Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal

िगिरजा नेपाललाई स्री लंका बनाउन चाहन्छ
Compromise हुन सक्छ
िगिरजाले संघीय सरकार के हो भन्ने कुरा नबुझेको हुनुपर्छ
माअोवादीको गणतन्त्रको माग जस्तै हो मधेस राज्यको माग
अान्दोलन िक िनर्वाचन: मधेसी र जनजाित पार्टीहरूको एकीकरणको सवाल
मधेसी जनजाित अान्दोलनकालािग दलीय पुर्ण समानुपाितक िनर्वाचनको अावश्यकता
ICG: Nepal: Peace Postponed

Message To Elizabeth Caputo: SOS Call

Rajendra Mahto: Three Hours Of Video
Rajendra Mahto In Town
Upendra Yadav: Five Hours Of Video
Upendra Yadav Was In Town
Upendra Yadav: Madhesi Martin Luther King





February 29

EU welcomes Govt-UDMF agreement The European Union
EC fixes new dates for filing nominations for Madhesi parties

February 28

Cabinet endorses the govt-UDMF deal: victory rallies in most terai districts The cabinet meeting held on Thursday evening has endorsed the eight-point deal signed with the agitating Madhesi parties. ..... large number of people took to the streets in many terai districts, Thursday evening-- not to protest against the government like in the past 16 days - but to celebrate the signing of the 8-point deal between the government and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF). ..... grueling 16 days of demonstrations, sporadic clashes and curfews that had made life in the town and across parts of eastern terai unbearable
India,US, UN welcomes govt-UDMF pact
Govt, UDMF seal a deal; agitation withdrawn federal units including Madhes will be made autonomous
Terai life continues to be badly hit on Day 16
Madhesi leaders upbeat about deal with government
Govt-UDMF talks linger on

February 27

Attack on passenger bus in Siraha leaves two injured
Another protester killed in police firing in Sunsari; Madhes unrest enters day 15
Three leaders meet to discuss Madhes imbroglio
Govt enforces Essential Services Act

February 26

Govt-UDMF talks fails to make any headway
Talks failed because of 'impossible demands' raised by Madhesi leaders: Minister Gurung
Strike grips Terai on 14th consecutive day; one killed in Nawalparasi
Talks with FRNF reach nowhere
SPA leaders vow to hold polls on time

February 25

Nominations filed for first-past-the-post voting system; two killed in violence in some Terai districts
Cracks in the Madhesi alliance
Gachhadar, Bhandari not to contest election
Govt, Madhesis to continue talks on Monday

February 24

India shelling out big money to intensify Terai agitation: Mainali
Top leaders discuss Terai crisis
Madhesi parties again snub EC’s deadline to submit closed list of candidates
Tharus say "One Madhes, one province" demand unacceptable
Supply committee decides to enforce odd-even rule to address fuel shortage

February 23

UDMF to continue agitations
Curfew lifted in some districts
‘One Madhesh one province’ demand unacceptable: SPA
Tanker drivers go on strike demanding security
One dozen NC MPs protest 'repression' in Terai

February 22

SPA-UDMF talks end inconclusively
UML, NC leaders continue discussion with Madhesi negotiators
NHRC urges agitators to withdraw strike
JTMM abducts APF constable
Terai sees some respite on 10th day of general strike
Shutdown strike leaves newspapers in Jhapa closed indefinitely
Violence in Terai putting peace at peril: EU

February 21

Meetings close to reach understanding on Madhes problem
Three-party meeting fails to evolve common position on Terai crisis
AI warns against using 'excessive force' during demonstration in Terai
Madhesi leaders meet UML chief
RPP lawmaker quits parliament to join Terai agitation
EC extends closed list deadline at govt’s request
Govt to ask EC to extend closed list submission deadline
Indian embassy ‘mediates’ talks between NC leaders and UDMF
132 tankers of fuel enter Nepal

February 20

Prachanda says parties will consider alternatives if talks fail to resolve Terai crisis
37 parties submit closed lists at EC; agitating Madhesi parties opt out
Terai turmoil continues on eighth day
Nepali Americas Council urges agitators to help hold CA polls
NA to provide security to vital installations
FRNF to boycott polls
Seven party meeting to end Terai deadlock

February 19

Talks with UDMF inconclusive
Indefinite curfew in Biratnagar; Terai bandh enters day 7
RJP to boycott CA election
PM says the EC poll schedule will not be changed
PM says all problems will be resolved on the basis of unity and understanding
MMT's Morang in-charge arrested
King stresses on goodwill and harmony

February 18

Curfew in many districts, Terai turmoil deepens
Govt renews talks offer to Terai groups; UNMIN concerned over violence
No dialogue with govt in existing scenario: UMDF leaders
Terai districts face shortage of foodstuff
Situation in Terai, east worsens as strike continues
Matrika, too, rejects single Madhes demand
MJF leader vows to continue agitation in Madhes

February 17

Terai bandh enters day five; protesters padlock govt offices
One killed in police action in Nepalgunj; curfew imposed
Carter Center urges govt to resolve immediate concerns of Madhesis
PM vows to resolve Terai issue through talks; NC to finalise list of its candidates
UMDF prepare to hold talks with the government
PM, SPA articulate their bottom line on Madhes demands
Garbage woe returns, KMC points at fuel shortage

February 16

Steering Committee to govt: Recognise those killed in Terai movement as martyrs
‘One Madhes one province’ demand cannot be met: PM Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said he will never agree on 'one Madhes one province’ demand made by some agitating Madhesi groups. ..... Koirala said he would not compromise with anyone on issues like nationality, sovereignty and national integrity. ..... after two rounds of discussion with agitating Madhesi leaders in the capital
NSP (A) pulls out of SPA
Police open fire at protesters in Bara, strike cripples life in Terai

February 15

Thakur says no agreement yet with the PM
UML lawmaker quits parliament to join Madhesh 'movement'
JTMM-Jwala bombs election office in Banke
Terai bandh enters third day; locals in Rupandehi resist bandh
RPP demands roundtable conference

February 14

UML draws govt's attention towards fuel crunch
Two killed by unidentified gang in Dhanusha
Govt formally invites UMDF for talks
Second day of indefinite bandh cripples life in Terai
Mahara urges agitating groups to participate in polls
Yadav warns of Madhes capture

February 13

Madhesi leaders claim Indian delegation has supported their demands
Prachanda warns of ‘revolt’ if polls get scuttled
Thapa doubts timely polls
Strike hits terai and eastern hills The strike called by various ethnic groups has hit the general life in eastern hills and terai districts on Wednesday. The recently formed United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) called indefinite general strike beginning from Wednesday in terai districts to put pressure on the government to meet its demands. Schools, private offices and businesses remain closed while the highways and inner roads are deserted with no vehicles plying since early morning. The organisers termed this strike as their 'final battle' to get their demands met before the constituent assembly election scheduled for April 10. ..... The agitating ethnic groups are demanding changes in electoral system, their justifiable representation in government services including in the army, one Madhes one province in federal Nepal and peace talks with armed groups in terai ...... Continued strike in terai has affected the regular supply of foodstuffs and petroleum products to hilly districts including capital Kathmandu. As a result, the consumer prices have gone up sharply and streets in capital saw relatively fewer vehicles.
Terai bandh on despite call for talks

February 12

Reconstituted talks team appeals all Madhesi agitators for 'fruitful talks'

February 11

EC informs parties about polls preparations; Madhesi parties boycott meeting
Madhesi Front’s bandh call worries tour operators
UML rejects ‘One Madhes, One Province’

February 10

Gachhadar warns of disintegration if Madhes issues not resolved
Madhesis want a guarantee of autonomous province, says Mahato

February 9

Three Madhesi parties form new alliance; announce stir leaders of three agitating regional parties – Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP) and Sadbhawana Party (SP) – said they had joined forces to take the movement of Madhesi people to a decisive stage. ..... The UDMF has put forth six demands, which include guarantee of an autonomous Terai state with right to self-determination, and proportional representation of Madhesis, Janajatis, Dalits and other marginalised groups in state organs including the Nepal Army. ...... The Front has planned protest rallies across Terai on February 11 and 12 while an indefinite strike will be imposed from February 13 throughout the country followed by a shutdown strike in government offices on February 16 and blockade and non-cooperation protest from the next day.

Processing The Holocaust Pain

This is a sensitive topic. But it happened. And it still is a major source of pain. We treat childhood trauma. Can the Holocaust pain also be processed? I almost mean to ask a medical question. The Jewish collective memory goes back thousands of years. They go back far like the Chinese. Something that happened a little over half a century ago must feel like yesterday to the collective Jewish psyche if only because they have a rich history going back thousands of years.

Because New York City means so much to me personally, I have come to visit and revisit this question of the Jewish identity. If I am going to love New York City, I might as well love all of it.

How do you process the pain? Do you process the pain? Is the pain there? I can't imagine the pain not being there. The Holocaust must feel like an emotional cliff. If you are Jewish, and you go down the memory lane a few decades, you fall off the cliff. People who connected you with the deeper past were massively gone. Had they disappeared any other way, the cliff would still have been there. But you know what happened. So there is the cliff, and there is the pain.

If it bothers you in a fundamental way, you got to deal with the pain. How do you process the pain?

What happened, how you felt, what happened, how you felt, what happened, how you felt?

Because it is a collective sort of pain, the therapy also has to be collective. It is not designed to erase the memory of the crime, or to say you will not feel pain. The memory will always be there, the pain at some level will always be there. But that pain does not have to be debilitating. If it is, you got to process the pain.

(1) Learn as many details as you can about the crime. Read, watch.
(2) Express the rage. Talk, shout, yell, cry, hug.

I have to talk about something as graphic as the Holocaust. I have selfish reasons to do so. Because then I have to go on and draw attention to the Global South as is. I would not use the term Holocaust. A deliberate, sophisticated state machinery carried it out. But there is an ongoing "Holocaust" going on in the Global South. Deaths to stupid violence, petty disease are staggering in number. But it is not state, rather the absence of state that has people dying like flies. And the process of curing will be slow. It takes time to bring democracy into a country, to build a state, to create wealth.

We already know what to do. We have to go and do it. The internet makes it possible for people anywhere to collaborate and contribute to people in the far corners of the earth. The internet speeds up the process. If it were not for the internet, I would feel too guilty to stick around in New York City.

You create political space. You create wealth.

---

Not Going To Ohio

Going To Ohio

I have not heard anything yet from campaignvol -at- dl21c -dot- org so I guess I am not going. Looks like they are not big on cash. Or the bus filled up. Or whatever.

I guess I might try hard and hop on one of the other buses, there are so many groups going, but I will pass. This was going to be retail politics. The minor logistics were getting at me. Socks? How many?

Somebody needs to stay back and monitor the national situation online for Barack. That would be me.

Obama calls for a cool-down Los Angeles Times, USA Cleveland, where the biggest storm of the winter is forecast to dump 8 inches of snow on the city.

The Real Super Tuesday

Tuesday, March 4
7:00 pm
Super Tuesday II: Ohio/Texas Primary Returns Party
Tonic Bar & Lounge - Times Square
727 Seventh Avenue (at 49th Street)



In The News

Obama and Clinton clash in debate on health care Reuters
Obama Momentum Picks Up With Dodd Endorsement Voice of America
Strike grips south Nepal for 14 days Xinhua
All new railroads lead to Bihar Economic Times
Senate Democrats Focus on Economic Cost of War New York Times
Clinton, Obama Debate in Ohio The Associated Press
Clinton still leads Obama in Ohio, but by smaller margin Los Angeles Times 47% to 39% .... The 2006 photo showed Obama dressed in Somali tribal clothing while visiting the western part of Kenya ..... "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed," Williams said. "Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely."
Clinton goes for broke as Obama rises in polls The Observer Blog
Clinton wonders about the debate process Los Angeles Times
Cleveland debate is final chance for Clinton to woo March 4 voters Guardian Unlimited a desperate attempt on Clinton's part to keep her presidential hopes alive. ...... even her prevalence among Democratic women voters has been eroded, with both candidates now standing neck and neck at 45%.

New National Polls: Obama gaining ground Boston Globe 54 percent of Democratic primary voters say they would prefer the party to nominate Barack Obama while 38 percent prefer Hillary Clinton. ...... 50 percent said they would support Obama to 38 percent for McCain, while respondents were split evenly, at 46 percent each, when the choice was between McCain and Clinton. Obama gained ground within nearly every sector
Clinton campaign starts 5-point attack on Obama International Herald Tribune a "kitchen sink" fusillade against Obama, pursuing five lines of attack since Saturday ...... sharply worded, attention-grabbing contrasts with Obama. ..... by going negative against Obama at a time when polls in Texas and Ohio show a tightening race, Clinton risked alienating voters ..... her hard-edged instinct for negative politics has usually turned off the public. ...... a photograph of Obama in ceremonial African garb appeared on the Drudge Report, and the item's author, Matt Drudge, claimed that the image was provided by a Clinton staff member. ...... "engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party." .... Clinton drew widespread attention and praise at the debate last week for saying she was "honored" to be on the same stage with him.
Poll Finds a Fluid Religious Life in US New York Times
US is still overwhelmingly Christian, study finds Los Angeles Times
Protestants Verging on Becoming Minorities U.S. News & World Report
Obama Wins Over One Ohio Voter The Associated Press she liked "the atmosphere, the aura, the honesty, the comfort I felt."
Don't Be Quick to Count Out a Clinton The Associated Press Clinton's campaign is looking more and more like the Titanic ...... it never occurs to them to throw in the towel. There's no 'What's my graceful exit strategy?' They don't have that gene ..... Along the way, the Clintons proved themselves to be tough street fighters. ...... In 1990, when Gov. Clinton faced a strong re-election challenge, it was first lady Hillary who crashed a news conference held by the opponent and undercut him with documents showing he had praised Clinton's performance as governor. ........ "They are smart and they're fearless, but they're not reckless." ..... By mid-1995, the Clinton presidency was in free fall. Internal polls found that two-thirds of Americans ruled out voting to re-elect him. Aides cringed when Clinton felt compelled to insist at a news conference, "The president is relevant." ...... "The one thing you can almost always say about whatever situation you're in is that you've seen worse. So they don't get rattled. They have a much better perspective about how to deal with difficult days."

Yellow Roses To Keep

Love Sonnet XVII: I love you as certain dark things are loved,/secretly, between the shadow and the soul. ....... I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,/I love you simply, without problems or pride
Love Sonnet XI: I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair./Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets...... all day/I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps...... I want to eat your skin like a whole almond. ....... I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,/the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,....... hunting for you, for your hot heart,/like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

Yellow Roses To Keep

I lost something in 1989.
Through Barack's elevation to
The White House
I stand to regain it.
Obama 08 has been deeply, deeply personal
To me. It has been therapy, it has been catharsis.

I had a happy freshman year at college.
Then I lost it again.
I thought I might regain it in New York City.
I am not complaining, it has been exciting.
But during those first few minutes with you
I felt it again. Before I sank back
Into the swamp of half living, not
Having a sense of belonging, of
Being on guard. The prejudice cobra
The racism cobra might strike.
But I am a big boy now. I am going to
Stare down the cobra.
I sank right before your eyes.
The swamp had the advantage of years.
You sank into your cynicism
The isolation of your throne
Guys not measuring up to
A warm bath and a good book.

Your cynicism that oh
It was just a homeboy thing
Let him meet the Kentucky dude
And see for himself how he also gets excited
Or he got taken by the Wes Clark name
Let him meet Wes Clark.

I know Indiana like the back of my hand.
India to Indiana is quite a journey.

In the mid 30s, someone is much more
Refined, you know yourself much better
The contours of one's life and being
Are much sharper.
It is easy to see there is not total overlap.
It is easy to get cynical
A little less alive.
It is easy to fall into the safe patterns
Of daily routine.
Of no longer dreaming the big dreams.

But I reject.

Or you could say
You have to find you before
You can find your soulmate.
It takes time to find you.
For me it has been that and trips into wilderness.

You gave me the pre-1989 feeling
Those first few minutes.
And then we both sank.

I guess it takes effort.

But the circling started right away
We both, in our own ways. We kept moving.

Your political poetry.
My flounderings on Nepal, Obama, the startup.

I complained.
I had issues.
I had not written
My online autobio yet.
I needed to process some pain, a lot of pain
Lurking beneath my calm exterior
Before I could see straight.

We circled like people from two very
Different cultures.
Trying to figure out the meaning of
A little gesture this, a little gesture that.
We gave up many times.

I would get angry.
Between me looking in your direction
And seeing someone who likes me
And your actually saying so
That was a racial infinity.
So does that make you a Miss 99%?
Territory to the soldiers of social segregation?
Or a Miss 1%? I thought.
Worse, what if you hop back and forth
Like quantum particles
That are both there and not there.

We confused each other plenty.
After the bookstore hectoring
I was on guard. Give me something concrete.
Or you will just as well throw me to the dogs.
Or you would punish me for rejecting you
With full social force. Even when
I never rejected.

Don't touch me?

There would be long periods of lull.
And then showing up at events.
Mostly you acting professional.
Your professionalism was killing me.

And then there would be flashes.
The summer bash and your touching.
The Holiday party and your brushing full force.
And in between several.
The street fair, the waving to the crowds, Irish Rogue
The education committee event, serving water
Whisking the women away.

And I would be like, if you like me today
You must have liked me yesterday
You will like me tomorrow.
That is what 2.0 is for.

Your acts of disappearing, like an art form
The expression of a basic pain.

I kept looking for something concrete.
I needed something verbal.
I needed to feel safe.

I kept wanting you in 2.0.
I already know what you look like
We have already talked before
Come enter my world of remote talk.
Let's make geography irrelevant.

For you the starting point had to be face time
Or not.

I give you that 5.0 is way richer.
But 2.0 is a coral reef too.

I think you are looking for
A shouting match.

And then you gave up on me.
You felt the shock tremors from Louisiana.
The banking industry took a big hit.
You became guarded about your throne.
The fire alarm went off.
Third persons did a little song and dance.

What was that at the zipper factory?

I have done some amazing work
For Nepal, Obama, and the startup
In the 2.0 environment
But I have paid a price.
I am slightly damanged, slightly broken.
You can ask me to go fix myself first.
Or you could participate and help me
Build back my social muscles.
With your participation, I think
I could build back very fast.
On my own, I fear
I might just become more damaged.
Because the work can not stop
The work has me in its grips.

I guess it takes effort.
We know each other better than on day one.
It is not true we have not talked.
Each time I have seen you in person
Has felt like an elaborate conversation.

Amitabh and Jaya did not hook up on day one.
It's okay.
It takes time.
There are no short cuts.

You carry the weight of history on your shoulders
I carry the weight of history on my shoulders.
For you, I will neutralize
Sexism, physicalism.

Queen.

This city is magic.
My mind is exploding with dreams
And possibilities.
And I want you to know I feel for you.
You can tell me you don't feel for me today
But you can't say you have never felt for me.
But why would you
Why would you say you don't feel for me today?
I am better today than ever before.
I would like to believe
I am a good looking kind of guy.













Yellow Roses

Hillary Should Concede March 4

Hillary Is Not Losing, Barack Is Winning

Hillary is not losing, Barack is winning. This new kind of politics, politics of hope is a paradigm shift thing. And that is why the old Clinton hands are flustered.

This nomination fight has to end March 4. Hillary has to be prepared to give a great concession speech. She is going to lose the two biggies. Both Texas and Ohio will be had by Obama 08. Then it is over. But things don't have to end for Hillary if she gives a great concession speech. She is a capable woman who has a lot to contribute.

I relate to Hillary in a very personal way. Hillary has been a first in many ways. When Hillary got into the White House, people were like, this First Lady is actually talking public policy, woe is to me. It was unfair to her and to the women of the world that her talking policy was news, but it was. She has been a pioneer woman. She has taken a lot of flak from right wingers, and sexist men in the Democratic camp. But she has also taken a lot of flak from women, period. And I relate to that. There is sexism, anti-sexism, but also internalized sexism. Hillary has been one angle facing two angles. There is ethnic prejudice, anti-prejudice, and internalized prejudice, this I say about being a Madhesi in Nepal. There is racism, anti-racism, and internalized racism. I have been one angle facing two angles on those two counts. So I relate to her in an extremely personal way.

And there is also this sidestepping thing. The powers that be will always find another Madhesi, or another brown guy who does not have "issues." They will find people in that second angle to suggest, see, I am not prejudiced, I am not racist, there are these people who get along with me just fine, it is just you.

We can't do that to Hillary. We can't think of another woman for the ticket. And white men are absolutely, totally out of bounds. Women have come so far, and I don't mean just the women in America, but the women of the world, actually I mean primarily the women of the world, the women of the world have come so far in Hillary simply have come this far as a candidate. America had never before seen a serious woman candidate for president. This was a first time. It is kind of primitive that the country waited for so long. But that does make Hillary a pioneer woman. She can not be wasted. She has come this far. She has to go further. She has to get on the ticket.

The Need For A Race Gender Coalition
A Vote For Barack Is Not A Vote Against Hillary

Simple Arithmetic

This has been such a tight race. Simple arithmetic says you got to get Hillary on the ticket to unify the party, as simple as that. Don't make a short list. Don't shop around. As soon as Hillary gives her concession speech, call her up and offer her the slot. As soon as she accepts, and accept she will, she suggested as much during the Texas debate, you go public. You give your speech saying you are honored to have Hillary on your ticket.

Great Chemistry

Barack and Hillary genuinely like each other. So it is not just about arithmetic. We got arithmetic, but we also got chemistry. Hillary ran a tough, competitive campaign. That is why she will be a great Vice President.

History

Barack fans are like, oh, Barack is just so great. Hillary fans are like, oh, Hillary is just so great. Well, when you are a black man, or a woman, you have to be great, you have to be super, you have to be a superduper individual to get as far as these two have gone.

We can't waste either of them. So it is about arithmetic, it is about chemistry, it is about history.

It Is Hillary Or It Is Nobody

I can't think of anyone else.

Dragging On Makes No Sense

March 4 is it. That is the day when we have to become one campaign. That very night, we have to announce that we have become one.

Texas Is Not Looking Good For Hillary

Hillary: "Tell Him To Come Meet Me In Texas"

In The News

Poll: Clinton, Obama Tied in Texas The Associated Press Hillary Rodham Clinton, 50 percent Barack Obama, 48 percent

Curfew in southern Nepal, capital running out of fuel AFP
Election Count Begins in Pakistan Voice of America
Obama seeks to turn table in Ohio, Texas Los Angeles Times Obama has launched a newly aggressive strategy to undermine two pillars of support for rival Hillary Rodham Clinton: Latinos and working-class white voters. ...... a push from younger members helped persuade the Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers to endorse Obama last week. ...... "He's not just going to crack a glass ceiling. He can really kick the door off its hinges, and clear the way for all of us, even Hispanics." ..... Texas, where Latinos and blacks have a history of building political coalitions ...... The state's complicated system of voting, involving both a primary and a caucus ..... Obama's strategy is to try to make NAFTA a central issue of the campaign
Obama quietly meets with ex-rival John Edwards Los Angeles Times Obama sneaked down to North Carolina on Sunday and met with former opponent John Edwards .... Reporters normally travel with Obama, but he flew down in secret. ..... eight consecutive losses to Obama. ... Polls show her with a comfortable lead over Obama in Ohio, and the two candidates are scheduled to debate in Cleveland on Feb. 26. ..... she sampled a spicy Mexican sauce at a Milwaukee grocery store in a heavily Latino neighborhood and purchased hot peppers, which she eats in large quantities to try to ward off colds.
In Wisconsin, Obama has edge over Clinton MarketWatch
Clinton Camp Charges Obama with 'Plagiarism' Washington Post
In Wisconsin, Clinton Campaigns at Vigorous Pace Washington Post
Is Hillary History? she had just lost four states to Obama, been forced to lend her operation $5 million and dumped her campaign manager ...... She is drowning in a sea of negative coverage. ..... "the once-mighty Clinton campaign is beginning to feel like the last days of Pompeii." ...... if she doesn't win Ohio and Texas next month, "she's out." ..... likened her campaign to the Titanic. A Slate headline put it starkly: "So, Is She Doomed?" ...... The Nation, the country's largest liberal magazine, has endorsed Obama. Markos Moulitsas, the most prominent liberal blogger, voted for Obama in the California primary and has been ridiculing Clinton's campaign. ........ the candidate "crippled by poll-tested corporate packaging that markets her as a synthetic product leeched of most human qualities." ...... a conventional politician pitted against a cultural phenomenon. ...... a mathematical long shot. ...... Clinton is a disciplined and detail-oriented candidate, with a style that produces few sparks, while Obama is filling basketball arenas with thunderous oratory. That is why her choking up in a New Hampshire coffee shop became such a huge story -- because we rarely get a peek behind the steely exterior. ........ After his victory speech Tuesday, MSNBC's Chris Matthews said he "felt this thrill going up my leg." ..... Obama has defied the laws of journalistic gravity, somehow avoiding the usual scrutiny applied to front-runners. ...... her "direct and plain-spoken, with an edgy sense of humor . . . she can be tough, and even a little steely." She is "outspoken, strong-willed, funny, gutsy, and sometimes sarcastic," cutting "an athletic and authoritative figure" ....... The editor of the NYT compares Obama and Mandela. ..... kicking Hillary when she's down ....... "Her attitude clearly is to win, no matter how, and worry about the repair job later. ...... 'I'm tested, I'm ready, let's make it happen!' she yelled into a mic on a stage in Texas on the night of her latest defeat. This is meant to look like confidence. Whether or not you wish her well probably determines whether you see it as game face, stubbornness or evidence of mild derangement. ........ my sense is that Obama has already won this thing. ...... Much of Clinton's current predicament stems from Penn's disastrous, glass-jaw 'inevitability' strategy and the mind-boggling decision not even to contest a slew of states where Obama racked up huge victories and many delegates. ........ that the Clintonistas would even suggest the use of super delegates to subvert the will of the Democratic Party electorate ....... "Among the 125 million people in the U.S. who visit online dating and social-networking sites are a growing number of dullards who steal personal profiles, life philosophies, even signature poems. 'Dude u like copied my whole myspace,' posts one aggrieved victim."
Mandela, like Obama, although he wasn’t always the most riveting public speaker, was the kind of speaker who didn’t dwell on the details of his ten-point program, but went for emotional lift. ..... both of them, in a way, transcended race

Obama numbers rise as candidate endorsed by service union Bizjournals.com, USA Obama has taken the lead in the Texas Democratic primary polls ..... Obama ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton 48 percent to 42 percent ...... Obama took point with self-described independent voters by a vast margin: 71 percent to Clinton's 24 percent. Clinton edged out Obama among women (54 percent to 42 percent), whites (51 percent to 40 percent) and Latinos (44 percent to 42 percent), while Obama captured the lion's share of men (55 percent to 29 percent) and blacks (76 percent to 17 percent). ....... "We haven't seen this kind of energy in years. We hope our endorsement will help propel him to victory in Texas to secure the nomination." ....... Texas primary, with its 228 delegates at stake, could be the most influential of all the remaining state primary elections. Dallas, which offers about 67 delegates

In The News

Obama hits Clinton on NAFTA support in drive to win crucial Ohio ... International Herald Tribune Barack Obama hammered Hillary Rodham Clinton on her long record of support for a free-trade agreement unpopular with working-class voters as he pushed to win next week's Ohio primary and possibly force his rival from the Democratic presidential race. ..... Obama has won 11 straight primaries and caucuses this month ..... Bill Clinton has said publicly his wife probably needs to win both of them if she is to capture the Democratic presidential nomination. .... In Ohio, polls show Clinton with a narrowing lead .... "He thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush and eight years later I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about," Obama said.
Thousands pack University of Toledo stadium for Obama rally Detroit Free Press The first Barack Obama fan arrived at the University of Toledo at 3:45 a.m. today, anxious to see the political phenomenon. ...... By 3:45 p.m., Savage Hall at the university was packed with more than 10,000 adoring supporters ..... politics that aren’t about tearing people down, but lifting people up
Political Memo Somber Clinton Soldiers On as the Horizon Darkens New York Times she has the perspective of a realist: someone has to lose. ...... To her longtime friends, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton sounds unusually philosophical on the phone these days. She rarely uses phrases like “when I’m president” anymore. ..... Mrs. Clinton has begun thanking some of her major supporters for helping her run ....... she no longer exudes the supreme confidence that was her trademark before the first defeat, in Iowa .... she is also a cold, hard realist about politics ....... “She has a real military discipline that, now that times are tough, has really kicked into gear” ..... she knows that there will be an end ...... Over take-out meals and late-night drinks, some regrets and recriminations have set in, and top aides have begun to face up to the campaign’s possible end after the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4. ........ expressed frustration with the difficulty of “running against a phenomenon” ...... not planning a political strategy to compete in the primaries after Feb. 5. ..... 700 people, $100 million, nationwide offices ...... Morale is low. After 13 months of dawn-to-dark seven-day weeks, the staff is exhausted. Some have taken to going home early — 9 p.m. — turning off their BlackBerrys, and polishing off bottles of wine ....... Some advisers have been heard yelling at close friends and colleagues. ..... Others have taken several days off, despite it being crunch time. Some have grown depressed ...... some of her major fund-raisers have begun playing down their roles, asking reporters to refer to them simply as “donors” ....... she had been a better candidate than her campaign strategy and operation reflected. ...... she talks to her aides on the trail and at headquarters about the tasks at hand, pursuing them in checklist fashion —impressing some with her hardiness, while suggesting a joyless or workmanlike feel to others. ...... “Hillary is not a fatalistic person — this is no woe-is-me woman.” ....... “I am honored to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honored,” she said. “And you know, whatever happens, we’re going to be fine.” .... to some friends, she is in fact acting differently; to others, the situation has become simply heartbreaking. ..... When Mr. Clinton said last week that his wife had to win in Texas and Ohio, it was not only the first public admission by a senior member of her circle that her candidacy was on the line, it was also a moment that deepened the feeling of shock felt by some of her supporters. ....... Clinton has not retreated into a shell. She asks her aides about their children, spouses and partners. ...... has pointedly not talked to her staff about the notion that she might drop out someday.

The Early Word: Hard Times for Hillary Clinton New York Times speculation that her closing debate remarks amounted to a concession
Clinton Takes Strong Exception To Tactics of Obama Campaign Washington Post "the sudden change in tone" and questioning Clinton's timing, ahead of Sunday newspaper deadlines and with another debate three days away. ...... "She's the champ, she's part of the Democratic network in Washington, and if you're the title holder, then you don't lose it on points. You've got to be knocked out."

Yellow Roses

the sovereign nose of your arrogant face












Love Sonnet XLV: Don't go far off, not even for a day, because--/because--I don't know how to say it: a day is long/and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station/when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep./ Don't leave me, even for an hour, because/then the little drops of anguish will all run/together,/the smoke that roams looking for a home will drift/into me, choking my lost heart........ may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance./Don't leave me for a second, my dearest,/ because in that moment you'll have gone so far/I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,/Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?

Love Sonnet XVII: I love you as certain dark things are loved,/secretly, between the shadow and the soul. ....... I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,/I love you simply, without problems or pride:/I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving...... so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

Love Sonnet XI: I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair./Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets...... all day/I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps...... I want to eat your skin like a whole almond. ....... I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,/the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,....... hunting for you, for your hot heart,/like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

Rabbits Birthing Rabbits

Being Fair To Justin Krebs

"You just met me!"

That was him saying meeting many times is not what does it, or you have met me many many times, and nothing has happened. Take this guy with you right now. It is okay this is the first meeting.

He is like. I am your friend. I will move you from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I will engineer a step-up for you. This is a banker lady. She floats in money. You don't look like no banker to me.

Krebs is a political entrepreneur extraordinaire. Rabbits birthing rabbits, that is his organization.

First day he saw me, he ordered pizza for everybody when he saw me eat hot dogs, and we had not even talked yet. Besides, how did he find out I am kind of crazy about pizza? But by the time pizza got there, I had had three hot dogs, so I was not able to eat the pizza. It felt like such a missed opportunity. I felt stupid. Damn those hot dogs. I never saw him do that again: order pizza for everybody.

And for the longest time I did not know he was a Harvard guy. Like for months. Then one day an Indian college friend of his shows up, a doctor now in Memphis, just passing through town. I gravitate to the only other Indian. We talk. He says he is a friend of Justin. I am not impressed. That is what people say in this town to impress you. Oh, hello, I am a friend of Justin.

Then he says he is a college friend. That got my attention. Really? And where was that?

"Harvard."

"Justin went to Harvard!?" I said in mock disbelief.



My Third World People Don't Get To Vote In This City

I am a Third World guy, that is who I am. That is my identity for this lifetime. I think about deaths on a daily basis. Deaths to stupid violence, petty disease. My company's mission statement is to do with the fact that it is the internet that will bridge the gulf between the so-called First World, and Third World.

There was a lone Chinese guy at the Irish Rogue debate watch that I mention in my previous post, he was sitting all alone, so I approached him. And he says, hi, I am a friend of Justin. I had never seen him before, have not since.

Being Fair To Dan Berger

How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head

One day I got an email from Dan Berger. Hello, this is Dan Berger from DL21C - as if I would mistake him for any other Dan Berger - can I have your number, I needed to call you up. He got my number but never called me up.

I think that was after I had shared Barack's Harvard Law classmate story with Caputo over email. I met Terrence Yang at the Texas debate watch party. He was with an Indian friend of his. "Meet Samir."

Who is this guy Dan Berger, and why is he so unusual?

Berger was saying. It was not a banker thing. It was a DL21C thing. You are a weird guy who shows up for all DL21C events but refuses to join the organization. She asked for your number, I asked for your number.

The Jewish Identity In New York City

At the NYU event, I was making small talk to Berger. So if Hillay were to become president, do you think Rangel will become Senator? I did not realize Elizabeth had come to stand next to me by then. Berger did.

"I am hot!" he said. As in, you are trying to show off to me that you are a hot guy.

Why else would Caputo come stand next to me other that I am a hot guy?

Being Fair To Liz

I am talking to Lee Motayed, this young Indian woman. In front of me is a chair. On that chair is Liz' bag. She comes and gets it and walks to some other part of the room. It is called right to private property. That is my bag on that chair, and I can pick it up.

I think I misunderstood.

At the 2006 victory party, Caputo did the exact same thing to me. I did not see her put her bag near me. But I did see her pick it up and take it away. I said, oh, hey. She did not respond. She was mad.



Online Autobiography: Being Fair To Me

Autobiography

I don't think I could have thought in terms of a relationship, or even my company if I had not spilled it all out. I needed that to become whole again, something ongoing. I needed to get stuff out of the system.

I am guilty of some random lashing out at random white guys. Sometimes I have a valid reason to do so, sometimes I don't. It is better to work further on the online autobiography than to engage in random lashing. I am going to lash stronger for valid business and political moves. So I should save the energy and not go after potential allies and friends.

This is a progressive city, the progressive capital of the world. We are all progressives around here.

Being Fair To Mike Lupinachi

What he did at the Rangel event, and at the event after that: that was poetry. Pollak pulled the same poetry at the December Baby party. Cordelia walked over to me for two seconds at that party. She is here!

Being Fair To Lewis Cohen

Lewis Cohen, the DFNYC grand wizard. At the Washington governor event, I said to him, "Lewis Cohen, important guy!" He really liked that. This guy is saying I am an important guy.

Bobby

Bobby Jindal became governor of Louisiana. DL21C did an event with a Louisiana Senator not long after. The beginning and the end of that event was a little unpleasant to me, end more than beginning.

Moral of the story is, Caputo's Republican opponent is going to be Jindal.

But don't mistake me for Bobby. I am better looking. My name is not Anglo. I am a Buddhist. I converted to Buddhism in Bible Belt Kentucky. I am a progressive. Bobby never ignited a French Revolution, so you could say I am smarter.

Some day I am going to say to the Indians of the world, if the idea is to take pride in an Indian, why can't you take pride in me? Why do you need Bobby?

But the split second shouting match with Berger was good for me. Getting angry was an icebreaker. Otherwise I was getting socially ossified. I should get angry more often. Vent it, just vent it.


Small Town

You know 50 people and you know all the progressives in town. You meet some of the same people over and over again.

Weak Social Muscles

That has been the price to pay for some amazing 2.0 work.

The Clinton Dynasty

Hillary dispatched hubby Bill to South Carolina. Obama won that state in a landslide. Hillary dispatched daughter Chelsea to Hawaii. The landslide there was bigger.

I am thinking the Clintons as a political dynasty are overrated. What do you think?

The Kennedys on the other hand have oomph. Look what Caroline and Ted endorsements did to Obama 08. We have not had to look back since.

Ohio

Everybody thinks we will take Texas.

I am thinking we will take Ohio as well. The momentum is so obvious. Besides, I am gonna be there.

Going To Ohio
Rabbits Birthing Rabbits

In The News

Hillary Should Get Out Now Newsweek to withdraw this week would be the best thing imaginable for Hillary's political career ...... In Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22, the Clinton campaign did not even file full delegate slates. That's how sure they were of putting Obama away on Super Tuesday. ....... It's time to stop overlearning the lesson of New Hampshire. .... He has brought up his game so sharply ...... the odds of Hillary's looking bad on March 4 are high ..... the Clintons approach power the way hard-core gun owners approach a weapon—they'll give it up only when it's wrenched from their cold, dead fingers ..... These are the same loyalists who told Hillary that she was inevitable, that experience was a winning theme, that going negative in a nice state like Iowa would work, that all Super Tuesday caucus states could be written off. The Hillary who swallowed all that will never withdraw. ...... She described what "an honor" it was to be in a campaign with Barack Obama, and seemed to mean it.
Nepal government hopeful of end to ethnic unrest AFP In Nepal, hill-origin elites dominate local and national government as well as the security forces.
Utah's superdelegates having second thoughts in light of Obama ... Salt Lake Tribune Obama's commanding victory in Utah's Feb. 5 vote has softened their support for Clinton. Obama, who is considered the front runner after winning 11 contests in a row, took 57 percent of the vote in Utah to Clinton's 39 percent. ..... the excitement of an Obama candidacy will boost the chances of Utah Democrats running in state races. ...... Obama has picked up 25 superdelegates in the past two weeks, while Clinton has lost two
Superdelegates Are Flocking to Obama The Associated Press
Superdelegates switching allegiance to Obama Guardian Unlimited
Democrats focus on Ohio as Clinton denies looming defeat AFP
Ohio, Texas Uphill Climbs for Clinton The Associated Press independents and crossover Republicans are welcome to vote in their Democratic primaries. .... The political calendar of late winter has been less than kind to the embattled presidential contender, who once figured that a big day in early February would affirm her march to the presidential nomination and the rest would be icing. Instead, it's been slippery ice at every turn ..... Among independents, Obama is leading Clinton by 14 percentage points in Ohio and by 13 in Texas ... In the 22 contested Democratic primaries so far, independents made up 22 percent of the vote and they supported Obama by an overwhelming margin of 64 percent to 33 percent. Crossover Republicans, a far smaller percentage in the Democratic primaries, backed him 55-33. ..... the kind of grunt work where Obama's forces have excelled ...... Clinton's lead in Ohio polling has slipped into single digits, less than half of what it was only weeks ago. .... The awarding of half a delegate comes from expatriate and U.S. territorial Democratic contests.
Clinton Soldiers On Despite Setbacks Washington Post
Clinton: "Shame on You, Barack Obama" CBS News Clinton slammed Obama and his campaign for distributing mailings to Ohio voters attacking Clinton’s universal health care plan and her position on NAFTA. ..... Meet me in Ohio and let’s have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign
Clinton on the ropes: How she got there Seattle Times She had everything going for her. The most famous name in politics. A solid lead in the polls. At least $133 million. ..... an unusually gifted speaker with a face that appeals deeply to the Democratic Party. He also had a better-organized campaign. ..... She chose an inexperienced campaign manager, crafted a message that didn't match the moment, fielded poor organizations in key states, and built a budget that ran dry when she needed money most. ...... "To think that someone named Clinton with $130 million could end up here is amazing" ....... the New York senator has fallen awfully far awfully fast. .... she'll be a heavy underdog in Mississippi and delegate-rich North Carolina. ..... "He is a once-in-a-generation politician." ..... Starting with Iowa, Clinton was outhustled and outorganized in almost every state that had caucuses rather than primaries. ...... "They seemed to give up on organization," one Democratic strategist said. "To lose every caucus but Nevada is to say we do not care about organization. ...... "There was never any concept of how South Carolina should be addressed in terms of identifying voters and getting them out. The skill set of people in the Clinton campaign was pretty low, and there was no central guidance or direction. They had plenty of resources; money wasn't a problem. They just didn't execute." ..... Worse, Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, hit Obama heading into the South Carolina primary in terms that struck many African Americans as racially charged. ...... "They blew up in South Carolina," said a white Democrat who worked in the Clinton White House. "It changed everybody's perceptions of them." ..... he's a better speaker. He has a better speech ..... "Bill Clinton had people who had run campaigns. Patti and Maggie were there by virtue of their personal loyalty, not their campaign experience." ..... "Every decision that was made — whether it was spending or the message or what states to invest in — was a collaborative process," the other strategist said. "It's unfair to Patti to blame her. It was a ministerial position."