Media Smear On Obama's Name
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Rama, Whatever The F___ His Name Is
Barack, Fox, MLK, Mandela
Bill O'Reilly: A Right Wing Gadfly
I went to the debate watch party near Times Square hosted by I-can-really-project-my-voice Justin Krebs' Drinking Liberally, Elizabeth Caputo's DL21C, and Tracey Denton's DFNYC, and Act Now. By the time it was all over, I was feeling deeply angry.
It was like Barack Obama did not even exist during the first hour of the debate. It felt to me like Kucinich got more time than my man Barack.
What was the formula Tim Russert used? If he had used the national poll numbers, Barack would have got at least half the time Hillary did. And Mike Gravel would have been off stage, which would have been a tragedy, since he is the one who stole the show today. As the man with nothing to lose, he spoke his mind. He is the one who got me into body shaking laughter a few different times.
I made a point to not go to an all Obama debate watching party, and there were several all across town, including a few where I was sure to meet some of the good friends I have made being involved with the campaign.
I wanted to go out there and gauge the public opinion. I wanted to see where we stood on neutral territory. These are some of the top all season organizations in the city that have been around for a while.
And I was pleasantly surprised. In terms of the number and loudness of shouts, we were way ahead of the competition. There were a few Edwards people. And there was one Hillary staffer who stood out.
We are doing good, New York. I feel like we are on our way to delivering on the promise I made to Barack the first time ever I met him. We will deliver New York to you for the primary, I said.
I like Hillary. She is a strong, smart, pragmatic woman. But the game has to be played fair.
Tim Russert ignoring Barack was too in the face.
Barack can not be what he is not. He has to be who he is. And that is what he has been doing. He was born biracial, he grew up white, he grew up partly in a Third World country, he went to America's top schools, he married a strong, smart, amazing black woman, he has two cute kids.
That is who he is. He can not be anything else.
America is ready for Barack. America is ready for someone of Barack's many heritages.
A few days back I suggested he should talk about his mother. That was not my way of saying he should emphasize his whiteness. That was me saying it is so obvious to me that your intense passion on health care seems to stem at least partly from your mother's premature death. And I think you should talk about it. That humanizes a complex policy issue.
Who today remembers the top newspaper names from Abraham Lincoln's time? Tim Russert is not even a footnote in history. Barack is history itself.
I saw a bunch of people. People that I have kind of come to know from going to various political events over the past two years. They fall in categories.
There are some who you only meet at events maybe once every few months, you exchange greetings, make some small talk, you are on positive terms, but not close. You don't email each other or call each other.
Then there are those who you got to know the name and face of, but who broke one of the ground rules, and you are not on terms with.
Then there are the in between awkward types. You would talk, you would not. Do we know each other well enough to hold a free-wheeling conversation?
And a few who you talk when you meet in person, who you also talk with over email and the phone. Those are few.
I have to have freewheeling conversations all three ways. That is my preferred style. People who can only communicate when they meet in person, they are too pre-Web 2.0.
For the most part, it is about experiencing the event. There is a beginning, a middle and an end. And it is over.
And then there are characters. People who you have never met before, will likely never see again, you don't end up talking, but who react to you, in one way or another.
I had my video camera with me. I have been uploading hours of New York City For Barack Obama videos. I edit while filming, and that is the only editing that happens. I put it up on Google Video one hour at a time. I have named myself The Obama Guy.
Today I took a few minutes of video of the people who were there, and a few minutes from the debates. At one point, I found myself pointing my camera at this other TV screen since that seemed to have a better resolution. What was on the TV screen was the only thing on my camera screen. Barack was talking.
About four steps away, this guy who Elizabeth was talking to made a point to stand between my camera and her, as if to make sure I don't get her on camera. He has to take two steps to do that: it was basically like having to switch sides with Caputo. I was very tempted to walk over to him. "There is this tattoo on your forehead. It says white trash. Were you born with it? Or did you get it later on? I own this city, you just live in it. Where do you live? What do you do? Who made the mistake of hiring you? How much longer do you plan on being a guest in this city?"
Silicon City
Plenty of DFNYC people were there. Ah, the ground rules. Rule 1, there are parts of my life where you don't belong. Rule 2, don't make racist comments, ever, like ever.
To Tim Russert's credit, Boy George George Stephanopoulos was trying to pull the same stunt at the Iowa debate. Barack handled that so well, he won that debate. He talked about how he had prepared for that debate by riding the bumper cars at the state fair. Boy George had invited everyone to jump on Barack's so-called lack of experience for 20 minutes prior.
Today Barack responded by talking about his wife a few different times. If my mother makes me white, my wife makes me black, and I am claiming every inch of her heritage, he seemed to be saying.
That is the right thing to do, that comes naturally to Obama, but that is also good politics. The million plus donors Obama will have by the time January is over like him for the package deal.
It was good to see Howard Dean in the debate audience on TV.
Iowa Debate
Iowa Debate: Obama Clear Winner
One Debate A Month Is Enough: More Town Hall Meetings, Fewer Debates
Got To Tackle The Debates
Winner Of The Debate: YouTube
PBS Debate: Hillary Was Strong, Barack Was Warm, Edwards Was Composed
1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Submit Your Questions For The Debates
Barack, You Can Do Debates
DNC Needs To Take Over The Monthly Debates
One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
Debates Matter: The Election Is On
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
South Carolina Debate
New Media Narrative: Hillary Pulling Away
To Tim Russert's credit, the dude might just have bought into the hype and might have decided to give the bulk of his time to Hillary.
Hillary was 48% in February, she is 47% today. How is she pulling away?
Woman Power
The Grassroots Power Woman
Caputo had a woman introduce her organization today. At the last DL21C event I went to, it was another woman. She looks like she is preparing for a Hillary presidency. If she feels about Hillary, the way I feel about Obama, she must be feeling it pretty strongly.
Curiously I was as crazy about Hillary as I am for Obama now before Obama said he might run. Then I switched.
DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll
Debate Watch Party
Very few people at the party seemed to be actually watching the debate. Most people were busy talking to each other. America is not tuned in yet. Also, people don't expect to hear anything new from any of the candidates on any of the issues.
February To September: Little Change
Osama Obama, To Ignore Obama
The media has made a stride on Obama. It is not going to fly.
How To Tackle
If the white boys are going to want to continue acting shi_less, Barack is going to have to respond. One is to do what he did during the Iowa debate. He used humor to his advantage and turned the tables on Boy George.
Another idea I have been thinking about even before this Tim Russert stunt is, don't use only YouTube, also use Google Video. Produce hour length videos. It does not matter if tens of millions of voters never watch it. But the talking heads, the pundits, the journos, the hard core volunteers will. And that matters.
Barack Obama has to use Google Video to show off his policy wonk side. His second book has plenty of policy talk. Now he has bring that part of him out in video.
Spectrumize All Policy Issues
Health Care As A Spectrum
The Spectrum Concept: Wide Applications
The Spectrum On Gender
The Spectrum/Dialogue Concept Is Key To Power
Figure out the top 10 policy issues. On each get 10 individuals to represent the complete spectrum on each issue. Prepare hour long videos that you put on Google Video. You have to be seen exploring all the issues more than anything. And you revisit once every few months as necessary.
This is also be a slap in the face of those who, contrary to all evidence, have been trying to project Obama as all music and no lyrics.
Obama: More Than A Pretty Face
Obama has to use Google Video to show off his policy work side. Show off your brain trust.
Obama 2008 Has To Become Its Own Media
Google Video allows you to do that.
In The News
In a debate Edwards assails Clinton over Iraq Reuters
NH Democratic Debate Offers Fall Preview New York Times, United States 55 percent of voters say they have yet to decide on a candidate.
Presidential hopefuls resort to gimmicks MSNBC
Democrats Prepare for Granite State Debate Washington Post, United States
Can Clinton Be Stopped? Washington Post, United States The Hillary Clinton who appeared on five Sunday morning shows was a formidable political candidate: poised, polished, knowledgeable. The package she presented was designed to send a message to her Democratic rivals: catch me if you can. ....... She now sits atop the Democratic field, in a tier by herself. She has achieved that by performing at a consistently high level in debates and on the campaign trail, along with help from a campaign that has been largely free of major mistakes. She showed Sunday she could stand in against some of the best pitching in political journalism. ....... The rush to anoint Clinton as an inevitable nominee overlooks the history of nomination battles ...... What happens before the voters are heard from is not unimportant, but it is rarely decisive. ...... What could trip up Clinton? Many things: a scandal, a mistake or an unexpected event -- although mistakes seem the least likely given what has transpired to date. The most likely is a defeat and that certainly appears most possible in Iowa. ..... Iowa's electorate is notoriously picky about its choices. The voters there demand considerable attention and, even when they get it from the candidates, wait until the last minute to make up their minds. ...... An Obama victory in Iowa would deal a serious -- though not fatal -- setback to Clinton. Although Clinton has a lead in New Hampshire today, Obama has a potentially receptive electorate in New Hampshire because of the sizeable number of independents who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary. If Obama were to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton then would be in deep trouble. ...... Clinton is acting as if her whole campaign depends on Iowa -- and it may. ...... after the week she just wrapped up -- her most dominating week
of the campaign to day
Democrats to debate Iraq, health care USA Today
Obama is Stuck American Enterprise Institute, DC Her appeal is back to the future. .... His remarkable ascension in Democratic politics has been halted, and unless something changes, all he'll have is the consolation prize of first runner-up.
Dartmouth Debate: Gunning for Clinton New York Sun, NY
Is It Last Call Tonight For Obama And Edwards? Huffington Post, NY The previous debates, all 356,897 of them, were the pre-season of politics. The warm-ups when the candidates got ready for when the leaves change, the weather turns cold, the races, hot. ..... in Barack's case, monumental failure to make the case that they are alternatives to Senator Clinton. The failure is total and will be complete in another 30 days. ...... the poverty issue is not the most pressing issue of the day, Iraq is. .... Obama ... Too bad he has many of the same advisors and strategy that drove Edwards down the tubes in 2004. ... Too bad he talks the talk of "hope and change" but walks the walk with the most inner circle D.C. traditional campaign folks of any campaign (including Hillary) .... Too bad he didn't surround himself with more friends and less consultants. ..... Too bad he is going to bring in thousands of new people to the party and leave them disillusioned by the business as usual campaign. ...... My free advice to Barack Obama is the same advice I gave to John Kerry in October / November 2003. Right now, it should be clear to you that the path you're on ends with you giving a concession speech sometime in early 2008. Guaranteed. ...... So immediately gather your best and your oldest friends. Jettison the consultants and the beltway advisors. Become true to yourself and give yourself a chance. ...... Hillary is one of those people who you think you know, but you really don't. .... to her great credit, she has done what she did in New York State where she know has a resounding 81 percent favorable rating. ........ Clinton, the national frontrunner, has the support of 43 percent of Granite State Democrats, according to the CNN/WMUR poll, compared to 20 percent for Barack Obama. In a similar poll in July, Clinton led Obama by a narrower margin, 36 percent to 27 percent. .... Al Gore, you ask? .... He wins the Nobel Prize on October 14th.
Previewing Tonight's Debate RealClearPolitics Blog
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