Here Comes Hanna
[Update Friday 10:39PM
It's raining pretty heavy now, off and on, I guess the outer bands are passing over us. So far nothing more than a regular rainstorm.
This latest advisory seems toned down a little from earlier. Sounds like the storm will be passing farther to the east of our area than they had expected. Looks like tomorrow will be exciting. From NOAA a couple of hours ago:
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM HANNA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
859 PM EDT FRI SEP 5 2008
...HANNA MOVING TOWARD THE MID ATLANTIC STATES...
AT 800 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 31.6 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.3 WEST OR ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA...OR 515 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF WASHINGTON DC.
HANNA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 20 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED CONTINUE TONIGHT...WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED ON SATURDAY. ON THIS FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF HANNA SHOULD PASS ABOUT 108 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF WASHINGTON DC SATURDAY EVENING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST BEFORE LANDFALL...IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A SMALL INCREASE IN WIND SPEED FOR HANNA TO BECOME A HURRICANE. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER LANDFALL.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES FROM THE CENTER]
[Update Friday 6:43 PM Looking at the RADAR in motion, it looks to me like the rain is going to start in an hour or two. Cloud cover began thickening around 5:00 this afternoon (Friday).
NOAA -- Friday 5:52 PM report:
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TROPICAL STORM HANNA LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
552 PM EDT FRI SEP 5 2008
...HANNA NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH AND MOVING TOWARD THE MID ATLANTIC STATES...
.AT 500 PM EDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 78.7 WEST...OR ABOUT 570 MILES SOUTH OF WASHINGTON DC.
HANNA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 20 MPH. THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TONIGHT...WITH A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AND A FASTER FORWARD SPEED EXPECTED ON SATURDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF HANNA SHOULD PASS ABOUT 60 MILES TO THE EAST OF WASHINGTON DC SATURDAY EVENING.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST BEFORE LANDFALL...IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A SMALL INCREASE IN WIND SPEED FOR HANNA TO BECOME A HURRICANE. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER LANDFALL.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 290 MILES FROM THE CENTER. Hurricane Local Statement for HANNA]
[Update 2:22 PM - The Metro
With the potential of high winds and heavy rainfall on Saturday, officials are doing everything they can to protect the transit system from experiencing water damage. Metro’s trains operate along an electrified third rail, which provides power to the train engines. If water reaches that power line, trains will not be able to operate. Metrobus and MetroAccess vehicles, on the other hand, rely on clear roads to be able to provide service. Metro prepares for the remnants of Hurricane Hanna ]
[Update from WTOP 6:51am: WASHINGTON - Tropical Storm Hanna could dump 2 to 5 inches of rain on the D.C. area Saturday, forecasters say.
"It will be heavy at times," says Channel 7 meteorologist Chris Naille.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for areas between Chincoteague, Va. and Sandy Hook, N.J., including Washington. South of Chincoteague, a tropical storm warning is in effect.
A flash flood watch goes into effect Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon
"It's going to be windy," he says. "You need to get everything indoors that can blow around easily."
Wind gusts of 50 mph to 55 mph are expected.
"It's going to come through very fast," Naille says. Hanna could dump up to 5 inches of rain on region]
I remember a few years ago a hurricane came tearing through here, it was pretty impressive. I don't remember which one it was, and it had pretty much run down, as I recall, when we got it; I stood on the front porch listening to the trees pop in the woods across the street, enormous branches snapping like toothpicks. That's some powerful force in one of those storms.Hanna's headed right for us, but The Post makes it sound like it might not be too terribly bad for our county. Of course you never can tell.
Dry air and moderate wind shear have prevented Tropical Storm Hanna from strengthening, and in fact as of 11 a.m. she is slightly weaker than earlier this morning, with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph. Still, a more favorable environment for strengthening could allow Hanna to reach hurricane strength before making landfall on the Southeast coast, probably late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Ike is a Category 4 hurricane with winds near 140 mph, but is several days away from being a threat to the U.S.
As frustrating as it may be for everyone trying to plan their weekend, it remains too soon to pinpoint exactly what impacts Hanna will have on the metro area, though heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds are a possibility for a good portion of the region. Hanna Struggles; Local Impacts Difficult to Pinpoint
By the time I post this the information will be obsolete, as the storm changes direction and everything else. I'll try to update this post through the day as news comes in.
All computer models forecast it will track east of the metro area, somewhere between Annapolis, Md. and offshore the Maryland/Delaware beaches, and the National Hurricane Center forecast track has remained mostly unchanged during the past 24 hours. A track too far offshore could mean we experience little or no impact from Hanna. But if Hanna's track is east of the District but west of the coast, the metro area would be meaningfully impacted.
Let's keep an eye on this one -- there's a crab feast I don't want to miss on Saturday!
posted by JimK at 9:55 PM
27 Comments:
These things lose strength when they leave the water.
Someday, one will track straight up the Chesapeake and we'll be messed up.
I'd rather have Hanna than Ike.
I'm sure many of your readers would differ.
Are you the commenter who asked "What happened to those predictions about hurricanes? Global warming isn't happening!" Have you found any good icebergs at the beach lately?
I'd rather have Hanna than Ike.
Well duh wouldn't we all rather have Hanna, a tropical storm than Ike, a hurricane. I do hope you'll enjoy Josephine and Karina too.
I don't remember that specific comment although I have said some things about how three years ago global warming alarmists were saying the hurricanes would be striking with more frequency and intensity and, yet, in the last two hurricane seasons, there have been no hits on the U.S..
The interesting thing is that, last winter, some group came out with a study saying that global warming would actually reduce hurricane activity. What will they say after this season?
Global warming is a fact and human activity is probably a factor but the problem is, much like the whole sexuality field, the issue has become so politicized that it is difficult to sort out the facts from the advocacy that the researchers feel compelled to become involved with.
The comment about the hurricane preference was just my feeble attempt at humor, juxtaposing the hurricane gender names against the whole orientation issue.
So sue me for trying to lighten everyone's mood.
As a complete aside, Joel Osteen will be appearing at the Dupont Circle Books-a-million today. Yesterday they handed out "line tickets" to the first 250 people at the store, and each person who gets a ticket may have two copies of his book signed (no personal statements, no CDs, no photographs).
Did Jesus hand out 'line tickets?'
rrjr
Here's something that's been coming up more and more. What do you guys think?:
"(Sept. 5) - Seventies rock group Heart is furious with John McCain for bucking a request to stop playing their hit, "Barracuda," and is puzzled by the use of a song about "soulless" executives as the theme for his running mate, Sarah Palin.
"I feel completely [expletive'd] over," the band's Nancy Wilson told EW on Thursday night after their song was played following McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. According to TMZ -- which broke the scandal, the band has filed a cease and desist order.
The tune was first played as a theme song for Palin, and the band acted swiftly. The band issued a statement asking the campaign to stop use their music. "We hope our wishes will be honored," the band said. Tough luck. Following McCain's speech on Thursday night, what pumped through the speaker system? That's right ... "Barracuda."
"Sarah Barracuda" is Palin's high school nickname.
After the speech, Nancy and her sister Ann issued the following statement to EW:
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women.
(The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."
This is just the latest musical "no way" for McCain. In the early stages of his campaign, John Mellencamp ordered that they stop using his tunes "Our Country" and "Pink Houses." In August, Jackson Browne got riled up when Ohio Rebublicans used his song "Running on Empty" in an Obama attack ad.
"In light of Jackson Browne's lifelong commitment to Democratic ideals and political candidates, the misappropriation of Jackson Browne's endorsement is entirely reprehensible," Browne's lawyer said.
Van Halen also doesn't want their music used in the campaign. Their (worst?) song "Right Now" was used as the uplifting finale to last week's rally announcing Palin as McCain's running mate.
"Permission was not sought or granted, nor would it have been given," the band's spokesman told TMZ.
But expect a similar reaction from the Halen brothers if Barack Obama were to use their music as well.
"Van Halen are not political, they're just rock and roll."
Right-leaning pop musicians can be hard to come by, leaving few safe choices for Republicans on the campaign trail. Political Machine pointed out a few GOP-friendly stars whose songs could possibly be cued up without objection: Donny Osmond, Ted Nugent, Gene Simmons, Kid Rock and Wayne Newton. (PopEater respectfully suggests "Cat Scratch Fever" by Sweaty Teddy"
"Yes, it was a great speech, possibly the highlight of the Republican convention. And yes, it was the climax of a big day for the GOP. First Romney and then Huckabee made their effective case against Obama and Biden. Then Giuliani came in as the Mafia Man to rough up Obama, a bruising he delivered with obvious relish. I would not have thought Palin could top these three seasoned veterans, but she did. It doesn't really matter how McCain does; the Republicans are off and running.
Commentators have noted that Palin spoke with aplomb. The liberals had sought to portray her as a bungler and a problem pick, akin to George H.W. Bush's selection of Dan Quayle. But the attacks created for Palin a great opportunity. All she had to show was that she was not the small-town nitwit of Democratic propaganda. Palin also demonstrated that she could mount a devastating attack on Obama--basically a "community organizer" who knows how to talk a slick game--without coming across as mean-spirited. This is a real art, to know how to punch with a smile. As commentator Fred Barnes said later, this is not an easy skill to learn. Palin didn't really learn it; she is a natural.
What struck me most about Palin, however, was not her pungent one-liners or her savoir faire. Rather, it was her girlish innocence, her unexpected candor and small-town charm. Palin came across as a really wholesome all-American, a real contrast with all the men in the race. Both by her words and her style, she contrasted herself with both Biden and Obama. Biden is basically a mediocre fellow (he graduated in the bottom 10 percent of his law school class, where he was found guilty of plagiarism) whose only original ideas have been terrible ideas, like carving Iraq into small pieces. He is also a product of the back-slapping Washington D.C. establishment. Republicans haven't bothered to attack Biden because he isn't worth attacking. By contrast, Democrats are going crazy over Palin because she scares them.
Even Palin's so-called problems highlight her normalcy. So her husband had a DUI conviction twenty years ago. First of all it wasn't her, it was her husband. Second, how does this compare with Obama, who was snorting cocaine twenty years ago? The media, with its familiar one-sidedness, has been commending Obama's "honesty" over his drug use while blasting Palin for her husband's irresponsible driving. Then Palin's daughter got pregnant at 17: apparently the "family values" didn't entirely get through. Even so, Bristol and the boyfriend are keeping the baby and getting married. So responsibility wins out after all.
By contrast, Obama said he wanted to preserve abortion rights because if his daughters got pregnant one day he wouldn't want them to be "punished" with a child. (Let's be glad that Obama's mom didn't think this way because if she had at the age of 18, Obama wouldn't be around today.) Even Palin's alleged action to fire the state trooper who split with her sister and then harassed her is precisely the kind of action that most Americans would take in a similar situation. While Obama is a cunning Chicago pol who has played his rhetoric and his machine connections to rise through the ranks, Palin remains authenticially all-American with ordinary and recognizable problems.
The problem for the Republicans is that many Americans have become jaded about them. McCain's maverick reputation helps, but it doesn't alter this reality. Palin, on the other hand, is a completely fresh face. I predict she will appeal not only to Christian conservatives but also to working-class independents, male and female, who see in her the promise of real reform. Palin offers change, but this does not take the form of warmed-over socialism. Instead, it is change in congruence with traditional American values. I don't know if an unspoiled person like Palin can actually clean out the Augean stables in the nation's capital, but she does seem determined to try. She is the new star of this political race and already she has altered the whole equation."
Your self-congratulatory back-slapping is all you've got. Hard core religious conservatives might like Palin but no one else does. The latest gallup poll shows Mccain's selection of Palin has backfired on him. Obama leads Mccain by 49-43.
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/1989
Americans aren't going to vote for an extremist who'd force rape and incest victims to have their victimizer's baby.
Politics and Power
Cindy McCain's $300,000 Outfit
by Vanity Fair
September 4, 2008, 10:29 AM
One of the persistent memes in the Republican line of attack against Barack Obama is the notion that he is an elitist, whereas the G.O.P. represent real working Americans like Levi “F-in’ Redneck” Johnston.
It caught our attention, then, when First Lady Laura Bush and would-be First Lady Cindy McCain took the stage Tuesday night wearing some rather fancy designer clothes. So we asked our fashion department to price out their outfits.
Laura Bush
Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500
Stuart Weitzman heels: $325
Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500
Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325
Cindy McCain
Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000
Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500
Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000
Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000
Shoes, designer unknown: $600
Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100
Wow! No wonder McCain has so many houses: his wife has the price of a Scottsdale split-level hanging from her ears.
(All prices except Laura’s shoes and Cindy’s watch are estimates, and the jewelry prices are based on the assumption that the pieces are real.)
Didn't I see where Obama spent almost $2000 for his suit he wore last week?
$2000 and $300,000 - not exactly equivalent. Its pretty clear who the elitist is - the couple who's husband can't remember how many houses he has.
“So sue me for trying to lighten everyone's mood.”
NEVER SUE! Sue makes an S out of U and E!
--
Anyway, it's clear that Hurricane Hanna is God’s way of telling the citizens of Montgomery County Maryland that their transgendered citizens were meant to be homeless, unemployed, unable to catch a cab, or watch cable tv - whether or not it’s on, and/or in view!
“Hanna is God’s way of telling”
Seriously. He could make it rain acid if He wanted it to. And let me tell you, it’s bad enough losing your ego when you’re expecting it, imagine losing it while you’re in the middle of doing something important.
Think about it...
Yes, emprobaby stupid, that's a good idea.
If you can't anyone else to be your straight man, dagnabbit, do it your own self.
"$2000 and $300,000 - not exactly equivalent. Its pretty clear who the elitist is - the couple who's husband can't remember how many houses he has."
You may not be able to understand this, Prya, but nobody in American resents successful people. We are aspirational rather than envious.
It's part of our national character and part of the secret of our success.
And, yes, we realize you're envious of us.
"Your self-congratulatory back-slapping is all you've got. Hard core religious conservatives might like Palin but no one else does."
You're wrong, my friend.
Everywhere you go here, word on the street is she belongs at the top of the ticket.
News flash:
Don't listen to CNN news flashes.
The media doesn't get it.
"The latest gallup poll shows Mccain's selection of Palin has backfired on him. Obama leads Mccain by 49-43."
Thanks for dragging out that week old poll for the third time.
I suspect it will change this week but, regardless, McCain now has the electoral advantage. With Palin he has sewn up the pro-life South along with Ohio and Pennsylvania.
It's over.
"It caught our attention, then, when First Lady Laura Bush and would-be First Lady Cindy McCain took the stage Tuesday night wearing some rather fancy designer clothes."
I thought those two looked great.
They are representatives of the women of America.
I'm glad they didn't wear potato sacks.
Confessions of an RNC security guard
From sushi-scarfing Secret Servicemen to drunken Sarah-Palin lust, witness the underside of the Republican shindig.
By Avi Steinberg
...The following is a log of a night in my life as an RNC security officer. The night shift is 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
6:20 p.m.
I am assigned to guard the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Minneapolis, the official headquarters of the 2008 Republican National Convention. My uniform is cop classic: a jet black flying-cross patrolman's shirt with epaulets; black slacks (along with black belt and shoes that I had to provide myself); and a shiny golden badge that features a bald eagle, the Liberty Bell and the words "security enforcement officer" on it. I'm also sporting two shoulder patches: an American flag on the left and, on the right, the Doric-columned logo of my employers, surrounded by the words "courage, fortitude, protection."
Enthralled by this dizzyingly patriotic get-up I have neglected to try on the cop slacks ahead of time. This turns out to be a tragic mistake. The pants are tight -- obscenely tight -- at the waist. But duty calls. I squeeze into the pants, wince and look at myself in the mirror. My fears are confirmed: I look like the cop from the Village People. I walk gingerly toward the RNC headquarters downtown, trying, like everyone at the convention, to stick to the script.
6:30 p.m.
I walk downtown on Hennepin Avenue and notice a small crowd taking shape. As a "security enforcement officer," naturally I stop to investigate. The crowd is chanting "Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!" and there, indeed, is Mr. Giuliani, waving and baring his teeth to the delight of all assembled. I ask one among the crowd if he's as big a Giuliani booster as his enthusiastic chanting would seem to indicate.
"Naw, can't stand the guy. Way too liberal."
He returns to chanting. I'm running late, but I have to ask.
"So why are you chanting his name?"
"Have you ever chanted his name?"
I confess that I have not.
"Try it, buddy, it's fun. You'll like it."
So I do, to myself, as I trot toward the RNC headquarters. The guy is right; it does put me in a good mood.
6:40 p.m.
A group of college hipsters are loitering on Nicollett Avenue, near the Hyatt. They are clad typically -- scruff, tight jeans, chucks, ironic T-shirts and bandannas. One of them calls out, "Fuckin' fascist!" I look around for this fascist bastard and realize that he's talking to me. I'm partly relieved -- at least he didn't say, "Hey, look! It's the guy from the Village People."
It's been a tense week in the Twin Cities. A series of rough pre-convention raids on the homes of anti-RNC protesters has left even mild-mannered Minnesotans feeling sour.
At the moment, however, I'm in too much of a rush to point out that my pants are just as tight as any hipster's and my shirt possibly even more ironic. I have time only for some quick role-playing and so I shout back, "Get a job, you brat."
7 p.m.
The RNC headquarters at the Hyatt is a gilded fortress -- this week it's service with a smile and a concealed weapon. I am part of a team of 12 security officers (unarmed) who will patrol every entrance and exit to the hotel, front, back and side, for 24 hours a day during the RNC. Guards are also placed in the emergency stairways. We are told not to let anyone up past the sixth floor. Why? Because that's the order. There is no further discussion.
In addition to my team of black-clad officers, there are hotel security personnel, Minneapolis police, an odd guardsman, state trooper or sheriff's officer, another squad of hired officers (from a different private firm), and members of the FBI, Capitol Police (in suits) and Secret Service (in nicer suits). If you include the Evangelicals, nearly every person at the RNC headquarters has a voice whispering in his ear.
8 p.m.
The voice whispering in my ear belongs to my operations supervisor, Charlie, a good-humored young private detective, who looks like the approachable guy in a boy band, walks like a determined penguin and has a tendency to giggle. He posts me to the front of the building, where I soon witness a heartbreaking exchange. A stocky man in a Hawaiian shirt walks up to a strapping young TV news producer who's milling around with his camera crew. The stocky man says, "Hi, I'm a delegate from Kentucky. Which station you guys from?"
"We're from New York," replies the producer, turning his back on the man.
10 p.m.
The Capitol policemen order pizza; the Secret Service, on the other hand, splurges. A Secret Service agent -- a linebacker with glasses -- walks past me with two big bags of takeout, en route to his undisclosed location upstairs. As he passes, he winks at me and says, "A little sushi action for the fellas."
My partner, who just finished police academy, says, "Man, those guys got style, don't they?"
11 p.m.
I ask an older gentleman -- a delegate from Idaho who seems to go by the name "Doc" -- to open his bag for a security search.
"If you want to be a real cop," he says, "you got to be more forceful. Try again."
I've been standing for four hours in pants that are two sizes too small; I'm developing welts in strange places and rapidly losing patience for what seems to be an endless train of preppy wiseguys.
"Sir, open your bag for me," I say. "Please."
"Good," he says. "Much better."
Midnight
The first wave of delegates, staffers, lobbyists and hangers-on are returning from their parties. I'm still guarding the front door. My first drunk: a guy whose dress shirt is recklessly untucked, his "McCain for America" pin dangling precariously from his lapel. Looking for his credentials, he fumbles around for almost five full minutes.
A car stops in front of the entrance. A man and a woman emerge and exchange a long meaningful hug. They whisper for a bit. Then the woman goes into the hotel and the man steps back into the car and drives away.
"Cheaters," says my new partner, Scott Mendes. "They both got wedding rings."
1:12 a.m.
Two discussions about the war in Iraq suddenly take place.
The first discussion is among a group of young Republicans standing in front of the Hyatt smoking cigars -- party favors from the Giuliani party. The men are all similarly clad in J. Press; some in houndstooth, some in navy blue blazers. The girlfriends, however, wear designer cocktail dresses.
"I'm sick of this chickenshit," says one guy, a sturdy Stanford 2L. "I hear too much apologizing for the war. We should all get behind McCain and stand up proudly and use the 'W' word. We have to tell the voters, 'No, we're not just making gains, we are winning this war.'"
The second conversation takes place between me and Scott, a baby-faced Marine who has served two tours in Iraq (and is expecting to be called up again any day). We're standing 2 feet away from the Republicans. As Scott tells it, his platoon spent almost two years roving around western Iraq doing the bidding of various local tribal bosses, fighting fierce and undefined battles against enemies who had been allies a week earlier.
His take on the war?
"It's bullshit," he says with a shrug. "We got no business there. We get played by all the locals. Guys are dying for nothing. Everyone's losing their minds. It's a disaster."
A new group of Republicans approaches.
"Here come some happy drunks," Scott says to me, smiling.
Three girls in the new group pose for a photo, beaming for the camera. Instead of saying, "Cheese," they surprise us and say, "Facebook!" The image is captured.
Scott opens the door for them, smiles and says, "Good evening," as they stumble in.
2:50 a.m.
At the RNC, the truth-telling starts somewhere around 3 a.m. Delegates who were on-message when they left for their parties at 10 p.m., return too hammered to walk a straight party line.
"How you doing, dude?" one of the drunk delegates says to me as he pulls out a cigarette, almost emptying an entire pocket in the process.
"To tell you the truth," I reply, "my pants are way too tight on the waist. They're killing me."
He gives my pants a glance.
"There's a lot of hot chicks here," he tells me in a failed attempt at a whisper. He reeks of chardonnay. "You cannot spring a woody here, dude. Your pants got no give, know what I mean? It'd be totally obvious. Gov. Palin is staying here -- you gotta be careful. You get what I'm saying? You can't get wood on the job."
"Thanks. I got it," I say.
One of his pals chimes in.
"Gov. Palin is hot, dude," he says, collapsing onto a bench in front of the hotel entrance.
Even in their lusty, alcohol-fueled swoons, these young politicos still call Palin "governor." In a way, this reverential horniness is sort of endearing. But mostly it's just creepy. Sitting on the bench, the young man leans his head back and squeezes his eyes shut, trying, and failing, to stave off vertigo. "Total MILF."
"All right, gentlemen," I say, wielding the word "gentlemen" like a prison guard. "Get out of here. Time to go to sleep."
The right-wing youth resurgence is taking shape here before my eyes and it has a strong erotic undercurrent. For the first time in American politics there is a strong alpha woman with whom mothers identify, and after whom sons lust. The GOP is playing the Oedipal card. And it could mean bloody war, fought house to house.
4:15 a.m.
I'm developing a purely anecdotal theory about Republican drunkenness: that it's related to ideology. The less ideological arrive back at the headquarters earlier in the evening, between midnight and 1 a.m. These are, in chronological order, the Romney and the Giuliani supporters. Both are East Coast, urban college grad, corporate types. They like to drink and reminisce about the Harvard-Yale game, but they also like to wake up early, shave and not smell like booze at committee meetings. The Giuliani people are secular and more openly lecherous. So they tend to drink a bit harder and stay out closer to 1 a.m. The Ron Paul people party past 1 a.m., but not much. And they shave but they don't showboat.
The ones who stay out the latest and come back the drunkest, I notice, are the Huckabee folks, the party's rural conservatives. They believe in Jesus, in the hard-bitten way of the true alcoholic. If they ever sober up, it'll be by the grace of the Lord; and if they intend to stay on the sauce and continue living, then they'll really need His loving kindness. If you intend to be drinking heavily until closing time -- 4 a.m. in the Twin Cities during the RNC -- you had better walk home with Jesus.
I can't place true McCainites on the alcohol-ideology matrix. I think they were all asleep by 9:30 p.m.
5 a.m.
The only people around the RNC headquarters now are security personnel. Cops of all stripes circulate around the hotel, nodding to one another as they pass, keeping watch mostly on their fellow watchmen. Every once in a while, Charlie's voice crackles over the radio, "Wake up!" and my fellow officers oblige by telling lewd jokes over the line to stay awake. The agony of my ill-fitting cop slacks has given way to a mellow numbness.
I am now posted behind the RNC headquarters, at the back exit, which is an outdoor ledge overlooking a park. It's a lonely perch and the night has turned chilly. Fall is definitely in the air. A man in his mid-60s -- who, to my exhausted eyes, looks a bit like John McCain -- suddenly materializes nearby. Given that I'm dead bored and my eyes have begun playing tricks on me, and that I'm manning a post in the dead of night, I can't help thinking of the ghost of King Hamlet, disturbing the night watch just like this gentleman, with "a countenance more in sorrow than in anger."
All the hotels in the area are dark. Thousands of Republicans stir in their beds, dreaming thousands of dreams about Sarah Palin. But Charles Hunter, an environmentalist delegate from New Hampshire and a veteran of Republican conventions going back to the 1980 coronation of Ronald Reagan at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, can't sleep at all.
"This is my last convention," he tells me, lighting a cigarette.
"Why?"
"I'm a real McCain guy. I served. But I liked the old McCain -- when he was a true hero, before he signed on with the yahoos. I actually believe in 'country first.'"
"Not a fan of Palin?"
"If I were McCain I'd probably bring her onto my ticket, too. That's exactly the problem. I guess I tricked myself into thinking that McCain, even after he watered himself down for the election, could somehow restore sanity. The Democrats tried to paint him as a twin of Bush. Not true. But Palin ... she does remind me of Bush. McCain has made a devil's pact and sealed this party's fate."
Even though he's older, he smokes his cigarette like a young man, with earnest haste, before he flicks it off into the dark.
"That's it," he said, "we're through. Even if we win, we've lost."
Red Baron said "You may not be able to understand this, Prya, but nobody in American resents successful people."
Never said that they did. What I did was point out the obvious, contrary to Mccain's smear that Obama is an elist it is the Mccain's who are.
Red Baron said "we realize you're envious of us.".
Envious of one of the highest crime and incarceration rates in the world? Envious of an inferior education system? Envious of a total lack of health care protection? Envious of a country that would deny me equal marriage? That's a good one, not even close. Canada is consistently ranked as a better place to live than the U.S. for reasons like these, I wouldn't trade my country for yours in a million years. Given the miscarriages of justice that are common in your country you couldn't pay me to set foot in it.
Red Baron said "You're wrong, my friend.".
We ain't friends. Fantasize all you want, the fact is the polls show Obama ahead of Mccain 49-43 after the selection of Palin backfired on him.
Red Baron said "McCain now has the electoral advantage...It's over.".
LOL yeah, that's why he's losing in the polls. Here's a poll of women voters for you:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hp7GUc9zHATnBsvfct5Uuh7t8D-A
After Palin's selection 52% of women surveyed said they'd vote Democrat versus 41% who said they'd vote Republican. Mccain thought he'd get Hillary voters by selecting Palin, a gross miscalculation on his part. Palin opposes everything Hillary and decent freedom loving women stand for. Mainstream U.S. isn't going to vote for an extremist who'd force rape and incest victims to have the baby of their victimizer.
"Gallup shows the race as a 48-44% Obama lead, down from a nine-point Obama advantage on Aug. 29th, the day after his acceptance speech. That was Sen. Obama's biggest lead since Aug. 15th and came on the same day that Sen. McCain announced Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. On Thursday, Rasmussen showed the race as a two point Obama lead, 48-46%. Both polls have very large sample sizes, 2800 and 3000 respectively, and measure public opinion over three days, averaging the result. Gallup measures registered voters while Rasmussen measures likely voters.
The news for the McCain campaign is likely to get better. Both results only include one day in in which voters would have seen Gov. Palin's vice-presidential acceptance speech. With the enthusiastic response to her address, and the fact that Palin is now more popular than either presidential candidate, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, the daily tracking numbers should close even further as the weekend progresses. By Monday, all three days in the rolling average of each poll will include post-Palin speech sampling. That result is likely to show an even race or perhaps a small McCain lead."
OK, so a rolling average of polls of LIKELY voters from Tuesday to Thursday, shows Obama's lead cut to two.
This includes only one of the days after the Palin speech, which has been hailed from coast to coast and was watched by more people than saw the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
By any conventional model, come Monday, when the polls which average Thursday through Saturday are released, McCain should be leading.
And let's repeat this part for Prya, who so misunderstands the great nation to the South:
"Palin is now more popular than either presidential candidate, according to a recent Rasmussen poll,"
"What I did was point out the obvious, contrary to Mccain's smear that Obama is an elist it is the Mccain's who are."
And you used their wealth to prove it. We, in the greatest nation in the world, love to see people succeed and we don't consider success an indicator of elitism.
You completely misunderstand what an elitist is.
Obama is an elitist. He has a nice house but that's not what makes him an elitist.
"I wouldn't trade my country for yours in a million years."
Yes, we can tell how indifferent to America you are. That's why you spend so much time checking out our blogs.
Middle and high school sports events across the country move to the tune of Queen's "We will rock you."
Who exactly did Freddy mean would do the rocking?
Anonymous said "And you used their wealth to prove it. We, in the greatest nation in the world, love to see people succeed and we don't consider success an indicator of elitism.".
You don't speak for all americans. The majority of americans are ashamed of people like you. Being amongst the most wealthy is the very definition of elite. Being so out of touch with reality and the common man that you don't remember how many houses you have and you push your extravagence in their faces with $300,000 outfits demonstrates all that is offensive and wrong with being elite. You claim Obama is elite because he wore a $2000 suit, yet somehow like the hypocrite you are you try to deny that Cindy Mccain is when she wears a $300,000 outfit.
Anonymous, I never said I was indifferent to the U.S. I'm concerned wherever I see injustice and in your country there is a great deal of injustice towards my LGBT community, a community that knows no borders. Unlike you I have an interest, concern, and knowledge of the world outside my backyard.
Anonymous brings up several polls and ever the deluded optimist somehow thinks its good news that his candidate is consistently trailing. Once in a blue moon Mccain ties Obama in the polls but the overall trend consistently has and consistently will continue to favour Obama - Obama's going to win. Mccain's too old and senile and Palin's too extreme - independent voters that will decide this election aren't going to vote for someone who'd force rape and incest victims to have their victimizer's babies.
"You claim Obama is elite because he wore a $2000 suit,"
I never said that. In fact, I specifically said that wealth doesn't make one an elitist.
Obama, however, is an elitist.
"I'm concerned wherever I see injustice and in your country there is a great deal of injustice towards my LGBT community, a community that knows no borders."
Didn't you say that you and your Canadian friends used to go to bars and beat up gays? Sounds wonderful.
"Anonymous brings up several polls and ever the deluded optimist somehow thinks its good news that his candidate is consistently trailing."
You were previously arguing that Obama was opening a big lead because the Palin selection had backfired.
You were wrong.
Be a man and admit it.
"Obama's going to win. Mccain's too old and senile and Palin's too extreme - independent voters that will decide this election aren't going to vote for someone who'd force rape and incest victims to have their victimizer's babies."
Sure they will. They believe in life, just like Palin.
Shotgun weddings are not family values!
says who?
guy gets a girl pregnant
he should be encouraged to do the right thing
The "right thing" would have been to remain abstinent, which approximately half of all high school students do. This couple is obviously in the pool of the other half of high school student who do not remain abstinent. Had they been taught the proper of condoms, this girl might have graduated from high school before she became a mother.
Oops typo! Aunte Bea above is me, Aunt Bea
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