You Wanna See Me Do the Shimmy Again?

Tina Turner is one of my celebrity best friends, so naturally I was thrilled to hear that Sophia Loren talked her out of retirement long enough to go on tour.

I saw Tina in concert back in 1985 when Private Dancer came out. I was a freshman at Ouachita Baptist University and don’t think for a minute that Better Be Good to Me wasn’t my theme song. I drove up to Little Rock for the concert on a Tuesday night with some friends. I was so moved by the experience that I wrote a kickass short story about it in my freshman English class the next day. I don’t remember many details from it, but I think there was something original in it about her “singing directly to me.” Understandably, it totally blew my teacher, Professor Quick, away.

That was over 20 years ago, and I remember my friend Felley’s dad at the time talking about how funny he thought it was that high school kids were so in love with a rock star from his generation. She’s still hot.

Here is a concert schedule.

Rethinking the Bases: Whites, Blacks, or All Kinds of Americans

Interesting race discussion in a USA Today article:

“I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on,” she said in an interview with USA TODAY. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article “that found how Sen. Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.”

Clink - That’s the sound of the coin dropping for black voters. The Clintons have moved on from you to uneducated white folks and manipulating every irrational fear that might haunt them, specifically by using race-bating language. I’m embarrassed to admit that there was a time when I would have simply said, “that’s politics.”

But now, thinking of the U.S. electorate as a collection of otherwise disconnected body parts to be sewn together like Frankenstein’s monster seems very old fashioned.

Here was the Obama campaign’s response to Clinton’s comments:

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said that in Indiana, Obama split working-class voters with Clinton and won a higher percentage of white voters than in Ohio in March [edt. – Before the Wright thing]. He said Obama will be the strongest nominee because he appeals “to Americans from every background and all walks of life. These statements from Sen. Clinton are not true and frankly disappointing.

I’m not a big fan of all of the calls for Hillary to withdraw. She’s worked very hard all of her life and made a lot of sacrifices (some questionable) to get this nomination. She should think long and hard about her donors, her future, and, most importantly, the country’s wellbeing before pulling out.

But there is elegance in the way the Obama campaign countered her assertions. First, Burton casually refutes her claim on a factual basis. But then he takes the opportunity to reinforce one of Obama’s key messages, which is to say that the future success of our country depends on being relevant to “Americans from every background and all walks of life.”

The difference is subtle, but key. It isn’t, I don’t think, that she doesn’t care about all Americans or that Obama doesn’t care about having a broad base. The difference is that she starts from the philosophy of a particular base of constituents, so automatically a group is preferred. That’s where that “say anything to get elected” impression comes from. Obama seems committed to keeping all voters on a level playing field, which requires a lot of face time with a LOT of different people to pull off convincingly. That and voter registration will be the keys to his campaign.

One last thing, if Clinton talks super delegates into giving her the nomination when the popular vote moved for Obama, Clinton will not only have smoked her chances for the presidency, she’ll have succeeded in shattering the Democratic party and making every new registered voter a jaded American. If it happens, it happens, and maybe finally a third party would come from the ashes, but I think that the Democrats will be screwed.

Indiana (Clinton 51%, Obama 49%), North Carolina (Obama 56%, Clinton 42%)

CNN called Indiana for Clinton (51%) and Obama (49%) way after midnight. (Lake County took a long time to count votes.) Obama conceded before they were in, which allowed Clinton to give her winner’s speech. It was a smart decision on his part.

John was sad Indiana didn’t make history and finish the process off by giving him the win. Am I disappointed as George hoped I would be? Not too. 2%? That’s a pretty tiny spread in a state that would go for McCain anyway. And I’m especially happy when I compare it to North Carolina’s where Obama cleaned up with a 14% spread in a much larger state that can still go Blue. And in fact, Indiana may have given Obama the nomination by blocking Clinton from getting the number of delegates she needed. I’m not sure mathematically if Clinton can win the nomination now.

As an added bonus Obama’s results were in way early, which meant he got lots of good airtime all night long. His delegate count lead is strong. The Wright thing didn’t seem to affect much. Voter turn out in Indiana was phenomenal! And now voters are engaged, energized and, best of all, better educated about the process. That will make things better for whoever gets the nomination in November.

Obama and Clinton both deserve a lot of credit. They worked very hard. I saw Obama folks everywhere–on nearly every sidewalk, driving vans with loudspeakers, and taking every chance to help educate people on how to vote.

No matter what happens, this race has activated voters in a way that I’ve never seen before, and that is good for the U.S.

It’s nice to have hope again.

Blame It On Her Booze Problem

Had lunch with my friend Sarah today. She said that her husband called from Carmel, IN to tell her that he had voted. He stood in line at 7:00 a.m. between two women who talked over him the entire time he waited.

When the first one reached the table she was asked “Democrat or Republican?” She replied Republican and so was handed the Republican ballot. Bryan said she was upset because Clinton and Obama’s names were not on it.

The poll worker explained that their names were on the Democratic ballot. The woman said she was angry because she wanted to vote for Hillary to keep Obama from going up against McCain in November.

When the second woman got to the table, Bryan heard her say that the reason they were having trouble following directions was because they’d had some wine that morning before they came over.

That last part reminded me of the first part of this SNL video of Jojo the Valet. (Sorry you have to follow the link, but SNL makes it hard to embed their videos. Hard for me, at least.)

Behind the Scenes with Obama

So Ken, Dave, John and I went to see Obama last night. This was the clearest photo I got.

But this is my favorite, even though he looks kind of small. I think that’s one of the reasons I like it:

Gates opened at 7:30 p.m. When we got there an hour and fifteen minutes before, this many people were in line:

A total of 21,000 people showed up. We walked five blocks to get to the end of the line. Dave and Ken somehow got a few places ahead of us. Just as John and I got to our place in line, a woman came up asked if we had red tickets. We had passed the red ticket line earlier. It looked shorter. We said no, and she asked us if we wanted them. We nodded, so she told us to follow her.

As she led us up the stairs of the War Memorial (it’s the large monument in the background in the photo above) she told us her name was Lindsey and asked our names. When we got to a landing she gave us green wristbands instead of red tickets. She said, “You won’t need red tickets, but we’ll put you in that line anyway. And when you to get close to the front of it, put these on. Somebody at the gate will tell you what to do next.”

I assumed she would be able to give us more when she took us aside. I told her we came with another couple and asked if we could have two for Ken and Dave, too. She said she was sorry but they don’t go back and pull more from the same space because it creates crowd problems.

So we ended up totally abandoning Ken and Dave to get in a shorter line! I felt bad and tried to explain to them when Lindsey walked us back to the ground, but the train was already leaving the station.

As we walked she made small talk with us. When we got to the line, the last thing she said was, “Oh, you’ll probably be on camera so remember to smile and stay awake.”

When we finally got to the security gate a guy looked at our bands and pointed to a college aged kid. “Follow Tad. He’ll take you where you need to be.” As we neared the stage, Tad took us behind it. Turns out the green bands are for the folks who sit behind the candidate in the bleachers looking very enthusiastic about the candidate. I was immediately sorry I was not better dressed.

Lindsey saw us and waved, “Hey, it’s my guys. Good to see you.” I felt like we’d crossed the river Jordon.

Tad handed us off to Dan, who was sort of our handler. He had a really nice tan and very political hair. You can’t see the tan so much in the picture, but believe me, he’s golden.

So somebody pre-made signs for us: “Hoosiers for Obama,” “Unions for Obama,” “I Already Voted”, things like that. He asked who in the crowd wanted them and made sure they could hold the sign without lying.

One little kid kept raising his hand but Dan couldn’t see him. Finally the kid yelled, “But I’m Latino!” Talk about self-aware. It made the crowd laugh, but something about it seemed eerie to me. What was even more eerie was the woman, probably in her eighties, in front of me who when she heard what the kid said turned to me and laughed, “Ha-ha, there’s no such thing.” I have no idea what she meant.

Then Dan held up a “Republicans for Obama” sign. I thought it was a joke, but sure enough a woman raised her hand. Dan said, “You’re sure?” and she nodded yes so he gave her the sign.

Before too long Stevie Wonder performed a mini-concert (sorry, no good picture to show). Then Obama came out. He was what I’d come to expect, polished, earthy, well-spoken and very positive.

It was over around 11:00 p.m. John and I said goodbye to Dan and beat a path to White Castle. On the news I saw that after the rally Obama made another campaign stop at an East Side factory.

(Us in the bleachers. Notice every person behind us is on their cell phone.)

Ms. Loving Dies at 68

Mildred Loving married her husband, Richard, in 1958. The were an interracial couple. When they moved back to their hometown in Virginia, they were arrested within weeks for offending the peace and dignity of the Virginia Commonwealth.

The judge made the following statement (hat tip Positive Liberty):

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

To avoid incarceration their sentence required that they leave Virginia for 25 years. They moved to DC and got a lawyer. In 1967 (the year I was born) the Supreme Court made a decision in the Loving’s favor that blew all of the laws forbidding a white person from marrying a black person off of the books in states that still had them (I think about seventeen did).

Last year, on the fortieth anniversary of Loving Vs. Virginia, Mildred Loving had this to say:

My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.

I hope that last bit is true. We still have a ways to go, but not as far as we did thanks to Mildred and Richard Loving. They are both gone now, but the strength of their love and commitment to justice lives.

Obama to Speak in Indianapolis, Monday, May 5

At the American Legion Mall downtown, the night before the primary. Indiana has been a tough race for him. He (and everyone else) knows it, so how he goes about trying to win it should make for an interesting speech. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. John and I will walk on down, I think. George, if you’re reading, you’re welcome to walk with us :), and so is anyone else. We’ll probably head out from the house at about 6:45.

(Update: We’ve decided to get an earlier start and walk from the canal with Dave and Ken at 6:00. Dave suggested since it is a political rally that we ought to eat ice cream, but then changed his mind as soon as I started making suggestions about places to get it.)

Indiana Primary Questions I Have

Here are some questions I have heading into Tuesday’s Indiana primary:

1. We have open primaries in Indiana (means Republicans can vote in Indiana’s primary as long as they are willing to identify for the time being that they are Democrat). SO, I wonder if some Republicans will vote on Tuesday for the democratic candidate they think McCain would be most likely to beat in an effort to get them nominated, and thus defeated in November.

2. Obama is extremely popular with black voters, young voters and white professional males. If he wins the popular vote heading into the Democratic convention because of these constituents, but the appointed “superdelegates” still swing the nomination for Clinton, will the folks who observe that confusing phenomenon feel disenfranchised and just stay home in November?

3. Superdelegates are watching to see how Obama recovers from the mess Rev. Wright dusted up last week. They’re doing this because EVERY presidential candidate deals with PR problems that are at least this troublesome. Demonstrating an ability to handle them helps determine electability. I wonder if Obama will snap back. I’m kind of glad the Wright things happened before the Indiana primary so I can see what kind of bounce back potential he has.

Anyway, that’s what I’m wondering about.

Oh, and even though there’s a lot of talk about Clinton winning Indiana on Tuesday, early voting (so glad this is an option) shows Obama is ahead at the moment.

Indiana is Hopping

So I was walking from my car to Goose Market, and in the same set of storefronts was an Obama campaign office.

I popped in to say hello. The staffers were so excited, not to see me, but because one of the super delegates (former DNC chair when Bill C. was president) had just switched his support from Clinton to Obama. This despite the Jeremiah Wright thing.

In case you’re wondering, I think all that Wright business is weird. I should confess that I watched the Press Club speech he made along with the Q & A, and frankly agreed without about 90% of what he said. He was preaching, which for him means he speaks in long drawn out paragraphs (inflammatory) and reconciles them at the end with hope, none of which leads to good sound bites, which, of course, is all the media can manage to work with anymore.

I was waiting in a doctor’s office this week after Obama had “denounced” (gets my vote for most recent ridiculously over used and meaningless word) Wright. A mother in her 80s and a daughter in her late 60s were sitting near me in the waiting room and I eavesdropped on their conversation, which went like this:

Daughter: It sounds like “Barack Bobama’s” pastor is one of those radicals.

Mother: Well, I don’t care what he is, you ought not to go against your preacher. I don’t like that kind of thing.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

I hear later stuff Wright mentioned was even more controversial, and the person telling me about it said I wouldn’t have liked it. Maybe. I don’t care. Wright’s not Obama’s political advisor.

And if this election ends up hinging on questionable associations, Clinton has a lot more of those to be worried about than Obama. Republicans have a Mayflower van parked outside waiting to unload her baggage as I write this.

This is completely off topic, but instead of looking more tired as this eternal primary drags on, Obama actually looks healthier and more energized (aka - even more cute) in my opinion.

On to other early Summer topics:

As we look to June, we’re anticipating a visit from Jennie and J. who are coming up for our church’s first hymn sing. So excited to see them. My friend Frank is organizing the ’sangin’ (my grandparents term for a hymn sing). He’s a big wig with the Miss Indiana/America pageant, and I talk to him about it all the time.

The pageant is also in June, and I’m trying to stoke a group to go. Miss Arkansas, and of course, Batesville’s own Miss White River pageant, were always big deals. At least they seemed like it when I was a teenager in the ’80s. Are they still? I wish I knew. But with all those sequins, the tans, mountains of eye make-up, the great hair, the smell of moisturizer, and girls talking into the mic about Jesus while being ogled by a bunch of gay men, what’s not to love?

Welcome Summer!

Christian Music Host Comes Out

Good for Azariah Southworth. The host of a Christian music television show in Nashville has come out. The story is in Nashville’s Out & About.

He told Brent Meredith of O & A:

I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. We all know there are so many other gay people in the Christian industry; they’re just all scared. I was scared, but now I’m no longer afraid.

And he’ll stop wasting precious time and energy trying to be someone he isn’t. Azariah, as another person who’s had to say “I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community,” you may be surprised by how much energy you have left over to do God’s work now that you no longer have to spend it all on something that didn’t need fixing.

It always makes me happy to see young people come out. My only regret was waiting until I was 30, but it was just the path I had to take, I guess. Now Southworth will have time to grow and mature in relationships if he wants to date. I feel pretty lucky to have met John right quick, like months after we both came out, which was almost at the same time. We think it was kind of miracle we found each other. Sounds silly, but frankly, I believe miracles are all that explain a lot of things in my life anymore.

Good luck, Azariah. I’ll be praying for you. These first few months will be tough. You will have no shortage of people trying to scare you back into the closet. But as a gay friend of mine told me when I came out, you’re already a lot stronger than you think you are.

(Update: My friend Jim sent me this link to an even more recent interview with Azariah. Evidently his coming out has caused quite a stir.)