The Tim Zone

"The Dance"

2010-02-26T11:37:00.001-05:00

Eulogy for Grandpa Bobrinitz

by Timothy Patrick McCarthy

Delivered Wednesday, February 24, 2010

St. Ambrose Church, Latham, New York

Father, friends, family:

We are gathered here today to pay our respects to a man who deserves our respect.

Stephen Bobrinitz was a tireless worker and a loyal friend; a devoted public servant and a man of deep faith; a proud family man and the rarest of husbands.

Sometimes, when I think of Grandpa, I see him dancing. As many of you know, my grandparents loved to dance. As a child, I remember them in the kitchen, making macaroni with all the Zia Zias, singing and dancing while the nieces and nephews and grandchildren played on the floor. It was a happy home.

Now my grandmother would dance with anyone; there probably isn’t a person in this church—except perhaps you, Father—who hasn’t been grabbed by Gram and taken for a swirl. Gramps, on the other hand, was more picky. There was only one dance partner for him. I remember hearing stories of how my grandparents used to dance. Evidently, they cut quite a rug, and they rarely passed up a chance to do so—like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. As a child, I had a very lively imagination, and whenever I looked at those black and white photographs of Gram and Gramps from back in the day—so elegant, so beautiful, so dashing—I would pretend they were movie stars. My very own Fred and Ginger.

Over the years, it became harder for them to dance. First, because of her feet; then, because of his stroke. But as with so many things, they found a way to work around it. One of my favorite pictures of them was taken last fall at the Teresian House, where they have lived together for the last year. It is a color photo, published on the front page of The Evangelist. It’s a picture of my grandfather in his wheel chair, dressed in a jacket and tie (Grandpa hated ties; he wore one only on very special occasions). His hair is combed and his glasses are on. My grandmother is standing behind him, all dolled up herself, with her hands wrapped tightly around his arms and chest, their heads pressed sweetly against one another. They are totally lost in the moment. The caption reads: “Oh, how we danced!” The home may have changed, but the happiness endured.

Life wasn’t always a dance for Grandpa. He grew up in a Ukrainian immigrant home in Cohoes, New York, the youngest of four siblings. He knew neither wealth nor privilege, but I never heard him complain about it. Like so many other first generation Americans of that era, he worked hard, lived well, and dreamed big—even when it wasn’t easy to do so. He was more loyal to the companies he worked for than they ever were to him, and yet his life is a living testament to the fact that human dignity comes from work—not matter what kind—rather than from luxury or leisure. It’s a lesson I learned from him early on, and one I have worked very hard never to forget.

My grandparents met in 1940, fell in love, and were married in November 1943. They were from different worlds—he a Ukrainian, she an Italian. Their love inspired them to cross culture and country at a time when doing so was almost as radical as mixing color or creed. But what caused discomfort in some brought only joy to the two of them. In a sense they were ahead of their time. As it turned out, their love was infectious. Grandma’s father, my great grandfather, loved his new son-in-law’s company, so much so that he was always the first one he asked to help him make the family wine. Soon others would come to accept him as family, too. Together, my grandparents worked from dawn to dusk, made ends meet, bought a house, and made a home with two children—my uncle John and my mother Michelle.

Family meant everything to Grandpa. Never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, he was more likely to show us he loved us than to tell us so. But we always knew.

He was exceedingly proud of his only son. Last night, we discovered a newspaper clipping that my grandfather had saved announcing a fellowship my uncle won when he was an honors student at RPI. It came with an internship at General Electric, where my grandfather also worked for a time, though never as an engineer. They had very different lives, Gramps and Uncle John, but their relationship was always one of respect rather than resentment. Though my uncle is a man of few words, my grandfather listened intently to all of those words. Truth be told, they had quite a lot in common. Like Gramps, Uncle John is extremely smart and fiercely independent, a strong-willed man who lives life on his own terms. And he is generous beyond measure. In my uncle, my grandfather’s spirit lives on.

In many ways, my grandfather was very old-fashioned, and no one would ever have accused him of being a feminist. Yes, he had a thing for strong women, so much so that he married one and raised another. He made sure that his daughter had all the advantages—of education, opportunity, and high expectation—that his son did. And he was equally proud of the fact that she was as great a teacher as John was an engineer. No one loved my mother more than my grandfather. “Daddy’s Little Girl” doesn’t even begin to describe the glow on his face when she told a story; the glean in his eye whenever she laughed out loud; the pride in his voice as he declared “another masterpiece, sweetheart” after every family dinner; and the grateful way he would pat her on the back and say “OK, honey” when she instructed him to drive home safely on Sundays. For all the affection he showered on my mother, it was my father who scored the biggest prize: my grandfather’s approval. This was no easy feat, and I’m not quite sure how he did it, especially back then, but my grandfather loved and respected my father as much as he did his own children. I think that’s because he saw in him so much of himself: strong, fearless, loyal, honest, hard working, and full of integrity. Together, my parents are quite a team—a couple so in love with one another it is easy for me to think of them as a younger version of my grandparents, which is the highest compliment I could ever give another couple. Their relationship brought my grandfather great joy. In them, his soul lives on.

My grandfather and I did not always get along. He could be a very strict disciplinarian, a quality that little Timmy McCarthy—and little Tommy Valentini—experienced on more than one occasion (in retrospect, this was probably for good reason). Of my four grandparents, he was the most demanding, the least effusive with his emotions, and the toughest to access. Born of two very different worlds, we didn’t always see eye to eye, and there were disagreements, even arguments. He was tough and proud and stubborn—all qualities his only grandson inherited in spades. But love is not something you’re born with; it’s something you earn. And we sure did earn each other’s love, which is just one of the reasons why the last week has been so hard for me; I wanted more time with him. But when I look back, I see that his love was there all along—in all the brownies and birthday cakes, in the countless basketball games and track meets, in golfing and graduations, in that little ceramic E.T. piggy bank he made for me when I was a little boy, and in the careful way he listened to whatever I had to say when I became a man. He was always, always present. In fact, he was the first person to see my diploma when I graduated from Harvard in 1993, and he was the proudest person in New York when I finally received my Ph.D. four years ago. I will never forget what he said to me on that brilliant afternoon, his smile stretching from Harlem to Central Park: “You know, Dr., this doesn’t happen every day.” The same could be said of the love we came to share—a rich and respectful love, a love well earned, the very best kind. In me, Grandpa’s heart lives on.

Speaking of his heart, my grandmother lives on. As everyone knows, my grandparents shared a rare and remarkable love. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it—they are more madly in love in 2010 than they were in 1943, or any time in between. They were quite fond of referring to one another as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend,” and they often held hands, giggled at silly inside jokes, and wrote each other love notes. It was their world; we just lived in it. Several years ago, I went to their place for dinner. When I got some milk from the refrigerator, I noticed a small piece of paper with my grandfather’s handwriting pinned to the door with a magnet. It read: “Be My Valentine. I [Heart] U.” After my grandfather’s stroke last fall, when we moved them out of the Rosegarden Apartments, I kept that valentine. It’s now pinned to the refrigerator door in my apartment in Cambridge, just above the picture of them dancing from The Evangelist. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my grandfather got really sick the day after Valentine’s Day, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he waited to die until we could get him back from the hospital to see my grandmother. He just wanted to sneak in one more dance. When Gramps was strong and healthy—and we need to remember that this was the vast majority of his long life—they cooked together and traveled together and worshipped together and volunteered together and played golf together. Though she enjoyed going out with “the girls” and he enjoyed hanging out with “the boys,” they very much preferred to be together. As they grew older, this only became more and more the case. Theirs was a storybook romance that produced a library of memories. In her, and in all of us, their story lives on.

Let me close with a story of my own. Last November, about two months after my grandfather’s stroke, I brought my grandmother to the nursing home to see him. I wanted to spend a little time with them alone before heading back to Boston. Gramps was in bad shape; he was in his wheel chair in the sitting room, staring blankly out the window. He could barely speak, and it took him a minute to recognize us. It was their 65^th wedding anniversary. Gram opened the card I had given them. My grandfather held the card firmly in his hands, but he couldn’t read it. My grandmother leaned over and read the card and my note to him. As she did so, I saw tears welling up in my grandfather’s eyes. Until that moment, I don’t think I ever saw him cry. When Gram was done reading, several of those tears finally escaped and dropped on the grey sweater he was wearing. Grandma looked at me, smiled, and then swiftly wiped away the tears without saying a word. Then she said: “Steve, the kids say we’re married 65 years today. Ain’t that something?” He looked up at her, struggling to smile, and nodded his head. Then he looked at me, and I said: “You know, Gramps, this doesn’t happen every day.”

Today, we say goodbye to a great man. As hard as it is—and believe me, it’s harder for me than most—we must have faith that he leaves us for a better place, a place where peace and love reign supreme.

A place where he can bake with Ange and golf with Dino.

Where he can drink Manhattans with Grandpa McCarthy, and catch Grandma McCarthy up on all that she has missed.

Where he can take long walks with the angels who have gone before him, until that day comes when he can dance again with his girlfriend Yolanda—forever.

What a dance it has been. And oh, what a dance it will be!

Homosexuality and Heroism

2008-12-28T15:17:00.003-05:00

One of my former Kennedy School students, Anthony Woods MPP '08, is an American hero.

The only son of a single mother, Tony is a distinguished graduate of West Point, a decorated war veteran who has ably commanded troops during two tours of duty in Iraq. He is the finest student I have taught at the Kennedy School, which is why I asked him to serve as my course assistant last spring. In June, Tony delivered the Graduate English Oration at Harvard's Commencement Exercises. He currently serves as special assistant to New York State Governor David Paterson.

So why has Tony just been "eliminated" from the U.S. Army for "moral and professional dereliction"?

Because he is a homosexual.

As profiled in Harvard Magazine, Tony is the most recent target of the U.S. military's hideously unjust and patently absurd "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, signed into law fifteen years ago by President Bill Clinton. President-elect Barack Obama expressed strong opposition to the policy throughout the 2008 campaign, but will likely delay its repeal until the second year of his first term.

Here's hoping President Obama acts more swiftly than that to eliminate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In doing so, he would support both our troops and our best ideals.

As Commander in Chief, President Obama won't be able to strengthen our military or protect our national interests without soldiers like Tony Woods.

A People's President

2008-12-28T14:43:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday morning, November 5, Folha, one of Brazil's leading media outlets published a commentary I wrote, "A People's President," on the historic 2008 Presidential election.

The editors at Folha had solicited the piece from me the weekend before the election. It was at once difficult and liberating to write--difficult because I was asked to reflect on Barack Obama's victory four days before it actually happened (I was knocking on wood after every paragraph); liberating because I found myself writing about the Bush Administration in the past tense. The end was near, and it felt damn good, almost too good to be true.

As we now know, Obama won. History moved. The world cheered. Millions of Americans like me breathed a deep, emotional sigh of relief. And then the difficult work began.

Bridges: To Build or To Burn?

2008-12-28T13:56:00.005-05:00

Barack Obama's selection of Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the convocation at his inauguration in January has elicited strong reactions from across the political spectrum.

My friend and college classmate John Cloud, writer for Time, sees the Warren invitation as a sign that Obama is a "very rational-sounding bigot." Many gays and lesbians agree.

I, for one, do not.

And neither does Melissa Etheridge, who instead sees this as an opportunity to create change by forging new relationships between evangelicals and homosexuals. This will not be easy--it may, in fact, fail--but it's probably worth a shot. With young evangelicals now showing promising signs that they will vote for a Democrat--that they're more concerned about poverty and the environment than abortion and gay marriage--this seems like an opportune time for both groups to take this leap of faith. The torch has passed from one generation to another, and that includes evangelicals.

As we embrace change, it's also worth thinking about how we might forge better relationships between blacks and gays, who have been at odds with one another in the wake of Prop 8. Exit polls indicated that perhaps as much as 70% of African Americans voted for the anti-gay measure. This is certainly troubling--any time one disenfranchised minority votes in large numbers to deny basic human rights to another--but it's equally troubling that so many white gays and lesbians have been quick to scapegoat blacks in the wake of this electoral defeat.

Homophobia among blacks is wrong. And so is racism among gays. As Dr. King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Human rights--which include both civil rights and gay rights--are indivisible. As President-elect Obama likes to say, "I am my brother's keeper."

So if we are going to blame black folks for not voting in solidarity with us (in fact, many did vote in solidarity with us--some of our very best allies are black), we need to take an honest look at ourselves and ask two fundamental questions:

1) Did we have a good enough ground game in California to win the battle over Prop 8?

2) Have we done enough over the years to support issues that black folks care about?

From my perspective--as an openly gay white man who has spent much of his life working to combat racism and promote interracial understanding and equality--the answer to both of these questions is a resounding NO.

And that is why so many black leaders--from Al Sharpton to Jasmyne Cannick--have defended Obama's choice of Warren and also criticized the white leadership of the LGBT movement who have blamed blacks for the passage of Prop 8, while ignoring other issues (poverty, prisons, health care, education) that are crucially important to African Americans, both gay and straight.

We have a rare opportunity these days to build rather than burn bridges, but this will require us to relinquish our ancient fears and prejudices. Barack Obama may offer one model of how to do this, but in the end it is we--every last one of us--who must re-make our world.

Almost Famous

2008-12-28T12:53:00.004-05:00

Two days before Christmas, I got an email from my friend Frank Rich, asking my opinion about the controversy over Barack Obama's selection of Rick Warren to deliver the official convocation at his inauguration. He also asked for my thoughts on Prop 8, as well as where Obama needs to go from here. This was my response:

Dear Frank,

I should preface what I'm about to write with the caveat that I am not a "normal" gay--the kind of upper middle class, well-educated, white homosexual who thinks the passage of Proposition 8 is a sign of the looming apocalypse (irony intended) or that "marriage equality" (the phrase itself containing unexamined contradictions) is the defining issue for our people. I was far more distressed by the passage of the Arkansas ballot initiative banning gays and lesbians from adopting children than I was by the passage of Prop 8. In many ways, I'm an old-fashioned gay liberationist who rejects the current consensus: liberation = just like straight people. Conformity is not equality. As James Baldwin once said of integration: "why would I want to be integrated into a burning house?" The question stands.

All of this is to say that I'm not comfortable being a "spokesperson" of any kind. Still, I've been asked to be of late. I did a session on Prop 8 at the Institute of Politics last week, and will be giving several lectures, etc., on it throughout the winter/spring. It seems everyone wants to talk about this damn thing. And fevers are pitched.

Let's start with some historical perspective. In many ways, gays and lesbians have made enormous progress in a very short period of time--in terms of having a voice and being visible; in terms of cultural representation and political power. I mean, we can get married in MA and CT, can be civil union'ed in several other states, and have these commitments recognized in several more. This is not sufficient, of course, and sure I'd love for everyone to be able to get married, regardless of sexual orientation and what have you, but I do think we need to see the forest for the trees here and acknowledge that much progress has been made. Perhaps not as much as some would like on marriage, but on a range of other issues (civil unions, employment non-discrimination, visitation rights, adoption laws, AIDS research, hate crimes legislation, etc.) there has been good movement. I hasten to add that on these issues, President-elect Obama is far more progressive than any President in American history.

When you stop to think that this June is the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, you get a sense of just how far we've come in a relatively short period of time. As a scholar of social movements, I think it's instructive to assess the LGBT movement in relation to other movements: the women's movement, the labor movement, the black freedom movement. Think about how long it took for women to get the right to vote (they still don't have equal pay for equal work); how long it took for workers to get the right to collectively bargain (there is still no national living wage); how long it took for black folks to be treated as fully human. You get my point.

Sometimes, I think the leaders of the LGBT movement have too narrow a political focus, too myopic a view of history--both of which create an ethos of impatience that is widely perceived as petulance. A more specific comparison puts this into even sharper relief. This year also marked the 45th anniversary of Dr. King's March on Washington Address, which, among other things, marked the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. In other words, the black freedom struggle--that long, painful, inspiring story that moves from slavery to Barack Obama--is older than the nation itself. And that's why so many black folks have had such a hard time with Prop 8. It took 100 years--two Reconstructions--for America to make good on the basic promises of freedom and equality that came out of the Civil War, and then over 40 more before a black President was finally elected. When you think of how long it's taken to get here, it's pretty understandable why some black folks find the protests over Prop 8 a bit overwrought. Now, I'm not saying we should just sit back and be patient--Lord knows Dr. King taught us all a lesson about that--but I do think white gays and lesbians need to be more discerning when they compare the LGBT struggle to the black freedom struggle. Gay is *not* the new black, contrary to what the gay press might tell you.

Now Rick Warren. I think this is something of a manufactured "crisis." Sure, I was furious about the selection. Obama could have selected all sorts of people to deliver the invocation, and he chose a man who is on record suggesting a close link between homosexuality and pedophilia, between gay marriage and incest. This is unacceptable, and he and Obama need to answer for this. I understand Obama's desire to bring all sorts of people to the table--and I actually applaud it, despite the fact that I am not always happy with his guest list--but right now many of us feel like Obama was happy to have us at the table when we had something to offer him (votes, money, time, etc.), but not so excited to have us at the table now that he has something to offer us (access, inclusion, respect, power, etc.) Obama is too smart not to know that this would be taken as a slap in the face, an offense to an important part of his coalition. Along with many LGBT folks, I worked very hard to get him elected, and am thrilled by his success. Obama's victory was a victory for the nation, and it remains so.

But Warren is a troubling figure, not as sick and twisted as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, and Jerry Falwell, but in many ways just as powerful. His message reaches millions, which is why we are so concerned about its content as it relates to LGBT people. I am happy to see that the Saddleback Church has recently changed its web site to be more inviting and inclusive of gay people; perhaps Warren is changing his tune. And perhaps Obama has inspired him to do so. Time will tell.

So this is where I am at the moment: Rick Warren is a symbol. If he changes his tune and becomes more open to the LGBT community, all to the good. If the invitation from Obama proves the catalyst for this, all the better. It's a win-win for everyone but the Religious Right (which is an even sweeter win for all of us). But it's now time to move from symbol to substance: for Rick Warren to recant his previous statements about gays and lesbians, and start acting like a Christian by embracing all of God's children; for President-elect Obama to start acting on the promises he made to the LGBT community during his campaign so that he doesn't go down in history as another Bill Clinton, a sweet-talking swindler who would throw us under the bus for the sake of political expediency; and for LGBT folks to choose their battles wisely, to judge Barack Obama on the content of his policy-making not on the character of his ministers. Lord knows we've been here before. And the result was wholly unexpected: a rare but powerful glimpse into the soul of a man who seems to understand--perhaps even better than we do--that we are all imperfect people still searching for the better angels of our nature.

What I didn't know was that Frank was going to quote me in his Sunday NYT column today!

Anyway, my Crackberry--yes, another new development in my life--has been blowing up since the column was posted on line last night. I've even gotten some "feedback" (ahem!) from folks who are angry about the swipe I took at Bill Clinton (I called him a "sweet-talking swindler who would throw us under the bus for the sake of political expediency." What, people, do you not remember Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the Defense of Marriage Act, etc.?) But generally people have been very nice. And my parents, of course, are just thrilled. So if you're looking for the Sunday NYT in Bradenton, FL--where my folks have a condo--you're probably out of luck.

I am grateful to Frank for giving me such a huge shout out in his column today. In addition to being a good friend and a national treasure, he is one of our staunchest, most reliable allies. We can't win this human rights struggle without people like Frank Rich.

Pink is the new Crimson

2008-12-28T12:27:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned, the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus (HGLC) celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Sept. 26-28, 2008. The editors of the Harvard Crimson asked several members of the LGBT community to write editorials the week preceding the anniversary weekend. Here they are:

"Reunions Suck," by Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN

"Unfinished Business," by Susan Marine, director of the Harvard College Women's Center

"Cleaning Out the Closet," by Lee Strock and Lela Klein, Chair and Political Chair of Harvard Law School Lambda

"Finding Faith in Family," by yours truly.

My editorial was actually the transcript of remarks I delivered at Morning Prayers in Appleton Chapel at the Memorial Church on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008. Rev. Dorothy Austin, Co-Master of Lowell House, invited me to deliver these Morning Prayers--one of Harvard's oldest and most beautiful traditions--as a way to mark the official beginning of the 25th anniversary weekend. It was an extraordinary if daunting honor for me.

Back in the Game!

2008-12-28T11:45:00.002-05:00

I know I've taken a long hiatus from blogging this fall. Believe me, I wish I could do it all, but life got in the way. Funny how that happens sometimes.

First was the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus. I am on the Board of the HGLC, and was programming co-chair for the weekend. It was an enormous amount of work, but well worth the effort in the end. Hundreds of LGBT folks from across the Harvard community--faculty, students, staff, alums--attended the weekend, which featured an amazing range of speakers from every possible background and profession. The first-ever event of its kind for Harvard's LGBT community, it was a festival of Crimson Queerdom! Check out the coverage of the event in the Harvard Crimson and Harvard Magazine.

The second, far less fabulous reason for taking a break from blogging is because my grandfather had a very bad stroke in September--as luck would have it, the night before the HGLC Weekend was scheduled to begin. Gramps is the family patriarch--in a good way--and his illness has had a destabilizing effect on my family, especially my mother, who is shouldering much of the burden of caring for my grandfather, and my grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's two years ago. Needless to say, family has been on my mind a lot this fall, and I've spent more time at home in Albany than I usually do.

Third, of course, was the 2008 election. More on this in a minute, but suffice it to say I was completely caught up in it--as a campaign volunteer, as a politically-obsessed spectator, as an ordinary citizen--so much so that I found myself having difficulty sleeping or thinking about anything else for most of September and October, and half of November. The outcome, to my mind, was glorious, but the political season was a profound distraction from the normal routines of life. Indeed, there was nothing normal about this. I think The Onion captured the mood perfectly with the headline, "Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are." The truth hurts.

Fourth is love. Since last year, I've been in a long distance relationship with a wonderful man, with whom I am simply smitten. This is the second go-round for CJ and me; we first met, and dated, when he was a student at Harvard's Graduate School of Education in 2001-2002. Since then, he has worked for Teach for America and other educational organizations, and is now the founding dean of a new charter school in New York City. The long distance thing is sometimes tough, but we're managing just fine. We swap weekends in the Big Apple and Beantown. Thank God for Amtrak! Like the Obama campaign, this falls under the category of "welcome distraction."

Last but not least: my job. Oh yeah, that. This fall, I taught three classes: an undergraduate honors seminar on "Stories of Slavery and Freedom"; my large undergraduate lecture course on "American Protest Literature from Tom Paine to Tupac"; and my Kennedy School course, "The Arts of Communication." Strangely--despite the fact that there didn't ever seem to be enough hours in the day--I had my best semester of teaching to date. My students were amazing, and I was pretty fired up most of the time; simply put, we clicked. It's nice to love your job.

That said, I'm looking forward to a calmer spring term. I have some time off this next month, and am excited to return to my writing projects, including this blog. Read on!

On Man-Crushes and Marriage

2008-09-18T05:03:00.003-04:00

Sure he's beautiful and talented and decent and just, but this is why I really love Brad Pitt.

The right-wing forces of evil and intolerance have launched a movement to reverse the spring court ruling granting same-sex couples in California the right to marry. Proposition 8 is the hate-filled ballot initiative that seeks to deny this basic human right to gays and lesbians.

Fortunately, California is also the home to many progressive people who understand that human rights are universal and indivisible. Here's hoping they win this battle in the never-ending culture wars.

On November 4, vote "NO" on 8!

Back to School

2008-09-15T09:34:00.003-04:00

It's the first day of classes here at Harvard College. There's a certain energy pulsing through the campus today. I could feel it, even at the crack of dawn this morning, when I was walking over to my department to xerox my syllabi. I'm all fired up for my first class meetings!

In addition to my Kennedy School lecture course, "Arts of Communication," I am also teaching an honors seminar, "Stories of Slavery and Freedom in the Modern Atlantic World," and my big undergraduate lecture, "American Protest Literature from Tom Paine to Tupac." Three classes, probably several hundred students. It should be a good term.

I love the first day of school, always have. It still makes me feel like a little boy. It's such a privilege to work in education. I honestly can't imagine a more rewarding profession.

Best wishes to my students and colleagues for an enjoyable semester!

Just for Fun

2008-09-15T09:29:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post two hilarious video spoofs. They had me rolling!

The first is from "Saturday Night Live," where Amy Poehler and Tina Fay were dead-ringers for Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. My stomach still hurts from laughing so hard.

The second is from the blog, "I'm Voting Republican," and is also very funny!

In these desperate times, we must occasionally laugh to keep from crying.

More seriousness later...

Marital Bliss

2008-09-15T09:18:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, I was fortunate to attend the wedding of my dear friends, Renee Richardson and Christopher Gosline, on Block Island.

It was a spectacular affair--fun, intimate, impeccably planned, overflowing with love and good will. Renee and Chris wanted a relatively small wedding, one where--in their words--"we didn't have to meet anyone we didn't already know." It was a really special weekend. Renee was one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen--she should have been photographed for Vanity Fair--and Chris looked like Cary Grant with his classic Hollywood good looks. These are beautiful people, inside and out.

At any rate, I wanted to post my opening remarks from the ceremony. In addition to being a union of two people, this was also a union of two families from very different backgrounds who share one very important thing in common: an enduring love for this special couple. I don't know if I've ever been to a wedding--and I've been to dozens--where everyone understood the beauty and magnitude of the occasion.

Here's what I said:

Good afternoon, people.

My name is Tim McCarthy, friend of the bride and the groom, and I have been given the great privilege—and enormous responsibility—of presiding over this ceremony today.

As you might imagine, I was honored beyond measure when Renee and Chris asked me to officiate their wedding. For those of you who know me, this is hardly a request I get every day. And thank God for that. My nerves can’t take too much of this.

Renee and Chris are two of my dearest friends in the whole world. Individually, they are impressive; together, they are astonishing.

I’ve known Renee since college. We were both blue-collar kids at a blue-blood school.
But we had more in common than our humble roots. We had audacious dreams: to take full advantage of every advantage; to make our proud parents even prouder; and to work hard to make this world more loving and just. Along the way, we also wanted to have as much fun as possible. And by this last measure, at least, we have had great success.

For many years now, I have been inspired by Renee—her expansive mind, her boundless beauty, her infectious spirit, and her loving soul. She is the sister I never had, the hero I always wanted.

I haven’t known Chris for as long, but he sure did made a good first impression (we all know what an impression he made 5 ½ years ago at the Hudson Hotel!) Chris is smart, generous, warm, sensitive, fun, funny, just, and—like Renee—not so bad on the eyes. He is the kind of man you dream about marrying, one with what I call “good home training.” He will be a loving partner and an adoring parent. I know this because I have seen it—simply put, he adores Renee. And I’m happy to report that the feeling’s mutual.

For so many reasons, today is a dream come true. Those of us who have known Renee know that for many years, she was of two minds about marriage. On the one hand, she never thought it would happen to her. And on the other hand, when it does happen, it’s gonna be fabulous!

Seriously, one of the things I’ve always loved about Renee—one of the reasons I also love Chris—is that they take marriage so seriously. They do not embark on this journey lightly or naively.

I think they take their commitment to one another seriously because, like me, they’ve had excellent role models. David and Audrey, Larry and Connie: I want to acknowledge what an exceptional job you have done raising Renee and Christopher. People like this don’t come along every day. Your love is everywhere evident in this couple, and their commitment to each other is a loving testament to the commitments you have made—to each other, and to them.

I know today is a dream come true for the four of you as well.

The theme of this weekend is one of “journeys.” We all know how much Renee and Chris love to travel. (I mean, they got engaged in a castle in Prague—who does that?) But this weekend’s theme has a deeper meaning—a more profound significance—beyond the globe-trotting exploits of this cosmopolitan couple.

As I was watching everyone dance last night—in that tent on a hill, on this island in the Atlantic, as the heavens showered us with attention—I couldn’t help but think of all the many journeys that have brought us to this destination. (And no, I’m not talking about the two Block Island ferries I missed yesterday!)

I am talking about journeys that began in Europe and the Caribbean—in France and Germany and Ireland and Trinidad. Journeys that took us from Danbury and East Flatbush, through Vermont and Massachusetts, then to Harvard Square and Wall Street, and now to New Hampshire and, God and lawyers willing, eventually back to Brooklyn.

We are blessed to live in a nation of many peoples, one that has been the destination of many journeys—some voluntary, others not, but each one an essential part of who we are and what we may yet become. Last night—indeed, every time this crowd gets together—we witness the kind of world God intended for us: one filled with love and friendship, bread and wine, music and each other.

When I say that today is a dream come true, I mean that quite literally. What unites all of these journeys is the tenacious hope—the bold expectation—that what lies ahead can and will be better than what came before. This hope is the source of our faith as a people. It is what keeps us moving forward—when the wind is at our back, and when the mountain before us seems impossible to surmount.

And I know this hope—this essential optimism—is the thing that binds Renee and Chris to one another. It was the thing that gave Chris the confidence to stare at Renee until she paid attention to him (not the vodka Red Bull). It’s the thing that has guided Renee in her pursuit of the Ph.D. she will receive from Harvard in June. It’s the thing that made Chris so strong when she was so sick, and it’s the thing that brought Renee back to health. It’s the thing that sustained a long distance relationship for so many years. It’s the thing that inspired these parents to bless this world with these remarkable children. It’s the thing that will inspire both of you to make the world a better place for all of our children. It’s the reason we call your dog “Keeper.” And it’s the reason we all love you so profoundly, why we made the journey to this destination today.

My prayer for you today is that this hope will always be the source of your faith—in the best of times, of course, but also when despair and discrimination make it hard to have any faith at all.

May your hope and love inspire faith in all of us—and vice versa—as we continue this journey together, now, as one big family.

Renee and Chris, may you always be each other’s final destination. And on this day where dreams have come true, may God bless your most perfect union.

A Party of Whiners

2008-09-03T21:54:00.003-04:00

It seems like the Republicans have become a party of whiners.

Everyone's complaining about something: sexism, the "liberal media," you name it.

Tonight, former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential contender Mike Huckabee assailed the MSM for its "double standard," claiming that news coverage of the GOP has been "tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert."

First of all, I wonder how many Republicans have ever been to a Madonna concert? Usually, they try to avoid the gays. Then again, I've always thought Huckabee was just a little too witty to be entirely straight.

Secondly, if I were Mike Huckabee I'd shut up about the press. By all accounts, he was a media darling when he was running for President, so much so that they never really hit him very hard on a whole range of issues--let's start with his call to quarantine people with AIDS--that showed him to be not only deeply un-Christian but fucking crazy as well.

Palin, The Outsider

2008-09-03T21:48:00.002-04:00

Tonight's line-up of speakers at the Republican Convention includes Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who will, incredibly, take a swipe at Barack Obama's experience:

"And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Incredible. Honestly, I'm looking forward to this.

Palin, The Victim

2008-09-03T21:27:00.002-04:00

There's a new narrative emerging within the ranks of the GOP, one that Republicans are hoping will appeal to voters--particularly women voters--still upset by Hillary Clinton's loss to Barack Obama in the Democratic primary: Sarah Palin is the victim of sexism, just like Clinton was.

Predictably, GOP women are rallying around Sarah Palin. But now even Hillary Clinton's former aides are weighing in, saying that Palin has been subjected to a media double-standard during the intense vetting process that has taken place since last Friday.

How ironic that the GOP--a party that has spent the last generation denigrating the politics of "victimhood" and "identity"--would put forward a narrative of "Palin-as-victim" in order to generate sympathy and votes for the Republican ticket. This is such an insult to women, and to anyone else who can see through this cynical, pathetic charade.

Just for fun, I thought I'd share the following quote about Hillary Clinton:

"When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism, or maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, 'Man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, or women in general, trying to progress this country.'"

The source of the quote? Sarah Palin.

So much for feminist solidarity!

GOP Lovin' them Dems!

2008-09-03T21:10:00.003-04:00

Tom "The Hammer" DeLay and his GOP colleagues want to give credit where credit is due: the Democrats are better organized than the Republicans. (That's an understatement!)

Meanwhile, Republican strategist Mike Murphy and Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan got caught on mic--unbeknownst to them, of course--talking trash about Sarah Palin and John McCain.

With friends like these...

Cass Sunstein on Obama's Pragmatism

2008-09-03T10:11:00.002-04:00

In this week's New Republic, my colleague Cass R. Sunstein has a good piece on Obama's political pragmatism.

There has been much discussion recently about Obama as a "screen," a "blank slate," onto which we all project our hopes, fears, desires, and anxieties. The Right likes to vilify him as "radical" or as a "conventional liberal." And I've been having a lot of debates with my friends on the Left, who just aren't convinced that Obama is a real progressive. They are upset about what they perceive to be his retreat to the middle on issues like abortion, FISA, gay marriage, the death penalty, you name it. Sunstein's article is, in part, a response to this reaction.

I must say, I do share many of these concerns. Obama is not a perfect candidate, by any means. But then again, who is? As I've said before, no candidate for President of the United States--and certainly not one from either of the two major parties--is going to satisfy all of any one person's political requirements.

Those of us on the Left need to be reminded that Ralph Nader isn't perfect, either, and yet so often, we have flocked to him during times of disappointment and alienation (I voted for Nader twice, in 1996 and again in 2000). But this election is different. There are stark differences between the two parties; this could hardly be more clear. And we are experiencing multiple crises, both at home and abroad, that need our collective attention. In the midst of it all, the Democrats have nominated a historic candidate with genuinely progressive values, a man who wants to fix our government and transform our public life (he's already transformed our public life). More to the point, Obama has invited progressives to the table in an unprecedented way during this campaign, and I have every reason to believe this will continue once he gets elected. We would do well to accept his invitation, rather than standing outside the banquet hall bitching about the fact that not everyone at the party is just like us.

Sometimes, I think, our ideological purity undermines the clarity of our political vision and analysis. And this is a time for clarity, not purity.

Keeping Me Honest

2008-09-03T10:08:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my reader, "lsc," for posting this piece on Obama's recent apology to a television news reporter in Detroit. Evidently, Obama referred to her as "sweetie."

Does this mean he's sexist?

Obama Breaks Through

2008-09-03T07:31:00.002-04:00

According to Gallup, Obama has crossed the elusive 50% polling threshold, opening up an 8-point lead over his Republican rival John McCain.

A number of recent polls--Gallup, Rasmussen, CBS News--indicate that Obama got the "bump" he wanted from the Democratic Convention in Denver. Recent events surrounding McCain's choice of Sarah Palin to be his VP, combined with the chaos of Gustav and the first days of the Republican Convention, may have also had some influence.

I'm not one to give polls too much credence--national polling matters less from an electoral standpoint than state-by-state matchups--but this is certainly good news for the Obama campaign.

Will McCain Drop Palin?

2008-09-03T07:26:00.002-04:00

That's what the bookmakers say!

Says David Williams of Ladbrokes, a London-based gambling house: "Ever since he appointed her, people have stopped betting on McCain. He went down like a sack of potatoes as far as the punters are concerned."

Now I'm not a gambling man--which is why there's no way, no how I'm voting for McCain-Palin!

This Is Hilarious!

2008-09-03T07:25:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my friend Morgan for sending me this video, from Daily Kos about how John McCain really chose Sarah Palin as a running mate. Very funny!

Heads in the Sand

2008-09-02T21:57:00.003-04:00

When it comes to preventing teen pregnancy, John McCain and Sarah Palin have a very troubling record.

Both candidates have consistently opposed funding for sex-ed programs. They are abstinence-only folks.

And we all know how well that works!

Protesting the GOP

2008-09-01T21:21:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Christina for posting this link which documents the police crackdown on the thousands of activists who have flocked to Denver to protest the Republican National Convention (such as it is).

You won't hear about this in the MSM.

I was relieved to see that riot cops have arrested and detained Amy Goodman. She's very, very dangerous!

Only Abstinence?

2008-09-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

Here's a great piece on the fraud that is "abstinence-only" education.

Elliott Prasse-Freeman is a former student of mine--one of my all-time favorites, in fact--with whom I've just begun working on a new book on human rights. Elliott is a brilliant, progressive young activist who has spent the last five years working in international development for various agencies--from the U.N. to international NGOs.

Lobbyists for McCain

2008-09-01T19:22:00.002-04:00

I've been all work and no play today, so here's a post to lighten the mood:

My friend Andrew Boyd--activist, author, humorist, gadfly, troublemaker, egoist, and founder of Billionaires for Bush, a grassroots network of corporate lobbyists--is at it again.*

This election season, he's founded a new group, Lobbyists for McCain, which describes itself as such:

"Lobbyists for McCain is a new kind of organization for a new era. For the first time in U.S. history, lobbyists have come together — not just for our clients, and not just for the Presidential candidate we trust — but for ourselves. We lobby for lobbyists; one could say we are the lobbyist lobby. After all, lobbyists need lobbyists, too."

Click here to purchase your very own "Lobbyists for McCain" bumber stickers. My SUV is covered with them.**

If you're interested in joining "Lobbyists for McCain"--especially if you're interested in attending a John McCain rally*** before November 4****--then click here.

Only the elite are doing it!

*these are all words Andy regularly uses to describe himself. Especially "egoist."
**I don't really drive an SUV. I can't afford one.
***like "Bingo Night" at the Sunshine Retirement Home in Clearwater, Florida
****when John McCain gets his ass handed to him by Barack Obama.

Disclaimer: I'm not Andrew Boyd, but he approved this post. Kind of.

Roger Simon is "Relentless"

2008-09-01T19:08:00.002-04:00

Politico's Roger Simon has written a stunning six-part investigative report on the inner workings of the Obama and Clinton campaigns. This is journalism at its best, and he got folks to talk on the record! It's a long piece, but it's well worth the time.

Calling Obama's organization "relentless" and Clinton's "dysfunctional," Simon concludes that, at every turn, Obama simply ran a superior campaign, from organizing state caucuses to securing superdelegates.

Two things struck me while reading this: first, Bill Clinton was a far more damaging influence on his wife's campaign than most of us even realize; and second, Barack Obama's victory over Hillary Clinton was a truly remarkable feat. This was not supposed to happen, but it did.

If you want to know how effectively President Obama will govern, look no further than his campaign.

Hurricane Palin

2008-09-01T17:17:00.002-04:00

Just as we learn that Gustav has missed New Orleans and is losing strength, another storm is brewing, one that seems poised to do a great deal of damage: Hurricane Palin.

Ever since John McCain announced his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate--a shocker that confounded critics and angered supporters--the first-term Alaska Governor has brought nothing but trouble: an ongoing ethics investigation; rumors of a pregnancy cover-up; confirmation that her 17-year-old daughter is indeed pregnant (right now!); revelations that she once chaired the political action committee of indicted Senator Ted Stevens.

All of this in just three days! What's next? HuffPo is tracking the storm of controversy.

There is, of course, a silver lining for right-wing conservatives: through it all, Palin has not budged on her opposition to abortion (even, it turns out, in cases of rape and incest). In other words, if elected, Palin, like John McCain, will seek to overturn a 35-year-old law that allows other women the freedom to make the same choices she and her daughter have made: whether or not to continue a pregnancy.

Roe v. Wade (1973) did not mandate abortion; it protected a woman's freedom to choose whether or not to have one. All women--regardless of what choice they make.

(In case you were interested: Palin is way out-of-touch with the American mainstream on the issue of abortion. According to recent polling, a majority of Americans supports abortion rights, and at least 70%--even many of those who might otherwise identify as "pro-life"--think abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest.)

All of this is to say that in his first major Presidential decision--the choice of a running mate--John McCain has demonstrated terrible judgment, all in the interest of trying to showcase his "maverick" style while shoring up his conservative street cred. But the gamble failed. There is simply no way McCain or his people vetted Palin carefully before making this crucial decision. The more we learn, the more apparent this becomes. How is John McCain ready to lead if he screws up the selection of the person he wants to lead with?

My prediction: Palin will withdraw from the race, if not this week, then before the debates.

A Political Brain

2008-09-01T17:08:00.002-04:00

Over at HuffPo, Drew Westen, whose work I teach in my Kennedy School course, has written a fabulous post on the success of the Democratic Convention and the controvery surrounding the Palin VP nomination. A must-read for political junkies!

Westen is the distinguished Emory psychologist and author, most recently, of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the State of the Nation (PublicAffairs).

The Convention Becomes a Circus

2008-09-01T14:17:00.005-04:00

This was supposed to be the week that Republicans showed America why they're more fit to govern than Democrats. But the Twin-Cities convention has become a three-ring circus.

(And I thought the big concern was whether more people would watch the Giants-Redskins game or John McCain's acceptance speech on Thursday night!)

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, the Palin pregnancy story takes an even stranger turn:

The McCain campaign has issued a statement confirming that the Republican Vice Presidential candidate's 17-year-old daughter is indeed pregnant, has the full support of her family, and will marry the father of the child.

Needless to say, an abortion is out of the question. So, evidently, were contraception and abstinence.

Seriously, folks, this is nuts.

Not the teen pregnancy part. This happens all the time, and young people in this situation deserve our compassion and support. I had a scare or two myself back in the day, and I've never been more anxious in my life. Frankly, I'm happy to hear that the Palins are supporting their daughter during this difficult time; lesser parents might abandon their child.

That said, in addition to loving and supportive parents, young people also need adults around them who love them enough to have frank discussions about sex and sexuality, who support them enough to provide information about STD prevention and access to contraception.

The crazy part about all this is that John McCain says he knew about this before he asked Palin to be his Vice Presidential candidate. Hogwash. There is absolutely no way that John McCain would have picked Palin if he knew about this in advance. At least I hope not. This is a total shit-show and it's only going to get worse as more and more MSM outlets begin to cover this story, which, along with Hurricane Gustav, will dominate the news cycle this week.

The Republicans should just pack up and go home.

We're two months away from the most important election in recent American history, and the Republicans have basically cancelled their national convention, and are now mired in a bizarre pregnancy drama involving a vastly unqualified, virtually unknown Vice Presidential candidate.

I can see the headlines now: "Bristol Palin unready for motherhood; Sarah Palin unready for White House."

Laura Bush on Sexism

2008-09-01T13:28:00.003-04:00

The famously reserved First Lady appeared on Fox News this morning to caution Democrats against being "sexist" in their attacks on Sarah Palin.

Is it just me, or does Laura Bush always look uncomfortable when she's in public?

(I've always thought this was strange. After all, she seems to be a smart, amiable, principled, decent person; it's her husband who's the public embarassment, not her.)

That said, I wonder if Laura Bush has the same concern about Rush Limbaugh, who referred to Palin as a "babe" over the weekend? And did I miss her denunciations of the sexism directed at Hillary Rodham Clinton and Michelle Obama?

Now don't get me wrong: I'm not going to defend the news media. I always bristle whenever journalists or pundits talk about female candidates' appearances, clothing, and "style."

(Enough already about Hillary Clinton's pant suits!)

But to somehow conflate the media's insensitivity and lack of nuance on gender issues--hello, Fox News?!--with the entire Democratic Party is absurd. Give me one instance where Barack Obama has shown himself to be sexist. Seriously. Perhaps there are examples of this, but I haven't seen any.

It is equally absurd to say that any criticism of Sarah Palin is sexist. Sarah Palin, a virtual unknown before last Friday, is now being vetted by the news media and the American people. This is standard procedure in campaigns--I would go so far to say that this is the media's role and duty in public life--and every candidate who runs for office has to endure it: the bad, the good, and everything else. That said, the McCain campaign could have avoided some of the more vigorous questioning since last Friday by conducting a proper vetting process of its own.

But it didn't.

And before Americans go to the polls in November to elect Sarah Palin to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, we have a right to know who she is, what she stands for, and whether she has what it takes to be the leader of the free world.

This will involve asking all sorts of questions about her character, leadership style and ability, knowledge of domestic policy and world affairs, and her personal life. For instance, among many other things, I'd like to know how she would handle a term-time pregnancy as Vice President. She seems to have handled it relatively effortlessly as Governor of Alaska, and for this, she deserves kudos. The "life-work balance"--something we should ask our male politicians to address far more than we (or they) do--is an important arena to explore, especially among young candidates with small children. I've always wanted to ask Barack Obama how his aggressive campaign schedule allows him to be the devoted father he claims to be? As lovely as his relationship with his daughters (and wife) seems to be, I suspect there's some disparity between words and reality. How could it be otherwise? And what if he and Michelle Obama have a child in the White House? These questions are fair game for Obama, and they should be for Sarah Palin as well. Just as it's perfectly reasonable to ask questions about John McCain's age and health without being accused of ageism.

Every candidate inspires different questions. Young and female (and elderly and African-American) candidates will force us to ask new questions about how they negotiate the personal and the political. This isn't sexist; it's progress.

Passing the Buck

2008-09-01T12:57:00.003-04:00

The significantly downsized Republican convention has turned into a high-tech telethon to raise relief money for victims of Hurricane Gustav.

Now this is terribly sacriligious, but I'm going to ask anyway: what if the storm isn't nearly as bad as Katrina? What if there are relatively few victims of the storm compared to last time? What if, as Ray Nagin has suggested, New Orleans residents will be able to return to the city by Wednesday?

I understand the panic and scramble among Republicans to scale-back their convention this week. I'm sure the Democrats would have done the same thing (in fact, Barack Obama just sent his 2 million supporters an email asking them to donate to the Red Cross relief effort). It's not the outpouring of support that bothers me, it's the ferver with which they have preemptively responded to the impending doom that I find so unnerving.

I'm reminded of the line from Hamlet: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

I know, I know: these Republicans can never win. They totally neglect New Orleans after Katrina, and we're all over them for being heartless, racist bastards. This time, they respond with an outpouring of attention and generosity of spirit, and we're all over them for being cynical opportunists.

Now I'm willing to admit that I'm being tough, perhaps even unfair, but I just don't have it in me right now to cut the Republicans any slack. Not after Bush and Cheney, not after these last eight years.

The simple reality is that Republicans have a branding problem, one that has led to a strong (and in my opinion, accurate) perception that they don't give a damn about the least among us, don't care at all about ordinary people, don't have any interest in helping people who are struggling or in a bad place.

This is the principal reason I laugh every time the GOP claims the mantle of Christianity.

What would Jesus do? Probably vote for Democrats.

Gandhi once said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

The same can be said of Republicans.

Tracking Gustav

2008-09-01T12:52:00.002-04:00

Mike Lizza's NYT blog, "The Lede," is tracking Hurricane Gustav's landfall. It's a good source for up-to-date information on this potentially devastating storm.

Right now, FEMA officials are saying that Gustav will wreak considerable havoc, but won't be as bad as Katrina. Meanwhile, Mayor Ray Nagin predicts that residents of New Orleans may be able to return to the city as early as Wednesday.

A Late-Night Prayer

2008-09-01T02:46:00.003-04:00

I am off to bed now.

As many of you know, I'm not especially religious, and I don't often pray.

But tonight I will be praying for all those who have already suffered the wrath of Gustav, and for my compatriots in the Gulf, who will need all the strength and courage and faith they can muster in the morning.

Godspeed, brothers and sisters.

Palin Pregnancy Revisited

2008-09-01T02:24:00.002-04:00

Joining the weekend's blogosphere frenzy over the Palin pregnancy rumors, Andrew Sullivan defends our right to ask tough questions about it, but concludes that Palin probably did give birth to her fifth child last spring.

I agree with Sullivan that it would be easy enough--and advisable--for the McCain campaign to provide conclusive evidence to put these salacious rumors to bed.

(Salacious, indeed, but still extremely pertinent given Palin's self-fashioning as a family-values, abstinence-only, truth-telling conservative.)

Why, then, the silence? I can't imagine either candidate is too happy with all this buzz.

Perhaps McCain and Palin are hoping it will all be washed away by Gustav. But as the recent John Edwards scandal shows, these kinds of stories have real staying-power, especially in the blogosphere, where fictions and facts, truths and tall-tales, credible sources and conspiracy theories have a weird habit of blending together.

Which is all the more reason for us to ask tough questions, and for McCain and Palin to provide honest answers. If Palin did indeed give birth to her fifth child last spring, fine. Case closed. But until there is credible evidence, the rumors will continue to circulate.

We may not like it, but this is the political culture we inhabit in the 21st century.

Gustav and the GOP

2008-08-31T14:15:00.002-04:00

As the Gulf Coast braces for tomorrow's landfall of Hurricane Gustav, the nation wonders: will this be another Katrina?

Lord, I hope not. The terror of incompetance and inaction that followed the so-called "natural disaster" of Hurricane Katrina remains a heavy burden on the nation's collective conscience, a blight on its soul.

Many of us continue to ask: if our government cannot respond swiftly and effectively to such a crisis here at home, how on earth can we export democracy abroad?

Indeed, Katrina proved that the American fault lines of race and class are still as treacherous as ever, especially when forced into sharp relief by a callous, condescending political regime.

And that is precisely why Republicans are scrambling to figure out whether and how to proceed with their convention this week. As the herd of GOP faithful descended upon Minneapolis-St. Paul this weekend, Hurricane Gustav hurtled through the Caribbean, scheduled to hit the Gulf Coast tomorrow morning.

(Hey GOP: if you're looking for someone to blame for all of this, try this guy. Disgusting.)

Already, the convention schedule has been scaled back, with President Bush and Vice President Cheney deciding not to speak tomorrow evening (Bush may still address the convention by video later in the week). This may be a blessing in disguise for Republicans, who are no doubt looking to distance themselves from these wildly unpopular lame ducks. Of course, the irony is that with another deadly storm about to hit the Gulf Coast on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it will be impossible for them to do that.

For his part, John McCain has dramatically tossed out the convention script, declaring that "we will act as Americans," not as partisans, even as GOP operatives worked overtime to make sure that McCain would capitalize on every last drop--as it were--of the impending tragedy.

A few of the highlights:

--Instead of staying in Minnesota, Gulf Coast delegates will be transported back to the region on a jet chartered by the GOP (I'd like to know, on whose dime?)

--Instead of George Bush and Dick Cheney touting their records during prime time on Monday night, we will be treated to Laura Bush and Cindy McCain at the podium, instructing the nation about how to help with the relief effort (I'm already feeling nauseous).

--And instead of delivering his acceptance speech from the floor of the convention hall, McCain may speak via satellite from the Gulf Coast (perhaps he'll surround himself with whatever National Guard troops aren't already serving their third or fourth or fifth tour in Iraq).

Brace yourself folks: this week, in a desperate act of overcompensated compassion, the GOP will transform Katrina's neglect into Gustav's exploitation.

Now don't get me wrong, almost all politicians exploit tragedy for political gain. The Bushies are masters of this (see 9/11, War on Terror, Iraq). But Democrats do it, too. Even Obama is guilty of it.

On the other hand, perhaps I'm guilty of the same old cynicism I try to fight in others.

Perhaps the GOP has learned from its mistakes post-Katrina.

Perhaps John McCain and his Republican "friends" are ready to own up to the fact that they are responsible for the biggest domestic disaster in modern American history.

Perhaps.

Palin's a Hit!

2008-08-31T13:39:00.003-04:00

You guessed it, Sarah Palin has fired up the conservative base!

The pro-gun, anti-choice, abstinence-only Creationist is a big hit among Christian evangelicals who have been skeptical of John McCain. But McCain--who once referred to people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as "agents of intolerance"--has spent the last couple of years working hard to make nice with that segment of our political culture that seeks to control a woman's body against her will, values fetuses over actual children, supports the denial of basic civil rights to gays and lesbians, and sees the Second Amendment (routinely misread for ideological purposes) as a sacred text, second only to the Bible itself.

DNC Chairman (then Presidential candidate) Howard Dean may have taken a lot of shit for it, but he was absolutely right when he suggested that Presidential elections should be about more than tired Republican obsessions: "God, guns, gays, and abortion."

If there's one thing the featured Democratic speakers--Joe Biden, Al Gore, John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Claire McCaskell, Nancy Pelosi, and Barack Obama--accomplished last week in Denver it was to highlight the sharp distinctions that exist between Democrats and Republicans. Gore reminded us, painfully, that back in 2000, conventional wisdom (fueled by Ralph Nader's insurgent candidacy) held that there was very little difference between the two parties. In retrospect, that view was extraordinarily, breathtakingly wrong.

(Confession: I voted for Nader in 2000. Granted, I voted in New York, a reliably "blue" state, and would never have voted for Nader in Ohio or Florida. Still, I deeply regret that vote.)

There are many differences between Democrats and Republicans, one of the most important being this: Republicans think that any government is the problem; Democrats think that bad government is the problem.

Certainly there has been ample evidence of bad government these last eight years. But come January, Democrats will have a glorious, if daunting opportunity to put government back on track, to resume working actively and effectively on behalf of ordinary Americans who are struggling in a world made far less safe, far less secure, and far more unjust by the disastrous policies of President George W. Bush.

The Mendacity of Hype

2008-08-31T04:47:00.002-04:00

Once again, Frank Rich slices through the poop and punditry to tell us why Barack Obama both exceeded and defied expectations on Thursday.

His NYT column today is a must-read!

Horrible Hurricanes

2008-08-31T04:13:00.003-04:00

On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, another devastating storm--currently a Category Four--has just hit Cuba.

Fearing another disaster, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has called on residents and tourists to evacuate immediately.

My prayers are with the people of the Gulf Coast tonight.

Palin Pregnancy

2008-08-31T03:58:00.004-04:00

It's not clear yet whether or not Sarah Palin has covered for her 16-year-old daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy by claiming the child as her own, but the Daily Kos has a pretty compelling analysis that she did, complete with pictures and circumstantial evidence from those close to the story.

If this is true, it's the end of Sarah Palin's "historic" Vice Presidential bid, the end of the McCain candidacy, and the end of the Republican Party's "family values" charade.

I was at a wedding in Chicago tonight, where lots of people were discussing this. Here are a few of the more choice reactions: "this is some Jerry Springer shit"; "what was McCain thinking?"; "just another example of Republican hypocrisy"; and "Jesus, I hope this is true!"

If it is true, Sarah Palin will have made history in a very different kind of way.

Again, I'm not sure this is true. As of this post, no major news outlet has reported on it. But I'll bet the ranch that they're all vetting this story very carefully--far more carefully, it seems, than McCain vetted Palin before he selected her as his running mate. If the MSM does come up with credible evidence to confirm these allegations, you can be sure they'll run with it, at which point the Republican convention--if not already in troubled waters because of the pending disaster of Hurricane Gustav--will be doomed.

How fitting would it be that the GOP Convention--whose attendees all walked by the airport bathroom where Larry Craig tried to get his groove on last fall--was torn asunder by another Republican politician who can't seem to practice what she preaches?

Palin Pick a Problem?

2008-08-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

Like most Americans, I was positively stunned yesterday when John McCain announced his VP pick: Sarah Palin. I was convinced he was going to pick Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty. (And so were they, evidently--their people are furious.)

Who is this woman, you ask? Palin is the 44-year-old, first-term, right-wing Governor of Alaska. Before that she was the mayor of a hamlet of less than 9,000 residents. She has absolutely no foreign policy experience--has she ever been outside of the U.S.?--and is in the midst of an ethics investigation. Not exactly the choice one would expect from a man in the midst of a tough, close Presidential race against a formidable Democratic ticket.

What does the Palin choice tell us about McCain?

Conventional wisdom suggests:

1) that she is a "historic" choice, a working wife and mother who can appeal to women, especially the disgruntled supporters of Hillary Clinton;
2) that she represents a young, fresh face, a "Washington outsider" with a representation as a "maverick" who can appeal to moderates and independents;
3) that she is a right-wing conservative who can appeal to the Republican "base."

In my opinion, the third point is the most salient. She will no doubt appeal to pro-life, Christian conservatives who are uncomfortable with McCain. Certainly the Palin pick underscores his pledge to run a "pro-life administration."

But I seriously doubt Palin will have the appeal to women and moderates that McCain hopes for. The hard-core Hillary hold-outs (the Triple H's) are generally 50- and 60-something, college-educated, professionally successful, self-identified feminists who will not vote for an anti-choice, abstinence-only Creationist. It just won't happen.

And besides, imagine Hillary Clinton's response yesterday: "Oh, hell no! If I'm not going back to the White House, there's no way this little bitch is getting there!" (I paraphrase, I paraphrase.)

I also doubt Palin will have much appeal to moderates and independents who hate Washington. There are Washington outsiders, and then there are Washington outsiders. She's from Alaska, for Christ's sake! That's a little bit too outside of Washington.

And now we have rumors that Sarah Palin's fifth child--born six months ago with Down's syndrome--may actually be her 16-year-old daughter's baby. If this is true, the McCain campaign is in BIG trouble.

Did McCain's single-visit vetting process (yes, that's right, he met with Palin once before choosing her) miss a potential scandal involving the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of the teenage daughter of the abstinence-only, family values Governor?

On Democrats and Republicans

2008-08-30T12:56:00.002-04:00

Recently, I've become something of a public intellectual...in Brazil. Who knew?

This morning, I did the following interview with a Brazilian newspaper:

What would they have to talk about in the convention to win more electors?

In my opinion, I think the Republicans have to show that they have an economic plan that is superior to Obama's, that will help alleviate the anxieties of millions of Americans. At their convention last week, I thought the Democrats did an effective job of showing themselves to be sensitive to the struggles of ordinary working people and middle class families. If the Republicans are going to compete with this message, they'll need to do the same thing. This election is going to be about two principal issues--the war (ending it) and the economy (fixing it)--and the Democrats have a big advantage on both of these. If the Republicans get bogged down next week in culture war issues (abortion, God, guns, gays) and in attacking Obama, they will alienate many of the folks who aren't already in their camp. In other words, they won't win anyone over, and they need to do this to win.

Some Democrats think that Denver convention didn't attack McCain as it should. Do you think that the Republican Convention would be more agressive to Obama?

There's a crucial difference between "fight" and "attack," and we saw last week that Obama embodies the former; McCain, the latter. It's not in Obama's temperament to go negative, to engage in ad hominem attacks, for the sake of it. He'll fight, when necessary--and we saw that in his acceptance speech, which was more pointed and aggressive than his previous speeches. But at the end of the day, Obama wants to engage the issues. At his best, McCain also wants to do this, and has done so effectively in the past. In recent weeks, however, he seems to have abandoned this impulse, to his detriment, in my opinion. I have no doubt that the Republican convention next week will place a high premium on attacking Obama--his character, his style--and they will likely try to caricature his positions as the "same old liberal" stances. This may work very well with the Republican base, especially the hard-line conservatives and the war hawks, but getting back to your previous question, I'm not sure it does much to win over other kinds of voters.

Do you think the Republican Convention will really help McCain? Why?

Most conventions help the Presidential candidates, especially in this day and age of carefully crafted and choreographed programs. I'm sure next week will help McCain some, especially with his "base," with whom he has had trouble in the past. Just as the Democratic convention needed to heal the divisions between Clinton-Democrats and Obama-Democrats, so, too, does the Republican convention need to smooth over tensions between the various factions of the old "Reagan Coalition": the military hawks, the fiscal conservatives, the Christian evangelicals. This coalition has broken down in recent years--in the end, Bush just wasn't capable of holding it together--but McCain will try to get everyone back on board. That said, McCain and Palin will be speaking to two audiences next week: the convention delegates assembled in the Twin Cities, and Americans all across the country who will be watching from home. If they spend too much time firing up the base with red meat, they will alienate ordinary folks at home in their living rooms. And this will have a negative effect long term. Undecided voters--many of whom are moderates and independents--will be looking for more than a re-hashing of the culture wars of the last generation, and ad hominem attacks against Barack Obama.

It's notable the difference of the media interest between Democratic and Republican conventions. Would it be harmful to McCain, a thing that can make a difference in the run?

The difference in media interest is striking, though I'm not sure it will translate into a huge difference in coverage. Most media outlets are very concerned about being perceived as "liberal" or "biased," and will therefore go out of their way next week to convey the impression that they are giving Republicans their fair due. If they don't, this will backfire for Obama in that McCain will be able to say--as Hillary Clinton did in the primaries--that Obama is the darling of the press, that he's treated with kid gloves, that he's just a "celebrity." In the end, though, this didn't work for Clinton, and I doubt it will work for McCain in the final analysis (though it has shown some signs of success this summer). If the media doesn't give Republicans the same attention and respect it gave Democrats, it will have short-term negative consequences for Obama. After all, some--though certainly not all--of the anxiety about Obama's candidacy is rooted in the perception that he's "all show and no substance." I happen to strongly disagree with this position, but it's certainly a factor among some voters. As we saw in his speech last week, however, he's aware of it, and trying hard to combat it.

Pride

2008-08-27T02:36:00.002-04:00

Many of you have noted that I'm reluctant to divulge the identity of "my man." That's partly because I finally have a relationship I'm really proud of--and working on--but it's also because I'm trying to give him the space he needs to do his thing.

But today, I want to share how proud I am of his latest accomplishment:

This morning, CJ--and two other amazing educational visionaries--will launch a new charter school, Achievement First Brownsville, an elementary school (K-1) that will build a grade every year moving forward.

As the son and grandson of public school teachers, and as someone who genuinely loves teaching, I can't tell you how much it means to me to be in love with a man who not only values education, but who makes it his life's work.

Relationships, ultimately, are about shared values, and despite the long distance--Cambridge to Brooklyn--we are on the same page.

Good luck, CJ--I love you and am so proud of you!

I Must Give Credit...

2008-08-26T23:45:00.003-04:00

...where credit it due. Hillary Clinton knocked it out of the park tonight!

Here's the text of the speech. (I'll post the video when I have it.)

Bill Kristol and his fellow pundits over at Fow News (I know, I know) are criticizing the speech, saying that HRC never talked specifically about why Obama is ready to lead, why he'd make a strong commander-in-chief and President.

But she didn't need to do this. Biden will make that case, and so will Obama. And besides, it would have been weirdly disingenuous, after the year we've had, for HRC to spend the entire speech talking about how much she loves BHO. She doesn't love him, and she doesn't need to. She needs to work with him, productively, to move the country forward. And she showed her willingness--her eagerness--to do just that tonight.

HRC accomplished five important things with her speech tonight:

1) she explicitly endorsed Barack Obama for President (by my count 11 times);
2) she explicitly stated that she and Obama share the same Democratic values, namely, fighting hard for ordinary Americans;
3) she made it very clear that this is not principally about her, but about progressive values, the Democratic Party, and the future of the nation;
4) she appealed specifically--and forcefully--to her supporters, saying that we can't afford to have them sit on the sidelines in this crucial election; and
5) she strengthened her legacy--as a champion for struggling people, as a formidable politician, and as a woman who has shattered glass ceilings. Hillary Clinton's future was secured tonight.

I agree with CNN's Jeffrey Toobin: there were two winners tonight, Clinton and Obama.

Not for nothing, it was also the best speech she's ever given, with two fabulous lines: "No way, no how, no McCain," and the part about how fitting it is that John McCain and George W. Bush will appear together in the Twin Cities next week, because "it's hard to tell them apart."

Brilliant!

The most interesting thing about her speech was the beginning--when she said she was a proud mother, Democrat, Senator from New York, and American. She failed to mention that she's a proud wife.

Perhaps that's because she can't stand her husband any more than I can.

Way to go, Hillary! You won me back tonight.

My Tipping Point

2008-08-26T22:23:00.003-04:00

I've finally crossed the line: I hate Bill Clinton.

Watch this...from Bill Clinton...today. Yes, that's right, TODAY!

Screw me once, shame on him.

Screw me twice, shame on me.

When it comes to Bill Clinton, how many Americans can say this?

If I were Barack Obama, I'd cancel Bill Clinton's prime time speech tomorrow night.

Let Sasha and Malia--children who act like adults--speak. And then have an extended moment of silence for Bill Clinton: the adult who acts like a child.

We can mourn the death of his legacy, and his integrity.

Not even Bill Clinton can launch a comeback from this. RIP.

God Love Dennis Kucinich

2008-08-26T22:04:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, Dennis Kucinich--representing the democratic wing of the Democratic party--gave a real barn-burner of a speech in Denver.

The diminutive Ohio Congressman hammered home his refrain, "Wake up, America!" to the delight of those in attendance. People were still cheering when the next speaker arrived at the podium.

Say what you want about Dennis Kucinich--I do think he's a wee bit crazy--but he's been one of the most consistent voices for real progressive change within the Democratic Party during the long Bush-Cheney nightmare. He keeps the Party, and the country, honest.

Kucinich is an terrific example of someone who likes to be in the belly of the beast so he can give it indigestion. Keep making 'em burp--and cheer--Congressman!

The Ad Wars

2008-08-26T14:51:00.002-04:00

We all knew it was coming--Hillary Clinton's gift that keeps on giving--but Camp McCain has decided to launch an ad war and media blitz to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Most Presidential candidates try to keep a relatively low profile when the other Party is having its convention. It's a sign of respect. But not John McCain.

First, there's the Republican "war room," featuring VP hopefuls Mitt Romney (Tuesday), Rudy Giuliani (Wednesday), and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (Thursday).

It's like a nightly version of "Republican Idol."

Then, there are the new McCain attacks ads, one featuring a "Hillary Clinton Democrat" who will be voting for John McCain, and another featuring prominent Democrats saying nice things about McCain, ending with Hillary Clinton herself making the argument that she and McCain have "a lifetime of experience to bring to the White House," while "Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."

The speech she's referring to, of course, is the one Obama delivered back in the fall of 2002, when he denounced the Iraq War before it even started.

And what were Clinton and McCain doing at the time? Voting to authorize the fiasco.

Truth be told, so was Joe Biden. Despite his "inexperience," Obama was the only one of these candidates with the foresight and judgment to speak out against this unjust and unwinnable war, even when it was politically inexpedient to do so (he was preparing his Senate run at the time).

And finally, bringing up the rear of the Republican assault, a biker rally is scheduled through downtown Denver tomorrow. Evidently, it's being billed as a protest against Barack Obama's national security credentials (or lack thereof).

How long before the "Straight-Talk Express" switches from the bus to the bike? Maybe John and Cindy will even ride into Minneapolis on a Harley. We can only hope!

The Other America

2008-08-26T13:11:00.002-04:00

In 1962, democratic socialist Michael Harrington published The Other America, his landmark study of poverty in the United States. Harrington's searing analysis of this unacceptable reality in the so-called "land of opportunity" prompted Democratic leaders (and some Republicans as well) to launch a War on Poverty, a centerpiece of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society vision.

Sadly, Johnson's more noble strivings were undermined by the deepening crisis in Vietnam, which put an end to both his Presidency and his far-reaching, progressive domestic agenda.

A generation removed from the lofty idealism of the 1960s--and yet still burdened by Johnson's complex, troubled legacy--we must, once again, confront the twin evils of war and poverty.

According to a recent report by the Census Bureau, the poverty rate in the United States held steady--at 12.5%--in 2007. While the overall percentage of people in poverty remained about the same, nearly 800,000 Americans, many of them children, were added to the rolls.

After eight years of growing inequality--enabled by Bush's shameless upward redistribution of wealth to the very rich--the next President will need to set a bold domestic agenda that includes a serious and sustained commitment to economic equality, including the elimination of poverty, significant improvements in education, and universal health care.

He will also need to end this unjust war in Iraq, which will enable the redistribution of billions of dollars from a failed international venture to a successful domestic vision.

In other words, the next President will have an unprecedented opportunity to redeem the failings of Lyndon Johnson--and his predecessors, both Democrat and Republican--and finally make the deferred dreams of peace and prosperity a reality.

The King of New Media

2008-08-26T12:58:00.002-04:00

Anyone watching the 2008 Presidential campaign knows how effectively Obama has used new media to communicate, organize, and raise money. What Howard Dean started in 2004 Barack Obama has perfected in 2008.

If Obama wins in November, his communications team will be a huge factor in his success.

As Joe Trippi, Dean's former communications director, has said: "I like to say that we at the Dean campaign were the Wright brothers. We put this rickety thing together and got it off the ground. But the folks in Obama's online team are the Apollo project. The question is, are they Apollo 8 or Apollo 11? If they're Apollo 11, they're going to launch a guy and land him in the White House."

Today's Washington Post has a good article on Obama's online operation--affectionately known as "Triple O"--which includes Sam Graham-Felsen, one of my former Harvard students who has been the campaign's official blogger since its inception.

Sam is one of these idealistic, brilliant, progressive young people that Obama has attracted to his campaign in droves. He's also a major player in the campaign's online operation. Here's hoping Obama's youth mobilization will translate into millions of votes in the fall.

As Ted Kennedy said last night, it's time to pass the torch to a new generation. If Obama's campaign is any indication, it seems like we're ready for it.

A Different Look

2008-08-26T12:45:00.003-04:00

After straining my eyes to blog in the dark last night (some might argue I'm always in the dark when I blog!) I decided to change the look of "The Tim Zone" with a new font and color scheme.

Let me know if you like it--there are plenty more options.

I swear to God this software was designed by a gay man!

An Obama-Clinton Truce?

2008-08-26T00:03:00.002-04:00

Sources close to both candidates have indicated that Obama and Clinton have reached an agreement of sorts--to limit the roll call to a handful of states, allowing delegates for the junior senator from New York to acknowledge her historic run and accomplishments, then ending the roll call to award the Democratic nomination to the junior senator from Illinios.

On the ground, things are evidently more tense than the carefully scripted and choreographed prime-time images suggest. Some Clinton supporters are defiant; Obama supporters are angry. Both, it seems, want to stand their ground.

Defiance and anger are part of the democratic process--sometimes even a healthy part--but so are reconciliation and compromise. Time will tell which elements will prevail. In my opinion, it's time to bury the hatchet--but not in each other.

Obama Rocks!

2008-08-25T23:35:00.003-04:00

Michelle Obama, that is. The wife of the presumptive Democratic nominee gave the speech of her life tonight, talking about all the people--her family and Barack's family, women's rights crusaders, civil rights activists, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton--who have struggled to create the world we live in:

"All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.

That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack's journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope.

That is why I love this country."

It was a stirring, extraordinary speech: personal and political, human and humane, confident and compassionate, and delivered with great passion and deep sincerity. Anyone who comes away from this speech--and the image of the Obama daughters talking via satellite with their adoring father afterwards--still thinking that this beautiful family is somehow "foreign" or "unrecognizable" needs to have their head checked.

This is an all-American family--or, as my father said to me after Iowa, "this is your Camelot."

And speaking of which, Teddy Kennedy made an unexpected appearance earlier in the night. Battling brain cancer, and appearing despite the best advice of his doctors to stay at home, the Lion of the Senate addressed--and energized--the convention hall with a trademark speech calling for "justice and fair prosperity." Kennedy said that come November, America will "pass the torch to a new generation" and vowed to return to the Senate in January 2009--a promise that brought the delegates to their feet.

For lifelong Democrats, people like me, this was a beautiful, if bittersweet moment. At least one member of the Kennedy clan has addressed every Democratic convention since 1956, and this may well be Teddy's last appearance. He had previously recorded a video message to be played this evening, but instead he flew to Denver to deliver his remarks in person. When he was finished speaking, it was hard to find a dry eye in the convention hall--or anywhere else, I imagine, where Democrats were watching.

Kennedy concluded with these words: "The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on." Indeed, Uncle Teddy, indeed.

Democrats in Denver

2008-08-25T18:26:00.004-04:00

The 2008 Democratic Convention began today. I was supposed to be there, but decided to stay in Cambridge instead. It was a very painful decision--as a historian, I don't often get the chance to witness history--but I have a lot of work to do before Labor Day. For a college teacher who likes to write and needs to publish, the last week of August is the most anxious and active of the year.

I suspect Obama is asking himself the same question I am: where has the summer gone?

There's a lot at stake for Democrats this week. I don't think I'm overstating things when I say this convention--and this election, generally--is make-or-break for the Democratic Party. After two devastating losses in 2000 and 2004, after eight disastrous years under Bush-Cheney, and after a disappointing performance by Congress following the 2006 midterm elections, Democrats are in need of some serious soul-searching.

If Democrats do not get back to the basics--embracing ideals of equity, empathy, and opportunity, fighting for the working man and woman, ending the Iraq war and restoring America's reputation in the world, tackling big domestic issues like poverty and health care--they will lose this election. And if they lose this election, the Democratic Party should pack up its tent and ride quietly into the sunset.

There's lots of advice and analysis out there, but here's what I think needs to happen in Denver:

First, the Democrats need to come together. After a grueling primary contest between two historic candidates, there is much concern about whether "unity" among Democrats is even possible. There's still bad blood between the Obama folks and the Clinton folks (more on that in a minute), and the Democrats have always had a hard time bringing everyone together in the big tent. There are alot of special and competing interests in the Democratic Party--some based on identity, others on ideology--and this has proven very hard to manage. But it's less important to have everyone agree on the issues than to have everyone agree that we need to win. In 2008, the ends are more important than the means. How we get there doesn't matter as long as we get there. As a seasoned lefty--one who has always prided himself on being an idealist more than a pragmatist, on sticking to principles over politics--I hate to hear myself talk like this. So be it.

Second, the Clintons need to learn that the political is not always personal. Truth be told, I have never liked the Clintons. They have always struck me as shameless opportunists and power brokers, ruthlessly brilliant people who are at least as ruthless as they are brilliant. Unlike, say, the Roosevelts and the Kennedys and the Carters, they have never struck me as Party People: iconic figures willing to put party and principle over self. Even as they get ready for prime time this week, the Clintons are still trying to milk the occasion for as much as they can get, even if that means stealing the spotlight from Obama and Biden, and undermining their candidacy as a result. They should be ashamed of themselves.

On the one hand, it's understandable that some of Clinton's supporters are still upset about her primary loss--it would have taken me some time, too, had Obama lost to Clinton--but they need to come on board now. And that means that the Clintons have to come on board, too--not with half a heart, but with a full embrace of Obama and all that he promises for the future of the Democratic Party. If the Clintons fail to do this--in other words, if they prevent Democrats from forging the unity they need at this crucial hour--they will be judged harshly, and deservedly so.

Bill Clinton, especially, has a lot to lose, not only because he has been acting like a petulant child ever since South Carolina, but because he is a former President whose recent behavior threatens to undermine the "legacy" he so desperately wants to establish. Even moreso than his wife and her fervent supporters, Bill Clinton needs to chill out, step back, and accept the fact that this is not about him any more.

Third, Barack Obama needs to win America over again. Following his brilliant keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Obama's meteoric rise has elicited both cheers and jeers. As readers of this blog know, I've been a staunch supportor of Obama's candidacy since the very beginning, and I remain so today. I was first drawn to Obama because of his remarkable life. I was inspired by it, certainly, but I could also identify with it. As the adopted son of working-class parents, a grateful graduate of the Ivy League who has lived much of his life across lines of color and class, I feel like Obama and I have walked in similiar shoes.

And I'm not alone. Obama has the capacity to connect with and inspire people, but he has to showcase this ability--again--in Denver on Thursday. He has to appear strong and ready, compassionate and concerned about our nation's collective well-being. It doesn't hurt that he will deliver his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington Address. This will no doubt invite favorable comparisons of Obama and Dr. King, and it will also remind Americans that this is a truly historic election, one that marks a vital, if partial realization of Dr. King's dream of racial equality. Some Americans, racist ones, will use this to denounce and reject Obama's candidacy. But the vast majority of us--the decent ones who denounce and reject racism--will take a moment to reflect upon how far we've come, even as we re-dedicate ourselves to the work ahead.

(This will also be another occasion for gadflies like me to remind people that Obama's opponent--John McCain--once opposed a bill to honor Dr. King with a national holiday. Talk about being on the wrong side of history!)

Finally, the Democrats need to go on the attack. Resident pitbull James Carville has already offered this advice to Obama, but I think he's right. Joe Klein says the same thing, in so many words (substitute "passion" for "anger"). The selection of Joe Biden as VP will help with this. As Newsweek's Jon Meacham said on this week's "Meet the Press," Biden is a "prizefighter." But Obama also needs to get fired up and ready to go.

In other words, this week, Barack Obama needs to demonstrate to fellow Democrats--and to the American people--that he wants this as bad as we do.

Iraqi wants US out!

2008-08-25T18:01:00.003-04:00

As if he intended to send a gift to the Democrats on the opening night of their convention, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today insisted that all foreign troops must be withdrawn from Iraq by a specific date in 2011.

Evidently, he doesn't like George W. Bush's vague notion of a "general time horizon." He's not the only one!

Not surprisingly, the White House doesn't like al-Maliki's call for a specific date for withdrawal. Spokesman Tony Fratto said: "There is no agreement until there is an agreement signed."

Fortunately, there is a specific date for Bush's withdrawal from the White House: January 20, 2009.

Perhaps then Prime Minister al-Maliki will get what he wants: the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the right to govern his own country.

He'll only get this if Barack Obama wins in November.

The Lion May Roar

2008-08-25T17:50:00.002-04:00

Ailing Democratic Party icon Ted Kennedy may address the Democratic convention tonight, after a video tribute to the Kennedy family. If he does speak, Kennedy will no doubt offer some of his trademark red meat to the decidedly liberal delegation. Talk about an opening act!

The Massachusetts lawmaker, who has been undergoing treatment for brain cancer in recent months, arrived in Denver last night and is reportedly eager to see a unified Democratic Party emerge from this week's convention. He's not the only one.

It's good to see Teddy back in action. The Lion roars!

And Speaking of Mitt...

2008-08-25T17:36:00.002-04:00

Moneybags Mitt will make an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, along with his fellow former (and failed) Republican Presidential contender Benito Giuliani. They are part of the Republican National Committee's "war room," designed to give the media a "GOP perspective" on the DNC proceedings.

(Personally, I've had enough "war rooms" and "GOP perspectives" to last me a lifetime!)

The dynamic dunces won't appear at the same time: Romney will be there on Tuesday; Giuliani, on Wednesday. Gee, I wonder if they're both on the McCain VP short-list?

I must admit, I do love the GOP's "war room" theme: "Not Ready: A Mile High and An Inch Deep." Weirdly sexual, no?

Who Will McCain Pick?

2008-08-25T17:24:00.002-04:00

Bill Kristol thinks John McCain should pick Joe Lieberman, the sellout--I mean, independent--Democratic Senator from Connecticut.

(You know, the guy who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000, but who has spent the last eight years fellating his Republican colleagues? Yeah, that Joe Lieberman. I'm not quite sure how BK thinks choosing Lieberman would be a sign of "national-unity," but whatever.)

Personally, I'd love to see McCain pick Mitt Romney, the least likeable, good-looking person I've ever encountered. He'll piss off the evangelical Christians who think Mormonism is a cult (the recent fiasco down in Texas didn't help matters any). And he'll alienate ordinary folks who think it's a little weird/offensive that two guys running for the White House in the midst of a national housing crisis already have, like, a dozen mansions between them.

Make our day, Mac: Make it Mitt.

A Regular Joe

2008-08-25T16:56:00.003-04:00

After nearly losing it on Friday, I received a 3am phone call--actually, it was a 3:19am text--early Saturday announcing that Barack Obama had chosen fellow Senator Joe Biden, Democrat from Delaware, to be his running mate.

As I wrote last week, I think this is a very good choice for Obama. Despite being a "Washington insider"--no more, I might add, than John McCain--Biden has been a bit of a "maverick" himself, commuting to work every day from his (one!) house in his home state of Delaware, challenging members of his own party to stick to bread-and-butter principles whenever they are tempted by power, profit, or poularity, working effectively with decent folks from the other side of the aisle, and building a strong record on military issues and foreign affairs.

Plus, he's a Catholic guy with blue-collar roots and a terrific sense of humor. Of all the viable options--Bayh, Sebelius, Edwards, Clinton, Kaine, and Richardson--Biden was Obama's best choice.

Of course, he's not perfect on every issue, but he'll make a good VP. And perhaps as important, he'll make a very good running mate.

The McCain folks, of course, have already responded negatively to the Biden choice, saying that it represents a "choice from weakness" for Barack Obama, and running an ad with a clip of Biden saying that Obama isn't ready to lead. This is typical spin, but it gives us a sense of how McCain intends to play this.

At the end of the day, Biden has got to worry Republicans, who want desperately to win the foreign policy debate with Obama. That debate will be even harder to win with Biden on the ticket.

It Just Might Happen...

2008-08-22T21:40:00.002-04:00

After waiting all day--somewhat impatiently, as you can see--for Barack Obama's text message, announcing his VP choice, I find myself running through every possible scenario.

Here's my latest:

The whole "first to know" text messaging thing was a very clever campaign stunt, designed to get millions of cell phone numbers on the books to bolster a "get out the vote" effort with 20-, 30-, and 40-something voters on Nov. 4th.

Check.

This strategy was also designed to dominate the media cycle in the last two days of the week before the Democratic convention begins next Monday in Denver.

Check.

Now, let's really fantasize:

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are totally in cahoots, and have been for quite some time. It's the only thing that accounts for the fact that she and her people have been very quiet since the big deal was struck to allow her name to be placed into nomination next week.

As we know, Camp Clinton is not known for its shy, retiring nature.

So next Tuesday, Clinton's name will be placed into nomination, the roll will be called, her folks will get the "catharsis" they're looking for, and then Clinton will gracefully, and graciously, take the stage to announce that she will vote for Barack Obama for President, urging her loyal followers to do the same--for the sake of this historic campaign, and the Democratic Party. Then she will give the speech of her lifetime, invoking themes of struggle, justice, history-making, glass-ceilings, dreams, unity, progress, and the like. It will be a transcendant performance.

Then the dramatic climax:

Barack Obama will stroll coolly onto the stage--surprise! surprise! he's in Denver one day earlier than the media told us he'd be. He will embrace his former rival. They will hold hands and raise them triumphantly above their heads, luxuriating in the approving roar of a Party desperate for a win.

And then he'll say the words 18 million Americans have been waiting to hear since June:

"I vote for Hillary Clinton--to be the next Vice President of the United States of America."

The crowd goes bonkers. The ticket is complete. At last.

The next night, Bill Clinton--finally purged of anger and racism and self-serving narcissism--will give his final "comeback" speech, an act of redemption and torch-passing, that will heal the warring factions.

And finally, the anti-war Party will be at peace.

The mind does race when waiting desperately by the phone.

No HRC

2008-08-22T15:46:00.002-04:00

Evidently, Obama is not going to pick Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate.

Sources close to Clinton say she was never even vetted.

Frankly, there's a part of me that's hoping Obama will pull off the biggest head-fake in modern American political history by announcing HRC as his running mate--either this weekend or at the convention in Denver next week.

Of course, if I have to wait 'til Tuesday for the text, I'm going to be (1) really drunk; (2) hospitalized for stress; or (3) both.

More on Hillary and Barack this weekend, once the anxiety over "the text" subsides.

Imaboutopuke!

2008-08-22T15:06:00.002-04:00

OK, so nearly everyone I know--every Democrat, anyway--is about to hurl, waiting anxiously for this damn text message from Barack Obama.

Enough, already, send it!

Meanwhile, HuffPo wants to push us over the edge with speculation that Obama is going to announce that he's picked Chet Edwards.

Nothing against Edwards, but I think he's a band-aid solution. Biden brings virtually the same things to the ticket that Edwards does, multiplied ten times over. Except a Texas address. But that's not enough, especially since Texas is so far out of reach for BHO anyway.

And the last thing Obama needs right now is a guy with the last name of "Edwards" on his ticket, especially since very few folks outside of Texas even know who he is.

It's almost Happy Hour here in NYC. Every text message makes me more crazy. Time to hit the "send" button, Barack, and make our weekend!

The Lads Love Cool James, Too!

2008-08-22T11:12:00.003-04:00

So I've been spending this week at my boyfriend's place in Park Slope. Like everyone else, I've just discovered Brooklyn. It's a glorious mix of people and styles and energy. There are, like, 3 lesbian bars on my boyfriend's block alone. I don't think there are 3 lesbian bars in Boston. No wonder so many of them have moved here!

(By the way, if you go out with lesbians on a Sunday night--as we did this week--be prepared for a hangover Monday morning!)

This week, I've been reminded, yet again, why--and how much--I love New York City. As much as I love living and working in Cambridge, I feel a rush here that I don't feel anywhere else. The Big Apple is home.

One of the reasons I love it here is because I'm a bit of a star-fucker. Yeah, that's right: I like spotting Woody Allen having dinner on the Upper West Side, or Jay-Z sipping a drink at a bar in the Village, or Don Cheadle crossing Broadway, or Sarah Jessica Parker filming an episode of "Sex and the City" near Central Park. It's all part of the rush that comes from living in the best city on the planet.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I ran into LL Cool J last Sunday while I was having dinner at Citrus (W. 75th and Amsterdam) with my best friend, Jessica. As we were waiting for the check, I was checking out this hot, muscle-bound guy walking up the street. Then I realized that the tattoos on his arms looked, well, familiar. I'd just seen one of his videos at the gym.

Anyway, by the time my eyes got to his, LL was flashing that trademark smile. He caught me lookin'!

I smiled back, and said, "Hey, man, what's up?" (So lame!)

"'Sup, man." (Still smiling.)

And just like that, our "moment" was over: he walked up the street, entered a building, and disappeared.

Then my check arrived. Reality bites.

But not really. After we paid the bill, I drove to my man's place in Park Slope. I'll take my C.J. over Cool J any day.

Radical Redux!

2008-08-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

I am very pleased to announce that my first book--The Radical Reader (New Press, 2003), a documentary anthology of the American radical tradition that I co-edited with my buddy John McMillian--has almost sold out of its first printing of 10,000 copies.

This is very exciting, since only about 5% of published authors ever sell more than 2,000 copies of any of their books. This is especially rare for academics.

Rest assured, John and I are not retiring to the South of France with our radical riches anytime soon--we're still blue-collar scholars--but we're pretty pleased that the book has done so well.

We were doubly pleased this week to receive notice from our editor that the New Press will not only do another printing of the book, but will also publish an abridged version, sort of a "greatest hits" of modern American radicalism--from Debs to Dubya--with a new intro by John and me.

The new book will hit bookstores next summer--just in time for your July 5th celebrations!

Poll Panic

2008-08-22T10:34:00.003-04:00

I've been getting lots of emails and text messages recently from Democratic friends who are concerned about the latest polls showing Barack Obama running even or slightly behind John McCain. That's basically the same as last week, and the week before that, and...

I'll tell you what I tell them: I don't care.

I'd be a fool (and a liar) if I said I don't read the polls, keep track of them, and sometimes even stress out about them. Every political junkie in the world is poll-obsessed.

But as Susan Estrich--a Clinton supporter--writes in RealClearPolitics, we should be very careful about basing our political predictions on the latest polls results. More often than not--especially in this campaign--the polls have been wrong.

(Honestly, are pollsters and corporate CEOs the only two types of people who get to keep their jobs even when they're consistently wrong?)

Just for fun, let me offer a little prediction: next week, Obama will lead in the polls. The week after that, McCain will close the gap, or even move slightly ahead. On or about the first debate, Obama will surge. Then, after the second debate, McCain will gain ground. Following the third debate, they'll be in a statistical dead heat. And so on, until the time comes for each one of us to actually enter the voting booth, search our soul, and perform our democratic duty.

(Let's hope a majority of us do our Democratic duty!)

The bottom line is it's gonna be close, folks. Closer than it should be, in my opinion, but close nonetheless. So forget the polls, and instead let's spend our time between now and November watching the conventions, hosting debate parties and fund raisers, reading the candidates' plans, encouraging as many people as we can to do the same, and engaging in vigorous discussions with those who do. We have an opportunity here we shouldn't squander.

In other words, let's be agents of change rather than anxious spectators of the horse-race.

I Agree With David Brooks

2008-08-22T10:25:00.001-04:00

Now, you won't hear me say that very often.

But today, DB and I are on the same page: Obama should pick Biden!

McCain is Rich

2008-08-22T10:08:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, at the "civil forum" pastor Rick Warren hosted at his Saddleback mega-church in southern California, Presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama were each asked to answer the question: "What do you consider 'rich'?"

In other words, they were asked to give a threshold to distinguish the middle class from the truly wealthy. For his part, Obama defined "middle class" as a family earning an annual income of less than $150,000. A reasonable answer that demonstrates he has a sense of economic reality.

McCain's answer: you're rich if you earn more than $5 million. Only a man with seven houses (or is is eight, I can't remember?) would be this out of touch with ordinary Americans.

In today's NYT, Paul Krugman puts Obama's and McCain's answers into sharp relief.

When it comes to America's economic woes--and so much else--my vote is with Obama.

And the VP pick is...

2008-08-22T09:55:00.003-04:00

...Joe Biden. I think Obama is going to go with Biden.

Given recent events across the globe--the Russia-Georgia conflict, the resignation of Perez Musharraf in Pakistan, recent unrest in Kashmir--Obama will need a seasoned veteran with deep experience in the international arena. Among the leading members of his short-list--Evan Bayh, Tim Kaine, Kathleen Sebelius--only Biden has the global gravitas that an Obama administration will need in these perilous times.

I've always thought Biden would make a great Secretary of Defense or of State, but I've come around to thinking he's Obama's best choice for #2. That's where my money is this morning.

The Waiting Game

2008-08-22T09:30:00.003-04:00

Millions of Americans are on pins and needles this morning, awaiting a text message announcing Barack Obama's running mate.

This is the latest stroke of genius from a brilliantly executed campaign: make people feel like they're the "first to know," at the same time gathering cell phone numbers so that it can send "get out the vote" text messages on November 4th.

Say what you want about Obama, but he and his people have run a textbook campaign, one that will be studied in political science and communications classes for years to come. In addition to bringing legions of new voters into the mix, Obama's campaign has mastered the art and politics of new media, building on and broadening the successes of Howard Dean's ground-breaking 2004 Presidential campaign (one that pushed the envelope before the MSM made it crash and burn).

As a result, Obama may very well alter the electoral map, putting the interior West and parts of the South seriously in play for the Democrats for the first time in recent memory. In this, his campaign's movement organizing approach has dovetailed nicely with Howard Dean's "50-state strategy." I predict that the political map will change in 2008 for the first time in a generation.

Obama may accomplish something else that is rare in American politics: he may actually get young people to go to the polls--not simply because he's "inspiring," but because he speaks our language and uses our technology.

In the Obama campaign, old-school organizing meets new-school communication.

I've already received a dozen text messages this morning--all of them about Obama--and I'm scheduled to go on Bloomberg radio as soon as I get "the text."

Times, they are a-changin'.

Harvard On Top Again...

2008-08-22T09:22:00.003-04:00

...at least for the time being.

U.S. News and World Report has just published its annual rankings of America's best colleges and universities, and Harvard beat Princeton by a tenth of a point. It's the nerd Olympics!

Seriously, I never give these rankings too much credence. When Harvard doesn't own the #1 slot--it hasn't, by itself, since 1996--everyone at Harvard talks about how silly the rankings are. But when we come out on top, we're the first to brag about it.

Just for the record, Harvard was #1 each of the four years I was an undergraduate. (I'm not telling the years!)

Coincidence? I think not.

So much for my contention that Olympic athletes need a dose of humility!

A Phelpsian Pheat

2008-08-17T10:43:00.004-04:00

American swimmer Michael Phelps has done what no other Olympian has ever achieved: he has won eight gold medals. Not only that, he went eight for eight in Beijing.

Watching Phelps compete this week has been remarkable. I've been glued to the television every night he's been swimming--which is to say, every night. Much has been made of his incredible physical frame and mental focus, his discipline and determination. You don't have to be an athlete--or, in my case, a former one!--to appreciate his awesome gifts.

Phelps is that rare kind of person, one who is capable of turning athletic competition into artistic creation. We've witnessed history this week, and it's been pretty inspiring.

I'm not usually so taken by the Olympics. Frankly, I find the pomp and circumstance of it all somewhat disingenuous, and I'm disgusted with the invasive consumerism. Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Phelps hadn't even gotten his eighth medal yet when NBC cut to a commercial advertising a video of his "historic journey" for purchase?

And seriously, does anyone really believe for a second that these Olympic athletes chow down on "Southern-style" chicken sandwiches from McDonald's? Trust me, you don't get washboard abs from eating fried chicken with special seasoning.

Some see the Olympics as a peaceful respite, but given all the human violence and human rights violations in the world today--ominously symbolized by Russian tanks marching into Georgia as Georgian athletes marched into the Birdnest in Beijing--it seems like a collective head-in-the-sand exercise to me. Sue me, but I'd like to see a little protest and critique mixed in with the pomp and circumstance.

Still, I've been mesmerized by certain elements of this year's competition.

In addition to Phelps, I loved watching the women's all-around gymnastics competition between Shawn Johnson, the adorable Iowa-bred sensation who is trained by a former Chinese gymnast, and Nastia Liukin, the first-generation American protege of former Soviet champions, Valeri and Anna Liukin. Close friends as well as fierce competitors, Nastia and Shane won gold and silver, respectively, besting China's Yang Yilin, who came in third. (That said, I find it hard to call this competition women's gymnastics, but that's another matter entirely.)

Speaking of women, I was thrilled to see the 41-year-old Dara Torres earn two medals, but I was even more impressed with the gravitas she demonstrated right before the semifinals of the 50m freestyle on Friday, when she asked her fellow swimmers to wait for Sweden's Therese Alshammar, who had to fix a rip in her bathing suit. After the race--which she won--Torres told reporters, "In the pool, these women are my competitors, but out of it, they are my friends." A class act.

Honestly, I was even impressed by Kobe Bryant--by far my least favorite NBA player--who conducted press interviews in Beijing in four different languages (English, Italian, Spanish, and French; rumor has it, he also speaks a bit of Farsi). Americans are good at a lot of things, but multi-lingualism is not one of them. The NBA all-star famously expressed his patriotism in an interview with NBC's Chris Collinsworth, but this time, Americans can be pretty proud of Kobe.

I'll be even prouder if the "Redeem Team" brings home the gold!

For what it's worth, I also love the fact that these athletes support one another. It was cool to see Kobe and his teammates coming out to see Phelps compete.

Of course, not every moment has been cause for pride or celebration. Coach K could use some "redeeming" of his own. Ditto for the Spanish basketball teams.

And the male sprinters need to slow their roll.

It's hard for me to revel in Jamaican sprinter Usian Bolt's world record-breaking 9.69 in the 100m dash. As amazing as Bolt's performance is, once he realized he was going to beat his rival Asafa Powell--and all the other runners--he let up and began celebrating. He could have taken another second or so off his time if he hadn't coasted to the finish line. I have a hard time respecting that, new world record notwithstanding.

This kind of hubristic showmanship is why I have stopped watching a lot of track and field, despite the fact that I still think these guys--and gals--are among the finest athletes in the world. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I think you can be confident without being cocky.

(And enough with the Divine shout-outs. Wherever God is, she has more important things to worry about than whether or not you won a race or scored a goal.)

All in all, I've been surprisingly taken in by the 2008 Olympics. Perhaps it's because like so many of us across the globe, I need a respite, too. Or perhaps it's because I think that athletic competition is one of the few arenas where the very best aspects of our common humanity--sacrifice, discipline, hard work, respect, resilience, teamwork, good will--not only triumph but transcend.

Georgia On My Mind

2008-08-17T10:09:00.002-04:00

As George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin waved to their Olympians during the opening "parade of nations" in Beijing, China, last week, Russian tanks rolled into--and over--neighboring Georgia in a disgraceful show of imperial force against a sovereign nation.

Sound familiar?

(For the record, I've always thought America and Russia have more in common than either country would like to admit.)

Though you'd never know it from Bush's peace-loving, human rights-supporting, flag-waving, back-patting, pre-vacation vacation in Beijing, crises abound across the globe.

On Bush and the most recent crisis, Maureen Dowd has this scorcher in today's NYT.

According to MoDo, W. has been on vacation at his ranch 469 days (and counting) during his two terms in office. That's more than a full year. Maybe Bush really does take seriously the Biblical exhortation to keep holy the Sabbath day. That would explain why he's been "resting" for one-seventh of his Presidency.

Honestly, it's amazing this guy can fuck shit up so bad when he's on vacation so much.

For his part, W. responded to the Russian invasion of Georgia with this gem: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

Are you kidding me?!

Let me repeat that: U.S. President George W. Bush--the man who has presided over the invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with 9/11--said that "bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

Unbelievable.

This guy has no shame, no shame at all. By far the biggest loser in Beijing last week, George W. Bush is a disgrace to this nation, and to the entire world.

Once he is removed from office in January--though not a minute before then--our long national nightmare will end. And our long overdue national redemption can begin.

Frank Rich: Fired Up and Ready To Go!

2008-08-17T09:45:00.003-04:00

Returning from a two-week vacation, Frank Rich says there's one candidate we still don't know.

You guessed it: John McCain.

Rich makes a persuasive case that the MSM has drunk too much of the Kool-Aid when it comes to the Myth of "Maverick" McCain, who actually voted with the Bush agenda 95% of the time last year.

Here's an interesting breakdown of McCain and Obama's recent voting records, suggesting that both candidates toe the party line pretty much all the time.

The problem for McCain, of course, is that President Bush is the lamest of lame duck Presidents.

Being so closely tied to W's failed policies, both at home and abroad, will be a titanic disadvantage for McCain as the campaign kicks into full gear this fall. Look for "a third Bush-Cheney term" to be a constant refrain from Camp Obama.

Ellen and Portia Tie the Knot!

2008-08-17T09:35:00.002-04:00

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi got married.

They are the first same-sex celebrity couple--unless, of course, you count lesbian activist/icons Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin--to be married since California's historic ruling this past spring.

I didn't realize de Rossi was that much younger (36) than DeGeneres (50).

OK, Ellen, robbin' the cradle!

Seriously, congratulations to a beautiful couple that continues to open doors for the rest of us.

I'm Back Again

2008-08-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

Hello, gentle readers. I'm back again.

I've been on hiatus for a few weeks, not--as several of you have snarkily suggested--because Barack Obama is having a relatively bad month (is he, really?) but because I'm trying to get as much other writing done as I can during the last month of the summer.

You know: publish or perish. Ah, academia!

But I'm getting back in the swing of things, gearing up for the Democratic Convention in Denver next week.

I'll be in Brooklyn this week, visiting my partner, and I'll be blogging from there in the evenings.

It's About Time!

2008-07-29T23:14:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, the U.S House of Representatives formally--and finally--apologized for slavery and Jim Crow segregation.

Congress has previously issued apologies for Japanese-American internment during WWII and for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. Three years ago, the Senate apologized for failing to pass anti-lynching legislation in the early 20th century.

So much time, so few apologies.

If only our elected leaders would dedicate themselves to voting according to moral and ethical conviction, rather than political expediency, our democratic institutions might become beacons of progress as opposed to warehouses of regret.

At any rate, the resolution--sponsored by Rep. Steven Cohen (D-TN) and supported by the Congressional Black Caucus--passed by a voice vote, but it's interesting that this article doesn't mention what the vote was. It will be interesting to know who voted against it, and who had to be convinced to vote for it.

The resolution doesn't explicitly mention reparations, but it does commit Congress to rectifying "the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against African-Americans under slavery and Jim Crow." Who knows what that will entail?

Electing a black President would be a good place to start. But it's only a start.

My Friends, I Agree with Senator Obama.

2008-07-27T09:29:00.002-04:00

Evidently, John McCain now thinks that the 16-month timetable for withdrawal--supported by both Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki--is a "pretty good timetable."

Good to see Senator McCain coming to his senses.

George W. Bush: Human Rights Activist

2008-07-27T08:33:00.003-04:00

In perhaps the most absurd political moment in recent American history--and that's saying something!--George W. Bush announced last week that he hopes his successor will carry on his "freedom agenda."

What is this "freedom agenda," you ask?

Evidently, it's comprised of "democracy," "free trade," and--get this--"human rights."

Yes, you heard that correctly: human rights.

Here's the description right from the horse's ass: "The challenge for future presidents and future Congresses is to ensure that America always stands with those seeking freedom -- and never hesitates to shine the light of conscience on abuses of human rights across the world."

I mean, really, are you kidding me? Is W. hittin' the sauce again?

It's hard to comprehend how these guys can even sleep at night.

Wrong of Right? Cocky or Commanding?

2008-07-27T08:27:00.002-04:00

Maureen Dowd and Thomas Friedman have two interesting perspectives on Barack Obama's world tour last week.

Dowd thinks that Obama looked pretty Presidential overseas, moreso that John McCain, who spent time last week riding around in a golf cart with George H. W. Bush.

Friedman thinks that McCain was right (and Obama was wrong) about the "surge," and that Obama is right (and McCain is wrong) about a timetable for withdrawal.

But who was right about the war in the first place? As important, what do the Iraqi people think?

Do Ask, Do Tell

2008-07-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

At a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee last week, Representative Patrick Murphy, a veteran, sharply questioned the "logic"--that gay soldiers pose a threat to unit cohesion--of the military's anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Punchline: the policy is both anti-gay and insulting to straight soldiers.

We like Patrick Murphy.

What's Wrong With Being Muslim?

2008-07-27T08:10:00.002-04:00

According to a new Pew Research poll, 12% of Americans still think Barack Obama is Muslim.

The interesting thing is that 37% of those who think he's Muslim also say they will vote for him.

I know he's not, but what if Barack Obama were Muslim? Would that disqualify him from being President of the United States? I suspect it would.

What does it say about the lack of separation of church and state--to say nothing of the lack of prejudice--in America that being non-Christian (Muslim, atheist, etc.) could effectively sink one's chances to run for the highest office in the land?

That's a huge problem for a multicultural democracy.

Are We Really This Stupid?

2008-07-27T07:51:00.002-04:00

In the New York Observer, my buddy John McMillian--with whom I co-edited my first book, The Radical Reader (New Press)--has an excellent review of Rick Shenkman's new book, Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter (Basic).

Shenkman thinks we're pretty damn stupid, lacking a basic understanding of our democratic institutions which, in turn, handicaps our ability to be effective democratic citizens.

Sounds like a pretty timely book.

In a related item, John and two of our dear friends--fellow historians Mike Foley and Jeremy Varon--just launched a new journal with Routledge on the 1960s. The first issue was just published. Check it out!

In the Fox-hole

2008-07-27T07:26:00.004-04:00

One of the things I don't think Barack Obama gets as much credit for as he should is his sense of humor. He's actually a pretty funny guy.

Surprised that Fox News seemed to be the "channel of choice" on Armed Forces Television, Obama had the following exchange with Fox News reporter Major Garrett during his recent trip to Iraq:

Obama: How is it that Fox News has such the hook up with Armed Forces Television?

Garrett: They make the choice.

Obama: Is that the commander in chief's choice?

Of course, the right-wing blogosphere is having a field day with this. So is Fox News. Major Garrett followed up his exchange with Obama by saying that if Barack Obama only spent more time with the troops, he'd know that they all don't watch Fox News.

And now John McCain is jumping on the "Obama-doesn't-support-the-troops" bandwagon. Predictably, the "straight-talk express" has become a patriotism parade. When you don't have anything else to say, question your opponent's patriotism and support of the troops.

Works every time. Just ask Max Cleland.

Sex and Socialism

2008-07-25T07:57:00.002-04:00

One of my friends and colleagues, Christopher Phelps, a professor of history at Ohio State, has recently discovered a fascinating piece of archival material that sheds new light on the fraught historical relationship between American socialism and the gay and lesbian rights movement.

Doug Ireland has some good coverage of it here.

Needless to say, the Left has always had its "issues," shall we say, with its queer brothers and sisters. But this document--"Socialism and Sex," published in 1952 in Young Socialist, the bulletin of the youth section of Norman Thomas's Socialist Party--poses a challenge to historical convention in at least two ways.

First, is suggests that the "origins" of modern gay liberation cannot be neatly located in the founding of Harry Hay's Mattachine Society in the early 1950s. And second, it suggests that the Old Left, especially its youth wing, may not have been as hostile to homosexuality as scholars and activists have long portrayed.

Granted, this is just one short article--the subject requires deeper investigation--but Phelps' discovery is an important one for those of us interested in the history of radicalism and gay liberation in modern America.

The most recent issue of the journal New Politics has a symposium on "Gays and the Left," featuring "Socialism and Sex," an article by Phelps on the historical significance of his archival finding, and additional commentary by queer scholar-activists John D'Emilio, Martin Duberman, Bettina Aptheker, David McReynolds, and Jeff Escoffier.

There will be a second installment of the symposium published sometime next year.

Obama on Iran

2008-07-23T17:13:00.002-04:00

Today in Israel, where he'll meet separately with Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Barack Obama clarified and defended his plans for tough negotiations--using "big sticks and big carrots"--with Iran.

Claiming that both the United States and Israel will be vulnerable to attack if Iran achieves its nuclear ambitions, Obama pledged his "unshakable commitment to Israel's security," while affirming Israel's right to defend itself in a hostile region. Obama also vowed to work hard to achieve a peaceful resolution to the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sounding a note of realism, however, Obama added that it is "not the job of the United States to dictate" the terms or outcome of negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Amen to that.

Wrong On The Surge

2008-07-23T16:58:00.002-04:00

We all know that John McCain refuses to commit to a timetable for the withdrawl of U.S. troops from Iraq. Even though Iraqi President Nouri al-Malaki has requested one.

But now he can't even remember the basic timing of the "surge." You know, that shift in military strategy that he endorsed, and for which he constantly takes credit. Was it early 2007? Was it six months before that?

John McCain seems to be losing credibility on foreign policy every day, especially since he's been reduced to the role of resident whiner, constantly on defense, reacting negatively to every thing Barack Obama does during his trip to Europe and the Middle East.

Does John McCain have any ideas of his own?

Best. Review. Ever.

2008-07-23T16:39:00.002-04:00

I've already told you what a guilty pleasure "Mamma Mia!" was; it was good summer fun.

Anthony Lane, film critic for the New Yorker, doesn't exactly agree with my assessment, but we are on the same page about the excruciating experience of having to watch Pierce Brosnan try to sing. Lane has one of the best descriptions I've ever read in a film review:

"The legal definition of torture has been much aired in recent years, and I take 'Mamma Mia!' to be a useful contribution to that debate....I thought that Pierce Brosnan had been dragged to the edge of endurance by North Korean sadists in his final Bond film, 'Die Another Day,' but that was a quick tickle with a feather duster compared with the agony of singing Abba’s 'S.O.S.' to Meryl Streep through a kitchen window. Somebody, either a cheeky Swede or another North Korean, has deliberately scored the number a tone and a half too high, with visible results: swelling muscles along the jawline, tightened throat, a panicky bulge in the eyes. There is no delicate way of putting this, but anyone watching Brosnan in mid-delivery will conclude that he has recently suffered from a series of complex digestive problems, and that the camera has, with unfortunate timing, caught him at the exact moment when he is finally working them out. What has he done to deserve this?"

Classic.

Brilliant!

2008-07-23T12:11:00.003-04:00

Vanity Fair has spoofed the now infamous New Yorker cover.

And this time it's the McCains!

Banking on McCain

2008-07-23T12:03:00.003-04:00

A recent poll of economists suggests that the U.S. stock market would fare better under President McCain than President Obama.

And why, pray tell, is that? Could it be that Republicans are better at making the rich richer?

Naw, couldn't be that.

Will we ever step back and question the received wisdom that Republicans are better on the economy and foreign policy than Democrats? Or am I just being a liberal wuss?

Honestly, do the last eight years not provide enough evidence to at least entertain the idea that Republicans might not have all the answers?

Wall Street Wasted!

2008-07-23T11:36:00.003-04:00

At a private fundraiser in Texas for a Republican Congressional candidate, George W. Bush had this to say about the housing crisis: "There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk. It got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is, how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments?"

I just love drinking metaphors from a former drunk about sobering economic conditions.

(And what the hell are "fancy financial instruments"?!?!)

Bush's indiscreet comments were recorded on a cell phone and then posted to YouTube, giving even more support to the argument that we're witnessing the end of discretion, and privacy, as we know it. We're all an embarassment waiting to happen now!

But rest assured, the President is no whiner. He followed up these remarks by saying that there isn't a housing crisis in Houston or Dallas, where Laura Bush is currently shopping around for a new home. Evidently, the First Lady doesn't want to spend her retirement in Crawford.

This will, no doubt, come as welcome news to folks there.

And just today, Bush withdrew his opposition to a federal housing bill that would assist struggling homeowners and give a cash infusion to the embattled mortgage giants, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. As Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said to reporters: "We believe this is not the time for a prolonged veto fight." And why not, Dana? Could it be that there's an election coming up?

Is it a coincidence that Bush broke with his party (and his people)--something he rarely does--on a federal housing bailout the very same week he was caught on video joking about Wall Street excess, the very same week his wife is in the market for a new mansion?

I doubt it.

A Nation of Readers

2008-07-23T03:21:00.004-04:00

The current issue of The Nation has some excellent articles that I recommend reading:

Gary Younge's column on Jesse Jackson and the end of discretion.

Joann Wypijewski's essay on the hot love between Michelle and Barack Obama.

Amy Alexander's essay on the on-line color line.

Christopher Hayes' retrospective on the tenth anniversary of MoveOn.org.

Has it really been 10 years? Geez.

Anyway, check 'em out!

Will A Black President Hurt Black People?

2008-07-23T02:54:00.003-04:00

Some critics are now speculating that a Barack Obama Presidency may not actually be a good thing for African Americans.

Their argument--which I think is interesting but ultimately misguided--rests on the belief that most white people will view an Obama victory as a sign that we're in some post-racial age where racism is an historical artifact, an ancient embarassment, rather than a present-day reality. These critics assert that this gives whites incentive to ignore racial division and discrimination even more than they already do.

I've always said that a black face in a high place is not the same thing as erradicating racism. Only a fool would equate the two.

But only a fool would deny that having a black president would help to heal the wounds inflicted by four centuries of slavery, racism, discrimination, acrimony, and resentment. To deny the potentially liberating possibilities of Obama's success--for all of us--it to engage in the worst kind of cynicism.

Sure, there will be people who say that we're "not ready" for a black president, and people who work overtime to make sure that doesn't happen, but there are also lots of people who want to move beyond our troubled history--not by announcing the arrival of some post-racial utopia, but by acknowledging Obama's candidacy for what it is: a legitimate sign of progress in a nation that has often resisted it.

Barack Obama will be good for black people, and he'll be good for white people. Neither savior nor saint, he nonetheless represents the kind of America many of us have been waiting for.

Where's The Beef?

2008-07-23T02:35:00.002-04:00

Republicans are angry that Barack Obama opposed the "surge." Democrats are angry that McCain supported the war.

Some on the Left think Obama's a sellout. Some on the Right think McCain's a traitor.

When it comes to Iraq, I'm with the editors of The Nation on this one. If you're an anti-war voter, there is a clear choice in this election: President Obama will end this war.

He may not do it as swiftly as many of us on the Left would like, but he will do it. And we've been waiting a long time--too long--for this to happen.

Gaffes and Googles

2008-07-23T02:17:00.004-04:00

Sunni = Shia.

Somalia or Sudan?

Steelers or Packers?

Is Putin the President of Germany, or Russia?

Whither Czechoslavakia?

That treacherous Iraq/Pakistan border.

Claiming to have a decisive advantage over Barack Obama when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain has made a distressing number of mistakes in that realm lately.

Are these just innocent gaffes, the result of a dizzying campaign schedule, or are they something else? Is John McCain losing it, as some critics believe, or did he never have it to begin with?

I mean, really, this guy's running to be the Leader of the Free World and he doesn't even know what "a Google" is!

To tell you the truth, I feel for John McCain, and for Barack Obama. A presidential campaign has got to be one of the most grueling, tiring experiences imaginable. And in this YouTube age, they always have to be "on"; there's no room for human error. The minute either of them stumbles, the video link is uploaded and the blogs are abuzz with criticism. How many of us would fare well under this constant pressure and public scrutiny? I know I wouldn't. My potty mouth alone would send me packing.

But the more I hear from and about John McCain, the more I think he's snookered alot of people over the years with his "maverick" brand and macho charisma.

Critics have accused Barack Obama of being an "empty suit." More and more, I'm beginning to think that John McCain stole his tailor.

Mac's Iraq Attack

2008-07-23T02:01:00.003-04:00

Evidently, the New York Times refused to publish John McCain's editorial on his plan for victory in Iraq. With great sanctimony, the New York Post ran it yesterday.

Here's Obama's NYT op-ed, "My Plan for Iraq," from last week.

Camp McCain is upset about the NYT slight, which will, no doubt, amplify his argument that the liberal media, suffering from Obama-mania, is neglecting his campaign.

Mac may be miffed about the media, but he's going to be really pissed about this. It appears the troops aren't as upset about the prospect of an Obama Presidency as Senator McCain would like us to believe.

He's A Liar, Too!

2008-07-23T01:55:00.002-04:00

In addition to being a racist and megalomaniac, it turns out Apollo Braun--the Israeli-born, New York-based, anti-Obama T-shirt designer--lied to the newspaper editor who broke the story about four black girls beating up a white woman who was wearing his "Obama Is My Slave" T-shirt.

Yup, just another racist fabrication/publicity stunt. Nice guy, this Braun.

(Needless to say, the editor, Metro's Mark Bulliet, has been fired.)

Drunker Than A Skunk!

2008-07-23T01:53:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Rhode Island police arrested a guy who was so drunk he should have been dead.

Damn, man, bad day at the office?

Sophia's Gone To Heaven!

2008-07-23T01:44:00.004-04:00

Actress Estelle Getty has died at the age of 84. Getty was most famous for her role as the hilariously cranky and quick-witted Sophia on the hit series "The Golden Girls."

A good friend of mine once said: "Way before "Sex and the City,' there were 'The Golden Girls.'"

Getty's Sophia gave us so many laughs our stomachs still hurt. Whenever I have insomnia--which is quite a bit--I run through the cable menu, hoping to find a re-run of the classic sitcom. Seriously, I think I've seen every episode at least three times.

My cousins and I like to refer to our grandmothers--four Italian sisters, ranging in age from 84 to 95--as "the Golden Girls" (my gram is the real-life version of Betty White's character). So when I heard the news of Estelle Getty's death, I couldn't help but think a part of my own family had passed away.

Rest in Peace, Sophia, and thanks for all the laughs. I hope Sal made it to heaven, too!

Heeeee's Mu-Crazy!

2008-07-21T17:09:00.004-04:00

Bush's Attorney General--the third in a string of real lunatics--has finally lost his mind.

Michael Mukasey wants the U.S. Congress to formally declare war against al Qaeda--I thought we already were at war against al Qaeda?--so that the Bush Administration can detain suspected terrorists for as long as the "war" lasts.

In other words, Bush's chief "law" "enforcement" "official" wants Congress to declare war against someone/somewhere/whomever/wherever so that the Bush Administration can continue to violate international human rights law, the U.S. Constitution, and, it turns out, a recent ruling of the Supreme Court.

How many days until January 20, 2009?

Imabout2losemymind.

McCain's Obama Envy

2008-07-21T16:29:00.006-04:00

First, John McCain criticized Barack Obama for not having been to Iraq lately.

Now, he's criticizing him for going to Iraq, claiming, incredibly, that he--John McCain--has been "right all along" about Iraq and Afghanistan.

Really, Senator?

Other than calling for the firing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld--something everyone except Dick and Dubya wanted to do--you have been wrong about these wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, the War on Terror) ever since 9/11.

Senator, instead of whining about Barack Obama--his style, his substance, the media's attraction to both--why don't you tend to your own incoherent and unorganized campaign. Get your own house in order and stop whining about the "kid."

Because frankly, Senator, the kid's kicking your ass.

Batman Is No Joke!

2008-07-21T14:30:00.003-04:00

Last night, I went to see "The Dark Night" with a few close friends. It was, quite simply, the best movie I've seen in years. Evidently, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Seriously, I had chills walking out of the theater. Everything about this film was remarkable: the conception, the screenplay, the acting, the music, the special effects, the costumes. I'm not usually a huge fan of "superhero" movies, but I loved this film. Perhaps that's because it isn't a superhero movie at all. That's the point. It's a post-modern jeremiad for good and evil, one that insists upon the full dismantling of neat binaries and Manichean worldviews. In our post-9/11 world, the movie implores us, there's no such thing as heroes. Full of lush darkness and rich ambiguity, this is a film you'll be talking about for weeks, months, years. In a word, it's haunting.

Until last night, I'd never felt the full weight of the tragedy of Heath Ledger's death in January--ruled an "accidental overdose," but more likely a suicide. Watching Ledger's earth-shattering performance as the socio-pathic "Joker"--at times, his performance was so unsettling it was impossible to watch--made me realize what a tremendous loss his death really is. A genius died last winter. Just ask Jack Nicholson, who will no doubt be the first to acknowledge that Ledger's Oscar-worthy performance has set a new standard for the portrayal of screen villians.

The ensemble cast--Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freedman, and Michael Caine--deliver fantastic performances. I couldn't help but think the Gyllenhaals, Jake and Maggie, must be especially devastated by Ledger's premature death, having both had such intimate encounter with his greatness.

If you haven't seen this film, stop what you're doing and go immediately to the theater! I'm going to see it again, on Imax, next weekend.

Obama Is Not Jesus

2008-07-21T13:24:00.004-04:00

I am often criticized, here and elsewhere, for being too easy on Barack Obama. People accuse me of "drinking the Kool-Aid," viewing him through rose-colored glasses, ignoring his faults and contradictions.

Guilty as charged. On all counts. Sometimes, I even make the Kool-Aid.

I won't recount all the reasons I support Barack Obama's candidacy; you've heard them before.

But I will say, for the record, that I do have some doubts about Obama. In particular, I have been dismayed by his recent shift to the center, although I also understand why he thinks he needs to do this, politically. But let me be clear: unlike many progressives, who have naively imposed their own worldview on Obama, I've approached his candidacy with eyes wide open, knowing full well that he's neither a stubborn ideologue nor a fuzzy idealist (at times, I am both).

As Ryan Lizza argues in the most recent issue of the New Yorker (you know the issue I'm talking about!), Obama is a saavy politician, a young man who cut his teeth in the rough and tumble world of Chicago politics. He's a pragmatic progressive who tends to view ideological rigidity as a political stumbling block. As Emerson put it, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Obama would agree.

I just finished an essay, "Toward a More Perfect Candidate: Barack Obama and the Politics of Queer" (for a special issue of the Gay and Lesbian Review on the 2008 election, to be published in September), in which I argue, quite forcefully, that Obama is far from a perfect candidate.

There are a number of important issues on which I strenuously disagree with the senator. We can start with the death penalty and same-sex marriage, then move to his flawed health care plan, his recent backtracking on the FISA bill (about which I am especially furious), and his peculiar triangulations on abortion rights and faith-based initiatives. Generally speaking, I agree with every criticism contained in the July 4 NYT editorial, "New and Not Improved."

I even worry, sometimes, about his lack of Washington experience. But then I remember that many of our finest leaders--Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, all of the Founding Fathers--also suffered from such a deficit. The verdict is still out on whether "experience" is essential to effective governance. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney offer powerful examples to support conflicting answers to this tired question.

These days, I find myself arguing with my friends on the Left as much as I do those on the Right. More often than not, I think these debates are actually healthy. It's a sign that we're alive and in the midst of something quite significant. Whether Barack Obama will be the "change we can believe in" remains to be seen, but there's enough evidence to suggest that he has the potential to become not only a visionary leader but an effective public official; certainly he has enough time. That said, I worry profoundly about whether or not he'll realize this potential, but I worry at least as much about whether we have the capacity and courage to rise to the occasion if he does.

Jesse Jackson once said that progressive change happens when "enlightened leaders" and "an energized electorate" come together. Each needs the other. If we are to be the change we want to see in the world--change we desperately need--Obama must continue to work hard to energize us, and we must continue to work hard to enlighten him. And that means keeping him honest by articulating our grievances when we have have them.

We could all stand to be reminded of this from time to time.

"The People's Photographer"

2008-07-21T12:45:00.003-04:00

Today's NYT has a terrific profile of Alix Dejean, a Brooklyn-based, Haitian-American photographer--the self-ascribed "people's photographer" of Harlem.

Inspired by the legendary artist Gordon Parks, Dejean is a regular fixture above West 96th Street, a picture-maker who documents the lives of both elites and ordinary folks, as well as the changing landscape of New York's most famous neighborhood.

During a recent trip to New York City, I drove across 125th Street and was disgusted--by the gentrified capitalist sprawl that has replaced the locally owed businesses I remember so fondly from my graduate student days at Columbia when I called Harlem a home. In the 90s, Harlem became an "empowerment zone," which attracted businesses and capital investment, designed, according to its political architects, to "revitalize" a part of the city that was suffering from high poverty, decaying infrastructure, and an escalating drug and homelessness crisis. Sure, parts of Harlem were gritty, tough on the eye, at times dangerous. Back when I lived there, it was hard to find white people or tourists walking along 125th Street after dark.

All of that has now changed. Glow has replaced grit. As with the "transformation" of Times Square--Mickey and Minnie now sit where the hookers and hustlers used to stroll--Harlem, a longtime haven for cool cats, is now a mecca for capitalist consumption.

Driving across 125th Street last week, I couldn't help but wonder: Where is all this money going? How many people in Harlem does this "empower"?

As the undisciplined forces of consumption and profit continue to eat away at our souls, at least we have folks like Alix Dejean, documentarians who preserve the past, and record change, by representing the here and now. His pictures are a treasure trove.

Without being too nostalgic (after all, I, too, was a visitor in Harlem) I feel a lot like James Weldon Johnson's Ex-Colored Man did--like all this "progress" is just "a mess of pottage."