What Dan Berger did at the Louisiana Senator event counts for a crime scene:
Crime Scenes.
Starting from the summer bash to the Washington governor event, I received Caputo overtures. But the reason I dropped the ball each time was because I was still having to deal with the trigger from "Don't touch me!" It was akin to a medical condition. I was surprised with my own reaction. My attitude was, I have expressed my like. If you don't like me, you don't like me, I go to just experiencing events. But if you like me, what will you do? Will you tell me you do? Will you ask me out? If email and phone don't work for you, if you are a face time person, you want to go ahead and do the face time thing? To be honest, the idea of starting out into a relationship at a political event I found almost disgusting. I am like, I am in a room each time with people who are Mr. and Ms. 99%s. My attitude was step one has to be email, exchange of numbers, then talk on phone, then arranging to meet one on one, and so on. Step two did not happen, so I guess there is nothing going on.
The same with getting involved with DL21C. All the political organizations in Manhattan are into what looks to me like the Windows 95 version of group dynamics. There is too much dead wood on the DL21C steering committee. If you can not order the deaths of 100,000 people, you are not qualified to be president. I hope we evolve as humanity to down the line no longer needing to do that, but right now where we are at is where we are at. Before that, if you can not destroy jobs, careers, companies, industries, markets in capitalism's creative destructions, you are not going far in business. And before that DL21C has to evolve to become a place not just for hobbyists but primarily for people who are trying to make serious political career moves.
Step one, I need to really study this organization. Step two, I need to come up with a position paper saying let's take this organization through a rebirth. Step three, implement. But if the organization has no desire to grow like that, going to sit on the steering committee would be like becoming a member of the House of Lords. Not interested. I will die a slow death. I need my killer instincts intact.
John Scully booted Steve Jobs out of Apple. Dan Berger has managed to boot me out of DL21C. 1984, de ja vu.
The Berger crime scene from the Louisiana Senator event cost me the Holiday party overtures and the December Baby party conversation. I am like, I need to achieve a clinical understanding of what happened before I can talk about you and me. I want a timeframe analysis. I want to talk about what was said and what was meant. (
Confronting My Own Demons)
Caputo is 5.0, I am 2.0. Her attitude is, we will talk in person, you will join my organization, we will meet and talk at events and meetings, you will get my number no sweat, and somewhere along the way we will hook up. Nothing wrong with that except back then I was doing urgent work for Nepal. I feared if I ventured too much into 5.0, I will become less good at 2.0. (
Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal) Now when I am ready for 5.0, like during and before 1989, like during my freshman year at college, Caputo is caput. She has been deeply, deeply angry for months now. And I know the reason why.
Planned Parenthood: A Different Kind Of EventSome of the things I said about the February 7 event was her own gender trigger. I had my KY/IN trigger, my "Don't touch me!" trigger, my mandatory coat check trigger. Those were ethnicity and race triggers. Me talking suggestive about her and her Hispanic dude friend was a huge gender trigger for her. She was like, I don't know this guy any more. Come to think of it, I did nothing different from what she did at the Washington governor event when she whisked the two women away, one was Jennifer, who she had strategically planted on the street around 6 PM of the recent Arianna event, her and the book publisher white guy at the door - a charm him if you want to open the door challenge, placed on purpose - and another was the woman who delivered the event-has-not-started-yet message at Bombay Palace: that day the female Dan Berger, so glad to be of relevance to Ms. Caputo. "Mr. Singh!" she said in some agitation. At Bombay Palace I had a drink downstairs like I had a drink downstairs at the Zipper Factory. That was me saying I know when you walked away from me. I have no mystery woman to deliver my message, but I got me, and the Bombay Palace bartender.
How to Tame a Free SpiritFrom "I don't like you, never did, nothing happened on day one" to "I have not liked you before" is progress. What does one do next? Does one go ahead and renew one's friendship with Justin Krebs? It is getting warmer, give me some free beer.
At the Irish Rogue, I talked to Carolyn during a debate break. When the debate started again, I grabbed her shoulder to try to turn her around so we would end the talk and go back to the debate.
At the subsequent Washington governor event, Caputo came to stand behind me, and she had Carolyn placed strategically next to me. So the two of you like to ask questions? That was three strikes on one day: Carolyn, Jennifer and the Bombay Palace woman.
JFK was practically a disabled. He had to take much medicine every day. His back never stopped hurting. He injected chemicals into his thigh every day. A close friend once watched him do it and said, "Jack, you make it look like that needle does not hurt at all." Jack lunged and pierced that needle into that friend's thigh. The friend shrieked in pain. "That is how it feels every single time," Jack Kennedy said.
I am like, if you like me, all you have to do is tell me and I am all yours. But you are a sexist woman living on a sexist planet. You will throw hints and punish me for not taking the hints. I sent an angry email that evening claiming my rise in American politics has been faster than Barack Obama himself, I just started this year. And I sent links to when a few times Obama 08 had taken advice from me.
Soon after Bobby got elected in Louisiana. Caputo's Louisiana Senator event was a response to that. He can do it there, you can do it here. Or what? The swankiest venue of any DL21C event I had ever been to. Why?
I was greeted by "You are already a member." I am thinking, I must have paid enough money seven bucks at a time. I must have paid over 50 bucks by now. So I guess I save seven bucks today. That is like getting free beer for that day. Not a bad idea at all, not a bad idea.
What was the crime scene?
I asked the Senator a question. You talk of trying to get a 60 strong majority in the Senate, how possible is that you think? This beautiful Southern gal looked at me and was pleased to see a beautiful Indian guy who was not on the other side like Bobby. She answered the question and almost helplessly said "Elizabeth!" She is like, I don't know who this guy is but he belongs with Elizabeth. Elizabeth happened to be standing not far from me. I looked in her direction. She looked in my direction, but to the ground. I remember thinking, I wish the two of us could just talk.
I think this is the scene that started the Berger tirade not long after.
The event almost over, Dan Berger came over to me out of the blue and said "Can I talk you for a second?" He did not wait for my answer, just walked away into a corner. I should have plain ignored him. Instead I am thinking, sure, why not. So I went into that corner. The rest of the room could not see us, but could hear us if we shouted, which he proceeded to do.
I was not expecting what he ended up doing. I thought he was out to share some info. So I looked down to the ground as if to really pay attention, like Bill Clinton looked down when I talked to him. I am all ears, now say. I remember thinking, I got told "You are already a member" at the beginning. Now this guy will try to figure out ways I could get involved with the organization. That is not what he had in mind at all.
"What's up with Elizabeth?" he demanded to know. "You are just going to stop!" At the time I just heard yelling. I could not believe it. I am like, I don't believe this idiot. There is a US Senator in attendance, and he is yelling at the top of his lungs.
Now I think two things. One, when Sam Walton was in the early stages of growing his Walmart, one day two suits from an established retailer in some big city showed up and said something like that: "Stop!" And just walked away. Two, this guy is trying desperately to be white male matter. He saw signs of brown male matter and white woman matter looking in each other's direction prodded by a major white woman matter, and his worst fears came alive, his worldview turned upside down. And he burst.
His confidence grew. "Look at me! Look at me!" he demanded. I has just about had it. I am like, this little nobody motherfucker, white trash piece of shit, dead end job nobody asshole, dimwit dumbass, can't count to ten jerk.
I looked at him. "Don't you threaten me!" he yelled. As I said, all I heard was yelling. I was not following the logic of the conversation. There was no logic, there was no conversation.
I need to ask. What threatened him? Me now a member of the organization? Is that what? Or me possibly hooking up with Elizabeth? The idea of it? How? But of course those questions were all in retrospect. At the time all I heard was yelling. I had just about had it.
"Let's do it this way," I said. "I don't come to these DL21C events ever again. Would you like that? Now get the fuck out of my face forever!" His anger immediately collapsed. He was outstared, I was no longer taking it, and I think the words were music to his ears. He would like nothing better than if I never again showed up for these events.
He walked away. I went back into the room. I think the room was silent. I was so embarrassed. I am thinking, I can't believe this. This motherfucking suicide bomber just disrespected a US Senator in a major way. You might be a US Senator but you are a woman. Worse, you are a woman who looked at a brown guy and said "Elizabeth!"
I was angry, I was not seeing straight. I felt very out of place. I am like, I want out of here, now. From where I was standing, I could see a door. I am like, that might be the quickest door out. In my anger I did not see that it was a fire escape. I did not plot to set off the fire alarm. I don't much care for Dan Berger, but I sure would not have done that to Senator Mary. I was looking up and walking straight. I pushed the door open. The fire alarm went off. I am like, shit. I don't believe this. But I also realized there was nothing I could do. The best thing was to keep walking.
Out on the street, I called up a fellow Madhesi in Ridgewood. I called up another Madhesi in Chicago. I was shaken. What just happened? This was before the Madhesi Revolution in February, this was before Obama's January and February successes, this was before Adam had gone ahead and raised round one money for the startup, this was before he had even come along full fledged as a team member. I was walking on thin ice, and some dumbass motherfucker just hit me on the head.
This was Mitt Romney behavior on Berger's part. The ugliest things I have heard about black people have come out of some Nepali mouths in Queens. If you think about it, white is not a language, white is not a culture, white is not a religion. White has been a political coalition of excluding nonwhites. So guys like Dan Berger who don't exactly feel white among whites do what some of those Nepalis do. If you can talk racist, you become white, that is the thinking. Mitt Romney mistook Obama for Osama, on grand purpose.
I had not liked or disliked Berger before the stupid Facebook wall flap. He was just a guy who signed you into events. The first time I ever talked to him I think was at the NYU event where I was enjoying his existence by teasing him about Hillary. So if Hillary becomes president, does Rangel become Senator? He really liked that, he blushed, then suggested Elizabeth does political work with him because she has to go to Spitzer events. No Spitzer, no Berger, yes Spitzer, yes Berger.
Then he is like, you must be hot, Elizabeth Caputo came over to stand next to you. He felt like he was floating in air.
So at the swanky venue this guy is offended. Now that there is an Indian governor in the country, does the Caputo attention shift from Berger to Bhagat? Alarm bells ringing.
That evening I blogged. I angrily said I feel the need to rescue Harlem from Charlie Rangel. Barack scheduled a Harlem event. That same day Caputo had a MTA person show up at a DL21C event. Only a few weeks back I had blogged saying if I were to become Mayor of NYC, I would want to get rid of the wheel.
Caputo: Closure?In The News
Obama damaged by Wright flap: USA Today/Gallup poll Washington Post significantly damaged by the controversy over his former pastor ...... leading Obama 51 percent to 44 percent nationally ..... a CBS News/New York Times survey released on Sunday that had Obama leading Clinton by 12 points. ..... the Wright controversy had raised questions for some voters about Obama's values, credibility and electability. ...... Wright has angered many voters with repeated statements that the September 11 attacks were retribution for U.S. foreign policies and that the U.S. government had a hand in spreading AIDS to harm blacks. Obama has publicly severed ties with Wright. ....... "We've probably taken as many hits as anybody has in this presidential campaign. Senator Clinton has not. John McCain certainly has not, and yet I'm still here and competitive in both North Carolina and Indiana," Obama told CNN...... The USA Today poll said one-third of primary voters were less likely to vote for Obama because of his ties to Wright........ The results also showed the same portion less likely to vote for Clinton, a New York senator, because of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Bittersweet nostalgia for Kennedys in Indiana Boston Globe the last great Democratic primary in the Hoosier State -- the triumph of Robert F. Kennedy 40 years ago
Ohio attorney general admits to affair with employee The Associated Press a sexual harassment investigation that brought down three of his aides. ...... Marc Dann apologized to his wife and supporters but insisted he would not step down. He took responsibility for the scandal, saying he was not prepared for the office or to run such a large agency. ....... the office rife with booze, profanity, inappropriate sexual activity, misuse of state vehicles and on-the-job threats involving the Mafia. ......... two 26-year-old staffers ..... Dann, 46, said his affair was consensual and refused to disclose the name of the employee. He said the relationship came during a difficult time in his marriage ..... he has made his political name fighting corruption. ..... The 26-year-old women who accused Gutierrez of harassment — Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout — feel vindicated Obama edges Clinton in Guam caucus MarketWatch
Fresh hope for Clinton in latest polls RTE.ie
Obama’s Marathon Day FOXNews a round robin of pre-taped morning show interviews at 5:30 in the morning ...... greeted construction workers Corzine Says Clinton Wins This Week Could Level `Playing Field' Bloomberg 1,741 to 1,607 ..... idea to hold a superdelegate convention to choose the nominee following the last primary contest on June 3. ..... Corzine said that if Obama, 46, defeats Clinton, 60, he would support him ``as fully as I do Senator Clinton right now.''
What's new: Polls split on effect of Wright on Obama USA Today Clinton leads Obama among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by 7 percentage points, the first time in three months she has been ahead. Two weeks ago, before the controversy over comments by Jeremiah Wright reignited, Obama led by 10 points ........ an overwhelming majority of voters said candidates calling for the suspension of the federal gasoline tax this summer were acting to help themselves politically, rather than to help ordinary Americans ....... "Obama, barring catastrophe, should win North Carolina handily. Clinton is expected, with somewhat less confidence, to win Indiana -- and will likely be forced from the race if she fails to carry the state. ....... (Bill) Clinton has finally discovered a role that suits him. He's become the campaign's self-proclaimed 'ambassador to small-town America,' traveling to places where the mere arrival of his motorcade signals a significant moment in local history, where his charm and affability carry substantial weight among voters." ........ Obama finished with 2,264 votes to Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2,257 votes -- a 7-point difference. Obama won 14 of 21 districts. ....... The two will likely split the 4 pledged delegates that were up for grabs on Guam.
GOP Gleeful at Obama rocky period The Associated Press Obama would essentially limp to the nomination. ...... six months is plenty of time for Obama to bounce back, and they argue it is unrealistic to imagine Obama would have gotten through his first ever rough-and-tumble campaign unscathed.
Stevie Wonder to attend Barack Obama rally in Indianapolis Chicago Tribune
Obama attacks Clinton over Iran BBC News
Hating Hillary Clinton, fun for misogynists left and right The Australian Pennsylvania in which she was leading by 30 per cent a month before. ...... "He's a towering political figure. Of our generation, he's probably the best politician, he's inspiring. And, reporters, white reporters, black reporters, we want to get beyond racism in America. So he was, he was inspiring. The downside, though, is that they hate, hate Hillary Clinton, most of them." ...... "Hillary will eat our babies," one message proclaims. ....... "Wanna See Hillary Run? Throw Rocks At Her", echoing the barbaric practice of stoning women to death. Take to the airwaves in America and more bile pours out; right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh, whose show has 14.5 million listeners, has identified something he called a "testicle lockbox" as an attribute of the New York senator. Is this related, I wonder, to a vagina dentata? Perhaps that's what Clifford May, a former Republican National Committee spokesman, had in mind when he called on Clinton to define herself as "a Vaginal-American". What are they so afraid of? ....... "There's just something about her that feels castrating, overbearing and scary," declared MSNBC host Tucker Carlson. ..... Scary but pathetic, says Limbaugh: "Will America want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?" ..... ageing "makes men look more authoritative, accomplished and distinguished", according to Limbaugh. ....... "This is sociopathic woman-hating," (says) feminist author Robin Morgan. "If it were about Jews, we would recognise it instantly as anti-Semitic propaganda; if about race, as KKK poison. Where is our sense of outrage as citizens, voters, Americans?"
Michelle Obama: Barack has hit boiling point Telegraph.co.uk "I can't let my ego, my anger, my frustration get in the way of the ultimate goal" ........ 56 per cent of voters thought it likely that Obama shares some of his pastor's anti-American views. ....... Obama has addressed the issue very forcefully but he's been thrown off message for a week ....... Last night Mr Obama appeared on course to win the Guam caucuses Obama says don’t judge him by ex-pastor’s comments Reuters
Whither WiMAX? BusinessWeek
The Silicon Valley triangle: Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft CNET News.com
Why Microsoft covets Yahoo Since 2005, Oracle made more than 40 acquisitions, totaling more than $20 billion. Microsoft, IBM, HP, Sun and Cisco have each made dozens of acquisitions in the same time frame. ....... the consolidators want to be the data center infrastructure providers to the giant Web colonizers--Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Ebay, Amazon ..... Google paid $3.1 billion for DoubleClick and Microsoft pick off aQuantive for $6 billion in cash. ...... In the most recent quarter Google has $5.19 billion in revenue from its ad and search business. Microsoft had less than $1 billion for its entire online business, and Yahoo less than $2 billion, including a $401 million gain from its Alibaba investment. Buffett says risk of financial meltdown has declined MarketWatch
Microsoft poised to increase Yahoo! offer Telegraph.co.uk
Tom Cruise's Mission: Oprah Washington Post Arriving at the movie star's mountaintop mansion near Telluride, Colo., Winfrey gaped at the postcard views and gushed, "I want to weep, it's so beautiful." ...... Cruise said, "It was a moment and it was real" and "I just felt that way. . . . That was just how I felt."
