A Pedestrian View

Barry did a great job at that debate. He stuck to the script Axelrod gave him and didn’t pander to the black audience at all. That’s not what he was there to do. And for the kind of campaign he’s running I think that’s a good thing. He’s disciplined.

Well, he did pander a little. His “no homo” remark earned more laughs than a Chris Rock nigger joke.

Jacked from GFR, a link to The Politico with Ben Smith’s interpretation of Obama as frontrunner.

Obama is the frontrunner, but his rank and file supporters won’t say so. This is what I was getting at, somewhat, with this post.

What creates more momentum, garners more support, than the underdog? Is there a better story in sports or in politics than how the underdog beat the big dog, came from behind to win?

That’s what Team Obama is going for. They want to simmer right now, on the back burner but increasing in money and support. They want to paint Hillary Clinton as inevitable, even incumbent-like, so the frenzy for Obama is so thick, so exciting, so thrilling, so…oh, oh…!

A commenter nails it:

Why would Obama emphasize her quasi-incumbent status and experience? The answer is because Obama is running as the outsider, the insurgent. He wants to be JFK, Bobby or Carter in 76. In order to do that you need to run against a Hubert Humphrey who represents the failed divisive ways of DC.

And that, dear readers, is The Answer.

When folks stood on line to buy that last video game system (what was that anyway?) they were getting robbed. All across the country people were waiting on line and getting robbed at gunpoint. Video game geeks shed a tear, I’m sure.

But look at these fools standing on line to buy the iPhone. My goodness, these people are spending at least $600 for a phone and no reports of robberies?

Why is that?

Remember Dave Chappelle’s racial draft? People of different races held a draft taking people for their side. If I remember it correctly, Asians chose Wu Tang Clan, black people chose Tiger Woods (”goodbye fried rice, hello fried chicken!”), whites chose Colin Powell.

Thanks to Barry, there’s another racial draft going on right now. Difference is, we’re trying to figure out, crudely, which country or culture produces the best black people.

We’re Number 1! We’re Number 1!

As with my posts on passing (here and here), I’ll be keeping track of this new draft. I’m sure at the end of the day we’ll have to choose which team we want to play for. For now I’m sticking with the American Black delegation. Hopefully they don’t trade me.

So far we have Oliver Willis shilling for the Jamaican delegation, and Shay going all out for the Nigerians. 

I’m looking for the Kenyan, Haitian, East African, and the ahem, Cherokee (anybody who claims a little Indian in the family) delegation.

Anyone? Anyone?

I really enjoy the company of older men. Especially when they have a little gray around the temples. Very nice. And while I’m not as young as I used to be, I still have needs. So it pains me, fellas, to say:

“By age 40, about 40 percent of men have some erectile dysfunction, and the number goes up about 10 percent with each advancing decade,” says Richard Spark, M.D., an associate clinical professor of medicine at Harvard medical school and author of Sexual Health for Men. Of course, the degree of the problem varies greatly. For most, Ol’ Reliable still shows up, but he’s not as quick to the ready position and a bit less stiff than when he wowed Annette from Theta Delta.
 
“Virtually all men see some age-associated decline,” says Culley Carson, M.D., a professor of urology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “But if you lead a healthy life, you can stay sexually vigorous for a long time.” So, purely in the interest of public service, I asked experts how the warranty on Wonderboy could be extended.

If this applies to you, please (I’m begging you) read more here.

MSN. They know it.

The Bald and the Beautiful

1. Bruce Willis. He’s okay. I don’t know if Bruce has ever been really hot. Nice and warm, perhaps.

2. Sam Jackson. He’s not hot. He’s a cool cat.

3. Chris Daughtry. I don’t watch AI so not sure what’s up with this. Looks like he’s trying too hard though, with the strategically carved beard, soul patch, waxed eyebrows AND stubble. Ridiculous.

4. Michael Jordan. Nuff said.

5. Vin Diesel doesn’t do it for me.

6. Michael Chiklis does. He looks fat in this picture, but on The Shield he looks like a pit bull. Tough and scrappy.

7. Patrick Stewart again. Hmmm.

11. Jason Statham. His face is okay, but his body is The Truth! See The Transporter for more on this one.

16. I’m going to study this one.

Now we get to the men.

They put Telly and Ving Rhames at 22. It’s unfortunate they put that old picture of Telly. Why didn’t they choose a better one?

And last, but not least: Yul Brynner. Damn. Did they freeze some of his sperm?

Rep. Steve Kagen says he declined the congressional health insurance plan:

As a Congressman, I have learned that Band-Aids are what politicians are using to “fix” our nation’s broken health care delivery system. But you don’t have to be a doctor or a Congressman to understand that Band-Aids can’t fix a fracture.

That’s why I declined to accept the health care insurance offer from Congress. Plainly put, I will not accept health insurance coverage until everyone I represent in Wisconsin and across America is given the same opportunity. After all, I did not run for this office to get health care benefits.

Isn’t it odd for someone to opt out of the insurance plan at work and leave his/her family without coverage? It’s the principle! Meanwhile your wife gets sick and there’s no insurance. It’s the principle!

Or maybe it’s the bullshit again. This is from his bio:

The grandson of immigrants, Dr. Kagen was born and raised in Appleton, where he and his wife Gayle raised four children. He is one of several generations in his family to serve the region as a physician and has devoted more than a quarter-century to helping care for the health of Wisconsin families.

Raised four children. Maybe they’re grown and gone. Don’t need dear old dad to provide insurance coverage. What about wife Gayle? They say she’s a nurse. Maybe she’s working shifts at the hospital and signed up for single coverage. Or maybe…

This is from his wiki:

Dr. Kagen went on to become an allergist, founding four for-profit clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Or maybe he has coverage elsewhere. Maybe.

Denise, where do you find these videos?

This makes the first time I clicked on a Salon ad. The Washlet is something like a glorified bidet.

TMI: I’d use it for #1 only. I think #2 would be problematic. And for men, I think #1 would be problematic.

What did I say? What’s my name? Who’s your daddy?

That Barry manufactures some kind of drama so he can get his ass back in the papers?

So predictable.

I was fed up like this guy after GW’s first four years. When election day rolled back around again and I waited for hours to vote in the longest fucking line I have ever been in, and the mofo got back into office–I got off the Bush hater bandwagon and just gave the fuck up. This is what The People wanted.

Almost eight years ago a man was appointed to office (those of you who still actually believe he was elected, just stop reading now, you will never get it) and was so popular you could hardly say a single bad thing about him. Some of us saw him for what he was even back then, and as his popularity rating hits historic lows, more and more voices, once muted, now spring up to claim they didn’t realize how wrong they were to lend him their trust. Yea…right….. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Dubya was just as much an idiot then as he is today. He was never prepared to become president because he never really had to; that job was left up to Cheney and Rumsfield, Rove and all the other good-old boys who wanted so bad to make the world safe for Exxon and Haliburton. Now the world is safe for NO ONE.

So be it.

Disagree with me. Call me unpatriotic. Call me a whiny, left wing whatever you want because you have no substantive leg to stand on, I really don’t care anymore.
We will all fall at the same speed whether you believe or not. This is what you wanted.

So be it.

And to go even further with this, I’m sick of people talking about this war. I’m sick of hearing about his negatives. I’m sick of all the so-called conservatives who are repudiating him right now. Oh, who gives a shit! The majority rules around here and your man won. What did we get in return? An attack, a war, and a Court stacked with religious zealots. Deal with the fallout.

Oh snap!

MSN has this slideshow of sexy folks over 50. I disagree with some of their picks:

1. Denzel. I’m going to depart a little from the orthodoxy and suggest that Denzel is not bringing the sexy like he used to. I thought he was sexy in Mo Betta Blues, but that was about it. Often, men get better as they age and in my opinion, Denzel isn’t. Could have something to do with those curls and earring.

2. Helen Mirren. I’m going to give her points here. She’s rocking the grayish hair and she has boobs with no stretch marks. Sexy!

3. Chow Yun-Fat. Yes, he’s sexy. I know The Korean will disagree with me on this, but there really are sexy asian men out there who can get the girl! If only I could cook!

4. Meredith Vieira. When she was on The View I thought she had funny teeth. But I figured people with millions of dollars in the bank wouldn’t have funny teeth, so I chalked it up to technical problems with my tv. Well, I got a new tv now and she has funny teeth on the Today Show too. They seem to be not quite white. Or too small. Not sexy.

5. Mark Spitz? You’re going to tell me out of all the people in Hollywood and sports and entertainment, they list Mark Spitz as one of the sexy ones? Next!

6. Dolly Parton. Miss Dolly has been bringing the sexy since before some of you mofos were even born. You can’t touch that. You can’t even get close to that. She’s like Sophia Loren to me. You just can’t get there from here. So don’t try. Just look and be happy you were a witness to it. By the way, I want that jacket.

7. Deepak Chopra. He’s not physically attractive. But there’s something about his eyes and his demeanor (they say he’s soothing and unsettling all at once). I’m sorry, Clarence, but he’d hit it in no time. On the DL, of course. 

11. Patrick Stewart. Let me study this picture for a little while. Bald heads intrigue me.

14. Pam Grier is sexy, but they chose the most ridiculous picture of her. Her hair and glasses are just — I don’t even know what to say. Unfortunate.

Getting closer:

The 42-year-old Bonds led off the eighth inning with a solo shot off D-backs starter Livan Hernandez to tie the game at 3. Watching the ball sail over the wall in right-center, he lowered his head and began his trot. The main center-field scoreboard immediately featured a road sign reading “Bonds 750” in the middle and “Road to History” on either side.

But will he attend or play in the All Star Game? I think he’ll make the roster. After all, this is history he’s chasing, and he’s never tested positive for anything (like Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong).

Yep. That’s what the doc says. And I thought I was being so good about my diet. Well, there was that brief foray into Adkins territory.

It’s oatmeal time now. He said my good cholesterol was great. I wonder if that has anything to do with my habit of eating nuts all the time? Maybe. He even suggested fish oil.

Damn, I’m old. First the reading glasses, now fish oil and oatmeal.

I think I’ll go vegan.

I drink a lot of coffee too. French press. I think that’s not good for the body either. I might just switch to either filtered coffee or instant. I can’t quit. Tried too many times.

So it’s oatmeal time over here and starting Monday I’m going vegan.

Did you catch it last night? Did ya?

The Politico has a decent transcript of the candidates’ responses. Let’s start here with their analysis of Barack’s response to the question about AIDS:

And he did speak with refreshing candor when he talked about the high incidence of HIV/AIDS in the black community, and said: “We must overcome the stigma that still exists. We don’t talk about this. We don’t talk about this in our schools. We don’t talk about this in our churches. It is an aspect of homophobia that we don’t talk about it.” 

Now let’s go here for Biden’s remark about AIDS and testing:

And Biden said with praiseworthy frankness, “How do we prevent 17-year-olds from getting AIDS/HIV? I am trying to get men to understand it is not unmanly to wear condoms and women to say no. I got tested for AIDS, and I know Barack got tested for AIDS.” 

Obama looked disturbed by that and said to the audience, “I just wanted to make clear, I got tested with Michelle. I don’t want any confusion here.” 

Everybody laughed but I still don’t know exactly what the joke — or the point — was. 

The joke is the idea that Biden and Obama went together to be tested. Like lovers. Which is why Obama had to clarify he went with his wife.

Homophobia is not cool, Barry. And there is no shame in being tested for AIDS, no matter who happens to be there with you. That remark was an “I’m not gay!” shoutout, and it was unnecessary to flex that way with a black audience. It was foul. I’m surprised no one else has called you on this. Pam, Jasmyne, Terrence?

Monday morning QB: Obama missed an opportunity last night. Everyone knows he needs black support and he didn’t hit anything out the park. He didn’t even get a ground rule double. And he let Hillary get a standing O with those AIDS remarks? And he’s got a black wife?

But I suspected this. There’s no way he was going to risk losing white support by being too black.

I wasn’t the only one to notice his lack of seriousness about AIDS testing. Two comments from The Fix:

I was very disappointed when (upon Biden’s remark on being tested, as part of his efforts in teaching prevention and testing of HIV to his urban black population) Obama felt the need to defend himself being tested as if it were something disgraceful. What a freaking wuss! There was no need for that, stand up and be a man. It was as if he were embarrassed by it. His fear is regrettable. Clinton’s response to that and other questions were equally as wussy. Be a man, as it were, and be the strong leader we need.

Posted by: Scott, PA | June 29, 2007 11:09 AM

I couldn’t agree more that Obama’s turning the AIDS test into a joke was ultimately awkward and showed him to be completely uncomfortable with taking the test — as if he had to justify it and that it somehow would not have been acceptable without the participation of Michelle. This debate was his chance to show that he was Clinton’s worthy rival and he failed.

Posted by: kelly garrett | June 29, 2007 02:15 PM

AIDS is killing our community and he’s making jokes. Smooth. 

Update: Did he blow it? It depends:

I’ve written about black homophobia and its origins before, and I will again, but it occurs to me that it was briefly on display Thursday night, both on the stage and in the audience. In his first line, Obama was “keeping it non-homophobic” for just a minute and the audience response was polite at best. In his second line, Obama was “keeping it real” and they loved him for it.

So, did Obama blow it? That depends on how you look at it.

I agree. I think his “keeping it real” moment scored him a lot of points.

Some visitors are going through the archives and apparently the posts about this passing phenom are quite popular.

If you want to know where that discussion started click here.

Craig Biggio got his 3000th hit tonight. I like Biggio. He’s our very own Charlie Hustle.

But I didn’t. I thought it came on at 8pm.

I’ll post some observations here and update as needed

1. I didn’t know Tom Joyner would be there. So far the tone seems very loose and casual.

2. Tavis is talking. Something I just thought about: How is Obama going to address black issues without offending his base?

3. You know we don’t do shoutouts, but if we did. . .

4. Damn. Deval seems a little uh, uh,

5. Couple bamas in the house.

6. Okay, finally we get to the questions.

I like Biden’s response to Question 1 about race and the Court: Isn’t this what I told you all about that impeaching justices crap? You got rightwingers on the Court, blame the President not the justices.

John Edwards is kissing up. If he mentions Ann Coulter or his wife I’m going to open that bottle of wine.

Barry is off topic.

Dennis Kucinich is going to get gully. Kucinich for VP.

Gravel is gully too, but his gully is just crazy.

I have no interest in Dodd.

Question 2: The achievement gap

I just knocked Gravel and Dodd off the island.

Biden was okay, just long. Richardson just lost me with the minimum wage for teachers.

Ugh. John Edwards.

Barry says it starts at birth. How do you do that? Oh oh. Here we go with the anti-intellectual stuff.

Gully again. Kucinich is great. He speaks clearly and not in soundbites. Kucinich for VP.

Hillary jumped off topic.

Question 3 AIDS

Richardson just left the island. He just veered into ridiculousness.

Edwards needs to stop flailing his hands. He says let’s get a cure for AIDS.  [I say go ask Magic Johnson what he’s doing. We’re not going to find a cure any time soon so I say make those Magic Johnson drugs available to AIDS sufferers.]

Barry needs to stop agreeing with everything John says. And he needs to stop blaming black people all the time. He’s losing it with the comments about jobs, econ development.

My boy Kucinich was weak there.

They didn’t need to add a Paris Hilton joke. They really didn’t.

There goes the black woman vote. Hillary just got a bit of a standing O for her AIDS comment.

Iyanla is rocking the TWA.

I’m off topic now.

Biden–What was that giggling about Barack getting tested for AIDS?

Next question: Are the rich paying their fair share of taxes?

Kucinich and Biden are barely hanging on to their place on my island.

Edwards is still flailing about. Obama is also flailing.

Kucinich lays it out. Unfortunately, he won’t get that VP spot.

Hillary is on point here. Biden too.

Next Question: FBI data on arrests and convictions based on race. Asks the candidates to make an inference.

I don’t really like this question. I think I have a difference in opinion from most.

Gravel just laid it out for you. Biden is right about all this being a state issue, not fed.

I’m not happy with Edwards. He just did the Clinton thumbs up thing. He just left the island.

Next Question: Katrina. Are they in favor of a fed law guaranteeing return to NOLA?

I don’t know how I feel about this question. Hillary is right, there is nothing to return to.

This shit better be over by the time Letterman comes on.

I won’t comment on what Edwards said because he’s off the island. Barry agrees with him again. He likes the jokes and soundbites. Thinks the people of NOLA should be given the jobs to rebuild and not the large engineering and construction companies.

Next: Outsourcing.

Who’s left? Biden, Clinton, Obama, Kucinich.

Hillary is flailing. Throwing in the kitchen sink here.

Biden is still calm. Hanging on.

Richardson is off the island, but he likes talking about education. Maybe he’s running for a cabinet post.

Edwards: He’s off the island, but the problem is his shoulders. Maybe the soft shoulders are what makes him look feminine?

Obama: Calm answer. Hanging on.

Kucinich is now off the island and not because he’s crazy. Let’s not delay the inevitable with him. He should get a cabinet post though.

Next Question: Darfur.

Biden, Clinton, Obama.

Clinton is quite worked up at this point. Shoot down planes? Goodness? She’s getting gully now.

Biden: He just woke up too. Needs to stay in the Senate though. Off the island.

Richardson said genocide is more important than sports. I have no comment on that. He bogards the discussion too much. I’m taking away that cabinet post. He’s annoying me.

Kucinich is right.

Conclusion

Well, based on my very scientific, Survivor-style, semi-live blogging, the race is between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.

Isaiah Washington takes a sledgehammer to the Patio and just wrecks the place:

“My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity,” he said in the interview posted online Thursday.

“My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts,” he said.

His unwillingness to act like a submissive black at work was part of the problem, Washington said.

“Well, it didn’t help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn’t a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. I didn’t speak like I’d just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime,” he said.

“I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that `some people’ were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I’m a 6-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn’t go around saying `Yessah, massa sir’ and `No sir, massa’ to everyone?

“It’s nuts when your presence alone can just scare people, and that made me a prime candidate to take the heat in a dysfunctional family,” he said.

Welcome to the field.

GOOSE!

NEW YORK - A woman who worked on the set of the ESPN talk show “Cold Pizza” is suing the sports network, saying she was fired after complaining about sexual harassment by the show’s host and a regular panelist.

In the suit, makeup artist Rita Ragone said she was pinched and fondled by sports commentator Woody Paige and subjected to crude sexual comments by ESPN host Jay Crawford at the show’s studio in Manhattan.

Ragone said Paige once grabbed her backside so forcefully, she was “propelled forward and into the air.”

That is one hell of a goose.

And it’s Thursday. I’m out.