SOTU tonight. 9pm.

Bush's last State of the Union. Believe it or not, even though nobody can shut up about Clinton and Obama, neither has been elected yet, and Americans have one more opportunity to be reminded that G-Dubs is still our Commander-in-Chief. Tonight, though, I imagine we'll hear a collective sigh resounding through the nation, "Thank God his presidency is almost over!"

Let's review highlights from the State of the Union speeches over his previous 7 years...

- Championing "No Child Left Behind"
- Forgetting about children/alienating other countries in post-2001 crisis, introducing the infamous "Axis of Evil"
- Proclaiming that Saddam Hussein had WMDs in Iraq (they didn't, says US Army)
- Proclaiming that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium in Africa (it hadn't, says CIA)
- Pushing an ill-fated effort to privatize Social Security, roundly shot down by public
- Promising to throw all the weight of his position behind helping victims of Hurricane Katrina (oh wait... he never said that. Never mentioned the hurricane at all, come to think of it...)

Now... what will this year's speech bring? It's an election year, plus he's on his way out, so no new big policy initiatives will be pushed. He will probably push to institutionalize/renew some of his lingering unpopular measures (i.e. NCLB). No doubt he'll be forced to admit he screwed up the economy real big, and ironically try to argue that his mismanagement and tax policies did not in fact contribute to the impending recession (at this point, even Republicans disagree). He might even suggest that his recent trip to the Middle East is going to miraculously produce some sort of murky peace agreement before November (surprise!!).

My guess is that for his farewell address, he's going to try to summarize the accomplishments he's made since 2000. (What, beyond breaking the record for time spent on vacation?!) He'll talk about how the country is safer and stronger than it was when he took office, and give his best last-ditch effort to convince people that going to war in Iraq was good for the security of the country and the world. Since there are maybe only four Americans left who still buy this, it'll be a painful reminder for many members of the GOP of the sorry direction their party has taken since 2000, catering to an angry, vocal, and fringe base of oil men and evangelicals.

I'm going to laugh every time Bush says something and C-SPAN zooms in on a Republican in Congress who's awkwardly trying not to clap too hard for fear of losing his/her seat in the general election. The tides are sure turning Blue these days.

How Much Do You Wish You Were in Brazil?

So I stumbled across this video which has left me alternately giggling quite loudly and scratching my head.

Apparently there is a dance trend spreading like wildfire across Brazil called the funk da cueca. Somehow this became immortalized via YouTube as a coordinated boy band-style routine by some teens with clearly too much time on their hands. 

I simply cannot imagine how this came about: were all these fourteen year olds just sitting around, thinking, "Hey, wouldn't it be a great idea if we all danced around in unison? In our skivvies?? What if we filmed it!!" This has me thinking about cultural differences between our prudish Northern customs and those sultry Brazilian ways. Surely no band of (presumably heterosexual?) teenage boys in America would participate in this, but I'd say the world might just be a better place because of the borderline gratuity of this video. Plus, I like the song (despite myself). 

Hilarious and catchy -- my fav!! I've watched this twice, though, and I think that's absolutely plenty... I'll just pass the fun along to you all. 

Fired Up and Ready to Go!!

... was the slogan for the Obama campaign in the final runup to the SC primary election. Many of you have expressed some interest in how the campaign is going on the ground, so I'll give a semi-brief account of my experiences there and some of my lingering reflections, sorted thematically, so you can choose the most interesting bits to peruse.

The Setting.

I spent the majority of the three-day weekend in Orangeburg, a small city smack-dab in the middle of South Carolina and eight hours from DC by car. Population: 13,000. 7 out of 10 residents identify as African-American. 1 out of 4 lives below the poverty line. It's biggest draw is the annual raccoon-hunting festival. There aren't many job opportunities there; one man I met told me he commutes to Charleston (1.5 hours each way) four days a week to work at a restaurant. The town's two historically-black universities are its lifeblood. There isn't much else in Orangeburg besides fast-food joints and churches.

The Campaign Office.

This campaign, like most campaigns, I'm told, is run by a group of extremely talented, driven, energetic YOUNG people. The permanent staffers were all my age, and used to living off of donated food, tiny wages, and few hours of sleep. Much like Pomona College, the group was ridiculously "diverse" across spectrums of race and geographic origin. Everyone was civic-minded and believed that the politics of this country can be fundamentally improved. I felt right at home.

Besides the permanent team, the campaign office was flooded with volunteers from across the country who, like me, were willing to sacrifice a bit of travel expenses and a week(end) to get this man elected president. One older woman from Louisiana rode the Greyhound bus up to be in SC for that whole week -- a 19-hour ride. Lots of DC residents there, unsurprisingly.

Life in the campaign office was tons of fun, but BUSY. I got there wanting to be put to work, and definitely met that objective. Every spare moment not canvassing was spent making phone calls to supporters, designing flyers, and getting the word out for a rally that Obama would be holding in town on Tuesday. Each day, we made about 5,000 phone calls. Spirits were pretty high, but nobody wanted to be overconfident about the election (the Clinton campaign is now trying to lower expectations for SC, and polls are pointing towards an Obama victory, but still. No sense jinxing it.). Lots of laughter. Lots of pizza. Lots of coffee. Actually, I think those two items pretty much made up my whole diet all weekend.

Canvassing.

The "get out the vote" operation is the crucial part of the SC strategy. Since a lot of Obama's support comes from first-time voters, it is especially necessary to recruit/remind people of the primary. I spent all day Saturday going door-to-door in Orangeburg, under a steady, driving drizzle (who knew it could get so cold in the South?!?), which gave us some combination of sympathy/credibility from the people we spoke to.

I canvassed in a pretty rural area, to the point where we had to drive from house to house. Many of the homes were trailers. Many were in the forest. Lots of poverty. Most people were pretty receptive to our message, though, and we got invited inside a lot of homes to warm up. Signed up a couple of volunteers for election day. Got the occasional snarky response, usually when the address we had been given was (mistakenly) a registered Republican household. The worst comment, in stereotypical Southern fashion, involved a white man telling us there was no way he'd be voting for a "[black man]." Pretty discouraging to hear that kind of overt racism, but thankfully, that was the only such comment and by no means indicative of the overall impression I got from the community, which was very pro-Obama. I'm letting the positives override that negative moment for now.

Lodging.

I was extremely fortunate to have been given a room to stay in for the entire weekend, along with two other out-of-town volunteers. My host, a retired black woman who lived alone, was a big supporter of the Obama campaign and offered to lodge us as her contribution. She even woke up every night past midnight when we got home to let us in, and then wanted to stay up and chat with us about how things were going for the campaign. Despite nearly falling asleep on my feet after returning, I was totally happy to give her the low-down.

I am so incredibly grateful for her generosity, as it takes a lot of trust to open your home to complete strangers, and really, without her I couldn't have afforded the trip. It made me think a lot about how the Obama campaign is really bringing out the best in people, and drawing them together for common ideological and moral aims.

Going to Church.

On Sunday, the campaign tried to get Obama supporters in churches all across the state, to increase visibility and potentially recruit volunteers while mingling with the congregations after services. A letter from Obama that spoke to faith as a motivation for doing good works had been distributed to pastors beforehand to complement the presence of volunteers. In that way, I ended up going to a Baptist service in Orangeburg; being one of two white people in the church definitely reminded me of being in Uganda!

Being a preacher in a Southern Baptist church has got to be one of the most rewarding jobs out there. In addition to being affirmed at every other sentence ("Amen, brother."), you are in the extraordinary position of being a leader who can motivate a whole community civically and morally. Truly, the influence these pastors have is impressive, and it's no wonder that gaining the support of the church leadership is so important in Southern politics.


(Obama speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church in GA, the day before MLK Day. Absolutely incredible speech.)

The reverend at the church I attended essentially gave a stump speech for Obama from the bully pulpit. It was pretty awesome, not only because he was doing a better job talking up the candidate than I ever could, but moreover, because he was telling people that exercising their civic duties (i.e. voting) was a moral imperative for the good of their community. I'll paraphrase his speech as best as I can recall:

"Now, I'm not going to tell you who you should vote for. But I'll tell you who I'm voting for, and let me tell you, he is truly a viable candidate. [Here he said something about the way this country needs a change in leadership, a change in the way politics get done.] I want all of you out there on Saturday, exercising your right to vote! Who needs a ride to the polls? I need drivers here to take our brothers and sisters to go vote. [He then proceeded to recruit about eight different drivers who agreed to shuttle people to the polls on election day.] As African-Americans, we should all be jumping at the chance to go vote! You should all wake up on Saturday and run to the polls! Give yourself the time to get dressed, of course..."

After the service, I introduced myself to a lot of people in the congregation, who welcomed me warmly. One man told me the story of when he first registered to vote: the woman flatly told him that he could not register, and when he asked why, said it was because he couldn't read. He informed her that he taught high-school chemistry, and she responded by turning around a copy of the Constitution and making him read it out loud before she would allow him to register. (Ironic, no?)

Attending that service was perhaps the best way I could have celebrated Martin Luther King Day, reaffirming my civic, spiritual, and moral convictions.

The Rally.

Sunday after church (an epic, three-hour affair), I drove up to the capital city, Columbia, for a huge rally being held in the convention center. It was the third time I've heard Obama speak, and as always, it's a awesome event in the fullest sense of the word. The last time I heard him speak was at a Los Angeles rally immediately after he announced his candidacy for the presidency, and he seemed a lot more tired this time around - understandably - but hit his stride after a few minutes, and got the crowd really going. Check out my cool photo montage:



I really do think his is a one-in-a-generation mind, and that he ought be our next president - if you want to know why, ask me in person. I want this post to be more an overview of life on the campaign trail, and less about stumping for a particular politician (although yes, I'm clearly writing from a biased perspective!).

So many more things I could say, but let's leave it at that. An eight-hour drive later and I'm back in DC, sitting at my office job, mulling over how much I really do enjoy politics. I'll leave you with one last funny story from "down south." We saw a billboard advertising in large letters: "Tax Rebate Checks Cashed Here." The sign was for a fried chicken joint. 'Nuff said.

Holla' from the South, Y'alls

I'm writing from the Barack Obama Campaign headquarters in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where I'm here volunteering. It's now T-minus 6 days until the SC Democratic primary election, and energy is HIGH.

I'm absolutely impressed by the voter and community mobilization here. This is truly a grassroots campaign, and is operating outside of the traditional political machinery, relying on churches, barbershops, and good old-fashioned word of mouth to recruit support.

Details later, but the spirit on the ground is great and people are working really, really hard for the primary. It's uber-exciting. Fingers crossed for next Saturday. GOBAMA!

Hope & Change: Buzzwords, yes. Overrated, no.

We have been asked to pause for a reality check. We have been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything "false" about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds, and are told we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of the people: yes we can.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out for distant shores, and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: yes we can.

Yes we can for justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world.


-- Barack Obama, New Hampshire, January 8, 2008

One (More) Song, Glory

After a nearly twelve-year run in the Nederland theater, RENT is taking its final curtain call this June.

I feel as though a part of my young adolescence is vanishing with it. Seeing the news of RENT's imminent close off-Broadway, I am thrown back into the eighth grade once again, reliving the sing-along parties my friends and I often threw. We'd gather in someone's bedroom, and belt out the entire 2-disc soundtrack (which we had all memorized word-for-word), trading roles as the mood struck us. Knowing how popular the show was with our class, our ninth grade teachers even organized a class outing to see RENT, perhaps not knowing that the show revolved around the sexual lives of young twenty-somethings who dealt with HIV, drug addiction, transsexuality, and the ever-present fear of eviction.

Was it beyond our maturity level at 13? Apparently not. I can remember dramatically striking an S&M-style pose at the reference to Mimi wearing handcuffs during her, uh, night job, and enthusiastically raising a toast "to leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo" right along with the cast without batting an eye. I even went to see the show later with my family, and while the song about condoms and promiscuity was a bit awkward, my parents seemed to knowingly acknowledge that Angel's AIDS-hastened death pulled the young heartstrings of my generation. Though the crises that the characters faced - saying goodbye to one's bisexual HIV-positive lover who strips to get by, for example - may have been incomprehensible for my parents at that age, RENT was an absolutely formative example of romance and loss that shaped my youth. Perhaps the themes of affirmation and acceptance of difference resonate with my adult self still.

So, with many fond memories of Roger, Mimi, Mark, Angel, and the rest of the gang, I bid adieu to my first favorite stage drama. "We raise our glass, you bet your ass, to.... la Vie Boheme!"

J'adore la France!

I think we owe a big merci to France, the enchanting country that has shared with the world its brie, baguettes, and the sultry chansons of Jacques Brel, for bringing us the single most interesting story in the news this month: the whirlwind love affair of Nicholas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni.

Sure, he's président of La République, and she's an Italian supermodel-heiress four inches taller than he, but c'est l'amour!

This is a story just too incredible to my American-style prudish political sensibilities. Not only is a sitting head of state DATING, but he's doing so only four wee months after divorcing his second wife (who, incidentally has quite a bit of remaining baggage, and is publishing a book in which she calls him a "stingy philanderer" with a "behavioural problem" who is an "unworthy president" of France, not to mention "a man who likes no one, not even his children." Um, ouch).

And on all accounts, Sarkozy is smitten. The couple, together a mere three months, have gone for romantic dates in Egypt, Jordan, and EuroDisney (the latter with her son and mother... bizarre), and now are apparently (secretly) MARRIED!!

But Carla "Man Eater" Bruni's relationship with the president is turning heads even in France, where the private lives of politicians are sacrosanct, and secret mistresses and love-children draw no attention from the media. Bruni's roster of past lovers reads like a Who's Who list: Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Donald Trump [ed. - The Donald?? Ew.]. She once shacked up with a French publishing magnate, but one thing led to another and she instead fell for his son, who fathered her only child. In a recent interview, she stated: "I am a tamer [of men], a cat, an Italian - monogamy bores me terribly. I am faithful... to myself!! I am monogamous from time to time but I prefer polygamy and polyandry."

I'll readily admit, I love this story and all its trashiness. I love that this goes down in France. I love that this woman will likely become France's First Lady. I - incidentally - love her music. And most of all, I love trying to imagine the same thing happening in the United States. I honestly cannot for the life of me fathom a similar figure gaining such a prominent role in American politics -- we relegate people like her to the tabloids, not the political pages. Obama's flirtation with drugs years ago is enough to draw our media's focus; it's simply impossible to imagine the electability of someone twice-divorced and in love with a foreign-born supermodel.

This fascination with Sarkozy/Bruni not only says a lot about the prying eyes of moralistic, scandal-loving Americans, but perhaps also quite a bit about just how much the French will permit in their politicians' personal lives. After all, a leftist First Lady who disagrees with her husband's policy choices, denounces monogamy, and has never taken an active interest in politics is an interesting match for her rightist husband. We Americans tend to see First Ladies (First Spouses?) as extensions of the presidents to whom they are married, and envision their actions in the White House as complementary to policy agendas. Through their behavior and example, we expect them to demonstrate certain public values. Disagreement with the president, even over strict policy questions, would be a PR disaster for the White House, and any marital discord presumably seen as emasculating for the Commander in Chief.

Now while I think Sarkozy might be asking a lot from the people of France to accept his spending valuable governing time to woo an Italian beauty, part of me admires the French for accepting the *ahem* unconventional pairing. It wouldn't happen in American politics, and maybe both America and France are better off for that.

Further Proof of My Masochistic Tendancies

I just signed up to donate blood again (see traumatizing story below), moved by the Red Cross's incessant phone calls informing me that my blood type is in hot demand.

I think this makes me a pretty good person, though it also offers clear proof that I have trouble learning lessons from history...

In Which I Resume Exercising to Drop Weight Recently Gained.

Back from NYC!

All told, I'd say it was a pretty successful first business trip. I racked up $2,200 worth of charges, not including my salary, and had what essentially amounted to a delicious four-day food orgy, from which my body is still happily recovering. I actually amazed myself noting how much food I could consume on someone else's dime...

I decided I could (sort of, potentially) envision myself working in NYC at some point, until I realized the gaping flaw in my grand thought experiment: that my future life in New York would certainly not include a luxury hotel on Times Square, a 1.5 block commute, and absolutely free room and board. Plus, taking Manhattan elevators made my ears pop. Soooooo, scratch that thought. No plans to move anytime soon.

The humidity back in DC may do crazy things to my hair, but I appreciate living in a place where any bar in town would be happy to switch on CNN for updates on the New Hampshire primary - that is, if it wasn't on already. Viva la dorkdom.

Worst Thing Is, I Went Right on Enjoying My Evening...

Not more than five hours into my stay in NYC, I am ashamed to say I witnessed a robbery. While walking towards Times Square in search of a restaurant, a young man passed me at a sprint. Within seconds, a second man rushed behind him yelling "Police! Police!" Although I had passed at least four policemen in the last half-block, no one stopped the thief, and I, along with a hundred other tourist-gawkers, heard the man's cries for another several minutes.

I say I am ashamed to report the incident because it struck me as a sad example of stereotypes realized. Manhattan is certainly not the crime-ridden pit that many in my home state are inclined to believe, nor is it the safest place on earth, as New Yorkers often claim. The truth is, as most truths are, neither black nor white, but somewhere in between. There is no reason to be afraid of NYC, nor is there reason to be complacent about your safety (in my opinion, that holds true anywhere you go). I'm still not sure whether most onlookers, including myself, thought of it more as an aberration or an occurrence that, regrettably, is still par for the course in a big city.

The other stereotype that this small incident reinforced, I should sadly note, is that both men involved were black. I can't offer any meaningful comments, but have been wondering what messages about race in America the foreign tourists who saw the incident are going to take back to their homes.

In Which I Visit the Big Apple.

"Can I possibly be grown-up enough to go on a business trip?"

That's the question on my mind this week. Apparently, it has been answered in the affirmative -- by my employers, at least!

I got the rare opportunity to work out of the New York office for a few days to help our firm's team prepare for an upcoming trial. With the constant flurry to get up to speed before the big day, the lawyers need a lot of help obtaining, organizing, and digesting the documents, which is where paralegals enter the picture. As luck would have it, there were no available paralegals to help out in NYC, and I wrangled an invite to come up here - all expenses paid.

I could easily digress into an analysis of my ethical concerns with accepting such treatment. Do I deserve a train ride, gorgeous downtown hotel room, and the promise of fully-reimbursed meals? Am I a critical enough member of the team at this point in my career to warrant it? How do I, in a broader sense, reconcile my tendency towards a life of simplicity with a corporate job?

My inner monologue over the past few days has clearly been one of desert and privilege, and if I ever have an epiphany on that train of thought I'll be sure to let you know. For the moment, I'm convinced of several things: that my assistance was definitely needed in New York, that in the scope of pharmaceutical patent litigation, the expenses I have incurred are both minimal and acceptable, and that despite my hesitations about it, working in the private sector has its privileges. The best thing I can do is to be mindful of my privilege, appreciate it while it lasts, and in the long run, use the advantage it gives me to somehow better the world.

In all honestly, though, I can't say that I've been plagued with guilt. I have been enjoying this trip so damn much, and I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity. Not only am I getting my TV fix (I still don't own one at home, and am consuming enough CNN and TBS to make up for lost time!) and eating sushi every night, but I am giving my imagination a good workout by pretending, for just a few days, to be a young professional working in New York City. Strange thing is, I kind of like that vision.

Fallacy is the New Truth

Combining my love of countdown lists and wordplay, this report bears a mention in the blog. Some random university compiled a list of the most overused words of 2007, and I couldn't agree more with their recommendation to strike a couple of these cliches from our shared vocabulary.

Specifically, I'm glad that "surge," "post-9/11," "give back" (i.e. celebs donating money to Africa), and "X is the new Y" are all on the proverbial chopping block. I kind of like "webinar," though, even though it appears to have absolutely no practical meaning, and certainly I've never seen or used one. It kind of reminds me of The Office, though (**laments the ongoing writer's strike...**), and of other endearing combo words like "tween" and "Gaypril."