The Undecided Voter

So I find myself in wooden chair facing the fire exit of a Borders bookstore in Buffalo, N.Y. I hear the cold wind howling outside the door and the new age elevator music permeates out of the store's celing speakers. I'm not quite sure how I got here... well, yea I do, but it still doesn't make any sense. And with the world's most important elections coming up in less then 72 hours, I can hardly find a good reason to be out here in Buffalo, NY of all places.

Well actually, I do have a reason. I'm out here with STOMP, the National Republican Congressional Committee's program to send Capitol Hill staffers out to important races throughout the nation. Here in Buffalo, I'm helping out Nancy Naples in NY's 27th congressional district. She seems like a good lady with a real desire to help out the folks in her area. Of course, she's going to have a tough time here as a Republican. Her district has a 2-to-1 democrat registration advantage and her opponent is well financed. You know it's going to be a tough race when in your campaign lit and ads, you refuse to mention that you're a republican. Emphasizing the use of words like "independent" and "free-thinker" is more like Naples campaign style (and probably a necessity).

What's interesting about things up here is how real life is. You know all the talk about job loss and outsourcing. Well, welcome to Cheektowaga NY, a small suburb outside of Buffalo. It's defintiely a tougher town then synthetic Orlando. You know that when you talk with someone here on job loss, you're not talking with a politically savvy Democrat seeking to gain cheap shots and percentages of polling poitns. But you're talking with someone who has lost his or her job within the last year and is having some real trouble finding honest work without moving out of the area. The air is cold, the streets are old, the shops are in need of repair, and the average age of a city dweller is well beyond middle-aged crisis. Hell, the city itself is well beyond a middle aged-crisis. That may explain why the bars around here close at 4am (instead of 2)... as our taxi driver mentioned to us, it's a heavy-drinking town.

We've spent the last few days precinct walking for Naples here in Cheektowaga, the swing district of Buffalo. We've had moderate success, but what's even more interesting is the profile of the normal resident. Here you'll find the true undecided voter: Someone who loves his country and loves his President, whoever he is. He wants to be proud of his home and wants leaders to be proud of, as well. He doesn't hate Bush and is glad that he can trust him, but he also has fond memories of life under President Clinton.

He knows that the world is quite dangerous, especially with his relatively close proximity to the attacks on 9-11, and he wants his leaders to take real action on protecting us. He knows that Iraq is not a mission to save suffering people and he knows that the WMD argument is a bust. But he also knows that we haven't been attacked since 9-11 and the thought of taking the fight to the terrorists instead of them attacking us makes complete sense to him. He wants us to win in Iraq and then to bring his boys home as heroes.

He wants real work and he wants to be self-sufficient. He hates the overboard tax system of NY state and he hates the loss of jobs he has seen around the area. He knows that John Kerry is promising some good things with healthcare and job creation, but he just can't trust Kerry as a leader. He doesn't think of Kerry as someone of the people and Bush, while also disconnected by class standards, seems to be someone who he can share a beer with.

In the end, these undecideds are going to vote, and they're probably going to vote for Kerry. After all, that's the historical trend in Presidental races in which an incumbent is pitted against a challenger (90% go against the incumbent). But in the end, these undecideds (and believe me, there are very few of them these days) have a generally defeatist mindset when it comes to this election. They're not sure who they can really trust and they know things may get worse before they get better. Their only hope is that, after the election is finally decided (whenever that is), our President and our nation can move on and get some real work done. They've been clobbered with negative ads out the wazhoo and they're just ready for it to be over. I can honestly say that I'm there with them. Let's get this thing over with already.

The Day After Tomorrow (after 6 days from now)

The cover of the newest Time magazine say it all. I mean really... take a look at it. Go ahead and click on it for a better look. The United States is a ticking timebomb, perfectly set to go off 7 days from now. Is anyone truly safe from the impending choas that will be our General Elections? Do you realize how different our world will be 7 days from now? News today shows that Bush is moving ahead, especially in Florida. But do you really think we will have a clear winner on election night?

To give everyone out there some perspective, the national parties are going all out for this one. You've heard the talk of lawyers by the thousands, right? It's absolutely real. There are supposedly thousands of lawyers already in Florida ready to pounce at the mention of voter fraud. Also, several lawyer friends I have up here are gearing up to hit their "assignments." Basically, if you have your J.D. and you're involved in politics, the party (either Dem or GOP) will fly you out and put you up in one of the key battleground states if you offer to help. It's pretty interesting to see. The question of the hour is now "Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Florida?"

Aside from that, things are ok here. Republicans are confident but cautious. Democrats are active and optimistic. And I'm just waiting to get my absentee ballot from Florida... yes, Florida. More info on that later.

Weekend Follies

So I haven't found the meaning of life as yet. Nope, no where close. I'm thinking its somewhere between the sushi place at Petagon City Mall and the Philly Cheese Steak Cafe underneath the Capitol, but well... I could be wrong on that one.

Nothing much happened this weekend aside from me running across some random pop-culture moments. Ashlee Simpson can't sing, Bush can't speak, and T-mac can't play. But aside from all that, here's some food for thought.

I hate to say this, but Kerry will win Florida.

I just wanted to get that out in the open. I'm not sure what will happen to the rest of the nation and frankly, I've stopped caring. But I want to lay out this theory before the stuff really starts hitting the fan. After all, if I want to do this stuff for a living, I've got to start making predictions and then running away from them after they turn out to be a bunch of crock. Here's the first step in that direction:

Right now, most polls in Florida are showing a tied race. Among traditionally polled voters, the race is a dead heat. If it is indeed a tie in this group, the group of underpolled voters will shift the lead in favor of Kerry. New voters (almost overwhelmingly Democrats) and younger voters who live life by the cellphone (which pollsters can't reach) tend to be leaning towards Kerry. This will lift him out of the tie and help him steal Florida. If he stays in the tie till election day, we may see Kerry ahead by 537 after polls have closed and recounts have finished (how ironic would that be).

Let's see if I'm dead on, or just another fool with a theory.

And by the way... want a funny read? Check out the second article on this page from the Hill newspaper (Jackson Lee’s signing a slip of the hand). It recounts a tale of the only liberal congresswoman to sign her name to a petition filled with a bunch of hardcore conservatives, that condems the recent attacks on Buch/Cheney campaign offices! Funny part is that my good friend was involved with the project. Of course they didn't mean for Jackson Lee to sign off on it (it was sent to her office by mistake), but someone there was just too eager to forge her boss's name on a paper they didn't read over. Good Job, Joker!

p r o x i m i t y

Maybe I'm just the country mouse visiting my cousin, the city mouse for the month. But I'm definitely feeling a bit wide-eyed and intimidated everytime I come into work. Things just haven't gotten old as yet. For example, I'm sure you're familiar with the flu-shot fiasco here in the capitol. Well, here's an interesting story:

Earlier today, one of our press people stopped by to b.s. They mentioned that we were thinking about sending extra doses of the flu shot, that were slated to come into the capitol, out to the public. Someone else in the room mentioned it was a good idea, but questions came up on who we should send them to: DC area hospitals or spread them around the nation. (Remember, we only have a few thousand coming in, now) I know there was some back and forth with another high-level staffer in the capitol, but we eventually decided to keep it in the district since they are so strapped for the shot.

So, within the hour the release was sent to the press: We're sending our extra doses to DC-area hospitals, hooray! Done, deal right? Well kind of.

Within that same hour, I overheard an interesting story coming from the TV that sits above my desk. It was set to CNN's Inside Politics and they were covering the story! Crazy... just like that. Over in the press offices, they push 'Send' on their Outlook message... The release gets delivered, and BOOM... international press within the hour.

I know, I know... Get over it right? I got somewhat used to that feeling during the end of the campaign, but this is just too crazy. A lazy day in the office, decide something random, send a release, boom... news. Of course this stuff happens all the time, but I love being close to the action.

I'm President of the World!

Remember how, four years ago, we all wondered what would become of Bill Clinton after his term was up. Apparently, he hasn't got campaigning out of his system as yet. I'm not sure if this is for real, but Clinton is now aiming for, ahem... (drum-roll please)... UN Secretary General. That's right, he wants to be President of the World. Doesn't that take the wind out of our little presidential elections?

The article describes that Secretary Kofi Annan will end his term in early 2006. There has never been an American Secretary-General, but word is that a Clinton candidacy will shore up support quickly. However, a lot of this is contingent on the results of our Presidential elections. Any UN Secretary General candidate would need the support of the U.S. delegation before they'll be considered serious. Obviously, a second term for Bush will kill that idea very quickly. The last thing Bush wants is good ol' Billy-boy stealing his thunder. However, a Kerry Administration may be more sympathetic (can you see Kerry lobbying against the Reagan of the Democrat party?).

So what do I think? Don't know. But I'm surprised to see the major campaigns not jumping all over this. I personally think this news, if it's true, will help Bush in the end. It'll help him shore up the "They're taking our jorbs!" vote since a Secretary-General Clinton would show-nuff give some legitimacy to the UN. Talk about an October surprise, eh?

All Your Flu Shots Are Belong To Us!

So the media is up in arms about Members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers having access to an unlimited supply of flu shots. Damn, lucky bastards. I'm not sure of the skinny behind this, but it's crazy to see it play out while I'm here. I don't know where I personally stand on this (a strong case can be made for and against having members all flu-shotted up), but the cnn.com readers have made their thoughts clear.

So you may ask me, did you get a flu shot while in the Capitol. To be honest, yeah... I got my flu shot. I did it and I liked it! It felt good, like warm apple-pie.

No really... the Capitol medics offered flu shots to us several weeks before the Chimera doses were found contaminated and blocked. Ha! We're in the moral clear. I'm pretty sure we would have skipped them if the situation is like how it is now.

... I guess my turn to the dark side is complete.

Best Endorsement Ever

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Endorses John Kerry for President:
From the Rolling Stone Article:

BULLETIN
KERRY WINS GONZO ENDORSMENT; DR. THOMPSON JOINS DEMOCRAT IN CALLING BUSH "THE SYPHILLIS PRESIDENT"

"Four more years of George Bush will be like four more years of syphilis," the famed author said yesterday at a hastily called press conference near his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. "Only a fool or a sucker would vote for a dangerous loser like Bush," Dr. Thompson warned. "He hates everything we stand for, and he knows we will vote against him in November."

Thompson, long known for the eerie accuracy of his political instincts, went on to denounce Ralph Nader as "a worthless Judas Goat with no moral compass."

"I endorsed John Kerry a long time ago," he said, "and I will do everything in my power, short of roaming the streets with a meat hammer, to help him be the next President of the United States."

You should read the entire article if you get a chance. Agree with it or not... I don't care what you say, this is funny.

How 'bout some protest with your cereal?

So my trip to work today was interesting...

Thanks to the Metro, I was already running 20 mins late to work. Apparently, they decided to move to a single track in the middle of my trip, which threw off everyone's schedule. The delays helped overcrowd the cars and every was extremely grouchy. I hurried off the train at my stop and made my way up the stairs to the Capitol South entrance.

Interesting fact about the Capitol South metro stop is that it's the closest stop near the Capitol and Congressional office buildings. Naturally, all staff members to Congress use this stop if they are forced to rock the Metro to get around. This is also a favorite stop for protesters to hover around during important votes and of course, national elections.

This morning, we were greeted to several dozen protesters right outside the Metro entrance who were all carolling their thoughts on the upcoming elections. You know, like christmas carols... They were singing alright. Singing the praises of the Kerry/Edwards campaign. Or more specifically, how much they hate Bush. While I made my way through the protesters, several them approached, trying to hand me material to read.
"Help us Re-defeat Bush!" cried one as he shoved a flyer towards my hand. I continued moving focused on getting to work at a relatively timely hour.
Reaching the end of the gauntlet, another protester hit me up again.
"Help, we're teaching George W. how to read!" another flyer in his hand.
"No thanks," I said politely.
"No thanks?" He questioned indignantly. "That doesn't sound too optimistic."
Ha, he must think i'm a disgruntled Democrat...

Ok, so let me get this straight. We're two weeks away from one of the most important elections of our lifetime and what are you doing? A last moment appeal to Hill Staffers?

Protests around the metro stop right before an important vote almost makes sense. What a better way to try and influence a bill at the last moments by hitting up the folks who are responsible for making it happen. Smart.

But for national elections, protesting around hill staffers, whose livelyhood are already tied to a member or a party, doesn't make any sense at all. Do you see any undecideds here on Capitol Hill? Hell no. A bunch of dudes singing at us in the morning will not change our minds one way or another. We already made up our minds towards our favorite party the minute we started working here.

The weird thing that people fail to grasp is, for a campaign worker (or a hill staffer), our jobs are temporary by nature. Especially on a campaign, one way or another, the job ends on election night. What's paramount to our future is whether we win or lose. The election's outcome does not only determine if our ideals are in power, it also determines if we can put food in our mouths a month from now.

You guys, I really don't think a set of protesters in the morning on our way to work will change any minds to folks who have to vote a particular way or their job is threatened. If they're just trying to make a scene, then fine (although that seems like a waste of a perfectly good morning). But if they really want to make a difference, get out there and knock some doors, call some lists, write a letter. Do something to help the thousands out there who can't make up their damn minds. Just don't waste your time on the folks who'll vote because their professional lives depend on it.


... Is this what it feels like to lose your soul?

I Can Count to 270

Ok, now I'm kind of scared. There's two weeks till this election and well, no one's quite sure who'll win. There are several scenarios in which we'll have no idea who the winner is for a while after the election... like 2000. Recounts, Lawsuits, Disputed elections are all fair game. Hell, early voting in Florida has already started, and there's already talk of problems. But one option to disaster that's not getting a lot of press is a possibility of an electoral quagmire: Bush 269 - Kerry 269.

There are several cases in which neither candidate will reach the needed 270 electoral votes needed to secure the Presidency. Especially if everything is stays the same as 2000, but Kerry wins Ohio, NH, while Bush picks up Wis & NM. We have a 269-269 tie. And in that case, it gets much worse than it did in 2000.

According to the Constitution, the Presidential election will then head to Congress. The members of the House of Representatives for the new Congress (the congressional makeup after the Nov 2 results) will select the POTUS. Granted that a Republican majority in the House is all but certain, George W. Bush would win re-election. Done, right? Wrong.

The choice of his VP then goes to the Senate. Here's where it gets interesting. Right now, the Senate is divided 51-48-1 in favor of the Republicans. After the elections, you could easily see a Senate with a Democrat majority (Plus an Independent who usually votes Dem). In that case, the Democrat-leaning Senate would elect their VP nominee, John Edwards, as the Vice-President. Four years of Bush-Edwards, huh?

But here's the most interesting of them all... lets say that the Senate is split evenly: 50 voting for Cheney, 50 for Edwards. Well my friends, the tie-breaking vote then goes back to the President of the Senate: The current Vice-President, Dick Cheney. Yes... Dick Cheney would vote himself into office. Ha ha, thought the 2000 elections were bad with the Supreme Court stepping in. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Pepper Can't Wink

No, that's not a name of a new album or movie... Although, now I think of it, remind me to name my Acid Jazz/Funk/Electroclash band that once we get signed. That's the official title of this past weekend... and what a weekend it was. The crew here in D.C. got our first taste of inner-city life this weekend and we're not so sure what to think of it. Other than a collection of highly memorable, interesting, and utterly worthless events, the memory of our friend Pepper trying her hardest to wink with one eye seems to rise to the level of title worthy. Now that I think about it, the entire weekend boils down to something as absurd as trying to wink with one eye and having the other closing in without your control. No matter how hard you try, there's just some things you don't have (CONTROL) over.

We started off the weekend emotionally and physically drained from work. It was a slow week, but busy nonetheless. And like real troopers, we hit the Hawk & Dove for happy hour. The Hawk & Dove is a throwback to old Washington D.C. where staffers of different party members could come together to gripe about work. Unfortunately, in this new polarized world, old fashioned shop talk continues, but you can get a real sense of unease when talking about the issues of the day, especially with the elections a few weeks away. From there, we stopped by my friend's place near Massachuetts Ave. The Meridian is a great place with an impressive view of the capitol building. In fact, if things don't work out with a special four bedroom house we have our eye on, we'll call the Meridian home in a few weeks (CONTROL).

From there, we stopped by a house party of a friend of a friend. Once we walked in, we could tell that all eyes were on us (not sure why). It was an interesting place chocked-full of law school students. We stayed in the corner and chatted with a few folks we knew. I eventually found my way to the fridge and started to admire the many random face magnets that were randomly placed to add some sort of greater meaning to the frigidaire. While my friend and I tried to make sense of the fridge doors, a beer bottle on top the counter next to the fridge fell to the tiled floor. Mind you, my hand was no where near the beer and could not have induced the spill (CONTROL), but I knew that it would be instantly blamed on me due to proximity. As I tried to clean it up, a few onlookers quickly displaced me and cleaned up the mess without even acknowledging my presence. Boom... I'm pissed. I stepped back and gladly withdrew from the clean up process. And went back to a conversation with my buddy and within a few moments, a girl quickly approached from the right and forcibly exclaimed:

"Hi!"
"Howdy," I responded.
"How's it going?" She inquired.
"Fine, and y-?"
"Great!" she replied before I could finish my sentence. "You know you made a mess, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"The spill," she responded with a forceful smile across her face. "You know th-"
"Oh yeah, the beer that fell without my help?" I added with a perfectly evil grin across my face. "Of course. I tried to help, but your good friends resolved the matter without letting me help. Oh, and where's the mess now? Looks like it cleaned up well, didn't it?"
"So... where do you work?" she queried. I could see exactly where this was going. Let's play a game of quiz the people who don't deserve to be here.
"I work for the Speaker." Ha ha. My badge of honor comes through in the clutch.
"Of the Hou-?"
"Yeah, the Speaker of the House. I'm in the Capitol Building assisting the Speaker's Chief Council and Chief of Staff." This stuff is just too easy.
"Are you a Republican or Democrat?" she said almost in disbelief. 'Is this black guy really working for dirty Republican Dennis Hastert?' I could see her question in her mind.
"Republican." I said with a wink. The battle lines were drawn.

We quickly digressed into a debate on politics. Foreign Policy, Fiscal policy, etc. In a short five minutes we hashed out everything from Iraq to abortion. I love playing the right-wing kook. People are just so gullible at times (CONTROL). I was eventually dragged away from the conversation politics can always be a downer. But we were able to trade email addresses and I gave her the address to this site. Hell, she may be reading this now!

Anyways, we made our way to Adams Morgan, a sort of strip full of bars, clubs, and late-night food shops. We hit up a couple bars but the place instantly reminded me of Friday nights on Orange Ave. in Orlando. The night got old quickly so we hit up the pizza place and started to head home. Unfortunately due to time, I'm skipping over stories of the umbrella we stole from a club, the guy who continuously apologized to us throughout the night because he thought we were going to beat him up (CONTROL), and the pizza slice whose size out paced my head! But that leads us high, er... better yet, low point of the evening.

On the way home in the cab, we got word that our friend lost her cell phone (CONTROL) while at Adams Morgan. We quickly ventured back into the zoo and tried to retrace our tracks. Each place we went, we came up with nothing. In fact, we almost got in a fight with the folks at Millie's and Al's, but they hid behind the locked doors of the bar (CONTROL). We headed back home and called it a night. The next day, She got a new cell phone activated and regained (CONTROL) of the situation but that still leaves me wondering... To many of us, our cell phone is our lifeline to the outside world, our friends, our co-workers, everything that's important to us. How many important phone numbers can you rattle off the top of your head without having to check the programmed number on your celly? What do you do in a strange place and a strange time like this without your cell phone? Do we have any control of the situation or are we just trying to wink with both eyes? Have I made any sense or am I just searching for some way to be meaningful and cute (CONTROL) in another random blog post? You be the judge.

Jon Stewart on Crossfire: H A T E

So if you haven't heard already, Jon Stewart is not a fan of CNN's Crossfire. While on the show this past friday, Jon ripped into the show's co-hosts for "hurting america" while abstaining from being their "monkey" and adding real humor to the conversation. He really took a sledgehammer to the show and blindsided them on their home court. If you want to take a look, check out the video or feast on the torrent.

So what do I think about it, since my thoughts are so important, of course. Well, I saw the show live while at work and I have to say, it was surreal. Was Jon correct? Maybe. Was he rude? Probably. Did he make a point? Definitely. Was it wrong for him to do it in that manner? Obsolutely. Let me explain.

Stewart's points hit home and made a lot of sense. I honestly agree with most of his critiques on the conventional media in general. In the case of Crossfire (which I'm a huge fan) I'd have to disagree with him. I can think of many other news shows that deserve the brunt of Stewart's assessment rather than Crossfire. Because like it or not, Crossfire is the one show out there that honestly brings in both points of view, the tree-hugging hippies and the right-wing kooks. Many others simply claim to be balanced while throwing up weak-minded liberal who gets continuously steam rolled by the notable conservative. Does that sort of slanted discussion hurt America more than Crossfire's partisan hackery? Of course so.

And what of his actions on Crossfire itself? Nice job on blindsiding the show's hosts by railing on them without warning. Heaven forbid you give them a heads up and let them prepare real rebuttals in the tradition of real debate. Also, is their show the right place to do this? Couldn't you all find an objective forum to debate the validity of their show instead of the show itself? And finally, If you look back on the video, you'll notice that Stewart is only reaming Tucker Calson instead of bringing the pain to the entire show. Do you really not like Crossfire itself or do you have beef with one of the hosts? Funny how all of his rants against crossfire in the past only take the conservative hosts to task. Of course, when Carlson starts to fight back, Stewart takes his holier-than-thou stance and claims to be exempt from all questions on objectivity. Simply because the Daily Show runs on a comedy network, Stewart wrongly claims that he is not bound by the same code of objectivity than the more respected news networks. My message to Stewart... get over yourself.

Look, we all agree that the Daily Show is very funny and great at what it does. In fact, it is so great at what it does that it transcends all borders for a comedy show. Although they won't admit it, The Daily Show is now the sole news source for hundreds of thousands of viewers each night. Like it or not Stewart, you ARE informing the masses and you're ususally great at it!

The Daily Show has a strong tradition taking a humorous look at the news of today without being untruthful or injecting partisan slant. If you're a regular watcher of the show, you have to admit that it's clear on what is truthful, new information and what is humor. It's easy to see why Daily Show viewers are better informed about the events of today than the viewers of Fox News, because as saterical as it may be, it reports the truth. However these days, Jon Stewart is skipping over great humorous oppotunities in favor of clear partisan hits. Especially during his interviews, he's just using DNC talking points more an more. The coorespondents are just fine, but Stewart himself needs to step back a bit and admit that although he's not wholely responsible for informed masses, he can remain funny while being objective.

I'm Brian and those are the Talking Points of the day. And next on the O'Brian Factor....

Why Blacks Should Vote Republican - A Cyber-Punk Existential Thriller

So this came up in a comment conversation to an earlier post. I thought my essay-like response was interesting enough to make a stand-alone post, so here it is. Good luck:
---------------------------------
Let me preface this by saying that the majority of blacks will not (and probably should not) vote Republican this cycle. There are certain demographic truths about the Black population that we have to accept, first of them being economics. Blacks, as a whole, are further down the economic totem-pole than other racial groups. So when it comes time to "vote your interest" this fall, Blacks will generally vote Democrat because it means more federal funding for the underprivileged, which a majority of are blacks unfortunately. For a black man in the ghetto who depends on his welfare check month to month, it makes economic sense to vote Democrat and I'm not challenging that fact.

What I do challange is the idea that all blacks should vote Dem. Increasingly, we are seeing more and more blacks in higher economic classes. More black owned businesses, More black millionaires. So does it make sense for a black business owner to vote Democrat when a) the Democrats promise higher taxes on his business, b) the Republicans promise (and have a record implementing) a series of tax cuts that will put more money into his pocket or his business, and c) allow him to take more money home from his investments? Is the Black business owner supposed to forgo these personal windfalls because of a select group of the poor who happen to be black? Is a black person, who stands to gain from a Republican administration, supposed to vote for a Democrat only because most of the poor share his skin color?

(If you answer yes to that, then you may be more rasict than the Republicans)

If on race issues, the playing field is level between the black and white middle-class (and many can argue that it's close), should blacks vote for the democrat for the sake of voting for the democrat? I argue no. Clearly, there are portions of the black population who will do better under a Republican than a Democrat: yes, another fact.

But you may argue: "What about loyalty? Legacy? Don't you care about your poor black brothers and sisters?" And to that, I answer: "Of course I do. I remain as loyal as I can and legacies are important."

But to take the extra step and vote against Democrats means that there is something inherently counter-productive to their agenda which Blacks should reject. And with many economic issues (remember, no social or racial issues here) there is plenty that Blacks should reject from the Democrat platform. Like to hear it? Well, a' here it goes.

After decades of the welfare state, social security, and affirmative action, one would think Blacks should be in a better position then they currently are. Some make the case that it is the same short-term protectionist doctrine of the Democrat economic platform that perpetuates our sub-par standard. I believe there is some truth to this. Although the past legislation protected blacks and other poor groups from falling through the economic cracks, it has provided no system to pull ourselves out of those same cracks. Giving a man a fish to eat for a day without teaching him how to fish is a disastrous proposition. Unfortunately, that has happened for the last 50+ years. Of course, there as a point where it was required, especially right after the civil rights movement. But we have moved beyond a point of diminishing returns. Something needs to change or blacks as a whole will be worse off 50 years from now instead of better.

Which brings me to my final point: Why go so far to vote Republican then? Well, the current GOP platform provides several initiatives that will foster a culture of ownership and personal accountability, which are the two most needed values in the black community today:

Tax-cuts - Already talked about it

Social Security Savings Accounts - Instead of paying into a social security system that sends your money right back into someone else's check, you can take a portion of your money and store it for your personal use when you reach the needed age. You OWN the account, you can pass the account onto your children, and no one can touch the money. Remember, under the current system, you will start receiving Social Security around the age of 66. Now, since the average life span of a Black male is 60, our payments into social security result in a NEGATIVE yield. We pay into a system that we don't get the returns.

School Choice (vouchers) - Forces accountability on public schools, and if the school sucks, the kid can get out and move to a better school. Forces personal responsibility for his/her education and gives real access to higher-learning (instead of affirmative action). No more, "I came from a bad neighborhood" talk. With vouchers in place, if you didn't get an education, its your own fault.

and the list goes on.

You see, as far as racial issues, the GOP has cleaned up its act. Yeah, some members are screwed up, but as far as the platform itself, there is nothing racially that they are on the wrong side of. And with that out of the way, it only makes sense to vote Republican when the other side perpetuates the socio-economic floor that Black America finds itself in.

So I'm going to call it a night and I'm pretty hungry again... where's my chicken wings and malt liquor?

Quote of the Day

"Get out there and try everything once"

- Shannon (Dave's girlfriend) on life in D.C.

more on last night to come....

blacks and the gop

Today was one of those days where a set of truly unrelated events add up to a greater story. Let me show you how...

Today, I was scheduled to meet with the President of BAMPAC, the nation-wide black conservative political action committee. If your not familiar with these guys, you may be familiar with the GOP U.S. Senate candidate in Illinios, Alan Keyes. Yes, BAMPAC was his baby since its inception. Needless to say, I was very excited to make my way to their offices.

Now, for you white folks out there, let me clue you into something that blacks will NEVER say out loud... The majority of the time, when blacks do something for only the sake of black people, it usually comes out off-standard. Not quite professional, but close. For example, Jet magazine, BET (at least in its early incarnations), Phat Beach (one of the best movies ever made, btw), you know, ethnic products targeted at ethnic groups. Of course, there are products made by blacks-for blacks that will outdo standards... but those are usually co-opted and reproduced for mass-consumption. You get what I'm saying now? (Hey! Whites, hispanics, asians, and other cultures do it as well. Products made by one culture for only that culture usually come out sub-par quality). Surely, I thought BAMPAC would be the exception to this rule. I was wrong.

I found the BAMPAC offices a few miles away from the city center. Immediately, I knew something was amiss since the offices were on the second floor of a converted home. As I stepped into the the building, it was clear that BAMPAC was not the haven of black conservita that I thought it would be. No, it was simply an sub-standard office for a PAC that was clearly struggling during a period of unprecedented campaign fundraising. They were short on staff, short on office space and short on direction, in my humble (humbly bold) opinion.

As invited, I made my way to the personal office of the group's President. My outlook became even more bleak when I found his office to be twice the size of the combined office space for the rest of the staff. Suddenly, I felt like I was in a scene of Orwell's Animal Farm, especially towards the end. We sat down and had a nice chat about politics, life, and such. He was clearly impressed with me and I with him. He was a very captivating individual. But as with many captivating individuals, he fell short on substance. I'm guessing that BAMPAC has fallen on hard times with the new McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform in effect. However, there doesn't seem much promise in the halls of BAMPAC as I originally conjectured.

We bid each other a good day and promised to keep in touch. One more contact. As I'm sure you know, in this place... it's not what you know, but who you know. Maybe we can help each other out in the future. I left it at that: one random event in a day... that is, until I got home.

As I fired up my voice mail in front of the computer at Dave's place, I noticed a distraught message from a friend at home that I met during the campaign. He instructed me to check out Rolling Stone's website to see an article about Blacks and Republicans. Interesting. What he failed to tell me was that the piece was focused entirely on Blacks and Republicans in, of all places, Orlando, FL. Apparently, an reporter from Rolling Stone (right) went undercover in Orlando to start volunteering at the Bush/Cheney HQ's. He spent several months there while probing the GOP community, especially for Black involvement. He later published his experience in the latest Rolling Stone, really taking Orange County Republicans to task. It's crazy, because a lot of the folks he referenced are the same people I came across through the McCollum campaign. Some of his assessments are off-base, but I will admit that a few are dead on. Especially a portion devoted to Orange County Black Republican, Lorin Jones.

Mr. Jones is an activist in the purest of senses. He truly believes in the message and will do as much as he can to advance the cause. What is his cause? Bringing blacks back to the GOP. Lorin Jones is THE Black Republican in central florida.

To be honest, Lorin Jones is a great guy and he definitely means well. But some of his techniques in energizing black voters towards the GOP seemed a bit counter-productive in my view. For example, he's been pushing an academic scholarship for black youths in the area sponsored by the Orange County GOP. But isn't the GOP fundamentally against affirmative action in the first place (as one should be)? You start to get my drift.

You could read the article for yourself, but it contains an very intersting exchange between a GOP staffer and Mr. Jones:

Then another staffer came over to say hi. He knew Lorin from past campaigns and asked if Lorin was planning on coming in to do phone banking. Lorin answered that he wasn't, that he was busy setting up a school-supplies giveaway charity event in his neighborhood. The staffer laughed.

"Oh, come on," he said jokingly. "I know how you people don't like to work." Lorin, who was halfway out the door, stopped at this. His smile disappeared. For a moment, he was genuinely pissed off. "We don't like to work?" he said. "That's all I do is work to make you white Republicans look good."

The staffer, a jovial guy who I normally liked quite a bit, said nothing and simply slapped Lorin on the back, laughed and helped him out the door.

"Good old Lorin," he said, going back to his office.

Damn, I just don't know. Now of course, who knows what really happened between the two. But that's one hell of a group-think to overcome when you're truly engaged in the message.

So in the end, I'm not sure what to extrapolate from these unrelated stories, but I'm always looking for the hidden meaning. Hell, maybe you can help me out on this one. I know what I believe and I understand the strengths and weaknesses of both party platforms. But what happens to the Black Republicans out there? Are they forever doomed to a parade of accusations of "Selling-Out" or is there room for a new movement? I'm not so sure. But well... I guess I'm done for now. I'm sure hungry. I wonder if we have any fried chicken left?

The Club Scene

So I finally got the chance to hit a D.C. club this past weekend. Very interesting to say the least.
Bottom line: D.C. and Orlando are not that much different. Let me explain:

So the other night, I and a few friends from the McCollum campaign who moved up hit the town. Apparently, the girls knew a few folks who were clubbing and invited us along. After starting out the night at a sports bar watching the U.F. vs. LSU game (I feel bad for those gators after that loss), we headed over to Georgetown to meet up with the group. Of course, halfway in-transit, the plans were changed and we altered our course towards Foggy Bottom (which is near George Washington University in D.C. - Pretty near to the White House if I'm right). Once we parked and found the club, things got a bit interesting.

Outside McFadden's, a bar/club pretty near the college, there was a huge line of folks waiting to get in. Everyone was done up to the fullest and I started to have flashbacks of scenes from Night at the Roxbury. Rumor was that admission was a quick $20 bucks and I could see them turning a few folks away simply because they didn't reach the standards of the club. Lucky for us, the group we were meeting with were a part of a special party and they were at the door waiting for us. We got to skip the entire line and thanks to the attractive girls I accompanied and free passes from the guys, we walked on in without question. Score!

Once inside the club, things quickly deteriorated. It became quickly apparent that I was a guest to a on-going meat-market, of sorts. The dudes were clearly the beer-bong crowd and the women, well... nothing to special. Picture a night at Tabu in Orlando, FL and you have McFadden's on a Saturday night. The girls quickly escaped onto the packed, standing-room only dance floor (where no one was dancing by the way), and I found myself a chair at an bar upstairs. While there, I began a quick conversation with the guys who let us in and were visibly drunk at the moment while hanging onto the bar for dear life. "Guys, how are the women in Washington?" I innocently asked.

"Well I'll tell you this Brian," one of the guys responded. "Here in D.C. the girls are pretty standard. In fact, I will bet you $10 dollars that any girl here you approach tonight will respond with one of two questions."
"Really," I replied. "So you're telling me if I was to approach any girl here tonight and try to start up a conversation, they'll respond one way? How so?"
"They'll either ask: 1) What car do you drive? and 2) Who do you work for?"
"Oh boy," I thought.
"And if you don't respond with either a Benz, Beamer, or a Jag for a car OR working for Member of the House, Lawyer, or in Law School, you won't get the time of day."
"Interesting. I guess I won't be meeting a lot of girls for a while." I exclaimed.

They all cheered up and we had a ourselves a toast. Funny, they were pretty successful guys themselves. They both do background checks for the FBI and seem in good shape. Looks like I have my work cut out for me here. Funny, I thought I was escaping one meat-market in Orlando for real enlightened social scene here in D.C.... Who was I kidding. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Soon after that, we called it a night and I headed home. Of course, this is the perfect moment to get lost in D.C. while I was looking for I-395. I spent the next hour speeding through the worst parts of town trying to find the way home. I would have asked for directions, but unfortunately everyone outside were either a scantily-clad D.C. prostitute or their Pimp accompaniment. I eventually found my way home, and took a shower... You feel dirty just looking at the interesting women out here.

New Mos Def!!!

That's right. It's here! After spending a good 4 years acting, hanging out with Dave Chappelle, and being Russell Simmions #2 man on Def Poetry Jam, Mos Def finally made good on his promise. A New Danger, Mos Def's second solo album follows the critcally acclaimed Black on Both Sides, to which I spent many late homework nights contemplating over. If you don't remember Mos Def from any of his work in movies, tv, or writings, you may remember this...

In a town-hall debate during the 2000 elections, Al Gore was dared to listen to Mos Def's Black on Both Sides to get a better understanding of the hip hop community at large. Interestingly enough, Gore accepted the dare and released a statement after his Mos Def listening party. Part of it reads:

What I'm concerned about is when music glorifies violence, sexism, racism, hate, or intolerance. Yes, it is the right of an artist to write things like that. But it is wrong for parents to have no control over whether their children listen to it. This CD has a parental advisory on it, and that's important. It doesn't censor the music, it simply lets parents know that they should probably listen to it if their children are.

Just think, the man who may have been President would have a greater understanding of the Ms. Fat Booty's and Mr. Nigga's of the world. I wonder what G. Dubya would say after a listening of this new album. Anyways...

On this new album, A New Danger's an interesting listen. It's definitely not Black on Both Sides, but it's still Mos Def doing his thing to the fullest. It honestly has more of a rock and jazzy feel than anything striaght hip hop. Just picture a Umi Says production the whole way through. I'm thinking he brought in his band, Jack Johnson, to really fill out the sound, like a Roots-ish feel. He included a few of the b-sides that we've been hearing for the last year, including a new version of Close Edge, that he performed earlier last year on the Dave Chappelle show. I'm about half way through the album and I'm thinking three mics, but give me another week or so and we'll see. I think the album is available at stores, or at a suprnova.org near you.

So I met a girl...

So, funny story. Last night I met a girl. But she's kind of dumb. Really dumb. Let me explain:

After work, I walked by a set of shops by the Capitol and found a Starbucks that offered the internet to its customers, so I stopped on in. From there I was able to check email and browse the internet without heading back to Arlington immediately. I spent a good hour there until I caught a glimpse of this pretty cute girl who was walking in. We traded looks for a moment, but I went back to the computer immediately (no time for women in the capitol, yes?)

After another half hour, I notice her approach me and hand me a note. While she was standing there, silent, I read (paraphrased):

I'm sorry to bother you. I'm sitting here waiting for some friends and they seem like no-shows. Could I use your computer for a sec to send them an email?

Of course, being the charitable guy that I am, I gladly responded "Sure, let me move." But as I was moving aside, I noticed her motioning with her hands.... She signed Thank you. Like, sign langauge. She was a mute!

Dumb (dûm)
adj. dumb·er, dumb·est
1. a: Lacking the power of speech.
b: Incapable of using speech; mute.

She sat down next to me and started on the computer. I moved over, and started making a few phone calls that were overdue. At the same time, I couldn't stop thinking: Should I make a move? But she's deaf! But she's cute... but she can't speak! When I finished up on the calls, she finished up on the computer at the same time. But she continued to sit. She motioned to the screen. It read:

"Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm Claudine (I think that was her name). What's your name?"
I wrote back, "Brian. It's no problem. However I can help."
She typed again. "Thanks again Brian. You've been a huge help."

But she wouldn't leave. Expectant for another response, I went ahead a wrote my email address on a notepad, handed it to her, and signaled her to write her's on the computer. She reciprocated gladly. And wrote that she would love to meet up once she finished up with a test they were studying up for. I nodded and she headed back to her table.

So there you have it. Welcome to my world. I don't know what I was thinking, but hell. A date with her would be pretty interesting at least. I think i'll work out something in the next few weeks. How often do you get to go out on the town with someone who CAN'T SPEAK BACK. We'll probably have to take a notepad we're ever we go, but it should be an experience. Hey! Don't judge me... She is cute.

So who won?

I called it. What did I say? What did I say?

Bush won the second debate. No doubt about that. Even if you thought it was a tie, that helps President Bush. Even if you thought Kerry won... it helps Bush. And here's why:

Bush had a bad week. Really bad week. The campaign was limping into this debate. I mean, his own commission came out and said that the WMD charge was a bunch of crock, poor job numbers came out today, and polls had Kerry inching ahead. Basically, all Kerry had to do tonight was put the final nail in the coffin. But what happened instead?

Bush spoke in complete sentences.

That's all he had to do to outpace his last performance. Basically, the difference between his last debate performance and this one is night and day. It's the large difference that propels Bush into the "perceived" winner status.

I know, I know. It was a tie. If we witnessed this debate last week, then everyone would have called it a tie. But this time, since it's on the heals of a really bad debate of Bush, he can now come out on top. It's the most simplistic version of the expectations game. And BC04 played it masterfully. Hell, I'd bet that they planned it this way from the get go. Crappy first debate, average second debate, and better third to close it off.

What do you think?

losing my mind this time

It's kind of tough being here. On one hand, I'm getting the experience of a lifetime. Just today, I was hanging out in the House gallery while the 9-11 bill passed. I'm back and forth between heavy-hitter Congressmen, and I have the inside scoop on everything before it begins to happen.

But on the other hand, I'm suffering greatly for not understanding the whole process. I'm a neophyte when it comes to congressional proceedings, I can hardly find my way around the building, and I'm still putting names to faces. It's quite tough.

But in the end, my work is suffering the most. I'm sitting here, a few rooms from the speaker's office, and I'm zoning out like that scene from Office Space. I just can't get motivated about this place as yet. I'm not sure if it's DC in general. But something's amiss. I can't put my finger on it.

I'm sorry if I sound like a whiner. Maybe I am. Maybe I just need this weekend to sleep, hang out around town, work out, and make some friends. If I can just find an anchor here, things may be a whole lot better. Heck, I've just got to relax.

Senate Primary Recap

Well someone had to do it...

In today's Salon online magazine, Mary Jacoby really takes the Mel Martinez campaign to task. She basically recaps the entire U.S. Senate race in Florida from the moment he jumped in 'till now. Now, I know that Salon isn't the most fair and balanced folks out there, but this piece is entirely truthful in the events and factual in the fallout. It's sad to see that you have to go to the liberal media (yes, I said it) to find a honest interpretation of events. For all of you guys who are still straching their head trying to figure out what went wrong, please read the story. (You may have to sit through a 10-sec advertisement to get a day pass, but please... read the story)

The truth is, Mel Martinez does not deserve to be a U.S. Senator. He does not have the experience needed, is clearly opportunistic, and is really not a good campaigner. I can go on and on about reasoning against him, but I'll stop there. I have friends on the campaign now and I hope he wins, only for their sake. Aside from that, it's sad to see this case of political affirmative-action gone haywire actually moving towards victory. Especially since McCollum was perfectly positioned to take Castor in the General. He had the terrorism experience, higher name id, growing support of African-Americans throughout the state (because he was willing to sit back and actually talk with them) and heck... he was even polling against Castor better than Martinez. Check these numbers out:

A Hamilton Beattie and Staff (D) poll; conducted 8/28-29/04 for former Education Commissioner Betty Castor (D); surveyed 600 likely voters; margin of error +/- 4% (Hotline sources, 9/1). Tested: Castor, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez (R) and former Rep. Bill McCollum.

General election matchups:

Castor          48%
Martinez        44

Castor          46%
McCollum        46

Of course, in the final days of the primary, everyone was too worried about not beating up gay people than to really step back and look at the numbers. Forget the fact that McCollum wrote the books that we use today in fighting terrorism because, damn it... we can't let Jeff and Jim walk down the street holding hands without them taking a beating, now can we? Now I remember why I'm trying to get out of Florida politics.

In other news, today has been a so-so day. I was late to work after going back to pick up my ID and I'm here now trying to get motivated. But I'm really just focused on getting out of here and sleeping in for my first open weekend in about a month. Wish me luck.

New York, New York ???

So get this,

Yesterday I took a call from someone with Gov. Pataki's people. Somehow or another, he got hold of my resume and wanted to touch bases with me. We had a great chat about the stuff I did on the last campaign along with what I'm up to now. He also poked around at some of my politics. He gave me his contact info with an invitation to "Keep in touch in the short term". I gladly reciprocated and left it at that.

I'm not sure what's it all about, but I think there's a Finkelstein connection here. Can anyone say Pataki '08?

Developing...

fat cats in a smoke filled room

So last night was pretty interesting. It was my first night out on the town in D.C., and I had a ball.

I started out the night at a GOP reception for staffers going out to other campaigns after this session ends. I RSVP'ed earlier in the day, letting them know I was in the Speaker's office without giving it a second thought. Of course, once I arrived at the event, they had a nice, pre-printed name tag showing that I was representing the Speaker of the House. Nice.

Once I started moving around the crowd of 20-something staffers in their clique-ish groups jabbering on about everything and nothing, I could feel their stares on me. Trying to size me up, random slick joes took an unflintching glance at my name tag. Immediately, they snapped back into their conversations and started whispering to their friends about the new guest in the room.

It took no less than five minutes of me drinking a plastic glass of the Bela Sera Cabernet before the first onlooker approahced.

"Hi, I'm Breana with Congressman Jeff Flake's office."
"Who?" I responded. The ambient crowd noise really made it tough to hear her. That, and well, her boss is not that notable enough for me to recognize his name out of 435 other members.
"Congressman Jeff Flake, Sixth District of Arizona." She replied earnestly.
"Oh, of course," I added. Quick to save any impression of a novice from my demeanor.
"So, you work for the Speaker, huh?" She pounced.

It began.

Soon into the night, I had a half dozen staffers around me, quizing me on my job with the speaker. What do you do? Who do you know? How did you get the job?
Fortunately, I had a halfway answer for them all, but I'm sure they saw through some of the bull.

The night progressed and I quickly made an exit after trading business cards with a few interested people. From there, I met with my old friend from the McCollum camapign who's up here working as well. As old drinking buddies, we became very close during the tail end of the campaign. Now that we're up here, and we don't know that many folks. We make it our business to at least touch base with each other now and then.

I caught up with her and the rest of her staff from the congressional office just in time to watch the VP Debates. We headed to the Capitol Hill Club, a swank, good-ole-boys Republican club down the street from the capitol building. As we moved down the the view area in the basement, I immediately started to recognize a few faces. Tom Feeney, Oviedo representative, Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania rep and former candidate for U.S. Senate against Arlen Specter. And of course, your friend and mine, Rep. Kathrine Harris of Sarasota. And let me tell you, she was having a good old time. I may be mistaken, but she was pretty drunk by the time we got there. One things for sure, Mrs. Harris is definitely having a fun time while in Washington.

Anyways...
While there, my connections with the House Speaker aided me yet again. Meeting a few other congressman and staffers, the name tag I forgot to take off added to my first impression. Immediately, they were anxious to hear whats coming out of the speaker's office and which bills would be on the floor this last week. Of course, I kept things pretty short and sweet. We watched the debate, yelled at the screen, had a beer, and called it a night.

So... the moral of this story is. The folks up here are entirely focused on superficial connections and could give a damn about who you are, on the inside at least. It's all about who you know and at this point, theres a few people out there who want to know me better. I just wonder if I can use this to my advantage while we have one week left of session.

McCollum vs. Gore... Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Yesterday, My former Boss, former Congressman Bill McCollum, went up against Al Gore in a debate on foreign policy. It was a showdown like no other: Two pillars of legislative and partisan experience going up head to head on the topic of the day.

Okay, so I wasn't there. But here is a quick write up on it from Vanderbilt's college newspaper. It's a great read, and I suggest everyone take a look at what Florida is missing in a U.S. Senator. Also, i'd like to give a shout out to Robert "Big Country" Kuykendall who is at school in Vandy. I'm sure he was in the audience with a beer in one hand and a "McCollum for Senate" sign in the other.


Luke Edwards vs. Darth Cheney

Damn...

That was one hell of a debate last night. Cheney really took it to Edwards. Cheney was completely solid, direct, and straightforward with his statements. Even if you didn't like his answer, you have to admit that he gave you an answer. I predicted him to come out the victor, but I had no clue how ready he was to bring the pain. He lobbed bomb after bomb at Edwards, and some of his statements really shook his trial lawyer counterpart.

Cheney's a guy who doesn't care what you think of him. Hell, he can sit back and announce that he brokered a deal between the U.S. Department of Soul Management and the Devil himself and do it with a straight face. Time and time again, Edwards knocked him on everything from Iraq to his lesbian daughter. In response, Darth Cheney's line amounted to a simple "So What?"

I already know a few opinion polls came out with Edwards ahead, but I can't fathom why. Cheney controlled the debate and really made Edwards out to be as unexpirenced as a one-term Senator form North Carolina... oh wait... he is an unexpireneced one-term Senator from North Carolina.

Chicken's like us...

So what am I up to?

At the moment, I'm reading a great piece on my favorite Conservative Pundit out there: Tucker Carlson. Take a moment to read this Slate piece where he rails against the current pax conservita.

Also, I'm really enjoying reading Tell Newt To Shut Up by David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf of the Washington Post. I'm hovering around Chapter 11, which gives huge insight into the birth of the Republican Information Machine. Thanks again Dave Olander for letting me borrow it for the week.

Everything in it's Right Place

So I'm buzzing this morning with a new found optimism. I can't help to feel that I'm in the right place at the right time. Everytime I walk into the capitol building, it just freaks me out. What the hell am I doing here? Who am I kidding.

And it's funny, because I think I got another temporary offer for paid work with the Club for Growth. It runs through the election, but it's clearly temporary. I'm just not sure I can give this up for the Club for Growth right now. After Nov 2, things will be very much more clear. We'll see.

In other news, the veep debate is happening tonight, and well.... this should be good. I'm putting my money on Cheney. Although Edwards is a funky walker and dirty talker... I just can't see him outdoing the devil himself. And by Devil, I mean Dick Cheney... yes, I said it.

On Debates

Well, what can I say? I know most of you either saw the debate or followed the ensuing converage. Since it's become a national past-time of late, I have to throw in my two cents. The winner is...

Kerry, by a long shot. He looked relaxed, ready, able, and cognizant of the issues. He communicated effectively and, wouldn't you know it... he answered the questions!

We all know Bush isn't the greatest of communicators in the game, but c'mon now. How hard is it to complete a sentance? They guy threw in an "umm" every chance he could. Not to mention the unbearably long pauses. That stuff my fly while you're in the press gaggle, but not during a damn debate with a champion debator. It's sad to think the bush people really thought he could skirt by Kerry in these debates.

On the Democrats, they've definitely learned from the mistakes of Al Gore. Quit underestimating them, they're smart people... they may be wrong on the issues, but they're smart people. BC04 needs to quit spinning themselves up and get down to business.