DNC Smackdown

if you guys aren't watching the meeting of the DNC rules and bylaws committee... you're missing the shit!

clearly...my political nerdome still runs deep, despite my recent feelings of despair and burnout. but this is some good television.

they're currently listening to the proposal to seat the michigan delegates. this is a tough decision. unlike florida, not all the candidates were on the ballot in michigan. of course, harold ickes (who sits on the committee and is a senior advisor to the clinton campaign) just pointed out that the DNC never required candidates to take their names off the ballot and that they were probably just currying favor with voters in iowa.

the gentleman from michigan points out that he is not there to represent any one candidate but to fight for the will of the michigan voters. of course, they're basing this partly on cast ballots, party on exit polls and partly on write in votes that were never counted.

sounds fishy.... but they're suggesting a 69-59 delegate breakdown favoring clinton. but i agree with the big concern that we can't start putting too much stock in exit polls.

in all honesty, and realizing this does not help my girl hillary, they should simply split the delegates 50/50. but...if (for some reason) they do take this compromise... at least hillary comes out with net 10 pledged delegates.

now...the florida shit was fun. there was a beautifully heated exchange between congressman robert wexler of florida with several members of the committee... most notably harold ickes and tina flournoy (both of the clinton camp). keep in mind, wexler was representing the obama camp.

there's a lot of talk about unity and reconciliation of the democratic party... and so the obama camp has made the "concession" to seat the entire delegation with only 50% of their original power.

but when pressed on why seating delegates with 100% of their strength would not be a unifying factor to the party... why would obama not support that?

wexler refused to answer....

both sides seem to agree with the "ausman proposal" which would honor the popular vote and allocate delegates at 50% penalty. that means hillary would come out with a net gain of 19 delegates.

both sides agree to this plan... although the clinton camp would like all original delegates seated. that would cut much more into obama's delegate lead... but having the popular vote (in general) helps her "popular vote" argument. of course... delegates nominate - not the popular vote.

and either way... i still don't think hillary can pull ahead of obama.

but if you've been looking at the polls... obama is currently falling behind mccain in the polls. he is often tied with mccain or losing to him. he's behind 4 points in michigan. he's losing to mccain in pennsylvania and florida. FLORIDA!

hillary is leading mccain in national polls and in all of these states.

and i mention this not to say the superdelegates can overturn the will of the people...(which is still split basically 50/50) but that a lot of voters and pledged superdelegates may start feeling some buyer's remorse come the fall.

anyway. i'm telling you... turn the boobtube on to cnn or msbnc. donna brazile even got all preacher on our asses earlier....

if you're a political junkie, it's not to be missed. of course, we'll report on more later...

e.

R.I.P. Harvey Korman

harvey korman has passed. his turn as hedley lamarr in mel brooks' "blazing saddles" is one of my favorite film performances. i honestly felt he should have been nominated for a best supporting actor oscar.

e.

Holy Shit!

i've just completed the first rough draft of my new full-length play.

after living with this idea in my head for over the past eight years... i can't believe it's all down on paper. and...most surprising of all...i think i'm really pleased with it.

it feels good to find this happiness again. it feels good to feel alive.

i think this calls for some more wine.

e.

Veepstakes: 5.22.08

things are in motion, people....

john mccain has not really hidden the fact that he is looking into his potential running mate. however, cnn is reporting this morning that obama has also begun to seek out his running mate (but in secret. shhhhh....).

time to revise the list.

the GOP
mccain is meeting with three individuals this week at his home. not surprising, they're all governors.

first up is charlie crist of florida. crist remains at the top of my prediction list. when you're running for prez, you want to carry florida. a very popular gov from that state will do the trick.

ole johnny boy is also meeting with flip-flop mitt. yes, governor romney has apparently made the short list after their very public distaste of each other highlighted their primary campaigning. but... the conservative base seems to like mitt. i also heard an interesting idea: mitt could carry michigan where his father, an ex-governor, was very popular. taking away michigan, a blue state the dems should win in november, is a nice strategy.

and finally....apparently...rush's voice is still big in the GOP. of course, they're all soulless bastards, so why not?

bobby jindal, the newly elected governor of louisiana, is also meeting with mccain. i understand the thought-process behind this.... he's new and fresh... mccain is old and smells of formaldehyde. but a complete unknown? still... what a ticket.

the dems
there is still a lot of talk of hillary... and it seems it would be the best ticket to bring the party together. apparently, there are indications that she would take it. however, i just don't see how the choice flies with obama's narrative of new politics and turning the page on the past.

governor ted strickland of ohio has jumped to the top of my list. i'm almost embarrassed that i forgot to mention him last time. you want to win ohio as a presidential candidate in november... he could help carry that. he's also a hillary surrogate...and everyone still believes if he doesn't pick hill, pick one of her loyal supporters.

that also keeps gov. ed rendell of pennsylvania in the running and senator evan bayh of indiana.

i still think he could choose a woman to help pick up hillary's supporters. senator claire mccaskell of MO remains on my list. but...again with the logic that he should really pick a governor, kathy sebelius of kansas.

so you want a governor, i'm thinking, but you also want someone that can help you pick up a key state: ohio, pennsylvania, missouri.

let's rank 'em:

republican running-mate:

1. crist
2. romney
3. jindal
4. graham
5. petraeus

democratic running-mate:

1. strickland
2. rendell
3. sebelius
4. mccaskell
5. bayh

*with hillary remaining the ultimate spoiler.

e.

Notes From All Over: Long Overdue Edition

please forgive my absence, my lovelies... it's been a busy couple of weeks.

but i'm happy to announce that today's entry comes to you straight from my brand-spankin' new laptop. it feels good... i'll explain the need for the purchase shortly... first, kudos to my little brother for assisting so much with the purchase and set up of the laptop.... it's been wonderful.

anxiety trifecta
the other week i attended a wine tasting with my dear friend vicky. the event was held at one shell plaza in downtown houston.

for those unfamiliar with me... let's review my laundry list of phobias: heights, small spaces, large crowds and several others too intimate to confess at this time.

the wine tasting was on the 49th floor of one shell plaza... you have to take THREE elevators to reach the 49th floor. there i entered a room full of wealthy individuals who were all looking out the windows that stretched around the entire room from ceiling to floor.

so let's review: 49th floor...nothing but windows (i could see the tops of other skyscrapers). three elevators from the parking garage to the 49th floor...very small space. for a time no numbers lighted so i had no idea which floor i was on. and a large group of wealthy individuals - only two of whom i knew.

not a good time for my neuroses.

oh! then i had the opportunity to witness one of the lasting traditions of misogyny...the belly dancer. three belly dancers entertained the crowd between the first three and last three bottles of wine.

i'm certain the first was the teacher (turned out she was) and the other two were her students. but why the belly dancing? i have a theory.

the tall brunette - the one who started off stiff and never looked fully comfortable - is in desperate need of a self-esteem boost and this was recommended by her therapist.

the shorter blonde dancer was secure in her moves. she's writing her masters thesis on various forms of female objectification and she feels she needs to experience them all in order to fully develop her paper.

just my theory.

black hole of humanity
i've been shopping for furniture and i'm happy to announce that i finally have some grown-up furniture in my living room. the blue ikea is now in the bedroom as a reading, lounging area... and i've taken the long-loved black futon down to galveston... where i set it out to sea ablaze in proper viking fashion. actually - it's on my curb... but it deserves something better. we've been through a lot that couch.

but...in my search of the furniture... i'm here to tell you, my friends. i have looked into the abyss and it has looked back into me. and it's name is mattress mack. i swear to vishnu...the guy looks like the fucking crypt keeper.

i had hoped i could go to my grave and proudly proclaim to st. peter: "i never stepped foot in gallery furniture." but i have... and i feel dirty.

and mattress mack looked at me as i entered and i saw all the evil and bile i know encompasses this man's soul as i looked back into his dead great white shark eyes.

evil, i know thy name.

p.s. i did not purchase my furniture there. they have shit.

a dingo ate my baby
actually...they're coyotes. and apparently they're attacking small children in california. crazy, huh?

stop intruding on the land that belongs to this nation's wildlife.

fuckin' yuppies.

hell on earth
a.k.a. the baby section at target.

i went to pick out a gift for my brother and his preggers wife... i was going to see them and i thought i should find something.

i know not from babies... never held one. never changed one... never thought much about breast pumps and binkies and other shit i really have no clue about.

so there i am.... staring into the depths of the baby section. lost. slightly afraid. but more scornful. i sneered as i looked through the registry list.

"what the fuck is that?" was my most common thought.

i probably scared some of the other customers.... but i was overwhelmed by all the little pink and blue and green and purple plastic things that go in here or attach to that or make sure... what? i'm not really sure.

i found a plush alligator. they live in louisiana...i figured she'd better get used to it. oh - and some cute bibs. green and yellow. fuck gender specific ideologies. not on my watch.

the trip
as you can probably tell by the fact that i sit here typing... i made it to baton rouge and back without the bridge over the atchafalaya basin crumbling beneath me. but i did think about it... actually, i thought about it every bridge i crossed.

i have issues... what do you want me to say?

the trip was nice... somehow i was able to remain a vegan in louisiana... it took some effort - but i managed. this included a delicious thai meal saturday night. good green curry. yummy!

my mom was there and i presented her with the short story i had written for mother's day. she cried... so i assume she liked it. (side note: it's been awhile since i've composed a short story... felt good. not sure how great it was but i liked it. it recounted a nice evening my mom and i had drinking and listening to jazz at an old restaurant i worked at. a good night.)

the baby shower was sunday in mandeville...which is on the north side of lake pontchartrain. you can still see damage from katrina. nothing like in NOLA, i'm sure. they've built up nicely... but there are still empty lots. only remnants of the houses that once stood.

while the women opened gifts and discussed baby names (for the record, i like ilya and brooklyn) my brother, his father-in-law and i went to look around the lake and have some beers.

the father is a good ole cajun boy who can become hard to understand the more he drinks. but he's full of good stories and good humor. he showed us the spot jazz musicians used to play at when they left NOLA. late night jam sessions just down the street.

my brother and his wife scored at the baby shower... i believe they now have four car seats and two high chairs. they liked the alligator and they bet it will be the one toy their daughter always carries around.

for some odd reason... that thought makes me smile.

the name for the little girl seems to come down to leah, allison or katharine. i'm hoping for katharine. katharine elizabeth. but we'll see....

baton rouge to houston: 9 hours
when i drove to baton rouge... it took me four hours. i drive fast, i freely admit this. i used to make it from denton to sugar land in four hours and 15 minutes. so... when i tell you it took 9 hours to get from baton rouge to houston on monday... you'll understand i was not happy.

i was making great time... sailing through beaumont at the three hour mark when suddenly, my gas friendly toyota corolla starts freaking out on me. then...i can't accelerate. i look at the gauges. there was a simple reason: my car had died.

somehow i'm able to glide off I-10 onto the shoulder and string together the most lovely tapestry of profanities.

i went through a lot of shit with my last car so i bought the corolla for two reasons: great gas mileage (if i couldn't afford a hybrid - the next best thing) and nobody has problems with toyotas.

so there i stand... somewhere in fucking beaumont. i enter a pest control joint and the very nice woman helps me find a towing company. i tell them to take me to the nearest mechanic.

there...they find bulletins posted online about 2005 corollas with VIN numbers less that whatever.

this is my luck, my lovelies. if anyone was going to purchase a toyota that would crap out of them when it's only three years old and has only 37,000 miles (i bought it used) - it would be me.

somewhere, however, ganesha was watching over me. the bulletins stated they were having difficulties with fuel pumps and computer parts on my particular corolla. thank buddha, both parts carried a 6-60 warranty because of these defects (six years or 60,000 miles). so it was another tow to the nearest toyota dealership where i sat. and sat. i took five hours... but my car was fixed and it cost me nothing.

so nine hours later...i pull into my drive. the worst part of all: my good friend sally had found us tickets to hear tony kushner at the alley monday night. it began at 7:30. i pulled into my place hungry and tired at 7:05.

we missed tony.

this week
i've taken this entire week off from work in order to write. i hope to complete the full-length play that has been gestating in my head for over seven years. i've had a lot of hurdles since i first thought of this play. years with roommates in my one-bedroom apartments. i have to be alone when i write.

i worked two jobs for over a year.... simply no time to write when you're working all the time.

but over the past couple of years my work load has lessened... i find myself secure in my one bedroom apartment. alone with my new furniture and fabulous laptop. i bought the laptop so i wouldn't be stuck looking at my bedroom wall on the desktop computer. i'm sitting in front of my laptop in my dining room... surrounded by windows and natural light.

i'm switching between jazz/big band and classical music.

last night i completed the outline for the play. i'm surprised at how happy i am with it. i've also completed 23 pages of what i expect to be about a 100-page play.

it feels good....

once i'm done... i hope to hold a reading and get some input. i'll keep you posted on that, as well.

okay - i'm off to write. i promise not to neglect you so long next time.

if i don't talk to you... enjoy the upcoming memorial day weekend.

e.

On to the Supreme Court...?

the california supreme court today struck down a state-wide ban on same-sex marriage... becoming only the second state (after massachusetts) to allow gays and lesbians to marry.

the ruling stated:

There can be no doubt that extending the designation of marriage to same-sex couples, rather than denying it to all couples, is the equal protection remedy that is most consistent with our state's general legislative policy and preference.
...
limiting the designation of marriage to a 'union between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

yea! always nice to know california and massachusetts remain the progressive states.

i'm betting texas should adopt same-sex marriage some time just before mississippi and georgia or hell freezing over.

of course...the current supreme court does not look favorable when the appeal finally makes it their way.

then again... they've never heard a case concerning same-sex marriage.

well, at least us queens love drama!

e.

Veepstakes: GOP Edition

the republicans bore me so much my heart isn't really into this particular guessing game, unlike predicting the democratic running mate... but let's give it a go.

oh...and i preface this by admitting i'm not nearly as familiar with some potential republican running mates... so i'm handicapped a 7. (huh...golf lingo. i'm not even sure i know what that means... i wonder if it should be higher? lower?)

looking at the field
mccain's biggest problem is his age. i shit you not... i mean, the guy's what? 101? 102? he's 97 if he's a day... but he also has an ongoing problem with the conservative base... who, for some reason, doesn't see mccain for the hawkish war monger he really is....

so mccain will be looking for a younger, "more conservative" version of himself. much like the democrats, i also think he'll want to find a governor in order to give his ticket some executive bona fides.

charlie criss of florida seems a perfect choice. he'll help carry florida in the general just as he did in the primary... and johnny boy owes him a great debt for that victory. but criss is not overly well-known on the national stage... unlike his predecessor, jeb bush. plus... if you're going for younger... is that too much white hair on the ticket?

i once again offer up the importance of pennsylvania. certain big states will go certain ways. texas to mccain. new york and california to obama. but pennsylvania is becoming a progressively more purple state and it's a big electoral prize.

why not tom ridge? he's an ex-governor of the keystone state AND the first secretary of the homeland security department. that plays directly into mccain's plan to run a campaign heavy on national security. plus...ridge is younger and seems more robust (despite his hearing aid). he worked construction as a young man and is a decorated war hero from vietnam. seems a match made in heaven?

oh, wait... i think i suddenly remember ridge being pro-choice. that could spell disaster for mccain and his already lagging conservative appeal.

some pundits still want to argue ole mitt "flip-flop" romney... he appealed greatly to the conservative base (for some odd reason) and is known for being a smart, fiscal conservative. but fiscal conservatism isn't mccain's weakness... he has more problems with his ideas on immigration... and there were those illegals cutting the lawn at mitt's pink house.

plus... is there any question these two despise each other.....?

i just can't imagine hillbilly huckabee on the ticket.... i'm afraid he'd be more of a distraction than anything else... but his evangelical roots could help court a religious right that remains skeptical of mccain.

some have mentioned condolezza rice... a plan to help cut into obama's stranglehold on the black vote. but i'm not sure having someone tied so tightly to the bush administration and the war in iraq is something mccain wants to add to his ticket. he's hopped into bed with bush on the iraq war but he needs to continue to impress on voters that he is not a third bush term.

so who else is out there?

senator lindsey graham is constantly at mccain's side and he could help snag south carolina away from obama and bring some southern starpower to the ticket. but he is a senator and do they want two senators on the ticket? it worked for kennedy/johnson, yes... but they were democrats and that was a long time ago.

don't even suggest that turncoat joe lieberman to me.... yes, he bailed out mccain on his mideast trip but mccain has enough problems selling himself as a conservative. (again - not sure why? the man's a conservative!)

i guess, finally, i'd like to offer general david petraeus. once again... we know mccain will run a campaign heavy on national security and foreign policy experience... but again - how much does he want to be tied to iraq?

hmmmm......

i'd say my current top five ranking of possible v.p. candidates for mccain is as follows:

1. criss
2. ridge (would be first if not pro-choice)
3. graham
4. romney
5. petraeus

ridge may actually be a no-go...but for now. and huckabee wins miss congeniality.

e.

p.s. someone suggested the newly elected governor of louisiana, bobby jindal. an interesting thought... apparently first suggested by that blowhard, rush limbaugh. i'm just not sure what jindal brings to the ticket except some assurance to other middle-easterners that, maybe, with jindal on the ticket...mccain won't blow the mideast off the map. but i just don't see the benefit of a no-name governor from louisiana helping mccain out. let him address the convention in the fall... try that "inclusion" theme again.

Veepstakes: Dem Edition

it may be a bit premature but i want to go ahead and talk about potential running mates. mostly because, i want to get my thoughts out there before everyone starts talking about it.

points, always, for originality.

(that and i love predicting running mates!)

looking at the field
the big question after last night becomes: will obama have to offer the second slot to hillary? an even bigger question: would she accept...?

i think it's difficult for obama to offer the veep slot to hillary when he's talked so much about "turning the page" on the past and the politics of usual... and especially on the bushes and clintons. he may have to offer it to her... but i don't think he wants her on the ticket and i don't think she wants to play second fiddle to him.

so then the question comes down to what will unify the party? perhaps obama can offer the ticket to a prominent clinton supporter? one she helps choose?

evan bayh of indiana is a strong choice...very popular and a vocal supporter of clinton. but do you want ANOTHER senator on the ticket plus one from a neighboring state? why not diversify or look at a candidate that will bring something you can't to the ticket?

governor ed rendell of pennsylvania seems a good choice. a governor and a clinton surrogate... an early clinton supporter and a prominent one. plus...the dems will need pennsylvania in the fall... especially if mccain holds a good shot at michigan and florida.

wesley clark could also be a name tossed around. a clinton supporter and a general... he brings foreign policy experience seriously lacking with obama at the top of the ticket. having a general on the ticket can only help in a fight against mccain.

but what if obama wants a "new" face? a "fresh" face from his campaign...? one that continues his message of change?

senator jim webb of virginia is a likely candidate... a strong, moderate democrat known for his military experience, his name is often tossed around for clinton's running mate. but by giving up his senate seat the dems may not be able to find a suitable replacement in order to keep it in the fall. can the party risk losing even one seat in the senate by giving away this prize of a red state seat? probably not....

i've long thought claire mccaskill of missouri would be a strong choice. she could help rally the female voters disillusioned by hillary's loss and she's a strong moderate in a bellwether state.

interesting fact on missouri: it has a longer stretch of supporting the winning presidential candidate than any other state, having voted with the nation in every election since 1904 with the exception of adlai stevenson in 1956.

you want missouri.

but again...i question the intelligence of having two senators on a ticket. the country likes to nominate governors... in fact, this is the first election in which we'll have a seated senator become president since kennedy.

a strong female governor could indicate kathy sebelius of kansas. she could also bring in the woman vote and her executive experience as governor could only help obama.....

but despite all of this i keep coming back to one name.... i've long said he's tailor made for the vice presidency: bill richardson of new mexico.

no one could question his experience and credentials and with a candidate at the top of the ticket with "inexperience" has his biggest weakness... you need someone to counterbalance that perception. richardson would also put the west in play much more against mccain (of arizona) than any other possible candidate.

and the man just has so much experience....

the biggest question is... would that simply be too much pigmentation on the ticket?

would white voters be terrified of an african american and latino running this country? does obama need a blue collar honky to alleviate the fears of the white working class?

so many questions....

i'd say my current top five ranking of possible v.p. candidates for obama is as follows:

1. richardson
2. clark
3. sebelius
4. rendell
5. mccaskill

with hillary being the spoiler to end all spoilers.

e.

Upon Clearing My Bleary, Sleepy Eyes

last night didn't look any prettier this morning once i started trudging through the morning editions.

couple her bruising defeat last night with the news story out this morning that hillary had to loan her campaign another $6 million last month....it's just not good news for her.

and yet...somehow... hillary woke up this morning, had her campaign send me another couple of emails asking for donations and appeared in front of the press promising to fight on.

for the mathematical impossibility of her winning the nomination, i highly suggest you read this entry from firstread:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/07/989476.aspx

and that's really about all i have to say about that....

e.

I Think, Maybe, It's Over...

at 12:10 CST, msnbc called indiana for hillary clinton.

with 99% of the vote in...she holds a 51% to 49% lead over barack obama...with just over 22,000 votes separating them.

it may be over... she may have won indiana. but some uncounted absentee ballots may still sway this state's final tally.

but having said all of this... i'm of the opinion of two men i greatly admire when it comes to all things politico. chuck todd and tim russert have both come out and said "it's over" for hillary.

and it's over.

tonight was a thrilling night for political junkies... but it's over.

three quick points before i hit the sack:

1. hillary has canceled all public appearances for tomorrow. her camp says she never "officially" had any television interviews scheduled so she can't "officially" cancel them... but she will not appear on any morning talk shows. she will attend one fundraiser tomorrow in D.C. but that's it.

2. carl bernstein reports that he hears hillary would be interested in the number two slot and that the idea of returning to the senate is not overly appealing to her. i've heard this reported other places...especially since the vast majority of her senate colleagues have supported obama.

3. mayor mcdermott of hammond, indiana (just a few minutes ago) suggested that something "improper" may be happening with gary, indiana's vote count. mayor clay of gary is getting pissy...

the shit is going down on cnn!

e.

p.s. the final count in north carolina with 99% voting has obama holding his lead 56% to 42%.

Post Primary Perceptions

"can't we all just get along.....?"

that seems to be the message coming out of both camps tonight. and it's turning out to be a long night.

currently, at 10:12 CST...obama has blown clinton away in north carolina. his 14 point lead seems to be holding with 56% to 42%. early in the evening, when it was clear obama would win big... chuck todd of msnbc said a 57% win for obama would completely wipe away hillary's popular vote and pledged delegate net gains in pennsylvania. i'm hearing the 14 points, however, will do enough.

indiana started the evening "too early to call." it is now being categorized as "too close to call." it's interesting to note...fox news call indiana very early in the evening for hillary. they have since reneged that prediction.

her 4 point lead has been holding for nearly an hour in the hoosier state. however, lake county is not reporting their vote and it is a large obama stronghold (it's heavily african american and practically a suburb of chicago). we don't expect those numbers until midnight EST.

so what does all this mean....?

i think any momentum hillary had coming into today has come to a dead stop. she may eke out a win in indiana...but the longer this plays out tonight the more the superdelegates may lose faith in her... which could make them question the idea of overturning the delegate count.

and there was a lot of talk about how hillary moves forward with her campaign after what is a far more disappointing evening tonight that she had hoped for? if she goes on with her campaign and continues to slice and dice obama... it will serve no purpose. she cannot win at this point and i think it will be suicidal for her politically.

continuing to attack obama from this point forward will only accomplish further bloodying of the eventual nominee. it's just not smart politics and it will lose her much favor in the democratic ranks.

now, some interesting points:

obama gave a helluva speech tonight... old school obama. soaring and inspirational. but you heard something new tonight: "unity." there was a lot of talk about the need for unification of the party and coming together for the general.

and guess what....?

hillary spoke about unifying the party and coming together to defeat the republicans in the fall.

i thought hill's speech started off weak and petty... but then she moved into some very powerful language... and spoke about "no matter what happens" she'll work for the democratic nominee. it was such a conciliatory moment. almost as if she sees the writing on the wall.

so what happens now...?

i see more supers coming out for obama. probably as early as tomorrow.

i think hillary goes on to west virginia next week and then kentucky on the 20th. she wins these states and is able to leave the race with her head held high. she quits the negative attacks and focuses solely on her policies and her credentials.

howard fineman reports that the obama camp sees an end to this by may 20th. that's kentucky and oregon. they believe they'll have the majority of pledged delegates and can call the match.

fineman also hears that obama is finally ready to deal on florida and michigan. and why not? they'll no longer matter at this point.... i've heard the idea of giving hillary her florida delegates and then splitting michigan evenly.... sounds fair. and it wouldn't change the outcome for obama.

and hillary can, once again, leave the race with her head held high and fulfilling her promise to have those florida and michigan delegates counted. a win/win.

so we move forward... both candidates in the race (for now). the divisive language stops and both camps begin to unify the party.

kinda depressing for us hillary supporters... but this has been going on for a long time and i think it's time the fighting ends and we begin looking towards defeating mccain in the fall and licking our collective wounds in order to bring the democratic party back together.

and now...some kinda long quick hits:

i may have to start watching cnn a bit more. they had some fiery exchanges tonight. especially if you were watching around 7:40 CST... donna brazile was having a throw-down with paul begala (both dems, mind you) before she started going after republican strategist alex castellano for his idiotic comments. donna was on fire tonight and she was great to listen to.... really talking up unity for the democratic party and how she's "sick of the divisions." god, i do love a strong, black woman.

ronnie, the 'mo from bravo's make me a supermodel, was in attendance at hillary's speech tonight in indianapolis. (i mention this for carey.)

speaking of hillary's speech and hotties... this is the second election night speech (in a row, i think) that had a cute, young latino with boxing gloves standing directly behind hillary. well done...

people have got to stop blowing smoke up rush limbaugh's ass and leading people to believe that his "operation chaos" is doing anything to affect the race. fuck rush. fuck his ditto heads... they mean nothing. they've affected nothing.

i like harold ford, jr. he seems very bright and thoughtful. although... he seems to be really pushing this idea of hillary as obama's veep candidate.

fineman is once again on msnbc and he is saying that the obama camp is starting to have, in very hushed tones, preliminary v.p. candidate discussions. he doesn't see hillary as being the running mate.

nor do i... but i do want to have a vice presidential discussion here soon.... i still have some money on claire maccaskell of missouri.... but we'll see.

i think that's it... i'm looking at about another 20 minutes before more numbers start coming in from indiana. i may pop on one last time... or i may wait until morning.

and fuck me! i just realized i've gone this entire night without a cocktail.

surprising. but good for me...

dems '08!

e.

Creepy Crackers

---over the weekend, democratic presidential candidate barack obama attended a picnic in indiana with his two daughters.

sasha (left): "father, i'm bored. and i hate german potato salad."

obama: "i know, sweetie. me too."

malia: "daddy? why are all the white people staring at us?"

obama: "just be strong, girls. it'll soon be over."

e.

What Tonight May Mean

well, today's the day. another make or break day for the political campaigns of both senators barack obama and hillary clinton. of course, i have no illusions... it's much more of a do or die day for hillary.

but why is today such a big deal?

well, today is the last big prize in the primary season. 187 pledged delegates (115 in north carolina and 72 in indiana) are up for grabs. and as chuck todd & co. point out this morning on firstread:

After today, there will be more undeclared superdelegates (264) and more disputed delegates (366 in Florida and Michigan) for the campaigns to fight over than there will be delegates earned in the remaining primaries (217). Indeed, there's an argument to be made that after today, there are more delegates to be had INSIDE THE BELTWAY than out on the trail.

but more importantly than the delegates taken away from today is the perception game.

today is the first primaries (not counting the guam caucuses... which, how crazy is that? a seven VOTE difference. crazy...) since the recent redust-up of the jeremiah wright story.

how has the story affected the white, working-class voters in both states? also...will obama's cross-party appeal be hampered in the open primary contest in indiana? will republicans come out and vote for him after the wright controversy?

and what if hillary wins both states? i think if hillary pulls an upset in north carolina... some obama superdelegates will start feeling some buyer's remorse.

electability once again becomes a factor. after all...an average of all recent polls on realclearpolitics shows hillary running much stronger against mccain. obama has just pulled ahead of mccain again in recent days but only by 1.6 points. hillary is running 3+ points ahead of mccain.

but more importantly... hillary has also cut down on obama's lead in national polls for the dem nomination. in some polls...she's ahead.

this shows a major shift in the "obamamentum." his campaign has simply lost its sparkle. it looks tired and irritated.

meanwhile...hillary seems to have come into her own... honing her populist rhetoric and once again enjoying the campaign.

as howard fineman pointed out last night... obama's top ten joke of not having slept since october rings true... and he's starting to show the fatigue. meanwhile... the clintons have been campaigning for 30 years and show no signs of flickering out.

i've said it before and her campaign and the media have picked up on it. hillary's a scrapper (she uses the term fighter)... and it's a good color on her.

people want a candidate that will fight for them and fight for the nomination.

brass tacks
realclearpolitics has obama leading hillary by 8 points in n.c. and hillary leading him by 5 in indiana (average of polls taken).

as far as predictions go... i like jay carney's prediction last night on race for the white house. i think both candidates will roll sevens.

obama will win n.c. by seven points and hillary will win indiana by 7 points.

the significance?

at one time obama was ahead by 20 points in north carolina. to cut that lead down to single digits is a perception win for hillary... but a win for obama.

obama also led in indiana at one point... it will also be the first state to boarder illinois that he doesn't win. again...perception.

if obama happens to win both... see a flood of supers come out for obama and consider the race over. he will clearly have weathered the wright storm and voters and delegates will feel comfortable with him as the nominee.

if hillary wins both... obama has a problem and we may see several supers move towards hillary. i think there may also be a bigger push to reconcile florida and michigan. there will be a perceived problem inherent with the obama campaign... and if they can get hillary ahead in at least the popular vote... supers can argue overturning the pledged delegate count.

supers will also start looking at states essential to a democratic victory in the fall: pennsylvania, ohio, florida.

once again, taking realclearpolitics averages, hillary easily trumps mccain in pennsylvania and ohio and runs nearly 2 points ahead in florida. but obama only beats mccain in pennsylvania...and even then it's only by 1.2 points. mccain handily defeats obama in the other two states, especially florida (9 points).

exit polls will be very important tonight... who voted and whom did they vote for? did either candidate make inroads into the other's base? did hillary capture any black, youth or affluent voters? did obama carry any working class whites or women?

it's nitty-gritty time, people. this is when the shit gets good.

SO happy hillary didn't drop out.

i may see you on the flip-side, my lovelies...

e.

Grrr...

so i'm home for lunch... nestling in on the sofa to enjoy my leftover peanut tofu while catching up on the latest political news.

msnbc is at a commercial break so i turn to cnn. i catch the tale end of a story and then...just as i'm about to dish the first fork-full of food into my mouth...

"it's lunchtime and another food recall announced today. before you take your first bite, you'll want to hear this."

i pause... almost wanting to laugh since i'm sitting there...frozen. a fork with tofu and waterchestnuts staring me in the face.

and then.... COMMERCIAL BREAK!

grrrr... ARGH!

i figured it was probably death anyway... so i dug in. as it turns out... yes, more chicken and beef recalled.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/04/meat.recall.ap/index.html

so i'm safe. just irritated once again by the 24 hour news cycle.

e.

Weekend Wrap-Up

feliz cinco de mayo, amigos! who has the tequila?

walking in the "woods"
i did a lot of schlepping this weekend. the weather was beautiful in houston and while i'm not usually one for sunny skies and warm weather... i do enjoy it from time to time.

i walked memorial park twice this weekend... and while the eye candy was below average, it was still nice exercise.

more importantly, however, i finally experienced the houston arboretum down in memorial park. not a bad little trek.

i did experience several flashbacks to into the wild and i told my friend if we got lost i'd probably have a panic attack.

"i'll be goddamned if i'm gonna die in the wild," i told him. and we did get turned around once or twice...but found our way back.

for some reason, we kept freaking each other out by talking about snakes and just being a bit twitchy at every rustling sound we heard in the brush. i know, fags....

but the moments of fear with every breaking twig or strange looking leaf/bug on a tree, was overshadowed by the beauty of nature... especially one pond with over a dozen turtles swimming about for us to watch.

it was nice to commune once again with nature.... not something one has a chance to do much in h-town.

thinking of you
i have a friend going through a very rough patch right now... this is my shout out to him...just to let him know i'm thinking about him.

thinking of me
awww...thank you.

i had a very nice call from a good friend on saturday. she just wanted to let me know that she was thinking about me and knew i was having some difficulty lately. i assured her i was not swinging from the rafters (afterall...how could i have answered the phone?) but i was really touched by the call. i'm very fortunate to have such friends.

R.I.P.
and this is why i hate horse racing....

for those of you who have not heard... eight belles, the only filly running in this year's kentucky derby, broke both ankles after crossing the finish line on saturday. she was put to death while still on the track.

i hope all those motherfuckers in their fancy hats cried into their mint juleps and will only remember the horror of seeing a beautiful animal put to death in front of them from this weekend.

these horses are whipped and forced to run these races... and then they get hurt and are put down. i fucking hate horse racing.

and the circus. jesus! don't get me started on the circus!

just checking...
is this entry kinda boring? it feels boring...

the brilliance of bergman
i watched ingmar bergman's the virgin spring over the weekend. it is one of his films i had not seen before and it has immediately catapulted its way to the top of my bergman list.

what a brilliant, haunting film.

the movie is filled with the long silences that are hallmark to all great bergman films. and like most of his films...the storytelling is simple but the characters and their emotions are complex. conflicted feelings over god and death and good and evil.

i hesitate to give away much of the film but if you rent it from netflix, i'll give away nothing that is not written on the sleeve of the movie.

set in 14th century sweden, a young virgin is taking candles to church in honor of the virgin mother. along the way she is brutally raped and her father then seeks revenge on her attackers.

the rape is raw in its realism. a horrifying scene of the girl fighting her way through twisted branches as the three men claw their way after her.

i will give away nothing more but to say the final few minutes of the film are, perhaps, the most beautiful moments i've seen in any film. a simple, powerful image that moved me to tears.

if you are a film lover... or just a lover of fine storytelling, check out this masterpiece from 1960.

its images will haunt you.

happy birthday!
my friend james turned another year older on saturday. happy birthday, old man.

cooking therapy
i love to cook... and i haven't done much of it lately except to make some very simple dishes.

this weekend i knew i needed to experience the happiness i find in cutting up vegetables and pulling together a recipe. does anyone else experience the bliss of cooking?

i made two dishes on sunday.... a peanut tofu dish for lunch chock full of veggies and a southwestern stew sunday night that is spicy and delicious.

not sure what it is about the repetition of cutting veggies but it soothes me. and pulling together the delicious aromas of ginger and soy in one dish and cumin and cilantro in another... my apartment smells delicious.

anyway.... all in all, a good weekend. for some reason, i wanted to share.

e.

coda
i cannot wrap my head around the nearly 4,000 killed over the weekend in myanmar. some officials estimate the death toll could top 10,000. i can't even imagine. it's terrifying....

Just FYI...

the new york city short play festival...? it didn't happen.

disappointment abounds....

e.