Ouch

If you didn't see the ritual sacrifice of Jim Cramer on last night's Daily Show, you've probably at least heard something about it by now. If you haven't, go watch it. It was brutal. At times, uncomfortably so. It wasn't as entertaining as Stewart's dismantling of Tucker Carlson on Crossfire, because Cramer in no way attempted to fight back. Or even, after a while, defend himself. As an expression of populist rage, I think Jon Stewart's rant about financiers playing games with people's retirements is going to find much wider purchase than Rick Santelli's "losers."

For all of his grovelling though, I have the sinking suspicion that Cramer will back to business as usual in two weeks, tops.

What, No Hello Kitty?

Apparently there is a South Korean company making a Barack Obama 12" action figure.

It is unclear whether the daisho is included or not. However, it will allow me to construct a diorama showing what will happen if Dick Cheney is investigated for any sort of wrongdoing during his term as Vice President (although, it looks like someone has already beat me to that).

Driving Around

I was running some errands over lunch, window down (not every November you can do that around here), "City of Blinding Lights" cranked (because why wouldn't I want to listen to that today?), and I noticed something. Most of the McCain signs are already down. A few windblown stragglers here and there, but not nearly as many as there were yesterday.

Counterpoint, I think there may be even more Obama signs. Tiny blue and white flags claiming a previously uncharted land in the name of Hope.

"Oh, you look so beautiful tonight..."

Yes We Did

For a while there yesterday afternoon, I was afraid to let myself think that it could or would happen. Silly, I know. But if the unthinkable did happen, I know that I would have been crushed. Way worse than '04. But if I didn't let myself think it was possible -- well, I don't know that it would have been any easier, but at least I would have had a head start on it.

The first moment I stated to breathe easier was when Pennsylvania was called right after their polls closed. Then Ohio, and the only question became how big will the margin be? Then, in quick succession, Virginia and Florida and the left-coast states of California, Oregon and Washington. And I wasn't happy (the happiness will come later, when it all sinks in, I think) so much as relieved. It had actually happened. No last-minute shenanigans or Diebold-based irregularities.

Yes, we did. We actually did.

I wish the John McCain who gave the concession speech was the same one who actually campaigned for president. Perhaps it was only because he knew his legacy was at stake, but it was heartening to see him shush the boos in his own crowd and offer an olive branch instead of issuing obstructionist threats. Time will tell how that plays out, but it was the absolutely right gesture to make at that moment.

And then Obama's address, which seemed more inaugural than celebratory. They were the remarks of a man who knew he must hit the ground not just running, but sprinting and with a heavy load. No time to grieve, no time to even enjoy the moment. Instead, a call to face the challenges that lay ahead of us as one.

But amidst the celebrations (and somehow, I am disappointed someone, somewhere hasn't appropriated the victory scenes from Return of the Jedi for last night yet), there was a comment a poster over at Daily Kos made. I'm paraphrasing here, but he compared it to the end of the an action or war movie, when the last fight has been won, and the hero looks around to find his sidekick lying face-down in the dirt, dead. That poster was referring to the Minnesota Senate race, I believe, but that sentiment is equally true in too many places.

A number of undeserving politicians on both sides of the aisle managed to retain their seats last night through the inertia of incumbency. I am sad to say that fact is true in my Congressional district. Apparently in some places - I'm looking at you Alaska - the combination of "I've heard of him" and "He's on my team" will even lead you to vote for a convicted felon. In some places, a number of truly vile ballot initiatives passed. Not just ones that would deny certain groups rights that everyone else enjoys, but ones that actively strip away rights.

It was a good night; a great night even. But it wasn't perfect. But as out next president (shivers now, just writing that) once said, none of us are perfect, but together we can work to become more perfect. Equality, opportunity, fairness, respect for the Constitution, respect for each other - all those things that we say this country is about, but somehow manage to slip away from us more and more each year. Together, we can reclaim those. It won't be easy, but we will get there.

Yes we can. Yes we must.

They Are Also Back

It's almost as if people are imagining the last 8 years never happened.

He's Back

And he brought the pain train with him. Wooooooooo!

OMGWTFVP, part 2

I guess we should have known McCain couldn't resist a former beauty queen.

...

Wait, what's that?


Oh, right. The only card he has left.

OMGWTFVP

What would happen if the Democratic Vice Presedential hopefuls had an IM chat? Probably not this, as hilarious as it is.

I Guess We Can

I am a Democrat. Have been since the moment I could register to vote. And since that moment, it has been one long battle of idealism versus pragmatism. If you've ever told yourself "Kerry is a flawed candidate, but we can't afford another four years of Bush," you know what I'm talking about.

Some days, it isn't easy to be a Democrat. Take yesterday, for instance. The Senate, for some reason, decided to capitulate to the White House once again and offer immunity to the telecom companies that decided warrants were passe. It's entirely possible Bush would have pardoned anyone and everyone involved anyhow, but it's still the principal of the matter.

Now, the worst part of this whole deal is that Obama voted for cloture (thus preventing a filibuster) and voted for the passage of the final bill, despite previously indicating he would do neither of these things. I don't know that the final result would have changed if he had voted the other way, but again, that's not really the point. Idealism just took another body blow.

I will still vote for Obama in November. There's really no question about that, considering who he is running against. I'm not going to be as excited about it as I was a couple of months ago, though. That may not sound like a big deal, but if enough people feel that same creeping sense of pessimism, it might make it harder for some of those downticket races that are counting on big coat-tails. Ironically, winning enough of those races would probably mean the Democrats would have solid enough margins that they probably wouldn't feel like they have to capitulate all the time. Screw you, irony.

In the meantime, pragmatism continues to pummel idealism. And I'll just go back to daydreaming about the day I can actually eat that cake I have.

The End Is Here

Michael Scott: "Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot the deer in the leg. Had to kill it with a shovel, took about an hour. Why do you ask?"
-- The Office, episode 2.5: "Halloween"

There is, I think, an argument to be made that the long Democratic primary season has been a net positive. After all, new voter registrations are up, Obama has had a chance to define himself as a candidate while under fire, he has built an nationwide organization, etc. Whether those factors outweigh the negatives of an extended campaign remain to be seen, but the argument can be made.

Refusing to concede the race after everyone knows it is over is another thing, however. It demonstrates an astounding level of either self-absorption or delusion that should a priori preclude Clinton from any discussion of a VP slot. The time was for bargaining was in April; her hand is weakening by the hour now. The only trick she has left in her bag is to openly dissuade her loyalists from supporting the Democratic candidate (and really, I suspect that anyone that would follow her over that cliff would have been going that direction anyhow), which would surely be the end of her political career.


Here's a geek-friendly video I found a couple of weeks ago:

It's still funny, but it is now tinged with the increasingly pathetic tone Clinton's campaign has taken on. It really will be a shame if this is how her campaign is remembered - as a joke that didn't know when to end instead of a hard-fought struggle that gave long-overdue legitimacy to the idea a female president.