I Write Letters

My misguided boyfriend Charles Krauthammer is at it again.  Coveting.

Charles opens with:

Barack Obama is an immensely talented man whose talents have been largely devoted to crafting, and chronicling, his own life. Not things. Not ideas. Not institutions. But himself.

Charles closes with:

The oddity of this convention is that its central figure is the ultimate self-made man, a dazzling mysterious Gatsby. The palpable apprehension is that the anointed is a stranger -- a deeply engaging, elegant, brilliant stranger with whom the Democrats had a torrid affair. Having slowly woken up, they see the ring and wonder who exactly they married last night.

Are he and Maureen having an imagery throw-down?

I, of course, could not turn away from my responsibility of pulling him back from the brink.  That's what a good girlfriend does when she sees her spinning guy sinking further in the quicksand.  I write in the WaPo comments section.

Oh, good lord, Mr. Krauthammer. I hate addressing this to you personally, but I can no longer watch this. It's like a train wreck. Please. Let this craven envy go. It'll lead you to no good end. Column after column of yours that I have read, you have methodically ignored Obama's clear expression of his policies, his ideas, his respect and love for the country, to proclaim him what he plainly is not. You don't have to like or agree with him, but for the love of all that is holy, please base your criticisms on what is there, not on what you believe you can conjure or transparently wish you possessed.

He won't listen.

Obtuse Gets Called

Matty Y shines a light on stupidity.  Apparently the AP's conservative water brigade is none too bright and completely transparent.  A tip.  It's okay to level criticism at a person's...any person's...speechifying skills.  Just make sure it's, well, smart.  Matty's comeback to the AP's asking how Obama would cut taxes:

How? His staff would have to work with the staffs of the relevant members of congress on writing a bill. Then the bill needs to get out of committee, pass the House and the Senate, maybe go through a conference committee process and then be signed into law. What does he mean how?

And the comments points out, anyone who remembers Schoolhouse Rock knows this.  Why doesn't the AP?

A Glimpse

I'm fairly certain it's David Strathairn narrating...this is a nice intro movie to Obama's acceptance speech this evening.

I Dug Up A Diamond

I found this out on the internets.  My sentiments as well.

For such a time as this...
On the day that marks the embodiment of the spirit of a King in the person of an Obama,
Even as that spirit converges with the fury of Katrina embodied in Gustav and Hanna.

Today, for the first time, I cried through all verses of the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, and Born in the USA.
Today, for the first time, I cried through the Pledge of Allegiance, because today for the first time I feel that America's allegiance fully extends to me.
Today, for the first time, I feel fully an heir to the American promise.

May God make me a living memorial to the hope of this day, and make me a vessel to carry that memorial to my grandchildren's grandchildren.
May God lay his hand of protection on the Gulf, and Obama, and each and every American.
God Bless America, as he has blessed me to see this day.

William Jefferson Clinton

Watching Bill's speech last night, I remembered how much I loved him as POTUS, and how very disappointed I was that he allowed his personal foibles to ruin his presidency.  He's like a bad boyfriend.  Completely awesome when he's with you, but you wonder what the frak he's up to when he's away running the streets, and word WILL get back to you about the stupid ass things he says and the stupid ass things he does.  And you get all mad and swear that it's over, and he shows up one time, on time, with flowers, words and pretzel logic and he loves you up perfectly.

That's Bill.  "...Power of our example, [not] the example of our power."  Bill, you silver tongued speech giving devil.

Matthew Yglesias has a short post on point.  Pay attention to the comments.  tom c says:  "There’s two Bill Clintons, see. Angry Bill is insufferable. Tonight Happy Bill showed up and Happy Bill can make the mothership land when he wants to."

Here's Bill:

Michelle, Ma Belle

I worked last night well into this morning.  Great overtime, but I encountered the got home buzz, not being able to fall asleep until almost 3:00 a.m.  I had taken my laptop to work to catch Michelle's speech, but got entrenched in doing my job and only heard it in the background.  Luckily, by the time I got home way late and put my feet up, the video had posted.

As Anonymous Sis said, it was magnificent.

But even as I listened to a graceful and elegant endorsement of her husband, I was annoyed that this speech's purpose was to make Michelle more accessible to voters, as if she had to defend herself and way of being to an America afraid of black women.

I bring this up for two reasons.

One, dNa's (real name Adam Serwer) weekly contribution to The American Prospect (which also houses Ezra Klein, another of my favorites) addresses this exactly.  This young man is one of my favorite essayists.  He hit the nail on the head about resenting it being necessary to make Michelle go down easier with America.

Two, I'm fairly certain I Scary Black Womaned a co-worker today, even though my complaint with her had nothing to do with race, but about effort made to get a job done.  That was my complaint which I brought solidly to her doorstep.  I fear, however, that that's not what she'll take away from the lesson.  I'm more inclined to believe she'll take the SBW line by no more than me being me...apparently a Scary Black Woman.  More of me being me...I feel bad that I was so harsh with her and plan to apologize in the morning, which apology will have nothing to do with my SBWism and more to do with me being a huge softie and hate that I may have hurt her feelings, no matter how deserved it was.

Anyway, Michelle's magnificent speech.

Blogging Is Easy; Commenting Is Hard

Yeah.  Been away.  Not good for building a base.  Frankly, I got disheartened with the political landscape.  The lay of the land was foggy and shallow.  The back and forth over things that have nothing to do with the fact that I'm making more money than I have ever before, but it is being eaten up by the high cost of, well, everything.  I'm in my 50s and really no better off than I was in my 30s.  I'm by myself.  I don't know how people with families make ends meet.  I cannot imagine how difficult for those who have children.

I've watched the campaign that I was so obsessed with become full of lies and rhetoric and pettiness and it discouraged me.  Plus, I've made a few comments at sites I admire only to have them deleted or not show up at all.  I'm not a troll but apparently I am.  Of course, it could be my online name, the same as this blog, that is the problem.  Ah, well.  So, I laid low for a bit.

Comments are a funny thing.  I wrote a piece for an online newspaper once about a comment war that broke out at Gawker.  Honestly, I cannot believe how people speak to each other through the anonymity.  The invectives flying around would never be hurled in real life.  And the personal attacks...  Whoo boy.  I'm putting myself on a self-imposed exile of Jezebel because them bitches is mean just to be so.

I'll stick to blogging, methinks.  You never know if comments are shitty or real.  No matter.  I would never hurl comments at someone I don't know in person and I certainly don't do it in comment sections.  I'll just keep my inanity here to not be read by anyone. 

Heart Sunk, Swimming To Find It

I lost a bit of my spirit...because of things happening and moods swinging and gorgeous Anonymous N-Niece visiting and...oh...other things.  I also got sick to death of all the election bull, wearing me down.  And so I lost my muse or rather she left me, but she's a fickle bitch anyway.

So.

I'll say that I'm tentatively back and will try to get back on track.  So much going on.  So much to say.  So much.

Please stay tuned.

Better Than I, But I'm Trying

Punk rock goes completely over my head, but Spencer gives a gorgeous essay deeper than a mere explanation.

Remember my talk of envy?  Consider me envious but hopeful.  If I could just get out of my own way, I could write like that.

Aaaand...I'm Back

I thought I was paying tribute enough to my router but it decided to bitch slap me for my stingy refusal to sacrifice a virgin in its name.  It's LA.  I frankly couldn't find one if I wanted.

Again, many weekend hours with offshore techies.

Hopefully, this incarnation will last.

Back to daily posting?  Hopefully if my router decides to give quarter.

More Right Than Wrong With The World

"Groundhog Day," Bill Murray's best IMO, is up on Hulu.  It'll only be available until August 31st, so grab it soon and often.  My favorite line?  "Don't drive angry."

Computer Issues? FIXED!

My computer issues have been resolved.  Yay!  My router is now putty in my hands.  So I'll get back to posting more frequently, if only to push my Bitter Screed further down the page.  (I won't link to it...it's, like, right there.  Ugh.)  I suppose I could delete it, but that's not quite right.  I wrote it; I should own up to it.

Changing the subject...  I interviewed my complete blog admiration crush Spencer Ackerman last weekend and am working on a profile of my young brave evil-ass journalist friend.  I hope to get it up this weekend.  I'm looking to interview some other of my internet writer pals for pieces for Anonymous Sec's, so you can get to see them how I do.

Also, Ta-Nehisi Coates moved over to The Atlantic.  Big move for him, but I'll miss his masthead with the quote that confused me.

Thanks to the folks that leave comments (shout out to Anonymous and Phoebe).  You all completely make my day.

Stay tuned, y'all.  I feel a writing flurry coming on.

Does Maureen Dowd Read Anonymous Sec's?

Hey!  Maureen's obviously been reading me!  She's picked up on my "all these middle-aged white men are sick with envy over Obama" meme.  Not that it is particularly insightful of her.  Anyone with eyes and ears can tell they're mad with covetousness, but I'm kinda proud.

Pot Meet Kettle

So, Bush is going to China for the Olympics complaining about their human rights violations?  Since, apparently, China's holding a huge IOU from the US to the tune of $1.5 trillion or about $6,000 per person.  Do you believe they really care what Bush thinks?

Glad I Finally Learned A Thing Or Twelve: A Personal And Ribald Aside

See this video?

Point should be noted.  The "what you did" argument that can perhaps enlighten or at least not get your point lost in personal vitriol vs. the "what you are" argument that will slip into throw down.  Deep.  I watched it many times to truly understand the point.

And...

Heartfelt recognition bitch slapped me hard because they're still making this sort of brilliant quick talking logic making can't be pushed around arrogant self involved motherfucker that I usedta lose my heart and my snatch to in a hot minute knowing full well that I can match him wit for wit but rarely daring to try because a brother this sure of himself just can't be gracefully bested and it always ends in me feeling like I was too smart and he will not match me on the toe line instead fucking with my brain with epithets like "I'm just trying live correct" with an almost imperceptible head shake of distress and there's really nothing correct about me feeling less and taking months to get over it wondering how someone so smart and funny and smart who fucked me like I was butterscotch velvet with hands in my hair and humid whispers in my ear can now turn and strut not walk away like I'm just another piece of difficult and interchangeable snatch leaving me with less heart to give to the next smarty-pants so that now right now with mumble-mumble smarty-pantses and mumble-mumble years gone I got nothing left to feel with so I don't.

Um...  My issue.  I have no idea who this young brother is but his argument's tight, huh?

Outstanding Obama Resource

Iceberg Slim, at Daily Kos has a diary (post?) up every Sunday entitled This Week With Barack Obama of  all things Obama.  It is also cross-posted at the same titled Blogger account.

I find it amazing how much work people are doing during this election.

I Write Letters

George Will in the Washington Post with what has become the talking point that Obama is winning but not winning by enough:

But polls taken since his trip abroad do not indicate that Obama succeeded in altering the oddest aspect of this presidential campaign: Measured against his party's surging strength in every region and at every level, he is dramatically underperforming. Surely this fact is related to anxieties about his thin résumé regarding national security matters, the thinnest of any major party nominee since Wendell Willkie in 1940. But the fact also might be related to fatigue from too much of Obama's eloquence, which is beginning to sound formulaic and perfunctory.

I'm not certain how "dramatically underperforming" Sen. Obama is based on how "thin" his resume is "regarding national security matters."  Assuming that is true, I believe this is a yardstick Will reserves only for Obama.  Try as I might, I cannot find anything referring to George W. Bush's national security expertise before he ran for presidential office in 2000.  (If anyone as a link, I'd appreciate it and will make a correction.)  And Obama's opponent?  When did he become the national security cipher and why wasn't he applying his superpowers during Katrina or doesn't national security apply to within as well as without.

But that national security expertise aside, why is it incumbent upon Obama to obliterate?  This is a country of many different people, beliefs and ideas.  Wouldn't it be expected that not everyone in the country feels that he is their preferred candidate?  I won't even go into the "yeah, he's winning but not by enough" trope I keep hearing.  That's a shifty talking point made to try and convince people that their belief in Obama is not wholly justified or acceptable.

The whole of Will's Op-Ed piece is complaining about Obama's ability to publicly speak in coherent sentences and inspirational themes.  No slacker in the using 10 words when 7 will do arena, I would think Will would pick on something else.  Is his bar set so very low by the mundane expression of the existing President that he considers Obama completing a thought high-minded?

And, again, I will refer to the underlying current of envy present in all of these conservative Messrs. Ed sent out to shore up Sen. McCain's candidacy by superficially criticizing Obama.

Will's final paragraph:

Swift and sweeping changes are almost always calamitous consequences of calamities -- often of wars, sometimes of people determined to "remake the world." Wise voters -- polls might be telling us that there are more of them than Obama imagines -- hanker for candidates whose principal promise is that they will do their best to muddle through without breaking too much crockery.

I cannot express how irritated I was by this paragraph.  So as evidenced by the past 8 years banality is best?  Mediocrity works?  Breaking crockery is a no no, but setting lives asunder with no clear design is okay?

Wild hair?  Up my ass wriggling like a Slinky.  I write:

What is most disheartening about this op-ed is the same thing that is depressing about all of the essays criticizing Sen. Obama's expressions of what he wishes to bring about. They try to make me feel guilty for believing my country can do better, much better, than it has done these last years. To suggest that any president elected merely must tread water to be successful is insulting not just to me as an American but to both candidates.

Doing just good enough is for pundits too entrenched in their own ideology to venture to excellence by using their craft to actually elevate the discussion instead of snarking with half-truths and obviously envious talking points. Doing just good enough leads countries to ill-advised wars with the military they have. Doing just good enough mires us all in mediocrity. Yet doing just good enough seems to be the course Mr. Will advises for the next president.

I think we can do much much better than that and none of us should expect anything less.

Look here. I'm sick to death of picking apart both candidates with shallow purpose. My support is evident and I feel my preferred candidate is up to the task. But so might be the other if he would stop listening to those who would advise that he be just good enough.

On an interesting note, as I wrote this letter I flashed back to my mother speaking about how if I only applied myself, I could get all A's in third grade.  Just doing good enough wasn't good enough, she implied.  Apparently, for George Will, it is.