Racial Profiling?

I was driving with my girls (6 and 8) over the weekend. They were sitting in the backseat, listening to Casey's $15 MP3 player with two sets of headphones. When they share headphones like this, a pattern emerges. They tend to play 20-30 seconds of a song, tire of it, and skip to the next one. About every 10 songs or so, they land on one that they are really excited about, emit a couple of squeals, and listen to the entire song. They pepper each song with commentary, which is normally very loud because they don't understand that they are speaking loudly due to the headphones.

I had them pretty well tuned out when I heard my eight-year-old say the words, "brown skin". Intrigued, I asked what she was listening to. She was listening to the 80's classic "Oh, Yeah" by the band Yello. You will probably remember this song from Ferris Bueller. I asked her what she was saying about "brown skin". She explained: "You know the low voice that says, 'Ohhhh Yeaaaah'? Well, in my imagination, he has brown skin."

In Praise of Mirage

[Warning: this post will likely be boring to anyone who does not enjoy Fleetwood Mac]

My friend Dan and I are both very passionate about music. Curiously, although we are both rabid consumers of music, we've learned that our musical spheres have only a narrow sliver of overlap. This is not a bad thing. We are both agreeable chaps and very rarely come to blows over things like this. On the contrary, we are often able to expose each other to music that we would normally not come across in our day to day explorations.

Our divergent tastes are epitomized by the band Fleetwood Mac. We are both Fleetwood Mac enthusiasts, but we view the band through entirely different lenses. I see Fleetwood Mac as a tool for Lindsey Buckingham to write and arrange excellent rock music with the help of some very talented musicians. Dan has a much more Stevie-centric view of Fleetwood Mac's contributions to the world. [side note: a recent conversation on this topic prompted Dan to wonder - Are their devoted Christine McVie die-hards out there?]

Dan recently wrote an in-depth post about Fleetwood Mac's double album "Tusk" in which he essentially surmised that he tolerates Lindsey's songs as a necessary price to pay to get some great Stevie songs [I'm exaggerating here for comic effect]. It got me thinking about Tusk from the perspective of Lindsey and Stevie fans. I would hypothesize that Tusk is probably the most difficult album to enjoy in its entirety if you are a strong Lindsey fan or a strong Stevie fan. Both Stevie's and Lindsey's songs on Tusk magnify their songwriting quirks to their extremes. Lindseys songs are extraordinarily strange and not at all commercial (which is exhilarating for a Lindsey fan...and frustrating for others). Stevie's songs can't seem to produce a melody shorter than 30 bars (again...great for Stevie fans, frustrating for others). Tusk was an album in which the two dominant personalities of Fleetwood Mac were speaking directly to their solo fans...and not so much towards the general Fleetwood Mac fans who loved Rumours.

Today I've been listening closely to Tusk's follow-up, Mirage. I've always thought of Mirage as an apology of sorts. Lindsey's songs are radio-friendly again. Stevie's songs are more concise. But, most importantly, the album sounds like a band recorded it, unlike Tusk, which sounds like 3 solo albums mixed together. Mirage hasn't aged as well as Rumours, thanks to a more pop-oriented production, but I will always consider Mirage to be under-rated. Sure, it had a couple of strong hits (Hold Me, Gypsy), but it was also graced with some excellent album cuts. Love in Store, Can't Go Back, That's Alright, and Eyes of the World are among my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, and they are largely unknown to the radio-listening public. I have no broad point to this post. Just go buy Mirage.

Patriotism

A reader of Andrew Sullivan's "Daily Dish" blog comments on the patriotism of the Obama campaign.

I'd like to add a thought to your post "The Winner," about the Will.I.Am video. You mentioned that it resonated because of eight long years of shame and drift and failure - and no one could disagree with that. But I would add to that reason another - one that may seem hokey to some, but one that is central to the success of this campaign: patriotism.

The McCain campaign and far right detractors have questioned the patriotism of Obama and his supporters from the very beginning, when in fact, patriotism is the very basis for his success.

Obama's campaign simply could not function without an abiding, strident belief in the American people, the American dream, the American way. With two ongoing wars and a coming economic crisis that rivals the Great Depression, what can explain this fervor, this pure optimism, if not patriotism?

Without patriotism, where is the passion, the determination, the conviction that we, in fact, can? Without patriotism, we are left with only fear and cynicism. That video resonated because millions of people (young, disadvantaged - those with more reasons for despair and cynicism than hope and optimism) believe strongly enough in what their country stands for to stand up for it.

Well put.

Clint Still Rules

Brief break from politics today so that I can state that Clint Eastwood is still bad ass.

I'd go see Gran Torino just based on this poster alone:



But now the trailer has been released and I'm even more excited.

Anti-American Update - Part 2

Michele Bachmann has been cut off by the RNC!

Two sources aware of ad buys in Minnesota say that the National Republican Congressional Committee is pulling its media purchases from Bachmann's race.

Ouch.

Anti-American Update

Michele Bachmann, who I featured a couple of posts ago expressing her fear that Obama is "anti-American" is now trying to deny that she said what she said. Man, it's tough to deny things in the internet age.



In other Bachmann news, her appearance on Hardball a few days back has resulted in a flood of donations to her opponent.

McCain's Independent Appeal

With Republicans feeling so disaffected this year and with the generic Republican brand in the sewer, McCain was the smartest choice to be their presidential nominee. Well...the McCain of a few years ago, I should say. McCain has always had a strong following among independents, and he should have been able to attract a significant amount of them in this campaign.

And then...he pivoted hard towards the base by choosing a hopelessly unqualified and extremely right-wing running mate.

How's that working out for him with independents?

Not great.

They were and are the core base of his appeal. As a "maverick" Republican, his fundamental gamble was that he could appeal to enough of them and win over enough Clinton Democrats to beat the odds this year. And yet, no group has responded more negatively to McCain these past seven weeks than independents. McCain's unfavorables among independents have soared from 24 percent to 44 percent in seven weeks. Palin has also turned them off, after a promising start. Her unfavorables among independents have jumped 14 points since she started campaigning.

Why I Can't Help But Love Chris Matthews

I can't help it. I love me some Chris Matthews. Sure, he's imperfect. Sure, he's insecure. Sure, he runs off at the mouth. But his passion for politics and for this country is unrivaled. And, most importantly, his B.S. detector is finely tuned. He really cuts through the crap here as clearly nutty Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann waxes nostalgic for the quaint days of Joe McCarthy.

Powell Endorses Obama

For those who missed this, Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama was surprisingly poignant and thoughtful.



My favorite quote:

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say, and it is permitted to be said. Such things as, 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the association: he's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

Wow. General Powell has earned my respect.

Ugly Times

Let me start out by saying that I don't think that all Republicans are racist lunatics. Both sides of the political spectrum get nutty when you stray too far from center. However, McCain and Palin's new "All Negative, All The Time" strategy has really started to draw those fringe folks that might have had the good sense to keep to themselves earlier in the race.

Just in the last 36 hours:

• At a rally, John McCain asks the crowd, "Who is the real Barack Obama?". The first and loudest responder can be heard shouting, "TERRORIST!"
  
  
• The Washington Post reports that "Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, 'Sit down, boy.'"
  
  
• Palin whips a crowd into a frenzy, talking about Bill Ayers, former member of the Weather Underground. In the middle of her speech, one man shouts, "Kill him!"
  
  
• This morning, Palin accused Obama of criticizing the troops (untrue, of course) and soon after, someone in the crowd shouts, "Treason!"

Stay classy, San Diego. Remember, this was the man who promised a respectful campaign.

Again, it's too early to tell if McCain's new last-ditch scorched Earth strategy will work or not. Keep an eye on the daily tracking polls over the next week or so. I think we'll see a tightening.

Desperate Empty Embarrassment

Joe Klein, author and Time Magazine columnist continues his fascinating transformation from McCain supporter to McCain critic.

His latest entry is powerful.

As I said, I'm of two minds about this. I don't want to give currency to this sewage, so it will remain below the fold. And I'll try to devote the lion's share of my time to the issues--the war, the economic crisis, the fraying health insurance system, the environment--that should define this campaign. But what a desperate empty embarrassment the McCain campaign has become.

Negativity!

The political news today is all about McCain's terrible poll position (hey, great arcade game...). With only 4 weeks left, McCain has an enormous hill to climb if he is to win this election. The number one issue with voters today is the economy, and Obama holds a significant advantage in the public's mind on this issue.

As McCain sees it, he has only one choice. Go all negative, all the time. His surrogates (and even his vice presidential candidate) have come right out and said it. They are planning to launch serious character attacks until the election.

The question is, will these Rove-style politics still work? You can hardly blame them. They worked in both 2000 and 2004. It's a little surprising to previous McCain fans, like myself. Several months back, Jon Stewart mentioned that a race between Obama and McCain would probably be "a tonic to this country". He was assuming that it would be extra civil. Of course, losing can do things to your psyche.

Lately on the stump, Palin has been saying that Obama "pals around with terrorists". Ah, that's class.

Interesting link round-up:

• John "seething rage" McCain suggests that Barack "no drama" Obama gets angry and touchy when questioned on credentials or policy. This statement is outrageous for a few reasons, but primarily because Obama has been calm and unruffled throughout this entire campaign, while McCain has been perpetually ready to pop a vein. Talking Points Memo uses the Des Moines Register Editorial Board interview as evidence that McCain is the touchy one, and our very own Rekha Basu chimes in as well.
  Late Update: Andrew Sullivan cuts through the hypocrisy on this issue.
  
  
• Mike Murphy, a frank and honest Republican operative seen frequently on Meet The Press laments the new negative McCain turn and argues that McCain should go positive.
  
  
• FiveThirtyEight.com today has a very interesting break-down of how very slight improvements in black voter participation can make a huge difference in Georgia.
  

Daily Tracking

Not a good sign for McCain. Gallup's Daily Tracking poll (released daily around noon) indicates that Obama is holding, and maybe even increasing his lead. These numbers are significant because they are beginning to take the Biden/Palin debate into account.

The other daily tracking polls show much the same:

Hotline/Diageo: Obama 48%, McCain 41%
Rasmussen: Obama 51%, McCain 45%

Obama's Steady Climb

Yesterday's state-by-state polls continue to indicate that Obama is continuing his "tortoise and the hare"-like slow and steady climb. FiveThirtyEight.com shows good news in all of yesterday's state-level polls with the exception of Minnesota.

The idea that Minnesota would go McCain is a little surprising, but there are two points to consider here. One, McCain has been outspending Obama in Minnesota in terms of ad buys. Two, This is a SurveyUSA poll. They are frequently the "outliers", and their numbers in the primaries weren't always so dead on. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see Iowa consistently put into the "strong Obama" category and Minnesota put into the "lean Obama" category time and time again.

Now it gets interesting. Over the next couple of days, the poll numbers will start to reflect the impact of the veep debate, if there is any impact.

The Veep Debate

Phew...the veep debate is over. My very disorganized and truncated thoughts:

Ifill was neutered. Palin was better than expected, but still much too folksy. She devoted perhaps 1-2 sentences in each response to acknowledging the question put to her, and then veered off into factually dubious Obama attacks. Biden started weak and ended strong. His moment of emotion over his hospitalized children was authentic and very powerful. Palin started strong, but her collection of talking points and anecdotes grew thin quickly. Is it elitist to want a veep that speaks in proper English? Has their ever been a veep that says, "you betcha" or "gonna"? Not in their kitchen, but on a national debate? Oh, and Palin seemed to indicate that she thinks that the veep should have MORE power. I'm sure after eight years of Cheney that may not be what America's looking for.

I had a blast reading the journalists who liveblogged during the debate. Here are some great liveblogs:

• Marc Ambinder, of the Atlantic: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo: Part 1, Part 2
• Andrew Sullivan, of the Atlantic

The snap polls I've seen so far are all giving it to Biden. CBS gives it to Biden, 46% to 21%. CNN's poll gives it to Biden, 51% to 36%. Perhaps most troubling to the McCain camp is that only 46% of CNN's poll subjects thought Sarah Palin was qualified to be president. That's only a 4% gain from before the debate. That's not going to cut it.

I think that Palin did stop the bleeding, however...and McCain's got to be hoping that the tidal wave of criticism he's been facing over his drastically unqualified VP pick may subside for a while.

Ok, I Give Up.

I give up. I've gone silent for quite a while now because I'm absolutely consumed with politics. I didn't want this to be a political blog, and I'm thinking about almost nothing else until after the election, so I decided to shut up.

But I can't shut up anymore. Politics is simply too much of what I care about and too much a part of who I am. So, until the election, I will begin posting my own political commentary, but even more frequently I will be posting the best articles, poll analysis, and political commentary that I've come across. This election cycle seems to be the cycle where the blogosphere has really come into it's own. Not just a place for ranting anymore, blogs are often doing the serious and important journalism that the traditional media doesn't do.

So, if you hate politics or if they bore you, check in again on November 5th. Actually, better make it November 6th. I will likely spend the 5th celebrating or crying.

Today's recommended reads:

• Credit Where It's Due - a great posting from someone reflecting on how Obama has managed to strike the right tone over and over again, even as Democrats try to push him to be "angrier". Angry is just not part of who Obama is, and I think Obama understands that slow and steady wins the race.
  
  Excerpt:

  When you think about it, it's astounding. A first term African-American Senator with an Arabic name who is descended from and still related to Muslims in the post-9/11 era is on the verge of being elected President of the United States. If you submitted this script to Hollywood, they'd laugh you off the lot.

• McCain is pulling out of Michigan. One look at the trend lines for Michigan make it clear that he is losing ground there quickly. This is horrible news for McCain supporters. There are very few scenarios in which McCain can win the presidency and lose Michigan.
  
  
• Of course, tonight's big political news is the V.P. debate. This debate is 100% about Palin. Nobody will care about Biden at all. In fact, I heard someone say, "If people are talking about Biden after the debate tonight, then he messed up big." After Palin's cringe-worthy interviews with Katie Couric over the last week, the country is going to be watching to see if she can redeem herself. This is actually a better format for her than the Couric interviews. There will be fewer follow-up questions (where she really falls apart) and the questions will be more predictable. I don't think Sarah Palin is stupid, I think she just has an astonishing lack of knowledge about the issues our country faces. Until tonight's debate, enjoy her greatest hits.
  
  
• Time magazine's Joe Klein, a long supporter of McCain until recent months has a new column out today called "Anger vs. Steadiness in the Crisis" in which he contrasts the two temperaments of Obama and McCain.
  
  Excerpt:
  

  A few hours before the house of Representatives smacked down the financial-bailout package, I watched John McCain — eyes flashing, jaw clenched, oozing sarcasm and disdain — on the attack in Ohio: "Senator Obama took a very different approach to the crisis our country faced. At first he didn't want to get involved. Then he was 'monitoring the situation.' That's not leadership; that's watching from the sidelines." And I thought of Karl Rove. Back in 2003, at the height of Howard Dean mania, Rove was skeptical about Dean's staying power as a candidate: "When was the last time Americans elected an angry President?"

  
  

Quote of the day

From the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

STEPHEN COLBERT: One of the things I love about my character is I can make vast declarations and it doesn't matter if I'm wrong. I love being wrong. So my character can tell you exactly what's going to happen: The Democrats are going to change everything. We're going to have gay parents marrying their own gay babies. Obama's gonna be sworn in on a gay baby. The oath is gonna end ''So help me, gay baby.''

Matt's Brilliant Ideas, Vol. 863

If you are at a gas station and are paying at the pump with a credit card and you are not issued a receipt, the gas is free.

Man, I'm a genius.

Lindsey Day

I finally have Lindsey Buckingham's "Gift of Screws" in my hot little hand. It is amazing. Here is my extremely hasty, blow-by-blow Gift of Screws live blogging. It's not pretty...it's not insightful, but it was written real time.

1. Great Day – This is a very quirky song. Reminds me of the work he did on Tusk. Probably going to be the most eccentric song on the CD. This is the song that has the “guitar solo so ‘blowtorch-hot’” mentioned in the Rolling Stone review. Listening to the first half of the song, you’d never guess that this song would have a heavy solo in it. It’s kind of sparse up until the end, when he kind of tears loose. The solo has a very similar sound to the guitar sound he used in “Come” from Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Will” album.
   
   
2. Time Precious Time – Even though this is supposed to be a more rocking album, this one is an acoustic, fast finger-picked song in the style of “Not Too Late” from Lindsey’s last CD. A pretty song. Didn’t strike me right away…but might after more listens.
   
   
3. Did You Miss Me – This is the single. It’s probably the most conventional song on the CD. I found it very boring until about the 6th time I heard it. It’s very low-key. No big guitar moments, not a really huge chorus. Just a very straight-forward song. Pretty melody, but much simpler than the stuff he normally writes…kind of like Peacekeeper.
   
   
4. Wait For You – This song rocks…I had heard this one as a demo a few years ago…but then it was called “Shuffle Riff”. It has a very bluesy feel, and sounds like it could’ve fit onto Rumours. (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie play bass and drums on this song). It has a hugely hooky chorus…best song so far. It also reminds me a bit (in the chorus) of Lindsey’s writing from the Go Insane album. This song was also produced by Rob Cavallo, who is a hotshot producer right now (he produces Green Day, for example).
   
   
5. Love Runs Deeper - If I were Warner Brothers, I would’ve pushed this as the first single. It’s extremely catchy, and the chorus sounds like something off of “Tango in the Night”. I think it has much more VH1 potential than the single he did release. It has a great contrast from a restrained and peppy verse to a big, booming chorus. The guitar solo has a very Rumours tone to it.
   
   
6. Bel Air Rain – Another fast acoustic finger-picking monster…one of those where you can hear Lindsey’s metronome click-track underneath, the way you can with “Shut Us Down” from the last CD. This is a great song…a sad, desperate song. One of the catchiest chord changes in the chorus of any song so far… Something about the writing style reminds of 1980s Lindsey.
   
   
7. The Right Place to Fade – This song is a pop/rock masterpiece. Breathtaking. I’ve had this song for a couple of years as a demo called “Twist of Fate”. I thought that he changed the words, but after hearing the high-fidelity version, I think that the words were just misunderstood by whoever first got a hold of the demo. This song has signature LB guitar all over it, and a chorus (full of LB’s modified vocals) that is instantly memorable. The last 40% of the song is nothing but blistering guitar work. Probably going to be my favorite.
   
   
8. Gift of Screws – Damn…I spoke too soon. This is a deranged, high-energy…(can I still be hetero if I use the word ‘romp’?) romp! This is the crazy, slightly insane Lindsey that we’ve been missing. Maybe only Holiday Road can compete in terms of hooks. It has an almost old-fashioned rock feel…a mixture of 1960s Chuck Berry and 1980s new wave.
   
   
9. Underground - This song makes it official. The songwriting on this album is definitely most reminiscent of Lindsey’s second solo album, “Go Insane”. Many of the same production techniques are used, including Lindsey modifying his own voice to sound like a woman and then recording his own background vocals. The chorus has some faint similarities to “On The Wrong Side”, which appeared on some movie soundtrack.
   
   
10. Treason – A mostly acoustic, mid-tempo number. This song is a rarity…an acoustic Lindsey song where the guitar is actually strummed instead of plucked. Pretty pedestrian verses, but the chorus is big with lots of reverb. Nothing in this song stands out as particularly memorable on the first listen. Seems like he wanted a more contemplative closer for the CD.
    

Countdown to Lindsey - One DAY!

Lindsey with his "army of guitarists" on his 1993 solo tour. Great solo at around 2:20 or so.



The reviews are beginning to trickle in. The Times (in the UK) says:

"Buckingham's last solo album, 2006's Under the Skin, was a thing of wonder and beauty, but Gift of Screws finds him on even finer form. Fated for ever to be thought of as the man who reshaped Fleetwood Mac into a world-conquering rock band, the guitarist issues albums that, if they bore the group's name, would sell by the bucketload; and he's fated, too, to have his unsung status as one of the great geniuses of American sonic architecture obscured by his talent for undislodgable melody lines and radio-friendly hooks (though the hits invariably contained some deeply eccentric music-making). "