Thursday, May 10, 2007
Terry McAuliffe: E=mc^2
Terry Alligator McAuliffe, May 9
So I got to see Terry McAuliffe in person yesterday. When I think Spitzer, I think the word substance. When I think McAuliffe, I think alligator. The image is stuck in my mind. It will never go away. But the actual word is energy.
He is just so very amazing. He just oozes bountiful energy. He started "dozens of companies" and was retired by the time he was 35. Politics is in his blood. It is like he had a tic. "Bill Clinton is the most expensive friend I ever had."
When he came in, it was amazing to see him work the room. He went from person to person, no hurry. He was with who he was with. He has "raised more money than anyone is history."
I am sure he has told the stories many times, but he manages to pour it fresh.
He asked for a show of hands. Only five or six people had read his book. Only one other person besides him was in the "top 1% income bracket." And I doubt that other person was exhibiting the truth.
So McAuliffe is so rich, he might be a Republican! Does he feel your pain?
He poured out a few stories from his book. One was that he was in Korea with Clinton, and you know how "Bill Clinton never sleeps." So, Terry, why don't you come up with me and play cards? 10 in the evening to four in the morning, he is playing cards. Then he begs off. The following day he finds out the Korean Secret Service had cabled their head office saying a "young, good looking man" was in the Clinton room for hours. This was in 1999.
This is an amazing time to be a Democratic Party sympathizer. Good times are here. I was strongly for Hillary. Then I switched to Obama. But that does not mean I stopped liking Hillary.
First quarter fundraising showed Obama doing real well. But Hillary won the South Carolina debate and gave herself a jump in the polls.
2008 is for the Democrats to lose.
The way I am looking at it right now, one of these is going to be President, another is going to be Vice President.
Spitzer came out a few days ago saying he is going to work for gay marriage in New York. He basically walked out of the 2008 race in doing that.
So it is Obama-Hillary or Hillary-Obama. It is one of the two possibilities. Right now it looks like Hillary-Obama.
My favorite story about Hillary is when she and Princess Chelsea made this trip to India. And then went to this remote, remote village. And they got surrounded by all these women. And they said that Hillary has no idea what it means to them that she is here. I agree. Hillary had no idea. Hillary still has no idea.
Hillary as President and Obama as Vice President will mean Obama will have plenty of time to succeed and become President himself, he is more than a decade younger. Plus, people live longer these days. Look at old man McCain. Hillary's is a race against time more than Obama's is.
I like them both. And it is not just gender and race, although that it is. They are both outstandingly able. For a woman and some black dude to go up that high, they have to be oustandingly able by definition.
And they compete with each other, the way political competition should be. There is no bad blood, there are no slimeball attacks at each other. They genuinely like each other.
I am a nobody. I don't get to influence the election one way or the other. Heck, I can't even vote. But I am into it for the sports of it. And the pleasure of rooting for Obama is to realize I am playing shadow boxing with Pele Clinton. The guy does not know I exist. But he does leave footprints. And I get to organize my thoughts and offer counter strategies.
But then there is a genuine competition of ideas and organizational skills. The Clinton Machine is a creation not just of Bill but also of Hillary. Her tapping into it is very fair. She pretty much made Bill Clinton. She is smarter than him. At this point I don't know if that means she also has as good political instincts. She authored "triangulation" while Bill Clinton was floundering after the 1994 defeat.
But then Barack Obama also has many advantages. Hillary has conceded he has more charisma than she does. The guy is smart. He offers a certain freshness. And he had a dizzying first quarter success.
So although Hillary has the lead, Obama has the superior trajectory.
They really, truly are neck and neck. There is no telling which way the wind will flow. Expect Obama to give a much more superior performance at the next debate. Otherwise if he bombs at two to three more debates, he is history. History as in, he is running mate.
No matter who gets the top slot, Bill Clinton has to be sent out to work out the final map for the Middle East. He can do it like noone else can. And after he does it, he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
This is a blessed time to be a Democrat.
And Spitzer as Governor might cook up the best ideas that can then be sent to the rest of the country. I am blindsided he is taking the lead on the gay marriage issue. This is gutsy. I like him even more now.
Spitzer is a Hillary fan. That part is so very obvious.
So McAuliffe finishes his talk. And I am right in front of the stage. We made eye contact a few times. He has a magnetic personality. He lingers on the stage to meet people, sign a few books. I walk away. I take a few steps. He comes from behind me and keeps walking. One step ahead of me he says, "Buy the book!" Could it have been said to me? This is not a self-esteem question. This guy is a national legend. I am just one face in the crowd.
Before the event started, I spotted these three Indian young women. One of them was handing out flyers for the Obama event on Saturday.
"Are you Indian?"
"I am half Indian."
The next one was Sapana. The third said her name was Rachael. She had walked over earlier to the bar table next to me but did not make eye contact. Now this was a race issue. You are a brown guy who probably likes white women. It is really curious how the racial dynamic and insinuations work. In NYC, all that plays out in real small space, and specks of time. So it feels dense.
Elizabeth Caputo was in-charge. I was surprised Dave Pollak was not around. Justin Krebs did not show. Kristina Hoke did not. DFNYC notables did not. Lewis Cohen usually shows up for big wigs like this one. He did not. So I am thinking maybe McAuliffe is in town often.
"This guy is so exciting," I said to Caputo.
"Thanks for coming," Caputo said.
I have been trying to get her to get involved with my startup in some small capacity, so far with no success. My company functions in a Web 2.0 environment almost entirely. For some that is a roadblock.
Back home I pitched her again over email. I said I predicted a "French Revolution" in Nepal a few months before it happened, now I am predicting I have launched a company that will get listed on Nasdaq in five years or less. (The French Revolution And DFNYC)
He is a face time guy. He is vastly inspirational. He is a leader. He is a big catch for the Democratic Party.
My one regret is to not have had a 30 second one on one with the guy. Maybe even try to get him to learn my name.
McAuliffe thought the new primary calendar was "crazy." The contest will be over on February 5. I am so glad the big, diverse states will now matter big time to the outcome.
In The News
Ed Gillespie and Terry McAuliffe Join Campaigns & Elections ... PR Newswire (press release), NY
Q&A with Terry McAuliffe The Brown Daily Herald, RI
Fundraiser Extraordinaire McAuliffe Lives Life with Gusto Voice of America
Hillary Revamps Campaign Strategy NewsMax.com, FL
CHELSEA CLOSER TO HELPING MOM Free Market News Network, FL The New York Post reported Tuesday that Chelsea appeared with her parents at a Manhattan fundraiser Monday night. ...... “[Chelsea] has attended fundraisers in New York from time to time but is focused on her professional responsibilities and has no current plans to be out on the campaign trail.” ..... Chelsea, 27, is currently raking in the dough working at the New York-based hedge fund Avenue Capital Group and, under the likeliest scenario, she would take a leave from the firm once she hit the campaign trail. ...... Chelsea’s participation will not only reinforce Hillary’s image as a mom and a family-focused candidate, it’ll also help Hillary shore up her standing with female voters.
McAuliffe says Clinton knows she’s in a fight Providence Journal (subscription), RI
McAuliffe: Time for new approach to primaries Politics on the Hudson, NY
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Long Walk To Freedom
Dear Paramendra,
For too many people, politics is a bad word. It's not surprising since for many people "politics" means talking heads screaming at each other on TV, or special interests stacking the deck in Washington.
We have an opportunity to change that. When politics gets local, when the person talking is your neighbor standing on your front porch, things change.
On June 9th, hundreds of thousands of people will have that experience as we take our campaign to the streets in all 50 states for a nationwide neighborhood walk.
We're calling it Walk for Change, and its success depends on you. I'm asking you for something extraordinary. I'm asking you to lead a group of supporters in your community in a neighborhood walk to let people know about our campaign.
If you agree to organize a walk, we'll mail you the materials you need to start a conversation with your neighbors about being part of this movement for change. But it can only happen if you're willing to take the leap and put together a June 9th Walk for Change event where you live:
http://my.barackobama.com/createwalk
It's not common these days to reach out to a neighbor.
We're more likely to nod quickly and smile when unloading the groceries or walking the dog than we are to stop and talk about the things that shape our common destiny.
But the great issues of our day shouldn't just be topics to fill time between commercials on cable news. These challenges -- ending the war in Iraq, solving the health care crisis, tackling climate change -- affect each one of us personally.
And the solutions to each one will require personal investment from all of us.
That's why it's so important to create this dialogue in your community -- to have a serious conversation about what matters most to your neighbors, and to share with them why this movement for change is personal for you.
http://my.barackobama.com/createwalk
We shouldn't be afraid. Americans everywhere are hungry for change, and waiting for someone to show them where change will come from.
On June 9th, if you organize a Walk for Change event, that change will come from your community, and the person showing the way will be you.
Thank you.
Barack Obama
P.S. -- As you read this, people across the country are planning their events using the My.BarackObama.com tools. If you're not ready to host your own walk, there may already be one in your community that you can join. Use our interactive map to search for one near you:
http://my.barackobama.com/walkforchange
Long Walk To Freedom: Just A Third World Guy Dazzled By The City
In The News
I'm off alcohol, soccer great Maradona says Miami Herald
SOCCER: Two daughters give Argentinian soccer legend the will to live
Maradona: He's off alcohol, plans exhibitions FOXSports.com
Maradona says he's off alcohol, plans to play exhibition matches International Herald Tribune, France
Maradona vows to stay clean Reuters.uk, UK
Maradona vows to battle back from illness ESPN
Maradona vows to stay clean TVNZ, New Zealand
Maradona vows to stay clean ITV.com, UK
Maradona released from rehab clinic Times of India, India
Maradona leaves alcoholism clinic BBC Sport, UK
Maradona released from clinic Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Maradona leaves psychiatric clinic, goes home Reuters India, India
Maradona released from psychiatric clinic ESPN
Maradona leaves psychiatric clinic, 'doing well' Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Maradona released from rehab clinic after two-week stay Xinhua, China
Breaking News Maradona dispels death rumours Fox Sports, Australia
Astronomers record brightest ever supernova Daily Mail
MySpace to acquire Photobucket image-sharing site CNET News.com
A CEO Pitches Universal Health Care New York Times Thirty-six companies have decided to join forces in a push to extend health insurance to all Americans ...... 18 of the companies are among the Fortune 500’s biggest firms ...... seeking universal health care “not so much out of social solidarity as out of financial necessity”
Corporate America Pushes Healthcare Reform
TV toddlers 'become aggressive'
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
Poll: Clinton rebounds over ObamaBad MySpace Move By Barack ObamaUSA Today a 15 percentage-point lead ..... She is the choice of 38% of the Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters surveyed, up 7 points from a survey taken three weeks earlier. Obama is at 23%, 3 points lower than before.
South Carolina Debate
The question was if another 9/11 style attack were to occur, will you retaliate? Hillary gave the correct answer. She said if it can be determined who was behind the attack, the retaliation should be swift and strong. Obama did not answer that question right. He went on a detour suggesting it is important to make sure the intelligence is not faulty, blah blah blah.
The answer was Afghanistan, not Iraq. Osama was behind 9/11, and he was in power by proxy in Afghanistan. So the attack to drive the Taliban out of power was a legitimate act of a sovereign country.
Obama has to be careful not to let the ultra left hijack his anti-war agenda.
The Mayor of New York City has to deliver crime control. That is a basic aspect of the job. Similarly the President Of The United States has to offer security. That is a basic part of the job. That is how the office is designed. You are Commander In Chief.
I think Obama got thrown off balance because he for a moment thought it was a trick question to do with his strength: his opposition to the "dumb" war in Iraq. That is not what it was. A lot of Americans do fear there might be another big attack. It might not come in the form of planes. It might be a dirty bomb, it might be something else. We know the intention is there on the part of Al Qaeda. They just have not been able to carry it out yet.
Iraq has been W's trillion dollar mistake. Obama has the right stand. But he does have to deliver on the basics of being Commander In Chief.
Obama Gameplan: Stable, Democratic Iraq
Obama Is Going To Have To Jump Into The Fray
Muscular Gender Agenda
Obama-Spitzer Vs. Giuliani-Romney
In The News
Clinton stronger, Giuliani still strong
Clinton widens leads in USAT/Gallup & CNN polls USA Today
Poll: Liberals moving toward Clinton; GOP race tightens
Clinton Stumps in Obama’s Backyard
High Hopes for US-French Relations Forbes
Violent Protests Greet Sarkozy’s Election in France
Democrats' 2008 Electoral Edge In Doubt
Thousands strip in public as artist creates 'flesh architecture'
McCain Stops By Google Red Herring “Most of the people I’ve met in high tech are either liberals or libertarians.”
Big B, SRK set to shoot together
Microsoft Delivers Hotmail Upgrade PC World
Sarkozy, Elected in France, Vows Break With Past New York Times
An Empty Place Where a Kansas Town Once Stood New York Times
Paris sacks publicist
Clinton Says She Supports Funding Troops Carlisle Sentinel
Nepal's first bishop appointed officially Mangalorean.com
Poll: Rudy Giuliani Lead Fading Fast Bayou Buzz
Buffett: Index funds better for most investors Reuters "A very low-cost index is going to beat a majority of the amateur-managed money or professionally-managed money," Buffett said ...... investors shouldn't flock to increasingly popular hedge funds, where managers typically receive a fixed fee plus a percentage of profits. ..... many investors actually fare worse in actively managed funds. He said many funds perform well when they're small, but struggle to keep up when investors chase that early performance, and pour in cash. ........ Buffett cited Fidelity Magellan (FMAGX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, a top-performing fund through the 1980s, but which has lagged S&P 500 over the trailing one, three, five and 10-year periods. ....... Berkshire estimates that its per share book value rose at a 21.4 percent compounded annual rate from 1965, when Buffett took over, to 2006, compared with a 10.4 percent annual gain for the S&P 500 including dividends.
YouTube
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 1 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 2 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 3 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 4 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 5 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 6 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 7 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 8 of 9
Democratic Debate for 2008 Presidency SCSU part 9 of 9
Friday, May 04, 2007
Bad MySpace Move By Barack Obama
The Barack Obama MySpace page did look like it might be something run by the official campaign itself. And so the concern was legitimate.
Barack had 150,000 MySpace friends, and now that is down to 30,000. That is a huge loss. But that is momentary. Looks like the squatter guy took away all his "friends" and the Obama campaign is having to start afresh. I used to be a "friend" of Obama. And I realized I had been delisted. I promptly went back up. I am sure many others will as well. I expect the number to exceed 100,000 very fast, in a matter of weeks.
MySpace is the leading social networking site right now. It was but natural that Obama wanted to own his own name there. But the way his campaign handled it was not cool. The self-propelled volunteer guy should have been shown more respect. He should have been compensated perhaps. Heck, he should have been hired, I think. Google bought YouTube. The guy did something the Obama campaign did not for a long time. Like Rupert Murdoch said when he bought MySpace: "Noone on my team thought of it."
Obama has a robust presence also on Facebook.
- Size: 323,985 members
- Size: 67,623 members
The problem is not that Obama has lost his MySpace friends, he has not, he will rebound. The problem is the way his campaign handled it. It did not show enough respect to a volunteer. That is not okay. I hope that mistake is not repeated too often.
I don't fault MySpace though. It did the right thing.
In The News
Obama: 'This is MySpace' Capitol Hill Blue, VA
Barack Obama Could Lose Some 'Friends' In MySpace Debacle
Obama's MySpace love >> Total Content + Media, UK
Sweet blog special: Obama and MySpace saga. Chicago Sun-Times, IL Obama is making extensive use of social networking tools in his campaign, which has a "new media" department based at the Chicago headquarters. The Obama campaign is also encouraging netroot activists to rally support for Obama and organize on their own. ..... I dug into the story behind yesterday's collapse in Obama's MySpace numbers; it's a kind of cautionary tale for the Connected Age, and also suggests the Obama campaign is more traditional top-down control-oriented than the press they've been getting for all their online social networking. ....... MySpace has said Joe Anthony can post his site, complete with all his friends, on whatever non-official URL he chooses. I think that's fair. ....... MySpaceGate! ...... What a foolish decision on Obama’s part! Paying this man for his work is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do.
Unnecessary candidate
Obama endorses effort to make debate video free
Yahoo shares soar on bid rumours BBC News
Google tops global brand league ahead of General Electric and Microsoft ..... The total value of the Top 100 brands has increased by 10.6% in the past year to $1.6 trillion. .... The biggest riser was Marks & Spencer, which tripled its brand value to take the number 68 spot globally and fourth place in the UK. ..... combines balance sheet values with consumer sentiment ..... the past year has seen companies such as BP and Toyota boost their brand value with the promise of more environmentally friendly policies and products. ....
Barack Obama Could Lose Some 'Friends' In MySpace Debacle Post Chronicle
Obama: 'This is MySpace'
Falling Hillary, Rising Obama, by Kang In-sun
Hillary's presidential formula relies on women and blacks
Poll: Giuliani Beats Clinton, Obama, Gore
Obama gets Secret Service detail Seattle Post Intelligencer The Secret Service said Thursday that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama was being placed under its protection, the earliest ever for a presidential candidate. ....... Federal law allows candidates to seek protection if they meet a series of standards, including public prominence as measured by polls and fundraising. ...... The Rev. Jesse Jackson drew early Secret Service protection because of violent threats during his campaigns for president in the 1980s.
GM Profit Down 90% From 2006 New York Times losses at its finance arm overshadowed the gains from restructuring its automotive operations. ...... described the company, which reported losses of $10.4 billion in 2005 and $2 billion last year, as “operating at or close to break even.” ....... G.M. had been the world’s largest automaker since 1931, save for brief periods in the 1970s and 1990s when strikes among G.M. workers allowed Ford to claim the top spot.
Seattle Suffers a New Major League Soccer Threat Seattlest
Major League Soccer in Seattle?
Firefox users urge Dell to preinstall the browser PC World Canada
Tensions worsen between Russia and Estonia International Herald Tribune, France Last week, Russia's upper house of Parliament called on Putin to sever relations, while the lower house demanded the imposition of sanctions. The Moscow mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, used a May Day festival to call for a boycott of Estonian goods. .... Russia's furious reaction recalls a public campaign of harassment against Georgians living here following a dispute over the arrest of Russian intelligence officers in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in October. Russia deported hundreds of Georgians living and working in Russia and cut rail, air and sea links with its southern neighbor, which, like Estonia, is a former Soviet republic.
Bush: “I’m the Commander Guy” New York Times
Royal scores in heated presidential debate with Sarkozy (Roundup) Monsters and Critics.com
Britney's Stripperific Onstage Lap Dance
The President's Thanks, and Other Forms of Kissing Up
Obama takes MySpace page from backer
Will Turkey become an Islamist state?
Obama Ranks at Head of Dem Field for First Time: Poll Mother Jones
Hillary, Fearing Obama, Changes Strategy
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Terry Alligator McAuliffe, May 9
Wednesday, May 9Long Walk To Freedom: Just A Third World Guy Dazzled By The City
7:00 pm
DL21C's Political Author Series continues with Terry McAuliffe
Former Chairman, Democratic National Committee
Discussing the 2008 Presidential race and his new book, What a Party! - http://www.whataparty.us/
at
Retreat
37 West 17th St. b/w 5th and 6th Ave.
1/2/3/B/D/F/V/N/R/Q/W to 14th Street http://www.retreat-nyc.com/
DL21C Events: High Class Acts
Public message to Ms. Elizabeth Caputo, the DL21C mover shaker. Indiana, Harvard, Morgan Stanley, DL21C: that's four strikes in a row, you are supposed to be out at three. My saying I just might join DL21C was me paying compliments to what is obviously the leading political group in the city. I have no intention to join. If I join, I hurt my young company. Group dynamics is the primary thing I bring to the table for the company. I have to stay unencumbered. On the other hand, I do look forward to getting to meet a ton of political celebrities ("alligators, wild animals") through DL21C. And Pollak and Spitzer are so obviously going places together. Chairman Pollak. Chairman Mao.
I would have been flattered enough if Pollak just knew me, as in your name is Paramendra, and I have a face to your name. But this guy actually likes me. More important, he values the political observations I have to make. That second part does not surprise me though. I know what I know. I would go head to head with anyone in American politics today, Bill Clinton included, in terms of tactics and strategy. I already am. The Obama-Clinton tussle lets me play shadow boxing with the guy. And Bill Clinton is the biggest thing that has happened in the one person one vote framework in human history. To me he is Pele.
First time Pollak and I ever bonded was over our mutual excitement about Hillary 2008. To his shock, I now see that as B.O. Before Obama. I mean, I don't like Hillary any less now.
It was a Tom Daschle event aftermath. "Senator, I am from Nepal. I came here to thank you for the trip you made to Nepal. You spread hope when there was very little of that going around. Now we all know things are much better." His eyes went wet. "That country is very special to me."
Pollak, Caputo, Krebs, these are all the Harvard crowd. I have some appreciation for where Harvard stands in the American imagination. When Nepalis in America find out I went to Budhanilkantha, they are suddenly all ears. That is amusing to me because I have disowned that institution. I was number one in class there and Nuru was number two until the Bahuns and the British ganged up on me and stabbed a dagger into my thighs it felt like. Nuru went to Harvard.
Pollak, Caputo, Krebs are like the Panch Pandavs of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. I am their brother Karna, from a different father, hush hush. All of them instinctively liked me so much right away that I figured maybe I am some kind of a good looking guy. But they had to wait for my online autobiography to realize I am Karna.
Together we are going to do much good to the progressive cause going into the future.
Karna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pandava - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I am at a point in life where one third of me is this entrepreneur on the ground floor, waiting, working to take off. The second third is someone who thinks, strongly feels race is the number one issue in his life. I so want to get over it. Group dynamics is fascinating but racial politics is boring. Work on the online autobiography has helped. It has been a poor man's therapy. You talk about the past so as to liberate yourself from it. The final third of me is someone who came to NYC to work on his business idea but got sucked into working full time for the democracy movement in Nepal for almost two years, eating into my savings, swiping credit cards and now selling very, very small chunks of my company to investors: the YouTube guys had also maxed out their credit cards right before they got bought by Google. I did not have a choice. My house was on fire. Only in retrospect I realize this is the best work I have done so far in life. And it is going to get me the Nobel Prize if the Nobel Committee gets a grip of the mathematical theory called the butterfly effect. I am going to break the MLK record. If I win the Nobel, I want a seat on the Google Board and an honorary US citizenship, and I want round 1, round 2, round 3 investors into my company, on my terms pretty much, and I want my parents to come live in NYC. My constituency of choice is the Global South. And my company is the best thing I can do for them. The profit motive and the service motive do not clash. Otherwise my material needs are those of a monk pretty much. I do want a private jet though, speed is my idea of meditation.
I want the first third to become all of me. Further work on the autobiography will liberate me from the second third and the third third.
I am the father of the concept of a continuous movement in the Nepali context. The April Revolution was like the physical universe. There was no center. All parties and leaders who claim credit for the 19-day April Revolution were fundamentally opposed to the 21-day Madhesi Movement. I was the one constant between the two. The Madhesi Movement was April Revolution II. Ever since the king's coup in February 2005, there is a close correlation between what I have wanted happen in Nepal and what has ended up happening. My work is transparent. What I did, when, is well documented, and online for the world to see.
Obama-Spitzer Vs. Giuliani-Romney
An Obama Spitzer Ticket
Obama, Hillary, Spitzer
7 Point Agenda For New York City
Two Terms As Governor
What I like about DL21C is noone is trying to get you into retail politics. The Matrix is the only retail politics I am interested in: I wrote to the leaders of all progressive groups in Manhattan recently saying, give me a million strong Matrix in NYC, and you are looking at a total spread of democracy by 2020. I have been prescribing the same to the Nepalis in the city, so far with little success. Every f_____g Nepali organization in the city thinks it is The Umbrella Organization. It has been quite an effort to launch a formal umbrella organization for all the 30 or more groups in the city. The idea is to earn voting rights for them in the city elections. Can you help? :-)
I have been rehearsing a few lines for my DL21C socializing.
"What do you do? Where do you live?"
"I am a Third World guy. Why are you asking me money questions?"
Alternate answer: "I am going to make more money than everyone in this room. Put together."
Long Walk To Freedom: Just A Third World Guy Dazzled By The City
Terry McAuliffe is a high energy packet. Hillary says he can light up a city, he has so much energy. I'd think the crowd is going to be huge. What should I tell him?
I missed Bill Richardson. I did not mean to. I don't remember why I missed it. Was there another event somewhere else?
Mike Gravel. Charlie Rangel. Wesley Clark. Chriss Dodd.
I was watching the South Carolina debate on YouTube (South Carolina Debate) and I was thinking, I met Gravel and Dodd at DL21C events and they are on stage. I have also met Hillary, but those have been Hillary fundraisers, a few of them.
My rehearsed line for her was, "Senator, I just want you to know I am a very happy New Yorker," but then she stared into my face and I forgot the line.
"Mr. Chairman. Terry. You light up this city as well."
"Mr. Chairman. Terry. You gave us some big victories in the roaring 90s. Thanks."
"Chairman Terry. I got the money, if you got the alligator! And I am so Indian too."
There is always the banal, "It is such an honor to meet you," which is what I ended up saying to Hillary. That was an anticlimax. But I was okay the next time. I teased her. "First Nancy Pelosi, then Hillary." That was B.O.
I might be the only person to show up for these high profile DL21C events who actually does homework, like reading up on the guy.
Opal
On The Web
What a Party! Book. Terry McAuliffe's must-read memoir is the ...
Terry McAuliffe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from February 2001 to February 2005. ...... McAuliffe then served as Finance Director of the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, National Finance Chairman of the Gephardt for President Committee, National Finance Chairman and then National Co-Chairman of the Clinton-Gore re-election committee. ........ Chairman of the 53rd Presidential Inaugural Committee and as Chairman of the White House Millennium Celebration..... In 2000, McAuliffe chaired the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles -- the convention that helped give the Democratic ticket a 20-point bounce in the polls ....... Under Chairman McAuliffe’s tenure, for the first time in Party history, the DNC was debt-free and outraised the RNC. The DNC shattered all fundraising records by raising over $535 million. ...... McAuliffe built a new headquarters, and created a computer database of more than 2.7 million grassroots donors; increased email addresses from 70,000 to over 4 million; built a database of more than 175 million individuals. McAuliffe presently serves as Chairman of the Clinton for President Campaign Committee. ........ started his first business, McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance, when he was 14 years old. ....... He has successfully started over two-dozen companies in the fields of banking, insurance, marketing, and real estate. McAuliffe served as Chairman of the Federal City National Bank by the age of 30. ........ On January 23, 2007, his book, "What A Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals" was released and debuted at #5 on the New York Times Bestseller list and #1 on the Washington Post's list.
Terry McAuliffe - Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau
McAuliffe Is Dems' Comeback Kid (washingtonpost.com) an unheard-of $70 million in the bank -- and on the cutting edge of high-tech politics. ....... "Serving as chairman of the party when you don't have the White House, and you don't have the House, and you don't have the Senate, is the toughest job in the country" ....... Zack Exley, an Internet aficionado who worked at MoveOn.org, set up a Web site in 2002 that declared: "Don't blame the American people! Blame the Democratic Party leadership. Terry McAuliffe is an idiot." ....... We went through a very tough time in 2002 after the midterm election ...... the DNC now has a voter list with information on more than 170 million people, which allows the party to develop its own direct-mail donor list. ...... The new headquarters ... is wired to run an operation increasingly dependent on the Internet ........ McAuliffe first gained attention in the presidential election of 1980, wrestling an alligator on a fundraising prospect's dare. ........ McAuliffe has become the champion of the direct-mail and Internet small giver. .... McAuliffe expects that when his term ends in early 2005, "I am going to walk off the stage and everything we said will have been accomplished. . . . The new chairman, whoever it might be, will take over a party financed by millions of dollars that will automatically come in at the touch of a button, new facilities, no debt and voter files. This party is now secure for 25 years."
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VOA News - Fundraiser Extraordinaire McAuliffe Lives Life with Gusto Terry McAuliffe is 50, looks 40, and has the zest of a 20-year-old. ...... McAuliffe made his first fortune -- a few hundred dollars -- resurfacing driveways at age 14. He would later make millions of dollars in various businesses and financial investments. ....... McAuliffe did so well financially, in fact, that most of the accomplishments for which he is famous have come as an unpaid volunteer for the national Democratic Party ......... I don't believe the glass is half full. I believe it's overflowing. I'm fired up, charged up. ...... The minute you just went through, you'll never get back again. So you might as well make the most of it. ....... 1980. McAuliffe's famous Roladex -- a rotating card file of political contacts -- expanded so fast that he was soon leading the fundraising for the entire Democratic membership of the U.S. House of Representatives, at the request of his friend who one day would be the best man at his wedding: California Congressman Tony Coelho. ......... "He can get in most doors," Coelho says of his friend. "And once he gets in and he meets somebody, they become friends. He has that magnetic personality that, once he meets you, you like him. And then he gets you enthused about doing things, and he's very, very effective." ........ "I happen to enjoy asking for money," McAuliffe avers. "I love to ask for money. The worst they can say to me is no. I've never been shot. I've never been thrown out of a building, out of an airplane. .......... The alligator gets a mention because McAuliffe once wrestled one in return for a $15,000 campaign contribution. ..... the key to life is that when you get knocked down, get up, dust yourself off, and get right back at it again ........ McAuliffe says that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2008, he'd like to be both secretary of Commerce -- drumming up business for American companies -- and a presidential ambassador without portfolio once again. ....... acknowledges very few regrets in his life. Spending too much time apart from his kids is one. ....... it breaks my heart to call from the road and ask my son how he did in the wrestling match that day, or my daughter in her basketball game. You can never get those times back. ....... Beneath his Irish charm, Terry McAuliffe is a fierce political in-fighter. He admits that his own party, made up of diverse ethnic constituencies and occasionally at odds with itself, can sometimes look like what he calls the "Democratic Circular Firing Squad." ........ "If there's one thing I can do," Terry McAuliffe says in an understatement, "it's sell."
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In The News
I pay more taxes than Hrithik: Amitabh India PRwire (Press Release) Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan claims he is the 'top' tax payer in the country with Rs.15.59 crore (Rs.155.9 million), and with Aishwarya Rai joining the family, the Bachchan family's total tax would be around Rs.25.3 crore (Rs.253 million). ..... 'If you look at the figures for the year 2006-2007, you'll see Amitabh, that's yours truly, has paid Rs.14.15 crore and from our company AB Corp Ltd. where all the earnings are mine, we've paid Rs.1.44 crore. ...... 'And yet they've put Hrithik as the top most taxpayer! Even if you take my tax figures individually I still top.'
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Michael Dell is now thinking about changing the way his company ... International Herald Tribune built his business by selling directly to his customers, is now thinking about changing the way the company markets its computers ....... "The direct model has been a revolution, but it is not a religion," Dell wrote in a memorandum sent last week to 80,000 Dell employees. ...... The Dell memo signals that the company is preparing to shift toward more full-fledged retail operations. Dell disclosed that the company is putting in place new manufacturing and distribution models in the United States and overseas. ...... The direct sales model had been the crucial to Dell's success. Taught in business schools and imitated by other companies, the model enabled Dell to dominate the industry.
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Barack Obama needs a second act Monterey County Herald, CA As the excitement of his entry into the race fades, it's not enough just to be the anti-Hillary, anti-Bush, anti-Washington candidate. We need to know more about him — how he sees events, how he thinks, what he would do. Like a character in a drama, we need to see him grow and develop new dimensions. ...... He said we run our "foreign policy as if the children in Darfur are somehow less than the children here, and so we tolerate violence there." ...... "Whether it's global terrorism or pandemic disease, dramatic climate change or the proliferation of weapons of mass annihilation, the threats we face at the dawn of the 21st century can no longer be contained by borders and boundaries."
Mrs. Obama lays it on a bit thick ChronicleHerald.ca, Canada I wince a bit when Michelle Obama chides her husband as a mere mortal — a comic routine that rests on the presumption that we see him as a god. ......... "And then there’s the Barack Obama that lives with me in my house, and that guy’s a little less impressive. For some reason this guy still can’t manage to put the butter up when he makes toast, secure the bread so that it doesn’t get stale, and his five-year-old is still better at making the bed than he is." ......... She said that the TV version of Barack Obama sounded really interesting and that she’d like to meet him some time. ...... At a March fundraiser in New York, she tweaked her husband for not "putting his socks actually in the dirty clothes." ...... this princess of South Chicago, a formidable Princeton and Harvard Law School grad ..... Michelle dryly told a reporter at her husband’s Senate swearing-in that perhaps someday, he would do something to earn all the attention he was getting. ........ is good at turning down the heat himself. He manages to tamp down crowds dying to be electrified. He resists surfing his own wave of excitement.