Politics

Politics

There are 1,058 posts filed in Politics (this is page 81 of 106).

Weatherford auction

Yesterday we drove home from T’s soccer game to see signs for an auction at a neighborhood house. We stopped by to see what was going on and found the auction was at a home near ours that belonged to the late Rebecca Weatherford, who used to own the property our house was built on. The house’s items were being auctioned.

I was looking through the home when I recognized Dan Blue, who is handling the estate affairs. He told me some history of the place: that it used to be a dairy farm from the 1920s to the 1960s that encompassed about 70 acres. There was a plantation-style home that dated from the late 1800s but burned down long ago. My neighbor once told me he used to play on the majestic porch of the now long-gone home. I was fascinated to learn that such an old home was once nearby, and saddened that it no longer exists.
Continue reading →

Post-election stress disorder

It was a long, long day on Tuesday when I volunteered to be a poll greeter for the campaigns of Rodger Koopman and Russ Stephenson. My feet hit the floor at 5 AM and I basically wasn’t off my feet until midnight that night.

After showering that morning, I threw my umbrella, a folding chair, and a bunch of campaign signs into the car and headed out to nearby polling places to make sure signs were out. Then I picked up more from Rodger’s house and headed north.

I arrived at my assigned polling place at 6:35 to find the parking lot full already. My Odom counterpart, Collin, was already there greeting voters. I set up my chair closer to the “no campaigning past this sign” limit, held up my sign and smiled in the drizzle at the disinterested voters who walked past.
Continue reading →

Election Night

My friend Rodger Koopman lost his Raleigh City Council District B race to John Odom. I spent the day outside a polling place meeting voters and asking them to support Rodger. My sense around midday was that Rodger was getting one out of three votes – a prediction that was eerily accurate when my precinct’s numbers came in.

Though it might seem otherwise at first glance, elections are not won or lost on election day: by then it’s too late. If you haven’t done your homework in the weeks leading up to the election there’s little you can do to turn it around at the last hour. I’m still analyzing what went wrong but it’s a shame that a fine candidate like Rodger Koopman won’t get another term.

Election Day

Tuesday is Election Day, where Raleigh will be voting for candidates for mayor and city council. I’m taking the day off to work the polls for Rodger Koopman and Russ Stephenson. Then afterward I hope to celebrate some victories at some downtown establishments.

You won’t get much blogging from me for the next 24 hours. Hopefully the next post will be a positive one!

Van Jones

You know, I’m sure there’s more to this story than is being told about White House “green jobs” official Van Jones “resigning” supposedly due to a petition he signed and because he called Republicans a bad name.

So Jones doubts the official story of what happened during the attacks of September 11th. Big deal! There are so many holes in the official 9/11 story that it’s not even funny. Jones is not alone in his doubt and that’s certainly no reason to can him.

As for the Republican remark, wasn’t it Dick Cheney who, while on that bastion of civility and decorum – the Senate Floor, told Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Lehey to go f*ck himself? I didn’t see ol’ Darth Cheney turning in his walking papers after that.

Either there’s more to Jones’s forced resignation than we’re being told or Obama threw him under the bus as a gift to the rabid right-wing talk show hosts. Neither scenario sits well with me.

Free Small Coffee!

A_small_cup_of_coffee

On my way to work this morning I saw a guy on a street corner waving a sign that said “Free Small Coffee!” I have to admit that my first thought was “who is this Small Coffee guy and why is he locked up?”

Too much politics on the brain.

Ted Kennedy

Ted_Kennedy,_official_photo_portrait_crop

One one of our weekend trips early in our marriage, Kelly and I were waiting at the Boston airport for our flight back to Raleigh. I happened to look up from my Boston Globe long enough to see an older gentleman in a suit walking with an assistant up to the gate.

My jaw dropped. It was Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy. Before me was a living legend, one of the most powerful politicians in America. This man had seen so much history in his political life (and had so many triumphs and tragedies in his personal life).

I just stared at him because one does not approach a living legend unless invited. I kept a respectful distance as he finished up his conversation with his assistant and then boarded his U.S. Airways flight to Washington. I know Sen. Kennedy was holding up his flight but I still was kicking myself for not asking for his autograph.

Early this morning, Ted Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 77.