhere

Western Swing was good enough to bring to my attention the fact that I am not the only Nelson Marans "fan" out there. A DailyKos diarist has run afoul of Mr. Marans, who has accordingly blogged about it. Mr. Marans is clearly out of his league in a foreign policy debate about anything that requires more than skin-deep knowledge of the topic. He doesn't support Obama. He either (a) writes physical letters to periodicals, suggesting he is out of touch with technology, or (b) he is facile with basic technology, like Yahoo Mail, permitting him to email indiscriminately. Those are 3 ways that he resembles the McCain-Palin ticket. Just pointing it out.

Live Blogging the Post-Debate

If I knew what was good for me (and I don't), I would just got to bed. I didn't get to watch the debate live because Li thinks the "Obama show" is boring. In this case, I have to agree. I watched about an hour of it, and maybe because I am basically obsessed with politics, I felt like there was nothing new. First debate, check. On to the bailout.

Having been to Oxford recently, I wonder at a few things. Like where are Howard Dean and Vernon Jordan staying tonight? There aren't a lot of options. I am sort of tickled that they may be staying at the bed and breakfast where I stayed. They'll probably gain 3 pounds at breakfast. Also, there seemed to be football crowd-sized crowds rallying. Is there a game tomorrow?

All right, no interesting insights to see here. Move along.