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In A Blog Fog

I know many people who blog. Some do it as part of their job. Some do it to vent their own political viewpoints. Some do it as a form of artistic expression.

I have friends who don't think anyone reads their blog. They blog simply to amuse themselves. I don't think that way. I've been a broadcaster since I was 13 years old. I publish in hopes that people will read it! And people won't read my blog if I don't give them something to read!

We've all been there... You start to read a blog with some semblance of regularity, then the blogger starts to post less frequently, and soon, you just forget to go back, and pretty soon, the blog's url falls right off of your radar screen, and you can't remember what it was called any more!

So, I live in semi-fear that if I let more than a day or two go between blog entries, I'm going to start to lose my audience. That's a problem when my idea tank starts to run a little low, and I can't find any filler material that's clever enough to bridge the gap between "real" blog entries.

I don't want to post any more Obama entries because I never wanted a political blog to begin with, and if I post any more entries about "Facebook", you all are going to want to send some cult intervention experts to my house. I've already blogged about all of my favorite TV shows, and I've been too busy working to write about about being unemployed (although I still am).

You know all about my brilliant son, Brad and my nagging wife, Robin. I could tell you more about younger son Spencer, who turned 11 yesterday (Happy Birthday, Spence!), but Spencer's main interests are Lego Bionicle and Webkins. Not much there for an adult reading audeince. But at least now I've told you about Spencer!

I would imagine this is akin to being a newspaper columnist. You have so many column inches to write, but you have no idea what you're going to say, and you have a deadline fast approaching.

So you dig down deep, pull something out of your ass and get the job done!

Like I just did.

Thanks, Fred!

I'd like to thank former Gopher and former Member of Congress - WMAL morning host Fred Grandy - for coming down with the flu! Thanks to Fred's kindness (and germ sensitivity), I have been hired to work the rest of the week as a fill-in writer/news anchor. Such is the life of a freelance radio guy in this economy! We get to eat when others start barfing!


As such, with this new unexpected early morning workload, you can expect my blog to be a little leaner than usual this week, filled with useless fluff like this - A 2001 clip of largely-unknown Illinois State Senator Barack Obama giving his personal review of a restaurant on Public Access TV!


Oh - and for anyone interested, you can hear me anchoring the rest of this week at 9:02, 10:02 and 11:02 am on 630 WMAL!

Want Obama To Succeed? Don't Idolize Him!

Barack Obama will not be sworn in for another 15 days, but the Obamapalooza is already in full swing here in Washington, where the soon-to-be first family arrived in town over the weekend. For the next 10 days, they will be living at the Hay-Adams hotel, just across Lafayette Park from the White House, and tourists have been lining up in hopes (mostly vain hopes, as it turns out) they will catch a glimpse of the Obamas.

Just read this rather breathless account from the Washington Post:

Just off the lobby at the Hay-Adams, where a lavish $65-a-plate Sunday brunch was underway, almost none of the well-dressed diners mentioned Obama or his family already ensconced in a suite upstairs.

Don't let the cool demeanors fool you, though, said one diner. "That's what everyone's thinking about even if they don't say it," Terrance Mason said later, a safe distance from the elegant dining room. "Just to be in the same building, to be breathing the same air. It's amazing."

Since moving to the District in 1999, Mason has run into the country's three most recent presidents. So with his 40th birthday coming up yesterday, Mason made reservations at the hotel's restaurant. What better way to celebrate than to go four for four?

Even before Obama's arrival, Mason noted, the 44th president had already made his mark on the city, or at least in the dining room of the Hay-Adams.
"I come here every couple months," Mason said. "I've never seen so many fellow African Americans up there before. He's already shaking things up, you know what I mean?"

A few tables away, one local family said they were so desperate for a glimpse of the future first family that the father had reserved a table for the brunch. So, decked out in their Sunday best, Jabreel Hampton and his wife and children slowly sipped their drinks, snapped photos and prayed that Michelle Obama or one of her daughters would somehow see their table and join in their mid-morning meal.

"I was thinking, 'They got to eat,' " said Hampton, of Damascus.

But instead, his family spent most of brunch nervously working out -- in vain, it turns out -- what they would say to the famous family.

"We love you," his wife suggested.

"We're glad that you're the president," his 8-year-old daughter offered.

It's not clear how close the Hamptons and other supporters will get to the Obama family in coming days and weeks, nor how much the Obamas will see of their newly adopted city.

By last night, when Obama's black limo pulled up to the hotel about 7:30 p.m., his new home had been transformed into a secured fortress. Steel barricades lined the sidewalks. Dual layers of concrete barriers cut off all paths to the hotel. All weekend, the hotel wouldn't even confirm that the Obamas would be guests. The most a spokesman would say was that its suites offered "an especially good view in the wintertime of the White House."

When the motorcade finally passed by, some in the crowd claimed that they spotted the president-elect, clad in a navy suit and blue tie, through the limo's windows. Others, including protesters busy demanding a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, missed it entirely.

Regardless of what they saw, many said they would be telling their children and grandchildren for years to come of this day, when the man who became president spent his first night with his family in the city they would now call home.

Folks - Barack Obama does not walk on water. He is a man. A man who is about to become President during the worst economy since the Great Depression. He cannot possibly live up to the hopes and expectations of his most devoted followers if they expect him to deliver miracles. He will be lucky if he can get to ANY of his major campaign initiatives in his first term, so he'll be campaigning for a second term from day one. And you won't be helping him at all with your lofty expectations.

To put this all in perspective, take a second look at this video that I posted during the campaign:

Good luck, Mr. Obama. You're going to need it.

Corruption Paints With A Broad Brush.

As the inauguration approaches, and as I continue to read predictions of up to five million people descending on Washington (an unfathomable number that I continue to insist is not logistically possible), I wonder where all of this optimism for one politician is coming from.

I have nothing against Barack Obama. In fact, I voted for him. But I really wonder how naive Americans are if they think this man - or any politician - is going to bring sweeping positive change to America.

There are plenty of good politicians out there - noble people who really do want to be agents of change in their communities. But I dare say it's impossible to tell good from evil. There are surely plenty of Illinoisans (Illinoisers? Illinoid? Illinoisy?) who believed they were voting for a good man when they elected Rod Blagojevich Governor... but they were not. Blagojevich is a crook. His predecessor was a crook. There are crooked politicians dotting the map in America.

I have no reason to believe Barack Obama had a damned thing to do with the Blogojevich mess. But, for better or worse, he is a product of the Illinois political machine - a machine renowned for its filth... Here's just a recent history, courtesy of Wikipedia:

In 2006, former Governor George Ryan (R) was convicted of racketeering and bribery. In 2008, the sitting Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was indicted on corruption charges stemming from allegations that he conspired to sell the vacated Senate seat left by President-elect Barack Obama (D) to the highest bidder. In the late 20th century Congressman Dan Rostenkowski (D) was imprisoned for mail fraud; former governor and federal judge Otto Kerner, Jr. (D) was imprisoned for bribery; and State Auditor of Public Accounts (Comptroller) Orville Hodge (R) was imprisoned for embezzlement.

People like Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan make it impossible for Americans to truly trust its politicians. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. - another Illinois politician - is jumping up and down insisting he did not try to buy Obama's Senate seat, but no matter how much he jumps, will we ever know whether he's telling the truth?

Even if Obama is clean (and again, I have no evidence to the contrary), how do we know his underlings are not taking bribes to get cabinet posts or undersecretary jobs? This suspicion is the horrible gift that the Blagojevich scandal has dumped on the Obama administration.

Although I voted for Obama, I never did feel that Oprah-like glow that many others did. Call me a cynic, but Obama is ONE person - and hopefully a good one. But he is not turning around America by himself, and so far, he's filling his cabinet with longtime Washington political operatives - people who lost their idealist virginity long ago. The Blagojevich mess reminds us that American politics is not a game for idealists to play, anyway.

And it makes the Obama mantra of "Change you can believe in" seem more and more like a hollow campaign slogan.

(NOTE: This blog entry can be removed for a price. I'm open to offers!)

SNL - The Next Four Years!

We're done with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin - at least for now... But after seeing its ratings go through the roof before the election, the producers of Saturday Night Live are going to keep politics front and center on the show. Enjoy this clip of Andy Samberg as Barack Obama's new Chief of Staff - something you DIDN'T see on SNL this week!

Inaugurate This!

This happens every four years... School systems are falling all over themselves trying to figure out whether to be open on Inauguration Day. The pressure is even higher than normal in Prince George's County because of the historical nature of the event, and one school board member there says there's no point in trying to stay open because no one - staff or students- will show up anyway.

I have conflicted feelings about this. I am all for letting students off IF they will use the day to go down to the Mall and take in the ceremonies. The only problem is there's no way of proving they will do so. In addition, January 20th comes the day after MLK day, which means it would be a four-day weekend. Some families will use that as an excuse to go out of town, and they won't be observing the change of administrations anyway.

Teachers in some counties are pushing for the day off, presumably so they can join the hoards on the Mall as well. I think they should perhaps put their money where their mouths are. Our school systems are struggling to meet their budgets, and are considering furloughs in many places. How about giving everyone the day off, and count it as a furlough? It would save money and allow everyone to celebrate at the same time.

I have been to three inaugurations - and those were back in the days before heavy security measures were in place. If you like freezing your assets off, standing in long security lines and not really being able to see anything, then I think you'll enjoy Inauguration Day. I will happily stay home, thank you.

In any case, whether schools are closed or not, they need to be using the inauguration as a learning experience. If schools are open, they should be shutting down instruction to let kids watch the ceremonies, and they should plan quizzes and other activities around it.

If schools are closed, there oughta be a quiz on Wednesday!

Election leftovers!

Two post-election things to post this morning... First - Senator John McCain proved he is a good sport during his appearance on Leno:



And Camille Paglia has offered her election post-mortem at Salon.com. There's something here for both parties, as Paglia shares her continuing affections for both Barack Obama and my gal, Sarah Palin! Enjoy the read!

Well, He's No President Bartlet, But...

Someone clever has taken the Obama campaign and merged it with the West Wing open... and they did a very clever job of it, too:



I just happen to own the last two seasons of the West Wing, which covered the campaigns of the two candidates vying to succeed President Bartlet, and I started to rewatch them about a week before the election. It has been fascinating to watch the fake campaign - Rep. Matthew Santos (D-TX), played by Jimmy Smits, vs. Sen. Arnold Vinick (R-CA), played by Alan Alda - and the real campaign at the same time... It makes you appreciate the drama of the actors even more, and I highly recommend it if you get the chance.



By the way, President-elect Obama's chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), was reportedly the model for the character of Josh Lyman, who was President Bartlet's deputy chief of staff and later Matt Santos' campaign manager. So there ya go!

Doing The Work Of The People - Election Edition!

Some miscellaneous observations after working election night at ABC News in downtown DC.

• The most asinine thing I saw on TV was CNN having reporters reporting via hologram. I saw Jessica Yellin chatting with Wolf Blitzer from Chicago, with this strange blue haze around her. And the camera was careful to pan around Wolf Blitzer's studio, just to prove to the audience that Yellin was really a hologram. To bring home the point, CNN put up a chyron on the screen that read "Jessica Yellin reporting live via hologram". It did look cool - like Princess Leia giving election results. But what did it add to CNN's coverage? Absolutely nothing. A standard split screen would have done the job just as - NO - more effectively, because the audience would have heard what Yellin had to say instead of focusing on watching her glow.
  
  

• The most presidential thing of John McCain's campaign was the last thing he did - give a brilliant concession speech... And does anyone really doubt he'll follow through with his promise to support President Obama?


• With 2008 out of the way, there's no time like the present to start on 2010. One of the many interviews I edited during the evening was with Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), who chairs the GOP's House campaign committee. Even in defeat, Cole focused on the silver lining for Republicans, and pointed out that Democrats will now be held responsible for everything that happens in Washington, and he boldly (and correctly, I think) predicted that if the Democrats don't move to the center and work with Republicans, that the GOP will pick up a lot of seats two years from now.


• When I walked out of ABC at 1:30 this morning, I could hear people shouting and car horns honking as they left the White House. There were people all over the place - this being about 5 blocks north of the White House, where crowds had gathered. I could not help but smile at the young people's youthful exuberance, and feel a bit sad for them that what they had just lived through was the easy part. Campaigning is one thing - leading is another... and even in a best-case scenario, this 21st Century Camelot is going to be severely tested from day one.


• I got home at 2:30, and to bed around 3 am. I thought surely that my hard day's work would merit me the opportunity to sleep in, right? Wrong. The Empress bellowed at about 7:15. She was racing to get ready for work, and needed her coffee. She needed HER coffee. I'm telling you.... Daddy's been home too long, cuz Mama is getting spoiled!

Well - That's That!

I drove up to my wife/son's school this morning, waited about 15 minutes in line, and cast my ballot. I will tell you truthfully that I stared at the screen for President for about a minute before I cast my vote, and to be honest, as I have mentioned before, I would be relatively comfortable with either Obama or McCain in the Oval office... or at least as comfortable as one can be considering I don't think either of those guys have a clue of what to do about the economy.

I will not reveal my specific presidential vote - not that it matters much in far left Montgomery County, Maryland - but I will say that my votes on the ballot swung from the far left to the far right. If I am a squishy moderate, so be it, but I believe what I believe, and I think anyone who simply votes on a party line year in and year out represents part of the problem in our polarized society rather than part of the solution.

How many bad incumbent members of Congress will be returned to Washington this fall, simply because they represent the majority party in their districts? I suspect a great many.

But at least this election is over! There will now be a bye week, and then it's time to get ready for the next one. Palin in 2012, anyone?

One Day More!

OK - Now I swear this is the last time I shall post about the election before the election. My friend, Joanie, who knows I have a weakness for broadway musicals in general and Les Miserables in particular, has forwarded me the following via WMAL's Engineer emeritus Burt Cohen.



And he may have his ass handed to him on Tuesday, but as I have mentioned previously, John McCain is a good sport, and has a great sense of humor. If you didn't see him on SNL this week, check this out:

Now, get out there, and vote, everybody!

Monday Morning Two-fer

It's 6 am... The Missus has been up all night preparing kindergarten lessons, and needs to get on the computer to check her e-mail, so I must make this quick. Therefore, I will!

1. The election has officially reached the "nails on the chalkboard" point for me. I can't hear or see an election ad for either candidate without shuddering. Please let the next 8 days pass quickly! However - I do still enjoy SNL sketches making fun of the candidates - Here's the best one from this weekend:


2. If I'm pissed off that there was no NFL game last night because it took the week off to make way for the World Series, does that mean I'm not a baseball fan? I guess so.

Thank God, then, for "Mad Men"! I watched the season two finale instead of the Phillies/Rays game... It's just too bad we have to wait until next July for season three! Guess it's time to start pining for "LOST" to return!

Happy Monday!

Want Change And Hop-ie? Vote For Opie!

I had promised myself I was done blogging on stuff related to the election... But then, my sister Jill, brought this video to my attention. Almost to a rule, I HATE celebrity political endorsements, because I find that most celebrities are even more ignorant than I am, and that their status doesn't make then at all qualified to endorse anyone. But for the cool factor alone, I have to give a big thumbs up to this one! Enjoy - and then vote for whoever you want!

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Houseguests - The Power Is Up For Grabs!

How's this for political analysis? As we move closer to election day, I'm finding myself more and more frequently comparing the Presidential campaign to the TV show, "Big Brother", at least in this sense...

In the game of Big Brother, losing contestants frequently try to make the claim that they have played the game honestly, with morally superior intent, and they invariably are shown the door because they are not willing (or are not smart enough) to make the cutthroat plays necessary to win the game. So the quandry becomes whether to be popular and lose, or to be lambasted and win.

In the game of Presidential "Big Brother" that is playing out in my head, Obama is coming out as the nice guy, and John McCain is coming out as the tough guy who just might win in the end.

The McCain campaign has been excoriated by the Obama camp (and by Democrats in general) for picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, a move that many on the left see as a cynical effort to pickup some Hillary Clinton supporters, and described by many as a "Hail Mary" pass to save a failing campaign. Well, for a while, anyway, the move worked, and it worked far better than even the McCain campaign could have imagined. Like her or hate her, Palin is still getting plenty of attention, despite the fact that a near-blackout has been imposed by the McCain campaign in terms of media access. Joe Biden is readily available to the media, but the way things have been going for him lately, don't be surprised if the Democrats put Biden in a media blackout as well!

Now, John McCain has announced he's suspending his campaign and returning to Washington until a deal is reached on a rescue package for America's financial system. The Democrats are crying foul once again, saying McCain's move is nothing but a political ploy to turn the attention away from his trailing poll numbers. They also are claiming "dirty pool", because they say Obama reached out to McCain first, only to have McCain go before the media first in order to get the "leadership" edge on the issue. In the game of "Big Brother", we call this "the player getting played".

There's no doubt McCain is making a big gamble here. His latest play could come across as a political ploy... OR it could come across as McCain being a renegade... actually doing something "presidential" and leading by example, leaving Obama in the dust to engage in the political game alone.

No matter how you look at it though, there is no doubt that in the Presidential campaign, John McCain has been more imaginative, and demonstrated that he's more willing to take chances than Barack Obama is. This could very well kill McCain's chances of being President. But if America elects John McCain on November 4th, it will be because he was doing what he needed to do to win the game.

Obama may be able to claim the moral high road.

But McCain will claim the White House.

In Memory Of Spiro Agnew!

When I was 5 years old and Spiro Agnew was running for Governor of Maryland, my parents, who were active members of the Young Republicans, hosted a meet-and-greet for Agnew in the rec room of our home in Silver Spring. It was like a scene out of "Mad Men". I still have vague memories of it to this day, and I have better memories of faded Polaroid shots taken of the future Vice President sitting at my Mom's piano. It's neat to know that a national figure was in my basement, even if it was a national figure who would turn out to be a national embarrassment... and it's a story I will tell for the rest of my life.

So where am I going with this? There's a lot of hubbub being made over a campaign rally being held at Fairfax High School tomorrow for John McCain and Sarah Palin. The rally apparently breaks a county rule that prohibits political events from being held during the school day, and the Democrats are making a lot of noise about it, along with some unnamed teachers who say the rally will be "disruptive". I wonder if the rally would still be "disruptive" if it was being held for Barack Obama, but I digress...

I can see why rules like this would be in place... Under certain circumstances, I'm sure an event like this COULD be disruptive, and it certainly could portray the school system as taking sides. But we're not talking about a debate between two Congressional candidates. We're talking about an appearance by the potential future President and Vice President of the United States! What are the chances these students or even this school will ever have of having this opportunity again? I don't care if it's McCain or Obama or Ross Perot or Ralph freaking Nader. If they want to hold a rally at my kid's school, I'm going to say hell, YES!

I do think, in the name of fairness, just so no one's feathers are ruffled, that the county ought to afford the same opportunity to the Obama camp under the same circumstances, but at another Fairfax County high school... That way, the county might be able to allow another school body to share the same experience, and allow hundreds of other kids to say they remembered when (potentially) President Obama visited their school.

Come on... Is this REALLY that difficult?

Greater Of Two Goods?

I just had a thought. I have become so used to the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils during Presidential elections, that it never really occured to me that I could, for once in my life, be voting for the greater of two goods this November.

I am still firmly on the fence, but it's refreshing to think it could be because I really don't have anything (YET) of substance against either candidate. Barack is a bit too much "rock star" for my taste - especially given his very REAL lack of experience. John McCain is, frankly, about 10 years too old. But overall, I find both men to be attractive candidates - likable, believable and intelligent. Compare these two with the candidates from the past few elections...

2004 - George W. Bush vs. John Kerry - The epitome of lesser of two evils. Bush was not proving to be a particularly effective President, but America just plain didn't like John Kerry.

2000 - George W. Bush vs. Al Gore - People love Al Gore today, but he was a pretty weak candidate back in 2000, and so was Bush. Heck, if Gore had carried his own home state, we never would have had to learn about pregnant chads.

1996 - Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole - Okay, I'll grant you... this was NOT a lesser of two evils election. Clinton did have an effective first term, and Dole was a well-respected elder statesman. But given Clinton's incumbency, this was never a very close election to begin with.

1992 - Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush vs Ross Perot - The fact that Perot drew nearly 19 percent of the vote shows this was the ultimate in the lesser of THREE evils elections....

1988 - George Bush vs. Mike Dukakis - America was not really thrilled at the idea of giving a third straight term to the GOP, but Bush was running against Dukakis, who was a Democratic prototype for John Kerry.


Call me idealistic, but I think there's a real chance Americans will go to the polls on November 4th feeling good about the choices they have to make. It's far too easy in our sharply divided nation to take sides, and we spend far too much time trashing our opponents. There is plenty that is subject to change in the next 57 days, but as of right now... If my choice (whoever it turns out to be) doesn't win, I think I'll be fairly comfortable with the other guy in the White House.

Obama may be a rock star, but at least he's not a wooden board like Kerry or Gore or Dukakis. McCain may be old, but he's not (no matter what the Democrat talking points say) a carbon copy of George W. Bush, and he will be a strong leader if elected.

Your thoughts?

The Presidential Race Has Just Gotten Much More Interesting!

I'm not saying I'll vote for her, or predict that her surprise selection will push John McCain over the top, but Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's arrival at the GOP VP nominee will no DOUBT make the rest of the Presidential race far more interesting that the selection of Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty would have been!

I can say as an old white guy myself that another old white guy in the number two chair (such as the -ahem- other VP candidate) would have been pretty dull, and left millions of more Americans sitting on the sidelines disengaged from the battle the rest of the way. I know that's what I had been planning to do, anyway!

I think Governor Palin handled herself extremely well in her introduction to the national stage, and I think she has at least caught the attention of blind Obama loyalists who were hoping that his acceptance speech Thursday night would effectively end the race.

Give the old guy credit... He had an ace up his sleeve, and he played it at a perfect time to steal the news cycle away from Obama... The people who say John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin was a desperation move may very well be right... But that doesn't mean it wasn't the right move at the right time... And I can GUARANTEE you that McCain/Palin will get far more attention from the media and the nation over the next two months than McCain/Romney ever would have!

Let the Games begin!

Oh - and if I'm not mistaken (I havent done the homework on this), Palin would be the first major candidate for President or Vice President to have a background in sports broadcasting since Ronald Reagan... Enjoy!

Thank You, Daily Show!

I was feeling pretty snarky about my previous post concerning Barack Obama's speech at the DNC last night... I was not finding the tone that I wanted to express how I felt about the Obama campaign... However, this clip from the Daily Show expresses my thoughts exactly.


The legend of Barack Obama sets a standard that the man who is Barack Obama cannot possibly live up to. And Obama supporters should be worried about this. Assuming Obama wins in November, he may find expectations set so high that he won't possibly be able to meet them, and the Democrat-controlled Congress could see the circle of life coming around to bite it in the ass in 2010!

Abraham, Martin and John... and Barack. And Oprah.

I want to be brief, and I don't want to be bitter. You all know where I stand on this Presidential election, so everything and everybody is viewed right now with a cynical eye.

I do think the huge stadium thing worked for Barack Obama. I do think he gave a good speech. I DO kind of resent that every Barack Obama appearance is treated as though he has already been anointed President, and I hope that does not come back and bite him in the ass. I also hope the November election is not particularly close (like Bush/Gore in 2000), because if it is, and Obama is on the short end of the stick, there will literally be violence in the streets.

Here's one possible source of Obama backlash - Oprah Winfrey was still in the throes of orgasm when Entertainment Tonight caught up with her at Invesco Field after the speech. I don't hate Oprah, but I do hate her influence... Her opinion should not count more than anyone else's but you know damn well it does.

Oh - and we also heard from John McCain last night, buying ad time to congratulate Obama for his historic nomination. You would like to think the ad was sincere, and not a political calculation. But who's kidding whom?

And in closing, I will also say this... Love him or hate him, you have to give Obama this... He outscored the Redskins by a lot last night!