Hot Flashes from the Campaign Trail

2006-11-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

Friends –

O.K. So it was close to an earthquake. It was at least a good sized wave. And it just keeps getting better. In May, when we sent you a note asking you to make a leap of faith and commit to helping candidates we would identify, it seemed like a little project that might have some impact on the margin. By June, when we had identified ten candidates and asked you to actually write checks, many of you did. And by this morning, we were together part of something really important. When we started, no candidate on our list was rated as better than Toss Up by Charlie Cook and there was only one of those. One was Lean Republican, three were Likely Republican and the five others were not even on the list. None of the races was on a targeted list supported by the DCCC. We hoped to encourage candidates who we thought could have an impact on the country now and in the future. All of these candidates and their campaigns gave us reason to be proud. They will give us a base for the future in many districts where we have not really had a presence.

And, today three of them are members of Congress, and two are in recounts or "too close to call." The unsettling truth is that even when the Republicans nominate really terrible people (Bachman in MN6, Sali in ID1, Musgrave in CO4, Lamborn in CO5), they still win where there is a sufficient Republican registration advantage.
We can all be proud to have helped move eight of these candidates within striking distance while forcing the Republicans to spend many millions of dollars and time and effort on races that they had not thought would even be contests. However, we are deeply disappointed that some of the real star quality candidates lost and, at least for us, the consolation is that they will be a continuing presence in their communities and, we hope, candidates in the future.

Jay Fawcett,CO5, www.fawcett4congress.com/ the late addition to our list lost badly. Let's not go back to Colorado Springs in the future. It got really ugly at the end -- a death threat and vandalized office yesterday and repeated trashing of cars with Fawcett bumper strips. Actually, maybe that’s a reason we have to go back.

Gabrielle Giffords AZ8, giffordsforcongress.com/ will be in DC in January when the new Congress convenes.

Larry Grant, ID1, www.grantforcongress.com/ lost. The wave was not an earthquake, the Republicans spent heavily, and he lost 50/45 with the balance to an independent candidate.

Paul Hodes (NH1) www.hodesforcongress.com/ will be in DC in January when the new Congress convenes.

Christine Jennings, FL 13, www.christinejenningsforcongress.com/ is behind by 373 votes out of about 237,831 votes cast. There is a dispute about voting procedures and may be a recount. This is likely to be a Republican seat.

Scott Kleeb, NE3, www.scottkleeb.com/ sadly lost. He needed an earthquake and got a wave, 54/45. He is a potential rising star in the Democratic Party and part of a new group of Western Democrats that should be encouraged and supported.

Angie Paccione, CO4, www.angie2006.com/ sadly lost 46/43 with the balance to a minor party candidate. The National Republican Congressional Committee ended up spending over $2,000,000 on this race. She is another potential star in a rising Western Democratic Party.

Dan Seals, IL10, www.dansealsforcongress.com/ lost. He was never able to tie Kirk closely enough to Bush because of Kirk's voting record which is perceived to be moderate and the incredible amount of money it would have taken. Illinois was kind of weird when you also see that Tammy Duckworth lost in a race for an open seat where the DCCC spent millions.

Gary Trauner, WY-AL, www.traunerforcongress.com/ has not been called. Fewer than 800 votes separate the two candidates.

Tim Walz, MN1,www.timwalz.org/ will be in Washington in January when the new Congress convenes.

Patty Wetterling, MN6, www.pattywetterling.com/ lost fairly badly, 50/42. This is worth some study because she is really an attractive candidate and it seemed like a winnable race. The worst news is that her opponent is both radically rightwing and personally appealing. She, Bachmann, will be as much of a star for the crazy religious Right as we think Wetterling, in a quiet, effective way would be for us.

Sam Brown sbrown@centennialpartners.com
Alison Teal alisonteal@tealdesigns.com and www.hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail.blogspt.com
Chuck McLean cmclean@drgi.com

2006-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

2006-11-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

One more day. But it is not going to be a revolution.

Yesterday, a few days late, we got the "October surprise" -- Saddam is guilty. I doubt that this has legs with the voters even though it is now Bush's major talking point. The fact that the verdict was met not with dancing in the streets but with increased sectarian violence should remind people again that getting rid of Saddam is not the same as bringing peace and democracy to the region. I choose to think that people are not so stupid as to be taken in by this. H.L. Mencken observed that "No one in this world, . . .has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby." I think he is wrong but we will know more tomorrow.

There are two disturbing polls in the last two days. A Pew poll released yesterday shows a tightening race on the generic ballot question. That is the one where pollsters ask "If you had to vote today for a Republican or a Democrat, for whom would you vote?" or some variation on that question. A week ago the Pew poll was at 50/39. Yesterday it was at 47/43. ABC/Washington Post and USAToday/Gallup polls show the race at 51/44 and 51/45. The bad news is that the Pew poll has been particularly reliable in the past and it shows momentum going quickly in the wrong direction. Kohut, the Pew pollster said in an interview yesterday that it was not that sentiment had changed but that the Republican voters were more motivated and that shows up as an increase in the percentage among likely voters. However, this generic question is not so important as what is happening in particular districts. There are some we should win (against Pombo and Bilbray in California or Pryce in Ohio) but the candidates in these districts are not strong. There are some where the Republicans have been totally blind-sided by strong Democratic candidates in traditional Republican strongholds. Below is the final summary on the eleven races you have supported. Last week one of the campaign managers told a reporter "the only reason they are still in the race is because of early money received from 'angels' who dropped out of the sky". So thank you angels.

We all think that what we have done together has been fun. We hope you do too and that tomorrow it will matter.

Jay Fawcett, CO5, www.fawcett4congress.com/ This is a particularly fluid race. Some think it is a toss up and that the impact of the resignation of Ted Haggard yesterday will further alienate Republican voters and keep them home. Others point out that, to win in the district Fawcett has to get 90+% of the Democratic vote, about 25% of the Republican vote and 70% of the independents. That is a pretty steep requirement. Cheney was in the district on Friday where he said that electing Fawcett "would hurt America's chances in the war on terror and would bring higher taxes and slower economic growth to the country". Who would have guessed that sending an Air Force Academy graduate and retired officer would bring joy to the heart of Osama? Yesterday I read a comment that said roughly "if Democrats win thirty or more seats that is not a wave of support - waves recede. Thirty or more is an earthquake where there is a permanent shift in the underlying structure". I agree, and if we win this one it will be the sign of a major earthquake, not a wave of support.

Gabrielle Giffords, AZ8, giffordsforcongress.com/ will be in DC in January when the new Congress convenes.

Larry Grant, ID1, www.grantforcongress.com/ Cheney has been to this district twice. There is no new polling data and the last one showed a dead heat. Again, the need to get really big numbers of Republican votes in order to win suggests that it remains an uphill slog. But you have to love that the Republicans are spending the VP's time, and their money and anxiety on a district they thought was solidly theirs. Grant has run a terrific campaign and has benefited from the excesses of his opponent. Another earthquake race.

Paul Hodes, NH1, www.hodesforcongress.com/ finally climbed to the "toss up" column in Congressional Quarterly and was cited by the NYT yesterday as a bellwether race. This is one we can win. Polls close at 7:00 EST.

Christine Jennings, FL 13, www.christinejenningsforcongress.com/ now leads narrowly in the polls. The campaign against her by her self-funded opponent is so nasty it seems to be helping Jennings. She could win.

Scott Kleeb, NE3, www.scottkleeb.com/ The strength of this campaign forced a visit from Bush yesterday. The Republicans and the Club for Growth have also spent heavily on negative ads attacking Kleeb. For its part the DCCC also has directed dollars into the district largely on negative ads attacking Smith. Kleeb has run only positive ads. Another earthquake race but one that would not be a race at all if it were not for the strength of the candidate and the campaign.

Angie Paccione, CO4, www.angie2006.com/ is now running dead even in a poll from the same firm that showed her down by ten points two weeks ago. Bush was in the district for the second time on Saturday. Republicans have now spent $1.7 million on this race. Democrats welcomed Bush to the District and Paccione said that "if she (Musgrave) wants to tie herself to an unpopular President that's her problem." Bush's approval in the district is at about 40%. Interestingly, Bush did not spend time talking about Musgrave's signature issue of gay marriage. Although Ted Haggard has frequently been to the White House he didn't get an invite to Greeley for the rally.

Dan Seals, IL10, www.dansealsforcongress.com/ has no new data after the dust-up about the Kirk staff member letter and the Mikva lawsuit. This is a race where Seals has run a good race but it may not be enough. Kirk has distanced himself from the President and Seals has not had the money in a very expensive market to hang the President around Kirk's neck.

Gary Trauner, WY-AL, www.traunerforcongress.com/ has been the target of negative advertising, push polls (Would you be more or less likely to vote for him if you knew that Trauner is "pro-abortion and would legalize euthanasia?") and the repeated kind ministrations of the Veep. Trauner has followed a strategy of being relentlessly positive in the face of a relentlessly negative opponent. The Casper Star-Tribune, on the heels of yet another Cheney visit, endorsed Trauner yesterday. Again, an earthquake race but one that will be won, if it is, by the strength of the candidate and the campaign.

Tim Walz, MN1,www.timwalz.org/ has been endorsed by the newspapers in most cities in his district -- Mankato, Worthington, Winona and Albert Lea -- as well as by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. But Gutknect retains a good reputation for constituent services and delivering for the district. If Walz has succeeded in making this a race about the war and national issues, he wins. If it is all local, he loses.

Patty Wetterling, MN6, www.pattywetterling.com/ has not been going well in the last several days. In the polls she has been ahead by as much as 8% but the dynamic now seems to have switched and, although there are no new public polls, the growing consensus among pundits is that Bachmann is leading. It is unimaginable that Wetterling, who is such an attractive candidate and is running against such a jerk -- but an attractive, personable jerk -- could lose. But it appears that, when faced with two seemingly o.k. candidates, each of whom has pretty relentlessly attacked the other, Republicans will fall back to being Republicans. This has been a messy, expensive race and is likely to be a cliff hanger tomorrow.

2006-11-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends -

Well, here we are less than a week from the election. Charlie Cook has now caught up with Chuck, Sam and me and says there are more than 60 races in play -- which is what we have been saying since January. Yes, January. Yesterday he changed the ratings on Paccione in CO4 (Lean R to Tossup), Fawcett in CO5 (Likely R to Lean R), Walz in MN 1 (Lean R to Tossup), Kleeb in NE3 (Likely R to Lean R), Hodes in NH2 (Lean R to Tossup), Trauner in WY (Lean R to Tossup). So six of the eleven candidates we have been supporting moved one step closer yesterday. Four of the other five moved earlier: Giffords in AZ8 and Jennings in FL13 to Lean D, Grant in ID1 to Lean R, and Wetterling in MN6 to Tossup. Poor Dan Seals is still stuck at Likely R according to Cook. He also said, "Every day, every hour, we keep waiting to see whether something will alter the trajectory of this election, which now seems headed toward costing the GOP at least four -- more likely, five or six -- Senate seats, as well as at least 20, and perhaps as many as 35 or more, House seats." For a race-by-race update on the races we have been supporting see below or check at hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail.blogspot.com. But first please bear with me while I paint a less rosy scenario.

I have written before about the impact of the Republican Get Out the Vote (GOTV) operation that gives them an effective edge of 2-4% in any race. So all those places where the margin is within this range could end up in the R column. This is most of the close races. I have also written about inherent advantage of incumbency with many people hating the Congress but loving their member of Congress. And I have written about the structural advantage the Republicans have through past redistricting which effectively takes many seats out of play (although not as many as they thought). Recently a Republican strategist was quoted in Time as saying, "There are 41 districts held by a Democrat that Bush carried, and 14 seats held by Republicans that Kerry carried. You see it in the open seats, where Bush carried 18 of the Republican open seats and Kerry carried two. So we're fighting on better turf." And one particularly disturbing factor is that Republican requests for and returned absentee ballots in many districts are running at higher levels than in 2004. In some districts up to 35% will vote prior to election day by either absentee ballot or early voting at designated polling places. So a part of the game is already behind us regardless of the dynamic of the next week. If you add up all these factors, it is hard to share the conclusion that we will control the House and maybe the Senate. My own view is that some of this unwarranted optimism has actually backfired and is motivating the Republican base to vote and making the Democratic voter more lethargic. We could still lose this one.

But within that grim picture there are many bright spots. A recent Newsweek poll concludes that many of the nastiest attack ads may be either ineffectual or backfiring. And that revulsion seems to be stronger to Republican ads than Democratic ads. This may play out particularly in districts like CO4 where the attacks on Angie Paccione have been way over the top. The Republican National Campaign Committee (RNCC) is now spending heavily in Districts that were, only a couple of weeks ago, thought to be safe for them. This suggests they have internal polling saying they need to shore up these Districts. Bush's approval ratings seem to be steady in the high ‘30’s, which is lower than Clinton in 1994. Bush's campaign schedule is taking him to unlikely places (see below) and the public's view of Congress is even more negative than their view of the President, which should work against incumbents. Finally, the DCCC and the DSCC are both outraising the Republicans. A recent article noted that business interests have steadily increased the share of their contributions that go to Democrats. So they at least feel the need to hedge their bets. Finally, on the ground, the energy level in all these districts is very high.

For those of you who are really political junkies I suggest you keep an eye on the following races as a bellweather. Early poll closing in Indiana and Kentucky at 6:00 EST should give us some sense of what is going on. The Ellsworth/Hostettler, Hill/Sodrel and Donnelly/Chocola races in Indiana (all listed as Toss up against incumbent R's) and the Yarmuth/Northrup and the Davis/Lucas (Toss up) and Lewis/Weaver (Lean R) races in Kentucky will give an early read. Virginia closes at 7:00 and the Webb/Allen race will give a good sense of where the Senate is going.

Your contributions to these races now total $362,000. Thanks to all of you. If you can do more, all of the races below will use it well, but it needs to be done on the web. And soon. Please, let us know if you contribute.

Jay Fawcett, CO5, www.fawcett4congress.com/ The most recent poll in this district is a set back for Fawcett. The same firm that showed them in a tie at 37% earlier this month now has Lamborn leading 47/40 with a margin of 5%. So an optimist could say that it could actually be Lamborn at 42 and Fawcett at 45. But down that path lies madness. The Republicans -- and Lamborn -- are running a series of really despicable attack ads. Cheney is in Colorado Springs on Friday. A respected local academic speculated that all the talk of a possible Democratic victory had fired up the Republican base. One encouraging element in both the Colorado races is that the Democratic candidate for Governor is running strong and there is no Senate race so without a strong Republican at the top of the ticket we may be better able to get out our voters. But that is a thin reed.

Gabrielle Giffords AZ8, giffordsforcongress.com/ still appears to be a lock. Her opponent is attacking on a land deal. The Arizona Daily Star says the charge is "false based on city records and interviews with city officials." Her opponent refuses to pull the ad. Some people have no shame. But it appears that Graf will have many years as a private citizen to contemplate his sins. Giffords is in good shape and needs no contributions.

Larry Grant, ID1, www.grantforcongress.com/ is in a statistical dead heat according to a poll this week. Sali leads 39/37 but there is a huge undecided. The Idaho Statesman noted that "Democrats haven't won a governor's race since 1990 or a seat in Congress since 1992, but a call for change nationally is reaching Idaho. Coupled with Republican candidates who inspire negative feelings, Democrats have a shot." The Republicans and their allies, the Club for Growth and the National Right to Life Committee have spent about $600K in the district. Cheney is in the district this week for Sali. Remember the words of the GOP speaker of the Idaho House about Sali, "that idiot is just an idiot." So Cheney will fit right in.

Paul Hodes (NH1) www.hodesforcongress.com/ is, at long last, in the toss up column with Cook. CQ still hasn't caught on. The DCCC has come in big time spending approximately $1M on media for Hodes. They, at last, get it. Hodes fundraising is going well allowing them to increase their media buys and, with some DCCC dollars, he should have a robust GOTV effort. After staying aloof through the whole campaign, Governor Lynch is finally on board, which is great news since he’ll probably pull over 70% next Tuesday. A new poll has Hodes up 50/47 with very good "solid support" numbers and strong numbers among those who say they are certain to vote.

Christine Jennings, FL 13, www.christinejenningsforcongress.com/ has had substantial fundraising success. But she has done it the hard way with contributions under the legal limit. Her opponent has taken the easy route -- he has given $5.4 million to himself. This triggered the so-called "millionaire's rule" which allows Jennings to accept up to $6300 from an individual rather than the usual limit of $2100. This race, which is closing in on $10M, is within striking distance of being the most expensive congressional race in history. The DCCC is spending serious money here. In the polls, it is a statistical dead heat. Remember this is Kathryn Harris' old district so both the Republican GOTV operation and the voter suppression operation are likely to be in full force. It would be sweet indeed to win this seat.

Scott Kleeb, NE3, www.scottkleeb.com/ has also been the subject of several national articles including in the NYT. The NRCC has bought ads in the district and W himself is coming to Scottsbluff and Kearney on Sunday. There is no question that this is a race the Republicans could never imagine would be close. Yesterday the Kearney Hub, a major newspaper in the district, endorsed Kleeb with an editorial titled "Third District needs someone to command a larger stage" describing him as a "a Nebraska cowboy with a Yale PhD." Momentum is clearly with Kleeb but that may not be enough. The Senate race here trumps all other news in spending, in visibility and in national attention. It appears that Nelson will win but his margin will be in the East and he is not likely to carry the third district so there is little boost for Kleeb. In anticipation of the President's visit Kleeb issued a press release welcoming him to the Third District and saying that he hoped he would be invited to the events. Not likely.

Angie Paccione, CO4, www.angie2006.com/ is caught in dueling polls one showing her marginally ahead, one slightly behind. The most recent shows her up 48/45. The same firm's earlier poll showed her down by 6%. The NRCC has dumped big dollars into the race after polling the district earlier in October. But the DCCC is shifting money from the CO7 where Perlmutter appears to be in good shape to CO4 to support Paccione. Meanwhile the President will be in the district on Saturday. Unlike some of the other races (such as NE3 where the President is probably an asset for the Republican), the Paccione campaign thinks his visit ties nicely to their theme that Musgrave is in lockstep with the President and out-of-touch with Colorado. It is thought that a lower than anticipated absentee vote spurred the President’s visit. The GOTV operation appears to be strong and Paccione is still buying media. This will be a nail-biter.

Dan Seals, IL10, www.dansealsforcongress.com/ has a new poll from Majority Watch showing him leading 48/46. More than 700 people showed up for their lone debate. The DCCC is now engaged and is supporting direct mail efforts and is doing e-mail fundraising. Obama is there on Monday for a GOTV rally. The "dish" for the week is that a staffer for Kirk, the incumbent, sent a letter to Tel Aviv University saying that the support for Seals by the Chair of the Tel Aviv University American Council, Robert Schrayer, could have a "bad effect" on the University and that "revenge is a dish best served cold." Today Abner Mikva, who held the seat in the 10th for many years requested a federal investigation since the note "may have violated state and federal law that criminalizes intimidate, threatening or coercing members of the public in an attempt to thwart the free expression of their vote." Makes you love Chicago.

Gary Trauner, WY-AL, www.traunerforcongress.com/ is behind Barbara Cubin by only 44/40 in a poll commissioned by the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle of Cheyenne. And the last portion of the polling, conducted after the confrontation in which she told the wheel chair bound Libertarian candidate that "if you weren't sitting in that chair, I'd slap you across the face" showed a drop in her numbers. This week an old friend and journalist here in Washington said that whenever people who cover Congress discuss the members that Cubin is always in the running for stupidest member. Sure seems like it. Trauner could still pull this one out but it remains a long shot.

Tim Walz, MN1,www.timwalz.org/ is a dead heat in the polls. Kerry was supposed to be in the District this weekend but, after yesterday, he discovered that he had conflicting appointments and won't be campaigning for a few days. But he has raised real money for Walz and the campaign has nearly matched the incumbent in money raised. Polling shows him down 50/47, within the margin of error. The campaign here is an energetic one and the GOTV operation should be solid. But it is very hard to defeat an incumbent who poses as a moderate.

Patty Wetterling, MN6, www.pattywetterling.com/ is up in one poll, down a bit in another. All the polls show this race a dead heat. This is a conservative district but it is hard to imagine that it is so far to the right that it would elect a wingnut like Michelle Bachman. Wetterling has outraised Bachman almost two to one in a very expensive race (about $6M total so far), not counting the $1.5M the RNCC has spent for Bachman or the $330K the DCCC has spent for Wetterling. This is a race we should win, but there is no guarantee we will.

2006-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on all of our candidates from my husband Sam Brown:

We have a real shot at substantially changing Congress, but three weeks before the election the outcome could still swing widely. On October 13, Charlie Cook from National Journal, one of the most respected analysts, headlined his article, "Category 5 Hurricane Heads for the House GOP." He says things could change but projects large Democratic gains. Yesterday he backtracked substantially with an article headlined "Range of Possibilities" that focused on the many ways it could go wrong. I would like to take comfort in the October 13th piece where he said "I think a 30-seat gain today for the Democrats is more likely to occur than a 15-seat gain." Our colleague Chuck McLean shares Cook's view. But yesterday's more measured tone feels more like what we think from our travels and conversations with candidates and voters -- and our own experience over the last thirty plus years. All the talk about the national mood simply gets lost when you look at races one by one. We all know the "we hate Congress, but we love our member of Congress" problem. But even where the local congressperson is not a beloved figure, there is still the power of incumbency including the incredible fundraising advantage that it brings. It is hand to hand combat that will determine the outcome. Cook cites a conference call from James Carville in which he argued that "the Democratic Party should expand beyond just the top targeted races. . . . the party should help fund the previously ignored Democratic challengers in second and third tier districts - the next 30 to 50 Republican held seats - to fully capitalize on this environment and help those candidates maximize their chances of winning." This is, of course, precisely what we all have been doing for the past six months. Cook goes on to say, "If things don't change, GOP incumbents, who never even contemplated having a difficult race, may well lose this year." From Cooks' lips to God's ear.

The incredible generosity of so many of you has resulted in more than $335,000 for these races, none of which were on the DCCC lists when we started our effort together. Now Giffords is thought to be a lock in the AZ8, Hodes is at least tied in NH2, Jennings is leading in FL13, Wetterling is ahead in the MN6, and every other race has moved from limbo to the broad category of "seats in play." While these campaigns are now raising large dollars, the money they got through your generosity helped get them to the place where they showed up on other people's radar. Now, in the last three weeks the need for money is still great but the time is late. If you can contribute more to some or all of these candidates, please do it on line. And if you do, please let us know by writing to either Alison (alisonteal@tealdesigns.com) or to me. Below are summaries of the current state of play in each campaign. Also remember that you can read Alison's comments at www.hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail.blogspot.com.

Jay Fawcett, CO5, www.fawcett4congress.com/ is running an amazing race. In the polls he is tied with the Republican in a district that, on registration alone, should give big margins to the Republican. He has only a little cash on hand, $106,000, but that is more than his opponent has. The Republican leadership in the district has walked away from their candidate and Fawcett might actually win. The Denver Post endorsed him over the weekend. If we win this one it will mean that we are winning at least thirty seats. The DCCC put Fawcett on the Emerging Candidates list for "candidates who have taken traditionally non-competitive districts and, through the strength of their campaigns, put themselves in a position to win in November." This race is still a long-shot, but one to watch as a harbinger of what happens nationally.

Gabrielle Giffords AZ8, giffordsforcongress.com/ is now regarded as likely to win her election. A nasty Republican primary resulted in the nomination of a far-right candidate who does not fit this moderate district. She has outraised her opponent more than 2:1, has more cash on hand and there is no chance the Republican Party will throw money at this race. Not on any national list in July, she will win in November.

Larry Grant, ID1, www.grantforcongress.com/ was placed on the DCCC list of emerging races. Certainly this district has been as non-competitive as it gets, with Bush beating Kerry by a margin of 38 points. Grant has received newspaper endorsements including from the Spokane Spokesman Review which has a very large circulation in the district. Also, amusingly he has been endorsed by Esquire so maybe he will get some of the traditional Republican guy vote. The most important sign is that, after doing polling, the National Republican Campaign Committee just made a $377,000 media buy in the district. This is a huge commitment and suggests they know the race is very much in play. The only poll shows Grant down by six points which is a terrific movement as compared to previous election results. This is an open, but previously -- and for many years predictably -- Republican seat. I don't know that Grant can overcome the effect of the RNCC expenditures but his opponent is so loathsome that maybe not even an overwhelming registration and financing advantage can elect him. Still likely Republican but, with the right wind blowing, Grant could win.

Paul Hodes (NH1) www.hodesforcongress.com/ has a Becker Institute poll showing him ahead by 9 points. We would all like to believe it, but a hefty dose of skepticism is in order. The margin is almost certainly much closer than that, although virtually every poll shows Bass at below 50% approval which is regarded as a danger sign for an incumbent. Hodes is a prolific fundraiser and has outraised the Republican incumbent. Both Cook and CQ have this race as one where the Republican candidate is favored, which is where it has been mired since June. It would not be surprising to see a ratings change (to "Toss up" from "Republican Leans/Favored") and it is now possible that Hodes can win here. This one will really depend on the national mood. Bush's ratings in this district are in the very low 30's. If Democrats are really motivated, Republicans inclined to stay at home and the NRCC doesn't spend $500,000 or more in the next several weeks, this is a place where we could defeat a Republican incumbent. I think it is closer to toss up than Republican leaning.

Christine Jennings, FL13, www.christinejenningsforcongress.com/ is in a tough spot. Her opponent for the open seat vacated by Katherine Harris is a self-funder who has raised/given $4.9 million, including $1.6M of his own money in the general election. The history of self-funders is not one that would make you think it is a good investment. Since 2000 just 3 of 48 self-funders have been elected -- and two of those were well-known former officials, Frank Lautenberg and Lamar Alexander. Jennings has done very well, having raised $1.3 million. But an almost 4:1 financing margin is tough to overcome in a traditionally Republican district. But she holds a narrow lead in the polls and Buchanan is running 11 points behind Bush's 2004 numbers. Turn out will be key here. Meanwhile Harris is trailing so badly in the Senate race that Republicans have been referring to her as Hurricane Katherine. She destroys everything in her path. Maybe out of the wreckage we get a new Democratic member of Congress.

Scott Kleeb, NE3, www.scottkleeb.com/ is running a credible campaign in a nearly-impossible district -- and has some results to show for it. Once again, the DCCC has put this on a list of "emerging campaigns" but it takes a lot of emerging to win in a district that has not elected a Democrat since the Depression and where Bush clobbered Kerry by way more than 2:1 (Congressional District level information was not available earlier but some sites say the margin may have been as much as 4:1) . Nonetheless the quality of the candidate and the campaign are closing the margin that overwhelming Republican registration gives his opponent. Last week the Omaha World Herald endorsed Kleeb. They have NEVER endorsed a Democrat in the Third District. Today Congressional Quarterly changed the rating on this race from Safe Republican to Republican Favored with the comment that “Kleeb’s upstart effort, provides the Democrats at least a glimmer of hope for what would be a candidate for “upset of the year.” Kleeb has been outraised by Smith but, because he didn't face a primary, he has about the same amount of cash on hand (317Smith/255Kleeb). We have a particular interest in this campaign since our daughter Teal is working/volunteering full time in Kearney. The campaign for Senate in NE is no campaign at all and Nelson should coast to victory which will certainly help Kleeb. If it is a perfect storm, Kleeb can win.

Angie Paccione, CO4, www.angie2006.com/ is in one of the nastiest races in the country. Those of you who watch TV ads in other contested districts may think it couldn't be nastier than the ads you see. But it is. Musgrave and the RNCC have run more than $920,000 of negative advertising and it has knocked the props out from under Paccione's numbers. Six weeks ago this looked like a strong bid for a Democratic pick up against an incumbent. But Paccione is now down as much as ten points in credible polls. Just when it looked the worst for her Pat Stryker, a Colorado philanthropist and good guy, put $775,000 into ads against Musgrave. Day before yesterday the main issue raised by Musgrave was whether Paccione should have been able to charge bills for a hair stylist as a campaign expense. Not exactly Iraq, incompetence and health care as issues, but a nasty little way of suggesting that there was some abuse of campaign funds. This one will be ugly to the end with voters holding their noses and voting for someone. But in this district a nastiness stand-off reelects the Republican. If Paccione can make it a race about Musgrave's positions, she can win. But she can't win a mud-wrestling contest, even is she is bigger and stronger. Fortunately the Denver Post weighed in with an endorsement of Paccione citing her record as a state legislator and criticizing the foul campaign run against her. We really like Paccione and will be very sorry if she loses, but it is uphill now. Football fans may remember John Elway's famous "now we've got 'em where we want 'em" when down by six points on their own two yard line with less than two minutes to go. The Broncos then won the game. Last week that was the mood in the Paccione campaign. It will take a hell of a drive but it's not over yet.

Dan Seals, IL10, www.dansealsforcongress.com/ is in a district where he might win with the right national mood. His opponent portrays himself as a moderate and Seals is hanging Bush around his neck. But Kirk has outraised Seals by more than 2.5:1. And that margin worsens because the cash on hand is nearly 3:1. Seals is such an attractive, intelligent candidate and so much what the future of the party might be that he really needs to win. There is only one public poll and it shows Seals behind 46/44 -- well within the margin of error. But neither party is spending money in the District which suggests there is a Republican poll showing they don't need to. I hope that is wrong. CQ changed the rating on this race, in August, to "Republican Favored" from Safe Republican and Cook has long had it in this same category. This is a district where registration favors the Democrat but beating an incumbent who sits on the Appropriations Committee will not be easy. Unfortunately, saying Seals needs to win is not the same as "will win." Unlike many of the other districts, this is one where registration and voting history generally favor a Democrat and where there is no strong extreme Republican base to get out the vote. So if Seals gets out the Democratic vote and Republicans stay at home, he wins. And with many polls showing that Republicans are less motivated this year than in past years and that Democrats are highly motivated, this could happen. I think it is closer to a toss up than most analysts do.

Gary Trauner, WY-AL, www.traunerforcongress.com/ was down last week by 7 points in the only poll in the district, with a huge undecided. Cubin, at 44%, is well below the 50% that is regarded as the danger point for incumbents. Trauner has matched Cubin in fundraising and cash on hand. CQ moved the race from "Republican favored" to Leans Republican. The DCCC added Trauner to the Emerging candidates list. The Democratic governor, whose reelection is assured, will be working for Trauner's election. When asked last week why he didn't call a press conference this week he said, "You want an honest answer? Because everybody's hunting this week and nobody would read it. Hunting season started the 15th." Unfortunately for Trauner, Freudenthal's likely win probably won't have coattails. Once again we have a particular interest because our son, Nicholas, is working/volunteering full time on this campaign. It remains a long shot, but the Governor's influence and popularity if he really campaigns hard for Trauner, combined with Trauner's energy and intelligence may pull it out. It is still a long shot.

Tim Walz, MN1,www.timwalz.org/ is a dead heat in the polls. Today CQ had an article headlined, "Walz a Legit Barrier to Gutknecht in 1st District". This morning the DCCC announced that this is the first "second/third tier" race in which they will make an investment. And his wife gave birth to a new baby last week. So all the winds seem to be blowing the right direction here. However Gutknecht has a half a million dollars more money in the bank, huge name recognition and a generally good reputation in the district. It will not be easy to knock him off. But if Walz loses it will not be for lack of energy. I think the incumbent still has to be favored, but it could easily go our way.

Patty Wetterling, MN6, www.pattywetterling.com/ is a race we should win. It is listed as a toss up by analysts, but that understates the difficulty of the race. This is very culturally conservative district and Michele Bachmann, the Republican, although a certifiable wingnut, is very attractive and personable and apparently she carries a concealed weapon -- or at least has a permit to do so. So stand back. Wetterling's long time advocacy for child safety is particularly important in light of the Foley scandal and her visibility as the spokesman for the Democratic Party last week was helpful. Most recent polls show her with a lead of 5-8%. With a decent election day effort, Wetterling should win.

Sam Brown

2006-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jay Fawcett
Colorado – 5th Congressional District

We’ve added one more race to our previous ten -- in Colorado Springs. Yeah. Colorado Springs. The name brings shivers to a Democrat. This is the heart of the beast and the impossible looks like it could happen.

According to The Denver Post, Democrat Jay Fawcett and Republican state Senator Doug Lamborn are neck to neck in one of the nation's toughest races. Who would have guessed?

Jay Fawcett is nothing if not courageous. Well actually, courageous and persistent. Last summer when he began calling about his race, I just dismissed it as delusional raving. After all, no Democrat has ever held the seat since it was created 32 years ago. The retiring Congressman Joel Hefley, a reliable vote for the President – except when Hefley thought the President was too liberal -- seemed to accurately reflect the district. This is the home of Jim Dobson’s Focus On the Family. They and other right wing “Christian” groups employ 3000 people in Colorado Springs doing everything from TV production and distribution to political analysis. I suppose they also do occasional acts of charitable good works although you can’t find much about this on their web sites. What you can find is lots of opportunities to make contributions and apparently a lot of people do.

But when Sam and I had lunch with Fawcett, he didn’t seem delusional. In fact he seemed quite focused and thoughtful. And very persistent. We kept telling him that we had a list of ten candidates and he wasn’t on it. He kept calling. And he kept calling.

But it turns out that he was doing much more than calling us. He was making a really credible run in a very difficult district. He certainly fits the demographic: Air Force Academy graduate; decorated career Air Force officer with service in the first Gulf War; faculty member at the Air Force Academy, small business man, family man, white and heterosexual. “It’s hard for people to believe I don’t have an ‘R’ beside my name,” Fawcett laughs.

But this is a really Republican district with the fourth largest concentration of vets in the country. The Republicans were so certain of keeping it that they felt they could have a real family brawl and still win. Or so it seemed. In September, Lamborn, the winner of the Republican primary was denounced by the retiring Hefley as “sleazy” and “dishonest” and Hefley has declined to endorse him.
“Republicans in the district don’t know how to campaign anymore because they haven’t had to in years and now they just take it for granted,” says Fawcetts’ campaign manager Wanda James. “They’ve been totally thrown off by a real campaigner. Fawcett shows up at events in full navy dress and men come up to him and ask if his gun is loaded. Fawcett says ‘None of your damn business.’ And then they walk away saying ‘Wow. I guess he’s one of us.’”

Lamborn is another one of those candidates that give real purpose to life –the purpose being to defeat him. Don’t take my word for it, here is what the Denver Post said in their endorsement of Fawcett last week:
“During twelve years in the state legislature, Lamborn focused way too much of his time on such harebrained issues as cross-dressing teachers and swapping the names of Park County's Mount Democrat and Republican Mountain because Mount Democrat is taller.
Lamborn is off in Neverland. He's pledged not to vote for new taxes no matter what, with no exceptions for war-time spending obligations or economic necessity. He seeks to model himself after Ronald Reagan, but of course Reagan was far more pragmatic.”

Meanwhile Fawcett has not been allowing himself or his campaign to be defined by the right wing social agenda, saying aggressively that “people are rejecting the social agenda of who hates gays more, religious issues, social issues. . .that’s clearly not what is important to people”. So he doesn’t shy away from the Planned Parenthood endorsement nor from the endorsements from the many unions who are supporting him. Fawcett knows that people are deeply concerned about Iraq and he says “It appears that we are not staying the course; rather we have allowed ourselves to get off course.” And his extensive comments on Iraq make it clear that he does not think this Administration has a clue about how to get back on course.

The Post endorsement on Saturday said, in part, “We gladly endorsed Joel Hefley in 2004, but the survivor of a six-way Republican primary, Doug Lamborn, isn’t in his league. We urge voters in the 5th to send Fawcett to Congress instead.” So do we. But urging is not enough.

On October 10th a Mason Dixon poll commissioned by the Denver Post called the race a tie at 37%. The Cook Report now has this on its list of competitive races (albeit Republican favored) and there is loose talk of money from the DCCC, but no check has arrived. This is a very inexpensive race since the media market is Colorado Springs which costs less than a tenth of the Denver market, about $49/point (that is one percent of the population for one impression). Since campaigns generally try to buy 1000-1200 points per week (and frequently fall short of that level) it means that Fawcett can run a very credible campaign with a television buy of only about $150,000 from now to election.

So please add Fawcett to your list. This victory would be so sweet. Send something.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jay Fawcett is now one of eleven candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $325,000 to these candidates.

Candidate District Checks To:
Jay Fawcett * 5th district of Colorado * Fawcett for Congress
Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado * Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal and Sam Brown, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-10-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Paul Hodes
New Hampshire – 2nd Congressional District

“A spine is a terrible thing to waste. When I go to Washington, I’m bringing my backbone with me,” says Paul Hodes. It’s his campaign mantra. “Grammatically it should be ‘taking my backbone with me,’” he laughs, “but I’m a fan of alliteration.”

Sam and I arrived at Hodes’ Concord headquarters on one of those crisp autumn days so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes – a far cry from previous political visits when we battled the famous snows of New Hampshire. In the winter of 1968 I spent what seemed like three years shivering in Concord and eating every day at one of two depressing restaurants. Today, the town is awash in trendy shops and restaurants. New Hampshire’s demographics are changing. Before, the state’s growth was mostly from Massachusetts tax refugees. Today, the influx of people is predominantly older and more liberal -- people seeking a more congenial life style in a beautiful environment.

The campaign storefront is active and welcoming with a ping-pong table in the basement where people can release stress. Piles of yard signs and bumper strips are right inside the front door instead of hidden in some back room where many campaigns inexplicably keep them for some sort of controlled distribution.

This is the second time Hodes has run against the six-term Republican incumbent Charlie Bass, but things have changed dramatically since the 2004 race. Hodes has excellent, experienced and energetic staff and he has raised significant money. In fact he’s raised more in-state money than any congressional candidate ever. That’s not easy in New Hampshire, where voters are not accustomed to giving – and not just to politicians. The state has one of the lowest records of charitable giving in the country. Instead, New Hampshire voters are accustomed to having outside money pour into the state every four years. They are used to being courted in their living rooms, personally spoken to by every presidential candidate and virtually carried to the polls. There’s no other way to say it: these are spoiled voters.

An accomplished guitar player and performer since his Dartmouth years, Hodes is a natural campaigner and a terrific fundraiser. He has no hesitation making the money calls and spends every spare moment doing so. “Can you make a contribution? Yes, I know it’s the sixth call. Okay, if you can’t make a contribution, then how about a check?”

“I’m an actor and musician. I’m used to being turned down about 90% of the time,” laughs Hodes. He and his wife are founding members of the musical group Peggosus that helped pioneer rock-and-roll for children and families. They’ve released six recordings, earning a number of Parent’s Choice Awards. They also founded the recording company Big Round Records, initially the vehicle for their own music.

“People want to give money because they want a change in Congress,” says Dana Houle, Hodes’s impressive, articulate campaign manager. “New Hampshire’s voters are sophisticated. They understand the constitution and they believe in a balance of powers. Bush lost his credibility here with Katrina. People are wondering whose managing the store. Moderate Republicans are saying ‘I haven’t changed, the party has.’”

Bush’s favorable ratings are in the low 30s. On the campaign trail, the repeated concerns of voters are Iraq and health care. The conservative voters seem to be consistent. They want the government out of their wallets, their bedrooms and their gun closets. This is a state of hunters. Gun crime is low and gun safety high.

Hodes started his career working as an assistant AG for David Souter. He is now a partner in the law firm founded by Bill Shaheen, manager of Al Gore’s New Hampshire campaign and husband of former governor Jeanne Shaheen. So Hodes’ credentials are impeccable and his connections in the state’s party are deep.

A month ago Hodes wasn’t in the top fifty challenges in the United States. Now he’s in the top thirty. He’s on the DCCC’s (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) Red to Blue list (seats currently held by Republicans that are in play). And the Cook Report has changed the rating from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican”.

“The Boston TV market at 1.5 million a week is prohibitively expensive so we decided we’d go with cable TV or radio. We chose cable. Our theory was dominate what you can dominate,” said Hodes. “Best would be if we could get enough money to dominate both.” The Republicans are certain to throw an enormous amount into TV in the last few weeks and most of it is bound to be negative advertising. Right now the only negative ad out there is just saying Hodes is not one of them like Bass is. The camera then catches Hodes in a really unattractive close up still. “Instead of a lump of dough, I look like a half-baked lump of dough,” he laughs.

Hodes has a new TV ad focusing on the war. It shows footage of Bass saying, “sure, I support the president’s role in Iraq, and I think it was the right thing to do. Now, we’re in control.”

Hodes then responds: "Yeah. If you believe that, I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona I’d like to sell you."

* * * * * * * * * *

Paul Hodes is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $325,000 to these candidates.

Candidate District Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado * Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal and Sam Brown, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-10-06T09:19:00.001-07:00

Tim Walz
Minnesota - 1st Congressional District

The day was dreary and rainy. We sipped our afternoon coffees slowly, each of us drifting into our own thoughts, slightly dozing but with open eyes. A gust of wind drew us out of our reverie as the door of the Mankato headquarters was thrown back and Tim Walz bounded into the room in a blue knit shirt and khakis, the wind at his back. The wind seems always to be at the back of this round-faced, burly, fast-talking dynamo. (Walz winces at the word “burly” which is often used to describe him. He used to be a runner but campaigning has left little time for that. “We've told him it means ‘really built’,” says his campaign manager Kerry Greeley.) His speech is as fast and punchy as any New Yorker’s but his style and rhetoric are totally midwestern. Born and bred in Nebraska, Walz and his wife Gwen moved to Mankato, Minnesota in 1996 in order to pursue careers in teaching and coaching. Walz teaches geography and coaches football at Mankato West High School. As his TV ad says he’s a “coach to the state champs, teacher of the year, (and) Command Sergeant Major retiring four years late after a tour supporting the war in Afghanistan. (The ad begins brilliantly, by the way, with Walz jogging behind his football players out of the dark locker-room tunnel into the light of the football field.)

Walz hopes to deny Gil Gutknecht a seventh term in Washington. He’s had an uphill struggle with name recognition against a six-term congressman, but things are turning around for this soldier, hunter, teacher. This is a guy who runs rather than walks in a parade and darts from side to side of the crowd shaking as many hands as he can reach.

His campaign is sophisticated and filled with volunteers, including help from Wes Clark, John Kerry, John Murtha, Max Cleland, Garrison Keillor, and Al Franken. The district is marginally Republican but it is also the district where Bush has the lowest approval level of any district in Minnesota.
In August he electrified the Minnesota State Democratic Convention with a stem-winder of a speech. He knocked their socks off. He doesn’t mince words.

“The genius of this country was founded on a system of checks and balances but it never counted on a spineless rubber stamp congress.

“You see a lot of politicians today that like to stand in front of soldiers all the time. My job is to make sure I go to Washington and stand behind each and every one of them.

“People say that the pendulum will swing again; that it will all work out. I say we’ve got to get our hands bloody to pull that pendulum back to the middle”

He’s outspoken about most everything from the war to gay rights: [I don’t] "see a reason to deny gay marriage. . . The best thing that ever happened to me was to get married and I don't see a reason to deny that to anyone. So I'm pretty consistent on that, of where government should not be in our lives." But he also fits in with his constituency. He is one of only a few candidates A-rated by the NRA and also endorsed by the Sierra Club. “Hey, I’m a teacher. I can always go back and teach.”

Recently Walz spoke to a group of bikers opposed to helmet laws who were not initially sympathetic to his views on gay rights and other issues. “It’s just not smart to infringe on other peoples’ personal rights. Take away other peoples and pretty soon, it will be yours.” There was a pause during which Walz thought he’d lost his audience, then, slowly, the bikers began to clap.

At a recent picnic, Al Franken read from the GOP's Contract With America "On September 27th, 1994, on the steps the Capitol, they said this: 'If we break the contract, throw us out,' " Franken said.
The crowd roared and Franken yelled: "Sounds like a plan to me!"
Walz’s TV ad ends with what we hope is prophetic:
“Sometimes an everyday person comes along and helps put the impossible within our reach.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Tim Walz is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $295,000 to these candidates.

Candidate District Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado Angie * Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Sam Brown and Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-10-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

2006-10-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Patty Wetterling
Minnesota – 6th Congressional District

On October 22, 1989, a masked man snatched Democratic congressional candidate Patty Wetterling’s son Jacob off a street in St. Joseph Minnesota at gunpoint. He was eleven years old. The largest manhunt in the history of Minnesota was launched but days turned into weeks, months and then years. He and his abductor have never been found. It is unimaginable how life goes on after such an unspeakable tragedy.

To be honest, Sam and I were nervous about our choice to make Wetterling’s campaign one of the ten we are working for. We were afraid she might be a single-issue person. And who could blame her if she were?

We were scheduled to meet her at a little mall in the river city of Anoka on a cloudy Saturday morning. The “Wetterling for U.S. Congress” sign was just under the “Tattoo and Piercing Parlor” sign but without directions. We wandered around back and asked a man getting out of the Teddy Bear Management LLP pickup truck if he knew where the headquarters were.

“Yup,” he said.

“Could you direct us to them?”

“Yup,” he said and paused again.

“Now would be a good time,” I said.

“You betcha,” he said. Really. I’m not making this up.

Any reservations we had about Patty Wetterling immediately disappeared. This bespeckled, five-foot-one-inch, middle–aged woman with shaggy, blond hair has a sense of decency, honesty, and commitment that goes straight to your heart. She was transformed from a contented stay-at-home mother of four into a community activist and politician by her son’s abduction. “Jacob’s kidnapping caused a schism in our lives. Then one morning I woke up and said ‘I’m not going to let the bad guys win. This is a land of hope and opportunity and we’re not offering that anymore. I’m not going to give the kidnappers anything else. They can’t have the world that I believe in.’ I see my politics now as a continuation of my journey -- from where I’ve been to where I want to take us. I’m doing it in my own way; one person, one family, one law at a time.” She is not a zealot, just a woman formed by her experience.

Her journey began when she and her husband founded the Jacob Wetterling foundation, a non-profit dedicated to education about child safety. In 1994 President Clinton signed the Jacob Wetterling Act requiring sex offenders to register their addresses before moving into a community. Since then Patty Wetterling has been involved in community strengthening activity. “Reagan asked ‘Are you better off now than you were before’, I’m asking ‘Are you more secure now than you were before?’” says Wetterling. “You can’t have security without local community support and solid infra-structures. Fear is eating away at the very fiber of who we are. It saddens me how the rest of the world perceives us. I started in politics because of Jacob. Now it’s for all our children and grandchildren.”

Because of her past bipartisan work, her name recognition is enormous – 94%. “I’ve been looking for that other 6%,” Wetterling laughs.

Her opponent, Michelle Bachman, is another of the proudly pro-life, anti-gay, pro-gun Republican far right-wingers that the west has in abundance this year. Some say she is Minnesota’s answer to Colorado’s Marilyn Musgrave. Even the Club for Growth supported one of her primary opponents because Bachman was too far right for them. “I don’t know what my opponent stands for, I just know what she stands against,” says Wetterling.

Bachman is a good-looking, slick politician. Once the right gets hold of her, they’ll elevate her to Ann Coulter popularity. She will be a congressional leader on all the right wing wacko issues.

Bachmann began in politics as a protester of Planned Parenthood. (Not surprisingly Planned Parenthood has endorsed Wetterling.) She blindly supports Bush on Iraq. (Wetterling early on called for withdrawal from Iraq by a date certain.) Bachmann’s family business has about 30 employees, and does not offer health insurance, nor does she provide health insurance for her campaign employees.
As a state senator, Bachmann voted against funding police overtime costs and law enforcement grants, against legislation extending the Statute of Limitations in sexual abuse cases, against a bill to increase penalties for sex offenders and drug dealers, against a bill protecting children from extreme neglect, against more resources for law enforcement to crack down on meth trafficking, against funding for emergency management. Bachman is in favor of eliminating the department of education. She voted to cut K-12 and higher education funding, voted against the emergency fuel assistance for schools even though it was only three percent of the projected $924 million budget surplus. Bachmann home schools her children and was quoted at a meeting on the lawn of the state capital of home-schooling parents as saying “thank you for not sending your kids to those Godless public schools where they teach communism”. She has also said that she believes gay marriage is the number one problem in the country today and she calls gays “Satanists”.

“My goal is just to keep her talking. The battle is clear. It’s hope versus hate,” says Wetterling.

Since Wetterling has long been an advocate of child safety, the Foley scandal has made this race even more important.
Although upset by Foley’s actions, Wetterling is even more angry at the house leadership: “My repeated message has always been, somebody knows something and you beg that person to come forward,” Wetterling said. “This is a case, in reality, where people did know and did nothing, and it’s heartbreaking.”
* * * * * * * * * *

Patty Wetterling is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $295,000 to these candidates. These races are getting closer. Please do what you can.

Candidate District Checks To:
Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado * Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Sam Brown and Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

Form:
Federal Law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for individuals whose contributions to a candidate exceed $200 for an election.

*Name_________________________________________

*Address _______________________________________

*City_____________________ State _____ Zip _________

*Employer ______________________________

*Occupation ____________________________
(If you are retired, please enter N/A under Employer and Retired under Occupation; if a homemaker, please enter N/A - Homemaker; if self-employed, please enter "Self-Employed" under Employer and describe your line of work under Occupation).

Name of Candidate Committee: _____________

Amount of contribution: _____________

¬¬¬¬I confirm that the following statements are true and accurate:
- I am not a foreign national who lacks permanent residence in the United States.
- This contribution is made from my own funds, and not those of another.
- This contribution is not made from the funds of a corporation or labor organization.
- I am at least eighteen years old.

SIGNED ____________________

*Required by Federal Law
Contributions to candidates for Federal Office are not tax deductible.

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com
http://hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail.blogspot.com/
202-271-9200

2006-10-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

The grimly prophetic words of WB Yeats reverberate in my bones:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

2006-10-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

UPDATE ON THE SCOTT KLEEB CAMPAIGN

Good news for the Scott Kleeb campaign in western Nebraska's 3rd District. A new poll indicates he’s becoming truly competitive with the Republican candidate Adrian Smith. Kleeb believes voters are searching for an independent voice and he’s playing up that angle of the campaign: “Kleeb, a registered Democrat with an Independent Voice”. This plays well in the sprawling, rural farmland where Republicans outnumber Democrats almost 2 to 1 and since 1935, have controlled the seat for all but two years.  (Kleeb says “I’m a bull rider and a Democrat. Which do you think is more difficult to be in Western Nebraska?”

Sporting red t-shirts and jackets, Kleeb’s campaign workers could be mistaken for Cornhusker football supporters (“Go Big Red”). At a debate this last week, all the Kleeb supporters were dressed in their usual red which seemed to confuse the organizers at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. When they asked the Kleeb supporters to sit on one side of the room and the Smith supporters on the other, they were astonished to see about 2/3rds of the people move to the Kleeb side.

Most of the debate centered around the candidates’ positions on the federal farm bill, rural development, health care, college tuition, taxes and immigration. But Smith also jabbed at Kleeb for being a carpetbagger. (Kleeb was raised on U.S. military bases overseas, where his parents were teachers, but he spent summers on his grandparents’ ranch near Broken Bow, NE.) Kleeb responds to this well by saying he isn’t ashamed that his parents dedicated their lives to teaching soldiers and their children at overseas army bases. For me it is reminiscent of when Sam was running for Treasurer of Colorado where he was also confronted with the carpetbagger issue. “The day I was born was an important day for my mother,” Sam said, “And I felt I should be with her on such a significant occasion even if it couldn’t be in Colorado.”

Later in the debate  Kleeb said quality jobs are the key to attracting young people back to rural areas, Smith cleverly responded, “It’s not every day we can open up a congressional seat to encourage young people to return to Nebraska.”  (Kleeb is 31.)  On more serious issues, Kleeb criticized Smith for taking contributions from Club for Growth whose leaders have called for an end to farm subsidies.

And the best news is a new poll conducted by national polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates September 20-21 showing that the 3rd District congressional race is up for grabs. When asked whom they would support “if the election were held today,” 41 percent of definite voters said they would vote for Adrian Smith and 37 percent said they would vote for Scott Kleeb. The margin of error for the entire sample is ±4.87%. Of course that margin goes both ways, but it appears that seat may really be play.

2006-09-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

DAN SEALS
ILLINOIS – 10th Congressional District

Chicago may be my favorite American city and I’d probably live there if it weren’t for the months between November and April. I always remember comedian Richard Jeni’s line about how Chicago got started. “A bunch of people in New York said, ‘Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.’”

Growing up in Omaha, Chicago was the big city, not New York or L.A. and I still think it’s one of the most underrated cities in the world. Everything about it is all American; its architecture, its food, its teams, its comedy, its music . . . and its politics are pure mother’s milk. “In most places in the country, voting is looked upon as a right and a duty, but in Chicago it's a sport,” said Dick Gregory. Chicago is truly America’s pulse, the “city of big shoulders”.

We headed north to the 10th congressional district to watch Democratic candidate Dan Seals at work. The district has 650,000 people -- a combination of some of suburban Chicago’s wealthiest and poorest; fiscally conservative and socially moderate. The polished lawns of Glencoe blossomed with “Seals for Congress” signs. We were headed for an afternoon event on the lawn of a picket-fence Victorian house -- modest compared to the other Venti-sized, gated houses of Lake Forest. The Sunday afternoon was unexpectedly cold and rainy. People were chilly and damp but they still crowded onto the porch or stood with umbrellas on the lawn to hear Seals.

Seals commands a room – or a porch in this case. He has a Jimmy Stewart charm and style with a Barack Obama message and delivery and he’s getting the same intense local support that Obama had in 2004. Like Obama, he’s young, attractive, articulate and African American. Like Obama he did well in school – MA from SAIS and MBA from University of Chicago. And until about six weeks ago, they both had two daughters. Now Seals has a third.

The 10th is a Democratic district, with a partisan performance index of D+3.6. This makes it one of the most Democratic districts in the country held by a Republican. (In this case, Mark Kirk.) Kirk talks like a moderate but votes like a conservative, supporting Tom Delay 90% of the time. Kirk did oppose the President on stem cell research but, as Seals says, “The difference between me and Kirk is that I’d vote for the leadership that supported it.” Kirk’s money comes mostly from big oil and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

Here are some quotes from Seal’s stump speech:

“They say ‘stay the course”, in Iraq. But this is a civil war. We’ve had a democracy for 230 years and you go to Florida and see we still haven’t gotten it right. How could they get it right in just a few years?

“There’s 30,000 dollars of national debt for every man, woman and child in this country, and we owe it to places like China. Now how can you take a hard line with China when you have to borrow from them?

“Sixteen percent of America, forty-six million people are without access to health care. If that were an education statistic, it would be treated as a national scandal.

“We give tax dollar subsidies to big oil and yet they have record profits. I think they’re ready to leave the nest and fly on their own and we can put that money into research and national security.”

The Republicans are active and powerful in the district but many don’t feel represented. In the highly educated and affluent Winnetka, there are a lot of Republicans who are concerned about the burgeoning national debt and don’t want the Jerry Falwells running the nation.

This is a race with a very wealthy and well-educated electorate, which frequently means higher than usual turn out in the off-year elections. Seals has attracted support from the Party’s elite including Barack Obama, Rham Emmanuel and others who have been to his district. But he has not yet made the DCCC “Red to Blue” list. This seems odd since his district is more reliably democratic than the seat held by Melissa Bean, the incumbent Democrat in the adjacent district. Perhaps it’s because Kirk, the incumbent, is regarded as an attractive Republican moderate, although his voting record on the war and the economy belie that. In the past, Kirk has run well ahead of his party in the district and that, coupled with his incumbency and his overwhelming dollar advantage may explain the lack of national party support for Seals. (Seals has raised over a million dollars but Kirk remains well ahead in cash on hand.) However the DCCC targets the Seals campaign as an “emerging race” and we hope that that -- along with your help -- will begin to close the financial gap. This year there’s a real chance that Democrats and Independents as well as disenfranchised Republicans will be the ones to turn out on election day. Please give whatever you can.

Just as the rain subsided, Seals ended his stump speech. “If you liked what you heard, we hope you’ll vote on November 7th . . . if you didn’t like it, we hope you’ll vote on November 8th.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Dan Seals is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $280,000 to these candidates.

Candidate * District * Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado * Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-09-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

DAN SEALS
ILLINOIS – 10th Congressional District

Chicago may be my favorite American city and I’d probably live there if it weren’t for the months between November and April. I always remember comedian Richard Jeni’s line about how Chicago got started. “A bunch of people in New York said, ‘Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.’”

Growing up in Omaha, Chicago was the big city, not New York or L.A. and I still think it’s one of the most underrated cities in the world. Everything about it is all American; its architecture, its food, its teams, its comedy, its music . . . and its politics are pure mother’s milk. “In most places in the country, voting is looked upon as a right and a duty, but in Chicago it's a sport,” said Dick Gregory. Chicago is truly America’s pulse, the “city of big shoulders”.

We headed north to the 10th congressional district to watch Democratic candidate Dan Seals at work. The district has 650,000 people -- a combination of some of suburban Chicago’s wealthiest and poorest; fiscally conservative and socially moderate. The polished lawns of Glencoe blossomed with “Seals for Congress” signs. We were headed for an afternoon event on the lawn of a picket-fence Victorian house -- modest compared to the other Venti-sized, gated houses of Lake Forest. The Sunday afternoon was unexpectedly cold and rainy. People were chilly and damp but they still crowded onto the porch or stood with umbrellas on the lawn to hear Seals.

Seals commands a room – or a porch in this case. He has a Jimmy Stewart charm and style with a Barack Obama message and delivery and he’s getting the same intense local support that Obama had in 2004. Like Obama, he’s young, attractive, articulate and African American. Like Obama he did well in school – MA from SAIS and MBA from University of Chicago. And until about six weeks ago, they both had two daughters. Now Seals has a third.

The 10th is a Democratic district, with a partisan performance index of D+3.6. This makes it one of the most Democratic districts in the country held by a Republican. (In this case, Mark Kirk.) Kirk talks like a moderate but votes like a conservative, supporting Tom Delay 90% of the time. Kirk did oppose the President on stem cell research but, as Seals says, “The difference between me and Kirk is that I’d vote for the leadership that supported it.” Kirk’s money comes mostly from big oil and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Here are some quotes from Seal’s stump speech:

“They say ‘stay the course”, in Iraq. But this is a civil war. We’ve had a democracy for 230 years and you go to Florida and see we still haven’t gotten it right. How could they get it right in just a few years?

“There’s 30,000 dollars of national debt for every man, woman and child in this country, and we owe it to places like China. Now how can you take a hard line with China when you have to borrow from them?”

“Sixteen percent of America, forty-six million people are without access to health care. If that were an education statistic, it would be treated as a national scandal.

“We give tax dollar subsidies to big oil and yet they have record profits. I think they’re ready to leave the nest and fly on their own and we can put that money into research and national security.”

The Republicans are active and powerful in the district but many don’t feel represented. In the highly educated and affluent Winnetka, there are a lot of Republicans who are concerned about the burgeoning national debt and don’t want the Jerry Falwells running the nation.

This is a race with a very wealthy and well-educated electorate, which frequently means higher than usual turn out in the off-year elections. Seals has attracted support from the Party’s elite including Barack Obama, Rham Emmanuel and others who have been to his district. But he has not yet made the DCCC “Red to Blue” list. This seems odd since his district is more reliably democratic than the seat held by Melissa Bean, the incumbent Democrat in the adjacent district. Perhaps it’s because Kirk, the incumbent, is regarded as an attractive Republican moderate, although his voting record on the war and the economy belie that. In the past, Kirk has run well ahead of his party in the district and that, coupled with his incumbency and his overwhelming dollar advantage may explain the lack of national party support for Seals. (Seals has raised over a million dollars but Kirk remains well ahead in cash on hand.) However the DCCC targets the Seals' campaign as an “emerging race” and we hope that that -- along with your help -- will begin to close the financial gap. This year there’s a real chance that Democrats and Independents as well as disenfranchised Republicans will be the ones to turn out on election day. Please give whatever you can.

Just as the rain subsided, Seals ended his stump speech. “If you liked what you heard, we hope you’ll vote on November 7th . . . if you didn’t like it, we hope you’ll vote on November 8th.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Dan Seals is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $280,000 to these candidates.

Candidate * District * Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords * 8th district of Arizona * Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant * 1st District of Idaho * Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes * 2nd District of New Hampshire * Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings * 13th District of Florida * Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb * 3rd District of Nebraska * Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione * 4th District Of Colorado * Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals * 10th District of Illinois * Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner * Wyoming (statewide race) * Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz * 1st District of Minnesota * Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling * 6th District of Minnesota * Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-08-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Gary Trauner
Wyoming

The landscape on the drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming is sprinkled only with tumbleweed and sagebrush; occasional clusters of trees seem like oases surrounded by parched brown scrub grass. “Sheep country,” said Sam, pointing to the fencing with grids of wire on the lower halves. “I thought it was just cattle, cowboys and coal.” The sheep themselves were not in evidence. Nothing was in evidence – other than a sign that said “Parking” which pointed to the side of the road. “Parking for what?” I asked.

We drove under one of those endless western skies, speeding by a huge metal profile of a buffalo high on a bluff, and past the signs warning that I 25 will be closed in the event of high winds. Enormous gates on each side of the highway indicate they mean what they say. Wyoming is the cowboy state and its residents are much prouder of their history with Buffalo Bill and Custer than they are of native son Jackson Pollock. This is a part of the country where metallic yellow ribbons abound on truck and car bumpers; the home state of Matthew Shepard and Dick Cheney.

The diagonal street parking was free, so we parked right next to the historic Plains Hotel and went in to its café to have lunch with Gary Trauner, Wyoming’s Democratic candidate for congress.

Trauner has that squeaky-clean look that comes with balding heads. He’s attractive and personable, dressed in jeans, cowboy boots and a flannel shirt; the uniform of Wyoming. Over Rueben and club sandwiches Sam and I talked to him about his campaign, his beliefs and his chances. I immediately liked him because he let me share his sweet-potato fries; something I could never order for myself.

This is conservative country but Wyoming does have a Democratic governor and the congressional incumbent, Barbara Cubin, seems to be one of the least respected members of congress. Her last campaign was vicious but the competition (a trust-funder with no real campaign) was simply not credible.

Trauner campaigns in small towns 4-7 days a week, stopping in the radio stations and local newspapers but mostly going door-to-door. He says he hasn’t spent this much time away from his wife since they met and yet, when he calls her, she’s always enthusiastic and happy. “What’s wrong with this picture?” he laughs. “But really, it’s because we both feel this is exactly what I should be doing. We’ve had some personal tragedies in our lives and, well, this may sound corny, but we both really want to make a difference.” He’s a hard and energetic worker and that comes across. He’s already knocked on nearly 15,000 doors. In his talking with people, the major issue of concern is health care, followed by the national debt, energy, public lands and immigration. A typical recent newspaper story on public land sales -- which are very unpopular among a broad cross-section of Wyoming voters -- quoted him as saying “The (Republicans) have not been fiscally conservative ... they've been fiscally irresponsible and they're looking anywhere they can to find a couple of bucks. No Wyoming family would sell their furniture to make their mortgage payment and they don't want their public lands sold to pay off the country's debt.” This common sense speaking resonates with the feel of the west.

The question he is repeatedly asked is “How do you know you’re not going to become part of them?” The “them” is Washington. The feeling in Wyoming is Washington versus us the real people. And the incumbent is often seen as “them”.

Barbara Cubin has a reputation for not showing up for votes and not being good with her constituents. One example is the Martin’s Cove issue. The Church of the Latter Day Saints, a strong constituency in southwest Wyoming, had wanted to buy Martin’s Cove, a parcel of public land. At first Cubin had supported the Mormons’ cause, but when environmentalists protested, she wavered. In the end, she just didn’t show up for the vote. It was seen as reflecting a lack of character.

Trauner says, “Basically Wyoming people believe that you ought to show up and do your job. And if you don’t, there’s no excuse. Voters say almost wistfully that they think things just aren’t working on a national level.” On social issues where some disagree with Trauner’s stands, his best argument is that the government should stay out of personal decisions and this strikes us as an approach that will play well among conservatives in the West. It allowed former Senator Alan K. Simpson to be pro-choice. On estate and dividends taxes he will be a reliable Democratic vote. On many issues he will be a moderate, which is very much reflective of his constituency.

Trauner’s button touches the Wyoming nerve:
Honesty

Integrity

Hard Work

Gary S. Trauner

This is a race that can be won. The candidate is a businessman and family man (wife, two children 12 and 6) smart and aggressive. He moved to Wyoming 16 years ago, and lives in Teton County where Jackson Hole is. This might have posed a problem since there is resentment about the wealth and fame of Jackson, but Trauner’s strong grass-roots approach can, we believe, overcome that. He is not a self-funder.

Trauner has attracted a strong, experienced Wyoming campaign staff. His campaign manager, Linda Stoval, was instrumental in the Democratic governor’s successful race. Whatever the controversy about the DNC 50-state strategy among political junkies, it is paying off in Wyoming, which now has a three person staff – up from one -- that will be of vital importance in this state-wide race. Although the registration heavily favors Republicans (59%) the Democratic vote in 2004 would be enough to win the race with a lower off-year turnout – if the field staff can get out the vote. Recent polls that show Trauner within four points of Cubin also show Bush and Cheney with very big positive ratings (Bush 57%, Cheney 58%) but with 55% saying the country is on the “wrong track.” So, unlike the races in many states, this is not a place where a referendum on Bush is a winning strategy. Trauner will win or lose on his head to head match up with Cubin, not on the national disgust with Bush.

PACs connected with the committees on which she serves fund the incumbent’s campaign heavily. Trauner figures he will need $1 million to run a good campaign. In the last race the Democratic nominee was outspent $360,000 to $960,000. At last report, Trauner had raised $394,000 and had $234,000 on hand, Cubin had raised $624,000 and had $173,000 on hand. Trauner out-raised his opponent in the last quarter. This is a race where a few dollars go a long ways.

Checks should be made out to:
Trauner For Congress

Please mail checks to:
Sam Brown/Alison Teal Brown
2320 Pomona Avenue
Martinez, CA 94553

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com
http://hotflashesfromthecampaigntrail.blogspot.com/
202-271-9200

2006-08-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Friends - You may be interested to know that in the latest ratings from Congressional Quarterly four of the candidates we have been supporting have moved in a positive way in the ratings.

Illinois 10 from Safe Republican to Republican Favored
Arizona 8 from Leans Republican to No Clear Favorite
Minnesota 6 from Leans Republican to No Clear Favorite
Wyoming At Large from Republican Favored to Leans Republican

This is a gratifying reminder that, if you help early in a campaign - particularly in overlooked races -- it can sometimes have substantial payoff in the result. I am not suggesting that our collective effort moved the ratings, but that we played a part by identifying races in a thoughtful way and then helping them at a critical time. There are several more steps to go to a victory in these decidedly difficult districts, but this a one step along that path. So congratulations to all of us.

2006-08-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Angie Paccione
Colorado - 4th Congressional District

We had driven more than 400 miles since 6am this morning when we turned into the driveway of a little red-brick house in a residential neighborhood just a couple of blocks off Mulberry Street in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was uncomfortably hot and sure Sam was lost.

As I approached the house, the front door opened and a fresh-faced young man came bouncing out, shouting that he was making a cool down run. “You want something,” he asked. My irritation evaporated. This little one-story house (zoned for commercial as well) was, in fact, Angie Paccione’s campaign headquarters.

The place was humming, both literally and figuratively with fans on every surface. Volunteers were answering phones, working on mailings, tripping over piles of flyers, reading newspapers and meeting in small groups in the backyard under the shade of poplar trees. The headquarters was bustling and it’s only June. There were Kerry headquarters with less action the night before the election. Paccione has over 400 volunteers on board already.

We were met by the campaign manager Gary Chandler, a totally charming man with a heavy Arkansas accent,. “Does that accent play well here?” I asked. “What accent?” he countered.

We went into what must have been a child’s bedroom at some point in the house’s history and sat amid wall-to-wall desks talking to the candidate. Dressed in a blue knit “Colorado” shirt and khakis, the curly-headed blond Paccione looks like the All-American basketball player she was. She learned basketball as a child on the streets of the South Bronx where she grew up, the child of an Italian father and African-American mother. In high school, she was a consensus All-American and a member of the national Select Team that represented the USA. She was one of the first women to receive a full athletic scholarship to Stanford University where she graduated with an honors degree in political science and then joined the Women’s American Basketball Association. In 1985 she moved to Colorado and worked with troubled youth at a residential child care facility, eventually taught high school, and later became a dean of students and coached boy’s varsity basketball. She spent 8 years with Project Promise, a graduate program for teacher preparation at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where she trained teachers and earned her own PhD in education, after which she became an assistant professor of teacher education at CSU. She has been elected twice to the Colorado legislature from a district where Democrats are the minority. In 2004, she was re-elected by the largest margin of victory by a Democrat in the recent history of Larimer County – against the Republican party chairman.

Paccione is challenging the two-term incumbent, Marilyn Musgrave, whose claim to fame in congress is her authorship of the Federal Marriage Amendment to outlaw same-sex marriages – something she also introduced at the state level in Colorado. Musgrave voted against Sen. John McCain’s anti-torture bill, is unwaveringly loyal to Tom DeLay and is ranked as the 23rd most right-wing of the 435 members of congress – in short, the kind of congressperson we live to campaign against.

But this isn’t an easy district: one of the largest in the country, it’s a blend of rural ranches and farms, college towns and suburbs. The demographics are 165,000 R, 135,000 U and 105,000 D. Musgrave has sent out nine franking pieces already, eight of which look a lot like campaign literature. Sam’s experience is that Coloradans don’t like to have their money spent carelessly. One of her pieces was titled: Marilyn Musgrave Congressional Acheivement (sic) Report.
It will be a hard race though polls show that 51% of the voters want someone new. Even as Bush is slightly creeping up in the polls, Musgrave has been sliding down -- by 7%. So far she has declined all offers to debate Paccione, probably because she does not do well when not totally scripted. She has followed the Bush pattern of only admitting supporters to meetings. The President may be able to get away with that but we suspect it will not play well in Sterling. The voters complain that she never comes back to the district and they can’t get face time with her. When Paccione hears that, she tells the voters “I’m going to be asking you for face time.” Musgrave refers to Paccione as a shrill liberal New Yorker or alternatively as an East and West coast liberal who is pro-abortion, anti 2nd Amendment and anti-family. This seems almost to play to Paccione’s strengths, since Angie has been a very public presence in Colorado for 21 years, connects easily to people, has a warm sense of humor and is an evangelical Christian who says she believes in living her faith, not legislating it.

“It’s all very simple,” Paccione says. “I didn’t have to pave new roads. It was already written. ‘We hold these truths’ [and here she emphasizes the work “truths”] to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (We laugh about the fact that really all those founding fathers meant were white, landowning males, but some things do get better with time . . .)

Musgrave seems to be invisible in the district while Paccione is campaigning with the energy of an athlete. As a State Representative, she initiated Saturday morning breakfasts open to anyone who wanted to question her. “In the beginning, maybe two people would show up. Sometimes it was just the sign and me. But by the fourth year over seventy-five people are coming for breakfast.” Her spirit is indomitable.

This summer she is planning a series of Tent Meetings, old populist style political and social gatherings complete with basketball clinics for the kids and a bit of politics thrown in. She is still looking for the right name for these and welcomes suggestions.

She believes she will need $1,500,000 to run an effective campaign, of which she has raised about $800,000. Unfortunately she will have to deal somewhat with the expensive Denver media market. John Rowley is scheduled to do her commercials. “I have the advantage,” Paccione says. “Marilyn is trying to rehabilitate an image. That costs a lot more than it does to present a new one. I’m not naïve, but I am an idealist.”

Ken Salazar is very popular in the more populated parts of the district and he will work hard for Paccione. “We’re a sort of Ken and Angie act,” says Paccione, “like Barbie dolls.”

We believe Paccione has a good chance of winning with a little help from all of you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Angie Paccione is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $100,000 to these candidates.

THE CANDIDATES
Candidate District Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords / 8th district of Arizona / Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant / 1st District of Idaho / Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes / 2nd District of New Hampshire / Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings / 13th District of Florida / Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb / 3rd District of Nebraska / Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione / 4th District Of Colorado / Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals / 10th District of Illinois / Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner / Wyoming (statewide race) / Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz / 1st District of Minnesota / Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling / 6th District of Minnesota / Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them to me promptly and, in turn, I will get them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-07-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Scott Kleeb
Nebraska – 3rd Congressional District

We never stopped in our seven-hour drive across the Nebraska sand hills and prairies. And that is a shame. We always plan to stop for lunch at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse in Paxton, a town of some 600 people. Self proclaimed as “Nebraska’s most famous watering hole,” this family eatery showcases mounts and memorabilia from worldwide hunting adventures. Two Nebraska-beef burgers, with giant helpings of cole slaw, fries and ice tea would have been less than ten dollars. However, our cappuccinos at the drive-through espresso stand just off a dirt road next to the railroad tracks were $2.75 each.

Anyway, we were hungry when we reached Kearney where we were meeting Scott Kleeb, candidate for Nebraska’s 3rd District so we agreed to have dinner together at a chain restaurant just off I80. Kleeb ordered a “neat scotch” and the waitress rushed off to get a tidy glass. You couldn’t blame her for her confusion, Kleeb is disarmingly youthful and distractingly handsome. In fact, it’s difficult even for a woman of my age to concentrate on a T-bone when he’s sitting across the table from you. He looks every bit the Marlboro man in his green flannel shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. And the look is legitimate. The 30-year-old Kleeb lives in a bunkhouse, is a fourth generation western Nebraskan, and has worked as a ranch hand and been a rodeo bull rider. For his doctoral dissertation in history at Yale, he focused on the history of American cattle ranching. Most of his research was done from the back of a pick-up, as he traveled through every state west of the Mississippi, listening to the stories of farmers, ranchers and small-town workers.

He spent his first eighteen years on military bases in Italy and when confronted by opponents with carpet-bagging accusations, he says he’s “not going to apologize for my parents teaching soldiers overseas. When I had a chance to come back, I chose to come back.” This is the heart of red U.S.A. It is the sixth most Republican district in the country and has only twice elected a Democrat since 1935. But the last time this seat was open, in 1990, the Democrat lost by only 4000 votes. It is an open seat because the incumbent, Tom Osborne, a former University of Nebraska football coach, is running for governor. As Kleeb says, “There’s God and Tom Osborne in Western Nebraska and who’s got more streets named after him?”

Kleeb knows his district and knows farming and ranching inside out. He is a prairie populist: “More than 70% of subsidies go to 10% of the largest farm operators. If we can take that 10% and redirect it, we can more than double our current investment in rural development.” He talks with deep admiration of people over 65, a considerable part of his district. It resonates when he says, “no one asks people now to give what these people gave.” And he talks with unalloyed admiration about FDR who “brought electricity to our ranch.”

Currently the issue he hears most about is immigration. On the day of the national strike, the meat packing plants were shut down. “That’s a ten billion dollar economy shutting down. Of course we have to know who’s in our country and we need stronger border security measures, it is a national security issue. But the Latinos are hard working people out here and appreciated as such.”

The second biggest issue raised with Kleeb is health care. Not only are many people in the sand hills uninsured but also co-pays and premiums are up to the level that even many people who are insured can’t afford good care. Nonetheless it is his sense that the voters don’t want single payer health insurance so he has developed a middle ground focused on preventative care, cost containment – including competitive pricing for drugs for seniors – and increases in efficiency.

The next issues are water and energy. “If we are to have renewable energy by 2525, where will that come from? The Great Plains,” says Kleeb. His opponent, Adrian Smith, also young, is a classic God, Guns and Gays Republican candidate who has raised serious money from the Club for Growth. Smith has had some trouble explaining their opposition to both farm subsidies and ethanol subsidies. Kleeb has painted a vision of new technologies for energy resting on the agricultural resources of the third district. After driving for hours with a 30-mile-an-hour wind blowing across the highway it struck us that a bit of wind power might also be available.

He will not be a vote with Murtha on the war. Best case, he would take a position more like Levin. But he has been characterized in one blog as “pro war” and that substantially understates the sophistication of his position. He has also been characterized as “pro life” and that is simply wrong. He starts an answer to any question on the subject by saying “I am against abortion.” But he then says it is not the government’s role to criminalize abortion, and “the answer is not sending women and their doctor’s to jail.” On taxes, he opposes repeal of the estate tax and extension of the dividend tax reduction.

Vice President Cheney recently held a fundraiser for Kleeb’s opponent – the first VP to visit the district in 100 years. The press on the event started with Kleeb’s call for the Smith campaign to pay for the extra police and other costs rather than the taxpayers of Grand Island and noted that Kleeb was in the same city holding an event with over 50 supporters highlighting energy independence and criticizing Cheney as the politician who “has done more to entrench the interests of Big Oil than any other politician in American history.” This strategy ended with Kleeb getting more airtime than Smith and Cheney on the day of the event. The fact that Cheney came at all suggests that Kleeb is beginning to worry them. And, it turns out, that although Smith raised $80,000 at that event, at the end of the quarter Kleeb had $278,000 on hand and Smith had only $118,000. The RNC also sent House Speaker Dennis Hastert on July 31st for a fundraiser with Smith, and Congressman Cantor (VA-7) is to appear with Smith at an event on August 15th. It’s unheard of for a Democrat to be ahead in fund-raising in western Nebraska. We need to keep him that way.

Kleeb is a smart, appealing candidate, now organizing a campaign in a district where there has not been great Democratic infrastructure and where the distances are vast. But -- as in Wyoming -- we heard how good Dean’s 50 state strategy is for these rural districts. And in the 3rd, it will mean at least five full-time grass roots organizers.

As we left our wilted salad -- about 11:30 at night -- Sam was down. The candidate and his staff seemed very young and idealistic in a place where the numbers are discouraging and the opponent well-funded. But I am convinced this is just the sort of person for whom we Democrats should be building support. We need young, energetic promising people. In the past, the Republicans have been far better at recruiting, supporting and developing candidates and we are paying the price. And Sam should not be dismissing young candidates. It is not only bad form, it is somehow denying our own history.

Kleeb is making a real splash in this nationally overlooked district. He has a chance, a real chance. And a member of the house is a member of the house.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scott Kleeb is one of ten candidates for whom we have been raising money. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we have so far sent more than $90,000 to these candidates.

THE CANDIDATES:

Candidate / District / Checks To:

Gabrielle Giffords / 8th district of Arizona / Giffords for Congress
Larry Grant / 1st District of Idaho / Grant for Congress
Paul Hodes / 2nd District of New Hampshire / Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings / 13th District of Florida / Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb / 3rd District of Nebraska / Kleeb For Congress
Angie Paccione / 4th District Of Colorado / Angie Peccione for Congress
Dan Seals / 10th District of Illinois / Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner / Wyoming (statewide race) / Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz / 1st District of Minnesota / Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling / 6th District of Minnesota / Patty Wetterling for Congress

If you can help with any or all of these candidates -- and haven't already -- please send checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Alison Teal, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam's office will forward them to me promptly and, in turn, I will get them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

2006-07-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

As the bumper strip says, “If You’re Not Outraged, You’re Not Paying Attention”.

Control of Congress is critical because neither we nor the world can afford more years of domestic and foreign policy blunders. Imagine a war with Iran conducted by the same people who brought you Iraq. Only a new Congress can stop it.

My husband Sam Brown and I, along with a few other friends, have decided we have to stop whining and really do something. We are committed to doing our part to help gain control of Congress. We hope you can help.

We all get numerous fundraising appeals… so we have to make decisions about where our funds and our time are best spent. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has done well in recruiting candidates and in raising money for the most competitive races, currently 22. We think these candidates identified by the DCCC will do well with or without our help.

Where we believe we can get the biggest bang for our – and your -- buck is in the next 10-15 most competitive races. These are races that: 1) may not be toss ups but are highly competitive; 2) have a good Democratic candidate who already has a good campaign team or is willing to accept help in forming one; and, 3) have local issues that either favor the Democrat or weaken the Republican. These are critical districts…ones we know the Republicans will target but ones that truly will be the difference in winning or losing control of the House. These are districts that desperately need help but will not get to the top of the list for assistance from traditional Democratic campaign organizations.

Our partner in this effort is Chuck McLean and his research firm, Denver Research Group (DRGI). Over the past four years, DRGI’s state-of-the-art trend forecasting systems have correctly projected political events from the Iraq insurgency to the Hamas win (and its scope) in the recent Palestinian elections. His work has been reported in Fortune and repeatedly by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius.

Chuck developed a list of approximately 45 target races based on a variety of criteria. Sam met with Rahm Emmanuel and the staff of the DCCC, reviewed this entire list and also reviewed the top DCCC targets. Rahm felt we were initially focusing on the right tier of races and that we could do many things to aid candidates, particularly those with primaries, that they could not. He was enthusiastic about our plans.

Sam and I and DRGI are willing to devote significant time and resources to this project. Chuck and his staff, on a purely voluntary basis, will maintain and update the target lists, monitoring key events, polls and other happenings in the target districts. This last month, we have visited some candidates, talked at length with others and reviewed more than 40 campaigns. We have a list of nine candidates about whom we are genuinely excited. We have begun the process of meeting with all these candidates. We will provide more in depth personal observations as we go along. The first trip report will be done early next week and I will send it to you. After this last month of work, we are more then ever convinced that there are interesting and important opportunities to help candidates who are running strong campaigns where your money would be well spent.

We have researched and written the attached rather glossy summaries – thank you PDF. These are races that both deserve support and will spend your money well.

What we are asking of you is that you commit to support each of these target candidates. Your contribution of any size, from a few dollars, if that is what is possible for you, but more – even much more -- up to the maximum of $2100 per candidate, will be helpful and greatly appreciated. In fact I know that for some of the young people on my list, any commitment at all will be hard. But not as hard as living through the next two years with a Republican Congress. I know some people to whom we are sending this letter can afford to give generously and we hope everyone will stretch to give. So, please take a look at the attachments describing each race and send checks for these candidates. Of course if there is one or more you find not to your liking we hope you will write a slightly larger check to the others than you otherwise could afford.

The candidates and the name of their campaign committees are:

Gabrielle Giffords 8th district of Arizona Giffords for Congress
Paul Hodes 2nd District of New Hampshire Paul Hodes for Congress
Christine Jennings 13th district of Florida Christine Jennings for Congress
Scott Kleeb 3rd district of Nebraska Kleeb for Congress
Angie Paccione 4th district of Colorado Angie Paccione for Congress
Dan Seals 10th District of Illinois Dan Seals for Congress
Gary Trauner Wyoming (at large) Trauner for Congress
Tim Walz 1st District of Minnesota Tim Walz for Congress
Patty Wetterling 6th district of Minnesota Patty Wetterling for Congress

Please send all checks plus one copy of the attached disclosure form to me at the address below. Complete only the lines marked with an asterisk on the disclosure form and then sign at the bottom. We will copy and complete the form for each committee and submit it with your check along with forms and checks from others

Send to: Sam Brown, 2320 Pomona Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553 and Sam’s office will forward them to me promptly and, in turn, I will get them promptly to the campaigns. Sam and I have taken a substantial amount of the time of some of the candidates and their campaign managers and I want to be sure they know it was not wasted. If you choose to contribute by credit card on the web site please let me know so that, for this same reason, I can be sure the campaign knows where it came from.

Also please pass this along to your friends. Sam and Chuck and I have and will continue to invest significant resources and time in completing our work and preparing and updating these lists. We want to be sure our investment will result in solid support for these good candidates.

As a bonus for you (as if winning control of Congress weren’t enough), we’ll be sending a regular email summarizing for you the status of these races and providing additional information on Election 2006 as a whole.

Remember what Margaret Mead said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Together we really can make a difference.

Below is the report form you need to print out and send with your checks.
Federal Law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for individuals whose contributions to a candidate exceed $200 for an election.

*Name_________________________________________

*Address _______________________________________

*City_____________________ State _____ Zip _________

*Employer ______________________________

*Occupation ____________________________
(If you are retired, please enter N/A under Employer and Retired under Occupation; if a homemaker, please enter N/A - Homemaker; if self-employed, please enter "Self-Employed" under Employer and describe your line of work under Occupation).

Name of Candidate Committee: _____________

Amount of contribution: _____________

¬¬¬¬I confirm that the following statements are true and accurate:
- I am not a foreign national who lacks permanent residence in the United States.
- This contribution is made from my own funds, and not those of another.
- This contribution is not made from the funds of a corporation or labor organization.
- I am at least eighteen years old.

SIGNED ____________________

*Required by Federal Law
Contributions to candidates for Federal Office are not tax deductible.

2006-05-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

OUR TIME
Smith Class of 66 Fortieth Reunion
May 27, 2006

I was really flattered and not just a little surprised to be asked to give this speech tonight. You see, unlike the rest of you, I graduated from Smith only summa cum fortuna. My highest ambition was just to get in to Smith. At the time of graduation all I cared about was, well . . . graduating.

So, I’m really honored to be giving this speech.

I promised Merry -- since we were having a heavily political weekend – that I wouldn’t do any political comments or jokes -- fine with me -- the trouble with political jokes is that they so often get elected.

It’s terrific to be here this weekend with all of you. How often do you get to have dinner in a room full of people every one of whom has this profoundly important common thread? We’re all so different. We live in different places, we have different interests, different politics. Some are prosperous. Some have committed their lives to teaching, government, art, community service or family. A few of you are gourmet cooks while others eat nothing but roots and clouds. Some of you are really famous while others have preserved our precious anonymity. But with all of our differences we have this very fundamental thing in common. We are all remarkably old. I mean it; if you’re sitting in this room tonight, you are probably pretty damn old.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I was shocked to wake up one morning and find that while I was asleep, I went completely out of style. It’s like I went to bed as Gwyneth Paltrow and woke up as Bea Arthur. But it’s not just the orthopedic shoes and sheer energy panty hose. It’s parts of my body I didn’t even know could go out-of-fashion. Have you been to a gym recently? How over the hill do you feel showering with all those Brazilian waxes? And then there’s the amount of time we have to spend to just get out of the house… I’m not even talking about liposuction or Botox. I’m talking about fundamental things like hair – all that washing and blow-drying, cutting, coloring. I swear if I hadn’t had to spend so much time on my hair, I could have found Osama ages ago. And the hair on my head is the least of it. It is in fact the least of it. It’s as if my hair follicles got bored over the years and now they’ve gotten together to try something new and more fun . . . like sprouting on my chin or a mole or just latching onto each other to form one really incredibly long eyebrow? Remember Tolstoy talking about that sexy downy lip on Princess Lise? But, of course she was young. No one talks about my fetching downy lip. I’m sick of all the maintenance -- the flossing, the moisturizing, the exercising and – my God – the dieting. I swear for forty years there’s been this thin person inside me screaming and screaming to get out. Fortunately through the years I’ve learned to give her cookies and alcohol and it shuts the bitch up.

The really frightening thing about middle age -- and the fact is we do all think of ourselves as middle-aged, don’t we? We’ve all bought right into the “sixty is the new forty” thing, right? -- well, then, the really frightening thing about middle age is that you know you’ll grow out of it.

What’s astonishing is that we even got to this advanced age. Think about it. It’s amazing we even survived our childhoods. We didn’t have seatbelts or smoke alarms. We never wore crash helmets. We walked to school. Our milk was fortified mostly with Bosco, or, in a few cases, with some nice strontium-ninety. We engaged in all sorts of unsupervised activities —they called it “playing” back then. We developed immunity to childhood diseases the old-fashioned way—by catching them. Putting fluoride in the water was thought to be a communist plot –at least in Omaha where we were ducking and covering under our protective wooden desks, which surprisingly were impervious to nuclear attack.

Our childhoods were difficult and exhausting in other ways of course. Once television finally came to Omaha, I think we only had 3 channels and certainly no remote controls. You had to actually get up and walk over to the TV if you wanted to change the channel – which probably accounts for those endless hours of watching talking horses and flying nuns. And dancing cigarettes. Remember those? Commercials had a lot of dancing and singing in those days. Our parents were killing themselves with tobacco and alcohol, but they were really happy about it. And no one had ever even heard of second-hand smoke.

And the stuff we ate! We ate chocolate soldiers and cereal “shot from guns”. We ate wax in the shape of big lips and that square bubble gum that came with baseball cards – not to forget those delicious candy cigarettes and bubble-gum cigars. And none of these treats had any limit on their shelf lives. We had actual sugar in our soft drinks. In the Midwest, mothers made sure we had something everyday from what one of my brothers insists were the four primary food groups: pasta, potatoes, cakes and pies. And here’s a memory you’ve suppressed, our mothers actually cooked with lard. As in the phrase, commonly heard when I was a girl, "We're out of lard."

And yet. . . we all arrived at Smith slim and fit – where many of us spent the first year in required calisthenic classes without ever even raising a sweat.

We’ve reminisced a lot this weekend about Smith in 1962 -- it was a land of curfews, doors six-inches-open-with-three-feet on the floor, special lates, and ironed sheets, along with big beef cheeseburger specials and Awful-Awfuls. Ah, but during our freshman year – and I swear, this is the truth -- Diet Rite and Tab were introduced and Weight Watchers was founded. Our class has always been forward-looking. I believe we were the originators of the freshman fifteen.

It was so long ago we wrote papers on machines that are now in museums. We spoke to friends and parents on phones that were attached to a wall and when you were speaking to someone “long-distance”, there was a hush of respect. Our tuition was $2,500 and we had six women of color in our class. We wore little red tunics. We were required to take Basic Motor Skills, which to my continuing astonishment had absolutely nothing to do with driving a car. Our stockings – when we weren’t wearing knee socks -- were held up by girdles with legs in them. We also wore wrap around madras skirts, circle pins, wheat jeans, and penny loafers . . . And if you were a really cool easterner like my freshman roommate Sue Stanley, you wore them without socks.

This last February I came back to Smith under the illusion that I would do some research for this speech. It turns out that since we were pre-internet, there’s hardly any record of our existence. So I walked around the campus for inspiration and revisited some of the great edifices of our day: Rahars, The Satire Room, and Carlos. Then I went to the archives and read through four years of the Sophian. I’m not kidding. It was totally fascinating. Unfortunately it was mostly about Yale – oh, there was a sprinkling of concerned editorials about the impending dissolution of fraternities at Williams, Dartmouth and Amherst. But there were some good stories. One of my favorites was about Hampshire House winning first prize on Freshman Day for a coffin mourning the loss of their friends Tom Collins and Old Granddad at Rahar’s. Another in 1965 said that Lyons Reading room was prepared to consider – only consider, mind you -- dismissing fines on books that were over an hour late due to the entire East coast Blackout. But my very favorite was a letter written in 1966 about our Rally Day Show which after praising the other shows of the other classes said: The seniors…gave a sour note to an otherwise enjoyable evening. I will not give examples of their plays on words centering around sex and made in very poor taste, those present will well remember them. It is ironic that in their closing song they spoke of setting a mark for their younger counterparts to look up to. Judging from the skit, I see no reason why anyone should look up to the senior class.” That was us. Always the cutting edge in one way or another.

We arrived at Smith with the Kennedy/Johnson administration in the midst of the Cuban Missile crisis. Johnny Carson was taking over the Tonight show, Marilyn Monroe had just died of a drug overdose and Jon Stewart had just been born. The Berlin Wall was a year old. John Glenn orbited the earth, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and Sylvia Plath committed suicide. And what were we doing? We were lining up like sheep having our posture pictures taken. I’m so glad that wasn’t on the program this weekend. What were we thinking?

But our time was at hand. We were avant-garde. We were in the forefront of the sexual revolution – which at the time was the world’s third greatest revolution after the agrarian and the industrial. Now, we are at least surviving the fourth greatest revolution – the informational – and once again in the vanguard of the fifth: the cosmetic surgical.

And not only that, but for our whole lives we’ve been the muses for the pharmaceutical industry. We began with right here with NoDoz. Then we paved the way with birth control pills followed shortly thereafter by fertility pills. We were the guinea pigs for diet pills, hormone replacement therapy and now . . . of course . . . sleeping pills and anti-depressants. If the drug companies made it, we ate it.

Over the last forty years we’ve experienced upheaval and protests, escalating poverty, war -- and that was just in our homes.

Like many of you, I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to do after Smith. Personally, I fit the profile in “Where the Girls Are”, that lofty social guide to Eastern women’s colleges written and published by the staff of the Daily Princetonian. When describing Smith they wrote: The seniors . . . are easily recognizable as belonging to one of two categories: the smug, overly happy ones who are going to be married shortly after graduation; and the worried, nervous ones who haven’t even been pinned.”

This may have been right on target for a lot of us then, but let me tell you I googled each and every one of you -- Even accounting for your inflated resumes – and, come on, given that there are no records, who among us didn’t get 1600 on our college boards? –- You are a staggeringly impressive group of women. To paraphrase another Smith alumna, Gloria Steinem: you became the men we wanted to marry.

But I’m not sure the evidence is in that we’ve made our times that much better. We ended our four years here during the time of an unpopular President involved in an immensely unpopular war.

Around the time of our commencement, Art Buchwald warned a graduating class: "We're leaving you a perfect world. Don't screw it up."

I’m not sure how to tell you all this. I mean you may not be aware of it yet. But the fact is, we did. We screwed it up. And I’m not even sure we can glue it back together. Personally, when I broke the part I was responsible for – I may have lost some of the pieces.

A lot was expected of us when we left Smith. We not only carried all the baggage of the past -- obligations to family, friends and society -- but we felt an obligation to our newly emerging feminism. We were expected to be successful and productive as well as supportive and sexy; to forge new paths and break records and generally make it better for the women who would follow. That wasn’t a bad thing but it didn’t leave a lot of time – at least not for me – to figure out what I truly desired. Instead I was overwhelmed by the expectations of others – sometimes burdened because those expectations were actually too minimal. Well, as George Eliot said, "It is never too late to be what you might have been."

The point is, we still have time. We weren’t really the ones who broke that perfect world, but I believe we can help mend it. Okay, we’ve lost some of the pieces, but we’re the kind of people who can make new ones—now, at this advanced age, more than ever. We’ve had our successes; we’ve conquered a lot of our fears. We know that things can go from better to bitter in an instant, but we also know they can go from bitter to better. We have mature hearts now. They’ve been broken and beaten and torn apart by life. And it’s a good thing, because we can use that experience.

G. K. Chesterton said: “…the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged. God has kept that good wine until now.”

Our parents actually left us a better world than they inherited -- but then the world they inherited was a pretty crummy one. In some ways, we’ve had a harder job because we started with so much. What will future generations say about us? It’s not too late to affect the answer to that question. This is the time in our lives when we can afford to say “what if?”. It’s odd, but every defeat when you’re young seems like the end of the world. With age comes patience and hope. Now is the time we can really make a difference. All of us, not just those of you who already have.

I’ll end by telling you what I hope for us: that we
will prove that Dorothy L. Sayers was right when she said "Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force."

2005-04-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

HOT FLASHES FROM THE CHAMPAIGN TRAIL

It's been a little over five months since the election and I've finally crawled out from under my rock. I can't say I've healed, but the wounds are no longer bleeding and I'm out again in what passes for fresh air in this administration. I'm still not sure I'm ready though. Getting on with it and getting over it is not my strong suit. I'm more of a “she's wild in her fury” kind of person.

Oh, I've gotten so I can handle the everyday stuff - things like throwing open the Alaskan wilderness to the gluttonous beasts who want to drill or giving the World Bank over to one of the world's most rigid ideologues not to mention one of Suharto's best friends. Those things aren't even worthy of newspaper headlines anymore. But I do still get upset over news that a San Francisco filmmaker hopes to make a bunch of money from his recordings of suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge (a sort of zenith reality show).

I no longer hyperventilate when the self-absorbed television newscasts gloss over the fact that the administration is rewarding the author of the memos justifying Abu Gahrib (not to mention the enabler of Bush's reign as Texas' Executioner-in-Chief) with the lofty position of Attorney General. But I do have to breath deeply into a bag when I read that Martha Stewart found just loads of delicious dandelion greens in the prison yard.

I'm no longer shocked at Condoleezza Rice's outrage that someone might “impugn [her] integrity”. But when I hear the shopping network advertised as “commercial free” I want to tear my hair out.

I don't stare at the paper in open-jawed amazement when I see that the go-it-alone foreign policy advocate John Bolton may be the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. rather than, say, Bill Clinton (though he was more likely to be nominated for Secretary General.) But I begin to twitch when I see yet more coverage of Michael Jackson's grotesque house, Scott Peterson's impending book and movie contract or Robert Blake's post trial journey into the desert where he's slithering away to heal by “do[ing] a little cowboyin”.

Yes, the fact that the government has become the political extension of a religious movement hardly raises my blood pressure. As Robin Williams says: Why worry about Iraq's adopting a constitution? They can take ours. We're not using it.

My growing cynicism makes me uneasy. After all, why shouldn't people feel entitled to sue when they don't lose weight eating bacon cheeseburgers? For that matter, who among us hasn't bombed the wrong country? Mostly I am overcome by gloom because we won't have Hunter Thompson around anymore to voice our outrage at the unspeakable decadence and depravity of our time.

And now for something completely different.

For those of you who are still wondering what happened in that Paris café last November - and, come on, admit it, have you actually been thinking about anything else since then? (see November 18, 2004 Hotflahsesfromthecampaigntrail@blogspot.com ) What I actually did do is boring and banal compared to the multitude of suggestions you all sent me. An impressive 23% of you who responded described what you would have said in flawless French. Food played an integral part in 58% of the responses, wine and hot liquids in another 18%. Very bad language was in 41%. My favorite two were the following:

Bruce Ducker from Denver, Colorado: What I would have done would depend entirely on what I had ordered. Escargots a la Bourguignonne, accompanied by a light Rhone, make the ideal appetizer for this circumstance: the shells of the smaller, more succulent gastropods can be inserted into the nostrils. For entree I would recommend the heavier stocks and sauces. A coulibiac en croute leaves one satisfied but unstained. On the other hand, pot-au-feau with all its country charm, served to advantage with a robust claret, can make a lasting impact when dumped in one's lap. Dessert provides an amplitude of choices. A creme renversee au caramel might stick with one, and the palissade aux marrons is particularly pleasing if the chestnuts are fresh. But memories are made with the crepes Suzette, first, you will recall, served by Chef Henri Charpentier in Monte for the then Prince of Wales, which can be flamed at tableside and dispensed at your discretion.

Michael Winters from Washington, D.C.: Like the scene in Casablanca, I would have stood in front of the woman's table and sung La Marseillaise.

What I actually did do to the viper-tongued banshee was stammer, turn red in the face, pound my fists on the table and scream at her to stop ruining everyone's dinner with her ignorant, venomous lies - thereby proving myself to be an equally boorish and offensive American. I am rarely clever in extremity. Changing tables was not an option and after my outburst finishing dinner wasn't either, so we paid our bill and left. Not very impressive, right? After leaving, Sam returned and paid for two glasses of Calvados to be delivered to their table with the following note: “This is the sort of random act of generosity that you would have experienced in a Kerry administration.”

It was better than the stammering but I can't say it satisfied my soul. As Woody Allen once said "the meek shall inherit the earth; right between their front two teeth."

There it is. The end of my blog. Over the eleven months on the campaign trail we slept in some 150 inns, hotels and motels as well as 31 private guest rooms. We ate in dives and diners and every fine restaurant we could track down. We looked up old friends and made a lot of new ones. We drove over 40,000 miles. It was a very good year even if our worst fears did come true in the end.

So now I'm trying to get healthy, find the occasional escape and keep the snakes at bay. The following website sums up my current life:

2004-11-18T04:43:00.000-08:00

Today was our 25th wedding anniversary. We are in Paris. You’d think the café au laits, croissants, Lillets and vin rouge would make us mellow. But we are also constantly and rudely reminded of how bitterly divided America is and how strongly we feel about it. But I hover precariously between tears and explosive anger.

I have been wearing a Kerry jacket from the Pueblo rally. The jacket was given to Sam by an advance person who went to Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Buffs, Iowa and couldn't believe it when he met another Lynx (that is what he said) in the Kerry campaign. Yesterday, after a leisurely lunch at a totally French restaurant -- one filled with only French speakers and no menu in English -- I was walking on a residential street on the Left bank. An African American dressed in a tight black sweater, flamboyant purple scarf and even tighter black leather pants was unlocking his apartment. He spotted me and skipped (no really, SKIPPED) across the street to accost me. "I voted for Bush," he announced with petulant pride. "I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "It’s because he is on Jesus' side," he told me while adjusting the two ring piercings in his left nostril. “Wow! I didn’t know Jesus had endorsed either of the candidates,” I said. He then looked at me in disgust and shouted "Sinner! Sinner! Sinner!" as I walked away.

I was determined not to ruin our day. We decided to go to our favorite church: Saint-Chapelle. The light streaming through the blue and red stained glass windows was perfect and our nerves were soothed and we were filled with all the hopes and dreams - and some of the terror -- that first inspired those windows. Later we walked along the Seine and across to Centre Pompidou and then back to the islands. We stood in the twilight on the cobbled street in front of Notre Dame as the bells were tolling and people were streaming out from an evening mass and thought about how lucky we are.

We decided to go to dinner at a cozy neighborhood restaurant close to the apartment where we're staying on the Isle Saint Louis. We were seated at a small table opposite each other and next to a corner table. Two women, one rather brassy American and one quiet French, were seated at the corner table, with the American facing us. The American spoke loudly about Washington and the election through the entire meal. She talked about how the Democrats had twisted the issue of stem cell research -- she had a friend in Florida who was recovering from a very difficult disease because Bush had supported stem cell research, although the Democrats lied and said he didn't. She talked about how the election trouble was brought on by the Democrats. She went on about Kerry's terrible relationship with his children. She said she had many close friends who had told her stories about how rude John Kerry is.... It went on and on and on. There was no turning away. There was no talking without being overpowered with her voice. Everyone else was speaking French and was not bothered with the volume of her English. Finally she started talking about what a nasty, difficult, and dishonest person Teresa is — someone she had never met of course, but she’d heard it from reliable sources...

But before I tell you what happened next, I’d like to know what you would have done. I will only tell you we did not sit silently, we were not arrested, but we did have our after-dinner Calvados elsewhere.

Judith Martin, if you’re out there, we want to hear from you. Send your best thoughts.

2004-11-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

One of our daughter Willa's best friends, Elliot Quick (sophomore at Brown), has the following as the away message on his computer. It's the firsts thing that's made me laugh in days.

"Go to your room, America, and think about what you did."

2004-11-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

This is written by our son Nicholas who was one of Senator Kerry's advance staff and was in Boston for his concession speech.

Oof. Bad news always hits with the force of physical impact, and when you are right at the epicenter of that bad news, it feels like a cannonball. The only funeral I've been to in my adult life was my grandfather's, so my experience with the ceremonies of death is not extensive. But everyone I spoke to who was at Kerry's concession speech said it was like a eulogy. The five hundred or so people filling the room behaved like proper mourners -- even like Italian or Greek mourners, beating their breasts and weeping ferociously. My shoulders are sore from the ovation we gave Kerry, and while he couldn't - as he suggested in his speech - take everyone he had met in the past months into his arms, he was certainly liberal in dispensing hugs to his campaign staff.
I can't imagine it's easy to be overseas right now. Before you could look at this great boob we elected and at least say that he tricked us - that he snuck into office through deceit and legal weaselry. Now we have to look the world squarely in the face and say we wanted this man, we chose him.

Just after the concession I went to a restaurant filled with advance staffers. Their predictions for the next four years range from dire to catastrophic. "If he was a jackass to begin with, what do you think he'll be like with the mandate a 3,000,000 vote majority implies." The end of legal abortions? Probably; at least in some states. An anti-gay marriage amendment? Not unlikely. More tax cuts and the further poisoning of the federal government and the programs that have upheld the social contract between rich and poor for half a century? Almost certainly. We were picking between a buffoon and a statesman. No one has ever lost money betting against the good taste of the American people.

At around 2:00 am on election night most of the campaign staff left Copley square and went over to the Hilton bar. We all knew we had lost. Around 4:00 am, we knew Ohio was gone. I overheard another advance staffer say "If only I had used more bunting at that rally in Columbus." A further testament, as if one were needed, that staffers occasionally suffer from tunnel vision. A hotel security guy half-heartedly tried to quiet us down but eventually gave up. Around 6:00 am I went to sleep. Around 11:00 am we got word of the concession speech. I raced to the nearest T stop and headed downtown.

Advance staffers tend to be a big part of the clockwork that makes campaign events tick. For months about three-hundred-and-fifty of us have been traveling around, renting stages, sound systems, stanchions, bike rack, lights, generators, US flags, state flags, rope, recorders, bike rack, CD players, chairs, tables, mult boxes, balloons, drapes, dimmers, bunting, and yet more bike rack. We scurried about tracking down the guy who was supposed to be at the light board or searching for the stool, or podium, or even the governor who -- we are told two minutes before the Senator is supposed to start speaking -- needs to be on stage.

So when the word came that the senator was about to give his concession speech, three-hundred-and-fifty exhausted and embittered advance staffers raced to join the crowd outside Thaniel Hall Wednesday morning - many of us with substantial hangovers. About three hundred of us tried to take control of the crowd. It's what we've been doing for past eleven months. It was about as organized as a riot. It took an hour-and-a-half to fill five hundred seats. By 1:00, we were just waiting.

My ex-roommate Josi has pointed out to me the degree that we get attached to the candidates we work for. Everyone starts volunteering or working for the campaign with the notion that he is there to help solve some great crisis in the country, and he usually is. But within a few hours of making phone calls and canvassing and then traveling for a candidate, you start supporting him for himself, separate from any beliefs you share. So it shouldn't be surprising that it feels so personal when your guy loses or wins -- but it is. Kerry was my guy. In one way or another I have been working or volunteering for his presidential campaign for two years, and while my predictions for the next four years are not nearly as dire as most of the people I talked to after the speech, I can't help feeling a deep, overwhelming, hollowness. And, as with the death of a grandfather - where despite your best efforts to achieve some sort of closure through the ceremony and circumstance of a funeral, you still only begin to heal when you feel his absence at the beginning of a big family dinner when no one jumps to say grace and no one laughs too loud about old stories that are not really that funny - so, I predict, will we supporters not begin to feel the full impact of Kerry's absence and begin healing until we once again frantically seek a voice of opposition to the harebrained schemes and profound, reckless arrogance of this administration. Sadly, that probably won't take very long.

We felt the first touch of absence yesterday morning. There was none of the acid and fury of the campaign in Senator Kerry when he spoke on Wednesday. He looked tired and grim while John Edwards spoke, then he stepped to the podium, took a deep breath and talked to the cameras.

My only real memory of the speech is near the beginning. Kerry paused. His voice caught and he had to look down and away for a moment before continuing. "I wish things could have turned out differently,” he said.

Me too.

Nick Brown

2004-11-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

At the risk of being seen as a whacko conspiracy theorist I want to suggest that something is very amiss. Two things don't add up: One, how could the exit polls be so off? Two, all those Republican challengers challenged almost nothing. Why would they do that if they didn't already know they were going to win?

Right now I think it is worth reviewing several precincts that had the Diebold machines and get signed affidavits of how each voter voted (if they will give it) and compare that to the actual reported vote in that precinct. This may be fruitless but I am baffled to find another explanation for the disparity between the exit polling data (and earlier polling) and the actual results particularly in Florida. Yes, I know about sampling errors and over sampling women and so on but the differences are simply too big to be explained away. Twenty or thirty lawyers and a couple of days could at
least lay the issue to rest. Without that it will have legs - particularly on the internet -- for years.

We are all innocents compared to Karl Rove. We talk about grass roots and democracy while he is probably having a really good laugh.

Now they're coming to have me committed.

2004-11-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

I weep for my country.

2004-11-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

As I write this I'm in snow flurries in New Mexico, where Teresa Heinz Kerry and President Clinton dazzled an enormous crowd on Saturday evening.

I am way more than cautiously optimistic.

“Battle in Brewtown. Clash in Cream City. Milwaukee: the final conflict.” So read the headlines today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The candidates are campaigning in the same city for only the second time (not counting the debates). The last time was on August 4th when Iowa hosted its "Duel in Davenport". And guess who wins when the candidates are head to head?

Young people are turning out in droves - including in early voting. And they are a lot more passionate than even - yes! -- the religious right.

In the last two days bus loads of volunteers from the west coast have been pouring into Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Kerry leads by ten points in Minnesota and Nader has collapsed entirely. Even the weird former Governor Jesse Ventura gave a head nod of endorsement.

In Iowa about 27 percent of likely voters have already voted. According to David Yepsen of the “Des Moines Register” Kerry carried 52 percent of them, Bush captured only 41 percent. “Of the 73 percent who were left to vote, their preferences are tied. Bush needs to win that vote decisively. If not, he could lose this state by a wider margin than he lost it four years ago.” Yepsen is a well-respected political columnist for the Register.

In Ohio a judge has ruled that no challengers can go inside the election places. This is wonderful news! The Republicans had planned to confuse and slow voting in minority and poor neighborhoods with challenges that would create long waits and - they hoped - discourage voting. The Republicans are appealing to federal district court but it is late in the day.

In New Mexico one tenth of the voters registered this year for the first time. These are not Bush voters. Assuming we can get them to vote they should be predominately ours.

In Florida nearly two-million have voted early and informal exit polls show Kerry is running ahead of Bush.

The feared weather in Pennsylvania - which might deter voter turn out has apparently passed, which may be bad news in Detroit but in Pennsylvania it is expected to be rainy but warm. According to our friend Paul Nussbaum we have about 2800 volunteers in Montgomery County who have already canvassed every one of the Democratic precincts (195) of the 409 precincts here and will do them all again on election day. “This is a Republican registered county but I expect we will carry it by 50,0000 votes.”

The Presidential race is getting close in South Dakota according to our friend Tom Waldeck.

And there's other grim news for Bush: Chuck McLain of the Denver Research Group has a very sophisticated tool for mining the internet and summarizing the information in order to predict public opinion way ahead of the polls. We met him through our friend Bill Joy, the founder of Sun Microsystems, who is truly a computer genius. He thinks that Chuck has found a way to use the enormous potential of computers to gather and analyze data from opinion leaders on a real time basis in such a way that he can project public opinion several weeks ahead of time. Here is what McLain says about the election: “Our systems suggest presently that John Kerry will win and we would not be surprised if the victory were larger than expected.”

Any undecided voter at this point has the brains and backbone of a sponge. And Sponge Bob is clearly one of us.

Kerry is relaxed and looking good. In one pocket he's got his four-leaf clover that brought him through the primaries in Iowa and in his other pocket is an Ohio buckeye.

Everyone is feeling heady and optimistic.

Reporters on the press plane who bet on everything aren't even finding the election odds compelling enough. Los Vegas is offering Kerry at 5 to 4 and Bush at 4 to 7. Instead “the minute the plane lands they all race to get out the back. Our Advanceman son Nicholas figured it was so they could catch the candidate disembarking. But it turns out it's because they mark the wheel of the plane and they're rushing to see whose name comes closest to the top in a game of airplane roulette.

The Red Skins were defeated and the Red Sox won.

WE ARE GOING TO WIN AND WE ARE GOING TO WIN DECISIVLY!!

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes from the Campaign Trail
October 30, 2004
Alison V. Teal

O.K. So this is not rocket science. But this is a real rocket scientist who says Bush was wired. And he is backed up by the man who wrote the text on photo analysis. And just in case that doesn’t persuade you, the third professional is a physician who says that Bush’s “big shoulder blades” excuse simply has no basis in human skeletal structure. I didn’t write about this when it first started invading the internets (as Bush likes to call it), but now the evidence is more substantial. And, curiously neither the Times nor the Post seem to care enough to ask, “Is the president a puppet? And, as a follow up, who is the puppeteer?”

The following appeared Friday in . For those of you who prefer visuals, I am also attaching photo backup.

Oct. 29, 2004 George W. Bush tried to laugh off the bulge. "I don't know what that is," he said on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, referring to the infamous protrusion beneath his jacket during the presidential debates. "I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt."

Dr. Robert M. Nelson, however, was not laughing. He knew the president was not telling the truth. And Nelson is neither conspiracy theorist nor midnight blogger. He's a senior research scientist for NASA and for Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and an international authority on image analysis. Currently he's engrossed in analyzing digital photos of Saturn's moon Titan, determining its shape, whether it contains craters or canyons.

For the past week, while at home, using his own computers, and off the clock at Caltech and NASA, Nelson has been analyzing images of the president's back during the debates. A professional physicist and photo analyst for more than 30 years, he speaks earnestly and thoughtfully about his subject. "I am willing to stake my scientific reputation to the statement that Bush was wearing something under his jacket during the debate," he says. "This is not about a bad suit. And there's no way the bulge can be described as a wrinkled shirt."

Nelson and a scientific colleague produced the photos from a videotape, recorded by the colleague, who has chosen to remain anonymous, of the first debate. The images provide the most vivid details yet of the bulge beneath the president's suit. Amateurs have certainly had their turn at examining the bulge, but no professional with a resume as impressive as Nelson's has ventured into public with an informed opinion. In fact, no one to date has enhanced photos of Bush's jacket to this degree of precision, and revealed what appears to be some kind of mechanical device with a wire snaking up the president's shoulder toward his neck and down his back to his waist.

Nelson stresses that he's not certain what lies beneath the president's jacket. He offers, though, "that it could be some type of electronic device -- it's consistent with the appearance of an electronic device worn in that manner." The image of lines coursing up and down the president's back, Nelson adds, is "consistent with a wire or a tube."

Nelson used the computer software program Photoshop to enhance the texture in Bush's jacket. The process in no way alters the image but sharpens its edges and accents the creases and wrinkles. You've seen the process performed a hundred times on "CSI": pixilated images are magnified to reveal a clear definition of their shape.

Bruce Hapke, professor emeritus of planetary science in the department of geology and planetary science at the University of Pittsburgh, reviewed the Bush images employed by Nelson, whom he calls "a very highly respected scientist in his field." Hapke says Nelson's process of analyzing the images are the "exact same methods we use to analyze images taken by spacecraft of planetary surfaces. It does not introduce any artifacts into the picture in any way."

How can Nelson be certain there's some kind of mechanical device beneath Bush's jacket? It's all about light and shadows, he says. The angles at which the light in the studio hit Bush's jacket expose contours that fit no one's picture of human anatomy and wrinkled shirts. And Nelson compared the images to anatomy texts. He also experimented with wrinkling shirts in various configurations, wore them under his jacket under his bathroom light, and couldn't produce anything close to the Bush bulge.

In the enhanced photo of the first debate, Nelson says, look at the horizontal white line in middle of the president's back. You'll see a shadow. "That's telling me there's definitely a bulge," he says. "In fact, it's how we measure the depths of the craters on the moon or on Mars. We look at the angle of the light and the length of shadow they leave. In this case, that's clearly a crater that's under the horizontal line -- it's clearly a rim of a bulge protruding upward, one due to forces pushing it up from beneath."

Hapke, too, agrees that the bulge is neither anatomy nor a wrinkled shirt. "I would think it's very hard to avoid the conclusion that there's something underneath his jacket," he says. "It would certainly be consistent with some kind of radio receiver and a wire."

Nelson admits that he's a Democrat and plans to vote for John Kerry. But he takes umbrage at being accused of partisanship. "Everyone wants to think my colleague and I are just a bunch of dope-crazed ravaged Democrats who are looking to insult the president at the last minute," he says. "And that's not what this is about. This is scientific analysis. If the bulge were on Bill Clinton's back and he was lying about it, I'd have to say the same thing."

"Look, he says, "I'm putting myself at risk for exposing this. But this is too important. It's not about my reputation. If they force me into an early retirement, it'll be worth it if the public knows about this. It's outrageous statements that I read that the president is wearing nothing under there. There's clearly something there."

By Kevin Berger, senior news editor at Salon.

Alison Teal

2004-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

o Two years ago the mothers of senior girls at Sidwell Friends school in Washington began their annual mother daughter show with an Eminem rap. I was one of those mothers. And, much to my daughter's embarrassment as well as my husband's horror, I became and Eminem fan. Eminem is the poet of anger and now he's finally found something worthy of being angry about. Go to this site for his new rap video: http://boss.streamos.com/qtime/interscope/eminem/encore/video/mosh-rev/300_mosh-rev.mov

o Who would have believed four years ago when the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was sending election monitors (including Sam) to Bosnia, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia and Georgia that one of its next venues would be the United States? The OSCE is currently sending international observers, as part of its Election Observation Mission, to the following states during the presidential elections: Florida, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC. You may want to notify the appropriate officials in your State to make sure they are aware of the presence of international election monitors during the Presidential election. If you would like to know more about the OSCE's election monitoring go to: http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/field_activities/?election=2004us

o “Rush To War” a documentary film by Robert Taicher about the events surrounding September 11th and American foreign policy has just been released. Taicher previously wrote and directed “Inside Out” (Elliott Gould and Jennifer Tilly) and “The Rainbow Thief” (Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif). This coming weekend Taicher will be giving away 40,000 copies of the DVD of the film in several of the swing states including Florida and Ohio. You can download an MP3 called “George Bush Blues” and get more information at

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

What do these people have in common?
Dennis Hastert, Tom Delay, Roy Blunt, Bill Frist, Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, Mitch McConnell, Rick Santorum, Trent Lott, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Jeb Bush, Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Eliot Abrams, Tim Hutchison, Newt Gingrich, Clarence Thomas, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Bill Bennett, Pat Buchanan and Bill Kristol. Sure, they're all Republicans and they all wrap themselves in the flag. The other thing they have in common is not one of them served in the military!

And what do these guys have in common?
John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, Tom Daschle, Al Gore, Bob Kerrey, Daniel Inouye, Charles Rangel, Max Cleland, Ted Kennedy, Tom Harkin, Fritz Hollings, Pete Stark, Chuck Robb, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, John Glenn, Wesley Clark, John Conyers. Right. They all served.

Now the question is where are you going to serve. Here are a few reports from people already out there:

Judy DeVries from California: I'm here in Allentown, PA coordinating GOTV for the Lehigh Valley. First let me say that we're going to win. But it's crunch time and we can use people especially right now. I need logistics people and techies and organizers and anyone who wants to help take our country back. They should bring laptops and cell phones and cars. If they have expertise let us know but their willingness to do whatever is a must. They should go through Cynthia Metzler for PA but I'd love for them to request the Lehigh Valley.

Nina Robbins from California: Tell people to come to Cincinnati. I'm running Kerry Travelers here. We really need their help here to ensure Kerry takes Ohio.

Arnie Miller from Massachusetts: Here in Ohio, they have mounted a systematic effort to deny our people the right to vote. They have assigned thousands of challengers to disrupt the election in Black districts. They are going door-to-door telling people they are not eligible to vote. They are making bogus phone calls to the homes of Black people. We are fighting back to protect the rights of our people to vote. We will have thousands of people at polling places throughout the state to insure that people can exercise their rights. We still need help. Fifteen years from now, our grandchildren will ask, "where were you in 2004?" We'll all be able to say, "we were in Ohio and that's where we stopped them from ruining our country. That's where we won the election and saved the country." Come help us.

Paul Nussbaum from Connecticut: Greetings from Montgomery County, Pa. I am interfacing with the County Democratic Chairman and am coordinating around 1100 volunteers ( goal is 2000 for ED) and 7 paid staff (aged 18-24) ....right now I'm trying to recruit 35 van drivers for ED ...most of my operation is in place but legal/voter protection is weak and untested and we have some concerns in that area. We could use help. We expect to carry this county - looking for a 50,000 vote edge out of around 450,000 votes.

Judy Green from Washington, D.C.: There were 150 people lined up in Santa Fe before the office opened in the morning this last Saturday - all ready to go out and canvass.

Hilary Goldstine from California: I am in Iowa and it is hard to know how things are going but the Kerry office here in Des Moines is buzzing both with activity and an onslaught of lady-bugs which I am told are really Japanese beetles that were brought here to eat the aphids off the corn. Yesterday was physically the most glorious day. There was a gentle breeze with the autumn light sparkling through the hundreds of trees that line every Des Moines street. Only a few people answered their door on this most glorious day but I did manage to deliver one vote since I am now certified. To all of the other households I left the Des Moines Register endorsement of Kerry with a personal note. I was told this is the first time in recent history a Democrat has been endorsed by The Register.

Phyllis Segel from Massachusetts: (From Philadelphia) I guess Eli and I can be described as full-time grandparent volunteers too. Whatever happened to that young campaigner I am?

Tom Waldeck from Colorado: In Rapid City, South Dakota, we have spent the last two days splitting our time with writing missives, phoning for votes, and canvassing various neighborhoods. We`re putting in about twelve hours each day. The atmosphere is serious and professional and there is no sign of panic. Everyone is working hard. Today we spent the day traveling with Tom Daschle to town meetings in Sturgiss, Belle Fourche, and Spearfish. The first stop in Sturgiss had about 150 people. … The crowd was clearly rural and small town. The second stop, at Belle Fourche, was similar…. About 125. Veterans with their caps on, farmers with their John Deere caps, women in their cotton dresses… The last stop at Spearfish was quite different. Spearfish is a college town and has more of a middle class, suburban, resort feel. There were about three hundred people attending. In all three towns the women prepared food … Chile, beans, chips, deserts of cakes and pies. The pies were extraordinary, all home made. All in all it was what we all remember as Old America. The TV ads here by Thune against Daschle are really deplorable. This is a campaign by the Republicans beyond decency and honesty. It is win at any cost.

Mish Hamid from Washington, D.C.: I just volunteered as a Kerry Traveler in Harrisburg, PA and there were very encouraging signs. I canvassed undecided voters and they seem to be breaking almost 4 to 1 in favor of Kerry -- not a representative sample but very encouraging. Also got the chance to meet Max Cleland, or at least see
him speak. :-)

Don Green from Washington, D. C.: I've gone to Santa Fe to work for the Election Protection effort that People For The American Way is running. The ultra-compulsive Sam Black is a key component. Those of us who know Sam should feel comfortable with our ability to challenge any shady practices. I think it is still possible that Kerry wins by a very comfortable margin (that's my faith-based faith in my countrymen/women).

There are many, many others. Join them this weekend.

Go to October 24th if you need information on where to go and who to contact.

2004-10-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Some late night hits compliments of my friend Garry Mitchell (themitchellreport.typepad.com):

"President Bush announced he has a five-point strategy for getting out of
Iraq. Points six through 10 will be handled by the Kerry administration." --
David Letterman

"President Bush's campaign is now attacking John Kerry for throwing away some of his medals to protest the Vietnam War. Bush did not have any medals to throw away, but in his defense he did have all his services records thrown out."
-- Jay Leno

"President Bush says in the last month he has created 300,000 new jobs. Yeah, they're called Kerry campaign workers." -- Craig Kilborn

"Is it me or is Bush going everywhere Kerry goes? So far in the past week,
President Bush has followed John Kerry to Davenport, Iowa; New Mexico; Las
Vegas; Los Angeles; and he follows him to Portland, Oregon. ...The only place he never followed John Kerry was Vietnam." -- Jay Leno

"President Bush said that the people who are attacking our forces in Iraq are getting more and more desperate because we're making so much progress. So just remember, the worse it gets, the better it is." -- Jay Leno

"As of yesterday, the Bush administration still hadn't found the source of
the White House leak that outed a woman as a CIA operative. To recap, here are the things President Bush can't find: The source of the leak, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Osama bin Laden, the link between Saddam and Osama bin Laden, the guy who sent the anthrax through the mail, and his butt with two hands and a flashlight." -- Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update"

"The White House now has disputed allegations by members of the House
Intelligence Committee that President Bush went to war with Iraq based on vague intelligence. Of course he did: EVERYTHING Bush does is based on vague
intelligence." -- Jay Leno

"Bush is smart. I don't think that Bush will ever be impeached, 'cause unlike Clinton, Reagan, or even his father, George W. is immune from scandal. Because, if George W. testifies that he had no idea what was
going on, wouldn't you believe him?" --Jay Leno

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

By 6:30 in the morning last Saturday, there were long lines of people snaking through the historic downtown blocks of Pueblo, Colorado. The fire fighters – the third oldest local in the country, after Chicago and Pittsburgh -- had been there since 5 a.m., setting up an enormous antique fire truck with their union’s sign of support. A few hours later 12,000 people cheered wildly when Senatorial candidate Ken Salazar introduced Kerry saying: “Pueblo has more Medal of Honor winners per capita than any town in the United States. We know our heroes in this town, and John Kerry is a hero.” Kerry quoted Dwight Eisenhower saying "What is it...something in the water out [here] in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes".

Judy Madrid, a full-time volunteer for months now, is a fifty-five year old grandmother. She brought her two granddaughters to the rally hoping they’d get “to see the next president of the United States.” Her husband, a Vietnam veteran, has only recently returned to work after a seven-year strike of the local smelters’ union against the Rocky Mountain Steel Mill. He is now in the difficult situation of working every day next to the replacement workers, which is what the mill calls the people they hired to take the strikers’ jobs – what we call scabs. The Madrids are ready for better days. They got one Sunday when the front page of the Metro section in “The Sunday Chieftain” showed a joyful photo of their granddaughter being lifted above the crowd, her arms outstretched to clasp the extended hands of John Kerry.

Saturday morning was brisk and sunny. A strong wind blew sagebrush and tumbleweed off the plains into the city crowd. The wind is something this working class prairie town is used to. Inside the old Union Depot, which served as a backdrop for Kerry’s speech, there are photos of people in the great dust bowl disaster of the 1930s wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the black skies. Some of the photos show cars dragging chains from their rear fender presumably to dissipate static electricity which builds quickly in the dry air.

Pueblo’s background is one of enormous diversity. One-hundred-and-twenty-five newspapers have been published here through the years: 6 German, 8 Italian, 1 Serbian, 4 Slovenian and 5 Spanish. Currently the population is about 44% Latino. Until the great flood of 1921, Pueblo was the 'Saddle-Making capital of the World'. It then became one of the largest steel-producing cities in the U.S. until the decline of American steel in the 1970s and '80s. It is thought to be a Democratic stronghold in Colorado and a rally of 12,000 in a city of some 102,000 would seem to confirm that. If every person at the rally turns out two other voters, we’ll win big. Gore carried it in 2000 with 28,000 votes to Bush’s 22,000.

But at the Kerry headquarters that afternoon, there were only a few volunteers working beside the paid staff. Our hope was that this was due to the internal problems and staff turnover in the office. Sam and I started calling people who had signed up as potential volunteers.

The response to the calls was staggering. Everything we could have hoped for. People wanted to do whatever was most helpful, walking precincts, making calls, or just holding up signs on street corners.

One of the most moving responses was from a young man who said he would come in every day and night from now through November 2nd. On November 4th he is being shipped out to Iraq.

This really is a city of heroes.

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am almost in hyperventilating mode every day now. There are so many places out here that need volunteers and help. Please, please, do what you can. Don't wake up November 3 wondering if you could have done more.

Here's the full list of contacts for travelers to: FL, OH, PA, IA, NV, NM, WI, CO, ME, and NH. The ones with website links are direct links to the campaigns and you will receive a call back quickly if the experience of others continues to hold true.

Arizona
Jennifer Axsom
602.446.6228
jaxsom@azdems.org

Colorado
Kirsten Osgood
kosgood@coloradovictory2004.com
303.830.0246 ext 108

Florida
Kate Murphy
Kmurphy@fladems.com
954-848-0053 x 42

Iowa
Aaron Silverman
Asilverman@iowademocrats.org

Craig Davis
515-558-9580 x. 313

Louisana
Leslie Feingerts
Lfein@alum.dartmouth.org
504-913-9116

Maine
Liz McMahon
lmcmahon@mainedems.org
207-771-0291

Michigan
Pat Harris
Pnharris2@aol.com

Michigan Democratic Party
313-259-7730 x. 124

Minnesota
Jon Behm, Kerry Travel Coordinator
Jbehm@dfl.org
651-647-5024

Missouri
Ian Graves
igraves@missouridems.org
314-645-1449

Nevada
Reno: http://eastbay4kerry.com/node/view/875
Vegas: 702-737-8683, Roger Moore, rmoore@nvdems.com

New Hampshire
Amanda Tobey
Atobey@nhdp.org
603-623-2999

New Mexico
http://www.eastbay4kerry.com/node/view/1057
Annie Chavez
annie@nmvictory2004.com
206-281-9124

North Carolina
Matthew Danielson
Northcarolina@johnkerry.com
919-832-5559
919-522-9837

Ohio
Dan Roth, droth@ohiodems.org
Ohio Democratic Party
johnkerry.com/ohioroadtrip
614-276-2004

Oregon
Gavin White
gavin@carryoregon.com
503.239.6001 x. 237
971.404.7249

Jesse Bontecou
jesseb@carryoregon.com

Pennsylvania
Cynthia Metzler
Cmetzler@padems.com
215-789-3663

Virginia
Jean Bankes
Jean@vavictory04.com
804-355-0404

Washington State
Allison Ford
allisonf@wa-democrats.org
206-281-9124

West Virginia
Alllison Ginsburg
Allisonginsberg@yahoo.com
304-343-8661

Wisconsin
Alexandra Simbana
Jen Ronsheim
Alexandras@wisdems.org
608-441-9571
202-907-5518

2004-10-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am not a brave person. I hate confrontation. When I was young and single, I'd change jobs and cities rather than deal with the end of a relationship. So actively campaigning in a swing state at a time when the country is so deeply divided and my own feelings are raw and close to the edge is a real challenge for me.

A couple of days ago at a Home Depot in Denver, a man looked at my Kerry/Edwards button in disgust. He grabbed his wife and children pushing them away from me with hatred on his face swearing he wasn't going to stay around any #@*%! Liberal. I heard myself calmly say “That's why I support John Kerry. I believe in a kinder, gentler America.” Waiting for an elevator in a motel a well-dressed woman rolled her eyes after staring at my button and then dramatically stepped back when I entered the elevator announcing with contempt in her voice: “I'd prefer to wait for the next one.” A young man accosted me in front of a restaurant screaming about Kerry's not being a real hero because - as far as I could make out the argument - he hadn't spilled the required amount of blood. “Let's see,” I said “Kerry's walking around with shrapnel in his leg and did two tours of service in Vietnam. And Bush did…?” Tonight Sam and I were having dinner in a crowded bar with a table of Bush supporters next to us. One of them asked how we could support Kerry. I turned to him and asked him to pick an issue, any issue, that concerned him and I'd tell him why the Democrats would be better for him. As I did this, I slightly touched his arm. It's something I often do when talking to people. “Don't you touch me,” he snarled.

It's at times like this when I like to think about the truck I saw in D.C. with “Support Our Troops” and “I'm a Marine” stickers all over the windows and a Kerry/Edwards bumper strip on the bumper. I like to think about the billboard outside Chicago's Midway airport, mostly white with a big black bow tie in the middle. Above the tie is written: Paul Simon, Public Servant, 1928 - Dec. 2003. I like to envision the Providence sign that reads: Stop Mad Cowboy Disease. I like to think about the highway billboard in Minnesota with a big picture of a walleye that says “What's for dinner tonight? Mercury, thanks to George Bush.” I like to think about these things because otherwise I'd be ripping out throats.

It's good to occasionally step out of the real world into the East Bay. We did that a week ago Thursday at a fundraiser we'd been helping organize for the last month. The event was a dinner at Oliveto in Oakland with incredible support from the owners Bob and Maggie Klein and the chef Paul Bertoli. It was the ultimate conjunction between political junkies and foodies. Senator Kennedy who, for more than forty years has been a stalwart for every cause people in the East Bay care about from economic justice to war, was the guest of honor.

The event sold out early and in order to keep it as nice as it was advertised to be, no additional seats were added. We expected to raise $200 to $250 thousand and we raised over $400,000 from 120 seats. The money is still coming in and those who were turned away contributed anyway. This is typical of northern California where around $25 million has been raised for the election this year.

There are three types of zip codes in the East Bay: those beginning with 945, 946 and 947. In 945xx -- Lafayette and Orinda -- Kerry raised $1,200,000 to Bush's $600,000, a ratio of about two to one. In 946xx -- Oakland and Piedmont -- Kerry raised $980,000 dollars to Bush's $98,000, a ratio of ten to one. Then there is 947xx -- Berkeley. Kerry raised $1,284,000 to Bush's $23,000, a ratio of about sixty to one. The only question is who gave the $23,000 and why are they living in Berkeley?

Between mouth-watering courses of chanterelle mushroom and lobster risotto and braised Sonoma lamb shoulder, Sam introduced Kennedy as the conservative Senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy made it clear he wasn't willing to give over the title of the most liberal senator. After forty-two years, he still speaks with a level of intensity and care that is truly thrilling. It reminded me of the many times we saw him in Iowa and New Hampshire when Kerry was in single digits in the polls. When you went to a church basement or union hall with Senator Kennedy you really believed that this guy John Kerry could win.

Neiman Ranch donated the lamb and pork; Monterey Fish the lobster, tuna and salmon; Knoll and Dirty Girl farms the greens and Laura Secchi the fabulous autumnal décor. But the biggest standing ovation of the evening - the one that brought our daughter Teal to tears -- was not for Kennedy or any of the donors. It was for wait and kitchen staff who donated their time so all the money raised would go to Kerry.

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

The following is from our son Nicholas Brown whose been working in Florida and is just a little embittered toward some of the voters there.

Ode to Florida
An almost Sonnet in nearly Iambic pentameter

Florida you sad and sunburned state
With palm trees swaying in nightly breezes
On your sand beeches dwell the overweight
In your drug addicts dwell strange diseases.

Your television stations seem to teem
With shrieking about these next elections
security, jobs, healthcare, and drugs between
spots explaining maintaining erections.

Your average voter is taking this well
As he sits stuffing food in his fry-fattened face
He explains that it's all just run from Roswell
And we'll soon be ruled by people from space

This man will no doubt choose our next leader
His thoughts are a wall logic cannot surmount
Though this worries many, I say never fear
Florida: in you we can always recount!

2004-10-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Q. What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War?

A. George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War.

2004-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

October 19, 2004 Late At Night or rather early in the morning October 20, 2004

Yesterday The Justice Department said Democrats have no right to challenge state rules in Michigan or elsewhere that govern the counting of provisional ballots.

Voters who show up at the polls but whose names do not appear on the rolls can be given a provisional ballot, which will count if it can be determined after Election Day that the voter was eligible.

But in a number of states, including Michigan, the rules prohibit these ballots from being counted if they’re cast in the wrong precinct. Provisional ballots are more likely to be cast by low-income or minority voters and the Help America Vote Act, which Congress passed in 2002, does not allow for such restrictions on otherwise eligible voters.

"Here you have the Justice Department waiting until two weeks before the election and suddenly taking this position, which is the Republican Party's position," said Robert F. Bauer, national counsel for voter protection at the Democratic National Committee.

The good news out here in Colorado is that there is a secretary of State who is actually trying to HELP people vote. Emergency voter registration will be possible right up through election day by going to the county clerk’s office.

The bad news is in Pittsburgh: Holly McCullough, an official with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, reports that a private group was allowed to set up voter registration tables at libraries. Only yesterday did officials learn that Kelly temporary-agency workers had been hired by an Arizona company called Sproul and Associates - and that the temps were asked to only sign up Bush voters. The good news; it’s been stopped.

It’s not hard to find bad news in Florida. Barbara Shailor reports that Cheney is all over the place and priests in at least two churches last Sunday told people to “get out and vote and remember who supports abortion”. On the first day of early voting yesterday there were serious problems: computers crashing, incomplete absentee ballots, no paper trails, long lines, etc. “It feels perilous,” Shailor says. “Having said that, we walk the neighborhoods every night and the lists are very accurate. While this is not a scientific sample, among the registered Republican union members, we are pulling over 50% for Kerry…Were this to hold up across these conservative counties we'll be in good shape and these numbers will boost the overall numbers in the state. Nationally our union vote is at 69% and this year we are pushing to make 73% plus.”

Ongoing bad news in Ohio: Kerry's name was omitted from at least two absentee ballots mailed in Hamilton County, Ohio, according to The Cincinnati Post.

"It's a screw-up," Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, said in the newspaper's story. "This just feeds the paranoia that's out there. The tragic thing is that even though I think we will have a very fair and accurate count here, this will cause people to question the accuracy of our operation."

It seems that election workers were removing Nader’s name from the ballot (which has been ruled off by the Secretary of State) and inadvertently struck the name of Kerry instead, placing “candidate removed” over it..

If you’re sure this was just a screw-up, I’ve got this bridge…

This year both sides have magnificent ground operations. No one knows what’s going to happen. The Republicans have shifted their message from "flip-flop" to "terrorism is a nuisance" to "Mary Cheney". They are absolutely brilliant in steering the news media's focus.

The overall good news is that we have an incredible operation on the ground in all the swing states. But we need all of you out here. Again, imagine how you’d feel on November 3rd if we had lost and you hadn’t done absolutely everything you could.

And by the way, it’s fun. There is great bonding between Demo's wearing Kerry/Edwards buttons. Folks stop you and say thanks, everyone has a story and spirits are high.

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

My favorite line today is Steph Harvey's: When Bush repeats 'He can run but he can't hide,' Kerry and all the rest of us should say Osama bin Laden has been able to do both under the Bush administration.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Boston Globe, the Dayton Ohio Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed Kerry Sunday along with The New York Times. If any of you didn't see the powerful Times editorial, be sure to go to its site and read it all the way through. It's terrific and will give you every talking point you'll need in the next couple of weeks.

The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, Omaha World-Herald and the Rocky Mountain News surprised no one by endorsing Bush. None, however, were overwhelming endorsements -- just a kind of “hang in there with the guy who got us into this mess” endorsement. It reminds me of the boy who killed his parents and then begged for leniency because he was an orphan.

We arrived in Denver Saturday night and Sunday my old employer The Denver Post endorsed Ken Salazar for the senate. It may be a bit early to claim complete responsibility for this, but for the moment I'm going to assume our arrival must have had been the precipitating effect.

The Onion has not officially endorsed anyone. However they did have the following two new stories to lighten our day:

Nader Polling At 8 Percent Among Past Supporters
WASHINGTON, DC-A CNN/Gallup poll released Monday shows that 8 percent of those who voted for presidential candidate Ralph Nader in the 2000 election will vote for him again in 2004. "Americans feel it's time for an end to corporate-controlled government, or at least 1/12th of those who voted for me in 2000 do," Nader said, addressing a handful of supporters scattered throughout a lecture hall at Georgetown University. "Don't be satisfied with politics as usual. That is my message to those who voted for me four years ago. Get back with the team." Nader said that 230,000 votes, while nowhere near enough to win, might be sufficient to muck up another election.

And

Bill O'Reilly Sex Scandal
“Someone's coming at Bill O'Reilly with lurid public accusations of a heinous personal nature? Wow. Sometimes life can be so…fair.”
--Peggy Knight, Art Teacher

Please send me any ideas you have for dealing with Nader or any other brilliant ideas for these last two weeks of the campaign: alisonteal@tealdesigns.com
PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE AMUSING THOUGHTS!

2004-10-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

GIANT SPLIT WITHIN THE BUSH CAMPAIGN!

It is rumored that fights broke out in the inner circles of the Bush campaign yesterday. The customary playful and fun-loving atmosphere within the Cheney/Rove headquarters deteriorated into taunting, spitting and hair-pulling. According to insiders the normally well-oiled spin machine ground to a halt over an increasingly angry debate. In an exclusive interview, Hot Flashes has been able to discover the explosive issue causing the rift: Is Kerry a flip flopper as was previously stated or is he in fact a consistent liberal?

Rove had the final whine. Stomping his tiny feet and reddening, he hurled blocks at Cheney and Bush and screamed “You’re not the boss of me!”

2004-10-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail
October 13, 2004
Alison Teal

Forget the magnum of wine tonight; I'm going straight to the jeroboam. Kerry should do well on domestic issues since the external threats are nothing to the internal decay caused by this administration. Here are a couple of things I and others would love to see:

Forget the magnum of wine tonight; I'm going straight to the jeroboam. Kerry should do well on domestic issues since the external threats are nothing to the internal decay caused by this administration. Here are a couple of things I and others would love to see:

If Bush tells us again of all the happy people in Iraq, Kerry's response should be: If what we've been seeing is happy Iraqis, I'd hate to see them upset or angry.

Danny Menaker has a brilliant suggestion: When the issue of flip flopping comes up, if it does--especially if it comes up in those words -- Kerry should first debunk the flip flop and say its not true and it's a diversion from the serious issues and so on. "But I have a shorter way of describing my opponent's actual tenure in the White House. It's a flop. It's a flop in health care. It's a flop in foreign relations. It's a flop in jobs. It's a flop in the economy. It's a flop in every way. And it's time to close the show."

Bush's policies should repeatedly be called reckless and radical. Voters consider radical a far more pejorative term than liberal and it's an accurate description of Bush's policies. As Gary Goldman points out “Americans want to support their President, especially if he appears strong and cautious in his defense of the country. But they will not feel obligated to support him if they feel he is recklessly gambling away the country's power, wealth, stability, and support. By labeling Bush radical, you allow the people who are uncomfortable with his radical policies to excuse themselves. . .John Kerry becomes the safe choice for Republicans, centrists, and Democrats. Bush becomes the dangerous choice. . . radical and arrogant.

Tom Waldeck: We are a melting pot and we don't need an approach that attempts to homogenize and purify the population of this country, either by color or RELIGION, or by wealth.

Rick Angres suggests: Bush is strip-mining the economy.

Verne Newton: He didn't lead us into war; he lied us into war.

I hope the evening will end with another of Danny Menaker's suggestions: Kerry says Bush appears far less up to the job than any of the eight people who have been involved in the debates. Eight people? you may ask. Yes, I answer--Kerry, Edwards, Lehrer, Ifill, Gibson, Schieffer and even Cheney.” This would be a nice way for Kerry to compliment to the moderators.

2004-10-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

There was an absolute no-contest winner in yesterday’s debate and it wasn’t either of the candidates. It was Missouri. Last night’s questions were far more nuanced than any the press has been asking. There are a lot of sophisticated people in this country who don’t live on either coast. Sam and I grew up in the Midwest in one of those fly-over zones and last night made us really proud of it. I only wish those asking the questions could have done follow-ups like “Excuse me, but you didn’t answer my question.” Midwesterners tend to be really polite and really relentless.

Just a couple of other comments. Has anybody heard of a lot of people in Canada dying from their scary bad drugs? Does it strike you that Bush cares a lot more for frozen embryos than he does for living breathing human beings? And what was that about the “internets”? We call it the “internet” Mr. President. It’s singular.

As they say, it’s a sad day when our bombs are smarter than our president.

Go Saint Louis!

2004-10-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

I think I'm going crazy. I thought Edwards was terrific. I thought he wiped the floor with Cheney. Sam and I watched on MSNBC. The minute the debate was over, instead of hearing how wonderfully Edwards did, their commentators said the opposite -- that everyone would agree that Cheney had done a "tremendous service to Bush tonight," and had won the debate. To me, it wasn't even close, not close. What more could Edwards do or say, given the time constraints? But wait until the dust settles. I think there’s a disconnect between the pundits and the voters.

The most damaging of Cheney’s remarks was that he hadn’t met Edwards until last night. Today both CNN and FOX (yes, even FOX) reported that this was false. On February 1, 2001, the vice president thanked Edwards by name at a Senate prayer breakfast and sat beside him during the event. On April 8, 2001, Cheney and Edwards shook hands when they met off-camera during a taping of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” moderator Tim Russert said Wednesday on “Today.” On January 8, 2003, the two met when the first-term North Carolina senator accompanied Elizabeth Dole to her swearing-in by Cheney. Edwards hadn’t forgotten. He mentioned it at a post-debate rally in Cleveland.

The truth aside, it would have been wonderful if Edwards had said, “Of course we haven’t met on the Senate floor. My friend Pat Leahy tells me it’s a really unpleasant experience.”

Sam and I are in Vermont and have been here since last Thursday. In spite of glorious weather, we are holed up in the spectacular, new Middlebury library where we can maintain our campaign pallor while working on the wireless Internet. A girl who looks like she’s pulled an all-nighter just wandered by dressed in sweats and slipper socks with her thick blond hair piled and twisted on top of her head. Her backpack sports a “Peace Is Patriotic” cloth patch and she’s wearing a Kerry button. In the next carrel a boy with dark curly hair like Caravaggio’s Bacchus has three cappuccinos lined up next to his laptop – soldiers ready for duty. He also wears a Kerry button. Outside, walking through crunchy leaves you see Kerry signs in the dorm windows, looking quite beautiful between brick walls of red Virginia Creeper. This is safe territory and we retreat to it between outings over to New Hampshire.

As to New Hampshire. . . all I can say is when you leave the Vermont roads and drive onto the Live Free or Die roads of New Hampshire, it’s as if you’ve crossed over into Romania. I’m also fond of the following two question and answers told to me by a Dartmouth student:

Which is more beautiful the Green Mountains of Vermont or the White Mountains of New Hampshire? The White Mountains because they have a view of the Green Mountains.

And

Why doesn’t Maine fall off into the ocean? Because New Hampshire sucks.

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

2004-10-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of thoughts from readers for tonight and Friday.

· From Colorado:
The theme that the country is more vulnerable from the domestic cancer that is being fed by Bush than the Iraq/terrorist threat is a viable and strong argument for Kerry. A decay internally of economic, educational, health, environment, legal and civil rights; polarization of wealth, and the moral condition of the country is what will destroy this great experiment in democracy far easier and faster than the external threats. . . We are a melting pot and we don't need an approach that attempts to homogenize and purify the population of this country, either by color or RELIGION, or wealth.

· From Cleveland:
While Bush proposes NASA's budget be increased to send people to Mars, he is simultaneously taking hundreds of jobs out of Cleveland -- high paying, high tech jobs -- from the NASA Center here. So not only is he doing nothing for American places like this that are economically depressed, he is also throwing salt on the wound. And the extra NASA money is going to Texas! Just look at the five year plan NASA laid out for each of its centers.

· And this just in from Madison, Wisconsin. Send no flowers to commemorate Jane Buffett's death, her husband asks. Instead, send John Kerry to the White House. In a paid obituary published in Madison's two daily newspapers, Roger Buffett celebrated his wife's years as a mother, homemaker, grandmother and English teacher. But, he said, she was "outraged" by President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and then expecting "her grandchildren to pay the bills." Other Bush administration policies angered her as well. "She saw John Kerry as the candidate who would most conserve everything she valued," the obituary said. "Jane fought to live long enough to be able to vote this November. To honor her memory, please do everything you can to elect John Kerry."

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-10-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Bush was defensive, pouty and petulant; Kerry was calm and strong. Bush smacked his lips and did that weird mouth thing. Kerry listened, took notes and smiled. Bush was hunched over and looked like his neck was retreating into his shoulders. Kerry stood tall and confident and wore the right tie. Bush seemed to be winging it at times, Kerry was articulate and to the point. Bush was every bit the C student, Kerry was Presidential.

Bush better ask for a shorter response time in the next one. It was embarrassing to watch him try to think of something to say while the green light lingered on. If he’s not rehearsed and scripted, he flounders.

By my count, the President said “It’s hard work” about twelve times. This is the Marlboro Man? It was just plain whiney. think he’s just plum tuckered out and needs a good long rest.

AND FOR GOD’S SAKE DON’T FORGET POLAND! While we’re at it, let’s not forget Spain – well at least until the war caused their government to fall. Who wouldn’t trade Germany, France and Russia for Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Moldova and the Kingdom of Tonga? We’re talking real coalition here.

Last night we saw who our candidate is. This is the candidate I’ve seen out on the road all year. This is the guy who can go toe to toe with an incumbent war President.

More than a hundred Middlebury students showed up last night at our gathering (one of many). The applause for Kerry was deafening. Later at Two Brothers’ Tavern, kids were coming up to introduce themselves and ask what they could do. They were pumped up and ready to invade New Hampshire over the next few weekends. One registered Republican told our daughter Willa she was made physically uncomfortable watching Bush in Miami and she was now for Kerry. Our Advanceman son Nicholas was watching the debate in San Francisco. Ecstatic over Kerry’s performance, he hit the clubs draped in Kerry buttons convinced it would help him connect with young women.

Hold on to this spirit. Carry the momentum. Don’t let the media steal this from us. Hold their feet to the fire.

Last night on a conference call before the debate James Carvel told the students: “Democrats want to fall in love. Republicans just fall in line. If Republicans can do it around Bush, Good God, we sure should do it around Kerry.”

And that was before the debate. Start marching!

Some Results:
Online poll results taken between 11:00 & 11:30
Philly.com: Kerry 87%, Bush 10%
MSNBC: Kerry 70%, Bush 30%
Houston Chronicle: Kerry 87%, Bush 11%
Wall Street Journal: Kerry 60%, Bush 33%
Florida Sun-Sentinel: Kerry 71%, Bush 16%
LA Times: Kerry: 89% Kerry, Bush 8%
CNN: Kerry 79%, Bush 18%
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Kerry 62%, Bush 30%
$1,000,000 raised online from debate start until midnight (9-12 PM)
20 fold increase in traffic to democrats.org

Two corrections from the September 29th blog/email. Sorry.
· To make phone calls for the Kerry campaign in swing states, go to www.johnkerry.com then to Become a Volunteer, then to Recruit Volunteers. You will given a short list of names (who are also volunteers) in battleground states to call with talking points. You can do this without leaving home. It helps mobilize volunteers who have already signed up.

· Correction on the Ohio site for the voter registration petition. Cut and paste it:
http://static.act04.org/act/paperstock.htm

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-09-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to Middlebury, Vermont. Tonight Sam will be watching the so-called debate with students at Middlebury College. Before, he is talking to them about the substance of the foreign policy debate and encouraging them to volunteer in New Hampshire.

I intend to watch the debate from under the bed in our motel room, accompanied by a magnum of wine. As Marie Antoinette said, it's such a pity about a magnum -- too much for one, but not enough for two. We'll see.

I'm Robert Mondavi and I approve of this ad.

2004-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

In an editorial with the headline "Kerry Will Restore American Dignity", The Lone Star Iconoclast gave John Kerry its presidential endorsement. The paper, which endorsed Bush in 2000, may only have a weekly circulation of 425, but it's published in Crawford, Texas and bills itself as President Bush's hometown paper. They deserve their name.

Ali Brantley sent the following letter to me in the form of a letter to Kerry.

Dear John Kerry:

I have one important thing to say to you before the presidential debate. When George Bush attacks you
personally - for once, answer in a way that counters his attack in a personal way, not just on his obviously failed
policies. This is what I suggest: Wait until he brings up Iraq (which won't take long), and when he talks about our
soldiers who are fighting so valiantly for our country, and attacks you for not supporting them, answer with these
words:

That soldier you are talking about? I AM THAT SOLDIER. I am that soldier that went to fight in a war that didn't
need to be fought. I am that soldier - I am the soldier who came back and spent the next thirty years in politics
so I could stand here TODAY, and say that, as President, I will clean up this mess you have made in Iraq. I will not
repeat history. I will lead us to a new, stronger and smarter fight against terrorism, putting all the best and the
brightest in this country to work - Republican or Democrat. And I will never, never take this country to war on false pretenses.

The future of our country lies in the hope and courage of our young men and women. You attack me, you attack
those men and women who went to war for you, for your father, and for all the presidents down through history.
You have misled and lied to your soldiers, the very spirit of our country. They are the spirit of the future. I stand here today to give them a future, not burden them with the past; I stand here today to restore our values in the eyes of the world, and to lead this country in a new direction of what freedom and democracy mean in the 21st century. Not imperialism, but individualism; not arrogance, but respect; not lies, but the truth; not special privileges, but equality. That's the America I will build. And I will start right now.

And look into the camera, think of your daughters, and smile.

Good luck,
One of the millions of Anonymous Advisers who wish they could help you on Thursday.

Kerry is ahead in Oregon, tied in Minnesota and New Hampshire and gaining in Maine and Michigan. Things are neck in neck in Pennsylvania with the Quinnipiac University poll showing Kerry ahead. Two-hundred-fifty thousand new Democratic voters have been registered in Ohio (though there is a big problem -- with only 6 days left before the voter registration deadline, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is trying to bar thousands of newly registered voters from the polls. Go to this site and sign the petition: http://static.act04.org/act/paperstock.htm)

In Minnesota, ACT has knocked on over 350,000 doors and made 120,000 calls to follow-up with voters around the issues they care about. In a new ad in major newspapers, MoveOn.org has indicted Gallup for its flawed method of polling, thereby humiliating CNN and USA Today who depend on Gallup's polls. Veteran campaigner Ed Perlmutter thinks we can win in Colorado where record numbers of people are being trained for poll watching and canvassing. In forty years he hasn't seen such a rush for buttons and yard signs. The operations on the ground are overwhelming and unreported.
So stop listening to the right wing noise machine. We will win this BUT NOT WITHOUT YOU. Imagine if we lost the election and you hadn't done everything you could have. How could you face your friends and relatives? How could you face the future?
Remember what Adam Friedson says: Everyone says this is the most important election of our lifetime. It isn't. The last one was. If now you could go back and give more money or time to change that election, wouldn't you?

Well do it now. Get out there. Go to a swing state. Make calls. Write letters to the editors of papers. Put up yard signs. Contribute. Wear buttons. Use the new Kerry Call Center to mobilize volunteers in swing states:

Alison Teal
alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-09-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Another outrage is in the Washington Post, which reports that U.S. attorneys in at least three states have launched probes into alleged fraud in voter registration - an ill-disguised attempt to intimidate new voters. When asked if that was the case, the Justice Department said, no, there are outside civil rights lawyers working to insure that no one is disenfranchised. I remember when civil rights lawyers worked for the Justice Department, not against it.

But at least there have been several days with no news stories on the organization of the campaign. Thank God for that. Let’s get on with it. We know there have been some changes in the management. We can hope for the best. The test is not in whose doing it but in what they do. Let’s not give Bob Novak another chance to quote people like Democrat Bill Kerrick of California on CNN saying the campaign is in disarray or Tony Coehlo who wrote a scathing article about the campaign. It’s time for people to park their egos and help rather than tear things apart. Whether there is disorder in the house or not, Democrats need to stop eating our young and get on with it.

Win or lose, people will say the campaign is accountable. In fact it’s the candidate who is responsible. To date, no one has ever won anything by betting against John Kerry. What we know is that we have a candidate who loves the last weeks of the campaign. Kerry is a fourth quarter guy, a finisher, a fast closer. So let’s stop worrying about what the campaign does and try to figure out what we can do. TAKE ACTION!

1. TRAVEL TO A SWING STATE if you possibly can. The campaign will help you do so. Contact and go to Kerry traveler or just put in this site: http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/traveler/
Here are specific people to call if you can give time in one of these states:

Pennsylvania: Cynthia Metzler will give people who will come for one or two weeks real jobs (without pay, of course) cmetzler@padems.com or cmetzler@att.net

Ohio: Matt Gabriele can provide information. His e-mail is or (510) 684-8326.

Oregon: Yacy Zand at yacy@carryoregon.com or (541) 345 5981 for information.

Nevada: Tina Valkanoff at for information.

New Mexico: Sandy Buffett at for information.

These are all the state contacts I have right now. Many are from the California office but they will be happy to help anyone from any state. I will add to the list as soon as I have additional names.

2. GO TO A SWING STATE THROUGH ACT (American Coming Together):. Or directly contact my friend Sarah Kovner at ACT: skovner@ACT4Victory.org

3. VOLUNTEER FOR MOVE ON. Go to http://moveon.org. MoveOn PAC is running an ambitious precinct-level neighbor-to-neighbor campaign called Leave No Voter Behind: MoveOn's Neighbor-to-Neighbor Victory Drive. They will work in 10,000 key neighborhoods in battleground states to get 440,000 new voters for John Kerry to the polls. Each Volunteer Organizer will work for 10 to 14 days. They will recruit and train volunteers, develop leaders, hold meetings and organize rallies. They need you to commit ten days minimum. Ideally from October 18 – November 3. They definitely have opportunities in the following states: OH, PA, FL, WI, MN, IA, NM, NV, NH. Potentially, they will have opportunities in ME, WV, NC, TN, LA, AR, MO, CO, AZ, OR, WA. For more information or to discuss possible assignments, please contact: Chris Lindstrom. Best via email: clindstrom@moveon2004.org. Phone: (617) 542-1936

4. ENCOURAGE FRIENDS TO WATCH DEBATES AND HAVE HOUSE PARTIES, particularly those from swing states. Host a debate party with your friends and neighbors on September 30th. Get more information online at . If you sign up to host a party online, you will receive a call-in number for a conference call with Paul Begala, noted Democratic strategist.
In San Francisco, contact Kevin Brinkley for a house party packet for Kerry-Edwards Victory 2004 or the Battleground Victory Funds. Email: wkevinbrinkley@yahoo.com. Phone: SF office at 415-896-6840.

5. Sign up online at John Kerry.com and at the DNC website at as a volunteer phone banker. A soon-to-be-rolled-out feature includes ability to phone bank other states from lists provided by JohnKerry.com.

The following are suggestions from friends and readers (often the same category) about things you can do every day. Please send me more. Every idea helps.

1. Use the word “RECKLESS” when talking about Bush. Connect him to the word. He has been reckless with America’s economy. He is reckless with our liberties and has been reckless with America’s word and role in the world. Reckless. The word will stick. Even Bush’s past is reckless. He was a reckless young man. It’s his reckless nature that scares us.

2. Create a sense of ground swell. Wear Kerry buttons and t-shirts at all times. While wearing them, commit random acts of kindness such as the one my friend Dermot Purgavie saw at a bar in the Minneapolis airport. A uniformed soldier was sitting alone drinking a beer and eating dinner. A stranger wearing a Kerry button thanked him for serving the country and paid his check.

3. Fran Lerner of California suggests we constantly repeat the line "Bush has painted us into the corner" in order to counteract his mantra that we have “turned a corner”.

4. Olin Robinson, President of the Salzburg Seminar, says he is asked daily if Kerry will be elected. “I was asked at a dinner in NYC recently (at which almost all of the other guests were Republicans) whether I ‘liked’ Kerry. My reply was that I only know him at a great distance and that it really doesn’t matter whether I ‘like’ him or not. What I do know, I said to my dinner friends, is that any president of the US brings into the government roughly 4000 people – and therefore displaces about that number who are there now. I said that what I know for absolute certain is that I am going to be more happy with the 4000 Kerry brings in that I am with the ones there now. So, it is, and will remain, an easy call.”

Alison Teal

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-09-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail
September 21, 2004
Alison Teal

For Those of you who missed John Kerry's appearance on the David Letterman Show last night:

John Kerry's
Top Ten Bush Tax Proposals:
#10. No estate tax for families with at least two U.S. Presidents.
#9. W-2 form is now Dubya-2 forms.
#8. Under simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.
#7. Reduced earned income tax credit is so unfair, it makes me want to tear out my lustrous, finely groomed hair.
#6. Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off U.S. Constitution
#5. Texas Rangers can take business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.
#4. Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing
#3. Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent
#2. Hundred-dollar penalty if you pronounce it “nuclear” instead of “nucular.”
#1. Bush gets deduction for mortgaging our entire future.

2004-09-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me the following note about the speech John Kerry delivered today:

"You might find yourself cheered by Kerry's speech today. I just heard a thirteen minute excerpt on WNYC, and it was brilliant, lucid and moving. We live in an age when a speech that appeals convincingly to reason and common sense is almost enough to bring one to tears. The Bush mafia will, of course, paint this as yet another position Kerry has taken on Iraq. But it was so strong and persuasive, the tone so fluid and direct, that I hope reporters push Bush's face in it rather than sit back (as they always seem to do) and let him shrug it off. Anyway, for a moment, a very long moment, listening to Kerry's speech today I wept. I actually found myself in the embarrassing position of feeling genuinely, cleanly, unhesitatingly, hopeful."

Remarks of Senator John Kerry

(As Prepared for Delivery)

New York University
New York, New York

Monday, September 20, 2004

I am honored to be here at New York University -- one of the great urban
universities, not just in New York, but in the world. You have set a
high standard for global dialogue and I hope to live up to that
tradition today.

This election is about choices. The most important choices a President
makes are about protecting America... at home and around the world. A
president's first obligation is to make America safer, stronger and
truer to our ideals.

Only a few blocks from here, three years ago, the events of September 11
reminded every American of that obligation. That day brought to our
shores the defining struggle of our times: the struggle between freedom
and radical fundamentalism. And it made clear that our most important
task is to fight... and to win... the war on terrorism.

With us today is a remarkable group of women who lost loved ones on
September 11th ... and whose support I am honored to have. Not only did
they suffer an unbearable loss - they helped us learn the lessons of
that terrible time by insisting on the creation of the 9/11 Commission.
I ask them to stand. And I thank them on behalf of our country -- and I
pledge to them and to you that I will implement the 9-11
recommendations.

In fighting the war on terrorism, my principles are straight forward.
The terrorists are beyond reason. We must destroy them. As president,
I will do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, to defeat our enemies.
But billions of people around the world yearning for a better life are
open to America's ideals. We must reach them.

To win, America must be strong. And America must be smart. The
greatest threat we face is the possibility Al Qaeda or other terrorists
will get their hands on a nuclear weapon.

To prevent that from happening, we must call on the totality of
America's strength. Strong alliances, to help us stop the world's most
lethal weapons from falling into the most dangerous hands. A powerful
military, transformed to meet the new threats of terrorism and the
spread of weapons of mass destruction. And all of America's power -
our diplomacy, our intelligence system, our economic power, the appeal
of our values - each of which is critical to making America more secure
and preventing a new generation of terrorists from emerging.

National security is a central issue in this campaign. We owe it to the
American people to have a real debate about the choices President Bush
has made... and the choices I would make... to fight and win the war on
terror.

That means we must have a great honest national debate on Iraq. The
President claims it is the centerpiece of his war on terror. In fact,
Iraq was a profound diversion from that war and the battle against our
greatest enemy, Osama bin Laden and the terrorists. Invading Iraq has
created a crisis of historic proportions and, if we do not change
course, there is the prospect of a war with no end in sight.

This month, we passed a cruel milestone: more than 1,000 Americans lost
in Iraq. Their sacrifice reminds us that Iraq remains, overwhelmingly,
an American burden. Nearly 90 percent of the troops - and nearly 90
percent of the casualties - are American. Despite the President's
claims, this is not a grand coalition.

Our troops have served with extraordinary bravery, skill and resolve.
Their service humbles all of us. When I speak to them... when I look
into the eyes of their families, I know this: we owe them the truth
about what we have asked them to do... and what is still to be done.

In June, the President declared, "The Iraqi people have their country
back." Just last week, he told us: "This country is headed toward
democracy... Freedom is on the march."

But the administration's own official intelligence estimate, given to
the President last July, tells a very different story.

According to press reports, the intelligence estimate totally
contradicts what the President is saying to the American people.

So do the facts on the ground.

Security is deteriorating, for us and for the Iraqis.

42 Americans died in Iraq in June -- the month before the handover. But
54 died in July...66 in August... and already 54 halfway through
September.

And more than 1,100 Americans were wounded in August - more than in any
other month since the invasion.

We are fighting a growing insurgency in an ever widening war-zone. In
March, insurgents attacked our forces 700 times. In August, they
attacked 2,700 times - a 400% increase.

Falluja...Ramadi... Samarra ... even parts of Baghdad - are now "no go
zones"... breeding grounds for terrorists who are free to plot and
launch attacks against our soldiers. The radical Shi'a cleric, Moktada
al-Sadr, who's accused of complicity in the murder of Americans, holds
more sway in the suburbs of Baghdad.

Violence against Iraqis... from bombings to kidnappings to intimidation
... is on the rise.

Basic living conditions are also deteriorating.

Residents of Baghdad are suffering electricity blackouts lasting up to
14 hours a day.

Raw sewage fills the streets, rising above the hubcaps of our Humvees.
Children wade through garbage on their way to school.

Unemployment is over 50 percent. Insurgents are able to find plenty of
people willing to take $150 for tossing grenades at passing U.S.
convoys.

Yes, there has been some progress, thanks to the extraordinary efforts
of our soldiers and civilians in Iraq. Schools, shops and hospitals
have been opened. In parts of Iraq, normalcy actually prevails.

But most Iraqis have lost faith in our ability to deliver meaningful
improvements to their lives. So they're sitting on the fence... instead
of siding with us against the insurgents.

That is the truth. The truth that the Commander in Chief owes to our
troops and the American people.

It is never easy to discuss what has gone wrong while our troops are in
constant danger. But it's essential if we want to correct our course
and do what's right for our troops instead of repeating the same
mistakes over and over again.

I know this dilemma first-hand. After serving in war, I returned home
to offer my own personal voice of dissent. I did so because I believed
strongly that we owed it those risking their lives to speak truth to
power. We still do.

Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place
in hell. But that was not, in itself, a reason to go to war. The
satisfaction we take in his downfall does not hide this fact: we have
traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure.

The President has said that he "miscalculated" in Iraq and that it was a
"catastrophic success." In fact, the President has made a series of
catastrophic decisions ... from the beginning ... in Iraq. At every
fork in the road, he has taken the wrong turn and led us in the wrong
direction.

The first and most fundamental mistake was the President's failure to
tell the truth to the American people.

He failed to tell the truth about the rationale for going to war. And
he failed to tell the truth about the burden this war would impose on
our soldiers and our citizens.

By one count, the President offered 23 different rationales for this
war. If his purpose was to confuse and mislead the American people, he
succeeded.

His two main rationales - weapons of mass destruction and the Al
Qaeda/September 11 connection - have been proved false... by the
President's own weapons inspectors... and by the 9/11 Commission. Just
last week, Secretary of State Powell acknowledged the facts. Only Vice
President Cheney still insists that the earth is flat.

The President also failed to level with the American people about what
it would take to prevail in Iraq.

He didn't tell us that well over 100,000 troops would be needed, for
years, not months. He didn't tell us that he wouldn't take the time to
assemble a broad and strong coalition of allies. He didn't tell us that
the cost would exceed $200 billion. He didn't tell us that even after
paying such a heavy price, success was far from assured.

And America will pay an even heavier price for the President's lack of
candor.

At home, the American people are less likely to trust this
administration if it needs to summon their support to meet real and
pressing threats to our security.

Abroad, other countries will be reluctant to follow America when we seek
to rally them against a common menace -- as they are today. Our
credibility in the world has plummeted.

In the dark days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy sent
former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to Europe to build support.
Acheson explained the situation to French President de Gaulle. Then he
offered to show him highly classified satellite photos, as proof. De
Gaulle waved the photos away, saying: "The word of the President of the
United States is good enough for me."

How many world leaders have that same trust in America's president,
today?

This President's failure to tell the truth to us before the war has been
exceeded by fundamental errors of judgment during and after the war.

The President now admits to "miscalculations" in Iraq.

That is one of the greatest understatements in recent American history.
His were not the equivalent of accounting errors. They were colossal
failures of judgment - and judgment is what we look for in a president.

This is all the more stunning because we're not talking about 20/20
hindsight. Before the war, before he chose to go to war, bi-partisan
Congressional hearings... major outside studies... and even some in the
administration itself... predicted virtually every problem we now face
in Iraq.

This President was in denial. He hitched his wagon to the ideologues
who surround him, filtering out those who disagreed, including leaders
of his own party and the uniformed military. The result is a long litany
of misjudgments with terrible consequences.

The administration told us we'd be greeted as liberators. They were
wrong.

They told us not to worry about looting or the sorry state of Iraq's
infrastructure. They were wrong.

They told us we had enough troops to provide security and stability,
defeat the insurgents, guard the borders and secure the arms depots.
They were wrong.

They told us we could rely on exiles like Ahmed Chalabi to build
political legitimacy. They were wrong.

They told us we would quickly restore an Iraqi civil service to run the
country and a police force and army to secure it. They were wrong.

In Iraq, this administration has consistently over-promised and
under-performed. This policy has been plagued by a lack of planning, an
absence of candor, arrogance and outright incompetence. And the
President has held no one accountable, including himself.

In fact, the only officials who lost their jobs over Iraq were the ones
who told the truth.

General Shinseki said it would take several hundred thousand troops to
secure Iraq. He was retired. Economic adviser Larry Lindsey said that
Iraq would cost as much as $200 billion. He was fired. After the
successful entry into Baghdad, George Bush was offered help from the UN
-- and he rejected it. He even prohibited any nation from participating
in reconstruction efforts that wasn't part of the original coalition -
pushing reluctant countries even farther away. As we continue to fight
this war almost alone, it is hard to estimate how costly that arrogant
decision was. Can anyone seriously say this President has handled Iraq
in a way that makes us stronger in the war on terrorism?

By any measure, the answer is no. Nuclear dangers have mounted across
the globe. The international terrorist club has expanded. Radicalism
in the Middle East is on the rise. We have divided our friends and
united our enemies. And our standing in the world is at an all time low.

Think about it for a minute. Consider where we were... and where we
are. After the events of September 11, we had an opportunity to bring
our country and the world together in the struggle against the
terrorists. On September 12th, headlines in newspapers abroad declared
"we are all Americans now." But through his policy in Iraq, the
President squandered that moment and rather than isolating the
terrorists, left America isolated from the world.

We now know that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and posed no
imminent threat to our security. It had not, as the Vice President
claimed, "reconstituted nuclear weapons."

The President's policy in Iraq took our attention and resources away
from other, more serious threats to America.

Threats like North Korea, which actually has weapons of mass
destruction, including a nuclear arsenal, and is building more under
this President's watch...

... The emerging nuclear danger from Iran...
... The tons and kilotons of unsecured chemical and nuclear weapons in
Russia...

... And the increasing instability in Afghanistan.

Today, warlords again control much of that country, the Taliban is
regrouping, opium production is at an all time high and the Al Qaeda
leadership still plots and plans, not only there but in 60 other
nations. Instead of using U.S. forces, we relied on the warlords to
capture Osama bin Laden when he was cornered in the mountains. He
slipped away. We then diverted our focus and forces from the hunt for
those responsible for September 11th in order invade Iraq.

We know Iraq played no part in September 11 and had no operational ties
to Al Qaeda.

The President's policy in Iraq precipitated the very problem he said he
was trying to prevent. Secretary of State Powell admits that Iraq was
not a magnet for international terrorists before the war. Now it is,
and they are operating against our troops. Iraq is becoming a sanctuary
for a new generation of terrorists who someday could hit the United
States.

We know that while Iraq was a source of friction, it was not previously
a source of serious disagreement with our allies in Europe and countries
in the Muslim world.

The President's policy in Iraq divided our oldest alliance and sent our
standing in the Muslim world into free fall. Three years after 9/11,
even in many moderate Muslim countries like Jordan, Morocco and Turkey,
Osama bin Laden is more popular than the United States of America.

Let me put it plainly: The President's policy in Iraq has not
strengthened our national security. It has weakened it.

Two years ago, Congress was right to give the President the authority to
use force to hold Saddam Hussein accountable. This President... any
President... would have needed the threat of force to act effectively.
This President misused that authority.

The power entrusted to the President gave him a strong hand to play in
the international community. The idea was simple. We would get the
weapons inspectors back in to verify whether or not Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction. And we would convince the world to speak with one
voice to Saddam: disarm or be disarmed.

A month before the war, President Bush told the nation: "If we have to
act, we will take every precaution that is possible. We will plan
carefully. We will act with the full power of the United States
military. We will act with allies at our side and we will prevail." He
said that military action wasn't "unavoidable."

Instead, the President rushed to war without letting the weapons
inspectors finish their work. He went without a broad and deep
coalition of allies. He acted without making sure our troops had
enough body armor. And he plunged ahead without understanding or
preparing for the consequences of the post-war. None of which I would
have done.

Yet today, President Bush tells us that he would do everything all over
again, the same way. How can he possibly be serious? Is he really
saying that if we knew there were no imminent threat, no weapons of mass
destruction, no ties to Al Qaeda, the United States should have invaded
Iraq? My answer is no - because a Commander-in-Chief's first
responsibility is to make a wise and responsible decision to keep
America safe.

Now the president, in looking for a new reason, tries to hang his hat on
the "capability" to acquire weapons. But that was not the reason given
to the nation; it was not the reason Congress voted on; it's not a
reason, it's an excuse. Thirty-five to forty countries have greater
capability to build a nuclear bomb than Iraq did in 2003. Is President
Bush saying we should invade them?

I would have concentrated our power and resources on defeating global
terrorism and capturing or killing Osama bin Laden. I would have
tightened the noose and continued to pressure and isolate Saddam Hussein
- who was weak and getting weaker -- so that he would pose no threat to
the region or America.

The President's insistence that he would do the same thing all over
again in Iraq is a clear warning for the future. And it makes the
choice in this election clear: more of the same with President Bush or a
new direction that makes our troops and America safer. It is time, at
long last, to ask the questions and insist on the answers from the
Commander-in-Chief about his serious misjudgments and what they tell us
about his administration and the President himself. If George W. Bush
is re-elected, he will cling to the same failed policies in Iraq -- and
he will repeat, somewhere else, the same reckless mistakes that have
made America less secure than we can or should be.

In Iraq, we have a mess on our hands. But we cannot throw up our hands.
We cannot afford to see Iraq become a permanent source of terror that
will endanger America's security for years to come.

All across this country people ask me what we should do now. Every step
of the way, from the time I first spoke about this in the Senate, I have
set out specific recommendations about how we should and should not
proceed. But over and over, when this administration has been presented
with a reasonable alternative, they have rejected it and gone their own
way. This is stubborn incompetence.

Five months ago, in Fulton, Missouri, I said that the President was
close to his last chance to get it right. Every day, this President
makes it more difficult to deal with Iraq - harder than it was five
months ago, harder than it was a year ago. It is time to recognize what
is - and what is not - happening in Iraq today. And we must act with
urgency.

Just this weekend, a leading Republican, Chuck Hagel, said we're "in
deep trouble in Iraq ... it doesn't add up ... to a pretty picture [and]
... we're going to have to look at a recalibration of our policy."
Republican leaders like Dick Lugar and John McCain have offered similar
assessments.

We need to turn the page and make a fresh start in Iraq.

First, the President has to get the promised international support so
our men and women in uniform don't have to go it alone. It is late; the
President must respond by moving this week to gain and regain
international support.

Last spring, after too many months of resistance and delay, the
President finally went back to the U.N. which passed Resolution 1546.
It was the right thing to do - but it was late.

That resolution calls on U.N. members to help in Iraq by providing
troops... trainers for Iraq's security forces... a special brigade to
protect the U.N. mission... more financial assistance... and real debt
relief.

Three months later, not a single country has answered that call. And
the president acts as if it doesn't matter.

And of the $13 billion previously pledged to Iraq by other countries,
only $1.2 billion has been delivered.

The President should convene a summit meeting of the world's major
powers and Iraq's neighbors, this week, in New York, where many leaders
will attend the U.N. General Assembly. He should insist that they make
good on that U.N. resolution. He should offer potential troop
contributors specific, but critical roles, in training Iraqi security
personnel and securing Iraq's borders. He should give other countries a
stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil
resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them
out of the reconstruction process.

This will be difficult. I and others have repeatedly recommended this
from the very beginning. Delay has made only made it harder. After
insulting allies and shredding alliances, this President may not have
the trust and confidence to bring others to our side in Iraq. But we
cannot hope to succeed unless we rebuild and lead strong alliances so
that other nations share the burden with us. That is the only way to
succeed.

Second, the President must get serious about training Iraqi security
forces.

Last February, Secretary Rumsfeld claimed that more than 210,000 Iraqis
were in uniform. Two weeks ago, he admitted that claim was exaggerated
by more than 50 percent. Iraq, he said, now has 95,000 trained security
forces.

But guess what? Neither number bears any relationship to the truth.
For example, just 5,000 Iraqi soldiers have been fully trained, by the
administration's own minimal standards. And of the 35,000 police now in
uniform, not one has completed a 24-week field-training program. Is it
any wonder that Iraqi security forces can't stop the insurgency or
provide basic law and order?

The President should urgently expand the security forces training
program inside and outside Iraq. He should strengthen the vetting of
recruits, double classroom training time, and require follow-on field
training. He should recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our
allies, especially those who have no troops in Iraq. He should press
our NATO allies to open training centers in their countries. And he
should stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers.

Third, the President must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally
brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people.

Last week, the administration admitted that its plan was a failure when
it asked Congress for permission to radically revise spending priorities
in Iraq. It took 17 months for them to understand that security is a
priority ... 17 months to figure out that boosting oil production is
critical ... 17 months to conclude that an Iraqi with a job is less
likely to shoot at our soldiers.

One year ago, the administration asked for and received $18 billion to
help the Iraqis and relieve the conditions that contribute to the
insurgency. Today, less than a $1 billion of those funds have actually
been spent. I said at the time that we had to rethink our policies and
set standards of accountability. Now we're paying the price.

Now, the President should look at the whole reconstruction
package...draw up a list of high visibility, quick impact projects...
and cut through the red tape. He should use more Iraqi contractors and
workers, instead of big corporations like Halliburton. He should stop
paying companies under investigation for fraud or corruption. And he
should fire the civilians in the Pentagon responsible for mismanaging
the reconstruction effort.

Fourth, the President must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to
guarantee the promised elections can be held next year.

Credible elections are key to producing an Iraqi government that enjoys
the support of the Iraqi people and an assembly to write a Constitution
that yields a viable power sharing arrangement.

Because Iraqis have no experience holding free and fair elections, the
President agreed six months ago that the U.N. must play a central role.
Yet today, just four months before Iraqis are supposed to go to the
polls, the U.N. Secretary General and administration officials
themselves say the elections are in grave doubt. Because the security
situation is so bad... and because not a single country has offered
troops to protect the U.N. elections mission... the U.N. has less than
25 percent of the staff it needs in Iraq to get the job done.

The President should recruit troops from our friends and allies for a
U.N. protection force. This won't be easy. But even countries that
refused to put boots on the ground in Iraq should still help protect the
U.N. We should also intensify the training of Iraqis to manage and
guard the polling places that need to be opened. Otherwise, U.S forces
would end up bearing those burdens alone.

If the President would move in this direction ... if he would bring in
more help from other countries to provide resources and forces ...
train the Iraqis to provide their own security ...develop a
reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people ...
and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year ... we
could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and
realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four
years.

This is what has to be done. This is what I would do as President
today. But we cannot afford to wait until January. President Bush owes
it to the American people to tell the truth and put Iraq on the right
track. Even more, he owes it to our troops and their families, whose
sacrifice is a testament to the best of America.

The principles that should guide American policy in Iraq now and in the
future are clear: We must make Iraq the world's responsibility, because
the world has a stake in the outcome and others should share the burden.
We must effectively train Iraqis, because they should be responsible for
their own security. We must move forward with reconstruction, because
that's essential to stop the spread of terror. And we must help Iraqis
achieve a viable government, because it's up to them to run their own
country. That's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops
home.

On May 1 of last year, President Bush stood in front of a now infamous
banner that read "Mission Accomplished." He declared to the American
people: "In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have
prevailed." In fact, the worst part of the war was just beginning, with
the greatest number of American casualties still to come. The president
misled, miscalculated, and mismanaged every aspect of this undertaking
and he has made the achievement of our objective - a stable Iraq, secure
within its borders, with a representative government, harder to achieve.

In Iraq, this administration's record is filled with bad predictions,
inaccurate cost estimates, deceptive statements and errors of judgment
of historic proportions.

At every critical juncture in Iraq, and in the war on terrorism, the
President has made the wrong choice. I have a plan to make America
stronger.

The President often says that in a post 9-11 world, we can't hesitate to
act. I agree. But we should not act just for the sake of acting. I
believe we have to act wisely and responsibly.

George Bush has no strategy for Iraq. I do.

George Bush has not told the truth to the American people about why we
went to war and how the war is going. I have and I will continue to do
so.

I believe the invasion of Iraq has made us less secure and weaker in the
war against terrorism. I have a plan to fight a smarter, more effective
war on terror - and make us safer.

Today, because of George Bush's policy in Iraq, the world is a more
dangerous place for America and Americans.

If you share my conviction that we can not go on as we are ...that we
can make America stronger and safer than it is... then November 2 is
your chance to speak... and to be heard. It is not a question of
staying the course, but of changing the course.

I'm convinced that with the right leadership, we can create a fresh
start and move more effectively to accomplish our goals. Our troops have
served with extraordinary courage and commitment. For their sake, and
America's sake, we must get this right. We must do everything in our
power to complete the mission and make America stronger at home and
respected again in the world.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Alison Teal

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-09-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Political groupies be warned. This one’s about food, not politics.

R.W. Apple of the New York Times is covering the election for the Midwest: Apple’s Almanac. Sunday his column was titled “Minnesota Returns to a Star Role on National Stage” (page 26) and the dateline was Deer River, Minn.. Deer River is currently the closest thing we have to a hometown. We live on Deer Lake about twelve miles away, just east of the old Voigt’s Resort and a little west of the Blue Haven fishing cabins. Our cabin is on Oklahoma Hill Road, named for the people who first built their summerhouses up here to escape the sweltering heat of their home state long before air-conditioning. This is where Apple accompanied by his wife Betsey came to interview us about the campaign in Minnesota and elsewhere. Sam suggested they come for dinner. They accepted.

The Apples are fun, affable people who are interested not only in politics, cities, art and architecture, but also in the environment, nature, birds and wildlife. They were bound to love Deer Lake, one of Minnesota’s cleanest and most beautiful. So far so good. But DINNER? Apple is the most renowned food critic in the Untied States, soon to be honored as such by Bon Appetit Magazine. “Cooking dinner for him,” I wailed to Sam, “would be like doing card tricks for Siegfried and Roy.”

Taking them out was not an option. Deer River is a town of 903 according to its prominent welcome sign that sits just beyond the White Oak Fur Trading Post. There are a couple of cafes in town, a pizza place attached to the Blueberry Bowling alley and a four-table restaurant in the White Oak Casino out on the Ojibwa Reservation. The best of these is the Blueberry Bowl that specializes in frozen pizza and pitchers of beer delivered right to your lane. We were going to have to cook.

I emailed Mr. Apple suggesting menus and informing him that the choices were limited up here: beef or pork, or bear, elk, deer, or buffalo. (The latter are all available courtesy of local hunters.) And, of course, fish. By return mail he sent me an article he’d written a couple of years ago about his favorite fish, walleye. In the article he told about eating it all through his childhood: “nothing beat filets of flaky, fine-textured walleye, coated with cornmeal, sautéed until golden -- always sweet-tasting and not at all "fishy"-smelling, in the pejorative sense of that word, though my mother made my father cook them outdoors lest her dream kitchen be sullied.” In fact, he concluded, maybe it wasn’t just his favorite fish but actually his favorite food.

Though my brother-in-law Tom thought competing with the memory of Apple’s father’s cooking was incredibly risky if not downright stupid, walleye it would be. Both Sam and I knew and loved walleye. I’d had it during my Minnesota childhood summers on Boy Lake and Lake Vermilion and Sam had eaten it during his summers on Deer Lake. Sam had fished for it with little success, which secretly pleased him, since if he caught it he had to clean it. Later, when we lived in Vienna, we discovered that both the highly prized fogas in Hungary and zander in Germany were close relatives of our beloved walleye.

The only walleye in the grocery stores are bags of tiny frozen Canadian fillets with the skin on. It’s illegal to sell fresh walleye in Minnesota, a law that protects the lakes from overfishing. (A similar law protects trout in Colorado.) We asked several of the local Daves if they could provide us with any. Dave the winter caretaker and his son Dave were willing to go fishing for us. “But like I say,” Dave said, “It’s been so cold and rainy, the fish are huddled down low someplace. Worst summer ever for walleye. We got a bunch of bear though.” Their good intentions hardly mattered since when the day came, the skies opened and no one could go out on the lake.

We called a restaurant/hunting lodge about forty miles away. A deal was struck. Dave, the chef, was willing to give us some of his plump and delicious walleye fillets if I would bring him cilantro from my garden. As it turns out, I have nothing BUT cilantro in my garden. In late spring I spent two days on my hands and knees carefully covering seeds of exotic lettuces, old-fashioned beets, leeks, radishes, peas, beans and heirloom tomatoes. Everything was laid out in tidy rows. I gathered willow sticks for the peas to climb on just as they do in Italy and I balanced sections of trellis for the beans just as they do in Slovenia. And then I waited for the sun. When the nights were still below freezing around the Fourth of July, I abandoned its care entirely. Only the cilantro – an herb I never actually planted this year – survived. I spent the better part of August trying to think up ways of using it. My friend Jane took two days of her visit here making a cilantro soup that took eight quarts of homemade chicken stock and ended up tasting like an ash-laced mudflow.

Now we had the walleye. A neighbor who had gone home to warmer climates had peas and spinach in his garden, a crop that normally would have been harvested in June. This along with my abundant mint and Jane’s leftover stock would make a great first-course soup. The only other thing growing outside was basil. It should be the size of small Rhododendron bushes by this time of year. But my plants were scrawny tiny-leafed survivors of frosty nights that looked more like thyme than basil. Twenty carefully picked-over plants provided enough leaves to make pesto for four and I had a supply of Parmesan Reggiano and Romano I had brought from the coast. Then there is the old fallback up here, wild rice. Personally I think it’s overrated, though I love one recipe from Silver Palate that has it served at room temperature with pecans, oranges, scallions, raisins and lots of my plentiful mint. That was the meal. That, and Sam’s brother Tom’s new bread find that he brings with him to the lake: Dharma from an Artisan bakery in Omaha, a beautifully crunchy loaf with a mild sour dough taste that was great with the soup.

We had planned to dredge the fillets in Shoreline Lunch, a breadcrumb and herb mixture that’s a local favorite, but after reading the preservatives list, we eliminated it as an option. I also had cornmeal on hand, Apple’s father’s favorite and also cornflakes highly recommended by Danny Meyer, owner of Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern in New York, but our local chef Dave recommended Panko Japanese breadcrumbs. It was the perfect choice and Mr. Apple pronounced the walleye “expertly cooked”.

SAM’S EXPERTLY COOKED WALLEYE
Ingredients
4 ten-ounce skinless boneless walleye fillets
3 eggs
Dollop of heavy cream
Panko breadcrumbs
8 ounces of clarified butter
2 oranges

Directions
Procure the fillets (Good Luck!)
Whip the eggs with a fork until fluffy.
Add the heavy cream to the eggs and mix again. (This will
work equally well with just egg whites.)
Melt clarified butter in large frying pan. Heat it until
breadcrumbs dropped into it sizzle.
Dip fillets in the egg mixture and then dredge in the Panko. Place fillets carefully in butter. Brown 2-3 minutes on each
side until browned on the outside and flakey on the
inside. At the last minute before removing from the pan, quickly squeeze 1⁄2 orange over each fillet. Serve at once.

Next time back to politics.

2004-09-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail
September 14, 2004
Alison Teal

No good news from Florida today. The sunshine state is once again operating from the Dark Side. The Florida Divisions of Elections is putting Nader on the ballot despite a court order not to do so. Division of Elections director Dawn Roberts has filed an appeal against the temporary injunction issued by the Circuit Court, an injunction that calls for a hearing on Wednesday that will rule on a permanent injunction. The Circuit Court took the position the Reform Party didn’t qualify as a national party under state law. But now an appeal has been filed by the state Division of Elections that effectively lifts the injunction and allows Nader’s name on overseas ballots. The overseas ballots have to be mailed by Saturday so, naturally, they can’t wait for Wednesday’s hearing to get them printed and, even more important according to Roberts, Hurricane Ivan has raised “a substantial question as to when such a hearing” will be held.

The chairman of the Florida Democratic Party said ``I'm in disbelief, This is blatant partisan maneuvering on the part of Jeb Bush to give his brother a leg up on election day. They are trying to get ballots printed with Nader's name on them… I am astounded that Jeb Bush is willing to defy the judiciary to help his brother.''

Excuse me? You’re astounded?? Where were you in 2000? And where is Mayor Daley the elder and all our dead relatives when we really need them?

On a lighter note, today Kitty Kelley’s new book “The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty” hits the bookstores and it is already number two on Amazon.com’s best-seller list. Dermot Purgavie, a British newspaper correspondent (and husband of my college chum and oldest friend Jane Barlow) wrote a long piece for the Daily Mail, which concludes:

"Meanwhile, brother Jeb Bush, now the governor of Florida, had his own financial adventures, being accused of profiting from property deals with the government when his father was president and representing American companies selling pumps in Nigeria while he was helping to organize a state visit to the U.S. for Nigeria's president.

The Bush children's willingness to exploit their father's power became embarrassingly public after son Neil Bush was invited to become a director of an opportunistic Denver bank because "he had a name and he and his wife
photographed well at cocktails." When the bank collapsed under the weight of huge speculative and unsecured loans, it came out that he had endorsed a loan of more than 100 million dollars, never repaid, to business partners who were investing in his own oil ventures. The bank lost a billion dollars but he and other directors were charged - deferentially, it was said – with only negligence, while Bush pleaded he was just a dope, not a crook.

Kitty Kelley may not be the October Surprise always anticipated in American campaigns, but the cumulative effect of her dredging through Bush family history is alarming for the president and could even turn out to be significant for a
close election in a deeply divided country with increasingly poisonous politics ("Has America really faced the fact that we have an alcoholic as our president?" asks one prominent Democrat). For now, certainly, Kelley will supplant Hillary Clinton as the woman Republicans hate most."

Sam and I were particularly amused by the Denver reference. Sam once met with Silverado, the bank in question, to borrow money for a business venture. They promptly offered to lend him 20% more than he had sought. It did not take a rocket scientist to know there was something amiss and he borrowed the money elsewhere. Meanwhile, I had an encounter with Neil’s ex-wife through the school where their children and ours were students. One day she approached me to ask, “How do you hire a legal nanny?” She went on to explain that –in case I didn’t know --her father-in-law was vice-president, so she thought she shouldn’t break the law with an illegal nanny and all the other mothers told her I had a legal one and knew how to do it legally. I explained politely but briefly that there are laws governing such things and the only requirement is to follow them. To this day it amazes me that she was worried about the nanny while her husband was bilking the bank for millions.

2004-09-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today the Washington Post looks like a Bush campaign rag, but there is good news out there. Don’t despair. I’m not just a Pollyanna.

According to the recent CNN/Gallup and Zogby polls Bush’s convention bump was nothing close to what Time and Newsweek reported. And nothing like what the Post is saying.

CNN/Gallup/USA: Bush 52%, Kerry 45% (Sept. 3-5) a “small increase in voter support”. This poll also notes that among registered voters the results are Bush 49%, Kerry 48%, a statistically insignificant difference. It is among likely voters that Bush’s numbers go up emphasizing the importance of the Get Out the Vote effort.

Zogby: Bush 46%, Kerry 44% (Aug. 30-Sept. 2) “it simply is not an 11 point race. It just isn’t”.

American Research Group: Kerry 48%, Bush 46% (Aug. 30-Sept. 1)

Breaking down those numbers further, Kerry continues to lead among Independent voters (49-46) and both parties' partisans are equally polarized for their respective candidates (90-7).

The Gallup analysis continues: "The CNN/USA Today/Gallup post-Republican convention poll -- the first national poll conducted entirely after the completion of that convention -- shows George W. Bush getting a small increase in voter support . . . Bush's two-point convention bounce is one of the smallest registered in Gallup polling history . . . Bush's bounce is the smallest an incumbent president has received."

So much for the Bush bounce.

How did Time and Newsweek get it so wrong? Zogby, who came to radically different conclusions, offers an explanation after reviewing the methodology of the Newsweek poll: They overstated the Republican vote by 6% basing it on the assumption that 38% of the most likely to vote people are Republicans. Most other polls assume something closer to 32%, which means all the polls are based on a miscalculation from the beginning and therefore flawed. I believe this to be true from talking to Republicans. Rasmussen, who does daily tracking polls says that, as of noon EST yesterday the results were Bush 47.5%, Kerry 46.8%, a dead heat.

The weirdest results I have seen are the polls which consistently show that a majority disapprove of the way Bush is handling Iraq but, by large margins, think Bush is better at dealing with terrorism. I am way over my head here, but it seems strange to me.

Send this on to all your friends – especially those in swing states. AND WEAR YOUR BUTTONS. WE NEED THE VISIBILITY!!

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-09-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

For the final word on Dick Cheney, check out my good friend Garry Mitchell's blog: http://themitchellreport.typepad.com/
He writes from Washington with wit, humor, incite and outrage. I highly recommend it for your “Favorites” file.

Here is the most current Mitchell Report:

Red Badge of Cowardice

Cowards have many covers and many costumes. They need them, so as not to give themselves away in advance of their next sneak attack.

In politics, we've grown accustomed to the time-honored practice of "hitting below the belt," and few who have fought for their political lives in campaigns for President or County Commissioner have risen above that form of combat.

Occasionally, someone plows new ground, sets the bar a little lower, distinguishes himself from the pack.

This year the honor goes to Dick Cheney.

In the heat of battle, it's one thing to state that George W. Bush is the clearly superior Commander-in-Chief. It's perfectly acceptable to claim that he would be more resolute than his opponent. It's fair game to say that his opponent has flipped and flopped on matters of national security. It's within the bounds of fair play to suggest that the country would be unequivocally safer under a Bush Administration. And at the outer bounds of hyperbole, it's OK to say that George W. Bush is the reincarnation of Pershing, Patton, and Douglas MacArthur.

That's politics.

But to wear the badge of Vice President of the United States, while claiming that "if we make the wrong choice" -- one can presume he's not talking about a vote for Ralph Nader or a write-in campaign for Neville Chamberlain -- " then the danger is that we'll get hit again," is another matter altogether.

That's the act of a coward.

Leaving aside Dick Cheney's five deferments as a young man, the consistently flawed advice to his President (about WMD's, Ahmed Chalabai, deficits, the reconstruction of Iraq, to name a few,) and the audacity of his accusations about the weapon systems that Senator Kerry voted against (which Defense Secretary Cheney also opposed,) this is a Vice President who abuses his public trust, if not his office.

Much of the country -- something like 50% -- may see this as "politics as usual." But for those who recall JFK's "missile gap" charges in the 1960 presidential race -- a clear prevarication - there is a subtle, important difference between a "red herring" and a "red badge of cowardice."

And in case any one is still wondering, Dick Cheney stepped over the line and reached well below the belt in Iowa yesterday.

It recalls that wonderful exchange between Winston Churchill and Lady Astor many decades ago.

At an evening event, when Churchill was in his cups, they had this exchange:

"Lord Winston, you are disgustingly drunk."

"Yes, Madam, 'tis true. And you are remarkably ugly. The difference is that in the morning I shall be sober."

So, Mr. Vice President, you have landed a good one on your opponent. And he has yet to land one on you. But the difference is that in the morning, you are the sole rival for the Spiro Agnew Award, and you have demeaned yourself,
your President, and politics, in the process.

Nice going.

2004-09-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Because I am hiking and because Dick Cheney's recent fear tactic remarks make me sick to my stomach, I am simply going to send on a brilliant article by Garrison Keillor. Please read it if you haven't already.

We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore
By Garrison Keillor

Here in 2004, George W. Bush is running for reelection on a platform
of tragedy--the single greatest failure of national defense in our
history, the attacks of 9/11 in which 19 men with box cutters put
this nation into a tailspin, a failure the details of which the
White House fought to keep secret even as it ran the country into
hock up to the hubcaps, thanks to generous tax cuts for the
well-fixed, hoping to lead us into a box canyon of debt that will
render government impotent, even as we engage in a war against a
small country that was undertaken for the president's personal
satisfaction but sold to the American public on the basis of brazen
misinformation, a war whose purpose is to distract us from an
enormous transfer of wealth taking place in this country, flowing
upward, and the deception is working beautifully.

The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few is the
death knell of democracy. No republic in the history of humanity has
survived this. The election of 2004 will say something about what
happens to ours. The omens are not good.

Our beloved land has been fogged with fear--fear, the greatest
political strategy ever. An ominous silence, distant sirens, a
drumbeat of whispered warnings and alarms to keep the public uneasy
and silence the opposition. And in a time of vague fear, you can
appoint bullet-brained judges, strip the bark off the Constitution,
eviscerate federal regulatory agencies, bring public education to a
standstill, stupefy the press, lavish gorgeous tax breaks on the
rich.

There is a stink drifting through this election year. It isn't the
Florida recount or the Supreme Court decision. No, it's 9/11 that we
keep coming back to. It wasn't the "end of innocence," or a turning
point in our history, or a cosmic occurrence, it was an event, a
lapse of security. And patriotism shouldn't prevent people from
asking hard questions of the man who was purportedly in charge of
national security at the time.

Whenever I think of those New Yorkers hurrying along Park Place or
getting off the No.1 Broadway local, hustling toward their office on
the 90th floor, the morning paper under their arms, I think of that
non-reader George W. Bush and how he hopes to exploit those people
with a little economic up tick, maybe the capture of Osama, cruise
to victory in November and proceed to get some serious
nation-changing done in his second term.

This year, as in the past, Republicans will portray us Democrats as
embittered academics, desiccated Unitarians, whacked-out hippies and
communards, people who talk to telephone poles, the party of the
Deadheads. They will wave enormous flags and wow over and over the
footage of firemen in the wreckage of the World Trade Center and
bodies being carried out and they will lie about their economic
policies with astonishing enthusiasm.

The Union is what needs defending this year. Government of Enron and
by Halliburton and for the Southern Baptists is not the same as what
Lincoln spoke of. This gang of Pithecanthropus Republicanii has
humbugged us to death on terrorism and tax cuts for the comfy and
school prayer and flag burning and claimed the right to know what
books we read and to dump their sewage upstream from the town and
clear-cut the forests and gut the IRS and mark up the constitution
on behalf of intolerance and promote the corporate takeover of the
public airwaves and to hell with anybody who opposes them.

This is a great country, and it wasn't made so by angry people. We
have a sacred duty to bequeath it to our grandchildren in better
shape than however we found it. We have a long way to go and we're
not getting any younger.

Dante said that the hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who
in time of crisis remain neutral, so I have spoken my piece, and
thank you, dear reader. It's a beautiful world, rain or shine, and
there is more to life than winning.

How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the party
of Newt Gingrich's evil spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch president, a
dull and rigid man, whose philosophy is a jumble of badly sutured
body parts trying to walk?

Something has gone seriously haywire with the Republican Party.
Once, it was the party of pragmatic Main Street businessmen in
steel-rimmed spectacles who decried profligacy and waste, were
devoted to their communities and supported the sort of prosperity
that raises all ships.

They were good-hearted people who vanquished the gnarlier elements
of their party, the paranoid Roosevelt-haters, the flat Earthers and
Prohibitionists, the anti-papist antiforeigner element. The genial
Eisenhower was their man, a genuine American hero of D-Day, who made
it OK for reasonable people to vote Republican. He brought the
Korean War to a stalemate, produced the Interstate Highway System,
declined to rescue the French colonial army in Vietnam, and gave us
a period of peace and prosperity, in which (oddly) American arts and
letters flourished and higher education burgeoned, and there was a
degree of plain decency in the country. Fifties Republicans were
giants compared to today's. Richard Nixon was the last Republican
leader to feel a Christian obligation toward the poor.

In the years between Nixon and Newt Gingrich, the party migrated
southward down the Twisting Trail of Rhetoric and sneered at the
idea of public service and became the Scourge of Liberalism, the
Great Crusade Against the Sixties, the Death Star of Government, a
gang of pirates that diverted and fascinated the media by their
sheer chutzpah, such as the misty-eyed flag-waving of Ronald Reagan
who, while George McGovern flew bombers in World War II, took a pass
and made training films in Long Beach. The Nixon moderate vanished
like the passenger pigeon, purged by a legion of angry white men who
rose to power on pure punk politics. "Bipartisanship is another term
of date rape," says Grover Norquist, the Sid Vicious of the GOP. "I
don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the
size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the
bathtub." The boy has Oedipal problems and government is his daddy.

The party of Lincoln and Liberty was transmogrified into the party
of hairy-backed swamp developers and corporate shills, faith-based
economists, fundamentalist bullies with Bibles, Christians of
convenience, freelance racists, misanthropic frat boys, shrieking
midgets of AM radio, tax cheats, nihilists in golf pants,
brownshirts in pinstripes, sweatshop tycoons, hacks, fakirs,
aggressive dorks, Lamborghini libertarians, people who believe Neil
Armstrong's moonwalk was filmed in Roswell, New Mexico, little
honkers out to diminish the rest of us, Newt's evil spawn and their
Etch-A-Sketch president, a dull and rigid man suspicious of the free
flow of information and of secular institutions, whose philosophy is
a jumble of badly sutured body parts trying to walk. Republicans:
The No.1 reason the rest of the world thinks we're deaf, dumb and
dangerous.

Rich ironies abound! Lies pop up like toadstools in the forest! Wild
swine crowd round the public trough! Outrageous gerrymandering!
Pocket lining on a massive scale! Paid lobbyists sit in committee
rooms and write legislation to alleviate the suffering of
billionaires! Hypocrisies shine like cat turds in the moonlight! O
Mark Twain, where art thou at this hour? Arise and behold the Gilded
Age reincarnated gaudier than ever, upholding great wealth as the
sure sign of Divine Grace.

2004-09-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I find it discouraging too. But I believe that this will pass. And that is why I’m saying the following to all of my friends on the left and right coasts: STOP BEING SO BLEAK! Four days of a Republican county fair and you’re all hopeless. Trust me, Zell Miller’s speech will end up costing the Republicans big time and whoever had the idea of wearing purple-heart Band-Aids will be in deep hiding soon. Those Band-Aids were a base insult to anyone who ever served in any war. The military awards honors according to what happened in the field, not over the precise quantity of spilled blood. To make a mockery of those awards is to insult the 3,700 soldiers in Iraq who have won the Purple Heart as well as everyone who has ever worn a uniform. Many of the people wearing those Band-Aids are the very ones who managed to avoid service altogether. Some of the people were in the home state delegation of deferment-crazy Dick Cheney. One was a Bush politician from Texas who was active in the Florida recount. It was a stomach turning display that was too over the top for most Americans. So don’t despair. Kerry is a fighter. He knows when and how to steer into enemy fire. He got angry Thursday night after Bush’s speech and he’ll get angry again. Don’t expect him to stay in attack mode. Two months of rage could get really tiresome. But if he doesn’t speak clearly and decisively on Iraq the current problem will only deepen.

Friday, at a truck stop in Nebraska, the woman behind the counter commented on my Kerry t-shirt. “You don’t see many of those around here,” she said. “I’m not sure if I’m gonna vote for him, but I’m sure not gonna vote for Bush after that speech last night. He just said what he thought we wanted to hear. I want to know what he’s going to do about health care and jobs. He didn’t talk about anything that mattered. And then that lousy convention. All the guys I know went to Vietnam and the lucky ones who made it back came back as only half the person they used to be. What do you think they’re thinking when they see those Band-Aids? But let’s put the Vietnam War behind us. I wanna hear about the future.”

I saw a sign near a lumber mill in northern Minnesota that said: Plant a Tree. Get rid of a Bush.

I’m off to admire and commune with the trees.

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-08-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

My friend John O'Sullivan responded to my last blog with the following: The story reminds me of how George McGovern realized he was going to lose his Senate seat. He was standing in line at a grocery store in South Dakota and two women were saying that they t hought he had been around too long and wasn't doing enough for them. Then they paid with food stamps -- a program George initiated to help both his state's farmers and the country's poor.

And my childhood friend Sally Sherwood wrote: Amen sister. You forgot the part about his wife and her job and her promotions and her struggle for equal pay and for her right to choose because of all of us who are bra burning, lesbian loving, men hating liberal women.

2004-08-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

This morning we visited the Forest History Center, a living history enactment of a logging camp in 1900. I was a bit disappointed since I thought Sam said we were going to a “blogging” camp. “Logger”, “blogger” - let's call the whole thing off. Actually, it didn't really matter. The experience is similar: both loggers and bloggers are mostly teenagers and find middle-aged women invisible, both use words I don't understand, and both use equipment with which I am utterly incompetent.

It has come to my attention that there is to be a Republican Convention. I thought incumbency was enough of an advantage. (In fact, I thought it was the one issue Bush was running on.) But no, they insist on equal time for wearing silly hats, so I'm taking off. But one more blog before I leave for a couple weeks of wilderness experience. Given the weather in the northern Midwest, I am required to give advance warning of my absence. People are used to huddling around during my hot flashes in order to keep warm.

Ervin Drake, a songwriter who wrote "When I Was Seventeen, It Was A Very Good Year”, “I Believe For Every Drop Of Rain That Falls," and "Good Morning Heartache," sent me the following, which nicely sums up what dumbfounds me here in Minnesota:

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised.

His employer's medical plan pays all but $10 of his medications because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it, too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public
transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his workday. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards.
Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It's noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. The FSLIC federally insures Joe's deposit because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe
wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of himself, just like I have.”

2004-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

On today's Chicago Tribune website, an editor of the paper, William B. Rood, who served with John Kerry as a captain of one of the three Swift boats on February 28, 1969, at last broke a 35-year silence to back Kerry's version of the events on their missions together. He criticizes the “Swift Boat Veterans For Truth” saying they “splashed doubt on all of us.” The Sunday Chicago Tribune and the Sunday New York Times will carry the story. In light of this breaking news, I am reprinting another testimonial that appeared on August 20th, in Colorado's TheTelluride Daily Planet.

Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the new attacks on John Kerry's war record by a group calling itself the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." As for most veterans of any war and as people who know me will testify, it is not easy for me to talk about my experiences in Vietnam. However, because of these new ads and, I understand, a new book recently published by an old Charles Colson "Enemies List" hit man, I feel compelled to speak out. Unfortunately, the veterans featured in these attacks are being used by extreme right wing Bush supporters to spread their lies and malign John Kerry.

I feel that most of these veterans who are joining this attack are against Kerry for what he did after he was home from the war than for what he did in the war. If they are against him for his stance against the Vietnam War, that certainly is their right, but to spread lies and malicious innuendos about his time on the rivers of Vietnam is not morally right and does a disservice not only to Kerry, but to all those who served and were wounded or died in that war. The people who are using these veterans for their own means obviously do not care about that. They did the same thing to Senator John McCain and Congressman Max Cleland in 2000 with no remorse or care for the consequences.

To me what is worse is that by their silence, the current administration has not, with any real meaning, disavowed itself or distanced itself in anyway from any of these scurrilous attacks, past or present. I feel that this truly shows the Bush administration for what they really are and ultimately, who is truly responsible for these attacks.

Since I happened to be along on one of the "excursions" where the boats that we were on were attacked and after which Lt. Kerry was cited for valor, I thought it appropriate to give my recollection of that event. This happened on March 13, 1969. I was assigned as Psychological Operation Officer for the Swift Boat group out of An Thoi, Vietnam, from January 1969 to October 1969. As such, I was on No. 43 boat, skippered by Don Droz who was later that year killed by enemy fire. We were second in line while exiting the river and going through the opening in a fish trap when a mine blew up under the No. 3 boat directly in front of us and we started taking small arms fire from the beach. Almost immediately, another mine went off somewhere behind us. All boats, except the one hit, immediately wheeled toward the beach that most of the fire came from (a tactic devised by Lt. Kerry, I later learned) and commenced showering the beaches with so much lead, that it could probably be now mined there. The noise was of course, deafening.

Three things that are forever pictured in my mind since that day over 30 years ago are: (1) The No. 3, 50-foot long, Swift boat getting huge, huge air; John Kerry thought it was about two feet. (He was farther away from it than I). I think it was at least four feet and probably closer to six feet; (2) All the boats turning left and letting loose at the same time like a deadly, choreographed dance and; (3) A few minutes later, John Kerry bending over his boat picking up one of the rangers that we were ferrying from out of the water. All the time we were taking small arms fire from the beach; although because of our fusillade into the jungle, I don't think it was very accurate, thank God. Anyone who doesn't think that we were being fired upon must have been on a different river.

The picture I have in my mind of Kerry bending over from his boat picking some hapless guy out of the river while all hell was breaking loose around us, is a picture based on fact and it cannot be disputed or changed. It's a piece of history drawn in my mind that cannot be redrawn. Sorry, "Swift Boats Veterans for the Truth"- that is the truth.

To say that John Kerry or any of us were on that river to intentionally collect Purple Hearts really does every soldier and sailor, past and present, a disservice. We were going up those rivers (with an ongoing casualty rate of 86 percent at the time) on the orders of the same people who approved of Kerry's medals and who are now joining in the attacks against Kerry. Unbelievable.

I would hope that the American public sees these evil extreme right wing attacks for what they really are and also pray that the veterans being used by these unpatriotic right wing extremist political operatives will divorce themselves immediately from them and speak to the real issues as to why they oppose John Kerry. I just don't understand how anyone can align themselves with those who intentionally and gleefully painted a decorated triple amputee (Max Cleland) from Vietnam as unpatriotic. I think that this is the most disastrous, un-American thing that can be done to our servicemen and women, especially now with another unending war going on. Your ends cannot possibly justify these means. Come on!

Jim Russell
Vietnam veteran

My friend, Elsa Rush, has the perfect comment on all of this “Swift Boat Veterans For Truth” stuff. She sent me this Shakespeare quote adding, “God, was he smart, whoever he was.”

Like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory,
To credit his own lie.
The Tempest. ACT I Scene 2.

2004-08-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Milton Glaser, the world famous graphic designer, is urging all New Yorkers to shine a flashlight, light in the window or plastic wand up toward the sky. The result: “a stunningly simple vertical, rectangular, graphic of yellow fusing with white at the top”. Glazer hopes New Yorkers will set the city “ablaze with a silent and overwhelming rebuke” as “light transforms darkness, both literally and metaphorically for one night, starting on August 30, the eve of the Republican Convention.”

The brilliance of the idea lies in its simplicity. No permits or licenses to demonstrate are required. It's inexpensive and it could be very effective.

Posters will hit the boroughs next week, asking New Yorkers to set a tone of civility and friendliness in order to contradict the world's image of us as bullies. The light image will reinforce this gracious tone. Glaser adds, “The world will understand our message. Not a word need be spoken.”

Air America plans to interview people from all walks of life who are taking part in lighting up the sky on August 30, starting at dusk and continuing to 1:00 am.

2004-08-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

The attack on Kerry from the whacky wing of the Vietnam vets crowd (all of whom never served with him) is incredible. John O’Neill, the leader of the pack, was on Crossfire the other day pushing the “Unfit to Serve” book. James Carville came very close to physically taking him out on air. Then as Robert Novak tried to keep Carville under control, Carville spiraled further into a lunatic diatribe. Being on the air was probably the only reason Novak and O’Neill avoided strangulation. Friends of mine met John O’Neill and Senator Kerry in 1971 at the Conference of Mayors’ meeting in Philadelphia. They remember the following: Kerry was in Philadelphia with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and was asked to come to the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, where the mayors were meeting. New York Mayor John Lindsay and Conference President Jack Maltester, of San Leandro, California asked Kerry to address the mayors at a plenary session the following day where the mayors were voting on a resolution to end the war in Vietnam. The Nixon White House flew O’Neill in from San Diego on the “red eye” to represent the position of some bogus group called Vietnam Veterans For A Just Peace. The Mayors passed the resolution to end the war. Kerry was spectacular in his fatigues and O’Neill was pathetic in his crumpled seersucker suit.

O’Neill continues to say he does not involve himself in partisan politics. It has been reported that he was once a Humphrey Democrat. But he was a Nixon White House goon in 1971.

On August 8th, the Washington, DC affiliate of NBC reported that the Bush Administration had interviewed Clarence Thomas for Supreme Court Chief Justice if Rehnquist decides to retire. They may be talking to nearly everyone, but maybe not. Shades of things to come ....

The person in charge of groups at the convention (people like the female senators, congresswomen and the guys from Kerry’s swift boat) said it was worse than herding cats -- more like herding rhinoceroses. When it was time for the swift boat crew to go back to their hotels after their wildly successful appearance with Kerry on Thursday night, there was a major snafu. Somehow the transportation staff had forgotten to arrange to get them back to their hotels. Successfully hailing cabs for them when 32,000 other people were pouring out of the Fleet Center was not likely. So my friend went out front and found a couple of Boson’s finest. He explained the situation and asked if there was anyway the cops could help him out. “We’ll get the cabs,” the cops said, and then, after pausing a beat, “You know, it was a real good thing your man didn’t cross our picket lines last June. This could have been a very different convention.”

The most clever sign on the streets of Boston during the convention belonged to a homeless man:
“Standing up for a better place to lie down.”

2004-08-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

The people at the next table in the North Woods’ Espresso shop are sipping cinnamon-bun lattes and discussing the newly-painted house up the road. Apparently, the owner of the house wanted God to pay more attention to her. “So she painted it this hot pink color. Now when he looks down, he can’t help but notice.”

On the way into town, the sign in front of the taxidermy shop says: “You snuff it, we’ll stuff it.” The local bait and tackle shop has added a fancy sign out front next to a copy of the Ten Commandments. One stop shop for shiners and salvation. (To view the photo, go to http://www.Tealdesigns.com and then to Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail)

And in the Health clinic (from which I have just returned with a bad case of post-convention bronchitis), the hazardous waste basket marked “sharps” has an assortment of muskee lures removed from various extremities of fishermen mixed in with the used hypodermics.
“We have a cork board over here with the best of this season’s lures,” the nurse says. “Mostly we extract them from ears and fingers but sometimes they’re in a foot. But this collection’s nothing to the one at the vet’s office.”

We are definitely back in northern Minnesota.

2004-08-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Two more convention events:

**Blogger event with Dell Sandusky, Walter Meers, Governor Howard Dean and Barack Obama.

Sandusky, who was with Kerry on the riverboat in Vietnam, spoke touchingly about the first time he met Theresa Heinz Kerry eight years ago. “It was late at night. She looked at me, paused, put her hand on my cheek and started to cry. Then she invited me to dinner at their house where she made spaghetti for the three of us at three in the morning.”

Walter Meers told us all we were today’s pamphleteers. I have a little trouble believing that when I think about blog writing compared to, say, the Declaration of Independence (an original copy of which we saw at the Kennedy Library on Sunday thanks to Norman Lear).

“Fifty-percent of people under twenty-five get all their news from the Internet and Jon Stewart” said Governor Dean. He sees this as positive since mainstream news is turning more and more to entertainment and camouflaged opinion pieces and since there is so little local news. It makes the TV networks and the Murdochs of the world very nervous, Dean added, but he believes young people are compelled to think and synthesize when they get their news from the Internet.

Obama talked about his own blog and asked the event’s attendees to give him advice for improving it. Several people shouted “Write it yourself.” Personally, I think he has better things to do.

**“Funny But True” – DNC sponsored event
Paul Begala hosted a celebrity panel with Alec Baldwin, Deedee Myers, Ben Affleck, Rob Reiner, Al Franken, and Esai Morales. It began with a short film of Bushisms, such as, “you’re working hard to put food on your family” “subliminable”, “where wings take dreams” and our old favorite “nucular”. Referring to the later, Rob Reiner demanded of the audience: “You don’t have a problem with a guy whose finger is on the button and can’t pronounce it?” You can get more Bushisms at Bushism.net.

The panel talked about serious issues while trying to keep things funny. They pointed out that Hollywood’s support of the Democrats (except for a few notables like Wayne Newton and Bo Derek) is truly selfless. They’re the only group that would consistently benefit from Bush’s tax cuts. Franken said his support wasn’t selfless at all. “I’m a Democrat because I’m one of the most selfish people in the world,” he said. “Because I’m better off when we’re all better off, when people can fulfill dreams. And I don’t mean dreams of getting rich, but dreams of being a teacher or a cop. We need a society with a middle class. I’m a Democrat because it’s in my best interest to support that kind of society.” Gotta love him.

"To me, the Republican Party is the real great tragedy of the last 25 years because there are lot of good and decent people and a lot of good political points [that have] come from the Republican Party in the post-war period, but it has been hijacked by these fundamentalist wackos," Baldwin said.

Reiner added, “They manage the debate. They’ve defined values as Guns, God and Gays.”

The following were some of my favorite lighter exchanges:

*Franken: (After Begala had said Bush is seen as a nice guy) “I challenge you that he’s a nice guy. You’re on crossfire mate.”
Begala: “We’re just friends. We’re not mating yet.”

*Begala: “Bush is no more a cattle rancher than I’m an Hassidic diamond merchant.”
Reiner: “Haven’t I seen you on 47th street?”

*Baldwin: (Talking about Cheney’s swearing as compared to Theresa Heinz Kerry’s “Shove it” remark): “Whoopi Goldberg and Theresa are both women. Think about what would have happened if Edwards had said ‘Shove it’. This is wife beating”

*Franken: (Talking about the war and taking responsibility for it.) “It’s just like the signs at Pottery Barn, ‘If you break it, you own it.’ …And, by the way, that’s not true. You actually can break something at Pottery Barn.”
Begala: (turning to the audience) “We’re not actually suggesting you go out and break something at Pottery Barn.”
Franken: “Yes I am.”

2004-08-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, I said I’d write about some additional convention events, so here is the first.

Finance Committee Briefing
Because I had press credentials, I wasn’t permitted to attend, but many friends did and they came away universally impressed. They raved about the strength of Michael Whouley’s plans for the grass roots campaign in the battleground states. Whouley, a ground level organizer of mythic proportions who shuns publicity, is credited with turning Iowa around. For example, it was his decision and planning that got Kerry in that helicopter -- which not only provided great photo ops, but also allowed Kerry up to three more campaign stops a day. Whouley insisted that a “1” in a phone call must sign a commitment statement – if there was no signature, there was no #1. (For those who don’t know, voters are numbered from 1 to 5 according to their level of commitment to the candidate, #1 being a solid, totally dependable vote.) It was Dean’s mistake to assume that polite Iowans (who told campaigners they really liked Governor Dean, which they would say about nearly anyone) were committed supporters. Big mistake.

The leadership of the grassroots campaign is John Norris, who ran the Iowa campaign for Kerry, and Karen Hicks, who ran the grassroots campaign for Dean in New Hampshire (their best effort). I know this has been a major concern of people all over the country. We hear the concern constantly from people in what are called the export states – those states that will be sending money and people to the designated swing states. We hear it from people who are in the battleground states who don’t see anything happening on the ground yet. And we hear it from people everywhere who still can’t get buttons or bumper strips.

The technology is in place. If the money is raised to support the effort, the organization will be in place to insure we: a) get all of our core voters to the polls, b) identify and persuade undecided voters and c) reach out to parts of the Republican base. There is a plan to provide meaningful opportunities for people who are willing to give at least a month (preferably six weeks) of their time in a swing state. When I have details, I’ll pass them along.

A lot of people are concerned about a lack of a “bump” in the polls from the convention. This was an issue that Mark Mellman, the campaign pollster, addressed during the convention, i.e., anticipating, not simply explaining away the results. Managing expectations is always a problem. There was a lot of Bush campaign talk about how the polls would go up (their subliminal message was “should” go up) at least 15 points for Kerry after the convention. This was nonsense. Mellman pointed out that bumps in the polls after a convention come from members of the convention’s party. Since virtually all Democrats already supported Kerry, there was little room for gain. Also, Kerry went into the convention in much better shape than any candidate since about 1956. Incumbents usually go into their convention with a 16% lead. Kerry and Bush are almost dead even.

Next, more of last week’s events

2004-07-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

“Ten years ago who would have guessed that the Democratic Convention would be all about muscular power and Vietnam?”, our friend, Marty Peretz, mused this morning. Well, it was, and everyone seemed to love it. We certainly did.

Credentials to the Convention were renewed every day, so there was a mad dash in the mornings to get things in order. The most important thing was to figure out which events and parties you could wangle an invitation to. People were checking in with each other on cell phones from hotel hospitality suites: “Really! What time does that start?” “How do you get an invitation to that?” Next, the trading began. “How about I give you two Hall Passes for one “Tribute To Ted” ticket.”

Dozens of groups sponsored events. There was the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) then there are all the corporate lobby sponsored events -- a list of at least 117 events, with sponsors from the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to Prudential Insurance, Vorizon and City Group – and the special interest group parties. Governor Bill Richardson was toasted at a “Champagne And Cigar” evening. The Puerto Rican Democratic Party sponsored a “Boston Rum Party”. The Association of Nurses gave a club party with the come-on title “The Big Easy”.

It’s party planners’ and caterers’ heaven -- unless, of course, the convention turns ugly or interesting. In 1968, it did both. In Chicago I was one of the lucky people in charge of putting together 150 dinners to woo uncommitted delegates. Each dinner was at a private house or apartment. Naturally they varied in size. The McCarthy people had bios on each of the delegates and each biography was matched with an appropriate advocate from the campaign, that is, someone who could make the case for McCarthy, such as a Vietnam Vet or a businessperson or a union member…. You get the idea. The invitations were mailed and the delegates accepted the free dinners eagerly. The hosts and hostesses made the arrangements. Then came the convention and along with it the police riots, the turmoil on the convention floor, the platform fights and the Chicago cab strike. Some of us spent the first several evenings of the convention at private homes on Lakeshore Drive sitting alone with a hostess who had prepared a catered dinner for seventy-five. Others were in the streets. I would have vastly preferred the streets.

But a few notes on some of the events this last week. They took place in nightclubs, hotel suites and harbor cruise ships. There were loads that neither Sam nor I were invited to, though that didn’t always stop me. I managed to crash a lovely yacht party just long enough to remember how much I hate boats. (Stepping on to a boat triggers my projectile vomiting gene.)

Here are some of the ones I did like:

∑ The "Tribute to Ted" at Symphony Hall
It was billed as the hottest ticket in town and featured the Boston Pops with John Williams conducting, U2's Bono, Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Yo-Yo Ma. The master of ceremonies was Glen Close who began the evening by saying “I feel like I’ve just come out of the past four years and I feel … like water on the desert”.

All the seats had been removed from the hall, which was set up cabaret style, with plates of little sandwiches and cheese next to bottles of red and white wine. Famous political friends of Kennedy attending included George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Fritz Hollings, Madeleine Albright and our friend, David Mixner, who told me it was his unnatural attraction to Teal Ties that made him gay. (But that’s another story.) The Kennedy clan (numbering 135) was scattered throughout the crowd of 1,000 – an event without media. We chatted with a lot of friends like Phyllis and Mora Segal, and Thalia Tsongas Schlesinger while admiring Tony Podesta’s scarlet-colored shoes. His wife, Heather, said “He got them on sale. Surprise, surprise!”

Mitchell created a sentimental mood by opening the show with “The Impossible Dream” which he said was Kennedy’s favorite song. Together, Bono and Yo Yo Ma performed “Hands That Built America”. Other musical numbers included McDonald belting out “As Long As He Need Me” and Ma’s “The Green Groves of Erin”. Bono included the assassination of John and Robert Kennedy in his song “Pride” about an American heart with Irish blood.

The omnipresent (during the convention, that is) Ben Affleck made a surprise appearance near the end. Dressed as a waiter, he sallied on stage with a drinks’ tray held high. “I wasn’t able to get a ticket to this event, sir, but I am a constituent and I wanted to let you know how much I’ve admired you. You’ve been the Massachusetts senator all of my life!” Kennedy looked humorously appalled at the age reference. Then Affleck added “and I’m sure you will be a senator here long after I’m dead!”

In his thank you, Kennedy said our fight is
“not with some monarch named George who inherited the crown -- though it sometimes seems so….” He then donned a white jacket and conducted “Stars and Stripes”. In the fast tempo parts, both of his arms were forming frantic figure eights and his whole body wiggled. The applause was riotous.

∑ The Kennedy Library Foreign Policy Panel
The National Democratic Institute sponsored a discussion moderated by Tom Oliphant of the Boston Globe with Madeleine Albright and Senator Joe Biden with the generous assistance of John Shattuck, the library’s director. The highlight for me – since I am a silly person of no depth – was when Albright said “There are people in this country who are afraid of the United Nations; people who don’t like the United Nations because it is full of foreigners…” long pause “which frankly can’t be helped.”

The highlight for Sam – because he is serious person -- was the large number of foreign diplomats who attended the Convention, many of whom were colleagues in Vienna and are now their country’s Ambassador to the U.S. We were both particularly pleased to see Levon Mikaladze, the Georgian Ambassador who represents a new and hopeful government in that beleaguered country. (Sometimes I can pretend to have serious thoughts.)

There are a few other events I’m eager to tell you about, but first I’m going to sleep for a couple of days.

2004-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

“Politics is show business for ugly people,” said Paul Begala of CNN. Last night buries that line. And isn’t it great to no longer have to say the “the presumed Democratic nominee”?

More on last night and the week tomorrow, but the summary from highly partisan but nervous-before-the-speech supporters is “What a night! As good as it gets.”

Check out time is looming and as our handyman in Minnesota says, we have to get on down to the “Cod”.

2004-07-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Were others as annoyed with Al Sharpton as I was? He was scheduled for six minutes and took twenty. He certainly did not keep to the speech that was vetted. Our daughter, Willa, was sitting on the podium last night, so she could see the teleprompter. From the first line on, he abandoned the script. The people running the teleprompter were going crazy. And he wasn’t even funny, so what’s the point? There definitely was some good speechifying -- and Willa, by the way, thought the change of tone was a relief – but the arrogance was unconscionable. He went through the halls afterwards with a phalanx of bodyguards who almost knocked me down.

Kucinich on the other hand was fired up and had everyone on his feet. He said we didn’t see any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but as the mayor of Cleveland he saw the real weapons of mass destruction on the streets: poverty, ignorance and crime. These are the weapons John Kerry will fight to eradicate. Good stuff.

Kucinich has also been doing his work in the streets here. He was in the park yesterday trying to talk reasonably to the demonstrators, of which there are very few -- mostly anarchists (the Black Bloc and the Pink Bloc). The only part of the demonstrators’ chant I can recall is: “They’re rich, they’re white, vote Bush or vote Bush Lite.”

Barack OBama is not only charismatic and articulate, but also very funny and humble. In an interview after his speech, he was asked if he had been nervous about giving the keynote speech. He admitted he had been until he actually went to the Fleet Center and discovered no one there actually listens to any of the speakers. On being asked if the thought the Presidency was in his future, he responded that he had other things he had to get straight first, like getting his dirty clothes all the way into the hamper. When asked how he thought his speech had gone he said, “Well, I stayed within the time limit.”

2004-07-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

The heat is on. This is Kerry’s chance to shine and show the world who he is. Only one challenger to an incumbent president has ever gone into a convention ahead in the polls until now. That challenger was Ronald Reagan who was ahead of Jimmy Carter by three points. Today if you take an average of all the national polls, Kerry is ahead by two points, so it’s a good position. But don’t expect a big bump in the polls after the convention and don’t be disappointed by a lack of one. There are very few undecided voters this time. The Democrats are already united and normally it would be the undecided Democrats who would cause the bump after a Democratic convention.

Every female from 18 to 95 thinks Edwards is gorgeous. The Fleet Center halls were filled with talk of schoolgirl crushes and his dreamboat smile. And boy were those halls filled! If you are lucky enough to get inside to a seat, you better not drink anything for fear of needing a bathroom. Once you leave, people swarm to fill your place. There are special suites for the press and for VIPs of various sorts, but whole floors were cordoned off by fire marshals last night, so people who didn’t get to their suites early enough were out of luck. I stood in line for the Premium Club, a DNC room for the Finance Division, for about an hour, hoping to hear the Edwards speech where the drinks were free and the room was cooled. Tempers were short and people were dripping sweat. But the minute a man started whining out loud -- telling everyone what a big deal he was -- everyone turned on him. “These people are just doing their jobs.” “No kidding! You raised a lot of money? I guess that makes you really different from the rest of us.” “Looks to me like all you’ve raised is an ego.” And finally, “You know what, we’re Democrats, it’s not supposed to be about privilege.” It was great.

There is a reserved section on the seventh floor for the bloggers, but I’ve stopped going there. The Internet has been a little sketchy and the floor is uncomfortable. All the desks are taken by the time I get there and to my surprise none of the twenty and thirty year olds are jumping up to offer an elderly woman their seat. I spent the first night on the floor leaning against a makeshift desk leg, complaining loudly about my arthritis and aching back in vain. On the second night, the desks and chairs began to free up right before Theresa’s speech. Seriously. I guess the younger people thought she wasn’t going to have anything of interest to say. I’ve long been a fan and still think she has the most to say – and in five languages. So I’m sort of saying “shove it” to the floor of the blogging section, which makes posting a bit harder.

I certainly can’t get there any earlier or I would miss the pre convention parties. I am driven by my responsibility to my readers to taste all the food and drink. Someone’s got to. I owe you all that much, at least.

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-07-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last night was brilliant from beginning to end. The feeling of unity is overwhelming. Many veteran convention attendees are saying it was the best opening night ever – even down to the exit strategy. Some 35,000 people got out of the Fleet Center and back to their hotels or on to parties in about an hour-and-a-half. DNC staff in identifiable red t-shirts was everywhere, directing people to the right busses, giving walking directions or suggesting restaurants. The buses are plentiful, comfortable and efficient. Police are everywhere and they all seem to be from Central Casting; i.e., jolly, Democratic, Irish Bostonians. Not one arrest of protestors had to be made in the entire city of Boston yesterday. I’m staggered by what Mayor Thomas Menino has accomplished.

Today, Tom Cochran -- a Washington Institution -- honored Mayor Menino at a lunch for The Conference of Mayors of which he is Executive Director. Cochran looked like a southern plantation owner wearing a white linen suit, navy shirt and navy tie dotted with heart-shaped American flags. The lunch was organized by the gorgeous Babette Penton and the food was perfect: cod in cornbread crumbs, massive amounts of heirloom tomatoes, spinach salad and Turner’s Hall of Fame clam chowder.

Right after, my daughter, Willa, and I took a bus to the Ben Affleck event headlined as “Pool, Bowling and Cocktails with Ben Affleck”. It was held at Jillian’s a large pool and bowling hall across the street from Fenway Park. While we waited in line for the host to arrive (a line that was longer than the one for Clinton’s foreign policy speech this morning), Affleck and his bodyguards rushed in a side door right next to us. Willa pointed him out in excitement to the man behind us, a delegate from Atlanta, who asked her which one he was. “You have to stay with me inside,” he told her. “My grandchildren won’t forgive me if I meet him and don’t which one he is.”

To be fair to President Clinton, he had already knocked the socks off everyone last night. However, those who missed his briefing this morning missed a demonstration of why he remains a dominant political force: thoughtful, human and funny. The following is more or less the exchange that took place between Clinton and James Carville when Clinton was asked to comment on the Nader campaign. It went something like this:

Clinton: I always admired Ralph Nader for what he did in the sixties and seventies, but now he plays a spoiler roll. If he only gets one-percent of the vote, those are probably people who wouldn’t have otherwise voted. If he gets more than that, it will come from the Democrats.

Carville: That is a Presidential view. What I say is I wouldn’t irrigate his throat if his heart was on fire.

Clinton: In a different setting Carville would have used another verb.

alisonteal@tealdesigns.com

2004-07-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Conventions are all about choreography and theater. For the people who run a convention, it is imperative that it be harmonious. For journalists, it is imperative that it has conflict. To the disappointment of some 15,000 news people who are in Boston, this convention belongs to the organizers. So why do they turn up? Because it’s the best and biggest class reunion imaginable.

The most dramatic visual event last night was when all the delegates lifted candle lights in the air while Gabe Lefkowitz, a sixteen-year-old violinist, played Amazing Grace with a photo of the New York skyline in the background. Al Gore, President Carter and Hilary Clinton were spectacular and President Clinton brought down the house with a full-throated political speech. He is an astonishing orator. There is nothing like being in a crowd that is united in its love of someone. It’s almost a religious experience.

We bloggers have a special section to sit in with wireless Internet that actually works from time to time. But even if the wireless isn’t working, it’s a great place to be. These people are not reporters; they’re opinionated and proud of it. While the press section is quietly observing, the bloggers are standing on their chairs and screaming with the most enthusiastic of the delegates.

The tough fights will come later. Right now, the major skirmishes are over getting tickets to the most prized events and parties. The TV ratings last night were low, but at least the clips will be picked up. Great lines like Gore’s “Every kid can grow up to win the popular vote” won’t be lost. So the networks may stay away, but inside the convention hall it feels good and you really can believe a change is gonna come.

2004-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Boston late Saturday night and made a mad dash for the convention center hoping to get to the Boston Globe’s Media Party before it ended. Arriving at a darkened building where several bewildered British journalists were wondering around trying to find an open door was an inauspicious beginning. Taking pity on us, a janitor came out of the building to tell us this was the old convention center and what we wanted was the new convention center which was “over that way somewhere”. The BBC journalists piled in our car assuring Sam we’d find it; that it was bound to be the ugliest building in town like all other convention centers. Sure enough.

Inside (and it was surprisingly easy to get inside, no photo ID or anything) it was a different matter. The theme was multi-cultural Boston and the walls were covered with enormous photos of people in every variety of native dress with “welcome” written in all of Boston’s languages which included Gaelic, Swahili, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, etc.. It reminded me how far we are from Hibbing, Minnesota where the airport also has gay banners on the walls welcoming travelers in all the known languages: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic.

Seventy-five restaurants catered the event offering all sorts of food from enchiladas and curries to sides of beef. There were three dessert tables with enormous platters of cake squares and bowls of melon and strawberries to be dipped in one of three chocolate fountains: dark, milk or white. Underneath small tents were cozy groupings of couches and easy chairs and from a full-sized Ferris wheel you could view the ethnic dancing. Sam and I passed up the champagne, wine and beer bars, making our way straight to the martini bar assuming it was the most likely gathering spot for some age-appropriate press. Instead the area was filled with twenty-somethings drinking cotton-candy and mocha-chip martinis. These drinks cannot be called martinis anymore than Caesar salads can have optional anchovies. We finally found a few old hacks over by the designer-water bar. It was an early night.

Yesterday, there was a very glamorous lunch at the Kennedy compound for something called the Leadership Council. Four busses arrived in Hyannis around noon, much to the annoyance of the neighbors who called out the Barnstable police to make sure everyone behaved. Tables were set out under an elegant tent on that famous touch-football lawn, each covered in a cheerful blue-and-yellow cloth. Silver ice buckets filled with lobster bibs and claw crackers were next to plates of brownies and sliced watermelon. In the buffet line you loaded fish-shaped glass plates with a lobster, a net bag of steamed clams, bratwurst, barbecued chicken, corn, potato salad and the best clam chowder I’ve ever tasted. Sadly the day was sunless and cold, but the crowd couldn’t have cared less. The guests were a variety of fundraisers from Jim Blanchard, the former Governor of Michigan; to Daniel Becnel, King of torts from Louisiana; to our old friend, Tony Podesta, who has moved to Philadelphia to run Pennsylvania for Kerry; to a screenwriter/lawyer delegate from L.A. who had won a contest among delegates competing to bring in the most new Kerry supporters. (He signed up 180 new people, which put him among the top five.)

When we returned to our hotel, they checked our electronic keys. Apparently they intend to change the keys daily. A lot of lives would have been different if they’d had electronic keys at the Democratic campaign in Chicago in 1968 – certainly mine would have been. On the night of the police riot (not a polemical term, it’s how it was characterized) the Hilton Hotel, which was right on the edge of the park where the protests were taking place,
required everyone to show a key in order to get inside. People were desperate to escape the gas and beatings taking place outside. Sam went to the Hilton desk saying he was from the McCarthy campaign and, for security purposes, wanted all the keys from the 15th and 16th floors where the campaign was headquartered. Then he took the keys outside and distributed them. People – myself among them -- hurried into the safety of the lobby and then gave their keys back so they could be taken outside again. Hundreds of people escaped into the Hilton. Some fell in love.

July 24, 2004

We are sealed in a plane on the runway at Denver International Airport waiting for the Eastern thunder storms to ease up. Personally I would be happier back in Aspen or San Francisco where we spent the last ten days making a final fund raising go-round before the convention.

I intended to shop for the convention in Aspen. I was looking for one of those summer dresses with a strappy top and floating skirt but couldn’t fine one in anything other than a fetal size. Feeling depressed and huge, I decided to treat myself instead to a full-body sunless tan. The application of this tan is not the fun-filled event you might anticipate – well, at least not if you aren’t neo-natal. When I called for the appointment I asked what I should wear. “Just bring your G-string and ask for Naomi,” the young woman said. “Right,” I said. So there I was, stark naked, as Naomi (whose night job is belly dancing) colored my body with a tiny spray gun filled with some sticky bronze liquid. It’s like painting” she gushed “only my canvas is human! By tonight you’ll look like you’ve just come home from the islands.” She added a swarmy: “You’re husband will be so thrilled!” My husband was out getting a real tan, refusing to join me in this fake one even after meeting Naomi and toying briefly with the idea of being naked in front of her. So here I am several hours later, sealed in this plane on the Denver tarmac looking like I have a frightful case of jaundice.

We’re headed for Boston where I’m getting press credentials as a blogger. I haven’t qualified for press credentials since I left the Denver Post about the time of the Garfield election. I’m both excited and intimidated. This is the first time any Internet writers have been given credentials. I love being part of a first and I’m extremely excited to meet my fellow bloggers. I expect I’ll substantially impact the demographics of this group -- boosting the median age and diminishing the technical capabilities. But every dog has its day and I’m thinking this is mine.

2004-07-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

I am overwhelmed by the response to my last email. A great many of you gave more money to Kerry. I know the campaign is grateful and I’m personally moved to know I have such generous friends.

As the 9/11 report was being released this morning, Kerry was giving a speech to the Urban League in Detroit. He was sharper and more focused, but he will never spout perfect twenty-second sound bites. As the Iowa Quad City Times said back in January: “He ponders … and answers thoughtfully. A regular guy? Not hardly.”

There is a positive consequence of the commission’s report making bold and difficult recommendations during a political season. It will keep everyone focused on the recommendations as both Bush and Kerry are asked about them. We must compel the government to take action. If the professional work of this commission is of the high quality it is thought to be, we can only pray that its recommendations will be enacted. We need a unity of effort. Bob Kerrey says he is hopeful but not optimistic that the changes will be made before another attack. It will require the Department of Defense and members of congress to give up certain authorities and powers they now have. Giving up power is not a traditional activity in Washington. But the government will ignore it at their and our peril.

On a lighter note, don’t miss this site: http://www.jibjab.com/

2004-07-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Adam Friedson, a major Kerry fundraiser, reminds us that this is not the most important campaign of our lifetime. The most important election was the last one, the one that put Bush into office. We just didn’t know it. If you thought now that you could go back and do something to stop that election result, wouldn’t you? If you thought by giving more money you might have prevented that election result… Right. This is going to be a fundraising email. You only have a few more days to give directly to the Kerry Edwards campaign. Think how bad you’ll feel if things don’t go well in November and you look back and wonder why you didn’t do more.

In between battling bats and other north woods creatures over the last two months, we have been fundraising in Illinois, Minnesota, Connecticut, New York and Northern and Southern California. With the invaluable help and endless energy of Friedson and the spectacular San Francisco fund-raising staff and with dozens of hosts at more than twenty events, we have now raised over $800,000! Yesterday the campaign told us we’re among the top ten fundraisers for Kerry in the United States. Certainly some people have raised more for the DNC in large pieces, but every bit of that $800,000 was from people who gave $2000 or less. Many of the donations were under $100.

Money isn’t everything, of course, but giving is the most important thing you can do right now. There is only one week left to give directly to the Kerry/Edwards campaign before the federal financing comes in. After that contributions can be made to the DNC, but not directly to Kerry for President. The campaign is well organized to insure the money we raise in this last week will be used for advertising and to build the ground staff for the general election. Remember Bush has an additional month to raise money between the two conventions.

As you know, we travel a lot and it is clear that the Bush administration and its imperial policies are loathed around the world. But both the American people and the ideals we hold are still greatly admired and Bush is regarded as aberrational. But if we elect Bush again, we own him.

If you haven’t given as much as you possibly can, please, please do so now. You can do it by credit card by clicking on the following link (if the link doesn’t work, cut and paste it into your browser):

http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/member/277923

2004-07-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

The blooms on the peonies are finally beginning to fade up here in northern Minnesota and the nights are warming up to fifty degrees or so. Summer is just around the corner. The Fourth of July was the coldest in recorded history. People went down to their docks dressed in down vests and mittens to watch fireworks. The night was quiet. Between bursts of noise and color, women’s voices carried across the still water: “You’re going to lose a finger if you keep doing that!” and “You stop that right now and come sit here by me!” My voice was among them as Sam attached bottle rocket to bottle rocket trying to ignite them sequentially, creating a small missile.

We spend a lot of these cold nights around an enormous campfire with various town and year-round lake people dropping by. After talk of the cold and how it fortunately hasn’t hurt the fishing, the conversation turns to politics.

“I’ve been watching your guy,” an elderly man known as Red says. “But I just don’t see how you can change boats mid-stream. We got into this mess – and I do think it’s a mess -- but now we should show our strength by sticking with our leader until we can get out.”

The owner of a local nursery crosses his forearms in front of me while backing away in mock fear. “You keep telling me I’d be better off with Kerry, but I’m counting on getting to that bracket where those tax cuts will help me someday.”

The tall tow-headed young couple on the half log next to me tells me they’re getting married in October. “We’ve been in marriage counseling for the past year and I’m afraid we just couldn’t vote for Kerry. The priest told us not to because Kerry’s a bad Catholic.”

I point out that Bush can hardly be considered a good Catholic. I start talking about the sixth commandment and the Lord High Executioner from Texas. It doesn’t matter. I talk about the ninth commandment and the number of people who have died in Iraq, a war we went into based on a massive lie. I point out that the administration has also broken the tenth commandment with the Iraqi war. Eyes begin to glaze over. I talk about the separation of church and state being fundamental to the constitution. I suggest that it is this very lack of separation in fundamentalist religious countries that they find threatening and intolerable. They begin to gather their belongings. I take a deep breath. “Are you actually telling me that the people who were against JFK because he was a Roman Catholic were right? You mean a ‘good’ Catholic must vote the way her priest or the Pope tells her to? Don’t you think that reinforces what the most bigoted and anti-Catholic people in America said in 1960 and are still saying today? Is that really what you want?”

They repeat their mantra:
“Our priest says Kerry has immoral beliefs and we must not vote for him. We have to vote our consciences, don’t we? You wouldn’t want us not to, would you?”

I let that one go.

So that’s the news from northern Minnesota.

I’m just reporting. Don’t kill the messenger.

2004-07-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Dewey wins again!!

Today’s early edition of the New York Post’s front page follows:

KERRY'S CHOICE

Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate

2004-07-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail
July 4,
Alison Teal

Kerry began his three days of Fourth of July barnstorming Friday in Cloquet, Minnesota. It’s about two-hours from our cabin up here, so we headed over with a bunch of relatives and friends.

Cloquet is a town of 11,200, best known for its Frank Lloyd Wright gas station which is selling the same Twinkies and Slim Jims it had when it opened in 1956. For three years the town has been planning for and anticipating its 100th birthday celebration this summer. Then, a little over a week ago, word came that the campaign was going to kick off its rural bus tour on its main street – a wonderful kickoff for Cloquet’s Centennial and a stroke of genius for the campaign. Steve Jacques who heads the bus tour’s advance staff found the perfect small town America setting in Cloquet: think Fourth of July on steroids.

Small towns like Cloquet are where the economy and the war on Iraq have hit the worst. Nineteen-year-old Moises Langhorst, a Marine from Moose Lake, and 20-year-old Levi Angell, a Marine from Cloquet, were two of the many Americans killed in Iraq. “We pray for their families,’’ Kerry said. "These are the folks whose kids go off to war. When they lose them, as parents nothing ever fills that void. But they love their country, and they care and they're proud." Later he met privately with their families.

The campaign hopes to due significantly better with the rural vote than Gore who had a 22-point deficit in rural exit polls. A recent poll from the non-partisan Center for Rural Strategies has Kerry down 9 points among rural voters in battleground states. But there is a chance we can win over some of these rural and small town votes even though the “L” word (and I’m not talking about the Showtime channel here) is as welcome as “communist, flag-burning, vegan, hippy, pothead.”

Cloquet is in paper mill, timber and iron ore country. “We farm rocks and trees,” said one of the local politicians before introducing another speaker “from the other side of the state, over there with the dirt farmers.” Kerry’s pledge to strictly enforce trade agreements was warmly welcomed in a town where foreign competition has led to layoffs by the town's principal employer, a paper mill.

Kerry warmed up the crowd by making fun of the national press corps. “I had to explain to them that not every town in America has a Starbucks.” He talked about the family farm and reminded people that there are small farms in Massachusetts too. He talked about fishing. "You can't eat the fish in 28 states," he said. "That's a warning sign to sports people all over this country.” He talked about hunting. "Gun owners should be very, very comfortable with me," he said, "because I am a gun owner. I am a hunter. ... I've shot all my life. I support the Second Amendment. It's that simple. But in all my life I've never thought about going hunting with an AK-47." He talked about health care and country-of-origin food labeling. He talked about bringing broadband Internet service to rural areas, something he likens to bringing electricity to rural areas in the 1930s.

It was sunny and hot and he took off his blue blazer, laughing and pointing to the five shirtless teenaged boys in the front row each with a huge red letter on his chest that together spelled “KERRY”. The crowd adored him. The day was perfect.

2004-06-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2004

It’ been eight months -- eight months with our car as the home base. For six of those months we’ve been volunteering for Kerry and, as far as I know, I’m not on the short list for Vice President.

When we pulled into the Hampton Inn in North Platte, Nebraska, and the receptionist said: “Hey, you’re back! Wow. Four times. Where you headed this time? Why, we may just put your names on that room’s door.”

I turned to Sam. “It’s time to go home,” I said.

“And where would that be?” Sam asked.

We headed for our summer cabin on a lake near Deer River, Minnesota, “where the women are strong, the men are good looking and all the children are above average.” Summer doesn’t come easily to northern Minnesota. But. like Mary Tyler Moore, I’m hoping the cold will preserve me.

Big and Little Dave, the guy who looks after the place in the winter and his son, met us with our dog, Dylan, in tow. The dog greeted us with frenzied enthusiasm, racing from one to the other and jumping three-feet in the air trying to lick our faces. I would say he has forgiven us for abandoning him all winter but it’s difficult to interpret the emotions of an animal that chases parked cars with a similar fervor. Really. He circles them, barking fiercely, occasionally plunging headlong into a tire.

Actually it’s pretty difficult to interpret anyone’s emotions up here. Scandinavians are not chatty people. We bought this Portuguese Water dog five years ago when we lived in California. Naturally the only breeder we could find lived out here in the land-locked Midwest. After our application for ownership was approved – no small feat in the Portuguese-Water-dog world where having an adolescent boy in the family was grounds for denial – we agreed that I would drive out and pick up the dog on my way to Deer River. I told her I would call when I got close, but that I would be leaving San Francisco on Monday and hoped to meet her around noon on Wednesday at a designated highway turnoff. To my absolute delight, I reached the turn off at exactly 12:15 on Wednesday. The breeder hadn’t waited for my call. She was standing there with the puppy in her arms. “You’re late,” she said.

I thought she was kidding. “It’s incredible isn’t it?” I continued gleefully, “I just drove 1900 miles from San Francisco and I told you I thought I could be here around noon on Wednesday and – I mean, I can hardly believe it -- but here I am on Wednesday and it’s 12:15!”

“Yeah,” she said. “You’re late.”

Anyway, we’ve been up here in Deer River for the last couple of weeks squabbling with the bats and weasels who feel they have squatter’s rights to the house. I don’t really have a quarrel with the weasel. He does have a sly way of popping up in unexpected places as the old children’s song suggests, but he’s really cute and he kept the mice in tow all winter so I guess he’s earned his keep. Bats are another thing altogether. The law protects them, so they don’t need me. I’ve read all the existing literature on how to get rid of bats. I’ve ordered bat-repelling sound generators from Hammacher Schlemer. I hired people from the local log-home store to rechink the house. I even hired a bat psychologist from Wisconsin who came to advise us on alternative accommodations for them. Our land is now littered with bat houses. “There are too many of them,” Sam says. “No one likes overcrowding. We look like slum landlords. “ Even the birds are abandoning our trees and moving to more upscale neighborhoods. But through the years I‘ve continued to build and hope. The houses all face east. They are all no more than 100 feet from the lake. Some are modest. Some could house large extended families of bats. Some could house whole villages. Some have honey-soaked netting inside. Some have enticing wooden sculptures of mosquitoes over the entrances. What none of them has is bats.

The big news here is not the campaign. It’s not even Reagan’s funeral. The big news is the cost of the fishing and boat (pronounced “boot”) licenses and the late arrival of the Mayflies. The talk on the call-in radio shows is about the Finnish-owned paper mill lay offs. The coffee shop is filled with people grumbling over the amount of rain and how it’s likely to produce a bumper crop of mosquitoes. And the wonderful women at Curves are discussing the size of the Walleye and Northern Pike populations.

We have arrived at Lake Wobegone. And it’s in a swing state.

2004-05-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From The Campaign Trail
May 27, 2004
Alison Teal Brown

Okay, okay he’s done it, but I’m out in the country now where we like to beat dead horses. In the end, Kerry decided to accept the nomination at the convention. The idea that the whole thing was too much of a distraction won out. Personally, I’m sorry. I think it would have been a good idea to delay. But the pundits -- even our pundits -- were saying it would be a disaster, demeaning to the process, a break with tradition, and a negative political move that portrayed Democrats as money-grubbing beasts.

We need to act with more self-confidence. The Republicans don’t totally control the spin. Kerry surrogates – people like you and me as well as the nationally known Democrats -- could have inundated the newspapers and networks with the arguments in favor of his delaying his acceptance of the nomination. We could have written letters to the editors and called in to radio talk shows.

How is it demeaning to the process to make the election a level playing field? A candidate gets a $75 million allowance for campaign spending the moment he accepts the nomination of his party or on September 1, whichever comes first. At that point he can neither raise nor spend any other funds. Each candidate should have the same amount of money and the same amount of time to spend it. Kerry has raised more than any Democratic candidate ever. Last month he did better than Bush in fund-raising. This is happening because people are terrified of another Bush Administration. They want to help. They want to be involved. So, just as it looks like we may be narrowing the gap, Kerry is to stop raising and spending his campaign money five weeks before Bush has to? This also means his federal $75 million must stretch over five more weeks than Bush’s has to. And that’s fair? No one in any sport would allow such a lopsided advantage but we are going to allow it when our health care, education and international security are at stake? Come on.

George McGovern said he was afraid a delay would show “money is king and everything else takes a back seat.” But does it matter if we lose the election for a lack of it?

Best, of course, would be to change the law and make the playing field level. It’s easy; just have the candidates get the public money at the same time, regardless of the convention schedule. This is so obviously fair; it is hard to see how anyone could object. This law didn’t exactly come from heaven on a tablet after all. William Safire had a brilliant idea: hold both conventions at the same time. The networks would be furious of course. They would have to cover each convention simultaneously. Americans who would normally watch only one convention would be forced to watch both, thereby becoming better informed voters and citizens. Sadly, It’s too late to do it this year, given the massive orchestration a convention requires.

It’s true; the Democrats set the date for their convention. It wasn’t forced on them. But it was done long before Kerry was a candidate. The reason the Democratic convention was scheduled five weeks earlier than the Republican is because, in the last election, Al Gore ran out of money in April and was essentially silent for three months as a result. Meanwhile the Republicans were killing him with paid media. It would have been better for Gore to have the public money kick in earlier. Ergo, set the date for the convention earlier. This year, fortunately, Kerry opted out of federal financing for the primaries (thanks to Governor Dean’s leading the way), which would have limited him, as it did Gore, to $45 million. So far he has raised $105 million so he will only be outspent 2:1 by Bush

The one argument I found compelling for Kerry’s not delaying his acceptance is that it might sacrifice a couple of weeks of positive news coverage. Our son, Nicholas, argued that the coverage if he didn’t accept the nomination would all be about just that: not accepting and going for the money. Whereas, when he accepts the nomination, the issues will be articulated. Positive news coverage is more powerful to undecided voters than paid political advertising. Call me a cynic, but I’d rather not put all my faith in the press and the possibility of their covering the issues. Also, the money goes to things other than ads. Flying time alone is $25,000 an hour. (My friend, Harry Tuft, points out that the public pays for most of Bush’s trips, which are thinly veiled as government business, but seem to always include fund-raising.) There are grass roots operations to be run, offices to be opened, bumper stickers, lawn signs…

As to the concern over breaking with tradition, as
Arthur Schlesinger Jr. pointed out yesterday, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first nominee to ever accept his party’s nomination at a convention and “as late as 1940, the … Republican convention in Philadelphia nominated Wendell L. Willkie on June 27. Mr. Willkie delivered his acceptance speech 52 days later.” So much for breaking with tradition. What’s more if we really want to stay with tradition, we could reinstate the smoke and get rid of those pesky women and minorities.

But it’s done. That means it is more important than ever to give to Kerry now. We’ve only got sixty days. Curtis Gans says it’s time to tithe. If you’ve already maxed out, then give to Kerry Victory 04 at the DNC. The stakes have gone up again.

https://contribute.johnkerry.com/index.html?source_code=00012094

2004-05-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hot Flashes From the Campaign Trail
May 14, 2004
Alison Teal

Sam and I returned from Italy and France in time to be one of the hosts of a fundraiser in Danny and Hilary Goldstine’s Giverney-like garden in Berkeley. We stayed abroad until the last minute, which was okay because our new best friend, the energizer bunny, Adam Friedson, organized the wildly successful event.

Laura Nader, Ralph’s sister and a neighbor of the Goldstine’s, showed up and paid to get in. Initially one of the campaign volunteers said she had given $2000, but she brought a sealed envelope with $50. It was then rumored she was there to be difficult, that she planned to embarrass some of the two-hundred attendees with their “centrist” candidate. Berkeleyites are always eager to impale themselves on the sword of political correctness, so it seemed like a perfect venue. Daniel Ellsberg was the third of five speakers (he, Adam, Sam, John Hart, and Robert Reich). Unaware of the Nader presence, he opened his remarks brilliantly and saved the afternoon from deteriorating into a session of complaints about Kerry’s imperfections. He began: “Like many of you here, I agree with everything Ralph Nader says except ‘Vote for me’”.

Reich also spoke at another house party this last Sunday sponsored by the Berkeley Democratic Club. Again, fabulous energy and incredible results. We set out to beat the $30,000 raised by the Marin County Republicans for Bush and ended up raising much more. With the Gage party, Berkeley has given more than $175,000 which is more than $1 for every non-student resident of Berkeley. Gotta love the place..

Not many of you know that I am completely responsible for all of Robert Reich’s academic success. In 1968 at the end of the California primary, I was in charge of a pre-paid book with a limited number of American Airlines write-in tickets. I have never since held such a powerful position. All the McCarthy student volunteers were desperate to get tickets back home and only a
few were going to. If I hadn’t decided in favor of Reich, he would not have returned to Dartmouth in time to finish his senior year, which led to his Rhodes scholarship and so on. It may not be appropriate for Oxford to actually grant me a similar honor, but I do think the country owes me something big.

While it’s true we came back to Berkeley for the fundraiser. We also came back for the food.

The Bay Area has more superb restaurants per capita than any other place in the world. I apologize to France and Italy, but it’s true. And Berkeley has its fair share of those Bay Area restaurants and the best of the bakeries. Our friend, Peter Dybwad, swears rent control is responsible. Because of it, the residents of Berkeley have more money to spend on food. And they do.

The old saying is true: Oakland goes to work, Berkeley goes to breakfast. The pecan roll at the Cheese Board Collective is incomparable for sugar junkies and their scones make everyone else’s look doughy and dull. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get one this trip, foolishly trying to do so on the first of May. Naturally it was closed so every employee could participate in
International Workers Solidarity Day demonstrations.) Acme bread has the best baguette. The croissants at La Farine are better than any you can get in France. The best morning bun – a personal favorite -- is also from La Farine, which is not surprising, since they’re made from croissant dough. A good morning bun makes a cinnamon roll seem like an uninspired lump of cake. People line up early to buy them warm. This tender, buttery morning pastry is simply the best.

La Farine’s Extraordinary Morning Bun and The Impossible Recipe For It
(I would love to think that some of you will ruin your weekend attempting this)

It is best to make these over two days. Make the dough the first day (it can take about 8 hours), leave it in the refrigerator overnight and bake the buns in the morning. They absolutely must be eaten while they’re hot and fresh. Believe me, this recipe is only slightly more difficult to read than to execute.

Dough:
2 oz. (1/2 cup plus 4 1/2 tsp. Dry nonfat milk powder
2 1/3 cups cold water
2 1/2 lb. (8cups) unbleached flour
5 tsp. Salt

Butter Block:
1 1/2 lb. (48 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 2-inch cubes,
slightly softened
2 Tbs. Unbleached flour (about)

Filling:
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground clove

Proof the yeast by dissolving the dry yeast in a small amount
of warm water, sugar and flour.
Next, combine the yeast with the nonfat milk powder, water,
flour and salt to form a lumpy under mixed dough.
(Don’t over knead or the buns will be tough.)

Croissant dough needs to be kept cold. Cover a bowl with the
dough in it and let it rise in the refrigerator for one to
two hours, until it has doubled in size.

Next, add the flour to the softened butter by knead it into the
butter. You must use the best unsalted butter.
The better the butter, the less water it has in it.

Roll out the butter mixed with flour between two pieces of
floured waxed paper. Form it into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.
Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator. The butter
should be chilled to the consistency of modeling clay.
If it’s too cold it will break into chunks and if it’s too
warm, it will be absorbed too much into the dough.

When the dough and butter are evenly chilled, roll the chilled
dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
Unwrap the chilled butter and lay it on the upper two-thirds of
the rolled dough. Fold the lower (unbuttered) third over
the center third. Bring the upper third down over the center,
as if you were folding a letter. Make it into an even
rectangle.

Then turn the dough 90 degrees, so the short open ends are at 6
and 12 o’clock. Roll the dough until it doubles in
length, rolling toward the open ends, not toward the folds.
Fold in thirds again, as you would a letter. Rotate 90
degrees again, doubling in length and fold again. After the
two turns, seal the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2
to 4 hours. Then repeat the set of two turns again and follow
by refrigerating overnight. The cold rest keeps the
butter from melting and oozing into the dough. If the dough
shrinks rather than expands and won’t roll out after one
of its refrigerated periods, let it sit at room temperature for
a few minutes.

The dough can be frozen for future use at this point if you are
now bored with the whole idea of making the buns.
However, if you are up to it, take the dough out the next
morning. It will be only slightly larger than when the turns
were completed.

Roll out the finished dough, dust it with a mixture of the
brown sugar and spices, roll it into a tight coil and cut into
individual rounds. Put each round into a greased muffin tin
and be sure each is firmly in contact with the bottom of the
pan. (Otherwise the air in-between will burn the buns. Don’t
let the dough get too warm as you are working it. Keep
putting it in the refrigerator if necessary.

Now there is one more rising, this time in a warm spot. It
should take about 45 minutes. It is ready when you poke
your finger in the side of the pastry and the indentation
remains.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. If the top starts to
burn during baking, cover with foil. And put foil under
the muffin tin to catch any drips.

2004-04-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

*I hope those of you who celebrate Easter had one with the traditional delights of garlicky lamb and honey ham, dying and hiding eggs and – my personal favorite – exploding Peeps in the microwave. We are once again in Key West where all those little pink, yellow and blue Easter chicks of my childhood have found refuge and are now an army of free-range, island hens and roosters. There is a movement here to do away with the liberated poultry. The roosters crow too early in the morning, they say. Of course they say this over the din and mayhem of unmuffled motorcycles, so I haven’t fully heard their complaints.

*This last couple of weeks we have been chairs of and gone to the major fundraisers in Northern California and Washington. Our son, Nicholas, worked the one in Chicago. All were chaotic, over-subscribed, and fabulous. Fortunately we stayed away from the one in L.A., a party that brought about the campaign edict: NO MORE FUNDRAISING EVENT IN ANY PRIVATE HOUSE IF THE CANDIDATE IS PRESENT.

*A week ago, I talked about some of the problems in the campaign. Since then Sam and I spent several days in Washington. Though the problems are far from solved, I want to assure you that most are being addressed. We were relieved to see that people at the top levels of the campaign and the DNC are well aware of the huge concerns people have. I came away feeling encouraged and as comfortable as one can ever be with a political campaign. I thought that Mary Beth Cahill in particular was focused, non-defensive, and moving quickly to deal with the on-the-ground staffing issues. Now that there is money it is possible to hire staff for all the battleground states plus some of the large dollar states by May 1 and to staff other states before the convention. It is important to remember that at this time in 2000 we had multiple candidates and none of their campaigns were staffed in more than the early primary states. It is also important to remember that only a few weeks ago there was no money in this campaign.

It is even rumored that buttons and bumper stickers may be widely available soon. Not yet, but soon. We hope.

Also on the positive side, Bush has spent forty million dollars on political ads, his Joan-of-Arc has spoken to the 911 committee, and he is still behind in the current polls. Also John Kerry may have a new joke writer. At least he said that he now knows that Bush/43 stands for the president’s approval rating. Not a knee slapper, but it’s a start.

On the not so positive side, we, you and I, have to stop whining and get busy. So kill that inner child of complaint -- and believe me, I’m speaking mostly to my very own bratty and whining pre-pubescent darling – and just get on with it. Do something. Become a part of Moveon.org’s national bake sale (Bake Back the White House.) Abuse all your friendships by asking constantly for money for Kerry until people give just to shut you up. (You can do that at this site: https://contribute.johnkerry.com/index.html?source_code=00012094 ) Stop complaining (except among ourselves and to me directly, of course) and start organizing, raising money, talking to people and registering voters. As a levelheaded possum once said: We have met the enemy and he is us.

*And now, given that we have no time to lose, I am going away for a couple of weeks. I may check in with a few recipes and outrages, but otherwise you won’t hear from me until May sometime. I am having a birthday and need to lick my wounds in an undisclosed location.

*One last thought -- a stock tip actually -- Invest in TiVo. With millions being spent on campaign ads all going only to the 14 – 19 targeted states…well, enough said.

2004-04-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

The press is fired up about Kerry’s shoulder operation and lack of visibility. Having the operation now seems like a good idea to me. He’s got a marathon in front of him and he needs to be in the best shape possible. But what do I know? I was part of a campaign when the candidate was not only absent but also silent. In 1968 Senator McCarthy went on a monastic retreat shortly before the Democratic convention and took an oath of silence. Sam remembers many frantic phone calls to Brother John hoping for instructions on what to do about one impending disaster or another. Jeremy Larner, who later wrote the screenplay The Candidate, wandered the headquarters singing “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”

I do, however, have serious concerns about the campaign. They’re just not orthopedic. In the last four months, we’ve traveled all over the country, talking and listening to hundreds of people. These are people who care deeply about the election of a Democratic president in the fall. Most of them have concerns and ideas. Some of the ideas have too narrow a focus and are more about naval gazing than winning an election. Some of the ideas are completely crack pot. Many, however, are thoughtful and worthy of attention. Whether we are talking to college students or moguls, farmers or artists, certain concerns are raised repeatedly – many of them by readers of my Hot Flashes. These concerns are not obscure and other people must have heard them. I hope and assume the campaign will deal with them. But they haven’t yet.

They can be summed up in four messages:

One. Kerry’s TV persona needs to loosen up. People want to see him be more conversational and less preachy, more personal and less distant. Sam and I have watched him interact with firemen and Vietnam vets. We’ve seen him working rallies until he has shaken the hand of every person present. We’ve seen him respond to hecklers with respect and dignity. We’ve seen him light up a room with laughter. We absolutely know he can be spontaneous, charming and funny. The charisma is there, but the warmth and immediacy we know hasn’t consistently come across on TV where he reverts to Senator speak. To quote Jeremy Larner again: “Kerry has not found a simple & down to earth way to speak that conveys the authenticity he had, say, in relation to his war experience. He is too often blasting away, even when right, in an exaggerated bellow which makes him sound like a politician.” Linda Gage suggests he should never be behind a podium but instead with a radio mic. And he’s always better with a live audience.

Two. The message needs to tighten up. Everyone welcomes Kerry’s recent more substantive statements but the prepared materials need to be more extensive and less clichéd. People are yearning for the ads and the website to have a significant focus. They are happy with the spotlight on jobs, the economy and terrorism, but they want some concentration on solutions. Constant repetition of the one-liners from the early speeches – including on the web site and in the hortatory e-mails from the campaign – simply isn’t enough.

Three. There is a need for more openness in the campaign. This is not new. It happens in every campaign. I remember the offensive FMBNH (For McCarthy Before New Hampshire) buttons in 1968 and I don’t think they helped bring people on board in latter primaries. We don’t have time to waste on who was there first. It can’t be us and them. I believe there hasn’t been a more important election in my lifetime. Everyone should be encouraged to feel he or she is a part of it. Describing longevity with the campaign as a sign of virtue simply drives away the newcomers who must be welcomed. This also means bringing senior leadership from other campaigns into senior leadership positions in this campaign.

Four -- and most important. There is no grassroots campaign. People want to be a part of something and they want to identify with others who are a part of it. There is enormous energy waiting to be tapped. But, except for three or four states, there is simply no visible evidence of a Kerry campaign. This may be appropriate now when the focus has to be on raising money, but it sure won’t be okay in the fall. There must be bumper strips, buttons, yard signs. I am sure some campaign consultant or another is saying none of this matters and is just a waste of money. They are wrong. I talk to everyday people standing in line in drug stores, in grocery stores, in doctors’ offices – and, yes, in too many restaurants. The election will be won in some states by only a few votes and it takes people – motivated, involved people – to get those last votes to the polls. We know too many people, young and old, who have tried to find a way to do something for the campaign who have been turned down -- and perhaps off -- by a campaign with no institutional capacity to use people effectively. All this is predicable and understandable given the pace at which the campaign has grown. But it will not be understandable or forgivable two months from now. We need to capture the energy and keep it alive.

The following are further ideas. I am reprinting them without attribution, but they have all come from various Hot Flash readers.

Let’s organize a movement to have people commit to spending a week of their summer vacations registering voters. Those who could afford it would go to the battleground states.

Make a Kerry sign available on the Web site that could be downloaded and printed for display in car windows. Bumper strips are better, but expensive. This would cost nothing.

We should have surrogates everywhere. John Lindsay had more surrogate speakers on the streets of New York in 1969 than this presidential campaign has now.

We need a variety of buttons. The one that exists is too expensive to be widely available and too big for most people to wear everyday. They must be available easily and cheaply – or free at campaign headquarters and events. I’d like to see a button a half-inch in diameter, which can be put on any suit jacket without making one look like a clown.

I am told by those few who get them that the campaign’s e-mail “talking point” memos are so repetitive and simple as to be insulting. They should be more timely and sophisticated.

There needs to be some structure of access; a sort of pyramid structure so that a volunteer – including some very sophisticated and experienced people in various fields -- can voice ideas and complaints to someone who sorts through them and gives the important ones to the next person up the food chain and so on, making it possible for anyone with a good idea to get it heard. And, perhaps even more important, it would give a structured way to give bad news. No one employed full time wants to give bad news to the campaign, such as, news about fund raisers who feel they are treated badly or volunteers who can’t get something to do.

There must be field campaign headquarters in the fall all over the country. Some may be free standing, many will be joint offices with other state and local candidates, but each needs to be staffed by someone who can take volunteers and put them to productive and rewarding use. Boy does this campaign not have that yet. It is so discouraging to want to help and be given nothing to do. Even more discouraging is not getting a phone call returned because the person in the office is too busy (common) or too self-important (sadly, not unknown). What the campaign needs is about 100 Joe Grandmaisons; people who can assess the strengths and weaknesses of a volunteer and use them effectively.

Where is the war room? We need advance planning, quick responses and at least a couple of thousand people who have detailed, daily talking points to respond to the Bush outrage of the day.

We all need to work to have the campaign be as effective as possible. We’ve got the candidate. We’ve got the energy. And we can win if we can just get everyone involved.

2004-03-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sam and I are back in Berkeley after spending a week in L.A. with our daughters, Teal and Willa. Our initial time together with the girls is always perfect: love and affection, catching up, shopping, and trying on each other’s makeup and clothes. True, Sam’s contribution to the makeup exchange is disappointing and I find the clothes exchange upsetting since I only fit into their scarves and socks. But the girls are delighted with Sam’s ties, worn unknotted but looped around the throat. Everyone talks at the same time and we are filled with a sense of adventure.

After three days, things begin to fall apart.

L.A. is one of those rare big cities that is almost impossible to visit but ideal to live in. Whereas Oakland may have no “there there”, if anything L.A. has too many “theres”.

After her Northwestern graduation, Teal is moving to L.A. to pursue an acting career, so we decided to explore potential neighborhoods. Our friend Larry Lasker says in New York things come to you but in L.A. you have to go out and find them.

People who live in L.A. don’t spend all their time driving. It is only we tourists who do that. Locals live near their work and when they do drive, they travel the byways. We spent our days on the scenic 405 and 10 taking the girls wherever they wanted to go. It is important to point out here that our girls don’t drive. They attribute this to having lived in Austria where you had to be eighteen to get even a learning permit. (They insist I acknowledge they do drive, they just don’t have licenses. This nuance is lost on me.)

By day four, Sam was weary not only driving, but also of being criticized for his lack of speed, inappropriate choice of music, and his totally embarrassing attire. He wears – if you can believe it – shorts and running shoes with his sweat socks pulled straight up to mid-calf. The girls think this is because he is embarrassed by his skinny ankles and, they point out, if he would just scrunch them down it might give his ankles the appearance of being large enough actually to support his bulk. I tell them that you are never really grown up until your parents no longer embarrass you. They ask Sam to drive them to Babies R Us.

Typically, as the week progresses during these family vacations, we start arguing more. We argue about what to do, when to get up and where to go for coffee. We argue about who keeps whom waiting and who hogs the bathroom. We argue about who is more forgiving or more nourishing. (This was the point when Teal remembered she had not arranged for anyone to feed her fish.) Willa wonders why her choice of museum is never heeded. I argue that ambiance is as important as the food in a choice of restaurant. Sam says we are not going anywhere that isn’t walking distance. And everyone accuses everyone else of being inflexible.

By day six, tensions were rising, so we decided to go to Disneyland in order to recapture the halcyon days of “It’s a Small World After All”. We vowed to find common ground, so we criticized Nicholas who wasn’t there to defend himself.

After ten days of togetherness, Sam and I were trying to figure out what was so sacred about family holidays while the girls were checking out ads for homes for the elderly.

Then on Sunday, the girls flew back to their respective campuses and Sam and I drove to Berkeley in a depressed silence. That night Teal called in tears. Couldn’t we drive back through Chicago and spend a long weekend with her before we go anyplace else? Willa emailed us suggesting we schedule Paris for our next family trip. Sam scouted real estate feverishly to overcome his depression. And me? Me, I miss them so intensely I can hardly breath.

2004-03-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

From our son Nicholas, who has been volunteering in Chicago:

Primary Day finally hit Illinois last Tuesday, March 16th, and with it, snow and wind hit Chicago. I was up at 3:30 am to put up yard signs for the Barak Obama campaign, and though I had expected primary day, I had not expected the snow and wind. I was breathing icicles and using my teeth to unclench my frozen hands by the time I made it to the polling place to hand out flyers. It was in the lobby of an apartment building uptown where -- the friendly doorman informed me -- the heat was broken. Not to worry though: Illinois election law rightly requires all electioneering (a dubious verb which sounds suspiciously like something pirates might do), to take place at least one hundred feet from the polling place. So instead of having to slowly freeze to death inside the lobby, I was put outside, allowing me to freeze so quickly I could be suspended in a lifelike state for generations. As the snow and wind got fiercer, I hovered in the shelter of a building until someone informed me that sorry, but standing in the shelter of this particular building is actually within one hundred feet of the polling place and I would have to move over to the designated electioneering area, over there by those frozen pirates.

I walked over to the designated spot where I dutifully handed out Obama flyers for a full four or five minutes before going inside, where temperatures were a balmy 35 degrees.

So, most of my work for the Obama campaign involved talking to a pleasant doorman named Steve Astor. Steve was particularly chatty about the history of corruption in the elder Daley’s electoral machine, citing the popular Chicago maxim ‘vote early, vote often.’ I decided to check out the voting system in the hotel and was pleased to note that after all of the election reforms of the last few years, Chicago has abandoned the mob-corrupted elections of the first Daley machine and moved on to butterfly ballots. God Bless America.

2004-03-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

You probably know by now that John Kerry won Key West. The question is ‘Does Kerry realize the hard work that went into our delivering it for him?’ It was a nasty job and we have nothing to show for our efforts except a lot of those horrid, plastic, flamingo, drink stirrers.

Sam and I first went to Key West twenty-five years ago, driving from D.C. with our friends, Judy and Don Green, and my brother, Topper. We pulled into the Green’s driveway on a Saturday morning in a second-hand but newly purchased, ’72 Mercedes. A CD of Jimmy Buffett’s ‘Margaritaville’ was playing. There were thermoses of Pina Coladas next to a silver ice bucket in the back seat and a tray of deviled eggs was on the armrest between the driver and passenger seats. We were looking forward to a really swell time.

The car first broke down just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina. We checked into a motel to wait for parts. As it turned out, the motel people were having their own bit of bad luck. They had totally overlooked a scheduled wedding reception. Dozens of puzzled guests were milling around an empty ballroom with a teary mother of the bride offering cans of soda bought from the vending machine. It was a depressing sight. We couldn’t bear to watch the marriage disintegrate before it was even consummated, so we decided to go shopping in downtown Fayetteville, a miserable excuse for a town. Desperate to spend money, Topper purchased a Naugahyde briefcase that he proudly defended as absolutely, totally, looking just like leather. In a cloud of shame, he flew back to D.C. the next day.

In South Carolina and Georgia, there were two more breakdowns. But we continued on, gathering Cypress knees and mosquito bites until we finally reached Key West. It was hot, humid and late at night. The only guest house with vacancies had heavy red velvet, fringed bedspreads and matching floor-length curtains held back with massive chains. The room was appalling and all four of us were going to have to share it. In an effort not to focus on the decorative arm cuffs dangling from the ceiling, Judy reached out to touch the drapes. An Iguana dropped from its folds. We left. Judy, still resilient, suggested we check out the trailer parks to see if we could rent something there. I remember only two more things about the rest of that night: first, Sam, Don and I followed Judy like dull-eyed sheep from trailer park to trailer park checking out unspeakably dreadful accommodations and, second, we bought a Key lime pie and ate it with our fingers in the motel we finally found way at the edge of the island. THE PIE WAS OUTSTANDING– as was everything else for the next week.

Vacation Saving Key Lime Pie
Do not settle for graham cracker crust. The best flaky pastry crust is essential:
1 1/2-cups flour
1/4-cup butter
1/4-cup lard
1/2-teaspoon salt
Blend four and salt. Work quickly with your hands or knives to cut in lard and butter until pea-sized. Moisten dough with cold water until it holds together enough to roll out on a board dredged sparingly with flour. Roll out and place in a pie pan.

Filling:
1 – 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
12 cup Key Lime Juice
Combine condensed milk, egg yolks and Key lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 10 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating. Chill thoroughly.

Meringue Topping:
3 egg white
1/4-teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4-cup sugar
In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks.
Spread over the chilled pie and put under the broiler for just long enough to brown the peaks of the meringue. Serve immediately.

2004-03-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Curtis Gans, Director of The Committee for the Study of the American Electorate,has long proposed campaign advertising be abolished. The airwaves – which we supposedly own – would give equal time to each candidate in the form of talking heads only. I’m for this. But it’s not happening, so meanwhile we have a couple hundred million being spent on dueling ads.

“If we decide we’re going to join the negative attack ads, we have to be ready,” I said to Sam. “No problem,” Sam said. “Our friends, Kathy Dexter and Dan Badger, in London have already developed a few scripts.”

Here they are:

Missing

It is late at night. We are looking down a suburban street, illuminated by a sole overhead street light about 20 feet away. A man is crawling around in the street beneath the light, muttering to himself. The camera approaches him and a voice asks:

“Can we help? What are you looking for?

“Car keys.”

“Where did you drop them?”

“Over there, on the lawn.”

The man points across the street into impenetrable darkness.

“So why are you looking here?”

“Because this is where the light is.”

As the man resumes his crawling and muttering, the voice-over says:

“George Bush couldn‚t find the master terrorists where they are hiding -- in the mountains of Waziristan, so he decided to pick an easier place to search in Iraq. There, he found a tyrant, and proclaimed the search a success. Too bad he still hasn‚t found his car keys.”

Waiting in Line

The scene opens with the camera panning over a long line of people waiting to talk to a single attendant at a window such as the department of motor vehicles. The first person in the line is talking to the very bored, apathetic, gum-chewing attendant.

“I would like to understand why our intelligence services were so wrong about Saddam Hussein's WMD program. Can you help me?”

“Yes, we're studying this question, and that information should be available some time early next year. Next.”

The next person in line steps up.

“How can I help?”

“I'd like to know if there’s something we should be doing about the problem of climate change.”

“We have commissioned some very serious studies to see whether climate change really is a problem and if so, whether there is anything that can be done about it. Come back again some time next year, or at least after the election in November, and we’ll give you more information about this. Next.”

The next person steps up.

“I'd like to know what we're doing to try to resolve the situation in Palestine. Shouldn’t we be playing a more active role?”

“We are working hard on this oneand you may know that we have created a road map for reaching a peaceful settlement. Some time next year we hope to see some real progress, so please come back then and we’ll give you more information. Next.”

The next person steps up.

“I'm wondering if you have any new information about the leaking of the identity of a CIA agent by the White House. This happened nearly nine months ago, and…

His voice fades, and as the camera pans back to show the long line of people waiting, the voice-over says:

“George Bush keeps promising to give us some answers after Election Day. Is there something we should know about the answers that makes him reluctant to produce them before the election?”

Gathering Storm
The scene opens on a clear, sunlit sky over a desert landscape. Slowly clouds begin to form. As they become thicker and darker, a rumble of thunder is heard. After a few more seconds there is another rumble, slightly louder. The camera slowly begins to zoom out, revealing that we are looking at the screen of a small TV set on a rickety table in the middle of a bare room, thick with cobwebs. The top of the TV set is covered in dust, as is the table top.. We hear more occasional rumbles of thunder from the TV as the zoom continues, revealing the shaggy, tousled mane on the back of a man’s head -- what Saddam Hussein would have looked like from the rear when he was discovered hiding in his hole. He is sitting in a frayed armchair, motionless, staring at the TV. The occasional rumbling of thunder continues, as the voice-over says:

“George Bush told us that Saddam's program of WMD was a gathering storm. Now we know that for several years, it had only been gathering dust.”

Get a Job
A young woman is working in front of a computer screen. She types into the Google search bar: “A job in Illinois.” Google returns: “No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.” She tries: “A job anywhere in the mid-West.” Google returns the same answer. Next she tries: “A job anywhere in the USA.” Same response from Google. Finally she tries: “A job anywhere outside the USA.” Google returns a page showing “Results 1-10 of 928,000.” She clicks on the first entry. The message comes up: “Americans not welcome to apply.” She clicks the next entry. Same answer. The third entry gives the same answer. As she continues trying more entries, the voiceover says:

“This is the future George Bush has in mind for our young people: no jobs at home, not welcome abroad.”