NOV 30 :: [first snow?] Last year, this week, the DC area had its first snow storm. Yahoo! Weather is calling for rain/snow showers this Saturday. Could it be possible? I'm not gonna get too excited yet since AccuWeather shows nada happening on Saturday. Either way, it's gonna be a cold weekend. Temperatures are dropping into normal winter stuff which is like 40s and 20s. Brrr... Oh and I got my gas bill yesterday and gas is up to like $0.95 per BTU!! That's like seriously high. Eek.
[celebrity sighting] Tony's gonna kill me for neglecting to mention this earlier but we saw Heath Ledger in Venice while dining at the Toscana restaurant. He was upstairs with some of his Brit friends and left in a hurry after ordering two portions of seriously yummy pasta with white truffles (I had one too and it was the best pasta dish I've ever had). He was standing just behind Tony for like 5-10 minutes. He didn't look too pretty though - long hair in a ponytail, kinda dishevelled look in a what-were-your-wearing kinda outfit. There, that's our we-were-celebrity-whores-in-Venice story :)
[venice tip] So here's a little tip for those of you who can't wait any longer to go to Venice after my shameless rave about the city :)
Restaurants in Venice are mostly touristy. And very expensive. It's difficult to get cheap food in Venice and almost impossible in the San Marco district. The tourist economy here is about twice the size of the local economy (200,000+ visitors per day vs. 70,000 residents) which means restaurants invariably advertize "menu touristico" and print their menus in multiple languages in hopes of attracting the hordes. Don't go to these if you want top quality and fair-priced Venetian meals.
An association was formed to promote the authentic traditions of Venetian cuisine and it is called "Buona Accoglienza". They have 5 guarantees: (1) price transparency, (2) products used are specified, (3) fair quality/price ratio, (4) high quality olive oils, vinegars and cheeses are used, and (5) have a varied wine menu. We stumbled upon one on our second night in Venice after our first night disaster at Antico Pignolo (DON'T go there!) and it was truly sublime. Al Covo was one of our favorite meals in Italy - we had the most unbelievable Mantis shrimp (which is basically a langoustine) and baby monkfish here. We tried another one of Buona Accoglienza's 16 restaurants called Fiaschetteria Toscana and had a brilliant meal there as well (stunning pastas). In short, you can't go wrong at these restaurants! Make sure you ask your concierge about this association. You won't regret it! :)
[6 a.m.] Jet lag is a wonderful thing isn't it? My body thinks it's noon but it's only 6 in the morning! OK, I lied. I actually got up at 5:30 and toss and turned a little bit (and peed too). TMI.
I can't believe it's almost the last month of the calendar. The weather is frigid so I hear. I haven't been outside since I got home. My nasal congestion is ebbing, thank goodness. I need to recover before the weekend when there will be two parties. I must recover. December is shaping up to be a very busy month!
NOV 29 :: [venezia] It is hard not to fall in love with Venice. It is even easier when you have a room with a view of the Grand Canal! Oh. My. Beyonce. The views from our room were absolutely unforgettable. What a perfect way to start our vacation!
It was momentarily marred when our hotel concierge gave us terrible dining advice for our first night in Italy but that was quickly remedied by two subsequent blow-out dinners that had me cooing on white truffles, savoring some of the best langoustines in my life, and gouging on delicious pasta. Although tiramisu came from Venice, we had better ones in Florence. We sampled some yummy Venetian bubbly called Prosecco but the Veneto wines were nothing to shout about.
Venice is also known as La Serenissima - the most serene. And it's an apt description. The canals - and the ever encroaching water - give the city a calming, almost serene ambience. Venice itself is indescribably beautiful. Whereas it took a few days for the wonders of Florence to sink in, I fell in love with Venice within 24 hours. The lack of crowds may have helped but the wonderful architecture, beautiful buildings, and gorgeous but stinky canals with their arched bridges is so cliche yet so eternally searing in my memory. The romance of Venice is so thick it's hard to overlook or ignore. I will never forget my first ride down the Grand Canal.
We parked ourselves in the San Marco area on a quiet little side canal close enough to the basilica to be very convenient to almost everything. Great location and have I mentioned the great views? We took the opportunity to walk all over Venice's sestieres (quarters) which was awesome coz you get to see locals doing their daily thing. It's the perfect city to get lost coz there is no vehicular traffic and almost all routes lead to the Grand Canal.
Some streets are barely arms-stretched-width and they run perpendicular to side canals until they lead to delightful piazzas that invariably have markets in the middle surrounded by shops and restaurants. It's hard to imagine and you really have to see it to believe it (and you must).
Piazza San Marco flooded once (overnight) during our stay but never a hindrance. Shopping was pretty good but we were saving our precious Euros for later. All in all, Venice was incredible. You must promise me you'll see it at least once in your lifetime. It was so, so sad to leave Venice but the next stop promises to be even better (according to Tony). So we piled into 2nd Class (adequate but yucky) Trenitalia from Venice to Florence...
[viva italia] There is so much to love about Italy and the Italians. The people are super-friendly. Period. No discomfort or cold shoulder when confronted with non-Italian speaking tourists such as myself and Tony (which is quite a shame since Tony is Italian).
The people dress extremely well. They take so much pride in their food and their culture. They barely work (siesta takes on a whole new meaning here) and it's a wonder how the country stays in one piece - the northerners sneer at the poor southerners, each region looks down upon the other, the infrastructure is a joke and Italians, well, work to live is all I can put it. We, on the other hand, live to work. They truly enjoy and savor their life. Materialism is not even a factor. There are no big houses with lawns. No Target. No Wal-Mart. Just lots of coffee shops where friends and neighbors gather every day when they're not working (which is, like, all the time).
They love life so much, in fact, that they plan their work hours around their leisure time (i.e. meals). Stores invariably open from 9-1 and 4-7 or 8. No working during meal hours. I have no idea how they get anything done but they have the right idea - live to eat! For a tourist, that means sightseeing before 1pm followed by a 3-hour lunch, shopping happens after 4pm and dinner starts at 8pm (don't even think of eating before that). Italians don't really start eating till 9 or 10pm and then they eat and drink till the wee hours. The whole cycle repeats itself the next day. Talk about living the life!
And it's no wonder: The food in Italy is sublime. It's next to impossible to have a bad meal in Italy. There is also no such thing as Italian food. Although you can find pizza and pasta almost everywhere, every region has its own distinct type of food. The food is regional, provincial, and local all at the same time, varying from season to season and modified according to the produce available at that time of the year. The variations from place to place are infinite, and you really have to travel to the place of origin to taste the foods and wines of Italy at their authentic best :)
The cold cuts are phenomenal especially when paired with cheese on a panini sandwich - a typical lunch affair. Then there's the multi-course, appetizer-pasta-fish-meat-dessert combo at dinnertime. The appetizer (or antipasti) is usually some meat tartare thing or cold cuts. It sounds so easy to dismiss but until you've had prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, speck, etc. in Italy, you haven't had sliced meats. And what's left to say about pasta in Italy? Spaghetti, tagliatelle, parpadelle, fettucine, with names like these, what's not to love? Seafood was also quite a big deal, especially in Venice, although nothing quite as impressive as the ones we have here. But we did sample some pretty amazing seafood (baby monkfish, for one). And they LOVE veal. Osso bucco, scallopine, milanese, etc. Practically no chicken on the menu. Yes, it did wonders for my diet.
And then there's the wine. From Chianti to Barolo, Barbera to Amarone, there's almost no reason to sample French or American wine in Italy. In fact, we didn't. We ate our way through 8 days of heavenly Italian food and wine. I gained 3 pounds which was a surprise considering all the meat and carbs I've consumed over the past week (much more than you would have at Thanksgiving, spankyouverymuch). No, we didn't find turkey at Thanksgiving :( Three pounds is also all the more amazing once you've heard how much gelato I ate in Italy!
I love Italy. Always have, still do. Can't wait for my next trip there. Now if only the Euro will fall. That was my only complaint about this trip: the Euro marched heart-stoppingly higher every single day we were there, touching record highs almost everyday. Nevertheless, ti amo, Italia!
[europa] Nyquil wiped me out last night and much of today. Stayed home today to recuperate. And to savor my Italian adventure over the Thanksgiving holidays.
Visiting both London and three Italian cities, the bigger picture is, of course, Europe. The European Union is an amazing thing. No more border controls, a single currency, free movement of labor, and now, an European Constitution. It's the stuff of progressive dreams. It bars capital punishment in all 25 nations and defines such things as universal healthcare, child care, paid annual leave, parental leave, housing for the poor, and equal treatment for gays and lesbians as fundamental human rights. It aspires to universality with rights and responsibilities that encompass the totality of human existence on Earth.
It is easy to sneer at Europe from this side of the pond: a burdensome welfare state, crumbling infrastructure, staggering unemployment, taxes choking the businesses, social ills, etc. But Europe has so much more history to build its society on than we do. And that, I think, is the reason why there is a canyon between what the US belives are fundamental human rights and what they believe.
[no surrender II] No Surrender: Why Marriage Equality Will Win" by Andrew Sullivan. Powerful post-election analysis and a way to move forward. Go read :)
NOV 28 :: [home sweet home] We're home. Italy was awesome. London, Venice, Florence, Milan... everything went off without a hitch from on-time flights to amazingly (for Italy) on-time trains and wonderful hotels at each city. Everything was great except for Tony's cold which started and ended with the vacation. Although, he was far less bitchy about it than I would've been if I was mildly ill on my vacation. And then there was the Euro, of course. Everything was staggeringly expensive but it was all worth it. Will elaborate later.
It's 10:30pm or 4:30am in Milan where we left this morning. I've been up for almost 20 hours now. Tony passed his cold to me on the last day of our vacation and I just took Nyquil so I'm ready for bed. Buona Notte.
NOV 18 :: [182] That's the number of pages the bid design document is up to. (!!!) Wonder why I've been laying low this whole week? That's why!
Long hours, lots of co-worker entertaining, eating out way too much (not necessarily a bad thing since Tony has been on work travel since Tues ;)). eCities on Monday, Tara Thai on Tuesday, Rock Bottom last night followed by a late night at Gazuza. Tired. Brains are all fried. Ugh.
The weather is so pleasant outside for end-Nov. But I'm stuck in here writing, writing and writing. Sigh.
NOV 15 :: [weekend fun] Tired. Sleepy. Exhausted. That about sums it up. Plus I have a long week working on yet another redesign of the neverending proposal I've been working on for the past 4 months. Groan. The good news is the end is near and the contract ($600mn!) will be awarded by end-Dec. Yay!
I went out every night for the past 4 nights and terribly sleep-deprived now. Thursday - All you can drink at JR's with Rick followed by an OC-viewing. Friday - Dinner at Dupont Grille with Mike/Gary, Rob and Chris followed by Cobalt. Saturday - Yoga and then a party at Lisa's which was quite wild. Sunday - Lots of R&R plus a party for Paavo at Rob/Mikko's. I made it all sound like a bulleted list but really, it was quite fun. It was very cold though so that wasn't so fetch.
We're headed to London and then Italy this weekend for Thanksgiving week. I haven't had time to do much planning for the trip so it'll be interesting to do everything impromptu. Colin Powell resigned today. I don't think he could damage his reputation anymore if he stayed but what a shame these past four years have been to his credibility. Rice is replacing him at State? Gees...
Tired. Sleepy. Exhausted. Zzzz...
NOV 11 :: [unknown entity] So, our new Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, is an unknown entity. Don't know if I like that. At least we all knew (at least the blues amongst us) that Ashcroft was an evil man. It's hard to hate (or love) someone you don't know. Mr. Gonzales is apparently a social moderate; expressing no hard-line opinions about incendiary social issues like abortion, affirmative action or same-sex marriage. But will that be the case once he becomes the AG?
Really, it's the ones we don't know that we have to worry about. Until then, confirm the man and hope for the best (and expect the worst).
[cool blue] Frank Rich, NYT, in "'Moral Values,' It's Blue in a Landslide":
"At 78 percent, the nonvalues voters have far more votes than they do, and both parties will cater to that overwhelming majority's blue tastes first and last. Their mandate is clear: The same poll that clocked "moral values" partisans at 22 percent of the electorate found that nearly three times as many Americans approve of some form of legal status for gay couples, whether civil unions (35 percent) or marriage (27 percent)."
"When Robert Novak writes after the election that "the anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, socially conservative agenda is ascendant, and the G.O.P. will not abandon it anytime soon," you have to wonder what drug he is on. The abandonment began at the convention. Sam Brownback, the Kansas senator who champions the religious right, was locked away in an off-camera rally across town from Madison Square Garden. Prime time was bestowed upon the three biggest stars in post-Bush Republican politics: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger. All are supporters of gay rights and opponents of the same-sex marriage constitutional amendment. Only Mr. McCain calls himself pro-life, and he's never made abortion a cause. None of the three support the Bush administration position on stem-cell research. When the No. 1 "moral values" movie star, Mel Gibson, condemned the Schwarzenegger-endorsed California ballot initiative expanding and financing stem-cell research, the governor and voters crushed him like a girlie-man. The measure carried by 59 percent, which is consistent with national polling on the issue."
"If the Republican party's next round of leaders are all cool with blue culture, why should Democrats run after the red?"
It's cool to be blue :)
NOV 10 :: [new look] Like it? :)
[early winter?] Temperatures bottomed out at 34 F in DC this morning (much colder in the suburbs, I'm sure). Another shot of freezing air coming in this weekend. Isn't it a little early for sub-32 degree days?
Thank God Ashcroft is going. I've been doing a minor redesign of my website these past few days. I found out that the CSS codes that I've been using are incompatible with other browsers. And one of the more popular secondary browsers out there is Mozilla Firefox. I tweaked this site a little so that it works on both MS IE and Firefox. It was hard work to figure out all that CSS-crap but I think I've got it stabilized now.
It was sad to have had to take down the Kerry-Edwards 2004 logo on the right but I had to. It's time to move on. In its place is an improved date/time/weather thingamajiggie. Enjoy!
And what's up with baseball in DC? Who-tf is Linda Cropp?! Better yet, WTF is she doing? Crazy bitch.
[good riddance] Ding-dong the Witch is dead :)
NOV 9 :: [no correlation] From the Daily Kos:
"In 11 states with gay marriage referenda on the ballot, the president increased his share of the vote from an average of 55.4 percent in 2000 to an average of 58.0 percent in 2004--an improvement of 2.6 percentage points. However, in the rest of the country the president increased his share of the vote from an average of 48.1 percent in 2000 to an average of 51.0 percent in 2004--an improvement of 2.9 percentage points."
"If the evidence gave credence that gay rights was hurting us, I would refuse to apologize and reaffirm my commitment to equal rights under the law. But the evidence doesn't support that, so hopefully such talk will earn a well-deserved death."
Equal rights under the law is non-negotiable. Period.
NOV 8 :: [fuck unity] Think about this: The Democrats lose two presidential elections by the smallest of margins in both the popular and electoral vote and Bush is again calling for unity. Did Republicans ever call for unity when Clinton swept aside 12 years of Republican rule in 1992? Or when he won re-election by an even bigger margin in 1996? Do you remember how the Republicans treated President Clinton then? Contempt, disrespect, outright hatred and they were completely obstructionist in Congress.
Why do Democrats always have to compromise and submit to Republicans? Sick of it? Repeat after me: Fuck Unity. Angry? Just picture yourself grabbing their so-called mandate and stick it up their asses. Wanna take action? Boycott red states and "red" companies (like Wal-Mart, eww). I'm this close to cancelling our Christmas trip to Kansas City in protest.
Stand up and fight!
[winter's frost] Tonight will be the coldest night in DC since early April. Winter is officially here. Temperatures will drop to right about freezing. I'm not a big fan of winter; neither the cold, nor the bone-chilling winds. And what I *really* dislike? The sun setting at 5 today and we're not even at the solstice yet. I do like snow though. I can't wait for the first flakes.
At least I have a new winter jacket to keep me warm :) How fetch!
[immoral values] In honor of Bush's mandate-less win, a bunch of us had an immoral weekend beginning with $5 happy hour martinis at Dragonfly followed by Cosmos and tapas at Zaytinya. Next stop - Secrets! Watching naked go-go boys on podiums and bartops was my way of saying Fuck You to the President, giggle.
Saturday was yoga followed by our gang-of-eight dinner party at Roger/David's newly refurnished place. Sunday, a beautiful 70-degree day, started off with lunch on the rooftop of Lauriol with Rick, M2 and his trick-of-the-week followed by sun-tanning at Dupont Circle, drinks at Peppers and then JR's till the sun came down and then some.
All in all, it was a relaxing, fun weekend. The mood in DC is gradually changing from despondent to a need to fight back. Worrying about the present, but hopeful for the future. Long live my blue city :)
NOV 5 :: [what mandate?] The part that hurts the most from Election 2004 was the 3.5mn vote margin for Bush. Yuck. But seriously, Bush and his Republican dicks in Congress are gonna rule the country the next four years as if they had a mandate. What mandate? E.J. Dionne Jr of the WP:
"Begin with the facts: A 51-48 percent victory is not a mandate."
"Even Democrats have talked about their party's being confined to an "enclave." Enclave? Blue America includes the entire Northeast, all of the West Coast but for Alaska and much of the upper Midwest. If John Kerry had switched a point and a half in the popular vote and roughly 70,000 votes in Ohio, we'd be talking about the Republican "enclave"."
"Rove's strategy has largely confined the GOP to the South and the Mountain West, rural America and the outer suburbs. Two nearly equal sides are engaged today, as they were on Tuesday, in a long-term struggle to make inroads into the other's patch."
Divided as ever. And he is one of the growing chorus of progressive/liberal columnists who cautions the Democratic Party against trying to fall into the GOP's culture trap:
"Most of the voters who cast ballots for Bush because of abortion, stem cell research or gay marriage won't suddenly switch sides because Democratic candidates pepper their speeches with prayers and a few more "God bless you's."
"What's required is a sustained and intellectually serious effort by religious moderates and progressives to insist that social justice and inclusion are "moral values" and that war and peace are "life issues." As my wife and I prepared our three kids for school the day after the day after, we shared our outrage that we in Blue America are cast as opponents of "family values" simply because we don't buy the right wing's agenda."
Outrage. Anger. And a strong desire to stand up and fight back. Social conservatism must be defeated.
[some more good news] The National Conference for State Legislatures (NCSL) reports today that the number of state legislators nationwide has indeed flipped back to the Democratic majority. Of the 7,382 seats in state legislatures nationwide, 5,807 were contested this past Tuesday and Democrats now hold a slim 12 seat majority; reversing a +64 R prior to the elections. As mentioned before, party control is now 19D/20R/10Split which is a +2D and -1R. Governors are still split 28R/22D. That's at least some good news in the sea of bad news for Democrats.
Also, closer to home, there's more good news. DC's largest suburb, Fairfax County, voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate for the first time in 40 years! And by a 53%-46%, 33,000-vote margin at that. Nevermind that the state as a whole is still voting Republican. Fairfax County turning blue is quite impressive. And Northern Virginia as a whole (incl. Arlington, Alexandria Counties and City of Falls Church and Fairfax) voted 2-1 for Kerry. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad spending money in NoVA :) Now, Loudoun and P.William Counties... Yuck.
[stop wallowing] A series of fantastic Op-Ed columns in the NYT over the past few days. Here's one from Bob Herbert in "O.K., Folks: Back to Work":
"Mr. Bush's victory on Tuesday was not based on his demonstrated competence in office or on a litany of perceived successes. For all the talk about values that we're hearing, the president ran a campaign that appealed above all to voters' fears and prejudices. He didn't say he'd made life better for the average American over the past four years. He didn't say he had transformed the schools, or made college more affordable, or brought jobs to the unemployed or health care to the sick and vulnerable."
"He said, essentially, be very afraid. Be frightened of terrorism, and of those dangerous gay marriages, and of those in this pluralistic society who may have thoughts and beliefs and values that differ from your own."
"A quintessential American value is tolerance for ideas other than one's own. Tuesday's election was a dismaying sprint toward intolerance, sparked by a smiling president who is a master at appealing to the baser aspects of our natures."
Deficits are soaring. Borrowing is rampant. Iraq is getting worse. Hungary has left the Coalition. Bin Laden is still at large. And Americans who voted for morality think that a prayer and some good, steely, full-of-resolve character is going to carry us through all this?
"I have been struck by the extraordinary demoralization, even dark despair, among a lot of voters who desperately wanted John Kerry to defeat Mr. Bush... Here's my advice: You had a couple of days to indulge your depression - now, get over it.
Soundest advice I've heard yet.
"The election's been lost but there's still a country to save... Crucial matters that have been taken for granted too long - like the Supreme Court and Social Security - are at risk. Caving in to depression and a sense of helplessness should not be an option when the country is speeding toward an abyss."
"Roll up your sleeves and do what you can. Talk to your neighbors. Call or write your elected officials. Volunteer to help in political campaigns. Circulate petitions. Attend meetings. Protest. Run for office. Support good candidates who are running for office. Register people to vote. Reach out to the young and the apathetic. Raise money. Stay informed. And vote, vote, vote - every chance you get."
"Democracy is a breeze during good times. It's when the storms are raging that citizenship is put to the test. And there's a hell of a wind blowing right now."
We can weather the storm. We can prevail. Now is not the time to surrender. Now, more than ever, is the time to stand up and fight like our future depends on it.
[no surrender] Paul Krugman also chimes in:
"Democrats are now, understandably, engaged in self-examination. But while it's O.K. to think things over, those who abhor the direction Mr. Bush is taking the country must maintain their intensity; they must not succumb to defeatism."
And he proceeds to make the case for NOT playing to the GOP's desire to start a culture war:
"Democrats need to make it clear that they support personal virtue, that they value fidelity, responsibility, honesty and faith... But Democrats are not going to get the support of people whose votes are motivated, above all, by their opposition to abortion and gay rights... All they will do if they try to cater to intolerance is alienate their own base."
"The religious right - not to be confused with religious Americans in general - isn't a majority, or even a dominant minority. It's just one bloc of voters, whom the Republican Party has learned to mobilize with wedge issues like this year's polarizing debate over gay marriage."
"Rather than catering to voters who will never support them, the Democrats - who are doing pretty well at getting the votes of moderates and independents - need to become equally effective at mobilizing their own base."
That's essentially my view on this whole Democratic Party self-examination thing. There's no point in trying to close the cultural gap between blue and red states. Even if the Democratic Party opposes abortion and gay marriage, the social conservatives are not going to vote blue next time around.
"Democrats shouldn't cave in to Mr. Bush when he tries to appoint highly partisan judges - even when the effort to block a bad appointment fails, it will show supporters that the party stands for something. They should gear up for a bid to retake the Senate or at least make a major dent in the Republican lead. They should keep the pressure on Mr. Bush when he makes terrible policy decisions, which he will."
Amen. Stand up and fight. No surrender.
NOV 4 :: [southern values] Sigh. Prior to the elections, Republicans held 13 of 22 Senate seats in Southern states. That lead has grown to 18-4 (!). Democrats maintained 4 of the 12 Governor manstions. Both those numbers are the smallest since Reconstruction. That's just terrible. The South is as united for Republicans as the Northeast and West Coast is NOT united for Democrats. It's easier to elect Republican governors and senators in the Northeast and West Coast than it is to elect a Democrat in the South. Case in point, NE/Pacific have 19 D and 8 R Senators (VT has 1 Independent Senator), 7 D Governors and 7 R Governors. Why is that?
[more good news] Ashcroft is resigning? Stay tuned.
Oh, btw, if it's not clear from my ramblings these past few days. Two words for President Bush: FUCK Unity. And two words for the 48& of America who agrees with me that Bush symbolizes moral decay not moral values: Stay United.
[some good news] Yes, there were some for the Democrats and they were in State-level elections. Democrats gained control of State Legislatures (House and Senate) in Colorado (by flipping both chambers), North Carolina (regaining the House), Vermont (taking back the House), and Washington (taking the Senate) but lost Oklahoma for a net gain of 3. Republicans had a net loss of 1. The balance of power (today) stands at 19 States with Democratic full control, 20 States for the Republicans, 10 with split party control and Nebraska is Unicameral. This is a big improvement over 16D | 21R | 12Split situation prior to the elections.
Also, Democrats earned a tie in the Iowa Senate, broke one in Oregon's and gained control of the Montana Senate (!). Bad news in the South, as always. Tennessee's Senate is in Republican hands and the split in Georgia and Indiana has become a full control by the GOP.
In terms of individual numbers, before the election, Republicans had a majority of state legislative seats for the first time in 50 years, with roughly 64 more seats than the Democrats out of a total of 7,382 seats in the nation's seat legislatures. With only a handful of legislative races as yet unresolved, a 50-50 split seems likely. So far, Republicans hold 3,655 seats while Democrats held one less with a bunch of seats still undecided (particularly New Hampshire's monstrous 400-member House).
Texas shows why it is so important to win State-level elections as well: redistricting. Revenge will be sweet when the time comes. Screw civility. I say, gerrymander the hell out of the Republicans and beat them at their own game.
[questions] Thomas Friedman, NYT, sums it up:
"...what troubled me yesterday was my feeling that this election was tipped because of an outpouring of support for George Bush by people who don't just favor different policies than I do - they favor a whole different kind of America. We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is."
"Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferences and the marriage unions they want to make? Is it a country that allows a woman to have control over her body? Is it a country where the line between church and state bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers should be inviolate? Is it a country where religion doesn't trump science? And, most important, is it a country whose president mobilizes its deep moral energies to unite us - instead of dividing us from one another and from the world?"
"My problem with the Christian fundamentalists supporting Mr. Bush is not their spiritual energy or the fact that I am of a different faith. It is the way in which he and they have used that religious energy to promote divisions and intolerance at home and abroad. I respect that moral energy, but wish that Democrats could find a way to tap it for different ends."
How did intolerance win? Why did America break so slightly towards the politics of fear and division? It's almost impossible to comprehend. But analyzing it is the only way to move forward.
Maureen Dowd, NYT:
"W. doesn't see division as a danger. He sees it as a wingman."
"The president got re-elected by dividing the country along fault lines of fear, intolerance, ignorance and religious rule. He doesn't want to heal rifts; he wants to bring any riffraff who disagree to heel."
That's how I see it too. Am I wrong?
The far-right agenda has now won two back-to-back sweeping victories in the Presidential and Congressional races (2002, 2004). I consider 2000 a Democratic win because we held our ground in the House, won 5 seats in the Senate (which we are going to have to defend in 2006, groan) and won the popular vote for President. But what has happened since is almost too depressing for words; from 50 to 44 Senate seats, 211 to 201 House seats, and yet another 4 years of a White House that is only interested in winning elections by appealing to the most intolerant and bigoted part of our country. How do we beat back the tide of intolerance?
Anybody?
[fight!] OK, moment over. This is how divided the nation is. This is how narrow their majority is. Two days after the election, I am (as, I'm sure, many others are) ready to fight! I am so over wallowing in my misery or feeling depressed about our future.
From The Nation:
"The American Right understands we are two nations, and cares less about healing than about holding power. A Bush win forces us to understand, in a very deep way, what that means for us and for the values and institutions we care about. Not that they are wrong, or rejected or weighed down by "identity politics" or some other rationale for surrender. But that they are in desperate danger and we need to start thinking along the lines of how to resist, delay, deflect, oppose and ultimately defeat the assault on our freedoms. As progressives, we will need to marshal at least as much dedication, purpose, strategic focus and tactical ruthlessness..."
"And we should be thinking about the indispensable work of resistance. We need to identify legislative and administrative choke points where Bush's initiatives can be blocked, and make clear to both legislators and their constituents that the days of go-along in the interest of non-partisan comity have to stop."
"...we all need to remember, and remind ourselves, and everyone else that there are two Nations--not Bush's America and some dissenters-- especially since I'd be willing to bet that numerically there are more of us."
"Progressives, who were on the defensive two years ago, added millions of new voters as well, and tapped a new energy and activism that will last far beyond November 2nd. The extremism and incompetence of this rightwing cabal has sharpened our focus to a razor's edge."
The hard-right has absolutely no interest in governing America as a whole nation. They just want to divide-and-conquer, and hold power at all costs - including pummelling the other half of the nation into the ground.
Which is why I'm ready to fight back. Fight for everything that is important to me. Defeats are temporary. We need to fight back. And we will.
NOV 3 :: [alive and well] The good news is close to 60% of eligible voters - the highest since 1968 - turned out for the elections this year. That's a healthy sign of the American democracy. But it's still far short of the 97 or 98 percent turnout that Australia gets routinely because it's against the law not to vote there (what a cool concept). People need to exercise their right to vote. Otherwise, you might as well not even exist. Yay for the turnout :)
[america always moves forward] From John Kerry's concession speech at 2pm ET today:
"...we go on to make a difference another day. I promise you, that time will come, the time will come, the election will come, when your work and your ballots will change the world. And it's worth fighting for."
"...in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans. That is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on Earth."
"I will also do everything in my power to ensure that my party, a proud Democratic Party, stands true to our best hopes and ideals. I believe that what we started in this campaign will not end here. Our fight goes on to put America back to work and to make our economy a great engine of job growth. Our fight goes on to make affordable health care an accessible right for all Americans, not privilege. Our fight goes on to protect the environment, to achieve equality, to push the frontiers of science and discovery and to restore America's reputation in the world. I believe that all of this will happen, and sooner than we may think, because we're America, and America always moves forward."
America always moves forward. Those words right there embody everything that I believe is right about this country.
[stand tall] Andrew Sullivan provides some post-election inspiration to frightened gays and lesbians all across the country:
"We have seen, and not for the first time, how using fear of a minority can be so effective a tool in building a political movement. The single most important issue for Republican voters, according to exit polls, was not the war on terror or Iraq or the economy. It was "moral values." Karl Rove understood the American psyche better than I did. By demonizing gay couples, the Republicans were able to bring in whole swathes of new anti-gay believers into their party."
"But one more thing is important. The dignity of our lives and our relationships as gay people is not dependent on heterosexual approval or tolerance. Our dignity exists regardless of their fear. We have something invaluable in this struggle: the knowledge that we are in the right, that our loves are as deep and as powerful and as God-given as their loves, that our relationships truly are bonds of faith and hope that are worthy, in God's eyes and our own, of equal respect. Being gay is a blessing. The minute we let their fear and ignorance enter into our own souls, we lose. We have gained too much and come through too much to let ourselves be defined by others. We must turn hurt back into pride. Cheap, easy victories based on untruth and fear and cynicism are pyrrhic ones. In time, they will fall. So hold your heads up high. Do not give in to despair. Do not let the Republican party rob you of your hopes. This is America. Equality will win in the end."
Amen.
[kerry concedes] And rightfully so. He's too far from winning to battle it out and drag the country into an us vs them war. Even I, as one-sided as I am, don't want that. So Bush wins re-election and another 4 years in office with a friendly Congress by his side. Fun.
For awhile this morning, I was thinking to myself, Hmm, this is a lost cause. Conservatism has such a strong grip on America's morality that it'll be hard to fight for progressive themes in the future. Why even bother? Let's just move out of the country and leave this place to those bigoted, hard-right, ignorant idiots who are hell-bent on stopping and reversing social progress at all costs now that they are the majority in votes, in government, and in the White House.
But are they? The Democrats lost by a few percentage points and a few electoral votes. It was hardly a landslide. It wasn't a crushing defeat. It was the same bitter division we had in 2000, only tilting slightly in their favor... this time. We still have many more elections to go to (in my eyes) right the wrongs of this Administration and to fight against the divisive and hateful Republican party platform.
I guess I'm taking solace in the fact that 2004 wasn't LBJ-Goldwater ('64), Nixon-Humphrey ('72), or Reagan-Mondale ('84) where the incumbents crushed the challenger in both the popular vote and the Electoral Vote. The last two elections were the closest Electoral Vote battles since 1916. Since then, all but one Presidential election have been decided by the winner getting more than 300 Electoral Votes (the exception being 1976 when Carter won 297-240 against Ford). This wasn't a blow-out or repudiation by any definition. It was close to a tie - unfortunately, on the other guy's side. We just need to figure out how to get to 51%; just like President Bush did to win re-election.
The country remains divided and bitterly so. For all the trumpeting about this election being a validation of GOP principles and policies, 48% of the country disagrees strongly. True, the other side prevailed this time. But we are not so far behind that we can't fight to get ahead next time. There's still hope. We're still within reach of the elusive goal.
Let's not give up on themes that will unite the country in our favor. And let's not give up on our goal towards social progress, social equality and a better future.
It's disheartening, heartbreaking and disappointing to see our side lose after so much effort, and unity, and energy put into the race. But once those feelings subside, we'll keep fighting because our cause is right and history is on our side. And the prize is still within reach, even if it's slightly, just slightly, farther away today than it was yesterday. Regroup, never give up and continue to fight for what is right!
[morning after] I woke up this morning thinking it had all just been a nightmare. It wasn't. It's 8am and I'm up, just 4 1/2 hrs after I went to bed. And almost all the news websites and newspapers are saying the Presidential race is too close to call.
It's not. Bush has a 3.5mn lead in the popular vote and is all but certain to take Ohio, Iowa and NM (the last 3 states to have not been called by CNN). That means he'll be up to 286-252 in the Electoral College. Kerry-Edwards should concede. Their road to the White House is hinged entirely on Ohio but Bush's lead there is insurmountable; whatever ballots are left to be counted.
It sucks but that's the truth.
The Senate is gonna tilt even further to the Republicans - 55-44 (vs 51-48 currently). Incidentally, 44 Senate seats is the lowest Democratic total since 1899 when there were only 45 states and 90 Senate seats. That's huge for the Republican party. The House has also tilted further right; maybe 232-202 (vs 228-206 currently). That is the lowest total for the Democratic Party since just after WWII.
What is wrong with the Democratic Party? Or rather, is there anything wrong with Democratic Party? On the surface, the results continue to reflect a major division between progressive America and religious America, the difference between large cities on the coasts and the rural heartland of America. One side looks at the other and says "are you a unicorn?". It does seem, on the surface at least, that the divisions are still as deep and wide as ever.
But dig deeper down and the division is growing less and less pronounced, and frighteningly tilting towards the conservative values. D(emocrats) are 55-44 in California this year. The margin is 1 less than 2000. This is the most progressive of all progressive states and yet the D lost ground here. Same with MA (+25 instead of +27 in 2000). Closer to home, MD is +13 this time instead of +16. And startlingly, the R(epublican) anti-terror message resonated resoundingly with bluest of blue NY and NJ where the margins were cut by 7 (+25 to +18) and 9 (+16 to +7) points respectively. CT also went from +17 to +10. Those are all huge R gains.
The D margin shrank in almost every single blue state and the R margin stayed the same or increased in almost every single red state. It does seem that the country is tilting ever so slightly Republican, one election at a time.
None of this makes it easier to be progressive in America. The next four years? Gay rights, minority rights, women's rights will all be thrown back to the 1960s, back when America was divided along racial lines. The Supreme Court will tilt conservative for the next few decades. Congress - now so much more Republican - will rubber-stamp everything that comes out of the White House. And just slightly less than half of America is not gonna like any of the above.
It's almost like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Very, very slow 8-year motion. 2008 seems so far away. 4 more years of Bush is what the country voted for. And it's what we're gonna get. It's a frightening prospect. But America has voted and spoken.
God Bless America.
NOV 2 :: [it's over] CNN just projected Ohio for Bush and Bush is now at 269. There is no way he can lose. Even if the Electoral Vote ends in a 269-269 tie (it won't happen; Bush is leading NM by a huge margin), the House will vote to re-elect Bush.
Yes, it's crushing. All the hopes have been crushed and all the fears have come true. But America has spoken and the Presidency, the Senate and the House remains in Republican hands. Four more years of hell. It's all over. It's a sad day in American history and world history.
[disappointment] Well, it didn't turn out the way I thought it was gonna. The country is solidly conservative, and solidly Republican. The House and the Senate will stay Republican. And it looks like Bush will prevail. It's devastating but what can you do? Life goes on.
Most of the major networks and news organizations have called Florida for Bush which means it's Ohio or nothing. And Bush is leading in Ohio. It's almost a lost cause at this point. Even if Kerry sweeps all the battleground states and nabs NH and NV from Bush, the Electoral College is tied 269-269.
America has spoken. And it's totally not what I wanted to hear. Oh well, more later. It's 12:30am. And it looks bad. Even if Kerry wins the Presidency, things look pretty bad in general. Sigh.
[america votes] It's a beautiful day in the DC area, low 70s and lots of sunshine - perfect for voting. Turnout has been reported to be huge; Tony waited in line for 40mins this morning to vote. People coming in from Virginia reported lines of at least an hour. Lots of "I Voted" stickers today at SAIC (most, undoubtedly, voted for Dubya - eww). I'm still secretly hoping Virginia becomes a blue state. *optimism*
America votes today and the first polls close in 3 hours (including Virginia). The excitement and the anticipation is unbearable. The pre-election polls have finally stopped coming in like an avalanche of numbers but the exit polls will start streaming in soon.
America votes - This exercise of democracy in relative peacetime as more than a hundred million people will do today is humbling. And someday, democracy will spread to all corners of the globe... so that they too can suffer like the rest of us, enduring attack ads, hanging chads, political spinmeisters, and talk-show radio :)
Election Day is almost over. The real battle for the White House begins...
[election day] It's finally here. No matter who you vote for, VOTE!.
Believe it or not, I have never voted in my entire life. Not in Malaysia, and not here. You have to be over 21 to vote in Malaysia and I left Malaysia when I was 18. Since then, 2 general elections have been held in Malaysia and since you can't vote absentee or even register to vote from overseas, I haven't voted there since becoming eligible. And I can't vote in the US either coz I'm not a citizen here; and probably won't be until the 2008 election or later.
Because I can't vote, I treasure the right to vote even more. The right to vote is not really a right, it's an obligation. It's your obligation as a citizen of the nation you are in to exercise that right. Even if you hate all the candidates on offer, go to the polling booth and register your disgust by leaving the ballot blank. I have absolutely zero tolerance for people who don't bother to vote when billions around the world do not have that privilege (or get killed fighting for that privilege). And billions more that do do not enjoy it in a free and fair climate like we do here in America.
Democracy starts at home. VOTE!.
NOV 1 :: [decisive] I am SO over this election. I can't think about it anymore. I'm gonna go crazy. One more night to go. And until then, I am extremely invested in this election. Groan.
I am thinking that the results are going to be pretty decisive tomorrow. Either the country gets another dose of myopic delusionment and re-elects the Toxic Texan to four more years or a tidal wave of discontent will sweep this destructive Administration into the waste bins of history. I'm rooting for the latter. Turnout will be huge. And new voters, minorities and young people alike, are going to decide this election. Not necessarily in either candidate's favor. But it's gonna be decisive.
Decisive... only in the Electoral College sense. I doubt the popular vote will be quite that decisive. It would be sweet, sweet revenge if Kerry lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote this time around, but I don't want that to happen. I want him to win both. The clear majority of this country should be the progressive majority and not the moral(-ly self-righteous) majority.
I am secretly hoping for a Kerry sweep of the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida trifecta. That would end the election and win it for Kerry with an electoral landslide. Of course, the opposite could happen. Well, I can't do anything to prevent the opposite from happening but you can. So, VOTE!!!
[mission accomplished] Yay! I found a winter coat! In Kenneth Cole at Grand Central of all places. It's quite fetch, if I can say so myself. It's black. I love it. And better yet, I got to use my 25% discount on the jacket (plus a pair of pants and a pair of shoes *GRIN*) which saved me beaucoup bucks. I love it! I won't get to wear it till it gets significantly colder though. It's been pretty warm the past few days (high 60s and 70s). How bizarre.
Wow, it's November! Can you believe it? We had a crazy, whirlwind, overnight, shopping/partying trip to NYC over the weekend. The shopping was amazing; NYC is like paradise for shoppers. Their stores are stocked with such a large variety of items, some of which I have never seen in similar DC stores. It would take a lifetime to peruse all the stores that NYC has to offer. Then again, I wouldn't mind a lifetime of shopping :)
Quick recap: Ms Adams Morgan last Friday was totally hilarious. Ms Georgia won; our contestant Ms DC came in third, poor gurl. Drinks were ultra expensive and the costumes were outrageous, as usual. I wore my Cirque mask which was quite fetch - no allergies this time. We capped off the night at Duplex - so drunk. And SO had to get up the next morning!
And we almosts missed our flight. We made a mad dash out of the house at 11:20 for a 12:30 fligh... from Dulles!! Amazingly enough, we made it with barely enough time to spare. Security lines were non-existent on a Saturday morning, thank God. So off we go to NYC. We were at the Westin Times Sq aka Westin Port Authority which is like my new favorite mid-priced hotel in Manhattan (hah! mid-priced, my ass, at $279/nt). The location is unbeatable; directly above the A/C/E with quick access to 5th Ave (shopping!) and Chelsea/Village (partying!).
Mikko's friend, Paavo, graciously hosted us (Rob/Mikko, Rob/Carlos, Chris, Tony and I) on Saturday night for a little dinner shindig at his fabulous apartment near the South St Seaport. We were there together with some of Paavo's neighbors. It was totally fetch. The neighborhood was a little up and coming but it wasn't too bad. Very quiet though. We adjourned to a neighborhood bar after dinner and there was not a single soul in the restaurant. At 10pm on a Saturday. I thought that was weird.
Anyway, we finished off the night at Therapy, of course. All gay men need Therapy :D They had cute bartenders dressed (or underssed) in fabulous outfits and the patrons were very local; no tourists here. I think I picked it more because it was 10 blocks from our hotel than anything else.
Sunday, us 7 boys met up at Pastis in the Meatpacking (giggle) District between The Village and Chelsea for some fabulous Sunday brunch. This place was packed with wall-to-wall beautiful people and Manhattan's finest-dressed. Quite an amazing buzz for a little French bistro in a funky part of town. Although, the Gansevoort Hotel across the street was quite swank. After that, we went shop-crazy along 8th Ave in Chelsea for some party clothes. I got greedy and lusted after a brown jacket which was not to be found in my size and that was quite depressing. I moped for quite a bit after that. Yes, I'm silly.
We parted after a few more cocktails and high-tailed it back to our hotel for check-out, then off to H&M for some more shopping before heading to Esca - Babbo's sister restaurant specializing in seafood - for some amazing raw food (crudo tasting) and yummy pastas. Then it was off to LGA and back to DC. The return journey was quite tragic (see below).
Monday. Tired. Lack of sleep. Partying too hard. And in a little more than 24 hours, election results will start rolling out and hopefully, we will be electing a new President to end the past four nightmarish years! Vote!!
[never again] So we rush out of Manhattan at 6:45 in an effort to catch an 8pm flight only to find out it was delayed by 45mins when we got there. Groan. Strike 1 for United Express (some Air Wisconsin piece-a-crap airline partner thingie). No biggie. Delays happen all the time. We sat in the Red Carpet Club till they closed it at 8 so we wandered over to sit with the heathens at the gate and waited out the rest of the delay. Well, 8:45 rolls around and we're still waiting. Bizarre. By 9pm, I was getting pissed. Not only were we not kept up-to-date on what was going on (the board still showed an 8:45 departure), there wasn't even a gate agent at the gate!!
I mean, I knew we weren't leaving anytime soon coz there was no plane at the gate but the fact that there were no gate agents at the gate the entire time we were waiting was inexcusable and totally pissed me off. Strike 2 for United Express. The plane finally shows up at 9:10 and STILL, no gate agent! No idea how we're gonna board this plane without a gate agent. Finally, at 9:30, the stupid gate agent shows up, barely apologizes and off we went to Dulles.
The flight was uneventful. Except that neither the FA nor the pilots apologized for the delay. Not a single word. Very disconcerting. We find out later on that the plane was delayed due to aircraft availability and they thought they were going to land at 8:45 until LGA issued a ground stop for 30 minutes or so. Not their fault. LGA is just a terrible airport to fly in and out of. No reason for the ground delay. Not a drop of rain or a hint of fog in sight. Who knows what they were doing...
So we land at Dulles, and the plane taxis into the dreaded G gates. Now, I've heard lots of horror stories about this new shack they call terminal G but one has no clue how horrific it is until one has actually experienced it. It should be called the moon terminal. Coz that's where it's at. And you have to walk through corridors exposed to the elements, into a bus where they take you on a 20 minute joyride around the massive construction site known as Dulles airport before you get to the Main Terminal. Aahh!! What an f-ing nightmare! Strike 3 for United Express. But wait, there's more. You get dropped off unceremoniously onto a barely put together staircase (no escalators!) and you have to trudge a mile before you even get to baggage claim. And from there, it's another mile to the Daily Garages. All in all, I think I walked to China. The G-gates could not be further away from the parking lots. If it were any further, it would be in West Virginia.
We were supposed to land at 9:30, we landed at 11. Home at midnight. And the house was in a complete mess due to the HVAC workers. Ugh. And that's how we spent Halloween night - taken for a ride by United Express. So tired today.
But lesson learnt. Never again. No more UX flights out of IAD for me, thank you.
30 :: first snow
30 :: celebrity sighting
30 :: 6 a.m.
29 :: venezia
29 :: viva italia
29 :: europa
29 :: no surrender II
28 :: home sweet home
18 :: 182
15 :: weekend fun
11 :: unknown entity
11 :: cool blue
10 :: new look
10 :: early winter?
10 :: good riddance
09 :: no correlation
08 :: fuck unity
08 :: winter's frost
08 :: immoral values
05 :: what mandate?
05 :: some more good news
05 :: stop wallowing
05 :: no surrender
04 :: southern values
04 :: more good news
04 :: some good news
04 :: questions
04 :: fight!
03 :: alive and well
03 :: america always moves forward
03 :: stand tall
03 :: kerry concedes
03 :: morning after
02 :: it's all over
02 :: disappointment
02 :: america votes
02 :: election day
01 :: decisive
01 :: mission accomplished
01 :: never again