Keep It Bern-in'

So to recap: we have lost Bowie... and Prince... yet Trump is still around. It's been a rather depressing year so far.

Taking it outside: Bernie speaks to overflow crowd during his April 12
rally at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY. Photo: Jeremy Clowe

One bright spot for 2016: Bernie Sanders. It was exactly a year ago this month that the Vermont senator announced his candidacy for President of the United States. As I understand, it was at the urging of veterans (for whom he has worked so hard), so Memorial Day weekend was perfect timing to launch the campaign.

Personally, I didn't even know who Bernie was a year ago. All I knew is that I felt uneasy with the idea that the Democratic Party was "anointing" Hillary Clinton (I, for one, do care about her "damn emails"). Following some work at the UN, my wife and I spent a long weekend in Vermont last July, and that's where I really started hearing about "The Bern." At first, I thought it was just hipsters being ironic....but no, he was the real "New Deal."

Captain America! A true civil war:
canvassing during the NYS primary

It was the Democratic debates that sealed it for me. Bernie not only talked the talk, but walked the walk. Here was a "once-in-a-lifetime" candidate who seemed to share my values when it came to the ideas of social justice and equality. I wanted to know more, so the obvious place to turn was the media covering the primaries. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that the mainstream outlets offered very little, and what it did seemed rather disrespectful. New York Times... NBC News... CNN... all so-called "reputable sources" that I trusted... as someone who has worked for and with media over the years, it was truly a depressing realization to learn about the corporate influence. If you believe, like I do, that media has an opportunity if not a responsibility to educate, it is indeed troubling.

Over the years, you always heard conservatives complain about the so-called "liberal media," when, in reality, the more progressive voices seem to be distorted as well (if presented at all). This, quite frankly, is what lead me to start donating and volunteering for the Sanders campaign. I surprised myself at how good I was, and actually enjoyed it... phone banking, canvassing, and even serving as a poll watcher for the New York State election (Bernie won our District handily, as he did most across the state...even if he did not win New York). 

Feelin' The Bern! Getting fired up during his August 10 rally 
in Albany, NY. Photo: Jeremy Clowe

Going up against the establishment and corporate influences, Bernie has not let up. I greatly admire him for his integrity and tenacity. This past week's proposal of a debate with Donald Trump seemed too good to be true - Bernie would, no doubt, mop the floor with that dangerous pretender. Indeed, who knows what Trump's intentions for running are, but I have had my suspicions along the way... and they are quite disturbing.

Bernie still has an uphill climb (not helped by reports of election fraud taking place in my own state and others) so I'm not sure how this thing is shaking out. I do know that this "progressive" is forever changed and grateful. Thank you, Senator Sanders for educating us about true democracy and the idea of "a future to believe in." In the words of Bowie, you're "a star man," and have my support to the end.

The real scoop! Yearning for Bernie...with the original Ben and
Jerry at College of St. Rose, Albany, NY, April 15, 2016.
Photo: Jeremy Clowe

www.berniesanders.com

www.democracynow.org

http://robertreich.org

Bernie Sanders I The Young Turks interview, May 27, 2016

"Be Like Bernie: Sanders Looks To Spread His Political Wealth," NPR, May 28, 2016

"Getting The Story Wrong: The Distortion of American Politics By The Press," Lawrence Wittner, Huffington Post, May 6, 2016

"How the 'New York Times' Sandbagged Bernie Sanders," Rolling Stone, 
March 15, 2016

All Things Being Equal

Image courtesy: SanDiegoforBernieSanders2016.com


#FeelTheBern
#Vote 

berniesanders.com

Re: Assessment

Has it really been a week since the election? A certain heaviness has been lifted from the air... or make that uncertainty... not just about who would win, but what the majority of the general public was looking for in terms of policy and governing style. I'm happy to say that I seem to be on the right side of that equation this time out. 

Of course, now both sides (especially Republicans) are dissecting what went right and wrong with both candidates' campaigns. Most agree with President Obama's assessment that he might have had "the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics." I have heard several news reports discussing the very smart way that they focused their ground team since the last election. Even if I thought the emails about contributions could have been a little more elegant, I was always reassured by the common sense style of the President's  campaign advisor David Axelrod, during his frequent appearances on the Sunday talk shows. 

Here is a rare moment, captured on video, that the Obama team sent its supporters via email this past week. We see the President visiting his campaign headquarters in Chicago, and getting quite emotional while thanking his team:

On the flip side, it is also fascinating to hear the assessment of how Mitt Romney's team ran his campaign. NPR reporter Ari Shapiro, who followed the campaign for the past year, filed a fascinating postmortem on how the former governor's campaign seemed to get derailed on several occasions, and how his team often made rather poor choices in its attempt to get it back on track. It is not only an interesting analysis, I think it is also stellar reporting/writing... click here to listen.

So, I guess there are still plenty of interesting discussions to be had... will Obama be able to work with Congress to avoid the fiscal cliff? What will happen to the Tea Party? Who will run in 2016? What will be done about the millions that are going into political campaigns? What will be done about ongoing concerns about voter fraud and the long lines some voters had to endure this past election? All questions that will soon be answered... but for the moment, this liberal-minded voter feels relieved...

Related Links:

"'Let Mitt Be Mitt': But Who Was He?," NPR, November 9, 2012 

"Hillary's next move," The New York Times, November 11, 2012

"Stephen Gottlieb: Jajja's Kids," WAMC, November 13, 2012

Move The Needle

I have been extremely focused on the presidential election... reading endless articles, taking notes during each of the debates, trying to come up with my list of definitive examples why President Barack Obama is the better candidate, and Governor Mitt Romney appears to be a man who will distort facts and change his position on most anything in order to get elected... I keep meaning to talk at length here about the various issues that have popped up during the campaign, but news just keeps coming... and I have such a limited amount of time to express my thoughts in this forum.

Being a creative person, the arts are naturally easier for me to discuss (see yesterday's epic blog on Morrissey)... frequently, a visual statement can also sum things up rather nicely. Such is the case with this week's New Yorker cover by illustrator Barry Blitt, which references Norman Rockwell's humorous 1944 painting The Tattoo Artist, in order to comment on the current presidential election:

From www.newyorker.com

Once again Blitt is able to sum up a current event in one humorous, stinging image: Romney "changing" his mind, like Rockwell's sailor did girlfriends. I had a chance to meet Barry Blitt a few years back when we had an exhibit of New Yorker illustration art at the Museum, and I think he is one of the more talented (and clever) of the magazine's cover artists. I actually created political cartoons for the school paper during my brief stint at The University of Southern California, so I appreciate the conceptual process that it takes to express ideas in such a clever manner... there's a grand tradition there!

Tonight is the final presidential debate... and yes, the ink will be flowing... I will find time to express more of my thoughts on the election here in the coming weeks... 

Related Links:

"COVER STORY: MITT ROMNEY’S TATTOOS," The New Yorker, October 19, 2012

www.debates.org

Oops, He Did It Again

And the hits just keep on comin':

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Let's Stay Together... in 2012!

In light of my recent post on soul music, I found this video clip amusing--President Obama singing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" during a fundraiser at New York's Apollo Theater yesterday. The Commander-in-Chief actually has a pretty decent voice-- not sure I could picture Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich pulling this off!

Apparently soulsters Green and India Arie had just performed at the legendary venue, and were in the audience as well. I have to say that the Apollo has a great vibe-- I caught Morrissey there a few years back, and I couldn't help but imagine all the fab soul artists who had performed in its halls.

Speaking of performing, I'll be back on the boards with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe (RBIT) in just a few hours. I'm looking forward to it... and perhaps I'll be singing some Reverend Al at karaoke afterwards! I've had a good run of workouts this week, and feeling centered and well-supported... so I hope it bodes well.

On a different kind of supporting note, I worked as a volunteer in Albany, New York, on Obama's election campaign back in 2008, and although it hasn't been a perfect four years, I'm proud of many of the things he has managed to achieve during this time. I haven't decided whether I will campaign for him again, but I'm strongly considering it (a little Al Green doesn't hurt!). Also, I might have a multimedia project coming down the pipeline in the next few months that looks at his presidency so far-- will keep you posted.