Electoral Compass

This was pretty fun. I remember something similar on ask.com back in 2000, which confirmed for me back then what I already knew (pre-Noble/Oscar winner Gore was my best choice). I guess the results here were a little surprising.

As I've said before, I'd be happy with pretty much any D in the White House (certainly among the two front runners, I am (and have been) neutral). But I didn't think it would skew like this:


If you click on the picture, you will see that I'm pretty much drawing a mustache on Barack Obama. Dead center. When I clicked through for "analysis," this is what I found:


Now, I consider myself to be extremely socially liberal (I guess that makes me progressive) and reasonably fiscally conservative. I believe in common sense foreign policy (let's say a sense for America's potential benevolence, but not a sense of entitlement). And beyond that, I don't like to speak in generalizations (I don't like speaking in generalizations at all when it comes to issues, but sometimes you just gotta cave to peer pressure). I was surprised to learn that I was only 2% more fiscally conservative than Obama and 1% more liberal. We have substantive agreement on 79% of stuff.

I don't really care for John Edwards' screed against "corporatism" (I think any D will be better than what we've had and the markets can definitely do very good stuff). Hillary don't really agree on national security stuff, I think mainly because she buys into the GWB catchphrase foreign policy. I think it's ok not to admit you made a mistake by voting for the Iraq war, but I don't think it's ok not to think you made a mistake by voting for the Iraq war. Additionally, there was no excuse for the "yes" vote on Kyl-Lieberman...mainly because you should never vote yes on anything authored by Joseph "Holier-than-thou" Lieberman.

Thanks to the voters of New Hampshire, my vote on February 5th, will mean something more than casting my votes for a media crowned winner (MA has the 10th most delegates to the convention, so it's like the one time we matter...even if it's still not as much as New York or California). I am still undecided. But little things like this continue to swing me in one, specific candidate's direction.

Morning Commute: Umbrellas

Typically, at this time of year, in Boston, you don't need an umbrella. Usually in mid-January, if there is precipitation, it comes in the form of big white flakes. When its snowing out, you just need a warm hat, a thick jacket and some decent boots.  This is not a typical January...your father's January (or Oldsmobile, if you will).

Three days ago, it was 50 degrees and sunny. Its been mid-40's all week. I can't remember the last time ithe wind was brutal enough for me to complain about how brutal the wind was. Strange times in Beantown. So, having noticed the recent trend in temperatures, one might have purchased an umbrella, anticipating that, though the weather had been warm, it wouldn't always be dry.

I am not one of those ones. I have no umbrella. This morning, the raindrops are the size of snowflakes and I'm running to the bus in my "raincoat," sneakers and jeans. Now I am sitting on the bus in my "raincoat," sneakers and a denim colored, full length, soaking wet bathing suit.

I need an umbrella.

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Kerry Endorses Obama

Okay, so the 2004 standard bearer gives a boost to a 2008 front runner. Hmmm. In 2004, the 2000 standard bearer (Gore) endorsed the 2004 front runner (Dean), and it was downhill for Howard from there.

Earbuds

I have a pair of Shure E4C earbuds (earphones for those who aren't familiar with the term...the kind you stick inside your ears). I love them. They are absolutely fantastic. When I first got them, I was a little uneasy about spending $300+ for a pair of headphones, but friends assur...promised me I'd be pleased.

I listen to my iPod nearly everywhere I go. As I've previously blogged, I am fortunate to have friends who have outstanding taste in music and who are willing to tell me what I need to hear (with regard to music, not with regard to tough life decisions...I avoid those at all costs). I definitely wanted a product with outstanding sound quality, noise cancellation and that would stay firmly in my ears (all traits the free iPod earbuds lack). I used to wear them on the subway platform and I couldn't hear anything. It was great...except when I was reading and missed my train, but I'm an idiot.

The reason I bring these fantastic dispensers of sound is that they are horrendous for exercising purposes. When I bought my new MBP (MacBook Pro for the uninitiated), I got a nano for free, perfect for going on runs, erging and general musical device shaking (and I'm willing to be it blends). When I tried to use my nice earbuds, they got sweaty and gross and wouldn't stay in my ears. Eventually, one of them actually shorted out and I had to send them away to be replaced (caught the warranty window by 3 days). Unsure of what to do, I went back to using crappy Apple iPod earbuds, but as I mentioned, they are crappy.

Thanks to the Grummings, though, I've found the solution. A $9 pair of old school, original style, sony walkman earbuds with the cheap piece of aluminum that serves as a strap over your head. It's perfect. They were designed for sport, so they handle the sweat. The head strap keeps them firmly in my ears. They are smaller than real stereo headphones so they don't make my head too hot. And they were $9. I don't like to use exclamation points (something which I could go on for hours about...the over use of exclamation points...and all caps for that matter), but $9 for headphones! I can't even comprehend how that's possible.

Thank you Sony. Thank you FYE music. Thank you Asian child who worked 18 hours a day for 15 cents an hour assembling my earphones. Without you, I couldn't have paid so little and received so much. I thank you. My iPod thanks you. My ears thank you.

Was It the Ballot that Killed Obama?

From the Washington Post, by way of The Plank:

From the WaPost:

The New Hampshire ballot rules may also have played a role. In previous contests, the state rotated candidate names from precinct to precinct, but this year the names were consistently in alphabetical order, with Clinton near the top and Obama lower down. Stanford professor Jon A. Krosnick, a survey specialist, has estimated the impact of appearing high on the New Hampshire ballot at three percentage points or greater.

I have no reason--other than patriotism(!)--to think this isn't true! Or to put it another way, if this is true, what does it say about at least three percent of our country's voters?

--Isaac Chotiner

I don’t know. Biden was still on the ballot, listed above Clinton, and he only registered 616 votes (.002%). If people were smart enough to skip over him, why wouldn’t they be smart enough to skip down to Edwards or Obama if that’s whom they really supported. I’m no Stanford professor, but I think this phenomenon really applies to those election categories where people feel they need to vote for each office even if they don’t know much about who’s running – not a Presidential primary where that is the only reason you’re going to the polls.

Master of Spittle

Seriously, how does this guy have a job "commenting on" or "analyzing" this presidential race (or anything in general)?

Moron, er, More On the Press

It was much remarked upon last night and this morning how Hillary's campaign framed the scene for her speech last night, with many young people behind her and no Bill (except for a perfunctory hug before she spoke), Madeleine Albright, Wes Clark, etc. - an effort (if you're a cynic) to match Obama's picture of enthusiasm or (if not so much) to demonstrate her breadth of support. Yet, turn to the front page of the New York Times this morning or the two Clinton pictures on the front page of its on-line edition and there's Bill and Chelsea and a bunch of guys in ties. Now, media organs are in no way obligated to buy into a campaign's spin - and I think they are duty bound to resist it – but given the extent to which they do just regurgitate it as a matter of course, the Times' photo selection strikes me as an editorial rather than a news judgment.

On this blog , grill has said:

While I am an undecided, the over-the-top response from the press over the last few days made me consider supporting Hillary just to tell them to eph off, they don't know what we want for our party.

I find I am reacting the same way.  I could vote just as easily for Obama as for Clinton, but everything I write lately seems to have a pro-Clinton bent because the coverage seems so slanted.

Independents and Undecideds

mgp wrote:

Frank Foer of TNR has a theory that the caucus format worked against Hillary Clinton in Iowa because a voter has to openly declare his/her support:

If you're a Hillary Clinton supporter, it must not be easy to admit in public. You risk the ire of the omnipresent Clinton haters; you look like an establishmentarian square. And it must be even harder to admit in a social forum like the Iowa Caucuses. But in the privacy of the voting booth, it's a lot easier to say that you're bucking the Obama swoon and prefer HRC.

Not to cast aspersions on the good people of New Hampshire, but isn't it also possible that in the privacy of the voting booth it is easier to vote against a candidate because of the color of his skin? I personally think the Clinton victory is attributable to the number of independents who opted to vote for McCain rather than Obama, and I hate to think that Obama's race (or Romney's religion or Clinton's sex) would foster opposition to his candidacy, but this is a factor that still bears watching.

I would agree with the McCain statement. If you are an independent voter and leaning towards Obama, doesn't an 8% to 13% poll lead heading into the primary give you confidence that you can vote for McCain and still have Obama win? I saw some interesting stats that the polls correctly predicted Obama's vote total, but understated HRC's total. Considering the press didn't really talk about the 17% of undecided voters, is the "upset" as big as it really seems? It was definitely a most impressive close by HRC, but if the press were a little lighter on the hyperbole and a little sharper on the analysis, would we be this surprised?

Secret Ballot Versus Caucus:Two Theories

Frank Foer of TNR has a theory that the caucus format worked against Hillary Clinton in Iowa because a voter has to openly declare his/her support:

If you’re a Hillary Clinton supporter, it must not be easy to admit in public. You risk the ire of the omnipresent Clinton haters; you look like an establishmentarian square. And it must be even harder to admit in a social forum like the Iowa Caucuses. But in the privacy of the voting booth, it’s a lot easier to say that you’re bucking the Obama swoon and prefer HRC.

Not to cast aspersions on the good people of New Hampshire, but isn’t it also possible that in the privacy of the voting booth it is easier to vote against a candidate because of the color of his skin? I personally think the Clinton victory is attributable to the number of independents who opted to vote for McCain rather than Obama, and I hate to think that Obama’s race (or Romney’s religion or Clinton’s sex) would foster opposition to his candidacy, but this is a factor that still bears watching.

Morning Commute: Clinton Victory

I think some pundits are overlooking their own role and a simple attitude that played into Hillary's victory tonight. While I am an undecided, the over-the-top response from the press over the last few days made me consider supporting Hillary just to tell them to eph off, they don't know what we want for our party. In the span of three days, Hillary went from "aggressive" and "angry" at the debate, to "tearing up" or "on the verge of tears" in that setting to lining up like a lamb at the slaughter. I thought the spittle that Chris Matthews was spraying with excitement over the "end of the Clintons" was going to come through my TV set and hit me in the face.

Some people over at TPM have been talking about this, but I think that as much as conservatives have complained about liberal media over the last (I don't know how many) years, Democratic voters have come to really resent the beltway crowd that supposedly represents "liberal media." In this crew goes Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, Howard Kurtz, Wolf Blitzer, sheesh, name pretty much any one of them. Even on NPR tonight, someone said, "well polling is never THIS wrong. Clinton was supposed to be finished." People do a lot of strange things with their vote. Why wouldn't some of them vote for Hillary as a way to tell Chris Matthews and the rest of them to shut up already?

Hey, even Tom Brokaw told him as much tonight.

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New Hampshire

Just curious if Clinton or Obama will end up with more votes than McCain and Romney combined. Also, hoping that Paul finished ahead of Giuliani (not because I like Paul, but because I think Giuliani has the biggest potential for disaster for our country).

Definite potential for both of these things as the college/younger/close to Vermont precincts report. Fun!

Now can the other 200mm of us has some influence? Thanks.

Adult Sports Leagues

When I was younger, I never could have predicted how many opportunities I would have as an adult to play organized sports. Currently, its only indoor soccer during the week. This is the "winter" season for our indoor league. It follow the fall season and the summer outdoor season. These leagues are all organized by the Fun Sports and Social Group: Boston (FSSG). They have a ton of soccer and softball leagues of various skill levels, days/nights of the week, etc all throughout the year. The organization is most impressive. I have friends who also play softball, baseball, flag football and hockey.

Back when I was living in New York, I managed to play soccer through Urban Professionals League, Chelsea Piers Indoor League (one premiere team, one intermediate team) and a league organized by my then employer (a certain Swiss bank) which included both indoor and outdoor seasons. Same as Boston, I have friends who played basketball, softball, kickball (regional champs) and hockey.

Even when I lived in LA, I had a weekly basketball game (all pickup featuring some mix of a group of 30 guys), a work sponsored softball league and an organized basketball league. At one point, I was playing in 3 regular, weekly basketball games (again, I use "games" to represent rotating pickup with a large, regular group of guys).

Why do I bring this up (other than the fact that my 11pm indoor game is on my mind)?  Hmmm, not actually 100% sure. I guess I just was curious if every city had the same opportunities, if people were participating and if they were enjoying it. I'm convinced the rise of these young adult leagues has led to a reduction in crime, a rise in employment and productivity, the (until recent) rise of the stock markets, the emergence of Ron Paul, Jamie Lyn's pregnancy and a reduction in the rate of certain heart related diseases among young people. Someone should do a study.

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Morning Commute: Economist

So dense, so dry, so delightfully full of world news.

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Hillary Addendum

Just as a quick follow-up to mgp's post earlier on the Hillary ruckus going around, I think that no one has been more harshly treated by the press. First she's "emotionless" and "frigid," then she is "soft" and "on the verge of tears." Let's give it a rest.

Everyone knows the press hates, HATES Hillary, and has been sitting around, frothy mouthed at the prospect of her going down from the moment she announced her candidacy (maybe as much as pure rightwing pundits). Personally, I think Clinton is sharp, focused, a pretty deft politician and would make a fine president. I'm still an undecided, but the events of today only serve to harden any potential support I might have for her.

Additionally, I thought her response to the whole affair was actually quite good. She's a passionate person, she's totally invested in this campaign. Who can fault her for that:

She's Already Making Me Want to Eat My Words

Link

Standing Up For Hillary

Look, my favs were Dodd and Biden, so I’m searching. While I prefer Clinton to Obama, it isn’t by a wide margin (unlike Edwards, who ranks not only behind Richardson in my book but even Kucinich and McCain). Why, even at this late date, though, is she still getting uneven treatment on her demeanor? Saturday night, she aggressively defended herself (sorry, can’t find the video) and she’s being made out to be a bitch or having a Dean-like meltdown (Link). Today, she has a human moment (Link) and Edwards piles on (Link). In both cases, if one hasn’t seen the video, the inclination is to accept the press characterization, which I think is exaggerated and unfair. If Obama wins, fine; I just pray Edwards comes in third in NH.

Update by grill: Here is the aforementioned video of Hillary defending herself:

Thank Ephing God

This just arrived in my inbox. No more of that crappy Comcast interface. It's so worthless. Of course, Comcast is so on top of their shit that it will only take them TWO WEEKS to do a software update to my existing DVR. But I'll tell you what, it'll all be worth it. They better have gotten rid of that crappy ad bar at the bottom.

Morning Commute: Standing in the Aisle

Why, when people get on the bus, do they stand in the middle of the aisle?  Its clear that there is a ton of space on the back of the bus and at busy times, people are pouring onto the bus. Why do you have to make me shove past you with my bag whacking everyone so you can stand in the aisle at the very front. Hey, if the bus is packed, I get it, there's nowhere to go. But when the entire back of the bus is empty, can't you just move back (or at least not give me a look of death when I shove by you)?

See, I don't have a choice where I can enter, it has to be at the front, so the bus can collect my payment (using the aforementioned Charlie Card). But there are three exit doors. You can exit through any of them, including the one in the back. So please, just move towards the back of the bus, where its empty. I will follow you so the person behind me doesn't have to shove through both of us to let the person behind him get on the bus at all.

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BlackBerry Breathalizer

I've seen the joke cell phone/computer breathalizers before, but I could really use a BlackBerry version. Since I use my BB as my cellphone, its a triple threat: drunk dial, drunk text and drunk email. The extra bonus on that last one is that if I'm dumb enough to send out a drunked email (which we all know I am)n it comes from my corporate work address. Yes, I'm a complete professional.

But seriously, why do I do this?  Yes, I know alcohol is involved, but I don't think that is the sole source of the problem. I mean, I text people things that I should be slapped for (not lurid, just so that someone can slap the awkwardness out of me). I call people and leave rambling messages that I shouldn't call. Last night, I called my friend up to complain that my night was unsuccessful and when he told me he wanted to go back to bed (call placed at 2:28am), I started yelling at him. Who does this?  Haven't we invented the technology to keep this from happening?

I know I'm responsible for my own actions and if I weren't an idiot deep down, even when sober, that this would never happen. Can someone make this happen, please?  I promise they will make lots of money on it. I know at least 6 dudes who would camp out overnight for it, like a Wii or an iPhone.

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