Blue Dawn

By now I'm sure that almost everything that can be said about an Obama victory has been said, and my contribution will add only my own perspective. Having supported Hillary in the primaries, I honestly didn't think this country would move the way it did last night. I began to develop a sense of confidence about a Democratic victory over the past few weeks, but I don't believe in dancing in the end zone until the game is over. I certainly recognized the decline of the McCain campaign, specifically once Palin was selected as a running mate (see the 9/10 post below), but I didn't think his campaign would veer as far off course as it did. I'd love to know whose idea it was to trot out Dick Cheney and his 18% approval rating the weekend before the election with a McCain endorsement. Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt can now safely take their places next to Mark Penn and Bob Shrum as complete strategic failures. I hope that their (Davis and Schmidt) brand of negative politics follows along into the dustbin of loss, but I have a feeling that it will persevere.

I wasn't sure how I would feel once an Obama victory was assured. I've always been confused by the intense love people have for the man. I certainly like him, and I gave him my vote. But I've never felt myself fawning all over him the way many supporters have. Still, at about 11 PM last night I was listening to the victory speech of Michael McMahon, the newly elected Congressman for New York's 13th district and first Democrat to hold the seat in almost 30 years. Having worked on the campaign, I was certainly in good spirits. Shortly after the Congressman-elect finished his speech I turned to my right and saw a muted ABC News screen declare in bold lettering, "President-elect Obama." The room erupted with overwhelming joy and cheer. And suddenly, I felt a chill run up my spine. The same chill that I laughed at Chris Matthews for vocalizing months ago.

At first I couldn't explain it. But I quickly realized that after eight years of deception and fear-mongering, a man who ran on a positive message had won the presidency. For the first time since I became involved in politics the American people chose hope over anti-intellectualism. I don't have to get into all the milestones that come with an Obama presidency, you can find that just about anywhere. But, maybe just for a moment, I felt that magical feeling that I've completely misunderstood since Obama announced his run. Now, that was momentary, and for me actions speak much louder than words in politics. Obama certainly has the unenviable task of delivering on the promises he has made to the American people. I wish him well and hope he exceeds my expectations.

The scenes of celebrations in the streets across the country and around the world were mesmerizing, and beautiful. I've never seen anything like it.

I'm also happy to see Joe Biden as our new Vice President. I look forward to plenty of gaffes, and well articulated foreign policy solutions. Biden is a veteran politician, which can be a huge negative. But I've always taken to his blunt style of speaking and am confident that he will offer excellent advice to the president-elect.

There will still be those who call Obama everything from a communist to a terrorist while questioning his citizenship. The right-wing has already started a series of conspiracy theories that may make the Clinton presidency seem boring.

But in the end, this could be a new dawn for America and perhaps, the belated beginning of the 21st century.

Hurricane Palin

It's been almost two weeks since John McCain picked a vp nominee who seemingly turned the race upside down overnight. This election has suddenly deteriorated into a junior high school cafeteria fight. "Obama was specifically talking about Gov. Palin when he used pig and lipstick in the same sentence. Really? Would you like a tissue?

Better yet, how about the cover of every tabloid newspaper in the country? No problem. All this over figure of speech that was taken out of context. McCain may have been strategically brilliant to have picked her. Someone in his camp realized toward the end of the Dem primary that some folks who were longtime Hillary haters began to at least empathize with her new underdog image and story. Mainly because she was a women (at least that's the way the press portrayed it). Now Obama is having to take shots at the Republican VP nominee, while McCain stays clearly out of focus and the campaign is no longer about an old guy trying beat a new political sensation.

The Decline of Keith Olbermann

Make no mistake about it, I used to see Olbermann as the future of news. I thought he was crafty in his delivery, easy to listen to and after the debacle of the 2004 election, he was unafraid to cover stories often seen as taboo in the years after 9/11.

Then he started his special comment segment, which, if you were at the point of wanting to scream out loud after more than one term of the Bush administration, really hit the mark. Olbermann was brash and forceful in his verbal takedowns of everyone from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Chertoff (especially in the wake of Katrina) and President Bush himself.

Then the 2008 election season kicked off, and throughout the series of 30 million debates held since last March, it started to become obvious that Olbermann, like a 17-year-old high school geek obsessed with the new hot girl in class was starting to fall in love with Obama. You could hear it in his delivery. He would talk about Obama as if he was Neo in the Matrix, and Hillary Clinton as if she's killed his first born. Things got so out of control that Obermann became the poster boy for Clinton supporters who felt that their candidate wasn't getting a fair shake in the press (and she wasn't) while Obama simply walked on water to the nomination.

Things have gotten so bad that the sight of the man makes me cringe. My girlfriend's dad, who is a registered Republican, used to rip on me regularly that I like someone as unforgiving in his delivery as Olbermann. The suddenly, I realized he was right.

But it was through MSNBC's coverage of this week's Democratic debate where Olbermann really hit rock bottom. At different times he insulted Pat Buchanan regarding something that Obermann clearly misunderstood and audibly asked "can we wrap him up?" of GOP consultant Mike Murphy, who had committed the ultimate sin of disagreeing with something Senator Obama said.

Olbermann needs the king of shock treatment that the Ramones once talked about, and he needs it now.

But for the jury, I submit this video of Olbermann reading an AP writer's somewhat negative review of Obama's speech and ending with the suggestion that the reporter, "find new work."




What a sad sight.

Scott McClellan keeps it GANGSTA!

Ok. Now that we have the over dramatic title out of the way...

This new book from former white house press secretary Scott McClellan sounds quite revealing. I'm somewhat surprised that it took this long for someone from the deep inside the Bush white house to turn on them. Most memoirs that have come from former Bush officials (I submit to you Karen Hughes and Ari Fleischer). While George Tenet tried to go there, it was clear that he was far more focused on covering his own ass for the sake of historical record. While I haven't read the book, everything I have read seems to confirm the deepest suspicions of even the most mild critic of the president.

McCellan always seemed to be uncomfortable in his role. He came off as someone who was saying things that he personally didn't even believe to be true. Where Fleischer and Tony Snow are both right wing ideologues, McClellan seemed to care less about political viewpoint than his own career. Unfortunately for him, he happened to suck as a press secretary.

I always thought it would be Colin Powell who who wrote the first book of this caliber. Instead, I'm expecting a rather pleasant surprise from a pudgy press secretary I always expected to quietly fade into the the darkest hole of history.

I was on the TeeVee

My first blog entry. Sweet.

So yesterday I asked my opinion by Eyewitness News about the downfall of this guy:

Watch at the link below. I'm interviewed towards the end.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/media?id=6154092