Advice For Caroline

Just Be Yourself

You can't be anything else. You can't be one person in private, and another in public. Just be yourself. That is all you can be. You are great as you are. People love you for just the way you are. You got a great last name. Your father was the Barack Obama of his time. All that is good. But it is also about you. It is about your intelligence, your compassion, your work ethic, your caring about the underprivileged, work you have already done. And you did tip the balance in Obama's favor. If Barack had not done as well in North Carolina, if he had done less good on February 5, I mean.

Adopt The Obama Program

You got a pretty face. Can't say the same about Cuomo. But it is more than about a pretty face. Primarily it is about substance. What are your policy positions? That is easy. You say you are in broad alignment with the Obama program. You have already said you are a Kennedy Democrat, a Clinton Democrat, an Obama Democrat. How about FDR? Say you are also a FDR Democrat. Go Social Security.

Say you are for the Obama stimulus package. Say you are for universal health care like Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy. Say you are for a responsible end to the war in Iraq. All the broad Obama positions are at his websites. Get your staffers working.

Give A Few Speeches

This is a mini campaign. This is dress rehearsal for 2010 and 2012. You have got to get out there and give a few policy speeches. You don't have to get too specific. You can speak in broad generalities.

But A Listening Tour Comes First

That is the number one thing to learn from Hillary who both you and I love. When she first ran for the Senate, she did this remarkable thing. She went on a statewide listening tour. Politicians go for speaking tours. She went on a listening tour. It is very important to go on a listening tour into many upstate pockets. I am glad you got an apartment on the Upper East Side. But you got to claim the upstate people. The difference between you and every other top contender for the same job is you are one person who is not going to feel like a downstate person to the upstate people. Highlight that. That just might be the number one reason for Paterson to go for you. That dude is going to be seeking his office all over again in 2010. He will hurt himself if he has too much of a downstate image.

Can't Let The Handlers Handle You

You got to be yourself. You should shoot for a DirectConnect with the people. Al Gore got "handled" in 2000 and look what happened. The staffers are there to take care of the logistics, the technical details, write speeches, give political advice, help with the media. But they are not there to script you. You could fire all your staff and get a new batch and you will still be you. It is about you.

Can't Avoid The Media

There are going to be interviews. There are going to be press conferences. Heck, there might even be an appearance on Letterman. That guy is corny. Have fun while on air with him.

Ted Kennedy: Evergreen

You are the daughter, but that guy is the brother. More New York politicians are in awe of Ted Kennedy than they are in awe of David Paterson. Make use of him, but judiciously. It can't become about him, but don't make the Gore 2000 mistake of not using Bill Clinton. Ted is your Bill. Ted is one for the ages. He could advise you on everything including how best to use him. He could make phone calls. Heck, he could have dinner with Paterson if he wanted.

Leave It To The Ultimate Guy

Ultimately it is David Paterson's call to make. I love the guy. He is just great. Do your best, do meet him a few times to make your case, campaign, go see the state, make your appearances. But don't be seen pressuring. Make your case, but don't pressure. And in case he goes for someone else, compliment him on his choice.

Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Mike Bloomberg, Me

That is four smart guys behind you. Don't let us down. Go get it.

Also Barack. Make that five. Also Hillary. Make that six. Six smart people.

Caroline Kennedy Is No Sarah Palin, She Is No Airhead
I Like The Caroline Kennedy Name




On The Web

Caroline Kennedy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia She earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1988, graduating in the top ten percent of her class, several weeks before giving birth to her first child. ....... serves on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. ..... From 2002 through 2004, Kennedy worked as director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the the New York City Department of Education. The three-day-a week job paid her a salary of $1 and had the goal of raising private money for the New York City public schools....... records show that Kennedy contributed $2300 to the Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign committee on June 29, 2007. She previously contributed a total of $5000 to Clinton's 2006 senatorial campaign. On September 18, 2007, she contributed $2300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign committee.
Caroline Kennedy

• Radcliffe B.A. 1980
• Columbia Law School J.D. 1988

Caroline Kennedy: The $100M Woman
Op-Ed Contributor - A President Like My Father - NYTimes.com
The Case Against Caroline Kennedy - The Fix the rough and tumble world of New York politics..... the incredibly harsh glare of the New York and national media .... a state known for its cutthroat politics .... her last name is synonymous with public service .... The idea of replacing one high-profile woman with a national (and international) reputation with another high-profile woman with national (and international) reputation makes good sense .... For many Catholics -- particularly in the Northeast -- the Kennedys are held somewhere just short of the Pope in terms of esteem. ..... Obama's message -- politics is broken, we need new faces to fix it -- clearly appealed to Kennedy. She went from a political wall flower to an endorser and a vetter during the campaign and now a candidate in her own right.
Obama's Secretary Of Education: Caroline Kennedy?
N.Y. Republicans Slam Caroline Kennedy, Face The Nation: Potential ... a "celebrity" without the qualifications ..... decried the Senate as becoming "a House of Lords." ..... Those characterizations of Kennedy as an elitist were not accepted by New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who defended her experience, particularly in public service. ..... "I think people are missing the essence of this woman," Klein ..... she came to work for the kids in New York. Most of those kids grow up in poor families ..... You know, Rembrandt was a great artist. His brother Murray, on the other hand, Murray Rembrandt wouldn't paint a house ........ Dominic Carter of the New York City cable news channel NY1 said that, from what he has heard, "It is basically a done deal - that if Caroline Kennedy wants this seat (and she has expressed interest in it), then it is hers." ...... "When she walked into this restaurant in Harlem, the crowd gave her basically a standing ovation. And then she sat down for a private event. I saw confidence. I saw that she wasn't looking to run away from the media. ..... And what about Hillary? Would she support Kennedy, after Kennedy backed Obama? "She has told her people to back off," Carter said. "She is moving ahead in terms of becoming Secretary of State. And you know, for all the criticism we've heard of Caroline Kennedy, we've been there before in terms of hearing the exact same thing about Hillary Clinton."

In The News

Kennedy Endures Rough Start in Bid for Senate Seat Washington Post, United States "I happen to have worked with her," Bloomberg said ...... She is intelligent, competent, knows as much about the issues, I think, as most people that run for senator or have been our senators in the past ........ "The Bloomberg operation is behind this big ..... "He's the capo di tutti capi" -- boss of bosses. "He's using his influence to perhaps have someone in the U.S. Senate who he supports." ....... Bloomberg and Kennedy are both wealthy residents of Manhattan's Upper East Side ...... Liu was named John after her father, the assassinated president, and Liu's two brothers are named Robert and Edward after two of her uncles. ...... But this is an appointment, so no formal disclosure rules apply. ..... the tough arena of New York politics. ...... "It is so silly what they are doing to her," Koch said. "We all know she's a multimillionaire -- nobody resents that." ...... Kennedy's endorsement was seen by many as a turning point in Obama's tough primary fight against Clinton, and some of Obama's earliest backers in the state now are pushing for Kennedy's appointment. ....... She can energize the base that Obama got motivated in central New York." ....... "The governor is certainly going to listen to what the president-elect wants, or may want . . . because New York is going to be competing for valuable infrastructure funds"
Kennedy, in Senate bid, hasn't shared finances The Associated Press
Backlash builds over Kennedy's Senate quest Seattle Times
Caroline Kennedy is no front-runner, peeved Gov. Paterson pledges New York Daily News In 1998, Caroline Kennedy received an estimated $38 million from her share of the family's sale of Chicago's Merchandise Mart and other related properties. .... Joseph Kennedy bought the Merchandise Mart, once the largest building in the world, in 1945.... her brother left an estimated $50 million estate following his death in 1999, with Caroline Kennedy and her three children the prime beneficiaries.
Kennedy is focused on helping Obama begin Albert Lea Tribune, MN
What's in a name? Plenty, for a Kennedy Scarlet Scuttlebutt
The Caroline Times File: Getting Tough on Kennedy's Stonewalling Gawker
Is Caroline Kennedy the Democratic Sarah Palin? Examiner.com
Caroline Kennedy: This isn't her father's Camelot Los Angeles Times, CAClinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and Cuomo's dad, former New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, clashed as far back as five presidential campaigns ago -- and apparently some of that enmity still lingers........ David Paterson, another dynastic politician, whose father, Basil, was once a major power in New York politics. ....... "Illinois may be making headlines, but it's still the Second City." ..... Kennedy -- who lives in a Park Avenue ZIP Code where the mail is sorted and hand-delivered by doormen -- now has to prove she has the appetite to mix in with apple farmers and union chiefs, and to maneuver in the clubby male-dominated atmosphere of the U.S. Senate. On Wednesday, she made her first foray as a would-be senator, drawing a press mob as she met with the mayors of Syracuse and Rochester.

Chants

Katie Halper's Big Night: Ha Ha Hanukkah Aachhoo

Hitler would have loved to be dictator of New York, he would have had a limitless supply of Jews. (Okay, okay, before you throw me back to jail. Katie Halper spent all evening yesterday making fun of the Holocaust. Get her first.)

I started out laughing and hooting and hollering and clapping so hard, I realized I was drawing as much attention from the small, intimate audience as Katie herself, who was on stage performing, and also Katie's attention, so I really had to restrain myself for the next two hours. No clapping, quieter belly laughing. I might still have scared Katie's dad who happened to be sitting next to me, but that is okay. When the lights were on he came across as an understanding man. It is not like we talked or anything. I mean, before the show started I did not realize he was Katie's dad or I would have at least said hello. He was reading this big, thick, picturesque book called Indian Ink. That right there is an open minded Jew. (Okay, every comic made fun of the Jewish identity. So go figure.)

Justin Krebs started out. But he was not funny. He looked like he just woke up after a day of sleep, and he had not even washed his face. You could see sleep marks on his face. That is not funny.

Katie would perform, then give the stage to someone else, then perform, then repeat. She processed about a half dozen other comics that way. Katie Halper, Power Woman. During the final half hour, at one point, she confronted Justin Krebs. He was the technician sitting in front of his elaborate grid, I guess he flashed. I did not see, but he must shown her some kind of a light. She said, I know my time is up, but I am "speaking truth to power" and she continued for another 15 minutes. She was speaking to power, White Male Justin Krebs.

From the first time I have seen Katie perform I have been like, this is a thickly intellectual comic. So I am glad she at one point mentioned Woody Allen. That guy is also thickly intellectual. Katie must be doing a lot of homework. It is possible to laugh nonstop during Katie's performance. It is intellectual tickle.

Katie is Jewish. Negin is Arab. They act like they get along. But I think they are faking it. At one point Katie did make fun of Negin's "glasses." I noticed.

I have been in this city three years. To me the Jews of New York are like distant, badass cousins you always heard of but never met until now. The Jews remind me of Texans. I have been to all 48 states. Texans talked like Texas were another country. There was such a strong state identity. The Jewish identity really matters to Jews. It is like half of them got wiped out, and the other half multiplied for half a century to finally make up for the loss. The pain of the Holocaust makes for an intense emotional intelligence. And, by the way, Cuomo played foul with Spitzer. I am glad Caroline not Cuomo will be Senator.




In The News

Clinton Moves to Widen Role of State Dept. New York Times
Hillary Clinton Expanding State Shows Barack Obama Made the Right Call U.S. News & World Report, DC
Obama to Take Oath on Same Bible as Lincoln New York Times, United States
Biden Says Obama Team, Congress Close to Stimulus Plan Accord Bloomberg
On Politics For Now, Obama Proves to Be Elusive Target for GOP New York Times, United States
Gay-rights leaders' enthusiasm for Obama subsides The Associated Press

Caroline Kennedy Is No Sarah Palin, She Is No Airhead

I Like The Caroline Kennedy Name

There are people who have started saying Caroline Kennedy is an airhead. Barack Obama went to Harvard Law School. Noone is calling Barack Obama an airhead. My lawyer Rudra went to Harvard Law School. Noone is calling Rudra an airhead. Caroline went to Harvard Law. To call her an airhead is fundamentally sexist. As long as the US Senate does not become 50% female, I am going to keep calling it a sexist institution. We need more women there, not less. This is an opportunity to get a woman in there, a qualified woman, a compassionate woman, a woman who matches Hillary pound for pound in progressive symbolism: Hillary is a Clinton, Caroline is a Kennedy.

There are people who are saying because Caroline is a Kennedy, that makes her an airhead. She is all name and no substance. I wonder how Senator Ted feels about that.

Hillary put 18 million cracks into not just one glass ceiling, but many. Let women like Caroline benefit.

There are some local pols who are threatening to show up in the 2010 primary if Caroline is nominated now. I say, let them. I have not heard of any of them before, and even now I don't much care for their names. If I never heard of you before, how prominent are you really locally?

Caroline is one name being considered who the upstate people are not going to use against Paterson in 2010. Caroline is a lifeline to Paterson. She is also Paterson's shot at a tryst with destiny. A legally blind guy should have compassion for a gender challenged person. All women are gender challenged. This is a sexist country.

Bill Clinton also raised $350 million like Caroline, but he raised it for his library. Caroline raised it for a good cause.

Drinking Liberally Holiday Party

This past Thursday was the Drinking Liberally Holiday Party. There are so many of these Holiday parties all over town. That same evening Manhattan Young Democrats had one not far from Rudy's, I later learned. If I had known, I would have made it to both parties. I promised Al a long time ago that I would show up for some of his events.

I went train hopping before the party. Actually I was not even planning to show up. I went train hopping. And then I decided, what the heck, it might be fun, so I showed. It is quite something to watch people at the bigger train stations. It is also nice and warm.

I got myself a bottle of Budweiser. I stick to one drink.

The way they do the tent in the backyard is it is all warm up there, and it is like you got your feet in the snow. Not exactly in the snow, but it is cold. Used to be different two years back. It used to be all warm. Or is that selective memory at work?

Paul and Hew are friends. Paul is a real fun guy, this was his first time at Drinking Liberally. Born and raised in New York, he said. I went to school in Kentucky, one day I went to church, and the people at church are like, can we call you Paul? I said. No, you can't call me Paul, I said. Hey, come on, Paul is a nice name, says Paul.

Hew started Reading Liberally. Both are lawyers, one a construction attorney, another a bankruptcy attorney. Hew pointed Josh out and said, "He is a real smart guy."

This woman said "Justin knows me really well." She is a regular. I have seen her a few times. I bet most people under the tent felt that way. Justin knows me real well. That is why I try not to feel too special when that guy says hello. I am one in a million.

I like Drinking Liberally. I like it how it is so casual. Although once in a while Justin Krebs gets up on a chair and starts speaking in a loud voice like he were Julius Caesar. He did at the party. Countrymen, comrades, People, People, People. Why do only the DC people get to have it? We are also going to have an inauguration ball. 20 bucks.

Much later after that speech, I bumped into him for a few seconds. I gently touched his belly. Looks like someone is trying to grow a beer belly, I said. He snuck it in quick. Me? Belly? What? He does not have much of one, I was just playing with the Drinking Liberally theme. You would think the top guy in the organization would drink a lot. He probably does.

Aaron is the coolest guy. I really dig Aaron. He was there. I just find him so funny. Every other thing he says I find funny. I have asked some people, is it just me, or is he really that funny? We chatted briefly. He was not there long.

Hello Stephanie. Hello Brooke. Hello Katrina. Hello "Russian wife." Hello Russian wife's American husband.

JD. We have met before, I said to him. Yeah, it's been months, he said. I know, I thought, long months.

The best part about Drinking Liberally is that it happens every Thursday. And you don't have to go to this or that website to find out. I mean, it's Thursdays. And it is just so casual. People don't even talk politics half the time. It is just whoever talking whatever.

I met a guy who said he had been a bike messenger. I am like, wow. Apparently it is big business in town. When corporate types want something delivered like now, they use bike messengers. A friend of mine was part of this dot com called Kozmo. They used bikers to deliver pizza and movies. The company made a lot of news and went down. I moved to New York, he moved to DC around the same time. I am like, wow, you don't need a car here. He was like, wow, finally I can have a car.

I was so taken by the bike messenger talk. This woman standing next to him is like, well, I am an archeologist. It is like Indiana Jones. And also Sex And The City, sometimes I have to give presentations.

Stephanie Hausner showed up. The first thing she ever said to me was, hey, you are my Facebook friend. That was over a year ago at a debate watch party. I liked her saying that. She is the Secretary to the Young Democrats Of America. She said she had a fan club, "all guys." Later at home I checked out her Facebook profile. She is now Campaign Manager to someone running for the State Senate. I thought that was rather cool. I am really impressed.

Paul Newell sounded drunk. He said he had been to a few parties with a few more to go.

Rabbi Ben Dot Com showed up with a stunning girlfriend. It was like Lewis Cohen at that Obama event in January. I am like, wow, this guy is going places. It was Ben, Stephanie and a whole bunch of MYD types. I really wished I had gone over to their party. And this guy from Queens, we bumped fists. I believe he runs the Young Democrats there. There was a Kate. I inquired about Kristina. She said she was at grad school. Kristina did turn MYD into the top chapter in the country.

Come to think of it I saw both Al and Ben at that Bill Thompson party from not long back where the dude totally turned around on me because I was in jeans. Looks like Bloomberg might win reelection. Blacks can be Mayor in most cities in America. But this is the only town where a Jewish guy can. Plus that guy takes $1 in salary. (At The Bill Thompson Penthouse: Elvis Sighting) I appreciated seeing Al and Ben. I like them both a whole lot. They are both good guys, good heart.

I saw the DFNYC Heather. She brushed past twice. I said hey. I thought she was looking great.

At the end of the day I was so glad I showed up. I had a happiness buzz after I left, not a drink buzz.

1200 Page Hits On November 9

On November 9, I had almost 1200 page hits. And I had not blogged in six months. Go wonder.

Running total of visits to the above URL since 23 Oct 2006: 111,853
Total since archive, i.e. 25 Oct 2008 - present: 21,166 (not necessarily all displayed - see below).
Visits on previous 'day': 83.

Current Country Totals
From 25 Oct 2008 to 13 Dec 2008

United States (US)	12,205
Canada (CA)	1,174
France (FR)	1,030
United Kingdom (GB)	891
Germany (DE)	689
Netherlands (NL)	277
Australia (AU)	260
Italy (IT)	241
Belgium (BE)	229
Spain (ES)	183
Switzerland (CH)	182
Sweden (SE)	161
India (IN)	156
Poland (PL)	153
Indonesia (ID)	150
Brazil (BR)	109
Romania (RO)	107
Austria (AT)	103
Malaysia (MY)	96
Singapore (SG)	89
Norway (NO)	87
Mexico (MX)	80
Finland (FI)	74
Denmark (DK)	65
Turkey (TR)	65
Hungary (HU)	63
Ireland (IE)	61
Japan (JP)	60
China (CN)	53
Czech Republic (CZ)	48
Jamaica (JM)	48
Portugal (PT)	44
Hong Kong (HK)	42
Philippines (PH)	39
New Zealand (NZ)	38
South Africa (ZA)	37
Russian Federation (RU)	36
Israel (IL)	34
Argentina (AR)	34
Pakistan (PK)	34
Slovakia (SK)	32
Europe (EU)	32
Trinidad and Tobago (TT)	30
Dominican Republic (DO)	30
Venezuela (VE)	30
Croatia (HR)	29
Greece (GR)	28
Slovenia (SI)	26
Morocco (MA)	25
Senegal (SN)	25
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Chile (CL)	22
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Lithuania (LT)	11
Nigeria (NG)	10
Bahamas (BS)	10
Panama (PA)	10
Asia/Pacific Region (AP)	10
Cote D'Ivoire (CI)	10
Algeria (DZ)	9
Ukraine (UA)	9
Luxembourg (LU)	8
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Qatar (QA)	8
Mali (ML)	8
Ghana (GH)	8
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Iceland (IS)	7
Bermuda (BM)	7
Tunisia (TN)	7
Bangladesh (BD)	7
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Kuwait (KW)	6
Sudan (SD)	6
Honduras (HN)	6
Cyprus (CY)	6
Bahrain (BH)	6
Nicaragua (NI)	6
Gabon (GA)	5
Burkina Faso (BF)	5
Haiti (HT)	5
Grenada (GD)	5
Tanzania, United Republic of (TZ)	5
Ecuador (EC)	5
Sri Lanka (LK)	5
Zimbabwe (ZW)	5
Lebanon (LB)	5
Uruguay (UY)	5
Guatemala (GT)	4
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Namibia (NA)	4
Madagascar (MG)	4
Saint Lucia (LC)	3
Mauritius (MU)	3
Georgia (GE)	3
Botswana (BW)	3
Jordan (JO)	3
Benin (BJ)	3
Mongolia (MN)	2
Suriname (SR)	2
Albania (AL)	2
Reunion (RE)	2
Oman (OM)	2
Mozambique (MZ)	2
Moldova, Republic of (MD)	2
Togo (TG)	2
Guinea (GN)	2
Brunei Darussalam (BN)	2
Virgin Islands, British (VG)	2
Djibouti (DJ)	2
Costa Rica (CR)	2
Mauritania (MR)	2
Cambodia (KH)	2
Antigua and Barbuda (AG)	2
Gambia (GM)	2
Lesotho (LS)	2
Belarus (BY)	1
Liechtenstein (LI)	1
Saint Kitts and Nevis (KN)	1
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the (CD)	1
Angola (AO)	1
Congo (CG)	1
Rwanda (RW)	1
Central African Republic (CF)	1
Maldives (MV)	1
Papua New Guinea (PG)	1
Comoros (KM)	1
New Caledonia (NC)	1
Paraguay (PY)	1
Fiji (FJ)	1
Bolivia (BO)	1
Zambia (ZM)	1
Malawi (MW)	1
French Guiana (GF)	1
Aruba (AW)	1
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (LY)	1
Macau (MO)	1
Bhutan (BT)	1
Palestinian Territory (PS)	1
Macedonia (MK)	1
Iraq (IQ)	1
Cuba (CU)	1
Cayman Islands (KY)	1
Guam (GU)	1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VC)	1
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Dominica (DM)	1
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In The News

Obama Projects 'Steady Hand' With Cabinet Picks FOXNews

Obama Names Insider to Commodities Post New York Times
Steve Jobs, tech's last celebrity CEO CNNMoney.com

Bringing The Criminal Charge Drama To An End: A Potential Lawsuit

Bringing The Criminal Charge Drama To An End: A Potential Lawsuit

December 20, 2008

Hello Rudra.

You mentioned a James Harris, a criminal lawyer friend of yours, back in July. I think I need to get a private lawyer for my January 5 court date. You could argue I should have thought of that for June 4 itself, but I did not know better. My idea of a court appearance was the judge will want to talk to me, and I get to make my statement. But instead you stand in court like a statue. The system grabs you and processes you like chicken on chicken farm.

I thought this drama was coming to a close on December 18, but now instead I got a new court date for January 5. I mean, how is it possible that the harassment charge was dropped by the city "for lack of prosecutorial evidence," but the bogus court order violation charge - based on an email that never was sent - emanating from that harassment charge has not been dropped?

If the harassment charge was dropped by the city, I am thinking Charlie Rangel's office forced the NYPD to press the charges against me for long enough to fly me away. I can imagine getting into a political fight with Charlie Rangel, I think I already did. But Justin Krebs is small fry, Dan Berger is small fry, Mike Lupinacci is small fry.

Let me summarize the situation best I can. I don't think Ms. Elizabeth Caputo is trying to suggest she runs DL21C events, and it is a professional, political space where people are not supposed to express interest in each other. Heck, DL21C events are all party scenes.

And this is not a case of a woman who never liked me, but who I liked in a criminal way. She liked me the first day she met me. I don't know what she saw in me. I would like to believe I am a good looking kind of guy. Justin Krebs messed up on that day. He played the role of the white why not me guy. She expressed like in me again six months later, most explicitly at the summer bash of 2007, and at the four events after that. December 18, 2007 was Elizabeth Caputo really, really liking Paramendra Bhagat. February 7, 2008 was Elizabeth Caputo really, really liking Paramendra Bhagat.

I was the guy who kept suggesting, if you like me shoot me your number, let's talk and meet one on one. A one on one talk is going to have to be the starting point. It can't be some DL21C event, because when you come for me at a DL21C event, you make me feel like it is not about me, it is about the 50 white jokers in the room. You want me to tell you it is normal behavior that in a city that is 60% nonwhite more than 90% of the people in this room are white? It's not normal behavior. And day one was the only day one there ever was going to be.

I have hated the idea of white guys playing matchmakers. A relationship is not a committee, it is a two person thing. Although I have mellowed on that concept a little. If someone like me and Ms. Caputo were to hook up, I can imagine about 20 top young progressives in the city wanting to act like they were extended members of that relationship. Back where I grew up, there is extended family, there are relatives, who very much are part and parcel of the relationship. Here I guess they got friends. It is a similar situation. So maybe a relationship is a committee after all, not a two person thing. But she has some really weird friends. I can name two guys, and one girl.

While I was doing cutting edge work for Nepal, all the action was in Web 2.0. So I was in horror that she did not recognize email at all, or at least not in my case. I am not in horror no more because the hard work on Nepal is behind me, but back then I was in horror. It felt like I was being asked to choose between my cutting edge 2.0 work and a woman who does not recognize email. It felt like a false choice.

I am on record saying Ms. Caputo is going to be America's first woman president. That is a big enough thing to say. But I have said something bigger. I introduced the concept of a Caputo 2016 back in the spring. Of course I put myself half of that equation. I still think she is a future president, only she will take twice as long to get there on her own. I have bigger political achievements under my belt than Bobby Jindal, and Bobby is thinking Bobby 2016. I don't think out of place having thought of a Caputo 2016. It would be a first in American history for someone to run for the top office in the land as their first office, but there is always a first. Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. Caputo 2016 could be a bi-coastal two women ticket. But before that she would be my company's CEO that lists the company on Nasdaq, and DL21C would have to become the premier digital democracy organization in the world, the organization that cultivates the concept of Grassroots 3.0. You could say that is career, that is work. Sure. Ms. Caputo is part of a generation of women who can take it for granted that they are going to have careers like generations of women before them could not. But she and others like her find themselves in workplaces that were designed for bodies that don't bear children. The solution is to grab the presidency and turn America into a full-fledged knowledge economy. Finally the workplace will have become gender neutral.

I am top political talent. You should compliment my political talent that I have talked of a Caputo 2016. A guy who articulates the concept of a Caputo 2016 is not a sexist guy, a guy who suggests a two woman ticket is not a sexist guy. And that October 2007 Senator Mary event was Ms. Caputo sensing a rival's national possibilities. And I really admired her political radar. She was very much in tune. She saw the future. But at that point Spitzer was looking at two terms as New York Governor, and Hillary could have been president or vice president. Spitzer and Hillary are no longer in the way of a Caputo 2016.

But that is work, that is politics. This is not relationship talk. Right now I don't exactly feel like Ms. Caputo is trying to revive her old feelings for me. And even if she were to express interest this is what I would have to say. I need to sit down and talk about every time we have been in each other's presence, and I need to talk about about a dozen individuals, and I need to talk about a half dozen situations, and this could last about five hours. At the end of those five hours, I get to say hello, not before. If you are not interested in that conversation, you are not interested in me, who are we kidding? That is my attitude today. That is not the attitude of a sick mind with a sick interest in a woman who wants to and has always wanted to completely stay away. If she is not interested in me, all she has to do is not be up for that conversation. And that will take care of it.

But we are not talking relationship here. We are talking a criminal case here. Mostly we are talking politics.

What do I want? I want the legal mess to come to an end. The harassment charge was dropped by the city. The court order violation charge is completely bogus. I want that to be dropped immediately.

Considering she is the one with the track record of having expressed romantic interest in me at DL21C events, not me, what is the point in trying to keep me away from DL21C events? Really? I have never had a violent thought about ERC. What is this protection business? To me it feels like racist demonization. When the Homeland Security people say you are "a flight risk," do you try to disprove them or do you accuse them of racist demonization?

The bogus court order violation charge has to be dropped because it is bogus. That is reason enough. That is the first order of business.

And then I want some legal advice, some social advice.

Me not being allowed into DL21C events to me feels like when Mahatma Gandhi was asked to get off the first class compartment in the train even when he had the ticket. Either this city and this state and this country is going to have to enact a law barring me from DL21C events, or I should be able to show up for DL21C events. That is what I think. What do you think?

Thank You.

Yours sincerely.

Paramendra Bhagat

P.S. Do I have the option to sue Charlie Rangel?

Hello Barack, I Was In Chicago

At The Bill Thompson Penthouse: Elvis Sighting
Request For Change Of Venue
December 10, 11, 16, 18

Lingering Detail: December 18

To Go Or Not To Go
December 10: Holiday

A MLK Style Death Awaits Me In Nepal
Lipstick On A Pig
Jail Time
Letter To The Department Of Homeland Security
Freedom, Finally

June 4, 2008 Court Appearance: Prepared Statement: Final Draft
June 4, 2008 Court Appearance: Prepared Statement: Rough Draft

Hillary's Bobby Kennedy Comment: Bitter Heart, Bad Taste
Bobby For McCain's VP?
Bobby Jindal For President Of The United States 2016

Elizabeth Caputo: Trying To Make Sense

Eliot Spitzer Needs To Go Into Business With Me

Looking At White Women: The Search For Vocabulary
Louisiana Senator Event: Crime Scene

Possible Pitfalls In Barack's Way

Bush did not see 9/11 coming, and neither did I, before I go on some Bush-as-stupid rant. But you could argue dictatorships have always struck at America. Japan was a dictatorship when Pearl Harbor happened. The Cold War was a clash with another dictatorship, the Russian kind. You could have argued that since the Arab world is a large swathe of dictatorships, it was only a matter of time before America got hit. You could also argue that unless China moves towards political reform and ultimate plurality Taiwan could some day become a hot flashpoint between the two giants.

For now I am trying to look ahead for Barack. What could go wrong? You could argue what could go wrong has already gone wrong. This financial hole is really, really huge. America has to fix this, and America has to make sure Bin Laden inspired people don't end up exploding a dirty bomb somewhere. And that does not have to be in America. They do it for global media attention. Any big city would work just fine for them. It is another thing that any such act of mass murder is going to generate a major backlash against them in the Arab world itself. And I really hope they are nowhere close to getting their hands on the material needed for the task. And I don't feel bad imagining the scenario. It is better to think and prevent than to exhibit ostrich behavior.

So what could be some of the pitfalls Barack could face over the next eight years? Here are some of my guesses.

(1) A Stimulus Package That Is Too Little Too Late

Minus the stimulus package, this country will head into a deep recession, and that in turn will lead to a global recession. At that point not even a two trillion stimulus will work. Sure, this piles onto the already huge debt and deficit. But when the building is on fire, you don't try to save on water.

(2) A Second 9/11

The Al Qaeda is as resilient as ever. America should have stayed focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, it should not have got distracted in Iraq. When the whole world is its stage, expect that organization to think of newer ways to create "spectacular" attacks. Mumbai was the latest strike. It likes big cities. And it has not forgotten America. Actually it never stopped trying. A second 9/11 in the current economic climate would have a huge negative multiplier effect. Bin Laden, the business student, thinks more about money than about material harm.

(3) No End To Iraq War

If the Iraq War is not ended, and the war expenses are not drastically cut, the current bailout and the stimulus package are going to look really, really expensive in a few years. That war has to be brought to an end at the earliest responsible time.

(4) Unbalanced Budgets As Far As The Eyes Can See

I think Barack has about five, maybe six years to end up with a balanced budget. With a Democratic hold on the White House and the Congress, the tribe is going to find it hard down the line to not go back to the tax and spend liberal ways. If Barack can't check that, the opposition party will find fuel to take back the reins of power. They might still come strong even with balanced budgets, but unbalanced budgets as fas as the eyes can see will really hurt the country going forward. You are swiping credit cards of children not yet born.

(5) Another Russian Misadventure?

It could be the Russians, or it could be some third rate Third World dictator. You can always expect some unexpected flashpoint on the globe. Every president has had that. What will be Barack's such flashpoint? I don't know.

(6) Universal Health Care Without Health Care Sector Reform

Just throwing money at the problem would be the wrong way to go about it. More money is needed, sure, but that is not the only thing needed. You got to bring the costs down also for the currently insured. The market forces need to be brought into greater play.

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