Sans Sons —

a Song in Names Only

Jesus Christ

Isaac Newton

Plato

Mother Teresa

Florence Nightingale

Mary Magdalene

Joan of Arc

Lawrence of Arabia

Edward the Confessor

Betsy Ross

Rosa Parks

Bert Parks

Susan B. Anthony

Arthur C. Clarke

Ralph J. Gleason

the Dali Lama

the Pope

the Babe

Dr. John

Dr. Suess

Dr. Kellogg

Howard Hughes

Amelia Earhart

both the Wright brothers

Henry David Thoreau

Oliver Wendell Holmes

George Bernard Shaw

Beethoven

Tchaikovsky

Vivaldi

George Gershwin

George Balanchine

George Washington

Louie Armstrong

Lionel Hampton

Lillian Hellman

Billie Holiday

Bettye LaVette

Ella Fitzgerald

Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo

Salvador Dali

Jackson Pollock

David Hockney

Georgia O’Keefe

Andy Warhol

Dostoyevski

Chekhov

Keats

Poe

Pound

Proust

Rimbaud

Whitman

Koufax

Mississippi John Hurt

Tennessee Williams

Washington Irving

William Blake

Henry Miller

Henry James

H.L. Mencken

T.S. Elliot

J.M. Barrie

Lewis Carroll

Edward Albee

Virginia Woolf

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edith Wharton

Eudora Welty

Emily Dickinson

Dorothy Parker

James Baldwin

Carlos Castaneda

Raymond Chandler

Allen Ginsberg

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Gore Vidal

Vaclav Havel

Edwin Hubble

Queen Elizabeth I

Oprah

Odetta

Annie Oakley

Harriet Tubman

Lily Tomlin

Diane Sawyer

Gilda Radner

Molly Ivins

Gloria Steinem

Gertrude Stein

Julia Child

Liza Minelli

Ginger Rogers

Mack Sennett

Billy Wilder

James Dean

Sal Mineo

Marilyn Monroe

Ann-Margret

Ava Gardner

Jacqueline Bisset

Bo Derek

Lauren Hutton

Daryl Hannah

Greta Garbo

Katherine Hepburn

Betty White

Ellen Burstyn

Burgess Meredith

Peter Ustinov

Montgomery Clift

Harry Dean Stanton

Victor Mature

Rock Hudson

Jimi Hendrix

Joseph Haydn

Bill Monroe

Aaron Copeland

Sonny Rollins

Little Richard

Charles Mingus

Jim Morrison

Lou Reed

Robert Hunter

Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernon

Dave van Ronk

Garth Hudson

Steve Martin

Mitch Hedberg

Michael O’Donoghue

Bill Hicks

Dick Cavett

Graham Chapman

Tracy Chapman

Laurie Anderson

Dusty Springfield

Patti LaBelle

Christine McVie

Bonnie Raitt

Debbie Harry

Dolly Parton

Stevie Nicks

and … Janis

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

searched and deranged by yours,

Sir Really

Brian Hassett at

BrianHassett.com

And old Harry Reid is SO not it.

Think of this 111th Senate full of all these kick-ass, get-things-done progressives & centrists:

Pat Leahy, Carl Levin, Russ Feingold, John Kerry, Chris Dodd, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Barbara Mikulski, Ron Wyden . . .
not to mention Senior Statesmen like Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin;
Then add in Jim Webb, Claire McCaskill, Jon Tester and Mark Udall who are just rockin in their first terms;
Not to mention Al Franken coming on stage soon, and ol’ Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Socialist, who’s enthusiastically blowing his bugle with the band.

In fact, this is a full all-star line-up of players jamming right now in the Senate!

But this Harry Reid guy couldn’t get a stimulus bill passed in the middle of a recession if he had 59 votes to start with!

What’s wrong with this picture?!

Maybe Reid’s a great guy — I don’t know what he’s good at, frankly — certainly not being Majority Leader at this point in Our History.
We’re wasting once-in-a-lifetime momentum, political capital, and time here. We’re one freakin seat away from filibuster-free clear-sailing and this guy can’t make it happen.

And get this — Dick Durbin from Illinois is the #2 Democrat in the Senate after Reid! He’s the Assistant Majority Leader (aka Majority Whip). When Reid goes, he’s currently next in line — and then Obama’s got his man from home (and chaperone in the Senate) in charge. This has GOT to happen, and as soon as possible.

Maybe the same’s true of Nancy Pelosi, but I can’t say that for sure (yet).
But Reid!! It’s so typical of us Democrats to have a milquetoast muttonshop like this in charge!
We’re so hopeless!
But not anymore.

Watch for which Democrats emerge as leaders in the Senate.  I’m a lifelong Democrat who’s been considering this Reid question since he was first elected Leader — but I now have no problem making this call. He has GOT to step down (or the Dems force a new leadership vote) or we’re never gonna get anything done.

Feel free to forward this anywhere, and(or) please contact your Democratic Senator. Here’s the list of all of them with their phone numbers and most of their email addresses:
http://democrats.senate.gov/members/

and A Great P.S.: — “Good Morning America” just did a piece on the recent meeting between a former KKK member and now-Representative John Lewis (my favorite Rep. in the House) who the KKK guy beat-up back in 1961 in South Carolina. Everything with the Obama election / inauguration made this guy reach out and apologize. Lewis says he’s the first person from those days to have stepped forward.

Here’s the incredibly touching newspiece:  http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6819133

peace n more progress,

Brian Hassett .com

RAGING   GLORY

*

*

The   D.C.  Dispatches
[Revised Edition]

*

1 – Jan. 14^th -   Barackstock on Sunday

2 – Jan 17^th –  We’re Gonna Sing

3 – Jan. 18^th – The Baltimore Report

4 – Jan 19^th –  Blissfully Ravaged In Democracy

5 – Jan 20^th –  The Day That Could Never Happen

6 – Jan 21^st – The Day Everything Changed

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Barackstock on Sunday

Hey Homies of the BrotherHood of all that is Good!

The “Mission Inauguration” — Shucks & Awww Ground Operation has Commenced.

Other than Tuesday’s 11:30 – 1:00 swearing-in coverage, this Sunday’s concert will be your best chance to enjoy the Inaugural jazz without being there.

Here’s what we know  . . .

2:30PM — The Welcoming Event -
“We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial”
Obama & family WILL be there.
HBO is producing.

The Official Line-up so far . . .

Bruce Springsteen
Stevie Wonder
Bono
Sheryl Crow
John Mellencamp
will.i.am
John Legend
Herbie Hancock
Beyonce
Shakira
Mary J. Blige
James Taylor
Garth Brooks
Usher
Josh Groban

Martin Luther King’s son, Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington and Samuel Jackson will be among those reading historical & inspirational passages.

More as it develops 

Brian O’Bama

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We’re  Gonna  Sing

[#2  --  January 17^th]

Checkin in from Yasgur’s Farm,
Maggie’s Farm,
Obama’s Farm.

Just got the physical ticket in hand and’ll be right up front for the swearing-in on Tuesday.

Going On The Road in a few minutes to Baltimore for the Whistle Stop tour — the train tracks, Festival Express, my grandfather George the CPR engineer, the Dream Tracks Indian book with Teri McLuhan, the hopping trains in the Peg to get around town — all clicketty-clackin into one.

Barack and Joe ridin’ the rails,
from Constitution Hall in Philadelphia to Constitution Avenue in Washington,

and Brian & Mitch are Jack-&-Nealing in the salt-streaked Blue Bomber Cruiser
lookin like it’s burned white through re-entry
from driving like lightning through the salt-dusted blizzard roads,
chasing history’s trains
and America’s future.

*
The HBO stage at the Lincoln Memorial is just Gorgeous and HUGE!
This is SO Woodstock –
in the 21st Century.
It’s entirely custom designed and built for this one concert,
with camera booms swooping,
and dozens of Jumbotrons rippling the images across the Reflecting Pool
to America,
and the world,
this one, short, creative human fireworks celebration.

So right.

And now

Breaking News:

This musical spiritual moment will be beaming live into your eyes starting at 2:30 Sunday for free on every HBO station in North America!

This is a visual auditory novel — a large canvas that’s being painted by many of the greatest artists of our time, for one moment only.

As a species, we’ve done some things right.
And there’s Lots of work ahead,
But for a moment,
We’re gonna sing.

surreally,
on Christmas Eve in the Universe,

Brian O’Bamathon

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The Baltimore Report  –  Bama Sightings and Concert Rehearsal

[#3  January 18^th]

I saw The Man in Baltimore today!   :-)
woo-woo!!  goo-goo ga’chooo-chooo!
He & Michelle and Joe & Jill all went up the steps at the small old-world town hall square in front of City Hall, maybe 30,000 people, we breezed right in.  You can watch the speech online but he was talking a lot about the history of America and how the great works that prior Americans did need to inspire us to rise to that in our own lives, and collectively as a nation.

*

He just came across as so comfortable — staying a long time afterwards shaking hands and just hanging and waving and being very calm and kind to people.

The guy’s in the middle of this Whistle Stop whirlwind and about to start the hardest job in the world in the middle of two wars and a depression, and he’s just buoyant.  He instills confidence.  And earnestness.  And honesty.  And a friendliness.

I talked to a couple different women who had gone to Martin Luther King’s “I Had a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in ‘63 — and one of them remembered that “scrawny nasal singer with a guitar“. 

Afterwards, the streets in every direction were like a Dead parking lot with happy people selling just about anything you could think of with some image of Obama on it — toy trains, toques, posters, postcards, baby clothes, flags, car window flags, every possible article of clothing from jackets to underwear, every type of glassware for the kitchen, wooden flutes, bobblehead dolls . . .

Baltimore is the third city I’ve been to that was completely jazzed and transformed by the joy, pride and hope that this guy brings to people’s hearts (after New York and D.C.)  You could hear “O – ba -  ma” randomly hollered from car windows.  And groups of strangers starting to chant, “Yes we can,” for no particular reason, and then laughing that they’d all done it together.

*

We drove back from Baltimore (where we’d parked at the classic Camden Yards Ballpark) and went straight to The National Mall for the concert rehearsal, joining maybe a hundred people there in the cold sub-zero night.

And who should be playing as we walk (and then run) in but U2!    Priiiiiide, in the name of love.  And City of Blinding Lights, Obama’s campaign and favorite U2 song, and which the band also played (debuted?) outdoors at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.  Bono’s struttin around like Mick Jagger, and Clayton’s wearing this huge hooded parka that looks so ridiculous, like a Neil Young Road-eye.  : -)

Then James Taylor came out and did three takes of this beautiful, long Shower The People you love with love, with John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and others really stretching it out vocally into some transcendent channeling chant off the final refrain.  [and P.S. -- that 3^rd take was even better than the Sunday show!]

Then Garth Brooks ran though a couple takes of a 3-song medley that includes bye bye Miss American Pie, which is just gonna go over so freakin’ well!  The guy’s such a born entertainer.  He has this whole choir of kids that come out and just lift it. There were about a hundred of us in a space designed for millions, but he was just giving it like we were the world.

And then afterwards, I’ve never been much of a Garth Brooks guy, but he came over to where we were standing and talked to every single person, signed anything for them, posed for pictures.  I talked to him for bit, asked him how Don McLean was doing — he said, “He’s doing great.  He’s too stubborn to have it any other way.”    I told him I’d seen them duet at his show in Central Park, and he was, “Ah boy, you sure hit the big ones!”    After he’d talked to everybody and his handlers were sighing, “Thank gawd!  Let’s gooo!” just then this whole bus full of people suddenly arrive.  “Hey, Garth!  We’re from Texas!” they’re yelling as the whole herd of them runs up to him waving their cameras.   

Brian  (and Garth)

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Blissfully Ravaged in Democracy

[#4   --  January 19^th]     (post-concert)

“blissfully ravaged in democracy”

were the only words I was able to scribble down
after returning home from the wars,
eyelashes singed and clothes still smoldering
from celebrating this democracy and world we live in.

There was a joy that I’ve rarely felt before,
and it came after the concert
biking around the Washington Monument and the Capital Dome
with all the families of America,
whether they were foreigners just arrived,
or descendants of slaves,
whether in new full-length leather coats,
or mama’s cloth rag from the attic,
whether they squeezed the family in the car and drove up from Atlanta,
or flew in from Boston for the day,
everyone was united in their love passion for Democracy  –

and how it’s not something you have,
but something you DO.

And these people and this spirit
is what’s on display for the world to see in Washington DC right now.

Here’s kids running up the steps of the Capital
and jumping for joy that they are where they are,
trading off cameras to send pictures home.

Today, it was all about the kids
in each of us
being ignited.

It’s the families — the fathers and mothers shepherding their herds,
THAT was powerful.
Bono singing Pride, in the name of love,
from Martin Luther King’s stage,
or Will.I.Am’s riffing vocal rap and Sheryl Crow’s grooving on Bob Marley’s One Love,
or Stevie Wonder taking us to a Higher Ground in that climactic jam,
or John Mellencamp’s Ain’t that America? that I kept singing all afternoon
biking through the shining rainbow faces of America,
or the soulful duet of A Change Is Gonna Come by Bettye LaVette and Bon Jovi — that Stole the freakin show,         [click on any to see and hear]

{ The Prez  n  The Queen }

or of course Barack’s Amazing speech of beauty, strength and brevity.

All that was powerful . . .
But it all came down to families,

of relations or not,
of natural-born Americans
or not,
who recognize how great
voting
and voting for Hope can be.

And we’re all the living proof
we need.

Brian

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The Day That Could Never Happen

[#5  January 20^th]     (pre-Ianug)

Brothers and Sisters of the Universe,

The final and official stage of our National Transformation is here –
And all of us are taking The Oath
to be more understanding of others
and to help each other as ourselves.

And masses of Hopesters and Democracy-loving Americans have made it to the mountaintop, running like water through the streets, which are all closed to cars this glorious day.  There’s t-shirt and button vendors lining every riverbank;  giant rows of port-o-potties are winding through the trees like a giant Christo installation;  and packs of police and fatigue-wearing National Guard everywhere are — but never a single arrest is ever made.

The High temperature tomorrow is predicted to be maybe 32 degrees -
so, feel that freeze when you sees
those couple million standing there in majestic dignity (as MLK called it).

After it’s over, Obama and everyone on stage will walk back inside the Capital Building where the new President has lunch with the members of Congress.

As usual for this kind of moment, I highly recommend hitting “mute” as soon as it’s over so you can let it sink in and form Your Own opinions – You saw it for yourself;  the talking heads will still be babbling about it years from now.

At 1:20-ish,  a large helicopter will rise up from the other side of the Capital building and ex-President Bush will fly the hell out of our lives.  It’s a very cool visual moment — the peaceful hand-off of the leadership of the most powerful country in the world.

3:45-ish   the parade begins — as President Obama rides in his new tank Caddy from the Capital Building along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

Live it or lose it.

scrumptiously & surreally,

Brian

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The Day Everything Changed

[#6  --  January  21^st]        (post Inaug)

There’ll never be anything like this in my lifetime.

The greatest moment of my life?  Probably.

And I got to spend it all with my best poli-warrior buddy, Mitch!

He always “got it”, and we fully lived Clinton’s election and inauguration – but as great as all that was . . . this was transcendent, beyond words.

It’s changing history –  besides eveverything else, a major nation electing a minority to lead it — and as it was happening, every single one of the 2 million people I met were Beaming with joy.  In terms of a crowd euphoric, the only thing I ever heard of that was like this was Woodstock in ‘69.  And that changed a lot, but this was Woodstock in the seat of power.  Jimi’s Star-Spangled Banner was the prelude, and a scant 40 years later, here’s that scorching soul of new thinking actually overtaking the reigns of government.  As Barack put it in his speech, roughly, “That a man who not long ago might not have been served at a local restaurant could now stand before you to take the most sacred oath in this nation shows how far we have come.”

Rollin in after 9 hours of sub-zero frost I looked like a guy stumbling down off Everest — white parched lips, face scorched red from freezing, but liquid eyes blazing.  And the thing I miss most in the tranquil heat of home are the screams of joy I heard all day long.

So, please excuse if this isn’t polished sculpture — but the levee’s broken and emotions runneth over.  I know you have our own wonderful memories of this day and what it all meant, but here’s a tale of the day everything changed from someone who was there  . . .

*

I left the apt. in Virginia at 9:30 by bike.  It was 22 degrees — without riding into the wind.  Starting out in the carless streets of Rossyln and crossing the scary-empty bridge it was like living through one of those end-of-the-world movies.  Not only were there no cars, but all the people were already at “the show” and it was just me and the wind.  I finally got to the last point they’d let me ride by about 10:15, worked the miles of snaking security line, and was inside the gates by 10:45.

My ticket was for the Blue South field which was off center, but after seeing the freeform mayhem once you were inside the security zone, I figured I could wing it, and weaved and excuse-me’d toward the center, and in no time I was right in front of the stage!

And then the whole show goes down, which you saw on TV.  Part of the fun of being there was all the running commentary everyone was making, like me yelling, “Dr. Strangelove” at Dick Cheney in his wheelchair, the comical booing of Bush, the “Na-na, na-na-na-na, hey hey, good bye” chants.  It was all in good fun.  And of course I just loved Aretha singing, “Let freedom ring!“  And that beautiful orchestral piece by John Williams, with Yo-Yo, Itzhak & company elevating us like wind into heaven.   And my new-favorite Reverend Lowery closing the show with the poetry of Amen.  And of course Barack’s speech.  But you saw all that for yourself.

{That’s Barack delivering his Address, looking to his left.}

*

THE PARTY AT THE PODIUM

When the official program was over, the fun started.    Just as I figured, everyone started to leave.  Once again I was happy I grew up in Winnipeg and could handle a little cold, and I just stepped over the green fence and walked straight to the podium.  Security was over.  The new President and all the ex’s were back inside the Capital building — there was nothing to “secure” anymore.  So I just breezed right the heck up there and started the party.

Those who were really touched by what happened were still sitting there aglow.  A few others, like me, had shimmied up on the energy waves.  I just kept riding it till I was right below the podium with the music stands and walls of cameras on either side.  It was just a gorgeous party — and it went on for hours.  People from all over the country and all over the world were handing each other their cameras, laughing, and ouing and awing.  And looking out at the crowd from the Capital hill and seeing people all the way to the horizon — what a sight!  What a moment.  There was no one there who’ll ever forget it.

And then of course when the Marine One helicopter rose up from behind the Capital with the now-former President on board, and once again without a shot being fired, the most powerful nation on earth changed it’s leader — and elected a member of a minority “race”.  We gotta be doing something right.

*

I could’ve lived in that party for the rest of my life.  And in fact I think I will.  Everyone was SO happy, beaming, radiating, loving, friendly.  Any which way you turned was another amazing picture.  Straight up at the glowing Capital Dome.  Looking out at the masses of people as far as you could see.  Looking into the blissful faces right next to you.  Looking up at the deep rich red, white & blue flags draping the brilliant white Capital.  The sun coming out from behind occasional clouds in the bright blue sky with the flags flapping against it.  Just overwhelming beauty.

Cell phone access was way-intermittent — messages coming in from Canada, New York City, Pennsylvania, California, and friends in the crowd trying to find me.  So I head on down outta the party to the now vacant Mall, and go to my favorite General’s monument, Ulysses S. Grant majestically on a horse right at the foot of the Capital, looking straight down the Mall — I was just communing with the big guy.  And right in front, the Capital Reflecting Pool is frozen, there’s one person skating on it, and scads of kids running and sliding on the first ice surface they’ve ever seen.

It’s a grounding spot for people to find me, and Democracy-loving road warrior Nadette from New York (the only person I know who made both the election night at Barackefeller Center in NYC and the Inauguration in D.C.) pulls it off, and so up we ramble back to the Podium Party, and Lord knows it’s still goin on.

*

And after another hour of New Years Eve hugging and doing unto others, I walked over a few feet to where you could actually look all the way from the Capital down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House — all cleared off and waiting for a parade.  And then Boom ! — suddenly there’s a roaring stream of blue motorcycle cops to my right.  A loud cheer go up from a crowd far away.  Some flags are marching past.  A band is playing.  “The parade’s starting!”

Everybody said you can’t do both.  It’s either the parade or the Inaug.
But I’m walkin forward.
I ask a cop, “Was that Obama that went by right in front?”
“No, there’s a couple of bands first, then him.”

Oh my God, really?

The whole thing is — I’m still inside the Capital grounds.  Everyone coming for the parade is on the other side of the Avenue.  So I just start walking towards it, skip over a few fences, la dee-dah across a grass field, and I’m right at the point where the cars are pulling out of the Capital!

And there’s the press trucks shooting backwards behind them — there’s Andrea Mitchell reporting from the back of one of them.

“They’re coming!” I realize.  “I’m right here!”

And then Boom! — there he is!  There’s “the Beast” — the new nuclear-proof Cadillac — and there’s Michelle 20 feet in front of me, there’s the kids sitting facing their parents and all waving and beaming out the windows, and there’s Barack on the other side!  I’m right freakin here!  This is the whole Big Parade Moment that people have lined up for since 7AM.

Not only did I see the swearing-in beginning of this Presidency right up front, but I’m standing on the curb as our new President Obama drives by on his Inaugural trip to the White House!

*

This was God’s gift.  I had put so much into doing the Inaug right, I had no plans or hope of seeing the parade — and here I am a few feet from the family sedan!

All sorts of other amazing, touching, life-giving moments happened with people of every age and color, it would take a long night of beers just to scratch the surface, but this was The Moment — God’s glowing gold bow on the gift of the Inauguration, after a day of freezing, weeks of planning, months of campaigning, and a lifetime of volunteering in Democracy — and this is the thanks I get!

*

Take what You’ve gathered from the day, or let contemporary historians nudge you, but I just wanted to share one person’s experience of participating in Democracy the day history changed.

This will be on postage stamps and dollar bills a hundred years from now.  And no matter where you were, you lived to see it.  Thank your spirit source.

And now the rest is up to us.

Brian O’Bamathon

karmacoupon@gmail.com

BrianHassett.com

And it made me think of some commonly-perceived “Great Americans” who weren’t born here, like  . . .

Christopher Columbus (Italian)  (“discovered” America, and for whom cities & holidays, and circles & squares are named after)

William Penn (English)  (founder of Pennsylvania and champion of religious acceptance)

Thomas Paine (English)  (author of Common Freakin’ Sense, 1776)

Alexander Hamilton (British West Indian)  (Founding Father, co-author of The Federalist Papers)

General Lafayette (French)  (huge hero in the American Revolution under George Washington)

Charles Darwin (English)  (scientist, naturalist, founder of evolution theory)

Alexander Graham Bell (Scottish)  (scientist, living in Canada when he invented the telephone)

Adam Smith (Scottish)  (a founding father of modern economics)

John Kenneth Galbraith (Canadian)  (economist, Presidential advisor, ambassador, author)

James Smithson (English)  (scientist who bequeathed the free-to-all Smithsonian Institution in Washington)

Andrew Carnegie (Scottish)  (patriarch of the industrialist and philanthropist family)

Meyer Guggenheim (Swiss)  (patriarch of the other industrialist and philanthropist family)

Albert Einstein (German)  (relatively important physicist)

John Roebling (German)  (designed The Brooklyn Bridge and many others)

Levi Strauss (German)  (inventor of blue jeans)

the Gimbels brothers  (German)  (founders of the department store chain)

the Warner Brothers (Jack was Canadian;  Harry, Sam & Albert were Polish [temporarily Russian])

Marshall McLuhan (Canadian)  (philosopher, author, teacher)

Stephen Hawking (English)  (physicist, author, teacher)

Madeline Albright (Czech)  (Secretary of State)

Henry Kissinger (German)  (Secretary of State)

George Soros (Hungarian)  (financier and philanthropist)

Bill Graham (German)  (producer of rock concerts)

Morley Safer (Canadian)  (journalist, 60 Minutes reporter)

Peter Jennings (Canadian)   (journalist, ABC news anchor)

Jerzy Kosinski (Polish)  (author)

*

Not to mention . . .

Harry Houdini   (Hungarian)  (magician, escape artist)

Charlie Chaplin  (English)  (actor and director)

Alfred Hitchcock  (English)  (film director)

Walter Huston   (Canadian)  (actor and father of John)

Mary Pickford   (Canadian)  (actress, and co-founder of United Artists)

Norman Jewison   (Canadian)  (director, In The Heat of The Night and Jesus Christ Superstar)

Milos Forman   (Czech)  (director, Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, Hair, Ragtime, etc.)

Roman Polanski  (French-born, Polish raised)  (director, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, etc.)

Robert Frank  (Swiss)  (photographer, filmmaker)

Arnold Schwarzenegger  (Austrian)  (Governor of Caleefornia)

John Lennon   (English – famously applied for U.S. naturalization)

Bob Marley   (Jamaican)   (musical philosopher)

Neil Young  (Canadian)  (musician, green car investor)

Yo-Yo Ma   (French)  (cellist)

Itzhak Perlman  (Israeli)   (violinist)

Leonard & Phil Chess  (Polish)  (founders of Chess Records)

Martin Short, Jim Carrey, Mike Meyers, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, Howie Mandel, Lorne Michaels, David Steinberg, Tommy Chong, John Candy, Rich Little, etc, . . .  (Canadian comedians)

.

in joy,

Brian Hassett

*

Election  Night  2008

by Brian Hassett

Early morning in the Universe  –  sunrise over a New America.

I arose from the floor of a Harlem hotspot dreaming of something way bigger than me.  And right off the mat, the Election Morning Ritual of tea & subtlety, pacing & breathing, and dreaming in the bright new light of it.

And there’s the widescreen of Barack & Michelle & their girls walking into the polling booth in Chicago and taking their time to burn in the memories of casting their historic ballots.

And all over New York you could hear doors slamming on apartments and taxis and trains as young and old, black and white went through their daily rituals — and today’s quite singular one.

I realized we were getting Obama as President, at least as Veep to Hillary, back on Super Bowl Saturday in January when I first watched will.i.am’s “Yes, We Can” video (here).  It had just been uploaded the night before, and I watched it early in the jingle-jangle morning and just lost it — couldn’t watch it without getting choked up for weeks afterwards.  It was so obvious then that he was ours — America’s, the world’s, right now’s.  Somehow it felt more ancient than futuristic, more traditional than trendy, more Rushmore than YouTube.  And it was good.

But of course there was still a helluva race ahead — first the primary against Hillary and then the general against McCain, and it did look close a couple of times, but especially starting that Monday of the Lehman Brothers collapse and McCain “suspending” his campaign and stumbling around like Henry Fonda in the woods in On Golden Pond, followed by Colin Powell coming out on Meet The Press, you knew who was going to win.  In fact, I was able to post the final election results on this here site on Halloween, a full four days before election day — and was 99.5% accurate.

I spent the afternoon getting all gussied up in black velvet tails and Ben Franklin knickers with knee-high socks topped off with a top hat, accented with colorful Obama buttons, and everything underneath my waving homemade Obama pennant flag with a little red & white Canadian one on top.  All I needed was a clanging bell and some rolled parchment.

Heading into the Election Night, for the first time in my life I was the most popular person in Harlem!  Looking like a “Hear-ye, hear-ye!” town crier from the American Revolution, I was carrying Obama’s flag into battle — lighting up faces of people who still haven’t come close to learning English.  Shopkeepers were waving, and mothers were pointing me out to their small children.  Passing pedestrians were either breaking into huge smiles or full-out hollering, “Obama!”  It was dusk on the final day of The Nightmare From Texas, and minorities may have been happier than anyone that the lying war sap’s reign of error was ending.

Riding the subway through Harlem in black velvet regalia — facing beaming white smiles from dark African faces, shining and sharing across the aisle like Washington will soon be if  all goes according to plan.  A little boy beside me is admiring my buttons, and finally says in the cutest voice, “All Barack!”  So I reach in my bag and find a button for him just before he gets off.  And some guy’s watching me do this, and he pulls out his keys from his pocket and wound off and his little Obama key-chain and handed it to me across the subway car.  It’s the coolest thing and I’ll cherish it forever.  And so I looked in my bag and found another button and handed it across to him.  And there was some guy standing nearby smiling as he watched all this go down, and the guy I just gave the button to handed it to him.  A crowd got on right after that and we all got separated — but within seconds all us strangers had just given each other something for nothing.  America was changing right before our eyes.

Then I’m off, flying between the towers of Midtown, when suddenly a-ha, a “Vote Here –>” sign for a polling station, and, decked head-to-toe in Obama, I enter most illegally and go beaming around.  Poll site day-workers are smiling back huge hugs, and then I spot the ancient New York State steel levered polling machine and go over to open the curtains and have a good gander –

but Nooooo — The Big Bossman spots me and nearly football tackles me the heck outta there!  So there I was;  Tossed back into the Manhattan rush-hour of snappy suits and swinging briefcases, big ego scowls and some big-hearted smiles.

And then ah into the ah of the Election Plazah at Barackefeller Center!  People.  All beaming faces.  Lights.  A red, white & blue skyscraper.  Broadcast trucks.  Giant screens.  And rows of flags waving wide and high in tonight’s heavy winds of change.

There’s lots of people, but it’s not crowded.  And NBC had once again laid out the red carpet.  Well, actually it was blue.  And plush and thick, from one end of the plaza to the other — “Election Night 2008″ woven into the ground that democracy’s participants were walking on.  And not just Americans, but thousands and millions who came here from foreign countries, like me — because “America” is so much a part of so many.

And meanwhile, I’m getting photographed more than I ever have in my life.  Plus, they’ve got somebody dressed up like donkey and somebody like an elephant, and for an hour the three of us become the most in-demand trio in New York.  And on top of that, the inside of my coat is lined with buttons that I’m selling.  Which I never even mentioned to anyone, but people kind of figured it out.  All I kept saying was, “Vote Socialist!  Vote Obama!”

And a couple times I actually get challenged about being an interferring Canadian, but I quickly bounce ‘em back with ol’ Christopher Columbus and Thomas Paine and Alexander Hamilton as pretty cool un-Americans.  And if that don’t shut ‘em, I drop Albert Einstein, Andrew Carnegie and Madeline Albright.  And if that don’t do it, John Lennon, Neil Young and Charlie Chaplin usually does.  You can be American from wherever you’re born.

And waving my colorful homemade flag was doing the trick!  It was like a freakin’ antenna pulling in the channels.  Friends were tuning in from all over.  Philip the Iraq war reporter with his big pro camera weaves in documenting the stories of regular people in the eye of history.  And here’s Levi, the online LitKicks disturber, happily dancing through the crowd like it’s an outdoor Dead show.  And there’s the Jimmy Carter staffer Zoe waving from her comfortable perch, soaking in the immensity of it all.

And friendships are being made instantaneously all over the plaza, conversations starting without introductions.  It was a family reunion and we all knew each other.  And even though it was early it felt pretty late, with everybody already a little giddy, a little silly, a little too happy — and it didn’t matter to anyone.

And of all excellent things they were actually handing out plastic beer mugs!  Or maybe they were coffee mugs, but I figured they’d work way better for beer.  So, I copped several for the crew, and off dee-do.

It was getting time to plant the flag and hold the fort.  There are two main giant screens:  one for NBC, and one for MSNBC, which has been my network of choice since it came on the air about 10 years ago.  And to boot, it’s their side of 30 Rock that’s completely bathed in Democratic blue and turns out to be the naturally livelier side of the grand plazoo all night.  So, I promptly claim n maintain the center screen-front fort-site!

There’s a six-inch high curb running across the battlefield a perfect distance from the screen and it makes the best forward line I can think of.  Next, I’m lookin for SOUND — where some half-deaf old people can hear what’s being said even while crazy New Yorkers are screaming in joy.  And right along the curb line directly in front of the MSNBC screen, there’s a nice big Bose speaker on a stand, squared off by barricade stantions.  So that becomes our solid right flank;  and I’m holding down the front curb-line;  and our left flank is held by Gina Gershon’s sister and a wall of her girlfriends who haven’t moved in an hour.  ”We’re solid.”  “We’re bull’s-eye center.”  “It’s a go, General.”

We had our private box at the theater  – once we had our perimeter secured, there was a buffer of about 50 people deep in every direction around us – and we could just GO! And lemmi tell ya, nobody’s burners were on “medium”!

And as I keep waving my Canadian–Obama flag, along comes Winnipeg-Manhattan guitarist brother Terry;  and Paul, who I only just met but who’s been a friend for life;  and Anna, Philip’s pregnant wife blessing her child who’ll be born around the same time as the next President in January.  And here comes Ralph the producer, and Brad the net oracle, and Anne the global adventurer.  And then comes somebody holding up a giant Obama yard sign as they’re dancing and weaving through the crowd, and as the sign floats closer, sure enough, underneath it all is Nadette, an actress friend of nearly 30 years bringing suburbian lawns into this uber-urban plaza.

And from our private box we could easily make runs to the deli which you could almost see from our “seats”.  The only trick was getting back through the outer ring of the scene — excuse-me-ing through the tight outer strata of late-comers and non-insiders, then weaving through the gentler inner rings of patriots to our secret center where we had enough room to dance.

And dance we did.  Along came four cute girls from England who’d flown over just for this moment and were as funny as that other Fab Four who flew over here.  Or the flowing French poet who’d also flown in just for this.  Or the gorgeous Kim Basinger with the flower in her long blond hair.  Or the Canadians who kept appearing all night from Vancouver and Montreal and Toronto and Edmonton.  It was like all the Americans who materialized in Ontario when we were registering people to vote with Democrats Abroad.  In fact, as the night comically revealed itself, our encampment became surrounded by Canadians — typically too shy to say anything, but when they saw my flag came and stood near and felt safe.  I became the freakin’ Canadian Consulate at Barackefeller Center on Election Night.

As Zoe & I are making what we thought at the time was the final beer run of the night at about 7:40, and we bump into this group of four Midwestern couples in their 40s and 50s leaving the scene.  Of course we start talking and they mention they’re heading out to get something to eat, to which I say, “Are you fuckin’ crazy?!  The big moment is coming right up and you’re gonna be staring down at a tuna sandwich?!”  They all laugh as I give ‘em hell, Harry.  So, Zoe & I hit the deli, and sure enough a minute later the whole crew of ‘em come in and say, “You convinced us.”  And they just grabbed some road grub and headed back into Democracy’s mosh pit.

Another wonderful thing about the scene was the diversity of people.  Besides there being every conceivable shade of pigmentation from the darkest African blacks to translucent northern whites, there was also every body type, age, and orientation.  There were turbans and ball caps, piercings and wheelchairs, suits and sandals.  It was America, and it was the world.

I was talking to this bunch of Jamaicans and we were all laughing and beaming and “Yesing,” and their accents were so damn thick I understood not a word they said the entire time!  Except “Obama.”  Yet we were totally communicating for a good long time — our faces and hearts knowing what the other was saying all along.

And I’ll tell ya, there’s been a buncha times I wished John Lennon was here, but oh boy, none more than while we’re talkin’ bout a revolution, well, you know.  And how this was the world playing out that he and so many other visionary men of peace have shared through sermons or songs or non-violent stands.  This was the dream — and it has manifested and is dancing and cheering and wired.

It’s like tonight had gone into sudden-death overtime where you couldn’t leave because it could be called and be over at any moment!  The best part of course was when the Dems scored points by winning a state — and a cheer went up as far as you could hear, echoing through the canyons of our spines.  And for every Kentucky or Mississippi there was a playful boo, then we laughed out loud at our own silliness.

And as each state was called, just like in ‘04, NBC had these two giant tapestries, one Dem blue & the other Republican red, that were being pulled up the side of 30 Rock, one foot for each electoral vote won.  Except this time the blue side was climbing much higher than the red one.  

Although my predictions for the Presidential winner, electoral college numbers, percentage split, and Senate and House seats were all Dead on or close damn to it — the one thing I (joyously) didn’t get right was the time the news organizations would project a winner.  I knew it could come at 8, and if not then, at 9 for sure.  “There’s no way we’re not going to know before 10.”  But all those hours came and went with nothing.

Here’s an obvious conspiracy for those who enjoy those sort of things:   There was obviously collusion between the networks to all hold off their Presidential projections until 11PM.  They obviously didn’t coincidentally all make the “call” at exactly the same time.  They coulda called it a week ago, or anytime all night . . .  but what the heck, the whole county was riveted until the match was sparked and the emotional fireworks set off.  No matter when you tuned in or arrived at your election night gathering, by 11:00 you’d been on the edge of your seat for a while.  Or, the edge of your curb, as the case may be.

There was a clock on the bottom of the screen — and although it was obvious to some of us what was going to happen when it struck 11:00:00, most in the crowd didn’t know it was coming.

But after hours of good-vibe build-up, the clock ticked eleven and the screen tocked Barack — and the voices and the spirits and the hands shot up, fingers splaying, eyes blazing, thousands jumping, people hugging, falling into another, high-fiving hands so fast you never see the arms, screaming, tear-soaked faces like thousands of brand new parents – but no romantic midnight New Year’s Eve couples kissing — for just a moment there was something even bigger than one loved one.

Some people were frozen in Buddha-still calmness, others were bent over crying and shaking.  People were hanging out windows, flashbulbs were flashing from every direction, horns honking over everything, girls screaming like Beatlemania, it all swirling into a roaring, deafening tornado, tossing us side to side, but hardly anyone falling down.  And the cheering kept going — there was no person telling us to simmer down so the show could resume.  Talking heads were yammering away on movie screens and the speakers were still blaring but we were all chanting “O – ba – ma”  or “Yes we can” so loud nobody heard a word.  And after one wave of peak cheering would begin to subside, another would start out of nowhere and everyone would raise their voices and arms again for no reason except the joy of it, the beyond-beliefness of everything — as new layers of what just happened were rolling through people’s hearts and minds and out their faces.

For some it was a tearful release of exhaustion after sleepless nights for days or weeks or months — defenses down, fatigued openness, sleep-deprivation delirium.  And for others it was such a sweet gentle smile of serenity.  . . . “Finally.”

But so-sadly, with the networks calling it at 11:00 — that was the exact time of the last elevator to The Top of The Rock rooftop so there was no way to kiss the sky as well as all the pretty girls in the plaza.

After a prolonged evening of anticipation, the dominoes fell quickly.  I lost any sense of time at this point, but it seemed like right after the projection, John McCain was walking out to give his concession speech.  As I expected, he was huge and gracious — his best speech since I-dunno-when.  Poor old guy got waylaid somewhere, off into the Rovian practices of kill n torture what you don’t like and ask questions later (See, also: Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Clelland, Kerry, Bush-McCain 2000, etc., etc.)

Everybody was in a “boo-McCain” spirit, but I knew he was better than what we’d seen in this campaign.  So every time he said something particularly gracious, I’d yell, “Alight!  Give it up for John McCain!”  And nobody would.  The crowd had followed my every cue all night — when to clap, cheer, laughing at my one-liners — as Zoe said, “You had those people eating out of your hand,”  — but when it came to giving props to the distinguished gentlemen from Arizona, I had zero pull.  

And geez I just gotta say — in politics, your opponent is your enemy only until you win; and the moment it’s over, you become colleagues again.  You compete as hard as you can, or “vigorously” as Obama wonderfully called it;  then we all work together.  Done.

So, immediately after McCain finishes his concessionary congratulatory comments to the new President-elect, the world was transported via Marshall McLuhan stacks of amped televisions to the massive gathering in historic Grant Park in Chicago where Democratic supporters had their heads bashed in by billyclubs in 1968 – and had them blown off by words in 2008.

And once again, Obama Presents a beautiful stage, with a classic row of flags like those waving around the Washington Monuments and this Barackefeller rink in New York City.

And as the soul-speaker soars, the Barock Center New York crowd is cheering like we’re at the greatest Central Park concert ever.  Except there’s no rock star.  There’s not even a person.  Just “two big screens and a politician.”   And we’re peaking all over the city, all over the country, all over the world in a synchronized riot of joy.  This is not just an American story, not just a black story, not just a Democrat’s or young person’s story, nor just an immigrant’s story or this story — it’s all of us — all North America, Africa, Europe — dancing as one, in more ways than one.  It’s every underdog, every book-reader & book-writer, every neighbor, every one with hope in whatever language they speak — this Rose smells as sweet tonight.

And Obama’s calmly asking for our collective help, our common good.  It gets so quiet you only hear the people sobbing in the crowd of thousands.  Complete breakdowns.  Some couples now hugging like they didn’t at the New Year’s Moment — because now one of them is shaking and crying.  We see the soon-to-be-famous tears from Jesse and Oprah, but seeing them for real glistening in the Barockefeller Lights on the cheeks of both women and men, old and young, white and black, red-eyed and helpless, weeping uncontrollably, and there wasn’t an unblurry eye in the house.

“This is our time to reaffirm that fundamental truth, that out of many, we are one;  that while we breathe, we hope.  And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:  Yes, we can.”

And your cells and limbs harmonize with the words, and you’re “Yes!”  And Joe Biden walks out, and that gem finally kicks in – “Oh my god!  Joe freakin’ Biden is Vice President!!”

And as the guests began to leave, I stayed and shook hands or winked into their dazey eyes or stood for a picture next to their ear-to-ear smile as they passed from the plaza womb out to the new world of New York tonight where strangers were stopping strangers just to shake their hand.

As we were leaving the light and into the night, my final image was of the giant blue column still climbing up 30 Rock, and the whole plaza bright and glowing . . . like it should be.

Meanwhile the streets were all a half-hour-after-midnight on New Year’s Eve — laughter echoing through every canyon, girls holding hands and skipping down the sidewalk, old shopkeepers watching everything from their doorways.

Terry and I whirl around the corner onto Sixth Avenue and Boom!  Right into the Midwestern crew we talked into staying at 8:00!  And it was now a whole lot more than a few hours later.  The well-put-together folks we’d met were now red-faced and joyous with their glasses listing crookedly, their hair a shambles, shirt-tails flapping, just a puddled mess they were, and as soon as they saw me rounding the corner they dropped their bags and ran over with giant bear-hugs of joy, thanking me most profusely for encouraging them to stay.  And the leader goes, “Hey, wait a minute,” and rushes back to his bags, and another guy says with a beam, “You’re gonna get something nice.”  And sure enough he comes back with this high-end print of an almost 3-D painting of Obama & Biden that will beam tonight from my walls forever.

And after a boatful of giant hugs, off they sailed into the glistening New York Sea at night as Terry & I floated on down the Avenue of The Americas, following The Great Invisible Forces to . . . . Times Square.

And as we whoosh around the corner into Times Square’s trash & vaudeville – the barricaded streets, shut-down sidewalks, yellow police tape everywhere, battalions of uniforms, and eight lanes of traffic racing through the center of it!  The massive crowd has dissolved down to a nice loud throng — so we fit right in! – bolting directly to the center island — the core of the core – ground-to-sky screens all around — Obama’s ears 8 Miles High — a constant roar — traffic, different speakers blasting different speakers, and a very high cheers-per-second ratio.

cue:  ”Dancing In The Streets” — loud.  [Phil Lesh & Friends, NYC, Nov. 6th, 2008 recommended]

And my Canadian flag’s immediately attracting a flood of delirious Canucks, some from the city I just left, some from places I never heard of.  And again it’s the celebrity flash-flash of my town crier top-hat n tails hailing in the news in Times Square routine.

All heck’s broken loose — for a moment it seems like old New York — people having a good time and no one interfering.  “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” is being belted out by an ensemble well beyond any concerns over harmony.  There’s a thousand Lady Libertys with one arm raised holding torches of camera-phones broadcasting beacons of freedom’s light to the rest of the world.  It’s the first time New York’s been like this since the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in game 7 at Madison Sq. Garden, when all the cars on Seventh Avenue were caught in the human flood, and the streets for blocks around became an instant street party — and you could walk up the avenue between rows of cars high-fiving both drivers and passengers from their open windows.

It was like that all through Times Square, except it seemed every car was coming from an Obama party, not just arriving at one!  It wasn’t random drivers caught up in some random New York street party, but every person in the city was in on it.  Or at least every person who was awake and outside.  The few Republicans here were long since safe behind their security systems, and anyone who was alive for the last few hours couldn’t help hearing and seeing and feeling the emotional and literal fireworks shooting off of every streetcorner in New York.

It was Fourth of July.  It was Beatlemania screams still echoing outside Ed Sullivan’s Paramount Theater.  Not only was every car smiling like a cartoon, and every driver too, but there was a person sticking out of every sunroof that went by — and people leaning out the side windows to high-five the Times Squarers as they drove through the piazza.  And if you weren’t honking your horn enough and got stuck at a light, brothers reached in your open window and honked it for you.  And not only were people chanting as they marched, a fire truck went by honking out “O – ba – ma” on his horn in time with the crowd, and the young Irish cops were doing stand-up routines for the crowds and working the passers-by like the best street comedians.

I talked to one of the officers in charge who said there’d been no problems at all over the entire city all night.

Nice, eh?

New York, I love ya!  So much like the blackout night five years ago  — happy positive vibes emitting from everywhere.  It was Woodstock without the mud.  It was a sunrise without the hangover.  It was a White House without a Bush.

And word filters up that Union Square was overflowing with people, and St. Marks Place in the East Village has broken into a spontaneous street-long block-party, and it was clear this was not going to be over anytime soon. 

And it was so gawdamn global – the giant screens were flashing crowds of people in Paris and London and Rome and Rio and Sydney and Toronto and hot-damn, summer in the city!  The back of my neck feelin’ all goosebumpy.

It was great that we were not dancing just cuz it was some date on a calendar, but because of something worked for by people the world over — and because of all the changes this will bring, from the smallest of human exchanges to the speeches of kings — it’s “a transformation of civilization” as Neil Young is currently singing it — it’s the hundredth monkey cracking the cocoanut for milk — an evolutionary step in our species — a turning-point that’ll be taught long after we’re gone.

And it’s happening now.  If you can read this, you’ve got your invitation.  We are the cells that are multiplying.  We are the lucky ones that make it across the river to The Promised Land.  This is a moment all people will wish they lived through.  And that this is even bigger for the world than it is for America.

It is our time, as he kept saying.

Live it or lose it, as I keep saying.

= = = = = = = = = = =

And wonderfully P.S.

A night later, a bunch of us went to the best band goin’, to my ears, Phil Lesh & Friends, and at the beginning of the show, the 68 year old bandleader came out and Dedicated the show – something I’ve never seen any GD member ever do  . . .

Phil:  ”Two days ago, we lived through and participated in a turning point in history, as important as anything that we’ve seen in our lives. And I bet everybody in this room was a part of that in some way. So, I want to dedicate this show tonight to that uniquely American spirit, which was just thrown up, at the perfect moment, with this man, and this movement, and these people.  So, here’s to you!”

Followed by chants of, “U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.,” at an underground Grateful Dead concert in the core of Manhattan!   

*

*

See, also:  the Election Night 2004 story

= = = = = = = =

by Brian Hassett

karmacoupon@gmail.com

“Keep your smile on and it’ll light your way.”  BH

The Presidential race –

I finalized my predictions on Nov. 1st, and called the final Electoral College to be:

367  to  171 and it turned out:

365  to  173

“My bad”:  I thought the Dems would pull off North Dakota;  and I gave Indiana to the Repubs, but the Dems squeaked it out by .9%.  And then McCain eventually won Missouri by .1%! 

Missouri & Montana were my two final changes   All along, I was calling Missouri for McCain, but at the last moment (!) I switched it, figuring the national “mo” that was with Obama would sway the “.1%” in Obama’s favor and keep Missouri’s streak going.  But, nooooooooo.

Also:  I figured McCain would get 56 million votes, and that’s exactly what he got on election night, but ended up with 59 million after all the absentees were counted.

I called Obama hitting 70 million, and he ended up with just over 68,500,000 — so, damn close there.

I figured the spread would be:  54% – 45%.  . . . Turned out: 53% – 45.7%.

I called the Senate:  56 – 42 – 2

and at present it’s:  56 – 41 – 2 — with Minnesota yet to be decided.

Without knowing much about the House, I guessed it would end up 265 – 170, and it currently stands at 255 – 176, with 4 undecided.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Final Numbers (as of Dec. 9th):

Obama:  68,520,000 votes, . . .  52.79%

McCain: 59,455,000, . . .    45.81%     (1.4% for “other”)

total votes cast:  129,786,000

(source for the above: The Green Papers)

November 2008 U.S. population:  305,836,000  (U.S. Census Clock)

Total eligible voters:  ____ million

Total registered voters:  169 million (86 Dems, 55 Repubs, 28 independents) (source: Wikipedia)

This makes an excellent “program” to print out for the evening’s festivities . . . 

(all times Eastern;  all predictions as of Saturday, Nov. 1st, 2008)

And before you dive in   — click here http://thatradio.podhoster.com/index.php?sid=1399

and listen to a radio show about the election while you’re reading!  What fun!   

7:00 – - 6 states — The Bellwethers – doing their hit “Georgia & Indiana” — If McCain is doing worse than winning by 3%, he’s in trouble.  If McCain’s winning by 8% or better, it’s NOT going to be a full blow-out night. 

Dems (16) – - Virginia 13, Vermont 3

Repubs (42) – - Georgia 15, Indiana 11, South Carolina 8, Kentucky 8

7:30 – - 2 states

Dems (20)  – - Ohio 20   (20 + 16 = 36)

Repubs (5) – -  West Virginia 5 

8:00 – - 16 states – - Ahoy Missouri!      They’ve only voted correctly for the winner in every Presidential election for the last hundred freakin’ years (except, like, once).

Dems (138) – - Florida 27, Pennsylvania 21, Illinois 21, New Jersey 15, Massachusetts 12, Missouri 11 (but will be too-close-to-call until Way-later), Maryland 10, Connecticuit 7, Maine 4, New Hampshire 4, Delaware 3, D.C. 3  . . . . . . (16 + 20 + 138 = 174)

Repubs (33) – - Tennessee 11, Alabama 9, Oklahoma 7, Mississippi 6

8:30 – -  2 states

Dems: (15) – - North Carolina 15   (16 + 20 + 138 + 15 = 189) 

Repubs: (6)  – - Arkansas 6

9:00  – -  14 states – - Do the networks call it at 9:00:01? Or do they keep their powder dry till around 10?  

Dems:  (86)  – - New York 31, Michigan 17, Minnesota 10, Wisconsin 10, Colorado 9, New Mexico 5, Rhode Island 4    (86 + 189 = 275)

Repubs:  (70) Texas 34, Arizona 10, Louisiana 9, Kansas 6, Nebraska 5, South Dakota 3, Wyoming 3

10:00 – - 5 states - – Iowa could put Obama over 270.  Also, Brian’s late-steal state to watch is Montana. 

Dems: (15) Iowa 7, Nevada 5, North Dakota 3   (275 + 15 = 290)

Repubs:  (8)  Utah 5, Montana 3

11:00 – - 5 states – By in here we’ll be getting McCain’s concession speech. 

Dems:  (77) California 55, Washington 11, Oregon 7, Hawaii 4  (290 + 77 = 367)

Repubs:  (4)  Idaho 4

Roughly between 11PM and midnight will be Obama’s historic victory speech from Grant Park in Chicago. 

= = = = = =

The only three additional states that COULD go Obama if it was more of a blow-out:

Indiana 11, Georgia 15, and Montana 3 — bringing Obama up to 396. 

= = = = = = = = =

by Brian at www.BrianHassett.com 

or Karmacoupon@gmail.com

it’s 

Brian’s Playful Prediction

Challenging Challenge Contest

*

The Game of Predicting History . . .  

Fair to be played up until 6AM (Eastern) Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. 

Make your own predictions at home,

then carry them around in your head. 

Look away now and make your own call first, but here’s mine –

Electoral College:  367 – 171  ['04 was 286 - 251] 

Percentage:  54% – 45%  (1% “other”)  ['04 was 50.7 - 48.3; 2.4% diff.; 1% "other"]  

Total votes cast:  Obama: will crack 70 million votes;  McCain 56 million  

[in 2004 all numbers were the highest ever in history: Bush 62 million, Kerry 59 million, 121 million total]

Senate:  56 – 42 – 2  (Dems pick up 7)  [currently: 49-49-2]

House:  265 – 170  [currently 235-199]

[Subject to change   up until first poll opening 6AM Tuesday morning   :- ) ]

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The largest Obama’s Electoral College could be is 396 if he won everything I predicted plus Indiana 11, Georgia 15 and Montana 3. 

I’ve been using the term “convincing win” for the last 3 or 4 weeks. I don’t think “blow out” and certainly not “landslide” will be appropriate. 

In fact, I’ve been thinking for a month, we’re going to have a small English language debate around Nov 4th / 5th as to what is a “landslide”. 

The Rule of Brian is: 

If the winner’s score starts with a four,

He’s known as “Landslide” forevermore.

If the winner’s key is only a three,

A convincing winner he will be. 

And this should have been spoken to Tim Russert R.I.P. but was delivered by Sec. of State Colin Powell to Tim’s brother & colleague Tom Brokaw.

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I have some concerns about the direction that the Republican party has taken in recent years.  It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it, but that’s a choice the party makes. 

I have especially watched over the last six or seven weeks as both candidates have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis that we are in and coming out of the conventions.  And I must say that I’ve gotten a good measure of both. 

In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem.  And that concerned me, sensing that he didn’t have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had. 

And I was also concerned at his selection of Governor Palin.  She’s a very distinguished woman, and she’s to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don’t believe she’s ready to be President of the United States, which is the job of the Vice President.  And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made.

On the Obama side, I also watched him during this seven-week period.  And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this – as well as picking a Vice President that, I think, is ready to be President on day one.  And also, in not just jumping in and changing his approach every day, but showing intellectual vigor.  I think that he has a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well. 

I also believe that the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain over the last seven weeks has become narrower and narrower.  Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people.  He’s crossing ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines.  He’s thinking about how all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values.

And I’ve also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently, or his campaign has, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about.

This Bill Ayers situation that’s been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign.  But Mr. McCain says that “he’s a washed-out terrorist.”  Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? 

And why do we have these robo-calls going on around the country trying to suggest that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted. 

What they’re trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings.  And I think that’s inappropriate.  I think it goes too far, and has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow.  It’s not what the American people are looking for.  And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me. 

The party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift.  I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that’s what we’d be looking at in a McCain administration. 

I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And that it permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.”  Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian.  He’s always been a Christian.  But the really right answer is, so what if he is?  Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?  The answer is no, that’s not America.  Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be President?  Yet, I’ve heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, “He’s a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.”  This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

I feel strongly about this in part because of a picture in a photo essay I saw about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And one picture was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave.  And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone.  And it gave his awards — Purple Heart, Bronze Star — showed that he died in Iraq, his date of birth, date of death.  He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith.  And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American.  He was born in New Jersey.  He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life.  Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way.  And I’m troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

So, when I look at all of this and I think back to my Army career, we’ve got two individuals, either one of them could be a good President. 

But which is the President that we need now?  Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? 

And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities — and we have to take that into account — as well as his substance — he has both style and substance — he has met the standard of being a successful President, being an exceptional President.  I think he is a transformational figure.  He is a new generation coming into the world — onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for these reasons I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.

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Here’s 6 minutes of flying into Winnipeg for the Summer Summit Kelvin reunion in 2009  . . . 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA_TS-nq8nU

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Here’s 2 minutes from The Opening Reception of the Kelvin Reunion — “Christmas in July” at the Myles’s 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbeAwJoh1-E

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Here’s the Breakfast Television show on CITY-TV with Linda Ranson in Winnipeg August 5th, 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZKk8JYe6vk

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Here’s the 7 minute “album version” of the Portage & Main photo shoot  with the old Gang, the evening of Wednesday, August 5th, 2009:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ySY0MaKXO4

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Here’s Clark’s 1-minute hit single version of the Portage & Main photo shoot . . . 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLpXO2W-9KY

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Here’s Winnipeg’s Shaw TV segment when they showed up at the tour of Kelvin, August 6th, 2009.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdrH1n2UoE

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First video uploaded

Recorded Friday, Sept 26th, after the 1st Presidential Debate btwn Obama & McCain.

Location: The Royal Windsor Pub, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada

We were playing to have a little pre-game show, but everyone was having such a good time we never got around to it . . . so, after almost everyone had left — just the hardcore’s remained — and by fluke I had the camera, and Ben Stiller just happened to have come, so I gave him the camera and he did a great job! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6finC2EyJaE