Month: December 2008

In a nutshell:

I can’t name another American icon who has been so popular, and for so long, and yet so hard to like, and for so long.

And he’s already used up the autism and Good Nazi Oscar options.

A description of a photo project by Sandy Nicholson:

2nd: The Face Of Defeat is a collection of photos by Sandy Nicholson of those who came in second place or, if you prefer, lost first. Either way, it makes for a complex set of portraits featuring the upset, the stoic, the bloody, and the shocked accompanied by their own words, all captured moments after their loss.

See more images here.

Re: hummus.

Looking back over the past twelve months, as one is wont to do this time of year, I note one thing: readers saw this election more clearly, more presciently than most pundits. Here’s an email from January 2 last year, which basically saw it all before a single vote was cast:

The national media and pollsters don’t live where I do (Carroll, Iowa). When the story is told on Thursday night, the narrative will be a remarkable one: Obama will cobble together western Iowa counties with ivory towered college towns and eastern cities within the shadow of his Illinois. What’s more, while he is running a tight race with U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards with traditional voters, Obama will pull ahead with new people, not just the young, but the never-before caucus-goers. I see their faces in the crowds. They are the woman I went to high school with who stunned me by appearing, waving a Barack Obama sign, no less, at one of his events in Carroll. Surely, she must have an "American Idol" re-run to watch, I thought. No, she’s caucusing for Obama.

It turned out that we were the ones we’d been waiting for. Thanks for being a part of an amazing year.

"Two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government’s not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government’s working for me. I feel like it’s accountable. I feel like it’s transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim," – Barack Obama, president-elect.

What happens when someone mistakes a journalist for a member of some dumb-ass Politburo:

This is Jennifer Palmieri, acting CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. 

Most readers know that the views expressed on Matt’s blog are his own and don’t always reflect the views of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Such is the case with regard to Matt’s comments about Third Way. Our institution has partnered with Third Way on a number of important projects – including a homeland security transition project – and have a great deal of respect for their critical thinking and excellent work product. They are key leaders in the progressive movement and we look forward to working with them in the future.

Jennifer Palmieri clearly misunderstands the nature of her business (or perhaps she understands it too well). I’m glad I still work at the Atlantic.

A choice for the gay civil rights movement.