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Color War

If you went to summer camp, know someone who loved camp or have seen the classic Meatballs... you know what Color War is. For those of you who don't, the gist is this. You've got a campful of, well campers and counselors that are divided into two teams, two "color" teams - blue team vs. the white team is pretty standard. It was the highlight of the summer. Everyone knew approximately when the 'war" would start, but not exactly, so the anticipation of when and how it "broke" was huge. And when it did, everyone was told which team they were on, directed to their team meeting place and then began five days of intense competition, where pretty much everything you did was about getting points. The team with the most points at the end, naturally won. Wars were battled over everything from sports competitions, clean-up inspection (whose cabin/cubby space was the cleanest), all-camp relay races (better known as The Apache Relay), to Rope Burn (too bizarre to explain), to a big culminating Song Night competition. It sounds so kumbaya, especially with the song bit, but it was serious shit. During those 5 days, your loyalty to your team absolutely superseded a friendship or sibling relationship, if they were on the other team. It was totally awesome, and not for the meek of heart. Although everyone of us seemed to have been built from that cloth and loved it.

Games were played all day all over camp with each age group from each team battling it out. Throughout the day, you'd hear bits and pieces of info about who had won & lost. But it was after dinner, over the loudspeaker, that the real tally count was revealed - who won junior boys kickball, or senior girls basketball, the amount of points each team had won for the day and what the total count was up to that point. It was intense. Everyone hushed each other so they could hear. Half the camp would break into loud cheers, while the other half hung their head in dejection and shame, hushing the winners to quiet down to hear the next round of scores...

So tonight, when I came home, I turned on CNN to watch the poll results of today's primaries in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington and Kansas (republican) caucus. Admittedly a bit tired, slightly buzzed and simultaneously reading newsfeeds from the laptop perched on my lap. But when I looked up and saw the smug Wolf Blitzer reporting on the day's events, pointing to his big colored maps talking in that serious pompous tone he's got, analyzing numbers - who's up, who's down, poll numbers, percentage points, delegate tallies... all i could think about was Color War. The intensity, the details, the number tally. And basically the fact that it all felt strangely and bizarrely familiar. If it was a close one, we'd be counting the numbers too, determining the mathematical possibilities of the points left to win. True, the outcome of these races, and ultimately the general election, is no game. We've seen George Bush and his feckless gang of yes-men decimate any advantages we had at home and abroad, so getting the right person in there who you can curtail the damage and hopefully reverse it is fairly urgent. Though, in all fairness, back then Color War felt like a life and death struggle too.

To this day I can still remember the name of the teams I was on 30-35 years ago and scarily enough still know the lyrics to those fight songs we sang on Song Night. But sitting there on my sofa, thinking I should just turn off the TV, get in bed and finish the crossword, I couldn't help wondering what it is that I'll remember about this war. If you're a political operative or media pundit, you remember those details and reel them off like a sports fan who remembers the score of a game or lifetime stat of a player from 30 years ago. But the general public, not so much. I find it a stretch sometimes to remember who battled it out in past general elections, let alone who the contenders were in each of the primaries. Though I'm pretty certain I'll remember 2008 as the year of the historic match up between a black man named barack and a white woman named hilary, it's highly unlikely i'll remember who won which state, what the percentages were, who got whose endorsement, who said what about whom...

I am as guilty as the next political addict of getting wrapped up in the minutia, analysis and "game." So getting a chuckle out of somehow seeing Color War results in Wolfe's colored pie charts, was me laughing at myself as much as at the media. Of course, making fun of the process and the media is hardly original. The (A) Daily Show does it beautifully almost every night. This was just my own personal Jon Stewart meet summer camp moment. And, being a Jew from New Jersey, he probably knows exactly what I'm talking about. I'm just thankful we didn't have nightly pundits back in camp analyzing each kick of every soccer game. It would have taken the fun out of it.

I Love Jon Stewart

Whatever the deal was to get "A" Daily Show on the air during the writer's strike, i don't care.... Going through the election without Jon Stewart would have really sucked. His schtick on Romney dropping out last night was laugh out loud hilarious & was, as he most often is, dead on. Romney IS a douche bag - as the bit with Jason Jones concurs - and is as funny...

By the way, what's up with the lack of his scribble paper? My brother pointed it out to me a while back and now I notice it every night. He's got no writers, so he's all ad lib? Obviously not true, so maybe just as a show of solidarity?

Slow to catch on

I like to keep up. News, music, TV, films, restaurants, magazines, etc.... But fall short most of the time. Just reading through the paper, blogs & daily trades could take me hours everyday, if i was thorough. Music, generally, is a constant underlying soundtrack, so (somewhat) easier to keep up to date. Daily NY Times crossword a given. But keeping up with TV can sometimes fall to the wayside, even with the DVR. I've always tried to watch a bit of all of the new shows, just to be in the know (and because i do love the TV.) But it is a time commitment. So with the strike continuing on, I finally sat down and watched two shows I "missed."

Project Runway - an obvious huge hit, and for years now. Just never saw it, any of it. Mostly (actually almost always) I find reality shows to be such an absolute embarrassment, that I stayed away. But last night I sat down and watched two episodes back to back. Have to admit, it's somewhat addictive. It's actually fascinating how addictive it is. Yes, it is completely and utterly formulaic. (Then, of course, so is Law & Order.) But it works. Maybe it is because these people actually have talent, as opposed to the seriously talentless inane people on most shows. Or that we can sit back and be the critic, judging what is good or bad. (Similar to American Idol, which I absolutely do get & have watched from time to time.) I'm actually not all that sure what it is - the reality thing is hard for me to judge. All I know is that it works - well. Can't say I'll tune in all the time because I care one way or the other about who wins the competition... but glad I'm in on it now.

On Super Tuesday night, after I withstood as much of the political punditry as I could, I turned to the DVR and finally watched two episodes of Mad Men. That it was given as much attention as it has, had critical acclaim & that the creator was an an ex-Sopranos writer/producer, Matthew Weiner, (i feel confident in saying the Sopranos was probably the best television ever made) I was pretty sure I'd like it. But that my brother, who is by far a harsher TV critic than I am & whose opinion I'm in sync with 98% of the time, gave it the nod, I was sure I needed to see it.... So the show - It is incredibly well done, smart - acting, writing, character development, art direction - top notch. It captures a time and place which although on the exterior looked perfect, bubbled attitudes that are less innocent. Although that's ultimately what gives the show its depth, those dark undertones and the element of intrigue made it all feel sort of creepy. And yet at the same time left me feeling a little bit cold too. Unlike Project Runway which although well done, I'm not completely compelled to turn in again (maybe because I also know it is stupidly addictive), Mad Men I will keep watching. Either to become completely hooked or to just figure out what it is about the show that attracts and repels at the same time...

Rock Around Barack

Pearl Jam has really never been in heavy rotation for me. I've primarily been drawn in by their bigger mainstream "pop hits." But as I'm still fairly addicted to the Into the Wild soundtrack (regardless that it is an Eddie Vedder solo effort) I was horrified to hear this track, "Rock Around Barack." It is truly awful. So much so that upon first listen it felt similar to watching something so embarrassing on television that you feel absolutely compelled to change the channel to escape the spectacle.

Clinton vs. Obama

A friend said to me today, "I know you like a good election, but i wondered if you were rooting for someone." I said I was rooting for the Democrats. But this morning i voted for Obama. I actually feel guilty about not voting for Hilary. I'm a big supporter and a big fan. And in ways, on a personal level I prefer her. She's (beyond) incredibly smart, knows the issues like no one else, has a health care policy that I believe actually may just be the right solution (or at least the right starting point before Congress rips it to shreds) and is pragmatic, focused and knows all too well how to maneuver through Washington. And although everyone talks about the history making potential of a woman or black president, no one talks much about the fact that Hilary is the only First Lady who has sought and won public office - and on a national level - in addition to now running for President. And that is truly awesome. Both in terms of history, but as credit to how far women have come.

Having said all that, however, I admit that I've been caught up in the Obama wave. He's inspiring as hell and has run an incredibly impressive campaign. Having only declared his candidacy one year ago, he's built an organization throughout the country that has rivaled Clinton's. Which leads me to believe he'll be able to be president on Day One too. Although Hilary already has the answers to almost every problem she's ever thought of (which I greatly admire and am actually in awe of), there is also something encouraging about how Obama might solve problems through inclusiveness as opposed to just assuming (or knowing) that he's the smartest guy in the room.

But it is the "politics as usual" issue that became the tipping point for me. Although I am a true cynic and sadly am not sure that any president can actually change the way things are done in Washington, if anyone can do it, I think it will be Obama. Certainly not Clinton. There are quite a number of Washington insiders (and more than just Ted Kennedy) that were either part of the Clinton administration or big supporters, that are now supporting Obama. Lots has been said about the political game that the Clinton's play, or the "dirty politics" that has swayed these individuals to team Obama. You can't be in that highly competitive game for 35 years and not master it. And as understandable as that is, and as impressive as their political mastery may be (both hillary and bill), I'm shedding my skepticism today and siding with Hope... Hope that Obama can actually make a difference. That his inspiration will draw in not only the "ground support" of voters across the country , but that it will also attract the best talent possible to be part of his administration. Ultimately I voted for the guy who might continue to make decisions about what is right for this country (like he did on Iraq) than what is right for his career.

Although I could care less who the actors/musicians of our day are voting for... this is a great clip - "Yes We Can". And inspiring, regardless of who you voted for today.

Voting continued

I did it. I pulled the lever this morning - so to speak.

I have absolutely no idea exactly how the system works, but it feels like a completely disorganized process that no one involved actually really understands either. Ask one person at the polling place a question, you get one answer. Ask another person, get a completely different answer.

So I went to my "correct" polling location at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance. Told the information desk I needed an affadavit and was directed to the voting booth. Got the form. Didn't need any kind of ID - drivers license, passport, libary card.. metro card? - just got to fill out a form and vote. Sorta crazy. Maybe they check it later? I was told today that my vote will actually be counted with the absentee ballots. Although yesterday was told the opposite. The woman who helped me today, actually told me I should just go over to p.s. 41 instead of using this form. She didn't seem to think it was an issue, nor "illegal" as i was told yesterday... I, of course, feeling lazy and late for work, decided absentee voting was fine...

Bottomline, the people on the ground have absolutely no idea what the rules are. No surprise the electorate can't figure it out. Customer service is how I judge/rate and ultimately decided what companies I use/shop at. I've had great experience with Amazon, AmEx and FedEx to name a few, and so continue to use them. If the government was a company, I would have stopped using their services a long time ago.

As for voting - I feel good that I did. Even if I didn't actually get to pull the lever.