I start this column with exactly two weeks to go until the election. The debates ended tonight (thank God, or who, or whatever). Pollsters are now destroying their fingers and credibilities. Canvassers are becoming Jehovah-witness- like nuisances, with their incessant door-knocking and bell-ringing. Fundraisers are begging credit-card holders for as little as three dollars a clip. E-mails from Obama and his minions are flooding my inbox. E-mails from republicans are few and far and in-between. And the whole world is watching us here in the good old USA (United States of Amnesia). It’s ShowTime baby.

This is what the talking (and writing) heads of mainstream media (MSM) wouldn’t tell you about the upcoming elections: the election is over. You can stick a fork in Mitt Romney’s campaign. It is finished. It is cooked. Mitt Romney will lose this election and it wouldn’t even be close. Mitt Romney hardly ever had a chance of winning this election: from day one.  read more »

Continuing my occasional musical themed diaries, Wednesday is for Tom Waits.

He's gritty, he's weird and he is among the most creative musicians ever. Love him or hate him, he is a force of nature.

Tom Waits goes way back and has been extremely influential in the deep, dark recesses of music. And sometimes even on more popular songs.

Tom Waits originally wrote and sang Jersey Girl long before Springsteen made it popular:

And an amazing moment: Tom Waits and The Boss doing Jersey Girl together:

(hey my wife was born in Jersey, though raised in NYC...and hey, I never called my step-daughter a brat, though we did drop her off with her mom and went out...)

Now even Johnny Cash sang songs written by Waits:

Tom Waits on Letterman 1983: (includes Frank's Wild Years and On the Nickel)

Tom Waits on Letterman 2012:

 read more »

The final tally is in and corrupt FORMER party boss Vito Lopez wins one last race even as he disappears in disgrace. From the Lincoln Restler campaign:

More than a month after the last ballot was cast, the Board of Elections determined yesterday after counting more than 12,000 votes by hand that we came up 19 votes short - 50.08% to 49.92%.

It has been a crazy roller coaster ride over the past month. At different moments we were certain we had lost and at others equally confident that we had pulled it out. What I do know is that phenomenal community support propelled this campaign forward. I am proud of the campaign we ran and our ability to secure 83% of the vote in Greenpoint, 86% of the vote in the Northside, and 93% of the vote in Fort Greene. In contrast, more than 91% of the votes my opponent received came from one block of voters in the Hasidic community.

Accusations of fraud have been leveled at the Hasidic community that gave Vito Lopez's candidate the win, but Restler has decided not to contest the results further.

19 votes. If ANYONE tells you their vote doesn't count so why bother, slap them in the face. If just 20 more reformers came out to vote in the Democratic primary, Lincoln Restler would have won re-eleciton and Vito Lopez's last hurrah would have been a narrow loss rather than a narrow win.

If one thing comes out of this, I hope it is that reform minded people in Brooklyn stop ignoring primaries!

In the mean time, if you want to help build the reform movement of Brooklyn, please join New Kings Democrats, Lambda Independent Democrats, or Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats. These clubs are the best way to make a difference locally.

Don't always believe the pundits.

President Obama didn't lose the first debate. He certainly didn't win it! But the most talked about moment two days later was no longer his poor performance, but was Romney's threatened hit against Big Bird. Add to that the good jobs report and Romney being forced to say he was wrong about the "47%" statement and the first debate's impact for Romney was minimized. He got a modest bounce in the polls that had many people talking, but he still came off looking like a nasty SOB for threatening Big Bird.

Is that a big deal? Yes. Because people don't vote based on logic or self interest. Neurological studies show people vote almost purely based on emotion and the main emotional moment from the first debate was Romney wants to gun down Big Bird. The mathematical stupidity that he somehow thought this would save America is more damning to me than his actual choice of words, but to most people that subtlety was lost and the main emotional moment was simply Romney wants to kill Big Bird.

Now I had a theory from the start about the first debate. President Obama knew it didn't matter much so he basically used it as a chance to give Romney enough rope to hang himself. "Rope-a-dope" was the term many used and it is apt. However I think it was more than simply "rope-a-dope." It was a recognition that the media almost ALWAYS declares the Repub a winner of a Presidential debate if that Repub doesn't flop as badly as expected. Romney was destined to be anointed winner by the media as long as he didn't drool or defecate on camera. The best strategy was to let Romney take the first debate so that the expectations would be reversed from then on. At the moment Romney, despite declaring jihad on Big Bird, was declared the winner, it was now easier for Obama to "win" from then on. The expectation game was reversed and as long as Obama did a reasonable job he would win.

President Obama plays a long game. While everyone is viewing the debates as a boxing match, Obama is playing chess and basically sacrificed a piece to set up a stronger position for later.

The VP debate was a forgone conclusion. Ryan is a lightweight by any standard. And, as long as he isn't plagiarizing British politicians' speeches, Vice President Biden knows how to handle himself. In fact even his image as a loose cannon then becomes a contrast to Obama's cool demeanor. While Romney and Ryan drone talking points, the Dems come off as a team with the old school tough guy allied to the cool in all circumstances boss. It looks like a good team...as long as in the next debate President Obama looks good.

Which he did. The first debate was all about rope, whether of the "-a-dope" kind or the "enough for Romney to hang himself" kind. The second Presidential debate was about dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Obama lured Romney into fumbling on one topic that Romney thought he had an easy win: Benghazi. Claiming that Obama didn't call the attack an "act of terror" when the words "acts of terror" were right in the transcript made Romney look like an idiot. I guess Romney was thrown by the plural or something. Not the brightest bulb on the stage it seemed. What made it worse is that Romney didn't even strongly assert his claim (and by "claim" I mean "lie"). He stuttered it as if even HE didn't believe what he was saying.

Finally, the Republicans are teaming up to create the biggest gender gap in history. From Aiken's "legitimate rape," to McMahon's "emergency rape" to Romney's "binders of women," the Republican party is looking about as anti-woman as their Saudi friends these days. Funny thing is, if they just refrained from SAYING these things, people might not notice their horribly anti-women policies. Remember, people vote mostly based on emotion, not reason. Saying horribly offensive things like "legitimate rape" and "binders of women" evokes an emotional response in women: gut wrenching disgust. That is not the way to win votes, through gut-wrenching disgust. Now as long as Aiken and McMahon were the ones saying gut-wrenchingly disgusting misogynistic statements, Romney could kind of pretend distance. But now he has defined his stand on women as a woman's place is in his binder. So now the gut-wrenchingly disgusting Republican jihad against women falls solidly in his lap.

Personally I think this year's top Halloween costume for women has just been suggested by Romney: a binder.

Obama plays a long game. And he uses Biden to conduct diversionary strikes. President Obama is a supreme strategist. I don't think he understood just HOW bad he would look in the first debate, but he DID know it didn't matter much and could even set him up for easier wins in subsequent debates, that even if he did look bad there would be enough stupid statements from Romney that Romney's win might well by Pyrrhic (could he afford any more victories like his killing of Big Bird?), and he knew that in the long game he would win.

One of the most successful tactics on any battlefield in history is luring the enemy into what they think is an easy victory but is actually a trap. This was the master strategy of the Huns, Mongols, etc. and plays out on many modern battlefields.

Obama pulled the same strategy on Romney.

Now we just need to keep pushing our advantage.

Donate here to win the House (my goal is to raise over $2500 on this site)

Donate here to win the Senate. (my goal is to get this one to $2000).

Make phone calls through Democracy for America to support Progressive candidates

Or just volunteer through the Obama campaign.

Bill Clinton doing what Bill Clinton does best:

Why do Republicans lie so much? Why do they hate math and science so much? Eisenhower would be horrified by today's right wing extremist Republicans.

Every year I spend a fair amount of time trying to size up the state of the country when it comes to elections. I look for specific candidates I feel are worth pushing for (sometimes before others are pushing for them, I should note) and I try to get a feel for the overall trend in the nation. In 2006 and 2008 I felt Dems were going to win big...bigger than polls were indicating and many supposed "long shots" I endorsed as having a chance wound up winning. In 2010 I, along with most observer, knew that the tide was flowing towards the Repubs. I played it more defensive though I rightly predicted that the teabagger wave wasn't going to be quite as overwhelming as most pundits suggested. Still, 2006 and 2008 were aggressive years for me, 2010 defensive.

I am feeling this year is another good year to be aggressive. I am optimistic. I think Obama will win and we will keep the Senate. Taking the House is quite a long shot, but not impossible. Still I think it is best to try to make gains in the House (which I think we will do) in preparation for what I am hoping will be a strong Dem year in 2014.

With this in mind, I want to highlight 3 NY State races. There are more close NY State House races, but these are the three that I think are leaning Repub that we can turn to Blue with some hard work. Winning even one of these three races will help Obama when he gets re-elected. And winning all three is a possibility. I should note that one of the main sites I use to judge races is a conservative site. I figure if I know what the right wing is thinking, it helps me be realistic in our chances. All three of these races are listed as "Lean R." In 2010 I wouldn't have touched these races. But in 2006 and 2008 I would have given us a good shot at all three. This year? I think it is in between but well worth making the effort. Not that ALL of these would be Dem pick ups, so by contesting them strongly we are putting Repubs on the defensive. That is something we don't do enough of.

You can donate to any of these campaigns at the bottom of this Act Blue Site (my latest Act Blue site...on other sites I have already raised about $5000 for Dem candidates across the country).

NY-11 Mark Murphy

This has been a traditionally Republican district that has slowly trended Dem...though conservative Dem. It still leans Repub but it is a weak hold for them and the Repub incumbent has run into a few scandals. So I think we have a shot at it since Repub scandals are what made this a possible Dem district in the first place. Plus the Democrats in the Brooklyn end of this district have suddenly gotten more unified and eager to prove their worth. So there may be a push for the first time from the Brooklyn end to win this one.

VOLUNTEER FOR MARK MURPHY

NY-18 Sean Patrick Maloney

I have met Sean Patrick Maloney and liked him a few years back. He is running against right wing nut job Nan Hayworth. It leans Repub but things have been picking up. Maloney has been endorsed by Democracy for America, NYS AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers Region 9A, New York State United Teachers, and many others.

VOLUNTEER FOR SEAN PATRICK MALONEY

NY-19 Julian Schreibman

This one has been off my radar but we have a shot at it. NY State as a whole has been trending Dem for years (ironically upstate more than Brooklyn, which has trended more Repub!). So this race should be part of that trend.

VOLUNTEER FOR JULIAN SCHREIBMAN

You can donate to any of these campaigns at the bottom of this Act Blue Site.

Love Morgan Freeman. The latest from the Obama campaign:

What you can do:

Help the Obama campaign field trips to NH and VA.

Make phone calls through Democracy for America to support Progressive candidates

Can't spare the time? Then give some cash:

Donate to help Democrats retake the House

Donate to help Democrats keep the Senate

Time for Thursday Blues at Daily Gotham.

This guy is a new find for me, thanks to Pandora Radio. James Booker was born in 1939 in New Orleans and was part of the long and ongoing tradition of kick ass music in that town. He died in 1983. He died waiting in an emergency room from renal failure, something that could probably have been headed off if we had us some decent healthcare in America. Booker's most famous student is Harry Connick Jr.

I only learned about him today, proving there is always more great music to find. His piano work is excellent. His singing is okay but it is his piano work that stands out.

James Booker doing St. James Infirmary, a song that goes WAY back, and which I mostly associate with Cab Caolloway, though Louis Armstrong made it popular:

James Booker in action, singing "True":

And playing "Sunny Side of the Street": (shows off his piano skills particularly well on this one)  read more »

I start this column in New York City. It’s three o’clock on the morning of a public holiday we celebrate in this city: Columbus Day. It’s only fitting that I write this column today since it deals with a simple but profound prediction: Mitt Romney has no chance of winning next month’s presidential race. He will be soundly defeated. This is a general election that has been over long before the primaries started: contrary to all the media hype of it being a close race.
Back in the days of the Italian -whose name has been translated as Cristobal Colon or Christopher Columbus- a simple but profound theory led to a whole new worldwide awakening. Columbus said that the world was round, and if a sailor took his ships and continuously sailed westwards, then he will eventually obtain a new sea route arriving at the same enchanting eastern lands Europeans already knew about. Of course the powers that be of that time (including the Catholic Church) scoffed at his theory. Fact was that many people in the relatively “historically-ignored” world outside Europe had known the truths ingrained in this theory: long before 1492.  read more »

Big Bird wants you to get involved.

Lt. Sulu (George Takei) wants you to get involved.

Now NYC can help win the election by traveling to New Hampshire and Virginia. Here's how you can get involved:

DL21C Weekend Road Trip to NH (Oct 20-21)

Join DL21C as we enjoy the fall foliage and beauty of New England while knocking on doors for Obama in this critical swing state - this small state may make the difference in the electoral college as the Presidential race narrows, so let's make sure New Hampshire's 4 electoral votes are blue!

Recent polls are showing a tight race and you can make a real difference in just a weekend. You'll also be volunteering for competitive down-ballot races for us to make a difference on, including Maggie Hassan for Governor (who, if elected, would be the nation's only sitting female Governor) and Carol Shea-Porter for Congress - one of the most competitive House races this cycle that could make the difference in returing the House to the Democrats!

We'll provide all you need - $80 gets you hotel accommodations, R/T coach bus travel w wifi, a night out with DL21C after a great Saturday of volunteering, snacks, beverages, and pizza throughout the trip and great fun along the way! Click HERE or read below for full information:

The logistics:

• Meet at 32nd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues- next to Penn Station) at 7:15am on Saturday.

• Buses depart at at 7:30 am SHARP (you can sleep on the bus!). Coffee, bagels, donuts provided.

• Arrive in Manchester, NH at approx. 11 am and spend the afternoon canvassing.

• Unwind over dinner and drinks in downtown Manchester on Saturday night.

• Campaign all day Sunday, depart Manchester at 5pm and return to NYC at approx. 10pm.

The $80 cost includes:

• roundtrip coach bus transportation
• accommodations at a local hotel
• two full days of work with Obama field offices
• breakfast on the outbound drive, and pizza, beverages, and fun on the way back
• and of course, our DL21C tradition.....a special pub night get together on Saturday night!!!

Prior campaign experience not required!

If you or any of your friends are nervous about joining, DL21C
makes it easy and fun. We take care of the transportation, hotels, party planning and arrange an
itinerary with the campaign so you get the maximum amount of payoff for your time. Our road trip
captains will also be on hand to provide background on important issues and talking points that will
resonate with the undecided voters we are trying to reach there.

RSVP is required and the bus will fill up...

more info

Reserve via PayPal

Questions? Email us at campaignvol@dl21c.org. See you on the bus for a fantastic weekend!

________________________________________________

DL21C Weekend Road Trip to northern VA (Nov 3-4) - GOTV WEEKEND!!!

Join DL21C getting out the vote in the final hours of the campaign! Virginia matters more than ever, with the White House and a crucial Senate seat on the line. With Politico calling Fairfax County “key to any candidate’s victory,” a visit from you might be all it takes to push undecided voters firmly into the President Obama/Senator Kaine camp!

To get you ready, check out this recent Politico article: “Is Virginia Going Purple?”:
Meet at 32nd Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues- next to Penn Station) at 6:15 am on Saturday. Bus will depart at 6:30 am SHARP!

We will spend Saturday night in Old Town Alexandria or Arlington along with hundreds of other volunteers who will be flooding the state to make a final push for their candidates in what is sure to be a crucial battleground in the Presidential race.

Full info HERE

See you on the bus!

And if you can't do these events, you can still donate or phone bank for victory.

Donate to help Democrats retake the House

Donate to help Democrats keep the Senate

Make phone calls through Democracy for America to support Progressive candidates

On Oct. 13-14 Join or Host a Moveon.org Phone Party to Get Out the Vote

Get active so that after November it will still be a sunny day on Sesame Street. Sweep away those right wing Republican clouds!

George Takei of Star Trek fame has a message for you:

A few ways I can suggest to act:

Donate to win the Senate

Donate to win the House

Make phone calls through Democracy for America to support Progressive candidates

On Oct. 13-14 Join or Host a Moveon.org Phone Party to Get Out the Vote

The whole idea of Romney "winning" the debate was to boost his support. Instead, one of the most memorable moments was Romney threatening Big Bird by name.

I guess he thought it would be "cute." But instead it looks like it is blunting his win.

And the DNC already is taking full advantage simply by spicing the news reports for a YouTube video:

Add to that the jobs report (nothing spectacular, but still an edging down of unemployment) and Romney having to admit he was wrong with his "47%" statement, I think Obama is coming out of the week overall ahead.

However, I suggest he do a little better at the next debate.

Of course this is not the first time Muppets and the American right wing have rumbled:

Now may I suggest we help PBS and Democrats come out the winners:

Donate to help Democrats retake the House

Donate to help Democrats keep the Senate

Donate to help PBS

Donate to help NPR

So in the debate Mitt Romney's key policy moment seemed to be the firing of Big Bird, basically calling crusade against Sesame Street. Well as someone who grew up with Sesame Street, I gotta say not only is he a fool to think that somehow Sesame Street is a drain on the nation's economy, but he also ignores the HUGE cultural and educational value of Sesame Street.

In honor of Blues Thursday, here are some key truly AMERICAN moments where Sesame Street met the blues:

Sesame Street and BB King, an American Icon, pay tribute to the Letter B:

Going further back, Cab Calloway joined the Sesame Street cast a few of times:

And I can't resist this one, which I still remember from when I was a kid (Okay, it's the Muppet Show, not Sesame Street, but so what??): (and Heaven Forfend, it includes Spanish!)

Ray Charles and Kermit the Frog about being Green:

Stevie Wonder rocks on Sesame Street:

And what I consider a major find, and probably the kind of thing why Mitt and the Republicans hate Sesame Street so much, Nina Simone on Sesame Street:

And in case you think pride was brought in by Nina Simone, here is the Sesame Street character Roosevelt Franklin speaking about the Skin he's in...no wonder Republicans hate it!

And finally, please help save PBS and NPR.

Donate to help Democrats retake the House

Donate to help Democrats keep the Senate

Donate to help PBS

Donate to help NPR

Today is my son's 8th birthday. We are proud that he shares a birthday with Nobel Laureate and President Jimmy Carter. Right now my son is pouring over the instructions for the digital watch I gave him (his request) for his birthday (among many other smaller gifts) and figuring out how to set it. I could do it for him but he wants to do it himself. He may well be able to figure it out about as fast as I could!

I have two kids, a 17 year old step-daughter (who I have known since she was 3 and who is captain of her co-ed wrestling team and likely, if we can afford it, to go to MIT for college) and my 8 year old son. A great deal of my life is spent focused on them, and that is how I like it. They are smart, caring, independent individuals who have little clue so far how hard their lives will be.

I remember some 25 years ago when I first learned about global warming. Then it really was kind of a fuzzy theory, but there were lots of very specific predictions. Over those 25 years I have watched every single prediction at least start to come true.

I want my kids' lives to be better than mine. But Republican policies have already started hurting my family and our prospects for the future. And global warming is likely to hurt us even more. Every year I donate to plant three trees for my son's birthday, just to remind him of the earth that supports him. But so much more needs to be done if my dream of having my kids' lives better than mine can come true.

Below I want to introduce you to my son and the kinds of things I am doing to make his future better than the Republicans would leave it.

One of the most iconic moments in my son's life (and one he considers "made him famous") was when my son was 5 year's old...having on his own initiative memorized the periodic table with the help of Tom Lehrer (filmed by his sister):

This shows not only his love of science, which he feeds mostly on his own initiative, but his love of ordering the universe, which he conceptualizes possibly beyond what is normal but is NOT reflected in the ordering of his room...which is a mess!

He already understands evolution and resents the attempts by religious fanatics to teach religious dogma (creationism) in place of science. In honor of his desire for real science education in our schools, I support the National Center for Science Education. They work to support teaching of the science of evolution and global warming in our schools. If you are so inclined, help my support science education in America for my son's biggest passion.  read more »

A few years ago I wrote a column positing that all five district attorneys in New York City should be term limited to twelve years. It was simply an extension of my thesis that ALL elected officials in New York (federal, state, city/local) should be term-limited accordingly. There is no need for me to revisit the many arguments for term limits that have been made in this city since way before 1991. Three referendums have shown overwhelming voter support for the proposition. Currently NYC has an eight- year (two consecutive terms) limit on the mayor, comptroller, public advocate, all five borough presidents, and on all fifty-one city council members. Only the DAs are exempt from said limits.  read more »