Blank and Giggles

Predictions for Tuesday

2008-10-29T19:18:00.002-04:00

Predictions:

Obama - 53%
McCain - 46%

Swing States

Obama - 356
McCain - 182

Surprise States for Obama - North Carolina, Montana

Hope.

Debate, Election

2008-10-08T22:02:00.002-04:00

Quick Roundup:

Obama wiped the floor with the McCain. I can't believe he said "that one". McCain doesn't look good. Palin - complete VPILF, but so so so vapid and unimpressive.

Biden - I like the hair plugs.

Tina Fey, who I used to hate, but now I love, is totally winning the election cycle.

This explains it all.

about to sleep

2008-09-14T00:58:00.000-04:00

I'm off to sleep and I promise that my next post won't be about the election.

I feel like I'm too invested. I'm on an emotional roller coaster with this thing. It is a plot that has replaced the plot that should be my own life.

Anyway, I need to get back to more consistent writing. I'm enjoying teaching this year immensely. I realize though even though I am now Protestant, I still carry with me my old Catholic Guilt.

don't you hate it when a stupid comment or a stupid thing from like fifteen years ago haunts your brain and makes you feel stupid or like shit? Well, I'll get over it and move on.

vote Obama.

It's the economy, stupid!

2008-09-13T19:09:00.002-04:00

Everything you need to know. Don't let the media or anyone else say there is no difference between the two of the candidates?

Besides McCain being gung-ho for a war with Russia, take a look at your wallet. Two words for Johnny McLiar: Trickle THIS!

Obama

2008-09-07T19:27:00.002-04:00

His speech was perfect, but the right wing has me scared. The choice is simple: A politician who unites vs. A politician who divides.
A politician who talks not in sound bites vs. A politician beholden to the right wing talking points.
A politician willing to negotiate vs. One bent on more war.
A politician trying his hardest to avoid identity politics vs. One who uses identity as gimmick to get votes.
A politician who believes the less eight years were a disaster vs. One who only says so when politically convenient.
A politician who refutes the future vs. a man who answers every hard question with a reference to his past.
A politician who discusses middle-class issue vs. a man and woman who doesn't mention healthcare, middle class, college relief, or social security in their convention address.
A politician who fights cleanly and admirably for his causes vs. a man who has broken every pledge to do the same.
A politician who seeks common ground on abortion and gay marriage and immigration vs. one who uses these issues as wedge.

The choice is clear. Stop McCain. Stop Palin. The right must own their mistakes.

Football Picks

2008-09-04T21:54:00.001-04:00

Did I do this already?

NFC EAST
Cowboys 11-5 - they are pretty good all-around
Eagles 9-7 - I hope McNabb steps it up
Giants 8-8 - Defensive fall-out
Redskins 7-9 - Campbell? Bust

NFC North
Vikings 9-7 An Ugly Division
Bears 8-8 Orton?
Lions 6-10 I thought about higher, then I didn't
Packers 4-12 - Aaron Rogers!

NFC South
Saints 11-5 A nice comeback year
Bucs 10-6 - Sure, why not? They seem scrappy
Panthers 6-10 - On the decline
Falcons 2-14 - Two more wins than I wanted to be put down

NFC West
Seahawks 10-6 - I love Hasselback
Cardinals 9-7 - If Warner stays healthy, and is good, and if he stays healthy
49ers 7-9 - Still not enough
Rams 3-13 - Old and abysmal

AFC East
Patriots 14-2 - They are hungry, but will lose um, one to the Jets, and one to the Colts (do they play?)
Dolphins 7-9 - I like Pennington to be pissed
Jets 5-11 - Favre = old
Bills 5-11 - They will take a step back, next year - step forward

AFC North
Steelers 11-5 - A flawed team in a weird division
Browns 8-8 - I want to see Quinn
Bengals 8-8 - Ocho Ocho
Ravens 4-12 - Their QB is?

AFC South
Colts 11-5 - Still tough to beat.
Texans 9-7 - Why not?
Jags 9-7 - Tough D
Titans 7-9 - I don't know what to think of Vince Young

AFC West
Chargers 13-3 - Their year
Broncos 11-5 - Cutler steps out
Chiefs 6-10 - Oh god
Raiders 4-12 Oh worse

Super Bowl - Chargers 31, Cowboys 14 - I want TO to cry.

Why I Love Joe Biden...

2008-09-04T20:18:00.003-04:00

It is his sincerity. Pure and simple. I don't think this story illustrates his final point, but his humor and humility and honesty in how he tells it - tells us about who he is. After watching the Repubs the last few nights and witnessing Slick Mitt Romeny, Two-faced Huckabee Foghorn Thompson, and the lack of ethos Sarah Palin, it is nice to hear a voice of a real person.

Juno? or Juneau?

2008-09-01T13:26:00.003-04:00

ELLEN PAGE OR BRISTOL PALIN?

Now I'm not one of these conspiracy people and I don't think it is fair to rag on Bristol Palin who gave birth to her second, I mean, first child - but What the Hell does this say about the moral majority and John McCain's judgment? Should Sarah Palin be campaigning with a four-month old and a daughter in need of care?

Handicapping the Veeps

2008-08-21T22:52:00.002-04:00

Joe Biden - 3:2 - I like him, but perhaps isn't a big enough name.

Evan Bayh - 15:1 - Too pretty, plus Iraq war vote, plus not an attack dog

Tim Kaine - 5:1 - Too little experience, no foreign policy creds, and unknown

Hillary Clinton - 3:1 - He might be crazy enough....

The Field - Even - I still think there is an unknown - someone that we haven't thought about - Michael Phelps?

McCain face McPain

2008-08-21T18:20:00.002-04:00

The whole he doesn't know how many houses he owns is great on three fronts:

1) Lets the American people know he is wealthy, elitist, and not a "man of the people"

2) showcases his forgetfulness - he is old

3) his response, which was basically noun-verb-POW -

Barack must have watched this video:

Obama needs Shakespeare

2008-08-20T21:45:00.002-04:00

I've posted this on a few liberal blogs - A rarely does this - but my dislike of Johnny Boy McCain is rising.

Barack Obama's proposed speech:

John McCain served his country in War and Senate; yes, John McCain is an honorable man.

John McCain stood up for campaign finance reform; yes, John McCain is an honorable man.

John McCain embraced the Karl Roves of the Bush administration, the men who slandered him and his family; for John McCain is a honorable man.

John McCain supported the Iraq war, told us we would be greeted as liberators, perpetuated the inaccuracy of WMDs, and has failed to understand the difference between Sunni and Shiite, and is against any timetable for withdraw; but, John McCain is an honorable man.

John McCain has changed his position on lobbyists, his top foreign policy advisor was a lobbyist until March for the country of Georgia, a major conflict of interest when forming a foreign policy, yet John McCain is honorable man.

John McCain’s promise of energy independence has been flushed away with his drill here, drill now policy; yet John McCain is honorable man.

John McCain promised run a positive campaign on issues, but now feels the need to attack my patriotism; John McCain is an honorable man.

John McCain has abandoned his economic principles and now is for Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, and tax cuts for the corporations that ship jobs overseas; yes, John McCain is an honorable man.

Senator McCain, I will not attack your service, but you have shown no honor by attacking mine. This election is about policy and our future. You have showed no respect to me or the American people with your consent distortions of the facts, your pandering to the extremes of your party, and your collusion with lobbyists and oil company. These are not the things of honor.

Senator McCain, the nation and I expected more for you. We believed that you were different than the current administration. We believed you were to run a campaign with dignity, and honor your word and your principles. Be break from the past eight years. But now, I can only say

Et tu, John? Et tu, John?

Michael Phelps

2008-08-20T14:50:00.002-04:00

I was pretty stoked to see Phelps win eight gold medals. The thing is this though, he seems kind like a dick. He gave these short kinda dick like answers. He gives off major douchebag vibe. Still, eight gold medals. Plus, I heard from my wife who knows this girl who has a sister who has a friend that goes to the University of Michigan whose suitemate claims Phelp date raped her. So, anyway, he can swim fast.

Ten things I would do if I were Obama...

2008-08-19T00:05:00.004-04:00

1) On the VP front, pick Joe Biden. He has the most experience and is the best attack dog. Use him to attack like crazy on the talk shows, through OP-EDs, and on the trail. He will weedwhack McCain, while you can stay classy.

2) Develop a chant at the DNC - John McCain More of the Same Something that resonates.

3, 4 and 5)
3. Economy, economy, economy - That is all you should talk about on the stump. Use McCain's line "I don't know much about the economy" in ad. Roll that and then supply facts.
4. During October, pull a Perot. Buy ad time (you have the money) and lay out a complex detail plan for fixing the economy, contrast in terms with McCain's plan. You are great on television and can be nuanced and professorial. Do this.
5. This should be the focus of your acceptance speech. It needs to be a Clinton-esque - I feel your pain speech. Empathize.

6) McCain wants to announce his VP pick on August 29th - the day after your big speech and also the third anniversary of Katrina. Be in New Orleans. Build a house. Do construction. While McCain is introducing an old white guy, they will cut to you with shovel and hard hat with you saying "I'm for the forgotten people of this country - McCain and Bush stood by three years ago, we must never forget." It is the perfect contrast image.

7) Use your humor. Your speeches and your interviews can be filled with humor that cuts. Develop some lines and some responses that helps cut McCain down.

8) Ohio, Ohio, Ohio - Campaign there with John Kerry and in the districts he lost. The people will recognize that they can't miss this opportunity again.

9) Florida, Florida, Florida - Now Al Gore may not want to campaign in Florida, but perhaps he can cut ad - television or radio. Something that begins "The last eight years has seen our standing in the world plummet, our nation thrust into a devastating and expensive war, jobs are being shipped overseas, the housing market is crumbling, and our leadership has failed - not this time..."

10) Keep doing what you are doing with voter registration. It will work - people are going to vote in massive numbers. Don't stop and rest...YES WE CAN!

What we can learn from China

2008-08-12T08:33:00.002-04:00

I've been glued to the Olympics and was shocked and awed like the rest of the country about the opening ceremonies. The American First part of me is a little frightened at China's rise. I keep going "Oh shit, we need more manufacturing at home, where is our infrastructure, we need a strong dollar, AHAHAHAHAH - end of our reign, end of glory!!!!!!!!!!!"

David Brooks, of the NYT, who I usually hate for his idiot opinions on Obama has a great piece about individualistic nations vs. collective - something worth considering.

His main point:

Either way, individualistic societies have tended to do better economically. We in the West have a narrative that involves the development of individual reason and conscience during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and then the subsequent flourishing of capitalism. According to this narrative, societies get more individualistic as they develop.

But what happens if collectivist societies snap out of their economic stagnation? What happens if collectivist societies, especially those in Asia, rise economically and come to rival the West? A new sort of global conversation develops.

The opening ceremony in Beijing was a statement in that conversation. It was part of China’s assertion that development doesn’t come only through Western, liberal means, but also through Eastern and collective ones.

Perhaps, it is beneficial if America began to think more in the collective. I'm a liberal and a Jesus Guy, so social programs and commune-life is right up my alley. Reshaping and remolding the American dream and ideals may be what we need in this new century, that and hover crafts - we could use some fucking hover crafts.

John McCain is Abraham Simpson

2008-08-11T15:34:00.002-04:00

John McBush's new line of attack on Obama is absurd. Attacking Obama for being popular is about the dumbest thing in the world - Sarcasm and Bitterness will not get you elected. Humor meant to alienate youth and the throngs that support Obama rather trying to counter Obama's appeal with ideas is petty, shameful, and pathetic.

McBush is a gaffe machine. He confused Sunni and Shiite, wrongly stated when the Anbar Awakening occurred, didn't know what country bordered Iraq, falsely claimed that Iran supports Al Qaeda, lied about the necessity of a tire gauge, lied about Obama's tax plan, called the surge as success (only 8 of 18 measurements met), volunteered his wife for a topless contest, claimed we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq, stated that Russia started the war with Georgia (Georgia did!), and suggested that no one from his campaign was a lobbyist (just his top foreign affairs advisor).

And, in his moments of honesty and clarity, he says things that frighten me. Whether it is singing "Bomb-bomb-bomb, Bomb-bomb Iran" or calling his wife a cunt or refusing to condemn a questioner when they call Hillary a bitch to his face (instead, he says "oh that's a good question") or saying that Iraq really was for oil, John McBush is wrong for America. See video for the last comment below:

From Brian Beatty on McSweeney's

2008-08-10T13:09:00.001-04:00

I hate fiction with an unreliable narrator. Or do I?

John McCain is destroying his country and his reputation...

2008-08-09T17:49:00.002-04:00

This from Joe Klein at Time Magazine...I usually don't like him, but he nails it when it comes to McCain and the media.

Edwards' adultery is not a problem for Obama any more than Larry Craig's importunings should be a problem for McCain. As for McCain's alleged adultery--it's been denied by both parties and I really don't care about the Senator's sex life. I do care about the fact that he is running a campaign filled with lies about his opponent's positions, a campaign that is conducted in a snarky, subversive tone that is entirely inappropriate to American politics. I wish my colleagues would spend more time talking about what a disservice McCain is doing the country and less time "analyzing" why McCain has to tear down Obama in order to win. (If tearing down Obama is the only way he can win--and this should be obvious, but apparently it isn't--McCain doesn't deserve to win.)

McCain's tone and his lies prove to me that he is running for Bush's third term. People should be scared. He is the egomaniac. He is the man in a pissing contest, when we want a respectful campaign. Shame on you, John McCain - you can't hide behind your war heroics and maverick status - you are a liar!

John McCain is an old man and manipulative s.o.b.

2008-08-07T12:05:00.002-04:00

There is a great article that looks at this supposedly humorous ad from John McCain (and it is funny in the sense that it is pathetic) and how it uses subtle clues and references to the Left Behind series and other accounts of the Anti-Christ. Yes, this is funny ad is a secret, coded ad for the Religious Right painting Barack as the Devil.

Nice job - Old Man.

John McCain - loads of class

Summer Camp is Haunting ME

2008-08-05T10:01:00.001-04:00

Go to this site and take a look at the young man in the picture below: GUESS WHO IT IS?

Starry Night

2008-08-05T08:20:00.002-04:00

Okay, this is a bit ridiculous at point and reeks of gross sentimentality, but it is cool. By the by, how much time to people have on their hands?

It is a rendering of Van Gogh's Starry night done by Second Life.

More on my time with AP teachers in Vermont

2008-08-03T23:33:00.002-04:00

Whoa, it was like summer camp, but with gourmet food, open bar, and lots and lots of learning about rhetoric. I'm excited to be teaching this course next year. I probably should be worried about writers' fatigue. I have a submission tomorrow and I'm busting my ass to make it work.

Writing is great, when I'm rolling, but when I'm stuck - oh lord, am I stuck. I have been dabbling in verse, but I always find that way too personal to share, even on a personal blog. Not that it is at all confessional, in fact, none of it is, but there is something so naked about poetry, that I'm at the point where I'd at least like to wear my underwear in my writing.

So, here is a poem by Jane Shore, who I heard read last week. Here new collection is great. I couldn't find "The Streak" online, which is kick-ass. But I like this one, and it works so much better aloud.

A Yes-or-No Answer

Have you read The Story of O?
Will Buffalo sink under all that snow?
Do you double-dip your Oreo?
Please answer the question yes or no.

The surgery—was it touch-and-go?
Does a corpse’s hair continue to grow?
Remember when we were simpatico?
Answer my question: yes or no.

Do you want another cup of joe?
If I touch you, is it apropos?
Are you certain that you’re hetero?
Is your answer yes or no?

Did you lie to me, like Pinocchio?
Was forbidden fruit the cause of woe?
Did you ever sleep with that so-and-so?
Just answer the question: yes or no.

Did you nail her under the mistletoe?
Will you spare me the details, blow by blow?
Did she sing sweeter than a vireo?
I need an answer. Yes or no?

Are we still a dog-and-pony show?
Shall we change partners and do-si-do?
Are you planning on the old heave-ho?
Check an answer: Yes o No o.

Was something blue in my trousseau?
Do you take this man, this woman? Oh,
but that was very long ago.
Did we say yes? Did we say no?

For better or for worse? Ergo,
shall we play it over, in slow mo?
Do you love me? Do you know?
Maybe yes. Maybe no.

From GW

Jane Austen and Obama

2008-08-03T07:17:00.002-04:00

One, I'm a huge Jane Austen fan.
Two, I'm a huge fan of Maureen Dowd at the New York Times - though feminists hate her because she railed against Hillary and she can be quite vicious.
Three, I love Obama.

So, I was so happy when I read this:

The odd thing is that Obama bears a distinct resemblance to the most cherished hero in chick-lit history. The senator is a modern incarnation of the clever, haughty, reserved and fastidious Mr. Darcy.

Like the leading man of Jane Austen and Bridget Jones, Obama can, as Austen wrote, draw “the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien. ...he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased.”

The master of Pemberley “had yet to learn to be laught at,” and this sometimes caused “a deeper shade of hauteur” to “overspread his features.”

The New Hampshire debate incident in which Obama condescendingly said, “You’re likable enough, Hillary,” was reminiscent of that early scene in “Pride and Prejudice” when Darcy coldly refuses to dance with Elizabeth Bennet, noting, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.”

Indeed, when Obama left a prayer to the Lord at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a note that was snatched out and published, part of his plea was to “help me guard against pride.”

If Obama is Mr. Darcy, with “his pride, his abominable pride,” then America is Elizabeth Bennet, spirited, playful, democratic, financially strained, and caught up in certain prejudices. (McCain must be cast as Wickham, the rival for Elizabeth’s affections, the engaging military scamp who casts false aspersions on Darcy’s character.)

In this political version of “Pride and Prejudice,” the prejudice is racial, with only 31 percent of white voters telling The New York Times in a survey that they had a favorable opinion of Obama, compared with 83 percent of blacks.

And the prejudice is visceral: many Americans, especially blue collar, still feel uneasy about the Senate’s exotic shooting star, and he is surrounded by a miasma of ill-founded and mistaken premises.

So the novelistic tension of the 2008 race is this: Can Obama overcome his pride and Hyde Park hauteur and win America over?

Can America overcome its prejudice to elect the first black president? And can it move past its biases to figure out if Obama’s supposed conceit is really just the protective shield and defense mechanism of someone who grew up half white and half black, a perpetual outsider whose father deserted him and whose mother, while loving, sometimes did so as well?

Can Miss Bennet teach Mr. Darcy to let down his guard, be more sportive, and laugh at himself?

from the nytimes

Everything I Believe In...

2008-07-30T23:22:00.001-04:00

This is from Taylor Mali - one of my new heroes.

AP Land

2008-07-29T15:34:00.002-04:00

Currently, I am in AP summer camp in Vermont. Wonderful! I love it.

Every night, we need to do an essay for the test. This is my synthesis essay. I had to use at least three sources and I had thirty minutes. The topic - keep the penny, get rid of the penny.

Enjoy.

Eleven score and twelve years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. And, over the course of these years, our strong and prosperous nation has endured much hardship - in war and in economic strife, but we have always prevailed. It is now that the debate of this land is over its currency: moreover, the continued existence of the penny. The debate over this beloved coin has reared its ugly head in the halls of Congress, with representatives portraying this diminutive denomination as "useless in everyday life." The debate continues in the press with Mr. Safire of the New York Times, who laments the penny's current lack of buying power. To him, it is a "bothersome and wasteful" coin. To me, to us, it is neither.

What is remarkable about the penny, like our nation, is its resilience. It was the first currency authorized by the nation, and for one hundred years, our renowned Abraham Lincoln has graced its front. The penny, too, is as popular as ever with 59% of the public opposing its abolition.

Its resilience, its penchant for working its way out of those bothersome couch cushions and into our hearts, can be reasoned as our love and need for tradition.

Now Mr. Safire may lambast this "peskiest" of coins, and claim we follow the acts of the French. But, the peskiness of the penny is our tradition. Our currency is still current - and more so than mere monetarily. The penny and its demarkations teach us about our history. A history needed in a time of lost liberty, enduring war, and failing trust. It is perhaps both germane and ironic, that President Bush, a man responsible for this state of dissatisfaction, has issued a new penny commemorating Lincoln's birth. What better way to celebrate the end of one of our darker periods by turning to a man, a leader, who extended liberty to all people. Yes, the penny is just the coin to do this act. It was the first coin to depict an "historical figure" in our tradition - a tradition worth of preserving and learning from.

So, we can quarrel over its mineral composition and lament the time at the register down to the seconds, but who can deny the object lesson of this rascally coin?

Now, to the 23% of our total population, who favor abolishing the penny, dismissing our tradition, and turning tails on our liberty, I reiterate the words of my local conveinence store cup - "Take it or Leave it."

Poem for a Sunday

2008-07-27T02:23:00.001-04:00

I've been writing a lot of verse lately. I'm fascinated by juxtaposition - though this poem doesn't directly use the technique. I love this poem because of the word "sir" - the whole poem depends on it.

Hornworm: Autumn Lamentation

Since that first morning when I crawled
into the world, a naked grubby thing,
and found the world unkind,
my dearest faith has been that this
is but a trial: I shall be changed.
In my imaginings I have already spent
my brooding winter underground,
unfolded silky powdered wings, and climbed
into the air, free as a puff of cloud
to sail over the steaming fields,
alighting anywhere I pleased,
thrusting into deep tubular flowers.

It is not so: there may be nectar
in those cups, but not for me.
All day, all night, I carry on my back
embedded in my flesh, two rows
of little white cocoons,
so neatly stacked
they look like eggs in a crate.
And I am eaten half away.

If I can gather strength enough
I'll try to burrow under a stone
and spin myself a purse
in which to sleep away the cold;
though when the sun kisses the earth
again, I know I won't be there.
Instead, out of my chrysalis
will break, like robbers from a tomb,
a swarm of parasitic flies,
leaving my wasted husk behind.

Sir, you with the red snippers
in your hand, hovering over me,
casting your shadow, I greet you,
whether you come as an angel of death
or of mercy. But tell me,
before you choose to slice me in two:
Who can understand the ways
of the Great Worm in the Sky?

Stanley Kunitz