- Item The First. We Has New TV. Well, actually, we has old hotel TV. Let me explain. Our main TV was a 27″ JVC TV that we got around 1999 after our old house was burgled. In the last few months, it had an odd problem: the top of the image seemed aimed down (i.e., we had a black bar just at the top), and the real top of the image was reflected upside down over the part just below it. It’s hard to describe, but it looked sorta-like this:
In any case, we looked at TVs from BestBuy and the like, and they were all around $400, all seemingly HDTV, and all flat-screen. We just wanted a cheap replacement. Luckily GFG is on the mailing list for a Hotel Surplus Outlet, and we were able to replace the TV with an RCA 27″ for just around $70. The DirecTV remote works it just fine. What’s interesting is all the extra plugs on the back for things like security systems.P.S.: Who can identify the show in the fake TV image?
- Item The Second. My condolences go out to the families of those injured or killed in the Chatsworth Metrolink train crash, which wasn’t that far from our house (about 6 miles), and was walking distance from my inlaws. Reports are that the Metrolink engineer missed or ignored the signal. Too, too, tragic. I was pleased that Californians for Obama did send out a message for folks telling them how to help:
Many of you have asked what you can do to help. The UCLA Blood and Platelet Center will be open Monday through Friday to accept blood donations. Healthy donors of all blood types are needed to donate blood. Appointments can be made by calling 310-794-7217 ext. 2. Contact the Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcross.org for other information about blood donation or ways you can help.
- Item the Third. Remember when Tom Lehrer indicated that parody was dead. Well, it’s dead again. Evidently the new season and upcoming seasons on Broadway aren’t giving Gerald Alessandrini enough material, and so Forever Broadway is closing after the current incarnation. Supposedly it will still tour, but it was great while it lasted.
- Item The Fourth. Speaking of reviews of entertainment icons, Roger Ebert has an interesting take on Sarah Palin — it looks like it is thumbs down from the balcony (and new information is coming out all the time, such as how she hired friends and fired critics). However, her 15 minutes in the limelight may be over, as the focus seems to be returning to the heads of the ticket: Obama and McCain, and what their positions are. Of course, it is getting harder and harder to determine them, especially based on the McCain ads which are stretching the truth even more than usual for a campaign (and the distortions are getting even more coverage).
- Item The Fifth. You know how you may soon be able to use the Internet on an aircraft. All well and good. But don’t try to VOIP. They’re blocking that. Of course, folks will surely find a way to get around it (and don’t call me Shirley).
Tag: decision-2008
Political News Chum
Now that I’m back home, I can contribute some political news chum:
- From the “Will This Help in Florida?” Department: A good friend of mine, Rabbi John Sherwood, sent me a press release of interest:
WASHINGTON Today, group of over three hundred American rabbis released a letter in support of Senator Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. Rabbis for Obama, through its website, www.RabbisforObama.com, aims to spread an awareness of Senator Obama’s message of change and repairing the world, which is steeped in the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam and the values of the Hebrew prophets.
Rabbis for Obama is a grassroots effort founded by Rabbi Sam Gordon of Wilmette, IL, and Rabbi Steven Bob of Glen Ellyn, IL. Its members represent every corner of the American Jewish community, including rabbis from each of the major Jewish Movements in the United States (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist). Many are distinguished clergy and educators known for their publications and teachings.
Among the rabbis are prominent figures such as Rabbi Elliot Dorf (Los Angeles, CA), Rabbi Jack Moline (Alexandria, VA), Rabbi Burton Visotzky (New York, NY), Rabbi Janet Marder (Palo Alto, CA), and Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus (Homewood, IL). They join over three hundred others in making a clear statement of Senator Obama’s strong support from the Jewish community in America.
Rabbis for Obama marks the first time in American history that such a large group of rabbis has supported a candidate for political office. The support of rabbis nationwide is a testament to Barack Obama’s strong support in the Jewish Community, and demonstrates that he shares the values and principles so important to the American Jewish Community.
(Note: I originally had a second item relating to the fact that Levi Johnston, Gov. Palin’s future son-in-law, is dropping out of high school. It was noted in an article about hockey moms in Alaska. My including it with political news chum gave it far more political import than I meant; I simply found it interesting.)
Another RNC “Oops”
Recently, I wrote about the kerfluffle regarding “Walter Reed Middle School” being projected behind John McCain without the school’s permission. Well, as Brittney Spears would say, “Ooops, they did it again.”
You all know how the song “Barracuda” was played behind Sarah Palin? Well, the rock band Heart who wrote it never gave their permission. Heart singers Ann and Nancy Wilson said a “cease-and-desist” letter has been sent to the Republicans asking them not to use the song, saying “The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.” The Republicans have done it before. Last month, rocker Jackson Browne sued Republican presidential candidate John McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party, accusing them of using his 1977 hit “Running on Empty” in a campaign ad without permission.
Saturday News Chum
Well, it’s Saturday. But I still read the news, and I’m still finding stuff of interest:
- From the “I’m Changing My Name to Chrysler” Department: The US Government seems to be in a bailout mood, but I have no idea way. After all, to hear the Republican’s talk last week, there is no recession, people aren’t losing their jobs, and the middle class isn’t feeling the pain. Anyway, there are three interesting government bailouts in the news. First, there is the report that the government is poised to take over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. This would mean monitary infusions and loss of value for those investors. Also poised for a bailout are the big automakers in Detroit, who want a $50 billion bailout. Of course, the cars need to drive somewhere, and so the government is poised to bailout the highway fund for $8 billion. You know, this will soon add up to real money.
- From the “Don’t Worry, It’s Insured” Department: And speaking of bailouts, the FDIC is closing and bailing out another small bank. This time it is Silver State Bank in Nevada. What’s interesting here is the connection: Andrew K. McCain, a son of Republican presidential nominee John McCain, sat on the boards of Silver State Bank and of its parent, Silver State Bancorp, starting in February but resigned in July citing “personal reasons,” corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show. Andrew McCain also was a member of the bank’s audit committee, responsible for oversight of the company’s accounting. These candidates and their post-pubescent children. They keep getting in the news. First Biden’s son. Palin’s daughter. But as Obama said, let’s not bring the children into this.
- From the “Don’t Worry, You’ll Get Over It” Department: So let’s just focus on the adults. The AP is reporting that Gov. Sarah Palin’s church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. Palin has not commented on the report. Somehow, I’m not sure this will sit well with the gay republicans, if they exist.
Unrelated Observations on the News
A late lunch today due to a late meeting, but here are some observations from scanning the headlines:
- From the “Fukc it up” Department: Some interesting flubs are making the news today. The US Government issued a duck stamp recently that contains a phone number for more stamp purchases. The problem is: The carrier card for the duck stamp transposes two numbers, so instead of listing 1-800-782-6724, it lists 1-800-872-6724. The first number spells out 1-800-STAMP24, while the second number spells out 1-800-TRAMP24. The latter number directs callers to a phone sex line. The USPS cannot afford to correct the error.
In other errors, as John McCain last night was talking about a veterans, a picture of a venerable 1930s building was projected behind him. Most folks probably thought it was Walter Reed Hospital. The problem is: it wasn’t. It was Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood CA.
- From the “But At Least It Was Popular” Department: When you make a mistake, make it big. In the last item, I mentioned that the wrong Walter Reed ediface was projected behind John McCain’s speech. A lot of people saw it. Viewership for McCain’s speech was even higher than Obama’s: 38.9 million viewers on eight television networks, surpassing the 38.3 million for Obama. As for Palin, her speech was seen by more than 37.2 million combined viewers on six networks, vs 24 million viewers for Sen. Joe Biden’s keynote, or 26 million for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s prime-time speech. Overall, the Republican National Convention averaged nearly 34.5 million viewers over three days, vs. 30.2 million for the Democratic Convention. [ETA: Note there are some disparities in how these numbers were calculated. Remember: there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.]
Speaking of the women, the NY Times is predicting it will be a Hillary vs. Sarah fight for the female vote, and the LA Times is noting that Cindy McCain’s outfit on Tuesday night was estimated to cost $300,000.
- From the “Member of the Tribe” Department: True, Joe Liberman was not on the Democratic or the Republican ticket. But there is a candidate with a Jewish relative: Michelle Obama. It turns out that Michelle’s cousin is the country’s most prominent black rabbi. Specifically, Michelle and Rabbi Capers Funnye, spiritual leader of a mostly black synagogue on Chicago’s South Side, are first cousins once removed. Funnye’s mother, Verdelle Robinson Funnye (born Verdelle Robinson) and Michelle Obama’s paternal grandfather, Frasier Robinson Jr., were brother and sister. Rabbi Funnye (pronounced fuh-NAY) is chief rabbi at the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in southwest Chicago.
- From the “What’s In A Name” Department: 99c Only Stores, a leading retailer in California, has a problem. It’s harder to find things to sell for just 99c. Recently, they’ve been forced to be creative. For example, when a dozen eggs became too expensive, 99 Cents Only temporarily began offering six-packs instead to keep prices under a dollar. The company also reduced the size of its milk cartons and stopped selling items such as butter, peanut butter and cooking oil on a regular basis. But this isn’t the right solution. So, after 26 years, the 99 Cents Only Stores chain is expected to announce Monday that it will raise some of its prices above 99 cents for the first time. Supposedly, the name won’t change, but the slogan will. One wonders if they will then be sued for false advertising.
Republican Convention, Day Last
Well, it’s the last day of the Republican convention. The following is my impression of the speeches I watched, a long with a few other observations from today’s news and ‘da webs:
- From the “Quote of the Day:” Department:
“…maybe someone needs to remind Sarah Palin that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.”
[“goodnewsfortheinsane” on this site, discovered by patgund].Related to this is a wonderful site that provides a direct comparison of Palin’s experience and Obama’s experience (although I wish it presented the information in a more neutral fashion).
- From the “Read My Lips” Department: The Republican speechmakers have been going on and on about how Obama wants to raise your taxes. cieldumort, in ljdemocrats, had an interesting link that made things clearer: A site using numbers from the Tax Policy Center showing how the Obama Tax Plan will affect you. I’ll see a tax cut of $2,432.40, m’self, perhaps a bit less. What about McCain’s purported tax relief? CNN has a nice article about the tax claims made by McCain. It shows that McCain’s tax relief really doesn’t cover all (it increases the dependent exemption). More significantly, it will hurt middle class workers because it taxes you for what your employer spends on your health insurance. So it helps, in some sense, those who buy insurance on their own. But it hurts those who have employer-provided health insurance.
- From the “On My Honor…” Department: Robin Abcarian of the LA Times has an interesting piece, “The Imperfect Hero”, that discusses John McCain’s honor code… and how often he breaks it. It notes how he championed many bipartisan positions in the early 2000, and was even considered for Kerry’s running mate. It also talks about how he has made calculated changes in his position to move back into the R fold (a maverick? hmmmm?). It talks about his temper, how he was a jerk, etc. The translation being: the maverick they are touting is not the McCain of today, and there are aspects of McCain that are not so nice.
Now, turning to the convention… I just spent the last two hours listening to Cindy McCain and John McCain. There were some interesting omissions in their histories, but that’s neither here nor there. Senator McCain gave an excellent speech*. Although at times he misrepresented what Obama positions are, I think Obama made an equal number of misrepresentations in his speech.
So what was my overall impression? We have two excellent Presidential candidates (although I’m not that impressed with McCain’s VP pick). Broadly, they both seem to have the same stated goals: Making America safe, being post-partisan, making Washington work again, cutting government spending appropriately, pulling us out of the recession, using energy independence to refocus and rebuild the economy, cutting earmarks, making government transparent, improving education. They differ on the ways of achieving those goals. They also differ on where government should be a “nanny”.
We need to acknowledge that the goals are similar, and that both teams are patriotic and love America. I think both of the Presidential candidates did that, although their sycophants have not. Would that they could be truly post-partisan, and find a way to work together as a team (and as such, McCain has much more value in the Senate than does Obama, having more seniority). I do hope that whomever wins, they can find the way to work together and acknowledge the common goals.
So who did this leave me supporting? I still support Obama, because I believe his approach towards the goals is the better process. I sincerely hope as we move into the general election that we can move to an area of mutual respect for the candidates and each one’s unique stories, and make our focus one of debating ideas and the way to achieve our goals. We must change the devisiveness that is currently present in Government and in the electorate.
* ETA, two days later: Although looking back, I don’t think it was as good as I thought initially. There were lots of areas that weren’t addressed, and it was more goals then specifics.
Republican Convention, Day 3
Well, I watched some more speeches at the Republican Convention tonight. A few observations.
It’s going to be an interesting election. Sarah Palin did a good job with her speech — not a great job, for she’s really not an orator who knows how to build a crowd — but she conveyed her message. Both Gov. Palin and the other speakers did what they need to do: they presented their opponent’s experiences in such as way to make them look bad, turning “Community Organizer” into a slur, and “Chicago Machine” into a curse word. But that’s what they are supposed to do, just as the Democrats attempted to make the Republicans appear to be a clone of the Bush administration.
I am sad, watching this all, that the Republicans (at least) appear to forget that their opponents are Americans as well. During the Democratic convention, there was a lot of talk about how both parties loved their country and wanted the best for it, but had different ways of getting there. During the Republican Convention, there is a lot more demonization: that Democrats (or the horrid L-word — not Lesbian, but Liberal) want America to lose, that they want to hurt America. If we are to move into the future healed, we must all stipulate that we love our country, but perhaps we feel there are different paths to making it successful and strong.
Did the rhetoric convince me of anything? No, primarily because I can never support the social conservatism of the Republican party, nor can I support the strong influence of Christian theology, which came across in the music and the catch phrases and the hidden keywords I detected. I can’t support the McCain-Palin ticket because I don’t agree with their economic approach: although deregulation has had benefits, it has also lead to significant economic problems. I can’t support the McCain-Palin ticket because I believe that we must pursue justice — and that is justice for all — be it straight or gay, man or woman.
There were a lot of misrepresentations of the Democratic position. Both seem to have similar energy policies: both want to expand the use of green energy. The Republicans seem to emphasize offshore drilling more and more use of carbon-based approaches, and certainly more nuclear options, whereas the Democrats focused on newer technologies. The Republicans created the implication that the Democrats wanted to tax everyone; that’s not so, they want to reduce taxes on the vast majority, while increasing them on the weathiest individuals. The Republican approachs seems to be that you can have the government run by cutting spending alone. That won’t work: as anyone who has worked on a budget should know (especially Gov. Palin), you have to bring in income as well as reducing expenses.
Just as the Republicans noted they never heard the Democrats use the words “islamic terrorist”, I noted that the speakers tonight never promised to eliminate the deficit (or even reduce it) or balance the budget. Although the speakers tonight noted the Democrats never talked about victory in Iraq, the Republicans never talked about eliminating the terrorist cells in Afghanistan. The speakers tonight talked strongly about the heroic efforts of our veterans, but never said what they would do to ensure they are given the support and medical attention they need when they return home after their honorable service. Lastly, although the speakers tonight excoriated the Democrats for being tax and spend liberals, they never provided their plan to bring the country out of its current recession.
I don’t like misrepresentation, and there was a fair amount of that tonight. I won’t say that the Democrats didn’t do their share of misrepresentation either, but they did at least acknowledge the strengths of the other side. I believe that is important: you need to be able to see the good in people, as well as their faults, and acknowledge both.
But it will be interesting. I think those who are firmly on one side or the other are not likely to be budged. Conventions, I think, only serve to cement opinions. I think the real battle will be during the debates. Those should be interesting to watch: Obama vs McCain, and Biden vs Palin.
One last note: As Palin brought her family on stage and then McCain came tottering out, how many people thought, “Here comes Grandpa!”. John McCain standing next to Sarah Palin only makes McCain look older. I don’t think Biden standing next to Obama make Obama look younger.
Observations from the Republican Convention, Day 2
I’ve been having an ongoing argument with geah about whether I’m open minded. My impression of our discussion was that hHe seems to believe you are open-minded only if you drink the Republican Kool-Aide (note that he sees it differently, and will be clarifying his position in this comment thread). To me, being open minded is listening to all sides, and being open to being convinced. So, in the spirit of equal time, I’m watching the Republican convention. There are times I have voted that way, when the candidate was right (such as Dick Reardon). I don’t believe their current candidates are right, but I do want to hear what they have to say. Here are my observations.
- It’s amazing, watching the camera pan across the faces, how pink they are. There appear to be no shades of brown. Certainly no rainbow signs. On the other hand, as I watched the DNC event last week, the colors of the delegates reflected much more what I see around me in the city.
- They bungled the pledge. Don’t they know the first two words are “Ready, Begin” and the last two “Play ball!”.
- There was an interesting talk on KPCC about Sarah Palin, and why the choice is so troubling. Based on the information out there, it appears McCain and his advisors rushed into it based on little input. As they have learned their intelligence might be wrong, there’s no notion of reconsideration. Just march with the party line, right or wrong. No protest will be quartered. This is what the current administration has done, and seeing it repeated is quite troubling.
- Palin doesn’t seem to be consistent. Although she’s supporting her daughter’s teen pregnancy (as she should), earlier this year she used her line-item veto to slash funding to teen mother support. If you want to encourage these young women to keep their babies, shouldn’t you help to provide them with housing and medical support? That’s part of talk the talk and walk the walk. McCain has also opposed funding such programs.
- I was impressed by the speeches of Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman. I certainly agree with them that John McCain is an honorable man, a man who does have strength of character, who loves his country. However, both aspects were equally acknowledged in the Democratic speeches. Earlier today, I was thinking about the Burger King commercials: “Have it your way” implies that the competition forces their way down your throat. We forget about such implication. Saying “My restaurant is sanitary” creates the implication about the other guy. That’s one thing that bothered me about the speeches: they never showed equal courtesy in acknowledging that the Democratic team has equal love of country. Let’s stipulate the both sides are honest and good people, that love their country, and that truly want to rise above the partisan bickering that is in Washington.
- I was also impressed by the work on Reform that McCain has done… but the emphasis on both McCain and Palin being mavericks bothers me. Yes, I want Reform, but I want someone who thinks about how to do it right, how to get there, what the desired goal is, and has a well-thought out plan. I think Obama and Biden will do that. I’m less confident that McCain will think first, and then act right.
In the end, Joe Liberman turned to the television audience and said we must not vote solely on party ticket — we must put our country first. That’s a sentiment that I heartily agree with. I think that putting our country first — and putting the rights that it stands for first — is vital to the restoration of our stature, of our economy, and of justice in this nation. Our country is more than just business, more than just those doing well. Our country is more than the evangelicals in the south, the social conservatives, or the hawks. Our country is the straights and the gays, the people that are pro-life and the people that our pro-choice, the people that believe in sex education and those that do not. I strongly believe that it is not the place of government to be dictating social morals… and both McCain and Palin haven’t convinced me that they believe in that — rather, they seem to have a strongly social conservative agenda. I cannot support that agenda: I think it moves our country in dangerous directions, moves us away from the principles of equality, freedom of thought, and freedom from government imposed religion.
I think both candidates want to reform the system. I think both candidates want the situation in Iraq resolved honorably (just different timetables). I think both candidates want to improve the economy (but again, with different ways). From what I’ve heard so far, I still prefer Obama’s approach. I like the ideas of building a “green” economy and using that help dependence on foreign oil (which will also help the trade imbalance). It recognizes that the strength of this country is our technology. I do believe the taxes need to be restructured so the upper small percentage… and large corporations… pay more. A recent study showed that two out of every three US corporations paid no income taxes. That’s wrong, and needs to be corrected (there are also equivalent problems with Prop 13 and business). I think Obama will do something about that. I don’t believe that McCain-Palin will.
So, Joe, I am doing what you are saying. I am putting country first and thinking about what I believe is the right direction for the country. Although the candidate you support is an honorable man, a man with character, I do not believe that his positions — all of his positions — are the right direction for the country. Additionally, he has certainly not demonstrated measured judgement in his selection of a running mate.
P.S.: Gene Spafford posted a great image related to the campaign, a parody of the Juno poster with McCain and Palin, titled “Juneau”.