Musings about politics, movies, music, art and all the other important things in life.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Being a Nerd

I remember the first time I was embarrassed about being smart. I was in Junior High (of course) and a close friend told me I sounded like I'd swallowed a dictionary. It probably wouldn't have stung, except that the comment came from a friend.

Most of my friends growing up were nerds, too, so I generally avoided the whole "hide what you know" trap. We created an enclave of intelligence in a world that places a premium on mediocrity - at least until you're old enough to forge your own way. Fortunately, I also had parents who were heavily involved in my academic (and extra-curricular) pursuits and did place a premium on superiority. Education was something to be treasured and it was expected that we would attend university and seek life-long learning.

Getting older and having a successful career - and life - is certainly the sweetest revenge. But every now and then it's nice to see a glimpse of your nerd child self reflected in mass media. This MasterCard commercial is probably one of the best I've ever seen. It makes me smile every time I see it.



I have to admit, it's the ubiquitous backpacks that clue me to the true nerdiness of these boys - not the "Robot Dace." Although, let's be honest: while not exclusively within the purview of the nerd, a love of science fiction or outdated dances from the 90s are certainly indicators that you may get slammed by a gang of thugs on the way home from school.

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Left-Handed Conspiracy

Forget about Democrats and Republicans, the biggest political conspiracy involving the American Presidency over the last 30 years has nothing to do with party affiliation. It's the plot of the left-handed to wield power over the rest of us. Since Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in January 1981, we have only had one right-handed president: George W. Bush. Yes, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton are (or were) left-handed. And now, we are poised to have yet another southpaw in the Oval Office: Barack Obama.

The years before Reagan were also left-leaning. Both Harry S. Truman and Gerald Ford were among the left-handed leaders who tried to steer this country in the Way of the Southpaw. In the 150 years or so before them, we only had two other left-handed presidents: James Garfield and Herbert Hoover. Seems a little odd, doesn't it?

Consider that most studies estimate that no more than 10% of the population is left-handed, and you can come to no other conclusion than a conspiracy is afoot. The Left-Handed are attempting to take over the nation and they've been remarkably effective in doing so. Indeed, Al Gore, a southpaw, only lost the presidency through the astute machinations of the Supreme Court. If it had not been for their foresightedness, we might have been saddled with another left-handed president who would have led us down the wrong path for the last eight years. Close call, that one.

I'm sure the left-handed will just say they are higher achieving - or even smarter - than the rest of us. But don't believe them. Now that they are back in power, we can be sure they will use whatever means necessary to stay there.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Barack as President

The "Palin as President" Web site has been updated since Tuesday's election. If you're a fan of the President-elect or at least the Will*i*am song, you'll like the changes.
http://www.palinaspresident.us/

If you simply want to enjoy the bone-chilling terror that is the thought of a Palin Presidency, click on the link at the bottom to the "classic" version.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Exclusive White Male Club Is Over

If you're a white man, you probably don't think about it a whole lot, but the American presidency has always been an exclusive club to which only you could belong. Until now. From here on out, everything is different.

Now that Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States, barriers have been shattered. It won't be more than two hundred years to shatter the next barrier. In fact, I don't think it will be 20 years before we see a female president.

When you break down walls, it becomes so much easier to break them down the next time. It will be much easier to fight the next fight and change perceptions again about what it means to be the leader of this nation. Obama said it best in his acceptance speech last night. "If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?" More change than we can imagine - and many I look forward to witnessing.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Escape Plan

Not that I think that I need one, but it's always nice to have options in case something truly unexpected happens next Tuesday.





Special note to the Shafer family: I guess this disproves that whole "Starving Canadians" rumor!

Why I Want a Blowout on November 4th

Sure, a win is a win, but a blowout is so much more enjoyable in politics. The biggest reason probably has to do with all of those whack-jobs who seem to think that somehow McCain is going to pull off the biggest upset of all time and win this year. It’s sort of a mix between the belief that the Bradley effect will somehow fall into play and the assumption that all of the liberal media is in a conspiracy to overstate Obama’s lead in the polls.

The problem is that the Bradley effect has not been an issue at all during this long and arduous election season; plus the so-called liberal media loves a horse race – a close election – more than anything else. Notice how quickly they latched onto the idea that the race might be tightening to a 5-6% advantage for Obama versus a 7-8% advantage for Obama (based on poll averages). You never heard them touting the HUGE advantage Obama had, or the fact that a path to an Electoral College win has become almost impossible for McCain (cf: polls for Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico). They also chatter incessantly about how McCain is making a big push for Pennsylvania – when EVERY poll shows Obama’s lead in the high single digits or the low double digits. The idea that McCain will win Pennsylvania is ludicrous. I guess they need something to buck up the troops right now, though.

The reality is that Obama will be our next president. We need a blowout for the benefit of those who just can’t believe that America isn’t ready to elect a Black man. We need a blowout for the uberpartisan Republicans who thought they were ushering in a permanent majority for the GOP. We need a blowout for the pundits who insist that this country is center-right politically and that Obama must therefore govern from the center. We need a blowout in order to wallow in a little schadenfreude for a change.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Pokin' Fun at Palin



Yeah, she just brings out the folksy in all of us, doesn't she? She also provokes other kinds of reactions, too. A friend sent this little gem. His cousin put it together. I wonder if it's really adorning someone's front yard? I'd like to believe that someone has enough cojones to do it - and that it didn't get stolen.

I've also had no fewer than half a dozen friends send me this link: http://www.palinaspresident.us/

It's an interactive site showing you what it might be like to have a President Palin. If those two words alone are enough to cause your heart to skip a beat, you'll want to check it out and have a little laugh. Hey, she proved she's a good sport when she went on SNL a week ago.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Politics and Passion

Thank God Barack Obama has a cooler head than I do. He's demonstrated throughout this long march to the White House that he doesn't rise to the bait. He doesn't get upset or bothered when people attack him - even when the attacks get personal. I wish I were as even keeled. I have a hard time keeping my passion in check when someone questions ideas near and dear to my heart. Today my passion spilled over at work.

One of my colleagues started attacking the Democratic party - claiming they and they alone are responsible for the disastrous financial mess we are in, even though they've been the party in power at all levels of U.S. government for most of the past decade. Sure, there have been small areas of Democratic governance, but for the most part, the Republicans have controlled the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. My colleague tried to imply that Bill Clinton was responsible for the problems in our financial markets. Bill Clinton? He hasn't been president for almost eight years.

I told him he needed to occasionally watch somthing other than Fox News. At least I was able to get him to admit that he didn't watch anything except Fox News. He also said he was scared of an Obama presidency and that Sarah Palin is qualified to be vice president because of her vast executive experience. At that point, I knew there was absolutely no point in arguing with him because he had no ability to debate logically. Of course, we can disagree on political issues and exactly the best way to run a country, but when you begin to vilify someone saying he "scares you," you've headed off the logic track and into crazy land.

I'm pretty good at keeping the attacks from getting personal, but I can't keep my temper in check when someone turns illogical. I walked away and refused to engage after that. My colleague apologized later in the day for being so vociferous in his arguments, and I told him: "No problem; I'm a big girl and I can handle a disagreement." I have to admit, I also made a crack about being able to stand up to him because his arguments looked a lot like the BYU defense against TCU last night. It brought snickers from the other male colleagues. Hey, I can score points and hold my own with the boys.

Maybe I let my passion get the best of me at times, maybe I can't always keep my cool and have to walk away before my head explodes. At least I know a little bit about self-preservation.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

On Polite Discourse

Last night's third and final debate didn't seem to be the game-changer McCain and the GOP were hoping for, even though it was probably his best performance and Obama's worst. Unfortunately for McCain, it solidified the "angry old man" image that he's aquired over the last few weeks. Sure, he was always an older American, but there's a big difference between being older and being old. My grandfather, God bless him, was a funny, warm older American until the day he died - just days away from his 97th birthday. He was never an old man. John McCain has become the stereotype of the pants-above-the-navel, nasty, screaming geezer waving at the young whippersnappers to "get the hell off my lawn." His kitchen sink approach to last night's debate just added to that impression.

No one really cares about Bill Ayers. Obama was eight years old when the Weather Underground was in its heyday. If we were all condemned for the people we served on boards with, people we sat in church with, people we have simply known throughout our lives there wouldn't be ANYONE qualified to be President of the United States.

No one cares about ACORN. They're trying to get people to register to vote. Sure, there will always be idiots who register as "Mickey Mouse" or "Jack Bauer" but do those idiots try and vote as "Mickey Mouse" or "Jack Bauer"? There is zero evidence that they do. I'd like to point out to all the folks who are coming unglued by the fake voter registrations: It isn't a crime to fill out a fake voter registration; it's only a crime if you vote under a fake name.

These arguments aren't working because people are far more worried about the economy. Barack Obama has proven to be the calm voice of reason during these turbulent times. Every time they say he's lightweight, try to associate him with terrorists, try to paint him as inexperienced - it all backfires because his own demeanor belies these attacks. He is thoughful, educated, intelligent and likeable; he seeks the counsel of many smart people from varied backgrounds; he listens. These are qualities that Americans are craving because they have been so sorely lacking in our executive branch over these last eight years.

Americans want a change - not just from ideology, but from temperament, too. Frat boy leadership failed; now it's time to try to let the geeks rule.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Why it took me so long to write about it...

This year the presidential race became personal for me for the first time. I started out a little conservative in my younger days, but as I've grown older, I moved more to the center. Over the past eight years, I've driven decidedly to the left side of the political spectrum. A lot has to do with the way the Bush administration ran the constitution of the United States through a figurative paper shredder, the way they started a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, the way they pushed our standing in the world into the gutter, and finally, the way they ran our economy into the ground in order to line the pockets of their cronies. This is the worst kind of politics and should be condemned by all - left, right and center. There's no excuse for it and I can't abide with anyone who tries to defend this behavior by claiming it was necessary to protect our security. That idea is laughable on its face. We are less secure and far more vulnerable now than we were seven years ago in the wake of 9/11.

In 2000, I voted for Al Gore. I was sure he would win - and except for the Supreme Court crowning of King George - he did win. But no use rehashing that argument. What's done is done. I was disappointed, but I didn't think it was the end of the world. (What did I know?) I also voted for John Kerry in 2004. Again, I accepted the results, even though I was angrier and more disappointed than I had been four years earlier.

This time, it's personal. I started supporting Barack Obama last fall; yup, a year before the election. I had already decided to vote Democratic - the Republicans had blown any opportunity to put checks on our joke of a president - and looked at all of the different candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. I considered Hillary Clinton. I even thought she'd be a pretty good choice if my choice didn't earn the nomination. But I ultimately decided there were too many negatives about her. Plus, everything I read about Barack Obama just made me like him more. Usually I find that I like politicians less as I discover more about them. I put my money where my mouth was and started donating to his campaign.

I have to be honest, I didn't think he'd win the nomination (I thought Hillary Clinton would win), but I thought I'd send him some cash to help him make his case to the American people. As the Democratic primary wore on, I was more and more anxious. After Super Tuesday, I knew he could win, so it made the long primary months even more hair-raising. I got angrier and angrier with Hillary Clinton as the long primary process continued, but in the end, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to the electoral process: more vetting of the candidates, more democrats registered to vote and more attention paid to the issues and the race at large.

The longer it went on, the more entrenched I became in the process. I read lots of political blogs. I watched election coverage on TV. I donated time and money - and lots of mental energy - to getting Barack Obama elected. So I just have a very hard time being objective about this election. I love writing about politics and what's going on in the world, but I just couldn't take a step back until now. And probably the only reason I can do that now, is that our long national nightmare seems to be near its conclusion. Sure, it will take years to try and rebuild this country after the mess that the Bush administration has left in its wake. Hey, they could do even more damage since it's still 3 months until Inauguration day. But January 20th is circled on my calendar. (And not just because it's my sister's birthday - sorry, Elizabeth.) January 20th is LIBERATION DAY.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Cautiously Optimistic

It's three weeks until election day and it's getting down to the wire. But I am optimistic - even a little bit confident - in the waning days of the 2008 presidential election. A month ago, I was nervous. I took a trip with my father and brother in late August/early September as the political conventions were happening. It was right in the middle of the Palin announcement, so we had lots of political conversations. (We are a family that views politics as just another spectator sport - albeit a more personally relevant spectator sport.) I shared my fretting about the race with my brother, who told me to RELAX. He was right and I was wrong. It's even more true now, and here's why Barack Obama will be our next president.
  1. It’s getting down to the wire. People are formulating their opinions now – deciding who they will vote for. The number of people “undecided” is fewer and fewer every day and once people make up their minds, it’s generally harder to get them back into the “undecided” column. (Most studies show that people don’t go back and forth between candidates, they move from “undecided” to a candidate; so if they start questioning their choice, they go to “undecided” first, then to the other candidate.)
  2. The negative attacks won’t work as well now as they did a month ago. When you go negative, you have to distance yourself from the time people vote. People don’t want to vote for someone who is engaged in mudslinging, so candidates have to sling the mud early, then talk about how great they are. Again, it’s part of the psychology of winning people over. The problem is, most people have made up their minds and they view it as mudslinging and lies now. It seems like the desperate act of a desperate man. And polls - especially over the last week - are bearing this out. Sure, some people will be swayed, but most people are completely disgusted by the distractions from the real issues.
  3. A lot of “undecided” people will vote for the candidate leading in the polls because they want to be in the camp of the winner. Barack Obama isn’t just leading, he’s leading decisively. The lead is even more noticeable when you look at the race from an Electoral College standpoint. One of my favorite sites is http://www.fivethirtyeight.com – which breaks down all kinds of scenarios. Sure they have some bias in their analysis, but as of today, by their calculations Barack Obama has an 93% chance of winning. That’s pretty incredible. Their Electoral Vote counter puts him at 351 to McCain’s 187; 270 are needed to win. Of course, this is based on polling - but it's pretty damning. Which leads me to...
  4. We haven’t seen polls like this (with a candidate 5-12 points ahead – with three weeks to go) since Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale in 1984. Reagon won handily.
  5. The “Bradley Effect” or “Wilder Effect” isn’t statistically a factor any more. I hear the argument a lot about the Bradley Effect – and I know that’s what Republicans are clinging to in their belief that McCain can still win. But here’s a great paper showing why this has all but disappeared: http://people.iq.harvard.edu/~dhopkins/wilder13.pdf. It's a fascinating read.
  6. “It’s the economy, stupid.” More than ever, people are worried about the economy. Even McCain knows this. People are not going to be distracted by the guilt-by- association nonsense when they’re paying at the pump, paying at the grocery store and watching their 401Ks disappear overnight. It’s all anyone is talking about. I have never seen so many people wanting to talk about politics, talk about the economy, talk about what’s going on in our country. People who normally want to talk about Brittany Spears want to talk about the economy. (While I love talking politics. I know that a lot of people don’t – they find it boring. The last few weeks, everywhere I go, people want to engage me on the subject. Usually I’m the one bringing it up and sometimes I’m greeted with groans or irritation. It’s very strange for me to have SO MANY people seeking me out to talk about it. I can only assume it’s because they want to discuss it and they know I will discuss it intelligently with them. I have never encountered this level of political enthusiasm before in my life.) As long as people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, as long as they are talking about the economy, Barack Obama will win. People know in their hearts that McCain represents more of the same.

  7. Early voting has already started in many states. This is why the GOP has tried to stop some early voting from happening. They know that whoever is ahead in the polls at the time that people vote will have an overwhelming advantage. Any BS they try to pull late in the process won’t have any effect on folks who already voted.

  8. The biggest reason: Ground Game. My brother pointed this out to me last month when I was fretting about the Palin Effect, and I think it’s extremely significant. Barack Obama has devoted a significant portion of his substantial resources to Get Out The Vote efforts. GOTV is considered to be the only reason why Bush won his second term. Karl Rove spent a huge amount of time and resources finding ways to get GOP voters motivated to go to the polls in 2004 – state by state anti-gay marriage laws was the chief among those efforts. The GOP doesn’t have that this time around and they largely have an unmotivated base. Palin is the only thing that’s motivating them at all these days, which is why she was put on the ticket. But the hard-core right wingers can't stand McCain. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has motivated huge swaths of voters. These voters are also underrepresented in polls. (It’s a nice counter-argument to the Bradley Effect argument. Young people are far more likely to be Obama voters and they’re far more likely to be “cell phone only” people. Polls do not contact “cell phone only” people. They use auto-dialers to contact respondents and it’s illegal to use an auto-dialer to call a cell phone. Only one pollster - Seltzer - adjusts their numbers for “cell phone only” people, but they all adjust for everything else – age, gender, race, party affiliation. Seltzer was the only one to get the Iowa Caucus numbers correct – everyone else was wildly off. And guess who won the Iowa Caucuses? Barack Obama. As long as these young, “cell phone only” folks are motivated to vote, this will be a factor in the election.) Right now, a lot of Obama’s GOTV efforts have focused on getting new registered voters and encouraging young voters to get to the polls.
So even though I'm confident, even though polls put Barack Obama WAY ahead, even though the right wing is somewhat demoralized - now is the time to work even harder, to talk to more people, to make a donation if you can. Because the only poll that counts is the one on November 4th.

Mostly, I'm just excited for January 20, 2009, when the eight-year nightmare will finally come to an end.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Who is Daveigh Chase?

I filled out one of those fun lookalike things to find out if there is a celebrity who could play me in the upcoming Lifetime network "story-of-my-brush-with ______" and this is what happened.

I guess it will have to star Bryce Dallas Howard -- who would, of course, have to dye her hair dark brown. Maybe I'll have to upgrade my story to an HBO special because I can't see Bryce Dallas Howard accepting a role in a Lifetime movie-of-the-week.

As for the others: Evangeline Lilly is just too pretty, Jenna Elfman has played too many ditsy characters to be believable as me (tee hee hee) and Judy Garland is, well, dead. I'm still trying to figure out who Daveigh Chase is, but she does look a lot like I did as a child (only I had darker hair). Kind of eery, if you ask me.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Surprise, Surprise

I am a terrible human being. Well, I'm a terrible blogger anyway. I had no idea it had been nearly THREE months since I last blogged. They will have to take away my keyboard.

It's a funny thing. You head into the Christmas holidays and stop writing because of the time factor. But I have no such excuse anymore. I guess the biggest problem is that I got out of the habit and then was just busy, busy, busy.


One cool thing that happened in the last three months was turning 42. Yup, I am definitely fortysomething now. I will try not to freak out.

So here's the scoop on my birthday: I’m not often surprised.

My best friend hates going to movies with me because I generally figure things out long before the people on the big screen. I don’t think this is a testament to any genius on my part, merely to the often evident lack of creativity on the part of the Hollywood establishment that generates most of the films we see.

And I’ve never had a surprise party. Well, people have tried, but I realize what’s going on long before the party and have to present a fake “surprised” look so that I don’t disappoint the party organizers.

No longer. This year, I was well and truly surprised on my birthday.

I was expecting a pretty low-key day, since my birthday fell on a Sunday. I had phone calls from a couple of my siblings. My best friend stopped by and dropped off a great gift. But the evening was dedicated to our church’s annual Lessons & Carols Christmas service – so no big dinner celebration. Our choir practices for this service for several months and the music is exquisite. I thought this was a nice way to celebrate my day. The whole birthday bash thing ceases to be a big deal when you turn 21 – unless you’re a movie star.

As I arrived for our pre-concert warm-up, a few people in our choir muttered, “Happy Birthday.” One of my friends, Linda, gave me a birthday gift of a pretty pair of Christmas earrings, which was lovely.

The Christmas service was fantastic and everyone was pleased as we took off our choir robes and gathered our stuff to head to the post-concert reception. I walked into the fellowship hall and was immediately accosted by half a dozen people wanting to say hello. I started to extricate myself and head to the food table for a drink when one of my former choir students stopped me to give me a hug. I whispered, “Wish me a happy birthday!” and a look of excitement flashed across her face. I said, “Don’t tell anyone; it’s a secret!” But she started to run off to tell several of the other kids present. Before she’d run three steps, our choir director, Rusty, and my friend Linda, flanked me on either side as Rusty called out to the crowd: “We have something special we’re celebrating tonight.... it’s also Laura’s birthday.”

Linda pulled out a birthday cake with candles, handed me a card and about 200 people sang “Happy Birthday” in four-part harmony. It was pretty incredible. I couldn't possibly ask for a better birthday gift or a better surprise.