The Politics of Lunch

As we discussed back here, there's a silly fascination with what the candidates eat…like Hispanics are more likely to vote for someone after they've seen him eat a taco. Here's a slide show of Obama and McCain eating in public. There's a shot in there of McCain and Palin at Arthur Bryant's Barbecue in Kansas City as discussed here. In fact, I think that's the same table where Sergio Aragonés and I ate a week later. I remember it had a good view of Russia.

Tomorrow's News Today!

Garry Trudeau has gone ahead and drawn next week's Doonesbury strips to presume an Obama win on Tuesday. Amazingly, some newspapers are considering not running the strips because…well, even after reading this article and this article, I'm not sure I understand the reason. If Obama wins, fine. A lot of these same newspapers are practically awarding Obama the job on their front pages. What's the big deal if Wednesday's comic strip mentions it?

And if Obama loses…well, that's funny. I mean, it won't be funny for the country but McCain supporters will be too busy dancing to complain. Or if they do notice, it will just add to their glee to see Trudeau make a jerk of himself. I really don't see the problem.

It does bring to mind 1960 when MAD Magazine had an issue going on sale a day or two after that year's presidential election. The issue was long since printed, of course, and it had been configured with two covers — one congratulating Kennedy on his victory and one congratulating Nixon. The insides of the magazine were arranged so that half the innards faced one way and half faced the other…so neither cover was really the front cover.

There was no controversy then but I always thought there was an aspect of it worth debating. Let's say you were a newsstand proprietor and you're putting those issues on display right after Election Day. Which cover do you feature? The Kennedy one because it's accurate? Or the Nixon one because that would be funnier? I've polled the editors of MAD from back then and they weren't sure. Bill Gaines, the publisher, said he didn't care but he hoped the two covers prompted some people to buy two copies.

Lastly, do you all know about the World's Greatest Crossword Puzzle? It ran in The New York Times on Tuesday, November 5, 1996, which was Election Day for the contest between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. Here — this video will tell you all about it…

Studs Terkel, R.I.P.

One of my favorite writers, Studs Terkel, has died at the age of 96. I have nothing special to add to that…just that he was one of my favorite authors and I thought his passing should be noted.

You can read some of his writings and listen to him just talk over on this page.

Today's Bonus Video Link

Here's Jon Stewart last night chatting with William Kristol. Kristol's track record as a pundit is riddled with bad predictions and the hasty abandonment of folks he championed the week before…but he does seem to have his finger on the pulsebeat of those who set the public Conservative agenda. It's also kinda fascinating that he's developed this frozen ventriloquist smile that is always there, even when knocked out or having to defend the indefensible.

Stewart makes what I think is a solid point which Kristol can't really refute: The leaders pushing the idea that Obama is a socialist or a Marxist don't believe it for a second. It's just something they're saying because they think there are votes in it…and that a lot of people out here are stupid enough to fall for it. There are times when this kind of approach works but it sure doesn't look like it's working this time.

VIDEO MISSING

Okay, okay…

That was a joke. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not believe marriage is between a man and several women. There were and apparently still are folks who call(ed) themselves Mormons who have thought polygamy was a peachy, even divinely-directed practice. But the official Mormon Church, which is pouring money into California to bolster Proposition 8, does not. Apparently, they got rid of multiple wives when they realized that meant multiple in-laws.

Boo!

candycorn

Each year at this time, I direct you to this posting of mine in which I explain why I've never liked Halloween and why no one really likes candy corn.

Each year, it prompts a batch of mail from sane people who agree with me that Halloween is a bad institution. It also however brings in e-mails from congenital liars who claim they actually eat and enjoy candy corn. Jeez. You people are almost as bad as the fibbers who claim cole slaw is edible.

This Halloween, as with most Halloweens in years past, no adorable little trick-or-treaters will come to my door seeking candy that they shouldn't eat because it's from strangers. Just in case someone does show up however, I've bought treats to hand out — little Halloween-themed bags of pretzels. I bought these because I'm going to wind up eating the treats myself and while I don't eat candy, I do eat pretzels. One time a few years ago, I did this with little boxes of Sun-Maid Raisins and a kid reacted in horror. It was like I didn't like children so I was giving them something semi-healthy. Hey, if I didn't like children, I'd give them candy corn. Or worse, cole slaw.

No, no. no, no, no on 8

I'm disappointed that Proposition 8, which would abolish gay marriage in California, looks as if it could pass. The polls say it's losing but not by a lot. It should lose by a lot because then this issue might go away sooner rather than later. Discrimination against any minority eventually does go away. It's just a question of how many people are going to suffer under that discrimination until it does.

This editorial in the Los Angeles Times makes a strong case against 8 but I'd make it stronger. As they note, backers of the proposition insist that it's "…in no way intended to diminish the rights of gays and lesbians." That's like if I try to murder you while saying, "But I'm in no way trying to prevent you from living."

There's also this to consider. Since that decision of the State Supreme Court said same-sex weddings were okay, around 16,000 couples have exhanged vows. What will become of those 16,000 unions if Prop 8 passes and decrees that all marriages must be boy-girl? Amazingly, no one knows for sure. We're voting on a major, life-changing (for many) law without a firm understanding of its effect. As this article explains, it's one of those things that will have to be figured out later. There will presumably be court battles and more lives torn asunder…and right there's another good reason to vote down this mean-spirited, bigoted initiative.

Alas, regardless of which side prevails, the vote totals are liable to be close…which means that this issue is not going away. If 8 loses, it'll be back in some form next election with more outta-state money from the Mormon Church behind it…which is funny because they don't believe, as Proposition 8 states, that marriage is between a man and a woman. They believe marriage is between a man and many women. But the momentum here is towards same-sex nuptials and the defeat of 8 will increase that momentum so it'll be an easier battle next time.

If gay marriage is eliminated in this state, it will lose by a much narrower margin than it did last time Californians were asked about it. An initiative to restore it will be on the next ballot and if it loses, it will lose by an even narrower margin…and so on. Eventually, as the voting population grows younger and as older folks increasingly accept reality, same-sex wedlock will prevail. If we just embrace it now, we can save a lot of time and money…and avoid a lot of misery in human lives.

Beer Nuts

Between 1955 and 1960, the best thing on many TV programs were probably commercial interruptions for Piels Beer. I don't remember them because they aired in New York, where I wasn't, but the ones I've seen were very funny and clever. The spots featured the voices of Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding, and were as wonderful as anything that ever featured the voices of Bob and Ray. The ASIFA Animation Archive is the process of preserving many of these commercials and they'e placed a batch online for your viewing pleasure. You'll want to go to this page to read more about the spots and watch some. Please remember to drink and websurf responsibly.

Today's Video Link

Twenty-five years ago (or so), a friend of mine named Will Meugniot and I created a comic book called The DNAgents which we enjoyed doing, and which we may just bring back one of these days when you least expect it. A new reprint collection is now available from Image, and Will has just made up this animated video. I think he did a great job…

Thursday Evening

A man on my TV told me today that Barack Obama is running on an "unapologetic socialist platform." I don't think that's true but let's say it is. Does that mean that if Obama wins next week by a wide margin, he has a mandate to bring Communism to these United States?

The definition of socialism, by the way, seems to have changed in light of the big bailouts. It no longer includes the government taking over companies and sinking our money into industry. It does apparently involve rolling the top tax rate back to what it was in the Clinton years.

Recommended Reading

Fred Kaplan on what's going on with Syria. You may find this hard to believe but the Bush Administration is killing innocent people overseas and damaging America's standing with the world.

Counting Ahead

As Alfred Walker and a few others have informed me, there's another Electoral Map Projection on the 'net that has Obama under 300. It's the one for National Public Radio. They have Obama at 291 and McCain at 163. They're declining to call Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri or Indiana. This is probably a more realistic way to look at where we are today.

Briefly Noted…

I occasionally make typos on this here website and once in a while, my brain goes condo for a little while and I write precisely the opposite of what I intended to say. I have a few friends who keep me honest with corrections but no one is faster to send corrections than a fellow I've never met, except by e-mail, Mark Thorson. For this, and a reason I'm sure he'd rather I not mention, I wanted to tell you he's a great guy.

Face Front Nevermore!

Gee, I wish there was somewhere on the Internet where I could watch a video of Stan Lee reading "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. Oh, if only there was somewhere on the Internet where I could watch a video of Stan Lee reading "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. Sigh.

Oh, wait. There is!

Thursday Morning

I watched Barack Obama's half-hour "infomercial" last evening. It was well-produced, moving, touching…probably everything its makers wanted it to be. And I didn't like it. Then again, it probably didn't strike me the way it should have struck those in its target audience. To me, it was so slick and well-crafted that it triggered my "caveat emptor" sensibilities…you know, when a product is so beautifully packaged that it makes you wonder what's wrong with it. I'll bet the folks who made this documentary on Obama could make one just as beautiful and inspirational about a really bad candidate.

I always feel manipulated by these things, bombarded with images and concepts that have been factory-tested and researched to induce the desired response. I like Obama when he's just talking to us, laying out concepts and philosophies that seem to me a lot more candid and genuine than is the norm for his profession. I even liked the speech he gave shortly after where he and Bill Clinton were appearing at a "midnight rally" in Florida. Clinton spoke first and, amazingly and after a self-indulgent start, spoke mainly of Obama and not himself. What Obama followed with was also well-polished…but given how many times he's given essentially the same speech these past few months, you can forgive that. I liked him a lot more in that speech than I did in his overgrown commercial.

You can see the overgrown commercial, by the way, at this link…and at about 10,000 other places on the Internet.

Meanwhile, I'm getting hundreds of entries in our "Guess How Many Electoral Votes Barack Obama Will Receive" contest, the details of which are here. Guesses so far range from 0 to 438 but many numbers are being guessed multiple times and a lot of good ones are still unguessed. Get yours in today. You don't want to miss out on that terrific, non-existent prize. In fact, I'm thinking of doubling it.