Supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton's candidacy, including Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Bill Clinton himself, have justified her decision to stay in the race in part by arguing that it's actually good for the Democratic Party. On a March 15 talk-show appearance, Rendell suggested that the ongoing rivalry between the former First Lady and Sen. Barack Obama has deprived Sen. John McCain of the attention he needs to advance his campaign.This might be a valid point — if Obama and Clinton were highlighting each other's positive qualities. But it's tough to argue that either one benefits when both are determined to tear down the other. No one benefits, that is, except for McCain, whose role for now is to sit back and receive the free ammunition that both of his prospective opponents are providing to him. If the Arizona senator is wise, he'll use this free time to define both Democratic candidates to the American public before they can define themselves — using the same words they're currently using against each other. It's an invaluable lesson to be carried from the 2004 campaign season: That year, George W. Bush managed to convince voters of who his opponent was long before John Kerry had even convinced himself who he was. The key to victory in politics is this — to create your opponents' identities before they can create their own. John McCain could hardly be in a better position for that than he is now.Add to this several recent polls suggesting that the Democratic Party is becoming more divided with each day the nomination remains unsettled. When a candidate finally is chosen — hopefully sometime before Nov. 4 — McCain would do well to reach out to supporters of the losing campaign, who by that point will feel angry and disillusioned. After all, McCain is a politician who has always appealed to a broad range of voters. There is no doubt a significant contingent of Obama and Clinton supporters who would consider lining up behind the GOP contender if their first choice proved a bust. Yes, I really believe this. The Democratic race is becoming that polarized — and it's great news for a Republican candidate in an election year when no presidential hopeful from that party should even be viable.Of course, I'd vote for Elmer in November before voting for John McCain, so please consider this post a cautionary note — not a prediction of my behavior.
Despite the fact that he declared his independence from me long ago, this is a guy who is still polite enough to pay frequent visits — usually in the morning. I think he's developed a fairly busy schedule, which is why he never sticks around for long. This past weekend, I found him on the roof. Elmer is anywhere and everywhere he wants to be these days.
Does anyone else find this headline remarkably unsurprising and unimpressive? The apparent news item here is that fewer than 1 percent of the 28,000 commercial airline flights originating in the United States each day are boarded by armed air marshals, according to CNN. "That means a terrorist or other criminal bent on taking over an aircraft would be confronted by a trained air marshal on as few as 280 daily flights," the article claims. [Cue the gasps of horror and disbelief here.]I've been aboard 10 different commercial flights in the past six months — and on each occasion, I would have been extremely surprised to learn that there was an air marshal on the plane. With the tens of thousands of commercial jets that take off from airports across the United States every day, it would be ridiculous to think that even a small fraction of them are boarded by federal agents carrying firearms. CNN's investigation is comparable to a group of city residents who count the number of times per month that patrol cars are seen driving down their streets — and then expressing alarm over their findings that, collectively, the number is way too low. Such a study simply highlights one consequence of living in a free society with a large, constantly mobile population: Law enforcement officials can't be everywhere all the time, and they shouldn't be.Of course, practicality certainly isn't the point of this article — fear is. As if to help drive that point home, several particularly astute readers left comments blasting CNN for giving the "enemy" advice on how to attack America. I'm sure all the self-respecting terrorists of the world were just as shocked as I was to learn that America's friendly skies are lacking gun-toting marshals.Be afraid, America. Be very afraid. CNN says so.
As previously indicated, the dearth of posts to this blog during the past week was the result of two friends from college who paid a visit to me here in the Northwest. On the days I had off from work, I accompanied Susan and Erik on their tour of the greater Seattle area. During the times I wasn't able to join, they largely guided themselves, and in the course of seven days, they saw quite a bit. Pictured here is the two of them at Snoqualmie Falls. How cute is that photograph?I warned them up front that March isn't the most ideal time to visit Seattle. As anticipated, the week was mostly cloudy and on the chilly side with some precipitation, ranging from mist to steady rain. For the most part, though, they stayed dry during their days in the Emerald City. On Saturday — the day they departed — we were finally treated to a fairly clear day that afforded some spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains hovering over Puget Sound and even a glimpse at snow-clad, 14,411-foot Mount Rainier dominating the southeast. It was a fine way to cap off their visit. In my opinion, a trip to Seattle that doesn't include views of the mountains is like a piece of cake without the icing. Regrettably, a damp climate like the one we've got here often results in low-hanging clouds that obscure million-dollar panoramas.We did some lame stuff and some really cool stuff — Seattle is a city large enough to offer both — replete with evenings spent sampling microbrews and local cuisine. I even had the opportunity to introduce them to some of the great new friends I've made here since moving out almost a year ago. And on Thursday night, we were privileged enough to listen to a talk on Rome at the Seattle Art Museum delivered by none other than the world-famous travel guide, Rick Steves, who is himself a native and current resident of the Seattle area. What a nice, down-to-earth, approachable guy. Susan requested a photo with him following the talk; he happily obliged.All things considered, it was a good week. This week, I'm back to normalcy — and back to the blog, for better or for worse.
I have some friends flying in from out of town today. They'll be around for a week. Accordingly, this blog may be a bit sparse during that time.In general, the average reader to this site can gauge whether something interesting is happening in my life during a specific time period by way of the frequency of posts, or lack thereof.Have an enjoyable — and, if you're in these parts, rainy — week.
I took advantage of the fact that traction tires and/or tire chains were finally not required up there. (I don't have either one.) Being from the Midwest, I'm still not quite accustomed to having the ability to drive 40 miles in one direction or another to either avoid or embrace snow.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is an unadulterated disgrace. I'm not familiar with the part of the state from which he hails, and perhaps that's for the best, because I'm flabbergasted at the notion that the people there would actually hire someone so disgusting to represent them. The worst part is that I located this article not in the Des Moines Register, or the Iowa City Press-Citizen, or the Quad City Times — I located it in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A reader from Washington state or elsewhere who comes across this article and is unfamiliar with Iowa might be falsely led to believe that King actually speaks on behalf of the common view in his state. I don't know how the voters of his congressional district can read headlines like these and still sleep at night.There's a sad reality about a historic campaign like this one, which puts America at the threshold of electing its first African American or female president. While the contest has unmistakably brought out the best elements of our society — millions of citizens rallying behind a woman or black man, neither of whom would have once been offered the opportunity to even aspire to such a role as the presidency — it has also brought some really ugly characters out of the woodwork. Like King, who suggests that the terrorists would celebrate if Obama won. Or talk-show host Bill Cunningham, or members of the Tennessee Republican Party, who have repeatedly referred to the Illinois senator as Barack "Hussein" Obama — an unveiled attempt to paint him as a Muslim, or worse yet, draw parallels with the former Iraqi dictator.I try to avoid the use of emotionally charged language on this blog, but admittedly, sometimes I fail. Steve King needs to be yanked immediately. His efforts to garner cheap attention with his remarks are nothing short of pathetic and are representative of a very sad individual. More to the point, though, his words cast his home state in a terrible light, and Iowans should waste no more time getting rid of him.
This girl, a 17-year-old high school student from nearby Bonney Lake, Wash., attended the same rally for Barack Obama that I went to last month in Seattle. Apparently, just a few weeks after shaking the hand of the senator from Illinois at that event, she happened to be watching television and saw Hillary Clinton's "3 a.m." commercial on "The Daily Show." It must have been surprising to her when she realized that she was the 8-year-old girl shown sleeping in the ad — especially considering her support for Obama.Frankly, I'd be a bit irked as well if I learned that a politician — especially one whom I didn't support — had used footage of me without my permission. I'd work with the opposing campaign to produce quite a memorable rebuttal ad. Actually, after word of this got out, the Obama campaign apparently did contact this girl and discuss that very possibility. It'll be interesting to see whether they actually go through with it.
To aptly recount it would require a period of self-reflection, followed by a quiet evening, good friends, and strong drink.I'm being cryptic, you say? Well, maybe so. I learned a lot about myself in the past seven days or so — and it wasn't all good. This past week can be chalked up as a great learning experience. I'll leave it at that for now. All is well at the moment — but I've got lessons to carry with me from this point forth. And I have a feeling there are more on the way in short order.Don't worry. If you're interested in knowing what I'm talking about here — and I don't automatically assume everyone is — then you'll hear about it. If you're not, thanks for reading this occasionally personal blog anyway.
Hillary Clinton is now inevitably celebrating her renewed relevance in this seemingly perpetual campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. In no way, however, does her good news change the reality that she cannot — and will not — defeat John McCain in the general election. He, too, must be celebrating — and for reasons that extend beyond his successful acquisition of the Republican nomination.Barack Obama still holds an advantage in this contest, but Clinton can no longer be written off. That's too bad. The notion of a President McCain makes me feel rather nauseous. In fact, excuse me for a moment...
With the help of some very good friends — who sacrificed a Friday evening to come to my aid — I moved everything I own out of my old apartment last night and took it all to the new place. Simply put, it wouldn't have gotten done if I were left to my own devices. Aside from the sheer volume of junk that had to be transported — and the fact that I drive a tiny four-door sedan — moving is an enterprise that has always left me emotionally drained. To see the place you've called home for any significant stretch of time emptied of everything is hard to handle. This is especially true when the road ahead is uncertain. Almost a year ago, when I first came to this place, I simply wouldn't have stayed if I hadn't had a friend along to offer encouragement. And now, having moved for the second time in less than 12 months, I've got to admit that I'm again in a state of emotional flux.The older I get, the more I realize how much my personality resembles that of a cat. (Speaking of, mine now has a new home with a former neighbor whom I trust will take good care of him.) To be comfortable, I require constant normalcy and routine. Any departure from either leaves me feeling terribly anxious and exhausted. This isn't a good trait, and one I need to learn to overcome, but it's there nonetheless. It was there when I first arrived in Washington state; then, it went away as I gradually redeveloped a comfort zone for myself. But now that I've allowed that comfort zone to be shattered, it's returned. Honestly, I'd give anything right now to go to bed at my old apartment tonight. Moving in with a random housemate is very odd to me; I feel like I'm sleeping in a stranger's house. I previously explained why I decided to make this move. I'd be fooling myself if I said I knew what its outcome would be — I don't. I do know, however, that I need to make the best of the time I have in this part of the world. In the end, I know I'll be very glad that I did everything I did: moved to a place far away from my home (even though I ultimately still plan to return), took on a job that has been a great experience, and met some fantastic people along the way — including a boss who lent me his truck to facilitate the move and two very selfless friends who helped this weekend. I owe them all a very nice dinner somewhere.Internet access outside of work will be sketchy for the time being. This post was published using WiFi at a coffee shop in Seattle. If my posts stagnate a bit in the near future, please do not think this blog is dead. This blog is more alive than it's ever been before. Thanks to all for your continued readership and comments.
Supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton's candidacy, including Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Bill Clinton himself, have justified her decision to stay in the race in part by arguing that it's actually good for the Democratic Party. On a March 15 talk-show appearance, Rendell suggested that the ongoing rivalry between the former First Lady and Sen. Barack Obama has deprived Sen. John McCain of the attention he needs to advance his campaign.
