Date

Palin v. Biden: tonight's the night

susan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:52:08 -0500

I predict that the VP candidate whose name has five letters -- two vowels, two syllables and ends in an N -- is gonna clean up tonight.

Okay, this one is Joe's to lose, but here's hoping he takes a page from Katy Couric's book. By not attacking the pit bull, just asking her simple questions -- "What newspapers do you read?" -- Katy came across as a sweetheart with a soft touch, not someone trying to play the "gotcha game". (As McCain claims the big bad media are doing.) And unless you're living in Cheney's bunker, you know how that's worked out for Sarah. More, and a note about Barb.

And the winner is . . .

susan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:04:18 -0500

Well, don't ask me. I am clearly not a pundit.
(But I just read somewhere they're calling it 51-36 for McCain, or something close to that. And I don't know who "they" are. Zzzzz.)

When I watched the Obama-McCain debate I was ecstatic. I thought my guy was pitch-perfect and hit it out of the park and that McCain looked stiff and monochromatic and mean. Okay, so maybe Barack agreed a bit too much with the old coot, but I thought he was showing a kind of reach-across-the-aisle temperament.
Then the pund-nuts weighed in calling it a draw. They faulted Obama for agreeing too much, and faulted McCain for not looking at Obama. Not a game-changer. Yes, more.

Bail-out Blues

susan — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:36:49 -0500

In the comments following my post on the Obama/McCain debate, Poet and I got to talking about the bail-out, with me saying that in the end, we had no choice. Maybe so, says Poet, but we should have demanded better terms and conditions before we swallowed the pricey potion. And he's right, but I'm not sure we had the time to do that. Read on? Please do.

My friends, the end is in sight.

susan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:45:22 -0500

Yes, Obama was terrific last night, transcendent I thought, and I don't always think that of my candidates. His previous tendency to pause and hesitate were gone, his answers were clearly phrased and well-organized. (Hey Hillary, thanks for all the great prep work. I mean that. I think she made him a much better candidate.)

I loved it that he didn't scribble notes while McCain wheezed on like the crotchety bitter man he's become, but instead sat very still and listened closely. No smirks, no eye-rolls, no sighs, just an "I'm listening" sort of smile, the kind you might affect at a dinner party when the person next to you turns out to be an over-served windbag who specializes in stating the obvious. Or the smiley neutral face you put on when your teenager tells you about the Jello shots party she had in the basement while you were away, after you've promised her you won't be angry as long as she tells the truth -- but you're thinking, "You sneaky little creep." Okay, Obama looked like he really was paying attention but he might have been thinking the sneaky creep thoughts.Lots more.

All About Us. (But mostly me)

susan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:20:57 -0500

The sun is shining, the sky is a perfect October blue, I'm healthy, our daughter is about to give birth to twins, so why am I bluer than that sky?

Well, where to begin.

First off, you may have noticed that Barb hasn't been around much of late. The crushing sadness in her life is that her man, David, who put up a valiant year-long fight against esophageal cancer, has lost that fight. After a very rough week, he has come home to the tender care of Barb and hospice. There ain't no justice in this one folks. Please keep them both in your thoughts, or drop her a note at the contact-us address above.
Political blues ahead.

Shhhh, he's an Arab

susan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:33:03 -0500

There are times when you cringe to be a Minnesotan. One is when you hear Sarah Palin speak in her more Minnesohdan than Minnesohda accent. Turns out she's descended from a herd of folks who thought it was gettin' kinda too warm and too bug-free here in Minnesota, so they headed Way up North to Alaska. That was several generations ago, but like the Apalachians who still speak in an Elizabethan dialect brought with them from England, this renegade group clung to droppin' their g's and their nasal A's. She's gonna shatter that glass ceiling all right, with her Minnesota voice.
More, as always.

Between Grief and Birth

susan — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:50:07 -0500

The Clothes Line is sagging with heavy events and may be on leave for the next few days. Amidst the furor of this coming election, which feels like a life or death sort of election to many of us, Barb and I are dealing with -- well, life and death.
Read on.

Marathon Man finishes final race, with valor

susan — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:45:42 -0500

On October 14 at 5 p.m. Barb posted the entry on David's Caring Bridge site that we never wanted to read. There are no words to soften this blow.
* * *
This is far and away the most heart-breaking communication of my life. All of it.
This afternoon, my marathon man lost the race. David died at 2:00, at home. We were with him when he died. I am hoping, praying that I may have been some small part of whispering him across the bridge from here to there. I will never know.
David's family and mine have been absolutely wonderful in their caring presence and great love for David, for each other, and for me.
When I can bear to, I will write more. For now, please pray my man into eternal freedom from pain and suffering. That you can do if you will.
Barb

Live, from New York, it's my sister.

susan — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:41:35 -0500

I thought this comment by DKNY from an earlier post was worth bumping up. It's a hopeful piece after yesterday's dark news.

For those new to this blog, DKNY is not a designer of pricey women's wear, she's (full disclosure) my sister. And during the primaries she was supporting Hillary Clinton, which didn't always hang well at the Clothes Line. I like this piece because it's upbeat, it has an NYC perspective, and she shows a gracious enthusiasm for the guy who beat her gal. Oh yeah, and because she's my sister. BTW, if scripture's not your thing, don't be put off. It's not usually hers either, but she plays it out nicely here.

Michelle Bachman -- Say it ain't Joe.

susan — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:44:41 -0500

Wow, remember that post I wrote about being embarrassed to be a Minnesotan when some cabbage-head in Blaine told John McCain that she can't vote for Obama because he's an -- Arab? (Uh-oh, that's my Michelle Obama moment. Guess I'll never run for office in Minnesota.)
Well, I should have known that Michelle Bachman, the bible-totin' gay-bashin' Bush-lovin' fanatic who got elected to congress in 2006 from our most conservative 6th district -- a swath of suburbs and farmlands that arcs over the top of both St. Paul and Minneapolis -- would up the ante. Read how.

October 19, Colin Powell, and twins

susan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:48:02 -0500

Big brothers Gus and Henno holding their unnamed baby sister and brother.

Sunday morning started with Colin Powell's thoughtful and measured endorsement of Barack Obama. But it was more than an endorsement of Obama, it was an indictment of the hateful politics of the Republican party and the toxins being spewed by Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman. I've often argued that women aren't necessarily more suited to governing than men -- that their gender doesn't assure that they'll be less contentious and rely more on consensus, that they'll cooperate and play clean, or that they'll rebuke war and work for peace. Well, with these two lovely ladies in play, I rest my case. More, and twin talk too.

It's the babies, stupid

susan — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:34:53 -0500

Well, we had no idea that twins would take more than double the time of one newborn. It's exponential. We are a family running on fumes. But, tonight these little cupcakes seem to be settling down. On Monday I return to Minneapolis to spend 16 hours a day on GOTV (get out the vote) for Obama, Al Franken, and Keith Ellison. (My, gasp, Muslim representative, who will win easily. And guess what? He's a "decent American" as John McCain would say. And it was he, not Barack Obama, who was sworn in on a Koran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, and the dome did not blow off of the Capitol.)
Babies! Read on!

A wee Wellstone reminder

susan — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:11:16 -0500

It's still October 25 here in Seattle, and here in my heart. This is the 6th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Paul and Sheila Wellstone, their daughter Marcia, three of their staff members who were also close friends, along with the two pilots.
Six years, and once again we have the chance to reclaim his senate seat from the vile Norm Coleman, who, shortly after being sworn in, proclaimed himself a 99% improvement over Paul Wellstone. A wee bit more.

Local Voices for Obama

susan — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:07:09 -0500

Check this out, donate if you can. I've watched five of the videos and I think they're really good. (Obviously, or I wouldn't be posting this.)
With eight days to go, dirty tricks galore and voter rolls being purged in key states (computer glitch, so sorry, try again in four years) we need every single vote we can get. This project seems so smart and simple to me. Watch the short videos here! (Hat tip, Sam Utne.)

McCain chooses Joe the Plumber for Treasury Secretary

susan — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:59:03 -0500

Okay, not. But with the increasingly nutso behavior of John McCain, anything could happen. And with the Repugs waging the dirtiest campaign in memory, it just might. Ohio makes me nervous. Florida makes me nervous. Anywhere there are concentrations of people of color makes me nervous, as they're likely to find their names purged from the voter registration rolls because they're suddenly declared felons. More.