The week in politics

Quite the exciting week as far as politics is concerned. The last two weeks have seen a major economic crisis finally come to the forefront. We have seen more from the Republican VP nominee and the first of the Presidential debates. Now is the time when the majority of undecided voters in this country will begin to make up their minds concerning the election. Personally, I think that there was a lot of activity this week that should help a lot of independents make their decision.

First off, let me make a brief note on this economic crisis. There are way too many factors to pin this on just one thing. Bad loans, so-called "predatory lending", lack of regulations. Whichever cause you want to subscribe to, it is clear that this situation has been building for years. We saw the beginning of it earlier this year with the multitude of home foreclosures. How was that not a bigger signal to those that are truly influential in terms of the economy? All sorts of people dropped the ball here. Am I for a bail out? On the whole, I am not. I think that the majority of companies should not be saved just because they made poor business decisions. However, this situation is really unlike any that we have faced in this country. These institutions have way too much going on within various industries to fail at this point. While I admire those that would rather see them fail than see our government and taxpayers pay for the mistakes, I do believe that those individuals either do not understand what would become of the markets under this failure or do not care. A lot of the people who are against this bailout have enough money that it would make very little difference to them if one of these large banks simply disappeared. So I am eager to see this bailout plan and how certain groups are addresses (mainly the regular taxpayer).

On to the actual politics...this week we saw the beginning of an interview that Katie Couric had with the Republican VP nominee, Sarah Palin. Outside of an interview with Charlie Gibson, Palin has yet to really speak to the media since she has been announced. Plenty will disagree with me, but the interview with Couric reminded me exactly why she has been kept from fielding these sorts of questions. She looks and sounds like someone who has just crammed all night for a test and is getting called on by the professor in front of the class. She sticks to her talking points and when she strays from them, she struggles. At this point, when questioned about their running mate's credentials in terms of economic regulations, a VP should not be able to say, "I'll try to find you some and bring them to you." This is not a take home test. You do not have the luxury of getting back to me about these sorts of things when questioned. If Joe Biden was questioned about something concerning Barack Obama's experience and said, "Let me get back to you." he would get destroyed by the media. And Palin is seeing that she is not being received so favorably in light of this interview. Oddly enough, the part of the interview that frustrated me most had nothing to do with her answers on the economy or foreign policy because I anticipated her talking points on those matters. Her discussion of why she did not have a passport until continues to bother me for some reason. Here is her response to why she did not have a passport until last year:

"I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world.

No, I've worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life until I had kids. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture. The way that I have understood the world is through education, through books, through mediums that have provided me a lot of perspective on the world."

Ummm....all right. I can only speak for myself, but I am also not one of "those" who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and travel the world on their parents dime. I have also worked all of my life. I don't believe there was any point that I had two jobs, but I took student loans out to pay for my college and I worked during many semesters. So extremely convoluted answer aside, I sort of take offense to the fact that she apparently views passports as items that are bestowed upon rich kids when they graduate college. I have traveled the world and I have done so thanks to my own bank account (and American Express), thank you very much. Despite the fact that I learned a whole lot about the world through education, I always felt that I could not understand parts of the world without actually going there. In other words, I think that her answer to this question is an inexcusable cop out. If someone can explain that she meant something else here, I would gladly appreciate the insight. As it is now, I feel as if she is trying to act like having a passport before your 40's is somehow out of the ordinary. That being said, I honestly think that attitude is born out of the fact that she lives in Alaska. I truly believe that Alaskan life is so outside of normal realm that we see in the lower 48 that she might not know any better. That would make more sense to me than trying to understand why she made the comment as if passports are only owned by those who are somehow privileged.

Wow. That was a bit much. But like I said, that is the thing that stood out to me the most. For whatever reason, I think that answer is a shining example of just how out of touch this woman is when it comes to normal American life. Then again, maybe that answer will play with those folks who believe that being closer to Russia somehow gives her foreign policy credentials. Which is another thing I could probably talk about for days, but I will not.

On to the debate that almost did not happen. First of all, I knew that it would happen from the get go. As soon as Obama said that he was going to show up regardless, I knew that the McCain campaign would not give him a free 90 minute campaign commercial simply to prove a point. Personally, I think that Obama was right in saying that sometimes presidents have to multitask. Plain and simple. That and the fact that both of them should have been in Washington working on this long before Thursday. Honestly, you either suspend the campaigns at the point where AIG failed (which was TWO weeks ago at this point) or you do not suspend them at all. Do not act like two days before the debate is scheduled is the right time to really hunker down and get back to Washington because both of you were absent for the preceding week and a half. I feel as if the move was pretty irrational, but that is what some of you will refer to as an example of how he's a "Maverick". That being said, I do not think that either John McCain or Barack Obama said anything in the debate to really set the other one back, as far as I'm concerned. The bigger thing that I noticed from the debate was the demeanor of the two. Obama was directly addressing McCain whereas I do not think that John looked him in the face a single time, not even during their handshakes. I will freely admit that Barack Obama has less foreign policy experience than John McCain. There isn't a single sane person in this country who will tell you otherwise. However, he spoke about foreign policy much more intelligently and rationally. And I think that this will be one of the biggest shifts moving forward. Much has been made about Obama's lack of experience. However, I believe that he showed a lot of people that not only could he hold his own on these discussions, but he could actually speak with enough intelligence to change some minds. I do not put much stock in polling, but all of the polls I have seen concerning this debate speak to how Obama has changed a lot of minds concerning whether he is ready to lead. And in that, I call a victory for him in this debate. I welcome any and all counterpoints to anything that I have said here. PBS was probably the best coverage from last night and even they noted the fact that McCain would not look at Obama. In their eyes, Obama came out looking like the more presidential of the two. In split screen shots, it was very reminiscent of the Kennedy/Nixon debates where one candidate looked relaxed and fresh while the other looked somewhat perturbed. We'll see how this progresses from here.

I am particularly excited about the VP debate in this coming week. Honestly, my opinion of Sarah Palin as a VP pick is further solidified each time she opens her mouth. As I mentioned above, she seems like a student who is desperately trying to impress her professor by regurgitating knowledge. However, much like the student who memorizes only what they think are the important points, she seems unable to give us her own opinion without stumbling. I think that the VP debate will be structured enough that she should be able to hold her own, but if it happens to go off on a tangent or if the moderator is allowed to ask follow up questions that might require some additional critical thought, I think she is going to have some trouble. But I have been wrong before and we shall see.

I know this was long and somewhat unfocused, but I figure that is better than writing nothing at all. Hope everyone is having a nice Saturday evening and I will talk to you soon.

Neglect

I didn't mean to go this long without writing something, but I got kind of sidetracked the last couple of weeks. Vegas was spectacular despite the fact that none of us won any money. It was still a blast, as it always is. Plus, I'll be back in November to avenge my losses...

Anyway, I was a bit under the weather after I returned from Vegas. Not sure if it was a result of lack of sleep and proper nutrition or it was just my body telling me that I should not have left Vegas, but I'm better now. Got my yearly cold out of the way. Last weekend, I saw the Drive-By Truckers and the Avett Brothers here in Charlottesville. The Avett Brothers were really good despite the fact that their opening set lasted nearly an hour and a half. Not sure I have ever seen an opening band play that long. Regardless, their new album is being produced by Rick Rubin and is sure to satisfy all the fans of mildly depressing alt-country music. The Truckers were spectacular as I expected. I have to admit that I liked them more when Jason Isbell was still with them, but they still put on a great show. Probably the strangest thing to me was the constant comments about how good it felt to be back in "The South". I guess Charlottesville is, but I have never really considered it a "Southern" city in any sense of the word. Regardless, I am trying my best to see them again this fall with The Hold Steady, but I am not sure I will be able to pull that off. The closest show is in Raleigh, but it's on a Monday. Little tough to pull that off. Ah well. Maybe I'll just go all out and hit the Nashville/Atlanta combo for Halloween. I get the feeling that my body will hate me if I decide to go down that route...

In terms of new music, Jenny Lewis' latest album, Acid Tongue, came out this week. First of all, I am absolutely in love with this woman. As far as I'm concerned, she could sing about doing her taxes and I would have to listen over and over. This album isn't as good as Rabbit Fur Coat (see album cover above), but there are some great moments. Once again, if this is something you want to hear, let me know and I'll help you out. For the record, I think she is extremely attractive in sort of a non-traditional way, so my love isn't just limited to her angelic voice. Her looks certainly help. Give me a girl with a voice like that who can play guitar and you pretty much have a vision of my ideal woman. What can I say? I am an absolutely sucker for female musicians. I went to see her with her band, Rilo Kiley, in Richmond back in June and I absolutely regret not professing my love. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I have a lot to say about recent political stuff (the debates, the Sarah Palin-Katie Couric interview, etc) but I am going to make that a separate post because I think it deserves it. Expect that one shortly. For the time being, I am watching Georgia get absolutely dismantled by Alabama. Hopefully I'll write more tonight, but I cannot make any guarantees. They recently released Mega Man 9 on the Wii and my weekend has been somewhat consumed by nostalgic video game playing thus far. Feels like I'm in elementary school again...that is if I drank a bunch of beer when I was 9.

Dear Science

And now for something on a totally different topic...


The new TV on the Radio album is absolutely fantastic. I have not been able to pull myself away from it for the past few days. Technically, it comes out on September 23, but the Internet savvy folks know where to go it. If you do not, drop me a line and I'll help you find the way. Everyone that knows me knows I listen to a whole lot of music. To be totally honest, there is a lot of stuff that I get excited about for a week or two and then lose interest. This is not one of those albums. While I have been a fan of this band for a few years, this is really on another level. A lot of people did not think they would come close to what they achieved on Return to Cookie Mountain, but this one should smash right through any and all expectations.


This is the album that a lot of bands wished they put out this year. It has pop melodies and hooks that Coldplay wishes they could touch. It weaves in and out of various genres effortlessly in a way that makes My Morning Jacket's Evil Urges look rather immature. In some ways, I sort of feel like this is the sort of album that Radiohead could make now if they did not take themselves so seriously. And that is coming from someone who would list Radiohead at the very top of best/most influential bands of the last 20 years. Dear Science tackles upbeat music in the same way that OK Computer made being disillusioned hip.

At first blush, it is difficult to pin this album down. Elsewhere, you will probably read comparisons to Brian Eno-era David Bowie. And those comparisons are certainly applicable. But I hear much more Prince with some "Sexual Healing" Marvin Gaye thrown in. The influences will continue to reveal themselves through repeated listenings, but this is the first album I have heard in a while that sort of confuses me while intriguing me at the same time. With other albums that I have enjoyed this year, you sort of know what to expect from one track to the next. Here, you have no idea what is coming. "Crying" sounds like it was built off of "Nightshift" by The Commodores. The build up and eventual release are eeriely reminiscent of Radiohead's "Let Down" if it was played in 1984 by The Talking Heads. "Stork And Owl" features plucked strings and a backing beat that would not be out of place in an indie rap album. That is, if your typical indie rap album heavily featured a string quartet. "Family Tree" is what "Vida La Vida" would sound like if Chris Martin was not so comfortable making babies with Gweneth Paltrow and fighting for fair trade. And finally, "Lover's Day" is a raunchy shout out to just that...a lover's day. When I first listened to it, I was too in love with the music to listen to the lyrics. Upon paying attention, I was able to realize that there is much more substance to the triumphant music. It is a triumphant sex song, simply put.

The great thing about this album is that it is extremely witty without putting forth a ton of effort. There are a lot of bands out there that I love, but really seem forced when it comes down to it (The Hold Steady, I'm looking right at you!). Somehow, TV on the Radio has managed to create an album with such a lush musical and lyrical landscape while appearing non-chalant. There is nothing really laid back about this album. Do not let it fool you there. It is driving and inspiring. As cheesy as it may sound, I can only wait to hear a few choice tracks while I bask in the neon lights of Las Vegas later this week. I sort of get the impression that I will understand it even more in that environment.

On that note, you may not hear much from me until next week. Not that anyone is really reading this, but I will be in Vegas from Friday until Monday and who knows if I'll feel inspired enough to write something the next two nights...Take care.

Change?

Over the last week, the Republican Party has attempted to assert themselves as the party of change in 2008. Do they really think that America is that stupid? While Congress has been controlled by Democrats for the past two years, the White House and Capitol Hill have been under heavy Republican influence for the majority of the last eight years. But if you listen to Mitt "Mittens" Romney, he would have you believe that we are living under some "liberal" Washington. You know, the "liberal" Supreme Court that gave prisoners in Guantanamo Bay rights? The "liberal" President who got us involved in a war that had absolutely nothing to do with either weapons of mass destruction or 9/11? Man, they really must have fooled us. All along, I thought we were being led by conservatives. Thank goodness we have people like John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani to let us know that they are going to take back Washington from...themselves.

Seriously America. Do you find it funny that the Republicans are suddenly the party of change when they've tried to denigrate a candidate because of his promise of change? Do you really think that the last eight years are the result of liberals controlling our policies? To steal a line from Gob Bluth...COME ON! If you are really happy with the last eight years in terms of politics, then you have no reason to vote for Barack Obama. Then again, you are probably profiting off of some policy that was either established by the Bush administration or expanded by it. However, if you feel like the last eight years were not what you were expecting out of a leader, then I think the choice is pretty clear. The burden of proof is on John McCain and Sarah Palin to explain how they are the party that will change Washington. And up until this point, they have done nothing of the sort.

John McCain used to be the kind of politician that I respected. If I had my choice, he probably would've been the President in 2000. I apologize to my fellow Democrats, but it is the truth. However, in the period of just one year, he has succumbed to the Republican base and essentially lost everything that made me respect him as a politician. What was once a viable alternative to George W. Bush is now his spitting image. And why is that? Because the Republican Party did not like him as a candidate until he started following the party line. This "Maverick" has become nothing but a pawn. Sarah Palin is clearly a brilliant pick for the party, but it is apparent that McCain is now ready to do whatever it takes to become the President and that means selling out at any point necessary. Remember how he pledged to keep this a clean race? Yeah. That's no different than the assertion that Obama promised to take public financing and then decided against that. In both cases, you had politicians who realized that it would not be in their best interests to follow through. Yet somehow Obama's situation is more indicative that he is not fit to lead. If you are going to criticize one for not keeping a promise, you must criticize the other. And that is what is not happening in this country right now. You have a Republicn Party that is crying foul that the media is not giving them a fair shake. And yet somehow, they are allowed to blatantly lie about the positions of their opposition without repercussion. Once again...COME ON!

The Republicans are trying to play us again and this time around, they have even less of a hand than they had in 2000 and 2004. Rudy Giuliani mentioned that he was upset at how infrequently the Democrats mentioned 9/11 during their convention. So what? 9/11 was absolutely tragic. Everyone will agree with that. However, this country has many more pressing issues than a terrorist attack that occured almost 7 years ago. For Rudy "I was the mayor of NYC during 9/11" Giuliani to bring that up shows how desperate the Republicans are this year. They are once again trying to prey on the fears of the American public. Why else would he make that comment about the Democrats? His point is that in not constantly talking about 9/11, the Democrats are somehow less capable of protecting our country.

Let us not allow this sort of politics to continue. We are more intelligent than that and we should not be played. This is way more important than Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative and pro-life or pro-choice. This is about where our country has been and where we must go. I can only hope that when that Tuesday in November comes, this country will decide that enough is enough.

Why I love/hate politics

Sarah Palin showed America tonight that she's ready to join the battle. It's just a shame that she did so by continuing the belittlement of someone's experience as a community organizer in an extremely low income neighborhood of Chicago. I am the last person to use the "experience" argument on either side of this year's election. But to use rhetoric to disparage someone who did work within his community is more of the same for the Republicans. Each time an election rolls around, I try to convince myself that they won't use the same ridiculous tactics that they've used in every election I have followed. Instead, they continue to prey on the fears of Americans in trying to convince them that the Democrats either can't keep this country safe or don't even care about doing so.

That being said, the Democrats now have a wealth of ammunition to go at her and John McCain. You want to claim that being a mayor and a governor gives you more executive experience than Barack Obama? Then you have to admit that it also makes her more experienced than John McCain. You want to talk about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere? Be ready for the media to dispute every word that you've said on the subject (and they've already begun). You want to talk about taxes in a borderline intellectually dishonest way? Expect the terms "ethics investigation" and "Trooper-Gate" to pop up here and there. Joe Biden is probably foaming at the mouth as we speak waiting to respond to her criticisms and I know that Plouffe and Axelrod will be ready.

My friends, I have no personal issues with Sarah Palin. I disagree completely with some of her policies concerning homosexual marriage and a women's right to choose, but I don't think she is a bad person. Keep her family out of this as I couldn't care less about her 17 year old daughter. However, as I already said, she is a political Hail Mary and she will be defended as such. To use a football analogy, what are you supposed to do when a team throws up a Hail Mary? You knock the ball down. That's all I'm saying. Good night.

"Maybe we're not strangers after all..."

The venue looked sort of like a big unfinished basement. The only difference was that this one had a stage at one end and a bar at the other. In between the bar and the stage, there were numerous bookshelves and fixed chairs interspersed with loose seats. The Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville is the closest thing to my personal approximation of what it was like to be in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village during the heyday of folk music. The Dutchess and the Duke are the kind of band that helped to reinforce that feeling. Walking into the venue a little before 10:30PM, I was under the assumption that the above band was the second band on the lineup. When I found out that was not the case, I was somewhat relieved. While I love music, I am not a huge fan of sitting through some band that I don't know waiting for the band I really want to see. Over the years, I've seen some pretty terrible opening bands so it was nice to avoid that for a change As I settled down in front of the stage with my beer, I wondered why not one else was sitting as close as I was. When the three band members (two actual members and a third from the second band) carried their acoustic guitars out and urged everyone to move up, I started to get an idea of what we were in for that evening.

Since She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke came out in July, it has been in steady rotation for my late night, pre-sleep music. Their sound is a throwback to a time when music was simpler and their recording techniques put that on display. The album sounds like the Dutchess and the Duke were sitting on my couch and I had microphones setup directly in front of them recording whatever came out of their mouths and instruments. The music also sounds familiar without being super derivative or formulaic, which is pretty difficult to pull off these days. This isn't your typical acoustic duo. Two guitars, two voices and a gentleman playing some light percussion. There were no microphones, no pretenses and no frills. They sat on the edge of the stage and played. There were some drinks, some jokes about port wine and even some audience participation. While that portion of the evening was the low point (how do bands always manage to pull the one guy out of the crowd without any semblance of rhythm?), they managed to plow through 11 songs in about 45 minutes. The harmonies came through as pure and the guitar work was crisp and precise. They weren't always totally in tune, but we didn't care. With stripped down instrumentation, the songs came through with even more impact. With a band like this, I would not want it any other way. Plus, I'm a sucker for attractive woman that can either sing or play guitar. Kimberly (The Dutchess) can do both.

Highlights for me were "Strangers" and "I'm Just a Ghost". The former ends with what is one of my favorite lines of recent memory "Well I've added up all the things you've done and I've taken a good look at the man that I've become. And maybe we're not strangers after all..." The latter starts off sounding positively like a ballad. But as the song moves forward, the intensity builds until the release of the group harmonizing on the phrase "I am just a ghost..." over and over. In the intimate, basement-like setting of the Gravity Lounge, it felt almost like a church hymn. And with the end of that song, the show was over.

I spoke with Jesse (The Duke) afterwards as I was buying a copy of their album (I held out because I was hoping they would have vinyl and they did). He is heading back to Seattle after they finish up this little tour in a couple of weeks and going back to school. Hearing things like that out of a band always scares me a little bit because you never know if that means they are done, but he assured me they are planning on writing another album. It would be a serious shame if they did not. A band like this deserves to get more attention, but you always run the risk of them getting too big for certain venues. The trouble with a band like The Dutchess and the Duke is what happens when their crowds get too large for a place like Gravity Lounge. You know how certain bands just don't seem right in particular venues? You wouldn't really want to see these guys in the 9:30 Club without more of a legit backing band and I think they would lose some appeal in that kind of setup. Maybe that's just me wanting them to come back to Charlottesville and play the same place again sometime. Or maybe I just can't stand going to the 9:30 Club anymore. Either way, everyone needs to give The Dutchess and the Duke a shot.

http://www.myspace.com/thedutchessandtheduke
http://hardlyart.com/dutchess_duke.html

Politics as usual?

It always makes me a little nervous to speak about my beliefs and hopes in terms of the political party or team that I support in a given year. Clearly, this is the result of the letdown that we Democrats experienced back in 2004. For a team to lose about Bush and Cheney at that point was inexcusable. But that is exactly what the Dems did. I didn't particularly like John Kerry or John Edwards, but the alternative was just not an option for me. At that point, I was really just getting back into politics on the whole and I didn't really follow the process from the beginning of the campaign season. Regardless, I supported the ticket. In the end, the Republicans painted the two as weak candidates and America apparently decided that it would rather have the known commodity in Bush and Cheney rather than go with two men that were perceived as weak. Flash forward to now and John Edwards' political career is all but finished due to his adultery. John Kerry, on the other hand, is able to be the powerful figure that he should have been in 2004. The Democrats had a convention where they effective displayed their power and put a solid platform on display. I am happy with their criticisms on the Republican Party and John McCain because they came across as being intelligent and forceful without stooping to typical political name-calling. Republicans will disagree with me, I'm sure.

At this point in time, the Republicans have just started their national convention. So let me talk about John McCain and Sarah Palin. Biggest political Hail Mary that I have ever been witness to? Without a doubt. As we are now finding out today, Palin was not thoroughly vetted by the McCain campaign. This is evidenced by the fact that McCain's team has sent some representatives to Alaska to delve a little deeper into her history. So far, there have been some interesting developments. I couldn't care less that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. However, as more things come out about her in the next few days and weeks, it becomes more and more apparent that the decision to choose her as his VP was very rash on McCain's part. "Transparent" is a word that has been thrown around to describe the choice. I think that about sums it up. While the Republicans out there will tout her "Conservative-ness", it is a clear grasp at securing some of the Hillary Clinton dissidents. And the best that Hillary can do is go out and make it clear that Palin is not the same choice as Hillary. I didn't really agree with how Clinton handled the primary season, but she has shown since that she does have the power to be influential this fall. Depending on what comes out concerning Palin (and the list continues to grow as I type this!), Hillary might not have much work to do. It will be incredibly interesting to see how the Republicans frame the argument concerning the quick pick as we move forward in the process. For the time being, I'll just sit back and enjoy the digging.

There is plenty of time for things to change between now and November 4th. Nothing is guaranteed at this point. But if things continue to play out as they have recently, I do believe that Obama will be the next President of this country. I cannot begin to explain how much the thought of that inspires me. Trust me, I do not have any unrealistic expectations about what he may or may not do as President. As much as I would like to see it, I do not think that he will be able to change Washington as much as it needs to be changed. But I do believe that he will put the country back on track. We have moved so far off course in the last eight years and I just do not see the Republicans changing very much. Picking up a few more seats in the House and Senate will certainly help, so hopefully that pans out as well. This country is in need of a fresh look. Over the past 20 years, American has seen two familes control the political landscape. Regardless of who is elected this fall, that will change. The difference is that one candidate will most likely continue the traditions of the outgoing President while the other one will do his best to break those traditions.

What will we do this time around?