Yes We Did

President-Elect Obama!

Simply amazing. I wish I was in Chicago right now.

~BT

Polls Looking Great for Obama & the Make-Believe Maverick

The wheels are falling off the McCain campaign, as they pull out of Michigan and are down by 7 points (average of the three national daily-tracking polls) and the trend is looking great for Obama. Take a look at this chart from Pollster.com. The state-by-state numbers, which actually matter!, look even better.

Also of note: Rolling Stone's current issue features an utterly scathing cover story about John McCain that is sure to generate lots of buzz.

Via Kathy G:

This searing, scrupulously researched profile, written by Tim Dickinson, is the best single thing I've ever read about John McCain. In unsparing detail, it documents McCain's strangely Bush-like journey as a son of privilege who is obsessed with outdoing his powerful but distant father, but who pretty much is a spectacular fuck-up at every thing tries, and who brazenly pulls rank and exploits his family connections to gain admission to the best schools and land plum assignments in the military and government. The article is especially damning in its portrayal of McCain's character. It's all there: his recklessness, his nasty temper, his chronic dishonesty, his rank opportunism, his misogyny, his general assholery.

~BT

As the Bailout Passes the Senate...

From Barry Ritholtz at the Big Picture

~BT

Jack Cafferty on Palin

The more we find out about Sarah Palin, the more I dislike her and confirm my initial belief that she is completely unprepared to be VP. This VP pick speaks volumes about John McCain's terrible judgment and shows just how opportunistic and desperate he has become.

Here is Jack Cafferty reacting to Palin's interview with Katie Couric.
~BT

Matt Damon Slams Palin

Very impressive and he expresses much of my thinking on Palin.

~BT

DNCC Funnies

Found on Reddit:


And from Hardball with Chris Matthews:

~BT

McCain's VP pick is reckless

I was in disbelief when I heard the news this morning that John McCain has picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin is an extreme right-wing self-described "hockey mom" who is currently embroiled in a scandal and who is completely unqualified for VP. She doesn't even know what the VP does! Given that McCain is 72 years old and has had problems with cancer, this pick is truly reckless and a completely political ploy with obviously no consideration for actually governing.

I'll have a more detailed post soon about my thoughts on Palin, but for now here is Obama spokesman Bill Burton's initial statement, which Obama has since distanced himself from, but nonetheless sums up how I feel:

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."

~BT

Larry King interviews Bill Maher

Bill Maher is great as usual talking about the presidential campaigns, the veepstakes (this interview was a few days before the Biden announcement) and his new movie on religion. Watch it!

~BT

Baracky II

After enjoying the spoofs of Rocky and Star Wars during the primary campaign between Obama and Clinton, we have a sequel: Baracky II. These videos have been great. I hope to see more of them.

~BT

Clinton Campaign Post-Mortem

The Atantic's much-awaited article on Hillary Clinton's ill-fated campaign says that her divided staff didn't serve her well, that she didn't make hard choices, and that she rejected her chief strategist's suggestion to go after Barack Obama on his "lack of American roots."

Above all, this irony emerges: Clinton ran on the basis of managerial competence—on her capacity, as she liked to put it, to “do the job from Day One.” In fact, she never behaved like a chief executive, and her own staff proved to be her Achilles’ heel.

This is sure to make waves in the media and blogosphere. It was mentioned on CNN earlier tonight before it was even posted online, in the context of having more ammunition to attack Obama now that we know what Mark Penn' suggested line of attack for the primary. I am happy that Hillary didn't follow Penn's terrible advice.

You can also check out all the details from the "Hillary Clinton Memos" yourself.

~BT

Obama Hits Back

Barack Obama's new television ad "Embrace" addresses the numerous ways in which the special interests in Washington have embraced John McCain and how McCain has hugged right back, employing lobbyists in top positions and giving tax breaks to oil and drug companies, instead of working to ease the burden on middle-class families.

~BT

Olympic Coverage

Check out more posts about the Olympics on my Canadian blog

~BT

How Are You Seeing the Beijing Olympics?

Will you be watching it live? On your television or online?

Here in Toronto, live coverage begins at 7am with the Opening Ceremonies beginning live at 8am.

As I brace for the deluge of Olympic coverage from the Beijing Olympics, here are some questions that are on my mind:

• Have you noticed that it is the 8th day in August, the 8th month, 2008? Got to love your lucky numbers.
• How much did the exclusive television and web rights cost in your country?
• What technology platforms are being used to broadcast online coverage of the Games? Here in Canada, CBC is using Windows Media Player.
• How big will the global audience be?
  
• The US is making a huge statement by choosing a victim of violence in Sudan as their flag bearer.
• Will China be able to control the image of these Games? Details leak out.
  
• What will the 'story' be? So far Canadian and American coverage I have seen has air pollution and smog mentioned predominantly.
  
• Will Youtube coverage be available in North America?

What are you thinking about as we the world collectively turns its attention to China ?

Cross Posted at Canadian Liberal @ Penn

~BT

Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization?

From Adbusters:

Ever since the Allies bombed the Axis into submission, Western civilization has had a succession of counter-culture movements that have energetically challenged the status quo. Each successive decade of the post-war era has seen it smash social standards, riot and fight to revolutionize every aspect of music, art, government and civil society.

But after punk was plasticized and hip hop lost its impetus for social change, all of the formerly dominant streams of “counter-culture” have merged together. Now, one mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior has come to define the generally indefinable idea of the “Hipster.”

I have to admit my enjoyment of the hipster scene back in Philadelphia as well as here in Toronto. Although I don't consider myself a hipster, I enjoy the dive bars, the young good-looking crowds and the often electronic music. Every time I go out to some hipster event, I think to myself about the opportunity to politically organize the crowds of intelligent, well-informed 20-somethings. The problem is that I haven't yet figured out how to inject progressive political activism into this hipster world.

Adbusters, whose cover story on Hipsterdom sparked this post, takes a unsurprisingly critical and pessimistic view.

Hipsterdom is the first “counterculture” to be born under the advertising industry’s microscope, leaving it open to constant manipulation but also forcing its participants to continually shift their interests and affiliations. Less a subculture, the hipster is a consumer group – using their capital to purchase empty authenticity and rebellion. But the moment a trend, band, sound, style or feeling gains too much exposure, it is suddenly looked upon with disdain. Hipsters cannot afford to maintain any cultural loyalties or affiliations for fear they will lose relevance.

An amalgamation of its own history, the youth of the West are left with consuming cool rather that creating it. The cultural zeitgeists of the past have always been sparked by furious indignation and are reactionary movements. But the hipster’s self-involved and isolated maintenance does nothing to feed cultural evolution. Western civilization’s well has run dry. The only way to avoid hitting the colossus of societal failure that looms over the horizon is for the kids to abandon this vain existence and start over.

Adbusters laments our "defeated generation" that is too afraid to create our own authentic counterculture. First, I can't disagree more with the fact that we are defeated. Have you seen the level of activism among millennials in the US? Our generation is well-informed, caring, and using the new tools at our disposal to effect real change, instead of feeding into some new counterculture movement that will inevitably be co-opted and sold back to us. Second, the whole notion of effecting change through some authentic counterculture has not worked for the last 20+ years. Remember all those culture jammers and anti-globalization radicals that Adbusters exemplifies? What have they achieved?

Instead of worrying about how Hipsterdom is growing into "a global phenomenon that is set to consume the very core of Western counterculture" we need to reevaluate what actual value comes from these countercultures. In my view, all of this focus on creating and sustaining these subcultures opposed to the "mainstream" is just a distraction from achieving real political change.

Cross Posted at Canadian Liberal @ Penn

~BT

Protest at the Fed

This mini protest ahead of the Fed decision at 2:15 today begs the question of when all of these bailouts for wealthy investors and wall street types will become a salient political issue. It truly is socializing the costs and privatizing the profits. Sooner or later Americans will catch on, right?


Via The Big Picture

~BT

Can't Say You Weren't Told

wow

comments welcome

~BT

I.O.U.S.A. Movie Trailer

Take a look


Official site: IOUSA the Movie
http://www.iousathemovie.com/

~BT

Follow me on Twitter!

I've recently discovered this new social networking tool called Twitter. It is a "service to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"

You can find my Twitter page here. I first joined Twitter in May and have slowly started to use it and get familiar with it. In that time I have posted 22 updates, all pretty short (less than the 140 character limit). I am "following" 52 people, which means I get their updates through the Twitter website and can choose which ones I want to receive on any of my devices (I have set up my phone to receive texts from Twitter). There are 29 people "following" me although I don't really know if/how they read my updates and I haven't really had a twitter back/forth like I've seen other people have.

So, if you feel like trying it out, go to Twitter and sign up. Then click on my page and "follow me". You can then see my updates through the website and any device that you set up with Twitter. If you get free incoming text messages - you should set Devices On for me and then you will receive my updates via text. And if you start using it yourself, let me know so I can follow you!

If you have tried Twitter or use it, leave your thoughts in the comments.

~BT

US Army's cover-up of Lavena Johnson's tragic death

LaVena Johnson was 19 years old, serving in Iraq as a private in the
Army, when she was raped, murdered, and her body was burned--by someone
from her own military base. Despite overwhelming physical evidence,
the Army called it a suicide and closed the case.[1]

For three years, LaVena's parents have been fighting for answers. At
almost every turn, they've been met with closed doors or lies. But
together we can help achieve justice for LaVena and other families who
have suffered similar tragedies.[2]

Will you join me in standing with the Johnsons and calling on Henry
Waxman, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, to investigate the
Army's cover-up of Lavena's death? And ask your friends and family to
do the same?

http://www.colorofchange.org/lavena/?id=1963-642358

Thanks.

1. "The cover-up of a soldier's death?" LavenaJohnson.com, March 6, 2007
http://www.lavenajohnson.com/2007/03/cover-up-of-soldiers-death.html

2. "Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?" CommonDreams.org, April 28, 2008
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/28/8564/

~BT

One Year Anniversary of Jim Cramer's Freakout

On August 9, 2007 I posted Economic Armageddon? and wrote:

The jury is still out but Jim Cramer, host of the always entertaining Mad Money on CNBC, thinks the fixed-income market is already in Armageddon. If you still haven't heard or seen Jim Cramer's freak-out on CNBC last friday, you should join the over 1 million people who already have.

A lot has happened in the last year. If you watch the Cramer clip, you see Bear Sterns trading at $109. And we know what happened to Bear Sterns. We saw the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a US economy that likely has been in recession since the beginning of the year, with the world economy not far behind.

So, Economic Armageddon? No. But, the Federal Reserve in coordination with other G8 central banks have pulled out all the stops to avoid a total economic calamity.

Update: Paul Krugman reviews the last year: A Slow-Mo Meltdown

~BT

Literature, Activism and Politics

A few days ago, Jennifer Nix launched an online conversation with a post on her life in the literature world and her move to activism in recent years. Here is the online conversation in chronological order:

1) Jennifer Nix at HuffingtonPost: Resurrecting Literature: Sustenance for the Progressive Soul

2) Chris Bowers on Openleft.com : The Rise Of The Non-Fictional Aesthetic

3) Emptywheel of Firedoglake.com : The Count of Monte Cristo Was Not Fiction

4) Chris Bowers responds: More On The Shifting Aesthetic

5) Jennifer Nix's response published at Openleft: Sustenance For The Progressive Soul

I also read an offshoot post that I am still making sense of. Tales of the City IS Fiction-And Mythos (also at Openleft). If you haven't you heard of Tales of the City, it is a series of books written in the 70s and 80s in San Francisco and that were serialized in their local papers.

In Jennifer Nix's response at Openleft she writes,

During the Gilded Age, in America and Europe, newspapers ran short stories and serialized novels. The greatest novelists of the time, including Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Henry James, Mark Twain, William Thackeray and Joseph Conrad published their works of fiction in installments in daily newspapers. Because this format was more affordable, people outside of the upper class had access to books for the first time. The publishing phenomenon sparked a growth not only in the number of people desiring to read, but also in literacy rates.

With newspapers cutting book sections and reviews-and entire news operations shrinking by the day-progressive political blogs could help to integrate literature back into American life. We know the value of pulling people out of their consumer-driven television comas, and getting them reading, informed and connected. Bringing literature back into people's everyday lives will provide sustenance for the progressive soul and lead to more hope, engagement and action.

This needs to be connected to the free culture movement and the few examples of serializing books online that I've started to see online. We need to start talking about making available more of these books online for free. Some authors have started doing that, notably Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture. This is a great way to drive sales of books because people read a bit of it online and prefering to reading a book in print, they go out and buy it.

All in all, a great conversation that occurred online in the last few days that has started to connect various threads. I discovered a whole bunch of new fiction that I want to read and hopefully more political blogs will take Jennifer up on her offer to help sites tie more fiction and build further ties with some literary blogs. I might even contact her and read The Lazarus Project.

~BT

Reactions to Bailout

Reactions to the bailout announced by Paulson on Sunday night are slowly appearing online. Bloomberg provides extensive coverage. Very similar to the announcement of the Bear Stearns bailout that was also announced on Sunday evening.

From cryptogon.com:

The firms that make the mortgage industry possible in the U.S. are about to be taken onto the books of the U.S. Government.

I don’t know of any clearer way of summing it up.

In all of my years of observing the farce of “the free market” in the U.S., it has never appeared more absurd than it does right now. This news is remarkable, even to someone as short the U.S. Dollar as me. This is take-your-breath-away kind of news.

Are they using the term “unlimited” because that somehow sounds better than $5.3 trillion, or is there something else we don’t know about yet? The U.S. taxpayer and dollar holders are essentially going to eat the real estate crisis.

The advice I used to give was: Get your ass, your family and your money out of the U.S. It’s probably too late for that. Dig in. Shelter in place. Brace for impact, etc.

From Paul Krugman posted today but written prior to the bailout:

The case against Fannie and Freddie begins with their peculiar status: although they’re private companies with stockholders and profits, they’re “government-sponsored enterprises” established by federal law, which means that they receive special privileges.

The most important of these privileges is implicit: it’s the belief of investors that if Fannie and Freddie are threatened with failure, the federal government will come to their rescue.

This implicit guarantee means that profits are privatized but losses are socialized. If Fannie and Freddie do well, their stockholders reap the benefits, but if things go badly, Washington picks up the tab. Heads they win, tails we lose.

[...]

And yes, there is a real political scandal here: there have been repeated warnings that Fannie’s and Freddie’s thin capitalization posed risks to taxpayers, but the companies’ management bought off the political process, systematically hiring influential figures from both parties. While they were ugly, however, Fannie’s and Freddie’s political machinations didn’t play a significant role in causing our current problems.

Still, isn’t it shocking that taxpayers may end up having to rescue these institutions? Not really. We’re going through a major financial crisis — and such crises almost always end with some kind of taxpayer bailout for the banking system.

And let’s be clear: Fannie and Freddie can’t be allowed to fail. With the collapse of subprime lending, they’re now more central than ever to the housing market, and the economy as a whole.

From Atrios:

Actually, Fannie and Freddie can be allowed to fail. Their shareholders can eat shit, and they can be reconstituted as a wholesale federal entities. There are zero reasons that I can think of that we should have shareholder owned entities which "probably but not necessarily" are going to get a government bailout every time they need it.

Both short and long term we might think that having such creatures exist to be mortgage backstops is a good idea. I probably agree with that. But there is no reason for them to be publicly traded companies.
-Atrios 23:23

more to come...

~BT

Major Bailout for the rich and well connected

I have been following the "big shitpile" as Atrios calls it and with today's news about the bailout of FannieMae and FreddieMac, I wanted to share a critique of Henry Paulson's plans.

This line of criticism is all over the market/macro finance blogs that I follow:

• Operation "Rescue Fannie" Underway - Paulson a Blatant Liar

• Time for comrade Paulson to pull the plug on the Fannie and Freddie charade

• How to Avoid the "Mother of All Bailouts"

Nouriel Roubini, discussed the apparent insolvency of both Fannie and Freddie earlier this weekend, laying out the various policy options that were available. Roubini speculated on what would be done:

The creditors/bondholders of Fannie and Freddie should not be made whole, i.e. bailed out, once the insolvency hole of these institutions emerges .... Will this optimal policy solution - an haircut for bondholders - be undertaken? Most likely not as the political economy of housing, mortgages and of “privatizing profits and socializing” losses may dominate the policy outcome.

It seems that Paulson has chosen the worst of all options. Roubini reacted earlier tonight:

Sunday evening update:

The Sunday statement and plan by Secretary Paulson to rescue Fannie and Freddie is the ultimate implementation of socialism for the rich and the well connected. Under the plan the U.S. government would become a major shareholder in the two GSEs (the unofficial figure being rumored is $15 billion for each institution); it would massively extend the Treasury line of credit to the two institutions that is now only $ 2.25 billion for each of them (the unofficial number being rumored is one of a line of credit as large as $300 billion per each institution); finally while marxist comrade Paulson (to borrow the term used by Willem Buiter) waits until Congress passes this legislation comrade Bernanke is providing the two GSEs with access to the discount window on same terms as commercial banks. So the lender of last resort support of the Fed - that was already extended via the PDCF to the non-banking primary dealers - is now officially extended also to the two GSEs: this is "quasi-fiscal recapitalization of two insolvent institutions" as Willem Buiter has correctly argued and imposing a potentially large burden on the U.S. taxpayer without a formal act of Congress.

Congress should not bail out Fannie and Freddie, at least not without wiping out equity holders and giving a "haircut" to debt holders. By the way, the largest foreign holders of this debt are China and Japan. Pimco's Bill Gross who recently tripled his bet on mortgages will be a huge beneficiary of this move

This all sounds like a US-taxpayer funded bailout of irresponsible investors. Moral hazard anyone?

The reactions roll in.

~BT

My Agenda

Participatory politics
Seeking truth
Liberal-minded
Pushing for progressive change
Sustainability
Human rights and dignity
Transparency
Making sense of the networked age
Pragmatic idealism

This is just a first draft. What do you think?

~BT

Breaking the long silence

I haven't really blogged on a regular basis since February and a lot has happened since then, both in the political world and my personal life.

In the political world:

• Obama won the Democratic primary after a long drawn out battle with Clinton that lasted until after everyone had voted
• We are in the midst of a worldwide food crisis, the US and World economy are drastically contracting as a result of the implosion of the US housing market and ongoing credit crisis and ridiculously high oil prices (which will continue to rise).
• In Canada, Stephane Dion is shopping around his bold Green Shift policy of imposing a carbon tax and reducing income taxes. It looks like this will be what we will fight over in the next election. The question is whether people will understand it or fall for the Bush/Rove-like tactics of Harper and his Conservative cronies.
  
• The chatter continues about Obama VP selection (my guess is Janet Napolitano but I wouldn't put any money on it) and McCain is getting the easy treatment in the media.

What I have been reading:

• My Del.icio.us links (RSS or email)
• Openleft.com
• Huffingtonpost.com
• Christopher Hume
  

And on a more personal note:

• I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania earning a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School.
• I am currently living in Toronto but plan to head to Washington by the end of the summer.
  

I am trying to figure out what I will be doing with this blog. I will be clarifying the scope of the blog and hope to be writing regularly in addition to my daily links.

If there are topics or stories you would like me to comment on, put them in the Comments section or reply by email if you are receiving this by email

~BT

The Empire Strikes Barack

Star Wars + US politics = Amazing

~BT

It's About Time!

After years of lobbying and pressuring the administration, Penn has finally hired a Sustainability Coordinator. Dan Garofalo, who has been an integral part of Penn's sustainability efforts thus far, has been appointed to the position. It really was a matter of time befor Penn to follow its peer institutions in appointing someone to a position with the responsibility of coordinating the institution's sustainability efforts. With President Gutmann's signing of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment in February 2007, we should see much more from Penn as the pledge begins to be implemented.

We have seen a conversion over the last year with Penn really starting to respond to the loud demands of students who want to see Penn do more to become a leader in sustainability. I truly believe that this wouldn't have happened without all the work done by students from the Penn Environmental Group, the Green Campus Partnership and support from the Undergraduate Assembly. I would especially commend Sarah Abroms and Lisa Zhu for their tireless work keeping the administration's feet to the fire on this issue.

~BT

Philly Student Gov Presidents Endorse Obama

From a press release that was sent to via email,

April 14, 2008

To the Editors of Pennsylvania Publications:

We, the student government leaders of schools in the Philadelphia region, endorse Barack Obama as the candidate of our choice for the Democratic Candidate for President.

Firstly, we must note that we are speaking on behalf of our own views as prominent student leaders at our institutions, not on behalf of the student body or our student government. However, because this is a particularly close presidential primary race with the next contest here in Pennsylvania we feel it appropriate to endorse a candidate.

From our experience in organizational leadership, it is manifestly clear that the tone of the leadership is often the difference between progress and deadlock. Good ideas and solutions are the first step, but it takes great communicators and motivators to truly unify people around a collective goal and achieve lofty policy objectives. When you examine Barack’s ability to communicate and motivate, there is no doubt that his abilities surpass any political leader in recent memory.

Barack’s campaign has brought millions into the ranks and has truly relied on a grassroots effort that continues to unify more and more Americans in his campaign. As members of the ‘youth’, and as the rising leaders of tomorrow, this hope and belief in a new kind of politics means more than just the shibboleth of ‘change’ and ‘hope.’ Barack has truly demonstrated that he has the intangible quality of leadership that does not just embolden him in his efforts to run for president. His leadership inspires millions to join him in his campaign. Especially important to the members of our generation, who will inherit the politics of today, it is critical that we engage in politics now to ensure that we are involved with the politics of our nation. More than any other candidate, Barack has engaged our generation and inspired millions of young voters to get engaged in American politics for the first time.

Barack’s plan to address the concern of financial assistance for higher education particularly resonates with us. His plans to simplify the application process for financial aid, expand Pell Grants to low-income students, streamline Direct Loans for students and create the American Opportunity Tax Credit are critical in truly making higher education available to any American who wants to go to college. Witnessing peers struggle to pay for college, especially with a relatively grim outlook on the current economy, fuels our conviction that Barack’s leadership is can bring about the change we’ve been waiting for.

Barack also understands how education and leadership from government can help keep the American economy at the forefront of innovation and progress:

If we want an innovation economy, one that generates more Googles each year, then we have to invest in our future innovators—by doubling federal funding of basic research over the next five years, training one hundred thousand more engineers and scientists over the next four years, or providing new research grants to the most outstanding early-career researchers in the country.[1]

We need a President who wants to make sure America is preeminent land of opportunity. Higher education is the source of the leaders of tomorrow. It is an investment in the future political, economic, technologic and cultural success of America. Barack understands that America’s future begins through investing in education and innovation today.

We, as student leaders, wholeheartedly endorse Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. He possesses the leadership, passion, solutions and charismatic audacity to truly bring about positive changes in this country that we—as students—can believe in.

Sincerely,

Jason Karsh
Chairman, Undergraduate Assembly
University of Pennsylvania

Juan Galeano
Student Body President
Temple University

John Von Euw
Student Body President
Villanova University

Meghan McAllister and Fabrizio Barbagelata
Co-Presidents, Students’ Council
Haverford College

---

[1] Obama, Barack. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Three Rivers Press: New York, 2006. (166-7)

~BT

ASAM Funding Issue Resolved

From the press release sent out on Wednesday April 2nd in advance of the rally,

We are pleased to report that we have agreed to a plan that will allow the Asian American Studies Program in the School of Arts and Sciences to continue to flourish as a resource for all Penn students. This agreement has emerged out of our budget process and from conversations with the University administration. We want to extend special thanks to Provost Ronald Daniels and President Amy Gutmann for their commitment to the program for the support of new initiatives.It has been very gratifying to see the expressions of enthusiasm for the program in recent days from students, alumni and faculty. We look forward to working with all of you to realize the full potential of Asian American studies at Penn.

Although I was unable to attend the rally, here are some pictures that were posted on Fallout Central:

~BT

What I Want to Hear at the ASAM Rally

If you still haven't heard, there will be a rally in support of the Asian American Studies Program (ASAM) Thursday April 3rd from 12-4 on College Green.

I think the rally is a great step to build a stronger coalition of students, faculty and staff who support the ASAM program and want to see its continued viability. For those keeping count, the online petition has been signed by over 1500 people.

Here are some quick thoughts on what I would like to hear at the rally:

• Why is the ASAM program important to the whole Penn community?
• How does this relate to the recently adopted 'Cultural Diversity in the US' requirement that begins for the class of 2012?
• If there are going to be more cross-listed classes, which departments will house the standing faculty required to sustain those classes?
• What would an increase in ASAM funding do for the program's viability?
• What resources does a department have that differs from a program?
• How many students take the ASAM minor? What are the biggest barriers stopping more students from enrolling in the minor?

What I don't want to hear is how much the budget was or wasn't cut by. Since the exact budget figures are unlikely to be released publicly, we should focus on coming together to demand a necessary increase in funding for this year. We can then build a case for increased funding so that the administration will be morally compelled to increase funding and renew its commitment to diversity at Penn, especially within the academic sphere of the university.

p.s. Are there any students that have been appointed to SAS or Provost committees that could help in this effort? I am not sure, but the NEC definitely knows the answer and should be able to provide a list of all the currently appointed students.

~BT

A Rally is a Good Step

Remarkable timing that the issue of cutting funding for the Asian American Studies Program (ASAM) would arise in the midst of SCUE's education week, asking students to think about their education.

There is a petition you can sign declaring your disagreement with the funding cut. I am signatory #449. Leave your number in the comments!

And for anybody that wants to find out more about this issue, there will be a rally on College Green from 12-4 on April 3rd. Definitely drop by if you can!

oh, and sorry for the long absence. I am trying to graduate...

~BT

Iraq Action Camp in D.C. March 15-17

The Iraq Action Camp that had been scheduled in Philadelphia on March 15-17 has now been relocated to Washington D.C. to better tie-in with all of the anti-war organizing that is happening in advance of the 5-year anniversary of the Iraq War on March 19th.

So, instead of hosting the action camp in Philadelphia, Campus Progress at Penn will be heading down to Washington D.C. It is not too late to register and there are travel subsidies available so cost should not be a deterrent. Click here to apply

~BT

The Penn Blogosphere Expands

Albert Sun, a Penn sophomore who blogs at Albertgate provided an updated listing of the known Penn-related blogs, building on Kevin Burke's original list from last year.

I was very happy to see the updated list that included some blogs that I hadn't seen before. Most of the blogs I already read regularly and are on my blogroll.

I decided I would group the blogs in categories and clusters that seem to be connected online through mutual links or blog mentions. (If you have suggestions on categories or if I missed any blogs, please let me know)

Penn Political Blogs:

• Akkam's Razor - Staff/Master's student. one of the most active blogs on the list, he posts nearly every day.
• Progressive Dispatches - a blog by former student government member Brett Thalmann about politics mostly.
• The Appletonian - Justin Sykes, Wharton senior. He's from Appleton, Wisconsin, which I guess explains the title.
• the iv-tini chronicles - Penn senior named Dan, originally from Wisconsin, who will be off to med school next year.
• Penn Democrats - Official blog of the Penn Democrats
  

Penn Alums:

• Martin Gordon's Blog - Penn alum, Class of 2007
  
• Dueling Tampons - blog by Penn alum Matt Rosler, about other Penn alums and students in the arts
  
• Valley Virgin - Blog by Penn grad Danny Maloney, M&T '05 now working at Google in strategy.
  
• Essential Luxuries - Jean Hsu's blog about post-Penn life in New York City
• ryanpedia - Ryan Hayward's blog, class of 2007
  

Tech/Entrepreneurial:

• 3000 Miles of Virtual Insanity - Ravi Mishra's blog about being between Silicon Valley and Penn.
• The Un-Wharton - Stuart Stein, a Wharton senior studying marketing and management blogs here
• Nat Turner - Wharton student/entrepreneur's blog. Has a company in philly called Invite Media. intriguing.
• Jason Toff - Penn senior and entrepreneur who founded Penndrinks.com
• Jack Abraham - Insights of a young tech entrepreneur who recently graduated early to work on his start-up.
  

Penn Professors:

• Jeff Weintraub - a political science professor's blog on politics and current events
• Earning My Turns - Computer Science Professor and skiing fan Fernando Pereira's blog. He was my professor for CIS120 last semester and showed a picture from one of his skiing trips every day.
• Werblog - Legal studies professor and 'internet expert' Kevin Werbach
• Language Log - very popular language blog, hosted out of a computer in the linguistics department by Mark Liberman. (he taught LING001 last semester I think) Professors from a whole bunch of different schools contribute
• Dept of Anesthesiology - a blog from Penn Med's Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care
• Nathan Ensmenger - blog from the undergraduate chair of the Science, Technology & Society major.
• Critical Mass - a blog by English professor Erin O'Connor about academia

Penn Administrative blogs:

• Outlines - Penn LGBT Center's blog
• Faithful Philly Forum - Penn's Christian Association's blog
  
• Vitale Digital Media Lab - A blog with information about this digital media lab in Van Pelt. It's actually a pretty cool place and they have video cameras and AV equipment they lend for free.
• Penn Press Log - blog about books published by the Penn Press
• MBA Admissions Blog - about the Wharton MBA admissions process
• Knowledge@Wharton - Wharton's attempt to "share its intellectual capital". A truly great resource
  

Cluster 1:

• Affabillyty - a blog with a lot of good music, by Billy ___, a sociology major.
• I Am Malek - Malek H. Lewis's blog. Topics for the future include San Francisco, High School Musical, and Gay Videogaming. Purple text on a gray background.
• A Beautiful Mess - Engineering student John Tran's personal blog.
• meta.jane - a rather literary blog by a Penn senior named Jane
  
• the iv-tini chronicles - Penn senior named Dan, originally from Wisconsin, who will be off to med school next year.
• Progressive Dispatches - a blog by student government member Brett Thalmann about politics mostly.

Cluster 2:

• ohbadiah - Nick McAvoy's blog, he used to write on The Spin
• Leighcia - . former Penn student who has apparently decided financial consultant was not the right way to go
• starlighterx - blog by a Penn student who stresses over midterms and likes to comment on New York Times columnists
• The Spin - the DP's blog about student life and etc. it's a group blog with different writers each semester

Other:

• Vocab 101 - Hayling Price's blog about music, his time abroad and more
  
• Oikono - a blog by Wharton student Geoffrey (Kok Heng) about economics, poverty, international issues
• colour my world! - a blog by a Penn student who will be doing banking in Hong Kong this summer
• Mr. Swyx - a blog by Huntsman student Shawn Wang
• {metadatta} - a blog by Physics student Sujit Datta about 'academia, science, or just life in Philadelphia'
• The Buzz - a blog by the sports editors of the DP, about Penn sports teams
• DP Photo Department - a blog by the DP photo department about all things photography related
• Scents - Daniel Drucker, a graduate psych student's blog
• all that glitters - a tumblr blog by Jessica Gold Haralson, who started Quake, a SAC funded erotica magazine.
• I Had a Surprise Birthday Party - Kevin Burke's blog

Not sure if Penn-related:

• Blog blah blahg - just a 'gay boy wading in the murky dating pool of Philadelphia.'

Please let me know of any corrections or additions.

~BT

McCain's Lobbyist "Friends"

Brave New Films, as part of their Real McCain campaign, has a new video about how McCain has lobbyists running his campaign.

John McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, and yet he said "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."

Sign the petition demanding McCain return the millions of dollars raised by lobbyists.

~BT

Dear Readers

Won't you become commenters?

With the help of a nifty tool from Statcounter.com, I am able to track the number of hits and unique visitors that frequent this blog. It turns out that there are many of you. As of late, I have been getting upwards of 20 unique visits per day. Check out this graph of the traffic from the last week.


So, I know you are out there reading this. But, are you willing to take it to the next level and comment on any blog posts? You should! I want to hear what you have to say and would love to turn this blog into more of a conversation.

I am still working on my Karl Rove speech post, a reaction to the Angela Davis keynote speech from Women's Week and further info about Lawrence Lessig and democratizing knowledge. So much to write, so little free time. And besides those things, the McCain scandal continues to grow.

~BT

Obama: "End the War in 2009"

Tom Hayden reports for The Nation,

In his victory speech in Texas Tuesday, Barack Obama promised to end the Iraq war in 2009, a new commitment that parallels recent opinion pieces in The Nation.

Prior to his Houston remarks, Obama's previous position favored an American combat troop withdrawal over a sixteen-to-eighteen-month timeframe. He has been less specific on the number and mission of any advisers he would leave behind.

Ending the war in the first year of his potential presidency, therefore, is the strongest stand Obama has taken thus far, and one he will be questioned on sharply by the Republicans and the media. As Juan Cole noted last year, the Bush-Cheney team is preparing a "poison pill" of disorder and blame for any future President contemplating an Iraq troop withdrawal.

Great news. I hope that this is a topic in tonight's debate. 8pm on CNN.

~BT

Today's DP - Online Publishing

I woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise in my inbox. The subject line of today 'DP email edition' was "Faculty examine online publishing". I was intrigued, since I had recently been talking to Billy about this subject and was planning on commenting further on a column last week by David Kanter that called on the university to share its educational riches.

I don't usually read the articles online because I much prefer the feeling of reading the physical paper during the day. Today I will make an exception, although I did pull up the pdf version to get his nice image of the front page.

It was the sub-headline that caught my attention the most: "Harvard academic papers will be online for free; similar opt-out program unlikely at Penn"

unlikely at Penn? But, why? I was determined to find out. I read on (article here)

At Harvard, the school will publish all finished papers in a repository run by its library unless professors specifically request to opt-out by signing a waiver.

Authors are not restricted to publishing their work through the University, and faculty members can still submit their work for publication in prestigious journals.

wow, sounds like a great idea. why didn't we think of that?

The Penn Senate Committee on Students and Educational Policy is scheduled to discuss the possibility of adopting a similar plan, said Faculty Senate Chairman Larry Gladney.

Thus far, professors have said they are somewhat leery about widespread online publishing.

Gladney said it is unlikely that Penn would ever mandate a specific policy because "it might be interpreted as an infringement on academic freedom to proscribe where scholars can publish."

Really? you are using the "infringement on academic freedom" argument?? Can someone please explain to me how this would infringe? Professors who don't want their papers available free to the world can opt-out. Think of the benefit a proposal like this will create by truly democratizing knowledge. I can't say that I'm surprised that this was the initial reaction by Faculty Senate leadership. This is what the UA heard last year every time we talked about ItunesU and tried to get more content available online, let alone the lack of progress and non-compliance by faculty on SCUE's proposal to put all syllabi online.

I think it is time for students to take a position on this issue. SCUE and the UA have the access and ability to seriously influence faculty and the administration on this issue. Penn should be a leader in the arena of democratizing knowledge. Remember the Penn Compact? what better way to fulfill the pledge of increasing access!

More to come from me and Billy.

~BT

Morning Quick Hits

The feeding frenzy surrounding McCain grows with the Washington Post printing a corroborating article this morning.

Aides to Sen. John McCain confronted a telecommunications lobbyist in late 1999 and asked her to distance herself from the senator during the presidential campaign he was about to launch, according to one of McCain's longest-serving political strategists.

John Weaver, who was McCain's closest confidant until leaving his current campaign last year, said he met with Vicki Iseman at the Center Cafe at Union Station and urged her to stay away from McCain. Association with a lobbyist would undermine his image as an opponent of special interests, aides had concluded.

For those thinking the media is giving Obama a pass, check out Chris Matthews grilling State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-TX) on Barack Obama's legislative accomplishments. Watch the video. Claire McCaskill was on Hardball the following day to do damage control.

Think Progress covers how Rove used his talk at Penn last night to defend Bush's use of signing statements. The DP coverage of the event is here.

Here are some morning tunes (Evermore vs Dirty South - Its too late)

~BT

Open Thread: Karl Rove

I just got back to my room after hearing from Karl Rove. If you were there what did you think? If you didn't attend, why not?

Leaving the event, I felt violated and disgusted. I will be collecting my thoughts and posting my reaction a bit later.

I turn on CNN, and there seems to have been a major scandal for McCain. I was texted the link during the talk tonight, and I briefly read the New York Times piece. Seems like an old story to me, but I need to read it again more carefully. Somewhere, Mike Huckabee is smiling.

What do you think of this song?


~BT

Stanford Ups the Financial Aid Ante

Stanford University announced today that it is eliminating tuition fees for students whose families earn less than $100,000 a year.

In addition, the university will waive room and board fees for students whose families earn less than $60,000 a year.

Talk about one-uping Penn and the rest of the Ivy League. Let the financial aid wars continue!

~BT

All's quiet at Penn

It is a Wednesday afternoon, the day after a major victory by Obama in Wisconsin and Hawaii, and all seems quiet on the University of Pennsylvania campus as we await the arrival of Turd Blossom.

I wasn't planning on going to see Karl Rove speak tonight at Irvine Auditorium partly out of protest and disgust that he was probably being paid upwards of $40,000 by the Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC) to spew his crap directly to 1,500 Penn students.

Of course, I'm only guessing about the $40,000. Here's what I do know:

• SPEC Connaissance's budget for the spring speaker is $50,000.
  
• Rove recently received $40,000 from the University of Iowa
  

Other than those two facts, SPEC will refuse to release any information about how much they paid Karl Rove. Or at least they wouldn't tell the DP. I guess I'm just hoping that we aren't paying him any more than 40k.

Well, plans change. A friend called with an extra ticket, so I'm going to hear what 'the architect' will have to say and will be curious to see if there are any protesters and what questions are asked.

Stephen Krewson wrote a great column in yesterday's DP expressing his disappointment with the choice of Rove as the spring speaker.

Look forward to a post about tonight's talk as well as my thoughts on Obama's blowout win yesterday.

I'm listening to DIRTY SOUTH/MYNC PROJECT - Everybody Freakin' (you can listen to the long sample. I couldn't find this song anywhere else on the internets)

~BT

Draft Lessig for Congress!!

Lawrence Lessig, a Penn alumnus, C ’83, W ’83, who is professor of law at Stanford Law School, is the focus of growing movement that is seeking to draft Lessig to run for Congress, in a special election, scheduled for April 8, to replace the late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), who succumbed to cancer last week.

Current Penn students, especially the Class of 2010, should be familiar with Lessig as his most recent book, Free Culture, was the 2006 choice for the Penn Reading Project.

Last Friday, some of Lessig's former colleagues at Harvard launched a "Draft Lessig for Congress" group on Facebook. The Facebook group now has over 2,000 members and has a received much attention from all over the blogosphere, including at Openleft.com, TechCrunch and TechPresident.

Lessig's academic focus has recently changed focus towards the problem of corruption in the United States political process. What Lessig means by corruption is corruption of the political process:

That our government can’t understand basic facts when strong interests have an interest in its misunderstanding.

I don’t mean corruption in the simple sense of bribery. I mean “corruption” in the sense that the system is so queered by the influence of money . . .. Politicians are starved for the resources concentrated interests can provide. In the US, listening to money is the only way to secure reelection. And so an economy of influence bends public policy away from sense, always to dollars.

The possibility of Lessig being elected to Congress is truly exciting in terms of what it will mean for the advancement of very important issues such as net neutrality, free culture, copyright and the undue influence of concentrated interests in Washington. I encourage you to join the Facebook group and maybe we could even form a group of Penn students for Lessig for Congress. It would also be great to see Penn alums in the San Francisco area get involved with the Draft Lessig effort.

~BT

Yelle - "A Cause des Garçons"

This video has been floating around the internets for some time and was part of the Tecktonik dance craze that took Paris by storm last September.

My friend Billy recently described it as the West's answer to the 90s Japanese fad Para Para.


~BT

Where is Penn Leads the Vote?

The fact that I have to ask the question demonstrates that Penn Leads the Vote has seriously dropped the ball this year. Penn Leads the Vote is the student-run voter registration and mobilization group on Penn's Campus that is supported by Fox Leadership.

Philadelphia had a mayoral election in the fall of this year and from what I could see, there was little to no effort made to register students and encourage them to vote in the election. Granted, the mayoral election was a foregone conclusion, in which Michael Nutter expectedly trounced his Republican opponent. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that very little was done to get students registered. This fall would have been a great opportunity to get students registered so they could not only vote in the mayoral election but also in the Presidential primaries this spring and the all important Presidential election next fall.

It seems that once again, the ball is being dropped as there have yet to be any efforts to begin registering students for the upcoming April 22nd Pennsylvania primary. Even though we aren't sure if the PA primary will be contested, given that the Republican primary is pretty much wrapped up and the uncertainty over whether the Democratic primary will still be going on, we have a clear opportunity NOW to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the ongoing primaries to register students. At the very least, students will already be registered for the general election next fall, which will make next year's attempts to register students that much easier.

Fortunately, it isn't too late. The deadline to register is March 24th. We have just over a month left to register students for the PA primary and the university community needs to gets its act together fast. I was invited to what seemed to be the first meeting of REV-UP “Register, Educate, Vote – University of Pennsylvania" earlier this week although I wasn't able to attend due to a class. REV-UP was convened by the Vice Provost of University Life (VPUL) and brings together a wide range of students, faculty and staff to coordinate the campus efforts. I hope folks in attendance made some progress and came up with some plans to start registering students immediately.

When I find out what's going on, I'll be sure to update you all.

~BT

My Obama Prediction Explained

Given the push back I have received from my last post on the state of the primary race, I thought I would further elaborate my thinking behind predicting an Obama victory this early.

After further thought, I realize that it was way premature to be making any predictions but I guess I'm getting antsy with this primary that just keeps dragging on. Don't get me wrong, I am loving all the excitement, the incredible turnout on the Democratic side, and the two wonderful and extremely capable candidates. I just want this thing to be decided and hope that whoever wins makes the other his/her running mate. It seems I'm a "bi-candidate" like Margaret Cho. In a recent article at The Huffington Post, Cho said:

I am bi-candidate. I like Hillary and Obama. I like Obama and Hillary. I think it is wonderful that we have not just one, but two great candidates to choose from. It is an embarrassment of riches really. Not just one amazing politician. But two! We have the incredibly exciting Barack Obama, who represents hope and change and who can get a whole generation of disillusioned voters excited about politics again, which I think I is a miracle in itself. Then we have the amazing Hillary Clinton, who has already proved herself to be a great leader, who can and will clean up after the Bush administration just like she did the last time she was president.

So, we have two great candidates, I like them both, but why do I think that Obama is going to win?

1. Obama will win Wisconsin decisively.

• As Dan, who is from Wisconsin has noted, his state has historically been quite progressive and according to a number of reports, Obama has an advantage in terms of organization and key endorsements.
  
• Last night, Obama delivered a speech to a soldout 18,000+ crowd in Madison, WI. These crowds continue to be amazing and they are not only coming to hear Obama speak but also turning out to vote.
• The latest poll, from Feb 8-10, already has Obama ahead and doesn't include any momentum from the decisive wins in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
  
• Update: New Rasmussen poll shows Obama up 47 to 43.
  
• Clinton also has been campaigning in Texas and seems to be not contesting Wisconsin with the full force of her campaign.
• Wisconsin is an open primary so independent voters should also help Obama.
  

2. The Clinton campaign is in the midst of internal turmoil at its highest ranks with the top two campaign staff leaving as well as two key staffers from the internet division. Also, Clinton is raising half as much money as Obama and he will be able to outspend her in the weeks leading up to March 4th.

3. After three full weeks of positive media coverage for Obama and clear momentum against Clinton, I think it is likely that she lose one of Ohio or Texas.

• Looking at the exit polling from Virginia and Maryland we see that for the first time Obama beat or broke even with Clinton in certain key demographics. Obama tied Clinton among Latino voters and white women. Further, Obama beat Clinton among voters over the age of 60 and among voters who earned less than $50,000. Both groups had previously been solidly behind Clinton.
• The process for apportioning delegates in Texas benefits Obama, especially since he will gain more delegates from his margins of victory in urban areas. Even if Hillary wins the statewide vote, the delegate count will likely be a draw.
  

If the above takes place, I believe Clinton's support among super delegates collapses and that she won't stay in until Pennsylvania votes on April 22.

~BT

State of the Primary Race

After 8 straight wins for Obama, the media is talking about Obama's momentum and his newly acquired lead in all the various delegate counts. The Clinton campaign now finds itself in a precarious position as it tries to regain its footing to be competitive in Wisconsin, Ohio and Texas.

Given all the talk about super delegates, Michigan and Florida being stripped of delegates and all the spin coming from both sides, people are rightfully asking where do things stand now?

First, the super delegates: Super delegates are elected Democrats from across the country who are able to vote for who they want at the convention. I think all the talk of super delegates deciding the race is overblown, given that super delegates will end up voting for the presumptive nominee as they have done in the past. According to Democratic Convention Watch, Clinton currently has an 86 delegate lead over Obama. As I am writing this post, I noticed that Chris Bowers just announced the creation of the Super Delegate Transparency Project, which should help to clarify things.

Second, Michigan and Florida: For those of you not keeping track, both Michigan and Florida held primaries before they were allowed to under the DNC rules. As a result, both states were stripped of their delegates and both candidates didn't campaign.

So, what's next for the campaigns?

Wisconsin votes on February 19th and the latest poll has Obama leading Clinton 45 to 41. This will be followed by two debates that have been announced so far, one on CNN and one with NBC.

Then on March 4th, we have Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont going to the polls. Ohio and Texas have large numbers of delegates at stake and Clinton must win by large margins in both. Even James Carville, a big Hillary supporter, has admitted as much saying, "She's behind. Make no mistake. If she loses either Texas or Ohio, this thing is done."

It seems to be that it is highly unlikely for Clinton to come back and win the primary at this point. For Clinton to make up the difference in the delegate count, she would have to win Ohio and Texas by 20 points and that's considering she can squeak out a tie in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, it looks like the race will be over by the time Pennsylvania votes on April 22nd. I think that Clinton will drop out after March 4th after she realizes that she no longer has a viable path to the nomination. I had been really excited that we would have almost a month of campaigning and attention given to Pennsylvania voters, but by the look of it, the race will be over after March 4th and Obama will win. That is my prediction.

Any thoughts? Disagreements?

~BT

Update: I have further explained my Obama prediction.

Obama and Clinton Should Focus on McCain

In last night's victory speech, Obama added some extra lines to provide a better contrast with McCain. TPM's Greg Sargent highlights this part of Obama's speech (emphasis mine):

When I am the nominee, I will offer a clear choice. John McCain won't be able to say that I ever supported this war in Iraq, because I opposed it from the beginning. Senator McCain said the other day that we might be mired for a hundred years in Iraq, which is reason enough to not give him four years in the White House.

If we had chosen a different path, the right path, we could have finished the job in Afghanistan, and put more resources into the fight against bin Laden; and instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Baghdad, we could have put that money into our schools and hospitals, our road and bridges - and that's what the American people need us to do right now.

And I admired Senator McCain when he stood up and said that it offended his "conscience" to support the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in a time of war; that he couldn't support a tax cut where "so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate." But somewhere along the road to the Republican nomination, the Straight Talk Express lost its wheels, because now he's all for them.

Well I'm not. We can't keep spending money that we don't have in a war that we shouldn't have fought. We can't keep mortgaging our children's future on a mountain of debt. We can't keep driving a wider and wider gap between the few who are rich and the rest who struggle to keep pace. It's time to turn the page.

Clinton needs to do the same thing and keep her focus on McCain and the Republicans. Some of the so-called pundits, like Pat Buchanan who I had to endure watching on MSNBC's coverage last night, are claiming that Hillary has to go negative on Obama. I disagree. The last time the Clinton campaign went negative on Obama, leading up to South Carolina, there was a huge blowback from Democrats. Rather, Clinton should focus on how she is better equipped and capable of beating John McCain in the general election.

~BT

McCain: Less Jobs, More Wars

From the mouth of Joe Scarborough to voters' ears, John McCain is running on a platform promising "Less Jobs and More Wars". The only way he can get around his awful policy positions is too blur the issues, maintain his patently untrue status as a moderate and rely on low information voters and the distortion of the media.

Knowing this, progressive groups have started to brand McCain as Stu Stein pointed out after seeing the John.he.is video, which has now been seen by over 700k people. Brave New Films has also launched a campaign called Less Jobs, More Wars. Check out the first, second and third videos released so far.






~BT

McCain: The Audacity of Gloom

Also check out McCain: Less Jobs, More Wards

In the spirit of Will.i.am's Yes We Can mashup of Obama's speech, we have this inspiring video for the likely Republican nominee, John McCain.
(h/t to Kagro X over at Dailykos)


Here is the video.

~BT

Around the Penn Blogosphere - 2/10/08

First, I want to welcome my friend Dan to the blogging world with his new blog The IV-Tini Chronicles which will focus on politics, sports and other fun things from the perspective of a Democrat from Wisconsin. He should give The Appletonian a run for his money.

• Stu asks whether the Black Eyed Peas endorsement helps Obama - I say Yes! If only to continue to introduce Obama to music fans who are potential new voters.
  
• Dan looks at how the Wisconsin primary will be a crucial state during this primary cycle. I think it will come down to Ohio and Texas, which are Hillary's firewall.
• Billy wants you to help remind governor Rendell what democracy is. Go sign the petition over at Casino-Free Philly.

~BT

We Need Endowment Transparency!

What she said.

~BT

Fuzzy Delegate Counts

If you wanted to know which candidate was leading in delegates, where would you look to find out? CNN? New York Times? Well, it turns out that depending on where you look, you will in fact get a completely different answer.

Delegate Counts as of 6am:

- NBC News:
Obama 861
Clinton 855
Obama +6

- CBS News:
Clinton 1118
Obama 1112
Clinton +6

- ABC News:
Clinton 1118
Obama 1095
Clinton +23

- AP:
Clinton 1095
Obama 1070
Clinton +25

- Fox News:
Clinton 1084
Obama 1054
Clinton +30

- CNN:
Clinton 1100
Obama 1039
Clinton +61

- Mydd.com:
Clinton 1046
Obama 940
Clinton +106

- NYTimes:
Clinton 912
Obama 714
Clinton +198

Ya, only slightly ridiculous!

On a side note, the world will wake up this morning to the following headlines:

USA Today: Obama sweeps Dem races
Toronto Star: Obama sweeps three states
International Herald Tribune: Obama gets convincing wins in 3 states
Times of London: Barack Obama trounces Hillary Clinton
Sydney Morning Herald: Clean sweep for Obama
Le Monde: "Super samedi" pour Obama
Al Jazeera: Obama sweeps primary contests

So in case you weren't aware, the whole world is rightfully watching the US primaries very closely. This fact seems to come as a surprise to most Americans though.

~BT