Babies Know

President Obama

This about sums things up.

McCain vs. Obama. Black Lung vs. Windmills in the Grass

I like the informal style of town hall debate formats.  I like that the candidates are able to walk around and the questions are being asked by "us".  It's nice to see the candidates full outfits and the way they carry themselves.  How you stand up matters. Body language. Obama appears smooth and confident.  Languid.  And his skin looks good.  He feels comfortable to me, and his voice stays even and with a nice cadence. McCain is herky jerky.  His movement is aggressive.  He seems mad.  And, since this is a town hall format, he's wandering deep into the seated audience.  But too deep. He's close-talking.  Thats uncomfortable.   McCain, grappling.  Obama, no drama.

To the issues:  McCain is historically a deregulator.  He is a Republican and they want the free market and capitalism to run as unencumbered as possible.  And they don't support social programs.  Obama is a Democrat and they believe in helping the helpless.  They believe we are all in this together.  Republicans say: "pick yourself up by your bootstraps".  Dems say: "let me help you tie those boots and hold my hand to steady yourself, and here is a beer and some doritos for the long road you have ahead".  Democrats are regulators of too much opulence or hyperbole on Wall Street.  Republicans leave it to capitalism to let things solve themselves. Republicans say if the money is big enough up top, it will trickle down.  Democrats believe in managing the chaos.  Dems  like social programs to help out the underserved and taxing the most to those that make the most.  However, the economy has hit its worst road in nearly a century and it appears that this has happened in large part because of the drunken orgy of greed happening at the top of the heap that has been protected and unregulated and allowed to make risky endeavors all at the helm of the Republicans.  So now that we need to reign things in and make the free market not so free (a Democratic effort), McCain is trying to divorce himself from his own past and his own party.  Thats a problem.  Obama wants to raise taxes for the wealthiest ONLY.  McCain will ONLY protect the wealthiest (and maybe your zygote too). 

They both talked about environmental issues.  McCain leans towards drilling for oil and talks about hydrogen.  Obama says "solar" and "wind" and "green economy";  these terms make sense.  They seem forward and modern.  Drilling for anything, conversely, seems like Poland in 1917 looking for coal.  I see penguins slathering around an oil spill.  It's dirty and backward. Mammoth windmills on a grassy slope seems clean  and stylish.  I want a breezy afternoon.  Not black lung.

McCain seemed to attack Obama. Yet, Obama is addressing the issues. Obama kept ducking fight.  McCain is trying to scare people by saying things like higher taxes and mandates and regulation and terrorists.  But he sounds mean and too urgent. It plays to any panic inside someone and it's unhealthy. Obama sounds patient and thoughtful.  He sounds like he considers and is cautious. McCain talks dark times and war and being a bruised fighter. Obama talks about looking to manifest greatness and optimism. Obama seems to ponder.  McCain seems to pander.

There were no knock outs with this debate.  No zinger sound bites.  It was actually kinda boring.  It was informative and meaty with the issues however.   The smooth, clear, calm performance of Obama outshines the anxious, name-calling, fear pandering McCain.  Especially after months of watching them repeat these behavoirs.  Obama takes clear victory. 

VP Smackdown Palin v. Biden - a DOOZY

Let me say first:  I'm a liberal and I've voted Democrat in all my presidential elections. And I'm voting for Obama. All my friends hate Sara Palin. She's Bush in lipstick.  She may even be more conservative than him. She is completely off base about settled scientific and established issues like: climate and evolution. But America is driving mini-vans and eating boiled hot dogs for dinner.  America likes guns and America likes a fighter. Palin is hungry for the leadership of these people.  She wants this role.  Obama talks of HOPE, but he's too smart for most.  Palin represents hope. She has a messy life with a pregnant daughter and an unpolished Annie Oakley shoot-em-up, u betcha language.  And she held her own tonight.  Obama talks of HOPE for America and Palin represents the people that simply hope to win the lottery.   Obama is fresh and new and not part of the Washington DC elite. So is Sara.  Biden and McCain are our fathers and grandfathers and they have been on the scene entirely too long for anyone to really buy their tales of legitimate change.  Wouldn't they have done it by now?  This is why Hillary lost.  We clearly don't want the old school guard.  This is a race between Palin and Obama.  Getting back to tonight though.  Biden was a little off-kilter the first half.  He seemed to be unsure of his footing against Palin.  He couldn't appear sexist or patronizing.  He had to respect that she was there with just as much validity as him, even though she's not.  She's been plucked from afar.  She didn't deserve this.  But like I said, she wants it. And McCain had to pick her to jazz things up and put a fresh something that could go toe to toe with Barack.  Palin was scripted. She did not deviate from her sound bytes.  And she has an attractive delivery style.  She keeps it so simple that Biden seemed non-plussed at times.  Biden got traction and momentum the second half.  He was raw and real.  He cried and called Palin out.  He punched at McCain and the war and the failed Bush administration.  He was the smartest.  He nailed it a few times.  He gets all A's and A-'s.  He's seasoned.  He really should be President.  Palin, however, in the second half strayed into confusion a bit and awkwardly avoided some questions with obvious subject changes. She spoke of her energy expertise 875 times.  It was fascinating. Here is a very young woman that has taken the baton passed to her a month ago and gone for a full out sprint.  She has had absolute face plants (Katie Couric interview) and yet she delivered a mostly clean performance tonight that should shut down what was a growing cacophany of her ineptitude.  However, she was fear mongering about war. And she was belittling about anyone that has spent more than 2 weeks in DC and who seems educated.  She acts like it's not cool to be smart.  It's cool to race snow machines.  She is kinda scary.  She recites her lines.  She believes them and she makes America believe her.  BUT because she did not fail tonight, I give her the victory.  This is politics. You win on likeability (Q factor) and clever expressions and, even sadly, your looks.  It started with JFK.  He won as the fresh guy;  the handsome young ambitious one.  He had the first televised debate.   We all watched because of her.  Palin takes this one by an eyebrow hair.

P.S.  Gwen Ifill was kinda weak.

VAN

My new newphew, Van!

He lives in Boulder, Colorado with my brother Andy and sister in law Morgan.

He's a cool kid!  I like him already! 

Magazine Living

I went to a pool party yesterday afternoon.  It was on the rooftop of a central Phoenix infill project, circa 2004.  And, wildly posh.  I live in a 1940's Tempe bungalow with a failing foundation, dog fur a-scatter, duct tape on my couch, and paltry counter space.  I look at power lines, graffiti and Burger King.   The views at this delux place included Camelback Mountain, the Westward Ho tower (from "Psycho"), downtown's Japanese Gardens, and Ansel Adams clouds with blue skies stretched to New Mexico.  Interstate 10 snaked below us and looked like a soothing choreographed piece of the opening to the Beijing Olympics.   Brazilian woods, bedrooms with acreage, skyline views from your pillow, and buzz-u-in security systems.  It felt like Phoenix had arrived.  Vertical and urban.  I wanted to live there.  I wanted my mom to see.  It was straight out of a Bosch appliance ad with the dishwasher running while a mom that looks like Gisele Bundchen breast feeds and her George Clooney husband kicks off his Armani shoes and reclines on the stain free couch all with the backdrop of a window wall overlooking the River Thames and Parliament.   But back to the pool.  Typical Phoenix September day;  100 degrees and the gentle hum of power supply. The sun slung in the south.  There was cocktails and chiseled gay guys. Someone was grilling a hefty T-bone steak on the stainless steel outdoor cooker.  We talked about muscle milk and investments. Dermatology and politics and Sex in the City.  We admired architecture and our sunglasses.  We listened to thump thump club music and rippled along in the rarified sky pool.   Italian beer.  Dolce and Gabbana.  Global warming and caste systems.  Guilt. Indulgence.  Magazine Living.   

Obama / McCain Smackdown Round #1

Obama is too gracious.  Stop telling McCain when he's right.  Lay it down dirty like Hillary would!  Nice use of the word "orgy", however, Mr. Obama.  Obama was poised and gracious; academic and sharp.  McCain was gritty.  Oddly, McCain (the wealthier of the two) seemed more blue collar American and half of America is Jerry Springer TV.  They vote for the warrior, the boozer, the dull tool.  Each held their own on foreign policy, which was probably a bigger task for Obama since he is new to the scene.  McCain stumbled through saying Iran's presidents name: Ahmadinejad.  He had to stall out and try a few times.  This is a gaffe.  Obama stood tall and pronounced everything correct.  McCain could stand some teeth whitener.  Obama glimmers and glows, but I think he looks like he smokes cigarettes (which I like).

Advantage Round #1:  Obama (by a short hair, like an arm hair)