One can only imagine how difficult sitting at that desk can be. That desk sitting in the Oval Office, a symbol of unparalleled power wielded by the man standing in the office. It is easy, painfully easy, to forget the tremendous amount of pressure that must come with it. Many times, a man’s shortcomings eclipse the office. And lesser men, of the press, of the political machine, of the national constituency, jump upon him like ravenous, bloodthirsty piranhas. For good reason. To stand in the same shoes as men who have lead this country means to be measured on the same scale. For an individual to truly be a patriot, he must question, protest, detest and if the situation warrants it, praise and admire the man standing in the office. Concurrently, respect for the office must be maintained.
George Walker Bush, at 62, is the textbook profile of a man on the verge of leaving behind a legacy of catastrophic failure. In his desperation, he sits in that desk 20 years aged when only seven have passed. The lines on his face have deepened; his eyes sunken back and sagged while the once confident, perpetual smirk of a faux Texas cowboy has faded into the wakes of countless political lobotomies. He has managed to make Jimmy Carter’s administration seem effective and Nixon seem like an angel by comparison. If this man, in desperation, cannot turn around this ominous legacy, his is doomed to be a pariah for his party. The historians will write him off as the American people’s first Great Failure of the 21st century. He has one year.
His job approval rating has oscillated between extremes. In the ensuing four months after the fall of the towers it peaked at 90%. At the end of his first term, it steadily declined over 55 points. The decline continued into the second term to near Carter, Hoover and Nixon levels as the Iraq war and numerous scandals bogged down his administration. Some opine that such a staggering squander of support is unprecedented in history. Indeed, to go from universally loved to a lame duck who could barely win re-election to an empty suit within three years is quite the accomplishment.
Two wars. Two Supreme Court Justices. The scandals of Libby, Rove, Gonzales, Abramoff. A looming economic crisis. A nation’s image tarnished. An entire opposition party mollified, marginalized and nullified. The rise and tumultuous fall of the neo-conservative. The betrayal of Reagan’s legacy. A writer, any individual, can create a shopping list of failure if they were bored enough. Bush’s administration, Rove and Cheney’s brilliant strategies, have transformed the party founded by Lincoln into its current dismal state.
Despite high approval ratings in his own party, the GOP candidates seeking to replace him distance themselves. They turn their heads blindly to the past, fooling themselves into thinking that they are not replacing Bush, but Reagan. The current campaign trail marks a new direction with the Republicans.
Unlike the 2004 election, the Democrats are unified. Their candidates are not transient, anthropomorphic personifications of loosely connected ideals of the New Left. They have a consistent method, and the voters have already spoken in 2006 that they are tired of anything concerning the current man sitting in office. So Romney, McCain and Guiliani adapt, making themselves men without the most powerful politician in Washington.
Like most presidents who descend from the office, Bush has the option of fading into obscurity or making himself useful. Clinton’s second term saw him face impeachment and placed into $20 million in debt, so it wouldn’t be the first time a President faced an uphill battle. Things are not bleak for Bush’s future. He still raises absurd amounts of money for the Republican party in fund raising and he’s still loved by the far right. But in the eyes of everyone else, especially in the silent majority, he must focus on something that will conclude his presidency with a bang. His current crusades in the Middle East will not accomplish this. Just like they failed to make this country a better place to live.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Arrogance and Hubris in the Face of Hopelessness
Saturday was a busy day for politicians and journalists seeking to keep track of the riveting, tiring campaign drama of a historic election to replace the man who turned the desk in the Oval Office into the world’s most glorified temp job. The Democratic caucus in Nevada was mired in vicious, visceral mudslinging concerning race and Reagan while the Republican caucus in South Carolina was decidedly more civil despite the palpable, electrifying dislike for Mitt Romney.
This weekend the American citizens were witness to the glorious downfall of the Huckabee campaign. Bursting into a searing ball of rhetorical flame, as his campaign miserably failed to appeal to the base issues which mattered most to GOP voters in South Carolina. Unable to capitalize on his victory in Iowa and running out of money, many commentators are wondering if Huckabee will be able to sustain his campaign through February 5, where 24 states will have their primaries simultaneously.
One CNN correspondent wondered Saturday night if it would be a matter of hubris for him to stay in the race at this point. But Huckbee remains optimistic, retreating to the Chuck Norris Ranch, (I’m not kidding, they actually call it that), the very next day to call upon the famed actor’s Godlike powers bestowed to him by people on the Internet with too much time on their hands. Or “fundraising,” as the correspondent put so euphemistically.
John Mccain, showing his appeal to Independants and military personnel both active and retired, managed to overcome his initial struggles to become the main contender in the Republican primary to take on Mitt Romney, who won a landslide victory in Nevada.
It’s no secret that Romney’s colleagues despise him with unparalleled vehemence, so many pundits are editorializing that the main players in the Republican party are endorsing McCain now because they see he’s the most electable candidate able to take on either of the current Democratic frontrunners.
Despite losing the popular vote, Obama managed to gain more delegates than Clinton, his 13 to her 12. This is possible because the Democratic counting for delegates are proportional to the population that supports them by the congressional districts of the state. Of the caucuses that have voted thus far, Obama is narrowly ahead 38 to Clinton’s 36.
The only loser this weekend was John Edwards, the only man this century to be a lame duck before ever taking office. Last time a politician from the South ran for consecutive failed attempts for the highest office in the land, he did everything in his power to start the Civil War. I’m hoping the politician with the coolest hair in the land doesn’t become so bitter.
The next stop for Republican is Florida, where Mr. 9/11 has been spending a tremendous amount of time and money. Despite that, the four major GOP players are in a narrow race and although they have been civil thus far, it remains to be seem if the candidates remain so nice, where FL is considerably more diverse and complicated to campaign in.
This weekend the American citizens were witness to the glorious downfall of the Huckabee campaign. Bursting into a searing ball of rhetorical flame, as his campaign miserably failed to appeal to the base issues which mattered most to GOP voters in South Carolina. Unable to capitalize on his victory in Iowa and running out of money, many commentators are wondering if Huckabee will be able to sustain his campaign through February 5, where 24 states will have their primaries simultaneously.
One CNN correspondent wondered Saturday night if it would be a matter of hubris for him to stay in the race at this point. But Huckbee remains optimistic, retreating to the Chuck Norris Ranch, (I’m not kidding, they actually call it that), the very next day to call upon the famed actor’s Godlike powers bestowed to him by people on the Internet with too much time on their hands. Or “fundraising,” as the correspondent put so euphemistically.
John Mccain, showing his appeal to Independants and military personnel both active and retired, managed to overcome his initial struggles to become the main contender in the Republican primary to take on Mitt Romney, who won a landslide victory in Nevada.
It’s no secret that Romney’s colleagues despise him with unparalleled vehemence, so many pundits are editorializing that the main players in the Republican party are endorsing McCain now because they see he’s the most electable candidate able to take on either of the current Democratic frontrunners.
Despite losing the popular vote, Obama managed to gain more delegates than Clinton, his 13 to her 12. This is possible because the Democratic counting for delegates are proportional to the population that supports them by the congressional districts of the state. Of the caucuses that have voted thus far, Obama is narrowly ahead 38 to Clinton’s 36.
The only loser this weekend was John Edwards, the only man this century to be a lame duck before ever taking office. Last time a politician from the South ran for consecutive failed attempts for the highest office in the land, he did everything in his power to start the Civil War. I’m hoping the politician with the coolest hair in the land doesn’t become so bitter.
The next stop for Republican is Florida, where Mr. 9/11 has been spending a tremendous amount of time and money. Despite that, the four major GOP players are in a narrow race and although they have been civil thus far, it remains to be seem if the candidates remain so nice, where FL is considerably more diverse and complicated to campaign in.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
It takes a special kind of sociopath to be an addict of politics.
Obama seems to have picked up another endorsement. This time, from Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy. Here are the interesting things I could dig up about him: He likes Batman and he's passionate about landmines.
Other than that, he's your typical middle of the road moderate Democrat who managed to be repeatedly bashed in the face by Rove's forces. I suppose it's a significant endorsement because he's a sixth term senior senator and one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington. He was also one of the few who voted against the Iraq war and opposed the Patriot Act in all forms.
Apparently, he's also the first and only Democrat Senator to be elected in the state of Vermont since the Civil War. Which is crazy once you realize that Vermont, historically, has always been a very blue state. It's a slow day in politics.
Other than that, he's your typical middle of the road moderate Democrat who managed to be repeatedly bashed in the face by Rove's forces. I suppose it's a significant endorsement because he's a sixth term senior senator and one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington. He was also one of the few who voted against the Iraq war and opposed the Patriot Act in all forms.
Apparently, he's also the first and only Democrat Senator to be elected in the state of Vermont since the Civil War. Which is crazy once you realize that Vermont, historically, has always been a very blue state. It's a slow day in politics.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Most Successful Hopeless Candidate
If the elections were held in the 19th century where the tallest guy with the best looking hair and smile could win an election just by showing up, then John Edwards would win in a landslide. Unfortunately for him, this is two centuries later. (voters are smarter now and less superficial, right?) His second failed bid for the presidential crown has him running against media-ordained political celebrities. To be fair, it’s really bad luck for him to be running against potential history makers of both gender and race. Nonetheless, despite his numerous shortcomings, Edwards steadfastly remains the most successful hopeless candidate.
I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the Johnny Depp of politics. A man who has plenty of adoring fans and is pretty decent at what he does. But in the end, no one who actually matters will show support for him when it counts. As proven in 2004, being the supposed sexiest guy in the room doesn’t get you to the White House. According to a poll conducted by the Reno Gazette-Journal, Edwards is in third place trailing the frontrunner by 5% while national polls show him at a dismal third place with 9% to second-place Obama’s 38%.
In the past, Edwards managed to get elected running as a moderate Democrat in North Carolina, a historically red state but as time went on, Edwards departed from the ideals championed by his original constituents for politically greener pastures.
His most vocal critics point out that because of the problems in North Carolina, many who voted for him feel betrayed by his turnaround on several issues and his ultimate abandoning of them. There was no way Edwards could have been re-elected to his senate seat in NC because of this. In an attempt to save his political career he oscillated conveniently further to the left and launched his presidential campaign.
Joe Trippi, a Edward’s camp senior advisor and well known political consultant is relying on the “slide back and recover” campaign strategy. The reality is that he’s the cool guy that no one will vote for. So instead of dropping out of the race and letting the two frontrunners duke it out, his campaign twiddles its thumbs waiting for either of them to win. Frankly, Edwards has nothing better to do.
“The more the press continues to focus on these people and how it’s all about them, the rest of the country is saying ‘please tell us there is somebody else,’” Trippi wishfully thinks.
Here’s another reality: when your former running mate endorses your competition on the day you arrive to town, a town in your home state, and you’re currently trailing by double digits in this state, your chances of building any sort of momentum to carry to Super Tuesday are pretty much hopeless.
But to hope they desperately cling: many pundits and polls predict that out of all three candidates, Edwards is the most electable, never mind the fact the same polls show that all three candidates could probably win no matter who wins the Republican primary. Democrats are feeling good about their options, but not about Edwards.
If things continue like this for Edwards, he will continue trudging on in this futile pursuit, slowly fading into obscurity as he smiles that charming smile of a man who ultimately stands for nothing. He will be remembered in this historic election as nothing more than a mere footnote, going the way of such names as Kerry, Dukakis, Clay and Calhoun, leaving behind a tattered legacy of politically nihilistic, yet expedient policy shifts.
I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the Johnny Depp of politics. A man who has plenty of adoring fans and is pretty decent at what he does. But in the end, no one who actually matters will show support for him when it counts. As proven in 2004, being the supposed sexiest guy in the room doesn’t get you to the White House. According to a poll conducted by the Reno Gazette-Journal, Edwards is in third place trailing the frontrunner by 5% while national polls show him at a dismal third place with 9% to second-place Obama’s 38%.
In the past, Edwards managed to get elected running as a moderate Democrat in North Carolina, a historically red state but as time went on, Edwards departed from the ideals championed by his original constituents for politically greener pastures.
His most vocal critics point out that because of the problems in North Carolina, many who voted for him feel betrayed by his turnaround on several issues and his ultimate abandoning of them. There was no way Edwards could have been re-elected to his senate seat in NC because of this. In an attempt to save his political career he oscillated conveniently further to the left and launched his presidential campaign.
Joe Trippi, a Edward’s camp senior advisor and well known political consultant is relying on the “slide back and recover” campaign strategy. The reality is that he’s the cool guy that no one will vote for. So instead of dropping out of the race and letting the two frontrunners duke it out, his campaign twiddles its thumbs waiting for either of them to win. Frankly, Edwards has nothing better to do.
“The more the press continues to focus on these people and how it’s all about them, the rest of the country is saying ‘please tell us there is somebody else,’” Trippi wishfully thinks.
Here’s another reality: when your former running mate endorses your competition on the day you arrive to town, a town in your home state, and you’re currently trailing by double digits in this state, your chances of building any sort of momentum to carry to Super Tuesday are pretty much hopeless.
But to hope they desperately cling: many pundits and polls predict that out of all three candidates, Edwards is the most electable, never mind the fact the same polls show that all three candidates could probably win no matter who wins the Republican primary. Democrats are feeling good about their options, but not about Edwards.
If things continue like this for Edwards, he will continue trudging on in this futile pursuit, slowly fading into obscurity as he smiles that charming smile of a man who ultimately stands for nothing. He will be remembered in this historic election as nothing more than a mere footnote, going the way of such names as Kerry, Dukakis, Clay and Calhoun, leaving behind a tattered legacy of politically nihilistic, yet expedient policy shifts.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Forget Race, I'd Rather Talk About Food
“…all government, in its essence, is organize exploitation, and in virtually all of its existing forms, it is the implacable enemy of every industrious and all disposed man.” – H.L. Mencken
One longtime criticism of Liberalism is that in many ways, it seems to be out of touch with the middle and lower economic classes. Its philosophy on policy ignores the fact, for example, that a single mother living on SSI checks and food stamps is doesn't concern herself with her family's carbon footprint because she's struggling to feed her children. The liberal solution to that would be to throw money at the problem by raise taxes which puts an even stronger burden on the middle class and poor while the financially comfortable members of the left preach about how they're the voice for the people.
It seems that Nancy Pelosi's greatest (and only) achievement as Speaker of the House is changing the cafeteria's menu. The forums and blogs (also known as those festering boils on the ass of humanity), exploded today in what can be described as a seeping pus of misogynistic remarks, anti-liberal jabs and lots people saying "Do Nothing Congress" ad nauseum in a rather pathetic attempt to be clever.
Critics of Liberalism’s ideals assert that in some ways it seems to be the antithesis of individualism in that it attempts to wrench the power from the individual and place in the deserving hands of the government and the wealthy. It implies that the individual is not cognizant enough to make choices on his own (healthy or not), but that he needs to be enslaved to Stalin-like regulation to truly be free. Don't tell that to the poor (or a Cuban citizen): if you've been living on the government for a few generations it's a bit difficult to be weaned off the teat.
Someone should inform Pelosi that the average American isn't eating gourmet food imported from a country where it has a foreign name as proof that it was grown by the indigenous, hard-working peoples of…wherever. It’s good to want better food for those who work in the US House of Representatives, but it’s not good when your Martha Stweart-esque culinary makeover undermines your political party’s agenda. Like supposedly supporting your domestic farmers, for example.
Pelosi isn’t the first to make this PR catastrophe for the left. Think back to this past summer during Al Gore's Live 8 event, where the average do-gooder lefty flew in on a private jet and planted trees to "make up" for it. Read: It's okay to be bad to the environment as long as you have the money to make yourself feel better for doing it. The conservative pundits had a field day with that, too. It's no surprise that the government in general is ridiculed and that a Democratically controlled Congress has lower approval ratings than Bush, arguably the most unpopular president since Hoover.
One longtime criticism of Liberalism is that in many ways, it seems to be out of touch with the middle and lower economic classes. Its philosophy on policy ignores the fact, for example, that a single mother living on SSI checks and food stamps is doesn't concern herself with her family's carbon footprint because she's struggling to feed her children. The liberal solution to that would be to throw money at the problem by raise taxes which puts an even stronger burden on the middle class and poor while the financially comfortable members of the left preach about how they're the voice for the people.
It seems that Nancy Pelosi's greatest (and only) achievement as Speaker of the House is changing the cafeteria's menu. The forums and blogs (also known as those festering boils on the ass of humanity), exploded today in what can be described as a seeping pus of misogynistic remarks, anti-liberal jabs and lots people saying "Do Nothing Congress" ad nauseum in a rather pathetic attempt to be clever.
Critics of Liberalism’s ideals assert that in some ways it seems to be the antithesis of individualism in that it attempts to wrench the power from the individual and place in the deserving hands of the government and the wealthy. It implies that the individual is not cognizant enough to make choices on his own (healthy or not), but that he needs to be enslaved to Stalin-like regulation to truly be free. Don't tell that to the poor (or a Cuban citizen): if you've been living on the government for a few generations it's a bit difficult to be weaned off the teat.
Someone should inform Pelosi that the average American isn't eating gourmet food imported from a country where it has a foreign name as proof that it was grown by the indigenous, hard-working peoples of…wherever. It’s good to want better food for those who work in the US House of Representatives, but it’s not good when your Martha Stweart-esque culinary makeover undermines your political party’s agenda. Like supposedly supporting your domestic farmers, for example.
Pelosi isn’t the first to make this PR catastrophe for the left. Think back to this past summer during Al Gore's Live 8 event, where the average do-gooder lefty flew in on a private jet and planted trees to "make up" for it. Read: It's okay to be bad to the environment as long as you have the money to make yourself feel better for doing it. The conservative pundits had a field day with that, too. It's no surprise that the government in general is ridiculed and that a Democratically controlled Congress has lower approval ratings than Bush, arguably the most unpopular president since Hoover.
Monday, January 14, 2008
More Puerile Drama this Weekend than a tween Disney Special
It was an exciting weekend. The only thing more nauseating than Chris Matthew's repeated verbal fallatio to Obama is the fact that people are still taking Mike Huckabee seriously. For those of you out of the loop, Huckabee is a social conservative, and a true to heart economic populist who possesses a level of sanity comparible guys with names such as Pat Buchanan and Jerry Falwell.
Mitt Romney, arguably the politician with the best hair, is clinging desperately to Michigan, attempting to not follow his father's footsteps of failure over four decades ago. Meanwhile, McCain is capitalizing on the momentum gained from New Hampshire and sparring against the CEO-friendly corporate crusader. GOP leaders are flocking to McCain for support after Romney lost both New Hamspire and Iowa, causing Romney's $400 haircut to thin and gray a little.
Huckabee managed gave a pathetic speech on C-Span in which he called the music Motown underrated. As I watched, I was reminded of that guy who goes to Japan and tries to talk to girls about Anime and videogames and is surprised that the Japanese women don't like him any more than the American women do.
Watching C-SPan this morning, The Washington Post had a bunch of callers speaking their mind on politics. It's a nice gesture. One caller was a 62-year old black guy from South Carolina who insisted that everyone knows that Obama can't win the election. "The media knows it, the Republican knows it," he went on.
This cynicism seems to lurk in the shadows of the campaign trail. "We're not ready for a female president," or We're not ready for a black president," or "Barack will probably be shot if he wins." In my travels and interviews conducted, the majority of people saying things like this are the members of the superstitious and cowardly lot who stay away from actually participating in the republic. They see the political process as some arcane and mysterious force that guides their lives without their input. They don't seem to remember that we don't live in Pakistan.
I remember the cover of The Chicago Tribune last year when Obama officially announced his run for President. Headshots of Obama and Clinton with the headline: The Race is On. This weekend, with the political turmoil surrounding Clinton's comments about Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King, saw a great many black people coming out of the woodwork to slam Hillary. We once again saw Bill put on damage control and my futile and slightly naive hopes that this wouldn't turn into a race/gender issue were magnificently shattered.
According the Rasmussen Market's Data, Clinton leads Obama among white voters 41% to 26% while Obama leads Clinton 66% to 16%. It's no wonder that according to Real Clear Politics, Obama is leading Clinton 42.7% to 32% in South Carolina. CNN/Zogby/ABC are predicting that Clinton or Obama could beat any GOP candidate but they've been wrong before. Look at New Hampshire.
The 10 year anniversary of Matt Drudge's career starting is coming up on the 17th. More on Monica Lewinsky later.
Mitt Romney, arguably the politician with the best hair, is clinging desperately to Michigan, attempting to not follow his father's footsteps of failure over four decades ago. Meanwhile, McCain is capitalizing on the momentum gained from New Hampshire and sparring against the CEO-friendly corporate crusader. GOP leaders are flocking to McCain for support after Romney lost both New Hamspire and Iowa, causing Romney's $400 haircut to thin and gray a little.
Huckabee managed gave a pathetic speech on C-Span in which he called the music Motown underrated. As I watched, I was reminded of that guy who goes to Japan and tries to talk to girls about Anime and videogames and is surprised that the Japanese women don't like him any more than the American women do.
Watching C-SPan this morning, The Washington Post had a bunch of callers speaking their mind on politics. It's a nice gesture. One caller was a 62-year old black guy from South Carolina who insisted that everyone knows that Obama can't win the election. "The media knows it, the Republican knows it," he went on.
This cynicism seems to lurk in the shadows of the campaign trail. "We're not ready for a female president," or We're not ready for a black president," or "Barack will probably be shot if he wins." In my travels and interviews conducted, the majority of people saying things like this are the members of the superstitious and cowardly lot who stay away from actually participating in the republic. They see the political process as some arcane and mysterious force that guides their lives without their input. They don't seem to remember that we don't live in Pakistan.
I remember the cover of The Chicago Tribune last year when Obama officially announced his run for President. Headshots of Obama and Clinton with the headline: The Race is On. This weekend, with the political turmoil surrounding Clinton's comments about Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King, saw a great many black people coming out of the woodwork to slam Hillary. We once again saw Bill put on damage control and my futile and slightly naive hopes that this wouldn't turn into a race/gender issue were magnificently shattered.
According the Rasmussen Market's Data, Clinton leads Obama among white voters 41% to 26% while Obama leads Clinton 66% to 16%. It's no wonder that according to Real Clear Politics, Obama is leading Clinton 42.7% to 32% in South Carolina. CNN/Zogby/ABC are predicting that Clinton or Obama could beat any GOP candidate but they've been wrong before. Look at New Hampshire.
The 10 year anniversary of Matt Drudge's career starting is coming up on the 17th. More on Monica Lewinsky later.
Friday, January 11, 2008
40 Heroin Addicted Hookers for Discount Price
After I left city hall last night, a homeless man named Ippy told me of his view of politics and where I could go if I wanted to buy 40 heroin addicted hookers for discount price. This happens too often for comfort in this city. I can't seem to walk down the street without someone asking if I'm selling something or if I know anyone who's buying.
Ippy stood in front of the Main Branch library smoking a cigarette slowly with a rather sickly, thin woman in her 30s named Marion. Upon seeing me, the first thing to come out of his mouth was not about hookers and heroin but whether I was a lawyer. I noted to myself the large tattoo peeking from under Ippy's sweater and immediately decided to speak with him about the issues of the city since I had a rather interesting time in City Hall.
Ippy is a disheveled, grimy looking man in his 40s who's been living in Elkhart since April. When asked what the most important issue Elkhart is facing today, he said lack of funding for new libraries to be built. He then went on to tell me about a branch of the library that was supposed to be built but was postponed due to the fact that someone had the bright idea of building it on contaminated land and the price for cleanup far exceeded the budget for the project.
"Yeah man, there's just too much red tape to get funding for libraries and the planning sucks too." Marion, in her high pitched voice and hands which perpetually trembled, pretty much spent the entire time repeating exactly what Ippy said.
Now, it may be strange to some that a homeless man would find funding for libraries to be a huge problem. This is because typically, especially during the winter, libraries are a safe haven for the homeless. They go there to sleep, read, use the computers and sometimes eat their food. This is the same in Chicago, where the public computer section constantly smells like the sleeping quarters of a shelter.
Ippy went on about many things. It didn't surprise me that he was rather articulate and didn't rant about his situation. When asked about if he was leaving Elkhart anytime soon he simply said, "No, I don't want to leave. It's easy to find work here because there are a lot of factories and many of the temp agencies in places like South Bend don't hire convicted felons."
"Do you have any violent felonies?"
"Yes. I have 5 battery charges and numerous drug charges. Stupid shit. You know they also should increase the neighborhood watches around town. There are a lot of places to help the homeless but they're all in bad neighborhoods."
"So there's a bit of a drug problem?"
"Drugs, prostitution, you name it. It's all that way," he pointed east and moved his arm in a horizontal arc until it pointed south.
"So if I were to walk 10 blocks east I could actually see this?"
Marion interjects, "Man, you'd be right in the middle of it."
At this point I bid them both farewell and go into the library for research. Upon leaving, I walk 10 blocks to the East and after about 90 seconds I'm asked if I'm looking to score. The workers, I admit, are dedicated. I made a note to meet with Ippy again.
Ippy stood in front of the Main Branch library smoking a cigarette slowly with a rather sickly, thin woman in her 30s named Marion. Upon seeing me, the first thing to come out of his mouth was not about hookers and heroin but whether I was a lawyer. I noted to myself the large tattoo peeking from under Ippy's sweater and immediately decided to speak with him about the issues of the city since I had a rather interesting time in City Hall.
Ippy is a disheveled, grimy looking man in his 40s who's been living in Elkhart since April. When asked what the most important issue Elkhart is facing today, he said lack of funding for new libraries to be built. He then went on to tell me about a branch of the library that was supposed to be built but was postponed due to the fact that someone had the bright idea of building it on contaminated land and the price for cleanup far exceeded the budget for the project.
"Yeah man, there's just too much red tape to get funding for libraries and the planning sucks too." Marion, in her high pitched voice and hands which perpetually trembled, pretty much spent the entire time repeating exactly what Ippy said.
Now, it may be strange to some that a homeless man would find funding for libraries to be a huge problem. This is because typically, especially during the winter, libraries are a safe haven for the homeless. They go there to sleep, read, use the computers and sometimes eat their food. This is the same in Chicago, where the public computer section constantly smells like the sleeping quarters of a shelter.
Ippy went on about many things. It didn't surprise me that he was rather articulate and didn't rant about his situation. When asked about if he was leaving Elkhart anytime soon he simply said, "No, I don't want to leave. It's easy to find work here because there are a lot of factories and many of the temp agencies in places like South Bend don't hire convicted felons."
"Do you have any violent felonies?"
"Yes. I have 5 battery charges and numerous drug charges. Stupid shit. You know they also should increase the neighborhood watches around town. There are a lot of places to help the homeless but they're all in bad neighborhoods."
"So there's a bit of a drug problem?"
"Drugs, prostitution, you name it. It's all that way," he pointed east and moved his arm in a horizontal arc until it pointed south.
"So if I were to walk 10 blocks east I could actually see this?"
Marion interjects, "Man, you'd be right in the middle of it."
At this point I bid them both farewell and go into the library for research. Upon leaving, I walk 10 blocks to the East and after about 90 seconds I'm asked if I'm looking to score. The workers, I admit, are dedicated. I made a note to meet with Ippy again.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A 20 Minute Meeting
Elkhart's City Hall is a strange place. It doesn't have the nauseating ketchup smell of corruption I'm used to from Chicago's City Hall but there seems to be a heavy darkness that hangs in the air contorting everything no matter what time of the day I go into the place. Tonight was the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting and I was fully prepared to be bored out of my mind. Being new to town and knowing absolutely nothing about anything, I felt that it would be useful to know exactly how these things work while simultaneously making new contacts and sources for this little experiment of mine.
So, I walk into the City Council public meeting place and every head in the room turns to me. It was quite awkward. Suddenly, something that looked like a cross between a bulldog and a walking prune gets out of its seat and extends a hand to me.
"Hey! I'm Councilman Brian Thomas. I read your blog! You misspelled 'morale' as 'moral'." I ignored my first instinct to dropkick the walking prune and smiled, shaking his hand.
"At least you know we read it!" he continued in a condescending tone. I ignored the instinct again and asked him what he thought.
"Eh, it was okay. You should write more positive stuff." I sat down and took a minute alone to get over myself. I walked over and asked for his business card so I could contact him so we could have lunch sometime. This time, he was more friendly and I didn't have to fake my smile.
The meeting was incredibly short. The most exciting part was the Deputy City Attorney Amber J. Bressler going over the procedures for the meetings. Apparently, this was the board's first meeting in a while so there was no president nor vice-president to preside over the meetings. A rather young man in his 40s with nice hair and a good looking suit named Jordan P. Williams reluctantly accepted a nomination for president while another man in his 50s was voted vice-president.
The rest of the details are a bit fuzzy to me. There were only two petitions to be approved they were passed immediately without question and the board meeting adjourned.
I lagged behind a bit to introduce myself (again) and get business cards of people. Walking out of the dark city hall building I found myself speaking to a rather fascinating elderly woman named Mary Anne Lorentz, owner of Copys Inc and an antiques store downtown. She echoed much of the positive response I've been hearing concerning the new city administration which took office 10 days ago and schooled me on cool places to live downtown. It was pleasant.
So, I walk into the City Council public meeting place and every head in the room turns to me. It was quite awkward. Suddenly, something that looked like a cross between a bulldog and a walking prune gets out of its seat and extends a hand to me.
"Hey! I'm Councilman Brian Thomas. I read your blog! You misspelled 'morale' as 'moral'." I ignored my first instinct to dropkick the walking prune and smiled, shaking his hand.
"At least you know we read it!" he continued in a condescending tone. I ignored the instinct again and asked him what he thought.
"Eh, it was okay. You should write more positive stuff." I sat down and took a minute alone to get over myself. I walked over and asked for his business card so I could contact him so we could have lunch sometime. This time, he was more friendly and I didn't have to fake my smile.
The meeting was incredibly short. The most exciting part was the Deputy City Attorney Amber J. Bressler going over the procedures for the meetings. Apparently, this was the board's first meeting in a while so there was no president nor vice-president to preside over the meetings. A rather young man in his 40s with nice hair and a good looking suit named Jordan P. Williams reluctantly accepted a nomination for president while another man in his 50s was voted vice-president.
The rest of the details are a bit fuzzy to me. There were only two petitions to be approved they were passed immediately without question and the board meeting adjourned.
I lagged behind a bit to introduce myself (again) and get business cards of people. Walking out of the dark city hall building I found myself speaking to a rather fascinating elderly woman named Mary Anne Lorentz, owner of Copys Inc and an antiques store downtown. She echoed much of the positive response I've been hearing concerning the new city administration which took office 10 days ago and schooled me on cool places to live downtown. It was pleasant.
It's not Liberal, it's Corporate
The saddening and unfortunate truth about Congressman Ron Paul and his followers is that despite the fact that he and his followers champion the original ideals of the Republican Party embraced by such names as Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan, they are forever cursed with the stigma of being crazy.
If you believe what the mainstream media has to say, the typical profile of a Ron Paul supporter is an overweight white guy pale from not getting enough sun with too much time and money on his hands who types away with Cheeto stained hands at a keyboard with World of Warcraft minimized in the background talking about 9/11 conspiracies. Read: Libertarians and hardcore, xenophobic progressives.
While the above description is in many ways inaccurate, it is well-known how the media has the tendency to vilify anyone and anything who doesn't cater to their heroin-like addiction to ratings and corporate interests. Representative Dennis Kucinich has the same problem as Paul on the current campaign trail as well as during the 2004 primaries. Despite every network's claims of being balanced and fair, among many members of the press (a notoriously superstitious and cowardly lot), it's common knowledge that these claims are full of it.
If you were to take Paul and Kucinich's campaign coverage over the last six months and combine them, they wouldn't come close to the amount of coverage Brittany Spears received on the major networks the morning after the New Hampshire primaries. This is sad.
If you believe what the mainstream media has to say, the typical profile of a Ron Paul supporter is an overweight white guy pale from not getting enough sun with too much time and money on his hands who types away with Cheeto stained hands at a keyboard with World of Warcraft minimized in the background talking about 9/11 conspiracies. Read: Libertarians and hardcore, xenophobic progressives.
While the above description is in many ways inaccurate, it is well-known how the media has the tendency to vilify anyone and anything who doesn't cater to their heroin-like addiction to ratings and corporate interests. Representative Dennis Kucinich has the same problem as Paul on the current campaign trail as well as during the 2004 primaries. Despite every network's claims of being balanced and fair, among many members of the press (a notoriously superstitious and cowardly lot), it's common knowledge that these claims are full of it.
If you were to take Paul and Kucinich's campaign coverage over the last six months and combine them, they wouldn't come close to the amount of coverage Brittany Spears received on the major networks the morning after the New Hampshire primaries. This is sad.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Clinton Wins, Primaries get a bit more interesting.
Her voice, strained by months of constant campaigning is weakened to the point where her victory seems more like a concession. Obama, struggling not to gag on the blackened bile of disappointment at the back of his campaign’s throat due to numerous strategic errors somehow managed to sound more upbeat and positive than she. Every syllable uttered seemed to be an epic struggle and the lines of an excessively long campaign trail permeated the faces of both potential Democratic front runners as the neck and neck race between them came to a close.
Senator Clinton, in the wake of her embarrassing third place finish in Iowa gambled with her public image while concurrently turning up the heat on Obama’s. She capitalized on the fact that while most credit Obama as an excellent orator and a political genius there are some who assert that his campaign is based on style rather than substance. On the campaign trail the word “change” is ubiquitously tossed around to capitalize on the palpable discontent of a generation weary of politics done the same old way. Clinton managed to convince the Democrats in New Hampshire that not only was she an agent of change for the past 35 years but that Obama’s rhetoric while certainly inspired, is ultimately empty as shown by his voting record on the Senate floor.
Obama’s mistake was that he tried to repeat his success in Iowa using a similar strategy. While it was surprising that voter record turnout among people under the age of 30 catapulted him to a decisive victory, his campaign to influence the demographic in smaller college towns and independents in New Hampshire proved to be not as effective as Clinton finally finding a way to humanize her public image, her focusing in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city and her constant attacks on Obama’s record of not working for change in regards to the Iraq war. “I listened to you and in the process I found my voice,” she said as she forced the tired lines on her face into what appeared to be a smile.
Obama’s problem in New Hampshire is that he attempted to focus on voters known to be particularly flaky. The districts of college towns were disappointing for him and McCain in his own primary victory managed to split the independents. While there are many who compliment him on his ability to move people with words in his execution that is not how one wins debates and gets voters to the polls.
It all started well enough for the Obama camp. Polls after Iowa showed him with a double digit lead as did early exit polling but as the votes were counted they were proven to be quite inaccurate on the Democrat’s side. Clinton kept a consistent lead over Obama by 3 or 4 points which kept the news wires and networks from declaring a winner until 70% of the precincts reported. The Associated Press was the first declare Clinton the winner followed by CNN, Fox News, Drudge and MSNBC.
Many political analysts predicted that Clinton would have to win New Hampshire to curb Obama’s exponentially increasing momentum to be a serious contender in the later states and her gambles have paid off with a narrow 2 point victory over her closest rival. Neither of them are out of the race by any means and New Hampshire just proved that Democratic voters are pleased with their options and the race will be incredibly close to the very end.
Senator Clinton, in the wake of her embarrassing third place finish in Iowa gambled with her public image while concurrently turning up the heat on Obama’s. She capitalized on the fact that while most credit Obama as an excellent orator and a political genius there are some who assert that his campaign is based on style rather than substance. On the campaign trail the word “change” is ubiquitously tossed around to capitalize on the palpable discontent of a generation weary of politics done the same old way. Clinton managed to convince the Democrats in New Hampshire that not only was she an agent of change for the past 35 years but that Obama’s rhetoric while certainly inspired, is ultimately empty as shown by his voting record on the Senate floor.
Obama’s mistake was that he tried to repeat his success in Iowa using a similar strategy. While it was surprising that voter record turnout among people under the age of 30 catapulted him to a decisive victory, his campaign to influence the demographic in smaller college towns and independents in New Hampshire proved to be not as effective as Clinton finally finding a way to humanize her public image, her focusing in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city and her constant attacks on Obama’s record of not working for change in regards to the Iraq war. “I listened to you and in the process I found my voice,” she said as she forced the tired lines on her face into what appeared to be a smile.
Obama’s problem in New Hampshire is that he attempted to focus on voters known to be particularly flaky. The districts of college towns were disappointing for him and McCain in his own primary victory managed to split the independents. While there are many who compliment him on his ability to move people with words in his execution that is not how one wins debates and gets voters to the polls.
It all started well enough for the Obama camp. Polls after Iowa showed him with a double digit lead as did early exit polling but as the votes were counted they were proven to be quite inaccurate on the Democrat’s side. Clinton kept a consistent lead over Obama by 3 or 4 points which kept the news wires and networks from declaring a winner until 70% of the precincts reported. The Associated Press was the first declare Clinton the winner followed by CNN, Fox News, Drudge and MSNBC.
Many political analysts predicted that Clinton would have to win New Hampshire to curb Obama’s exponentially increasing momentum to be a serious contender in the later states and her gambles have paid off with a narrow 2 point victory over her closest rival. Neither of them are out of the race by any means and New Hampshire just proved that Democratic voters are pleased with their options and the race will be incredibly close to the very end.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Day 1.
"America, I discovered, is a country that feels badly about itself, and when it is motivated to participate in politics, it does so mainly out of hatred and contempt for the guy on the other side, not inspiration and idealism." - Matt Taibbi on the 2004 Presidential election.
Apparently the seats of Elkhart's municipal leaders have undergone a bit of a paradigm shift. Gone is the Mayor who carried himself with the disheveled demeanor and honesty of a used care salesmen and the city council has seen itself shift a little more to the left. In my usual stops I learned that council members Ron Troyer and Rod Roberson kept their seats.
I paid city council a visit this afternoon searching for the new roster because the copies floating around the library were out of date and found that the secretaries were a bit behind in making sure the data is easily available to the public 8 days after the new Mayor has taken office. I was told that I would have the completed roster e-mailed to me.
The Park's Board building seemed to be exactly the same as I remembered it. I stepped into the office to speak with a friend to let her know I was in town. To my surprise, she invited me in immediately and we engaged in a fascinating conversation concerning the moral of Elkhart's inner city constituents and how it compares and contrasts to the constituents literally residing on the other side of the tracks.
Elkhart's inner city is a perpetually gray, decaying place where the streets teem with wandering skeletal figures with various shades of brown skin and missing teeth. The houses seem to sink into the ground under some invisible ominous force. A patron of a barbershop on Main St. once said to me that Elkhart was a trap that couldn't be escaped. Even those who manage to get better than a factory job out of high school (if they got out of high school) would still find themselves wading through a virtual quagmire of hopelessness perpetuated by generations of unmotivated individuals who feel that every entitlement program is a birthright and that participating in the republic is a colossal waste of time. This parallels the mindset of many inner city citizens across the United States.
You can only really know this city by actually walking down each street and speaking to as many individuals as possible. My shoes and pants are muddy from covering so much ground on foot and my mind resonates with echoes of the voices of people I spoke to today about exactly what they think about the government, the non-profits, the churches and businesses that determine the fate of their everyday lives. Despite the dreary commentary that many had to offer, there was an underlying hope that things have gotten better for the people of Elkhart and that it will only get better.
It sometimes is difficult to remember that the individuals in the poorer areas of the city aren't lazy, but uninspired. The hard work of many organizations in Elkhart are looking to address this and in my first day of exploring Elkhart's politics, I am ecstatic to find that this city in it's blacks, whites and everything in between are more fluid than most cities I've been to.
Apparently the seats of Elkhart's municipal leaders have undergone a bit of a paradigm shift. Gone is the Mayor who carried himself with the disheveled demeanor and honesty of a used care salesmen and the city council has seen itself shift a little more to the left. In my usual stops I learned that council members Ron Troyer and Rod Roberson kept their seats.
I paid city council a visit this afternoon searching for the new roster because the copies floating around the library were out of date and found that the secretaries were a bit behind in making sure the data is easily available to the public 8 days after the new Mayor has taken office. I was told that I would have the completed roster e-mailed to me.
The Park's Board building seemed to be exactly the same as I remembered it. I stepped into the office to speak with a friend to let her know I was in town. To my surprise, she invited me in immediately and we engaged in a fascinating conversation concerning the moral of Elkhart's inner city constituents and how it compares and contrasts to the constituents literally residing on the other side of the tracks.
Elkhart's inner city is a perpetually gray, decaying place where the streets teem with wandering skeletal figures with various shades of brown skin and missing teeth. The houses seem to sink into the ground under some invisible ominous force. A patron of a barbershop on Main St. once said to me that Elkhart was a trap that couldn't be escaped. Even those who manage to get better than a factory job out of high school (if they got out of high school) would still find themselves wading through a virtual quagmire of hopelessness perpetuated by generations of unmotivated individuals who feel that every entitlement program is a birthright and that participating in the republic is a colossal waste of time. This parallels the mindset of many inner city citizens across the United States.
You can only really know this city by actually walking down each street and speaking to as many individuals as possible. My shoes and pants are muddy from covering so much ground on foot and my mind resonates with echoes of the voices of people I spoke to today about exactly what they think about the government, the non-profits, the churches and businesses that determine the fate of their everyday lives. Despite the dreary commentary that many had to offer, there was an underlying hope that things have gotten better for the people of Elkhart and that it will only get better.
It sometimes is difficult to remember that the individuals in the poorer areas of the city aren't lazy, but uninspired. The hard work of many organizations in Elkhart are looking to address this and in my first day of exploring Elkhart's politics, I am ecstatic to find that this city in it's blacks, whites and everything in between are more fluid than most cities I've been to.
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