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February 24, 2004
Mitch has a column at Red Herring alerting us to the Bush administration’s opening shovel-loads in its undermining of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Yes, I’m confused by the issue also. That’s why I’m recommending Mitch’s column…
February 16, 2004
According to the side of the Cheerios box, if we send in $5, First Book will “give children from low-income familes the opportunity to own their first new books.”
As school districts routinely ask parents to chip in to pay for the basic supplies the school needs, it’s good to know that educating our children – a basic government service – is being outsourced to General Mills.
Look, I’m glad Cheerios is asking us to support a charity, and First Book seems to be a worthy group. I’m just not enough of a libertarian to prefer largesse to taxes when it comes to the government’s basic obligations.
February 5, 2004
Ralph Nader is showing signs of leaning heavily towards running again. If, like me, you think that that would be a bad thing in the current context, you can send a message to his exploratory committee at [email protected]. There’s also a site set up to urge him to support the Democratic candidate so that Bush won’t get reelected.
February 1, 2004
I didn’t see the Tim Russert interview of Dean, but I just read the transcript and it reminded me why I’m supporting the Gov.
Oh, sure, you’ll find lots to throw in my face in that interview. But that’s the point: Here’s a guy who has actual beliefs.
Jeez, but the Daily Show with Jon Stewart has been good.
No other journal so effectively dismantles the self-contained, self-referential world within which American journalism operates. Want to see how journalists, with a stern gaze at the camera, position themselves above their interview subjects? Want to see how to keep asking a question until you get the answer you think is right? Want to see how the question becomes the text?
Plus, Stewart is one of the best serious interviewers around. He’s done his homework and he asks the questions that I want asked. He’s also damn funny.
I’m sure I’m over-enthusiastic about the show because it’s becoming clearer to me than ever that the myth of objectivity has become metastatic. Both the left and the right hate the media because, since content can’t be objective, all that remains is an increasingly mannered form. I know I’ve been slow to accepting this realization, which makes it even more depressing. On the positive side, it makes The Daily Show funnier to me.
(There are video clips here.)
Don’s miss Stewart’s “interview” with Dean. I laughed out loud. (Unfortunately, the online version doesn’t contain the out-takes shown on the show where we get to see Dean reading the voice overs.)
There’s an anti-Kerry Flash here that I think does what it sets out to do.
January 29, 2004
I’ve posted an appreciation of Joe Trippi over at my new Corante blog, “Loose Democracy.”
(I haven’t figured out my policy about cross-posting myself, so for now I’m taking the raw self-promotional approach.)
January 28, 2004
I’ve started off my new Corante blog — on how the Net is changing our democracy and politics — with a critique of Clay’s provocative Dean meme.
The new blog is called Loose Democracy, and I’m open to comments, suggestions, criticisms, unfunded mandates and recall initiatives. And please remind me of the 4,000 people I’ve left off my blogroll…I have problems creating lists ex nihilo.
All I can promise you is that I will never make a mistake and I will never ever be wrong.
January 27, 2004
Note: Contains completely partisan Deanism…
I spent the day in Exeter, yet another picture perfect New Hampshire town, alternating between standing outside holding Dean signs and sitting in the unheated Town Hall, checking off voters on the Dean supporter list. Then, at 5pm, it was back to the Portsmouth HQ, phoning people to urge them to vote.
In short, I spent the day being a little-d democrat. This is the real thing: American democracy. People reduced to their singular equality. Each one of them nuts in her or his own way. With the kids in their winter caps with animal ears or jester’s horns. Shuffling in, trailing the midwinter cold behind them. Seeing friends they haven’t talked with in months or years. College kids voting for the first time. A grandmother and her grown daughter, both wearing festive mittens. A blind woman being assisted in the voting booth. A husband taking a pink ballot to vote for a Republican and a wife taking the blue. A beautiful baby asleep in a back carrier as the father repeats his name softly to the local voting official. The real thing.
Outside, the cold was the fact you tried to forget. Lots of Dean supporters, lots of Kerry supporters, some Clark, a few Edwards, and one lonely and very affable man with a Bush-Cheney sign. (Oddly, it turns out he likes Bush because he wants a balanced budget. He didn’t accept my offer to take up a Dean sign.) We all shared our coffee and muffins. We laughed at the same jokes. All us Democrats know in a few months we’re all going to be working on behalf of the the same person.
My back aches. My feet are sore. My butt is warming up. And I’m ready to do it again.
January 26, 2004
I’m going up to Portsmouth tomorrow at 7am to drive Dean supporters to the polls. I expect to be gone all day and thus won’t be blogging.
While I’m out, the electrician will be running two 20 amp wires up to my office to replace the single 15 amp source. I sure hope this is the cause of my frequent frier program: Last night I toasted the Linksys router I’ve had for about 4 months; usually they last a full year. Sigh.
Democratic presidential contender John Kerry holds a shrinking three-point lead over Howard Dean on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, according to a Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby poll released Monday.
…Kerry led Dean 31 percent to 28 percent in the new poll, with John Edwards jumping three points to narrowly trail Wesley Clark for third place, 13 percent to 12 percent. Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman remained static at 9 percent – Wired News
Yeaaaarrrggghhhh. I cannot take the G’s, cap’n!
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