NM Pop Politics

I’m Praying for the Next President! Button

Within days of Sept 11, an evangelical group in Scottsdale, Ariz (my hometown) launched a Web site called “The Presidential Prayer Team,” the mission of which was (and has been) to combine the praying power of American evangelicals into one big weapon of mass devotion. Pray together and the world will be healed.

Yeah, right. For the last seven years, the evangelicals have prayed and prayed and prayed for Pres. George W. Bush’s success, and it just didn’t happen. So, rather than admit that God, if there be one, couldn’t give a crap about the goings-on in American politics, they’ve shifted on to a new campaign: “I’m praying for the next president” complete with a “campaign-style” button.

Is it just me or is that silhouette blatantly McCain?

Obama: A Terrorist’s Best Friend T-Shirt

A fifth grader in Colorado was suspended this week for wearing this sharpied T-shirt to school, MyFOXColorado.com reports. Apparently, students were encouraged to wear flag colors to school to show off their patriotism. This kid’s dad, however, is a militant anti-abortion protester and “proud conservative,” and so, this was the proud-to-American outfit his kid wore on his back. According to school administrators, the student wasn’t suspended for the message, but his insubordination when he refused to turn it inside out. Personally, I think the kid should’ve been left alone, First Amendment Rights ‘n’ all. Heck, I’m wearing a Doctress Neutopia for President shirt today and no one in the office is complaining about a conflict of interest.

Denver Police Protective Association DNC T-Shirt

Back before the Democratic Convention, SFR reported on Re-Create 68, an activist organization that was fighting for the right to storm the streets outside the DNC in Denver. Then, at the convention, SFR dutifully captured the protests on video (here and here), which seemed altogether tame, compared to the RNC violence that went down a week later. Now, Brian Maass (no relation) at CBS Denver reports, a new T-shirt printed by the Denver police union is telling what the police really saw as their mission: “WE GET UP EARLY, to BEAT the crowds: 2008 DNC.” Obviously, Re-Create 68 has jumped all over this with a press release demanding an investigation and disciplinary action against the officers responsible.

Before the convention, I’d set a goal for myself. If possible, I wanted to shake hands with a few of my media heroes and crushes, including Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell and Dana Bash. In the end, I only got to see Maddow in person, which was very cool, but the rest…I never even caught a glimpse.

It wasn’t all a loss though. I did get to see plenty of others. Here’s the list:

Who: Howard Fineman

Claim to Fame: Newsweek senior Washington Correspondent/MSNBC commentator

Situation: Fineman was behind me in the security line at the security checkpoint at the Pepsi Center on the first day of the convention. He was already wearing make-up. We’re both standing at the table on the far side of the metal detector, refilling our pockets, when he looks at me and says, “Here we go.” I smiled. Then he flagged down a cart and caught a lift to the front gate.

Who: Willie Geist

Claim to fame: Co-host and comedic relief on MSNBC’s Morning Joe

Situation: On the final day of the convention, we were both on our cell phones crossing a street from opposite sides. He didn’t look at me or my hat. I remarked to whoever I was speaking to on the phone that Geist is much taller than I would had imagined.

Who: Jonathan Alter

Claim to Fame: Newsweek Senior Editor/MSNBC Commentator

Situation: Again, on the final day of the convention, Alter was rushing into the Pepsi Center (through the non-media entrance, I might add) as I was rushing out to have a cigarette.

Who: Tucker Carlson

Claim to Fame: Former MSNBC host, now MSNBC commentator

Situation: The line to get into see Michelle Obama’s big speech was long and slow, but luckily I could occupy myself by watching Tucker Carlson and, presumably, his family, 15 feet away. It took about an hour to get to the entrance.

Who: John Gibson

Claim to Fame: FOX News host

Situation: Oh, I just saw the guy walking outside the Pepsi Center, microphone in hand. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know his name–all I remember is that he’d been Countdown Worst about 150 times–and I had to google-image “Fox Host” before posting this.

Who: David Corn

Claim to Fame: Mother Jones Washington Editor

Situation: He was sitting next to me in the front row at the Rachel Maddow event in the Big Tent. He got the first question with the CEO of Google. It was very redeeming to see that the screen of his laptop was as dusty and smeary as mine.

Who: John Oliver

Claim to Fame: Daily Show correspondent

Situation: For a few minutes at Invesco, I was sitting in the front row of one of the VIP sections, where I could look over the press area. I saw Oliver hanging with his crew and I really wanted to yell at him “I loved you in Green Wing!” but I didn’t.

Who: Mo Rocca

Claim to Fame: Daily Show correspondent, NPR contributor

Situation: I just passed him in the hallway of the Pepsi Center. He was with a camera crew and looking very serious. Actually, between the seriousness and that his hair was way more grey than I remembered, I initially thought it was just someone who looked like him. Checking the net later, I confirmed it.

Name: Markos Moulitsas

Claim to Fame: Founder of DailyKos

Situation: He was around the Big Tent all week, often hanging out right behind me while the web cam was on. At one point he got in a cursing match with an author who had achieved a mild amount of fame decades ago for prosecuting Charles Manson.

Those were all rhe media folks I saw. However, I also ran into: Oilman T. Boone Pickens, Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Iraqi President’s son Qubad Talibani, actor Jeffrey Wright…and of course, our own governor Bill Richardson.

Me at Invesco with Barack Obama.

Headed back now. Thanks to everyone who helped, particularly Emily Pepin and Josiah Stpehens.

Last night at Invesco, right as Gov. Bill Richardson’s new speaking slot was upon us, I just happened to spy Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Brian Colon hanging out on the floor from the bleachers. He was so fantastic during the roll, I had to get him to introduce Bill for our viewers.

Of course, Bill didn’t end up coming on stage between MLKIII and will.i.am as had been previously announced and blogged. No, instead, we were treated to several other speakers first and some sort of text message exercise*, before our gov. showed his new mullet to the crowd.

The universally acknowledged best line of the night:

“John McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we’re the ones who’ll pay for his flip-flops.”

*which I found especially ironic, considering that as much as Obama and Democratic Party might brag about how text messaging is changing elections, allowing supporters to keep immediately up to date with the campaigns… just the night before, Gov. Richardson’s press staffer Caitlin Kelleher couldn’t even text the members of the New Mexico press corp to let them know that there was no emergency, that Richardson had just been bumped from the speaking schedule.

So, I was filming Code Pink erect their “platform” on the 16th Mall today (well, yesterday - I’m posting at 3am), when the leader with the bullhorn pulled two guys in suits up, introducing them as dignitaries from Kurdistan who are good friends of the Code.

Turns out, they were indeed dignitaries. The one who talks in this awkward scene is Qubad Talabani, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s son and Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the US. Talabani explains he’d be happier if she covered up the “Now” in “All Troops Out of Iraq Now.” After all, they’re talking timetable.

The other, I don’t know who he is. It sounds like she says Prime Minister, but the mugshot doesn’t match. If you can confirm his identity, let me know asap.

Right now, as I blog this, I’m upstairs at the Big Tent, front row* for Rachel Maddow’s interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt about politics and the Internet. Rachel’s been one of my main role models and sources of inspiration throughout this election season, more so during the primary when I had a car with a car radio.

I didn’t hear that she’d be getting her own show on MSNBC until about five minutes ago when she was introduced (she announced it last week). I googled it, because that seemed appropriate considering Schmidt, and sure enough, she’s replacing Dan Abrams’ Verdict, which is what I was calling for months ago when I heard they were giving yet another white dude a show.

Anyway, so I’m really chuffed about that, because to a large extent, she’s been the Barack Obama of the media world; a new voice emerging from a community so far under-represented* in th media that speaks sense to a larger audience of progressives.

Getting her own show is pretty much the equivalent of accepting the nomination, you know? I just wish I could’ve nominated her by accalamation.

Anyway, I’m going to see if I can get close enough afterward to congratulate her.

UPDATE: I was trying to figure out who the guy sitting next to me is…he’s the Washington editor of Mother Jones. More semi-celebrity sightings later.

* I was broadcasting live until some organizer told me no cameras in the first four rows.

** Not just the LGBT community, but the hipster demographic as well.

Props to blogger and reporter Matthew Reichbach for getting this one online first:

Richardson will not get a prime time speaking engagement as it seemed he might be slated for on Wednesday night. It turns out the applause for Bill Clinton went on a little bit too long and someone had to be bumped off the list; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was the person bumped off the list.

It couldn’t have helped to see Tammy Duckworth speak while knowing that less than two weeks ago, Richardson was in the running for the top spot on Wednesday night’s speech lineup: for the vice presidential candidate spot. Instead, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden got that position and speaking spot.

Richardson will instead be sandwiched between a speech by Martin Luther King III and a performance by will.i.am and John Legend. Yeah, Richardson is between a famous civil rights leader’s son and a member of the Black Eyed Peas.

Yeah, it kinda sucks for Richardson and the suckiness trickles down to the rest of us who were hoping for a big moment for New Mexico.

But, you know, thinking about it on second read, I think Reichbach’s being a little pessimistic. will.i.am and John Legend are sure to draw a decent sized crowd, even at that hour.

And I’ll be there.

At Wednesday morning’s delegate breakfast, Sen. Tom Udall delivered an extremely enthusiastic* introduction for T. Boone Pickens, the oilman turned windman, who’s not only trying to court the public but also, presumablySen. Jeff Bingaman who heads the Senate Energy Committee. Actually, Pickens has been a bit of a media whore lately, even going so far as speak to the lefty bloggers in the big tent.

Boone’s pumping wind energy, particularly in the western corridor… NM seemed to love it, or love him, or both…I couldn’t tell what.

But here’s the video, cinema verite style, in two parts:

The New Mexico press corp (not to mention the New Mexico Democratic Party staff) were texting something frantic when Gov Bill Richardson didn’t turn up on stage for his allotted speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night.

Even the convention staff were under the impression that Richardson would be making a 20 minute speech.

I’d fought for an hour to get to the convention floor for his address and failed because either the Secret Service or the Fire Marshall had closed access (DNC staff said first one, then the other). Finally, I did sneak into one of the press box seats…only to be stuck wondering wtf was going on. No word from the Gov’s office, the state party had no clue either and the other journalists were equally in the dark. I had to bite the head off one specialty publication journalist who asked me to keep my voice down while talking on the phone during Biden’s speech.

Like, he had Biden’s speech on paper in front of him and the video will be on YouTube or C-Span.org almost instaneously. Our Governor had disappeared. That fact shut him up.

A nice Denver-based journalist next to me, who claimed to be a friend of Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s wife, said she’d heard hours earlier that Richardson had been bumped to tomorrow. Could the local press have been the last to know?

Anyway, I’ve now got confirmation from Conchita Cruz, communications officer for the DPNM (recently promoted from press secretary) who dutifully tracked down the info for us, both during and after Biden’s speech. Here’s the quote she gave us from an unnamed member of Richardson’s staff, via text message:

The Governor was asked to speak on the final night of the convention at a larger venue. More details will be available in the morning.

I guess we’re talking Invesco. Richardson’s gotta be so stoked. But we’re also hearing speculation in the blogger tent that Richardson will be speaking much earlier in the day…which isn’t as bad as it sounds. Unless I’m mistaken, people are supposed to show up at 2pm.

Holy awesome! There’s Colon and he’s on friggin fire. And look! There’s Brad Lyau’s entire face!

UPDATE: Holy awesome! He gets to yield to Illinois!

UPDATE: Man, it’s good to be a swing state.

UPDATE: MOTION CARRIED! WE CAN STOP SAYING PRESUMPTIVE!

UPDATE: So, earlier some guy from C-Span was sitting next to me and started talking up its web site, how if you link to it, it’ll link to you, and how they’ve got embeddable video. Let’s try it: