Rudy had a strategy. He was going to ignore the early states, and then he was going to win big in Florida, and then who could possibly stop Rudy?
We all know how that played out.
Now Hillary has a strategy. It is called the calendar has only 11 months to it. She is going to ignore the states this month.
Polls show her leading in OH, TX, PA. But then she was doing 10-50 or so in California and similary in New York for most of 2007. The end tally had Obama losing CA only by 10 points.
How can you lose 10 states in a row and still carry March 4? Beats me. Not gonna happen.
The superdelegates, if they are in the business of democracy, are just going to do the will of the people and get behind the candidate who won the most votes, the most states, and the most regular delegates. They can't go against that democratic current.
Sexist Bill
A few days back Bill Clinton went on record saying if Hillary is president he will "talk her through everything." Granted this guy is super gifted politically, but that is sexist talk. There are all these women all across America, and especially in California, who are salivating at the prospect of a first woman president, and Bill Clinton is saying he will do her job on her behalf. Women, take notice, this man is out to steal.
All States Count
At some level I am glad this has been such a drawn out process. That is the democratic way. This year most states will have had a say. And that will make us strong for the fall contest.
Michigan, Florida, Nevada
The white media routinely says the Clintons won Michigan, Florida and Nevada. Barack won Nevada. This is a contest for delegates, and Barack won more delegates in Nevada. And there were no contests in Michigan and Florida.
The white media has made a leap from calling Barack Osama last spring. This spring they are giving victories to his opponent that she can not claim.
Looks like we only carried Cornell, Ithaca. Otherwise Hillary carried the rest of the state. Fair enough. We did better in Illinois. I was thinking we might have done well in parts of the city.
I don't begrudge Hillary her home state success.
In The News
McCain and Obama Turn Fire on Each Other New York Times ANALYSIS-Seeds of class war sprout in Kenya's crisis Reuters Surging Obama whacks Clinton, McCain on economyAFP Clinton intensifies her attacks on new front-runner Obama Los Angeles Times A day after she lost her status as front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination ...... eight consecutive wins over Clinton ..... next Tuesday's contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii. ..... Texas, which holds its primary on March 4, along with Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. ..... "It's a Washington where politicians like John McCain and Hillary Clinton voted for a war in Iraq that should've never been authorized and never been waged -- a war that is costing us thousands of precious lives and billions of dollars a week" that could be used on infrastructure, job training and healthcare. ....... "After March 4th, over 3,000 delegates will be committed, and we project that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be virtually tied with 611 delegates still to be chosen in Pennsylvania and other remaining states," Penn said. Clinton works to make stands against Obama in Texas, OhioCNN Obama leading Clinton 45-41 ..... Virginia, Obama earned 64 percent of the vote compared with 35 percent for Clinton .... Maryland, the Illinois Democrat won 60 percent to 37 percent ..... District of Columbia, he won 75 percent to 24 percent ........ Obama for the first time has a lead over Clinton in the delegate count -- 1,253 to 1,211 ...... He did well with Democrats across race and gender lines Tuesday night, and seems to be eating away at Clinton's backbone of support: women. Clinton gropes for swift game-changer Inquirer.net has lost her once-gaping national poll leads, and seems at a significant financial disadvantage. ...... Wisconsin, which holds its primary Tuesday, had Obama up 11 points, suggesting, that, along with his former home state of Hawaii, he could roll off a 10-0 streak before March 4. ...... lead the total of pledged delegates by 136. ..... "The only way she could do it is by winning the rest of the contests by 25 to 30 points. We see not a single contest on the calendar left where we would expect her to win those kinds of margins." ...... The former first lady currently leads that block 242 to 156 ..... sparking comparisons with Republican Rudolph Giuliani's disastrous strategy. ..... whether the double-digit Clinton advantage in Ohio and Texas, and another potential firewall in Pennsylvania on April 22, might simply rupture under Obama's surge. Clinton struggles to convince party she's still in itGuardian Unlimited David Wilhelm, who managed her husband's 1992 campaign for the White House endorsed her opponent. ..... as Obama began to peel away sections of Clinton's supporting coalition among working-class households, women, Catholics and older voters, to win primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC by overwhelming margins ...... "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification for who can win the general election," he told a conference call with reporters. ..... Clinton's hopes of turning the contest around with big wins in the mega states of Texas and Ohio on March 4 might not work ..... Obama has embraced the role of Democratic frontrunner as the contest moves towards a decisive phase. ..... He won Virginia, 64% to 35%, Maryland 60% to 36%, and Washington DC by 75% to 24%. That now gives Obama 1,224 delegates against 1,198 for Clinton .... he made significant inroads into her core areas of support: working-class households, women, Catholics and older voters. Clinton Scrambles to Contest Wisconsin The Associated Press Clinton, Obama press ahead USA Today Obama Camp Claims Potomac Sweep Is Turning Point of CampaignFOXNews Tuesday night’s Potomac Primary was Gettysburg. ...... it is now “next to impossible” for Clinton to close Obama’s lead in pledged delegates. ...... nearly 500 delegates at stake in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania ....... she’ll be giving a concession speech after March 4. .... Obama eating into Clinton’s traditionally loyal bases of women, senior, Hispanic and white voters. ...... Obama, already claiming that he is the candidate of a “new American majority” ...... create 5 million so-called “green collar” jobs Open Caucus: Obama’s Winning StreakNew York Times Exclusive Interview: Obama Reaches Out to Critics and Republicans U.S. News & World Report Clinton strategists admit she needs to win Ohio and Texas on March 4 to remain in contention Obama overtakes Clinton in delegate tallyXinhua Her deputy campaign manager Mike Henry announced his departure Tuesday, a day after Maggie Williams replaced Patti Solis Doyle as her campaign manager. Henry was the campaign's main field architect and was best known for penning a memo last spring urging Clinton not to compete in Iowa, the first state to hold nomination contest. If Hillary Loses, Do Women Lose?U.S. News & World Report It's Obama's to lose now. The race is as good as over. The Obama Phenom is gaining velocity and surge. ....... Young women have rushed to latch on to Obama's comet coattails. A friend of mine who's fundraising mightily for him says "Obama is a woman" because he's more pro-choice than Clinton. After all, on that most stereotypical of women's issues, She loses progressives as she attempts to navigate the nonexistent common ground on this most divisive of issues. Obama, on the other hand, talks about Clinton refers to the "tragedy of abortion."the tragedy of unwanted pregnancies. In what seems to be the sunset of the era of the religious right, that's quite the courageous stand to take. ...... "I want a woman in the White House, but she's the wrong woman." ...... The nominee will either be a woman with double-X chromosomes or one with XY chromosomes who votes more like a woman than most with XX. Clinton Scrambles to Contest Wisconsin The Associated Press
They are for real. But then you are not exactly trying to get along with everybody. You are going to get close to a select few, by definition.
And then there is 2.0 group dynamics to do with a startup. The workspace is fundamentally altered. And so offline socializing is guided by chemistry as it should.
Digital Democrat
Don't sit on any committee. Don't take any official title. Show up for events. Capture some on camera. Get to know people. Help boost morale. But primarily just look at the big picture for the overall campaign.
The word blogger does not describe me. The term digital democrat does. You still have to know what you are talking about. But a blog can travel across space and time. You get transported. It is like you get to sit on many committees at once.
Ultimately it is not about the digital tools. It is about the candidate. It is about the message. It is about the campaign.
I am here just to experience the event attitude I have had with the political organizations in the city. Finally in Obama 08 I found the operation I had been looking for. My specialty is presidential level politics.
The idea has been to suggest grand strategy.
But even Obama 08 has been a vehicle to hone further the progressive agenda, the progressive message.
Three Very Different Worlds
Nepal.
Obama 2008.
Tech startup.
The group dynamics involved with each is so different. Can get your head spinning as you move from one to the next. But you are who you are. If someone can relate to only a small part of you, that is a limited relationship.
Caputo
It amazes me that now when I am no longer tense about Obama 08 like I was until February 5, Caputo has taken some of that place. And this worries me. Is this obsession unhealthy?
Maybe she is like me, she will never run for anything, but will always be just so obsessed by politics, friendship prized by top office holders. Of all the people I got to know making the rounds in the city since I moved in, she stands out. She is an extraordinary political talent.
She got offended I googled her up once. Whereas in the Silicon Valley, that is the culture. You google people up.
If nothing else, I'd love to have her on my corporate executive committee. But that can't happen this year. This year goes to my team in Mumbai.
Meeting for the first time was magic. But then the few times she has acted personal after that, she has always made it a point to make sure she is not the one who signs you into an event. Because if she does, then she acts "professional." Having never held a corporate job, I don't get it. For me it is like, of course you are not obliged, you don't owe me anything, let alone a feeling, but it is not possible for you to like me today, and not have liked me yesterday, or to not like me tomorrow. How do you feel about me? And whose responsibility is it to share that feeling?
For me that song and dance between the professional hat and the personal hat feels like an unwelcome rollercoaster ride. It is not about feelings. It is about a conversation about the external reality.
Feelings grow over time. Love grows. Hillary wrote an article as First Lady saying "we love each other more now than when we started."
At some level I have rebelled.
For her it probably is like, if this guy likes me, why did he not take the hint? And if he did not, then he is not into me, and so he should not bother.
That is where you enter the eery zone, you feel discomfort. And you seek a resolution. You are like, I want out. You never were in.
The One
If you ever liked me, if you like me today, what if I am The One? Will you still insist on the professional song and dance?
I wish we would have our first ever conversation. I think that would make all the clouds go away.
The soldiers of social segregation seek roles. That complicates things a little.
In The News
Clinton turns her attention to Texas, other key primaries Los Angeles Times Wisconsin, the scene of next Tuesday's battle. ..... Hawaii, Obama's native state, will also choose its favorite next Tuesday. .... Television cameras also caught Obama joking with Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, on the Senate floor during a national security vote. Clinton, Obama Already Targeting March 4 The Associated Press she could well have suffered 10 straight defeats by the time Democrats begin voting March 4 in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont — the biggest single day left on the Democratic nominating calendar. ...... 370 delegates are allocated March 4. .... Texas where Hispanics could supply up to half the Democratic votes. ..... El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and McAllen, all predominantly Latino cities where her husband, the former president, is so popular his portrait hangs in many Mexican restaurants. Obama-Clinton fight brewing for Texas Latinos Baltimore Sun Obama Courts Hispanics In TexasCBS News Obama to Latinos: I'm talking to youBoston Globe Fixing error gives Obama sweep of all state's countiesSeattle Times Republicans Root for Obama Yahoo! News Can Obama Keep the Momentum?TIME she has raised more than $10 million online since Super Tuesday, she still leads in most national polls and is making a big push to be competitive in Virginia ....... increasingly they are viewed as must-wins, her last chance at the nomination .... Obama would "evaporate relatively quickly once he faced the Republicans." ..... If he overwhelmingly wins the so-called Potomac Primaries, where 237 delegates are at stake, he could start to break away from Clinton, especially since he's also favored in the next two states due to vote on February 19, his native Hawaii and Wisconsin ........ Obama leads Clinton 1,004 to 925 ...... The Maryland and Virginia contests, which are open to all voters, could also have general election implications, testing Obama's appeal to Independent and Republican voters. Clinton, Obama: Why Not Both? the visionary and the technician, the candidate who could inspire the masses and the candidate who could get under the sink and fix the plumbing. ...... 62% of Democrats want Clinton to put Obama on the ticket; 51% want Obama to return the favor if he is the nominee. ........ Terry McAuliffe said on the morning of Super Tuesday that Obama has generated so much excitement, he would have to be considered for the party's vice-presidential nomination ....... An Obama adviser put it this way: "One could argue that the Senator should not even agree to discuss an offer of the vice presidency until Senator Clinton agrees to bar her husband from the West Wing for the duration of the first term. And then once she agrees to that, he should turn it down." ....... the Clintons intend to work as a team if Hillary is elected. "I'll be there, talking her through everything," Bill said in Napa Valley, Calif., last month, "like she did with me." One unaligned party wise man said, "Obama may look at the Clintons, at both of them—at that whole thing they have—and say, 'Jeez, that's just way too [messed] up to be a part of. That's just no place I want to be.'" ........ (56%) of Obama supporters favor choosing someone else. ..... there are those in Clintonland who think Obama has wronged her over the course of the campaign simply because he took her on. ....... John Kennedy tapped Lyndon Johnson in 1960, though the two men were like oil and water. Ronald Reagan named George H.W. Bush in 1980, though they never became very close. Walter Mondale gave a man he resented, Gary Hart, a good look in 1984, before choosing Geraldine Ferraro. And John Kerry recruited his former rival John Edwards in 2004, though the hard feelings on both sides never went away. Whoever wins these primaries may have no choice but to offer it to the also-ran. Obama's Extraordinary Wave Fails to Sink Extraordinary FoeWall Street Journal A few Democratic strategists, and some Republicans, think he is almost there now. ..... "I think he's just about put it away," said Joe Trippi .... "He doesn't have it yet. But all the momentum, all the victories are on his side." Sen. Clinton, he added, has "got to do something, and replacing Patti isn't enough." ...... "The Obama wave is unlike anything I have seen during my career. It would have totally swamped any traditional candidate" ...... "Apparently they have an 11-month calendar over there that's missing the month of February," Obama strategist David Axelrod ...... "If they lose Texas, it's bad," Mr. Trippi said. ...... the two would continue battling for delegates "on through the spring and likely to Denver."
Obama to Republicans: “Let ‘em bring it on.” FOXNews he is sounding like a more confident candidate. ..... he has begun to set his sights less on Hillary Clinton while focusing more on John McCain.
Obama Looks To Ride Wave Of Momentum CBS News, USA talk that the New York senator's campaign bid was falling on tough times ...... Obama has 1,139 delegates while Clinton has 1,132. .... her campaign predicted that while Obama may take the spoils in February, March would be her month.
Odds on Obama win rise sharply Financial Times, UK both Intrade and the Iowa Electronic Market - the two most closely watched political futures sites - give Mr Obama overwhelming odds of taking the nomination. ...... IEM gives him a 69 per cent chance against just 28 per cent for Mrs Clinton. ..... "If there was one piece of information I would look at for an election it would be Intrade rather than the opinion polls," said Jason Furman, an economist and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Obama surge stuns Democrats Scotsman super delegates reconsider pledges as polls predict newcomer most likely to beat McCain ..... This weekend she became the first so-called super delegate of the Democratic Party to swap sides, announcing that she had switched from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. ....... Obama is winning in the ballot box, but Mrs Clinton has a nearly two-to-one superiority in super delegates ..... "The super delegates were supposed to represent the institutional interest of the larger party, as opposed to the crazies in the street" ...... 213 super delegates are for Mrs Clinton and 139 for Mr Obama. ..... Obama has won more states, has more regular delegates and 200,000 more voters ..... Obama has now warned super delegates to consider carefully how to vote. "My strong belief is that if we end up with the most states and the most pledged (regular] delegates from the most voters in the country, that it would be problematic for the political insiders to overturn the judgment of the voters" ........ Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Convention, last week urged both Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama to come to an "arrangement" before the convention to decide who will be nominated. .... "If 795 of my colleagues decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party," said Donna Brazile, one super delegate. ..... more supers will follow Ms Samuels in switching sides. ...... "Super delegates want to win," Mr Noble said. "Virtually every poll shows Obama six, seven, eight points ahead of McCain. There is a pretty powerful argument that Mrs Clinton is on the wrong side of history, and these politicians (the super delegates] understand that."
I had an email from Planned Parenthood saying the event Let's Talk About Sex was full. So I was feeling a little stranded. The website did say the event was full but I had sent a RSVP over email anyways.
Just then I got a Facebook email from Arthur. Mark Penn was doing a book event at the Strand in the evening, and we were going to show up and protest. Ended up the protest program did not happen. But I wanted to see this guy Penn in person, size him up.
Strand is the legendary bookstore near Union Square. The lady who introduced Penn said her grandfather had founded the store, and her husband was an Oregon Senator, "and my father is there in the back." Family business.
I sat in the front row next to this woman who said she had known Penn for 20 years. I asked her if she voted for Hillary. She said yes. She had been a news producer with ABC News.
What did I see? He came across as someone very academic. But he has been a fixation in the Clinton camp since the Clintons went national. That asks for respect. He is one of those guys that crunch numbers, not cereals for breakfast. The flip side is when you get hit by something like a paradigm shift, which is what Obama 2008 is, you don't know what to do.
The book is an impressive one. Does Hillary know he is out selling his book instead of doing work for her?
Mark Penn Microtrends Marc Ambinder (August 20, 2007) - Political Book Watch: Mark ...His are an attempt to explain why people often make choices that are inexplicable to the naked eye. ....... a huge number of adult women play sports .... 57% of journalists are women. The professions of public relations and the law are trending toward the same lopsidedness. ..... In '04, Penn estimates that nearly 5M ex-cons were "disenfranchised." .... The surplus of single women "are left out of the institution of marriage." They are also more economically engaged than single men: single women bought twice as many new homes than single men in 2005. .... Within the past ten years, the number of women who sought younger male boyfriends has quintupled. ...... As of 2006, Nearly 60% of Americans have been involved in an office romance. 3.5 million Americans are in relationships where one partner lives in a different city than the other. More than 3 million marriages are interracial. ...... The proportion of new dads over 40 years of age "is skyrocketing." Amazon.com: Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big ... Mark Penn's Microtrends Interview
Clinton's PowerPointer - washingtonpost.comOne of the party's most prominent pollsters ..... While not her campaign manager in name, Penn controls the main elements of her campaign ..... If Clinton seems cautious, it may be because Penn has made caution a science ..... a wealthy chief executive who heads a giant public relations firm, where he personally hones Microsoft's image in Washington .... "Mark brings a certain certainty about his point of view that can feel like an anchor in stormy seas" ..... In their $5 million Georgetown mansion, Penn and his wife, Nancy Jacobson ..... Jewish and pro-Israel, like Penn ..... Israel. In 1981, he and business partner Doug Schoen helped reelect Menachem Begin, one of the most right-wing prime ministers in the country's history ...... Penn started his polling business with Schoen with the 1977 New York mayoral candidacy of Edward I. Koch, and he got to the White House through another New York pollster, Dick Morris ...... Penn likes to swim in as much hard information as possible ..... his business has exploded over the decades. ...... Penn and Schoen adapting corporate models to the political sphere and vice versa. ..... relies on a team of about 20 employees to do most of the day-to-day work Mark Penn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia TPM Cafe | Talking Points Memo | The Real Case Against Mark Penn
Man Friday
So on Friday I took the number one guy on my corporate team out to an Indian buffet lunch in Little India not far from the Obama 2008 victory party on Super Duper Tuesday, and ends up Adam's first place to live in the city was this high rise across the street from Tonic, where the Obama party was. There was an icecream place on the ground floor of the building. We went for it after lunch.
My first weekend in NYC was in 1999 when I was with a dot com in Philly for summer: I had helped found it. I had come over to the place of two high school classmate bankers who lived in a high rise exactly like this one. I shared that story with Adam.
"This might be the very building," I said.
Adam said he was flying off to vacation on Sunday. His girlfriend in New Haven will take his car. He said he had no idea where he was going.
"Now you are sounding like a startup guy," I said.
For the next six months, he will travel much - he might end up in China, Romania - and he will log into the virtual office. It is going to be cloud group dynamics the way it supposed to be.
Lunch was yet another brainstorming session. This was the first time I bought him lunch. He has bought me meals many times at his place on the 19th and 1st.
We are about to hire some IIT Mumbai people. Mumbai is a sister city to NYC.
Adam is the reason round one money got raised. And I am the reason he is going to drop out of Stanford Business. He applied for fall. Dropping out will read great in the bio pieces on him in the papers.
Some woman at the Zipper Factory (Planned Parenthood: A Different Kind Of Event) told me the main Hillary party on February 5 was at "Tonic West." It was a DL21C event near Times Square. I was puzzled.
That's interesting. The Obama party was at Tonic East, and the Hillary party was at Tonic West. I did not even know there was a Tonic West.
That did not just happen. Somebody made it happen that way. Who? (Tonic: What A Party) To me it reads like Elizabeth Caputo's political poetry.
A little bit of information like this puts me back to square one. The whole issue feels so unresolved.
Morgan Stanley raised more money for Hillary than any other bank in this city. CEO Mack has been an enthusiast, I guess. By the way, my man Friday Adam wrote directly to Mack to create his 2.0 job with Stanley that he has now duly quit.
And with the big hits banking has taken the past six months or so, it is a good idea to stay squarely on the boss' good side. That is totally understandable.
Caputo spent the major chunk of her time at the Parenthood event with some Hispanic looking dude. She came alone. At one point I thought she did the bag thing to him. So no interest, just a statement.
It all feels unresolved.
My feeling was, okay, so you are not uncomfortable that I am at the same event. That is different from getting thrown out of your last two events. But that is still not concrete.
This is what I mean when I say, you don't get to have it two different ways. You can't be this white woman who is out to make me look bad. And be someone who likes me at the same time. That puts me into socially unsafe situations.
Granted this event was after February 5, so the political tension was nonexistent.
But still it gets very confusing for me. My thing is simple. Either you don't like me and possibly feel uncomfortable in my presence, in that case I am on schedule to staying away. Or if you like me, tell me you like me, and let's hook up.
I sent out a RSVP for this.
Tuesday, February 12
8:00 pm
Women's Issues Committee Meeting: Monthly Issues Chat RSVP for Location and More Information
I know it's cold, I know you're tired, but we need to unite for this last stand TONIGHT at 6:30pm!
Mark Penn, Hillary's chief strategist, pollster, and all around trouble maker will be doing a reading of his new book, "Microtrends" at Strand Bookstore on 12th and Broadway (two blocks from Union Square).
Let's show Penn how strong Obama NYC is!
Bring signs and energy, let's rally together and get fired up for tomorrow's sweep!
All the best,
Arthur Leopold & Team Obama
Tuesday, February 12: Potomac Primary Watch At Irish Rogue
Event Name: D.C/Maryland/Virginia Primary Watch Party Time: Tuesday, February 12 at 8:00 PM - 1 hour Host: Nikos Taneris Location: Irish Rogue (New York, NY ) 356 West 44th St. Near corner of 9th Ave New York, NY 10036
Monday, February 11
I was kind of hoping to show up for this Planned Parenthood event. But I guess it is not happening. Back to Obama 2008.
Let's Talk About Sex Monday, February 11 6 PM 26 Bleeker St
Paramendra Bhagatto Planned
show detailsFeb 8 (3 days ago)
Hi. This is a RSVP.
I just went to your event for the first time and greatly liked it. It was a night out with women in politics. There I was given a flyer for this second event. And I am emailing my RSVP.
Thanks.
Lee, Melissato me
show details12:01 PM (3 hours ago)
Paramendra,
I'm sorry but our event tonight has already reached capacity and we are no longer accepting RSVPs. We'll be in touch about future events. My apologies for the inconvenience.
Feb 21, Thu 6-8 PM Activist Council Planned Parenthood 26 Bleecker St. New York, NY 10012
This event is also already full.
In The News
Analysis: Obama has advantage in weeks ahead CNN The prospect of a brokered convention is no longer dismissed as a far-fetched scenario.... money continues to pour into his campaign coffers with surprising ease Obama Basks in Crowds, Momentum The Associated Press the campaign announced Monday it is starting television advertising throughout Texas and Ohio, airing an ad that features Obama discussing the death of his mother at age 53 from cancer and the cost of health care ...... Typically it costs $1 million per week in Texas to wage a statewide political advertising campaign that saturates the approximately two-dozen TV markets. ..... Clinton quietly visited Edwards last Thursday in North Carolin
Barack by now has totally erased Clinton's national lead. But even before he did he managed to bring Clinton down to 40-50 in CA. Considering where he started in CA, that was huge. I am thinking he carried New York City.
Clinton 08 is counting on a strong showing in the three big March 4 states. Right now they are looking good, but they are not factoring in the fact that the rest of February looks great for Barack. His national lead is going to solidify. It is going to grow.
Since money is not a problem, it is important to do some extensive work in these three big states. Establish more offices, build organization. Run ads. Reach out to volunteers in states that have already voted and get them to do some major phone banking for these three states.
Clinton 08 counting on these three states is like Rudy counting on Florida. Rudy figured the January states don't matter. Clinton 08 thinks the February states do not matter.
Being aggressive in the South Carolina debate was a big reason why Barack swept that state. He might need to repeat that during the Texas debate. (Become Aggressive, Or Become Adlai Stevenson) Reagan also had a "I paid for this microphone" moment in 1980, was it?
Iraq continues to be his big selling point of differentiation.
That is when he has to do it. You can do it, champ.
In The News
An Obama Memo: Sweep Atlantic Online Obama’s current lead over Clinton: 84 pledged delegates (a total that increased 57 this weekend) ..... Pledged delegates: Obama – 1030; Clinton – 946 ....... States won: Obama – 20; Clinton – 11 ...... Caucuses won: Obama 11; Clinton – 2 ....... Obama won an upset victory in Maine, a state where internal and external polls had Clinton leading in the days leading up to the caucuses. ...... He won a Red State, Purple State, and Blue States this weekend – showing he has broad national appeal and can win in every corner of this country. ...... he’s won a larger share of the popular vote ..... he is the candidate best suited to win Independents, play well in Red States, and beat John McCain in November .... Obama won’t just win an election, he’ll win a new majority for change, so we can finally solve the problems we’ve been talking about for decades.
DL21C is the right organization. But to be frank I was not awfully impressed with the people on its women's issues committee. (Martha Outed Kenton And Women With Issues) They are good for what they are used to doing: creating events. But they are not good for what I think needs to be done and how. (2.0 Penetrates DL21C)
Planned Parenthood is not the organization I have been looking for. It is a great, great organizaiton, but it is not hard core political enough for me. But Planned Parenthood is so big as an organization, I should be able to shop around and from the motley crowd I should be able to find myself 10 ninja women.
I might have found a lead in Rosemary who I met at the first Planned Parenthood I went to. She happens to be gay. But I felt a rapport with her. If she is not one of the 10, I got the feeling she will lead me to those 10. I am going to look around at the event Monday to look for the potential ninja women.
What qualities am I looking for?
You are politically alert. The Spectrum On Gender makes sense to you. You feel the need to talk about gender to make progress on gender.
You are willing to meet once a month for an hour. The hour will be videoblogged. The power is in the conversation.
You know the term Web 2.0 and are comfortable with it. You have a high comfort level with the basic digital tools, all of which really are as simple as point and click.
You are extremely comfortable with your writings, photos and videos ending up online. You will do that to reach out to women in small town America. You recognize NYC is the progressive capital of America, the world. Politically active women in this city carry a special responsibility.
Ideally, we want to be replicated, in this city and across America. And we want all those groups of 10 women to link to each other's blogs. But there is no hierarchy. There is no central leader. Each group is independent and complete on its own.
Obama wins Maine caucuses MarketWatch After Obama won contests on Saturday in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington state, he was trailing Clinton by just 25 delegates. ....... Obama has tended to do well in caucuses to date, thanks to his grass-roots support, so he may edge Clinton out to complete a clean-sweep weekend.
Democrats neck and neck as Obama reclaims momentum with easy wins Independent, UK Wide margins of victory for Barack Obama in weekend voting have helped close the gap between the Illinois senator and Hillary Clinton ...... he may pull ahead by the end of this week. .... 796 so-called super-delegates ...... both camps have already launched a frenzied effort to woo super-delegates to their side. ..... He took both Washington and Nebraska by margins of roughly 68 per cent to 32 per cent. ...... voters in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland are expected to favour him. ...... she had raised $10m (£5.1m) in new campaign cash since polls closed on Super Tuesday. Her aides meanwhile are pointing to 4 March, when they believe they can win in two key states, Ohio and Texas. ..... Obama has appointed the former Senate leader Tom Daschle to lead his lobbying. .... the possibility of an ugly floor-fight at the convention. .... if it is the delegates who finally break the tie in August, some will contend that the party will be making a mockery of the democratic process that came before in the primaries and caucuses.
Clinton shuffles team to blunt Obama's momentum Reuters Clinton replaced her campaign manager after a string of losses Saturday .... Maggie Williams, a top aide when she was first lady, had taken over from Patti Solis Doyle as campaign manager. Solis Doyle will move into the role of senior adviser. ..... the shake-up "can't be a good sign." ..... Obama's landslide victory in South Carolina seemed to be a turning point in the race. ...... if she does well in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania, she could win the nomination.
I went to my first Planned Parenthood event on Thursday, and I am about to go to my second tomorrow. I guess I had heard of the organization. Barack had made a speech under the organization's banner when he wanted to come across as big on gender, so I guess the organization is a leading one in what it does. When I learned just the NYC chapter had 300 staffers, my jaw dropped. This is huge.
It was a great event. I wonder why I had to be in the city two and a half years before I came across an event called A Night Out With Women In Politics. I got a clear picture of how many women elected officials there might be. I think they stand at about 20% of the total right now at the city and state levels. That is more than zero, but it is a poor proportion for a state that would like to believe is progressive. It should be more like 40%. If it is 20% in NY, I wonder what it is like in Texas or Alabama.
I got to meet Bidya Bhandari, a leading woman leader from Nepal, a few months back in NYC when she was visiting. After Nepal's April Revolution 2006, she pushed through a resolution that women must be one third of the next legislature. I like that style. You make reservations.
At the event, there were like 50 women at the peak, or maybe 40, and perhaps five men. One of them was Phillip, a Florida transplant, in his 40s perhaps. He has a marketing company. I said I had a startup myself. He gave me his card. I said thanks, and kept it. That was before the evening started. Then he bought a huge bottle of beer. "Come to a women's event, got to go extra macho on the beer," he said teasingly. I did not share the sentiment but got the same beer. After the event was over, he came over and said that was the last card he had been carrying, can he please have it back to give it to a more regular client of his? I think the guy got offended I did not give him my card when he gave me his. He does not realize he might have been more offended if I had given him my card that is highly misleading. The name on it is correct, the rest is a circus. The point being, find me and friend me on Facebook. I gave him his card back. It was all in good taste. He gave it to the last Libertarian candidate for Governor.
Another guy was there with his wife, to be there for her. But he had a hard time lingering around. He would go off away from the gathering to some other part of the bar.
Women flip the whole porn notion. Looks like they do want to talk about their bodies. Why does that not get men excited? Instead men get queasy. That is interesting. Race and gender are Calculus 301, keep them away from me. That is the attitude. But that won't work. Men are going to have to join the conversation or women will still be ironing men's shirts a generation from now. Gender equality should be part of the high school curriculum, part of the sex education package.
I think what makes race and gender tricky is we all know the idea is to co-exist. Would it not be so much easier if we could send off all sexist men to Siberia? But since the idea is to co-exist, the relationship has to be reimagined and reimagined again. But that can not happen unless women talk gender and men talk gender. The conversation is key. That is where the action is. That is why I got so excited about this: 2.0 Penetrates DL21C. But so far it has not taken off. But the basic template is there. Here's the beauty of the suggestion. Groups of 10-20 women anywhere could take off on their own. There is no central organization, there is no hierarchy, no leader.
The idea is to help women and men identify where they are on the spectrum, and to help them get educated and try and move them on to a higher level. Online video would be powerful. And I can guess privacy and safety concerns. But I don't see how we can skip the online video part.
During Nepal's April Revolution 2006, tens died, hundreds got injured, for democracy. Women themselves have a brave history in this country of having fought for the right to vote, for example. It was not easy. Being willing to put photos and videos online is what the women's movement asks for today.
When I go to wonderful events in the city, it pains me to see none of them are being videoblogged. What a waste. You put so much effort to seek publicity. And you don't take that one step that would magnify publicity. Most politically active women in the city are okay themselves. They have access to contraception, hopefully they are in egalitarian, healthy relationships. I think the whole push has to be to reach out to women in small town America. And there online video can be a big help. Women got to step out. But I am not sure about the men in NYC. They are not all that different. I mean, you meet racist white guys left and right in this city. Sexist attitudes are there aplenty.
One thing struck me though. Why is contraception being talked about like it were a women's issue? Unless this is contraception that helps people masturbate. Not even breast feeding is a women's issue alone. The social space for it is also of concern to men.
Somebody brought up breastfeeding. And I was amused. Because I grew up in one of the 10 poorest countries on the planet, and I grew up seeing breastfeeding all over the place. You would be in a crowded public bus from the village to the town, and there would almost always be some woman in some part of the bus who is breastfeeding. Granted she has covered it up with her sari, but the action was on.
The American workplace has to be reimagined. The same design got carried over from the industrial age over to the service age. An information age workplace necessarily has to be 100% gender egalitarian and also egalitarian in all other ways. First and foremost that is a productivity issue. Companies that will not do it will get mowed down by the market forces.
All aspects of conception, childbirth and raising children has to be a fluid proposition. Men have to be part of all. Men can learn to raise children. Children are so much fun.
The trick just like on race is to not make it identity politics only, although there is no escaping identity politics. The trick is to make it issue politics. Have a clear agenda and build and grow a coalition around it.
But ultimately you just have to have many more elected women officials. Ultimately all the hot gender topics of today should become wallpaper. You should be able to take it for granted.
So in a way it was a rich experience just to be there. But I was kind of disappointed these are women's issues and not just plain issues for everyone.
And I am naturally eager about the global dimensions of all of the issues.
My summary statement would be, let's go 2.0 on gender.
I am so glad to have found this organization, but it is not hard core political enough for me.
Maybe the group I am looking for is Women For Obama! Ha.
That is why my style of not joining organizations, only showing up for events of choice works for me. I am a digital democrat. People often scratch their heads trying to figure me out. What do you do?
The idea is to have impact.
Caputo
She was there. We both lingered around for two and a half hours after the formal event was over. Okay, so you are not uncomfortable. Then I left.
That made me think.
Justin Krebs turned our first meeting into a disaster. I was not ready for his behavior. Because I had always been nice to the guy. And he gave the impression it was mutual respect. More than that. He made it sound like the smile on his face depended on me or something. But then he went berserk.
First he is like, oh, so Caputo thinks she beat that Jewish guy in Kentucky in a student election, I also waved at many people out of my dorm window. First he is competing with Caputo for my attention. As opposed to thinking he does not belong in the conversation.
That first contact was amazing. That is how I felt before 1989. That is how I felt my first year in Kentucky. That is how I felt my first NYC weekend in 1999. It was one of those feelings to me. It was special.
Then we all stepped out to leave. Caputo and a woman friend a few steps ahead, Krebs and I lumbering a few steps behind.
She is doing this walk thing to walk you off to the train station, then she will take the cab, that kind of suggestion from Krebs. As in, make no mistake, she is not trying to pick you up, take you home or anything. The guy felt a strong urge to tell me what to think. Then he suggested I was reacting the way I was reacting to Caputo because I was some desperate Brooklyn guy.
Then once near the train station, a few blocks from the bar, I halted. Caputo looked back.
"We just met," she said.
She walked to me and gave me a big hug.
"You just met me!" Krebs interjected from a few feet away. Caputo was just about to embrace me in a hug.
First, Krebs competed for my attention. Then, he tried to explain away Caputo's reaction to me. Then, he disrespected my reaction to Caputo. Finally, he is like, why not me, why this guy? Why not me?
The motherfucker so totally thoroughly spoilt it for me.
Well, for one, you are one ugly dumbass. How about that? 20 years from now you might run for City Council if you are lucky.
I felt the feeling. I participated in the conversation. And Krebs killed it with gusto. And the white woman and the brown guy explained it away in the aftermath. I said Indiana. It was nothing to do with Indiana. I said weak social muscles from 2.0 work. That is an excuse. It was this insecure white guy. He messed up.
Caputo probably explained it away by saying, oh, I just overreacted to him being a homeboy, a guy who knew KY and IN. Indiana, weak social muscles, homeboy. We are both strong and so very political, but this dumbass white guy pulled one off on us. How does that work? We are both stronger, smarter, way more political, so it is not like we don't get race and gender.
It never kind of went away but Caputo went cynical on me. Oh, you found out online I ran Wes Clark's northeast operation? Here, meet Wes Clark.
I quietened down. I was fearless about going for the person. But if it instead feels like a socio-economic ladder climb, no thank you, not worth it.
I asked her for her number over email. She did not give it to me but she did plan for a Republican debate watch party that then she canceled. I showed up. She showed up. In retrospect it feels like, you can't have my number, but you can talk to me. But at the time her parting comment was, "I don't give out my number."
"That's okay," I said.
My attitude at the time was, if you are not giving me your number, I know all I need to know.
But it is never that neat and clean. Touching at the summer bash, brushing against at the Holiday party. If you feel this way today, you must have felt this yesterday, you must feel it tomorrow. Can we talk? Can you email me your number? That is where I would get stuck.
Krebs on his part went on a tangent. He had by insinuation tried to hook me up with a few mediocre white women, the kind that are his lifestyle. Here is your station, where my station is. At one DL21C event, he was with a girl, and I approached him to say hi, he totally ignored me, like go away, can't you see I am with a woman?
Your ass belongs in New Jersey. New York City belongs to me, all of it. I owned this city the day I moved in. I just now have to work and make it official. This city is custom made for me.
Twice he felt the need to "rescue" from me a Russian wife to a friend of his at Drinking Liberally. She is all enamored I know so much about Russian history and politics and that I have read War And Peace and also Crime And Punishment, while her guy is talking baseball and such inane shit. Krebs has to step in and right the ship. He has to draw the line. He has to do it for his friend. The woman belongs to his friend.
Another day I am talking happily to this young woman. Krebs asks her when was the last time she talked to her own brother! He had to intervene and desex the conversation, just to make sure, to be on the safe side. If you ask me, it is called hitting the glass ceiling at an early age.
Once I was talking tech with a programmer high school friend of his. I briefly mention how I plan on hiring people in India. It is like his face became devoid of blood. Krebs walked over to "rescue" the friend. To the friend it probably sounded like I were saying I will outsource your job to India.
Right now I don't have the slightest clue for sure if Caputo and I are upto anything at all, but that is not the point. Justin Krebs, hereby I kill our acquaintance. You don't mean shit to me as a human being going forward. I guess you get to focus on your work, I get to focus on mine. But then I will be seeking over the years ways to translate nonviolent militancy to New York City's realities. Just make sure you don't end up target practice.
Berger: "I am hot!" NYU. That was another Krebs-like moment. Small minds think alike.
It has not been weak social muscles, it has been dumbass white guys. This is not a race issue, this is a personal space issue assholes. If you are on my good side, that means my privacy is important to me. If you are on my bad side, that means there are big chunks of New York City where you don't belong.
My political eyes saw a French Revolution in Nepal months before it happened. Those same political eyes see this.
The day I touched a Senator is the day a president hugged me.
Bill Perkins is the next Mayor of New York City, but it is Elizabeth Caputo who is the top political story in this town. (Bill Perkins: Next Mayor Of New York City)
Visits on previous 'day': 713.
In The News
Obama sweeps Saturday contests; Huckabee takes 2 USA Today completing the best night of his campaign and securing a burst of momentum for upcoming races on Sunday, and beyond ..... Obama also notched a victory in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first-term senator's winning margins were substantial, ranging from more than two-thirds of the vote in Washington and Nebraska to nearly 90% in the Virgin Islands. ...... "He has made the decision to embrace the failed policies of George Bush's Washington," Obama said of McCain. "He speaks of a 100-year war in Iraq and sees another on the horizon with Iran." ......... Clinton had 1,095 delegates to 1,070 for Obama, counting so-called superdelegates. Obama seeks more wins over Clinton in 'Potomac Primary' AFP Hillary's toast: Obama unstoppable National Post The only winning ticket for Democrats is Barack Obama for President with Hillary as his running mate. Obama swept the weekend caucus and primaries and will continue to do so. He wins everywhere. His momentum is growing. ........ The fact that Bill Clinton has been forced to disappear from the campaign in order to keep his foot out of his mouth is an admission that the couples' two-for-one candidacy is now a negative. Nobody wants a President with a First Lady (Bill Clinton) who does his own thing, socially and financially, or is invited to cabinet meetings. .... He thinks out of the box. He is collaborative not polarizing. He is brilliant not cunning. He is optimistic not angry. ..... Hillary just hasn't got the right stuff. Never did. Or the right husband. Women Could Give Clinton the Edge In Maine's Caucuses Washington Post Maine should be friendly territory for Obama. Its voters are staunchly antiwa ...... You have a lot of women working two jobs, working on their feet, with their hands.
