God is French? This explains a tremendous amount.
Well, apo, you've already pulled the lever for Gravel, but would you have switched to Obama if you had known that Arcade Fire and Superchunk would be playing an Obama "Early Vote" rally in NC?
Slack motherfucker.
I havent yet been convinced by Arcade Fire. People keep telling me that I should love them.
Same goes for Brazilian Girls and MIA.
Help me grow, oudemia.
Will MIA is awesome. That's probably the key fact you were missing. Listen to the MIA track on my latest mix for clues.
Well, I'm not really an Arcade Fire evangelist. I really love Funeral, but it took a while for that to happen, and I remain thoroughly ambivalent on Neon Bible.
I'm surprised at your ambivalence however, since Dead Heads often dig them, it seems.
I read a very cruel criticism of M.I.A. a while ago. I'll see if I can find it.
Arcade Fire and Superchunk would be playing an Obama "Early Vote" rally in NC
Wait, what? Where? When? (To demonstrate our diversity, I am ambivalent about Funeral but really love Neon Bible.)
He's having a rally in Carrboro next Friday, so that would be my guess.
Old Crow Medicine Show was only decent the other night.
But, we did stay up after midnight! We are such badass kids!
Moreover, we are going to see Prairie Home Companion (friday show) on Memorial day weekend at Wolf Trap. Wild and crazy we are! (If anyone else is going to be there, let me know.)
Hey, since the Tarheel State commenters seem to be out in force today, are any of you doing calling for Obama? I called my sister in NC yesterday to see where she stood on the primary, and she is on the fence. Anyone feel like calling her and talking up Obama?
She asked me what the key arguments for Obama were, and I stumbled for a second because I've been cocooning among Obama fans and didn't have my talking points ready, but I finally got it together and gave her a sales pitch. The argument that she seemed to find most persuasive was that the Red State governors and Senators seem to favor Obama, indicating that they expect him to have a more favorable impact on downballot races than HRC.
Her main issues, AFAIK, are reproductive freedom, gender equity, and support for working mothers. She is in favor of getting out of Iraq, but I don't think that moves her vote. She is a big fan of WJC.
Her husband, who I was surprised to learn is a registered Democrat, is also on the fence. I don't know enough about his politics to know what would sway him.
if you had known that Arcade Fire and Superchunk would be playing an Obama "Early Vote" rally in NC?
"No Pocky for Hillary."
What I've heard by Arcade Fire didn't make me want to hear more, so I don't have an opinion on them, really, but I still love MIA, especially Piracy Funds Terrorism. "Fire Fire/Walk Like An Egyptian" still makes me smile.
Knecht:
Reproductive issues just are not driving either Obama or Hillary. Avoiding McCain is the only real options. Hillary certainly isnt going to lead any courageous political battles over this issue. She will keep her finger in the air and stays lukewarmly supportive of reproductive freedom. (Both Obama and Hillary get good marks from official pro-choice groups.)
Hillary interview:
" JC: Next subject: abortion. Some women feel that your language is becoming much more moderate on the issue. What do you say to reassure them?
HC: I've been saying the same thing for as long as I can remember: I believe abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. I do think women should have a choice but also that women should be making responsible decisions. I think people who have been pro-choice have basically gotten lazy about it. There will be a concerted effort by the Supreme Court to try to push as far as they possibly can [last spring, the court upheld a ban on so-called partial-birth abortions], and if they go all the way and either repeal or overturn Roe v. Wade, then it will become a political issue again in the legislatures of every state, and people will find themselves having to be politically active. When you're part of a group that cares deeply -- as the anti-choice people do -- you get organized, and you vote on that issue, whereas people who are pro-choice vote on a lot of different issues. I bet a lot of people among your readers voted for George W. Bush because they concluded that he was more likeable or whatever. But if [abortion rights] is the most important issue to any of your readers, then it has to become a voting issue."
McCain = VERY ANTI-Reproductive Freedom:
* Voted anti-choice 125 out of 130 times in his congressional career.
* Consistently voted to restrict access to abortion care.
* Voted against measures to prevent unintended pregnancy.
* Voted for the global gag rule, which prohibits federally funded family-planning clinics from giving women full information about their reproductive-health options.
* Voted for and co-sponsored the Federal Abortion Ban.
* Voted in favor of anti-choice Supreme Court Justices like Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas and Chief Justices like John Roberts.
Aww, didn't the Obama campaign learn their lesson after the Arcade Fire played a couple concerts for them in Ohio?
Now having M.I.A. do a campaign concert for you would be the ultimate positive dogwhistle. Emblematic of progressive foreign policy and sound taste in beats to those in the know, sounds patriotic and pro-military to the others.
(But holy crap could wingers have a field day with the Tamil Tigers connection. Eesh.
14/15. No disagreement from me. So you think I go with an electability argument for Obama? Or the bank shot argument that Obama has a better chance of bringing in a 60 seat Senate majority on his coattails and hence getting an uncompromisingly pro-choice SCOTUS nominee confirmed?
Here we go:
What do you make of that M.I.A. record? For my money it's got three good songs (the two singles ("Galang" and "Sunshowers") and "Hombre"), and the rest is fair-to-middling dancehall with a pretty, "exotic" singer who makes Williamsburg-dwelling record critics named Josh or Adam feel like they're Simon LeBon in the video for "Hungry Like the Wolf."
with a pretty, "exotic" singer who makes Williamsburg-dwelling record critics named Josh or Adam feel like they're Simon LeBon in the video for "Hungry Like the Wolf."
That is hilarious.
Or the bank shot argument that Obama has a better chance of bringing in a 60 seat Senate majority on his coattails and hence getting an uncompromisingly pro-choice SCOTUS nominee confirmed?
I'd go with this one. Hillary's nominees are more likely to be less supportive of reproductive issues.
So you think I go with an electability argument for Obama?
Perhaps crazily, I sort of think that an Obama win will make it easier for women in the future to be the Presidential candidate than an HRC win. HRC is/was regarded as a formidable candidate as much or more because she is a Clinton, with all the institutional support and faith that implies, as because she's a woman. I tend to think that once you let a black guy in, you pretty much have to let anyone in, and there are many, many more white women than black people in the Democratic coalition. Even in 2008, if Obama wins the Presidency, he's going to have to give up something (I hope) to women to placate HRC's strong female base. Again, I admit that particular interpretation might be pure crazy.
The first MIA album is full of catchy songs. The second MIA album has two catchy songs, one of which was written and performed by Australian pre-teenagers.
Also, her lyrics are dumb.
sales pitch
America is in bad shape unless its voters start paying attention. A charismatic, intelligent president will make people care again. Also, the rest of the world may rethink writing off the US as evil oppressor if we elect him.
IMO policy statements during a campaign aren't worth that much. It is noteworthy that he's choosing smart people as advisors, as powerful people's advisors are ultimately their sense organs, and a penchant for yes-men (what's gender neutral for this? yes-people sounds odd to me) is dangerous.
That speech on race is on youtube, it's not that long.
That softer world strip is awesome.
I'm also meh on Neon Bible and meh on seeing Arcade Fire anywhere big enough for them to play. Pace oudemia, I found Funeral spellbinding the first eight times I played it, and then there wasn't much left.
A friend saw them in a >1000 club in December 2005. They were banging on every damn thing in reach. Would have loved to be there.
I'm not convinced by Arcade Fire, either. That kind of bombastic sound does nothing for me.
Huh. Other music factoid truffle I snouted up today: Wire is playing a free show in NYC next month. Nifty!
11: I love Wolf Trap. I've seen things there from The Fabulous Thunderbirds to South Pacific (with Robert Goulet! terrible!).
we've got two extra tickets, Sir Kraab....
Perhaps crazily, I sort of think that an Obama win will make it easier for women in the future to be the Presidential candidate than an HRC win.
Also, Rory would really like to be the first woman president, if y'all don't mind. Of course, this would require waiting a couple more decades unless we can get a constitutional amendment on that 35+ age thing.
20: Here's what I e-mailed my sis:
Dear [KR's sister]
[Introductory pleasantries omitted.]
I wanted to leave you with this thought regarding the upcoming primary:
President Obama plus 56-58 Democrats in the Senate is a very real possibility (pickups in Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, and New Hampshire, a decent chance of pickups in Minnesota, Oregon, and even Alaska). That, combined with Republican Senators Specter, Snowe, and Collins, gets you one, probably two uncompromisingly pro-choice, filibuster-proof supreme court nominees, and thus and a pro-Roe majority for another generation.
President Clinton plus 52 or 53 Dems in the Senate gets you...who knows?
Let's hope that the politics of fear are effective in this instance.
25: I saw them a couple of times before/as Funeral was coming out, in 200 ish or less crowds. The first time as a lark (had never heard of them), the second time because it was one of the best shows I'd seen in years.
And yes, they banged on everything. And tackled each other, and took out a drum set. And walked through the audience in a big snakey line. And played each others heads for a while. It had been years since I'd seen an act having that much fun together. Totally infectious. The music was a little sloppier back then, but so much fun. I really don't know how well they translate to bigger places, 'cause I haven't seen them recently.
That softer world strip is awesome.
haha, what is the libel law regarding rollover text? Does it 'count'?
I used to be a copy editor at a metropolitan daily, and our .jpg names were always stuff like 'guilty as a motherfucker', 'my chin resembles balls', etc. We had to stop because one of the up-tops was paranoid that they'd make it onto our website somehow.
Sorry, I posted before I realized that you guys weren't talking about the post anymore.
I've seen Arcade Fire! And I'm seeing MIA at the Roskilde festival this year!
See? Game on!
34: You mean the filenames that can be accessed by rightclicking and going to "Properties" (though God knows why anyone would)?
I just talked to my kid sister, who has lived in the South [Marietta, GA] for far too long. She has informed me that, should HRC not win the nomination, she's going to vote for McCain, because it's of paramount importance that Obama not win. Why? Because a) he's a racist ['Didn't you hear what his pastor said?'; b) he's uneducated ['He doesn't know anything about politics, everyone says so!']; c) there will be a race war because of the "backlash" [and how is the racism of whites Obama's fault?] and, in a supreme triumph of intellect over emotion, she has "a gut feeling that he's evil". I was surprised that she didn't aver he was a Muslim, but that might have weakened argument a) a tad. Oh, and she thinks the South is waaaay less racist that the North, despite the fact that Marietta was the only place I've been in recent memory where white people toss around "nigger" in front of black people so casually that it's obvious it's a regular habit.
When I pointed out that the next president would likely nominate the next Supreme Court Justice, which would pretty much put paid to reproductive rights, equal pay rights, etc., her response was that 'Oh, those are all taken care of already'. Again, HUH??? At this point, I accused her of being a closet Republican, of having drunk the Kool-Aid [she did, after all go to school with Karl Rove, and who knws, maybe he Manchuiran Candidated the whole university...] and she began screaming at me, so I hung up the phone.
Well, if she's planning to vote for a Republican, then she's a (closet?) Republican. How is that offensive to her?
She regards herself to be a Democrat, a liberal, and afeminist. IMNSHO, she is, in fact, no longer any of those, but we all like to maintain our childlike illusions, don't we?
Heh - "afeminist" is probably correct, like "atheist"...
DEditrix, is she in AFSCME or AFT? My sister is and she's been pumped up with really nasty anti-Obama stuff. It slips effortlessly from "Republicans will claim that he's anti-American" to "That anti-American stuff of his will hurt him."
42: Neither - she's a Prada-obsessed six-figure executive at a major consulting firm. I think she's just now realising that Republicans are the party of the well-to-do.
34: We had some similar hilarity ensuing at the semi-professional campus paper I worked at. And then a naughty file name DID make it into the online edition (although not the print version, I think). The management took the dimmest possible view of the situation.
43: So basically, she's lost all vestigial guilt.
43: the well-to-do, short-sighted and foolish, in any case.
45: I figure all those years of living in Salt Lake City in her youth and now, in Marietta, have warped her beyond repair. Her only son has ADHD, so his chances of getting drafted into McCain's 100 years war are pretty much nil, and her daughters, on the urging of their classmates, have become born-again Southern Baptists, so wimmen's rights ain't necessary 'cause they're gonna remain barefoot and pregnant as soon as they can find millionaires to marry. Well, OK, Prada-shod and relying on poor women to bear babies for them so they won't lose their figures, but you get what I mean.
46: The bitch of it is is that she's a very intelligent woman, but is so insecure about her intelligence that she gets defensive and irrational if one tries to have a debate/argument [in the classic sense]. And, of course, it doesn't help that she lives in a very red area of a very red state, where she was once physically threatened by a neighbour for supporting a local Democrat.
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